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He chuckled. “They may appear to be fools, but don’t let that deceive you. They truly are fools.”
My face drooped. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
Ben laughed as he set a hand on the hood of the machine. “There’s no need to worry. I inspected the engine myself and all the parts are there.”
A whinny from the pasture made me look in that direction. Ferox stood at the fence closest to the driveway with his eyes zeroed in on us. He threw back his head and let loose another angered cry.
Ben looked up and smiled at his steed. “There’s no need for you today, old friend. Enjoy your fields.” Ferox bobbed his head before he turned and trotted away to a large patch of clover.
I returned my attention to the vehicle and sighed. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”
“Please do be careful,” Hannah pleaded as Ben helped me into the backseat.
“There’s no need to worry,” Ben assured her as he handed me a helmet. “We should be back before supper time.”
She wagged her finger at him. “And if you aren’t, I’ll be sending you a host of crows.”
He laughed as he slipped into the driver’s seat. “Just make sure Tully has a way of shutting them up. Goodbye and see you soon!”
The engine roared to life before it quieted into its uniquely soft humming. I clutched the sides of the vehicle as Ben pressed his foot against the gas pedal. The thunder leapt forward like a wild stallion and skidded across the dirt as Ben made a sharp turn to face down the driveway.
I think I heard Hannah scream, but it was hard to hear anything over my own cry of terror. We zoomed down the drive and out into the open country road. A maniacal laugh came from Ben as we veered around horsemen and carts.
It was then I realized I’d hopped into a car with a madman.
CHAPTERTWENTY
“Could you slow down a little?”I shouted above the wind that whipped past us.
The villa was far behind us and the barracks were coming up on our left. I now clung to the back of Ben’s seat as the world flew past in a blur of frightened horses and obscenities from their drivers.
Ben turned his head slightly to one side. “What?”
I leaned in close to his ear and raised my voice to a fever pitch. “Slow down!”
Ben immediately applied some foot power to the sorely neglected brake pedal and the world came back into focus. I dropped back into my ‘seat’ and let out a sigh.
“Are you well?” Ben asked me.
I ran my fingers through my hair and winced as my digits caught on a dozen knots. “I’ve been better.”
“I’m sorry,” he replied, and I could hear the sincerity in his words as he stared ahead with pursed lips. “In the heat of the moment I had forgotten I wasn’t on a tract, but on the road.”
I snorted. “What gave it away? The terrified horses or the people shouting every word in the urban dictionary at us?”
“A little of both, and your very vocal remonstration.”
“You should hear me when I’m angry,” I warned him as I crossed my arms over my chest.
He chuckled. “That is an honor I would gladly avoid, and so I shall endeavor to slow my pace, at least on the road.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “You weren’t thinking of entering the tract, were you?”
“I had been entertaining the thought,” he admitted.
I scowled at the back of his head. “That’s insane. You could get killed, or at the very least picked up by that spirit thing and tossed out into the ocean.”
He turned his head to catch my eye with one of his orbs. “Do I detect a hint of worry about me?”
