Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
Fieran parked the large army truck on the side street next to the donut shop run by Tiny’s girlfriend and her father.
After he shut off the engine and made sure the truck wouldn’t roll away, he grinned at Pip sitting on the bench seat squished next to him, her legs hugged to her chest to keep them out of the way of the gear shift on the floor. “Ready to stretch your legs?”
“Yes. I’m small, but even I have my limits for squishing into tight spots.” Pip glanced at Adry and Merrik, who were squashed onto the bench seat on the other side of her before she began scooting along the bench to follow Fieran out the driver’s door.
He pushed the door open and hopped down, holding the door for her as she jumped to the dirt road after him.
Across the truck, Merrik had opened the passenger door, and he lowered himself to the ground more slowly than Fieran had. For a moment, he gripped the truck’s door, as if he was making sure his legs would hold him before he let go.
The canvas flap at the back of the truck’s covered bed was shoved aside, and the flyboys and flygirls, both human and elven, tumbled out.
They’d piled nearly the whole squadron in there as few of them had opted to stay behind in Fort Defense when their squadron had been given a pass to Defense City.
Mak hopped out last, likely having been crammed in a corner to take up as little space as possible.
“All right, everyone, if you want to ride back in the truck to Fort Defense, make sure you’re back here by 17:00,” Fieran called to them as they began scattering into the town. “If you aren’t back here, I’m assuming you want to walk back.”
He, Pip, Merrik, and Adry had a planned dinner with Dacha and Uncle Iyrinder, and he didn’t want to be late. Not when this would be Pip’s first dinner with Dacha.
While Defense City was only three miles inland from Fort Defense—walkable or jog-able in a pinch—he wasn’t going to ask Merrik to make the walk.
Merrik’s left ankle was healing well, but it still ached if he did too much.
And after all the long hours of flying and living in unwashed and dirty clothing, Merrik had chafed the skin of his stump.
After spending the day in Defense City, Merrik would need the truck back to the fort more than any flyboys or flygirls who wanted to stay in the city longer.
“Well, I’m off.” Tiny hurried toward the back steps of the donut shop. His girlfriend was already opening the door and grinning at him. She waved to the rest of them, but her smile was focused solely on Tiny.
“I heard there is a new two-reeler at the theater.” Stickyfingers turned toward Nellie Blair. “Would you like to go?”
“Sure.” She stepped slightly closer to Stickyfingers.
That was something Fieran was going to have to keep an eye on. While his courtship with Pip wasn’t against regulations, courting within a unit was. If Stickyfingers and Nellie went past mild flirting, he’d either have to put a stop to it or offer to transfer one of them.
Which he’d hate to do. Stickyfingers was part of the core of the Half-Breed Squadron, and their squadron was Nellie’s only option for a combat unit.
Lije strolled over to join Stickyfingers and Nellie. “A moving picture show sounds great.” Lije didn’t seem to notice the way Sticky’s expression fell slightly.
“Yes!”
“Let’s go!”
Within a few minutes, a large group of the flyboys and flygirls had set off down the street toward the theater, whisking Stickyfingers and Nellie along with them. Aylia, too, had gone with them, as well as a few of the other elves.
Most of the elves mentioned they were going to head toward the river where there was a small stretch of relatively untouched riverfront that still had some trees.
As a few of the other groups drifted away, Fieran mentally ticked off his list, checking that no one was being left out.
It seemed everyone had found a group to hang out with for the day except for Lt.
Rothilion, who was shifting his feet and glancing around as if he wasn’t quite sure where he belonged.
Fieran suppressed a sigh and glanced at Pip. He’d imagined spending this day with Pip. A day-long date with no work and no intrusions.
Pip looked up at him, and their gazes met. Was that a hint of regret in her own eyes? Then she turned and gestured to Lt. Rothilion. “Saranthyr, you can tag along with us.”
“With all of us.” Adry was tugging Merrik closer. Apparently this was going to be a double date, even if Rothilion didn’t come along.
Rothilion sighed and shook his head, a hint of a resigned-but-pretending-to-not-be curl to his mouth. “I have no wish to find myself the extraneous person.”
“You won’t be extraneous.” As much as he’d hate to do it, Fieran would send Pip off with Merrik and Adry and see to it that Lt. Rothilion wasn’t without a friend, if it came to that.
“You won’t be the only one not paired up.” Mak drifted over to them as well, clearly staking his spot as part of their group.
Fieran bit back another sigh. And now he was going to have Pip’s big brother breathing down his neck. Granted, Merrik too would have Adry’s big brother breathing down his neck, so it was only fair.
“Fine.” Rothilion joined them with a faint roll of his shoulders. “I suppose it will not be entirely unpleasant. Where do you intend to go?”
“My cousin Draenelynn said that some of the dwarven crafters tagged along and are setting up shop here in Defense City.” Pip took one of Fieran’s hands, although her gaze remained on Rothilion. “We were hoping to find some of their booths.”
Rothilion gave a nod, and the six of them set off. Mak led the way with Merrik and Adry falling in behind him.
Fieran waited until last to make sure Rothilion came along. But he hadn’t needed to worry. Adry was already walking backward, somehow managing to do that and hold Merrik’s hand. Merrik steered her around a loose cobblestone, as if this wasn’t anything unusual.
“I haven’t had the chance to get to know Merrik’s squadron yet.” Adry shot Rothilion a grin, walking and talking in a way that forced Rothilion to fully join their group rather than trail awkwardly behind. “I’m Adry. Fieran’s sister. You’re Saranthyr…”
Rothilion hesitated, shooting a glance over his shoulder at Fieran. “Rothilion.”
Adry’s eyebrows shot up. “Related to—”
“Yes.” Lt. Rothilion cut her off before she could finish. “But considering my damasha is on the verge of disowning me, that connection is hardly worth mentioning.”
Next to Fieran, Pip stumbled. “Your father is threatening to disown you? Why?”
Rothilion glanced at her before shooting Fieran a look. “You did not tell them?”
“No. I can keep my mouth shut when something is told to me in confidence.” Fieran shrugged, trying to ignore the twinge at Rothilion’s surprise. Yes, Fieran talked a lot. But that didn’t mean he blabbed other people’s secrets.
“Linshi.” Rothilion dipped his head in a nod before he turned back to Pip. “My father and uncle are a part of the most traditional among the elves. He was angry that I stayed in the squadron under a Laesornysh, and he was even more angry when he heard I had flown with Prince Farrendel.”
“And there’s your uncle’s strange resentment toward my whole family.” Adry rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure why he’s the one with his knickers in a knot since he was the one who broke off his engagement to Aunt Melantha, not the other way around.”
Rothilion made a small choking noise at Adry’s reference to undergarments. Merrik just shook his head in a resigned kind of way, even as he steered her around another pedestrian since she was still walking backward.
After another polite cough, Rothilion dipped his head. “My damasha has likely only held off because openly taking such a stand against Laesornysh would be politically disastrous.”
“That’s messed up.” Adry flexed her fingers, as if she wanted to give Rothilion’s father a piece of her mind…and perhaps acquaint him with her magic.
Not that Fieran wasn’t fully prepared to join her in that, if the occasion should arise.
“I’m sorry.” Pip’s fingers tightened on Fieran’s hand.
“I knew the consequences when I made my choices.” Rothilion faced forward, rolling his shoulders in the elven shrug.
His tone said that the conversation was over. All of them paused for a moment before Adry smiled and made the elven forehead to mouth greeting gesture. “Well, it’s good to meet you.”
She finally faced forward and began a conversation with Mak.
Fieran slowed his steps so that he and Pip dropped somewhat back from the others. “This isn’t quite the day-long date I was planning.”
“It’s all right. Spending time with everyone is also nice.” Pip swung their clasped hands before she leaned slightly closer. “And seeing the way you squirm around Merrik and Adry is hilarious.”
Fieran heaved a sigh, his gaze drifting to where Merrik and Adry walked ahead, their hands clasped, Adry leaning into Merrik as she pointed at something.
“Glad someone finds it funny. It isn’t even that I’m against it or anything.
It’s Merrik. I couldn’t ask for someone better for my sister. It’s just…”
Pip peered up at him, her eyes searching his face. “What?”
“You’re going to laugh. It’s ridiculous.” Fieran didn’t really want to admit the truth out loud. He already knew how silly it would sound.
Pip opened her mouth, as if to promise that she wouldn’t, before she closed her mouth and shrugged. “Okay, yes, I probably will laugh. But you still need to tell someone and get it out of your system.”
Fieran swung their hands again, letting some of the bustle of Defense City come between them and the others.
“When Merrik and I were little, I resented when Adry got old enough to join us. It felt like she was stealing my friend, and I just wanted to hang out with Merrik without my little sister tagging along.”