For Steam and Country: Book One of the Adventures of Baron Von Monocle

by Jon Del Arroz

  Then I remembered how Mr. du Gearsmith made clear that the Liliana was my airship. King Malaky gave these ships to its commanders more than symbolically. This ship was a reward for my father’s service. “What if…” I started, then shook my head. “No, I’m being foolish again.”

  “What?” Captain von Cravat asked.

  “The Liliana is mine by inheritance, right? Technically, I can do what I please with the ship.”

  “The king as much as ordered us not to do anything.”

  “But like Mr. du Gearsmith says, I own the airship. It’s my choice to make. If my father’s not in the prison, or if we fail, I’d have far more to worry about than King Malaky’s anger. We’d be in the middle of Wyranth territory. And if we bring him back, how mad could he be?”

  Captain von Cravat frowned. “Zaira, what you’re suggesting could be considered treason.”

  “It’s my father. How could I not try? You said it yourself.”

  The older woman looked me in the eye for a long moment as she considered. “I know I’ve been distraught by the king’s orders, but I don’t want you to rush into this. I don’t want to have manipulated you into it either. We should try one more time to reason with King Malaky first, sleep on it as he suggested. But if you’re sincere about this…” she said, pausing for me to reply.

  “I am.”

  “Then I’ll start formulating a backup plan. You have to follow my every order, each step of the way if we go through with this. You understand?”

  I nodded. Pride swelled into me that she’d even consider me as someone who could assist her. Captain von Cravat was perfectly capable of taking the ship and mounting as mission on her own. But I knew as we talked there that she had far too much honor to steal what wasn’t hers, even if it meant rescuing my father. I saw why the crew had so much respect for her and hoped one day people could see me in that same light.

  Then in a final shocking move, Captain van Cravat hugged me. “Thank you, Zaira. I may have been wrong about you. Let’s meet here tomorrow after we’ve had time to talk to the king again.”

  Captain von Cravat turned for the doors, where a servant waited and opened them again. I followed her inside and went to my quarters.

  “Every time I’m about to go into a skirmish, I wonder, will this be my last? The Wyranth attacks have been so ferocious lately, half of my own crew have turned over due to deaths. Some sense of duty keeps me persisting in my foolish errands. The ideals of the Rislandian Kingdom must endure. They are more important than me or any individual.”

  An excerpt from Baron von Monocle’s log

  Day 17 of the Month of Kings

  16th Year of Malaky XVI’s Reign

  Despite being so tired that my eyes felt heavier than a basket of corn, I still found I couldn’t sleep. Captain von Cravat had said she may have been wrong about me. It may not have been the highest of compliments, but compared to how she’d reacted when I crashed the airship, I’d made huge strides. But what had I done differently? Planning to steal an airship and go into Wyranth territory to rescue my father was just as rash as my decision to test the airship’s speed capabilities days ago.

  My world had changed so much since that day. In my mind’s eye, I could still see the ship descending, smoke rising. But I didn’t have Captain von Cravat behind me then. With her leading, we wouldn’t fail.

  A servant knocked on the door and peeked her head inside. “Mistress von Monocle?” she asked.

  I opened my eyes to see light trickling through the window curtains. I must have fallen asleep at some point if the day had already come. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. “Come in,” I said.

  “King Malaky has requested you at breakfast. I’ve brought suitable attire for you to wear. Do you require assistance?”

  “No, I can dress myself,” I said, sliding out of the plush bed in the guest quarters.

  The servant set a fresh poof-dress at the foot of the bed, nodding to me as she departed. I held the dress up, noting its similarity to the one I wore the night before, this time a deep crimson hue with white lace frills.

  I slipped into the dress and fastened the buttons on the back before heading out into the hall. The servant waited for me and motioned for me to follow. We stopped next at James’s guest quarters.

  His door was open and we looked in upon James standing in front of a mirror, practicing thrusting an imaginary sword at his reflection.

  “That’s an interesting dance. You aiming to try that out at the harvest festival talent contest this year?” I teased.

  James spun, his face flushing bright red. “Zair-bear! By Malaky, you scared me half to death!”

  “You should close the door if you’re going to make moves like that. Less embarrassing that way.”

  “Don’t act all high and mighty just because you’re Miss von Monocle with her own airship. I happened to have a royal visitor this morning,” James said, crossing his arms and lifting his head proudly.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, James, but if you’re going to start some game with me, I’m much too tired for that. And there’s a breakfast with the king I need to get to,” I said. It was my fault, heckling him to put him on the defensive. Worse that I’d told him not to joke with me. It’d been a rough few days, we were both on edge.

  “Since you asked,” James said, ignoring my response and straightening his collar in the mirror, “I had little discussion with Princess Reina. Alone. In my quarters last evening.” James glanced at his fingernails as if they were freshly manicured.

  All of the tiredness disappeared from me, his words shaking me toward being alert. My stomach tied into a tight knot. Princess Reina? She came to him alone? It couldn’t be real. “That’s a load of ground gears, James. She went back to bed, we all saw it.”

  “Swear it on my life,” James said. The excitement in his eyes emphasized his sincerity.

  “So, you talked to the Princess.” The bitterness in my voice couldn’t help but seep through. Was this jealousy? Or crankiness because I was so weary?

  “I did. She told me she liked my plans to become a knight and would ensure my name was spoken to the high knight himself! She’s going to recommend me for training, Zaira!” James said. Then he hugged me.

  His touch surprised me. Much like that moment when he fell atop me in the tomato field, my body tingled. He felt so warm pressed against me. I wrapped my arms around him. The sickness I’d felt when he’d first mentioned the princess dissipated. “You talked about the knights,” I said, relieved.

  “Yeah, though I think she likes me. Why else would she come to my quarters?”

  I pushed James back from the embrace. “You’re such an idiot.”

  “What?” James asked, frowning with no clue as to what he’d done.

  “Never mind. I have breakfast with the king. We’ll talk later.” Without waiting for him to respond, I spun around and stomped out the door. The servant led my way without a word, cautious of my foul mood.

  She led me around to the king’s study, a large room, bigger than Plainsroad Village’s grange hall. It had books stacked from the floor to ceiling in ornate wooden cabinetry. I had to calm myself, and quickly. So, I took a deep breath and thought of more peaceful times. A few days ago, I would have never said memories of shucking corn would be something I’d use to give me solace, but nothing was the same anymore.

  King Malaky had a table set for a meal away from some larger leather chairs. With him was a man I didn’t recognize – older and bald with a wire mesh patch over his left eye. A single plate of food lay on the other end of the table, where I was presumably to sit. The man with the patch laughed at something the king had said before I entered.

  Both men looked up from the map. King Malaky’s eyes lit up as he saw me, and he flashed a grin. “Zaira! Come, come. We were just going over the strategy to run the Wyranth out of our Northern provinces. I’ve had my servants provide me food. Forgive me that I don’t join you, I’ve already eaten with my daught
er. Come discuss our plans for your airship.”

  “My airship?” I said, forgetting for the moment that the Liliana was mine. Moving over to the table, I glanced down at the map. It had details of every town, village, mountain, hill, and river between Malaky City and the Wyranth Empire. Whatever mapmaker had made this took extreme care. I saw where the king held his finger close to Loveridge.

  “Yes, your airship. Though the kingdom is in dire need, I do try my best to respect my subjects’ property,” King Malaky said, eyes intent on me.

  I would do whatever little I could to help with the war effort, I’d been intent on rescuing my father. I never imagined that King Malaky would need my airship this quickly. But, of course he would. It was a tactical advantage like nothing else, or so I’d been told.

  “With the use of the Liliana,” the bald man beside King Malaky said, “We could run the Wyranth off in a matter of days. It would be much more difficult with mere infantry.”

  King Malaky took a glass cup filled with juice into his hand and drank before wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Forgive my manners. I’ve been so involved in the battle plans I forgot to introduce you. Zaira von Monocle, meet General Carwell of the Grand Rislandian Army.”

  General Carwell held out a hand to me. I took it and shook. “A pleasure to meet you,” I said.

  “The pleasure is mine, daughter of Baron von Monocle. I do hope you grant us use of your fine ship.”

  “I… couldn’t say without Captain von Cravat’s input,” I said, holding back from cringing in fear. Mr. du Gearsmith would have chastised me for not agreeing to King Malaky’s requests. The king seemed like a nice man, though. Surely he wasn’t so quick to anger?

  “Of course,” King Malaky said, inclining his head to the servant who still stood at the doorway. “Fetch her at once.”

  The servant dashed away, and I was left with the two men and their map. They spoke of my father, yet more stories about the battles he’d won and how he’d outsmarted his enemies. This time, I didn’t listen. I focused on the map, seeing where General Carwell had placed markers representing the Wyranth’s defenses and where I’d crashed the Liliana. If we were to mount a rescue of my father, Captain von Cravat would have to guide the ship around the anti-airship artillery set across the border river.

  A moment later, Captain von Cravat arrived. She remained in her Grand Rislandian Army uniform, with goggles set above her head, appearing ready to take off in the Liliana on a moment’s notice. “King Malaky, General Carwell, Zaira” she said, bowing.

  “Thank you for coming so quickly,” King Malaky said, motioning her over. She moved to stand next to me. Her presence gave me comfort in a protective sense.

  “How might I help you, Your Majesty?” Captain von Cravat asked.

  “We’re planning an assault on the occupying Wyranth forces in our northern provinces based on the intelligence provided by your crew,” General Carwell said, his single eye locking on Captain von Cravat with incredible intensity.

  Captain von Cravat’s face went flat as she looked down at the map. “You’ll use the ship to drop explosives and cause the enemy to retreat?” she asked, sounding as if this plan had been used before.

  “Which will soften them for the infantry’s later assault, yes,” King Malaky said.

  My stomach rumbled, breaking the silence in the room. King Malaky smiled at me and motioned to a plate of food in front of me. “Zaira, eat. I did promise breakfast. Captain von Cravat, I apologize that I did not anticipate you joining us.”

  I moved to a chair and picked up a fork. “Thank you,” I said and glanced at Captain von Cravat.

  She still stood, staring at the map. “I’m not hungry,” she said. “Very well, I’ll lead the mission.”

  Mid-bite of a scrambled egg, I nearly choked. “What?” If the airship went on this mission, we wouldn’t be using it to rescue my father. I stared up at Captain von Cravat, who didn’t bother to glance in my direction.

  “Very good,” General Carwell said. He grabbed a pointer from beside his chair and extended it, placing the tip on the map. “As you can see, the airship is currently here, in Malaky City. We will provide a strike force to assist with the crew of the Liliana to depart in three days’ time. In the meantime, our first infantry division will deploy to the south of Plainsroad Village. The airship will fly a route over our infantry units, and they’ll wait two days before engaging with the enemy.”

  “Is that satisfactory, Zaira?” King Malaky asked.

  I’d hoped that Captain von Cravat would argue, fight for the rescue of my father. That sounded like what she intended to do the night before. Bringing her to the table did no good. She was a military woman, having to follow orders. My expectations were the trouble. “Yes. If Captain von Cravat is comfortable, then I can have her use my airship.”

  “I would like to request, Your Majesty, that Zaira accompany me on this mission,” Captain von Cravat said.

  “I’m not certain that’s the best idea, Captain,” General Carwell said. “She’s only a child.”

  “So were many of us when we joined the baron’s crew,” Captain von Cravat said. “This ship is hers, she needs to learn the ropes, and there’s no better time than the present. If something were to happen to me, someone needs to be able to take command of the ship.”

  “And she’d be the one to command?” General Carwell raised the brow over his mesh patch.

  “If it’s truly her vessel,” Captain von Cravat said.

  “Are you certain she won’t be a distraction for you and your crew?” King Malaky asked.

  “I’ll manage,” Captain von Cravat said. “I can always lock her in her quarters if there’s an issue.”

  I wanted to protest, but they talked about me as if I weren’t present. It was nice that Captain von Cravat was willing to teach me after all I’d done to disappoint her, but it made me feel so small to be talked about as if I were a nuisance. This also flew in the face of everything we’d discussed the prior evening. What of that?

  “Very well,” King Malaky said. “She can join your crew.”

  I bit my tongue, unsure of what to say, watching Captain von Cravat the whole time. King Malaky and General Carwell proceeded to go over the plan with her in detail, with troop movement, supplies, and timing. General Carwell moved pieces across the map, representing the different divisions of the Grand Rislandian Army while I watched, studying.

  There was much more to war than I’d heard of the stories with my father. How many meetings like this had he attended before he became comfortable with the idea? I looked at Captain von Cravat, who intently studied the map, making suggestions to General Carwell and King Malaky. I had a lot to learn if I were to follow in my father’s footsteps. If we never found a way to rescue him.

  How do I keep morale high when there’s such a death toll? The old crew are beaten down. The new crew is scared. Harkerpal is telling stories of our past exploits, but it hardly seems enough.

  An excerpt from Baron von Monocle’s log

  Day 19 of the Month of Kings

  16th Year of Malaky XVI’s Reign

  I jogged to catch up with Captain von Cravat in the hall. “What was that about” I asked, voice echoing down the long chamber.

  She maintained a brisk pace. “Not now, Zaira,” she said.

  “Well when’s a good time? Like you said in there, I have to learn from you if I want to take over my father’s role, and I want to know when you gave up on finding him!”

  She paused her step then, forcing me to turn as I passed her. Then Captain von Cravat looked me straight in the eye with an ice-cold stare. “I will never give up on finding Theodore. Do not ever suggest that again.”

  Her words and her expression silenced me, my mouth hanging agape for a moment before I could manage a small nod. “I’m sorry.”

  “I need to go prepare. Wait until I send for you, understand?” Captain von Cravat said, her eyes sternly holding mine.

  I nodded, unable t
o find anything worth saying. Captain von Cravat continued past me down the hall as if I had never been there.

  Unsure what to do, I wandered around the castle. Long hallways connected to each other. Several formal reception rooms lined after each other, each with a different style and décor. I passed through the servant quarters. Many of the servants scurried about, and a couple gave me confused looks and asked me if I were lost. I politely let them know otherwise and continued through the winding corridors.

  Eventually, I found my way to a courtyard where I saw James standing in a metal protective mesh with a taller person in front of him in the same. Both had swords in their hands, and the taller man explained how to hold it properly. James took the sword and assumed a wide stance. “Like this?” he asked.

  “Very good,” his instructor said. “That should be enough for today. Let’s pick this up again tomorrow.”

  James wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded. He bowed to his instructor, and the instructor bowed back. The taller man moved toward me and passed without seeming to notice I was present.

  “Impressive,” I said to James.

  James looked up to me and smiled. “Zair-bear. That was a real Knight of the Crystal Spire! His name is Cid, and he’s been assigned to train me. He says I have good raw strength. Probably from tilling fields. What’ve you been up to?”

  “A strategy meeting with the king,” I said.

  James set his practice sword back in a cabinet against a wall, closing the trunk, and placing a lock on it. “You don’t sound excited about that. How insane is that to be in on the king’s strategy meetings? Just a week ago we were going to be stuck farming forever.”

  At least all of this work had distracted him well enough from the thought of his parents. Did he still hold on to the delusion that they made it out alive? I kept a warm smile and wouldn’t mention anything that could possibly hurt him. “I don’t know. There’s so much to think about. I don’t even know if I’m cut out for all this.”