Dragon Airways Read Free Page B

shock and wonder.
    "I'm coming with you," he said. "Wait right here. " Standing in the doorway, he looked over his shoulder and wagged his finger. "Wait right here." Again, he gave her a knowing look.
    She waited for five breaths after he'd disappeared into the smithy before picking up Emmet and running. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Past the bakery and butcher shop, she kept her eyes straight ahead, not giving anyone the chance to stop her.
    "He loves you," Emmet whispered in her ear.
    She gripped him tighter as she cried and ran. Emmet held on to his cap and said nothing else, fascinated by the sights and sounds as the airfields drew near. The strips themselves weren't actually visible yet, but hulking shapes filled the air above them.
    Some balloons were still strewn across the meadows, but others were well into the inflation process. She'd already thought this over, and balloons would be her final resort. Diesel engines roared, promising the fastest travel by far, though a bit more restrictive with regard to destinations.
    A dirigible was the second best choice with regard to speed but would be much more difficult to trace due to the variety of possible destinations. Most holds had airship docks, while few had runways. Airships were farther down the airfields. While balloons and dirigibles did not need airstrips to land, airstrips proved excellent places to interchange passengers. The three competing industries had come together at last to provide the ability to travel almost anywhere in comfort and relative safety. Aircraft hawkers were known to say air travel was four times safer than travel by roadway. Riette wasn't certain how true that statement was, but the journey there lent it credence.
    Brick would eventually follow her, and she hoped to catch the next departing flight, no matter where it was going.
    "Fly Midlands Airways, where we treat our passengers like family," said a bright-eyed female hawker. Her manner was polished and practiced to the point of being unauthentic, but Riette didn't care. Approaching the woman, she asked, "What's the next flight out?"
    "What's your destination?" the woman asked, her expression a mask of servitude.
    "Away from here," Riette said with an edge to her voice. "What's the next flight out?"
    "Forest's Edge," the hawker said, the hint of a smirk reaching her practiced expression.
    "How soon does it leave?" Riette asked immediately, knowing her desperation showed. No one in their right mind went to Forest's Edge unless headed to war or part of the logging crews.
    "Won't be too much longer now. We just need to finish refueling."
    "How much?"
    "Two silvers each," the hawker said with a completely flat expression in spite of the outrageous cost. While it was among the longer flights, the airways seemed to take advantage of those with few other options. Riette reconsidered her first choice. Airship travel was considerably less expensive than airplane. She and Emmet could eat for a winter on the coin they'd save.
    Brick was coming. Whoever had been knocking on her door was coming. Those thoughts drove her to desperate action. "I'll take it."
    "Thank you for flying Midlands Airways," the woman said, wearing a manufactured smile. "Please enjoy your wait on the benches provided."
    Waiting was the last thing in the world Riette would enjoy. She'd hoped to take off before Brick arrived. Doing her best to appear calm, Riette sat and watched another plane approach. In the distance, other hawkers extolled the virtues of their enterprise. Young men, presumably headed to war, occupied the benches opposite her. Riette avoided their gazes. They might not see another girl again for some time, and their stares lingered.
    Emmet sensed it as well. "Scared," he said, pointing at the young men. Riette could have thought of no more effective way to discourage their inevitable advances, and for once she was grateful for Emmet's words. It didn't last.
    Growing rapidly from a distant buzz to a howling roar,