Free Spirit Warrior by S. E. Smith Page B

devices should we go down in the water. Do you have any questions?” Allie asked as she started the plane.
    “What… what do you mean if we go down?” Jonathan asked loudly before wincing as he heard the volume in his ears. “What the fuck?”
    “You don’t have to shout,” Allie said with a shake of her head and looking over her shoulder at them. “The mics are very sensitive. Just talk in a normal voice and everyone will hear you just fine. By going down, I mean in the unlikely event we have to make an emergency landing or worse, crash. As I said, I’m an excellent pilot. I don’t plan on there being any issues and the weather is expected to be good. We’ll have a decent tailwind so we should make good time.”
    “I don’t understand half of what you are talking about,” Jacob admitted.
    Allie shook her head in amusement. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride,” she said in a suddenly cheerful voice.
    Jacob listened as Allie spoke to someone who answered her. She stated a series of strange words followed by numbers. A moment later, they started moving out of the hanger.
    He frowned, trying to understand why Allie had the door on her side propped open as they moved slowly along the hard-packed ground. He glanced through the window as they left the building behind. He could see a path where this wagon seemed to go often.
    The frown grew even darker when the wagon turned again to face a long stretch of flat ground. There were little silver metal stakes on each side. Allie spoke again and he could hear the sound of the ‘engine’ grow louder. Allie reached over and shut the door on her side.
    “There’re trees at the end,” Jonathan muttered as an uneasy feeling started to build inside him. “I don’t see any of the hard roads at the end.”
    “I don’t either,” Jacob muttered as the sound of the engine grew almost deafening. “Allie…”
    “Hold on,” Allie said. “This is…”
    Jacob’s hands tightened on the armrest as the wagon began to move. His breathing turned to pants as he realized that they were going very, very fast and it looked as if they were still speeding up as they sped toward the trees. Jacob swallowed, trying to clear the lump in his throat, so he could yell for Allie to stop.
    “Allie,” he forced out in a hoarse voice. “There… are… there are… Holy shit!”
    “We’re going to die,” Jonathan groaned, closing his eyes.
    Jacob felt as if his stomach suddenly dropped completely down to his feet. Hell, forget his feet. He didn’t have a stomach any longer. His fingers turned white, almost as white as he imagined his face was, as the metal wagon suddenly rose off the ground.
    He braced his feet against the floor and pressed upward. He couldn’t go anywhere due to the buckle Allie had placed across his waist. It didn’t matter anyway. His fingers were permanently attached to the armrests and he wasn’t about to release them, even if he could force his fingers to obey his mind.
    “Oh, Mother Mary, please forgive me for my sins,” Jacob began muttering as fast as he could. His mind frantically searched for all the prayers their mother had taught them when they were younger. “I shouldn’t have taken the apple pie from Widow Miller’s windowsill and blamed Jonathan for it. Please forgive me. I’ll never steal another apple pie again.”
    “How about adding, you won’t lie?” Allie chuckled as she listened to all the ‘sins’ Jacob was asking forgiveness from. “You guys are not going to die!”
    “I think I’m going to be sick,” Jacob whispered.
    “Bag… Get the bag next to you!” Allie snapped out as she banked to the west. “Do NOT throw up in my plane! There is nothing worse than a flight filled with the smell of vomit. Breathe into the bag.”
    Jacob forced the fingers of his right hand to release the armrest. He had to focus on one finger at a time to get it to release. As soon as it was free, he fumbled in the pocket next to the seat. His