The Academy: Book 2 Read Online Free PDF

wristband. He momentarily squeezed the drill to life, cut the rope, caught it, and used his wings to help the two of them glide softly to the floor.
                  The girl lowered herself to the earth using her hands, and then rolled over onto her back where she sat up, examining the rope on her ankle. She blew some hair out of her face. “I didn’t need your help,” she said. She worked on her ankle for a moment, and when Asa didn’t answer she added: “But thank you.”
                  “You’re welcome.” Asa was keenly aware that if the Multipliers had heard the initial scream that they would arrive behind them in a few moments. He got down on his hands and knees and examined the rope on the girl’s ankle.
                  “No wonder it’s bleeding,” she said, looking at it.
                  “No kidding.” The rope was wrapped with sharp, thorny vines all the way around.
                  “I’m Jen,” the girl said. Her face was closer to Asa’s than was necessary.
                  Asa let out an echolocation cry to check their surroundings. The Multipliers weren’t in the vicinity. Not yet, at least.
                  “Hello?” Jen asked. “I said my name. This is the part where you say yours.”
                  Asa looked at her. At times it was still hard to believe that others couldn’t hear the high-pitched noises that he was able to produce. “Asa Palmer.”
                  “I’ve got something for you, Asa Palmer,” she said, and reached into the pocket of her parka. She pulled out gold-rimmed, thick goggles. These were much nicer than the ones that the Fishies had been given last year to climb King Mountain with. Asa had seen a pair like this before, but couldn’t remember where. “They’re a gift.”
                  Distracted, thinking about the Multipliers in the woods, Asa put the pair of gold goggles onto the ground. He had not carefully examined the goggles he before placed them down.
                  “We need to move,” Asa said.
                  “You look worried, Palmer.” Jen was smiling.
                  “I am worried. We need to run. Can I pick you up?”
                  “I can run by myself, I’m not that hurt,” Jen said. “Do you think we can just pull this off my ankle? Some of the thorns are in pretty deep.”
                  Asa let out another cry of echolocation, and saw Joney and Edna moving toward them in the brush. They were talking amongst each other, taking their time. Have we already been spotted?
                  “Why do you keep on opening your mouth like…” Jen started.
                  Asa put a stern finger on Jen’s lips to quiet her. She must have read something alarming on his face because her expression went from playful to concerned. “Be completely silent,” Asa whispered hoarsely to her. With his wings still out, he wrapped his arms around Jen’s torso and began to softly flap so that they floated straight up into the canopy. They landed on a pliable, thin branch high above the forest floor. The wood bounced with their weight, moving the shadows beneath. Asa didn’t dare breath as the Multipliers approached beneath them.
                  “Ehhh! Something musta’ set this un off, eh, Edna?”
                  “Seems as such. But—Ah! Lookey here!” Edna said, picking up the end of rope that had just trapped Jen. “A bit o’ blood on it. An’ look at that end! Somethin’ strong had to ‘ave ripped right through it, don’t you suspect?”
                  Asa was holding his breath as he watched. Jen didn’t appear as frightened as Asa, but was still following his lead of being silent. She seemed surprisingly comfortable with being fifty feet above the earth on an unstable