Revenge of the Mad Scientist (Book One: Airship Adventure Chronicles) (22 page)

“Why would he do such a thing?” Armani asked. “In my country, women are forbidden to use weapons.”

“Yes, but it is the men in your country making the laws, is it not?” Belle clicked the cylinder back together and put the shooter in her skirt pocket. “My father wanted me to be able to protect myself. I think he always wanted a son, but bless him; he never once made me feel he was disappointed in me as a daughter.”

“Your father must be an amazing man,” Armani murmured.

“Yes, he is,” Belle said with pride.”Now run along up to the deck. I’ll join you shortly.”

Armani gave her a hug and hurried from the cabin.

Belle put away the other clothes they had tried on Armani and paused thinking of how even people like Armani and her uncle who knew so little about him realized how special her father was.

She ran a hand down her torn jacket and reached for her watch. Her fingers touched the place where the pocket flap should have been and found…nothing. Frantically she pulled the jacket off, pulling and patting the fabric, but there was no pocket. It had been ripped off. The man’s hand must have grabbed it when he fell. The button hole where her watch chain clipped was torn into a gaping hole.

Her knees buckled and she collapsed as realization hit her like a ten ton steam engine. Her watch was gone—the most precious possession and only remaining link to her father—gone. She fell over to the floor sobbing, robbed of her only comfort.

Chapter 14

Rett turned the lever on the mechanism of the steering column that locked the wheel in place. They would stay on their current course and altitude until they reached the first peaks in the Durbon Range. Fortunately the weather remained calm at this point and Rett hoped it continued to stay that way.

Sam made a pot of coffee below and brought up two mugs. They sat in the chairs on deck and Rett rolled out their chart on the small table where Jasper usually served tea.

“Will we make for the pass?” Sam asked.

It was just the question that had been nagging Rett since leaving Jandaharra. The Durbon Pass was a passage through the mountains carved in the lowest altitude area of the whole mountain range. It was the way caravans passed between Gandiss and Carabarras since mountains lined the entire border between the two countries. Rett thought it was probably why they stayed out of war with each other, too. Nothing like a big ol’ wall to keep neighbors friendly.

“That’s a good question.” He pointed to the map. “If we take the safe route and go by the Pass, we’ll avoid any dangerous weather in the higher altitudes. But it’s much further north from where we are now and will take more time to reach Carabarras. If we turn east now, we’ll save a lot of time, but risk getting tossed into the side of a mountain by a rogue wind.”

“We’ve never made that run before, mate.” Sam eyed the map with misgiving. “We always take the Pass.”

“I know. That’s why I’m putting it to you. I won’t do it if you disagree. You don’t owe Belle anything.”

“Well, that’s true, but what about world war? That’s something to think about, eh?”

Sam made a good point. It wasn’t about making up for leaving Belle at the altar any more. It wasn’t even just about trying to save Sir John. What they did now might prevent all the countries of the world from entering a disastrous conflict that could leave the world as they knew it in ruins. And what if some madman in Carabarras was successful because he had some powerful secret weapon? What kind of life would they have ruled by some crazed barbaric dictator? Damn, what a time to start being responsible. Couldn’t he start out with something small instead of saving the world?

“So you’re for it?” Rett looked his friend in the eyes.

“Aye, mate. Let’s do it.” Sam slapped him on the shoulder.

“Then I’ll put the decision to Belle, but I already know what she’ll say,” Rett said wryly.

“No question about that. She’s a game one. When this trip is over, maybe you’ll make up for that mistake you made eight years ago.” Sam gave him a wink.

Rett tried to ignore his comment and went off to find Belle. Ridiculous to think he and Belle might end up together after all this time. Wasn’t it? Damn. That woman was a lot of trouble. He didn’t know if he could stand a lifetime of this crap.

He met Armani on the stairs returning to the deck after donning warmer garments.

“Where’s Belle?” he asked.

“In her cabin.” Armani reached out and put a hand on his arm. “Thank you for coming back for me.”

“My pleasure. Always one for rescuing a damsel in distress.” He patted her hand.

She smiled and continued up to the deck.

Rett got to the bottom of the stairs and frowned. Someone was crying. He tracked the noise to Belle’s cabin where the door stood open and he found her in a heap on the floor, her body wracked in sobs.

He ran forward and stared down at her for a second not sure what to do. Confusion filled his head. Weren’t they supposed to be happy? They had just saved Armani. Then instinct took over and he knelt to pull her up to a sitting position, holding her shoulders.

“Belle, what’s wrong?”

Her body was limp, and he had to give her a little shake before she answered.

“My, my watch,” she sobbed, the most heart wrenching sound he’d ever heard.

“What do you mean? What happened to your watch?” He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her eyes.

She took the cloth from him and struggled to her feet, then collapsed on the side of the bed. He came to his feet and searched his mind for some reason the loss of a watch would cause such despair.

After several trembling sniffles, she blew her nose and pushed the loose strands of hair out of her face.

“It was a watch my father gave me. It was special, a link between us.” Her eyes squeezed up again and she couldn’t talk for a moment. “That, that man who came up the rope after Armani…he grabbed my coat and pulled the pocket off. The watch was in it.”

“Oh, I’m…sorry. That’s bad.”

He sank down on the bed beside her, not sure what he could do or say to make it better for her. Such a loss after all that had happened to her must be devastating. He took her hand and she actually let him hold it for a moment before pulling back and blowing her nose again.

“I’m okay. It’s just hard to lose the watch, too. I have nothing left of him now, nothing.”

“Look, it’s a sad loss, but it doesn’t change anything. We’re still going after him. You’re strong, Belle. You always have been, so you’ll handle this just like all the other bad things that happened to you.”

She gave what sounded like a cross between a gurgle and a snort. “Yeah, strong. Right.”

“You are, and we’re going to get through this.”

A sniff answered him, but she gazed up at him, her expression struggling between grief and hope.

“Come on, we need to talk about going over the mountains and I need your input.” He stood up and held out a hand. “We have to keep going.”

She gave another sniff, nodded, and took his hand. “Okay. Okay.”

They gathered around the chart he had shared with Sam and he explained their options.

“Well, we have to t, t, take the shorter route, no question,” Benji exclaimed as if there was never any option of using the Pass.

“Of course,” Armani said. “We must catch up with Belle’s father as soon as possible.”

Jasper nodded. “Yes, clearly the shorter route is our only choice. We’ve lost so much time already.”

Belle looked around at her companions and then to Rett. “There you have it. Unanimous. We take the shorter route.”

“All right then. Get ready for a bumpy ride.” He left them and returned to the aft deck to make adjustments to their course. He used the brass scope and sextant again to find their new heading.

Sam went down to the engine room to add more helium to the inflatable and
Gambit
soared higher into the air as Rett spun the wheel to starboard. He couldn’t stop a smile curling his lips as he surveyed his crew. Here he was about to enter the most dangerous country in the world with a one-handed engineer, two women, a boy, and a butler. He chuckled under his breath. Somehow he knew it was the best crew he could possibly have.

A twinge of anxiety hit Rett when he noticed Benji inspecting
Gambit
’s bronze cannons. Sam returned to the deck and let him know the engine was stoked and ready for action.

“You’d better go check on the kid. He’s a little too interested in the artillery.” Rett pointed to Benji who was now pulling apart one of the guns. Sam’s eyebrows went up and he hurried down to assess the damage.

Benji pointed to several parts of the cannon when Sam reached him. They talked for a minute and Sam stood scratching his chin. Then he hurried back to the engine room and came back with his tool chest and some spare parts.

“Kid needs a little help,” Sam said, ducking his head from meeting Rett’s stare.

Rett frowned. But he trusted Sam, so hopefully they were just making some minor improvements.

Belle and Armani leaned over the rail pointing out sights to each other. Ahead, through the grey/blue mist, rose the impressive outline of the jagged peaks of the Durbon Mountains. The sight of them always filled him with awe. They were half covered with snow given their heights. Here was the home of the fabled Gandiss snow tiger whose massive teeth had traditionally been used for the handle of daggers. Although rumored to be extinct, the people of Gandiss clung to the belief that they still existed, hidden in these impenetrable peaks. He shivered as the wind carried the coldness of the mountains toward them at their new altitude.

He set the wheel mechanism and walked over to the back rail and pulled on his heavy leather and fur-lined jacket. His thick gloves were next and then his leather helmet and goggles. Immediately warmth spread through him. Whatever lay ahead he had to be ready. He spread his feet into a stable stance, flexed his fingers and released the autopilot.
Here we go
.

###

Rett scanned the peaks of the Durbon Mountains below him. He pushed the altitude lever forward a degree and
Gambit
lifted gently like a feather on a wave. He looked down at the deck where Sam handed Benji parts and tools as he worked on the cannon.

Armani followed Benji with adoring eyes until Belle pulled her away. Rett wondered if Belle had figured out the girl had elevated Benji into some kind of hero after her fiancé had ended up being a complete asshole. He hoped Armani could find a way to discover her own identity before this trip was over.

Gambit
abruptly rose over an air current sending them staggering about the deck. Rett called a warning and Belle and Armani held onto the rail. The ship bucked over a few more gusts and then dropped a hundred feet in a second. Benji spread his arms and fell down over his tools and parts to keep them from rolling across the deck.

“Sam, we need to go higher,” Rett called. His first mate ran to the engine room to release more helium. The breeze intensified and they rose over it. Bursts of frigid air lanced the breeze. “Everybody hang on.”

As the ship ascended, it punched through a thick layer of clouds. Rett leveled the ship out and stared around at the breathtaking view of the pointed peaks poking above the mist just ahead. There was no turning back now.

Sam stuck his head out of the hatch. “Seems a bit smoother up here.”

“Aye. We’ll stay at this altitude until we reach the higher peaks, then we’ll have to go up a bit.”

Sam nodded and came up to the deck. “Okay. I’ll keep an eye on the engines. We’re in colder temperatures, but pressure is increasing with the higher altitude. It will take some fine adjustments as we go.”

“What’s that boy doing to my cannon?” Rett asked as Benji began work again as the ship’s movement settled down.

“The kid’s a genius. He came up with a way to add a steam accelerant chamber to the gun using parts he’d seen on the ship,” Sam said excitedly. “We’ll have a long range cannon that will no doubt come in handy.”

“You’re kidding.” Rett eyed the young man with new respect.

“No. I’d better go help him. It would be nice to have it ready if we meet any pirates.” Sam hurried back to Benji and his cannon.

Belle came up the steps to the pilot station. “Is that what you were talking about with the dangerous wind currents?”

“That was a gentle warning,” Rett said. He was glad she seemed to be willing to forget that dunking in the pond. He knew he shouldn’t have done it, but she really infuriated him beyond reason sometimes. Things were easier between them now and it was a relief.

“Oh.” Belle bit her bottom lip and scanned the horizon, auburn curls flipped about her face in the breeze. “Those mountains are magnificent. Are we actually going over them?”

“Some. We’ll try to weave around the tallest. The air gets thin the higher we go. We have to be careful about that.”

She nodded, and then turned to him with a solemn expression. “Do you think there’s really a chance we can find my father? I’m so afraid I’m putting all of you in danger for nothing. He could already be dead.”

Surprise hit him. It wasn’t like Belle to be tentative.

He shook his head. “No. Unless he had an accident, he’s not dead.”

“You seem very certain.” Her gaze narrowed.

“Look. He’s a huge bargaining chip. They’re not going to let that go. In fact, I believe they will take every precaution that he not be hurt.”

Her expression eased. “But finding him…”

“It will be hard, but remember,
Blackwatch
can’t hide. There has to be someone who will be willing to give us its location for enough money.”

She nodded slowly and then gave him a sideways glance, both cautious and approving.

“You’re right,” she said after a moment. “If we can at least find where
Blackwatch
landed we have a starting place to track him.”

A rumbling came from the distance and he cursed under his breath. Great. All they needed now was a storm. He increased their altitude a bit more as the mountains grew taller. Ahead, a massive peak caught his attention and he planned to steer around it instead of going over it. The rumbling grew louder as they swung around the peak. Belle gasped.