In the span of ten minutes, he’d created my account and showed me the basics of Gmail. He even set up a widget so I could see how many messages I had on my home screen.
I was learning a lot, but then a gorgeous blonde walked up to the table. She stood behind Lee, put both of her hands on his shoulders, and mouthed to me, Mine.
If that wasn’t clear enough, she faked sniffing. “What’s that nasty smell?”
Lee frowned and glanced at Ian, who hadn’t been paying attention to us. Instead, he was playing with Samuel.
Lee turned to his girlfriend and whispered, “Watch it. The boss doesn’t like sniping.”
The blonde leaned over, kissed his outstretched lips, and sauntered away.
Yeah, there was definitely a faction within the clan who didn’t want any part of me.
Lee continued to explain the phone to me, but my heart wasn’t in it anymore. I said, “Let me play with it a bit, then maybe I’ll ask more questions.”
“Sure,” he said. “Listen, sorry about the nastiness. She’s a wonderful person, but one of her distant cousins was enslaved years ago. The cousin hasn’t been heard from since.”
“Are most clan members going to be willing to work with me?”
Lee patted my hand. “You’re here to fight, and believe me, anybody here who’s facing a sorcerer, like Wanda, will be thrilled to see you show up.”
“Plus, you’re going to have to learn white magic,” Frank said. “We don’t know anything about that Dunarsh shit you use. You’ll learn Holar magic.”
I hadn’t asked for his opinion. “You’re horning in on a private conversation, so butt out.”
From across the table, Ian cleared his throat. “We’ll speak to each other respectfully.”
Was I being snippy? “Sir, yes, sir.”
I’d had enough family fun for a while, so I picked up my tray to take it to the drop-off station. Then I checked my schedule on my phone. I had to wait two hours for Philippe and my driving lesson. In the meantime, I could get back to the serious business of finding Dana and the others.
-o-o-o-
GRACIE HAD BEEN kind enough to transfer the computer she’d given me earlier to my suite. I tried to perform a series of searches on Eichmann, but didn’t learn anything new. He wasn’t even listed as an owner of record for any property in Riverside.
Right on time, I met the Frenchmen at a side door to the main building that led to the clan’s carpool lot. His smile was as warm as ever, and I decided on the spot to take advantage. He held out his hand to shake, but I hugged him and kissed him on the cheek instead. After all, we were good friends—at least I hoped so.
His body felt damned good, sending a sizzle down my spine. He hugged me back, which gave me an excuse to hang on for a moment.
Finally, I had to let him go. I knew nothing about romantic attachments, but I already got the sense I was screwing this one up.
He smiled broadly. “Moira, so good to see you again. I’ve worried about you fighting dragons on your own. I’m glad you’re home again. To stay, yes?”
I didn’t know for how long, but who was I to blow against the wind? “Sure, and it’s so sweet that you thought of me. I’ve missed you, too.”
Is that too personal?
He didn’t seem to mind, but he switched the subject. “Let’s take a look at your sports car. Magnifique.”
He took me over to where a dozen luxury models were parked, and I checked a tag on the key Gracie had given me for the license number. My car turned out to be a dark-gray convertible Porsche 911. Brand new—the odometer had 7.3 miles on it.
“Seriously? I’m supposed to drive this?”
“With practice,” Philippe said, “you’ll be fine. We’ll simply take it slowly at first, yes?”
In fact, we took it so slow that we didn’t move for twenty minutes. Instead, my instructor explained the various gadgets and controls, most of which seemed like overkill. I learned to adjust the mirrors and the seat, then I left everything else set to automatic, including the transmission.
When I started the car, the engine rumbled with a deep, throaty roar. After I gingerly backed out of the spot, I put it in drive and barely touched the gas. It shot forward.
“By the gods! It’s too powerful, too hard to control.”
Philippe pointed at an empty portion of the parking lot. “Drive over there. With a little practice, you’ll get used to how responsive it is.”
Even though I looked like an idiot to anyone who happened to be watching, I practiced stopping and starting. Both the gas pedal and the brakes were incredibly sensitive. I couldn’t understand how anyone thought driving this quirky machine was fun.
Nevertheless, I eventually became more accustomed to it, and we headed out onto the public streets. To reduce the chance of feeling humiliated, I put the top up. The windows were heavily tinted, so whenever I did do something stupid, the other drivers would have a hard time seeing my face. That gave some comfort.
After an hour of driving around the city, Philippe told me to get on the freeway. I drove north toward Castroville. By the time we arrived there, I finally started to relax in my contoured leather seat. The freeway ended, and we turned and headed south again.
As we approached Carmel-By-The-Sea, a black Mercedes sedan shot past us in the left lane. I glanced over and recognized Celine, a harem slave I’d lived with several years before. She had been old for such a job, even then, but thanks to her incredible charm, she’d stayed in the harem. Celine sat in the front passenger seat of the sedan, and her face was as white as a ghost’s.
“Wow,” I said, “I know that woman. She looks terrified.”
I sped up to keep from losing them.
“Moira, what are you thinking?” Philippe asked with worry in his voice.
“Did you see Celine? If she’s still with the same master we both had several years ago, I can take him easily and save her. If she’s been sold since, I might still be able to beat her current owner.”
Philippe sighed. “Ian probably doesn’t want you freelancing.”
Too damn bad. “He hasn’t told me I can’t, and she’s obviously in big trouble.”
Instead of going along with what I wanted, Philippe pulled out his phone. I gritted my teeth but didn’t say anything.
Philippe got a hold of Ian and he explained the situation using the speakerphone on his cell phone.
“Moira,” Ian said, “you have dangerously good intentions.”
“Guilty as charged, sir, but if you’d just seen Celine’s face, you wouldn’t hesitate to help her either.”
“I’m not a big fan of impromptu fights,” he said. “You can follow them for fifteen miles, but I don’t want you to drive any farther away, in case we need to send a rescue party. And don’t start any battle you can’t win.”
Joy filled me at his qualified approval. “Of course, my prince.”
After Philippe hung up the phone, he said in a quiet voice, “You’re both crazy. Do you know that? You’re both adrenaline junkies.”
He was no doubt right, but Celine’s face haunted me. “We have to try, don’t we?”
He paused before saying, “Yes, of course.”
His reluctance told me lots, and it wasn’t good news. Was he scared or just cold to the suffering of others? But I pushed those thoughts aside for the moment.
The freeway ended, and the Mercedes kept driving south. I was beginning to worry about them driving too far. Then, I’d have to try to ignore Ian’s limit on distance. As his disciple, I probably couldn’t ignore his direct command, but I might have to try anyway.
Luckily, the sedan pulled into the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. I’d heard about it but never visited. It was a park that was supposed to include dramatic views of rocky cliffs and the surrounding coastline.
The car ahead paid the entrance fee, and so did I. Then I hung back, not wanting to raise any suspicion.
Acco
rding to the map the ranger gave me, there were only two main roads, and they both dead-ended inside the park. The sorcerer would have a hard time losing me.
He didn’t even try. After driving for a few minutes, he parked. A man I didn’t recognize—definitely not the prior owner I’d hoped would be driving—got out of the car. He was short but stout, built like a football player.
A wave of nervousness rolled through my stomach. He might be too hard for me to beat physically, and I had no idea how strong his magic was. As much as I wanted to help my old friend, I wasn’t stupid enough to pick a fight I couldn’t win.
Celine exited the car, and she walked stiffly toward him. Her face remained pale, and her eyes were wide open as she glanced every which way. Something had scared the hell out of her.
She followed the sorcerer as he headed up a trail that climbed a hill. He carried a long staff that he pretended was a walking stick.
I was stuck. The only way I could find out whether I was strong enough to save her would be to follow them. Philippe looked at me with a questioning gaze, but I took his hand. We strolled after the pair ahead.
After we’d left the parking lot, I realized she might turn and spot me. If so, she’d probably feel compelled to rat me out. I was wearing a baseball cap, but it didn’t hide my face.
“Got a handkerchief?” I asked Philippe.
He handed me a yellow silk one, and I held it up to my face as though I was about to sneeze. As long as one of them didn’t turn and stare at me for long, they wouldn’t realize I was disguising myself.
Before we went any farther with this ridiculous stunt, I handed Philippe the car key. “If I lose the fight, run like hell. Don’t try to save me.”
He groaned and stared upward for a moment. “You know you can’t solve all the world’s problems alone, right? And you’re risking slavery again.”
“She was always good to me. I can’t let her go without at least trying to help her.”
Chapter 17
IT WAS A Friday, so the park wasn’t busy. That was a plus. Magic would hide any fight, but not anything that happened before or the aftermath. If possible, I needed to make my move when no one else was hanging around.
At the top of a hill, the sorcerer and Celine stopped. Ropes prevented visitors from getting too close to a hillside nearby that dropped steeply to the sea a hundred feet below. The sorcerer stepped over the barrier.
Celine looked around one last time and followed him.
It’s now or never. I jumped the rope and ran forward.
He didn’t notice me until I was twenty feet away.
Although I wanted to take him on, I couldn’t commit to any fight until I knew how powerful he was. That meant I had to touch him. “Hey, what are you doing over here?”
He spun and stared at me, as though in disbelief that someone would dare challenge him.
While he remained surprised, I hurried forward and grabbed him by the arm, just long enough to sense his aura.
He wasn’t as magical as me.
“I challenge you for magical power!” I froze.
The sorcerer pushed Celine to the ground. “Stay out of this!”
I wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or me.
Celine stared at me for a moment, then said, “Moira?”
Yep, there I stood, the Lone Ranger, hell-bent on saving a damsel in distress. And I had no weapons. My only chance to win this fight would be to keep him at a distance and hurl spells.
While I was still frozen, I focused on creating my ward. I’d had lots of practice at throwing them up quickly, and that experience helped me against this dirt bag.
A buzzing started in my ears when the battle was joined. The sorcerer charged me immediately, holding the staff over his shoulder like a baseball bat. When he got near me, he swung hard.
Not a smart move. My protection had firmed up, thanks to my few seconds of calm focus, and when his weapon hit it, the wood shattered.
That evened things up a bit, but he was still a helluva big guy.
He swore and raged because he couldn’t get at me.
I let him wear himself out. I wanted to say, didn’t your mommy ever tell you not to hurt girls? The problem was, that would only make him madder and strengthen his attack spells. So, I ignored him.
“You cunt!” he screamed. “When I get my hands on you, I’ll break every fucking bone in your body.”
That pissed me off, giving me some power to fight with. I conjured a lightning spell and pointed at him. The red bolt blasted forth, staggering me backward. It crackled around him, but it didn’t get through his barrier. He seemed to be a better magician than I’d realized after one quick touch.
I wanted to strike again, but that lightning bolt had tapped me out. The problem was, I didn’t know anything about the prick. I had nothing to be angry about except for how he’d terrified Celine. The bastard was probably up to no good, but I really didn’t know any details.
Not being angry, I focused on my ward and hoped it would last until I could come up with a better strategy.
He screamed at me, “Stun, Dunarsh.”
The magical pulse slammed into me. Yeah, he was really pissed at me ruining his nasty plan.
Cracks formed in my ward. My skin stung. That’s what I got for skipping even a moment of meditation before a fight. I wasn’t mentally prepared.
Too late for second thoughts. I was tempted to try a few kicks, but the guy was a shorter version of the Hulk. I had to stick with conjuring.
He hurled another stunning spell at me, and this one got through. I was frozen in place.
That’s when I realized my danger. I was standing twenty feet from the edge of a steep drop-off. I couldn’t move away either.
In a momentary silence, I heard the waves crashing below.
The sorcerer slammed into me with one shoulder, knocking me down, closer to the edge.
My hat flew off in a gust of wind. I still couldn’t move.
He tried to drag me, but I’m a big woman, and each time he touched me, it helped me to unfreeze.
As soon as I could, I twisted my body around and kicked him. Then I scrambled to my feet.
Instead of backing off, he lunged at me, punching for my face. I deflected the worst of his blows, but a few got through, stunning me.
On wobbly legs, I backed away from him and the slope. Then I cast a stunning spell of my own, a good one, but he shifted right, just in time to make me miss.
Fuck! I was out of power again and wasn’t calm enough to form my ward. He was too strong to fight for long.
What other chance do I have? I tried to run, but my legs were too weak.
He chased me across the rocky ground, making me trip.
He stood over me, a shit-eating grin on his face.
In a last-ditch effort to protect myself, I rolled into a ball with my feet facing him, lying on my back.
He circled me, laughing. “Got you now, you slut.”
He kicked me in the side right above my hip.
Damn, that hurt, but I stifled a groan.
He started to kick again, like he wanted to torture me before ending the fight.
As his foot came forward this time, I suddenly twisted to one side. His kick just missed me.
I slammed my feet into his crotch.
Something squished, and he bent over, howling in pain.
I jumped to my feet while he was still thinking about his precious nuts. Then I drove one knee forward and upward, straining with every muscle to maximize the impact.
The end of my knee hit him hard in the face. I ground it into his nose.
His eyes rolled back in his head as blood gushed forth. Thankfully, most of it missed my white pants. They were relatively clean, and blood stains are a bitch to get out of cotton.
The bastard splayed out on the rocky ground, out like a candle in the wind.
I bent over, relieved and gasping for breath.
<
br /> As soon as I could speak again, I said, “I claim the spoils of victory.”
Intense heat flowed through me. My blood felt fifty degrees hotter. This win was even better than the one at Gill’s house, maybe because I’d needed this win to save Celine.
The flush of magic strengthened me, and I no longer had to breathe hard.
Philippe ran up to me and threw his arms around me. “Thank the gods! You did it.”
With his body pressed tightly against mine, I felt even better. That special stirring started below, but it would have to wait.
“You seem surprised,” I said. “I almost always win.”
That caught him up short. After a moment, he said, “Of course, I never doubted you. But the guy reminded me of a gorilla. Plus, you had a few scary moments, mon petit chou.”
I held onto Philippe and enjoyed the glow. Before I could think of what else to say, Celine came rushing up.
“Moira, may all the gods bless you. He was going to make me jump off this hill because no one would buy me. I’m too old for the harem and too weak to be a house slave.”
“You’re free now,” I said. “I release you.”
She threw her arms around both me and Philippe, and we danced in a small circle.
Another plus, I’d made myself stronger for my eventual battle with Don Eichmann. Dana just came a step closer to freedom.
“Is everything okay?” someone on the path yelled.
We must’ve been a scary sight. My face was bruised, and the sorcerer remained covered with blood as he lay flat on his back. Luckily, he was starting to regain consciousness.
I whispered to him, “Sit up and act like you’ve had a sudden nosebleed. Tell him everybody here is fine.”
He nodded. I glanced back at the path where a middle-aged guy was holding up his phone like he was recording us.
“We’re okay,” I said to the photographer in a loud voice.
The sorcerer staggered to his feet, and I put an arm around him to help him return to the path.
The jerk pretending to be a cop looked at me with a furrowed brow. “Are you sure? It looks like you were in a fight. Did he try to beat you up?”
I did my best to chuckle. “He’s built like a linebacker. Think about it. If he’d wanted to beat me up, I’d be the one who was all bloody, right? Fred just gets these nosebleeds.”
Freedom (The Sorcerers' Scourge Book 4) Page 16
