Fox Fate by Robin Roseau Page B

It felt really cool.
    I flew the Bonanza with Serena, Portia and Violet as passengers. As we were getting in, Serena turned to Violet. "Would you care for the front, Councilwoman?"
    "You are a councilwomen as well, Serena," Violet said. "And I suspect you know how to assist our pilot."
    And so Serena took the front seat and helped manage maps, and she even knew how to work the radios. It was nice to have a hand.
    To say I was excited would be an understatement. I was excited on so many levels.
    First, I loved flying, and the Bonanza was a dream. It was a lot of airplane, but I loved the power at my fingertips. I was always excited to be flying it, especially when we had other aircraft on a trip. I couldn't properly explain it but there was just something nice about flying in a group of airplanes. That this was such a long trip was a small source of stress, but it was manageable.
    I was also stressed and excited about where we were going. This was a risk. We were going to make ourselves more visible, which could make us a target. We were also willingly entering the lair of a very powerful vampire. We had every reason to trust her, but it was intimidating.
    But I would get to see Deirdre again. I had so much I wanted to ask her. I wondered if there would be other fae there. My foxy curiosity was in full swing.
    And Carissa had as much as stated she had solid news about other werefoxes, and the way she had said it suggested there was some good news in the mix.
    And so, I was excited, nearly aflutter. And everyone around me knew it, too. I'd been getting a hard time about it. But I didn't care.
    Still, with the enforcers looking on, I took my time with the preflight. The aircraft was in perfect condition; Lara made sure of that with all her airplanes. Finally I opened the door and turned to Portia and Violet. "You'll need to take the aft-facing seats for takeoff and landing," I said, "but if you're more comfortable facing forward, one of you can shift while we're in flight."
    "We'll be fine, Captain," Violet said, climbing in first to take the seat behind mine. I made sure Violet got buckled in properly, helped stow her bag, and then climbed in myself.
    I looked around. It was taking longer for Lara to load her passengers, but soon she had them settled. She gave me a little wave before climbing into the Seneca. Two minutes later, all three airplanes were taxiing. We did our run ups, the last check of all critical systems before taking off.
    As always, I knew I would be expected to take off first. Lara was so paranoid. I guess after not one, but two kidnappings, she had reason to be. "Everyone all set?" I asked. "This is the last opportunity to remember you forgot to use the facilities."
    I heard multiple chuckles over the headset.
    "I've never flown in such a small aircraft, Captain," Violet admitted. "But I have a strong stomach."
    "Excellent," I said. "We can fly some aerobatics!" As if. The Bonanza was the wrong airplane for that.
    I pushed forward on the throttle, and the engine responded smartly. Thirty seconds later, we were in the air.
    Our plan was for an east departure to help us fly around Dane County airport airspace. That was perfect for me, as it gave me an opportunity to circle the compound twice while waiting for Lara and then Angel to climb into the air. I made sure to tip the wing far enough that Violet could see as well.
    I was grinning from ear to ear. I loved that airplane.
    "Where are you, Little Fox?" Lara asked over the encrypted radio.
    "Like you don't know," I replied with a laugh. "Violet wanted to see the compound."
    Lara chuckled. "Right. I'm sure she did. Get over here and form up."
    I returned her chuckle and turned back to the airport. Lara and Angel were flying a box pattern over the airport. "I see you both," I reported. I timed my approach, pulling in behind Angel and off her right wing. "Lead the way, fearless leader!"
    Lara did one more half circle before turning us towards the east. We all had