The Infernal Aether

by Oxley, Peter

  “The rest of the Aetheric Sensor,” said Maxwell, attaching one of the many trailing tubes to the device in my hands.

  I looked at Kate, who shrugged. “I tried my best,” she said. “At least the dial’s pretty...”

  *

  After activating the machine, Maxwell spent a good hour or so adjusting various dials and jotting down an extraordinary number of readings, immersing himself in a long list of incomprehensible calculations. It was a welcome distraction when Lieutenant Pearce returned from visiting his barracks with two of his fellow soldiers, intensely agitated and lacking their red jackets.

  “What news?” I asked.

  “I am afraid it is as bad as we feared,” he said. “We are all officially fugitives—including me and my men. The generals have put out the word that we tried to sabotage an official operation.”

  “How did you get out of the barracks?” asked Kate.

  “We never went in. An old friend of mine spied us on the way and tipped us off, said he didn’t think it sounded right, us being criminals and all. There’s some comfort: not everyone is on the demon’s side.”

  “Only the really important, powerful ones,” said Kate.

  We both looked at her but, before we could retort, Maxwell burst out of the room where he had been working. “I know where N’yotsu is,” he said, face flushed with triumph.

  “Great,” I said. “Where?”

  “Scotland. Near Loch Lomond, to be precise.” He looked from one to the other of us, clearly confused as to why we did not share his elation.

  “Max,” I said softly. “Do you have any idea how far away that is? It could take us the best part of a week to get there, and without access to any form of official transport, having to keep out of the way of the authorities, why, we’d need...” I trailed off as an ingenious but extremely unwelcome thought came to my mind. I dismissed it, hoping that another, better solution would present itself; unfortunately that was not to be.

  “What?” asked Kate.

  “I have an idea,” I said reluctantly. “A way that we could get up there and back quickly, and without setting the authorities on notice.” All I had to do was swallow my pride and relive one of the bitterest moments of my life.

  CHAPTER 33

  The severity of the situation and the urgency of our mission required us to travel through the night, wearily trying to ignore our own diminishing reserves of energy. As dawn broke over us, we approached the most unprepossessing sight: a seemingly derelict farm building around which crowded a ramshackle collection of outbuildings and barns, like poor children clustered round a dying mother.

  “This is it,” I said, gesturing at the frankly disappointing sight before us. In particular, my eye was drawn to one long barn which cosmetically looked more distressed than the others, yet was still standing; almost as though someone wanted it to appear irrelevant and not worthy of further inspection. I allowed myself a wry smile in spite of my inner turmoil, for subtlety had never been Freddie’s strong point.

  “Are you sure?” asked Maxwell, frowning with a disappointment which we all felt.

  “Positive,” I replied.

  “Don’t look very lived in,” said Kate.

  “Au contraire,” I said. “I believe it is actually lived in rather well.” I took a deep breath, fighting against the urge to turn and run away. I cupped my hands to my mouth and shouted: “Freddie!”

  My voice echoed around the yard, stirring up little more than a few stray cats, their heads popping up to investigate this rude disturbance before prancing away into the overgrown vegetation.

  “Freddie!”

  This time there was movement from within the farmhouse, a stirring at one of the windows. A hand pulled aside the rough blanket which was acting as a curtain, followed by the barrel of a rifle and a squinting, scowling face. “Who is it?” came the voice from within. “I warn you, I’m armed and in no mood for trouble.”

  I sighed and removed my hat, raising my hands above my head as I stepped forward. I was acutely aware of the rifle pointed at me, and my initial boldness was replaced by anxious unease; the man on the other end of that weapon had promised to kill me if he ever saw me again.

  Just as I was about to turn and run, laughter erupted from the window. “Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in! Augustus Potts, as I live and breathe! Do not tell me you have only just managed to crawl back from Jaipur?”

  I ignored the jibe. “I have come to ask for your assistance. Will you come down and talk to me?”

  “That depends,” Freddie called back, “on what your friends there plan to do with me if I were to go down there. The lack of uniforms does not fool me; I would recognise British infantrymen anywhere. So what is this? Finally come to make me atone for my sins, boys?”

  “We are not looking for trouble, or to apprehend you,” I replied. “We just want to talk. You have my word.”

  This prompted another round of uproarious laughter, followed by a bout of coughing. “Your word? That’s a good one! Is that the same word you gave me when you swore to follow my orders? To obey my every word? Just before you walked out on me?”

  That was the final straw. “Walked out on you?” I shouted, lowering my hands and clenching them into fists. “You left me, in the middle of nowhere, after... after...” Years of bottled-up rage overflowed into tongue-tied apoplexy as I sought in vain for a coherent and intelligent response before surrendering to my emotions. “I loved her, you bastard! I loved her and you took her from me!”

  I could almost hear those stood behind me holding their breaths, wondering if my outburst had scuppered what little chance we had of brokering a deal with this rogue. For a moment, I almost believed the worst myself but then Freddie lowered his rifle. “That is more like it,” he bellowed gleefully. “That’s the old Gus we all know and love—I knew you were still in there somewhere! Wait there, I shall be down directly.”

  I exhaled and unclenched my fists, noting that my whole body was quivering with rage. I heard Kate call my name and ask if I was all right, before being hushed by Maxwell. He had witnessed enough of my outbursts over the years to know that I needed space before I would welcome an approach.

  I watched the building intently, fixing it with a glare which near on made my eyes ache. Finally, the door opened and out stepped Freddie, still recognisable as the rogue I had flown with all those years ago, but now showing every one of his advanced years. I stared, disbelieving, at this old man who wore the face of one whom I had always regarded to be invincible; whereas once he had moved with a lithe swiftness, like a tiger perpetually on the verge of striking, now he hobbled and shuffled. My heart sank as I felt our one chance of swift passage north evaporate before me.

  “What is this?” he said, reading the look on my face. “Pity? From you? I will take many gifts from old friends, but not that.”

  I swallowed and fought to regain my simmering anger. “Is that what we are, then? Friends.”

  “We could be enemies if you prefer, although you know full well what happens to them.” He pulled himself straight, unbending his back, and there before me was a stronger hint of the man I once knew, the old defiant glint in his eye and the savage half-smile on those thin lips.

  I shrugged. “I have not come to dwell on past disputes. As I said, we need your help.”

  “Ah, yes, this ‘we’ again. Is it a royal ‘we’? I think not. Are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

  I sucked at my teeth and then nodded and turned, leading him toward the group which had been watching our exchange intently.

  “This is my brother, Maxwell. And our friend, Kate, and our... Lieutenant Pearce. Max, Kate, Lieutenant—this is Freddie.” I sighed and corrected myself. “Lord Frederick McNaughton.”

  The men nodded and shook hands politely, Maxwell with the cold aloofness he accorded for any whom he knew I had a quarrel with. Lieutenant Pearce, though, greeted the man like a hero from his favourite book. “I have heard so much of your
exploits,” he said. “I did not truly believe that it was you we were going to meet.”

  Freddie glared at him. “Young man, have I really slipped so far from the danger list as to warrant the respect of Her Majesty’s finest? Time was, my name inspired fear and loathing. Such happy days...” He turned to Kate and kissed the back of her hand. “Madame, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Tell me, how did one as beautiful as you come to be with these ne’er-do-wells?”

  To my surprise, Kate blushed. “Are you really Lord McNaughton? The adventurer and explorer?”

  “The very same, my dear. Maybe you could help an old man to a seat and tell me all about your woes.”

  I stepped in front of them before Kate could acquiesce. “Now is not the time for all of that,” I said. “I suspect that you are not half as infirm as you would have us believe, and we have pressing matters to discuss. You can flirt later.”

  He scowled at me. “Now I remember why I threw you off The Old Lady. I have not missed being scolded for every minor transgression. You would have made a fine fishwife, have I ever told you that?”

  “Plenty of times,” I said, grinning in spite of myself. “Will you listen to what we have to say, or not?”

  “Very well,” he said, perching on the edge of an upturned cart. “Speak.”

  “I wanted to call in a favour,” I said.

  “Another one?” he grinned. “I am sure you have used them all up by now. And before you say anything, India does not count as putting me in your debt; you annoyed me.”

  “Nice try, but by my count there are still a dozen favours that you owe me. That incident over the Americas counts for at least four all by itself.”

  He laughed that booming guffaw which never failed but to make me smile, regardless of the situation. “I grant that you may have a point, depending on what you say next.”

  “We have need of passage to the north and I was wondering if The Old Lady was still in service.”

  “That depends,” he said, that old twinkle in his eye returning. “On where exactly you wish to go and why.”

  “It is a long story,” I said.

  “I have nothing else to do,” he said, leaning back and folding his arms.

  Maxwell shot me a look, as if to say “Can we trust him?” His concerns reflected mine, but we were in an extremely weak position and any support—however disreputable—was better than none. I nodded and then turned back to my one-time friend. “You had better make yourself comfortable then,” I said.

  *

  “Is that it?” asked Kate, the disgust clear in her voice.

  “She most certainly is,” said Freddie. “Is she not beautiful?”

  “I am sure she was, once,” Kate shot back.

  Freddie gave her a hurt look. “This magnificent machine has taken me round the world and back more times than I care to remember. She is without a doubt the fastest and most manoeuvrable vessel of her type.”

  “How old is she?” asked Maxwell.

  “Oh I don’t know… thirty, forty years? She was pretty lived-in when I acquired her. But these things are like fine wines; they improve with age.”

  He stared at the airship with the eyes of a star-struck lover, a perspective that the rest of us could not share. After the many months I had spent in her company, I had a large degree of affection for the dirigible that we had referred to as The Old Lady, but even so I struggled to muster up the same level of unconditional infatuation that Freddie felt for his ship. She towered above us, her envelope now almost completely inflated with hydrogen. Everything about her screamed age, her skin marbled by a thousand scars and scratches which told of countless scrapes and encounters. A battered gondola sat beneath the massive egg-shaped envelope, like a squat blue hen giving birth in reverse. It had taken us, aided by the entire company of soldiers, a good thirty minutes to pull the machine out of the long, large barn which I had spied on our approach. As I had suspected, the distressed nature of its exterior was a bit too obvious, and it housed the most important item for miles around: The Old Lady.

  “Fascinating,” said Maxwell, examining the engines. “The nacelles look American but the propeller design appears more German.”

  “That is correct. I have adapted and amended over the years, mostly through necessity. Seems to work pretty well, all things considered.”

  “I can make it work even better, if you would permit me to have a tinker.”

  “Show me.” The pair of them buried their heads in the engines, leaving Kate and I to watch on in bemused silence.

  “Are you all right?” Kate asked me after a minute.

  “Hmm? Yes, why would I not be?” I tried to affect an air of nonchalance; ineffectually, as it transpired.

  “You should know by now that I’m not going to be put off by silly words,” she said. “There’s something between you two, something neither of you will talk about. What is it?”

  I sighed and rubbed my head, fighting the urge to speak, for to do so was to bring back to the fore memories which were too painful to relate. Much better to do what I always did, and push them down into the deepest reaches of my soul.

  I felt her eyes on me, those deep blue eyes so often full of defiant humour, at that moment burrowing into me with pained concern. She raised her eyebrows. “I’m not going to just give in; you should know that by now.”

  I grinned but, before I could reply, we were disturbed by a shout from behind us. We turned to see Lieutenant Pearce running toward us. “Get that thing in the air,” he shouted. “We have company!”

  I looked past him to see his men forming up in a defensive line, rifles at the ready. In the distance we could see fifty, maybe a hundred, soldiers thundering in our direction. It was too far away to be certain, but I fancied that I could make out the stiff corpse-like forms of the clockwork men amongst their number. “Max, Freddie!” I shouted.

  Their heads emerged from the engine housing, irritation at being disturbed swiftly followed by anxious action. Freddie slammed the hatch shut, bolted round to the entry hatch and scrambled up the ladder, suddenly showing all the litheness of the younger man I had once known. His head reappeared from within, hanging upside down, hair trailing beneath him. “Get in—I’m taking her up,” he called.

  “But we have not completed the checks,” Maxwell protested. “We should not take to the air without the proper checks.”

  Kate grabbed him and thrust him toward the ladder. “No time for that, Max,” she said, forcing him to climb. “Time to take a risk.”

  I ran over to Lieutenant Pearce, who was marshalling his men with a calm intensity. I drew my sword and stood by his side, looking out at the advancing horde of redcoats.

  He turned to look at me. “Don’t be a fool,” he said. “Get in the ship. We will cover you for as long as we can.”

  I looked at him and the meagre defence he had assembled around him. “But you are outnumbered. Come with us.”

  He grabbed me by the shoulder and forced me round, pushing me back toward The Old Lady with rough force. “No time,” he shouted in my ear. “You are the ones who need to do this. We will do our jobs. Now go!”

  I turned and looked at him, realising that he was sacrificing his life for us. I sought desperately for a way to convince him to do otherwise, but I could not help but acknowledge the sense in what he said. I nodded. “Thank you,” I said.

  He grinned. “We will meet again soon,” he said, before turning back to his men. I ran to the ship and busied myself with untying the mooring ropes, ducking as a gunshot rang out followed by an answering volley. I gave up in my attempt to neatly untie the ropes and instead swung my sword—once, twice, thrice—before leaping for the ladder before it drifted out of reach.

  I darted up the steps and threw myself into the ship, chancing once final look back at the lieutenant and his ragged line of men before slamming the hatch shut. I scrambled along the metal walkway which led to the bridge, marvelling at how the same old sensations and instincts came
rushing back to me, in spite of the intervening years and all that had happened since. The engines jolted into action, throwing me to the ground. I cursed as I pulled my bruised body upright and threw myself onto the bridge. “You could have at least waited until I was in,” I shouted.

  “What? You were in,” said Freddie. “I heard the hatch shut. Slam shut, I might add. How many times do I have to remind you, this is a delicate antique—you should treat her with more care.” He was rushing around the room, turning wheels and opening valves.

  “Exactly!” said Maxwell, wringing his hands. “Which is why we really should not launch until we are sure that this vehicle is serviceable.”

  Freddie barked a short laugh. “Is he always like this?” he asked me.

  “Most of the time,” I said.

  Freddie threw himself into his chair and spun the wheel, resting his hand on the valve which controlled the ship’s thrust. The view outside the window rotated until we could see the battle which was raging beneath us.

  “Do you remember Texas?” he asked me.

  I grinned. “Only too well. I thought we agreed that that was a mistake never to be repeated?”

  “Well, you know what they say: never say never. In any case, desperate times and all that.” He adjusted the lift, so that we dipped down toward the ground.

  “What are you doing?” shouted Maxwell. “You’re taking us further within their range!”

  “You might want to hold on to something,” I said, waving him and Kate to handholds set into the bulkheads on either side of the bridge as Freddie pushed down on the thrust, sending us tearing directly toward the soldiers. I heard Maxwell and Kate scream and then another sound which seemed strangely out of place. It took a few seconds for me to recognise it as my own laughter.

  The soldiers displayed admirable discipline, standing their ground and firing at us in steady volleys, bullets clanging off the side of our cabin with painful regularity. It was only at the last minute that their resolve broke and they started to scatter, but by that point we were almost upon them. Just as it appeared we would spear into the grass, Freddie pulled us up hard, the grass in the window replaced with cold, bright sky as we strained to hang on to our handholds.