The wind whistled through the ropes of the rigging, causing the boards of the old airship to creek. Ellie closed her eyes and breathed slowly through her nose. She’d been on airships before. Just not one that was so…experienced, and she felt a surge of nausea as she held onto the edge of the decrepit boat. Usually, the sight of the city miles below her wasn’t a problem, but the way the boards seemed to sway in the breeze sent her stomach lurching.

“Alright there, Miss?” Hogan called, just a trace of disapproval in his voice. “I told ya yer oughtn’t be traveling through sky like this.”

Ellie did her best to hide her grimace.

“I’m quite well,” she said, turning towards him with a pasted-on smile. “I was just setting my face to the wind. I feel it quite bracing.”

Hogan muttered something under his breath, then went back to winding a rope. Hogan was a remnant of the days of the sea. Like many sailors, when airships became the norm, he turned his gaze skyward, but the superstitions and traditions still held firm. He didn’t believe that a woman should be on board a ship. It was bad luck. An American woman was bad enough. And he was always happy to take the opportunity to remind her that she didn’t belong there.

Ellie sighed and turned her gaze back towards the darkened landscape. The city below was one of tradition, so even though many of the larger homes were lit up with the electric lightbulbs, the streets still ran with gas lamps that weren’t quite able to pierce the fog and the dark, creating a glowering haze that gave the place an eerie, haunted appearance that blended perfectly into the moors.

“Hogan! Tighten up that rigging!”

Ellie turned back from the city to welcome the captain of the airship with a smile. Captain Charles Duncan was an affable fellow, well into his sixties and a little bit dotty. Ellie had commissioned his airship to take her up above the city, and he had made her feel welcome.

Captain Duncan and his airship The Gateway would not have been her first choice, but as it was her only choice, she did her best to be satisfied. Four days ago, Ellie had heard about strange lights coming from Bangor in Wales. Three days ago, she had taken a train there to investigate. The small community was close-lipped, and Ellie was unable to find out anything, least of all where the lights were coming from. Two days ago, she had made up her mind to commission an airship. However, capering about over a city for a few days, catering to a girl without much of a budget was beneath the notice of the more reputable airships.

Captain Duncan had agreed to take her on as a client. He had insisted that The Gateway had an important flight in five days, too short a time to take on a long engagement, but he would be obliged to do this simple service for a lady, at a reasonable fee.

The Captain was kind and gentlemanly, but Ellie truly believed he would take what he could get as far as clients went, and that there was no important flight in his future. She wasn’t certain The Gateway could make its way out of the general vicinity. Truth be told, she was shocked it was sailing now. She glanced nervously at the great balloon overhead, searching instinctively for rips and holes. All she could see in this light was the shiny surface of the aluminum skin, made black by the night.

“Hello Captain Duncan,” she said warmly. He may be dotty, but Ellie liked the man. And she appreciated that he didn’t allow Hogan to speak roughly to her. He also kept the other two members of the crew out of her way, though, as boys of 16 and 17, they were harmless enough. In fact, they were below deck now, one tending to random duties, the other likely preparing an evening repast. The final member of the expedition was Ernest, the second in command. He was currently steering the ship, but he generally kept to himself.

“Ms. Baker. Remind me, what is it we’re looking for again?” Captain Duncan said.

“Strange lights,” Ellie replied. “There have been reports of something very odd going on in this area.”

“I see. And why might that be of interest to you?”

“Professional interest,” Ellie said.

“Yes…What was it you do again? Unusual, you know, for a lady to have a profession.”

Ellie did know. It wasn’t unheard of, but for some reason the idea of actually meeting a woman who worked outside of the home was a novelty that some just couldn’t seem to grasp.

“I’m a researcher,” she said. “But my father is a scientist. I help him sometimes by gathering data.”

“And what are you researching?” Captain Duncan said, frowning down at the darkened countryside below them.

“The strange lights,” Ellie said, trying not to sound impatient and utterly failing. However, Captain Duncan was truly a gentleman.

“Yes, yes,” he said with a chuckle. “What I don’t understand is why.”

“Oh,” Ellie said, suddenly realizing that she wasn’t being very clear or clever. She pointed down to one of the larger houses. “Do you see that house?”

Captain Duncan nodded.

“It uses electric lights. They’re brighter than most of the lights in the area. Even so, they only glow so brightly. The lights people report seeing are more like lightning. But there are no storm clouds. To create flashes of light like that, you’d need a great deal of power. But there has been no indication of any such thing. I’d like to know what is causing the lights, and if it’s something that can be harnessed. This could be new technology that would be of great importance to men like my father.”

“I see. Well then, let’s find you those lights!” Captain Duncan said. “Hogan, keep a weather eye out.”

Hogan grumbled again as he tied a knot into one of the ropes, too indistinct to be heard, but Ellie could guess at least some of the meaning from his tone.

“What was that?” Captain Duncan asked, his tone like a whip.

“I said, I’m not sure we should be investigating strange lights,” Hogan said.“It might be something unnatural. And we’d do best to keep our distance.”

Ellie again tried not to sigh.

“I understand the cultural biases that would lead you to believe something like that,” Ellie said. “But I am a woman of science, and I can assure you that, whatever is causing those lights, has a reasonable, even natural explanation.”

Hogan sneered.

“Shows what you know.”

“Hogan,” Captain Duncan snapped.

“Sorry, Captain. But she don’t know what she’s talking about.”

“That’s enough, Hogan.”

“Please, Captain. It’s alright. Hogan has obviously decided something about me, let him speak his piece.”

Hogan shuffled over to the rail of the ship and pointed towards the bit of country they were now gliding over.

“You think everything out there can be explained, ‘cause we’ve got flying ships and communication machines, and I don’t know what all. But while you’ve been meddling with all this science, you’ve forgotten a few things. You’ve forgotten the world wild.”

“The world wild?” Ellie asked. It wasn’t a phrase she was familiar with.

“Aye. The things that science can’t explain, because it’s not science. It just is. Monsters and mayhem, and things that go bump in the night.”

“Superstition,” Ellie said. “Fairy stories.”

“Stories have to come from somewhere,” Hogan replied.

“No one has seen anything like that,” Ellie said smartly. “Not really.”

Hogan looked her dead in the eye, something he hardly ever did.

“I have. Why do you think I left the ocean and took to the sky? It seemed safer.”

Ellie shook her head. Hogan was a strange man. She rubbed her arms against the chill, sure that goosebumps had risen there because of the stiff breeze, and not because of his unnervingly insistent words.

“Believe what you wish, Mr. Hogan. But I say it is nothing more than nonsense.”

“And that’s why woman don’t belong on board.”

“That really is enough, Hogan,” Captain Duncan said, his tone final.

Hogan shrugged and went about his business, checking the rigging.

“Sorry, Miss Baker,” the Captain said. “The superstitions of sailors are difficult to shake.”

“It’s quite alright, Captain. Hogan isn’t the first man of his ilk that I’ve spoken to. In fact-“ she cut off abruptly at a sudden burst of light. They had drifted farther into the country surrounding the city, over a black hill. An arch of light soared over the ground, briefly illuminating the area.

Streaks of white seared into Ellies eye-lids at the brightness of it. Whatever was happening down there was surely taking a tremendous amount of power. She leaned over the railing, trying to see into the darkness, waiting for another burst of light. She wasn’t disappointed. She could see three figures on the hill. Too far away to make out in detail, but definitely there.

“Captain, can you take us lower?” she called. “And mark this spot on the map.”

Captain Duncan looked uneasy.

“Captain?”

“Aye, Miss. I’ll do it. Prepare yourself.”

He stalked to the wheel room, and shortly after Ellie felt a thrill in her stomach as the airship suddenly descended. Arcs of light kept dancing across her vision, growing higher and higher even as she drew closer to the ground.

Finally, there was another great burst. Ellie jumped back as it arched skyward, attracted by the metal of the ship. She cried out, too late as the electric jolt tore a hole into the balloon.

A great whoosh of gas exploded into the starry night, followed by flames. Ellie was knocked onto the deck, the air rushing out of her lungs with all the same force of the fumes escaping the ruptured envelope. She cracked her head against the weathered floor boards, and little white sparks danced in front of her eyes.

“Bad luck!” Hogan called. “I said it was bad luck!”

“Hold on!” Captain Duncan called. “Everyone, hold on!”

Ellie grasped at the floor as the airship tilted wildly, recklessly, heartlessly in the air. She felt herself sliding, but could find no grip, no friendly handhold. The nose of the ship dipped, and Ellie slid along with it. Even in her dazed state, she realized not all hope was lost. The railing would catch her.

She slid helplessly towards it. As did about a dozen other things on deck. Ellie had a very good view as the heavier objects with less purchase than she’d managed soared past her, crashing through the rail, and leaving a gaping hole. She didn’t even have time to scream before she found herself freefalling through the air.

Liam looked through his spy glass with a frown. His focus was the little old airship that had been circling the area for the better part of two days. At first Liam had imagined that the ship was searching for them, but there were no soldiers, no marksmen, nothing to suggest that the airship was doing more than surveying the land below in lazy circles.

Once he had ruled out the possibility that they were looking for him, he’d considered boarding it and taking what he could. But it was old and dilapidated, and likely wouldn’t have much worth stealing. He had been careful to keep his own airship far above them and at an angle where shadows wouldn’t give away their presence. His ship would be hard for them to spot. Many airships came with a crow’s dome on the top, but this one did not. It was an older model, designed just like an ocean ship with a great balloon instead of sails. This made following them without being noticed almost painfully easy.

Liam had continued to follow and monitor them, even after deciding they probably weren’t a threat. No matter how harmless they may have appeared, there was something about their presence that made him uneasy. This wasn’t the sort of area over which one would take a pleasure cruise.

Now that it was night, it was easier to get a look at the ship from different angles. Liam’s boat and the balloon were both painted black, so it was easy for them to blend into the night sky. He was looking at them almost head on.

He could see a young woman on the deck, which was odd with these older boats, as many of the crew were usually superstitious sailors. She gave the impression of being in charge of the expedition. Even from a distance through his spy glass, the lines of her movement conveyed authority, curiosity, impatience, and a hint of doubt. Curious.

“Liam?”

Liam turned towards the sound of his sister’s voice. She was a picture of contrast and darkness, and Liam tried not to frown. She should be getting better, not worse, but there she stood on the deck, her black hair fluttering around the porcelain whiteness of her skin. She had an unholy fierceness about her, only part of which had come to her naturally. It was that other part, the hungry part, and the dark circles under her eyes that made Liam uneasy.

“Cass, are you well?”

Cass rolled her eyes and gave him an arch look.

“Better than you, probably,” she said with a smirk. “Remember, I’m not dying. Quite the opposite in fact.”

“It’s not funny, Cass,” Liam said sternly.

“It’s never been funny,” she replied. “All the more reason we joke about it while we can.”

“Ha ha,” Liam said, mustering his driest tone.

“Are you still watching that ship?” Cass asked, moving towards the railing and unhooking her own spy glass from her belt.

“What are they doing?” she asked, following the movements of the boat.

“I can’t tell.”

“Is it worth taking?” she asked, casually.

“I doubt it. Maybe they—” He cut off abruptly as a flash of lightning tore across the moors.

Cass gave out a strangled yelp and leapt away from the light, crouching to the floor like a cat

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Cass nodded and gave out a trembling breath.

“I’m fine. What was that?”

Instinctively, Liam looked up. There was a chilling breeze and a fair number of regular clouds, but no storm clouds. Nothing that would have caused an arc of light like that. The airship they had been following moved quickly towards it, and Liam signaled Doc, his man at the wheel to get closer.

He put his spy glass back to his eye and scanned the ground, looking for the source of the brilliant light, when another flash momentarily blinded him. He threw his arms over his eyes and swore under his breath.

“Language,” Cass said, brushing off the knees of her breaches as she stood.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Liam said. “I wasn’t able to see what was going on. Were you?”

Cass shook her head.

“No. But whatever it was, I didn’t like it.”

Liam didn’t doubt it.

The arcs of bright light continued intermittently, and they grew closer and closer to the other ship. Whatever was happening down there, Liam needed to find out. They hadn’t been in the area long, but it was sure to draw a lot of attention, which could be a problem for them. But more importantly, there was something very unnatural about it. And if it was unnatural, it was possible it could help them with their problem. They were nearly on top of the other ship when one of the arcs leapt unusually high and punctured the other balloon.

There was a brief ball of flame, and the ship listed dangerously, its nose taking an abrupt dive. Cass and Liam locked eyes. They may be pirates, but they weren’t monsters.

“All hands!” Liam cried, “Get lines over to that ship! Grab the crew!”

They had moments at most, and they had to be careful in the rescue, or their ship would go down as well. All of these thoughts flashed across Liam’s mind in the moment it took for him to realize that a figure had fallen from the sinking boat, and she was screaming.

Liam cursed again, then jumped up onto the rail.

“Liam, don’t even think about it,” Cass said.

Liam looked over his shoulder, shrugged, and then leapt off the edge.