Chapter 39
The mood on board the airship was buoyant as the crew set off for Budapest. During the day, Ben and Maya spent most of their time on deck. As the mountains receded into the distance, the weather got warmer and the winter gave over to mild, early autumn days.
The two children continued to make themselves useful with tidying the ship and scrubbing the deck. Ben spent a lot of time with András at the wheel and the instruments. He learned a lot about how the airship worked, bombarding the first officer with an almost constant stream of questions. Luckily, András liked to talk, and his relief at having survived the dangerous mission loosened his tongue even more. The two things he could talk about with real passion were airships and women.
Meanwhile, Maya read every book on the sh
