Jewels and Feathers (Race Games 3)

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

Arizona was a state rife with different climates, from the beautiful forests to the red rocks. As they took off on the track and left the stands, it was clear to see where they drew their inspiration from when they chose the location. The arid climate of Sedona met them right away, the dust being kicked up by the cars a cloud of red broken apart by the large plateaus reaching for the skyline. It was beautiful, or it would have been, had it been anything other than a realistic illusion.

“This is real?” Vidar asked, leaning forward to look from the windshield at the scenery.

“Mostly,” Muni replied. When he looked at her in confusion, she added, “It’s real enough to touch but it is, ultimately, not actually real. We’re not in Arizona right now. It’s spells and tricks, but solid enough to harm you.”

“So if we run into the rocks, we’ll crash,” Eirik murmured. “Wild.” With that comment, the heat of the arid climate began to penetrate the car around them and Eirik immediately leaned forward and pointed to the knob on the dash. “Turn that knob, Vid. We need more air conditioning.”

The moment Vidar turned it up, Muni breathed a sigh of relief at the blast of cool air. Though it probably wasn’t wise to direct so much power to keeping the car cool, they weren’t attempting to gain much ground in the race, especially not in the beginning. They could afford the cool air. Let the other teams sweat.

The sun shining through the windows was powerful, blinding even, but it wasn’t until Vidar jerked his arm away from the window that Eirik began to tap on his tablet. The windows began to darken minutely until the sun no longer burned.

“I’ve never seen the sun shine so brightly,” Vidar commented. “It’s almost as if they brought the sun closer to the earth.”

“The tracks aren’t exactly earth anymore, though we’re on earth,” Muni explained.

“What does that mean?” Brin asked.

“The track is charmed, like I said, and built from nothing. Each section will be based on something different. Normal laws of physics and science don’t apply here.” She kept her eyes on the road in front of her, easing in rather than all out racing. Most of the cars passed them in their hurry to get ahead and though one of them was the necromancer team, Muni knew there were plenty of miles to catch up to them. “The sun could very well be closer because it’s been created to be. It’s not the same sun in our sky, if that makes any sense.”

“So like you said, it’s all illusions,” Brin nodded.

“It is, but it isn’t,” she agreed. “Whatever happens here is real. If you die, you die. If you’re hurt, you’re hurt. Each trap and trick is as real as you and me.”

“Fantastic,” Vidar grunted.

Because it was the first section of the track, the weapons panel was locked from use. It was the one rule that remained intact, as if they couldn’t bear for so many racers to die in the first section. Muni had to agree it made things more interesting if there were ten teams going through to the second section. That was the section where things would get interesting. All weapons would be online for all teams. All traps would be available to trigger.

“Arizona,” the Google on Brin’s tablet spoke. “The first section is sixteen miles long.”

“Many thanks, tiny witch,” Brin murmured, before tapping on the screen. “We’re in seventh place. The necromancer team is in third currently.”

Muni focused on the road ahead of them and though they were in seventh, she didn’t immediately see any cars close to them. Ahead, there was a cloud of dust kicked up by those already going through this part, but she couldn’t make out any of the cars.

“Temperature is holding steady despite the heat,” Eirik commented. “The body is hot as expected, but the engine is remaining cool for the time being.” He seemed to think for a second before asking, “what’s the melting point of rubber tires?”

Brin’s tablet dinged. “Here’s what I found on the internet. The melting point of modern vulcanized tires is about two hundred degrees Celsius. Though they may soften, it’s unlikely that they melt in a heat wave.”

“In the human world,” Muni commented. “Let’s hope they don’t attempt to melt tires in the first section and that Danica placed better tires on the car.”

They were silent for a few minutes, watching through the windshield. No other cars were around them right then, making the drive almost leisurely despite their higher speeds.

“The map is showing some sort of large break in the road ahead,” Brin murmured.

Muni’s brow wrinkled at his words. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, it shows the course, and then there’s a break in the road, a gap.” He was staring at the tablet when Muni glanced in the rearview mirror. “Do you think it’s a mistake?”

“There are no mistakes on the maps,” she mused, her eyes searching the road ahead of them. “How far ahead is it?”

“Two miles,” Brin replied, glancing up. They couldn’t see whatever it was right now—it was too far away—but it didn’t stop them from attempting to see with their stronger vision.

A car came up beside them suddenly, surprising Muni when it appeared. She’d been so focused on the road, she hadn’t even noticed them gaining on her, but once they did, she looked over at the black Bugatti with a scowl. The vampire team this race was made up of two men. Both of them wore matching looks of hatred directed at Muni.

“Great,” she grumbled. “We haven’t even made it five miles and they’re already trying their hand.”

“Let them try,” Vidar growled, baring his teeth at the vampires unafraid. The vamps actually blinked. Muni was willing to bet they’d never seen a human make such a feral expression, especially not at them.

“What do you have on them?” Eirik asked, looking back and forth between the window and his tablet.

“The driver has been embezzling money from the King’s charity. The passenger is his lover.”

“From Danica’s King?” Brin asked.

“Yes,” Muni answered. “Unfortunately for them, King Yophiel already knows of it. There’s no secret despite what they believe. The vamps are already as good as dead whether he survives the race or not.”

“Break is one mile away,” Brin interrupted.

And as they began to close in on it, Muni narrowed her eyes to see better. When she made out exactly what it was, her eyes widened. Fingers tightening on the steering wheel, she asked, “Is everyone wearing their seatbelt harness?”

Vidar grabbed at his seat, no doubt seeing exactly what she did. “Yes.”

“Good,” she breathed. “Everyone hang on.”

“Fuck,” Eirik grunted, tucking his tablet away. Beside him, Brin did the same, before both of them braced themselves in the back seat.

Muni dropped the car down a gear and gunned it, uncaring of the vampire team keeping pace beside them. It was useless to engage them right then. A couple of angry betraying vampires was the least of their problems.

Because up ahead, in less than half a mile, there wasn’t only a break in the track.

There was a ramp and a canyon. . .