Airship Raid

Into the forest

The undergrowth was thick and trackless, spreading off into the quiet gloom under the canopy. It wasn't at all obvious which direction he should take to reach the wooden structure he had glimpsed from the pod; even if he had noticed the position of the sun at the time, it wasn't visible down here. He wandered about, somewhat aimlessly, but the thick covering of boughs was unvarying.

The ground, however, had a definite slope. The lake had to be at the bottom of the slope, so he set off downhill, trudging through the undergrowth and dodging around tree trunks. After a while he could glimpse an expanse of water through the trees now and again, and shortly thereafter he emerged onto the shore of the lake. A narrow beach of pebbles extended between the tree line and the water, running fairly straight away to his left, but curving around in a great sweep to his right. On the far shore, at about two o'clock as he stood facing directly towards the lake, stood the wooden building. It was set in a grassy clearing that extended back into the forest some way, and was composed of a tall central structure, with wings extending to either side along the lake shore.

Joseph set off along the beach towards it. The going over the pebbles was easier than walking through the forest, but not by much. He trudged along under the hot afternoon sun, and almost didn't notice the sleek black shape moving over the forest. But the movement in the corner of his eye made him look, and he froze.

His heart pounded in his chest, sending waves of pressure into his head. He fought the impulse to dive back into the forest, and instead squinted at the airship. It was definitely the Lady Guinevere. It seemed to have paused above the trees, and Joseph imagined Monmouth staring down at the canopy of the escape pod, caught up in the tops of the trees.

Then the airship turned towards the lake. A few seconds later the sound of the engines reached him. Joseph moved as close to the tree line as possible, so that the airship was no longer visible above the trees, and doubled his pace along the beach.

As the sounds of the aero engines grew louder and louder, he walked faster and faster, until he was virtually running. At last his nerve ran out, and he dashed back into the forest, just as the airship reappeared, moving rapidly out over the lake.

He pushed further into the forest, then resumed moving parallel to the beach, towards the building. The sound of the airship faded, and he concentrated on pushing through the forest. After a surprisingly short time, he could see the edge of the clearing, with the lawn beyond.

The building seemed to be an hotel. A wide veranda ran across its front, and well-dressed people were sitting at tables, being served by smartly-dressed waiters. Children played on the lawns which led down from the veranda. A wooden dock ran along the lakefront, and couples strolled along it arm in arm, looking out at the lake.

A group of older boys in lederhosen broke away from the other children and ran excitedly down onto the dock, where they crowded up against the railing, pointing excitedly out onto the lake. The object of this turned out to be an approaching ferry. As it drew closer its passengers began to line its railings, waving back at the boys, and Joseph suddenly realised this was the perfect opportunity to get into the hotel without raising suspicion as to his sudden appearance in such a remote spot.

He slipped out of the forest and moved quickly across the lawn to the dock, although he was careful not to run. No-one noticed; they were all looking at the ferry. He moved along the dock towards the point where the ferry was backing water and making its final approach, and was waiting as it bumped gently against the pilings.

Crew members jumped ashore and rapidly secured the ferry to its moorings, then ran out a gang-plank. The passengers surged onto the dock, and Joseph found it perfectly easy to blend in with the stream as it moved off the dock and up the steps towards the hotel.

A blare of aero engines made everyone look up, as the black airship made a low pass overhead. But Joseph kept his head down, and shuffled along, hoping that there wasn't a landing pad, or that it was far away from the hotel. As soon as the airship was out of sight, he began to push his way through the throng, into the hotel.

Once inside some of the passengers moved off into the lounge area, but Joseph followed the diminished group heading towards the rear of the hotel, where he hoped to find the reception, and some means of contacting Hughes. A group of the new arrivals crowded around the desk of the concierge, but the panic was upon him again, and he pushed in, feeling the disapproving stares burning into him.

"Excuse me! I need to make an urgent phone call!"

The concierge turned away from the woman he was talking to, a tight smile on his face. "I will be helping you very soon, yes? But I am engaged at the moment." He gestured at the waiting crowd. Joseph felt his cheeks burn, but he couldn't give up. His gaze bounced nervously from one hostile face to another. "I'm truly sorry about this, but it is very, very important that I make this call! It is a matter of life and death!"

The concierge frowned, and took in a deep breath. But Joseph held his gaze. The man's shoulders slumped, and he rolled his eyes slightly. "Very well. If it is so important. The telephone booths are over there." He pointed to the other side of the lobby. Joseph turned and saw two booths set into the wall. The light was on in one, and through the little window set into the door, he could see a man talking on a phone. The other booth was dark.

He dashed across the lobby, reaching the second booth just as a large woman was about to open the door. He darted in front of her, ignoring her indignant cries, and shut the door, turning on the light. He lifted the handset. The operator said something that he didn't understand.

"Do you speak English?"

"Yes, of course," she said, with a strong accent.

"I need to place a call to Aeropolis."

"Of course. What is the number of your room?"

Joseph thought quickly. He could ask to make the call reverse charges, but then what if the Aeropolis operator refused to accept? "Room 314."

"Thank you, sir. Making the connection now."

There was a pause, a click, a hiss of static. "Aeropolis operator, how may I direct your call?"

Joseph gripped the handset in both hands, as if he could transmit the urgency of his situation by doing this. "I need to speak to the office of Mr Hughes."

There was a pause. "Mr Hughes is not currently on Aeropolis."

"I know that! I was with him this morning, in Switzerland. We've become... separated. I need to let him know where I am."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, I should have said. Joseph Samson. I'm a friend of Ione's. I work for Mr Hughes. I'm doing flight training at the moment."

"All right, Joseph. I can get a message to Mr Steinbrenner, for Mr Hughes. Where are you now?"

Panic seized Joseph. He had been so intent on getting on the phone that he had quite forgotten to find out the name of the hotel! He looked around the little booth desperately, but there was nothing on the walls, no brochures on the shelf.

"Hold on one moment." He would have to go back to the concierge! But the large woman was waiting outside. She would simply hang up and then make her own call. He didn't know what to do.

He turned back to the phone, and saw something on the floor. He bent to pick it up. Relief flooded through him. It was a book of matches, with an engraving of the hotel on the front. He turned it over.

"Hello? Yes, I'm at the Schwarzwald Hotel, in Schluchsee." He stumbled over the words, and the operator asked him to spell them out. After assuring Joseph that he would contact Steinbrenner without delay, the operator rang off, and Joseph stepped out of the little booth, greatly relieved. Until Monmouth walked in through the front door of the hotel.