by Sarah Noffke
“Warrior Beaufont!” Bermuda called, urgency in her voice.
Liv turned just in time to see the bird diving toward the truck. That didn’t look good. With a quick and focused effort, she sent another attack at the fast-moving object. It froze in mid-air, shifting several times before it took the form of a woman with green hair and a staff, wearing a cape and billowing pants.
“Whoa!” one of the men of hanging out of the car windows exclaimed as the figure rolled onto the roof of the truck.
“I told you!” Liv called to them arrogantly, sprinting for the side of the truck. She climbed up, giving Maddie a reassuring look in the side mirror. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
The giantess nodded although she didn’t appear totally reassured.
When Liv’s hand reached the top of the truck, a firm boot crashed down on it, and it made a loud popping sound. She wailed from the excruciating pain of having her finger broken. Her head whipped up to see a woman with a vengeful grimace staring down at her.
The woman brought her boot up and back like she was about to kick Liv in the face. Even though her finger was sticking out at a weird angle, she could still use the hand. She reached out just before the foot connected with her face, grabbing the woman’s billowing pants and yanking her forward, sending her to her back on the roof of the truck.
Seizing her opportunity, Liv jumped up onto the truck, shaking her hand like that might help her finger. It didn’t. She pulled Bellator and let it lead the way, striking at the woman. She rolled to the side, evading the attack. Bellator struck into the top of the truck.
Looked like they weren’t getting their deposit back on the rental truck, Liv thought, working to pull the sword out.
“Wow!” someone yelled from the cars. “They are fighting!”
The poacher popped to her feet like Akio did in training, ricocheting off her back. Liv yanked Bellator free just in time and swung it. The woman hopped back, sucking in her stomach to avoid getting sliced.
Rory slapped the roof. “We’re moving!”
Liv nearly lost her balance as the truck started to accelerate. Oh, great. Crazy. I get to fight a deranged poacher on top of a moving vehicle.
The woman held her staff to the side, parrying the attacks Liv threw at her one after the other.
She couldn’t look away long enough to see what Bermuda was saying or indicating, but the giantess one car back was definitely trying to communicate something. She shook her head radically at her, hoping she got the point.
The poacher swiped her staff hard against Bellator while putting her foot behind Liv’s and tripping her, knocking her back. The wind flew out of her lungs as her head hung over the side of the truck. She’d definitely need a massage after this.
The only thing lucky about the position she was in right then was that Bermuda had switched lanes and pulled up beside the truck. She yelled something through the open car window. It sounded like, “Do you want a ride?”
Liv shook her head, rolling to the side as the crazed poacher used her staff like a hammer. When the woman was bent over, having missed, Liv swung Bellator over in an arc, slicing the staff in two. A jolt of magic shot from the staff, throwing the woman off the top of the truck and sending her into the windshield of the sedan behind them.
Liv grimaced at the sight. It wasn’t bloody, since the poacher was pretty tough. She was already shaking her head from the assault like it had merely dazed her. The driver ducked his head out the window, a look of shock on his face.
“Try using your windshield wipers to get her off,” Liv called. “That should help.”
“Warrior Beaufont!” Bermuda called from the car speeding beside her. They were picking up speed now.
Great, the 405 is finally moving, and I’m on top of a truck.
“What?” Liv yelled at Bermuda.
“On the other side!”
Liv’s eyes widened as the implications sank in. She darted to the far side of the truck, nearly losing her balance. To her horror, a magician was standing on the back bumper, sawing a large hole in the side of the vehicle with magic.
“Oh, hell, nah!” Liv said, sheathing Bellator and sending a fireball at the man.
He looked up just as the blast connected with his midsection, knocking him into the road. The car behind them, where the woman had landed and strangely disappeared nearly, ran over the man but swerved at the last moment, causing a ripple of collisions behind them. Liv looked out from the top of the truck, realizing that the 405 was going to be backed up for hours due to this snafu. She turned back, looking ahead, grateful the road was now clear.
A sudden scream accosted Liv’s attention. She turned, finding Bermuda waving her hands wildly from the speeding car.
“What?” Liv called.
Bermuda pointed behind the truck. Many of the vehicles had unfortunately been involved in one of the collisions that were a result of this mayhem. There were a few that were still keeping pace with traffic, though.
“The car!” Bermuda yelled clear and loud so Liv could make out her words.
Liv pointed, her hair whipping her in the face as she stood on top of the moving truck.
“That car?” she asked, pointing at the one in the lane behind Bermuda.
She shook her head.
Liv pointed to the one with the man who had been angered about her trying to harm a defenseless bird. “That one?”
Again the giantess shook her head.
Liv was about to guess again when the sedan that had been hit by the woman with green hair speed up, slamming into the back of the truck and making Liv tumble forward. She fell over the side of the truck but was able to grab onto the back even though her finger was screaming from the pain of being broken.
Bermuda slowed enough to catch sight of Liv dangling over the side, relief on her face when she saw that she hadn’t fallen to the road and been run over.
“Oh, that car,” Liv said, trying to hike her feet up over the top again.
Another assault on the truck nearly sent her flying off. The bumper of the car almost rammed into Liv’s feet, which were flailing every which way. A car shouldn’t have had such an impact on a sturdy moving truck, which meant it wasn’t a normal car.
“The car is enhanced!” Bermuda yelled, driving beside Liv, who was still hanging off the side of the truck.
“Thanks,” Liv said dryly.
“Don’t hit it with anything!” Bermuda yelled.
“Cool. I’ll just politely tell them to stop!” Liv screamed back, the wind still assaulting her face.
“The outside of the car is protected from damage,” Bermuda stated. “Look!” She pointed at the car, which seemed like it was about to make another crash attempt.
Liv sucked in a quick breath and slid down the side, holding onto the corner of the truck with all her might as the car rammed them again. This time Rory had anticipated it and sped up so it was only a minor scrape. However, Liv had a chance to see what Bermuda meant. The car’s windshield which should have been cracked and severely damaged from the poacher blasting into it, but it was completely unharmed.
“Well, hell!” Liv yelled. “What am I going to do?”
If she couldn’t send fireballs or a huge gale at the car, how was she going to stop it?
“Here!” Bermuda said and tossed something at her through the open car window.
To Liv’s surprise, she was able to catch the object. It was a tiny perfume bottle.
“Thanks, but I was just going to shower later!” Liv said, grimacing in frustration at the giantess speeding along beside her.
“Attack from the inside,” Bermuda stated, indicating the car, which looked ready to make another attempt.
Liv didn’t know what she was referring to until she noticed that the windows of the car were down. That was helpful. However, what wasn’t at all good was that the passengers were now all hanging out the sides, many of them pointing in Liv’s direction.
In unison, they all fired at th
e wheels of the truck. Liv held on for dear life, waiting for the truck to careen to the side with flat tires. However, a barrier shot up between the truck and the car. Liv turned and saw Bermuda holding up a protective hand. She was providing a shield, but as with all protective spells, it wouldn’t last long.
Liv was just about to make her move when the truck changed lanes suddenly, taking an exit as if Rory had just remembered where he lived.
Many of the vehicles he cut off honked, like they were put out that the moving truck with a hole in the side and a magician hanging off it had been rude to not use a blinker before exiting.
The car sped after them, the magicians continuing to fire and quickly burning through the shield. One more blast and it would be down, which meant Liv had to act before it was too late. These poachers seemed bent on destroying the truck if they couldn’t have its contents.
She slammed into the truck, her face taking the brunt of the impact as it came to a swift halt at a stoplight. The magicians sped after them, veering around cars to catch up. They were one car behind them. Bermuda was stuck at the back of the line of exiting cars. Liv peered around the side of the truck, trying to gauge the best time for her next trick. The light turned green.
She turned around, holding onto the side, and with a swift movement of her hand, she pushed the car just between the truck and the poachers to the side, easily putting it onto the shoulder. The driver gawked, looking at the dashboard of the car like there was a reason for the sudden strange behavior of the vehicle.
The poachers sped forward just as Rory accelerated, whipping the truck to the side as he quickly turned. Liv closed her eyes, made a silent prayer, and then leapt off the moving truck. She felt the rough assault of the car as she crashed into it.
Her eyes whipped open, and she looked through the windshield at the jerks who had been chasing them. Three magicians with sullen faces.
They yelled! One of them began to climb out the window. Liv pushed her feet under her, but they slipped out several times, making her chin hit the car as it accelerated. She finally got moving, but the magician who was hanging out the passenger side was shooting spells at her.
Holding onto the side of the car, she swung her legs around, taking her body completely sideways and kicking the guy in the face. His hand flew to his face as he sank back down. From the backseat, on the other side, the third guy started to crawl out.
They were on a straightaway, quickly gaining speed, but also getting closer to Rory’s house. They needed to get the egg to safety. Also, they needed to get rid of these guys before they got any closer. The less they knew about the safe location, the better.
Liv had a choice. She could stop the guy crawling out of the vehicle, or she could stop the car. She glanced up. Bermuda was quickly swerving around traffic, making up for lost time.
Liv yanked the perfume bottle up. Holding on with one hand, she pulled the cork out with her teeth. Then she swung over the side, her face upside down as she looked through the back window.
“Hey, boys!” she called.
The one trying to get out ducked back in. The driver turned around, batting at her. The one she had kicked in the face was nursing a broken nose.
“Just so you know,” Liv continued, “you all stink.” She tossed the bottle into the car and then threw herself back. Not hesitating, she jumped to her feet and threw herself off the back of the vehicle, leaping through the air.
Bermuda was too far away. She’d never make it.
The giantess, sensing the fatal problem, gunned it. Liv’s arms and legs circled several times in what felt like slow motion—and then she landed on the hood of Bermuda’s truck with a thud.
“Hi!” Liv squeaked, seeing Bermuda through the window.
Like a child out after curfew, Bermuda waved her in. “Would you get in here already?”
Liv laughed as she dove around the side of the windshield and in through the open window.
She slid into her seat as something inside the car in front of them exploded, green smoke filling the compartment. It rammed into the median and crashed into a sign, where it halted. As they drove past, Liv noticed three passed-out figures, their head all lolling to the side. They weren’t going anywhere for a while.
Bermuda swerved around the corner and slowed the car casually, like they had just taken a leisurely Sunday drive. “Well, I guess that was okay.”
Liv glanced at the giantess, slightly annoyed, her hand throbbing and her face bruised. “Yeah, it was totally okay.”
Bermuda sighed as she pulled the car into the driveway of Rory’s house just behind the moving truck.
“Oh, we’re already here?” Liv complained, looking around. “I was hoping we could stop at a drive-through for curly fries.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Breaker, breaker one-nine,” Liv said into the phone. “This is Bellator’s Mom, looking for Demon Slayer.”
“Liv, the caller ID says it’s you,” Stefan stated. “You looking for me?”
“Yeah, I’ve just always wanted to say that on the phone,” she said, earning a rude stare from Bermuda. “Will you come over to Rory’s? I’ve got some scum I need you to take into the House of Fourteen before the mortal authorities get to them.”
“Sure thing,” Stefan said. “I’ll portal over if you send me their exact location.”
“Already done. I want you to stick them in the dungeon and forget to file a report.”
“But they’ll rot down there,” Stefan stated.
“Yeah, exactly. They are a bunch of poachers.”
“Say no more, darling.”
Liv hung up the phone, grateful to have someone she could rely on so heavily. She didn’t even mind that he’d called her darling, although she might punch him in the shoulder for it later…lightly.
“Well, we did our part!” Liv held up a hand, offering Bermuda a high five. The giantess simply shook her head at her.
“Don’t think I forgot what you were saying earlier,” she said, watching as Rory and Maddie unloaded the truck, taking great care with the massive egg.
“About wanting curly fries?” Liv said, hope in her voice. “Yeah, I think if you go down that way, there’s a good diner.”
Bermuda shook her head, pulling her hat from the back and sticking it on her head. “No, about how I need to accept the people in my life.”
“Well, it wasn’t one of my best speeches, but I’m grateful it resonated with you,” Liv said, getting out the car and remembering that one of her fingers was broken. She immediately cradled it to her chest.
For a giantess, Bermuda was pretty fast at running around the vehicle and taking a position right in front of Liv. “I don’t think you’re right.”
“About which part?” Liv asked, the pain distracting her a great deal.
“I’m very accepting of you and others.”
“And you never tell us how to live our lives?” Liv questioned. “Or pass judgment on us for not meeting your expectations?”
Bermuda harrumphed. “When you’ve seen as many things as I have, you simply know how things should be.”
“But shouldn’t we all be allowed to live our lives the way we want?” Liv questioned, pointing as Rory smirked when Maddie tried to push his hair out of his face as he held onto the egg with both hands. “Maybe make friends with the people we like, and do that which makes our soul sing?”
Bermuda’s face flushed red. “No!”
Rory and Maddie whipped their heads around, sudden worry on their face.
Liv held up her hand. “I asked Mrs. Laurens if she’d fix my finger, but apparently medical magic isn’t something she feels comfortable with. And I’m not really feeling up for the job. I’m afraid I’ll mess it up more. Rory, do you have any whiskey?”
He nodded, turning for the back gate and lumbering forward with the egg.
Bermuda gave Liv a punishing glare. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you’re intervening between Rory and me, Warrior Beaufont
.”
Liv strode after Rory, turning around to face Bermuda as she walked backward. “And if I didn’t know any better, I would think deep down, you know I’m right to.”
“Why is that?”
“Because a woman like you, who has cataloged almost every magical species on the planet, has to know when nature needs to run its course,” Liv reasoned. “Sometimes you have to allow others to be who they are. Otherwise, they won’t flourish.”
Chapter Fourteen
Once Liv had confirmed that the dragon’s egg was secure and Bermuda wasn’t close to killing her, she decided to take her leave. The giantess probably would have let everything she’d said go, but then Liv had really overstepped her boundaries and offered up the idea that Maddie should stay with Rory for a bit. The Texan wanted to see more of the West Coast, but the best excuse Bermuda couldn’t refute was that having more giants’ magical energy around the egg would help shield it from the Dragon Elite.
Reluctantly, and with a death stare focused in Liv’s direction, Rory’s mum had agreed. Liv was pretty sure Bermuda hadn’t gotten over her attempt at intervening. She wasn’t worried, though. Bermuda Laurens was tough, but something in the sturdy woman looked close to breaking. Maybe because as Liv was leaving, she’d stopped her to say, “You weren’t horrible with the poachers.”
“Thanks,” Liv said, offering a polite smile and trying to get out the door. The sooner she got to the House, the sooner Hester DeVries could fix her finger, which was throbbing horribly.
“What I meant to say is, I’ve heard about some of the brave acts you’ve done,” Bermuda went on, pushing the door closed as Liv tried to leave. “However, seeing them today in person was quite different.”
Liv tilted her head to the side, intrigued. “Are you saying you were impressed by me?”
“Putting words in my mouth is never wise, Warrior Beaufont.”
Liv nodded. “Well, I appreciate your words of appreciation, which is how I interpret them. Excuse me if that’s wrong.”
Bermuda then glanced at the kitchen, where Maddie was teaching Rory how to make the Goldwaters’ secret recipe for barbeque sauce. The giggling was obviously interrupting Bermuda’s train of thought. “Anyway, I’ll take what you said about my son and others I judge under consideration, and in the meantime, I just want you to know that you’re a brave magician.”