After Alice had explained what we'd heard from Mr Aberdain, Oliver and Dalere plotting last night, he immediately understood.
But then he raised a few points.

"Hey, it's good you've got Mr Olton's train to use but you also need a plan. You can't drive a train solo you know, and we really don't have much time! Today's Friday, that leaves only 1 day to thwart his plans!"

Very true, I thought.

"Then we need all the help we can get." I announced. "Right, Alice, do you have any paper onboard and a pen?"

"Yes, I'll go and fetch some." Alice replied, getting up from the table and striding over to a chest of drawers.

Once Alice had returned and smoothed out the paper I removed the lid from a blue fountain pen and began to draw:

"Alice, Benjamin, these are the facts. In less than one day, we must get to both Averat and Welhae station and warn the guards about the explosives, so that the explosives are removed.
Otherwise, we shall remove them ourselves." I drew the train line linking both stations.

I tried to write the names but blotted the paper. I never had written well. I thumped the table angrily.

"I'll write." Benjamin offered, wielding a black fountain pen. He scribed the station names above my drawings.

Alice asked:
"What if we can't remove them?"

"We shall find the documents about myself and take them then." I answered. "Because that's the motives of Mr Aberdain's plan. He wants to destroy any evidence of my existence. We'll warn the people too, so few are killed in the explosions."

Benjamin drew a box around the words he'd just written, underlining 'find the documents in any case'

Benjamin noted:
"It's 14 miles between the two stations, as my slow airship took some time to reach Welhae from Averat."

"We'll need the train for that." I added.

"What about my airship? Can't we use that instead?" Alice requested.

I shook my head.
"We'll need both if possible. Just in case something goes wrong, I need you to be in the airship, Alice." I told her. Alice nodded and stood up to brew herself a cup of tea.

I drew the train and airship while Benjamin busily scratched what I'd said onto the parchment.

Benjamin realised something:
"We'll need to get the train onto the tracks. How will we do that without colliding with other trains on the line?"

"We'll need to find out the train times. We can find them out today." I replied confidently.

"As for driving the train, we need Stokers and other people to search the building for the documents. Do you know anyone who could do that?" Benjamin continued to ask.

I smiled at Benjamin and chuckled.
"You're forgetting that I've lived on a train for 15 years. I know the staff on that train!"

"Oh yeah..." Benjamin said thoughtfully.

"And I also know where they live.

"Angie is in Jalithwaite, Gareth and the Stokers whereabouts can be requested from Mr Olton when we pick up the train.

"The servers on the train can also help, again requested from Mr Olton."

I finished.

"One point I would like to make." Alice interjected. "What if we met Mr Aberdain, Leticia, Dalere, Oliver?"

There was a pause.

My fountain pen dripped a drop of blue ink onto the paper like a raindrop.

"We'll warn the guards and they'll sort them out." Alice responded.

None of us could think of any better idea.

"Well, we've got ourselves a plan. We will carry it out tomorrow and today we will find everyone we mentioned. So let's go get ready!" I said.

We rolled up the paper, tied a ribbon around it before Alice went upstairs to direct the driver of the airship to our first stop.

****

It felt good to be together again.

An afternoon later, we had picked up everything except one thing.

Onboard the airship were now my old friends, Angie and Gareth, plus Billy, Graham, John, Charlie, the Stokers I knew and used to work with, plus some others who I didn't know very well but came along anyway.

Angie had also brought her 14-year old kitchen maid apprentice, who she'd become acquainted with while working at her new job after the Crimson Comodo disaster.

The young maid wore a simple brown dress with an apron and cap. She gazed at me shyly from across Alices table with the melty eyes of a worried spaniel.

Gareth and his Stokers were seated at the other table in the airship, appearing to be in close discussion but every so often a roar of laughter erupted from the group, along with the clinking of beer bottles.

Let's hope they don't get drunk. I thought.

I had other concerns though.
The one thing we hadn't picked up was the train.

The airship landed in the field opposite Mr Oltons estate and explaining I was going to see Mr Olton, I left the airship.

I hopped across the field and knocked on the tall wooden door with the bear knocker.

Mr Olton answered immediately.
And for once he didn't scowl when he saw me!

"Welcome back, apprentice!" He greeted me.

Before I could speak, he stated:
"Don't babble! It's the train you've come for! I know because I can see there is nearly all of the staff on the airship plus a few others! I'll get the train off the tracks."

Mr Olton was gone for a minute before returning, stepping outside.

It suddenly occurred to me that I couldn't possibly get the train in the airship. Steam trains usually weighed 2 tonnes in Chelare, heavier with each new development ... How on earth...

Mr Olton noticed my thoughtful expression.
"I have a cavalier (name for a group of these machines) of steam-horses, who I have ready, so my servants have chained them to the train. Ride the lead horse to direct them to the train tracks, or boarding place."

I sighed in relief.

Explaining to him that I needed to revisit the airship to tell the others this, I ran to the airship.
Once there, I explained about the steam-horses to Alice, Gareth and the Stokers, Angie and the others.

Alice handed me a map pointing to a nearby inn and we agreed to head there after receiving the steam horses. I left the airship and it flew upwards, hovering over the mansion to watch for me.

I quickly returned to where Mr Olton was standing.

Shortly after my arrival, there was a clinking, clanking, jingling sound, like little metallic bells mixed with the hardness of iron.

I turned my head and saw 7 steam-horses, uniform in synchronisation and appearance, trotting towards us. They stopped a few metres next to us, waiting for Mr Oltons command.

Mr Olton approached the lead steam-horse and on the machines neck, next to the identifying engraving Olton he removed a thick aluminium disk.

Aluminium! That metal was so difficult to extract only the very wealthy could afford it.

Mr Olton handed the disk to me and instructed me to show the disk to the horse. The steam horse sniffed my hand in a jerky, geometric way before straightening up. It neighed, sounding whistley.

"He knows you're controlling him now." Mr Olton explained. "I programmed them so they won't obey anyone except the disk-holder. Place the disk back in."

I did so before mounting the horse. As I commanded the horse into a thumping walk, I thanked Mr Olton.

"No problem! Evangeline would've been proud of you." Was his response.

Only once I'd led the horses away did I realise my former boss had been taking about his wife.

******

The next chapter will be written soon, but uploading time... That's different. But it will be as soon as I can, I promise!

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