by Pelaam
****
Not pleased was an understatement, but Tom wouldn’t hear of leaving Bertie to travel on without him, and so an hour later, they both stood in the airport terminal waiting for Hayate to make an appearance.
“Are you even sure we can trust this man, Bertie?” Tom looked around, his expression set in a deep scowl.
“We have no choice. He was obviously sent by the receptionist. He mentioned her specifically. Not even Felton could know I’d spoken to her.”
“Not unless she was in his pay.” Tom glared around as if to dare someone to approach them.
“I don’t think even Felton has that kind of omnipotence, Tom.” Bertie smiled. It was just so typical of his friend to be over-protective. Bertie felt quite sure that Hayate was nothing more than a man with the transport they desperately needed. Felton wouldn’t have thought about them freeing themselves and finding another way to reach the palace.
A familiar figure came toward them and Bertie pointed him out to Tom. “There he is. Now, remember, his name’s Hayate.”
“Hayate.” Tom repeated the name, but Bertie was already preoccupied with greeting the newcomer.
“Hello, Hayate. Is your vessel ready to go?” Bertie was anxious to be on his way. Plus, the quicker they were airborne, the less time Tom would have to worry.
“Yes. All ready. This is your friend?” Hayate stared at Tom, who seemed equally fascinated by the smaller man before him.
“Yes. My name’s Tom. You’re Hayate?” Tom stuck out his hand which swallowed Hayate’s much smaller one. “Pleased to meet you.”
“The honor is mine … um…” Hayate seemed uncertain how to address Tom.
“Tom. Please, call me Tom.”
To Bertie’s surprise, Tom didn’t immediately release Hayate’s hand, moreover, it seemed their balloonist wasn’t overly concerned at getting it free. Bertie cleared his throat loudly.
“If everything is ready, we need to get going. I don’t want Felton to have any more of an advantage over us.” Bertie smiled as Hayate and Tom simultaneously jumped apart. “It is important we catch him up.”
“So sorry, Blackwood-san.” Hayate bowed, then indicated the carpet bag Bertie held. “Is that all of your luggage?”
“No. There’s this one, as well.” Tom indicated the one beside him. “Our luggage was stolen. This one just holds some bits and pieces we were given in recompense.”
“The lady did not tell me this. Only that you needed swift transport.” Hayate glanced from Bertie to Tom. “I can hardly believe such a thing happened.”
“I’m sure it’s very rare, but it makes our need for swift transport all the more important.” Bertie glanced around. “Now, where do we go?”
“This way, please.” Hayate took off at such a fast pace, that Bertie almost needed to trot to keep pace with him, while Tom matched Hayate for speed in long, loping strides.
The young man led them to the far side of the airship port. Bertie looked around in amazement. There was an assembly of various and different types of flying machines. None were overly large, and Bertie estimated that the biggest was perhaps capable of carrying half a dozen passengers at the most.
“This is mine.” The pride in Hayate’s voice was unmistakable as he pointed to his air balloon. “I can take up to six people, less if they have a lot of luggage, plus myself, of course. Two will be no problem at all.”
The aircraft looked comfortable enough. The solid wooden basket reminded Bertie of a boat with curved ends, a covered central area, high sides, a carved dragon’s head at its prow, and a set of propellers at its rear.
“She looks very nice.” Bertie nodded. The predominantly red balloon high above them was fully inflated and decorated with a golden dragon with jade eyes to look as if the beast was curled around the balloon to protect it. Bertie fingered his medallion. Dragons were becoming a motif for him on this trip.
“And fast, Blackwood-san.” Hayate grinned. “She’ll get you to the prince’s province as quickly as the train.” Hayate then indicated a set of steps leading up to a gap in the basket. “Please. Climb the stairs, make yourselves comfortable. I’ll arrange for a porter to remove the steps and I’ll then release the anchor ties and we’ll be on our way.”
Bertie led the way and, once on board, took a minute to look inside the covered area. There was comfortable seating set around steps leading down to what appeared to be a living area. Bertie guessed that it ran the length of the gondola.
“Very comfortable for sleeping.” Hayate indicated the lower deck. “I power the balloon’s propellers by battery, or by sitting there and pedaling to save the battery. Some airships are big enough for engines. Mine is far too small. Please, put your bag downstairs. There are beds and blankets. It’s very nice down there. I don’t usually take long flights. People like more comfort for those. But some like to sleep if the trip is several hours.”
“Thank you.” Bertie descended the stairs and found the area was indeed comfortable. There were three beds, each big enough to sleep two people, one either side of the basket, and one that stretched across the stern. Dropping his carpet bag on one of the beds, Bertie returned to the top deck. He smiled to see Tom chatting with Hayate who was pointing up at his balloon.
“Very comfortable, Hayate. Go claim a bed, Tom. You can leave your bag down there.”
“Back in a minute, Hayate.” Tom smiled at Bertie, then hurried down the stairs.
“When Tom-san returns, we shall set sail, Blackwood-san.” Hayate gave a quick bow, then scurried around the deck, making his last-minute checks.
His diligence impressed Bertie. You thought to foil me, Felton, well, here we come. And if you think I’ll let you walk all over me at the palace, be prepared for a new, assertive Bertie Blackwood.
When Tom came back onto the deck, Hayate gave a shout and unloosed a knot in the rope he’d held. The craft rose smoothly and majestically. When Hayate was happy with the height, he activated the paddles so that the airship moved off. He waved over at Bertie.
“All you need do now is relax and leave everything up to me.”
“We’re entirely in your hands, Hayate.” Bertie returned the wave, then turned to look over the gondola’s edge. Land was a distant mass as they sailed over the clouds. He could hardly wait to see Felton’s expression when he next faced his rival.
Chapter Eight
The next few hours passed swiftly and without incident. Tom was even happy to mount a contraption that resembled a bicycle, and which powered the airship’s paddles to save the battery’s life.
While Hayate kept Tom company, Bertie leaned on the gondola rail and watched the world go by. Strolling to the bow, Bertie stared out. Then he frowned. Dark clouds gathered in the distance, and it seemed to him that they were on a direct course toward them.
“Hayate, it looks like a storm is brewing ahead. Must we need sail so close to it?”
“I’ll do my best to avoid the worst of it, Bertie-san, but to keep on track we must go that way.”
“Will the ship be all right, Hayate?” Tom called out, still pedaling, and Hayate smiled and nodded.
“Oh, yes. She’s very sturdy.” Hayate nodded. “I’ve ridden out many storms. But if we’re lucky, we won’t have to travel through the eye of the storm.”
Oh, that’s good.” Bertie didn’t doubt Hayate, but he’d rather not fly through a storm in the gondola.
An hour later, while the gondola swung to and fro in the storm’s wind, rain lashed down. Unless one went below deck, there was no escaping it. While Hayate struggled with the balloon, Bertie assured Tom as best he could.
His friend wasn’t handling the buffeting well at all and had hunkered down in the deck of the gondola. Bertie cast a frantic glance over at Hayate looking for some additional reassurance.
“Tom-san. Come here. I need help, and you’re the strongest.” At Hayate’s yell, Tom looked up at him and Hayate nodded frantically. “I need you. Help me. Please.”
To B
ertie’s surprise, Tom managed to stand, and then staggered over to Hayate.
“What do you need me to do?” Tom asked.
“Stand behind me and hold onto this rope. Tightly. I’ll work on these, and the hot air, and will let you know what to do and when. But what you do is most important. Look up, watch the balloon.”
“You can rely on me.” Tom widened his stance, braced his shoulders, and took hold of the rope, standing close behind Hayate as directed.
From where he now sat alone, Bertie looked up where Tom had been directed to focus, but couldn’t see anything that his friend’s action would actually do. Then he met Hayate’s gaze and the other man winked.
Then the penny dropped. Tom wasn’t really needed. At least, not as far as anything to do with flying the balloon was concerned. But while Tom’s focus was diverted by thinking what he did was essential, his friend didn’t notice the storm’s buffeting. Clever man. Bertie grinned and nodded at Hayate. It was a very effective ploy.
“Is there anything I can do?” Bertie called out, but Hayate shook his head. “No, thank you. Better there’s just Tom-san and me here. Stay where you are for now, or even take refuge down the stairs. We’ll be out of this storm soon, and we’re close to our destination.”
Whether Hayate was being more optimistic, or simply trying to keep Tom calm, Bertie had no idea. But since he couldn’t help, the best thing to do seemed to be to take Hayate’s advice.
As the gondola swayed, Bertie made his way carefully down the stairs. Thunder rumbled overhead, and a particularly loud clap vibrated through the gondola. Bertie got onto his bed, and sat cross-legged, his carpet bag clasped tightly to his chest in one hand, the other grasped at his mother’s dragon medallion. I don’t know if you have any protection to offer in the eye of a storm, but if you do, we’re in need of it.
Bertie wasn’t sure if he was really expecting a response from the talisman or not, but a sense of calm swept through him. Another clap of thunder sounded, not so loudly. The gondola didn’t rock any worse than it had before, and Bertie no longer had a growing sense of disquiet.
The next roll of thunder seemed quieter still, and this time the gondola barely moved, but Bertie was also certain they were descending. Wanting to help if he could, Bertie ascended the stairs. Tom was back on the cycle apparatus, and Hayate wrestled with the balloon.
“It tore in the storm, Bertie.” Tom called out. “But Hayate says we’re close. Even though we’ll lose height, we’ll land pretty much where we need to be. Most likely be a bumpy landing though. Might be as well to secure yourself.”
“Is there anything I can help you with, Hayate?” Bertie made his way to their pilot who seemed to be struggling with the ropes.
“If you could hold these with me. The wind is so strong, Tom-san is doing very well to battle against it, but we need to rein in the balloon, so it doesn’t escape the retaining ropes.”
“Like this?” Bertie grabbed hold of the ropes where Hayate indicated and the other man nodded.
“Yes, Bertie-san. Just hold tight. It won’t be long now. We just have to negotiate our way out of these strong winds, and we can descend fairly easily.”
“I hope you’re right.” Bertie could only place his confidence in Hayate and do as the other man directed.
The gondola swung left and right, but with his tight grip on the ropes, Bertie didn’t feel in any danger of falling out. The rapid drop made his ears pop, but it was still a skillful descent, with Hayate clearly in control of his vessel.
Unfortunately, the landing was less trouble-free than Bertie could have hoped for. A strong gust of wind caught the airship and sent it away from the clear ground below them, and into a group of trees.
The gondola caught in tree branches and the gondola was damaged along with the balloon tearing completely. Fortunately, as they were so close to the ground, the final drop was only a few feet. Everyone was still knocked to the floor and they all remained still for a few moments, before Hayate rose slowly to his knees.
“I think we are finally landed. Sorry it was less than comfortable.” Hayate looked over the edge of the gondola. “We are on the ground. We can leave the gondola. Is everyone all right?”
“I think so.” Bertie stood slowly, nothing seemed damaged. A few aches made themselves known, but nothing more. “Tom, are you all right?” Bertie called out.
“Fine. Just a bit knocked about.” Tom came into view as he got to his feet. Other than a scratch along Tom’s cheek, he seemed unhurt and Bertie sighed his relief.
“Are you able to get to our luggage? Even if all we can reach is my carpetbag.” Bertie silently prayed it hadn’t been damaged. The thought of getting all this way and then having nothing to present to the prince was almost more than he could bear.
“I’ll see what I can do, Bertie. Give me a couple of minutes.” Tom’s voice grew fainter and Bertie guessed his friend was making his way down into the bottom of the gondola.
“Bertie-san. This way.” Hayate indicated a gap in the gondola rail. “It’s a bit of a jump to the ground, but we are on good, thick grass.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” Bertie followed Hayate’s directions and jumped to the ground. Bertie landed with a grunt and rolled to the side, laying in the grass and looking up at the airship from a very distorted angle.
“Are you all right?” Hayate called down to him and Bertie nodded.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit clumsy with the landing. Nothing damaged.” Even as he spoke, Bertie rubbed at his ass which seemed to have borne the brunt of the landing. He got to his feet, still rubbing at his rump just as the carpet bag sailed over the gondola, followed rapidly by their other bag and a pack he guessed belonged to Hayate.
“It was fine, Bertie.” Tom waved at him. “Now, you need to get clear while Hayate and I jump down.”
Snatching up the bag, Bertie checked the contents as Tom and Hayate jumped from the gondola. Both men’s landings were better than his, but Bertie didn’t care. The clothing he’d painstakingly created for the prince was still safe, even if all else they possessed had been lost, Bertie would still have been happy.
“The railway is over this way, Bertie-san.” Hayate pointed to his right. “Follow me.”
The carpetbag clutched tightly to Bertie’s chest, he followed Hayate, while Tom came last, their other bag in his hand.
A train’s whistle sounded and Hayate increased his pace. “We’re very close. We should be there at the same time as the train.
The thought of wiping the smile off Fenton’s smug face lent Bertie strength, and he broke into a run, and Hayate and Tom trotted alongside him, Hayate indicating the way as they went.
The train was getting closer, and ahead of them, Bertie caught sight of the station, and outside was a gathering of several well-dressed men accompanied by soldiers.
“That must be the welcoming committee.” Bertie slowed to a fast stride. The last thing he wanted to do was turn up panting and sweating. Covered in foliage, mud, and torn clothing was humiliating enough. But he’d be there before Felton.
The men turned as Bertie and his friends closed the distance and the soldiers raised their weapons. Bertie stopped dead, but Hayate kept going to stand between Bertie and the soldiers, speaking rapidly and bowing repeatedly as he did.
One of the soldiers came forward and addressed Bertie directly.
“Who are you?” The man was as tall as Bertie. Although he was shorter than Tom, there was no mistaking the solid muscle of a trained soldier.
“My name is Bertram Blackwood. My father is Charles Blackwood and he was due to travel here to see the prince. He was injured in what can only be described as a non-accident, and my colleague and I missed our train because we were attacked and left bound in a warehouse. This gentleman kindly brought us here in his balloon so I could still represent my father’s company. Unfortunately, we were caught in a storm, and the balloon damaged so that we had to land and complete our journey on foot. Here are my
papers.”
The guard took them, read them quickly, then handed them back to Bertie. With a snap of his fingers, he summoned another soldier over and spoke to him. The soldier took off at a full run, and the guard turned his attention back to Bertie.
“I am captain Makoto, one of Prince Ichirou’s personal guards. I am aware he was due to receive guests.” Makoto nodded, his gaze flitting from Bertie to Tom, and back. “Of course, we expected the guests would all arrive by train. A reception committee, and transport from the station to here, has been arranged. We hardly expected such a dramatic appearance.”
“Yes, well, I can assure you, it was not meant to be the case.” Bertie tugged at his sash. “However, it was important to me that I represent my father in as best light as I could. I refused to let circumstances derail that intention.”
“I see. A man of action and determination. Good qualities in a soldier. A moment, if you please.” Makoto gave a quick bow, then went back to the other men, speaking quickly and quietly before returning. “You may travel with me. The others will bring your countryman. We will make the rest of the journey by yakatabune. This way.”
The yakatabune Makoto led them to was well-befitting a royal prince. The long, thin boat was artistically crafted and painted, and there was an ornamentally decorated covered area in the center that Makoto directed them toward.
“Please settle yourselves over there. It takes half an hour to reach the palace from here. The prince considers it the most pleasant way to travel.”
With a nod, Bertie sat down, Tom and Hayate sitting opposite him. Makoto was quite correct, the gentle speed of the boat, coupled with the magnificent views of the river and its banks were indeed a pleasant way to travel. Bertie let himself relax for the first time since he’d been aboard the airship.
Trees lined the banks and the boat moved at a leisurely pace. Then, rising in the distance, Bertie got his first glimpse of the palace of Prince Ichirou. It was every bit as magnificent as Bertie had expected from his father’s description. But even his father hadn’t done it justice.