Into the East Trilogy

Chapter 3:

Chapter 3:

At sunset, the clouds to the west were aglow. The combined crew of the two airships gathered as the time came for the party to head into enemy territory. At least that was how Alexei and Ludmila described it. There had never been love between the Ottomans and the Russians, a few centuries had proved that. Now Alexei was venturing into their territory with several women of Helena’s crew. She wasn’t comfortable with the idea, but Alexei presented a compelling argument.

Helena wasn’t sure how the launch would reach the water. This was just one more surprise the Russian held until the last moment. It seemed he was addicted to making an entrance. A steam whistle sounded behind the bulk of the Kampfhund, and a new pillar of smoke moved behind the black airship. The bow of the launch peeked from behind, followed by the rest of the small boat. The rumble of tracks echoed over the flat earth as the launch crawled toward the gathering.

Helena had boarded and rode the Russian launch while in Spain and had a chance to observe the boat at length while in Bermuda. She was positive she would have noticed any tracks that lay under the water. Either this was a separate and new vehicle… or…

No mechanical genius like Rosa or Mister Wizard, she still figured out how the contraption worked before it arrived close enough for an in-depth inspection. The boat itself rode on top of a flatbed tractor, like one of those seen working the fields. The crawler stopped before the small crowd, and the crew of the Legend cheered. Doyle appeared in the distance, and before Helena could wave, he ducked behind the far side of the machine.

Mister Wizard crossed his arms. “It’s not that impressive. It’s just a traction-engine.”

Rosa slapped the much older man on the back. “Don’t be sore they thought of something you didn’t. We won’t go into the steam launch instead of oars.” The young woman from Texas laughed louder.

Helena couldn’t help but smile as she jumped to her friend’s defense. “Come now, it is my fault. I rode him so hard to finish the Legend, he never had time to think up such niceties. Remember we were on a time crunch.”

“Bah!” Mister Wizard turned and exclaimed, “I will be in my workshop if anyone needs me.”

Alexei used all manner of pieces of the two contraptions to lower himself to the ground. “How do you like my little amusement?” He beamed like a child showing off a new toy.

“I must admit you had me wondering for a moment. This will take the launch to the water?”

“Yes.” Alexei slapped the track and immediately wiped the dirt from his hand with a rag. “And at the top speed of eight miles per hour, we will be there in no time. It can wait for us at the water’s edge. We brought tarps to hide it under… Just in case.”

“Just in case what?” Phoebe asked.

“My dear, we are in the land of danger. We might be attacked at any moment.” The count pointed to the horizon as he spoke. “I assure you, once we get you properly dressed, you will be much safer with me ashore than with these two sitting targets.”

Helena inspected the airships’ twin airbag envelopes rising above the ground. She had to accept Alexei’s assessment. If they were spotted, all hell might break loose. “Where is Gertrude? I have not seen her in several hours,” Helena asked.

“Don’t worry, she has not fallen over the side again. She simply has a headache and is lying down. I’m sure she will be well later,” Phoebe answered.

Helena didn’t like that answer. Since Gertrude returned to the Legend, she had been distant, keeping mostly to her room. Perhaps the excitement of the journey proved more than she expected. Helena could understand after her fall why she might suffer from a newfound fear of heights. Helena’s time in the Land of Immortals had cured her of that affliction long ago. “I will check on her later.”

“If we are going to do this,” Alexei slapped his hands together, “we need to be heading toward the water.

Helena strolled up to her aunt and took the older woman’s hand in hers. Her normally bright red locks had been tinted near black. In the fading light, Helena could see her skin was several shades darker as well. “You be safe out there.” Helena nearly added, You’re not as young as you once were, but she felt no need to be rude.

“I will be fine, as long as you speak to no one about this absurd color in my hair or on my skin. A member of the aristocracy should not need to hide in such a way. Even in the wilds of the Near East.”

The others moved ahead to the water. Helena hid her smile. “Did the count say how long it would take to wear off?”

“No, he did not… It had better not be too long… He was rather circumspect when I asked that very question.” Deirdre quickly changed the subject, “If anything happens… Study your parents’ journals. There must be something in there to help you. I have an uneasy feeling.”

Helena stopped walking and turned her aunt to face her. “What do you mean a bad feeling?”

Deirdre shook her head. “People who have the gift… there are times we get feelings or signs from beyond. As far as I know, little is known about them, but they can spell tragedy for some or be innocuous. They run the gambit. I have a feeling, just be careful. Watch what you do and watch her.” Deirdre motioned with her head to Ludmila who walked silently next to her brother.

Helena didn’t know what to say. She had been listening to omens about death and white wings for months. Death had surrounded her for months. Did the spirits mean her death or death in general? Perhaps they meant the death of a loved one? Omens meant little to her, but she looked into her aunt’s eyes. “I will be safe here on a lonely island. I need you to be safe in Acre. I will worry about you, much more than you should worry about me.” To which, she hugged her aunt.

After the hug, they fell in behind the launch and walked with the others like a funeral procession to the sea.

In less than an hour, they reached the water’s edge. The parade stopped and all the passengers going ashore piled into the boat. The only one dressed for the adventure in local clothing was Alexei. He explained earlier, “Don’t worry, we will gain the women’s clothing as soon as we reach the mainland.”

Helena was surprised they even got her aunt into trousers for this trip.

Alexei was quick to explain, “Their new clothes will hide any pants they might wear underneath.”

Helena wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that, but she had little choice but to trek on with the decision she made and let Alexei take the lead on this adventure.

The tractor didn’t back into the water. Instead it rumbled headfirst into the surf until nearly submerged. Between waves, the straps were released, and the engines pushed the boat free of the cradles on the tractor.

Before long, the craft carrying much of her extended family disappeared into the dark.

Helena wanted to stay on the beach and wait for their return, but she understood it might be many days, and her mother’s journal waited for her. The tractor pulled out of the surf, parked in amongst some larger rocks well above the high tide mark, and the Russian crew covered the machine with tarps, hiding it from view.

Helena walked back to the Legend. Ahead, she spotted Ludmila walking beside Doyle. She felt the hair rise on the back of her neck and her ears turn a fiery red when she spotted the pair together. The effects of traveling together through the aether… logically she knew what caused her reaction. Knowledge did little to calm her rage. It took every ounce of self-control to not attack the countess and scratch her eyes out like some prehistoric woman might battle over a mate.

Instead, she took a deep breath and turned to the left, back towards the water. There was a rise between the airships and the water. Helena thought she might be able to catch a fleeting glimpse of her friends as they headed off to do what she considered should be her risk.

Doyle and Ludmila… the very thought of the pair was absurd. Helena knew Doyle only had eyes for Tsang Mei. There was certainly no way he would fall for that… Russian woman.

Mind racing from the effects of traveling so close to Doyle, Helena forced herself to walk up the side of the hill overlooking the water. The steam launch was now long gone. Hopefully, they were safe inside the harbor by now. Though she was not sure how safe they might be with the guns of the century-old fort aimed in their direction.

Out on the water, she spotted the lights, the glow in the surf crashing against the rocks below. Here there was no beach. As far as Helena saw, the cliffs went right down to the water. Then she spotted those strange lights heading for the island where the pair of airships had moored. The lights headed straight for the cliff, and a stream of glowing water flowed out behind it.

That was something totally unexpected. In no time, the lights disappeared into the cliff, out of sight.

“Stoppen sie!” an order shouted behind her.

Helena was shocked to hear a German voice so far from Germany. Raising her hands, she tried a little, “Sprechen sie Englisch?” Slowly she turned. Her back to the cliffs, she had little room to run.

“Nein, stehen bleiben oder ich schieße!” Before her stood a young man dressed in a dark uniform. Helena didn’t understand everything the soldier said, but the tone of his voice and the words “no” and “shoot” were familiar.

“Great.” Helena held her hands higher.

The young man shouted louder and came at her with a rather long bayonet. He continued to shout in German.

She tried to speak in the calmest voice possible, though she was still beyond angry with Doyle and Ludmila. “Sir, you should understand I cannot understand you, and no matter how loudly you shout, it will not make the slightest bit—”

The German must not have understood her. He obviously got tired of shouting. He raised the butt of his rifle and, with a swift thrust, tried to plant it in the middle of Helena’s forehead. Her time training had made her swifter and stronger than most young women, if not young men as well. Lucky for Helena, she felt his intentions before a move was made, and with the grace of a professional dancer, she sidestepped the blunt force trauma.

The young man overcompensated and slipped on the pebbled rocks that made up the cliff edge. Before Helena could reach out a hand to stop his fall, the man was gone into the dark over the cliff.

“Crap,” she whispered. For this death she felt no remorse, even if the man that died was little more than a boy. He had no right to accost and attack an unarmed woman in the middle of the night on a deserted island. If she had carried her sword, she might have run him through before he had a chance to fall to his death.

This island wasn’t nearly as lonely as they thought. She needed help and to warn the others. It would do little good to hide the airships from the Ottomans only to be attacked by the Germans in the middle of the night.

She moved away from the cliff as she headed down the slope. The night would be unkind if she stumbled over the side. She was certain the fall would be deadly.

Lost in thought, she never realized she had walked so far. The moon had come up before she made her way down the slope. It took little time to warn the crews. They were still wide awake. She headed to the Legend first, to warn Captain Cox and to find Ludmila. Even if she were wrapped in Doyle’s arms, she needed to disentangle herself and warn her crew.

After the ships had been alerted, she would need to do what she did best. Rush headlong into danger. This uninhabited island… something shady was going on. Why would there be German soldiers on a deserted island in the middle of the eastern Mediterranean Sea?