Page 8 of Magick and Lead
I sighed. “I landed and spoke to some villagers. I think they knew where she was, but they wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“So, you’re giving up?” he asked.
I smirked. “You know me better than that.”
I went to the ice box next to Bo’s workbench and took out a soda, twisted off the cap, brought the bottle to my lips, and took a long drink.
Bo had climbed to the upper wing now and was appraising the damage there with his hands. Whatever he felt made him frown. “Even if you find her, what makes you think she’ll be happy to see you?” he asked.
I took another swig of the soda, only now realizing I was dying of thirst. “She may not be happy. But it doesn’t matter. I have to see her again. Apologize. Tell her…” I trailed off. “I just have to explain. If she tells me to go to hell after that, fine.”
“You’ll be lucky if she just tells you to go to hell,” Bo laughed. “More likely she’ll feed you to her dragon.”
“Othura likes me,” I said. “Or she did, at least…”
Bo chuckled—until his hands found more tears on Ruby’s upper wing. Then he was shaking his head again.
“What’s this?” I nodded toward the workbench where part of a motor sat half disassembled.
“Hmm? Oh. New transmission,” Bo said. “Bought it off a base mechanic I know. I’m rebuilding it. I told you, Ruby is going tobe better than any plane in the Air Force when I’m done with her.”
I snorted. “Ruby.You really had to paint the damned plane red, didn’t you?”
Bo feigned being hurt. “We couldn’t have you flying around in a stolen Air Force plane without disguising it, could we? And all I have around here is barn paint. Besides, how would I know it was red? I’m blind.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “You knew damn well?—”
At that moment, the sound of a car’s engine interrupted me. I hurried to the barn door and looked out to find a military truck coming to a halt in front of the house.
“Shit,” I muttered. “MPs.”
“You think they saw you land?” Bo asked.
“Don’t know,” I said. “Close the barn doors. I’ll deal with them.”
Quickly, I stripped off my shredded flight jacket, replacing it with a flannel shirt from Bo’s workbench, and jogged up the dusty lane to the house. Two young Military Police were knocking at the farmhouse door. They turned when they saw me.
“Major Inman?” one of them asked.
“In the flesh,” I said.
They both gave me a salute, which I returned. One of the MPs stepped off the porch, holding out a letter stamped with the purple-and-gold striped border of official correspondence.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Orders, sir. From the general. That’s all I know.”
“Thanks,” I said, giving the boys one more salute before they turned and headed back to their car.
By the time Bo reached me, I’d already torn the envelope open and was reading its contents, a feeling of unease rising into my throat like bile.
“What is it?” Bo asked.
“The tribunal has finished its investigation of my mission to Maethalia,” I said. “I’m to report at the base at zero-seven-hundred tomorrow to receive their decision and get my next orders.”
“You’ll be back on active duty again,” Bo said. “No time to search for your lost princess.”
“Right,” I said, folding the paper up again. “That, or I’ll be locked in the brig for treason…”
