by Rebecca Diem
“We can discuss this after the raid.”
“Why?”
“Because our methods of obtaining these goods may not suit your sensibilities. You will observe before you make your choice.”
“I have already made it through one of your raids. I saved all of you. I am quite capable of handling myself in distressing circumstances. I know I am.”
“No. You know nothing. You were safely hidden away as you shall be for the next,” he said, stepping in closer until she had to crane her neck to meet his gaze.
“How am I to know what it is like if I am hidden away once more?”
“Have you ever been faced with the barrel of another’s gun? By the tip of their sword?”
“Well, Nessa –”
“Nessa was not trying to kill or maim you,” he said.
Clara raised a single brow in response. A slight smirk passed over his lips and he softened,
“Clara, I cannot allow you to take part in the action until I am assured that you are battle-ready. We avoid bloodshed when we can, but we are not always successful. We fight. We steal. We kill, and are likely to do so again. We have lost pilots, good ones. You may cloak our cause as justice but never delude yourself into believing it is not crime. When you commit to this, I expect you to commit wholly, without reservation. Observe this raid before you make your choice.”
Clara was silent, turning his words over in her mind. She took a deep, shaky breath and gave a curt nod. The Captain Duke reached out and drew her arms forward. He took hold of her hands, uncurling the fists they had formed at her sides.
“I am grateful to you for saving our crew. You are one of the most promising pilots I have seen in years and you fly as though you are born to it. But these are not the hands of a warrior.”
Clara looked down at her hands. Soft and delicate, fingers stained black with ink. It felt strange to see them in the Captain’s grasp. His own were rough from rope and wind, but they were still the hands of an artist. She shocked herself with the desire to trace the lines etched across his palm. Resisting the urge, she pulled away.
“Very well. I will stay with Cat and Mouse,” she replied. Then she looked him in his eyes, “But then you will teach me to defend my crew.”
He smiled, showing his teeth and dimples, “We have a deal.”
The Captain left to take his turn at the watch. Clara stood tall at the rail and looked out at the horizon, deep in thought. Was this what she wanted? A life of crime? A life where she must fight, possibly even kill another? Her heart fell at the thought of losing any of the crew she had come to know and love. The Captain Duke spoke the truth. She was not prepared, not nearly. What if she was not capable after all? She would be forced to leave the airship in shame.
Clara knew the Captain would never permit her to stay unless she was a full partner to their cause. She could not endanger the rest of the crew. All her training in life was useless to her in this. She carefully considered her options. Was she really ready to commit to this life? It was time for her to acknowledge the seriousness of this venture, and Clara had never felt so unsure of herself.
Chapter 9: In which our hero learns to expect the unexpected
It was the day of the raid. The Captain Duke was making his rounds to ensure that the final preparations were underway. There was a sense of electricity in the air as the crew set themselves to their tasks with greater determination. Some had talismans hanging from their belts to bring good fortune. Others kept a lucky knot around the wrist of their shooting arm. Nessa had added small braids to the sides of her usual plait, a nod to the traditions of her ancestors.
They had disguised the airship with ‘new’ scrollwork and canvas to avoid detection. Today they were the QueenSparrow. It was one of Cat’s and Mouse’s favourite games, thinking of new names for the airship. The hull had seen many monikers in its time, and worn several guises in its travels. The Captain Duke had his own secret name for his airship, a name only he and Trick knew from the midnight christening after her liberation from a Tradist dock. Names had power, and he was more aware of their potency than most.
She was a beautiful ship with solid, lightweight decks and sturdy lines. Her balloons were replaced each season and the double lining held multiple individual chambers to decrease the risk of an explosion. The Captain had studied the dynamics of different airships for years before choosing his, and he made sure to look into every innovation. An explosion almost a decade ago on a passenger ship had inspired a great deal of technological advances and improvements to the safety of modern airships. It was a different story, however, when you meant to stay in the air regardless of who was trying to shoot you down.
They were drifting over the forested countryside, waiting for the other ship to come into sight. He heard Cat shout down to her brother. Mouse conveyed the message from his position halfway down the ropes:
“Airship sighted off the starboard bow! It’s coming from the west!”
The two youths scrambled to descend the ladders. Cat gave the precise location of the other ship and the Captain Duke sent a message to the navigator to adjust their position accordingly. The gliders were on standby, and the rudder was partially disabled. They were able to manoeuver by adjusting the angle of the propellers, but for the plan to work they needed to seem stuck.
“Cat, take Mouse and Clara and stay down in the cabins. You know what to do.”
“Yes Captain,” she said.
He exchanged a look with Clara as she came to join them. The Captain’s resolve wavered, but it was too late to turn course with the other ship so near. Cat and Mouse were born to this life, but stowaway or no, he had his doubts about Clara. If all was above board there would be little trouble today. Still, the risk to her safety would have to be endured.
“Stay below and keep out of trouble.”
Clara’s sigh was echoed with identical eye rolls from Cat and Mouse.
“Come now Clara, the dear Captain Duke has entrusted me with your well-being. You must teach us this embroidery you speak of,” Cat sang as she ushered her little brother to the stairs, linking with Clara’s arm as she went. He watched until they were safely below, and returned to the preparations.
The other airship was a heavier model with three huge balloons taking on its weight. Its cargo was concealed in a large hold. The Captain smiled at the size of it; there must be a great deal on board to merit the lift required to carry it. He stood and watched it grow as it neared until he could read the writing on its side: The Highflyer. Its midship deck bustled with activity as the crew gathered to get a look at him. He had only a few of his pilots with him, the cooks, a few medics, and Trick. When they were close enough, he raised his hand to hail the other captain.
“In the name of the Queen, your assistance, please!”
“What is the nature of your inquiry?” the other captain called back. The ‘QueenSparrow’ had raised its flag indicating distress.
“Our rudder has unfortunately fallen into disrepair. Would you have any spare parts to assist us?”
The other captain turned to confer with his lieutenants. From the corner of his eye, the Captain Duke caught sight of a shadow passing over the other ship’s balloons. He smiled to himself. The gliders were in place. It was all according to plan. He kept his sight on his counterpart, who finished discussing the matter with the crew and turned back with his reply.
“Our apologies, but we are unable to be of assistance at this time. We have an urgent delivery that is expected on the coast. We’ll send word by telegraph to the nearest port to assist you as soon as they are able.”
“I’m afraid that is unacceptable,” he replied. The Captain Duke savoured the look of confusion that crossed their faces as he signaled his crew.
Chaos reigned as twelve gliders landed smoothly on the opposite side of the Highflyer’s decks, each with an extra pilot strapped in front who quickly released themselves, ready for battle. They protected their partner as the gliders’ wings were drawn in, p
roviding the perfect distraction as the Captain Duke and his crew took up an offensive position in seconds. Nessa was an intimidating figure at the centre of the glider crew, both pistols raised and ready. The others had short swords held before them, better for close fighting. The Highflyer was immediately compromised. The other captain turned back angrily.
“You will regret this, pirate!”
“Surrender your ship and we will only take what we need. No harm will come to you or your crew. You have my word.”
“Oh, you can be certain there will be harm today!” the other man shouted as his face turned a disturbing shade of red. The Captain Duke smiled with a dare in his eyes as adrenalin flooded his veins in preparation for the fight. A witty retort was on his lips when he saw the door of the other ship’s hold open with a glint of steel.
Dozens of soldiers streamed out onto the decks, taking a defensive position quickly and turning on his crew members. Seven gliders were able to get off amid the chaos, some grabbing their partners by the harness with no time to strap them in properly. Nessa sent her own glider off without her as she fought to give the others time to escape. The Captain watched in horror, jumping onto the rail and holding the lines for balance as he raised his gun.
“No!” he thundered. “Stop this at once!”
He saw at least three soldiers nursing bullet wounds from Nessa’s pistols, but there was no way to get to his crew members with the odds against them. He felt helpless as he caught her eye and saw her look of surrender. She aimed upwards at one of the Highflyer’s balloons to fire but was tackled by four soldiers before she could make the shot. The rest of the glider crew was subdued while Nessa was dragged across the deck, fighting her captors all the way. She got in a few good kicks before they made it to the captain. He aimed a pistol at her temple as they forced her head up to look at him.
“Stop. Let us parlay.”
The other man grinned. He pulled his arm back and struck Nessa across her skull. The Captain Duke reeled at the sight as his bravest fighter crumpled to the floor. A hand grasped his coat and he glanced down to see Trick restraining him with a look of warning. The soldiers were lined along the Highflyer’s deck, some aiming at himself, others for their balloon. His own crew was lined up with guns at the ready, waiting on his word. They had little hope of escaping the situation; retaliation was out of the question with Nessa incapacitated on board. Not unless he was willing to sacrifice his own pilots.
“Well, pirate?” the other captain called over with an evil look, “Are you prepared to surrender?”
The Captain Duke was running out of options. Perhaps he could still save his crew if he went along with them, but more than likely they’d be jailed under the worst conditions with no reputation to warrant better treatment. The Captain Duke was ready to take drastic measures when he caught movement from the corner of his eye.
The door to his own crew’s quarters opened. The Captain Duke yelled a warning to take cover, but choked on his words as he struggled to conceal his shock. Clara the Pilot was gone. Before him, Clara the Debutante stepped into the sun dressed in an afternoon gown, shading her eyes with a parasol as Cat followed behind. She smiled demurely at him, then turned as though noticing the other airship for the first time, and screamed.
Chapter 10: In which our heroine takes matters into her own hands
Clara felt the blood rush to her head as she stared at the full complement of soldiers with their guns aimed at the airship. She had watched the tables turn through the window with Cat and Mouse. Panicked, she tried to go above to help, but the children blocked her path. They needed some kind of diversion to buy more time. She berated herself for only knowing silly rules of etiquette instead of swordplay. She was useless here. Then, the idea had caught her and she set the two youths to work as she pinned her hair quickly and gathered her weapons. The wardrobe held everything they needed to make the ruse work. Fortunately, the street clothes were designed for easy wearing. She set Cat’s hair as best as she could, racing through the instructions as Mouse helped to lace them both into gowns.
Clara took a deep breath before opening the door, silently thanking the owner of the dress she wore for having a generous waistline so she was less likely to faint from lack of air. Facing the soldiers, however, she thought she might risk fainting after all. She caught the Captain Duke’s look of astonishment before shrieking at the sight of the Highflyer. She rushed to him with a dramatic sweep of her parasol before dropping it to grasp the tail of his coat.
“Oh, Captain! What is the meaning of this?”
She wasn’t sure who looked more shocked: the Captain Duke, the crew, or the soldiers. The Captain gave a wary glance to the guns pointed at them, then jumped down to stand on the deck with her. She buried herself in his arms.
“Please, my lady, calm yourself,” he said loudly, then held her close and whispered, “What are you doing?”
“Play along. Trust me,” she whispered back. She clung to his arm, feeling the muscles tensed beneath the fabric. Any amusement she might have in his discomfort vanished at the sight of Nessa’s limp form.
“Nessa!” she cried, with real concern. She grasped the rail and stared down the other captain, collecting herself to play her role. She had to get this right, for all their sakes.
“What have you done to her? I am Lady Margaret Winstead. My father is an advisor to Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice! You will have your men stand down at once and return our dear officer to us.”
The soldiers began to look doubtful. The captain glared back but a sergeant stepped in to whisper in his ear.
“Does the British Crown know of this? I will take this matter directly to Her Majesty the Queen!” she continued. “Command your men to stand down and return our crew members.” She turned to glance at Cat, who hurried over.
“Margaret! We must return below. They have to be pirates, we are lost!” The young girl clung to her side with a look of terror.
Now the soldiers began to lower their weapons. The sergeant gave a sharp reprimand to the Highflyer’s captain and stepped in front of him. Clara watched them from the corner of her eye as she consoled Cat.
“Heavens, do not tremble so dear sister, it is only a misunderstanding of some sort.” Cat was silently shaking with laughter, hiding her face in Clara’s shoulder. Clara directed Cat, doing her best impression of a frightened girl, to the arms of Trick to explain the plan. She looked up to the Captain. It was time for him to play his part. She only hoped that he guessed her intentions correctly as he shielded her from the guns on the other deck.
“My lady, I told you to remain below, it is not safe.”
She swooned gracefully, clutching at his arms as he held her up.
“My dear Captain, I just could not hide in that stuffy cabin any longer, not with you brave souls risking your lives. I just had to see what the matter was.”
He stared down the other men and shouted,
“Sir, I am not prepared to surrender my ship with such valuable cargo aboard. We are in need of assistance. I apologize for the ruse, but as I’m sure you know there are pirates in these parts and we thought it best to take the offense to scare potential attackers away.”
The flustered captain sputtered his objection as the sergeant signaled his men to lower their arms.
“You would have me believe that you were not trying to attack this ship? You are pirates! The whole lot of you!”
“Pirates?” Clara laughed delicately, “I should hope not. The dear Captain is an old family friend. We have chartered his ship to take us to a village in East Anglia that’s seen terrible drought this year. We are taking some of our own small store of grain to assist the farmers. Our governess has family in the area and we thought it a fitting tribute as she— as she— Ohhh!” Clara turned into the Captain Duke’s arms and began to weep piteously. Cat let out her own terrifying wail and buried her face in her hands. Clara took a peek and could see that Cat was shaking with silent laughter as Trick patted her sho
ulder awkwardly. The Captain Duke handed her a handkerchief, and she dabbed at her own dry eyes.
“I am so sorry, I don’t mean to cause a scene. It was just such a tremendous loss. My sister and I feel it terribly.”
The sergeant stepped forward and removed his hat. The rest of the soldiers followed suit as the Highflyer’s captain grew redder and madder. The sergeant gave him a look of censure and called out:
“My deepest apologies, Miss Winstead, we truly meant no offense. One cannot be too careful in these parts. Please forgive our colleague’s indiscretion. Captain, I believe you initially hailed for assistance. What do you require?”
“My thanks, sir. Do you have a spare blade aboard? Your captain did not think it fit to give aid.”
The sergeant conferred with the first mate as the captain continued to sputter his objections and then called over, “We do, in fact. My men and I will bring it over. May a small party have permission to board? Your crew is free to go.”
The Captain Duke nodded, “Yes, please be welcome. You have our greatest thanks for your charity and understanding.” He directed the crew to extend a platform between the two ships.
Trick crossed first to help bring Nessa safely over. Cat hurried off with the medics to attend to her below deck. Three men and the first mate joined the sergeant to assist with the installation of the new piece.
“My apologies for the injury to your pilot, but I believe she will recover fully. In fairness, she did nearly take out a number of my own men,” the sergeant said as he joined them. He introduced himself as the leader of his contingent.