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

by Jon Del Arroz

  I succumbed to a darkness much blacker than the forest had been moments before.

  It’s been a long time. I’ve stopped writing in this journal months ago. It was Theo’s idea to keep one to begin with, and I saw it as a way to hold onto him. I don’t know what brought me back today. Perhaps it’s because it is the anniversary of the day I met him. I miss him more than anything.

  An excerpt from Captain von Cravat’s log

  Day 15 of the Month of Queens

  18th Year of Malaky XVI’s Reign

  I awoke in my father’s cabin, tucked into the lavish sheets. Light peered through the shutters, flickering across my face and causing me to turn away. I groaned. Nothing had ever ached so badly in my life. The first thing I saw was my father, slumped against a corner on a stool. He’d been waiting for me to return to consciousness. “Father,” I said.

  My father shook his face to alertness. His hair was frazzled, face gaunt with age lines showing a profound weariness. “Zaira, you’re awake.” He placed a hand over his heart as if it ached. “I’m so relieved. You have no idea.”

  “What happened?” I asked, trying to sit up. That attempt proved overly optimistic. My body refused to comply, and I fell back down onto the bed. It was all I could do to prop my head on my pillow and find a more comfortable position.

  “Three bullets grazed you out there and you suffered a head wound. I’m so sorry I got you into this. I truly am. Can you forgive me?” My father leaned over my bed, took my hand, and squeezed it. A protective parent, even two years out.

  Before I’d lost him, I would have found that protectiveness annoying, but now it filled my heart with warmth. I had him back. My father lived, and he sat in a chair across from me. “Nothing to forgive. I made my own choices.”

  He considered for a long moment, brow wrinkling, then gave a half nod. “That you did. That you did. I’m quite proud of you.”

  A thought occurred to me. “Where’s Toby? He’s usually the one to wake me up.”“Who? Ah, the ferret. I’ll have to ask you how you got that boisterous little thing another time. I sent him to James’s quarters so you could rest uninterrupted.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  A knock came on the door, and Harkerpal peeked his head inside. “Hope I’m not interrupting. I wanted to see how Zaira was doing.”

  “Not at all,” my father said, inclining his head toward the engineer. “Good to see you again, Harkerpal.”

  “You as well, Baron.”

  I could barely move to acknowledge him. “Hi, Harkerpal.” I said. Then to my father, “How long did I sleep?”

  “A little over a day. We took the Liliana back out over the sea to recuperate and discuss plans. The elixir the medic gave you seems to be doing wonders. Thank Malaky she was assigned to the Liliana all those years ago, and that she hasn’t wanted to be anywhere else,” my father said. “I’ve had one or two life-threatening scrapes myself.”

  “Indeed, I could tell the story of the first time we had a crisis aboard the Liliana. Remember, Baron, when you came back with a treasure chest buried in the Sands of Zarma, and the crew started to get those strange boils? Well, the medic figured that—”

  “Perhaps later, Harkerpal,” my father said with a knowing smile. “Zaira still needs to relax. She did take a head injury.”

  It seemed everyone had the right of how to deal with Harkerpal’s exhaustive speaking habits. It didn’t annoy me, laying there, I found it comforting. Harkerpal gave me a sense of home as much as anyone else aboard.

  “Very well, Baron,” Harkerpal said. He raised a finger, then bobbed his head several times. “Ah, I did mean to speak with you. The explosive device has been secured and is ready to be delivered dirtside. My team and I have rigged it with wheels and a steam powered gear crank that should be able to traverse a dirt and foliage terrain. We weren’t however, able to secure a steering mechanism. It will require several members of the crew pushing to keep it on course.”

  “Excellent, Harkerpal. We are blessed that Talyen could coordinate this effort after her injuries,” my father said. He shifted his eyes to me and smiled.

  “We have a good crew. The Liliana can almost run herself,” Harkerpal said.

  “Almost,” my father and I said simultaneously. All three of us laughed, the men more than me, since each instance of laughter jolted my wounds and brought about poignant reminders of my pain.

  The creature within the mountain. They were going to strike soon, while I was stuck in bed. “Wait, I want to be a part of that team,” I said.

  My father patted my hand sympathetically. “Zaira, there’s no way. We need to complete this mission now. The longer we wait, the more time the Wyranth will have to reinforce Devil’s Mountain. Now that they know we’ve been in there, it’ll be dangerous enough as it is.”

  “I’ll leave you two to talk,” Harkerpal said, giving me a small wave. “Good to see you again, Zaira. And you too, Baron.” He shut the door behind him.

  “This is my mission as much as it is yours,” I said. A week ago, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to be involved. That first taste of adventure, of really doing something for the betterment of Rislandia, it changed me. I desired more of it. I wasn’t just some farm girl anymore, I was part of this crew.

  “Zaira, you need to be resting,” my father said. “Besides, this is more of a mission for the crew. I’m sure you have all sorts of stories about my swashbuckling this or raiding that, but the truth is, most of the time, I stayed with the ship. The ‘Great Baron Von Monocle,’ while flattering as a term, makes me a symbol. More than that, I’m in charge of this ship and need to be here in case feces hits the turbines. We’re in enemy territory.”

  “Then you should stay on the ship,” I said stubbornly.

  “Zaira,” my father warned.

  “You’re trying to protect me, and I don’t need protection. I’ve been living for two years on my own. I’ve plowed fields, I’ve sold at market. Mr. Gentry helped me, true, but I know who I am now. Danger doesn’t frighten me anymore. I’ve seen it. I’ve stared the Iron Emperor in the face.” I tried to cross my arms, but I found that impossible due to one of the bullet wounds. Even the slightest twitch set off incredible pain. I winced, but tried not to let it show beyond that. Deep down, he was right about my condition, but a little of the medic’s powerful elixir and I’d be fine.

  “It has everything to do with you,” my father said, eyes widening. He stood, pacing beside his bed, moving over to his dresser with the photographs of our family on top. He picked one up. “First, because you’re my little girl. And I know you’re grown up and your own woman now, you don’t have to remind me.” He blinked. “The Iron Emperor?”

  “Long story.” I found myself blushing.

  “But your name makes you a symbol as well. And not just because of me now. Did you know that Marina’s Baronette title has started to catch on among the crew? They think of you as a leader now, Zaira. It means we shouldn’t go out on missions at the same time. If something should happen to me—”

  “It won’t.”

  “Last time I ended up in a dungeon for two years,” my father said, eyes piercing into me.

  Something about the conversation struck me then. “Wait, you mentioned Marina. Before, you said she found something about the creature and the goo?”

  “Ahh yes, this is where it gets interesting. You see, while the von Monocle luck stayed with you when those bullets grazed you. But when you fell, I’m afraid your head wound was far worse than you realized. That’s where we’ll get to Marina. You were right. I believe something manipulated her into her betrayal. When she found I had a canteen filled with the blue goo from that monster in the mountain, we could barely hold her back from it. At the time, we had her under guard and bound. She rambled like a madwoman, or so we thought. I posted a sentry to listen to her anyway. It turns out she was actually trying to save you.” He turned back, eyes locking on me with dead seriousness. “Whatever you said to her, it overpowered wh
atever this blue goo did to her. That’s another reason why we need you safe. My diplomacy is better with the sword, you have a way with words. Perhaps it comes from your mother’s side.”

  “I speak from the heart,” I said.

  My father smiled. “That’s my girl. When she calmed down, we found that the goo, which the Wyranth call the vitality ether, has restorative properties, even beyond our medic’s regular elixirs. There are side effects, which our scientists will study later, but you had lost so much blood, we took a risk.”

  I bit my lip. I was restored by this giant goo—vitality ether? It meant I’d drank some bodily fluid from that disgusting creature inside Devil’s Mountain. And what was it doing to me? “Do you know what the side effects are?”

  “So far all we’ve seen is increased aggressiveness in limited quantities. Which I’ve definitely seen in you thus far.” My father laughed. “I’m very interested in finding out more. This could be a large reason why the Wyranth soldiers are so relentless, if they’re being fed a steady stream of the stuff.”

  My father smiled at me. “I should check on Talyen and let you rest.”

  “What about her? Did she have to take the vitality ether?”

  My father shook his head. “She was able to recover by normal means. Normal by our medic’s standards but normal nonetheless. Get some sleep, Zaira.”

  Did he just dismiss me? I wasn’t a simple member of the crew that he could do that to. I opened my mouth to argue, but soon realized it would do no good. He had his mind made up as sure as I did. I would just have to find some other way onto the mission. It felt rather deceptive, but I hadn’t promised my father I’d stay put in his quarters.

  My father waited a moment, watching me, and then slipped out the door.

  I stayed still for a few more moments to make sure the coast was clear. I felt like I was a child again, pretending to go to bed while I watched my parents through a crack in the door as they set out presents for the Grand Harvest Festival. My heart yearned for those days again.

  I stretched my legs out, tight from having been in the same position for more than a day. Then I pulled the covers off me and dangled my feet over the side of the bed. My new position allowed me to slide to my feet. My toes froze as they hit the cold deck floor. I stayed leaned against the bed, not ready to try my full weight yet. My body ached and protested, and I dizzied. So much for a vitality ether. Perhaps they hadn’t given me enough of the stuff.

  I had to get outside if I wanted to join the mission team. If I couldn’t stand, there was no way I’d be able to prove myself ready. Barring being able to do that, I would need the strength to make the rope descent on my own and evade my own people.

  I bit down hard on my bottom lip with determination and forced my weight on my feet. With a stumbling step, I was upright. I held my arms out to keep my balance, then concentrated on the door.

  It took me several more minutes to get out of the quarters, but I managed it and, soon enough, I made my way through the mess hall.

  Several of the crew sat along the benches, eating and socializing. The ship was moving back toward Devil’s Mountain, giving a sensation of a gentle tug forward.

  James leaned over one of the tables, chatting with the crew. His eyes lit up as he saw me, and he enthusiastically waved me over. “Zair-bear, you’re awake! Come join us!”

  I shook my head. “Can’t. Need to uhh…” I tried to think of an excuse, looking toward the door in front of me. “…be out on the deck. Later?”

  “Baron’s orders, hmm? Heard a lot of that since I’ve been back. Well, glad to see you’re up and at it.” James made a friendly gesture and went back to conversation with the others at his table.

  Step by step, I forced my way to the door. I stayed focused, knowing that with a single stumble any member of this crew would try to stop me over concern for my injuries. It felt like hours, though I knew it was only a matter of seconds before I made it to the door. A great triumph in my own mind if nowhere else.

  My excuse to James was a good one. I had to go out to the deck anyway. No, I had to find a place to stow myself and hide so I could make the drop when we arrived. I had one problem as I recalled the layout of the deck—the exterior of the ship was so open. It had the turbines, the rope holders, the deck, but all those places could be seen from the main bridge. The pilot would be looking right down on me if I didn’t find somewhere to hide.

  I twisted the door handle and stepped onto the deck anyway. Looking around, I saw that I was right, but there was some netting up against the bridge I could use as cover. At least I could look inconspicuous there. But walking on the outside of the airship when it was moving at such speeds was a whole different proposition than my already strained maneuvering on the inside.

  Within moments of my reaching deck, I’d stumbled over to the port rail. I pressed my stomach against the rail and wrapped my fingers around it to stay secure. My eyes went wide as I stared down at the clouds below and at patches of farms and landscapes as we were going overhead. I recalled what my father had said, that the Liliana had gone back out toward the sea, and now we had to return to the mountain to complete this new mission. In the daylight, I could see the shadow the Liliana cast upon the Wyranth countryside.

  Something moved on the ground, which surprised me. From this height, it should have been impossible to make out individual people. I righted myself so I could still see but not be in any danger of falling. Those spots on the ground grew, as if they were moving toward us. Those weren’t people at all.

  We’d come across the Wyranth anti-airship artillery. A cannonball flew right past my face.

  In an odd turn of events, Harkerpal says he’s repaired the ship. The Liliana will fly again. I spoke with the attorney, Mathias du Gearsmith in the capital. He had nearly forgotten Theo’s will, but talk of the airship reminded him. Apparently, we are close to a time when Theo, as missing in action, will be declared legally dead. In his will, he bequeathed the Liliana to his daughter, Zaira. I can’t believe he’d give a weapon of war to a little girl. Sometimes, that man infuriates me.

  An excerpt from Captain von Cravat’s log

  Day 24 of the Month of Dukes

  19th Year of Malaky XVI’s Reign

  “Get my father… I mean the Baron! Someone alert the Baron! And the pilot!” I screamed back to the deck crew as I took a couple of steps away from the railing and toward the turbine

  Crewmen took note first of the shots fired into the air, and then me. They hesitated briefly.

  “Move!” I commanded and glanced back over the side. I wouldn’t be able to run and alert someone in my condition.

  More projectiles whizzed through the air at ridiculous speeds. One, two, then a third flew right past the ship, arcing overhead and dropping back to the ground below. Scanning the flatland, I could see where the three shots had come from. If we could increase our speed, we could be past this anti-airship barrage in a few minutes at the most.

  To my surprise, it wasn’t my father, but Talyen who rushed out onto the deck. Seeing her so active confused me, but I recalled that she had been given a dose of the vitality ether as well. “What is going on?” she asked. Another cannonball flew by. She whipped her head back toward the bridge. “Helm! Top speed!”

  Back in the bridge, the pilot gave her a thumbs up.

  Talyen made her way across to me in the time I’d looked away from her. “What do you think you’re doing out of bed?” she asked.

  I nearly jumped to at seeing her so close. “I, uh…” Any excuse I could come up with seemed so inadequate. But why did I need to lie to Talyen? She was up as well and had injuries worse than mine. She was also the one who had planned to steal the ship when King Malaky said no to the mission. She understood how crucial this mission and these duties were. “I was trying to position myself to go with the landing party when we arrived at Devil’s Mountain What’re you doing out of bed?”

  Talyen lifted my chin with a finger to meet her eyes. Where
I thought I’d find another argument, her face radiated compassion. “You’re very brave. And thank you for alerting the crew to the anti-airship ballistics. I’m out of bed because someone needs to run this ship, which means I have to get to the main bridge, but we’ll talk about this later. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Talyen lunged toward the bridge, bursting into a full run. She cared so much for me, it made me feel important. She was going to listen, which meant I had a chance to go help the crew to put an end to this ridiculous war.

  A cannonball connected with the ship.

  The Liliana jerked, then swayed. I heard a crack in the wood, louder than even Talyen’s loudest shouts. A projectile burst through the deck, board splintering. Wood planks flew in a whirlwind. The area where I’d stood creaked and collapsed inward.

  I lunged for the railing, then hung from it for dear life, watching a hole of nothingness below me. If I fell, I’d go through the ship and out to my doom. Before I could right myself, another crack resounded, this time behind me.

  A ball burst through the starboard-aft roof of the bridge. It bounced on the deck again, but its weight was enough that the deck collapsed under it. The Liliana, with a hole blowing heavy wind through its midsection, rolled to the side. The movement swung me, and one of my hands slipped, leaving me dangling from one arm. It hurt so badly, but I had to hang on for dear life. On the opposite side of the deck, one of the crewmen wasn’t so lucky. He flailed his arms helplessly and flew over the side, off into oblivion.

  The turbines stuttered. And then they cut out entirely.

  I couldn’t breathe. The wind blew in my face, my hair frazzled everywhere. My arm felt like it would snap like a twig at any moment. I swung myself like a pendulum until I could reach and grab ahold of the rail with my other hand, fingers clasping. If I could move hand over hand, I could get to a place where the deck still held, back to safety.

  Relative safety, with the ship still descending at faster speeds than I could have imagined. The ship fell backward, aft first, with so much weight behind it. Our momentum shifted abruptly from the prior forward movement. I almost lost the meager contents of my stomach.