The Unwilling Aviator (Book 4) (12 page)

"How long can you keep this up?" Pat asked him.

"Not as long as they can," he replied.

"Then lower the ceiling."

He stared to her as though she'd grown a dwarf beard. "What?"

"Just do it!"

Fred frowned, but lowered the wall so the roof of the dome was open. Pat turned and looked back at the inner hall. "Ruth!" she shouted.

"Coming!" came the reply. In a moment Ruth flew into the doorway with the other two guards on her tail. Two of the men had grabbed her tail and used themselves as weights to pull her to the ground. Ruth grabbed a hold of a high part of the door frame with her clawed hands and feet. She glanced between her legs and frowned at them.

"It is very rude to grab a girl by her tail," she scolded them. Ruth cracked her tail like a whip and the two men flew backward. They crashed into the other guards making their way through the doorway into the entrance hall. Ruth pushed off from the doorway and glided over to land on top of Fred's barrier on the opposite side of the guards.

Pat leaned her head back to look at Ruth. "Can you carry us both?"

Ruth furrowed her brow. "There isn't enough wind to carry us more than a few yards," she pointed out.

At that moment the guards staggered to their feet and resumed their pounding away at Fred's barrier. Their weapons clanged against the barrier and resounded through the hall, drowning out the guards from overhearing their conversation. Some even climbed atop the shoulders of their comrades to get at the lip of the opening where Ruth sat. Their climbing gave Pat an idea and she glanced up at the glass ceiling above them

"The walls! We'll follow your claw marks!" she yelled to Ruth.

Ruth followed her friend's gaze and noticed the glass dome. She frowned and glanced back to Pat. "But the barrier," she reminded Pat.

The guards at the barrier wall had created two ladders by climbing atop one another's shoulders. The pair at the top of the ladders grasped the opposite edge of the barrier opening opposite Ruth and brandished their swords.

Pat turned to Fred. "Drop the barrier."

His mouth dropped open. "Are you mad?" he asked her.

"Just do it!" she ordered him.

Fred frowned, but dropped the barrier. Pat and Fred stepped out of the way as the ladder of guards crashed to the floor. Ruth glided over to the left-hand wall. She slammed her claws into the marble and her fingers dug small handholds into the rock. She hurriedly climbed the wall with her feet and hands leaving a trail for others to follow. Fred and Pat were those others, and they rushed past the flailing pile of guards and to the notches in the wall.

Fred pushed Pat ahead of him and swiveled around to ignite another barrier just as a few of the guards threw their halberds. The weapons clanged uselessly against the barrier, but the guards themselves hacked and pounded on the walls. Pat climbed after Ruth, and when there was room Fred followed. His barrier tagged along and protected his rear flank from the stabbing action of the guards as they tried to follow the three up the wall.

Ruth climbed to the point where the stone met the glass and glanced down at the guards beneath them. "Please move!" she called to them. The mens' eyes widened when Ruth slammed her fist into the glass. The panes shattered and glass rained down onto the floor of the entrance hall. The men flung their arms over their heads and many flung themselves against the walls.

Ruth crawled out the broken glass and onto the roof with Pat and Fred close behind. They all breathed the cool, late morning air and were grateful when a fresh breeze blew past them. Ruth opened her wings and tested the wind. "The wind is weak. I can carry you both, but I do not know for how far."

"We would be grateful for a block," Pat replied.

"I will see what I can do, now take my hands and walk with me," Ruth commanded.

Fred and Pat took her hands, and Ruth walked them to the edge of the roof. Below them was the round seating area, and the aviators still sat in the circle waiting for their trials. Guards burst from the entrance hall and glanced up at the roof. They pointed and shouted at the three above there. Topper himself scurried from the Senex and glared up at the three rogues.

"Get down from there, criminals!" he demanded.

"You heard him, Ruth," Pat told her friend.

Ruth nodded and took one step off the roof. She dragged Fred and Pat with her and spread her wings as far as she could manage. The winds of String blew beneath her wings and they sailed over the shouting administrator and guards. Ruth flew them over the rooftops of the nearby buildings and southeastward toward their inn. The companions were out of reach, but not out of visibility. The guards hurried along the streets following their flight path.

Pat glanced up at Ruth. "Can we go higher?" she yelled to her friend.

Ruth grit her teeth and shook her head. "I cannot keep us from descending," she replied. Beads of sweat dripped down her brow and Fred felt her claws twitch.

The strain on Ruth didn't go unnoticed by Pat. "How far can you take us?" she asked Ruth.

"Not. . .much. . .farther," Ruth answered.

Pat glanced down and saw the guards were two blocks behind them. As the gargoyle flies was much faster than as the guards sprinted. Pat glanced ahead of them and noticed a small building with a flat, battered roof. She glanced up and pointed at the building. "Take us down atop that shed. We may be able to hide in there," she suggested.

Ruth dove down to the roof. Pat released herself from Ruth's grasp and landed on her feet onto the metal beams. Fred fell beside her, but his feet slipped and he fell onto his rear. Ruth tried to land in front of Fred, but the landing strip was too short. Her foot snagged the roof and she tumbled over the side. One of her hands caught the side and she clung onto the edge swinging in midair. Pat and Fred rushed forward, and they hauled their exhausted friend onto the roof. Ruth sat beside Pat and opposite Fred, and caught her breath.

Pat glanced at Ruth with admiration. "That was some excellent flying," she complimented her.

Ruth smiled and nodded. "I will have to thank my father for the lessons at Tramadore," she replied.

Now free of his captors, Fred leaned back and punched the roof. "Just a few more seconds and Martley would have told me something," he groaned.

Pat whipped her head to Fred, and her expression wasn't as friendly. "What about Martley?"

"She was there, that old woman," Fred told her. "She was telling me something about a guy in white and then you dropped in."

Pat raised an eyebrow. "You're sure it was her?"

"Positive," was his firm reply.

Pat furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. "Then she survived the fall of Galaron, but what would she want with you?" she quietly mused. Their discussion was interrupted by the far-off sound of the guards. "We need to get off this roof before they see us," she ordered them.

Fred glanced past the girls to the east and his eyes widened. "What time is it?" he asked them.

Pat frowned. "What does that-" She froze, and turned toward the east. The dark sky was growling lighter. They'd spent the whole night wandering the city and dealing with the city leaders. "Oh no." Both Fred and she whipped their heads over to Ruth.

Ruth held up one hand and her eyes widened when the fingers turned to stone. She reached for her medallion, but her other hand froze an inch from the jewelery. Her face twisted into fear and concern for her friends before the light of the sun completely washed over her. She was encased in stone.

That's when they heard a loud crack. The pair of humans glanced beneath Ruth and noticed the wood buckle under the weight of a stone gargoyle. They cried out when the wood roof caved in and sent them toppling into the shed. The companions landed atop a mess of pots, old straw, cobwebs, and, in Fred's case, the business-end of a pitchfork. He yelped and jumped off the fork points. Pat sputtered and freed herself from the straw to reveal she now wore a sunbonnet. Ruth landed upright with a thud near the center of the floor and faced the closed doors.

"Great place to land," Fred commented to Pat.

Pat's eyes widened and she scrambled up to slap her hand over his mouth. Her eyes whipped over to the walls and shadows appeared beside the building. Fred froze when he heard the sound of metal clang against the side of the building.

"If they're not in the sky then they have to be somewhere around here," a gruff voice spoke up.

The shadows flitted over to the front door, and a chain rattled. "They didn't get in through here. This thing's been shut for years," another voice replied.

"But we should look inside. Topper told us to check everywhere," the first voice argued.

The second man scoffed. "We'd be wasting our time, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him." The guards passed by and the pair inside the shed exhaled. They were safe for a time.

CHAPTER 14

Pat dropped her hand from Fred's mouth and grabbed some of the straw. She tossed it over Ruth. "Hurry. Help me hide Ruth beneath the hay. Then we can slip out the back," she whispered to Fred.

"But we can't just leave her," Fred argued.

She frowned at him. "Unless you have more strength than you've shown then we must," she countered.

"I don't have strength, but I have skill," Fred replied. He stood, pulled out his staff and pointed it at Ruth.

Pat placed herself between Ruth and Fred, and stretched out her arms. "What are you going to do to her?" she questioned.

"I'm going to levitate her so we can take her back to the inn," Fred told her.

"Do you honestly believe we will make it that far without being noticed?" she pointed out.

"We can make it farther than your-"

"I don't know. It's just a bunch of junk to me," someone outside spoke up.

"That is exactly what these tourists will buy," another man replied. The pair inside whipped their heads over to the doors and heard footsteps connected to the voices. Shadows stopped in front of the double doors and a heavy chain was lifted.

"All right, but you'll just be disappointed," the first man answered.

"Hide!" Pat whispered.

They dove into the straw just as the doors swung open. The pair peeked out from their itchy hiding spot and watched two men enter the shed. One was quite old and wore plain clothes. His had a slow gait and stepped aside to let the other man get a complete view of the shed.

The other man was middle-aged and wore expensive clothes. A large diamond ring flashed on his finger and his smile was almost as blinding. The man's sharp eyes roamed over the contents of the shed. "I'll be the twinner of-what's that?" He strode over to Ruth and peered at the stone gargoyle. "This is wonderful! Magnificent!" he exclaimed as he strode around her stone form. "Where did you find such an item?"

The old man shrugged. "It's not mine," he replied.

The rich man's eyes flashed with a cunning light. "It isn't?" he mused.

The old man frowned. "But that doesn't mean you're getting it for free, Dewey Cheatum! I expect a good price for anything you take from this shed, and that means that statue!"

Cheatum laughed. "Calm down, my good Mr. Howe. I can assure you of a good deal for this magnificent piece of stonework." The rich man pulled a bag from the inside of his robes and jingled it in his hands. It made the sound of hard gold coins. "What say you to this much without telling anyone that I got this statue from you?"

"Uh, sure," Howe agreed as the bag was exchanged. "But why the secret? Don't want a customer to find out?"

Cheatum chortled. "Customer nothing. This is going in my private collection, and I plan on connecting its find to the change in that ugly Swearing Stone. People will pay me to see it."

The old man rubbed his chin and looked over his companion with narrow, hard eyes. "Sounds like you'll make a lot of money."

Cheatum turned to Howe and frowned. "I've given you more than enough. Any more and a twinner may have to be called and your possession of this statue will be questioned."

Howe sullenly frowned. "Fine, take it! Swindle an old man!"

"That's what I intend to. Let me call my cart and our business will be finished," Cheatum replied. The two men left and closed the door behind themselves.

The companions sputtered from the straw. "Are you going to let me levitate her or not?" Fred asked Pat. She turned to him and whacked him on the back of the head. He cringed and rubbed the bruised spot. "What was that for?" he growled.

"Don't you see this is the best chance we have to escape? The streets are swarming with guards, but they won't look twice at a cart with a bunch of junk in it," she pointed out.

At that moment they heard the rumble of a cart and they returned to their hiding spots. In a moment the doors opened to reveal a large covered cart with knickknacks of all kinds sticking out of the open ends. It was pulled by a strong, burly horse, and an even burlier man man jumped from the box. Cheatum stepped into the doorway and waved his hand at the statue. "There she is, but be careful. A chip and it comes out of your pay," he told the burly gentleman.