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Several of them darted forward and they were joined by race officials. The man was drawn from the vehicle and the fire extinguished even as the race continued on its way.
“Shouldn’t the race be stopped?” I asked those present.
Rask shook his head. “The rules state that so long as there’s no obstruction on the tract the race will continue.”
Ben’s eyes darted down and widened slightly. I jumped a little as he grasped my arms and led me away from the crowd. Chase, Grant, and Sofia followed out of curiosity as he led me back toward the tower.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“Your arm.”
I looked down and realized a soft glow emanated from the canister. We reached the tower, but I was frozen with indecision. The flute was calling to me, but I couldn’t force myself to reach for it. Memories of the horrible consequences of last night flashed through my mind.
Ben grabbed my arms and spun me around to face me. His expression was gentle but firm. “Myer is using the element of sand to fill the competing thunders’ engine blocks. If I could reach Myer I could end this, but as things now stand only you can stop his magic, Millie.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded, but there was no desire in me as I drew out the flute. A soft glow came from the instrument as I studied the runes that ran along its length. Rather than raise it to my lips, I closed my eyes. A few whispered words escaped my lips.
“My script is simple, my thoughts are kind. You’ll find the symbol within the mind.”
That’s when a new light caught my attention. Chase yelped and fumbled in his pocket before the glowing object fell out and onto the ground. We all stared at a smoothed piece of wood, one of the many lucky charms sold by the vendors.
Grant stabbed a finger at the item and gawked at his friend. “What’s that?”
Chase sheepishly smiled at him. “It’s just a little souvenir.”
“Then why is it glowing?” Grant questioned him.
“Hell if I know.”
My heart thumped faster as I realized the glow around the lucky charm matched that of the flute. I put my lips to the instrument and noticed the wood quiver.
“Whoa!” Grant shouted as both Chase and he leapt back. “Why’s it doing that?”
I took a deep breath and blew softly on the instrument. A sweet melody floated out of the flute and wrapped around us like a warm blanket. The tune caused the air around our group to glow softly.
“My goodness,” I heard Sofia whisper.
“Wow,” Chase chimed in.
I blew harder and the lucky charm on the ground leapt into the air. It floated in front of me for a moment before it shot off toward the tract where it impaled itself into the dirt beside the course.
“Look!” Grant shouted as he pointed at the stands.
A loud cry of surprise came from the spectators as many jumped to their feet and emptied their pockets. Dozens and dozens of the lucky charms dropped out only to float upward. Pieces of wood, shaped stones, and even miniature thunders shot off across the green to the course where they stuck themselves in the ground. A thin light sprang out of their sides and joined together halfway between each item, creating a barrier of brilliance.
“It’s a wall of magic!” Chase shouted.
To say the guards of the emperor were panicked was an understatement. They scuttled back to their lord and closely surrounded him, even pushing the lords out of the way. The emperor, however, studied the glow with more curiosity than fear and his eyes swept over the area.
Ben stepped in front of me to shield my light from the emperor’s inquisitive stare. Sofia, too, took her place beside her son, and before I knew it there was a wall of my friends in front of me, though the trio appeared slightly confused in their determination to block out prying eyes.
The crowd itself was a mixture of panic and curiosity. Some fled from the stands, but many others looked on in awe at their glowing lucky charms. The racers continued on their way, though more than one turned their head to stare at the strange short light around the track.
At that moment, a roar of fury came from behind us and somebody threw themselves on top of me.
CHAPTERFORTY
I was tackledto the ground and a pair of thin hands clawed at the back of my head. Long fingers wrapped around my throat and cut off my air supply as I heard shouts from above. The light around me vanished and I dropped the flute to struggle with my attacker.
