Page 23 of Fly to Fury
Stickyfingers reached over to clink his glass with Lije’s. “May we rule the skies.”
“And give Mongavaria a whupping they won’t soon forget.” Lije grinned as he lifted his glass of root beer.
“Yes to that!” Pretty Face clinked his glass against the others so hard that his root beer sloshed.
“It certainly won’t be boring.” Fieran raised his glass, glancing around before he leaned forward and clinked his glass against Lt. Rothilion’s, as if to force Lt. Rothilion to participate.
The elf lieutenant had his hand on his glass of water, but he hadn’t raised it yet, as if he wasn’t sure what to do. He flinched at Fieran’s gesture, but he picked up his glass and took a sip afterwards.
Pip clinked her glass with Mak’s before taking a sip.
Now if only her flyboys always returned to the ground safely, that would be all she could ask for.
Chapter
Eight
As Fieran waited in his aeroplane for his turn to take to the early morning sky, he drummed his fingers along the control column. Today, the Half-Breed Squadron would fly the longer patrols to the east and south. A chance to prove themselves, even if it likely wouldn’t be that dangerous.
Tiny and Murray in their aeroplanes rolled down the airfield and took to the skies, followed by a pair of elven pilots from Flight A.
The radio crackled, and Pip’s voice came through the airwaves. “Testing, one, two, three, testing.”
Fieran grinned and pressed the talk button on the control column. “I can hear you loud and clear, Pip.”
“Good. Not sure why they didn’t have a radio set up in the main part of the hangar yet. Doesn’t make sense.” Pip’s tone sounded huffy, even over the crackling, tinny radio.
“They were probably too busy trying to install the radios in two squadrons of aeroplanes and as many airships as possible.” Fieran drummed his fingers again as Pretty Faceand Stickyfingers took off. “I’m surprised you found a spare radio.”
“It was buried in a pile of other spare parts and probably overlooked.” Pip sounded like she was making the disgruntled face that puckered her mouth in a way Fieran found increasingly distracting. “The lack of organization is rather sad. The main hangars are fine. But the spare parts haven’t been stored properly at all.”
“I’m sure you’ll have it set to rights soon enough.” Fieran almost wished he wasn’t going up on patrol so that he could have the excuse to help her. Too bad today promised to be just as hot as yesterday. Pip might not be moving much of anything until the weather cooled off.
Not that she would need help, now that her brother Mak was assigned to her unit.
Mak was going to be a problem. Oh, Fieran liked him well enough. But as a big brother himself, Fieran recognized that protective look Mak wore. Fieran would have to curtail the flirting now that Pip’s big brother was breathing down his neck.
Which was fine. It had to be fine. He really should stop flirting as it was, given that he’d told Pip they couldn’t make anything official until after the war. Whenever that was.
“Fieran.” Merrik’s voice this time. “Our turn.”
Right. Time to stop flirting—not flirting, just talking—and get his butt in the air.
As he waved to the ground crew to release the wheels, the radio crackled again, but this voice was shouting so loudly Fieran winced, even as he struggled to process the words.
“Enemy incoming! Flying over the Wall!”
“Lots of enemy aeroplanes!”
All along the hangar, sirens began wailing, signaling thealert for an air raid and making it even more difficult for Fieran to hear the radio. Someone at the lookout posts in the mountains overlooking Fort Defense must have also spotted the incoming aeroplanes.
“Lt. Rothilion, report.” Fieran tugged his goggles into place. As the ground crew grabbed the wheel chocks and raced away, Fieran’s aeroplane rolled forward.
“There appears to be a full squadron of sixty enemy aeroplanes incoming, trying to use the sun to hide their numbers.” Lt. Rothilion’s voice rang as cold and supercilious as always.
And that was why Fieran had asked the elf lieutenant for the report. Lt. Rothilion was unflappable no matter what. Including when he’d been dying in the skies over Dar Goranth.
“Hold them near the Wall as best you can. Merrik and I will come down onto them.” Fieran pushed his aeroplane to full speed as he jounced over the ground.
