Knight Flyers

by Ann McCune

  “I will draw them away from innocent people and kill them. I will make everyone’s job easier.”

  “Like father like daughter,” he paused for a second. “What if I could get you into the Air Force Academy?”

  “You could do that?” My mouth gaped open. It was incredibly hard to get into the Air Force Academy.

  “I wouldn’t offer unless I could make it happen.” He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the desk, lacing his fingers together.

  I thought about it for half a second. If I was going to get into the Air Force Academy I wanted to get there on my own merits, not because I was bribed. “I don’t need your help to get in. Train me, please.”

  “Train you so you can leave just like your father? I think not.” He pushed back from his chair and stood.

  “I won’t stop until everyone is safe from the mares, I am not Victor.”

  “He left us when we needed him the most,” he bellowed at me coming around the desk. “Do you know how many Knights we lost after he left?”

  “No, and I’m sorry, but I’m not him. Why won’t you give me a chance?”

  “Every time I look at you, all I see is him,” his voice softened before he shook his head. “You’re too old to start the training.”

  “Shawn and Heather both said they are amazed with what I can do without any training. Give me a chance.”

  “No, before you know it you will take on a mare you can’t beat. I can’t afford to lose anyone else,” he yelled at me.

  “I am not my father. Give me a chance, give me and Shawn a chance. I won’t disappoint you.”

  “If you joined us, you will have to reconsider all your future plans.”

  “You mean going to the Air Force Academy?” I swallowed hard.

  “Yes, you will have to live near a command center and be available at all times.” He laced his fingers together.

  I had dreamed about going to the Academy since I was in fifth grade. I wanted to be a mechanical engineer and help NASA get to Mars but being a Knight Flyer was so much bigger than NASA would ever be. People needed to be saved, and I had the talent to help them. How could I say no? “I don’t know if I could live with myself if I ignored a gift designed to save people’s lives. It’s a sacrifice I am willing to make.”

  “If we take you on you are going to have to quit your job and plan on spending your summer here. How are your parents going to feel about you spending the summer at your boyfriend’s house?”

  Crap, it was going to be a hard sell. “If you talk to them, there is a good chance they will agree.” I had no idea if they would let me or not, but if he talked to them there would be a good chance they would go along with it.

  “I’ll draw up a contract. You will dedicate five years to our cause, then we can renegotiate.”

  “Are you going to pay me? In five years I will be twenty-two, I’ll need to be making my own money.”

  “All trainees get a stipend, when you pass the training you will receive a salary based on your tenure. I’ll include it all in the contract.”

  “Then we are in agreement?” I stood and offered my hand.

  He stared at it for a moment then took my hand. “We are.”

  CHAPTER 35

  Mom was waiting for me when I got home from Shawn’s. I was nervous, I had no idea how she was going to take what I had to tell her about my new job. “What did Shawn’s dad want to talk to you about, dear?” she asked, stirring a pot on the stove.

  “Where’s Dad?” I asked, looking around the room. He had no idea what was going on with my dreams, and I wasn’t ready to tell him about them yet.

  “He is watching hockey in the man cave, don’t worry he won’t hear us.” She moved to lean against the counter.

  “I don’t know how much you know about what Victor did, or what he was trying to do, but Jon wants to train me to work for him.” I didn’t know if I was going to have to spell it out for her or not, but this was the best way to find out.

  “I don’t want you risking your life in dreams to help that man. Victor did not like him at all.” She folded her arms across his chest.

  “Mom, it’s not just saving people, it’s learning to protect myself too. This mark is like a homing beacon for the goblins. If I don’t learn how to fight them, I don’t know how long I will survive.” My hands started to shake as I talked, and I shoved them into my pockets to hide it from Mom. She didn’t need to know how scared I was.

  “But, can you trust him?”

  “No, but I trust Shawn, Heather, and Jo. They have been helping me, and I’m sure there are other people who will help me too.”

  “I don’t like this, Elizabeth.” She took a step toward me with her arms out and I fell into them trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall.

  “I don’t either, but what other choice do I have?” I squeezed her tighter.

  “I don’t know, but we are going to have to find a way to sell this to your dad.”

  I smiled and pulled away from her. “Thank you, Mom. I know this is the right thing to do.”

  “Me too, I just don’t want you to end up like Victor.”

  “I’m going to do everything I can to find a way to remove this mark and live a long and happy life, Mom.”

  We told my dad I was going to be helping with a summer camp at the mansion over the summer. It took some convincing, but I was going to start my training as soon as school let out for the summer. After dinner I did my homework then went to sleep, hoping I would see Shawn in my dreams.

  As soon as I entered my dream, I thought of Shawn and found myself in his padded room. I still didn’t understand how it worked, but all I had to do was think of the person I wanted to see, and if they were asleep, I would end up in their dream.

  Shawn was sitting on the floor of the room with a notebook in his hand. “What good is a notebook in your dreams? Can you bring it back whenever you need it?” I asked, sitting down in front of him.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never tried but it was worth a shot.” He looked up at me and smiled. “So, your talk with your parents must have gone well.”

  “I told my mom since she already knew half of it. She is going to let me start training as soon as school is out. We told my dad I would be helping at a science summer camp your company puts on every summer. He hates the idea of me working with you, but we convinced him when we told him how good it would look on my college applications.” I looked down at the notebook. How we are going to close the gate and remove Liz’s mark? I smiled, he did not beat around the bush.

  “I’m glad your mom understands what’s at stake.”

  “She doesn’t want to lose me like she lost Victor, it wasn’t a hard sell.” I was nervous to start training, and I worried Jon would try to take advantage of me and attempt to steal my rune, but I didn’t want to tell Shawn about it. “Are Jo and Heather coming?”

  Shawn looked at his watch. “They should both be here shortly. Heather is going off active duty for a while. She has to see a shrink after what happened to her last night.”

  I closed my eyes and grimaced. “Why? Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine, it’s standard protocol. If you get hurt badly in a dream you must see a doctor to make sure it won’t affect your fighting. PTSD is worse in dreams than it is in real life. Your subconscious is always reminding you of it, and when you dream, it’s easier to relive it. If you change the outcome in your dream it can still kill you.” Shawn reached out and took my hand in his. “How are you doing after last night?”

  “I’m okay, but I have my moments. Sometimes I can’t stop the tears or the shaking.”

  “Don’t worry, it will get better with time and training.” He squeezed my hand reassuringly.

  “I’m here, but I’m leaving my eyes closed until I’m sure you guys aren’t making out or anything,” Jo said, from behind me. I turned around to see her standing in the middle of the room wearing a white tank top and loose-fitting army-green pants. Her hand was over he
r eyes and she was tapping her foot impatiently.

  “We aren’t making out and all our clothes are on,” Shawn said, laughing.

  “Thank God.” She brought her hand down and opened her eyes. “Sounds like you had quite an adventure last night.”

  “I guess you could say that.” I stood, not feeling comfortable enough to talk about it yet.

  “Did your parents ground you for not coming home until this morning?” she asked, sitting down next to me.

  “No, they never said I had to stay at the high school. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if Billy hadn’t called them to make sure I made it home. I’m blaming him for getting yelled at.”

  “He knows he’s in trouble with you.” She laughed and put her hands in the back pockets of her pants. “Where’s Heather?”

  “Here,” Heather said, popping into the padded room. Her blond hair was pulled into a high ponytail leaving the pale skin of her face looking sharp and angular. She was wearing a My Little Pony T-shirt and black yoga pants. “Let’s get this meeting started before Dad finds out I’m not in my own dreamscape.”

  I thought of a table and four chairs then sat in one. “If we are going to get anything done I need a place to sit.”

  “Good idea,” Shawn said, getting up from the floor and moving to a chair.

  With everyone seated Shawn started. “As you know, Liz’s biological father was Victor Robinson. She found a box full of his stuff and she found a journal. Liz why don’t you tell them what was in it.”

  After I told them the gist of the information in the journal Jo said, “A normal life? I’m in, but why did it cause a fight? Isn’t that what we all want?”

  “Jon didn’t want to close the gates. He thinks of them as job security. He does not want the mares to go away.”

  “You’re telling me your dad found a way to get rid of the mares completely and my dad wanted nothing to do with it?” Heather asked in a tight voice. I was not sure if she was mad at her dad or mine.

  “Yes, I can let you look at the journal if you don’t believe me.”

  “I believe you. I just wish my dad wasn’t such a dick. How could he put the lives of so many in jeopardy, so he could keep living his life the way he wants to?”

  “I don’t know, I’m disappointed in him too,” Shawn said, running his fingers through his hair. “But we can’t let Dad know that we know why they parted ways.”

  “Agreed,” Heather said, looking over at Jo.

  “The last thing I want to do is talk to your dad about something I have no right knowing. Don’t worry about me.” Jo leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. “What are we going to do now we know what’s going on?”

  “We are going to figure out how to close the gate and get rid of Liz’s mark,” Shawn said, letting the statement sink in.

  “How? From what you said it doesn’t sound like the journal tells us how to do it, or even if your dad was able to close a gate,” Heather said, looking frustrated.

  “It is going to take a lot of research. I don’t have any of my dad’s notes, but you guys have a whole library full of information on mares.” I looked over to Shawn who nodded his head. “We are going to spend all our free time looking for the gate, then we will figure out how to close it.”

  “What if Jon finds out?” Jo asked, bringing her chair down and leveling her gaze at Shawn.

  “I don’t think we should plan on telling him until we close it and notify the council.”

  “Alright, where do we start?” Jo asked, leaning over to look at Shawn’s notebook.

  “Research. We split up, two of us will dig up everything we can on places like Twisted Pines where there is a large number of mares. If we find out when they arrived maybe we can pinpoint what caused the gate to open. The other two will try and find any reference on how to close the gate,” Shawn said, while making notes.

  “Do you think Dad would keep any information on how to close the gates around? If he is so hellbent on leaving them open, I bet he burns any information about it,” Heather said, putting her elbows on the table and resting her head in her hands.

  “We might have to look somewhere besides our library. The council has a ton of information online, but there are other places to look. Native folklore, myths, legends. I bet we will come up with something,” Shawn said.

  “How are we going to do all this research and study?” Jo asked the question I was thinking.

  “I will start on the research while you guys finish up the school year, but then I expect you to pull your own weight.” Heather sat up and folded her hands on the table. “I am already done with my online classes, and since I’m off active duty for the near future, I have nothing else to do.”

  “Thanks, Heather. In the meantime, we need to find a place where we can meet and talk without Dad finding out.” Shawn looked to me. “Liz, is there a place we could meet and not be overheard?”

  I thought about it. “We could meet at my house. It is the only place I can think of where we will have privacy. My parents are never home before five. If we met after school, we could make it work.”

  “Sounds good to me. I don’t trust my parents not to bug my room.” Jo got up.

  “Let’s meet next Tuesday at my house then?” I asked.

  “We have one more thing we need to do,” Shawn said, getting up.

  “What?” I asked confused.

  “We are going to pay Tiffany a visit,” Jo said, standing up and closing her eyes. In the next instant she was wearing a long, black cloak with a hood that covered her face and she held a scythe in her hand.

  “The grim reaper? What are you thinking?” I asked, looking over to Shawn who was now dressed like Jo.

  “I want her to stay away from me and stop talking shit about you. What better way to make her stop than scare the crap out of her?”

  “Come on, Liz, put your custom on, let’s go get even,” Heather said, joining Shawn and Jo.

  I thought of the cloaks they were wearing and the scythes in their hands. I looked down and admired my own cloak and scythe. “Let’s do this.”

  “Everyone hold hands,” Heather said, taking one of mine while Shawn took my other one and Jo’s. The padded room evaporated into the gym, still decorated for prom. It was empty except for one couple dancing to a sappy love song. I recognized Tiffany right away and wondered who she was dreaming about dancing with. They turned in a circle, and I saw Shawn in her arms. I whipped my head around and found Shawn still holding my hand with his hood up. “It’s just a dream, I’m here with you not her,” he whispered.

  “Let’s do this. I have training in ten minutes,” Jo said.

  We let go of each other’s hands and walked as one, over to where Tiffany was dancing.

  “Tiffany,” Shawn’s voice bellowed and echoed around the room.

  She stopped dancing and looked at us with terror. Her dream Shawn disappeared, and she backed up a step. “Wh . . .What do you want?” She held her arms up as if they would save her from us.

  “You have not been a good person, have you?” Shawn asked.

  “Yes, yes, I have,” she said as tears began to trail down her cheek.

  “What about Liz Lawson?” Heather asked.

  “Oh, well. I guess I’ve been mean to her, but she stole my boyfriend.”

  “Was he really your boyfriend?” Jo asked, trying to pitch her voice lower than normal.

  “No, he wasn’t, but I want him to be.” She let out a sob.

  “He is not yours,” I said, wanting to rip her hair out.

  “If you do not leave Shawn and Liz alone, we will come back for you and take you to the afterlife. Do you understand?” Shawn said, holding his scythe out menacingly.

  “I promise, please don’t kill me.” Tiffany turned and ran from the gym.

  Everyone started to laugh, and I pulled my hood back. “Do you think it will work?”

  “I guess we will find out tomorrow at school,” Shawn said, pulling me into his arms.<
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  “Yeah, it was fun, but I’ve go get to training,” Jo said, morphing back into her street clothes.

  “I am going to leave too. There is no point in getting trouble with Dad yet.” Heather got up and stood near Jo.

  “See you at school,” Jo said, then she was gone.

  “See you Tuesday,” Heather said, before she disappeared from the room.

  Shawn pulled me into his arms and we moved to a boat in the middle of the lake. It was a beautiful day with no wind, and the sun was just warm enough.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked, looking at the distant shore.

  “I thought we could use some downtime. Your life is about to get crazy and I wanted to spend at least one more dream with you before our jobs got in the way.” He took my hand and pulled me back, so I was leaning against his chest.

  “It’s all going to change isn’t it?” I asked, looking up at the sky.

  “Yes, but I will always be at your side.”

  “And I will be at yours.” I turned my head and found Shawn’s lips. Something told me Shawn was right, time was fleeting so we had better enjoy what we had while we still could.

  Thank you!

  Thank you for reading the first installment of Knight Flyers! I hope you enjoyed it. You, the reader are the reason I write. I hope this story took out of your everyday life and allowed you dream, because you can do anything if you dream big enough.

  This book has been a year in the making and I could not have done without the help of some very special people. Jess, your input on this book gave me faith in the story, without you I don’t know that I would have gotten this far with it. Leah, you always believed in me and helped make me who I am. Amy, you read this book twice and each time had the best insights and comments. Last but never least a huge thank you goes to my husband who lets me spend most of my free time writing and doesn’t complain about it too much.

  Look for the next Knight Flyer’s book in late 2018.

  Ann McCune

  I live on forty acres in Northwest Colorado with two dogs (Ajax and Achilles), my amazing husband and an ever-changing amount of barn cats.