Chenda and the Airship Brofman (23 page)

“... Rest assured we're dead,” Fenimore finished the thought. “Feel free to hold our memorial service.”

“It's a deal, and thank you.” The two men grasped each other by the wrist in a meaningful handshake.

“I really - REALLY - want you to bring Candice back to me.” He smiled.

“Captain Endicott in love. That's something,” Fenimore replied.

“I've never met a woman with that much personality. I want to fight with her again! Now, I'm going to keep watch for the
Tjalk
. You get Germer to prep two monowings and a parachute. We're too close to the Tugrulian patrol routes for me to risk dropping down to sea level. I want the
Brofman
out of range.  That means we need to drop sans ship. Understand?” Captain Endicott turned his attention forward as he searched the water below for the
Tjalk

“Yes, sir,” Fenimore said, already in motion.

 
As he passed the wheelhouse, Fenimore tapped on the glass, and Verdu poked his head out the small side window, looking down on his friend with questioning eyes.

“When we find the
Tjalk
, we're flying down by monowing. Tell Chenda what to expect, and that she needs to get ready to go.”

“Right.” Verdu slid the window closed and relayed the message to Chenda, who asked, “What's a monowing?”

“Germer invented it. It's like a personal, powered glider. With it, we can fly a man down to the deck of a sailing ship and land. Then we can fly back up again to the airship. It's quite clever, really. We have two monowings on the
Brofman
, and they are strong enough to ferry two of us at a time down to the
Tjalk
. But they are only powerful enough to fly one person back up to the airship. Since we are planning on staying on the
Tjalk
, it works out perfectly. We've delivered cargo that way more than once.”

Verdu looked at the wary expression on Chenda's face and said “Don't worry, I'll carry you down myself. I won't let anything happen to you.”

“I'm sure it will be fine,” she lied, unconvincingly.

“You need to get ready to go. We'll be moving fast and light from here on out. Take only what you really need.”

Chenda hurried to the crew quarters and filled her pouch-belt with the contents of her trinket bag, and all the gold coins. She filled one pouch with a fist full of cash, but left most of the Kite's Republic paper money in her carpet bag, which she closed back into her cupboard. She stripped off her flight coat and Fenimore's shirt, which she laid across his bunk. She put on her two clean shirts, one over the other, and decided that was all she needed for now. She put her coat back on and left the crew quarters, willing herself to not look back.

Slipping down the passageway, she knocked on Candice's door. When the professor opened it up, her expression was wistful. “Is it time?” she asked.

“Soon.” Chenda said. “Will you be ready to travel fast and light? It seems we will be flying to the
Tjalk
by monowing. Do you know what that means?”

“Ick! I can guess.” Candice suddenly looked a little green. “I guess it can't be helped. I've got most of what I need in this shoulder bag. I'm glad I took the time to condense my notes into one book. You've got the stones secure on your person?” Chenda nodded. “Good. And we are all set with items to trade?” Chenda patted her bulging pouch-belt. “Excellent. I guess that you are ready for the next leg. I'll be set in a bit. I'll meet you on deck.”

Candice closed the door to her cabin. Chenda was about to head back up the stairs when she heard Kingston call after her.

“Chenda! I have something for you! Wait!” Kingston was waddling down the passageway waving what looked to be several kitchen towels knotted together. “Here,” he said. “It's a variation on hard tack.” He flung the lumpy cloth over her head and shoulder like a bandoleer. “Each of these six knots contains a high nutrition bread. It's enough to keep all four of you going for about a week, if you are careful, and you can get at some water. Oh, that reminds me.” He reached behind him and pulled out a canteen, which he clipped to Chenda's pouch-belt. “There,” he said with fatherly satisfaction. “May the gods’ love be with you and bring you home safe.” He grabbed her in his beefy arms and squeezed.

“Thank you for all that you've done for me,” she said. Then she kissed his cheek and climbed the stairs. She tried to ignore her tears.

Up on deck, she felt the slowing of the airship and saw Captain Endicott strapping a parachute to his back. He called to her, pointing over the side. “There she is!” He waved Chenda over. “The
Tjalk.
” Far below, she saw what looked to her like a tiny white speck on the surface of the sea.

Captain Endicott turned to Verdu. “Give me about 20 minutes to present my letter of introduction and make the arrangements. Then you can come on down with the ladies. Germer! You're in charge till I get back.” He hopped backwards and landed in a seated position on the wide railing of the airship. Checking the straps crossing his body one last time, and scooting further back on the rail,  heclipped a thin line onto the
Brofman
, then gave a glorious smile to Chenda and Verdu.

“GODS! I love what I do!” He pitched backward over the side of the ship. Chenda ran to the railing and watched the captain tumble away from the ship, his bright parachute already popping open and filling with air. He swirled ever downward, guiding himself toward the tiny sailing ship far below. Chenda's heart raced. After what seemed like an eternity, the tiny dot that was the captain landed on the speck that was the
Tjalk.

That. Is insane.

Verdu glanced at his watch and said,
“We’d better get you ready to go now.” Chenda, still staring over the side, whimpered. Verdu patted her back reassuringly. “It will be fine, I promise. Here,” he said, handing her a complicated harness. “We need to get this on you, and Candice, too. Come quickly,” he called to Candice, who had just appeared above deck.

“Where's the captain?” Candice asked.

Chenda pointed over the side. “Down there.”

Candice looked over. “Oh, my!”

“We're next.”

“OH, MY!”

“Ladies,” Verdu said with acres of patience, “harnesses, please?”

He helped Candice and Chenda step into the straps and tugged and tightened until he was satisfied the women were secure. “We're ready. Now all we need is Fen with the monowings.”

As if on cue, Fenimore rose from the stairs with his arms filled with gossamer fabric and a big pack over each shoulder. Verdu took the shimmering cloth from Fenimore, dropped half of it to the deck and gave the rest of it a good shake. It snapped into a rigid, shimmering V about 15 feet across. Verdu dropped his flight coat onto the deck, and reached for one of Fenimore's packs, which he strapped securely to his own back. Then he picked up the gossamer monowing and slid it down over the backpack where it clicked into place. Verdu looked like a beautiful silver winged bird.

He took Chenda by the hand and pushed her gently to the railing of the
Brofman
. “First things first,” he said in soothing tones, “I'll be with you the whole time. You won't be falling, you will be flying, so don't panic.” He lifted her up and set her on the railing facing outward. “No thrashing of arms and legs, please; you'll just be kicking me. Now stand on the railing.” Chenda, her mind not fully controlling her body, did as she was told. She felt Verdu's hands release her bitter-end clip, cutting her last tether to the
Brofman
. A tear rolled down her cheek. “Hold very still.” Verdu stepped up onto the railing next to her. He moved closer to her side, then stepped behind her, his feet apart, straddling her. He attached her harness to his with two quick snaps at her shoulders and at her waist, and he leaned forward. Chenda, cantilevered over the side of the ship, looked down into empty air. Verdu continued with little instructions about how they would land and when she should bring her knees to her chest, but Chenda could only grasp the thought of all the open air before her, so cold, so... empty.

He wrapped both of his arms around Chenda, pressing her hands to her chest. “Arms in, and hold on. Ready?”

“In a hundred ways, no. But let's go anyway.”

Verdu grasped the handles of the monowing and fell forward off the airship.

The glider bit into the icy air and Chenda's terror quickly gave way to joy as the wind blew through her and around her. She dropped her arms from her chest, the force of the wind blowing her hands out and back. She felt free and alive, more than she ever had. Through her watering eyes she looked off toward the horizon, the thready clouds there kissed violet and amber in the early sunset. She wished to fly off toward them, never wanting to land again. She turned her head to look over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of Verdu, his face scrunched in concentration as he wrestled the monowing. She half expected to see Edison behind her and realized she had been here before, flying. Just days ago in a vivid dream, it was another little gift from Edison.

A warm feeling crept over her, a sense of deep satisfaction. Floating and circling in the air with Verdu at her back, it felt like a confirmation she was on the right path. Her heart raced as she shouted over the wind, “Verdu! I love flying! Don't be in a hurry to land, if you can help it!”

“Anything for you, dear lady,” he replied, his lips brushing her ear. The monowing swooped upward, and Verdu eased into a nearly flat arc high over the
Tjalk
. Chenda giggled out of sheer delight. She tried to etch every sight and feeling to her memory. She never wanted to forget how wonderful this was. She felt whole as they slowly spiraled down.

Verdu fought gravity for as long as he could, but the
Tjalk
loomed ever closer. “Tuck up,” Verdu whispered as they made one last spiral around the ship's main mast. Chenda lifted her legs as Verdu kicked forward, planting one foot onto the rail of the
Tjalk
, and then jumping down at a full run to the deck. He dropped his hands from their hold on the monowing and wrapped his arms around Chenda, cradling her as he skidded to a stop at middeck.

He quickly released her, and her feet found the smooth deck beneath her. Through the sun-bleached boards, she could feel the roll of the sea below, so solid and heavy – nothing like the lightness that cushioned the
Brofman
.

Verdu disconnected Chenda's harness as Captain Endicott stepped forward with another small man. Her legs wobbled with all the excitement of soaring through the open air, and she reached out to steady herself, placing her hand on the mast. Chenda already missed the throbbing heartbeat of the
Brofman's
engine
.

“Welcome aboard the
Tjalk
,” the stranger said.

Chapter 13

“TUGRUL  AQUABA”

Chenda breathed in the warm, moist ocean air. Her cheeks and hands, blown cold by the rush of flight, stung like they had been plunged into a hot sink. She loosened her flight coat as Verdu helped her escape the monowing harness.

“I think dis one enjoyed de descent more so dan de other one,” the stranger said pointing to the bow of the ship. There sat Candice with her head between her knees. Fenimore stood next to her with a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

Chenda turned her attention back to Captain Endicott. “Chenda, Verdu, please allow me to introduce you to the skipper of this fine ship, Captain Taboda.” She met the captain’s eyes and extended a hand to him. His reciprocating grasp was surprisingly soft. His look and coloring was much like Verdu's, but in diminutive proportions.

“Thank you for accommodating us. I am truly grateful,” she said.

 “Vell, when one receives a letter of introduction from Jason Belles, one adheres to de rules of etiquette,” Taboda said. “I drop what I am doing and serve you as best I can. Shall ve discuss business, you and I?”

“Yes, of course.” Chenda, flanked by Verdu, stepped away from Endicott and closer to Taboda.

“De airship captain says he needs to deliver you to the Tugrulian Resistance, and de sooner de better, no?”

“That's correct. Can you do it?”

“Of course, I can have you der by morning, no problem. You can pay?” The small man's eyes twinkled.

“Yes. In Republic currency.”

Taboda rolled his eyes. “Dat's not so useful out here.”

“But it is a fine currency when you are dealing with Jason Belles, yes?”

Taboda sniffed. “Indeed. I say 40-dousand.”

“Done,” Chenda said. Both Verdu and Taboda stared at her, their eyes bulging.

“What?” Chenda asked as she pulled a large wad of cash out of her pouch-belt and quickly counted out 40 bills.

“You... didn't want to negotiate?” Verdu asked, almost in a squeak.

“No.” Chenda said with a smile. “I want to get moving. Captain Taboda, may we begin?”

He blinked at her a few times and then seemed to regain his senses. “Yes, yes, yes! Off ve go.” He half scurried away, then trotted back. “Please, make yourselves at ease. Der is a comfortable sitting area aft.” He waved his hand to an area behind Chenda. “I'll be back to discuss other details vith you straight avay.” He scurried off again.

“Fen! Bring Candice this way,” Verdu called. Candice looked moderately better now that she had been stripped of her harness and flight coat. Fenimore and Endicott, each taking a side of the slightly greenish professor, guided her to the cushioned sitting area at the rear of the ship. Candice leaned her head back and pinched the bridge of her nose. Chenda flung off her flight coat and sat beside her, putting an arm behind her head.