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Two airjets dos spread wide and dark One is sle occupant, with a silver body and orange-tipped wings Snapdragon, I re back to Naercey and the swift, lethal jets that rained fire down upon us The bigger one is pitch-black,colors to speak of I’ve never seen anything like it, and di to be the one to fly it, unless Farley has yet another skill in her bag of tricks Judging by the way she stares at the jet, her eyes wide, I doubt it
"What are you doing in here?"
The voice echoes strangely in the hangar, bouncing off the walls The on doesn’t have the look of a soldier, wearing gray coveralls instead of a Lakelander unifor hi in Kilorn’s bruising cheeks and Shade’s crutch "I-I’ll have to report you to your superiors"
"Report away," Farley barks, looking every inch the captain she was Next to her scar and the tense cut of her jaw, I’m surprised the mechanic doesn’t faint on the spot "We’re on strict orders fro Cal toward the black jet "Now get this hangar door open"
The mechanic continues to stammer while Cal leads us to the rear of the jet As we pass beneath the wing, he reaches up a hand, letting it drag against the cooland fast"
"And stolen," I add
He nods, stoic, reaching the sa exercise, Queen Elara had said at a luncheon long ago She brushed aside the ru the now dead Colonel Macanthos in front of her trove of ladies I thought she was lying then, covering up more of the Guard’s actions, but it also seemed impossible--who could steal a jet, let alone two? Apparently the Scarlet Guard could--and did
The back of the Blackrun, beneath the tail, yawns open like a o Na heavily on his crutch, his face damp and pale with exertion Soht behind us I can still hear the echo of Farley’s voice e clah semidarkness
Seats line both curved walls, with heavy-duty straps dangling froh to transport two dozen men at least I wonder where this jet flew last, and who it carried Did they live, did they die? And e share their fate?
"Mare, I need you up here," Cal says, pushing past me to the front of the jet He drops heavily into the pilot’s seat, facing an unfathomable panel of buttons, levers, and instrues are pointed to zero, and the jet huh the thick glass of the cockpit, I can see the hangar door--still closed--and Farley, still arguing with the in to strap myself in "What can I do?" The buckles click and snap as I tighten each one in turn If we’re going to be flying, I don’t want to be bouncing around the inside of the jet
"This thing’s got batteries, but they need a kick, and I don’t think that lint in his eye "Do what you do best"
"Right" Deter ason a laer and more complicated--and more ih to ju, purple and white and powerful, streaking out of the sky to strike the Bowl of Bones, tellsthis jet to life
Arms outstretched, I put my hands on the panel I don’t knohat to feel for, only that I feel nothing My fingers dance along the ht be able to use My sparks rise in ritted teeth, reluctant to let the cry escape
He understands and works quickly, reaching under the control panel to so screech,He reveals ain woven bundles, and I’et thee a hand into the wires, lettingfor soers brush a particularly thick wire, a round, smooth cord that fits my hand perfectly, I can’t help but s th flow into the power line It carries through the jet, splitting and branching along different paths, but I force ine and the i into skin Co they My head dips, leaning against the panel, letting the coolskin With one last push, the dah the walls and wires I don’t see the Blackrun power to life, but I feel it all around
"Well done," Cal says, sparing a second to squeeze h, in accordance with our agreement No distractions, least of all now I openacross the panel controls, flipping switches and adjusting knobs seely at random
When I lean back, another hand takes my shoulder Kilorn lets his hand rest, but his touch is strangely gentle He’s not even looking at me but the jet, his face torn between awe and fear With his ape and eyes wide, he looks al in the belly of an airjet, about to do e never dreairl, about to fly
"Does she expect h a wall?" Cal one He looks over his shoulder, eyes searching, not for me, but my brother "Shade?"
My brother looks liable to faint, and reluctantly shakes his head "I can’t juood day" It pains hih he has no reason at all to be ashamed But Shade is a Barrow, and we do not like to adh," he continues, his hands straying to his buckles
Kilorn knows my brother as well as I do, and pushes him back into his seat "You’re no use dead, Barrow," he says, forcing a crooked grin "I’ll get that door open"
"Don’t bother," I spit out, my eyes fixed outside the cockpit I push ar door starts to open, pulling up from the floor in a s the rind ahile Farley bolts She sprints out of sight, racing the rising door A blaze of sunset follows her, cut with streaking, long shadoo dozen soldiers stand in silhouette, blocking the opening Not just Lakelanders, but Farley’s own Guardsun ai to fire Tothem