Transylvania's Most Wanted (23 page)

Another constable was
tossed out and hit the side of the
Tempest
before sliding off and
landing on the platform. There was much shouting now in both
English and Russian as the mist covered the platform, but nothing
inside the dark cloud could be seen from outside. It was
impenetrable. Mr. Slang had been inside one on two separate
occasions, and he knew those inside the mist were able to see a few
feet around them, but nothing could be seen of them from
outside.

Gunfire erupted from inside the mist just
before a king’s guardsman was thrown off the platform, which was
entirely covered now. The guardsman landed on top of the paddy
wagon, but when the soldier went to get back in the fight, Mr.
Slang knocked him out cold.

Constables stationed by
the
Dauntless
ran
toward the
Tempest
. Two of them entered the mist, but then were almost
immediately tossed back out, one of them knocked out
cold.

If Mr. Slang was asked how to describe the
scene, he would have said it was like a cartoon where only a cloud
of dust is visible, except for some arms sticking out, as two
cartoon characters throw punches at one another.

Mr. Slang opened the doors
to the back of the wagon when he saw one end of the
Tempest
begin rising as
the rope holding it to a large post, was untied. Alarms inside the
ship went off as the ship rose unevenly. Moments later the
Tempest
began floating
upwards when its last mooring line was severed and then Stone
emerged from out the mist. No one but Mr. Slang saw him run into
the back of the wagon as most eyes were watching the
Tempest
floating away
unexpectedly, like a kite whose string has snapped. As soon as
Stone stepped inside the paddy wagon, Mr. Slang stepped on the gas
pedal.

Stone lost his balance
when the paddy wagon lurched forward. He rolled around the back of
it as the truck bounced across the uneven field headed toward
the
Dauntless
some four hundred yards away. Stone smacked up against one
side of the back of the truck and slid to the other like a loose
cannon on a ship, tossed at sea.

Mr. Slang headed straight
for the
Dauntless
and drove right under its belly before slamming on the brakes
causing Stone to slide into the wall separating the cab from the
back of the paddy wagon. Mr. Slang hurried around to the back doors
then.

“Come on,” he yelled at a
dizzy Stone, who tumbled out of the truck onto the ground. A number
of the king’s guard, led by Colonel Popov rushed toward them. They
helped Stone up and threw a tarp over him as they rushed him
through the TCPD constables who went to see what was going on.
Colonel Popov and his men bowled through them and hurried up the
platform into the open cargo doors of the
Dauntless.
Then Colonel Popov began
shouting orders for his men to release the lines holding the
Dauntless
to the
platform. An axe was produced and the ropes were cut and the
Dauntless
began lifting
up into the air.

Chapter 47

Red, Tom and Count Vasili
were looking out the window at the mist and the mayhem that
followed when the
Dauntless
suddenly starting lifting into the air unevenly.
The great airship rocked, the bow rose faster than the stern and
all three men stumbled backwards and tripped over furniture as the
ship titled backwards. When the ship’s bow swung around, they were
thrown sideways. Alarms went off all over the ship, shouts were
heard in Russian, and soldier’s boots hurried down the hallway
outside their door.

They rose higher and
higher and then the
Dauntless
’ engines came on with a
loud whir and Tom could hear boxes sliding across the cargo hold,
slamming into the wall as the ship as it lifted higher, floating
unsteadily upwards like a balloon caught in the wind. The ship
listed the other way then and he had to press his hand against the
wall to keep from falling over again. Then the ship lurched forward
causing Red to laugh with delight.

“What’s going on,” Tom shouted at Red, who
seemed amused more than anything else.

“I think we are in pursuit
of the
Tempest
,”
he shouted over the noise of the alarms and shouting both within
the ship and from the ground below. “I think Pandora just took
control of the thing.”

“We’re headed for the U.R.R.K?”

“I believe so,” Red said as he climbed up
off the floor.

Finally the alarms were
shut off, but orders were being barked out still up and down the
hallway. The ship ceased rocking and seemed to be under the control
of the pilot now and their ascent became more orderly and less
concerning. The
Dauntless
angled upwards at about a five degrees
tilt.

Tom went to the window and looked outside as
Transylvania City slowly faded in the distance and then suddenly
just below him was ground again as the ship came to the edge of the
cliffs. The Dauntless continued to gain altitude until they passed
into the clouds.

“How long a trip is this?” Tom turned around
and asked Count Vasili, who was returning his chair to an upright
position.

“In about four hours we’ll reach the edge of
the pole. It takes an hour to cross over to the other side and then
nearly five hours until we come to the Vladivostok station in the
U.R.R.K. It will be close to midnight in Transylvania when we
arrive there, but it will be early afternoon there.”

Not long after, lunch was brought to their
room, but they remained locked in. It became increasingly dark as
the ship neared the pole and twice Tom went and banged on the door,
asking to be let out. He wanted to talk with Colonel Popov, but no
one ever opened the door. There was a chess board in the room and
Count Vasili and Red played a few games, Count Vasili beating Red
handily each time. Tom thought it was strange of Red to be so
friendly with Count Vasili.

After the third game Count Vasili stood and
stretched out his arms and said he wouldn’t mind taking a nap
before dinner. It was early still, but it was dark outside as they
approached the pole.

“Can I take one of these bedrooms?” the
count asked.

“Sure,” Red said. “Take that one,” he said
pointing. “I think I might rest awhile also,” he said. “You should
too Tom. I got the feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

“I can stretch out here on the couch,” Tom
told him. “You can have the other bedroom.”

“All right,” Red said. “Try and get some
sleep.”

Chapter 48

The
Dauntless
had been in the air nearly
five hours when Mr. Slang rose and went down the hallway. Just
behind him was Dino, a massive golem who stood six and half feet
tall and was the most feared creature in all the U.R.R.K. Following
him came four guardsmen. Mr. Slang was not looking forward to what
he had to do.

Mr. Slang unlocked the door and slipped
quietly into the room. The young detective, Inspector Flynn, was
lying on the couch with his eyes closed, but he did not seem to be
asleep.

“My name is Mr. Slang,” Mr. Slang said
tapping the young detective on the foot, causing Inspector Flynn to
sit up abruptly, not having noticed he had entered the room. “I’m
sure you are worried about your wife,” he said, “but there is
nothing to be concerned about. I’ll take you to see her now.”

“She’d better be in perfect health,” the
young detective said standing up.

“She is,” Mr. Slang said. “In fact she is up
on the ship’s bridge enjoying the view from there. We are passing
over the pole right now. I thought I’d take you and Count Vasili up
there to join her. Which bedroom is he in?”

Inspector Flynn pointed and Mr. Slang waved
the four guardsmen toward the room.

“What about Inspector Meriwether?” the young
detective asked.

“Let’s let him sleep,” Mr. Slang said.
“He’ll get a chance to go up on the bridge on the way back.”

The four guardsmen hauled Count Vasili out
of the bedroom in handcuffs.

“Who’s he?” Inspector Flynn asked looking at
Dino.

“His name is Dino. He is King Havel’s
personal bodyguard,” Mr. Slang said. “Nice to finally meet you,”
Mr. Slang said turning to Count Vasili then. “I suspect you have
heard my name. It is Slang.”

“Many times,” Count Vasili said with no
friendliness at all. “But now I know your face.”

They went out the room then. Mr. Slang and
Inspector Flynn first, followed by Dino and then Count Vasili boxed
in by the four guardsmen.

“
You are in for a treat,”
Mr. Slang told Inspector Flynn as they went down the hallway toward
the front of the ship. “We have to fly only eighty feet in the air
here, because of the strong winds over the pole and some of the
icebergs here are ten or even twelve stories tall. Don’t be scared
though, the
Dauntless
can weave her way between them easily enough.”

“Anyone word from
the
Tempest
?”

“No. Until we come within range of the
Vladivostok station we won’t be able to hail them on the radio, but
we are pretty certain the princess is on board there and she has
not been harmed.”

They came to the end of the hallway and from
there the ship’s bridge could be accessed from either the port or
starboard side of the ship by a short staircase. Mr. Slang stopped
and pointed at the portside staircase coming down off the
bridge.

“There’s your wife now,” he said tapping
Inspector Flynn on the arm. “Looks like she’s headed back to her
room,” he said, having arranged it just so.

“Rebecca!” Tom shouted as Mr. Slang stuck
his arm out in front of the young detective to keep him from
running toward there. Dino placed his hand on top of the young
detective’s shoulder also. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she shouted back as she was
escorted down another hallway by a maiden and a couple of
guardsmen.

“I want to talk to her,” Inspector Flynn
said trying to free himself from Dino’s grip, but that just was not
possible.

“As you can see, she is perfectly fine,” Mr.
Slang said. “It would best if you didn’t talk to her right
now.”

“I don’t what kind of game you are playing,
but someone is going to answer for all this sooner or later.”

“Funny you should say that,” Mr. Slang said
starting up the stairs toward the bridge.

As they came onto the bridge, Mr. Slang
pointed out the two sailors, bundled up warmly, standing lookout on
different narrow walkways just outside of the ship’s bridge.

“They’re keeping an eye out for icebergs,”
Mr. Slang said.

It was dark out, but the moon shone brightly
and right then both sailors were shouting as they pointed at a
massive pair of icebergs five hundred yards in front of the ship,
one of which loomed twice as high as the ship. The pilot ordered
the ship to come about five degrees starboard, and the helmsman
turned the giant steering wheel ever so slightly so the zeppelin
would head right between the two monoliths of ice.

No one on the bridge spoke as the zeppelin
slipped between the icebergs, while below waves crashed against the
base of them. The ship passed within thirty feet of the side of one
iceberg that loomed over it like a skyscraper. The wind gusted and
the ship was brought even closer, but the captain calmly instructed
the helmsman to turn into the wind for a moment and the ship slowly
pulled away.

“That was fun,” Mr. Slang
told Inspector Flynn once they were out of danger. “There’s
the
Tempest
ahead
of us,” he said pointing out the ship’s bridge.

Inspector Flynn looked and
saw the lights of the
Tempest
a couple of miles ahead of them.

“I have another treat for you now,” Mr.
Slang said then.

“What?”

“The king would like to speak with you.”

“What about?”

Mr. Slang shrugged his shoulders. “I think
he just wants to thank you for your efforts to find the
princess.”

Mr. Slang led Inspector Flynn, Dino, Count
Vasili and the soldiers guarding Count Vasili off the bridge, past
their room and finally down to the end of the hallway toward a wood
door with growling bear carved into it. The guards there opened the
doors and they went in.

It was a large room with several chairs and
couches like a hotel suite. There were two windows in the room, one
that looked out the starboard side of the ship while the other
looked toward the front of the ship just below the bridge. A witch,
in pointy hat, sat in a corner of the room, simply staring at them.
A golem stood by the window and then Inspector Flynn spotted Stone
standing behind the door.

“What’s he doing here,” he said reaching for
his weapon and that was when Mr. Slang struck him from behind,
knocking him out cold.

Chapter 49

Mr. Slang had hit the young detective just
hard enough to knock him out for a couple of minutes and they used
the time to take his gun from him, wrap a rope around him and tie
him to a chair.

“What’s going on?” Inspector Flynn demanded,
groggily, as he came to.

“They mean to kill both of us,” Count Vasili
said matter-of-factly from the chair he was sitting in as Dino
stood guard over him.