Revenge of the Mad Scientist (Book One: Airship Adventure Chronicles) (18 page)

“Want me to steer?”

“No, get the others and have them help you look for water. It won’t be easy to see in the dark. I’ll decrease our altitude now that we’re away from Faldoral.” He pulled the lever back and angled the ship down slightly.

The terrain began to change from rocky hills to more wooded areas; a good sign water was abundant in this area. The further south they flew, the frigid chill of the north faded to mere coolness.

After several hours, Benji yelled, “Water. A l, l, lake.”

Rett noted he pointing off to the port side. Yes, he could see a flash among the green trees that might be the moon reflected off water.

“Way to go, mate,” he said as he turned the wheel to head in that direction.

The others gathered at the rails. Armani wore one of Belle’s jackets and a pair of jodhpurs under the filmy skirt. They all seemed to be holding their breaths as they neared the small lake, hoping for a good place to land.

Rett eased back on the throttle and the ship slowed as it descended. The bottom of the gondola soared only a hundred feet above the tops of the trees now. There were no signs of habitation which meant they had a better chance of stopping here without detection. The lake ended up being no more than a pond but Sam said it would be adequate for their purposes.

“L, l look at that,” Benji pointed to what appeared to be a large pile of stones grown over with vines among the trees, barely discernible in the dim light.

“What is it?” Belle asked

“I think it’s the ruins of some k, k, kind of building,” Benji said. “There are some statues, too.”

“It appears to be quite old and forgotten,” Jasper said. “Strange that it is in such an isolated area.”

“Just be thankful we found a water source,” Rett said. He could care less about ruins, he wanted to make sure they had a place to take on the water they needed. If not, they wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Perfect, a sandy area ran back from one end of the pond and Rett slowed to a hover as Sam went below to pump helium back in the concentrator. The ship settled like a giant hen on her nest and when he felt impact with the ground, Rett stomped on the hatch.

“We’ll get the tether lines secure,” Rett told Belle as he and Sam left the vessel with Benji close at their heels.

They tied off the ropes to adjacent trees and Rett paused to look around. It seemed deserted. He heaved a deep sigh. Finally he felt like he could relax for the first time in a week. Now if they could just make it to Jandaharra they could take on more coal, drop off the girl, and then hop over the mountains to Carabarras. If they were lucky they might pick up the trail of Wildeye in the capital city of Terrabba.

Sam already had the water hose out, hauling it to connect to the auto-pump, and Rett went to help him. They floated the hose out to a clear area of the pond and then attached the opposite end to the pump. Rett sealed another hose around the output pipe that ran into the ship’s water tank as Sam pulled the retractable steam pipe over and hooked it onto the top of the pump. He spun the wheel that opened the valve, pulled the start lever and the pump began to make chugging noises.

Rett poked the water intake hose with one finger and found it firm with flowing water. The output hose plumped up as well. Sam nodded. Water pumped into the tank.

“That’s very interesting,” Benji said as he observed the process. “I’ve never seen a p, p, pump this small before.”

“I did a bit of engineering on a bigger pump to make this one,” Sam said, patting the chugging brass contraption fondly. “Comes in very handy in situations like this.”

“How long will it take to fill?” Belle asked.

“Not long. Half an hour, since we’re almost dry,” Sam responded.

“Then we can leave?” she asked.

“We’re staying here tonight,” Rett said as he tightened a bolt on the pump. “We’ll leave in the morning.”

Belle’s eyes grew big. “Staying here? But we need to get back on my father’s trail. There’s not a minute to lose.”

“No. We’re staying here tonight and that’s final, got it? And don’t go wandering off and get in trouble again,” he snapped and then flinched at the hurt in her eyes.

Exhaustion swept over him and he didn’t feel like explaining anything to her. She was so stubborn she probably wouldn’t listen anyway; all she cared about was her own bloody feelings. The only positive thing he could give her was that at least she wasn’t calling him
captain
anymore. He threw down the wrench he had been holding and stalked off.

###

Belle watched him leave and turned back to Sam. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Oh, don’t mind him. He turns into a bear when he hasn’t slept in a few days.” Sam checked all the hoses without looking at her. “He hasn’t had so much as a nap since you disappeared. Don’t worry; he’ll be better in the morning.”

A sinking feeling invaded her chest. It never occurred to her Rett would be so intent on a rescue. She fully expected him to have stayed in Harruca. But he had actually been quite resourceful in tracking her. Such behavior cast him in a new light. Since he left her at the altar, she had thought him nothing more than a scoundrel, without any sense of responsibility or regard for others.

She looked around but he’d already gone into the gondola. Benji and Armani wandered along the side of the pond and sat on a group of rocks, tossing stones into the water. She walked around to join them.

“Do you think we might have a l, l, look at that stone building?” Benji asked when she sat beside him.

“Not now, it’s too dark. Maybe in the morning.” She looked up at the stars sparkling in the clear sky.

“We’re staying the night? Capitol!”

“I’m not sure I like this place,” Armani said as she rubbed her arms and glanced at the thick forest that surrounded them.

“Why not?” Belle frowned.

“I don’t know. Perhaps it is merely fancy. I have not felt safe in a long time.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take c, c, care of you,” Benji said. He reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder, and she gave him a small smile.

“Tea is served.” The call echoed across the water where Jasper had set up a table and chairs on the sand and brought out the tea service along with trays of food. Gas lamps from the ship cast a cozy glow over the scene.

“Remind me to give him a raise when we get back,” Belle said laughing.

“I am starting to be quite f, f, fond of him myself.” Benji grinned.

The trio strolled back around the pond as Jasper brought out several lanterns from the ship and placed them on the ground around the chairs for more light. Fortunately he had bought provisions at the market before Belle was kidnapped so they feasted on fresh fruit and thick flat bread the Pandistanis were famous for. There were several types of hard sausages they sliced and rolled in the bread along with sour pickles. Armani exclaimed over some sugared plums, and Belle sighed with delight over a container of green olives stuffed with almonds.

Mist rose from the pond as the chill of night descended. Sam shut off the pump and declared their tank completely filled. He came over and joined the group, adding a bottle of whiskey as his contribution. Jasper frowned on this common offering, and with a look of sure victory produced a bottle of ten-year old sherry along with the set of cordial glasses he had brought from Belle’s house.

By the time Rett decided to leave the gondola and join the party by the lake they were all a bit tipsy. The alcohol along with the relief of having come through an adventure unscathed left them all in need of laughter. Rett pulled a log up within the glow of the gas lanterns and accepted a glass of sherry from Jasper and a plate with samples of food from Belle. She hoped it would make up for her earlier outburst.

Sam was in the middle of an outrageous tale about a time early in their careers when he and Rett escaped some air pirates with an expensive cargo of olive oil kegs on board. Belle laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair, which finally brought a smile to Rett’s lips.

“You mean you didn’t really have a c, c, cannon on
Gambit
?” Benji asked.

“Lord, no, not back then we didn’t. We were just starting out in the cargo business. Now we’ve got some though.” Sam slapped his knee. “What we did was use some pipe we painted black. We had five of them positioned over each rail. The pirates were too far away to be able to see if they were real or not. Rett would yell ‘fire’ and I would throw a bit of flour in the air to look like smoke from the guns.”

Belle glanced around at the comfortable group, their faces glowing in the lamplight. Even Jasper had loosened up and sat on the arm of Benji’s chair, sipping sherry and chuckling. Armani finally realized she was safe and laughed along with the rest of them. Belle thought if only Sir John were here she could feel completely content. How different from the stuffy ballrooms of Aereopolis. Maybe this was what Rett needed, the reason he had left—freedom and the sky full of adventure. It made her view him a little differently.

“Tell us what happened when you were k, k, kidnapped, Belle,” Benji asked.

Belle gave them an abbreviated version of being taken by the Sarc and how she escaped only to end up in the hands of the slave trader Rafi Tarris.

“You escaped a Sarc?” Benji sat forward, eyes wide. “You actually saw one?”

“He wanted the stickpin. I suppose he must have stayed behind when
Blackwatch
left.” Belle sipped her sherry, thinking how fortunate she was to have escaped. Otherwise she would be dead right now.

“Unfortunately, that may not be his last attempt. Those pins are sacred to them.” Rett frowned.

“How will he find us now?” Belle asked.

“If I can find you, then so can he.” Rett shrugged.

A cold spider of fear crawled up Belle’s spine. She’d considered the danger of the Sarc past, or at least until they reached Carabarras and had to face her father’s kidnappers.

“In Pandistan it would be a natural assumption that a woman like you might end up in the slave market. Then it’s just a matter of bribing the right person.” He held out his glass to Jasper who refilled it. “That means we have to be careful. From now on, nobody goes off by themselves and we keep our movements as secret as possible.”

Rett’s words cast a pall over the previous jovial atmosphere. But Belle knew he was right. They had been careless in Harruca and the result was they had lost valuable time. Now they had to return Armani to her family and that would further delay them. Belle could only hope the
Blackwatch
had been similarly delayed and they would be able to pick up the trail once they reached Carabarras.

Rett stood and stretched. “I suggest everyone get a good night’s sleep. “We’ll need to be sharp when we reach Jandaharra to avoid further…adventures.”

He cast a meaningful glance at Belle and then strolled down to the pond. She waited a moment then followed, wanting to apologize to him. He went beyond the circle of light cast by the lanterns and picked up some stones to throw into the water.
Plunk. Plunk
.

“Rett?” She walked up beside him.

He turned his head at her voice.

“I wanted to apologize,” she said.

“For what?” His brows came together.

“For this afternoon. I really appreciate what you did to rescue me and I didn’t know you needed some rest. I’m sorry about pushing to go on, but I’m just so worried about my father.”

He tossed another rock into the pond.
Plunk
. “That’s just like you, Belle. You apologize for something that small when I never really apologized for the awful thing I did to you.”

She turned away, not sure she wanted to talk about that. But he put a hand on her shoulder and spun her around.

“Look, you’re way past due for an apology, and I need to get it off my chest once and for all. I was a complete jackass to leave you without an explanation and I don’t deserve to be forgiven, but I apologize anyway. You’ll probably never be able to understand my reasons for leaving. You think I was just being selfish, running after my dreams, but the truth is I didn’t want to disappoint you as a husband. I can only say that at the time I felt it was my only course of action. I know it humiliated you and hurt you and I hate that, but it’s too late to change it now.”

“You didn’t want to disappoint me as a husband?” She stared at him in disbelief as her hands balled into fists. “Are you really going to give me that as a reason for what you did? Now I’m really angry.”

“I’m trying to apologize. Why are you angry?” He put his hands on his hips.

“Because that’s the most ridiculous piece of malarkey I’ve ever heard and I can’t hit you because you just saved my life.” She glared at him.

“But it’s true,” he said, exasperation raising his voice. “You think it would have been better to go through with the wedding and then find out I wanted to go fly airships and explore the world?”

“No I think it would have been better for you to come and talk to me before the wedding so we could have worked it out together. You need to face the truth, Everette Brockton, you were a selfish scoundrel.”

“Ha, yeah, that would have worked. You want the truth, then here it is. You were a spoiled daddy’s girl back then and you got everything you wanted. Nobody dared turn you down and I wasn’t going to be the first. If I had told you about my dreams you would have just brushed them aside and asked me for the two hundredth time if I liked the color of the rugs in the house your father bought us.”

Her eyes popped wide and rage like a fiery inferno swept through her. “Rugs? I never asked you about the rugs. Never. And I am not a spoiled daddy’s girl! I’ve worked hard for what I have.”

“Maybe now, but back then you were just a brat. If I had even hinted at ending the marriage you would have pulled every brat trick in the book to stop me, and I wasn’t going to go up against that. It was better for me to leave.”

“A brat? A brat?” Reason left her and she swung her fist into the pit of his stomach with all the force she could muster.

He doubled over with a “
whoof
.” Then before she could catch her breath, he grabbed her waist, swung her into his arms and tossed her into the pond. As she sat there sputtering in the shallow edge of the water, he stomped off into the ship.