Chasing the Green Fairy by Melanie Karsak

Author:Melanie Karsak [Karsak, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Clockpunk Press
Published: 2014-02-24T06:00:00+00:00

MR. SPENCER’S PRIVATE SHIP LIFTED off the roof of the bank and headed south. He passed coordinates to me and the pilot, telling me the estate was located in Nottinghamshire, adjacent to Newstead Abbey. Newstead was one of Byron’s great losses. He was just a boy when he inherited the estate from an uncle; the inheritance had lifted him out of poverty and made him a member of the landed gentry, titling him Lord Byron. But as a young man, Byron could not afford the property. It had to be sold, and as such, it became one of many of Byron’s missed chances. I stood at the prow of the small airship and realized I was another.

I gazed at the Edinburgh airship towers as we took off. I loved the image of the magnificent airships sitting anchored aloft with grand old Edinburgh Castle in the background. No matter what ship I piloted, I’d always loved flying into Edinburgh. But today, I was running. I would need to face my life soon. People were waiting on me, depending on me. It wasn’t right to let them worry. But, I needed time.

The small ship pushed south over thick forests and rolling lowlands. I held onto a tether at the prow and stood in the wind. I tried to take in the smell of the trees and meadow flowers. The perfumed air filled my senses and caressed my body, but nothing could ease the depth of everything we—Byron and I—had just been through.

Despite my miserable state, I arrived at my destination just a few hours later. I found myself hovering above a heavily forested area. The pilot, who’d stayed silent the entire trip, lowered the airship to the tree line and dropped a rope ladder overboard. “Do you need help, Miss Stargazer?” he asked.

I looked over the side of the ship. The airship was floating above a deer path cutting through the woods. I saw nothing but trees. I sniggered. Help? I was being lowered into the green without rhyme or reason, the skeletal remains of a fairy tucked into my bag. Something told me I might need Merlin’s help to face what was coming next.

“I’ll be fine. Thank you,” I said and grabbed the ladder. I climbed down and landed in the mud, my Moroccan satin slippers sinking into the wet earth. “Fantastic,” I cursed, pulling my feet out of the soggy ground. The slippers were flooded.

Overhead, the balloon heater fired. The ladder was retracted, and the airship lifted toward the clouds. Moments later, I was entirely alone. It was late afternoon. The sun glimmered down through the canopy, casting slanting rays of light onto the forest floor. Spotting a rock nearby, I leaned against the stone and peeled off the slippers. I took a deep breath and looked around. The small deer path led deeper into the forest. I stood, now barefoot, and thought about what to do. My hands were already shaking, and a sick, empty feeling gripped my stomach. The opium had me.

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