The Child Thief 5: Ghost Towns

by Forrest, Bella

  “Wow,” I breathed out. I had seen the inside of Little John airships, sure, but I hadn’t seen the full fleet together in one place before. There were at least a dozen huge ships in various models and metallic colors. And this was just Edgewood. Did all of the Little John cities have their own fleets? I still wasn’t sure how many bases there really were, but even if there were only four other bases with similar fleets, that was a substantial number of airships. If that was the case, Nathan was basically the owner of a small army.

  We walked briskly past the large airships toward the narrow end of the hangar, and Rio and Alexy both turned before we reached the end. Jace and I quickly followed. Then I saw it.

  In a corner of the hangar, in an area almost hidden from the lights, sat a matte purple airship; except, this one was miniaturized.

  Jace’s eyes grew wide, and my heart began to race. Surely this wasn’t really happening. Were we really about to start flying, and in that thing? I had never even seen such a small, sleek-looking airship.

  “You guys are lucky,” Alexy said, breaking us out of our trance. “Even in the military, I had to learn how to fly the bulky ones before they’d let me near one of these bad boys.”

  “Why is that?” I asked nervously. I was already pretty sure I wasn’t going to like the answer.

  “Because these go a lot faster,” she said with a smile.

  Rio elbowed her gently and gestured to me with his chin, making me realize that my horror was probably plastered on my face.

  “We’re going to take this slow. Don’t worry,” he said.

  “She already has the basics down anyway,” Alexy replied with a shrug.

  “How did you know that?” I asked her.

  “Nathan briefed us when we planned this training. You can’t get anything past him,” she replied.

  I did have some flight training. I had been trained on the basic maneuvers and hardware when I started running missions with Nelson’s group. But I’d never been that good at it, and our old airship was outdated and slow. These were top-of-the-line ships. And this mini-ship… well, it looked a lot faster.

  I wanted to ask why we were training at all. Why they’d chosen Jace and me out of all the other, more qualified people. What was Nathan planning? And poor Jace—he had no flight skills, and he was hardly tech-savvy. This was going to be even more difficult for him than it was for me.

  “When do we get started?” Jace asked with a humongous grin.

  I turned to stare at him. How could he be so excited about this?

  Then I looked back at the airship. I wanted to feel more excited about becoming a better pilot. If I was a better pilot, I would be more useful in our future missions. And I would have a stronger case for planning my own recapture mission with Hope if I didn’t require a pilot.

  Rio used a small remote control to open the airship hatch, revealing the inner compartment of the ship. Regardless of my readiness, or lack thereof, it looked like our training was about to start. Alexy and Rio strode forward, and Jace and I followed.

  The inside of the mini-airship was roomier than it looked like it would be from the outside. There was a two-seat cockpit and two rows of passenger seats that flipped down from the sides of the airship, leaving an open area when they weren’t in use. There was also a small amount of storage area in the back. Unlike in some of the large airships, there were no separate rooms or cabins.

  “Take a seat,” Rio said.

  His gentle voice gave the statement the feel of a request or a nicety, but I still heard it as a demand. Jace seemed to have enough confidence for both of us, and quickly approached the dual pilot seats and sat in one, perched on the edge of his seat with apparent excitement. His wide, honey-colored eyes scanned the control panel eagerly. The dash was filled with colorful buttons of various sizes and shapes. There were several rows of switches, rows of blinking lights, fuel and velocity gauges, and two half-wheel shaped sets of steering controls.

  I cast it a suspicious glance, then dropped into the co-pilot’s seat and told myself to relax. There was no reason to make this so dramatic.

  “Let’s start with the on-switch,” Alexy offered.

  She flipped a switch in the middle of the panel, and the airship bucked slightly and then became still again.

  “We’re now in the air, probably two feet off the ground, and the landing gear has retreated into the hull,” Rio explained. “This is obviously how you steer.”

  He leaned forward and pushed the control stick, a sort of very large joystick, side to side. The airship turned slightly, following his promptings. The movement was smooth and steady, but then again, Rio was an experienced pilot.

  “Side to side controls the rudder and points you toward the left or right,” he continued.

  We watched the inside of the hangar move through the long, tinted windshield as he steered the airship in a complete circle.

  “And back and forward on this lever, here, controls your thrust vectors and takes you higher or lower,” Rio said. He pushed it forward, and we rose higher in the air within the hangar.

  So far, so good. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

  My nervousness started competing with an undercurrent of excitement. We were actually getting somewhere, even if we didn’t know where we were supposed to be going, yet.

  “Only one person at a time on the controls. A copilot isn’t necessary here, unlike the big ships,” Alexy added.

  “Why don’t you try steering us to the gates, Robin,” Rio said. “Not too high, not too low. Forward or backward momentum is accomplished by front-to-back motions on this control here, just like you’d expect. And don’t worry. The gate is large, so we’ll have lots of leeway.”

  I looked over at Jace. He smiled at me and sat back further in his seat.

  “Show me how it’s done, pilot,” he said playfully.

  My hands felt unsteady as I took over the controls and started to maneuver the small ship toward the hangar entrance, my heart thudding rapidly in my chest.

  Then we were on the tarmac facing the open gate. Outside, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. The sky was still dark blue directly above us, but streaks of yellow and orange lit the skyline as the sun made its steady upward climb. It was beautiful and serene, and I tried to drift away into the peaceful view of the sky and tree line. Nathan wouldn’t have put us in this position if he wasn’t certain we could handle it. And I had Rio and Alexy here to guide us and keep us safe. My hands felt steady on the controls.

  I looked over at Jace and smiled. I was going to give this my all, nervous or not. Jace deserved that commitment. Nathan deserved it.

  Hope deserved it.

  “Now, get buckled in, kids,” Alexy said. Her voice carried an air of urgency and excitement. “It’s time to show you what this thing can do.”

  I fumbled with the lap belt and harness. So much for the tranquility.

  “Move forward, and when I say so, work the controls as Rio instructed,” Alexy said.

  “You want me to get this thing in the air?” I asked incredulously, my eyes widening. “Don’t you want to demonstrate?”

  “You’ve got the basic training down. It shouldn’t be that different. If anything, it might feel smoother and easier,” Rio assured me.

  “But faster,” Alexy said with a wink.

  “That doesn’t make me feel better,” I said darkly.

  “You’ve got it, Robin. And even if you didn’t, Rio and I are right here to step in,” Alexy said. She put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

  I closed my eyes and exhaled, trying to move my doubts and worries to the side.

  I could do this.

  I got to work on the controls, and the airship began to hover slowly toward the gate of the enclosure. The gate was huge; it opened up the entire wall on the far side of the hangar. It was wide and tall enough to allow clearance for even the biggest airship. Definitely big enough for me to get this thing through without any mishaps. The wide airstrip ro
lled beneath us as we covered ground.

  We were barely outside of the hangar when Alexy said, “Now!”

  I pushed forward, and the airship began rising quickly into the sky. The altitude changed so abruptly that my ears popped. One hundred feet, a thousand feet, five thousand feet.

  “GO!” Alexy shouted. I pushed the control forward hard, and we shot through the sky like a bullet. Rio and Alexy rocked on their feet but hung tight to the backs of the pilot chairs, while Jace and I were pressed hard into the backs of our seats. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jace smiling like a madman.

  Alexy had been right. This thing was fast. We were already beyond the Edgewood projection and soaring over thick, green forests.

  “All right, Jace. Your turn to steer us,” Alexy said.

  Jace shook out his arms and hovered over the controls, and Rio’s hand began hovering over mine.

  “Okay, Robin,” he started, “when you let go, I’ll grab hold. I’m going to be here just in case while Jace is flying, since he doesn’t have your training background.”

  “Are you going to be steering while he is?” I asked. I wasn’t sure yet why there were two sets of controls if only one person was needed to fly.

  “I will, yes. Just to keep us steady while Jace gets the hang of the controls. But I’ll try to avoid steering at the same time. It’s very necessary when things get tricky and you need to escape quickly, but it’s advanced work. For now, let’s just get you guys to time out the release well,” Rio said.

  It soothed me when Rio was speaking. His voice was calm and even-toned in a way that made me feel like whatever was happening at the time was simple and straightforward. Alexy, on the other hand…

  “Okay, now!” she said quickly.

  I let go of the controls just as Jace grabbed his and Rio grabbed mine. We bucked slightly in the air, slowing down and dropping lower. But as Jace and Rio steadied us, we leveled out again and began zooming forward.

  Jace’s smile was contagious.

  “Not bad, Jace,” Rio said, leaning over me to maintain a light grip on the controls. “This is your first time?”

  Jace nodded. I was shocked, too. The flight was so smooth and fluid that it felt like his hands had practically dissolved into the controls to become one entity. Rio’s hands were just hovering over the controls now, as he tested Jace’s skill level. Jace began to steer us to the right, and the airship dipped a wing and turned. The change in direction was almost imperceptible, barely triggering my equilibrium. We were moving quickly and smoothly. He was a natural.

  “These are designed to be manned by one pilot so the other person can use the weapons. But we’re not going to get into that today. If you’re lucky, you’ll never need it,” Rio said in his matter-of-fact tone.

  “Now,” Alexy cut in, “getting up here is the easy part. Let’s practice getting back down.”

  I gulped.

  Jace and I spent the next few hours taking turns on the controls. We zigged and zagged through the skies, falling and rising, and shot back and forth at high speeds. My movements remained jerky throughout, but Jace was an unexpectedly good pilot. I managed to shakily land the airship a few times, with an obvious thud. But Jace put the airship back on the ground like it was a feather falling out of the sky.

  The difference in our skill levels surprised and conflicted me. On the one hand, jealousy was bubbling up in me. How was Jace so good at this already, with minimal training? On the other hand, I had to admit that his confidence and ability were unbelievably attractive.

  Back on the tarmac after one of Jace’s impressive landings, I decided I could use a short break.

  “Mind if I get some water and relax for a minute?” I asked the team, stretching as I stood from the pilot chair.

  “Good idea,” Rio replied. He opened the hatch and began to lead me out. “I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs, too.”

  Jace looked slightly crestfallen, his shoulders slumping as if he wasn’t ready to return to land.

  “You two go ahead,” Alexy said, taking my empty seat. “I want to get an early start on some evasive maneuvering. You up for it, Jace?”

  Jace’s eyes lit up again, his hands squeezing the controls in anticipation.

  Rio and I stepped out onto the warm, reflective tarmac. The sun was rising higher in the sky and warming up the air around us. Rio walked back to the hangar, but I sat down on the tarmac instead and leaned back on my palms, glad to have a break from the action of the morning. The training was exhilarating at times, and undeniably scary at others, so being back on solid ground felt like a reprieve. I looked up at the sky, squinting against the bright sun, and watched Jace and Alexy begin to slowly rise in the mini-airship.

  Rio returned with a couple of bottled waters, handed one to me, and then took a seat on the tarmac beside me.

  “He’s pretty good,” he admitted.

  I nodded at the understatement. Jace was good at this.

  The airship roared back until it was directly over us. I watched it rise higher and higher into the sky, reflecting the sunlight off its metallic surface… and then start to fall.

  I caught my breath. The airship shifted back and forth as it fell, teetering on all of its sides as if it might flip over entirely. It was freefalling right out of the sky. I shot up to my feet and cast a sideways glance at Rio. He was staring intently at the airship with a look that was concerned… but stoic.

  “Rio!” I yelled breathlessly. Why was he just sitting there? Jace and Alexy were in trouble! They were going to crash!

  The airship hurtled down to the black asphalt of the tarmac, and as it fell, it got faster and faster. There was no way to stop them from down here. All we could do was watch them fall.

  As the airship gained momentum and grew dangerously close to its inevitable crash landing, Rio jumped to his feet as well. But then, seconds before it would have hit the ground in a burst of flames and shrapnel, it whipped over on its side and shot forward at a low altitude. I watched in awe, my heart struggling to return to its standard pace, then cast a wide-eyed stare of disbelief at Rio. Four hours behind the controls and Jace was already doing stunts.

  “Okay, scratch what I said,” Rio said, walking to my side. “He’s really good.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. I still wasn’t sure why we were there, or what we were truly training for, but I knew that whatever was coming, it was going to be important, and no doubt dangerous. And with a copilot like Jace at my side, I felt like we had a fighting chance to accomplish whatever it was that Nathan was training us for.

  11

  “Duck!”

  I instinctively ducked my head just in time for an apple to go whizzing over it. A long-fingered hand caught it directly behind me.

  “That’s not a duck, it’s a robin,” Abe quipped as he took a bite of the apple.

  Ant came strolling up to the dining hall table. “Sorry, Robin,” he said, grinning. “Your head wasn’t there just a second ago.”

  Jackie rolled her eyes. “You guys are going to knock all of her flight-school training out of her,” she said, elbowing me in the side playfully.

  I smiled and sat at the table with my plate. Our usual gaggle of Team Hood members were all seated and enjoying another Edgewood-worthy morning spread. It had been a couple of days since we started flight training, and this was the first morning that Rio and Alexy hadn’t woken me up before five in the morning. Instead, I managed to sleep in peacefully and was now about to enjoy my first full breakfast since training had started.

  “How is it going, anyway?” Nelson asked with keen interest. She had her usual minimalist breakfast of black coffee and buttered toast in front of her.

  I shrugged. “I mean, I’m no Jace,” I answered, only half-joking.

  Jace blushed and smiled good-naturedly. He obviously wasn’t used to the constant praise that had been lavished on him since training had started. But it was true; he was an amazing pilot. While I had definitely made progress and
felt more comfortable behind the controls, Jace was practically a stunt pilot already. He was turning barrel rolls in the sky by our second day of training. And when I was still practicing landing on uneven surfaces on day three, Jace basically could’ve landed on the edge of a cliff in a tsunami. It was taking a heavy dose of humility not to feel like a continuous second-place contestant in some grand Edgewood flight competition.

  “How did that happen again?” Gabby asked.

  “Yeah, we were all under the impression that you guys rode buffalo to get around,” Abe said with a friendly smirk.

  Jace chuckled. “It’s just a light hand and a good sense of direction. Not that different from riding a bike,” he demurred.

  “That’s not what I heard,” Zion said as he approached the table. “I heard the flight teams were so impressed that they offered you a pilot spot.”

  I looked over at Jace. I hadn’t heard about that.

  “I already have a team,” Jace said humbly. Then he took a bite out of a crisp piece of toast and turned back to his plate, making it obvious that he didn’t want to continue the conversation.

  I didn’t blame him. We had basically only talked about airships for the past few days. I was even beginning to dream that I was flying. We were both happy to be with our friends and out of the hangar for once.

  The training period had been stressful for multiple reasons, not just the fast pace of the training itself. For one, Nathan hadn’t yet been forthcoming with any additional details. Jace and I knew that we were training on Nathan’s orders, but not what Nathan’s orders regarded. I was starting to feel like we were training for some sort of mission that would never come.

  But we weren’t the only ones being kept busy. Nelson and Gabby had been assigned the task of sorting through the archive info, sorting folders by name and year. According to Nelson, it was tedious and monotonous work. But it made her feel like we were moving closer to something too, even if neither of us knew what that was.