Revenge of the Mad Scientist (Book One: Airship Adventure Chronicles) (12 page)

Belle struggled to control the urge to voice her concern. But she couldn’t stop the swirl of anger in her chest that Rett had encouraged him in following through on the arcane ritual. She inspected the cut and fortunately it seemed to be healing well with no sign of infection.

“Well.” She crossed her arms. “What did you name it?”

Benji stared for a moment as if waiting for more from her, and then said, “
Abis
. It m, m, means ‘justice’ in Carabarran. It’s a good name, d, d, don’t you think?”

“Yes, it is a fine name. Justice is an excellent principle.” She turned back to the rail and pulled her distance viewers out of her skirt pocket. “I’m going to take a look at the market while it’s still light.”

She walked up the steps to the aftcastle. They were high enough in the air she would have a good view from the back of the ship. Benji followed her. At the aft rail, she raised the viewer and flipped down one of the magnifying lenses.

The market area seemed to be packing up for the night. People scurried about closing up shops, pulling down the sides of tents and rolling up rugs where their wares had been displayed. The women wore colorful scarves on their heads and caftans in multicolored hues. Men wore rimless, round, black hats and long robes of white or tan.

She scanned the area and could not see anything suspicious. Then she sucked in a breath of surprise. An old woman stood in front of an ornate tent looking in her direction. The canvas of the tent was striped in shades of purple with gold tassels hanging along the edge of the roof. It stood out from the drab colored tents around it. Several strands of gray hair curled about her face escaping from the dark red scarf wrapped around her head.

Belle flipped over one of the higher magnification lenses and took a closer look. She drew back when she focused on the woman again. It seemed as if the woman stared directly at her from several miles away. She lifted the viewer to her eye again. The woman still looked in her direction, dark grey eyes unblinking. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she wore a caftan in shades of red and orange with gold chains looped around her neck. The woman raised one hand and made a gesture, beckoning to her.

Belle gasped and stepped back from the rail, her hands shaking.

“May I look?” Benji asked.

She thrust the viewer at him without comment. Who was that woman and had she really motioned to her? How eerie. There was no way the woman could have seen her from such a distance, and yet Belle became filled with a compulsion to go to that tent right away. A shiver ran through her.

“My Lady, tea is served on the main deck,” Jasper announced from the stairway, his back ramrod straight and his chin tilted upward.

She appreciated the distraction and her stomach rumbled at the mention of food. No doubt the
captain
did not consider their need for sustenance in his rush to leave the ship. After she crossed the aftcastle and went down the steps to the main deck she drew in a breath of delight.

Jasper had set up a low round table with several of the wooden deck chairs around it. A gas lantern glowed in the center of the table which he had covered with a white linen cloth. There were cakes, finger sandwiches, cheese slices and soft rolls on silver trays she recognized from her home. She wondered what else Jasper carried in his numerous bags.

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she sank into one of the chairs and accepted a cup of tea, the rich dark Bellaca prepared exactly the way she liked it with cream and sugar. Benji sat in the seat beside her and took a cup from Jasper as well.

“I say, Jasper. This is a b, b, bang up tea you’ve prepared.” Benji popped a finger sandwich into his mouth and then reached for a slice of cheese and bread.

“Your compliment fills my heart to bursting, Master Benji,” Jasper said in a lofty tone. “I do so strive to please you.”

“It is truly an excellent tea, Jasper.” Belle laughed. “I dare say we would have starved if it were up to
Captain
Brockton.”

The sky darkened and the stars came out sparkling above them. Belle experienced an unanticipated lull of contentment. Despite her fears for her father, she couldn’t ignore the allure of the pleasant evening beneath the stars with excellent food and the spice of an exotic atmosphere wrapped around her. Despite her initial misgivings, Jasper had been a real comfort to her so far. She leaned back in the chair and allowed Jasper to drape a shawl over her legs as the night air turned chilly.

Male voices wafted up from the ground and soon Sam and Rett came through the hatch from below ship. Belle slid to the edge of her chair, eager to hear what news they had uncovered.

“So, were you able to discover any news of my father?” Belle asked when the two men reached the seated group.

Rett eyed the tea feast with disbelief. “We found out
Blackwatch
was here and left only an hour ago. It sustained some damage in the storm and had to make repairs before it could leave. So it seems they are not as far ahead as I feared.”

Belle jumped to her feet, her heart beating faster. “Then we must leave at once.”

Sam shook his head and Belle looked between him and Rett. “Why not?”

“Well, first of all, we can’t refuel until the morning.” Sam looked at Rett.

“What else?” She sensed there was more to this tale.

“Well, the story we heard is that an important passenger on the ship was hurt in the storm damage,” Rett said.

Her heart sank in her chest. Her father? “What else did they say? Was the person hurt seriously?”

“No one is sure. They only know that they brought a doctor on the ship to look at him,” Rett said.

“Then we must find the doctor and see what he will tell us,” she said. “Did you get his direction?”

“Hold on now, Belle. You can’t go running off to see him in the middle of the night. There’s another reason we can’t leave until the morning.” Rett put out a hand. “I have the direction of his office, but the men at the terminal said he won’t be in until nine o’clock.”

Belle put her hands to her cheeks and found them as cold as ice. She had to wait until then? It seemed like forever. Meanwhile her father could be dead. She caught a flash of sympathy in Rett’s eyes and fury rose in her breast. She didn’t want his sympathy.

“Give me the address.” She held out a hand.

Rett handed her a piece of paper. “We’ll go with you. It will be safer.”

She stared at the paper then put it in her pocket, crossed her arms over her chest and walked to the rail. Benji followed and laid a hand on her shoulder.

“It will b, b, be okay, Belle. I’m sure your father couldn’t be seriously hurt,” he said.

Belle patted his hand. “Thanks, Benji. I trust you’re right. We must hope in the morning the doctor can tell us good news.”

She would be waiting at the doctor’s door at nine, before he had a chance to go out on a call. But before that, she knew there was something else she needed to do—visit the woman in the purple tent.

Chapter 8

The rosy haze of dawn washed over the deck of
Gambit
as Belle raised the distance viewer to her eyes, searching for the purple tent. The venders in the marketplace tied back tent flaps and unrolled rugs on which to place their products. The pace was slower than last night when they were all in a hurry to close up and go home.

The purple tent easily stood out among the drab colors of the others. She flipped down the magnifier lens. When she located the tent again at a closer view, she drew in a quick breath. The old woman stood as she had last night, arms crossed, staring in her direction.

After noting some landmarks that would lead her to the tent, she closed up the viewer and put it in her pocket. She hurried down the steps to the cabins, keeping her steps quiet. She wanted to take Benji and Jasper with her, but not Rett or Sam. Likely they would not want her to go into the market, but she was determined to see this woman. She would leave a note for them to meet her at the doctor’s office at nine.

Lucky for her the crew quarters were at the back of the ship and the passengers’ were at the front. She successfully roused Benji and Jasper, admonishing them to be quiet as they dressed and then left the ship.

“My Lady, are you sure this is a good idea?” Jasper looked around the still yard where only a few workers were beginning to straggle in. The floating airships hovered silently with only an occasional creak of ropes or groaning wood.

“What danger can we be in? We shall be in a crowded market in broad daylight,” Belle said.

“Don’t worry, B, B, Belle. We’ll protect you.” Benji patted the dagger in its sheath now tucked beneath his belt.

“Excellent. With two such fine protectors I feel completely safe.” She smiled at him and then urged them to hurry. She didn’t want to be spotted on the field by Rett or Sam.

They went through the gate of the aeroport and received vouchers that would allow them to reenter. A high mud block wall encircled the area to protect the docked ships.

Belle led them down the street, keeping an eye on her landmarks and soon they were in the market area. Activity picked up when the sun passed the horizon and bathed the city in full sunlight. Smoke from cooking pits filled the air as the venders geared up to prepare meals and roasted meat for sale.

Venders called out to them but Belle pushed forward through the increasing crowd. She spotted the water tower she had seen from the ship and knew the purple tent would be a little to the east of it. They walked past stalls with bolts of colorful fabric, knives and swords, and beautifully woven rugs. Small carts held strings of peppers and other dried food along with hot pots of some sort of stew they ladled into wooden bowls for customers. People stared at them but Belle paid little attention. She was too intent on her purpose to care what the local people thought about their presence.

Belle had to constantly pull on Benji’s arm as he stopped at one interesting sight after another. When they finally reached the purple tent, disappointment stabbed her. The old woman was nowhere to be seen. She had started to believe the woman was actually waiting for her. Instead, a girl about ten years old stood beside the closed flap of the tent. She had on loose trousers with a skirt over them that reached her knees and a tunic belted at the waist with a multi-colored scarf. Her brown hair and eyes were a contrast to the bright blue fabric of her attire.

Belle looked around, decided she was being too fanciful, and started to turn away when the girl noticed her and came running forward.

“This way,
sitta
. Momi is waiting.” She took Belle’s hand and pulled her toward the tent.

“Who?” Belle hesitated.

“Momi. The old one who tells fortunes. She said for me to wait for the grand
sitta
and bring her in.” The girl stared up at Belle with bright eyes.

“Very well,” Belle said. A shiver of anticipation ran up her spine. What did the woman want with her? She turned to her companions. “Wait here while I go inside. I won’t be long. We have to be at the doctor’s by nine.”

Jasper and Benji shared an uneasy glance but did not reply. She allowed the girl to lead her by the hand and stepped through the flap of the tent into the dimly lit interior. A single gas lamp sat on the only furniture in the room, a small table beside plush pillows piled on a thick rug. The old woman sat on one of the cushions cross-legged, her hands resting on her knees. She had on the same orange and red caftan and red head scarf as yesterday. Her tanned, wrinkled face had seen many years in the sun, but her dark eyes reminded Belle of a hawk as they focused on her.

“
Bit alla meri, sitta
.” The old woman lifted a hand and motioned for Belle to join her on one of the pillows.

“Come,
sitta
,” the girl said. She sat beside Belle, between her and the old woman.

“What are you calling me?
Sitta
?” Belle asked.

“It means ‘lady’ in Pandistani,” the girl said. “My name is Gurfa and this is Momi. She wishes to tell your fortune.”

Belle glanced at Momi. The woman studied her intently.

“Do you speak Urbanni?” Belle asked her.

The woman shook her head and pointed to Gurfa.

“I will speak for her,” the girl said. “She says she is too old to learn foreign languages that make her tongue twist.”

Belle smiled. “What does she want to tell me?”

“Give her your hand,” Gurfa urged.

Belle glanced back at Momi and then slowly extended her hand. The old woman reached out and took it in hers. Surprisingly her hands were soft and her fingers nimble despite her age. She ran her fingertips over Belle’s palm leaning over for a better look. Then she reached out with both hands and ran her fingers down the sides of Belle’s face. She did this several times then sat back and closed her eyes. She began to speak in a soft voice and Gurfa looked at her while she interpreted her words.

“Momi says you have the air of destiny about you. She saw you come yesterday on the big bird-ship and knew she had to warn you.”

“Warn me?” Belle frowned, but Gurfa held up a finger to her lips.

“Momi says you are in big danger. The men of the flower want to find you and kill you.”

Belle started to ask who these men were, but once again the girl put a finger to her lips.

“She says you are on a trip that is more important than you know. You seek a man but it is the world you must save. You must save it from war or many innocent people will be killed. This is your destiny.”

Belle sat back blinking and her heart beat faster. “Is that all?”

The old woman frowned and said something sharp to Gurfa.

“She sees a tragedy in your future but it cannot turn you from your mission. You must stay strong and continue until the end.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. Destiny, tragedy, all ominous words that cast a shadow across her mind.

Gurfa continued, “The man who has your heart will help you but you must find him. He is hidden now, but you will know how to find him and unlock his heart. Without him your destiny will fail.”