Alphas and Airships_A Steampunk Fairy Tale

by Melanie Karsak

  “Good to see you both,” Agent Walsh said. “Please, step inside,” he said, motioning for us to join him in the lift. “We were afraid something happened to you.”

  Harper and I climbed into the lift. Agent Walsh activated the levers, and to my surprise, we ascended.

  “Sorry to cause any concern. The Jacobite was too slow, so we sent her home. I need to talk to Agent MacGregor. We were thinking—” I began.

  “That will have to wait. I’ve been instructed to bring you along as soon as you arrived.”

  “Bring us along where?”

  “Your flying wolves struck again, and this time, they torqued off the wrong target.”

  “What happened?”

  The lift dinged, and we exited into a long hallway on the upper, closed floor of Edinburgh Castle.

  There were guards everywhere.

  “What’s happening?” Harper asked.

  “We have a guest,” Agent Walsh said as we approached the door at the end of the hall.

  The guard standing there opened it to reveal several Shadow Watch agents, Agent MacGregor, Agent Hunter, Captain Martin, and Queen Victoria.

  The Queen was standing at the window, frowning at the sky. She turned when she heard the door open.

  Casting a quick glance at Agent Hunter who seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he spotted Harper and me, I dropped into a low curtsey, Agent Harper following suit.

  “Yes, yes,” the Queen said distractedly. “I was about to send someone to look for you, Agent Louvel. Very glad to see you’re still alive. Well, it seems you haven’t been able to stamp out that trouble in the aether just yet.”

  “No, Your Majesty. But Agent Harper and I have discovered the location of their base on North Ronaldsay. We’ve also discovered how they are tracking marks.”

  “That, at least, is welcome news.”

  “Has something happened?” I asked, looking from the Queen to Agent Hunter.

  “The airship Fenrir commandeered the Crown’s ship, stole several items that were intended as part of the dowry for Princess Vicky, and made off with the Crown’s treasure,” Agent Hunter explained.

  Hell’s bells. Harper and I might have saved the cargo of the Menapii, but apparently, the Fenrir found a better mark in the process.

  The Queen turned to Captain Martin. “You said you had the Fenrir in your sights, Captain. What happened?”

  “She’s too fast,” Captain Martin said. “The Jacobite is powerful but too big to keep up with the Fenrir. The Fenrir has a longship design and is as fast as any racing ship. Her guns are not her strength. It’s her speed. They pulled up into the clouds and were gone before we even got a run on her.”

  Queen Victoria looked at me.

  I nodded.

  “And if we can find a way to catch them, can you end this?” she asked me.

  “The wolves may be strong, but they’re no worse than what we’ve already dealt with. We just need to catch them first.”

  Queen Victoria nodded. “MacGregor, go now and get the Watch ready. Captain Martin will take you to North Ronaldsay. If you find the Fenrir in port there, burn it to the ground. Otherwise, arrest everyone you find at their hideout and recover my treasure.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Agent MacGregor said, motioning for Captain Martin, Agent Walsh, and the other Shadow Watch agents to follow him from the room.

  “And if the Fenrir is not at port?” Agent Hunter asked the Queen.

  Queen Victoria laced her hands behind her back and paced the room.

  We all waited.

  And waited.

  Agent Harper shifted uncomfortably beside me.

  I cast a glance at Agent Hunter. To my surprise, he was looking at me. He smiled softly.

  “Fine,” Victoria said, resting her fingertips on the edge the table. “Fine. If we need to be fast, we’ll be fast. Very well then. Someone bring me Lily Stargazer.”

  Chapter 16: The Infamous Lily Stargazer

  There was not a child in all the land who didn’t know the name Lily Stargazer. The infamous airship racer, the first female pilot to win a World Grand Prix and a multi-year winner of the British Airship Qualifying, was a legend. From guttersnipe to the lover of Lord Byron and an award-winning pilot who once dove out of an airship to save a fellow racer, we all knew Lily Stargazer and her ship, also named Stargazer. Hell, when we were kids, we’d try to run “faster than the Stargazer.” But what had happened to the legendary woman?

  All I knew was that she’d once raced in an around-the-world event and afterward, disappeared. I assumed she was either dead or off drinking rum in Bermuda—she was somewhat renowned for her carousing. She’d be in her fifties by now. The fact that Queen Victoria sent someone to fetch her surprised me more than I could hide. How in the hell did Queen Victoria know where Lily Stargazer was?

  The Queen sent a runner to the Bank of Scotland—why, I had no idea—then Agent Harper and I went with Agent Hunter back downstairs to brief Agent MacGregor. At least a dozen Shadow Watch agents had been assembled. Harper hastily drew a map of the island for Agent MacGregor while I went to chat with Agent Walsh who was suiting up for the mission.

  “Any advice, Agent Louvel?” he asked as he checked his weapon.

  “Silver bullets. Lots of them.”

  Agent Walsh smirked. “That’s a given.”

  “If you will strike, strike before dusk. They are weaker in daylight, unable to shift until the moon comes out. And they are weakest at midday.”

  “Thank you, Agent Louvel,” he said then looked behind me. “Sir,” he said, inclining his head.

  I turned to find Agent Hunter there.

  “Good luck on the mission, Agent Walsh. Fair bit more teeth than your usual beat,” Agent Hunter said.

  “That’s for certain. At least I won’t have to lug salt around. Thank you, sir,” he told Agent Hunter then looked once more at me. “Agent,” he said then joined Agent MacGregor.

  “What’s his usual beat?” I asked Agent Hunter.

  “Spirits.”

  “Ghosts?”

  Agent Hunter nodded. “Nasty ones, too.”

  I eyed my new boss. Had he always had that smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks? He was so poised, so polished. The freckles gave him an earthy quality that I had somehow missed before. And those eyes… I had never seen eyes bluer.

  I suppressed the sigh that wanted to escape my lips. He really was very handsome. And from what I saw, also very hardworking. It seemed like he was always at the office. He wasn’t married—Agent Greystock had deemed it necessary to inform me of that tidbit—but wasn’t he at least attached? I mean, who wouldn’t want a man like him? He was prim, sure, but a prim man could be fun to—

  “How is Agent Harper working out?” Agent Hunter asked, interrupting my completely inappropriate thoughts.

  I tried to wipe off the very unseemly smile that had crept up on my face.

  “Ah, yes. Very well, sir.”

  “We’ve arranged for her to rotate between divisions until we find the right placement. She did ask for you first.”

  “She’s handy in the field.” And she was. But she wasn’t Quinn. The fact that I hesitated at the Fenrir’s base was telling. Sure, it made sense to let the captain think he had not yet been discovered, but it would have been easier to take half the crew out then and catch the rest aloft. The truth was, I hesitated because I didn’t want to get Harper killed.

  “But?”

  Hell’s bells. How had he read between the lines? “The job can get ugly. I’m not sure she’s ready for that.”

  Agent Hunter nodded, his manner such that he shared my thoughts.

  “Agent Hunter,” a runner called, rushing across the room. “Her Majesty asked for you and Agents Harper and Louvel. Their ride is coming in now.”

  That was quick.

  Agent Hunter nodded then turned to me. “Shall we go meet Lily Stargazer?” he asked, raising and lowering his eyebrows, unable to hide his excited expres
sion.

  I chuckled then turned and motioned to Harper. The three of us, all of us trying to hide our childish glee, went together to the lift. Every one of us tried to keep our decorum. But halfway up the lift, Harper popped with an excited laugh.

  “Sorry, I just couldn’t help it. Lily Stargazer. Can you believe it?” Harper said.

  I turned and looked at Agent Hunter who smiled at me.

  And only at me.

  A warm, happy, and much unexpected excited feeling filled my stomach.

  I patted Harper on the back. “Just try not to embarrass us.”

  We waited on the roof of the turret with Her Majesty and a fleet of guards, watching as an airship floated in. I eyed the shape of the ship. It was a single prop racing ship, but it wasn’t the famous Stargazer with its triskelion symbol on the balloon. This airship’s insignia was a swan.

  The Edinburgh Castle crew rushed in to take the lead ropes. A moment later, someone tossed over a rope ladder. The crew appeared at the side of the ship. I spotted two men and a young woman—too young to be Lily Stargazer.

  The crew on the airship talked—more argued from the looks of it—and talked and talked.

  Queen Victoria frowned at the ship.

  A moment later, a fourth person appeared—a woman in her fifties wearing a cap. She and a young man with black hair descended from the airship.

  I cast a sidelong glance at Harper who was biting her lip.

  Agent Hunter cleared his throat, then cleared it again.

  The pair climbed down then went to the Queen. The woman dropped into a polite but brief curtsey to the Queen, the man bowing. The Queen, who was standing a few feet from us, spoke in low tones to the pair then they turned and headed toward us.

  I’d only ever seen sketches of her, but the infamous airship racer was renowned for her beauty. Lord Byron, her one-time lover, had once remarked that Lily Stargazer was more beautiful than the Goddess Aphrodite. That was one of only a few times he’d ever spoken publically of her. Of course, most people speculated that his poem “She Walks in Beauty” was about the pilot, but no one really knew for sure. Their love affair appeared to have been both very real but also very secret.

  Harper tittered a little, seemingly unsure if she should step forward and introduce herself.

  Her Majesty motioned for us to follow them, but did not stop to make introductions.

  Dressed plainly in boots, trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, and her trademark cap—complete with its clockwork lily pin—Lily Stargazer passed us by. And never gave us a second glance.

  The young man who accompanied her, however, gave us a brief but polite nod.

  Agent Hunter motioned for Harper and me to follow along. To my surprise, he set his hand on the small of my back to gently guide me forward.

  “Can you believe it?” Harper whispered in my ear.

  My thoughts scrambled by the unexpected touch, I raised an eyebrow at her. “Believe what?”

  Harper swallowed a nervous laugh, making an odd chortle sound in the process, then whispered, “Lily Stargazer just snubbed us. I love her.”

  The young man who accompanied the airship racer, walking just ahead of us, chuckled but didn’t look back.

  I cast a gaze up at Agent Hunter who smiled at me.

  Lily who?

  Chapter 17: Up Yours

  Whatever Queen Victoria thought was going to happen obviously wasn’t going to come about as easily as she expected.

  Agent Harper, Agent Hunter, and I waited on a bench outside a closed chamber door. On the other side, a heated argument was underway. The young man who had accompanied the airship racer waited with us. He stood by the door, seemingly unfazed by the shouting coming from inside.

  I could only catch a scant few words: duty, obligation, Arcadia, warden, now, and ridiculous.

  That was enough to get something of the picture.

  It was only after I heard one more word, Byron, that the fighting ended.

  This word, I noticed, also caught the attention of the young man waiting outside. He frowned heavily.

  It seemed like forever before the door finally opened.

  A red-faced Lily Stargazer appeared. She motioned to the young man, giving him a tender and apologetic look, then turned to us.

  “Who’s coming?” she asked abruptly.

  Harper and I rose.

  “We are,” I told her.

  “Let’s go.”

  Agent Hunter looked back toward the Queen.

  I followed his gaze. Queen Victoria inclined her head to me then motioned for me to go on.

  “Be careful, Agent Louvel,” Agent Hunter told me. “And Agent Harper.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Agent Harper said then turned and followed Lily Stargazer.

  I smiled at him then turned to leave.

  Without another word, we followed Lily Stargazer back outside.

  Shaking myself from the morass of emotions toying with my heart and mind, I quickened my step and joined the young man. He was just a bit older than me, dark-haired with light eyes, and had a complexion that looked more Italian than British.

  “Clemeny,” I told him, sticking out my hand.

  “Orlando,” he said, shaking my hand. “Don’t mind my mum. She’s out of sorts.”

  Mum?

  “You’d be out of sorts too if you knew where she was sending us,” Lily replied.

  “I don’t suppose you’ll be telling me anytime soon,” Orlando answered.

  Lily laughed. “Oh, no. I tell you all at once. Can’t wait to see what Angus has to say.”

  “That bad?” Orlando replied.

  Lily laughed.

  Orlando gazed at me, a smile behind his eyes. “And just what mischief are you mixed up in, Clemeny?”

  Lily cast a glance over her shoulder. “She’s a Rude Mechanical. So, the worst kind.”

  Orlando chuckled.

  I looked back at Harper. Lily was mistaken. I wasn’t a Rude Mechanical. I just worked for them.

  Harper also noticed the confusion. She opened her mouth to say something but then thought better of it.

  Walking behind the airship racer, I thought about her words.

  What if she wasn’t mistaken?

  My brow furrowed as I thought it over.

  What, exactly, did Lily Stargazer know?

  Chapter 18: What Clemeny Saw

  “So, we’re hunting another airship,” Angus asked. Angus, who was not as well-known as the pilot, had still received notoriety as being part of the winning crew of the airship Stargazer. He was about the same age as Lily, maybe a bit older. He had a heavy Scottish accent, a bald head, and was wearing a kilt and a frown.

  “Yes,” Lily answered.

  “And when we find it, what will we be doing?” Angus asked.

  Lily looked at me.

  “We’ll be downing it, if possible. Her Majesty wasn’t specific on whether or not she wanted the crew alive or dead. Dead will be easier.”

  “Her Majesty does know this isn’t a warship, right?” Orlando asked.

  “Light weapons, I was told,” Lily said then looked at me. From the expression on her face, I could see she already knew that this was something of a lie.

  “That’s true, on our side. I would expect them to be well rigged. We need to run up on them and get the drop. In the end, they are airship pirates. And right now, they are the realm’s most wanted pirates.”

  “Vikings,” Harper corrected under her breath.

  I gave Harper a sidelong glance and coughed lightly. The last thing I wanted Lily Stargazer to know was that she was about to run up on some Vikings.

  “Oh, aye, airship pirates, that’s all. Of course. Lily, you know who they are, right? With them, nothing is what it seems. You should know that by now,” Angus said, frowning at Lily.

  “I do, which is why we will get them where they need to go then leave. We’re not involved. Understand?” Lily asked me, her voice stern.

  “Understood.”

&nb
sp; Lily looked up at the burner basket where a young woman with long, curly black hair and big blue eyes looked down at us. “We are not involved, you understand?” she told the girl.

  The girl, who had been eyeing us with wide-eyed fascination, frowned at the infamous airship racer. “Yes, Mum. Of course,” the girl said then turned away, rolling her eyes.

  Mum? There were two?

  Lily frowned then gave Orlando a knowing look.

  He also eyed the girl suspiciously.

  “All right. Let’s get it over with,” Lily told Angus then headed to the wheelstand.

  “What is the name of this ship?” Harper asked Orlando who’d gone to the side of the airship to pull up the lead ropes.

  “The Aphrodite.”

  I eyed the balloon. A large swan had been painted thereon. I pulled out Mrs. Martin’s flask and took a drink as the airship started to lift off.

  “Nervous, Agent?” Lily asked.

  I looked back at her. For once, she was smiling.

  I shook my head. “Not spirits. Ginger.”

  “Ginger?” Lily chuckled. “Don’t vomit on my ship, if you please.”

  “I’m trying not to. Thus, the ginger.”

  Lily grinned. “Well, where are we going?”

  Harper pulled out her map and headed over to the racer. “Here,” she said. “I’d expect them in this area. If they spy the Jacobite, they’ll stay aloft. But they should be somewhere here. If we see the ravens, we’ll know we’re close.”

  “Ravens?” Lily asked.

  Harper nodded. “They have an unkindness of ravens, trained birds. The birds hunt out other ships and report back to the Fenrir.”

  “You hear that, Angus? These pirates use ravens to hunt their prey,” Lily yelled to the open hatch of the gear galley.

  “Oh, aye. I heard that. I told you so,” the gear galley man yelled in reply.

  Lily huffed a laugh. “Better take a seat, Agent Louvel,” she said as she turned her ship north. To my surprise, Lily then pulled on a pair of goggles that looked a bit like the night optic array I wore. There was an odd green glimmer as she adjusted them. She scanned the horizon, apparently looking for something that remained unseen to me.