what the males were doing.
“I’m telling you, you must have taken a wrong turn. This is supposed to be solid tarred road.” Tate pointed out their approximate position on the map, then gestured to the road in front of the cars. It was dirt road, and beat up, with potholes and ditches, and big boulders in the middle of it.
“This road leads nowhere, so we turn around, and this time I’ll take the lead.” Tate insisted.
Archer opened his mouth to protest.
“Damn it, Arch, just let Tate lead the way. He won’t stop nagging until you do, and I don’t feel like dealing with old-woman-wet-pants the whole trip.” Heath then leaned out of the passenger side window of the Impala.
Tate raised his middle finger at Heath.
Archer snapped his mouth closed and swallowed his argument. He turned and walked to the driver’s side of the SUV, then looked over his shoulder as he got into the car. “You better not get us lost, Tate.”
* * * *
Tate had been leading the way for a half an hour when he made the turn off, but within a foot of turning, he pulled the Impala over to the side of the road and got out. He leaned on the trunk with his arms crossed over his chest, and waited for Archer to get out of the SUV.
Archer slammed the driver side door shut behind him. “I told you not to take a wrong turn.”
Scarlet got out of the passenger side of the car, and moved around to the front. She had made an observation and she wanted to tell them before the males could really start yelling.
“Forgive me if I’m wrong here, but this kind of thing has been happening to me way too much for me to call it coincidence.”
“What is it, Scarlet,? We don’t have time for speculation now.”
Tate scowled at her, causing Archer to growl low. “Watch your tone.”
She ignored them both and sighed. “Did it occur to anyone that someone wants us on this road? I’m pretty sure it’s exactly the same as the last time we made a turn off.” Scarlet pointed at a lightning damaged oak tree on the left hand side of the road, then at a large boulder sitting a fraction from the middle of the dirt road.
Sophia rolled down the window on the SUV. “Scarlet is right. It’s the same road.”
Archer let off a string of curses. “What now!”
Heath had gotten out of the car and walked over. “We could turn around and try to keep going the way we’d planned to.”
“That’s so pointless, it’s laughable.” Sophia then opened the car door. “Whatever is making this road appear will continue to make the road appear until we take it. This is heavy magic.”
“And how could you possibly know it’s heavy magic,” Heath asked with a raised eyebrow. “Magic isn’t your thing, remember?”
Erik joined the impromptu roadside conference. “She might be guessing, but I know for sure, this is magic and it’s the strongest I’ve felt in a long time.”
“So what do we do?” Zane asked.
All eyes turned to Archer.
He was quiet a moment, staring into the distance where the road led.
“We gear up and follow the road. Be ready for anything, and don’t let your guard down.”
He focused on Tate. “You take point in the Impala. I want a buffer between whatever is ahead, and Scarlet.”
“You don’t have to protect me all of the time. This could have nothing to do with me,” Scarlet protested.
Archer opened the car door, and got back in. “I know this has to do with you. I’m so sure, I’m about to bet our lives on it.”
Scarlet said nothing. There was no point in arguing with him when he got that stubborn look in his eyes, so she shut up and got back in the car.
The air in the SUV was thick with tension as they drove further up the road. Soon the Impala was struggling to get through the overgrown and pot-holed parts of the road. The SUV fared better because of its four-wheel drive, but if the road became much worse, they would have to abandon the Impala and all squeeze into the SUV.
As sudden as the dirt road
“I’m telling you, you must have taken a wrong turn. This is supposed to be solid tarred road.” Tate pointed out their approximate position on the map, then gestured to the road in front of the cars. It was dirt road, and beat up, with potholes and ditches, and big boulders in the middle of it.
“This road leads nowhere, so we turn around, and this time I’ll take the lead.” Tate insisted.
Archer opened his mouth to protest.
“Damn it, Arch, just let Tate lead the way. He won’t stop nagging until you do, and I don’t feel like dealing with old-woman-wet-pants the whole trip.” Heath then leaned out of the passenger side window of the Impala.
Tate raised his middle finger at Heath.
Archer snapped his mouth closed and swallowed his argument. He turned and walked to the driver’s side of the SUV, then looked over his shoulder as he got into the car. “You better not get us lost, Tate.”
* * * *
Tate had been leading the way for a half an hour when he made the turn off, but within a foot of turning, he pulled the Impala over to the side of the road and got out. He leaned on the trunk with his arms crossed over his chest, and waited for Archer to get out of the SUV.
Archer slammed the driver side door shut behind him. “I told you not to take a wrong turn.”
Scarlet got out of the passenger side of the car, and moved around to the front. She had made an observation and she wanted to tell them before the males could really start yelling.
“Forgive me if I’m wrong here, but this kind of thing has been happening to me way too much for me to call it coincidence.”
“What is it, Scarlet,? We don’t have time for speculation now.”
Tate scowled at her, causing Archer to growl low. “Watch your tone.”
She ignored them both and sighed. “Did it occur to anyone that someone wants us on this road? I’m pretty sure it’s exactly the same as the last time we made a turn off.” Scarlet pointed at a lightning damaged oak tree on the left hand side of the road, then at a large boulder sitting a fraction from the middle of the dirt road.
Sophia rolled down the window on the SUV. “Scarlet is right. It’s the same road.”
Archer let off a string of curses. “What now!”
Heath had gotten out of the car and walked over. “We could turn around and try to keep going the way we’d planned to.”
“That’s so pointless, it’s laughable.” Sophia then opened the car door. “Whatever is making this road appear will continue to make the road appear until we take it. This is heavy magic.”
“And how could you possibly know it’s heavy magic,” Heath asked with a raised eyebrow. “Magic isn’t your thing, remember?”
Erik joined the impromptu roadside conference. “She might be guessing, but I know for sure, this is magic and it’s the strongest I’ve felt in a long time.”
“So what do we do?” Zane asked.
All eyes turned to Archer.
He was quiet a moment, staring into the distance where the road led.
“We gear up and follow the road. Be ready for anything, and don’t let your guard down.”
He focused on Tate. “You take point in the Impala. I want a buffer between whatever is ahead, and Scarlet.”
“You don’t have to protect me all of the time. This could have nothing to do with me,” Scarlet protested.
Archer opened the car door, and got back in. “I know this has to do with you. I’m so sure, I’m about to bet our lives on it.”
Scarlet said nothing. There was no point in arguing with him when he got that stubborn look in his eyes, so she shut up and got back in the car.
The air in the SUV was thick with tension as they drove further up the road. Soon the Impala was struggling to get through the overgrown and pot-holed parts of the road. The SUV fared better because of its four-wheel drive, but if the road became much worse, they would have to abandon the Impala and all squeeze into the SUV.
As sudden as the dirt road
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