Eliona's War 3: Lethal Healer

Ch. 32

Jeb didn't wake up from his nap until they were approaching the runway. Up until that point, Mrs. Beakor had handled the plane like she knew what she was doing, so Seth was somewhat reassured. But when the old pilot jerked away with a snort and grabbed onto the controls with trembling hands, Seth's anxiety immediately increased.

Yet somehow, the plane managed to touchdown as light as a feather. It was a miracle, in Seth's opinion. A sheer fluke. There was no other way a tiny old man who couldn't see over the instrument panel had managed to bring them in without spinning off the runway or careening into a building.

"There we go," Jeb said, once the plane came to a stop. "Nice and easy."

The radio crackled as some other pilot checked in with the tower. Seth didn't even hear what was said. He was busy focusing on breathing and being very glad to be on solid ground once more.

Mrs. Beakor pulled off her headset. "Thank you, Jeb. We appreciate it, as always."

"Eh." He gave a dismissive wave, and the way his fragile hand wobbled made Seth concerned that it was going to snap right off the wrist. "Gives me somethin' to do. How long you gonna be?"

"Hm, maybe an hour?" Mrs. Beakor glanced at Seth, who didn't so much as blink in response. "Or two? Depends on traffic, I suppose."

"All right, Hel. I'll wait here for you."

That spurred Seth to life. He stared at Mrs. Beakor with wide, pleading eyes, hoping she could read his mind and get the message: he'd rather walk back then take the deathtrap home.

But she just grinned, dark eyes sparking in amusement. "You can let go of your seat now, kiddo. Flight's over."

"Eh?" Jeb craned his head to peer at the back. He blinked owlishly at Seth through his thick glasses, before starting to wheeze. At first, it sounded like his lungs were collapsing and he couldn't suck in enough life-giving oxygen, but Seth soon figured out the old creature was laughing.

Irritated, Seth immediately tugged at his seatbelt, fumbling to release the catch. That was it, he was getting off this plane.

"You were right," Jeb rasped between wheezes. "The kid really-"

"Ah, let's not be too hard on him. He's been having a difficult time, you know?" Mrs. Beakor patted Jeb's arm gently, like she too was worried he'd crumble if she wasn't careful enough.

Seth dropped his headset on the seat and rose, hunched over with his head nearly scraping the ceiling. He spotted his lost phone by the door, which was perfect because that was where he was going.

Jeb said something, too low for Seth to make it out, and Mrs. Beakor answered in kind. Before he could wonder what was said, Mrs. Beakor rose and came to the back.

"Let's get this door open, hm?"

She made short work of it, and it wasn't long before Seth stood on solid ground, with the warm light of day upon his face. It felt so relieving that he almost sighed in pure gratitude.

When he looked around, he saw this airport was tiny in comparison to the previous one. It only had two runways, a single hanger and a small service building. There were no gates, either. People had to go out onto the tarmac to get into the planes. And speaking of, the biggest plane Seth saw was a twin-engine aircraft that looked only slightly bigger than Jeb's.

Seth felt somewhat awed. "I didn't even know this city had an airport this small."

"It's a private strip," Mrs. Beakor told him. "The local air club uses it for training and events like air shows. The big one is just down the road a bit, so they're not that far apart."