Andora

Chapter 2:

Chapter 2:

After the ship had departed Saint Augustine, Helena secluded herself in her stateroom. She pored over her father’s journal, looking for any indication of his final quest. Unfortunately, there were few clues as to the nature of his destination.

The journal contained the plans and ideas for a huge machine powered by aether. The thought of such a device caused her blood to run cold. Time…

She needed a break, the confines of the walls in her cabin brought a gloom about her mood she could no longer tolerate. The fresh air did wonders to relieve her melancholy, now was the time for a stroll about the upper decks of the Legend.

On deck, she quickly found Rosa perched on the capstan. Knife in hand, she sliced great chunks of an apple off and slid them into her mouth.

The sight brought back memories of her deceased driver Lane and his habit of eating fruit in the same way. Her life had become a minefield of memories waiting to assault her without warning.

Many things about Rosa reminded Helena of Lane, but right now she needed company not memories, so she shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind and strolled up to greet Rosa. “Good morning,” she called out as she approached.

Rosa replied cheerfully in her slow Texas drawl, “Buenos días.” She offered a slice of the red apple to Helena.

She accepted the slice, unable to recall the last time she’d eaten, the apple tasted sweeter than she expected.

Rosa continued, “Did you find anything in your research?”

Helena found it difficult to contain her surprise. How did Rosa know what she had been doing? The shock on her face must have betrayed her amazement.

Rosa chuckled before she continued, “Don’t worry, I’m not a spy. Phoebe told me you would lock yourself away for hours reading books and researching ideas and what not.” She sliced off another chunk of apple.

Trying desperately to lighten the mood, Helena held out her hand for the next slice. “I was reading a book, my father’s book, trying to discover where we should head next. I was unsuccessful. I feel like I am letting him down, like I am letting both my parents down in finding them.” Helena plopped the slice of apple into her mouth.

Rosa looked her over, and Helena sensed her contemplating her next words carefully. “I’ve only known you a few days, but I’ve come to a conclusion. You place a lot of guilt on your shoulders. Guilt that might not be warranted.”

Helena could feel her spine stiffen at the words. No one had ever made such a stinging observation about her before. “How do you mean?” She tried to speak with a measured voice.

“I learned long ago, you can control little in life except yourself. I understand your need to find out what happened to your parents, but you are not responsible for their actions.” Rosa plopped a slice of apple into her mouth.

“I didn’t realize I was…” Helena trailed off her words.

“I know. I went in search of my brother, and you helped me find him, for that I am grateful. I didn’t want to leave him behind with the Grunches, but that was his decision. I miss him greatly, daily, but it was not my or your fault he decided to stay behind. We can’t control him.” Rosa patted the head of the capstan for Helena to sit next to her.

“I never noticed I tried to control everything…” Helena needed to search her actions, perhaps Rosa was right. Helena jumped up on the mushroom-shaped equipment.

“We get somewhere safe and quiet, preferably over a few beers, I will tell you a story about my father and mother. Not unlike you, they made choices, some good some bad. All of which I had no control over—and I can’t worry about what I can’t control—but without their choices, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”

Helena had never thought about it, but all the choices required to bring her to this place and time… they were huge. Not only hers but Sigmund and her parents, even her uncle/stepfather, the General, had a massive impact on her life, all of which she held little control over. “Are you saying we have no free will, that fate and destiny run our lives?

It was Rosa’s turn to sit in quiet thought for a few moments. She threw the finished core over the side and produced another from out of her shirt, which she polished on her jeans. “I had never given it much thought. I think my grandmother would say yes. Fate and destiny are written in the stars. Our actions only push us to our end, no matter what we do. My father would say that God gave us free will, and our actions make us who we are, but I’ve come to understand that our actions are only a small part of who we become. The actions of others and how we responded to them are equally important.” She sliced the next apple and offered it to Helena. “I will need to get back to you. I’m not sure of my answer, I might never be sure.”

Helena took the slice and bit it in half. Her free hand grabbed the glowing amulet that she stashed under her shirt. “I can understand that. The truly important questions in life should not be answered quickly, and if a person is intellectually honest, a mind should be willing to change decisions.”

Rosa shook her head. “Now I think you’re getting a little too deep for me, remember I’m just a grease monkey. I fix what breaks.”

Helena pointed her finger at the sky. “And design rockets to launch people to the moon. You’re not that simple-minded.”

“Remember they all blew up way before reaching the clouds.” Rosa chortled at her own expense.

“How far to Bermuda?” Helena needed to change the subject. The discussion did little to lift her spirits. Thoughts of time off on an island would be a wonderful distraction.

“We should be there tomorrow night, according to the captain and crew. Most of them are ready for some time off. I’ll never pass up some time to discover a new place to drink and explore.”

“I’ve never been that adventurous of a drinker, it isn’t ladylike.” Helena told a small fib, she knew her taste for brandy wasn’t typical for a young woman her age.

“Then perhaps we should throw caution to the wind and join the sailors in a pub crawl?” Rosa wrapped Helena with her arm.

“What’s a pub crawl?”

“Not sure, but the crew are all talking about one. Sounds like fun.”

“I’m not sure we should join the crew. I do pay them after all.”

“Then you can pick up the tab! Think of the comradery you will inspire!”

Unconvinced, Rosa’s idea was not sound, but her enthusiasm was infectious. “We will see.” Needing space, Helena slid off her seat and paced to the rail of the forecastle.

Below, she spotted a ship heading east like the Legend. “Look below, out in front of us, there is a steamship heading east.”

“That is a British ship. It is on course for Bermuda like we are. She is making about fifteen knots, and we are gaining on her. We will overtake her in an hour or so.” Captain Cox had snuck up behind the ladies.

Helena found it amazing the man moved so quietly, given so much of his body had been replaced by mechanical appendages. “How can you tell so much from so far away?” Helena asked.

Cox leaned on the rail down from her and produced a spyglass. “We’ve been tracking them for some time. The smoke from their stacks makes it fairly easy.”

“Oh!” Helena exclaimed, as she thought of something. Not meaning to seem rude she added, “Excuse me, I’ll be right back,” as she sprinted below deck to her stateroom. She grabbed her goggles, a gift from her friend Mister Wizard.

She returned to find Captain Cox explaining to Rosa, “…since we are out of the water, we need not contend with the drag from the sea. Also, our four propellers help to drive us, but they are more for course corrections, our real speed comes from the wind at our backs. We can raise or lower to find favorable winds, and they travel much faster than surface winds.”

Rosa nodded as he spoke, Helena could see she took in every word. “What are those?” Rosa asked.

Helena stood with the goggles on, adjusting the lenses, focusing on the ship in the distance. “They were a gift from Mister Wizard. I constantly forget about them. They are so useful, but they never match a thing I wear.”

“Those are amazing, so compact.” Rosa turned her attention from Captain Cox to Helena.

“I can just make out the British flag.” Helena had finished adjusting her gadget for the best view.

“I am sure my spyglass is more powerful and compact.” Captain Cox slapped his telescope closed.

Helena handed her goggles to Rosa to inspect. “Captain, when will we arrive in port?”

Tucking his spyglass in a pocket on his chest, he answered with, “Early this evening, we should make landfall before dark.” The captain added, “Long before the ship below us.”

“Oh my god! Something’s happened. The ship…” Rosa didn’t finish her sentence before the sound of the explosion reached Helena’s ears.

Cox whipped out his glass to survey the happening, leaving Helena without a viewing instrument.

Helena spotted the horror on Rosa’s face. Desperate for information she asked, “What’s happening?”

Rosa had a hard time hiding the fear in her voice. “The ship just exploded!”

“We need to lower to sea level and provide what assistance we can.” Captain Cox handed Helena his glass as he headed to the bridge. “Bosun, sound all hands on deck. This is going to take everyone on board.”

The call rang through the ship, and within seconds the claxon sounded for all hands to gather on the main deck.

Helena opened the instrument and scanned the wreckage. “What do you think happened? The ship is sinking so fast.”

“Maybe they had a boiler accident, or a sea monster attacked them?” Rosa offered.

Captain Cox turned in quick order. “We’ll be having none of that nonsense from the passengers. The crew will be spooked enough over this, no need spreading unfounded rumors before we learn any useful information.” Captain Cox softened his tone a bit. “It is bad enough coming upon a ship in trouble, it reminds everyone how precarious traveling the seas can be. Ladies, please refrain from speculation until we learn some facts. Now it is time to head to our stations, we need to lend assistance to those poor souls in the water.”

Helena and Rosa answered in unison, “Yes, sir,” and fell in behind the captain, putting away their magnification devices.

Rosa handed back Helena’s goggles. “These are wonderful. May I inspect them closer later? I would love to see if I might be able to improve them some.”

Helena hesitated for a moment. They were a gift. She was unsure how Mister Wizard would react to a woman fiddling with his invention, but decided it was nearly 1900. It was time for the old man to realize women could be capable engineers just like men. “Sure thing… Just don’t let Mister Wizard find out what you are doing.”

“I will inspect them in my cabin. I promise to keep them safe,” Rosa added.

The airship descended quickly. The captain ordered a measured amount of lift gas to be released, aiding in their quick descent. Helena knew the Angels in the gasbags could replace it quick enough: whatever they ate gave them horrid gas. Given the effects of the gas, she contemplated if it might be weaponized. Before she could mention the idea to Rosa, Captain Cox addressed the ship’s company.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there has been an accident. A royal navy ship is in trouble below us. We are descending to aid assistance. Please be careful. I will not place the Legend in jeopardy, so the long boats will need to be deployed. Safety is our number one concern. Now let’s save some lives.”

After the speech, Helena ran up to the captain as he watched his crew make the preparations. “Captain, how dangerous is this?”

The short man looked Helena in the eye. “For a ship at sea, very dangerous. The longboats can get crushed by the wave action. Since I don’t plan on setting the hull in the water, less of a hazard. Still, when adrenaline is running high, all sorts of accidents can happen.”

Helena watched as the ship descended, the water rushing up to meet them. “I know this goes without saying, but please be careful, Captain. I want to keep our crew whole.”

“I will, ma’am, I will.”

The ship had slipped below the waves before they were able to reach the spot of the accident. Little debris floated on the surface. Only two bodies were pulled from the water. One covered in steam burns—the blisters hung like sheets from the man’s body. He was dead when they got him to the ship.

The other, an unconscious man, no burns but several cuts and bruises, with a lump the size of a goose egg on his head.

Helena’s aunt, Deirdre, was the ship’s healer. Even if her magical talents lay in other directions, she took care of most injuries the crew might come across. “I believe he will be out for some time. That lump on his head looks dangerous. We need to keep him warm and safe to see if he ever wakes up.” Helena always found her soft Dublin accent a comfort. Even if she wasn’t the most influential witch on the ship, she was the most mature.

“We will arrive at the island by nightfall. He came from a British ship, that is a British colony, he will become their responsibility. We will mark the location with a sea anchor, along with our position. It should give them some idea to locate the area.”

“That’s it?” Rosa asked.

Helena chimed in, “How will we ever find out what happened?”

The young Chinese girl, Phoebe, replied before the captain could. “The sea rarely gives up its secrets… Sorry, Captain, for intruding.”

Captain Cox nodded. “No, you are quite right. We rarely learn what causes an accident at sea.”

“I think I need to fix that…” Rosa drifted off into her own world, Helena’s goggles still clutched in her hands.

“If there is nothing left to do here, let’s continue on our journey to port. We will inform the authorities there.” Helena looked over the wounded man once more before the crew carried him below decks.