The Unwilling Aviator (Book 4) Read Online Free
Author: Heidi Willard
forward and crossed her arms. "What were you two are doing out here?"
Ned pulled Fred's hand up to show the sticks. "Practicing."
"Uh-huh. In the middle of the woods in the middle of the night?" she wondered.
"Night practicing sooths saddle-soreness," Ned countered.
"What were you practicing?" Ruth spoke up.
"Hand control and the right way to hold a staff," he told them.
Pat's eyes flickered over to Fred who slapped a grin on his face. "Is that so?" she mused. Fred furiously nodded his head. Pat sighed and shook her head. "If you gentlemen are done practicing we should get some sleep."
"A good idea," Ned agreed. He turned the teenagers around and guided them toward the camp. "We have a long road ahead of us tomorrow, and some interesting scenery to admire."
CHAPTER 4
The four returned to camp and found everyone was awake except Canto. Percy stood by the embers of their fire and looked wearily at the dwarf. He snored louder than ever. Pat frowned and clamped her hands on her ears. "Does he need to be so loud?" she wondered.
Ned chuckled. "Dwarves are a naturally loud people, even when they sleep, and especially after a few days' hard ride. Fortunately, I have just the remedy for this situation."
"Waking him up?" Pat suggested.
"Let's let sleeping dwarves lie," Ned replied. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a glass jar filled with pieces of fluffy white cotton. Ned popped open the lid and held the mouth out to the others. "Take two and stuff these in your ears," he directed them.
Pat rolled her eyes, but grabbed a pair, as did the others. Sins ignored the offer and settled back against his trunk. The group tightly stuffed the cotton into their ears and lay down for a rest. Fred mimicked the others by laying down, but he never found the sleep he desired. His mind returned to the stream over and over again as he thought about the reflection of Martley smiling at him. He hadn't thought of her in so long that he couldn't bring himself to believe he just imagined her out of thin air. Unfortunately, he had no answers, and not much sleep that night.
The sun rose the next morning bright and early, and the group along with it. They gathered their supplies and set off down the road through Kite country. The first few miles were as wooded and wet as the Dirth region, but slowly the geography changed. The ground dried and the color faded from green to orange and yellow, and steep, rocky cliffs rose up from woods. The trees thinned and became scraggly things that clung to small crevices along the cliffs. The road in front of them narrowed and meandered through high walls of rock, and occasionally a stone clattered down from above.
Later that day they rode down into a narrow canyon. The area was calm and quiet. Fred was only half awake when he heard a loud noise ahead of them. It sounded like a screaming animal. Fred's eyes widened and he glanced past Pat and Ned to the trail ahead of them. The shrubs and scraggly trees were whipped about by a terrible gust of wind that swept toward them.
Ned ducked low and glanced over his shoulder at the others. "Prepare yourselves!" he shouted. Everyone hugged their chests to their steeds and prepared for the oncoming beast of a breeze.
The powerful gust of wind hit them with a wave of dust. It swirled around them in a tornado pattern, and kicked up dust and even small rocks. Sins clutched onto his fedora and the end of Ned's hat whipped to and fro behind him. Pat cringed and clung onto her reins. "What in the world is this?" she yelled above the roaring noise.
Ned chuckled. "The usual welcome of Kite. Its constant wind."
"Does it ever-" Pat exclaimed just as the wind died down as quickly as it came, "stop?" She turned her head this way and that, but the tornado was gone.
"Occasionally," Ned teased. "The nights are often calm, but from an hour before sunrise and an hour after there are enough winds to lift a kite."
"And the closer we come to String the worse the wind will
Ned pulled Fred's hand up to show the sticks. "Practicing."
"Uh-huh. In the middle of the woods in the middle of the night?" she wondered.
"Night practicing sooths saddle-soreness," Ned countered.
"What were you practicing?" Ruth spoke up.
"Hand control and the right way to hold a staff," he told them.
Pat's eyes flickered over to Fred who slapped a grin on his face. "Is that so?" she mused. Fred furiously nodded his head. Pat sighed and shook her head. "If you gentlemen are done practicing we should get some sleep."
"A good idea," Ned agreed. He turned the teenagers around and guided them toward the camp. "We have a long road ahead of us tomorrow, and some interesting scenery to admire."
CHAPTER 4
The four returned to camp and found everyone was awake except Canto. Percy stood by the embers of their fire and looked wearily at the dwarf. He snored louder than ever. Pat frowned and clamped her hands on her ears. "Does he need to be so loud?" she wondered.
Ned chuckled. "Dwarves are a naturally loud people, even when they sleep, and especially after a few days' hard ride. Fortunately, I have just the remedy for this situation."
"Waking him up?" Pat suggested.
"Let's let sleeping dwarves lie," Ned replied. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a glass jar filled with pieces of fluffy white cotton. Ned popped open the lid and held the mouth out to the others. "Take two and stuff these in your ears," he directed them.
Pat rolled her eyes, but grabbed a pair, as did the others. Sins ignored the offer and settled back against his trunk. The group tightly stuffed the cotton into their ears and lay down for a rest. Fred mimicked the others by laying down, but he never found the sleep he desired. His mind returned to the stream over and over again as he thought about the reflection of Martley smiling at him. He hadn't thought of her in so long that he couldn't bring himself to believe he just imagined her out of thin air. Unfortunately, he had no answers, and not much sleep that night.
The sun rose the next morning bright and early, and the group along with it. They gathered their supplies and set off down the road through Kite country. The first few miles were as wooded and wet as the Dirth region, but slowly the geography changed. The ground dried and the color faded from green to orange and yellow, and steep, rocky cliffs rose up from woods. The trees thinned and became scraggly things that clung to small crevices along the cliffs. The road in front of them narrowed and meandered through high walls of rock, and occasionally a stone clattered down from above.
Later that day they rode down into a narrow canyon. The area was calm and quiet. Fred was only half awake when he heard a loud noise ahead of them. It sounded like a screaming animal. Fred's eyes widened and he glanced past Pat and Ned to the trail ahead of them. The shrubs and scraggly trees were whipped about by a terrible gust of wind that swept toward them.
Ned ducked low and glanced over his shoulder at the others. "Prepare yourselves!" he shouted. Everyone hugged their chests to their steeds and prepared for the oncoming beast of a breeze.
The powerful gust of wind hit them with a wave of dust. It swirled around them in a tornado pattern, and kicked up dust and even small rocks. Sins clutched onto his fedora and the end of Ned's hat whipped to and fro behind him. Pat cringed and clung onto her reins. "What in the world is this?" she yelled above the roaring noise.
Ned chuckled. "The usual welcome of Kite. Its constant wind."
"Does it ever-" Pat exclaimed just as the wind died down as quickly as it came, "stop?" She turned her head this way and that, but the tornado was gone.
"Occasionally," Ned teased. "The nights are often calm, but from an hour before sunrise and an hour after there are enough winds to lift a kite."
"And the closer we come to String the worse the wind will
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