The Blood Racer (The Blood Racer Trilogy Book 1)

by Winchester, Matthew

  “I’ll be right back,” he said, toying with a smile. With startling speed, he exploded into action, sprinting away from the docks and bolting up toward the nearest buildings. The crowd cheered wildly at the sight of him running. With him on the move, the race was underway once more.

  “The rest of you must be patient!” Gideon called out over the audience. “In just over fourteen minutes, you will be given the signal to begin…and may the best contestant win.”

  With a satisfied look on his face, he stepped down from the podium and joined his fellow Archons, muttering to each of them. For the racers, all we could do was stand around in an uncomfortable group, trying not to make eye contact or conversation. The crowd of people behind us were still cheering as insanely as ever, calling our names and jeering loudly at us. I heard my name a few times, but thankfully, I couldn’t make out anything that was being said to me. I did notice something else, though. From beyond the horde of ravenous fans, my peripheral vision caught sight of Grace Buchannon jogging over to the rest of us.

  “What kept you?” I asked her, not caring who heard me. “You missed the whole speech.”

  “I’ll wing it,” she shrugged, still breathing heavily. How far had she run?

  “So where were you?” I asked again. After seeing her speaking with Beatrice Montgomery this morning, I was suspicious of her absence, and I wanted her to know it. Pursing her lips slightly, she looked over at me.

  “I was making some repairs to my ship, okay? What’s it to you?”

  “Just curious,” I said back to her. “Kind of late to be making repairs, don’t you think?”

  Her face went through several expressions in the span of a second, going from angry to contemplative, and then back again. “It took longer than I thought it would. Now, unless you’re gonna tell me what the clue is, shut your noise hole.”

  I shook my head and ground my teeth. I wanted to say something mean, to insult her, maybe. But I didn’t. I’m not sure why, but I pitied her in that moment. Something about the way her forehead was starting to wrinkle, as if she was worried about something, as if something was troubling her, made me feel just a little bit bad for her. She may have been rude and abrasive, but she was just as nervous as the rest of us. I felt my anger soften, and I sighed.

  “There’s a bunch of shiny metal ball things hidden around the buildings up there,” I said, pointing toward the warehouse we had spent the night. “Find one of those, and it’ll have the next clue in it.”

  Darby was the first to look over at me. Even without being able to clearly see her face, I knew she was wearing a look of disbelief. I could almost hear her in my head, asking me just what I was thinking. I’m glad she didn’t ask out loud, because I didn’t really have an answer.

  From my other side, Grace swiveled her head to glance my way. She looked mildly confused, slightly leery, even…but she blinked a few times before opening her mouth. “Thanks,” she said quietly, still staring at me.

  “What were you talking to Beatrice Montgomery about this morning?” I asked her abruptly. “I saw you staring at me. Was she talking about me?”

  At the sudden rush of questions, Grace’s angry look returned, and her lips turned up into a sneer. “That’s none of your concern, Gap rat. Archon business. Someone like you wouldn’t understand.”

  I rolled my eyes and sighed. Whatever leeway I thought I had gained by giving her the clue had gone. She clearly wasn’t going to tell me anything. Giving up, I turned away from her and back to Darby.

  “Hey. Silver,” Grace called, causing me to spin around once again. Instead of looking angry still, she looked…almost remorseful, like she was about to apologize. I was surprised enough to stifle the sarcastic comment I was about to utter.

  “Just…just make sure that…the only things on your ship are things that can help you,” she said, sounding as if she were choosing her words carefully. “Anything else will kill you.”

  I stared at her for a long several seconds, waiting for her to elaborate. When she didn’t, I drew a deep breath, trying to comprehend just what she was telling me. For the life of me, however, it still didn’t really make sense.

  “Yeah,” I replied to her. “I will.”

  With nothing more to be said, the silence became awkward. I did my best to avoid looking at her, and I was glad when random bits of conversation began sprouting up around me. Finally, Darby gave me a good distraction.

  “Do you think we’ll see him again?” she asked, her eyes fixed on the alleyways in front of us.

  I gave a small, nervous cough. I didn’t have to ask to know who she meant. “He said he’d be back.”

  “He left you before, though,” Killian pointed out.

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “But he gave his word this time.”

  I saw the two of them exchange glances from the corner of my eye. They must have been pretty sure he would bail on me again. I couldn’t blame them, really. They didn’t know him like I did. If Rigel said he was going to do something, he would always do it. Though, as the minutes ticked by, I could feel a cold knot of worry forming in my gut. What if he did run? What if he just told me he’d be back so I wouldn’t come after him? I looked around me for something to take my mind off of it. I needed something else to think about, and my eyes once again fell on Audra Carina. She stood motionless on the far right of the group, closest to the podium, eyes fixed in the distance, and with her goofy cape billowing slightly in the breeze.

  “What is that thing?” I finally asked, speaking to no one in particular. “Why does she wear it? Some sort of fashion thing, or what?”

  From behind me, John Deseo gave a snicker. I hadn’t even realized he was there. “No, it’s much more ridiculous than that,” he said, glancing over at Audra. “That’s her victory cape. She had it made after she won the last race. On the back, she put the names of all the ships that she took out on her way to victory.”

  He looked back at me with a grin still on his face, expecting me to join him in mocking her. I couldn’t, though. I couldn’t seem to do much of anything except stare at Audra, my wide eyes boring into the side of her head. The Endurance was one of the names on the back of her cape. That was the name of the ship my mother had entered in the race.

  It had been Audra all along.

  She had killed my mother.

  I don’t know what look was on my face, but judging from the terrified expression on Darby’s, it must have been pretty disturbing. I couldn’t seem to close my mouth, even with all the muscles in my face and neck tensing to quell the guttural screaming that was building inside me. I had hated Audra before, especially since I’d lost track of how many times she’d tried to kill me. But standing there, frozen in place, all I could do was visualize my fists slamming into her face. I wanted to tear her in half with my bare hands. For three years, I had just let myself believe my mother’s death had been “just part of the race”. It was just something that happened. All harm, and no foul.

  But that wasn’t the case. She had been murdered, just like my father before her, and my grandparents, and everyone in my family line. It hadn’t been the race. It hadn’t been fate or chance. It was murder. I had no way of knowing who was responsible for the others, but this time, in the case of my mom, the killer was standing right in front of me. I could take my revenge right now. I could walk right up to her and wrap my hands around her neck. She was standing just a few yards from me, staring into space as if she hadn’t a care in the world. It would be so easy.

  But then I would be disqualified. I wouldn’t be able to finish the race, and I would probably end up in a prison somewhere. I don’t know why, but none of that seemed too bad. It would be worth it, just to take out the intense rage I was feeling right now. Nothing else seemed as important. Not the race, not the crowd cheering loudly, not the sound of my name being called.

  Suddenly, there was a strong hand on my shoulder, spinning me around and breaking the burning glare I was holding. As I whipped around, I was suddenly
face to face with Rigel, who was panting and sweating.

  “Ellie,” he said, loud enough for me to hear over the audience. “Ellie, listen. You have to follow me, okay? Don’t think about anything else. Just follow me when they tell you to start.”

  His face began to blur as wetness filled my eyes. “Rigel…” I muttered. “My mom…she…”

  “I know,” he said, his eyes mirroring my sorrow. Looking down at me, he gently placed a hand on the side of my cheek, warming my clammy skin with just his touch. “Don’t think. Just follow me.”

  Around us, the other racers were breaking into a run, surging into the city in a mad group scramble. They must have been given the signal. The four of us, Rigel, Darby, Killian, and myself, stayed right where we were, though. Audra was gone. I wanted to look around, to spot her bright red cape. I could follow her, then. I could trail her to a secluded spot…wait for my moment to strike…

  But I didn’t move at all. I couldn’t look away from Rigel. I stared up into his deep, hazel eyes, feeling my lip beginning to tremble. I couldn’t even begin to explain to him how I was feeling, but I also knew that I didn’t really need to.

  “Just follow me,” he said again. “Don’t think. Just MOVE!”

  Taking my hand in his, he turned around and took off at a breakneck sprint, practically dragging me along behind him. Beside us, Darby and Killian were also running, and together we left the roar of the crowd behind us.

  My mind was blank. I took Rigel’s advice, though, and kept my eyes on his heels. I didn’t even look up to see where we were going. I was trusting him. With nothing but static in my brain, it was the only thing that I knew to do. It barely even registered to me that my friends were speaking to one another.

  “We need to find one of those silver capsules!” Killian shouted.

  “Already got one!” Rigel replied.

  Darby let out a small cry of excitement. “Yes! What was in it?”

  “Here, maybe you can figure the clue,” he said. In my peripheral vision, I saw him hand her the shining metallic ball. Together, the four of us stopped running, all of us gasping for breath. With my entire body still feeling numb, I watched Darby crack open the ball and empty the contents into her hand. It was nothing more than a large piece of folded parchment, a bottle of black writing ink, and another small slip of paper with a clue on it.

  “What’s it say?” Killian asked, urgently sweeping his long, black hair out of his face.

  Darby looked down at the clue and read aloud. “It’s time to test your memory. And also test your mettle. How many years has Shiloh supplied the Dominion’s machines and metal?”

  Killian scoffed. “Boy, they really had to reach to make that one work.”

  “I remember Gideon Chambers saying something about it in his speech earlier,” Rigel said. “But I just don’t remember.”

  “There’s only two choices,” Darby added, still staring at the slip of paper. “The first choice is two hundred and thirty nine years. If we pick that one, we have to go to the Clymene Art Gallery…wherever that is.”

  “And the second option?” Killian asked.

  “Two hundred and TWENY nine years,” Darby answered. “Which says we’d go to the smelting plant.”

  “That wouldn’t be so hard to find,” Rigel suggested.

  Suddenly, my mouth opened. “It’s twenty nine,” I said blankly. For some reason, with nothing going on in my mind, my thoughts and memories were much clearer than usual. Rigel was right. Chambers had said it during his speech. There was no doubt that he had done it intentionally, to drop a hint and see who was paying attention.

  “You’re sure?” Darby asked me, her eyes wide.

  Rigel grabbed my hand once more, his fingers lacing together with mine. “I believe her,” he said. “Come on! I’ve got an ace in the hole.”

  With nothing else to go on, the four of us took off once more, dashing through the increasingly busy streets of Shiloh. I had no idea where we were going, but Rigel did. Again, I could only follow him, my gaze locked on the worn heels of his boots. When we finally stopped, it was in front of a small store, one which I didn’t recognize. In front of the store, however, was a group of plainly colored hoverbikes, arranged in neat rows. They sat in a fenced-off patio, just waiting. For what, I wasn’t sure.

  “What is this?” Darby asked, reading my mind.

  I was catching my breath, but I felt Rigel let go of my hand and open a metal gate into the patio. “They’re for rent. I was only able to get one, though. You think we could all fit on it?”

  I glanced over at the hoverbikes. There was no way all four of us were going to fit on one of them. Two people, maybe…but definitely not four.

  “How much was it to rent?” I asked, looking over at Rigel.

  His eyes flitted back and forth for a moment. “That’s…not important.”

  “Come on!” Killian said, giving Darby a nudge. “Between the two of us, I’m sure we have enough to rent one!”

  “Ask the guy where the smelting plant is!” Rigel called as they jogged into the store. Once we were alone, he turned to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  I looked up at him, but didn’t say anything. I couldn’t lie to him, but if I told him the truth, he’d just be worried. Instead, he just frowned.

  “Well…do you want to fly?” he asked. “We’ll stand a better chance if you’re on the stick.”

  I looked over at the hoverbikes, sizing them up from a distance. I had never flown anything of the sort before, but it couldn’t have been so different from an airship. “Which one?” I asked.

  He pointed just ahead of me, to a shiny, black one in the middle. I walked over to the bike, which resembled sort of a pointed teardrop, and looked it over, taking in the sight of it. It had a pair of chrome handlebars that jutted toward the seat, and small console with a few gauges on it, but it didn’t seem overly complicated.

  “Handlebars control altitude,” Rigel said. “Just like a yoke. Pedals under your feet control port and starboard thrusters, and the throttle is on the right handlebar. You twist it back for more power.”

  I nodded. It sounded simple enough. “Okay. I’ll fly.”

  Rigel smiled. “I had a feeling you might.”

  I swung my leg over and sat down on the padded seat. It felt very comfortable, despite the modest design. I put my feet on the pedals and my hands on the handlebars. I couldn’t help but feel a tiny spark of elation within me. I already enjoyed this hoverbike, and I wasn’t even in the air yet.

  After a few seconds, Darby and Killian came bounding out of the store front, their eyes wild with excitement. “Let’s go!” Darby shouted.

  Behind me, Rigel did his best to squeeze into the seat and wrap his arms around my midsection. Under my arm, he hit the ignition switch for me. “Don’t take off too fast,” he said in my ear. “I’ll fall off this thing for sure!”

  I felt the bike rumble to life beneath me, sending vibrations up through my feet and calves. I waited for Darby and Killian to board their own bike before fastening my helmet and pulling my goggles down over my eyes. With a surge of adrenaline, I pulled back on the handlebars and launched us into the air.

  “Whoa!” Rigel shouted behind me. I felt his hands tighten around my abdomen as I tried to steady us. The controls for this thing were much more sensitive than on the Cloud Kicker. Immediately, though, I felt the exhilaration of flying, and my reflexes took over. I twisted the throttle and shot us forward. Luckily, both Rigel and I were able to hang on, and we powered along above the city streets and up toward the skyscrapers that were centered downtown.

  I had never flown quite like this before. I had been outside of the Kicker, flying from the roof, but even then, I could feel its large hull beneath me. This was totally different. I was protected by nothing. No harness, no windscreen, no walls or hatches. It was me, Rigel, and the wind.

  After the shock from earlier, I could feel the hazy grey sludge melting off of my mi
nd. I was smiling as I flew, and I wasn’t going to give Audra Carina one more thought. At least not for now. I had more important things to focus on. Like the view from high amidst the skyscrapers of Shiloh.

  I had made passes over Adams and Rainier, but I had never flown through a city like this. The lights, the rooftops, the way the sunshine glittered off of the pristine high-rise windows, it was mesmerizing. I almost didn’t notice the dozens of other personal hovercraft that were flitting around the city.

  I had to dive a few feet to avoid colliding with someone leaving their apartment. I felt myself come up off my seat for a split second, and I know Rigel felt the same, but he said nothing. It occurred to me, in that moment, that I didn’t actually know where I was going.

  I let off the throttle a bit to let Darby and Killian catch up. As they drew even with us, no one exchanged words. Killian just took his hand off of the accelerator and pointed straight ahead. I couldn’t see exactly what he was gesturing to, but I assumed it would be easy to spot, like Rigel said.

  I gave a nod and punched my throttle again, feeling the bike respond powerfully beneath me. As we approached more, denser aerial traffic up ahead, Rigel clasped his hands tightly around me and leaned forward.

  “Kick the tires, Ellie,” he said in my ear.

  With a smirk on my face, I did exactly that.

  Killian opted to climb high and fly over the masses. Not me. I was feeling particularly reckless. Throwing caution to the wind, I turned on the speed and barreled right into the swarming insanity that was the Shiloh traffic. My eyes were wide open, and my adrenaline was pumping so hard that I was sure it would be coming out of my pores. Hoverbikes and small ships were everywhere, and I was slaloming through them like a maniac. The sounds of engines and angry shouts were whipping past my ears, some of them so close that I could feel the heat from the exhaust, or see the furious eyes of the drivers.