Chapter Eleven: A Hero's Sacrifice
Blade suddenly freed his hoist and flew after Dusty. Dusty suddenly went over the edge and disappeared. Then, Blade threw the hoist and the cable tightened, indicating a catch. We jumped out at the bottom of the falls and saw Dusty resting on solid ground, looking shaken but alive.
"Why didn't you redline it?!" Blade shouted as he hovered above the orange and white plane and us girls. "You could've made it! What were you thinking?" He paused, his attention drawn to something above them.
"What? What's wrong?" Dusty asked.
"Blade?" I called.
Blade rose higher into the air, seeing the treetops near them already ablaze. Our journey down the river had carried us right into the fire itself. "This ain't good." His mind raced for a solution. There wasn't a place for Dusty to take off in such dense forestry, and the nearest meadow would already be on fire by now. Blade took a look at our surroundings. "Head down that path. Follow me."
Dusty obeyed, gently scooping us girl up onto his wing and somewhat slowly following Blade deeper into the forest. The fire was definitely getting close now.
"Champ, come on!" Blade called, lowering down to hover above an opening into a cave-like space. "In here."
"An old mine?" Dusty gasped incredulously. "We can't go in there! We'll suffocate!"
"It's our only chance." Blade reasoned. "We'll let it burn over."
"No." Dusty protested, looking to Blade. "No, you go on. We'll keep moving."
"Are you crazy?" I said and jumped off his wing with Crow while Dusty begin to roll down the old railway tracks.
"What are you doing? Hey. Hey!" Blade snapped, landing in Dusty's path. "You can't outrun the fire."
Dusty started glaring. "You know what? I'll find my way out." He began moving again.
"Like you found your way out of the rapids." Blade pointed out, his rotors still twirling and kicking up a little dust.
Dusty stopped again. "I didn't want to….push my engine…."
"You didn't want to?" Blade shouted.
"Blade, listen to me—" Dusty started.
"This isn't about you." Blade growled. "This about life and death. You need to follow orders. I told you 'split load,' you dropped it all. I told you not to reload on the lake, you did it anyway. I told you 'redline it,' you pulled power. You don't have what it takes! You don't!"
"Fine!" Dusty shouted, glaring fiercely as he turned to keep moving. "I never wanted to be a firefighter anyway!"
"Then go back to racing!" Blade snapped, and Dusty froze. "Go win yourself another trophy, Champ."
"I CAN'T!" Dusty screamed, spinning around to glare at Blade. His outburst made Crow and I jump in surprise. "My gearbox is busted! All right? That's why I pulled power. I'm never….I'm never gonna…" His anger dwindled away, and he slumped on his pontoons as he stared at the ground.
Blade's glare didn't lessen. His rotors finally stopped spinning. I sighed, and plopped down on the ground to sit on one of the railroad tracks. I bit my bottom lip to stop myself yelping at the strong tug my curse mark did. Sometimes it really could hurt.
Ok while we are trapped here I will defiantly review what my curse mark can do if we don't get killed I thought.
Blade looked at Dusty than at me and Crow. When he spoke, he sounded more understanding than angry. "Life doesn't always go the way you expect it. But you three came here to become firefighters. If you give up today, think of all the lives you won't save tomorrow."
I glanced to Dusty, who hadn't moved from his spot.
"So what are you going to do?" Blade asked.
Dusty looked up, and he hardened his gaze. Then, he turned and began rolling towards the mine. Crow and I stood up and followed him. Blade stopped outside the mine, turning to stare at the oncoming fire. The flames already engulfed the area we once occupied.
Debris began falling, crashing down around us. Dusty Crow and I were already pressed in as far as we could go. Blade positioned himself in front of us. The chief kept his eyes on the opening to the mine, where the fire raged. A cracking sound rang out, and a beam from the ceiling broke and fell down, scratching Dusty's number 7 racing decals. Another smaller beam and some small rocks hit my riding helmet I had worn. We stared out at the opening to the mine. The fire was right on top of us now. Huge chunks of burning wood fell in front of the entrance, and suddenly a wave of fire shot straight towards us. Dusty shut his eyes, bracing himself for the burning sensation of the fire on his hide. Crow and I backed up against him. Suddenly, Blade shot forward, putting himself between the flames and us. He grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, the flames brushing against his side and scorching his paintwork. Dusty, realizing he wasn't feeling any burning, opened his eyes and stared in shock to see he was fully encased in Blade's shadow. The larger aircraft gasped softly in pain, the heat and fire pressing against him. Dusty looked down a bit and saw Crow and I curled up against him looking terrified.
Blade forced his eyes open, trying to keep tabs on the fire. But a burning tower suddenly collapsed in front of the entrance and a wall of smoke and ash filled the cave.
Then, it was dark.
Several minutes passed before the smoke and ash settled. Dusty's and Blade's lights flickered on, giving some light in the dark cave. A wall of debris completely covered the entrance to the mine, blocking them in. Blade could feel agonizing pain radiating across his flank, but he took a breath and forced himself to ignore it.
"You three…..all right?" Blade gave a cough, despite his efforts to keep it back.
"Fine." Dusty breathed and looked at Crow and me. "And so are the girls.
"We will have to wait for it to burn over" Blade said.
Blade finery determined we could finally leave. Crow and I climbed onto Dusty's wings. The lights went out, and Blade tensed up a bit before charging forward and ramming into the wall of debris. There was a shift, but not very much. Excruciating pain flared up from his burn, but he rammed into the wall two more times. Light began to stream through into the cave. Blade backed up a bit, then grunted in effort and slammed his entire body weight into the wall. The debris gave way, allowing cleaner air to flow into the stuffy mine. Blade rolled out, coughing. Dusty soon followed, also coughing a little from the ash kicked up. We looked around and discovered only scorched earth and trees all around them.
Dusty looked to Blade, and his eyes widened when he saw the full extent of the fire chief's burns. "Blade..."
"Airway Meadow should be clear." Blade's voice sounded hoarse and rough, and he coughed a few more times. "We'll take off from there. Let's go."
He motioned for Dusty to take off, and the orange and white plane began his run before lifting off into the sky. Blade began following him.
Suddenly, there was the sound of something clanking and popping in Blade's engine. Blade suddenly began spinning in the air, his tail rotor completely useless. Blade fought to keep control, feeling is engine seizing. A strange creaking sound came from inside him. Blade spiralled down out of the sky. He skidded across the soil and ash before coming to a stop.
"BLADE!" Dusty screamed, immediately banking around and circling the downed helicopter. "Patch come in this is Crophopper Seven Patch come in!"
"I read you Crophopper Seven" Patch said.
"Blade is down I repeat Blade is down!"
"Just stay with him." Patch instructed. "Windlifter's on his way."