The Magical Flight of Dodie Rue Read Free Page B

croaked Nadar, gazing up at the stars.
    Dodie nodded. “The one about your last race.”
    â€œAgain, eh?” Nadar smiled, his face creasing into a thousand and one wrinkles. “Well, you know the Grand Flyer occurs only every five years, and the Grand Renegade is usually the same year after the Grand Flyer. I raced in three Flyers and two Renegades. The third Flyer was my last race. Your grandmother tried to convince me not to race that last one, but I really wanted the prize.”
    â€œOne wish granted from a genie,” recalled Dodie, “and the treasure.”
    â€œThat’s right. The race was typical. There was the usual trek across the dunes, a nice route by the seaside, the occasional band of thieves or run in with a ghoul. But on the last day, a sand storm kicked up. Now, I had flown through my share of sand storms before, but this one was like nothing I’d seen. It was more like a sand hurricane. I thought I could get ahead of it in time to finish the race, but it overtook me.”
    â€œBut you still won the race,” said Dodie.
    Nadar nodded. “At great cost. I made it across the finish line and tried to stop, but the wind was too strong. The wind slammed Phoenix against the Capital wall. I was riding on my knees, so my knee caps shattered. I fell off Phoenix and landed unconscious. When I awoke, the storm had passed and the race officials had finally found me. Phoenix had covered me to protect me from the storm. If it wasn’t for her, I might have died.”
    â€œBut carpets don’t have a mind of their own,” countered Dodie. “Or their own will.”
    â€œAh, but when a carpet and its rider have been together for as long as we were, a special magic forms between them.”
    â€œGrandpapa? Do you regret not using your wish to heal your knees? You could have kept on racing.”
    Nadar gazed up at the black sky glittering with stars. “I chose to make a much more important wish. Someday I’ll tell you about it.”

    This year’s Grand Flyer was scheduled for the first week of spring, so as the last few days of winter waned, the village of Turah was swept up in the preparation and anticipation for the race. Racers campaigned for sponsors, which involved plastering the adobe walls with posters listing their strengths and racing experience, both of which were highly exaggerated ( Racing is in my blood—a blood sample is available upon request) . Gamblers cast their bets, which were officially recorded on a long scroll and locked in Magistrate Oxard’s vault. While anyone was allowed to sponsor and bet on any racer from the five competing villages, it was considered near treason to do so for a racer not from one’s home village. (One man was refused service at the Wishing Well because he backed a racer from the next village over.) The race was all everyone talked about, and streets and alleys became hazardous to traverse because the racers were practicing nonstop—or at least were trying to intimidate each other with their threading.
    Rue’s Rug Emporium was not exempt from it all. Daily the store was bombarded with people purchasing new carpets for the journey to the Capital where the Grand Flyer would finish. Long runner rugs, called Caravaners, were the most popular sale since they carried up to eighteen passengers. Dodie had been spending every day helping in the shop, and every evening helping Taj practice takeoff speed.
    Besides the emporium, the Seer was the next most sought after service in the village. Racers, sponsors, and interested parties lined up outside her tent, hoping to hear words of good fortune or prophecies about the Grand Flyer. As a contestant, Taj was expected to visit the Seer, as any word spoken over him would affect his sponsorship. He invited Dodie to go along with him, hoping that perhaps the Seer would have a good word for Dodie in regards to his fear of flying. The two brothers arrived just