A Conspiracy of Alchemists: Book One in the Chronicles of Light and Shadow by Liesel Schwarz Read Free Book Online

certainly trouble—the kind she would do well to avoid.
    The communications console rattled and spewed out a thin strip of paper tape. Elle tore it off and looked at the Morse code tapped onto it.
    “Airfield coming up. They’ve cleared us for landing,” she said with some relief. “You chaps had better finish your tea. And keep your heads down. I’ve seen enough trouble for one trip.”
    The lights of the airfield loomed into view. Elle brushed biscuit crumbs off her coat and stowed the tea things away. It was time to ready the ship for landing.
    The airfield opened up below them. To the side were the gargantuan airship hangers where the biggest airships could be overhauled. A row of spark lights lit up on the ground, indicating a landing berth to the left.
    Gently she eased off on the throttle and the Water Lily aligned herself with the wooden landing platform below. The thrusters spluttered into reverse. With a wheeze of steam, the dirigible berthed. Her slightly flaccid balloon keeled to one side as she shuddered against the mooring trellises. To Elle’s relief, the tether ropes released when she pulled the operating lever. Patrice’s circus act on takeoff hadn’t entangled them as badly as she’d feared.
    The night crew ran out and grabbed hold of the tether ropes. A few moments later the whistle sounded to signal that the ship was secure for disembarkation. She took a deep breath. They had made it.
    Elle was about to reach for her holdall when she remembered it was gone. The loss of it made her insides lurch. The thought of some greasy absinthe-soaked lout pawing through her possessions made her nauseous, but there was nothing she could do about it. She sighed and tucked her pilot license and the ship’s departure permit into her coat pocket. The holdall had been her favorite. It would take a lot of searching to find another one that she’d love as much.
    They waited until the ground crew had finished tying the last ropes before Elle opened the hatch and let the rope ladder tumble down.
    It had been raining and the ground squelched a muddy welcome under her boots when she stepped off the bottom rung of the ladder. She smiled. It was good to be home.
    “Well, we’ve reached the end of our journey,” she said when her passengers stepped into the mud beside her. “The freight-ship berths are miles away from the departure hall, so if you keep your heads and don’t act suspiciously, no one will notice you leaving. You may have to tramp through a field or two to get to the main road though. It’s that way.” She gestured into the darkness. “I wish you best of luck, chaps. And Patrice, I do hope you find the man who took the viscount’s box.” She turned to Marsh and extended her hand.
    He took it and looked into her eyes. “Thank you. For everything.” She felt another jolt. What is it about this man’s stare that affected her so? It really was most disconcerting.
    “We really should see you through the arrivals terminal safely. In fact, I insist on it,” Patrice said.
    “Oh, that won’t be necessary.” She was in no mood to explain her unscheduled passengers to the authorities.
    “Miss Chance!”
    She turned at the sound of her name shouted in the distance. A lad of about ten or eleven was running across the field to meet her.
    “Quick. Hide!” she said.
    Marsh and Patrice stepped into the shadows.
    “Miss Chance.” The boy panted as he came to a stop before her. “The night superintendent wants to see you in his office as soon as you’ve cleared customs. He said I am to go with you. This way, please, miss,” the boy said. He took off in the direction of the buildings.
    Elle motioned behind her back for Marsh and Patrice to stay out of sight and then followed the boy. She had been dreading the explanations she was going to need when they discovered that she had no docking papers from Paris with her. And that was without having the Airfield Superintendent involved. She put her hands in