The Unwilling Aviator (Book 4) Read Online Free PDF

Pat replied.
    They rode on and reached the outskirts of the city. Even the streets far from the center of the city were crowded with onlookers. A guard in uniform stood at every entrance to the streets.
    Pat tried to guide her horse into the streets, but the guard held up one arm and stepped forward. "Halt! You can't ride those things in here! Not during the tournament!"
    Canto turned to Ned with a smirk on his face. "The tournament's always on time?" he wondered. Ned shrugged.
    "This isn't the fall tournament," the man spoke up. "This is the tournament to decide who will be the first aviator to swear the oath on the changed Swearing Stone, and men from all over Kite have come to win that honor."
    "Changed Swearing Stone?" Ned repeated.
    "A month ago an outer casing fell off the stone and showed a bright yellow core. The aviators wanted to know if something special would happen if one of them swore on the stone, so the Senex is allowing this tournament," the guard explained to them. The man pointed toward where the remaining kites as they landed on the eastern tops of the cliffs. "What you just witnessed was the last practice flights of the day by a few of the aviators. The winds aren't as good at night, so they hang up their kites around sundown."
    Pat frowned. "But that stone is-" Ned hurried forward and slipped his hand firmly over her mouth.
    "Is anyone allowed to enter this tournament?" he asked the stranger.
    "Anyone," the man replied.
    "Even women?" Ned persisted.
    The man sneered and shook his head. "Anyone but them. Women can fly all they want outside the tournament, but not in it."
    Pat grumbled through Ned's hand, but Ned held tight to her. "When does this tournament start, and can anyone still join?" Ned continued.
    "It begins the day after tomorrow in the late afternoon, but the sign ups are closed. The final day for the practice flights are tomorrow, too. It's a required flight for all the aviators," the man answered him.
    "Excellent. One last question and we won't bother you further. Is the castor licensing office open?" Ned wondered.
    The man's friendly disposition transformed to suspicion as his eyes narrowed and he glanced over the group. "No, it's closed for the tournament. Why do you want to know?"
    "Merely for curiosity's sake. Is there something wrong with the office?" Ned asked him.
    The man shook his head and spoke slowly. "I'm not at liberty to say, but I am required to ask if any of you are illegal castors."
    Ned chuckled. "No, we are not," he assured the guard.
    The guard visibly relaxed. "Very well. Do you have any more questions?"
    "No. We thank you for your kind help, and we'll be sure not to ride our animals in the city," Ned reassured him. The man bowed and turned his attention to a brawl close inside the crowded city. He hurried away.
    Pat ripped off Ned's hand and scowled at him. "What is this about unlicensed castors?" she asked him.
    "A mere formality. Castors must acquire a license before they're allowed to use their abilities inside the city," he told her.
    "Do either you or Fred have a license?" she wondered.
    "I do, but I hoped to acquire one for Fred. It seems that isn't possible," Ned mused.
    "Was it wise to lie to the guard?" Percy spoke up.
    Ned chuckled. "I didn't lie. He asked if any of us were illegal castors. No castor is illegal, merely unlicensed."
    "That's a use of words they might not appreciate," Canto commented.
    Ned waved aside their concerns. "Nonsense. We will be sure to avoid using our magic, and acquire the stone in another, less explosive fashion."
    Pat scowled at him. "What are you planning, castor?" she growled.
    Ned smiled, and there was that mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Merely a nonviolent method of gaining access to the stone."
    "Ya weren't thinking about sending one of us up in one of those contraptions, were ya?" Canto asked him.
    "Actually, that was exactly what I was thinking," Ned replied.
    "But none of us knows how to fly those strange machines," Ruth