by Karen Garvin
"So," Roland said. "Let's see what we can do to get these things in shape. I've got a few spare parts tucked away here and there. Of course, some of them will have to be modified. These wings are much older than yours."
Mary didn't miss when he said 'yours'.
"I'm sorry for everything. I've let you down terribly."
Roland scrunched up his face. He didn't want to say it out loud, but Mary knew she had. "That's all done now. Onward and upward."
***
It took several days, but together the two of them finally got the wings in flying shape.
Mary slipped the wings into the harness on her back and twitched her muscles, testing the controls. They were sluggish, but there was nothing she could do about that. At least they worked.
Roland and Mary carried them up to the launch pad and she stood on the edge, feeling the thermal. She didn't think she would ever feel it again with a set of wings on her back. She had avoided coming up here all together, not wanting to be reminded of what she had lost.
"Ready?"
Mary nodded at Roland and stepped out into the thermal and dropped nearly ten feet before the wings caught the air. They were heavy, and it took several long moments before Mary could circle her way up, riding the air from the heat vent.
Mary smiled and yelled out. She was flying again. It was all she really wanted to do. Then she looked out across the open water in the direction of home, and she remembered what it was about. She needed to win this race. She needed her wings, and she needed luck on her side.
Mary dipped the tip of the nose down and screamed off over the trees.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Light rain fell over the islands, a soaking drizzle that dampened Mary's spirits even more than they had been. The day had finally come for the annual games. She was nervous. Heck, she was scared shitless.
Mary had been to the games as a spectator , but here, behind the scenes, it was terrifying. Of course, Eric Dane didn't make things any easier for her. He came over just as the contestants were called for the first round.
"I hope you have been taking care of my wings."
"Don't worry," Mary told him. "They are in better shape than before the accident."
Eric shrugged, he didn't seem to care about them. "Just keep an eye peeled out on the course. You know some people try to cheat. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you."
Mary wasn't sure if he was just taunting her, or alluding to something he might do. Either way, she tried to let it bounce off her. She had racing to do.
***
Both Mary and Eric rose quickly through the levels, until it was the last two heats before the final.
Mary stood on the edge of the pad, her feet just touching the thermals that rushed up around her. Mary stepped off and the heavy wings dropped her, but she was used to it now. She worked until she was level with the other four competitors in her heat.
The five of them lined up, heading for the imaginary starting line. Mary started to pull forward of the others so tilted the nose up to scrub a little speed so that they all crossed the line at roughly the same time.
A cannon sounded in the distance, signaling it was a clean start. And they were off.
For the first part of the race Mary knew she was going to fall back. She had the heaviest wings of the bunch. But that would be an advantage for the end. The first part of the race was little more than a slalom course marked by bright red balls attached to the tops of tall poles.
Each competitor had to swoop around the outside of each balloon in succession, in the fastest time possible. The wings Mary had were heavy, unable to make very quick turns, but still she managed to keep with the other men, if just a bit back from them. Mary crossed the first marker only a few seconds back from the leader. Now it was time to shine.
Everyone headed toward the mountain, with its strong thermal vents. There were two possible paths Mary could take at that point. A shorter route, with few thermals, and a longer one.
If Mary had lighter wings, she would have taken the shorter path. Mary was familiar with the thermals on this side of the mountain, but so was everyone else. She headed for the first big thermal, angling her nose up.
Mary rode the thermal around and around, higher than most would have, but she could sense when the lift was worth it, and when it wasn't. Once the thermal began to give out, she dipped the nose down and shot from the thermal, her eyes watering from the speed. This was where the heavier wings paid off.
Mary raced from thermal to thermal. Since she had spent so much time on the first, Mary was farther behind than she should be. But that had been the strategy she worked out for this race. Mary came out of the first thermal much higher than anyone else who chose the long path, so she had more speed going into each successive thermal. She skipped over top of the second, gaining just a bit of lift before moving on to the next. She passed one flier with that move.
Each successive thermal Mary entered higher than anyone else and soon found herself neck and neck with second place. The first place flier had taken the shorter route, so it would be many more minutes before she even knew where he was.
Mary felt someone closing on her, blocking the winds she rode. She tried to drop a bit to get clear of the wash from the flier next to her, but the one coming up behind crowded too close, and she lost the wind.
Mary dropped several feet. She searched her memory for the next thermal on the course. She'd lost too much altitude, it was time to do something drastic.
Mary aimed for the base of the next thermal, nose tilted downward. Just as she reached the edge of the thermal, Mary threw the nose high into the air again and swooped straight up the thermal, bypassing the two who had caused her problems in the first place as they circled around, gaining altitude. Mary heard cheering coming from somewhere.
Mary was still in trouble though, flying nearly straight up in the thermal it was going to be hard to break out of it. Fortunately the heavier wings helped in that respect as well. The wings shuddered as she threw them straight and eased to the edge of the thermal. It scrubbed a lot of her speed, but she was able to break free and head for the next in line. She didn't know where the one who took the short path was, but at least she had passed up the others on her own path.
Mary risked a glance back and found herself several hundred feet ahead. It would have to do. She had to focus on gaining speed to be able to catch the man on the short path once the paths combined again. She skipped by the edge of next thermal and only caught half of the next one after that. She knew there was only one more thermal before the paths met again. How was she going to get speed out of it?
When Mary hit the final thermal she tilted sideways, skimming the outer edge of the thermal, gaining lift but not getting caught in the center. She lost some speed, but not as much as she would have had she had to break away from the center. Mary rode the outside of the thermal to the top and dropped out a bit early, heading around a long curve of the mountain. Then she saw him.
The one who had taken the short path was right below her, streaking along and hopping the thermals like Mary had been doing. Only difference was, Mary had the altitude. She angled her nose down toward the finishing line, planning to hop each thermal for only a second or so as she descended at a great angle.
The man in the lead glanced back and Mary saw him flinch, even from the distance. He rode much lower and needed to take a straighter line to the finish, rising each thermal longer. Mary knew she had him. He knew she had him.
When they crossed through the same thermal, he did the only thing he could at the moment. He drew close under Mary, blocking the air and stalling her out. Of course, it slowed his progress as well. Mary had to pray she had enough height to gain speed before he could ride the thermal up and out.
Mary skipped along the edge of the thermal, banking tight around the mountain toward the finish line. She could feel him draw close, but it wasn't enough to catch her. She slipped over the finish marker, with cheers following her to
the landing zone. She had made it to the finals. One more race and she could have her wings back. That was, of course, if Mary beat Eric.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Roland met Mary after she landed, a wide smile on his face.
"Almost there, girl," he said. "That was a heck of a race. Like nothing I've ever seen. You do that in this next race and they don't stand a chance of beating you."
Mary hoped he was right. It had been a gamble to ride that first thermal up, and even more of one to wing tip the one at the end. Mary could have lost too much speed, but it payed off.
Mary hugged Roland and thanked him for everything he had done for her. She could see in his eyes what he was thinking. He wanted her to win, but he knew that if she did, that Mary was going to leave him and Alice. There was nothing that was going to keep her there.
"Come on," he said. "Let's go get you something to drink before the final."
"I want to watch Eric's race. He needs to win, or this has all been for nothing."
Roland shrugged. "He will win. Look who he is up against."
Mary glanced at the round-board that held the names of all the competitors and their positions. Every name in the second semi-final was a crony of Eric's. No doubt there. Mary was sure Eric would win anyway, but against his own people it was a guarantee.
"A cup of hot chocolate would be wonderful. This rain has soaked right into my bones."
Roland slipped his arm around her shoulders and led her off to the contestant’s cantina for hot drinks. Mary wasn't sure she could actually keep anything down, as nervous as she was, but it would be nice to get out of the rain for a bit. During the race Mary barely noticed it, now it seemed to nag at her, dripping down her back and seeping into her boots.
***
Mary heard the cannon go off in the distance. The second semi-final started. Roland looked at her, wanted to say something. That much she was sure of.
"What?"
"Your test flight... You said you had trouble breathing?"
Mary wasn't sure what he was talking about, then she remembered. During one of the quiet times after her arrest, Mary tried to make conversation with him. Mostly she did the talking as she told him about the test flight, and the things that had happened.
"Yep, blacked out for just a second two. Fortunately, I came to just in time. I guess once I got low enough for there to be enough oxygen."
"How high were you?"
"About 10,000 or so, maybe a little higher." Mary glanced at the brass altimeter on her wrist, wiped some water from the face of it.
"Ten... I don't think I have ever been that high."
Mary shrugged. "It was a little scary."
Roland nodded. "So, how do you plan to deal with that once you head for the mainland? If, you know... if you still intend to go."
Mary did. And that was something she hadn't thought about. How was she going to breathe at such heights?
"I guess I hadn't given it much thought."
"Well, give it some," Roland said.
Mary's mind was blank. This wasn't exactly the right time for something like that: she was far too nervous for the upcoming race. She shrugged again.
"I have an idea. If you would like to hear it."
"Sure."
Roland sat back and pulled a small bag from an inner coat pocket. He pulled out what looked like a face mask, goggles and all, with a hose attached to it.
Mary's brows drew closer together. "What's that for?"
"It's for you to breathe. We attach a canister to it, one that has been modified and filled with oxygen. Maybe a pressure regulator so that when you are too high, it opens the valve and keeps a small amount of oxygen flowing."
Mary had to admit, it was a damn good idea, and she let him know it. "That's brilliant. How much does it weigh?"
Roland handed it over. "Barely anything, a few ounces. With the hose and canister, the whole apparatus will be less than two pounds."
With his talk about the canister, Mary had to broach the subject. "I'm going to need at least eight canisters to make the flight, four to a side. Do you think I will be able to get them?"
Mary didn't fancy another clandestine mission to break into the storehouse again.
"I have a friend who maybe can get them. You let me worry about that."
Since they had made up, Roland was his old self again. Still, she could see it in his eyes that he didn't want her to go, but he knew she had to at least try. For her sister.
"And I will need to come up with a way to mount them and change the directed output. I have a few ideas there."
"Maybe we could rig up something that would discard the empty canisters as well, to save that bit of weight. It might make a difference."
There was another cannon boom, and the race was over. Mary glared out the window at the round-board, waiting for them to post the results. She breathed a sigh of relief when Eric Dane was posted as first. Of course, she didn't have to wait long for him to show up and gloat some more.
"Another hour and your suffering will all be over," Eric said. "Once I beat you, you won't need to concern yourself with the wings, or flying again."
Mary didn't rise to the bait. And that upset him. His face grew red, and he stomped off, glowering over his shoulder.
"Proud of ya, girl. A year ago you woulda shortened his nose."
Mary nodded. "Look where that got me."
Roland stood, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Get some rest and dry off. This will all be over soon enough."
Roland left her sitting there holding her hot chocolate. It had grown cold.Mary set the cup down and pulled the watch from her pocket and flipped the dial, remembering she hadn't gotten her fortune for the day. As she did every time she opened the watch, Mary thought about Melvin, with his goofy little grin.
Mary flipped the dial face and pressed the button for her fortune. It spun for a moment then slowly stopped. The dial read 'Some things are best left unknown'.
Mary wasn't sure what she wanted it to say, but that wasn't it.
Mary slipped off to her assigned room to have a bit of a rest. The room had a small coal heater under the table so she turned it up to its highest setting and let it dry out her prune feet.
***
There was a knock on the door and Mary crawled out of the haze of sleep she had found herself in.
"Almost time, Mary." Roland called from outside. "Ten minutes."
Mary knuckled the sleep from her eyes and pulled her socks and boots back on. They were dry and pleasantly warm.
When Mary stepped outside she smiled. The rain had stopped, and the sun peeked out between the breaking clouds. This would only help her. The thermals would be stronger without the cooling rain. Of course, that meant they would be stronger for everyone.
Roland and Mary walked to the line. Her wings were in the carrier and Roland helped her slip them on. She released the button that would unfold the wings, and nothing happened. She heard Eric snicker beside her.
Roland quickly looked at the mechanism and did something. The wings popped open with a hiss and clicked into place.
Mary got to choose her starting position on the pad because her last time had been better than any of the others. She walked the length of the launch pad, fingers dangling in the air, feeling out the thermals. It was all about the same really, but Mary made a show of choosing a spot at the edge. At least she would start with someone on only one side of her. The others filed in according to their qualifying times. Eric was second and took the spot clear on the other end. Mary was sure he meant to take the shorter route, he had done it in each of his other races.
Mary stepped from the platform at the signal and circled her way up, followed by the others.
Once everyone was at the right altitude, they lined up as they had on the launch pad and headed for the starting line. Eric eased out by a few feet, already gaining speed as they crossed the line. Mary expected to hear the trumpeting blast to sound a false start, but instead the cannon re
verberated around the trees.
Mary saw the grin on Eric's face as he pulled forward. She looked away. There was work to do.
They maintained their positions through the first few thermals. Then they reached the split point. Mary expected Eric to take the short path, but everyone kept their position.
For the first time Mary looked at the other competitors and groaned.
Each one was a friend of Eric's. Cheating wasn't allowed of course, but still there were things that could be done that only bent the rules. If they were caught doing it, they could be punished, but it rarely happened because it was so hard to catch someone doing it.
Mary tried her tactic learned from the last race and remained in the first thermal, rising it all the way to the top. It didn't work this time. Apparently, everyone had been watching. One of the fliers slipped in the thermal right under her, blocking a large portion of her lift. It was a struggle just staying aloft, let alone gaining any lift at all. She dumped out of the thermal early, dipping low to catch the next.
Eric wasn't anywhere in her sight. She knew he was the one she had to keep up with. Mary slid down toward the ground and entered the next thermal only twenty feet or so from the heat vent opening. Mary pulled the nose up as much as she thought was safe and zoomed up inside the thermal, gaining altitude just from her speed alone, then settled in and gained more and more height from the thermal rise, circling around. Mary made a counterclockwise rise instead of the normal clockwise, hopefully throwing her followers off, at least for this thermal. Mary knew she was going to have to mix it up some, to keep them guessing.
The tactic worked, for that thermal anyway, and she could ride it all the way up until it started to peter out. Mary trimmed the tail a bit and aimed for the next thermal, dipping the nose low. The pursuit came, just as she expected. She watched them, making sure they were prepping to hit the thermal, one banking from one side to spiral, the other to spiral the opposite way. Mary knew what she had to do.