by Shawn Keys
It was Angelica’s turn to swat her lover lightly for being inappropriate. But she couldn’t resist adding, “That’s for later. Consider this practice before you get your hands on me.” She paused, and then laughed. “I sure can pick them.”
Kaylee asked, “What do you mean?”
“You should see Zahn tie people up. What does it say that my two lovers are both skilled at this sort of thing?”
Kaylee’s grin returned. “Means you have good taste. Also means Zahn and I are going to have fun cooperating when we get around to practicing on you.”
Trying unsuccessfully to banish those images from his mind, Zahn struggled to get back on the rather pressing problem at hand. “Ummm, yes, I… alright, what I really needed to say here was… I mean, the problem is that…” Concentrate ! “I believe her claims about snipers and combat support out there. Only a matter of time before they storm the cottage.” He looked to Angelica, “Could your animal friends see anything?”
Angelica nodded, “She wasn’t lying. My amulet must be one of the powerful ones she was talking about, because I was able to use it a little. I couldn’t control anything. I could only look through their eyes.”
Kaylee considered Ash’s unconscious form. “Still? I mean, she’s unconscious.”
Zahn answered, “Some relics work continuously until consciously stopped.”
“Can we find it? Shut it off?”
Zahn frowned. “Yes, but relics can be anything. I don’t see anything obvious. It could look like anything. Hell, she could have it sewed into her skin. Wouldn’t be the first time I’d seen that.”
Angelica whistled, “That would be extreme.”
But Kaylee noted, “Does she seem well-balanced to you?”
Zahn finished, “We aren’t going to wait around to ask her when she wakes up. What did your animal friends tell you?”
“I could pick out three in the woods. There’s a few paths between them. That would give us a head-start.”
Zahn grimaced. “I don’t want to rush this. We need more time to think.”
Kaylee noticed the ear-piece laying on the ground. “I can help with that.” She took up the item and slipped it into her ear. Before either of the other two could stop her, she tapped the connection live. “Status?”
Zahn gawked. Kaylee’s voice had been a near perfect replication of Ash.
There was a pause as Kaylee absorbed information from a voice only she could hear. Then, she spoke into the air, “No, no trouble. The shot I fired was to make a point. These two are stubborn. I’m giving them a few minutes to think.”
Another pause.
Then, she added, “Yes. No more than a couple minutes. We need to keep them off balance. That means keeping the pressure on. More to follow. Stay sharp.” She tapped the connection closed, then smiled at her lovers. “They were eager to get into the action. The gun shots she kept firing had them nervous. I don’t think they’ll buy another delay. They’ll be coming in soon. But we have a little space now.”
Zahn said, “That was incredible.”
Kaylee smiled back. “Welcome to the wonderful world of voice acting. I heard her speak long enough that I could fake her tone. Might not stand up to any forensics, but I knew I could fool them over a small microphone like this.”
Angelica leaned in to kiss her cheek. “So many reasons to love you.” She glanced at the front door. “But now we need a way out. At least two of them have clear view of the cars outside.”
“So Beige Thunder and Kaylee’s SUV won’t be any help.”
Kaylee smirked. “Beige Thunder?”
“Long story. Too bad. After Ash insulted him, our faithful steed would be eager to help.”
Bemused, Kaylee offered a different option, “If we can get to the local airport by Eagleton, I have a private plane we can fly out of here. Only issue is summoning my pilot. I sent him to a hotel and told him not to expect me for a couple days. Even if he isn’t drunk or out of cell-phone range, what are the odds these mouth-breathers have tapped our land-line to listen in?”
Zahn growled, “Not sure, but it isn’t worth the risk. I can fly the plane. Got my license a few years back. You have no idea how useful it is to fly a bog-hopper in and out of some remote, tight places.”
Angelica painted an overly innocent look on her face. “You have a talent for getting into tight places.”
Zahn grinned back. “I’ll forgive that pun if you tell me you have water transportation down on the lake full of gas and ready to go.”
She leaned in to sizzle a kiss against his mouth. “You’ll always forgive me. Though feel free to spank me again if I’m being too naughty.” She giggled at his expression. “Alright alright, now’s not the time to be awful. I know. To answer your question, yes, I have two boats down there. One’s built for diving, the other for speed. Both are ready to go.”
“And the sight lines?”
Angelica considered what she’d learned from her animals. “Guess I don’t know for sure. Never thought about things like a sniper. But I think we can get down the stairs to the wharf without them seeing. But once we fire up the speed boat’s engine, they’ll know. It isn’t subtle.”
Zahn was happy enough with that. “By the time they hear it, we’ll be gone. They’ll waste time figuring out what happened. Hopefully, they’ll waste even more freeing Ash before coming after us.”
Kaylee inserted, “What if we call the police? Once they hear sirens, they will have to pull her out before the police show up.”
Zahn quirked an eyebrow at her in mild challenge. “Would they? These are mercenaries. They aren’t known for their loyalty. Not to mention the trouble that will cause for Angie. Bullet holes in your door. A tied-up woman in your cottage. I won’t stop you from calling, but involving normal-world authorities in relics and magic never turns out well. Let’s get away clean, get in the air, and we can talk about our next move.”
Both of them agreed, deciding this was a problem they had to solve themselves. They gathered their belongings within a few minutes. Each packed light, but with enough to survive for a couple days if things went wrong.
Zahn took Ash’s pistol. “Either of you good with one of these?”
Angelica admitted, “I learned from my father, but it’s been a while. Since then, I’ve only fired movie props and paint ball versions.”
Kaylee said, “Learned for a movie role, but never shot one for real.”
Zahn wasn’t surprised. It was about what he expected. It was one more skill he could teach them over time. He was fortunate that the two had that much experience. It wouldn’t take long to get them to a level of competence. Neither looked scared at the idea of holding one. That was usually the biggest hurdle. He checked the pistol’s chamber to make sure it wasn’t jammed, then settled it into his grip. “Once we’re clear of the house, we won’t need this. I have no idea about the range on Ash’s little toy suppressor. Don’t count on any magical support until we’re into the boat. Ready?”
Both women returned nods.
They slid open the glass door to the patio and set off at a run. They took the switch-back steps down the cliff-face two at a time. They were bolting across the wooden slats of the wharf when they heard a yell from above. Zahn couldn’t make out the words, but it was obviously an alert from one of the snipers.
The trio jumped into the speed boat and Angelica keyed the engine to life. The engine was a roar; like she had said, unmistakable and loud. The growl of it echoed over the lake and off the nearby hills and mountains.
Kaylee shouted, “Punch it, love!”
Zahn saw a couple men appear at the top of the cliff. Both were carrying high-powered rifles. Zahn took aim and emptied the rest of Ash’s pistol in their direction. He knew at this range, hitting anything would be a miracle, and the bullets would probably bounce off a tee-shirt for all the momentum they would have lost. But they would see the muzzle flashes and hear the bangs ! There weren’t many people in the world who wouldn’t dive
for cover when they were being shot at.
The mercenaries were professionals. They came close to being that stoic. They certainly didn’t panic. Both sought shelter behind the stone railing. Plunking down their rifles onto the railing for support, they took aim. Angelica hit the throttle in the same moment. Muzzle flashes flared at them followed by the bark of the guns and the crack of bullets breaking the sound barrier. Twin bursts of bullets scattered around them. Water splashed, and three pierced the fiberglass hull of the boat. If Angelica hadn’t kicked them into gear at that moment, the hail of bullets probably would have rained down right on top of them.
Zahn shouted over the engine, “Zig left!”
Angelica spun the wheel hard and the boat carved into a sharp turn.
At the same time, Zahn summoned the power in his gauntlet-relic. To his relief, the magic answered. The runes on the dragon-skin flared to life, and he smeared a shimmering screen of azure light into the air. An instant later, several more bullets deflected off the energy screen and passed harmlessly to the side.
Kaylee screamed this time, “Zag right…now!” Her eyes were on the snipers as well, watching as they adjusted their aim and took a bead on them.
Once more, Zahn timed his magical shield to cover them and deflect the shots wide as Angelica pitched them into another swerve. By then, they were starting to get enough distance that the shots were becoming nothing but wild guesswork.
The mercenaries had realized the same. They broke their cover on the patio and raced off into the cottage. Whether they were going to free Ash or find a car to follow along the roads, Zahn didn’t know.
He shifted to the front of the boat and gave Angelica a squeezing hug. “Sharp driving, Angie.” He looked to Kaylee. “How close does the lake come to the airport?”
She pointed ahead. “The lake dumps into a river about a mile that way. That snakes almost right beside it, from what I remember.”
Angelica was calculating while she kept them skipping over the wavetops. “We’re on a clock. Our path is straighter, but cars go a lot faster than even speed boats. But they have to figure out where we’re going first.”
Kaylee laughed. “At least we couldn’t have left any clues. We didn’t know where we were headed until the last second.”
Zahn was worried. “You didn’t have any documents like a flight plan for your private jet? We had to leave a lot of your luggage behind.”
Kaylee shook her head. “Anything like that was still on the plane. The pilot’s contact information is in my phone, and I have that.”
“Shut down?”
She smiled. “Hey, I’ve been in enough movies to know the schtick about bad guys following your phone. I’d say I’m more paranoid than I need to be.”
Zahn slipped a hand around her waist and hugged her against him. He shared a kiss with her and said, “Better than being careless.” He exhaled deeply. “You two are amazing. I think we got away clean.”
As her own adrenalin faded, Kaylee realized what she’d seen him do. “You were conjuring barriers made of light!”
Angelica laughed. “Wait till he tells you what the relic is made out of!”
Zahn held up the ancient leather covering his left hand. The runes were already losing their mystical light. “You are both getting a crash course in the chaos of the magical world. I’m dragging you down a dangerous road.” He thought about it a moment. “I said I would introduce you to magic and warn you about the dangers, but I didn’t expect that to include being actively hunted for reasons beyond my knowledge. ”
Angelica called out, “From the way Ash was talking, I thought she was after the Fountain.”
Zahn grimaced. “I thought so too, at first. I’m not convinced either way. Something is off. If they knew I had the Fountain and they wanted it, they would have killed us for it. Or stolen it while we were…you know, otherwise occupied. But they were trying to scare us off. At least, that’s what she said. Whoever hired Ash and her crew isn’t afraid of killing us, but they’re trying to avoid that option if possible. I’m not used to being hunted by an enemy with a conscience.”
Kaylee asked, “So what does that mean?”
Zahn went quiet. Then, shook his head. “I don’t know. Not yet. But I need to figure this out, or we’re never going to get a minute’s peace.”
Chapter 9
They abandoned yet another vehicle at the nearest dock. It’s becoming a habit for us to leave a string of expensive machinery in our wake , Zahn chuckled to himself. Angelica stopped by the dockmaster’s office to ask for a little forgiveness. He started a bill in her name and said he wouldn’t haul it away for a month. If she wasn’t back to pick it up by then, it would be gone.
Not long after, they were boarding the plane. It was a BG229, a small private plane with decently long legs. Zahn gave it a once-over and smiled. “Yeah, I can fly this. Give me ten minutes to run through the check-list and we’ll be off.”
Kaylee mentioned, “I won’t open the hangar doors until you are ready. I suggest not calling the tower to give them a flight plan until the last second, either.”
Angelica snickered. “We can get used to this cloak-and-dagger thing.”
Zahn was measuring the fuel tanks and confirming the electrical systems as he talked. “You two are adapting really well. I’d guess it’s because you’re already used to playing the roles. Movies get things wrong all the time, but modern ones try and get the language right. Not to mention that you both do a lot of your own stunt-work. You aren’t starting from absolute zero in all this.”
Kaylee slipped into the co-pilot seat. “Need any help? I’ve used this plane for a few years now, and I’ve learned a few things from the pilots I’ve hired. One of them even talked me through a landing once.”
Zahn chuckled. “Not starting from zero at all.”
Angelica leaned against the cockpit entrance. She said fondly, “Thanks by the way.”
“For what?”
“For not even mentioning the idea of leaving us behind.”
Sinking back into his seat, Zahn knew what she meant. “Sorry to say I was tempted.”
Kaylee said, “The boat offered a good chance to separate. You could have taken the plane and we could have taken the boat. Whatever they are after, they think you know where it is. They would have ignored us.”
Zahn sighed, and shifted an apologetic look between them. “A large part of me thinks I’m being wickedly selfish. I could clear this up and then come back. I could craft an introduction to a magic-enhanced life that doesn’t involve running for our lives.”
Angelica laid a kind hand on his shoulder. “Can you guarantee another crisis wouldn’t crop up after this one? If you waited until it was safe, we might never see you again.” She bent down and nuzzled a kiss into his neck. “We’re yours. So that wouldn’t be acceptable.”
Kaylee turned to drape her legs across Zahn’s lap. Crossing them playfully, she grinned at him. “I’m afraid leaving us behind is not an option.”
Zahn curled one hand up to stroke Angelica’s hair. His other settled on Kaylee’s knee wrapped in her yoga pants, tracing along the curves of her leg. I have to wonder who is claiming who in this relationship. He found he was perfectly alright with the whole situation.
Shaking his head to clear the haze of contentment, Zahn roused them into action. “The decision’s made. We’ll share the risk. I called it a crash course into the mystical world. We’ll find our few quiet moments now and then. I promise.”
Angelica suddenly asked, intensely curious, “We never even thought about magic. Guess I’m not used to it. We came all this way for this plane. Did we have any magical options? Like a portal or something?”
Zahn nodded. “They do exist, and that’s honestly how many relic-divers move around the world. Planes are great, but when you can be in London in an hour, why not bribe the owner of a portal-relic for a short-cut? Problem is, they don’t go everywhere. Mostly major cities – the places that people want to be.
And secondly, they tend to be watched and recorded as much as any airport. If we showed up on the doorstep of a portal owner, you’d be recognized instantly. They wouldn’t tell any of the media, but I’m sure Ash would hear of it fast.”
Angelica nodded thoughtfully. Accepting it wasn’t going to happen, she mentioned, “We should give our flight plan as heading for Chicago. That’ll cut across a lot of the country and give us enough time to think about where we’re going to go.”
Zahn agreed, though he added, “We can’t wander too far. Ash was going to export me from the continent, but she was really concerned with keeping me out of LA. That means the answers will be here. Whatever organization hired her to run us out of town will be here. Whatever relic they are after is here. And that means eventually, we’ll have to come back.”
Knowing what they needed to do, the three got to work prepping the plane, getting clearance for the runway, and soaring into the sky.
* * *
They reached a safe cruising altitude. Zahn engaged the GPS guided auto-pilot so he could take his eyes off the sky for a few seconds. A risk, but they needed to plan their next move. He propped himself in the hatchway leading back into the central cabin. Keeping one eye on the sky, radar and other equipment, he spoke to the two women lounging in the nearby seats. “Now we need a destination before we fall out of the sky. Any ideas?”
Kaylee tapped a finger pensively on her arm rest. “Obviously, any of our properties are out of the question.”
Angelica frowned. “Not to mention we can’t buy ourselves a new one. Even if they haven’t cracked into all of our finances, no-one is going to miss if we start slinging thousands of dollars around to buy a new hideaway.”
Zahn hummed in thought. “We could go on the cheap. Motels. Campsites. I have a few thousand in cash on me.”
Angelica considered that. “I’m not afraid of roughing it. But cheap doesn’t equal safe. Places like that still cost money, and they filled with informants. A lot of movie stars try that trick, and end up on the cover of a toilet rag with their newest mistress because the motel owner sold them out. Then there is the lack of security. No guards. No ID checks. They could kick down our door without a warning. Then there is the public access. If one person recognizes us and takes a picture with their phone, suddenly the whole internet will know where to find us.”