Page 34 of Fly to Fury
“Well, no. I love pretty dresses as much as the next girl,but everyone knows ball gowns and grease don’t mix.” Pip half-turned to him, finding his face far too close to hers. The long strands of his wig flowed over his shoulders to his waist. Since it wasn’t his actual hair, she dared to reach out and run a strand through her fingers. “I’ve never seen you with long hair.”
“And you likely won’t see me with long hair again.” Fieran grimaced, though when he toyed with a section of the wig, something in his eyes was more wistful. “My hair doesn’t behave nearly as well as this wig when I attempt to grow it long.”
Whatever wistfulness he had, it vanished a moment later. Fieran straightened, dropping the strands of the wig and taking a step away from Pip. He pulled the wig off his head, holding it out. “Not that it matters. I don’t know how you all do it with long hair. It’s so hot on the back of the neck.”
“It is not as bad as you seem to think.” Merrik freed his long chestnut hair from the ties. “And it protects the back of my neck from sunburn.”
“That would be convenient.” Fieran heaved an exaggerated sigh, glanced at Pip, and pointed at his own face. “You haven’t seen me after I’ve been left too long in the sun. I burn red as a tomato and gain even more freckles.”
Pip nearly blurted out something about how she liked his freckles. Instead, she forced her mouth to curve into what she could only hope was a cheeky grin. “Never had that problem.”
Her light brown skin just grew darker in the sun, and she rarely burned.
“So lucky.” Fieran gave that exaggerated sigh again before he headed for the hallway.
Pip gathered the layers upon layers of skirts and minced after him.
Chapter
Twelve
Fieran strode between the aeroplanes of Flight A, taking in the wire running over the frames. Mak and Pip worked on the final aeroplane, securing the tabs and running the wire.
It was still surprising that Lt. Rothilion had agreed to adding this to his Flight as well. An unexpected show of trust from both the elf lieutenant and his pilots.
“Sandwiches are here!” Lije’s voice called into the large hangar.
The sound of footsteps filled the hangar as mechanics and pilots scrambled from all corners to rush toward the tables against the wall.
Fieran held back, waiting for Pip and Mak to finish. Once they joined him, he wandered in the direction of the food.
The flyboys and elven pilots lined up, picking out sandwiches and just holding them in their hands since no plates were provided. Even the elves no longer turned their noses up at eating with their fingers, though many of them made a valiant, though likely futile, attempt to clean their fingers byswiping them on the fronts of their trousers before picking up their food.
Lije held a stack of papers, and he was passing them out. As he reached Pip, Mak, and Fieran, he grinned and held out one of the fliers. “This was also delivered. Apparently the Escarlish Army has organized a tour for Tenian Daefiel and Margaret Grey, the author of the Star Forest novels, as a morale boost for the troops. And they are stopping here at Fort Defense.”
“Really?” Pip snatched the paper, her eyes flicking as she read it.
Fieran took one, taking in the black words against the crisp white of the paper. His eyebrows rose. “The book publisher is also using this as a launch for the latest Star Forest novel. It will be available to the troops before going into print for general distribution.”
“I will need to purchase one for Kari.” Merrik folded his copy of the paper, tucking it into his pocket. His sister Kariana was only a few years older than Fieran’s sister Ellie, and the two of them shared an interest in novels and the Star Forest books in particular.
“And I’ll need one for Ellie.” Fieran motioned with the paper. “Though, we’ll need to check with our dachas to make sure we don’t double up.”
“Very true.” Merrik reached for one of the sandwiches. “We should do that soon. The books need to be pre-purchased.”
“Remind me tomorrow morning.” Fieran grabbed his own sandwich. Roast beef and provolone cheese. “If our dachas let them know soon, Ellie and Kari might be able to send their collections here to get those books signed too.”
“Or perhaps part of their collection.” Merrik’s smileturned wry. “Their whole sets would be quite the box of books to ship.”
Fieran shuddered, already picturing standing in line, his arms aching from the large stack of books. “Maybe they could pick only their favorites.”
“Just be glad we do not have to be the ones to tell them that.” Merrik shook his head before biting into his sandwich.
Fieran stepped to the side to make room at the table for the next person in line. As Pip joined him and Merrik, her own sandwich in hand, he nudged her. “And what about you? Are you going to get a book signed? Or…perhaps a movie poster of Tenian Daefiel?”
Pip nudged him back, rolling her eyes. “No, of course not.”
Mak laughed as he leaned against the wall, two sandwiches in his hands. “If she were to get any poster signed, it would be that one of your dacha that she has hanging on the wall in her room back home.”
