Air Read Online Free Page B

us to pinpoint the meeting place in all of that?”
    Slowly, all heads turned toward me.
    I huffed at the thought of helping them find the only man I wished to never see again, but studied the map anyway. Vayu pointed out where he remembered most of the fire being shown on the news and I squinted at the names of cities and other places. Finally, I zeroed in on the most obvious possibility. “There, in Kakudu National Park. Yellow Waters.”
    The three men followed my finger.
    “Are you sure?” Cato asked, reaching into his shirt pocket for glasses.
    I frowned. I’d never seen him wear glasses. “Pretty sure. Yellow was part of the dream, too.”
    Micah opened his mouth, forming a question.
    I interrupted before he could even start, “Don’t ask.”
    “Well then.” Cato took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “We have a destination.”
    Vayu jumped up and down, clapping his hands.
    Cato frowned, sending him an annoyed look. “Vayu, find Alex and brief him on everything. He’ll need to arrange transportation for all of us, including Susan and Kaitlyn.”
    My shoulders puffed up as I prepared for an argument and racked my brain for all the reasons I shouldn’t go. Cato and Micah’s stares convinced me otherwise and without a word spoken, I had lost the fight.
    “Lightning man makes sense now, was that part of your dream, too?” Cato asked.
    “Kind of.”
    He pulled a dusty book down off of one of the higher shelves. “Namarrgon is an aboriginal legend meaning lightning man.”
    “What does that have to do with me?”
    “Nothing,” Cato said. “It is Shawn letting us know this fire isn’t natural. He most likely started it. This is his way of ensuring we go to battle it instead of letting nature take its course.”
    Cato gave me a chance to respond but I couldn’t come up with an argument so he continued, “He wants you there, Kaitlyn. We are going to oblige because we need this lead.”
    I felt Micah’s hand on the back of my neck, giving me what support he could, but his warmth did nothing for the chill growing in my body.

 
     
    Chapter 5
     
    A Fish out of Water
     
    "Now that is a warm welcome."
    No one laughed at Vayu's joke as we made our way down the steep flight of stairs from the plane onto the open tarmac. We all eyed the ominous orange glow visible in the distance.
    As we passed a baggage handler his radio crackled to life and a thick Australian accent came over the airways, “Ok guys, that is the last plane in. We are going to start the evacuation process. Make sure…” the man with the radio walked out of earshot.
    I felt my heart beat faster. I glanced up at Micah, sticking close by my side. He met my look, but kept all emotion hidden behind the stone wall of his face.
    Having packed carry-ons only, we were able to leave the airport quickly. We stuffed ourselves into the rental van Alex had arranged while waiting for our flight in Sumatra. We were pressed up against one another, two seatbelts short of accommodating everyone.
    Cato sat in the front passenger seat, studying a large map of the Northern Territory. He looked at Alex, “We are supposed to meet my associate here. He is with a local fire brigade and can direct us to where we will be most effective without being detected.”
    Micah leaned forward to consult how to get there while making our best guess on avoiding fire-ravaged roads. I looked behind me to the back row where Vayu and a haggard Susan sat.
    I furrowed my eyebrows at Susan’s pale face. “What’s the matter? Are you all right?”
    She took a sip from her water bottle and nodded her head. “Yes, I’m…well, no.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice sending a furtive look at Micah. “It’s the air – there’s no water in it. The fire’s dried out the entire area. I feel like…well, a little like a fish out of water.” She managed a smile. I reached back and took hold of her hand, squeezing tightly. Maybe being closer to me and the