Ruth set her legs on the back rung and turned to Fred. "Help me pull the front up!" she instructed him.
Fred swallowed his fear and nodded his head. He placed his legs on either side of hers and leaned back. Ruth did the same, and the front of their kite rose so the cloth was level with the ground. The whistling wind blew up into the cloth and snapped them upward. They zoomed past the edge of the cliff and fifty yards above the takeoff point. The kite settled at that altitude and Fred clutched his heart to make sure it hadn't beaten a hole through his chest.
Ruth looked up at him and smiled. "A perfect takeoff for your first time," she complimented him.
"Y-yeah, perfect," he chattered.
Ruth glanced ahead of them at the other aviators. They had positioned themselves over the center of the city and were practicing diving, swooping, and wrapping their anchor lines around those of their foes. "We should join them," she suggested.
Fred looked over the kite. "But how do we steer this thing over there?" he asked her.
"First you feel the wind and capture it beneath the cloth. Then you pull the handles on your left or right to tilt the wings while I lean my weight to help us turn, like this." Ruth closed her eyes and leaned slightly to her left. The kite was pushed to the left by the wind and after two dozen yards Ruth straightened them so they floated in place. "See?"
"Um, yeah, I guess. Let me try it," Fred requested. He closed his eyes and felt the wind blow over them. While there was a near-constant updraft, there were smaller gusts inside the larger wind. He felt one of those smaller gusts that pointed toward the center of the city, and he pulled down on the left-hand handhold and tilted the kite so it caught the wind. The gust pushed them forward and he opened his eyes to see them propel toward the other aviators. "I did it! I did it!" he exclaimed.
"Fred! The rope!" Ruth yelled.
Fred's eyes widened when he noticed they were on a swift collision course with the anchor line of Advesario's kite. He panicked and leaned the kite at an angle. The bottom rungs of their kite brushed against the anchor line. Their own anchor line was dragged across the opposing rope, and their blades tore into that of their adversary. In a few seconds the rope snapped, and Advesario's kite tipped and fell to the ground.
The pair were pushed away by the wind and watched their opponent fall. Advesario and his squire pulled up before they hit the rooftops and used the natural shock absorption in their legs to land on the roof. Advesario tore himself from his harness and pulled back the wing of his kite to glare at Fred and Ruth. Their broken anchor line was quickly hauled in by the strong men so the bladed rope wouldn't fall into the houses and streets.
Fred slumped in his straps. "That was close," he hoarsely whispered.
"Yes, but that is the risk all aviators take when they take to the skies," Ruth told him. She looked up and smiled at him. "You are a natural flier. Otherwise you could not have performed such a beautiful attack."
Fred shakily smiled. "Yeah, natural flier," he murmured.
"I am sure together we will defeat the others and win the honor of approaching the stone," Ruth continued.
"Could we get in a little more practice before we try defeating anyone else?" he pleaded.
She giggled and nodded. "Of course, but I wish to show you something."
Ruth tilted their flier back away from the other aviators and upward so they rose twice as high as the others. They reached the edge of their anchor line and floated in the sky just short of the clouds. They were able to see beyond the cliffs, and the view was spectacular. Birds chirped below and above them, and the wind was a cool breeze that swept over their cheeks. The bright sky stretched into the distance for hundreds of miles. A stretch of blue color dotted the horizon to the east.
"What do you think that is?" Fred wondered.
"The sea. Have you never seen it before?" Ruth asked him.
Fred shook his head. The blue color seemed to stretch on forever. There was a dark spot far off, but he supposed it was an island or a few storm clouds. "No. Do you think it's really as big as it looks?"
She giggled. "And bigger. Perhaps we'll visit it soon. For now shall we practice?"
"Yeah, sure," Fred replied. He broke himself from the view and they tilted downward to practice gliding.
From the cliffs Ned and Pat watched the pair zig and zag through the skies. The initial flight was terrifying to behold, but Ned was all smiles when the pair recovered and separated from the other aviators to practice. "They seem to be quite good," he commented to Pat.
"But this isn't a real fight," she pointed out. "In a real fight there will be dozens more aviators, and all of them trying to bring them down."
"A little more faith, my dear Pat," he scolded her.
She turned to him with a scowl. "Faith doesn't move mountains, nor win a tournament," she argued.
Ned sighed and gave a nod. "Indeed, you're right. Faith is not a guarantee of victory. It is something we give to each other to help fulfill victory. Without faith there is no bond, and without a bond there would not be two of our friends up there flying beautifully together." He looked up at the kite with a soft smile on his face.
Pat frowned, but glanced up at their friends. She sighed and shook her head. "Do you truly believe they will win the tournament?" she quietly asked him.
Ned snorted. "It would take a miracle."
Pat whipped her head to the old castor and glared at him. "But you just said faith-"
"-is a wonderful thing, but always have an alternate plan in case faith fails," he advised her. "In this case, be prepared for a fight over the stone."
Her face drooped and her eyes narrowed. "You are impossible to understand."
Ned leaned on his staff and chuckled. "I try my best."
Pat rolled her eyes and glanced back to her friends. They swooped and circled over the city as swiftly as any bird. She noticed the crowds on the cliffs watched the pair with open interest, and many pointed and whispered.
"Is that Enburn?"
"Yes, but how did he get so good?"
"No idea. You think it's magic?"
"No, the judges would have seen it."
Beside her Pat heard Ned chuckle.
"Who's his squire?"
"I don't know, but he's kind of cute."
Pat frowned and her eyes flitted over to Ned. "I believe your magic is too good," she whispered.
Ned coughed. "Yes, well, it isn't permanent, but let us sit down on one of these rocks while we await the end of the practice."
"How long is it?" Pat asked him as she followed him to the rear of the cliffs.
"A few hours. One can only fly so long before one becomes tired," he replied. He seated himself on a flat-top stone and groaned. "And it is no less tiring watching them."
Pat sat close beside him and looked Ned over. Beneath his white beard he appeared pale. "Is something wrong?" she asked him.
He leaned against his staff and chuckled. "These old bones are not what they used to be. I imagine this is my last adventure."
Pat's face softened. Ned's voice sounded weary and old. "I am sure you have a great many more years left in you," she insisted.
Ned turned to her with his glittering eyes. "You believe so?"
"You are as spry as any of us," she replied.
Ned stared forward and sighed. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Too many years were taken from me, and no magic can bring them back."
"Taken from you how?" she wondered.
Ned started from his reminisces and shook his head. "Just an old man blabbering about the past when we should be focusing on the present. In our faith to win the tournament we seem to have forgotten something very important."
"What's that?" she asked him.
"The treasure to destroy the stone." Ned looked to the south. "The book pointed to the base of those cliffs. I suggest you and I inspect them tomorrow while everyone's attention is on the tournament."
"Do you expect the treasure to be difficult to obtain?" she w
ondered.
Ned stroked his beard. "Possible, but we shall see. For now, let us enjoy the breeze and our friends."
CHAPTER 19
The aviators were reined in a few hours later, and Fred was glad to have his feet back on the ground. Ned unstrapped him and patted the young man on the shoulder. "Admirable flying."
"Thanks," he replied. He twisted his shoulders and winced when his tense body popped. "That isn't easy."
"No, indeed, and success in flying calls for a celebration," Ned replied. "Let us return to the inn and see if we might find our three missing friends."
The four of them left the kite in the custody of the officials and returned to the inn. The hour was just past noon as they slipped inside the dark dining hall. In one corner they glimpsed Sins in all his brooding glory watching over the half-empty room and his sister who bustled about. She looked up from the tables, but her eyes narrowed when they fell on Fred disguised as Crash.
Hugh stood behind the desk and glared at the assassin. When he noticed the others his face brightened. He slid out behind the desk and blocked the stairs. "Good day to you," he greeted them.
"Good day," Ned returned.
"If I'm not being too forward, I was wondering how long you were going to be staying?" Hugh asked the group.
"So long as we can pay your rent," Ned replied.
Hugh straightened and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well, the rates have gone up. They're now fifteen gold pieces per room," he told them.
"What thievery is this?" Pat exclaimed. Ned raised her hand to quiet her.
"Business hasn't been as good as it was. There's been some rough customers lately and service has been slower for it," Hugh explained. His eyes pointedly flickered over to Sins.
"Very well. We will stay one more night," Ned replied. Hugh's face fell, but only until Ned handed over the advance for that night.
Hugh bowed and glanced more carefully at the group. His eyes fell on Ruth and Fred still in disguise. "Enburn, I heard you had a fine flight. Got some of your magic back, eh?"
"Um, yeah," Fred replied in his best Crash impersonation.
Hugh looked to Ruth still in her male form. "And this must be your new squire. I thought you were going to have that other boy," he commented.
"He was too good for me," Fred replied. Pat jabbed him in the elbows. "And, um, he left town. Said he had other things to do."
"Did he? He'll miss a fine tournament," Hugh scolded.
"I wish. . ." Fred mumbled.
Hugh turned back to Ned. "Would you be wanting another room for your friends?"
Ned chuckled. "They won't take up any more space," he assured their host.
Hugh smiled and nodded. "A pleasure having you as customers, sirs and lady."
Ned led the younger members of the group upstairs and they walked down the hall to their rooms. Percy stepped out of the room he shared with Canto, and his face brightened when he caught sight of them. "We thought perhaps you had all been eaten by a wild cantankus," he teased. His eyes fell on the male form of Ruth. "But who do we have here?"
Ned chuckled. "We kept ourselves occupied, and this is Ruth in disguise." He gently tapped her head and her disguise fell.
Percy turned to Fred. "And I must admit I am very perplexed with how our captive can be in two places at once."
"Merely another disguise, this for Fred, but how did you fare?" Ned returned as he glanced at the young man's worn clothes.
Percy looked down at himself and sheepishly grinned. "I'm afraid I haven't had time to change, as there have been more important matters to attend to. For one, Canto and I have been to see the stone's resting place."
"A moment. This is better said in a space with four walls," Ned interrupted. He herded them inside and the door was shut behind them.
Canto sat on the bed with the blunt edge of his ax at the ready. In the center of the room still sat Crash, but the back of his head sported one more lump than Fred and Pat remembered him having. Ned noticed the abuse and frowned. "Have you had problems with our guest?" Ned asked the pair.
"Aye. We can't find the bottle to knock him out, so we've had to do it the old fashioned way," Canto replied.
Fred winced and Pat stepped forward. "That is our fault. We broke the bottle while trying to administer it."
Ned chuckled and pulled out another vial from his robes. "It is fortunate for our friend I have a spare of these, but only one," he told them.
Canto patted his ax. "We've always got the simple method," he pointed out.
"Speaking of which, he had a nasty bump on his head when we came in," Percy spoke up. He looked to the three younger companions.
Pat blushed. "That was me," she admitted.
Canto laughed. "That's using yer sword!"
"And speaking of using the sword, I don't believe you've kept your word, Canto of Galaron," Ned scolded.
Canto ruffled at the insult. "Kept my word? A dwarf always keeps his word," he protested.
"You have yet to train our dear Pat in the art of sword play," Ned reminded him.
Canto scoffed and waved his hand. "Bah. She's had practice enough with all the things we've been fighting," he argued.
"A promise is a promise," Ned insisted.
The old dwarf frowned, but didn't argue. "If that's what she wants."
"If I can't beat you in battle then I want it," Pat spoke up.
"All right, but not until we're out of this dang place. The wind keeps me up and Ah'm not in me best fighting strength."
"After String, then, and no excuses," Ned agreed.
"If I may change the subject, but what is our plan for the remainder of our visit here? When Canto and I glimpsed the building where the stone resides it was well protected by guards," Percy wondered.
"Win the tournament, destroy the stone, and leave," Pat replied.
Percy smirked. "Simple enough, but the first must happen for others to occur. What if that condition doesn't happen?"
Canto stood and patted his ax against his open palm. "Then we take it and save 'em, whether they're looking for saving or not."
"You saw the guards around the stone. It won't be easy," Percy argued.
"And we are still in need of the treasure," Ned reminded them. "That is something Pat and I will take care of tomorrow. Ruth and Fred will try their best with the tournament, and you both may stay here and watch our friend. We may be gone for some time and if he awakens he would ruin Pat and Ruth's chance at winning the tournament in his name."
"Isn't that stretching us a might thin?" Canto wondered.
"Do we have a choice?" Pat countered.
"No, but if'n that stone decides it wants to wake up and cause some trouble we'd be at the three corners away from it," he pointed out.
"Unless you can convince our assassin friend to leave his vigil below then it must be done," Ned insisted.
Canto scoffed. "Ah wouldn't think him very useful, anyway. He doesn't know what we've been doing."
Ned smiled. "Assassins have long ears, and I expect he knows more than he tells us."
"Pretty easy considering he doesn't tell us anything," Canto argued.
"If you don't have any other objections to our plan other than Sins not pulling his weight then I suggest we rest for the remainder of the day and enjoy the festivities," Ned replied.
Percy chuckled. "I think I've enjoyed them enough, but a good meal sounds tempting."
Ned patted Fred on the shoulders and looked the young man over. "What say you, my young apprentice?"
"Can I get out of this disguise?" he pleaded.
There was a knock on the door. "Friends of Sins?" Ti called through the door.
The companions whipped their eyes to their captive. "Into the corner!" Pat hissed.
Percy and she scooted his chair along the floor to the far corner and Canto covered him in a holey sheet from the bed. The three of them stood in front of the ghostly figure while Ned strode over to the door and opened it a crack. Ti stood in the hall
with a large, coiled poster in her hand. "Good day, my dear lady. Is something wanted?" he asked her.
"It's about your friend. The young one that's gone away," she told him. Ned's eyebrows raised and he let her inside. He shut the door behind her and she looked around at the friends who each had wide smiles plastered onto their faces. Her gaze fell on Fred disguised as Crash. She marched up to him and pulled on his cheek.
Fred yelped and yanked his face from her grasp. "What was that for?" he yelled at her.
She leaned toward him, narrowed her eyes, and looked him over. "You're not Crash," she stated.
The color drained from Fred's face. "Y-yes I am," he argued.
"I've known Crash for a decade. He was a decent aviator, but he never flew without first getting a drink from the bar. You didn't get that drink before you left this morning, so who are you?" she asked him.
"You have us, my dear Ti," Ned spoke up. He strode over and knocked Fred on the head with the tip of his staff.
Ti gasped when the magic fell away to reveal Fred. "The boy!" she exclaimed.
Fred frowned. "I'm not a boy," he argued.
"What are ya doing? She didn't have to know!" Canto scolded Ned.
TI scowled at him. "If you're honest to Ti then Ti is honest to thee," she argued. She held the poster out to Ned and nodded to Fred. "You might want to look at this."
Ned took it and unfurled the paper. Everyone crowded around him and looked over his shoulder to see the contents. The center showed a picture of Fred with a wicked smirk on his face and narrow, cunning eyes. His nose was long and crooked, and his hair was slicked back. At the top above the picture was the word WANTED and beneath the picture was his name, a description, and the reward.
Canto snorted. "Only a measly five hundred gold coins?"
Ned leaned forward and squinted his eyes at fine print at the bottom-right of the picture. "Sketched from eye-witness accounts. That certainly explains the likeness," he chuckled.
Pat looked at the cunning face and then to Fred. "They give him too much credit," she argued.
The Unwilling Aviator (Book 4) Page 12
