Watford Tales

Dirigible

Simon

People are gathering in the back of the hunting lodge in the chilly morning light, out by where the door to the sauna is. I try not to think about that, about what Baz and I were doing in there, just a couple of nights ago.

There's some kind of plan afoot but no one's bothered to tell me what it is. The adults are all milling around like they're waiting for a train, dressed to travel in coats and cloaks, hats and scarves, sensible shoes. The women all have large purses or small valises, some of the men have knapsacks. They're looking up at the sky periodically, as if they're expecting to see something there.

I go over to where Penny and Niall are standing, looking cold. When I ask them if they know what's going on they just shrug. Ebb strides over with Johnny Depp on her shoulder to join us. No sign of Dev or Agatha. Or Baz.

It's a clear morning. Everything's soaking wet from the rain the night before, and the snow is all gone. The sky is a deep, cloudless blue. The sun is just coming up over the hills and I see a dark object flying away from us, in the distance. It could be a bird, but it could also be a wraith. Johnny Depp has his beady eye on it, his head cocked to one side.

I hear a whirring, mechanical sound behind me and turn to the west. At first it's just a silver speck in the sky, glinting brightly in the rays of the rising sun. It comes closer and closer, until a huge silver dirigible is hovering above us, shining in the early morning sun like a giant silver bubble.

A hatch slides open. A thin silvery ladder unfurls in the clear, cold morning air. Out of the hatch appears.... Amoun. My friend, from the halal stand. He descends the ladder nimbly, followed by a woman wearing a long skirt and a head scarf. At the bottom of the ladder he jumps down and gives her a hand. They stand on either side of the ladder. Amoun holds his wand to his mouth and speaks into it.

"Friends," he says, his voice magickally magnified. "There is, as you know a great evil arisen in the south. Your Mage has harnessed an ancient power, and he plans to use it to a nefarious end. He has gathered a group of desperate allies, with little to lose. He has promised them much, and they are in liege to him. Vampires. Goblins. Wraiths. Humans who have remained loyal to him, though he has shown his true nature as a man of greedy and selfish ambition. In addition, he has loosed on the world a force of tremendous power and darkness, a force that has the ability to destroy all of magick. You know it as the Insidious Humdrum. In other lands it goes by other names, but it is a great and ancient evil, and it is a threat to us all.

"Your Mage has captured an innocent, the daughter of Malcolm and Daphne Grimm. It is our hope and our duty to rescue this child, defeat the Mage, and suppress the evil power he has unleashed on the world. Your Coven is stymied, unsure how to proceed, but time is short. The child's life is in grave danger, and the fate of magick hangs in the balance.

"Fatima, my lovely wife is an aeronaut of great skill and experience, from a family of aeronauts which goes back many generations in our country. Her airship is at your service. She is your captain, and I turn to her for directions concerning our flight."

He hands his wand to Fatima. She accepts it with a warm smile. She is a tall and graceful woman, her eyes bright and sparkling, her face calm. She speaks in a light lilting voice, with an obvious foreign accent, but her English is crisp and clear.

"Welcome allies," she says. "This magical dirigible is a trusted airship that has transported countless groups of mages over the years. Please step aboard, taking care as you ascend the ladder. There are cabins available on the upper level for the adults. Those under 21 years of age will find berths in the solarium. Coffee is available in the salon. Breakfast will be at 11:00 in the dining hall. We will arrive at our destination at approximately 3 PM, if all proceeds according to plan. Please gather in the salon at 2:00 PM for a strategy meeting and to be fitted for parachutes for your descent. Have an enjoyable flight, and do take care on the ladder."