A Tale of Two Airships (Take to the Skies Book 2) (11 page)

“Let’s keep line with the Jenkins Transport airship up there.” I pointed to the painted dandy of a ship in the process of transporting quite a lot of lumber. We zoomed ahead, inching closer and closer until we were parallel with the ship, close enough to wave to the workers on board. The cold air kissed my cheeks with the increased speed, and I couldn’t help the adrenaline pumping through me amidst this danger, mingling with the joy of simply being up in the skies once more.

Behind us, the Morlock ship must’ve pulled their own jiggery pokery, because the gap between us began closing, and fast. Given the sizeable engine the thing ran on, if they wanted to overtake, they’d win the long game.

Which is why we were about to make this real short.

I glanced above where the clouds gathered in dense, giant tufts of wool suspended in the open blue. Cloud cover was the best we could hope for.

The air thickened with the promise of violence as the Morlocks slid closer and closer. If we waited any longer, their ship might overtake us. Time to gamble.

“Maneuver in front of Jenkins,” I barked the orders, gripping onto the edges of the console. “We’ll use them as a shield for the precious seconds it takes to ready our trajectory.”

Spade nodded, flicking one of the regulator notches and then wheeling her into place. I stared at the expanse above, blooming with billows. We’d dropped enough that the seconds it took to ascend left us naked to their missiles. We banked on a thin chance, but even thinner would be playing cat and mouse any longer.

Spade whipped the Fireswamp to the right. The ship timbers creaked with the suddenness of the maneuver, and we veered inches away from collision with the Jenkins transport. My palms were sweating, but my heartbeat bounced in excitement. Like any asshole, we cut off the ship, right in front. I met Spade’s gaze, relieved to see the confidence in his dark eyes. If anyone could pull this sort of insane stunt, it’d be him.

My boot hovered over the thrusters, prepared to jam down. “Ready?” I asked. Spade nodded. The pace of my heartbeat picked up until it slammed against my chest while the breeze fought for my attention, sending a jolt of ozone through me.

“Launch her straight to the clouds.”

Chapter Eleven

Spade turned one of the regulator knobs to alter the pressure before whipping the wheel in a sharp turn. At the cue, I jammed down on the thrusters. The aether in the tubules fluxed, bubbles surging up and down in a frenzy. To my surprise, the Fireswamp kept her grumbles to herself, responding fast to our demands, and within seconds, she surged upwards.

“Hold on tight, crew,” I shouted, gripping the console with all my might as I pumped the thrusters to accelerate. The entire ship creaked as it tilted up, and we soared high and fast, zipping towards the clouds. A grin ripped onto my face even as the winds dragged water from my eyes. Anything not tamped down slid all across deck with a clatter and smacks loud enough to compete with the breeze whistling in my ears. A couple tools shot over the ledge, one almost clocked me on its way by. Mordecai and Isabella white-knuckled the rail while Jack latched himself to the crow’s nest. The Fireswamp picked up speed, racing towards those voluminous tufts threatening to overtake the horizon.

Morlocks wanted to dance? Well, this vessel had more grace than theirs ever hoped to achieve. The horizon shifted around me, and under the strong gusts from the drastic shift, my body threatened to rise off the planks to join the debris clattering over the side. The sharp metal edges of the console bit into my palms with how fierce I gripped it, and I planted my boots firm on the ground. I wouldn’t be traveling anywhere except for up.

“Now Spade, shift her forward,” I called, my voice hoarse as it competed with the roar of our breeze. The sky whirled around me, but I kept focus on my helmsman for cues. After all, Spade could fly his way through a storm blindfolded. The boards groaned, and the engine let out a buzzsaw whirr as it propelled into overdrive responding to our quick and forceful demands.

The moment he lined up the Fireswamp with the horizon, I jammed on the thrusters again, hard. We shot forward like a loosed arrow, zinging through the billowing clouds.

After we accelerated, we didn’t slow, just rocketed forward, and as Spade made some slight adjustments, we tore through the sky in the direction of the Desire. Beneath us, the clouds obscured the shipping levels below, and the trail behind us filled with clear blue. No chance of sussing out the Morlock ship with this sort of view. If the Morlocks tried the same maneuver as us, they’d slam straight into Jenkins Shipping, and I didn’t want to witness the results on either front. We’d be awarded another black mark to our already plentiful record.

“Mind staying above for watch?” I called to Jack. He saluted, giving all the response I required. Right now, our crew stretched to the bare minimum, so we all jumped into whatever role we were most capable of filling. “Isabella, Mordecai, I’ll need the two of you to sort through the weaponry we inherited and see what ones will best help us capture a ship.”

I clapped a hand on Spade’s shoulder but didn’t need to shout any orders. He’d keep this ship flying if it killed him. Instead, I trekked towards the cabin. If I was going to start thinking smart, it meant I needed space away to do so. Our entire plan so far boiled down to approach at night, bash gypsies over head, and retrieve ship. But if the past couple days were any indication, however simple the situation might seem, the outcome would tangle faster than a cat’s ball of yarn.

The second I stepped inside the cabin and shut the door, the combination of silence and shade swept over me.

At the back wall, a maroon leather seat enticed me, wedged right behind a large oaken desk to rival the one on the Desire. Some tenets of Captain-hood extended everywhere. I slid into the worn seat and stared at the ceiling. For the first time since we’d left the Desire, my legs stopped moving, and the adrenaline crashed, like a wave mounting for far too long when it breaks.

In this hole of a cabin, the darkness threatened to overwhelm me as it saturated my chest, but in the grips of my desperate sadness came serenity. My mind had raced in survival mode while we ran from one danger to the next, not allowing a second of reprieve or reflection. In lieu of distraction, the emotions I’d been avoiding this entire time arrived and not with gentle footsteps. In trickled the despair through my veins, the guilt bogged down my chest, and the hopelessness threatened to overtake me.

Yet here in this room, I couldn’t evade. I’d failed my crew, that was certain. Hoodwinked by the gypsies, I’d let my responsibility slip from my grasp, and then in my attempts to get my ship back, I’d screwed up again by dragging more folks into the hornet’s nest. Pulling out my boot knife, I traced circles along the wood, barely scratching the veneer. I choked down the deadly brew of my own defeat, accepting my part in it all.

However, I was Beatrice Weston, Captain of the Airship Desire. I may have fucked this mess up six ways to sailing day, but if my name meant anything, I’d make it right. My final tune hadn’t been sung, and until the day came, I’d pick myself up and throw myself back in the ring. Folks without resilience didn’t survive long in this world we’d created. Our landscape of thievery, backstabbing, and steel wasn’t a realm for the weak. I slammed the tip of my knife into the surface of the desk, watching as it carved its place. Those who wanted to roam the skies free had to do the same.

A knock sounded on the door, jolting me out of my thoughts.

“Come on in,” I called out, the chair squeaking as I leaned back into it.

Isabella slunk in, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Already getting comfortable?”

“Well, we’ve stolen their airship, might as well desecrate the captain’s quarters while I’m at it.” The corner of my mouth lifted in a half-smile.

She perched on the desk, her long legs dangling over the side. Shadows sharpened her face, and she stared down the wall as if chasing memories. The place cast the same sobering spell over her. The way she sat, favoring her right leg, reminded me of why. She’d gained those scars from the Morlock job that fouled us in their books the first time. After that, every instance added to our notoriety with them.

Isabella pulled her long tan curls back into a loose bun at the nape of her neck, though strands framed her face as if she’d purposefully arranged them. Even days on the run with no chance to wash up, the faint scent of roses still clung to her.

“Let me guess, you’ve spent your time here beating yourself up rather than formulating a plan.” She pursed her lips and fixed me with a look.

I shrugged. “Come on now, self-flagellation’s much easier than
thinking
.”

Isabella rolled her eyes. “Heaven forbid you engaged in such indecencies. Alright then, let’s get cracking, boss.”

The relief in my chest ached. Even here drowning in my problems, I had loyal friends at my side, ones who knew the right moment to step in. Ones who knew me well enough to know I needed to shoot the breeze rather than muck around in my own head for too long. Deep thinking wasn’t for the likes of me.

“We don’t know numbers.” I stared at the wood grain, losing myself in the patterns.

“We’ve got guns, surprise, and good aim,” Isabella countered, her grip tightening on the edge of the desk.

“What if they’ve got a full crew and use ours against us?” The idea had occurred to me, and I didn’t take to the notion of having anyone threaten Geoff and the others. Something about the situation seemed off though, given they weren’t sailing towards Isabella’s ex-clan. Why? Had they stopped and continued on?

“We’ll have to be quicker.” Isabella shrugged, kicking her heels in the air. Though she acted unconcerned, I saw the worry shining in her eyes. She felt it as strong as the rest of us, but in Geoff’s absence, the gem of a woman had taken it upon herself to sub in.

“We’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen,” I corrected, my mind stumbling forward at a faster pace. “Which requires us to split up. While Mordecai, Jack, and I run in guns blazing, you’ll detour to find our crew, probably tied up.”

“Why, Captain, it sounds like you’ve come up with a half decent plan.” She mock-gasped, placing her hand over her mouth.

I snorted. “Half decent until we dive into the mess. Once we trip our way onboard, we’ll stumble on some loose rope, giving ourselves away. The gypsies will be waiting with an armed guard, packing enough heat to decimate us, and to top it off, our crew will be locked away in the engine room of the ship, half-drunk on the sort of fumes only Seth can withstand. That seems to line up with our current state a bit better.”

“You make do. It’s what we’ve always done.” Isabella shrugged. She’d taken out one of her daggers and begun polishing it on the extra fabric of her long chestnut skirt.

“Not Cap—” I began when she cut me off.

“Don’t you dare say not Captain Morris,” her voice came out harsh, and I snapped to attention. “He was a great captain, but he wasn’t the perfect unreachable god you built him up to be, Bea. If you’re always comparing yourself to him, you’ll never be happy. He captained our ship the way he saw fit, and you do the same. You’re a hothead, you’re sloppy, and you miss obvious details because your emotions tend to rule your choices.”

“Gee, thanks,” I dripped sarcasm.

“But you’re strong, cherie. You’re unshakeable. And we would follow you to the furthest skies because of those emotions. Your loyalty colors your vision, and in that, you’ll find a way to move heaven and earth to keep your promises. You’re our Captain, darling. Stop aiming for your predecessor and shoot for the stars.” Her voice softened in its intensity, and her words settled in my bones.

I bit on my lip, ignoring the stinging in my eyes. Must’ve gotten a sweep of allergies or something. The weight burdening my shoulders for far too long released, and I placed my palms flat on the table before pushing myself up.

“We’ll make do.” I met her eyes and smiled.

***

The night sky spread before us before anyone had prepared, and we sliced through the sky at such a fast pace it shaved hours off our original arrival time. We’d passed the origin point Geoff mentioned, and from here on out, we searched the skies while following a straight trajectory in hopes they hadn’t veered off on another course. On the plus, straight courses tended to be the best routes when sailing this high in the atmosphere.

The full moon and cloudless sky worked to our advantage. After all, if we wanted to catch a glimpse of the Desire, we’d need every ounce of visibility we could get.  I scratched at a starchy bit of mud on my corset while the cool breezes caused the back of my emerald jacket to ripple.

Standing at the prow of the ship, I gazed out at the horizon, scanning for my girl. Even though we’d returned to the skies, flying wasn’t the same without the Desire. I had memorized her weathered planks and the exact spots, far leeward and right around navigation, where they’d creak and murmur during a strenuous stretch of sky. The overhead balloon sent my heart fluttering so many times it had to be love. All of the markings on the ship, the maps, the artifacts, our bunks—every detail that made her home. And by the gods, the chasm in my chest as I longed for her was unparalleled.

More than ever, I understood the importance of thinking smart not fast and why the captain had committed those lessons to heart over the years. Because we couldn’t afford to lose our gem of the skies.

My fingertips pressed white against the railing as I swallowed, hard. On any given day, Edwin would be down in his infirmary, either wrapping up one of us idiots who had gotten in a scrape or tinkering with some new horror. Seth would be down in his kingdom below, listening to the engine’s symphony. Adelle and Spade had taken over the helm and navigation, but more often than not Geoff found his way there—his love for flying our ship, and of course for Spade, would never die. The rest of them all found their staunch places on board—Abigail, Cobb, and Henrietta who we’d picked up last year, even Nathaniel would be helping our girl run as smooth as possible.

A crew of about twenty might be tough to run and feed on the best of days, but we all contributed our resources and skills to make it work. Whether we ran side jobs while docked or participated in our larger gains, all our spare coppers sank into making sure the Desire flew free, and our family stayed together.

The thump of Mordecai’s boots gave him away before he stepped to my side. He cut a formidable figure in the darkness and highlighted by the moonlight. His pale hair glistened like spun silver as it tumbled down his back, brushing the black trenchcoat he always wore to conceal his sword. However, he’d already strapped one of the assault rifles on, as the man wouldn’t tango with gypsies unprepared. His green eyes sliced like glass in the night, and they flashed my way, the same inquisitiveness in his gaze.

“Planning to arm up?” he asked.

“Well, I hoped my ever-expanding ego and Matilda would get the job done. But maybe some extra firepower will help drive the message home.” I leaned forward on the railing, staring out at a sky full of stars. Velvet blue cloaked the landscape, and though the metallic interspersions of starlight threatened illumination, the shadows stained our surroundings.               “Her clan’s been clever so far, and we don’t know their objective, so yes, extra firepower would behoove us. But I didn’t come here to state the obvious.” He rested his hand on the rawhide handle of his sword. I lifted a brow and waited for him to continue. “When we come back for Viola and Edward, I’d like you to entertain another suggestion while we’re in town. Julian might have used the clan divide as a cover story, but I scanned for his cues—he wasn’t lying. He gave us the blueprints to Isabella’s grandmother’s home, and I verified them. They’re accurate.”