SFFS 20/06/2015 Before Sorrel 4

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this set - you can find the information here.


This week's snippet is the last from the old file predating Sorrel. My charter pilot heroine is trying to get her seaplane and her passenger, Alory, off the water and into the air, despite the efforts of a gang of orcs. She has managed to repair the faulty engine, and gets back into the cockpit and starts the engines...

I swung the Duckling around. We had full power, and an aeroplane in reasonably good shape, and relatively clear water. I throttled up… and something slammed into the back of my head. I gasped, trying to keep my grip on the stick. Allory wrenched a dagger from a sheath on his arm and flung himself at the orc in the cabin behind us. Typical noble, weighed down with deadly weapons. Not that I was complaining. I felt sick and dazed, and there were lights dancing in the side of my gaze. I could taste bile rising in my throat. 
 

But there was clear water ahead, now. We were past the rest of the orcs. I increased our speed, angling slightly to give us wide open water to take off. The Duckling was singing along the water, now, moving faster, already starting to lift. I still felt sick and woozy, but clear air and flying speed is a miracle cure for concussion. In my opinion, anyway. 

  As always, comments welcomed! When I was writing this, I had a clear image of the Duckling in mind, mostly courtesy of an old Airfix kit I made. The Duckling was an amphibious two-engined plane based heavily on the Grumman Gosling. It was only when I scrapped this and began work on Sorrel in Scarlet that I chose to have my heroine flying a triplane.

Expect something different next week - the first sequence from my new book, which is well on the way to publication. More news next time!