As sleep started tapping on our shoulders, we stood and walked to the tent. To the east we could see a broken line of lights, moving at an incredible speed for being that close to the ground! We wouldn’t fly that fast that low, but they were following a dark ribbon that cut across the landscape. We wouldn’t have noticed it until we were miles closer if it hadn’t been for the lights. It appeared to be ten, maybe fifteen miles away. We’d know what it was first thing tomorrow. But for now, sleep beckoned.
…
The next morning, we took our time getting around. If we were going to be going toward that strip in the desert that had the lights, we wanted plenty of light to see it by. The objects that we’d seen traveling back and forth on it were going quite fast, and we wanted to make sure we were out of the way! Carol fixed a nice breakfast, as usual, and I packed up the gear. After we’d eaten, we double checked the site, scattered our ashes and left the area as close to the way we’d found it as possible. It was a practice that I’d gotten into years before and I saw no reason to be different here.
We hadn’t quite gotten to the road by noon and I decided that the air in the desert must make things seem closer than they really were. Either that or the lights we’d seen the night before were much brighter than the lights we had in Eredwynn. Perhaps it was a combination of the two, but we had food that didn’t need to be cooked and we were both fine with that.
About an hour after noon, we finally arrived at the edge of the black ribbon that could only be a road. It was blocked off from the desert by a low metal rail. I checked to make sure that there was no traffic or fast moving lights on the road, had Carol wait and crossed over the rail. The road was made of a black stone that smelled awful! I crossed back to Carol’s side of the rail and we began walking.
The first few vehicles that I identified as ‘cars’ passed in a rush. Every time one would go by, Carol and I would jump! Even though there was a rail between us, we weren’t used to anything moving that fast being that close to us.
We walked on and took our evening meal on our feet. Neither of us wanted to build a fire as close to the road as we were. As dusk approached and we were thinking about veering off into the desert to get away from the road, the whole area around us lit up with flashes of incredibly bright red and blue lights! For a moment I thought that Carol had lost control of her magic again and had discovered some odd, new spell. I turned back to look at her and saw a car with lights flashing from the top, lighting up the evening.
An amplified voice confused me since I knew there wasn’t magic, but I quickly figured it must be a machine. Carol and I both froze when the voice said, ‘Hang on there, kids. Walk back over here and climb the rail. Stand in front of the car were I can see you.’
We looked at each other for a moment and I nodded. We walked back toward the car and stood in front of it with our eyes squinting against the glare of the flashing lights.
A middle aged man came from the side of the car and joined us in front. He looked us up and down and nodded. “Hiking in to Vegas, are ya?”
I nodded and in my most friendly tone I answered, “Yes sir, we are. It’s just turned out to be more of a hike than we knew! Can you give us an idea how far out we still are?”
He chuckled. “That happens all the time. You kids will learn that you need to get a car before you go out exploring the country. It’s just over sixty miles to Vegas from here. Walking, that’s gonna take you the better part of three days. My shift’s over and I’m just heading home, so I’ll give you a ride to the city limits. I won’t be able to take you on in to town, because the city cops would give me hell for bringing in vagrants!”
I smiled happily. “A ride that will shorten a three day walk would be most appreciated. Thank you very much, sir.”
He nodded then led us to the back door of his car. He opened it and we slid in our packs, then ourselves. He closed the door then walked to the side of the car next to the road, checked for traffic and got in behind a wheel attached to the front panel. I watched as he pulled a lever down three clicks and we started moving forward.
Carol and I watched out the windows as the landscape whipped by. I could see on the panel that we were going seventy-five miles an hour! I was tempted to up our shield strength in case the machine flew apart, but the man driving barely seemed aware of the speed. He kept up a running dialogue, picking our brains about where we were from and what we were doing in the area. We hadn’t made up a cover story, so I resorted to what I knew. I ended up being a poultry worker from Arkansas who was traveling with my new wife.
We could see a sign that said ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ by the time that we stopped. We’d learned that we’d met a police officer and he seemed as friendly as the guards back home were. He pulled over to the side of the road, opened the door away from the traffic and let us out. He gave Carol a curious look. “I’ll need for you two to step behind the vehicle for me. If you could get out your ID’s for me, or a marriage license, it would just make my day. Ya see, I have a fourteen year old daughter that looks as old as you do, Miss. I’d hate to think that you’d run off with this feller and your folks were worried. If you’re of age and married, I’ll say ‘sorry’ and be on my way.”
I signaled for Carol to pretend to look in her pack and while the officer was distracted, I formed a plan. I focused on the handle that the man had pulled down, and with telekinesis I moved it to where he’d put it to move forward. When nothing happened, I gave the car a gentle mental shove. As the car started rolling, the man got excited.
“What the hell! I put that in park!” He ran around to the wheel side of the car, yanked open the door and dove inside.
I took advantage of his distraction to cast invisibility on Carol and myself. I took her hand and helped her over the rail, where we stood quietly. The man brought his car to a screeching halt, jumped out and looked around for us. He stared off the side of the road into the desert in confusion. He finally gave up, turned off the red and blue lights, and went on his way south into the city.
I led Carol away from the road a few hundred yards and dropped invisibility. She hugged me. “I was so scared that he was going to separate us! I thought that he’d think that we weren’t married and were lying about it. He didn’t believe your stories that you were from that place you told him.”
“Well, it was all I could think of and I couldn’t remember many details about my father’s life here.”
“We got away and that’s what matters. So, what’s the plan now?”
“I think we should just find a spot to camp and wait until morning to go into town. One of the first things that we’ll need to do is get some local money. We have to look for a place that will buy gold. I think that we should set aside twenty gold coins in a pouch tonight and sell them tomorrow. You could use your skill at lie detection to help us get the best deal possible.”
“At least we have part of a plan; when will we start looking for a girl or two to save? I’m not so sure I’m happy with my plan of coming here. This place is much scarier than I thought it would be. That ride we took was terrifying! I didn’t know if we were going to get out of it alive!”
I chuckled. “Don’t feel too bad, I thought about turning up the shields. But we made it out and got three days closer to finding someone for you to help. We’ll get money and then look for young ladies tomorrow night. Father said that they were called ‘Ladies of the Night’ here, so I suppose that the evening will be the best time to find them.”
We moved a couple miles from the road and I set up the tent. Carol ported in wood from our last camp site and made dinner for us. We chatted about her ideas for locating people that wanted help and what we should do for them when we found them.
I commented, “Some of the girls that we find might have been lured into the job. They might want to get out, but not have money for transportation home. We might be able to send someone back to their family after we sell some coins. That would be the best case. If they don’t have families
and need somewhere to go, we could suggest going to Eredwynn. We could get them a position at one of the castles.”
Carol gave a sly look. “Maybe they like hiking, camping and adventure and would like a Consort position.”
I laughed. “You and I having Consorts doesn’t make much sense, because I don’t have or want a castle. They’d usually help with the books and staff, and we have neither. The only thing that I can think of that they could do for us is something that you handle perfectly on your own!”
Carol pouted. “I could ask them to be personal servants, couldn’t I? That way, I wouldn’t have to be the only one cooking and doing dishes!”
I smiled. “I always help with the dishes, but if you’d like servants and found someone to travel with us, I’d agree to that. I can’t think of a thing that I’d deny you, as long as you couldn’t be hurt. I may not share your ‘servants’ beds, but I’d be willing to care for them as Consorts, after a fashion.”
Carol grinned. “That’s all I ask, and honestly, I don’t think we could find someone that would fit into our lifestyle. I just wanted to know if you’d allow something like that if I asked you for it.”
I hugged her, laughing. “You are so full of mischief sometimes. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you!”
Carol winked. “It’s early, I know, but if you’ll take me into the tent, I can give you some idea of what to do with me.”
I scooped her into my arms. “My Lady, it would be my pleasure to escort you to the tent.”
Chapter Nine
After a very energetic evening’s activities, we slept soundly. The next morning we woke at dawn, ate breakfast and began our trek into the city. The road was much busier this close to the population and we were often frightened by it. We walked into the heart of town, following the road that was marked fifteen. Downtown, we wandered until we found a section of town that sported many shops that offered to buy gold and silver. We found one that seemed to be quite popular and went inside.
When we found a man working there that didn’t have a customer, we approached. “Good afternoon, sir. I have some gold coins here that I’d like to sell. I don’t know if you’d buy them for the type of coin they are or just for the gold, but I’ll be happy with a fair price, either way.”
The man was a bit gruff and all business. “Let’s see what you have and we might work a deal.”
I pulled the pouch with the twenty gold coins from my pocket and threw it up on the counter. He looked at the pouch curiously, then opened it and dumped the coins onto the counter. He looked at the minting closely and shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, but they seem pretty heavy. I think you’ll do pretty well for yourself if you just take the gold weight price.” He turned to a machine and began pushing some buttons, then set the coins on a scale.
With his attention on the coins and the scale, I saw Carol cautiously slide her hand to the back of the machine that the man had been using. There was a tiny spark between her fingers and the metal box and she jumped! Her eyes glazed slightly and darted around in the sockets so quickly I feared for her health.
The man turned back to us. “You have ten ounces here. Gold prices are taking a dive, so the only way I can make a profit would be to give you eight thousand five hundred, cash money.”
Carol stepped between the man and me. “Sir, gold has dropped a bit of late but is just under thirteen hundred an ounce. You could easily pay ten thousand for the ten ounces and still make a substantial profit.”
The man and I were both shocked and surprised. He nodded. “You’re absolutely right, little lady. Let’s do some paperwork and I’ll get your cash.”
The man wandered off to gather the things we needed to complete the transaction and I looked questioningly at Carol. She grinned. “That machine works on the same power as lightning. It is full of information and since he’d been looking at gold prices and trends, the information was easy to find. I also learned that ‘street walkers’ can be found hanging around a place called ‘Stardust’, just down the road a bit.”
“You’ve amazed me again, beautiful lady. I guess when we get the money, we can find that ‘Stardust’ place. Then we could wander and learn about the people, buy anything we might need and come back near dusk.”
Carol smiled happily. “It’s much nicer having a plan instead of just diving in and hoping for the best. The man is returning and I’ll move out of the way and be the passive young lady I’m supposed to be.”
I chuckled. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” I turned back to the counter as the man laid a sheet of parchment down and wrote on it with an inkless pen. He pointed to a line and handed it to me to sign my name.
He nodded contentedly. “Son, if you come across any more of those coins, bring them by. You might as well bring your gold expert, too. Here’s your cash.” He counted out ten thousand dollars in one hundred dollar bills, stuck them in a parchment folder for us and thanked us for our business. I stuck the money in my pocket and we exited the shop, happy that things had gone so smoothly.
We walked down the road and found the place that Carol wanted to check out that evening, then continued downtown. We found some shops to browse and found a few items that might be nice to have. We realized quickly that the money that we had was quite a lot to be carrying in my pocket. I took ten bills and folded them up, stuck them in my pocket and gave the same to Carol. I put four thousand in each of our packs where it would be safer. I made sure that my wife had her shield on, and continued our exploration.
With so many fascinating things to see, including some very oddly dressed people, the time flew. Before we knew it, the sun was setting and we were a couple miles from where we wanted to be. We began walking back toward our hunting grounds, holding hands and chatting about what we’d seen.
We hadn’t even made it back to the building we were walking to before we spotted trouble. In fact, we were beside an open lot where a few girls were standing and dressed for the business. A man, dressed in nice clothing with very shiny shoes, was yelling at one of the young ladies there. We could hear him before we even got very close.
“I know you’ve got cash on you somewhere, you slut! I heard that you been looking into bus tickets for your little slut sister, too. It’s not gonna happen. You need me as much as I need you. I take care of you, don’t I? Now give it over; I have plans this evening.”
The girl shook her head while backing away. The man shoved her, hard, into a parked car on the side of the road. The girl went down and money flew from the top of her tunic. Carol sprang into action, charging toward the man before I could say a word. He saw her coming and gave an evil smile. He sidestepped her attack and spun her around with his forearm against her neck.
I started forward and he gave me a warning look and tightened his grip. He looked at a girl a bit younger than the first. “Pick up my money that your sister dropped. The only smack the two of you will be getting after work will be from the back of my hand. That might remind you of your place in this big world.”
The girl came forward timidly and began to comply. Carol gave me a wink, there was a tiny flash and the man dropped like a stone. The area was instant pandemonium. Girls started scattering; some came to the downed man’s side and the sisters grabbed the money, then looked at Carol for direction. Carol jerked her head for the girls to follow, and we made our way back to the well-lighted downtown.
The older girl spoke with a note of panic in her voice. “Did you Taser him? He dropped as if you did. How long will he be out? He’ll come looking for us now, you know.”
Carol smiled. “I stunned him and he should be out for at least fifteen minutes. You don’t have to worry about him coming after you; you can stay with Alec and me if you want. We can help you get home or at least out of that situation. You didn’t seem to be very happy back there.”
The older girl spoke again, “I’m Amanda and this is my little sis, Barbara. We aren’t happy working for that prick, but we hav
e to go back. If we don’t, we’ll get sick, and I don’t ever want to go through that again. He took our stuff away once for talking back and I thought I’d learned my lesson. I guess not, though.”
Carol hugged her gently then turned to me. “Alec, this young lady has some type of poison in her.”
Amanda nodded. “It is a type of poison, I suppose. But once you start taking it, you want more. If you quit, you get sick. It’s called heroin. I can’t believe you’ve never heard of it.”
Carol smiled. “We’re not from around here and there are a lot of things we haven’t heard of. My husband and I know some healing techniques that might help rid you of that poison and make it so you didn’t have to have it. Would that be something that you’d be interested in?”
Amanda gave a scoffing laugh. “Do we have to screw one or both of you before you show us your ‘techniques’?”
Carol looked confused. “You don’t have to ‘screw’ anyone, I don’t think. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but we’d help you just to be kind. If you don’t want our help, you can rejoin that man and we’ll go on our way. Maybe we’ll find someone who wants our help elsewhere.”
Amanda looked at Carol, studying her with a confused look. “You seem like you actually mean it! If you’d at least help my sister, I’d do anything you asked.”
Carol nodded at me and I waved Barbara over. “Come here, hun, let’s see if we can’t get that stuff out of you so you’ll feel better. Just take my hands and relax.”
Barbara cautiously reached out and took my hands. I scanned her and saw the poison that Carol’s scan had uncovered. It was a fairly simple poison and my magic scrubbed it from her system quickly. The poor girl started having cramps and sweating, so I had to scan again to look for the cause. I located a portion of her brain that had become accustomed to the stuff and corrected the balance back to normal. I released her hands as I finished up.
She straightened slowly and looked into my eyes. Color had returned to her cheeks and her eyes sparkled; she threw her arms around me and kissed me full on the lips.
Alec the Wanderer: Generations of Eredwynn #4 Page 9