Revenge of the Mad Scientist (Book One: Airship Adventure Chronicles) (11 page)

“I hope the young master is not bothering the captain,” Jasper said looking back at Benji and Rett.

“I rather hope he
is
,” Belle said with a tight smile.

Jasper searched her face. “You really don’t mind being around
him
?”

She sighed. “It was a long time ago, Jasper. Maybe he’s right. Maybe he did us both a favor. We were very young then. I don’t know. I just want to find my father.”

Jasper nodded but his expression was solemn. “I worked for your father then, as one of the footmen, remember?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“I’ll never forget that day they brought you back from the church. There you were in your beautiful white gown and your face just as white. You never cried, but your eyes had a blank look that didn’t go away for several months. We were all worried about you.”

Heat rose in her cheeks. She had not imagined anyone other than her parents worrying about her. She tucked her hand in the crook of Jasper’s elbow. “Thank you, I didn’t know.”

“My Lady?” The engineer, Sam, walked up to them. “I wanted to let you know the Grand River is about twenty miles ahead. We should be in Harruca by tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s good news, Sam.” Belle removed her hand from Jasper’s elbow and went back to the rail. “Are we making good time?”

“Excellent timing. The storm left us with a light tail wind and that’s pushing us along nicely.”

“I wonder how far ahead of us
Blackwatch
is by now?” Jasper asked.

“
Blackwatch
?” Sam’s face turned red and his brows came together.

“Yes, we think that is the ship carrying my father,” Belle said. “Do you know it?”

“Aye, My Lady. Her captain is the one that crashed into my ship and made me lose my hand.” He held up his gloved mechanical limb. “Damn fool raced another captain for some stupid wager. A lot of people lost their lives in that crash.”

“Oh, my, I didn’t know you were involved.” Belle put a hand to her chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t you worry. We’ll catch that blackguard and get your father back. I’ll be looking forward to getting my hands on Wildeye Perry after all this time,” he said grimly.

“Sam, need some coal,” Rett called.

“Excuse me, My Lady.” He touched the brim of his flight helmet and headed off to the engine room.

Benji waved to her, smiling broadly and Rett’s gaze rested on her as well. She turned back to the rail and sipped her sherry. She refused to let anything about that man upset her. He had done enough damage to her peace of mind in the past. All those nights after he left she had spent trying to figure out what it was about her that had driven him away. She had studied her face in a mirror, looking for imperfections and asked her parents over and over if she was ugly or unpleasantly plump or a bad person. They had reassured her with eyes full of love, but it had taken years before she could shake off the self doubt. Fighting to make her thread business successful had helped to give her back her identity.

“Belle?” Benji joined her at the rail. “Are you ok, k, kay?”

“Yes, dear. I’m thinking I shall go to bed and so should you and Jasper. We’ve had a very strenuous few days and we must be sharp when we land in Harucca tomorrow to look for clues.”

“Rett showed me how t, t, to use the compass. It’s fascinating. Once you know that and have the charts you can go anywhere in the world.” His eyes took on a faraway stare. “Maybe one day, I’ll b, b, be an airship captain.”

When she did not respond he turned to her with worried eyes. “Oh, Belle, I’m sorry. Does it bother you that I am spending t, t, time with Rett? I never thought….I’ll stay away from him if you wish…”

“No, Benji.” She laughed. “Don’t worry. Learn all you can. I don’t mind.”

“Thanks, Belle.” His face relaxed. “You know I’d d, d, do anything for you.”

“I know. Let’s go get some sleep.”

He nodded and gave a wave to Rett before going below. Rett’s gaze followed them as they crossed the deck.

###

“Are you daft in the head?” Sam said after the passengers had left the deck.

“What do you mean?” Rett asked with raised brows. He adjusted the lever to increase their speed slightly, feeling the smoothness of the passage in the deck beneath his boots.
Gambit
glided through the air like an eagle.

“How did you let a high-flyer like that get away?” Sam gave a low whistle. “She’s a diamond.”

“You don’t understand,” Rett mumbled. It hadn’t been about Belle that much. It was more the situation and being pushed into it. Although he’d believed she was more enamored with the idea of marriage than she was with him.

Sam shook his head and lifted the hatch to the engine room. “You’re right, I don’t. A man would be crazy to let a woman like that go.”

Rett made a small growling noise, and Sam shrugged then went down the ladder.

Maybe he had been crazy. If he’d married Belle he would have been set for life. Her father would have made sure of that. He had purchased a house for them and by now would have placed Rett in some high level diplomatic job. He could have attended society events with a beautiful, rich wife on his arm, the envy of every man.

Instead he was on this airship with a one man crew, working job to job just to stay afloat, and the threat of losing his ship along with the risk of death around every corner. But then he looked up at the sky. It was night now with an inky black overhead accented by a spectacular splatter of twinkling stars and a half moon shining down on him. Below, the breathtaking view of the peaks of Kaspan unfolded with their dark gray jagged mountains and tops covered in snow that glittered like diamonds in the moonlight.

He took a deep breath of the cool fresh air. Sure he lived job to job and he and Sam worked like demons for every cent they earned, but he was free. He could go anywhere he wanted as long as he had coal and water on board. His heart swelled at that thought. Freedom was why he had run away from home in the first place. No one could tell him what to do, except Sam, but that was okay. Sam was his mate.

He sighed when an image of Belle rose in his mind. No denying her beauty, and full of spirit to boot. But women were trouble. Once they got their hooks into a man you were doomed. Next thing you know you’re buying a house, having kids and your adventures are over. No, he would put those hazel eyes out of his mind. He’d get her to Carabarras and help her find her father, then they would be square. He’d have the money he needed to get out of trouble and he could forget her forever. He hoped.

###

The sun hung low in the sky by the time they reached Harucca. Belle, Benji and Jasper were all at the rail watching the sights of the capital city of Pandistan come into view. The temperature had gone up and they all had shed their coats.

Belle couldn’t help but feel hopeful they would be able to find some real evidence of her father here. If only she could know for sure that he was all right it would ease the ache in her heart somewhat.

The scene spread out below them filled with the beige of sand and clay block buildings. Awnings and tents of rust and dark brown draped here and there among the square shaped structures. Patches of green marked areas of wealth: the gardens and lawns of large houses, official looking buildings, public squares, and the huge foreign owned hotels.

“Look, that’s the palace of the Supreme Pasha,” Benji yelled pointing to a magnificent collection of buildings within a high stone wall. The elaborate arched windows and turrets with conical roofs made of colorful tiles contrasted sharply with the plain, square buildings of the town. Even the canvas awnings of the palace showed every shade of the rainbow. A huge garden spread out behind the palace with lush trees and beds of flowers.

The flyer pigeon returned and Belle glanced back at Rett and Sam preparing for landing. All seemed to be going well. Ahead of the ship, she could make out the aeroport in the distance. There was a vast difference in this aeroport versus those in Cross Roads and Eagle’s Peak. The landing field was wide and well-graveled, but there was only one large hanger for covered docking. There were about thirty airships hovering low over the ground like strange round birds.

“Supreme Pasha.” Jasper sniffed. “I fail to see why they can’t have a queen like proper countries.”

“The Supreme Pasha’s family has ruled in Pandistan for t, t, twelve thousand years,” Benji said. “It’s an ancient dynasty with a r, r, rich history. In fact the first books were p, p, printed here and the old university was a renowned center of learning until a civil war d, d, destroyed it.”

“Then they should have learned enough to have a queen for a ruler.” Jasper raised an eyebrow and turned away.

“We’ll be landing soon, My Lady,” Sam said as he came up to their group. “You’ll want to make sure and stay close to the men while we’re here. It’s dangerous, especially for westerners.”

“In the capital of the country?” Belle said in disbelief.

“Aye. A lot has changed here in the past few years, especially how they feel about the west. There’s also the problem that the country is divided by all the different tribal factions. The Supreme Pasha rules with an iron hand, but it doesn’t stop the undercurrents of crime he chooses to ignore. Allowing the regional pashas to have some illegal income keeps them off his back.”

Belle shared an uneasy glance with Jasper. “Very well. But we need to spread out and ask questions here to find news of my father.”

“We will, but don’t go off on your own. Women aren’t treated the same here as they are in Urbannia.”

She started to say more, but a shout from Rett called Sam to landing duties and she bit her lip. The dangers of Pandistan were not unknown to her. Its history was tainted with tribal wars that had left the country scarred and poor. Like its neighbor Gandiss, Pandistan had been reluctant to incorporate the invention of steam power into its infrastructure. Only in the last few years had some headway been made by their governments in modernizing the countries.

This was one of the reasons Gandiss had come to the bargaining table in a treaty with Urbannia. They had decided to move their country ahead in technology and revive its sagging economy. Belle wondered how the breakdown in negotiations would affect that country. What a huge setback. Maybe if her father was found, the treaty process could go forward.

As the great ship lowered in preparation for docking, the sounds of the city rose to greet them. Animals bleating and honking, the bells of cattle and sheep all wafted up from what appeared to be a large market area just west of the aeroport. Spreading out from the buildings of the city, numerous tents and stalls were visible where the owners called out to passersby about their wares. Dust from the dry sand rose up in clouds with the movement of people and animals on the unpaved streets creating a low hanging haze.

The dryness irritated Belle’s nostrils along with the mingling scents of garlic and onion from the many cooking pits scattered throughout the market. It was a greasy smell, not entirely pleasant.

There were shouts from the ground as the landing crew caught the tether lines and maneuvered
Gambit
to its docking area. Jasper had a hold of Benji’s coat tails so he didn’t fall overboard as he gaped at all the strange sights.

At last they were tied up and Sam approached Belle and her group. “Me and Rett are going to see what we can find out in the aeroport office and around the yard. They should be able to tell us if
Blackwatch
landed here and when she left.”

Belle nodded. “Excellent. Then we shall go over to the market and see what gossip we can uncover.”

“Absolutely not.”

Belle turned and found Rett standing behind her. “Excuse me?”

“You’re not to leave the ship. It’s too dangerous,” he said. “Especially now that night is approaching.”

Heat rose to her cheeks in anger. “I assure you I am well able to take care of myself,
Captain
. And I’m not going to lose an opportunity to obtain information about my father.”

Rett frowned. “Look, Belle, I know you’re worried about Sir John. But the most information will come from people here at the aeroport who interacted with the crew. Sam and I are best suited to ferret that out.”

She clamped her lips together in a firm line determined not to argue with him in front of the others. With a huff, she turned back to the rail and watched as he and Sam lowered the gangplank and walked across the field to the aeroport office.

“Belle?” Benji came to her side, eyes wide.

She let out a growling sound and pounded her clenched fists on the rail. “He is so infuriating.”

“But, My Lady, he may be right about going out in the evening.” Jasper gave an exaggerated shiver. “Who knows what sorts of ruffians inhabit such a primitive place.”

“I would love to s, s, see the market,” Benji said in a wistful tone. “I’ve read that they have t, t, two headed snakes in Pandistan and they can charm them with small spinning wheels that make them as t, t, tame as kittens.”

“Well, no one said we couldn’t go out in the morning.” Belle squared her shoulders. “We shall rise early and go exploring. With you two fine gentlemen accompanying me,
Captain
Brockton can have no objection to an outing.”

Jasper eyed her uncertainly, but Benji beamed, raised his arms over his head, and whistled. She saw a long red mark on his forearm when his sleeve fell back.

“Benji, what happened to your arm?” She grabbed his wrist and pushed his shirt sleeve up to reveal a fresh cut about two inches long.

Benji pulled his arm back and gave her a sheepish look. “It’s just a cut I made with the d, d, dagger. You know the man who sold it said it is a b, b, blood blade.”

“But it could become infected. What made you do it?”

“Rett told me about the tribes in Carabarras. He said that all the young men receive their blood b, b, blade when they turn sixteen. They have a ceremony and c, c, cut their arms then smear the blood on the blade and name it. From that point on the b, b, blade will be theirs and serve only them,” Benji said excitedly. “It’s my blade now so I had t, t, to do it and name it.”