Dragon Airways Read Free Page A

shouts. Merchants opened their shops, greeting those early to market, and she considered just going back home or taking the alley. This was no time for polite conversation.
    Her breathing rapid and her back sore, Riette lowered Emmet back to the roadway. He remained utterly silent, for which she was grateful. There were moments it seemed as if he knew exactly what was going on around him and understood the dangers they faced. Other times he was unable to cope with the world. That was when she did her best to understand. The times when Emmet's condition conspired against them both were more difficult to accept. His outbursts had cost them dearly just in the feelings he'd hurt among the people of Sparrowport. Many local families had been there since the area was first settled. Feelings, once hurt, were all but impossible to soothe. Riette had done her best. What separated Sparrowport from other small towns was the constant influx of new people. By air and sea, people converged on what had begun as a simple fishing village but was now among the most powerful economies in the Midlands.
    Riette resigned herself to walking the streets of Sparrowport and risking seeing those who would want to talk with her and say the usual things about poor Emmet. She knew some of what they said behind her back. Never were such vile words said to her face, but it was in their eyes. Mostly, though, she did not want to see Brick. The time had come for Riette and Emmet to leave Sparrowport, and she could not have him making a fuss over it.
    The light brought warmth, and the fog cleared, with the exception of a blanket that clung to the ground, threatening to turn an ankle with every step. Walking with exaggerated care and casualness when Heiress Davenport passed, Riette simply nodded to the woman, who averted her gaze and gave a furtive nod. The cold emanating from the woman was palpable and made Riette shiver.
    Then there he was, already well into his workday. Brick stopped when he saw her. Putting down the hand bellows he'd been using, he approached, looking much like an anvil. Knowing Brick was among the few reasons people left her and Emmet alone increased her guilt. Her role in life seemed to be letting people down. That thought would have brought tears to her eyes, but she held them back.
    "Hi, Brick," Emmet said.
    "Hi, Emmet," Brick said "It's good to see you again . . . and your sister twice in one day." The muscle-bound man was aptly named, but beneath his furrowed brow was a fully functional brain, and in his chest, a huge heart. He said nothing while looking over just how much she carried. "Where do you think you're going?"
    "We're going to see the widow Bernard," Riette responded. "She needs linens stitched and hemmed and new curtains."
    Brick nodded and peered at the items she still clutched to her chest. The awl kit and thimble collection he'd made her could be explained away by the stitching work, but he gave her belongings more than a cursory inspection. "You're not coming back this time."
    That was Brick. He spoke his truth. Riette envied him. "Someday," she said, the tears no longer obeying her.
    "I'm coming with you."
    "No," Riette responded, placing her hand on his chest. It was a mistake. The attraction had always been present between them, but physical contact magnified it. He gazed into her eyes, and she wanted to stay, to believe he could protect her. She had believed once, before her father had gone off to save them and never returned. No. Brick could no more save them all than her father could. And she did not want to be the one responsible for getting him killed. He was a good man, even if he'd only just become one and he was perhaps a bit clumsy at it. It was part of what she loved about him. That thought was heartbreaking, and she considered running away rather than face him.
    "She loves you," Emmet said.
    Riette choked, her eyes bulging, and she glared at Emmet before looking back to Brick, who wore an expression of