Kidnapped!

Claire, Adolphus, Gerhardt, and the twins were watching through the launch windows as Ulrik and the Chief patched up the injured crewman. They saw Bettina walk around the ship to the door, and heard the door open. A rank animal smell assaulted them.

“Good Lord, Bettina,” Adolphus exclaimed, “did you roll in something?”

He turned to see his sister frantically biting the glove of a strange man, hooded in a furry parka. Behind him loomed what could only be a yeti.

“Do not move or speak, vonHedwig children! It would be extremely unpleasant for me to have to strangle your baby sister, and feed her to my servant,” said the strange man. “Yes,” he cried, shaking off his hood, “I know who you are, for I am Count Montesanto!”

“Who?” asked Claire.

“Montesanto! The famous botanist!”

Claire looked at Adolphus, who shrugged.

“Surely your parents have mentioned me! I am famous! Your mother believes she can rival my genius, but of course she is only a woman, and I cannot consider her a true rival.”

Gerhardt advanced, crossbow in hand. “Unhand my sister!”

“No. I need your vessel. You, boy!” He wagged his chin at Adolphus. You will fly this junk heap up, where that strapping young man and his pets cannot reach us. Now.”

Gerhardt fired, and a marshmallow bounced off Montesanto’s forehead. The botanist shook Bettina like a rag doll. “Annoy me again, and the little girl gets it!” he growled.

Claire met Adophus’ eyes and nodded her head slightly. He glared at Montesanto, then made his way to the controls.

“Let me off!” Gerhardt protested. “I’m not riding with hi-“ He was cut off as the twins grabbed him.

“No noise, little ones! We are off!” Montesanto handed Bettina to the Yeti, speaking a short phrase in a harsh language unknown to the vonHedwigs. Adolphus found a cluster of engine controls, and fired up the most important looking ones with a riotous cacophony.

Claire watched to see that the creature did not hurt her sister, then turned to the window as Ulrik and the boiler crew looked up with varying expressions of surprise and annoyance. She heard the intruder fastening the launch door, and risked signaling to Ulrik. Quickly, she breathed on the glass, and wrote KIDNAP in the condensation. Ulrik ran towards the launch, but he was too late.

Montesanto stood by Adolphus, forcing lift-off.

Claire turned on him. “You can’t leave those men down there to die!”

“Not my problem. Besides, it is only one freakishly haired man, and a bunch of mon-”

Claire cut him off by opening the window, and firing commands at her siblings.

“Blankets, rugs, anything! Out the window!” Gerhardt and the twins complied (for how often is one encouraged to throw things out of a moving airship?) but Claire kept her eyes locked with their captor. She had acted without thinking of Bettina, but now she was afraid for her sister.

“You have our ship, and us as helpers, and hostages,” she said, struggling to keep her voice steady, “you can spare a few blankets to keep those fellows alive.”

Montesanto narrowed his eyes and looked grim, but suddenly smiled. “I am no killer! You may carry out your pathetic little rescue mission.” He turned to the front window and pointed the way to Adolphus.

“Thank you,” Claire said. “Now please have the yeti release my sister. We are quite in your power, you know.”

“Ha! If you are anything like your parents, you will require more watching than that! And you, young lady, can think quick, as you have shown.”

Nevertheless, he spoke again to the creature, and it put Bettina down. She came away with a handful of its fur in one hand, but bore no grudge. She patted the creature’s knee.

“Poor Bear-man.”

“Now you children will congregate at the back, back there-”

“Aft, you terrafirmer,” muttered Adolphus. “And my servant will keep you there while this impertinent boy flies for me this inelegant vessel.”

.

This story began with On Grandmothers. The previous episode is Knee of the Yeti and the next is A Clue.