him safe for the throne of Austria-Hungary. But it was true - old Klopp couldn't drive a laden Stormwalker back and forth in this cold, not alone. And, of course, here was the real reason Volger was pretending not to speak English. He wanted to spy on the unsuspecting Darwinists while he was their hostage.
"All right, then. I'll tell them we want a swap."
Volger held up a hand. "Perhaps we should drive a harder bargain. If we hold one of them hostage, they might be more inclined to return me in working order."
Alek smiled. He'd been ordered around by the Darwinists all night. It was time to return the favor.
"Volger will stay in my place," he said. "And we shall require a ... guest in return. Perhaps you, Captain?"
"I should think not," one of the officers said. "The captain is needed here."
"As are all my officers and crew," the captain said. "This is a wounded ship. I'm afraid we don't have anyone to spare."
Alek folded his arms. "Then I'm afraid we have no food to spare."
The table was silent for a moment, the Darwinists glaring at Alek while Count Volger looked on placidly, pretending not to understand.
"Well, the answer is obvious," Dr. Barlow finally said. "I shall go."
"What?" the captain sputtered. "Don't be absurd!"
"I am rarely absurd, Captain," Dr. Barlow said archly, then began to count off points on her finger. "Firstly, I shall hardly be making any repairs. Secondly, I know what food the Leviathan's creatures can and cannot eat."
"As do I!" the other scientist said.
"But you are the ship's surgeon," Dr. Barlow said. "Whereas I am hopeless as a nurse. Clearly I am the right choice."
As the officers began to argue with her, Alek leaned closer to Volger.
"She'll get her way," he said. "For some reason she's quite important here."
"That makes her an ideal hostage, I suppose."
"Not really," Alek muttered. Neither Klopp nor the other men spoke any English. He'd have to deal with Dr. Barlow on his own.
"Do you think she'll be trouble?" Volger asked.
"I suppose I can handle one woman," Alek said, sighing. "As long as she doesn't bring that wretched beast of hers."
THIRTY
Tazza seemed to enjoy riding in the Stormwalker.
The beast scrambled about the floor of the pilot's cabin, pawing for spent cartridges that had rolled into crevices and corners. Soon bored with that, it sniffed the emergency ration locker, then watched Alek's feet on the pedals and growled. It was quite annoying.
"This machine has a peculiar stride," Dr. Barlow said from the commander's chair. Her gaze stayed fixed on Alek's hands as he drove, which was unsettling. "Is it based on any particular animal?"
"I've no idea," Alek said, wishing that Klopp could answer her questions. He'd retreated down to the gunners' station, horrified by the presence of a woman in his Stormwalker. Or maybe he was afraid of Tazza.
"It walks a bit like a bird," Dr. Barlow said.
"Aye, a great iron rooster!" Dylan added.
Alek sighed, wishing he'd negotiated a more equal exchange of hostages. It seemed unfair that Dr. Barlow should bring an entourage with her - a beast, an assistant, and a trunk full of luggage. Back at the airship Volger didn't even have a change of socks.
Alek shut out their questions, focusing on the controls. The Stormwalker was negotiating the rocky slope leading up to the castle, and he didn't want to stumble in front of the Darwinists.
Dr. Barlow leaned forward as the crumbling walls came into view. "How rustic."
"It is meant to be hidden," Alek mumbled.
"Disrepair as camouflage? Ingenious."
Alek slowed the walker as the gate drew nearer, but grazed the iron hinges with its right shoulder. He winced as a metal screech rang through the cabin, Tazza matching the noise with a piercing whine.
"Bit tight, isn't it?" Dylan remarked. "If you're going to stroll about in this monstrosity, you should get a bigger door!"
Alek squeezed the saunters tighter as he brought the walker to a halt, but he managed to hold his tongue.
"There must be quite a lot of you," Dr. Barlow exclaimed.
"Just five," Alek said, opening the stable doors wider. "But we're well provisioned." He didn't mention that this was only one of many storerooms.
"How convenient." Dr. Barlow unhooked Tazza's leash from his collar, and the beast trotted deeper into the gloom, sniffing every box and barrel along the way. "But you couldn't have brought all this in your machine."
"We didn't," Alek said simply. "It was waiting here, just in case."
The woman tutted sadly. "Long-standing family squabbles can be most