Page 54 of Fly to Fury
The gun emplacements were gone, leaving nothing but craters and smoking, mangled remains behind.
Yet even more tents and bunkers filled the Mongavarian front lines than the last time Fieran had flown over. Perhaps they’d brought in more reinforcements in response to the scouting flights, knowing it meant that the Alliance was preparing for an attack.
Then again, reinforcements for the Alliance had been pouring in as well, with trainloads of men disembarking every day.
Both sides were preparing for a cataclysmic encounter, and Fieran would witness all of it from the sky.
Pip polishedthe tools on her cart, pretending she wasn’t listening in on the mechanic working as a radio operator as he spoke with Fieran and his squadron. Her stomach knotted, even though destroying the guns and scouting the Mongavarian encampment was nothing too strenuous for Fieran and his magic.
But Capt. Kentworth had lost a pilot on his last scouting mission, and two of Capt. Fleetwood’s aeroplanes had been hit, the pilots currently in the hospital.
Fieran and the squadron should be safe. Yet this was war.It was always dangerous, even with the protection of the magic of the ancient kings.
As she reached for another wrench, her brother Mak appeared at her side. He picked up the wrench first, holding it out of her reach. “You’re going to polish these tools to nubs if you keep working at them like that.”
Pip rolled her eyes and flapped her polishing rag at him. “It doesn’t work like that, and you know it.”
Mak raised his eyebrows. “Well, there was that time…”
“Lose control of your power and deform a wrench one time…” Pip dropped the rag on the cart and crossed her arms. She snapped her mouth shut and turned her head to hear better as Fieran’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Mission complete. Turning for home.”
Pip released some of her pent-up tension, but she wouldn’t fully relax until Fieran and the flyboys were back on the ground.
“You need to tell him.”
She turned back to her brother to find him regarding her with a softly protective look in his deep brown eyes. “What do you mean?”
Her deflection must not have been convincing because Mak just kept studying her. “You know exactly what I mean. Do you really want Fieran to fly into battle again with things between you as they are?”
Not really. But if she had that conversation with him, he might walk away. Watching him fly into battle after that would be far worse.
Pip hugged her arms over her stomach. “I don’t want to ruin things right before battle.”
“I’ve seen the way Fieran looks at you. I don’t think you’ll ruin things if you speak up.” Mak waved the wrench at her as he spoke. “I could be wrong on that, but matterslike this are always worth the risk. Especially in times like these.”
Was it worth it? There was the risk Fieran would be so convinced that he would be distracted that he would walk away, for the good of the squadron. And he might be right. Or she’d say something, only for war to claim Fieran as it had others in the squadron during the battles at Bridgetown and Dar Goranth.
And yet she didn’t regret coming to know her flyboys. She didn’t regret the trips into Bridgetown, the donuts and ice cream in Dar Goranth, the tourist photographs in Little Aldon. If she lost one of them, she’d only regret that she hadn’t savored the time she had more.
If she felt that way about flyboys who were nothing but friends, how much more should she give her heart to Fieran, even knowing she could have it broken before the war ended?
But she wasn’t about to admit that to her brother.
Pip tightened her crossed arms as she faked a glare at her brother. “I still don’t know why I’m taking romance advice from you. You have no more courting experience than I do.”
Mak shrugged his broad shoulders, his grin obvious within his beard. “But I have more life experience than you.”
“By only a handful of years.”
“They were very formative years.” Mak rocked back on his heels before he tilted his head. “Looks like this is your chance. The squadron has returned.”
A burst of laughter came from the doorway as Fieran strode inside, surrounded by Merrik, Lije, Pretty Face, and the others. Fieran had already removed his flight cap, leaving his red hair tousled and spiked in that way that tempted her to run her fingers through it. He looked steadyon his feet, the amount of magic he’d used not nearly enough to weary him.
She drew in a deep breath, all of her twisting tight. Surely she could do this. It was just talking with Fieran. She did it all the time. Just not about relationship stuff. Not a conversation that could solve or ruin everything.
But maybe…not right this moment. If she marched up to Fieran right now and told him she wanted to talk, everyone would see them go off together.
