Chapter 37 Liza & the Air Pirates (NaNoWriMo work in progress, unedited!)

Chapter 37

 

As Mary worked on cleaning up Liza’s wound as best she could, shouts rose up from outside the ship. John smiled.

“The dyab say that the battle is over. They have killed all of the white devils.” Then his face fell. “Oh, but not quite, it seems. Ach! Too bad for him! They have caught one of the devils!”

Liza bolted upright. “We must go and see what they are doing. John, I am serious, they cannot do anything to the man. I will not allow it, custom or not.”

John put his hands up. “Alright, alright. We will go see what is going on.” He went over and looked down the hatch and yelled down, speaking to the pirates still below. Soon they all climbed out and helped John unfurl a rope ladder off the side of the ship. Within a few minutes Liza and Mary found themselves surveying the battlefield. Liza waved as she saw Will, Moto, the General and the Colonel coming over from Henri’s ship. They seemed no worse for wear.

“Liza!” Will shouted, his expression shocked as Liza cheerfully waved. It was only a sharp pain that reminded her of how she must look, her bloused soaked in blood.

“I am alright! Grazed is all!”

The General picked up his pace and so was breathing fairly hard when he got to where Liza was standing.

“Young lady! You are hurt! Unacceptable.”

“General sir, I have checked her out, she is okay, I promised!” Mary said, giving Liza a sideways smile.

“Well, still not acceptable.”

The Colonel tottered up, evidently he had been able to already secure a bottle of liquid courage.  “Are you alright Mary dear?”

“Yes Uncle!” She said, rolling her eyes.

Soon a small knot of them were standing around as Henri disembarked and came over. He raised his hands and smiled.

“Wonderful!” He shouted several times. “Good, good!” he said several more, and then crumpled to the ground.

“Papa!” John yelled. The colonel spun around and for some reason decided that this was his moment and quickly followed John as he ran to help the fallen Henri.

“There’s a sniper someplace” Will yelled as he spun, trying to find out where the person could be hiding.

“Everyone take cover!” Will shouted. Liza spun on her heels too, looking for a place a sniper might hide.

“Get down!” Will yelled, but Liza did not pay attention and instead reached for her elephant gun. With one smooth motion she cocked it and brought it up. She had seen a small cart tied up to a low bank. She aimed at the cart and then shot just below it. A scream went up and a man limped out from behind the cart.

“I have him!” Liza yelled just as another shot rang out and the man crumpled falling into the hard earth face first. Liza spun around to see Will still holding his pistol out. She glared at him as she put her own gun away.

“I had him Mr Cogsworth.”

“I  know, I just… wanted to be sure…” Will said, sheepishly, but Liza just brushed by him as she ran over the figure of Henri. John was cradling him in his lap as Mary, who had also rushed over, tried to stop the bleeding from a large wound in Henri’s shoulder.

“How-“ Liza started but Mary just looked up and shook her head. Within a moment there were a dozen of the Navassians surrounding the dying king. Liza eased her way back out of the closing circle. As the pirates formed a wall around the king she thought she heard a frail voice speaking in Creole.

“Liza, Look, I am sorry-“ Will came up to her as she walked away, she put her hand up to stop him.

“Not now, not now. We have bigger issues ahead of us Mr. Cogsworth.”

“I wish you would call me Will.”

Liza ignored him. “We need to find the General and cement a plan. With Henri gone things will be in disarray here, perhaps. We must wrap things up here and make our way back to England as fast as possible. Ingellsdin will already be there… Where is the captive?”

Will pointed to a small knot of Arawak who were tying up the last surviving of Inglessdin’s men to the outside of a basket. The man looked terrified.

“Stop!” Liza said as she strode up to the group, who looked shocked and momentarily took a step back. Will ran after her.

“Liza, please, we need to be careful!”

Liza spun on her heels. “Yes.. Will, we do! We must be careful that these… that the Arawak do not kill this man.” She continued up to the tied man. “Do you speak English?”

The man nodded and managed to croak out “Yes.”

“Good, tell me, is Ingellsdin here, in the Caribbean. I know he’s not here.”

The man cleared his throat and looked around. “Even if I knew Iw ouldn’t tell you.” He spat. Liza grimaced.

“Fine, well, then, Will, you are right, useless. Anyone here speak English” She said looking to the Arawak. The man who had translated the day before pushed his way forward. He looked at Liza and gave a short bow, which Liza reflexively returned.

“Please miss, the man here is ours, to take back to the queen.”

“I see, where is your queen?” Liza asked, looking around. The man pointed to a larger basket behind the pirate balloons. “She is here?” the man nodded. “Tell me, I am not familiar with your customs, is it possible to… buy or ransom the captive?”

The translator tilted his head. “He is a great prize…”

Liza smiled, she has traveled enough to know where this was going. The fact was he could be ransomed; now it was just a matter of deciding the price. “Let’s go talk to your queen, shall we?”

 

The man nodded and gave a short order to the men surrounding the captive. They moved closer to the man, who gave out a pitiful cry. “Wait, miss, take me with you! I speak Arawak too! This man here will cheat you!”

Liza turned and smiled. “Oh, I hope not, I have such limited funds. Perhaps not enough?” and then she spun back and walked to the Queen’s basket.  

 

 

Will followed Liza and the translator as they went behind the pirate ships. When they came to the basket they found two large guards in front of it. The translator said something and the top of the basket popped off. Rather like a Jack-in-the-Box, the Queen appeared at the top of the basket, at least her head did. A rapid fire dialog occurred between the Queen and the translator. After a few back and forth exchange, the translator turned to Liza.

“She says you have no right to the prisoner, and, respectfully, you are to be off and not bother her about the matter anymore.” The man looked vaguely worried, but Liza just smiled. Will cleared his throat. Liza glared at him. She then turned back to the translator.

“Well, yes, of course, but I would like to remind her majesty of several things. The least of which is that I just saved her life- she could have easily been the one shot at by the sniper instead of Henri. But that is beside the point…” Liza paused here, and let he man translate, as she knew it was not beside the point at all. Then she picked back up.

“Plus, I am to go an argue with the King of England to fetch her a fair price, am I to be denied this single prisoner? Such a denial would put me in a most foul mood I suspect. But if I am being honest, I need the man as a bargaining chip. He will help us weaken the position of Ingellsdin. If he is dead, that does not help our position…”

 

After another exchange the man came back, his face wide with a smile. “Her majesty says you make a good point. 30 gold pieces should be enough.”

Liza sighed inwardly. She has expected at least 100, but she, again, had been around enough to know how to handle the situation. She let her face fall and raised her voice a little.

“30? 30! For one man, not even an important man? I was considering being generous by offering 10. I will say 15, but that is only because of my deep respect.” She was having trouble not laughing as she saw Will’s face, he looked shocked.

The man came back quickly. “Her majesty says you have a funny way of showing respect. 30 was a low offer, because she likes you. 30 stands firm.”

“17, and that is all I have.”

The man shook his head after speaking to the queen. “For you, 28, but she is growing impatient.” He added in a low voice. Liza smiled. 

“Well, he is not worth that much trouble. Tell her to have fun, hope he is worth 17 coins.” Liza smiled up at the queen and turned to leave. A rapid and quite angry sounding conversation followed.

“Wait!” the man said “Wait, 25 is all she is willing to do, for the sake of good will and understanding.”

Liza turned and looked directly at the translator. “22 and I will personally see to it that the King gives her a medal.”

The man smiled and stuck out his hand “Done!” He said, not even bothering to translate. He then turned back to the queen, who must have told him to get the prisoner before Liza changed her mind because the translator fairly ran over, yelling at the Arawak around the prisoner. Soon they were untying him from the basket and frog marching him over to Will and Liza.

Will leaned over to Liza. “and how will you secure the queen a medal, exactly?”

“Oh Will, use your imagination. I’ll lift one of Grandfathers if I have too, he wouldn’t even miss it.”

update

Well, the story is now past 50k word. It should wrap up soon. Feedback is always welcome.
After this IW ill return to John Mule and once that is done I should also start on a sequel to Levels, although I may first post a finish sequel to the Hare, The bow and the Girl.

Fun times!

Liza and the Air Pirates Chap 36 (attack!) NaNoWriMo work in progress unedited

Chapter 36

 

Several more bullets screamed past their airship as they descended onto the island of Navasa. Liza could have sworn she heard one hit the bottom of their ship with a dull thud. John was yelling in Creole at his fellow pirates, who scrambled to the cannons.

“We need to scare them a little, soften them up!” He yelled as the first of the cannons let loose on the deck. The sound was tremendous and a few seconds later there was the sound of an even larger explosion.

“What sort of cannon ball is that?!” Liza yelled as another cannon fired.

“Not a cannon, a bomb, a missile! Remember we fight in the clouds! Cannonballs are fine except when they plummet straight to earth! So we’ve been working on something different. Don’t look surprised, we stole the idea from the Germans! Brace yourself!”

“Why?”

“We’re landing!” and with that the ship rocked violently as it came to rest on the hard ground of the island. More bullets flew as Liza and Mary huddle underneath the small steering tower.

“Here, come below!” John had lifted a small trapdoor and was climbing down into the belly of the ship. Liza and Mary quickly followed suite.

Underneath was not high enough to stand up and lit by oil lamps, but the thick wood seemed to offer protection from the hail of bullets, which had not let up.

“Here” John said, swinging aside a small piece of wood that allowed a view of the outside.

“What? I’ll get my eye shot out!” Liza said.

“Perhaps, but what kind of shot would that take, assuming they saw the hole. Here, let me look.”

John pressed his eye up to the hole and moved his head slightly back and forth.

“Just as I thought, there are not too many of them.” He yelled at another pirate who swung open a similar hole on the other side of the ship. He then yelled back at John.

“OK, Jacque spies six, maybe eight on his side, I see six for sure. If there are two dozen people here I would be surprised. We have to take out as many of the guns as possible, the Dyba will never make it down.”

He got up and talked to the other pirates, who all nodded and took up positions around the ship.

“Firing holes, not the best way, but our only way really.”

“Is there one I can man?” Liza asked.

“Liza!” Mary said, but Liza’s look silenced her from speaking further.

“Go up towards the front, see what you see and tell me.” John said. Liza scrambled up and found a small hole that faced forwards. She swung the wood aside and cautiously peered through the hole. It took her a moment to adjust to the bright morning sun light already flooding the island. The rocky soil reflected the light as well, making it initially hard to understand what she was seeing. It appeared that the men on the island had barricaded themselves behind crates and barrels. From this position they were able to fire unmolested at the ships. Liza withdrew and put the barrel of her gun against the hole. She was not sure how far the gun would fire or how far the barricaded men were. But she thought it was not much more than the firing range she had used on one of her relatives country estates in Wales. She fired, blindly, to see what would happen.

For a second nothing did and then she heard what sounded like a hail of gun fire hit the front of the ship. Instinctively she stepped back even though the wood was stopping the bullets. She wondered if, eventually, the bullets might eat away enough of the wood to let the bullets in and hit her. She shivered.

She went back to John. He and others were doing better, having two holes to use, one to look out and one underneath to shoot.

“What do you see?” He asked.

“Barricades. You?”

“We see the same barricades. We will run out of bullets, the question is, who first?”

Liza stood there for a moment. “Why not launch one of your special cannonballs at the barricade?”

“The men will never go for it, that would destroy their supplies, which they have rights to at the end of the battle.”

“They’ll have no rights to anything if they are dead. Come on John, all it might take it one or two shots.”

“I- I don’t know…”

“Don’t make me repeat your speech…”

“OK! Ok! Perhaps one might soften them up.”

“Good.”

“The only problem is getting back up on deck to aim and fire the cannon.”

“I can do that, you keep them occupied with fire while I go up top.”

“That is crazy; you have no idea how to fire them?”

“Then help me!” Liza said as she began to climb up the short ladder to the top deck.

John said something in Creole that sounded like an epitaph. Mary put her hand on Liza’s as she began to open the trap door.

“Liza…” Liza looked annoyed but then softened.

“I’ll be careful Mary. Stay here and help, make sure the men do not run out of bullets, especially while I am up there!”

 

Liza emerged onto the deck and belly crawled over to one of the forward cannons. She got there and pushed herself up against the framing, shielding herself from any bullets. She saw John emerge and motioned for him to stay low, he nodded. He soon joined her at the cannon.

“We need to swing it around to the front. It will be hard to aim, but we do not need to destroy everything.” John said. “If we can blow up just some of it that will force them out into the open. The men know to wait for the first explosion and then fire upon anyone who runs.”

 

“It will be better if we can do tow at once, in different parts, makes sure they all come out!” Liza shouted. “Show me what to do on this one and then I can go over there.” She pointed across the open deck. John shrugged and then nodded.

 

“Alright. These are easier than most to fire. Load this cartridge into the barrel and close the latch like so. Then insert this fuse, and light it. You will have only a second or so to adjust the aim, so do that first, before you light it. It won’t be easy to aim, but a large explosion anywhere near should work. We’ll fire together.”

 

Liza nodded and then began crawling to the other side. She was halfway across, in the open but still very low when she felt a sharp pain on her shoulder. She flattened herself completely and then reached up with her hand, it came back red with blood.

 

“Liza!” John called but she wave at him. The pain was intense, but she could move her arms. She hoped it was only a scratch. She wiggled the rest of the way until she could prop herself up in the shadow of the cannon box. She looked and her short was red, but as she felt her back, she could only make out a rip in her shirt and a small ridge on her should blade. She looked at John, who wore a concerned look on his face, and gave him a smile and a thumb up.

 

As fast as she could she worked to load in one of the cartridges housed next to the cannon. Although her shoulder had begun to ache, she made quick work of it. With the cartridge in, she tried to line up the cannon without putting her face too much in the open hole the cannon was resting in. From what she could se the cannon was aimed directly at the left side fo the barricade.

 

She turned back and yelled to John, who held his hand up and then dropped it. He nodded and put up three fingers. He counted down silently and when the last finger disappeared Liza lit the fuse with the box of matched she had found in a small compartment next to the cannon. Seeing the fuse spark, she checked the cannon one more time and then scooted back.

With a deafening roar the cannon spat out the missile, a second later she heard two distinct booms, one right after another. Then, rapid fire from below decks. She dared to peek through the cannon hole and saw several men running around in front of the now destroyed barricades. Like marionettes whose strings had been cut, they fell, one by one, into the rocky soil. She risked even more and swung her head in back of the cannon. She counted 5 men lying on the ground. Then she heard several more explosions. Other ships were firing missiles too.

From overhead she then head whoops and cries. She looked up to see the sky filled with descending Arawak in their baskets. When the balloons were still twenty feet up in the air, Arawaks dressed with war paint and feather stuck in their hair, jumped out from every basket. They quickly swarmed over the encampment, stabbing the men lying on the ground. Liza had to turn away as she realized each warrior, as they landed, were running up and stabbing the prostrate and very dead men.

John rolled over.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“Yes, sorry, I guess the Arawak are having their time, still…”

“Oh, yes, but I mean your shoulder?”

“Oh, yes. Honestly I had forgotten about it almost. It will need cleaning, but it is just a graze. We should go out and stop them before they make mincemeat of those men.”

“They are dead, let them have their moment, as you say. They will also make sure there are no men hiding. It is their battle just as much.”

Just then the hatch to the deck opened and Mary’s head popped out.

“Liza! What on earth!” She scrambled up and crawled quickly over. “John!” She looked angry. “What did you let her do!?”

“ME?” John said, his mouth open.

“Yes, you. You were not to let anything happen to her!” Mary was pulled the cloth away from Liza’s should, pulling the rip wider to look at the wound. Liza was smiling at John and then began to laugh.

“It is not funny Liza! You could have gotten killed!”

“Oh, I know Mary, I just think it is funny that on this whole trip, surrounded by all of these men, it is only the women who have taken a shot!”

Liza and the Air Pirates (Chap 35- The Attack Begins!) (NaNoWriMo work in progress, unedited)

Chapter 35

 

It was agreed that the Arawak would send out a message first thing in the morning. Henri, at first, had been quite against what Liza had proposed, but he agreed to leave the details until later. John convinced him instead to prepare for what was sure to be an exciting battle.

“Aren’t you nervous John?” Mary said as they sat down on the deck to eat dinner. This time it was fish with lime sauce and, again, lots of fruits, ground fruit and vegetables.

“Well, this time we do get to prepare…”

“Oh, yes, I forgot last time.”

“You were asleep after all Mary’ Liza said with a smile.

“I will leave before dawn to go with the Dyab, we will coordinate our attack so that we have a greater effect.”

“It should be fine Mary. I suspect it will be quick and Will, John, Moto and I will all proect you, if need be.”

John began to laugh but then caught himself. “Oh, Liza, I do not think you need to come.”

“I would not miss it!” Liza said sternly.

“Well, yes, of course, but Mary, surely-“

“I will be fine too John.” Mary said. “After all I am the one here who has already been shot.”

“True, but this time there may be many of the devils, and they will need to defend themselves to the death.”

“Well then, what better time to demonstrate our seriousness and loyalty?” Liza asked.

John sighed and shrugged. “I hope you are right Liza.”

“We’re all going!” The General bellowed. “I’ve just had a chat with Henri and he says we can all go in his balloon-“

“I don’t think-“ John began.

“He promises us lots of action right up front!” The general would not be deterred.

“This will not be a picnic people!” John said, standing up.

The General became serious. “This I do know young man. I have seen too many battles, but if it means a chance to show that son of a botch Ingellsdin off, then I do not want to miss it. But John is right, you girls need to stay back.”

“Grandfather I will do no such thing. The Chinese call it saving face and I must be there to save my face!”

“The Koreans mostly, I think Liza, but I agree. And if Liza is going, so am I!” Mary added.

“Well, your Uncle will have the last say.” The General harrumphed.

“I’ve already told him I am going and he said yes.” Mary said. The general sighed and got up and said good night.

“Did you really tell him?” Liza asked, a look of disbelief on her face.

“Well, not in so many words, but he is well enough into the rum tonight that he will not recall at any rate!” Mary said laughing. 

 

The next day dawned bright and clear above the clouds. As the sun crept over the east, a flotilla of balloons was already on its way to the Arawak cloud. Liza looked out over the bow of the ship she was on. This ship was smaller than many others, it only held about a dozen people, but I had several cannons. It was, John assured her, agile and fast, perfect for feinting. From it she could see the Navassa fleet in front of her. She counted five larger galleons, including the largest flagship she had been staying on. Accompanying the galleons was the rest of the fleet, from attack ships like hers to bulky cargo ships.

Although the galleons mostly stayed true to the 18^th century style of ship building, the other ships had a variety of styles. The one she was on was sleek, featureless and in her mind quite future looking, with a minimal of fussy detail. The ship next to them, also a fighter, was much gaudier, outlined in gilt and flourishes carved into the wood it resembled some sort of Italian wedding cake. The cargo ships tended to be plainer and more functional, less decoration and less style.

On board with her on her ship was John, Will and Mary as well as a band of Navassains armed to the teeth. Liza had convinced John to let her have the elephant gun, Mary had demurred when offered a choice of weapons, saying she would rather help in the back, supplying bullets or whatever else was needed.

On the ship next to them, the gaudier one was Henri, the General, Moto and the Colonel. The Colonel had been very upset upon hearing that Mary was under the impression she could go on the raid, but after venting a while and being completely ignored by both Mary and the General, he had settled down and been resigned to letting Mary go.

So the ships gently, peacefully, sailed through the sky as the first rays of the rising sun streaked through the atmosphere in vivid streaks of pink and red.

“Isn’t it glorious?” Liza said as they spied the Arawak city in the distance. “the sky is on fire!” She said to John, who smiled and nodded.

“It reminds me of blood” Mary said softly from behind Mary.

“Either way, we will soon be there.” John said, pointing out a large cluster of smaller Arawak ship, almost all of them baskets holding 2-3 warriors. But unlike the Navassain fleet, there seemed to be hundreds upon hundreds of them floating, waiting.

“There are so many…” Liza remarked.

“Yes” John said, “I doubt any able bodied Dyab would miss this battle for anything. It is a chance to win honor and avenge themselves.”

“I still wish we could have done it my way completely..” Liza said, sounding more annoyed than angry. “I find this all very savage.”

“Perhaps” John said “Perhaps, but you must place yourself into another’s shoes. From birth they have been told to be fierce, as have our people, to fight and give no quarter, while the English have been taught, from birth, to be polite and avoid confrontation. Both ways have good and bad points, but to those born into one or the other, the opposite is simply wrong.”

“I know, but it is difficult to remove myself from being English!” Liza answered.

“No need to remove yourself Liza, simply use what works and disregard the rest. One must ask oneself, am I doing something because it will result in a good end, for myself or others, or I am simply doing it because it is how it has always been done.” John said.

Liza truned to say something smart, but as she reflected on what he had said she realized he was right.

“Be careful John” Mary said with a laugh in her voice. ”If you best Liza you will pay for it at some point.”

“Oh shut up Mary, honestly!” Liza said, chuckling. “I am not all that bad am I?”

Mary did not answer, instead making a motion as to lock her lips and throw away the key. Liza lightly punched Mary’s arm and the tow began to laugh.

“Hush!” John said. “We are there, now we will descend.”

“Descend? Go down? Why?” Liza asked.

“To Navassa itself, where the white devil is. No fighting in the clouds today, after all they have no airships!”

With a lurched the airship began to fall down at a rapid speed. Liza and the others gripped the railing and watched as the clouds beneath them parted and the dull rocky shores of Navassa seemed to rise up to meet them.

Suddenly there was a loud whistle, and then several more.

“Away from the sides!” John yelled as he pulled Liza back. “It has started! We must fire back!”

Liza & the Air Pirates (Chapter 34) (NaNoWriMo work in progress, unedited)

Chapter 34

 

The group of Liza, John, Mary, Will, Moto, the General and the Colonel made their way down the dock towards the looming mass of clouds. As they approached the seemingly impenetrable bank, the white mist began to dissolve and reveal a large group of Arawak Indians standing there. They were dressed up in colorful bird plumage. Vivid greens, reds, blues and yellows stood in stark contrast to the white of the clouds. A large man, somewhat taller than the rest of the Arawak, walked to the front. He knelt down on one knee and bent his head.

“He is ritually offering himself to us as a sacrifice.” John whispered to Liza and Mary, who were next to him. Mary let out a small gasp.

“Surely we are not expected…” Liza said.

“Oh no, it is symbolic. If we even twitch the rest would slay us on the spot, but it is meant o assure us that they mean us no harm. I will need to do the same, so please step aside.”

With that John copied the warrior’s pose and knelt with his head low. After a second the warrior made a clicking sound and got up. It must have been a single because John quickly did the same. The Warrior smiled and began to rapidly talk to John in the same creole the Arawaks had used the day before. John turned briefly and made a motion for the group to follow as he and the warrior began to walk, seemingly into the mist. As Liza and Mary and the rest followed, the remaining Arawak closed in behind them.

“No turning back now…” Mary said under her breath.

“Not in this life anyway…” Liza said with a forced smile.

 

After several minutes they came to a very tall wall of clouds. Liza marveled as one by one, John, the warrior and then the rest of her group, disappeared into the cloud bank. Hesitating only briefly, she took Mary’s hand and they walked in together.

They emerged quickly into a large open area, free of clouds and brightly lit with the sun. All around them was a large platform strewn with grass mats and baskets, some with food, others with what looked like tools and clothing and other goods.

The warrior stopped and made a motion with his hand that clearly meant for them to take a seat on some of the mats. Liza and Mary hurried to strategically place themselves on either side of John.

“What is going on?” Mary asked. John smiled.

“No worries. I think you will be happy with today. The man is the queen’s son, Kabadaro. A funny name, it means Leopard, but he is not a leopard really, very nice man.”

“John, honestly, I do not understand your people’s relationship with the Arawak, the Dyab. One minute you are cutthroat enemies, the next-best friends.” Liza said.

John did not respond right away, but appeared lost in thought.

“Perhaps you are right Liza. We have had good relations and bad. One thing you learn when you are part of a people hunted by others, you take friends where and when you find them, but always assume they will turn on you.”

“Who hunts you?” Mary asked.

“Who does not? If not the Dyab then it is the Haitians, the Dominicans, the Spanish, the French, the Americans, even the English. We are Maroons no? So everyone profits from our capture.”

“Maroons?” Mary asked.

“Runaway slaves” Liza said quickly. “But there has not been slavery in the Caribbean in 50 years at least.”

“Has there not? Now is not the time, the queen arrives.

Coming through the wall of clouds surrounding the platform, from the other side, the queen was carried in on a litter by four Arawak. She was like the day before, outfitted in a bright green and gold headdress. In the bright sunlight she glittered like a rare parrot in the rainforest. The carriers set her down in front of the visitors and then sat down behind her.

She began to speak and John began to translate as best he could.

“She says that the man was saw on the dock was the same man who came with their attack party yesterday. She says when they got back and she told him of the surrender, he got very angry. He demanded that she return and destroy us and our ships, but she refused. At this point he said that unless she attacked us the deal was off. She reminded him that the deal did not include attacking us, but he told her the terms had changed. So… she told him fine, the terms had changed, and they took him prisoner.”

With this the queen became very animated, and even seemed to be angry. John could not help but let out a short laugh.

“She is very angry. The man had a weak heart and died almost as soon as they began to torture him. It ruined their whole evening.”

“That is hardly a laughing matter!” Liza whispered, but John waved her off.

“Nevertheless, she is glad he is dead and that they learned the truth before it was too late. She says that they owe you a debt Liza.”

“Oh, well, please tell her it was nothing…”

“On the contrary, I will tell her that you take this most seriously and will hold her to it upon her life if she does not repay.”

“But I don’t!” Liza said. John smiled.

“They have offered you something they never offer anyone. If you are casual about it, it will offend them greatly. Be gracious and fierce at the same time…”

Liza sighed, then her face brightened. “Fine, tell them I will think about accepting their offer, but I will need to hear what they will do punish Ingellsdin first.”

“Hear, hear” Will said under his breath.

John conveyed Liza’s demand and to her surprise, the Queen’s face lit up and she began to talk animatedly. John had trouble keeping up.

“This makes her very happy, that you desire to revenge the white devils, no offense. She, uh, wonders if you mean to flay them alive or hang them by their, uh, nether regions…” John trailed off as he saw Liza’s face darken.

“Perhaps we could tell her something different?” John asked. The queen stopped talking, sensing Liza’s growing disapproval. Liza closed her eyes and forced a slight smile.

“Please tell her majesty, that while those ideas do sound… promising, that I am hoping for something different. I am not sure you can explain this, but what I have in mind, what we have in mind, for Ingellsdin is far, far worse than hanging. If there is one thing an Englishman hates more than being suspended by his, uh, well, yes, that, it is being humiliated by a woman. I have a plan that I think will make him think twice about messing with her majesty. We will send word that the Arawak and the Navassa have joined forces to sell their technology directly to the British government, by passing Ingellsdin’s firm altogether. I personally guarantee that she will get a much better rate than anything he was offering.”

“Liza!” The general said. “We cannot make promises like that!”

“Grandfather, do you really think that his Majesty will quibble over gold coins when he sees what these people can offer us? What they have here will revolutionize transportation, military defense, trade, everything. And we can ensure England is at the forefront of this.”

“She is right, Sir.” Will said. “And denying Ingellsdin his share of this will drive him mad.”

“It is still a gamble…” the General said.

“One I am willing to take.” Liza said. “Now John, if you please…”

John translated. Liza was surprised to see the Queen not get happy or mad, but seemingly began to look sad. And when she replied, even though Liza could not understand the words, she could understand the emotion. The Queen was devastated. John turned back to Liza.

“Her Majesty begs, no, implores you to reconsider. To deny them of a chance to battle the white devils seems awfully unfair.”

Liza thought for a moment. “Well, I suppose it would be churlish. But it must be of Ingellsdin’s own doing, not just an attack. Tell her to offer terms, he leaves, does not get anything, and return to him his gold. Tell him if he is not gone within the hour they will attack. You can assure her he will not leave and therefore they can attack.”

 

John translated and the Queen’s mood picked up considerably. Then the queen snapped her fingers and large jugs were brought out. A stiff but sweet drink was passed around and they toasted their new partnership.

 

Much later, as the sun began to slip into the western sky, John suggested they make their way back home. As they walked back out of the cloud chamber and down the long dock to their waiting airship, John kept up with Liza.

“Of course we will have to convince my father. He will not be brought off by some gold coins.”

“No, I suspect not. The devil, as they say, is in the details.”

“Yes, although I do have to say, I will never want to be on the wrong side of you, Miss Liza. You are quiet formidable.”

“Yes, and please, dearest John, do not forget it.”

Liza & Air Pirates Chap 33 (extra long one today)(NaNoWriMo work in progress unedited)

Chapter 33

“Mary!” Liza exclaimed. As she turned to go back down below deck, John shouted “Do not go far, we have much to discuss!”

“Where on earth would I go?” Liza said as she fairly leapt down the hatch to below deck.

Seconds later she burst into the storeroom where Mary, the General and the Colonel were waiting.

“Oh God, are we under attack!” Mary shouted, sitting bolt upright from where she had been lying on the floor.

Liza laughed. “No, no, quite the opposite. We have forestalled an attack.”

“Forestalled or prevented?” The General said.

“I am not sure Grandfather, but at the very least delayed, and most likely prevented. We may have even convinced the Dyab, who are really Arawak Indians by the by, to help us and not Ingellsdin!”

“What in heaven’s name are you going on about?” The colonel said.

“I’ll explain, just know everything is safe for now.”

Liza sat down next to Mary and smiled. “How are you feeling?”

“Never mind me, I am fine, do tell us about what has happened. We kept waiting for gunshots, and…”

 

So Liza told the three all that had happened, trying not to leave out any details. At the end of the story everyone sat for a moment in silence.

“What if the blond man does not get mad? What happens if he convices the Arawaks that we mean to cheat them or attack them?” Mary asked.

“Then it will not go well for any of us!” John said, He had just come down to check on Liza and the rest. “ I am John, son of Henri.”

“You speak very well sir!” The General said.

“He’s been to an American school.” Liza offered. She then introduced the three to John.

“Ah, yes, you are Mary, who I have heard so much about. Adi says you are a strong girl.”

Mary blushed. “Well, I am not so sure about that…”

“We will make you a Navassian yet. Most girls I knew back at the American school would have perished at the mere sight of blood…”

“I think you underestimate women” Liza murmured.

“Oh Liza, he’s just trying to be nice.” The Colonel said “Although John you must know most women don’t mind a spot of blood.” Liza burst into giggles and Mary hit her while laughing herself.

 

Later in the day, after the ship had been returned from a fortress back into a regular ship flying thousands of feet above the ocean, the crew and the six guests-captives were treated to a delicious feast of lobster, fresh fish and many different kinds of fruit. The feast started as the sun began to slip beneath the endless horizon of sky and clouds.

Mary, helped by Liza and Will, came up to the deck. Adi had seen to it that a seat of pillows had been laid out so that Mary could sit. Everyone else wandered the deck, talking in small groups. Moto attracted the largest group, many of them women, Liza noticed. Moto looked very pleased with himself as he held court. Elsewhere the Colonel had indeed discovered Navassan rum and was pickling himself in a corner with a large jug.

The General had been given a seat of honor next to Henri. Liza sat at her Grandfather’s feet as she devoured a lobster, freshly pulled from traps in the ocean below.

“I must say Henri, this is quiet an operation you have here. I commend you on the efficiency of this ship. Spotless, neat and well run. You’d be an asset in the British navy I dare say.”

Henri laughed and held up his glass to toast the General as s slight man sitting next to him translated.

Then the translator began speaking back to the General. Although a cumbersome process, it worked well for the two older gentlemen.

“Well General, Henri says we’ll never know if that were the case. His majesty would like to know, your title, it is not an honorific title, no?”

“No sir! Forty years in her and now his majesty’s army. I served all over the empire too, time in India, Siam, Honduras and even a stint in Cyprus.”

“And your servant, Moto, how did you come upon him, his majesty asks…”

“Oh, Moto is no servant. He is my employee, yes, but more than that. I met him when I was stationed in Zanaibar, bit of trouble with the Germans you know. Moto was a bright chap, when I left the service I offered him a job as my research assistant. Offered him three times his army salary! But I always joke, he does the work of five men, so I actually came out ahead!”

“But what do you mean by research assistant. You are retired no?”

“Well, an Englishman of means never retires. In my travels around the empire I collected many animals specimens, mostly insect mind you. Moto and I have spent the past few years cataloging them and writing them up. Several are altogether new species, from what  we can tell.”

“Then how did you become interested in finding the Dyab sir?”

“Well, we weren’t. That is to say, we had no idea what really was here. Ballooning is a hobby that Moto and I took up, well I should say, he took up and I paid for! But my granddaughter is the curious one. Once she found out about Mr.Cogsworth’s accident, she could not be put off. I am afraid I dote on her too much, but you know how it is with children. Tell me Henri, do you have any grandchildren?”

Henri glanced over at John, who was sitting next to Mary in an animated conversation.

“His majesty regrets that he does not… yet. One day his son, John, or one of his daughters, will marry and he will be a proud grandfather.”

“Well, yes, of course. So, is there a Mrs. Henri?”

“His majesty did not marry, in the English way. But he has several friends.” The translator winked. “Do not be surprised General. We are a small community, there are no secrets.”

The general laughed. “I have seen many wonders young man, tell Henri that I am many years past being surprised, or judgmental. As I said, things seem well run, who am I to complain? So, how big is the community you speak of?”

“We have about 1500 people on many ships. Some more choose to live on the floor, I am sorry, the ground. We have several trading stations, in the rainforests of the Dutch colony, Suriname.”

“Perhaps one day we could see them? Are all your ships the same?”

“Oh no sir, most are smaller, not as nice. This is a newer ship, about ten years old. We have one ship that is over 100 years old. But it is not desirable. We have gotten better as the years go on, about building.”

“Trading stations you say, what do you trade?”

The man translating sat for a moment, Liza noticed he did not translate to the king.

“Oh, you know, this and that. Tell me General, what do you do to earn your bread?”

The general laughed. “Well, I have money, don’t I?”

“So you understand!” The translator said, laughing too. Liza wanted to speak up and say that she did not understand but she held her tongue. Instead she excused herself and got up to walk over to where Will was gazing up at the stars in the clear night sky.

“Amazing, isn’t it Liza… we’re so far up, the stars seem close enough to touch.”

“Well, they’re not, they are still many thousands of millions of miles away…” Liza said as she looked up, trying to locate some of the constellations she knew.

“You’re not exactly a romantic are you…” Will said.

“What? What do you mean” Liza looked directly at Will. His beard had grown out and his hair was uncombed. He looked like a wild man.

“I mean you are practical to a fault. Don’t you ever just want to be impractical, foolish…”

“You mean, act more like what men like you think a girl should act?”

“Men like me…!?” Will stammered for a moment and then visibly relaxed. “No, not tonight Liza… dear… the lobster was too delicious, the rum too sweet and the stars too wonderful. You will not goad me tonight…”

“Standing up to you is not the same as goading Mr. Cogsworth. But I agree, let’s not argue over something as spectacular as the night sky. Everyone is quite happy I think.”

“Including Mary…” Will said, nodding in the direction of Mary, where she sat enthroned on her pillows with John very attentive.

“Yes, well, she does seem to be very interested in what John has too say.”

“Jealous?” Will said, turning his gaze back to Liza. After a beat Liza smiled.

“I am jealous of the conversation she is having, it seems to be witty and intelligent. Qualities difficult to find, it seems.”

“You seem to find me dull then?”

“On the contrary, I find you arrogant and self-involved. I find your attitude towards me insulting-“

“Towards you?”

“At every turn you have underestimated me, you assume I am like the ladies youmeet at some society ball-“

“I can assure you I do not meet ladies at balls, or even attend balls.”

“And… you have a bad habit of speaking over me.”

Will smiled and nodded. “Is it safe now, can I speak? You have been on my back since we met. I think it is you who assume too much Liza.”

“Perhaps. I am suspicious of grown men who live by themselves and yet who are perfectly… acceptable.”

“Handsome, you were going to say handsome, right? Oh come on now! That was a small joke. You just got finished say I was arrogant-“

“Tell me, Will, is there a woman in your life, or perhaps you are a confirmed bachelor? I’ll make no judgment.”

Will turned and looked back at the sky.

“There was… “ He snapped back and gave a small bow. “But that was some time ago. Now, if you will pardon me, I need to go… elsewhere.”

 

Will turned and left, leaving Liza at the rail. Liza watched as he made his way across deck and tehn down below. She sighed. “I’ve had too much rum..” she said to herself and turned back to look at the stars.

 

 

The next morning Liza and the rest, sleeping around the captain’s quarters, were awakened by a sharp knocking on the door. Liza opened the door to find Adi standing there. She brushed past Liza with a chirping ‘hello’ and went straight for Mary.

“How do you feel today Mary?” Adi asked.

“Much better thank you, the broth or whatever you had me drink so much of yesterday seems to have helped a great deal.”

“Good, good. Well, all of you up to the deck as fast as you can, including you Mary.”

“What for?” Liza asked.

“You are all to go to the city of the Dyab. It is a foul and loathsome place, but John has agreed to go with you all.  He is a brave man.”

“So they heard from the blond man?” Liza said.

“I do not know, no one does.”

“So no one knows if they mean us ill or good?”

“No.” Adi said simply

“Well then, it should be an adventure.” Liza said as she picked up her jacket.

 

A half an hour later they were on the deck of the airship looking over the railing at a smaller, but no less elaborate ship tied up next to theirs. The ship reminded Liza as barges she had seen in books about Egypt. It had a large box in the middle, the cabin, she guessed, and graceful curving wood going from each end of the box to the bow and the stern, meeting in a sharp point. The effect was a cabin on a wooden cradle. Above the cabin was a large balloon. The entire boat was painted in light blue with the same white bottom she had seen on all the other boats. Further pointing towards an Egyptian theme were several symbols painted on the cabin that looked like hieroglyphics.

She mentioned this to Mary.

“Oh yes, John was telling me that his father is a big fan of Egypt. They spent several months there last winter.”

“They did what?” Liza said, looking from the barge back to Mary.

“They went to Egypt. Come now Liza, you didn’t think they just floated above that rock all the time? They are in balloons, they can go anywhere… and do. Last night John was telling me that they just got back from a trip to the Canadian wilderness. He ate moose. Can you imagine!?”

“So, you and John get along well do you?” Liza said, he voice had a light tease. Mary blushed.

“It is not like that Liza. You know how curious I am and John has been all over the world. If anything I bored him to tears…”

Just then John himself came up to the two of them.

“It is a fine morning to see you two lovely ladies here. Are you ready?”

“As we’ll ever be.” Liza said. Mary nodded.

“No worries. I will go with you all. My fate will be yours…”

“Our fate, is it that serious?” Liza asked.

“One can never tell with the Dyab. One would have assumed they would have attacked us in the night if they meant us harm, but…”

“Will we be going to their city?” Mary asked.

“Yes, and post haste. Please, climb on board!” John said, turning to face the others as well. A small wooden bridge had been placed on the railing so that they could easily board the floating barge next to the ship.

As they climbed on board they found the box was really just a frame with curtains. John went aout opening the curtains, tying them to the frame as the others found seats, really just cushions on the floor.

“Is it just us then?” The General said as they made themselves comfortable.

“Yes” John said. People do not like to go to the Dyab city. They believe that it has much disease. I am not afraid. I have seen worse.”

Liza looked at Mary, who was visibly paler than even before.

 

They gently cast off and soon were traveling amongst the clouds, Henri’s ship becoming smaller and smaller until a passing cloud obscured in completely. There was little conversation, but the time passed quickly.  After about an hour they caught side of a large cloud bank, but one that, upon closer inspection, seemed to have an straight edge to it. Soon a projecting dock appeared, much as Will had described. A lone figure stood at the end to greet them.

As they pulled closer the figure became clearer.

“Oh God” Liza said. “It is the blond, we are doomed.”

“Patience’ John said as he maneuvered the barge closer. As they got within a few feet of the dock in became clear that there was something wrong. The figure had not moved.

The barge bumped the dock and the figure did move, just enough for the mouth to fall open. It was clear that the figure was supported by a large stick.

Liza let out a gasp and Mary screamed for a second and then slumped over.

The blond man was propped up on the deck by a stick running through his body. John reach out and poked the figure.

“Well, he is lucky!” John said as he made to tie up the barge.

Liza found it difficult to speak, her heart was racing and he stomach was revolting. “L-lucky?”

“He is dead, often they are still alive.”

Liza gripped the edge of the barge hard.

“It is ok Liza” John said as if there was not a dead man arranged like a human kebob staring down at them. “It means that your prediction came true. You have bought a great deal of good will with the Dyab. Be careful not to squander it.”

“I-I wouldn’t dream of it… even in this nightmare.”