Airship City

Chapter 13

IONE

“En garde!” The cry echoed out over the enormous, empty ballroom. Ione stood facing her opponent, her sabre held just in front of her mesh mask. She swept her sword downward in the traditional salute, and then attacked her fencing instructor at a ferocious pace, her sabre whipping through the air. He stepped back steadily, parrying her blows with precise movements of his sword. The clash of blade upon blade rang out over the thump of footfalls as Ione advanced relentlessly. But just as she sensed victory, her instructor delivered a single thrust that pressed the round point of his sword against the padding over her chest. Her heart sank. So close, yet so far.

“Very nice, Miss Hughes! Good energy. Although a little wild, especially towards the end. You must always be aware of your opponent’s sword.”

“Yes, senór,” said Ione, removing her mask. She caught her breath as a bead of sweat ran down her cheek. “But I did have you going backwards!”

The instructor removed his own mask. His head cocked slightly as he considered this. “Yes, you are correct,” he replied, one eyebrow slightly raised. “But remember that the tactical retreat can create space for the counter-strike, sí? Also, when your opponent is moving forward, you can use that momentum against him, by suddenly standing your ground. He will rush right onto the point of your sword.”

Ione nodded. That was exactly what had happened. The sword point had suddenly appeared in front of her, and she had been unable to check her forward movement.

“Muy bueno! That is enough for today. I will see you again next week.” With a little bow, the instructor collected her sword, and then turned on his heel and strode rapidly out of the ballroom. 

Sighing, Ione turned to go out of the opposite door, to her room. Now that the distraction of the fencing session was over, the unpleasant memory of her abortive lunch date returned. She flinched as she remembered bursting into tears in front of that horrible boy. He had no right to betray me like that. And after I tried to be sympathetic to him too! But she knew, deep down, that the real reason for her depression was that Joseph had inadvertently named her greatest fear: that her father was going crazy.

It wasn’t just the periodic obsession with people’s clothing. He sometimes refused to eat if something about his food seemed wrong to him, and the chef at Top Table had long since learned to make sure that peas served to her father were all exactly the same size, and arranged in a regular fashion. Other obsessions and fixations would arise as well. The latest one related to time: every clock on Aeropolis had to display exactly the same time as that shown on her father’s wristwatch. Blake had had to hire someone whose only job was to repeatedly check every clock, one after  the other, using a chronometer which Blake surreptitiously synchronised with the wristwatch every morning.

There wasn’t anyone that she could talk to about it. Her mother just laughed at her fears. “Of course your father’s crazy,” she’d say. “That’s why we’re not together anymore!” When she said things like that, Ione felt a bit foolish, thinking that maybe it was really nothing to worry about. But when other people commented on her father’s behaviour, as Joseph had done, then the fear came rushing back.

Even a foam bath did little to lift her mood. Afterwards she lay on her bed, feeling very sorry for herself. 

A loud tapping at the door made Ione start. “Who is it?”

“Ione, it’s your father.”

“Hi Daddy. You can come in,” she said miserably, not turning to face the door. Hughes strode into the room. “Do you know where Joseph is?” he demanded. 

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know either.”

Her father raised an eyebrow at that. “What happened? You two have a fight?”

She grimaced. “Something like that.”

“Well, when’s the last time you saw him?”

“In Top Table.”

He frowned. “So you don’t know where he went after that?”

She shook her head. “I… left before he did.”

Her father rubbed his face, and began pacing up and down, clenching and unclenching his fists. She watched him uneasily. “What’s wrong, Daddy?”

“Joseph is missing. We can’t find him anywhere. I was hoping he’d said something to you about where he could be.”

“No, he didn’t.” She decided not to explain exactly how Joseph came to end up in the restaurant on his own. “But I’m sure he’s safe. Probably just wandered off to look at airships or something.”

Her father shook his head. “No, we thought of that already. No sign of him on main deck.” He bit his lower lip. “I think he’s been kidnapped.”

“What? By who?”

“Oh come on, Ione. There’s only one organisation out to get me.”

“Not the ZA again?”

“What do you mean, again? Do you think the ZA has given up?”

“But why Joseph? What would they hope to gain?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they saw you two together, and thought he was important to me.”

“Well, he’s not. So there’s no need to worry.”

He glared at her. “I can’t just abandon him! Anyway, I knew his father. I have a responsibility.” He bit his thumb.

“But what can you possibly do?”

“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out what’s going on.” He turned and stalked out.

Ione’s heart sank as she watched him go. The obsession with the shadowy organisation known as the ZA had peaked about a year ago, when her father had been convinced that ZA agents were everywhere, plotting against him, but since then, things had calmed down a bit. Until now.

Of course, the ZA was somehow connected to the Zeppelin company, and everybody knew that relations between the Hughes Aircraft Corporation and the Zeppelin company went somewhat beyond the bounds of friendly competition, but no-one seriously believed that the ZA was engaged in criminal activity. No-one, that is, except her father.

Ione sighed, and turned to stare out of her window. Though she tried to ignore it, the fear nagged at her. It always arose when one of her father’s obsessions took a turn for the worse. Is this it? The beginning of a final descent into madness?