Jewels and Feathers (Race Games 3)

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR

Though there were no more silken webs along the walls, there were still just as many things glittering in the stone. They had to be crystals of some sort, or jewels, Muni mused. If it was any other time, she would have stopped the car and checked, but she fought her instincts instead. Now wasn’t the time. If they survived this, she could take the men with her to a mine and have a day of it.

If they stayed, that was.

They would still have the option to return to Valhalla, and if even one of them decided they wanted to return, the spell would take them all. There was no split. It was either they all stayed, or they all returned to whence they came. That thought had Muni frowning as she continued through the caverns ahead of them, her eyes trained on the walls in case there were more threats. There should have been more traps. Because they were so far behind, perhaps they had all been triggered.

The horn sounded around them again.

Google announced a second later, “The dragon team has been eliminated.”

Muni didn’t flinch, only because she’d been expecting it. Still, it didn’t sit right with Muni that they hadn’t been able to help. Three hands touched her shoulder at the sound, understanding that she hadn’t liked not being able to help them. That was all she needed, their support. It helped to ease the burden of those deaths.

A drone danced in the cavern ahead of them, recording as the goblin car came careening back passed them, heading the wrong direction.

“Where are they going?” Vidar asked.

“Probably back to cause more trouble.” Muni watched in the side mirror as their taillights disappeared before focusing ahead again. “The goblins don’t race seriously. They’re only here to cause chaos.”

“They’ve never won?” Eirik frowned.

Muni shook her head. “Not even once.”

The walls disappeared around them the next instant though the road remained. A bridge over dark depths. With care, Muni eased onto the stone bridge, her brows furrowed. It all seemed too easy. Just some spiders in the cavern? That’s all they dared to add?

Another drone joined the other one, watching them as they crossed a quarter of the bridge.

“Do you feel that?” Brin murmured.

Muni focused and felt it right after, a shaking, as if there was an earthquake above them. She didn’t hesitate. Stepping on the gas, the McLaren roared as she increased her speed on the bridge.

The three men braced themselves, not quite understanding the situation, but trusting her, nonetheless. It was a good thing they didn’t protest. The bridge began to violently rumble beneath them, just as the beginning of it began to collapse behind them.

“Oh shit!” Eirik began hitting the seat, as if that would help them go faster. Somehow, it helped. Muni’s speed climbed higher as she raced the literal collapse behind them, the back wheels threatening to lose grip as stones began coming loose.

The drones followed along, recording each moment, getting their expressions through the windshield.

But the threat wasn’t as great as Muni worried. The car hit the other side of the bridge a moment later even as the stones completely collapsed behind them. They all breathed a collective sigh of relief before coming upon a turn in the road.

“The next section is around the bend.” Brin frowned at his tablet. “It looks strange.”

Muni glanced in her rearview. “What do you mean?”

But the answer was given quickly as she rounded the curve. There were ten large crates set up ahead of them, each lit up with a different symbol for each team. The Crow one flashed like a beacon, the same as the goblins, the doors to those crates open. The dragon and the vampire symbols were dark, the doors locked. The rest were solid and closed.

“What is this?” Vidar asked.

A speaker crackled to life in the cavern around them in answer, the sound coming from it fuzzy as if from old technology. “Park your vehicle in the container marked with your team and please proceed through the next section on foot. Your vehicle will be waiting on the other side of this section.”

“On foot?” Muni blinked in confusion.

“That wasn’t mentioned as a possibility,” Eirik murmured.

“That’s because it wasn’t. It’s never been done. This is supposed to be a car race.”

“So, someone is playing with us,” Vidar commented. “Clearly.”

“What do we do?” Brin asked, staring at the crate marked with a crow.

Muni thought about it for a moment. Getting out of the car had disadvantages. Not only would they be vulnerable without many weapons, but the car would be vulnerable to anyone who needed access to it for nefarious reasons. They’d have to run a check on the other side of the section again, to make certain no one had planted another bomb, or messed with the car. They were strong. Muni was a weapon herself. If they didn’t continue, this would be the end of the race.

“Where are the necromancers?” she asked Brin.

“Ahead of us. Their crate is sealed, so they’re likely in the next section still. They are only two places ahead of us.”

She nodded. “Then we do as instructed.”

She unbuckled her harness and looked at them, waiting while they did the same.

“We stay together,” Vidar growled, grabbing his sword he’d snuck in. “No one gets separated.”

Carefully, she eased the McLaren into the crate marked with the crow. The lights flared inside, the door closed behind them, and when the lights died and relit, they found themselves standing in a swamp.

Muni sighed and released her talons. She had a feeling they were going to need them.