Christmas Diamond, a Novella: Inspired by The Jewel series and the Virtues and Valor series Read Online Free PDF

vivid blue sky.
    She regained the formation and watched as Alfred came back. They flew low to the ground, buzzed the spectator stand, then straight back up, centered with the runway beneath, and started to break off one at a time to land. Faith took her turn, shot to the right and went to shoot up and turn around to prepare for landing when a hard jolt threw her plane to the side and an explosive noise startled her. She shot her head to the right and saw Alfred's plane in a spin rolling away from hers.
    He'd hit her! Several feet of her right wing had completely vanished!
    Every emergency scenario she knew and had practiced darted through her mind as she battled the stick. Then every emergency scenario she had only even heard of that ended in survival flashed through her mind.
    In a few heartbeats, Faith had assessed all of her options. She didn't have the altitude to trade for speed so she could ditch over the water. She didn't have the speed to trade for altitude for a slow and low landing on the northbound runway. But she had guts, she had brains, and she had Texas Diamond .
    She pulled out of the uncontrolled left bank, her rudder to the maximum and her stick against the fire wall. She fought to control a right roll, battling and coaxing the broken machine. As the runway raced up at her, she prayed out loud.
    "Please God, strength is what I need now," she begged, as she pulled up hard on the stick. If she could survive this, it would be a miracle, a bona fide answer to prayer. No matter what happened, she had to protect the bystanders and spectators below, even if she didn't walk away from this one. Faith really wanted to walk away from this one. As the entire planet came rushing up at her, she struggled to land. It wasn't going to be pretty but she'd take a rough landing given a choice.
    She lowered her landing gear and aimed for the dotted line. To her very great relief, she felt the struts lock into place before the runway greeted the aircraft. As much as Faith wanted to, she didn't close her eyes when she felt the wheels scrape the runway, bounce off, then scrape again.
    Finally, the wheels gently touched the runway and rolled. Faith pulled the stick all the way back with both hands, screaming with the exertion and strain. Her feet felt like they might punch all the way through the floorboards. Her back muscles burned with the exertion as she stood up on the brakes. She had to stop. She had to stop, now.
    As she brought the plane to a complete stop, she felt all the breath evacuate from her lungs. She gasped and swallowed deep lung-fulls of air before she popped the canopy and slid her helmet off. Her whole body shook with fear and adrenaline. She needed to get out of the aircraft's confines.
    As she started to climb out, she heard the impact of Alfred's plane accompanied by shocked screams from the bleachers. Her head shot in that direction and she saw the billowing black smoke coming from a field several hundred yards off the runway.
    As she climbed out of the aircraft and started to run on rubbery legs toward the impact site, Elizabeth pulled up in a Jeep. "He jettisoned!" she yelled and pointed at the sky. "Look!"
    Faith looked up and saw the parachute carrying her cousin safely away from the burning wreckage. "Oh thank You, God. Thank You Lord above," she prayed, and felt her knees completely give out from under her.
    Elizabeth appeared at her side instantly. "No," Faith said, waving at her with a weak hand. "Please. Go get Alfred. I'm okay. I'll just wait right here."
    "Come with me."
    "No. I need the earth beneath me just now," Faith explained. Nausea rolled around in her stomach and she didn't think she would be able to handle jostling through a field in a four-wheel drive vehicle. She put a shaking hand to her forehead and leaned her head back against the plane's wheel.
    A minute or two after Elizabeth drove away, Faith heard footsteps pounding down the runway toward her. She opened her eyes, expecting to see