by H. L. Burke
“We don’t want your carriage,” the man said. “Just the documents you picked up from Victor’s shop.”
“They won’t do you any good. They have our faces on them,” Ellis said.
“We’ll figure that out.” The woman flounced towards them. Nyssa eyed her. They were about the same size, petite … but something about the woman’s movements made Nyssa sure she could take her. She had a certain elegance that didn’t suggest someone used to scrapping. While Nyssa didn’t like to fight, she’d been forced to defend herself more than once during her days on the streets.
“Look, we don’t want any trouble,” Ellis said.
The man jabbed the gun into Ellis’s temple. Ellis grunted, his mouth hardening. Nyssa’s stomach twisted.Oh God, don’t let them hurt him.
“The documents, now.” The man aimed his revolver at Nyssa.
“All right!” Ellis held up his passport. He opened it, probably intending to remove the zeppelin tickets, but the man snatched it from his hand.
“And yours?” The woman put out her hand.
Nyssa gritted her teeth but handed over her document. The woman tucked it into her laced bodice.
“Let’s get out of here, love.” She rushed to the man’s side. The man backed out of the alley, his gun alternating between pointing at Ellis and Nyssa. They rounded the corner and disappeared.
Nyssa exhaled. “Are you all right?”
Ellis nodded stonily. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear him sneak up on me.”
“Neither did I. I was too focused on the woman.” She walked to him. “I hate being played.”
“Do you think we’ll have time to get new documents by tomorrow?” Ellis asked. “Victor seems the type to demand cash up front, and I didn’t bring enough for another payment.”
“Plus he was clear, he only got those finished so quickly because the other couple …”The other couple … “Let’s go talk to him, anyway. He may know who they are.”
They hurried back to the shop, only to find the door and windows locked. Nyssa pounded on the door.
Pink already tinged the sky above them.
“We’ll have to come back tomorrow,” Ellis said.
“Yes, but by thenThe Juliet will be gone.” Nyssa’s shoulders slumped. “Oh Ellis, what else can go wrong?”
“Hey.” He touched her arm. “We aren’t beat yet. Let’s get back to the hotel, order something to eat, and we’ll figure it out from there.”
She followed him to the carriage, but her mind still turned over the events in the alleyway. If she ever got her hands on that couple, they’d get more than a piece of her mind.
Chapter Two
Nyssa sat on her hotel bed, stroking the burgundy counterpane. Her fingers glided across the smooth cloth, so much finer than anything she’d ever rested on. A few feet away, an identical bed took up the other half of the room, this one unmade with clothing scattered about it.
Ellis had disappeared after dinner, wanting to “see to things.” He tended to handle people better than Nyssa did, and someone might recognize her. She hoped news of her alleged crimes hadn’t spread from New Taured’s capital to the coast, but on the off-chance it had, it was best that Ellis dealt with anything in the open.
“What is taking so long?” She picked up his suitcase and started to organize his scattered belongings. Socks, shoes, a blown spark plug from repairs conducted hastily on the road. His late father’s shop had been chaotically organized. She’d assumed because of long neglect, but considering Ellis’s habits, it was possible he had a genetic distaste for tidiness.
Could be problematic. Of course, Ellis can probably afford a maid or two.
Nyssa picked up one of his shirts. It seemed clean, if a bit wrinkled. Running her hands over the crisp linen, she eased the creases from the front, then folded it. She raised it to her face and inhaled. It smelled faintly of him, of the pine-oil soap he’d purchased at the beginning of their trip and the grease he used to lubricate his chair’s many moving parts. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips.
The door opened, and she dropped the shirt into the suitcase, her ears burning.
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that.” Ellis entered the room. The door clicked shut behind him. “You’re not my maid.”
“The mess gets to me after a while.” She shrugged, trying to subdue her blush.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Sorry. I grew up with people picking up after me, so I tend to be a little inconsiderate about leaving things where they lie. I need to get out of that habit.”
“I don’t mind, really.” She turned to face him. “Sitting in here doing nothing is driving me crazy. I need something to tinker with. Preferably a videophone or a radio to repair, but lacking those, tidying up suits me.”
He guided his chair to the end of the bed, flipped up the armrest, and slid his body from the chair to the mattress. She tried not to stare. The first time she’d seen him make such a maneuver, she’d offered her help, only to get a sharp look. After a bit, she’d come to realize his independence was more important to him than any perceived inconvenience.
Flipping a switch on the side of his chair, he triggered the folding sequence. The chair jerked and whirred then compacted itself into a silver-handled briefcase. Ellis had made this device and was quite proud of it. Nyssa suspected he might be as good an inventor as his deceased father. The idea of setting up a shop and working with him was interesting on an intellectual level.
Though there’s nothing intellectual about why I want to stay close. Shock me, I’m not going to turn into a love-struck school girl over him. I’m not.
“Do you think it will be possible to boardThe Juliet tomorrow?” she asked.
He scooted against the headboard and reached down to unbutton his shoes. “Without passports or tickets? Not likely. Those thieves might have inadvertently done us a favor, though. I went down to the hangar to see what I could find out, when the next airship would be leaving—”
“When?” Nyssa interrupted.
“If we still want San Azula, at least two weeks. If we’re willing to settle elsewhere, a few days. However, that’s not the main problem. The main problem is the wall of wanted posters pasted in the hangars.”
The blood drained from Nyssa’s face, leaving her lips numb. “I’m there?”
“Front and center … or you were, anyway.” Ellis reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He passed it to her. “The harm’s already done, though. Everyone working there would’ve seen it.”
She unfolded the poster. Her own face glared back at her. Does everyone think I look so … severe? “They’re only after me. I wish there were a way to beat the charges, convince them I didn’t do anything. Going on the run doesn’t make me look very innocent, does it?”
“Probably not. Still, we’re beyond worrying about that.” He folded his arms behind his head and reclined. “We need to get out of Freeport before someone recognizes you and starts asking questions. I doubt the police have sent fliers outside the country. They probably expect you to still be lying low in New Taured City.”
“But how do we get out if not by air? If we have to backtrack all the way to the next land border … that could take weeks, and what if they’re looking for the carriage?” She sat on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. “You’d be so much better off without me. You should just go and let me—”
“Nyss, I’ve got this.”
“But if you weren’t with me—”
“I told you, I’ve got this.”
She looked up into his warm smile. “How?”
“We might have lost our personal tickets, but I still have our baggage tickets, and I paid to get the carriage onThe Juliet. They do search the baggage area for contraband, but I talked to the dockworker in charge of that today and slipped him some money. They won’t check ours now.”
Nyssa sat up straighter. “Can we trust him? What if he turns us in?”
“I told him there was another
payment in it for him once we reached San Azula. Besides, I was vague about what I was smuggling, but I hinted it was something small, not really worth reporting. He definitely didn’t suspect I’d be smuggling myself. I figure we can lie low in the back seat, wait for it to be loaded, and then ride out the journey in the luggage hold. I sent a bellhop to buy us some food for the trip. Only three days, anyway, so while we won’t be traveling in style, we’ll be fine.”
She blinked at him, trying to decide if the plan could work.
“Is it that bad of an idea?” he asked.
She smiled. “No, not at all. Actually, it’s weirdly brilliant. You really came through, Ellis. Thank you.”
“We should get some sleep. They load the luggage before the passengers, so we’ll have to be up well before dawn.” He set the alarm clock. “Good night kiss?” He winked.
She flushed. “Here … in … in a bedroom?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s just a kiss. I don’t want ...” His face reddened. “You’re right. Bad timing. Sleep well, Nyss.” He turned down the gaslights, still in his shirt and trousers. The mattress creaked as he settled into place for the night.
Nyssa wanted to pull her hair out. He hadn’t meant anything by that. Why did she have to overreact? Why couldn’t she just accept normal affection like a normal girl? Normal girls did that, right?
Blast, I don’t even know what normal is. Certainly not breaking into houses and running from the police.
Nyssa slipped off her knee-high boots and unlaced her corset. Even in the dark, the process of undressing near him made her breath quicken. She kept on her blouse and leggings then dove under the covers, pulling the blankets tight against her chin.
This traveling together, so close every night, has to end sometime. I’m only sixteen, too young to marry. She nestled her head into the pillow.Please God, I don’t want to lose him. Let him wait for me.
Chapter Three
Themassive pill-shapedJuliet floated above them, tethered to the mooring tower. The zeppelin blocked out the pale morning light that crept over the airfield. Nyssa parked the horseless carriage next to the hangar and leaned out the window to stare at the airship.
“How can something that big stay in the air?” she whispered.
“A mixture of buoyant gases, mainly,” Ellis replied. “We’ll leave the carriage here. The crew member I spoke to will have it towed into the hangar for loading. Come on. We need to get covered up before he arrives. If he finds out the contraband is us, he might have second thoughts.”
She lay on the floor. The space was tight, perhaps a foot across, but if they rested on their sides they’d fit, barely. After some maneuvering, Ellis reclined beside her, his chin brushing the top of her head. He pulled a travel blanket over them.
The heavy woolen blanket weighed down on Nyssa’s face, stifling her breath and making her skin itch. She shifted, her shoulder blades rubbing into Ellis’s chest. He squeezed her hand.
“Just a bit longer,” he whispered. “Once they’ve loaded us, we should be able to sit up.”
She breathed through her nose. The space smelled of dust and Ellis’s soap.
And to think we could be traveling in style and comfort if not for those two idiots in the alleyway. I hope my passport picture gets them both arrested.
Their luggage was stacked on the carriage’s bench: a suitcase for Ellis, and Nyssa’s leather satchel of tools and clothing. There was also a basket of bread and cheese and a few canteens of water. Not a feast by any means, but enough to see them through the three-day journey without starving.
“Try and sleep,” Ellis suggested.
He didn’t let go of her hand, even when his muscles relaxed and his breathing steadied, suggesting he’d taken his own advice. Nyssa sighed. She ran her thumb up and down the back of his hand. It was good to have him near.
She’d almost drifted off when the carriage jerked forward. Ellis stirred, so she tightened her hand around his, hoping to remind him where they were and not to move.
“I don’t remember this carriage being on the manifest,” a muffled voice said.
“It was added late last night, rich passenger. The captain made him pay through the nose for all the added weight, but the fellow didn’t flinch.”
“Well, we were under weight. Ticket sales have been down sinceThe Viola crashed.” The first man snorted. “If it keeps up, we might both be looking for another job. Here, hand me the cables.”
“Hold on,” Ellis murmured in her ear, his breath warm.
She gritted her teeth to avoid crying out when the carriage jerked upward. It spun and wobbled.
Sparks and shocks! Oh God, please let those cables hold. I hate heights.
Every muscle in her body tightened. Ellis’s arm slipped around her waist. “It’s okay. It’ll only take a few minutes. Breathe.”
She concentrated on his scent, the pine soap … How could something so mundane be so intoxicating?
The carriage bumped down, and the light changed, going from the weak illumination of dawn to pitch black. She dared to push back the blanket.
The only light in the hold filtered through a large, open hatch. A crane sat beside this, bringing crate after crate into the empty luggage compartment.
She settled next to Ellis again. “Well, at least that’s done with.”
He laughed. “Could be worse. Once we’re underway, we should be able to move about down here, as long as we’re quiet. They say these airships fly so smoothly we won't even know we’re moving.”
“I wonder if we can get into the passenger areas. After all, we paid for our cabin, so we know it’s empty. We could hide in there, and if anyone catches us point out that we’re both on the passenger manifest.”
“It’s risky.”
“So is staying down here. Think of it. If they find us in our cabin, we can claim we lost our tickets. If they find us down here, it’s pretty obvious we’re stowaways.”
“Maybe … I think you should let me scope things out, though.”
She furrowed her brow. “You? Why?”
“Because, one thing I’ve learned since my accident is that people assume invalids are basically incapable of everything. The crew sees me in my chair, it isn’t going to occur to them that I could’ve sneaked on board.” He wiggled into a sitting position. “Between that and people’s tendency to treat the infirm as inconvenient furniture, I should be able to investigate without much notice.”
She hesitated. There was a bitterness to his tone she hadn’t noticed before. He doesn’t think I see him that way, does he?
“If you think it’s best,” she said. “So I just wait here?”
“Maybe you can come with me, as my nurse. We should wait until the airship moves, though.”
Nyssa lay on one of the benches, her peacoat balled under her head as a pillow. She really hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. Perhaps a nap would do her good.
***
When she awoke, the area was dark. She felt about for her satchel and managed to fish out her goggles. Slipping them on, she switched the dial on the side to night vision. Green light bathed the carriage and the luggage hold. Crates, boxes, steamer trunks, all stacked around her, but no sign of Ellis.
She exited the carriage. “Ellis?” she hissed.
“Over here.”
She followed the voice around a tower of crates and found him sitting in front of a porthole.
He smiled at her. “Finally up. We’ve been moving for a couple hours now. Look.” He motioned towards the window.
Nyssa pushed her goggles up on her head and leaned forward. Below them stretched a field of dark blue, broken by lines of white that appeared then disappeared, then appeared again.
She whistled. “Is that all water?”
“Yep. We’re over the sea now.” He drew a watch from his breast pocket and flipped it open. “If my understanding of the ship’s schedule is correct, most of the passengers and crew will be busy now either eating or ser
ving brunch. If we want to try and claim our cabin, this would be a good time.”
“Let’s go.”
They navigated back through the crates to a locked door. It only took Nyssa half a minute to pick the latch. She pushed it open, just a crack.
A hall with forest-green carpet and polished wood-paneled walls stretched for at least a dozen yards, before ending in another door. It was empty.
“Clear.”
They continued down the hall. “We need to get to the sleeping quarters. Our cabin is number 15,” he said, glancing from side to side. “These look too narrow and close together to be passenger rooms. Probably crew quarters.”
“And storage.” Nyssa pointed to one hatch labeledSpare Uniforms, Aprons, Tablecloths.
“Good to know.”
They opened the door at the end of the hall. Four steps led to a second level.
Nyssa bit her bottom lip. “I know you don’t usually need help—”
He chuckled. “You think I didn’t account for stairs?” He flipped the switch on the chair’s control panel and a pair of ski-like attachments lowered from behind the wheels. Leaning back, he tilted the chair so that the front of the skis rested on the bottom step. “Give me a quick push, and we should be fine. I brought my own ramp.”
“Wow,” she said as she obeyed. “The moment I think I’ve figured out everything this chair can do, it surprises me.”
“I spent a lot of time tinkering with it after my accident,” he said.
“You really should manufacture them.”
They reached the top of the steps, and the skis retracted.
“I’ve given it some thought. Unfortunately the amount of skilled work that goes into it would make it difficult to mechanize production. The amount of man-hours required would be prohibitively expensive. Someday, though, maybe a simpler version could be mass-produced.”
“Maybe that’s our future business venture.” She smiled. “Glass and Not-Dalhart’s Self-Propelled Chairs?”
“Worth considering.”
The doors in this portion of the airship were wider and further apart. Each had a number in the center, starting with 20 and 19, across from each other.
