He still had no idea how the jeep had survived. They’d fought dragon lords, wyverns, canbans, and even people who later became allies. Yet the ancient jeep had barely taken a scratch that she didn’t already have.
Jagger quickly looked behind him to see if anyone was nearby. He could see a few flashlights from patrols in the distance. They were likely looking for looters or inebriated people that had partied too much, not for him. Nothing to worry about there.
He then caught sight of the massive aura above the celebration, resulting from the bright lights. Even the dragons that had been standing guard were hesitantly taking part. Lights of several colors shot into the sky as the sun began to disappear.
He began to question his decisions. Was he doing the right thing by leaving? Should he wait and actually say goodbye to Raiya before setting out? He weighed the odds carefully. No… doing that would only make things harder. It’s better if I just get on with things and let her do the same. She’ll be mad, I’m sure… but in the end, it’ll be easier.
“Hey stranger…”
What the…? Jagger froze in place after his personal debate was interrupted. He turned to see a dark figure sitting in the passenger’s seat of the jeep. The figure remained motionless, even as it spoke, “Trying to slip out unnoticed?”
Jagger’s eyes widened, “Raiya! What are you doing here?”
Raiya leaned over the jeeps center console as Jagger pulled himself into the driver’s seat, “We’re partners, remember?”
“Yeah, so?”
“So where are we going?”
Jagger sat for a moment with a puzzled look on his face, “Well… um…”
“What?”
“Don’t you want to stay here?”
“Why would I?” Raiya asked in shock.
“You’re a hero to these people.” Jagger replied. “You can have or do anything you want now.”
“Yeah and be hounded by people who want an autograph, scale, or piece of my hair? I’ll pass on that. I never wanted all that attention. I wanted Eutherys dead, nothing more.”
“Okay…”
“You know what I want now? I want to see the world. I want to learn about everything I missed and… maybe even cause a little trouble of my own?”
Jagger remained silent as he slowly reached for the ignition. Raiya frowned, “Are you my partner or not? I didn’t think killing Eutherys meant the end of that.”
“It didn’t…”
“Good, then where you go, I go.”
Jagger smirked, “What about everything you said about this not lasting forever? What about you being a perpetual wanderer?”
Raiya became visibly uncomfortable as he spoke. Her lips twisted as she thought about it for a moment, “Maybe I was wrong…”
“What was that?”
“I said maybe I was wrong, okay? Maybe seeing you almost get killed made me wake up to some things... Look, we can just see where this goes…”
The smirk on Jagger’s face became a full-blown smile. He turned and looked into her eyes. A look of urgency appeared behind the yellow flame, “Okay?”
Jagger nodded and started the car, “Okay.”
Raiya smiled and enthusiastically sat back in the bucket seat, “So where are we heading?”
Jagger looked out in front of him as he slowly pulled the jeep out of its parking spot, “You know… for some reason, I’ve had the strangest urge to head to Florida.”
“You want to go tropical?”
Jagger nodded, “Yeah… rumor has it the dragons didn’t spend much time out that way. Who knows, maybe things are more intact down there. Either way, there are still a plenty of places to cause trouble.”
Raiya nodded, “Southeast it is then.”
The jeep picked up speed as it pulled forward, heading for the gates, “You know… they’re going to be in a mad panic when they realize that you’ve disappeared.”
“Fuck it. They’ll live… and so will we.”
The moment they were outside Denver’s protective gate, Jagger pressed his foot down on the gas. The jeep’s engine roared as the tires kicked up dust, masking their escape.
About the Author
James Harrington was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He holds a Bachelor’s in History, but also studied religion and how it related to his chosen subject matter. It was from those studies that his first book was born.
James has written several essays and short stories, but had never gotten a full-length novel published until his big breakthrough with Magnifica, The Last Enchanter. Following its success, two more titles were added to the Magnifica series.
James currently lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
For more info on James and his books, please visit his Facebook page:
The Creative Works of James Harrington.
https://www.facebook.com/JamesHarringtonsMagnifica/
Or his Blog page for regular updates as well as writing advice:
http://jamesharringtoncreativeworks.wordpress.com/
Check out James’ other novels:
Magnifica: The Last Enchanter
Magnifica: Tears of the Fallen
Magnifica: Gravestalker
Divinity
Damnation
Soul Siphon: Book One of the Vengeance Doctrine
Drakin: The Story of Raiya Page 34
