AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My attacker was torn off me and I rolled over to find myself looking into the twisted face of Dr. Myer. The ‘good doctor’ had worn a close-fitting latex-like mask, but in our struggle part of it had been torn off to reveal his true self. He frothed at the mouth and thrashed in Grant and Chase’s hold. I rubbed my neck where I could still feel the indents of his fingers.
“You stupid bitch!” he snarled as he kicked at the ground in an effort to free himself. “You’ve ruined everything!”
“What’s going on here?” The shout came from Rask as he and a half dozen officials came up to us. He narrowed his eyes at our captive. “Dr. Nicholas Myer. It’s been a long time.”
Myer curled his lips back in a snarl. “So it’s the laptop of the tract.”
A crooked smile appeared on Rask’s lips. “This dog will sleep very soundly knowing we’ve finally caught you.” He turned his head to catch the eyes of his compatriots. “Take him to the emperor’s guards and inform them he’s the thunder knave we’ve been searching for.”
They nodded and took custody of Myer. Myer tried to lunge at me during the transition, but Ben slammed his fist into the center of the doctor’s face. The man let out a wail like a babe and stumbled back into the arms of the officials. Blood ran down his nose as he was led off.
I turned to my saviors and gave them all a shaky smile. “Thanks for rescuing me.”
Grant shook his head. “No need to thank us. I’m guessing that magic of yours was what stopped the thunders from wrecking because it blocked whatever he was doing.”
Chase pointed at the course and his face lit up with shock and excitement. “By the Gods, he’s doing it!”
We all spun around to face that direction and I couldn’t help but think that Myer had escaped. Instead, we watched as Mouse once again captured the lead. Dinari was forced to back off as he became stuck behind a small group of other drivers.
“One lap to go!” Grant shouted as they flew past the starting area and then past us.
“Come on, Mouse!” I yelled as what remained of the crowd was thrown into a tizzy of excitement.
Screams and shouts echoed across the field as the thunders raced across the course and toward the finish line. One of the other drivers tried to edge his way past Mouse’s nose. A bump sent them both flying onto the last stretch. They hit the ground and Mouse hit the gas pedal. Bashful leapt ahead and passed over the finish line, winning by half a foot.
The crowd erupted into cheers and stampeded off the bleachers to the course. The remainder of the drivers finished their lap and parked nearby to watch as Mouse was swarmed by congratulators. He was lifted on his shoulders and paraded around the tract.
The parade passed us and he waved. “Look at me! I’m tall!”
Chase and Grant rolled their eyes, but there were unwilling smiles on both their lips. Mouse was marched over to the emperor who shooed away his guards with a wave of his hand. The crowd set Mouse on the ground in front of the stands and the Callidus walked down to him.
“Kneel, you tyke,” I heard Chase mutter.
Mouse hurriedly knelt on the ground and bowed his head. The emperor lay his hand on top of Mouse’s head and swept his eyes over the area. “I hereby award this driver the Medal of the Empire for his superb driving skills, and give to his company fifty barons!” A cheer rang up from the crowd along with many whistles.
Chase and Grant, however, were taken aback and stared at each other. “Fifty barons?” Chase repeated.
Grant nodded. “I think that’s what he said.”
“Is something wrong?” I asked them.
“That’s twice the amount usually awarded to the winner,” Chase told me.
Ben folded his arms over his chest and cupped his chin in one hand. “Very curious. . .”
Sofia set a hand on my shoulder and caught her son’s eye. She nodded at several people who were poking at the glowless lucky charms. “Perhaps we should not stir more curiosity by remaining here.”
“But the party is just about to start!” Chase protested as he gestured to the crowd. A guitar had been procured and many had already started dancing to a quick tune.
“Tell us how it went,” Ben told him as he picked up the flute and took my hand.
Ben, Sofia, and I wound our way through the crowd and the arena. We were on the road in a few minutes and the quick stead, Ferox, no less, hurried us along in the carriage borrowed from the sisters. Exhaustion overtook me and I could do little more than lean my head against Ben’s arm.
Sofia sat on his other side and leaned forward to smile at me. “You did wonderfully back there, Millie.”
“It was just dumb luck. . .” I muttered as I closed my eyes.
“Magic is rarely about luck,” she countered.
