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“But-but the king?” Pol stammered. “What will he say?”
Diya narrowed her eyes on the dragon. “If Chalo has an issue with my decision, then he can take it up with me.”
Gunter pressed his lips tightly together to hide his smile, but there was no stopping Nikki’s giggle.
The queen glanced over her shoulder at the mage and winked. “You’ve got to keep these dragons in line.”
“Thank you, Queen Diya. We’ll work quickly and send word if we find anything,” Dimitri said.
“I’ll tell King Rodrigo and the others that you’re following a possible lead,” Gunter offered.
“Do you need me to go with you?” Nikki offered. They looked determined to go, even if there was a hint of anxiety in the tightness around their eyes and mouth. Of course, if Nikki was staying, so was Gunter.
Dimitri grinned and shook his head. “Not this time. This Jaeggi is on the move and won’t have time to set traps for us. If we find a stronghold or even a temporary encampment, we’ll send word for you.”
Nikki breathed a sigh of relief and gave Dimitri a thumbs up.
With Dimitri and Pol setting off into the woods, following the thin trail of the Jaeggi, Gunter and Warin shifted back into their dragon form. The mages quickly mounted and they were in the sky again. He was going to be exhausted when he got back to the castle. It had been years since he’d done this much flying, but there would be no breaks and no stops until Nikki and Queen Diya were safely within the walls of Burkhard Castle again.
And when they were home again, maybe he could think of a few interesting ways to torture Nikki into telling him exactly what they talked about with the other mages. Yes, that sounded like a very pleasurable way to pass an evening.
Tori was kind.
The driving lessons did not start with a manual, but with an automatic. Nikki appreciated this beyond words, as they had never been behind the wheel of a car in their life. For the sake of the car—and people’s safety—less complications at the start was for the best.
This was only semi-planned. On the night they’d rescued the kittens (which had found new homes in Burkhard, with an entire clan to spoil them), Nikki had mentioned something about wishing they could drive. Tori had promptly offered to teach them. It didn’t take much thought on Nikki’s part to accept. Dominique had joined in too, eager to learn a basic life skill.
Tori drove both Nikki and Dominique out to a random deserted parking lot with cones, away from all other obstacles. Which just proved Tori was as smart as he was kind. And then he switched seats with Nikki, letting them take the wheel first, which made him brave.
Nikki settled behind the wheel with a mix of anticipation and nerves. The idea of being able to drive, and not have to ask someone to drive them—that was huge. The independence in the ability alone made them super happy. And the ability to leave in a hurry, to get away, quieted their demons a little. On the other hand, big car. Really big car. Couldn’t Tori have picked a smaller car? Nikki was going to kill all the nice, orange cones. They were calling that right now.
“Okay, first thing. You know where brake, gas, all that is? Good, good. You want to use your right foot for both gas and brake.”
Nikki would not have done that. They would have used their left foot for brake. “Uh…why?”
“Because when you drive a manual, you’ll need your left foot for the clutch.”
“Oh.” Nikki filed that one away.
“Second, I know having this much vehicle around you makes you a little nervous. But as long as you keep your awareness on your surroundings, you’ll be fine. Just remember, if you lose control of the vehicle for whatever reason, do two things. One, emergency brake is right here.” Tori pointed to the long, narrow handle in the divider between them. “That’ll stop you pretty quick.”
Nikki gave the brake handle a pat, and then promptly prayed they would never have to use it in an emergency.
“Second thing. Turn off the engine. If the car doesn’t have gas, it doesn’t go vroom.”
Nikki gave him an admiring look. “I never would have thought of that.”
“My uncle taught me that. Came in handy once, as the cruise control jammed and over-revved the engine on me. Turning off the engine was the only thing that would stop the car.” Tori shrugged. “Lesson stuck with me. I figured I should pass it along. Now, you ready? Don’t feel like you need to go fast. Go as slow as you like, or as fast as you like. The important thing right now is to get a feel for the car.”
“Okay.” Nikki started up the engine, put it into drive, and gingerly put their foot on the gas.
