Louisa's POV
I looked outside and saw that we were literally above the clouds.
I could see the houses, trees, and roads flying beneath the carriage.
Akela was right! This isn't a carriage! It's a flying ship! I thought to myself.
I really should have paid more attention to Akela, but I was too arrogant and thought I was smarter than she was.
I knocked on the door and raised my voice, "Alex, why are we flying? Where are you going to take us?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Louisa. You've always been so kind to me. But I have to follow Lady Josephine's order. She has my brother in custody. If I don't kill you, she'll kill my brother," Alex's voice sounded very distressed.
I said, "I should have known it was you. The stable's door was unlocked and you were the only one who had the keys. You saw the missing bottle in my potion box this morning and you told Josephine about it. That's why she came into my tent and demanded to see my potion box. And the handkerchief... She must have given her handkerchief to you as a token of love or something..."
Alex shouted, "Stop talking! You know nothing about me and Lady Josephine! She was my only friend!"
"Real friends don't kidnap your brother and ask you to kill someone for her, Alex," I said in a calm and steady voice.
My heart was pounding very fast. I didn't know what Alex would do, but I knew I had to calm down.
"Think about Colt, Alex. He is your friend and he cares about you. He's in danger right now and he needs your help," I said.
Alex didn't say anything. I heard a low weeping sound coming from outside.
I continued, "Think about your brother, Alex. I met him once in the auction house. He's strong and tall, like a giant bear. Do you think Josephine will spare his life after all this? Look at what she has done to her own maid. She will definitely kill your brother because she can't afford to let anyone who knows her true face get away with it. Think about Lucian. He was the one who took you in as his family. He offered you a decent job and an opportunity to live on your own. They're all your friends, Alex."
"What am I supposed to do? What have I done with my life?!" Alex cried out in a muffled voice.
"Open the door, Alex. Steer the ship to Cliff of Fear. We'll take Darren and Colt and together we'll look and save your brother. Trust me, Alex. This is the only way to save your brother," I said.
Alex kept weeping and didn't say anything.
I said, "Listen, Alex. Our life is a string of decisions. One decision leads to another. Sometimes, one mistake will lead to a series of catastrophic consequences. I'm offering a chance to correct it before it gets too wrong. All you have to do is to make the right decision by opening the door and letting me hug you."
After a brief moment, the carriage door opened.
I stepped out of the cart and hugged Alex in my arms.
He cried so violently that he couldn't even breathe. The wheezing sound kept coming out of his chest.
"You're having an asthma attack!" I said in a panic while searching the pockets of his pants. "Do you have an inhaler with you?"
Alex nodded his head and pointed at the inside of the cart.
I shouted at Mana and Mata, "Guys! Look for an inhaler!"
"In hay what?" Mana asked.
"Inhaler, dickhead!" Mata shouted and looked around in the cart.
"What does it look like?!" Mana asked and flipped the cushions.
"It's a small cylinder tube, dickhead!" Mata said. "You're absolutely useless!"
The flying ship started to get out of control because Alex wasn't capable of holding the wheel.
I had to hold Alex in my arm, so it was physically impossible for me to take control of the wheel.
Then, it seemed that we came across a turbulent and the whole ship started to shake violently.
"Are you going to crash?!" Mana shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Shut up, dickhead! Make yourself useful by pulling the steering wheel!" Mata shouted at his brother.
Mana jumped out of the cart and sat next to me closely.
"What is a steering wheel?!" He looked around and asked.
"Ahhhh!!! I can't believe it!" Mata screamed. "Do I have to label everything for you?! You're getting us killed! It's like our boat! The wheel!"
"OK, OK! You don't have to shout! You're not helping, potty mouth!" Mana barked and grabbed the wheel.
He tried to steer it, but it wouldn't move.
"We're still shaking, dickhead! Did you grab the wheel?!" Mata's voice sounded exasperated.
"Yes, I did! But it's jammed! I can't move it!" Mana shouted.
"Try to pull it! Dickhead! Do it right now before the ship flips and we are smashed on the rock like meat paste!" Mata shouted inside the cart.
"Positive thoughts, potty mouth!" Mana shouted and pulled the wheel.
Then...
The steering wheel was pulled out by Mata.
"Oh, shoot," Mana said.
"Now what?!" Mata yelled.
"I've pulled down the steering wheel!" Mana said. "I can see white smoke getting out of the front panel! I don't think it's a good sign, potty mouth!"
"I asked you to pull it! Not pull it down! Can't you do anything properly?!" Mata shouted.
"Guys, I don't want to interrupt but..." I said and pointed at the front. "We're flying into a mountain right now!"
"Ahhhhhhh!" Mana shouted.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Mata shouted.
I knew I had to step up for some situational leadership.
So I raised my voice and commanded, "Mana, stop shouting and hold Alex! Mata, stop shouting and fasten your seat belt. Then, help us to fast our belts!"
Then, I took the steering wheel from Mana's hand and stalled it back to the front panel.
I saw a lever next to the wheel and pulled it. All of a sudden, the wings of the flying ship started to flip.
I slowly pushed the wheel up and the whole flying ship was elevating.
"Woohoo! We're getting higher!" Mana shouted with excitement.
"You're a genius, Miss! You're flying a ship now!" Mata shouted.
I pushed the wheel forward to the extreme front and the ship surged like a swallow into the sky.
Bang. I heard a loud noise.
I looked down and saw the tip of the mountain rock scratch the bottom of the flying ship.
Two of the helix propellers were damaged and eventually knocked off.
That was a very close one. If I hadn't pushed the wheel in time, we would have crushed into the rock.
But with white smoke keeping coming out of the front panel, an unconscious pilot, and two broken propellers, I knew we couldn't make it to the Cliff of Fear.
I knew I had to find a place to land this flying ship.
But the only problem was -
I didn't know how to land.