by Joey Anderle
“The Belleci twins, couldn’t be more polar opposite unless you dyed one of their heads. They don’t like acknowledging the other, really messes with where they have influence.” Auralee took a quick glance back to Booker, “Surely your politics has had occurrences like this?”
Booker thought of all the different examples he knew off hand and looked back at Auralee with a straight face, “Nah, we humans know how to handle this kind of thing.”
“Hmm, perhaps if there is something we can learn from your people, it is politics,” Auralee shrugged.
Please don’t, he begged, mentally.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“This isn’t going to work,” Auralee sat in the passenger seat, watching Booker fiddle with his phone.
“It will not work, if you don’t believe,” Booker countered.
“How do you know it’ll work then?” Auralee looked around the side of the road trying to see if she was missing an important detail.
“Because if it worked once, why wouldn’t it work twice?” Booker answered.
Auralee shook her head in confusion, “That makes no sense.”
He looked up from his phone. “Well, this is called ‘Bandit’s Stretch’ in some circles. It’s a long, long length of road. Open fields on one end,” Booker gestured to the driver’s side where nothing but green landscape kept going for what seemed like forever. “And heavily wooded area on the other,” making a similar movement to show the forest which started a several yards away from her window.
“Ok,” Auralee started to nod in understanding.
“So if I were hunting us down,”
“Us?” Auralee pointed out.
“Well, I think I proved myself to be a threat,” Booker defended. “Anyway, this place is both a blessing and a curse. Because while it’ll be difficult to hide, if you can manage to catch up there aren’t many places to go. Wouldn’t it seem worth the risk to try to catch us here?”
“Oh,” Auralee’s approval became genuine as she saw what Booker had put together. “That’s actually, really forward think…“
“Or, we could just purposely trip off the bug they put on my car and wait,.” Booker suggested, as he pulled up and inspected a chip he held between his fingers.
Auralee crossed her arms and turned away in a huff as Booker laughed and started the Mustang.
“Hold on,” He warned and proceeded to burn rubber, the car roaring down the straight road. He kept driving and kept waiting for the group from earlier to take the bait.
Mile after mile he drove and waited, circling around.
“Huh,” Booker observed, “Maybe they weren’t as interested in us as I thought.”
“No, really?” Auralee was irate, looking out the window of the ever similar landscape.
“I would like to point out an hour of your lifespan is significantly less time equivalent than an hour of my lifespan,” Booker's eyes went back over all of his gauges, and he whistled. “I may have been a little pedal happy as well, we’ll have to drop by a gas station.”
Auralee turned to look at him, honey in her voice that Booker was smart enough to ignore. “Please, at least that’ll give me something to look at.”
With a disappointed sigh about the results of his plan, Booker started on his way to a gas station and restaurant called Kitches.
“Now what?” The princess asked.
“Well,” Booker sucked air through his teeth, “I fill up the tank at Kitches and probably go inside to say hi to the staff. Maybe see if anyone knows anything about the kidnappers.”
“Why didn’t we start with that effort?” Auralee inquired.
“Because, my trap was genius up until they decided not to follow through with the whole ‘falling for my trap’ part,” Booker admitted.
Auralee opened her mouth, but didn’t know how to scold Booker properly. So she decided it would better to wait and use it against him at a later date.
The next mile went along in silence as Booker nodded along with the music that crept through the car as Auralee once more gazed out the window. The car slowed down, and Booker turned down the music. Auralee turned to see him squinting into one of the mirrors. A slow smile spread across his face.
“Took them long enough,” He watched a black car creep up ever so closer.
“How do you know that’s who we want?” she asked.
“Because someone, perhaps yours truly, put out a warning call that I might be doing something stupid on this road. So most everyone human thinks this stretch is under watch by Lions,” Booker answered, picking up his phone and telling it to send a text to Riley ‘for pick up.’
“Lions?” Auralee asked.
“Leo’s, slang for law enforcement officers, and since the Leo constellation is a lion.” Booker informed.
“Ok, that’s incredibly convoluted for a play on words, but that also doesn’t automatically make the people behind us who we want,” Auralee reasoned.
“Sure, but nobody trying to stay low would be stupid enough to stroll around in a tinted out cop looking sedan.” Booker kept a fair distance from the car, speeding up appropriately, “So here’s the idea, I’ll let them close the distance and then, well, we’ll see.”
Auralee wondered at the validity of his idea, “That doesn’t sound like an actual plan.”
“Too late, busy driving,” Booker caused the engine to roar as he started his getaway taunt. He was forcing the sedan to start racing towards them.
“Come on, come on, come on,” Booker repeated impatiently. “You’re a modern three point seven liter V6; there’s no way you can be this slow.”
“Why the need for such urgency, their plan is to kidnap me after all.” Auralee watched the distance start to close quickly.
“Because there is only so much road for me to pull this off.” Booker answered, “And time for the clean-up services to come clean up the mess they are going to make. Now please be quiet, because if I mess up a single thing, we will be the ones careening off the road.”
Auralee took him at his word and observed as much of his movements as she could.
Booker slowed down to a reasonably safe speed for the oncoming actions.
Once the sedan was a sufficient distance from Booker, it moved into the other lane, all but confirming his suspicions of who occupied the vehicle. When said car attempted to nudge the front of their reinforced sedan into the side of Booker’s Mustang, he became sure of their intent.
Dropping a gear to gain the acceleration necessary to not immediately lose control, Booker fought the steering wheel to straighten out. The other sedan swerved out and then tried to make a second attempt.
“Please, don’t,” Booker told the sedan, pressing on the brake and watching the car continue to slide into his lane, readjusting at the last moment to avoid hitting the dirt.
“My turn,” He accelerated in his own attempt to accomplish a pit-maneuver.
“Now why would they be rolling down the window,” Booker leaned forward on the steering wheel wanting the answer to his question. “Oh!” He saw the answer as the driver’s companion in the back seat stuck a large hand-held crossbow out the window. Booker’s eyes opened largely.
“Get down!” He commanded.
The bolt launched into and through his passenger window, sticking itself in the interior headliner.
His eyes flicked to the dart, “Alphonse is going to be pissed.” Booker commented without much thought before attempting his own effort at incapacitating the other car. They heard the car metal groan as it impacted the rear third of the sedan.
“Incredibly pissed.” Booker clarified.
Booker quickly backed off from the car as he watched it swerve in front of him. Holding his breath, he watched it flip end over end. He reacted by down shifting and slamming on his brakes.
“I doubt they will be very happy with us, so be prepared to use some of that magic,” Booker suggested as he popped off the seat belt and keeping his eyes on the car coming to a rest.
“No kidding?” Auralee pointed out, “Now what’s your plan?”
“Simple, we walk up and ask them,” Booker answered with confidence.
Auralee opened her mouth to tell Booker how stupid of an idea that was. Then she closed it to think it over and double check if it was stupid. Then she opened her mouth when she came to the conclusion that yeah, that’s pretty freakin’ stupid. “Are you out of your mind!?”
“Honestly?” Booker opened the car door once he turned off the car’s engine. “Just a little bit.”
Booker jogged over to where the tumbled car was resting. A quick glanced told Booker that the damage wasn’t that bad, well, not as bad as tumbling a few times could be.
“Sterling!” Auralee chased after Booker once she got out of the car herself.
“What?” Booker turned around as an arm emerged from the broken sedan’s window. Crawling up, one of the assailants popped up, heavily scuffed and lightly bleeding.
She jolted forward to the wreckage, “Watch out!” She cast a spell and threw a ball of red light and looked away.
Booker's eyes followed the pretty ball remarking, “Whoa, that’s so coo-“ before it exploded into a brilliant light, blinding him.
“Ah!” he cried, as he fell to his knees and cupping his hands over his eyes. He chanted, “Not cool! Not cool!”
Booker stayed on his knees, incapacitated, as Auralee caught up, “They may be dangerous,” She scolded him.
“No, we’re not.” An impish voice called out from the wreckage, “A bit worse for wear, but not dangerous.”
Auralee cast another crimson orb and flung it over the wreckage. When it exploded a pained ‘Gah’ sounded from the voice.
“I am not talking to you, yet,” She commanded with all of the royal presence a princess was taught.
“Fair enough.” The voice called back.
“Are you alright, Sterling?” Auralee addressed Booker.
“No, you threw light at me, why would I be ok?” Booker questioned, still on his knees, rubbing at his eyes.
“Crybaby.” She chided Booker, then walked over to the car, surveying it, “Come out now.” She spoke in her native tongue.
“Much rather not, actually,” The voice replied.
“Your Princess demands it,” Auralee ordered, pacing about the vehicle.
“Is the Princess on talking terms right now?” The voice questioned.
“Not really,” She placed a hand on the windshield and shattered it, reaching in and pulling the battered body out, “And you are?”
“Ah, Delvar, your Royal Majesty.” The small man said. Looking him over made it questionable if he was the one driving as his stature didn’t suggest the necessary length to reach the pedals AND look over the steering wheel.
“And who sent you, Delvar?” The princess inquired, looking around the edge of the car to see Booker testing his eyesight again.
“Well, about that your majesty…” Delvar started.
She stared at him and lifted her hand, conjuring another red orb.
“Let’s not get too hasty now.” He tried to calm the situation as another man crawled out where the moonroof was. He fell flopping onto the pavement bloodied, bruised and groaning.
“And how about your buddy, would he happen to know anything?” She cooed at the increasingly nervous Delver.
He looked at the groaning man and the Princess, “Well, uh, maybe? I’m not entirely sure who that man is your Majes-“
“Delvar,” The full sized man groaned, “Did you live?”
“What was that, about not knowing him?” Auralee asked, growing ever impatient, as the orb began to emit heat.
He looked behind him and then back to the princess, “What? Oh, him? No, no, we’re good friends.”
He shook his head as the prone man called out again. “Delver, did we win?”
His shoulder’s slumped. “No, not exactly Monty,” Delver swallowed. “Actually, we are in the exact opposite predicament of winning right now.”
The Princess began to count down quietly and menacingly at Delver.
“Oh,” The one referred to as Monty sounded disappointed, “I tried my best this time, though, I remembered to load the bolt, aim, and everything before firing.”
For someone who was just tumbled in a car and crawled his way out, Monty seemed rather resilient.
With an eyebrow arched she flicked the ball up, spinning just above her finger like a basketball, mouthing the words ‘five…four…’
Delvar began talking faster, “I’m afraid your best isn’t always enough, a lesson we all have to learn some time.”
“One,” She whispered.
She was halted as Booker made his re-entrance by grabbing her arm. “Please don’t!” Booker asked Auralee.
“Hi?” Delver greeted the young man.
“Afternoon, quite the driving you did,” Booker remarked, keeping a grip on Auralee’s arm.
“You thought so?” Delver sounded flattered, “It’s no V8 fastback, but she’ll do.” He turned to the wreck, “Well, she did.”
He turned back to talk with Auralee, “See, look at them,” he nodded to the two guys, “I doubt they can accomplish harming a fly.” Booker smiled at her.
“They did so! Did you not see the bolt?” Auralee looked upset at Booker for the sudden change of heart.
“Well, yeah, but look at them now. After a tumble like that,” He eased her arm back down to her side, and the ball started dimming down. “What’s your name again, Bud?”
“Oh!” Delver straightened himself and cleared his throat, “Delvartan Tintell, and over there is my compatriot, Mordecai.”
“Nice to meet you two, I reckon you guys were a pair of freelancers, probably an open mark with no real middle man?” Booker combed his hair and rubbed the back of his head as he questioned the scenario as Auralee looked on in disgust at his treatment of the assassins.
“Yessir!” Delver nodded enthusiastically. “Mordecai and I were just a bit strapped for money and the bounty was only for one ‘Sterlight Veils’.”
“Aaahhh,” he thought a second, “Well, I guess that’s my name.” Booker threw his head side to side in judgement. “Well I mean, it sounds like my name if perhaps you are a bit hard of hearing and it was through a phone while you’re in the middle of...I don’t know, the Atlantic maybe?”
“…And anybody with him.” Delver finished.
Booker looked over to Auralee who was less than happy about the current situation, “Hmm.”
“Recess!” Auralee decreed, dragging Booker aside, eye’s flaming.
“What are you doing Sterling!?” She questioned in a hiss.
In an attempt to not escalate the situation, Booker chose to keep a calm and slow voice while answering. “Auralee, look, they are clearly not a threat. I don’t think they could hurt a fly.”
Booker looked over and watched Mordecai groan as he attempted to get into a sitting position.
