The Magical Flight of Dodie Rue (14 page)

“Thanks,” said Nye in a deep voice. “Though that man won't be you.”

He shoved Randi over the cliff's edge.

Everyone shrieked. Randi screamed as he fell down, then was silent as he hit the jagged rocks below. The waves swallowed him up.

“What did you do?!” yelled Dodie, backing away from the edge.

Nye rounded on them. “Taking out the competition.” He held up a dagger, its silver blade flashing in the sunlight.

“Whoa, calm down!” Atallah ordered, holding up his hands in defense. “Let's get back to the race.” He hopped on
Sky Cleaver
and took off.

“Zinnia, go!” Dodie yelled, opening
Phoenix.

Zinnia scrambled onto
Amethyst
and flew up.

“I will stop at nothing to win,” growled Nye as he mounted his carpet, dagger still in hand.

“This is not the way to win.” Dodie shot off, coaxing as much speed as he could from
Phoenix
. Up ahead he could see Atallah and Zinnia while behind him he heard Nye.

Nye caught up alongside him and swiped at Dodie with his dagger.

Dodie dodged to the left.

Nye closed in again and took another jab.

“Back off!” cried Dodie.

Nye lunged at him.

Dodie grabbed Nye's wrist. Nye pulled Dodie toward him. Dodie let got, almost toppling off his carpet.

“Ouch!” Dodie felt his hand sting where Nye's dagger nicked him. Dodie didn't know what do, for Nye was not backing down.

Carefully Nye started to stand up to gain the higher ground. He gripped his dagger, and his eyes grew cold. He wanted blood.

Dodie swallowed.

Nye sliced the air at Dodie.

Dodie felt
Phoenix
lift and tilt so her underside faced Nye.

Suddenly sparks flew and Nye howled. His whole body shuttered and jolted and lit up as if lightning had struck him. Then with a blood-curdling scream, Nye fell off his carpet and plummeted to the rocks below.

Dodie looked back in time to see his body get washed away by the waves, along with his black and red carpet.

“You saved my life again,” he muttered to
Phoenix
. “I'm not sure how, but you did. That was some magic.”

Chapter 14

One in twenty-five.

Those had been the odds of Dodie winning when he had first taken off almost three days ago.

One in three.

Those were the odds now as he caught up to Zinnia and Atallah.

And really he had a fifty-fifty chance of saving Taj because as long as Atallah came in third place he would get a wish either by winning or by coming in second to Zinnia by default. Dodie was feeling the most confident he had during the Grand Flyer so far. Being free of his fear contributed to that confidence as well.

“Where's Nye?” asked Zinnia as he sidled up to her.

“He fell off his carpet.” Dodie told her what had happened when Nye's blade had struck
Phoenix
.

“That's some magic carpet you have there,” she said. “We gotta make sure Atallah comes in third.”

Dodie skimmed a large rock jutting up from the waves. “I'm not gonna play dirty though.”

“Technically there's no playing dirty in this race,” said Zinnia. “There's no rule that—”

“That's not who I am!” Dodie cut her off. “I'm not Nye or Atallah.”

“No, you're not, and that's why we're friends.” Zinnia flew closer to him and reached out for his hand.

Dodie felt his heartbeat quicken, and his mouth dry up. He held very still, afraid any movement would make her hand slip off his.

“What are you guys conspiring back here?” Atallah suddenly appeared on Zinnia's other side.

Dodie glowered at him. “How to make sure you come in last.”

“Ha! There's no chance I'm coming in last to a rat catcher who can't fly and a
girl
. The genie might as well grant me my wish right now. It's as good as mine, losers!” Atallah drifted closer to Zinnia. “You ready to give the victor a kiss? That's what the damsel always does.”

“You wish! And I'm not a damsel—I'm a racer!”

“Believe what you want,
Zin
, but all wishes come true.”

“Come on, Zinnia, ignore him,” said Dodie, veering away from Atallah. “He's not gonna win that wish, right?”

“Right!”

“Wrong!” Atallah knocked into Dodie.

“Lay off!” Dodie shouted as he swerved away.

The sky was darkening with storm clouds, the wind was picking up, and the waves were swelling. Somewhere across the ocean, thunder made an announcement. The three racers gripped their loops and braced themselves as they flew into the storm. They found themselves trapped between the tall rocky cliffs of the shoreline and the pounding waves growing in height with every swell. They tried to fly higher above the cliffs but the wind was too strong, not to mention the Boundary. They slowed down to dodge the waves ramming the cliff.

“This is gonna be tricky to get through!” Dodie shouted above the storm.

“We gotta stick together!” yelled Zinnia. “That way if one of us falls, we'll be there to catch him.”

“Ha!” Atallah hollered. “I'm not going back for either of you if you fall!”

“I wasn't talking to you!” screamed Zinnia. She pulled up sharply, just missing a wave as it crashed against the cliff.

Dodie bumped into her from behind and caught spray from the wave. He felt Atallah nudge him in the back, and it made him nervous. He didn't like being so close to Atallah; no telling what he might do. At least the storm was keeping all three of them completely focused. For Dodie, it took every ounce of control and concentration to keep
Phoenix
from being carried off by the wind or drowned by the waves. He also had to watch the swells and predict when they would peak and crash, and time his pace accordingly. As the storm intensified, the waves came faster and harder until there was barely a break between them to get through.

Dodie was soaked. He stripped off his head mask and flung it away. He was feeling queasy, but he couldn't spare any attention on that. Squinting his eyes against the pelting rain, he ignored how cold he was. He heard a muffled yelp behind him, and turned to look. Somehow he had gotten ahead of Zinnia. They were separated by a few yards of towering waves. He didn't see Atallah anywhere, and he whipped his head around, searching for the blue-eyed boy, for he would feel better knowing where he was.

“Whoa!” He felt
Phoenix
pull up beneath him just as a wave roared in front of them. He couldn't afford to look for Atallah, or even keep an eye on Zinnia. He had to watch his path.

Phoenix
was sopping wet, and Dodie wondered how she was still able to stay aloft. They inched their way up the coast. With the sun blocked, Dodie had no idea what time it was, and hoped the Capital wasn't too far off. He couldn't see more than a few yards ahead of him.

For the first time in the last three days, Dodie desperately wished he was anywhere but there at the moment. He was wet, cold, achy, and lost. He couldn't think of being any more miserable—well, throwing up would be slightly worse. His stomach lurched and he thought of something else.

He thought of Taj. He thought of his life without Taj, and this made his throat tighten. He remembered his last view of Taj passed out on his cot, looking as pale as death. Taj didn't belong on that cot; he belonged on his racer rug. Dodie's face was streaming with water, so he couldn't tell if he was crying. He stopped thinking such bleak thoughts and instead thought about a happier future with his brother. Now that Dodie was no longer afraid of flying, he could join Taj in racing practice, and get one-on-one flying instructions from him. He smiled.

Next, he thought of Zinnia and her desperation to find her father that had driven her to chop off her hair and fearlessly compete against boys. He thought of the mermaid who had recited the prophecy about him, and this made his heart warm. He thought—

Wait!

Far ahead in the distance, the sun was leaking through the clouds, and Dodie caught a brief glimpse of tall steeples and turrets.

The Capital.

He wasn't too far now. A few more miles, a few more waves to dodge, and he would be in the clear. He could hardly believe it, and yet he wasn't too surprised that he had almost made it. By the looks of it, he would get there first.

He would win.

“You're still here, huh?” Atallah hollered over at him.

Dodie started, shocked to find Atallah suddenly next to him. “Where've you been?”

Atallah, unmasked, grinned. “It'll take more than a storm to get rid of me.”

“Guess it's you and me, neck in neck to the end,” shouted Dodie, watching Atallah out of the corner of his eye as he skimmed a wave.

“No way!” Atallah dove for him.

Dodie expected this move, and was ready for it. He shot out a hand to block Atallah, and knocked him in the chest.

Atallah swung back, connecting with Dodie's shoulder. He kicked Dodie in the ribs.

Dodie winced, trying his best to stay on his carpet and dodge the pounding waves. Atallah came at him again. Dodie jabbed, but missed and almost fell off
Phoenix.

Atallah grabbed Dodie's wrist and pulled. Dodie kicked Atallah off.

A large wave loomed for them. Dodie darted up to miss it. Suddenly he felt a great weight pull his carpet. He thought a wave had gotten him, but when he looked over his shoulder, he saw Atallah hanging off the edge of
Phoenix
.
Sky Cleaver
was being drowned by the sea.

“Help me!” screamed Atallah.

Dodie growled in frustration. It would be so easy to let Atallah fall. His life would be better for it, but Dodie couldn't do it, so he reached out a hand to help Atallah up.

Atallah scrambled onto
Phoenix
.

“Thanks,” Atallah panted. “for helping me up. And for your rug.”

“For my—?”

Atallah shoved Dodie off the carpet.

Dodie yelled as he tumbled through the air. A wave caught his feet, and slammed him against the cliff. He was sure every bone in his body was broken.

But he managed to cling to the rocks.

Crash!

A wave slammed him. He went under. He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe. He felt an immense pull as the wave receded, but he held onto the rocks with every last bit of strength. He couldn't be swept into the churning water or he would surely be done for.

His numb legs and arms still worked, so he started climbing higher to escape the waves.

Crash!

He held his breath and closed his eyes this time. He tasted blood in his mouth. The receding wave sucked him back, but Dodie held on. His fingers trembled and warm blood streamed from his palms where the rocks cut into him. He climbed higher.

He cried out. His entire body was racked with pain.

He heard another wave roaring toward him, wanting to devour him.

“Do your worst!” he cried, gritting his teeth with determination.

Crash!

The wave answered him with such force that Dodie nearly blacked out.

When the wave retreated, Dodie was still clinging to the rocks. He climbed again, but slipped.

He hung there, barely breathing, dreading the next bombardment. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. He was exhausted, his whole body throbbed with pain. The idea of being carried away by the sea was now appealing. Maybe drowning wasn't so dreadful. Maybe—

“Dodie! Hold on!”

He looked up.

Crash!

Another wave smashed him. He couldn't hear or see anything. His head broke through as the wave fell back. He gulped air.

He looked up and saw Zinnia atop the cliff, reaching her hands down to him. He was nearly at the top. He reached up and gripped her hand. Their hands slipped apart, for his was wet with water and blood.

“Come
on
!” shouted Zinnia, her unmasked face fearful. “Climb higher!”

Dodie climbed up and clenched her hand. She grabbed his other wrist with her other hand and pulled. Dodie used his feet to help. He dragged himself to the top as a wave crashed just below him, spraying him one last time.

Dodie rolled over on his back, and lay there panting, feeling the soft rain trickle over him. Next he saw Zinnia's face above his.

“That was close,” she panted in between rapid breathing. She leaned down and pressed her face against his.

Dodie closed his eyes and felt her cold cheek.

“Are you okay?” she whispered in his ear.

“Dunno.”

She sat up and gripped his arms. “Try sitting up.”

Slowly, and with great effort not to whimper, Dodie sat up and surveyed his body. Patches of blood seeped through his tunic in random spots on his torso and legs. His palms were scraped nearly raw. He could still move his arms and legs, but a deep jabbing pain told him he had broken a rib or two.

“Where's Atallah?” asked Zinnia, fetching her jar of healing ointment. She started dabbing Dodie's face with it.

“Gone. He shoved me off and left. He's probably already at the Capital.” Dodie took a deep breath as the ointment relieved the pain on his face.

“The going is slow, he's probably not there yet,” said Zinnia, rubbing the ointment on Dodie's palms. “Still, it'll be hard catching up to him.”

“I was so close,” Dodie said, his voice croaky. “Taj will die. I can't—”

“Don't say that!”

“It's true!” he yelled in her face. “All this was for nothing!”

Zinnia opened her mouth, but nothing came out. A few drops trickled down her cheeks, and Dodie couldn't tell if they were raindrops or teardrops. Either way, her face was marked with sincere grief, and he loved her for it.

Without another thought, he grabbed her and hugged her. She did not pull away, but tightened her arms around him, which hurt like crazy, but he didn't care. They sat there on the cliff, holding each other, as the sea settled down and the clouds broke apart.