by Henry Vogel
“How do they communicate with you?” I asked.
“The mine has speaking tubes, just like you’d find in a large airship,” Michelle answered. Tears began sliding down Michelle’s cheeks. “Installing them was Garrett’s idea.”
Callan moved next to Michelle and put an arm around her. “We’re going to get him back, Michelle.”
Michelle sniffed, smiling bravely. “You know that’s the first time you’ve addressed me without ‘aunt’ in front of my name?”
“You’ll always be Aunt Michelle to me,” Callan said, “even if I just call you Michelle.”
“And you’ll always be the little flower girl from my wedding, Callie, even if you aren’t a little girl any more.”
I waited a moment while Callan and Michelle hugged. When they pulled apart, I asked, “Have they made any demands?”
Michelle snorted. “Oh, yes. They want royal pardons and more money than our fief has.”
I mulled over that for a moment. ”Agree to the demands.”
“We can’t do that, David! They’ll kill Garrett when we can’t deliver!” Michelle protested.
“I don’t think so,” I said. “If I’m right, they’ll change their demands.”
Michelle looked thoughtful. “I don’t follow that. Please explain.”
“All of their demands are nothing more than delaying tactics designed to keep you off balance and thinking about anything except rescuing Garrett,” I said. “These men don’t care about the ransom. They’re waiting for a signal of some kind. When they get it, they’ll just leave. I’d guess they’re even using the steam drill to dig their own escape tunnel.”
“In that case, can’t we just wait for them to leave?” Michelle asked.
“For one thing, we really need Garrett to assume the regency while we search for Callan’s parents,” I said.
“What’s the second thing?” Michelle asked.
I met Michelle’s gaze. ”When they don’t need Garrett any more, they’ll probably kill him!”
Chapter 11
Lady Michelle was digesting what I’d said when a map of the mine was brought to me. I began studying the map, looking for something the kidnappers hadn’t thought about. An hour later, I found what I was looking for.
“Lady Michelle, do you know if there are any retired miners among the staff?” I asked.
Michelle relayed the question to her majordomo. Ten minutes later, the husband of the head cook was ushered in. At my prompting, he introduced himself as Jim.
“Jim, do you know anything about the silver mine just north of the city?”
“Where them men is holdin’ Lord Garrett?” he asked. “Yeah, I worked it some. Worked the copper mine t’other side o’ the mountain more.”
“That’s what I was hoping to hear,” I said. I pointed at the map. ”This copper mine shaft looks like it gets very close to the silver mine—close enough for me to break through the wall. The thing is, I don’t know anything about mining. Without a good guide, I’ll probably just get lost.”
“Copper mine’s been shut up fer nigh on twenty years. Timber’s prob’ly rotted out in places,” Jim said. “Be dangerous.”
“If I don’t do something, Lord Garrett will probably die.”
“Then I’s yer man,” Jim said. “What kinda supplies you got?”
“You tell me what you think we’ll need and I’ll make sure we’ve got it.”
Jim rattled off an impressive list of items. Half an hour later, with the requested supplies loaded on the Pauline, Nist flew us to the entrance to the copper mine.
Swinging a heavy pack onto my back, I said, “Nist, I’ll send Jim back once he shows me the shaft I’m looking for. Wait here for him, then the two of you head back to Garrett’s palace.”
“What about you?” Nist asked.
“I’m planning on coming out through the main entrance to the silver mine,” I said as Jim and I set off for the boarded-up entrance to the old mine.
Prying the boards from the entrance proved easy—several were rotten, as Jim had predicted—then we headed in. Every inch of that mine was familiar to Jim until we came to the sinkhole blocking our path.
“Sorry, son, ain’t no other tunnel goes where you wanna git.” He turned toward me. “Boy, what you think yer doin’?”
I dropped the last of my gear to the ground and tied a rope around my waist. “I’m going to jump across.”
“You crazy, boy? Tha’s gotta be thirty foot!”
“Just find a place to tie this end of the rope, in case I don’t make it” I said.
Once Jim had tied off the rope, I grabbed a pick and stepped back. Boost! I charged toward the sink hole and leaped out over the impenetrable darkness of the sinkhole!
Chapter 12
My foot slipped on some loose stones as I jumped. It wasn’t much of a slip, but it was enough. I knew immediately I wasn’t going to make it to the far lip of the sinkhole. Worse, if the bottom of the sinkhole was closer than my rope was long, I was in for a world of hurt! Halfway across, I realized I was going to make it to the other side of the sinkhole, just not to the lip.
Maintaining Boost, I pulled my pick arm back and then drove the pick into the wall of the sinkhole. I crashed into the wall and put all my weight on the pick. It held, but I didn’t want to put too much trust into such a blind swing and began looking for handholds.
“Yee ha!” Jim called. “You got guts, son. Scramble on up and tie off the rope fer me.”
Yeah, that was easy for Jim to say, but I found I could dig out hand and foot holds without too much effort. Feeling more secure, I dropped Boost and climbed the wall. A few minutes later, I tied off the rope, Jim pulled himself across the sinkhole, and on we went.
Jim got talkative after my jump, filling our walk with tales of the mines and the miners. The man knew a story for every foot of that mine. A lot of them were funny and a few were tragic. It filled the time until, at last, Jim pointed to a tunnel.
“This ‘un here’s the one you want.”
“Thanks,” I said. “You head on back to the airship, now.”
“Nah, I gotta see how yer gettin’ through t’other mine. ‘Sides, I knows where you oughta make yer hole.”
I wasn’t about to turn down expert advice. “Lead on, Jim!”
Ten minutes later, Jim and I used our picks to dig out a two foot deep hole in the tunnel wall. Then I pulled out the Onesie. Jim watched, curious, as I broke down the gun and set the power supply to overload. Believe it or not, the power supply overload is a design feature. Sometimes a Scout just needs to blow something up, even if it turns the Onesie into a high tech decoration. The whine of the overload was building as I placed it in the hole and scooped dirt in behind it. Grabbing Jim by the arm, I ran back up the tunnel.
A couple of minutes later, the power supply blew. Impatiently, I waited for the dust to settle. Had we blown a back door into the silver mine?
Chapter 13
Through the settling dust, I saw the hole we’d dug was almost man-height and, when I brought a lantern to it, was relieved to see it opened into the silver mine.
“I couldn’t have done this without you, Jim! But now it’s time for you to go back to the airship and head home,” I said. “Tell Lady Michelle to wait for me to call on the speaking tubes.”
“You sure you don’t need no help, son?” Jim asked. “They’s got ten men.”
“I’ve faced worse than that before, Jim, and I’m still breathing. I appreciate the offer but it’s best if I go on alone from here.”
“If’n you say so. But you be careful, son.” Jim winked, “I ‘spect that purty princess be right riled up if’n you gets hurt.”
“Trust me, not riling my wife is always one of my top priorities!” I said.
“Them’s words ta live by, lad!” Jim gave me a thumbs up and started back to Nist and the Pauline. I strode through the new connecting tunnel and into the silver mine.
The first thing I did was shutter my lant
ern until it gave off the narrowest beam of light possible. Once my eyes adjusted to the near-total darkness, I started toward the main tunnel. And almost immediately tripped over a rock. I just managed to catch myself with my free hand before the lantern could be smashed on the rocks. After that, I reigned in my desire for haste and opened the lantern’s shutter a bit more. Better to go slowly with a little more light than to break the lantern and be forced to crawl with no light.
I probed the darkness ahead with my ears, hearing being the most useful sense available to me. After fifteen minutes of hearing the periodic drip of water and scuff of my boot on rock, I heard the steam drill. Five minutes later, I reached what my mental map told me should be the main tunnel. The engine sounds came from the right, farther into the mine, but the speaking tubes were to the left, closer to the surface. Where would they be more likely to be holding Garrett? I decided they’d want communication most and turned left.
Another ten minutes of careful walking and listening—the last two minutes with the lantern completely shuttered—and I was looking into the kidnappers’ camp. I only saw seven of the ten men Michelle had said were down here. I assumed the other three were tending the steam drill. Garrett was tied to an iron ring driven into the left wall. As I’d hoped, he was on the end of the camp farthest from the mine entrance—the same end I was on. If luck was with me, I thought I could free him before the fighting began.
Luck was most definitely not with me. My recently sharpened hearing picked up the sound of two voices drifting up from behind me. I’d reached the kidnappers’ camp just before shift change on the drill!
Chapter 14
If I charged into the camp, I’d be silhouetted against the camp light and easily visible to the men behind me in the tunnel. It would only take one shout to alert their comrades and put Garrett’s life in peril. Instead of acting rashly and charging, I rolled to the left side of the tunnel, where Garrett was bound, rose into a crouch, and slipped along the tunnel wall.
The camp’s sentry faced away from me, toward the surface entrance where Garrett’s men at arms were just waiting for the order to charge into the mine. The rest of men sat talking, paying no attention to anything around them. I decided to try to let Garrett know what was about to happen.
“Garrett, it’s David. Rescue time is at hand,” I hissed. Garrett’s face sharpened into concentration. “Pull the rope taut, it’ll be easier to cut. I don’t have a spare sword, so run for the surface once you’re free. I’ll be right behind you. Do not wait for me.”
Garrett gave a bare nod and stretched as if trying to loosen stiff joints. The rope pulled taught. I moved to within five feet of Garrett and quietly drew my sword.
Boost!
Jumping up, I sawed on the thick rope binding Garrett to the iron ring. The rope parted, but not before a shout rose from down tunnel. Two of the men in the camp reacted quickly, drawing swords and charging toward Garrett and me.
“Get going, Garrett,” I shouted and I ran to meet the two who had reacted so quickly. They hadn’t expected me to come to them so I was able to roll under their hurried swings. I slashed at the man on my right as I came out of the roll, cutting a leg out from under him. Whipping my sword around to the other man, I thrust the point into his throat. Blood fountained as I ripped my blade away. The man’s hands flew to his throat and his eyes widened in horror. Gurgling, he fell away from me.
The swift brutality of my attack gave the five men within the camp reason to pause. Then we all heard the sound of running feet coming from the direction of the steam engine. Emboldened by the thought of reinforcements, the men advanced.
Charging had taken the first two men by surprise, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try again. I ran toward the closest three men, calling, “Surrender or die!”
No one surrendered. Instead, the three men spread out, their swords held ready. From the corner of my eye, I saw a fourth man angling to get behind me. I had charged at the man in the middle, but it was time to throw off their maneuvering. I planted my right foot and dove to the left. All three men froze at my unexpected change of direction. I took advantage of their confusion and swung my sword at the man standing before me. My sword bit into flesh, opening his belly from right to left. The man screamed and clutched his gut, trying to keep his organs from spilling out. Spinning around, I found the other three men backing away.
“Surrender,” a voice called, “or your lord dies!”
I turned toward the sound of the voice. Garrett lay on the ground, pinned down by a foot on his back. The sentry stood over him, his sword at Garrett’s neck!
Chapter 15
I moved my sword to my left hand and held it with two fingers. Spreading my arms wide, I concentrated on looking as non-threatening as possible. I knelt down slowly and laid the sword on the ground. As I’d hoped, all eyes were on the sword. No one saw me pick up a rock with my right hand. I raised my left arm, again using it to keep the men looking the wrong way. With a sidearm delivery, I hurled the rock at the sentry! It hit him hard on the forehead. Cursing in pain, the sentry stumbled back, freeing Garrett.
I snatched my sword from the ground and was on the sentry in an instant! Knocking his sword from his hand, I placed my sword against his throat, and dropped Boost.
“All of you, stay back or I’ll kill him!” I snapped. The men stopped, stunned at the sudden reversal of their fortunes. “Garret, please get going. Michelle and your children are waiting for you at the mine entrance.”
Rising, Garrett asked, “What about you, David?”
“I’ll be along shortly. Send some of your men at arms when you have the chance,” I said. “Oh, and tell Callan I’m fine. She’s probably starting to worry.”
“I always thought Callan was exaggerating when she told stories of your fighting prowess. It looks as if I owe her an apology!” With that, Garrett turned and ran toward the mine entrance.
Turning back to the kidnappers, I asked, “What now, gentlemen?”
The men exchanged puzzled looks.
“I can’t afford to waste any more time on you—not even the time it will take for Garrett’s men at arms to arrive,” I said. “Thirty minutes ago, I blasted a hole into this mine from an old, abandoned copper mine. Take it or don’t. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“You’re not going to execute us?”
“I’m tired of killing people,” I said, “but I’m sure Garrett’s men will be happy to oblige you. They’ll be along soon.”
“What about our steam drill?” one asked.
“On behalf of Lord Garrett, I thank you for donating it to his mining operation,” I smiled. “Do you have any more stupid questions?”
They shook their heads.
“One more thing,” I said as they started to turn away. “If any of you ever tries something like this again, I will hunt you down and kill you. No appeal. No mercy. Do we understand each other?”
They nodded, then the man who’d been on sentry duty asked, “How do we find the way into the copper mine?”
“I’m giving you a chance to get away and now you want directions?” I waved my hand down the mine shaft, “Find it yourselves.”
The unwounded men ran down the tunnel, ignoring the pleas of the man with the wounded leg and the groans of the man I’d gutted.
I ignored them as well and headed after Garrett. I met his men at arms along the way and told them the kidnappers were trying to get away through the copper mine. Unlike the kidnappers, I gave the soldiers precise directions to the connecting tunnel I’d created and they set off in pursuit.
Callan threw herself into my arms and kissed me soundly when I emerged into the morning light. Her public display caused lots of murmuring and a few disapproving looks from those gathered at the entrance. I guess that kind of thing isn’t considered proper for a princess, even if she is kissing her husband. I pulled Callan close, returned her kiss with equal fervor, deciding I couldn’t care less what the watchers thought of that!
A
s we broke off, a smudge in the sky drew our attention. I realized it was Martin Bane’s airship trailing smoke as it limped toward the city!
Chapter 16
“What’s a Tartegian warship doing here?” Garrett asked.
“That’s not a Tartegian ship,” I said. “It’s the one Martin Bane acquired as part of his deal with the Tartegian admiral”
“You’re sure it’s Bane?” Garrett asked. When I nodded, he pointed toward three of his patrol craft moving to intercept Martin’s ship. “Then we could have trouble. After the Tartegians orchestrated your kidnapping, Callan, my men have been itching for a shot at one of their ships! They don’t know Bane nor will they see much beyond the Tartegian design. I’m afraid they’ll attack as soon as they’re within range!”
“No!” Callan cried.
“Nist!” I yelled. “Is the Pauline ready to fly?”
At Nist’s nod, Callan sprinted toward the airship. Following her, I called over my shoulder to Garrett, “Come on!”
“I’m right behind you, David!” Garrett said.
I bounded over the airship’s railing and then pulled Garrett aboard the Pauline, “Is there any way to signal your airships?”
“I’ll try, of course, but all of their attention is going to be on their target.”
Grabbing a couple of colorful flags, I handed them to Garrett. He positioned himself in the bow of the Pauline as the little airship rose into the air. Nist brought the engines to full power, worked the ailerons, and put the ship into a steep ascent. Over the roar of the engine, Callan filled her uncle in on the attack against us, what little we knew of her parents, and who we believed was behind everything.
His arms still waving frantically, Garrett said, “It appears you’ve accrued another debt of thanks that my family owes you, David.”
“Uncle, David is part of your family, too. He has been for nearly a month!” Callan smiled and slipped an arm around my waist.
