Head Navigator Sydney Cannard
I’ve kept the package hidden in plain sight in my room. My roommate hasn’t even asked about it. It was such a hassle to get it onboard at the last minute. When I met Toby in Londinium, he was incensed. His job partner stood him up, I guess. And I didn’t even recognize Toby when I saw him - having hair makes all the difference.
The heiress told him to take the painting to Constantinople, but he was nervous to take it on all the connecting airships from New Amsterdam. Quaerere will make a stop in Constantinople anyway, so I volunteered to smuggle it there. It’s wrapped in a rough fabric right now, looking like a weird bundle, so it’s hidden under my bunk. Once we land, I won’t be able to give a good answer to anyone’s questions, so I’ll just move quickly and avoid everyone while I transport it by foot.
Although there is someone sneaky on board. While I sent a confirmation message to Toby last night, I heard someone standing in the passageway outside. I don’t know if they saw me break the messenger birds, but I moved quickly regardless. I need to be extremely wary.
We docked in Constantinople early this morning, and after breakfast we heard Captain Springett’s voice over the intercom. “All crew members may disembark. Be aware of your timing while in the city; Quaerere will depart promptly at 1400 hours. Be safe and have fun in Constantinople.”
Good, I’ll have almost all day to meet with Toby. I think one of the princess’ representatives will be there too. I kneeled down to get the canvas from under my bunk, but Demi knocked and slipped inside the tiny room. “Hey Syd, let’s go to that wrestling arena again, there are lots of fights scheduled today! And then afterwards Anne has invited us over for dinner. She said she would make that baklava you like!”
I hated when he called me Syd, but I put up with it because stars, his mother’s baklava was good. But I had to meet with Toby. I prepared to regretfully decline, but then Demi grabbed my arm. “Looks like you have your things, so let’s be on our way!”
I tried to protest as he took me out of the room, up to the deck, and down the gangplank. We had landed more towards the middle of the aeroport, and so Demi and I slowed down to admire the various zeppelins in the field.
There were some personal craft, but mostly medium-sized merchant ships like Quaerere. I did spot the tall bulk of a Dreadnought-class Anglish military craft in the distance, with groups of soldiers making their own trails from it to the city.
In one of the prime positions, close to the city, was parked a majestic airship. The golden solar sails matched the gold filigree that decorated the polished wood hull, and the people on deck wore clean, crisp uniforms. I wonder who owns it.
Many workers scuttled back and forth between the coal depot and the airfield. They guided small mechanical elephants in their little lanes between ships; the elephants’ open backs were filled with coal. Sometimes they were full enough that chunks of coal fell off, and when that happened, little street urchins scuttled out from the shade of the ships and snatched the pieces.
Demi said to me quietly, “My brother-in-law maintains those mechs.”
“Are you proud of him?” Why did he say it so quietly?
“We can talk about it later.” He had let go of my arm by now but still walked close to me, nudging me in the right direction once we left the aeroport. Even though I’d been here multiple times, I still would get lost if left alone for more than a minute. I’ve always been directionally challenged, but all the streets in this town look the same, regardless. And the soldiers on each street make me nervous. I try to keep my head down without looking suspicious.
Demi and I walk for close to thirty minutes. I check my stopwatch at every intersection and watch the hands tick along. Toby wanted me to meet him at a coffee shop near the Ruslanian embassy at 1300 hours. The wrestling starts at 1130 and will probably last an hour. And having dinner with the Yucels will not take less than half an hour. I’m going to be incredibly late for our coffee meeting - and I can’t not go.
When I spotted a messenger bird station, I turned to Demi. “Hey, can we take a break? I need to send a message.”
“No, we have to keep going. By the time we arrive, the first match will be starting, and I don’t want to miss it. Come on, walk faster.”
“But-” My protests were muffled by shouts from across the street. Demi and I walked faster, and I tried not to make eye contact with anyone. Usually the residents weren’t bothered by foreigners, but the city seemed restless this time around. Maybe having soldiers here makes the difference.
Soon enough we reach the wrestling area, a large grassy indentation in the city. Many men had already chosen their seats on the slope. They crowded into a sliver of shade. Demi found us a place to sit at the edge of the shade and immediately started pointing out different wrestlers.
“There’s Tantug, he’s expected to win. And Ersen is a contender, too. He won last year, remember?”
“I think I remember. Why is Tantug expected to win, though?”
“He’s been a rising star this year. He’s a little younger than Ersen, but bigger and probably stronger. It’s tough to make someone’s belly face the sky when they are so huge! Obviously, Ersen has much more experience, so we’ll have to see how this match turns out. They have to beat their other opponents first. This is a tournament, after all.”
We watched as oil was poured on the contestants. They were all bare-chested and wore tight leather trousers. An official separated pairs on the turf.
“I was scheduled to receive message birds about the tournament on our journey here, but they never came. Do you think that the problem is on Quaerere’s end, or the city’s?”
I shrugged, thinking about the bird’s homing beacon that I switched off. Without it, no messenger bird can locate our ship. “Well, you know Quaerere is considered an antique. Barry was telling me earlier about all the things he’s trying to keep from falling apart. I can ask him to take a look at the beacon, if you want.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Demi stared in the general direction of the wrestlers, but his gaze went into the middle distance. “Yes, that would be good. Thank you.”
Some of the matches resolved quickly, others took longer. I could hear the ticking of my watch though it was tucked in my pocket. As the next stage of the tournament began, I managed to slip away. “I’m going to go use the lavatory,” I told Demi.
“Oh, okay. There’s one inside the coffeehouse that we passed on the way here. You might have to buy something to use it.”
“Thank you,” I curtly replied as I got up.
I quickly retraced our steps and found the restaurant that Toby wanted to meet me at. It’s across the street from the Ruslanian embassy, and I watch its banners flutter in the wind.
Another reason why we chose this meeting place is its appeal to foreigners. We blend in here. I sit and order an appetizer.
A veiled woman sits at the table next to mine, just an arm’s length away. We are both oriented toward the street, our backs to the other patrons. Our little corner is quiet until a man’s voice mumbles, “I’m not surprised that you didn’t recognize me.”
“Toby?!” I resist the urge to look right at him, trying to keep up the facade for other patrons. Nothing to see here, just two people politely ignoring each other, separately enjoying their meals.
“Yes, it’s me, but keep your voice down, for goodness sake! Do you have your walking stick?”
“My what?”
“The item…”
“Oh! The item. Well, I have it, but I wasn’t able to get it off the ship.”
Toby cursed under his breath and was interrupted by the waitress. “Would you like more tea, ma’am?”
A high-pitched voice emerged from under the full-face veil. “Yes, please.”
The waitress left, and I started to say something snarky, but Toby told me to shut up. “The princess wants the painting today.”
“I know, and I’m really sorry. Demi dragged me out of the ship for the wrestling contest, and I couldn’t get away until now. He thinks I went to the lavatories.”
“Sydney, do you know what this means? If she doesn’t get the painting, I’m going to prison. For a long time. She’ll kick me out of my complimentary hotel room and tip off Interpol without batting an eye. And she’s still angry that I was even photographed by that stupid guard in the first place. That would never have happened if my partner had shown up like he was supposed to. But no, he had to skip town and leave his forbidden cat behind!”
“This has just been hellish all the way around for you, huh?”
“Obviously! It was supposed to be foolproof - an inside man, the hidden door, the easy getaway! But I suppose the only fool was me for choosing to work with that scum!”
“Yeah, what did you say his name was, again?”
He spat out the syllables. “Pickford. Cale Pickford.”
“Oh. Oh, my.” The pieces came together in my head with what I’m sure was an audible click.
“What is it? Do you know where he is? When I get my hands on him…” he growled.
“As a matter of fact, I know exactly where he is. We’re, um, bunked in the same room.”
“He got hired!? Your captain interviewed him and thought to herself, ‘Wow, this guy looks so trustworthy and responsible! Let’s pay him so that he can stab us in the back later’ ?!”
“Shush, people are looking. Of course he got hired. He presents well and has some mechanical skills. After Winstan left, Barry needed a new assistant.”
I can hear the evil smile in Toby’s voice as he says, “Well, that makes it easy for us to catch him and get the bounty. And as for keeping me out of jail, how soon can you retrieve the item?”
“After the tournament ends, Demi invited me to go to his family’s house. We’re going to eat baklava. I think I’ll have just enough time to get the paint- the item, excuse me, and meet you at the embassy.”
“You can’t get it now?”
“I have to get back to Demi. He’ll be wondering.”
“That’s fair.” He thought for a minute. “I think that plan will work. I’ll see you soon, cousin.”
“Yes, see you later.”
“Hey, before you go, how is my sister doing? Didn’t she get super airsick on the last run?”
“I forgot about that! You should have seen her, she was stuck on the deck for three days, green to the gills! Such a miserable time for her, I’m sure.” I chuckled at the memory. Charlotte is a trooper, for sure. “She’s definitely doing better this time.”
“And she doesn’t know about the… mishap?”
“No, she doesn’t know about her brother, the sheep.”
“I’m a sheep?”
“Yeah, ‘cause you’re on the lam.”
A beat of silence, then, “Stars. Sydney, you have got to stop this. Your speaking privileges are now revoked. Don’t talk again. Ever.”
“Oh, Toby, how I love to torture you. Now I’d best be going, but I will see you later.”
I stand up and find myself face-to-face with Demi. “Sydney! Did you get sidetracked? How did you end up all the way over here?”
Thinking quickly, I reply, “I followed my nose. The food smelled good.”
He gave me a quizzical look, then noticed my barely touched plate of food. “Your eyes must have been bigger than your stomach. Come on, the tournament is nearly finished.”
We walk back to the grass and I watch the wrestlers, content in the knowledge that everything will work out just fine.
_________________
I move to formally retract my previous statement. This isn’t working out “just fine”. True, I did watch the end of the tournament, and had baklava with the Yucel family. But then Adelaide ruined it. I was back at the airship at 1300, and I guess so was everyone else, because the captain announced that we would be departing immediately.
So I had to chart our course while fuming. I slammed my tools around and made a mess of things. Toby will go to prison because of this incredibly stupid decision that Adelaide made. And I can’t do anything about it. Not a single thing. Because here we are, hundreds of feet in the air, and headed straight for Mogadishu. It’ll take us close to 30 hours if the weather holds.
Our communications have already been cut off. That’s one step done. The next thing I need to do is get this ship turned around - as quickly as possible. And I know I already have one accomplice; let’s see if I can muster another.