Page 33 of Storm to Victory
But instead of twisting nerves, a peace filled him. This was what he was meant to do. He and Pip, together.
Pip’s fingers tightened on his, but she didn’t flinch away. If anything, she stood taller.
His hand trembling slightly, Merrik took the paper from Uncle Julien, opening it and staring at the words on the page as if he couldn’t believe it.
Adry hugged him around the waist, grinning as she murmured into his ear.
Pip leaned into Fieran’s shoulder. “Mak is going to hate this.”
Chapter
Ten
“No. Absolutely not.”
Pip perched on her workbench, swinging her legs, as she faced her brother. Sitting on the workbench put her more level with his face so that she didn’t have to crane her neck to stare him down. “I’m going.”
The words twisted everything inside her from the pit of her stomach all the way into the burning in her throat. But she wasn’t going to back down. There was no way she was staying here, waiting and wondering, while Fieran went off into the depths of Mongavaria.
Even if the thought of going on a crazy, dangerous mission like this scared her like nothing else ever had.
Mak paced—stalked in fury, more like—across the space in front of her workbench. “You’re not a warrior. What are the generals thinking, sending you off into Mongavaria like this?”
“They needed a mechanic.” Pip shrugged and nudged one of her wrenches. At least she’d gotten permission to tell Mak some of the details, even if he couldn’t know all of it. It wasn’t like the Half-Breed Squadron and their mechanics wouldn’t notice when Pip, Fieran, and Rothilion left.
“Then send one of the airship mechanics along. For that matter, why isn’t an airship pilot going instead of Fieran?” Mak jabbed a hand in the direction of the mansion. “Surely that would make more sense than sending the two of you.”
“None of the airship pilots or mechanics have magic like Fieran’s or like mine.” Pip raised her hand and created a small sphere over her palm.
“If they want a mechanic with magic, then I should be the one to go.” Mak crossed his arms and glared at her.
“You know it isn’t the same.” Pip expanded her sphere. “Assuming we can neutralize those magic-stealing machines, Fieran and I are just about invincible when we’re together.”
“Then I’ll come too.” Mak took a step forward, standing squarely in front of her.
A part of her desperately wished he could. He was her big brother. Stepping into the unknown would be far less daunting with him at her side.
And yet it was time she forged this path on her own. For too long, she’d been stuck in a rut, not moving forward, not taking chances, because she’d been too scared to leave home.
She couldn’t go back to being the same girl who had gotten up the courage to go to Escarland for university, only to return home and work the same job she always had for several more decades because she hadn’t dared pursue her real dream.
She wanted a life at Fieran’s side, even if that meant fighting in the depths of Mongavaria. He was worth it because he would fight at her side just as hard as she would at his.
“You can’t just invite yourself along on this mission. Not this time.” Pip braced her hands on either side of herself on the workbench.
Not to mention, Mak wasn’t invulnerable to Prince Farrendel’s magic the way she and Fieran were. Anyone notimpervious to his power would be a liability during whatever battle they might face to take the Ludin facility.
“Pip, I can’t—”
“No.” Pip gave his chest a shove with the flat of her hand. “No, don’t go all protective big brother on me. I know this is hard. I’m not particularly thrilled with the idea of marching into Mongavaria either. But Ihaveto do this. And I can’t go unless I know that you’ll be here, looking after the squadron.”
As beyond terrified as she was by this mission, she couldn’t shake the deep conviction that she had to go. It wasn’t just because of Fieran either. She’d seen so much and done so much because of this war.
Somewhere out there in Mongavaria, there were people who needed to be rescued. Perhaps even a friend who needed her and Fieran. She couldn’t be a coward, not when her magic could make all the difference.
Mak’s shoulders slumped, his gaze dropping for the first time. “I never would have encouraged you to leave home if I thought this was where we’d end up.”
“It likely wouldn’t have made that much difference.” Pip shrugged, letting another sphere form on her palm. “My magic was bound to get the attention of the higher-ups one way or another. There is no one else who can do what I can.”
