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45. Fast and feline
🕑 Added 2025-08-30 10:15:53 +0000 UTCOphelia looked back after they left Samuel in the storage unit's backyard. She watched as he stepped to the side, and the chasing car swerved into a wall. The crash was the last thing she witnessed before their car drifted onto the road, and she lost sight of the fight.
“He will be fine,” the cat reassured her. “The asshole knows what he’s doing. We, on the other hand, might encounter a few enemies.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “I thought he stopped them?”
“That was not the whole attack force,” he commented. And as if the world itself heard his words, the sound of engines started to echo through the night. Ophelia turned in her seat just in time to see a red sports car with an escort of three motorcycles appear from a road behind them.
“Buckle up. This might get a bit rough,” said the cat as he tugged at the steering wheel, runes on the rings lighting up, changing the gears as the car made a sharp turn. The people behind them followed, keeping a bit of distance.
The enemies on the motorcycles tilted sharply to the right, taking the turn right after the car. As their machines straightened back out, they pulled small one-handed crossbows from holders on their bikes. Each bolt was etched with a few runes on the wooden part. There were three people wearing black motorcycle helmets with see-through eye covers for driving at night, revealing only their eyes.
“Want to soften us up? Huh. Try me,” said the cat with a smile that showed the sharp canines. “Ophelia, there is a crystal in the compartment between our chairs and a rune-inscribed socket that should fit it. Do you see it?”
Ophelia lifted the armrest between them and saw what the cat was talking about. A see-through blue crystal and a metal hole of similar size. “Yes!” she shouted.
“I want you to put the crystal in the hole. You got that?” She did as instructed and saw the runes light up for a second. “Yes!” she confirmed and turned around in her seat just to see the people on the motorcycles getting closer, apparently now in shooting range, as they lifted their weapons.
“Okay, now I want you to open the glove compartment. There should be a crossbow there.”
“What? I’ve never shot one!” She exclaimed.
“It’s just in case the wards give in or you get a good chance.” said the cat and tugged at the wheel as the car swerved to the left.
Ophelia did as she was told, and sure enough, there was a small crossbow in a special holder, along with a set of bolts.
“Get ready!” shouted the cat. “If they get next to us, open the window slightly and shoot.”
Q’Shar shifted the gears and sped up, now with a section of straight road in front of him. The bikers tried to get to the side of the car, but he was blocking their way, veering to the left and right to keep them away.
The engine of one of the bikes roared as the driver twisted the throttle and got closer, lifting himself a bit in the seat to stabilize the shot.
“Watch out!” screamed Ophelia as the man pulled the trigger. The bolt went for their back tire, but just as it was about to pierce it, a set of runes on the fender lit up, the arrow ricocheting to the right with a metallic clang.
The man didn’t miss a beat as he pulled the string again using a hook-like contraption next to the motor's handlebar.
“Got you!” shouted the cat and brake-checked the man. The tires screeched as the pedal was pushed down by magic.
But the man on the bike was not an amateur. He always kept one hand on the handlebar and, in the last moment, managed to swerve to the left, barely missing the car. Just as he was about to aim his weapon once again, this time at the driver, the two runes lit up on the cat’s tail, and the car doors opened with considerable force, slamming into the man.
His bike turned over, covering the driver as he skidded against the asphalt. One of the men chasing them was gone, but the remaining two managed to get to the sides, taking the chance provided by their fallen comrade. Q’Shar slammed the gas, and the car lurched forward.
Another attack was made, this time into the window, as another set of runes lit up. The men on the motorbikes continued to try to shoot, weakening the magic. Q’Shar slammed the brakes, taking a sharp turn. The tires burned against the asphalt, producing smoke as the car drifted to the left, entering the turn with its side. But something unexpected appeared, a roadwork site. A massive crane was blocking one lane of the road.
The cat sped up instead of braking, and the car slid forward, still angled, looking like it would hit the crane with its side. The wheels spun in place, and smoke reached their windows, accompanied by the characteristic smell of burning rubber.
Ophelia braced for impact as she pushed herself deeper into the chair.
But the cat did not try to stop. When the back of the car was about to ram into the heavy machinery, the tires finally caught traction, and with a screech, the car straightened up, barely missing the roadblock. The biker on the left simply slowed down, but the man to the right had to push himself against the car to be able to squeeze through. He was leaning on the passenger-side doors, his arm with the crossbow pressed against the car, his head right next to the window.
“Shoot him!” shouted the cat, spotting a perfect opportunity.
Ophelia lowered the window a bit with her right hand, aiming the loaded crossbow with her left. The bolt was right against the man’s head. The string was pulled and ready for release. All it took was a squeeze of the trigger.
Ophelia’s finger rested against the release.
She gritted her teeth.
And froze.
She was petrified. The vision of the strange creature descending from the sky hit her like a train. The man in front of her was now missing his helmet. He looked like Tom, pale, his lips purple. But the worst was his face, frozen in a post-mortem mask of hatred and fear.
“Ophelia,” said the apparition.
“Ophelia!” it screamed as her breath quickened.
“Ophelia, duck!” the face screamed in Q’Shar’s voice as she came back to the world of the living.
The cat hooked a claw on her T-shirt, pulling her back as the man on the motorcycle, now back in proper posture, jammed his crossbow into the window opening. The cat pulled her back at the perfect time for the bolt to barely graze her as it got stuck in the car’s dashboard. The man put one hand in place of the crossbow, preventing the window from closing, and reached with another for a dagger.
The cat swerved to the right trying to shake him off, but the man was a good driver, keeping control of his bike with one hand and holding the window with the other.
The second biker slammed into the car from the other side, now trying to break the glass with his dagger.
Ophelia felt fear, grief, and confusion as she held the crossbow, now trying to fight the man’s hand holding down the window. But to no avail, as more and more thoughts raced inside her head. Was this a good decision? Was she going to die like this? Why did they try to hurt her? How dare they try to hurt her?
Then it came. She felt it, a foreign thought, completely outside of her range. She felt it was wrong, she felt it was unnatural, but right now, she needed it. She didn’t want to cry helplessly. She embraced it, like a cold current flowing into her veins. Pride flared up. On instinct, she pulled her hand back as the man on the motorcycle swung the blade.
She felt the blood flowing down her cheek, the wound left by the bolt previously fired inside the car.
Bastard! came a thought, and she let it flare. Kill or be killed, a rule she was all too familiar with. She felt something inside, something screaming at her to let it out. Like a strange sensation, it was not a voice, although it had intent and meaning. It wanted a command, it wanted out. So she gave an order. Not a word but a message of will to survive at any cost. And the thing answered as a black snake with a crescent moon on its forehead materialized in her lap. Not waiting for instructions, it coiled and bit into the hand holding the window.
The man howled in pain as she could see a black substance entering his veins. He let go, cradling his hand, wobbling on the motorbike. On instinct, she pushed the door open. He only turned his head to her as she pointed the crossbow.
In the last second, a small sliver of guilt made itself known as she lowered the weapon, firing the bolt into the man’s thigh, pinning him to the motorbike as he folded onto the ground. The bike still screeched against the asphalt, with sparks going off the metal parts in contact with the ground.
She closed the door, eyes wide, adrenaline coursing through her veins, accompanied by a strange feeling of satisfaction and power. For a second, she made eye contact with the snake as she felt the strange connection.
The animal then changed into black fog, which entered her, as she felt empty and exhausted.
Q’Shar broke from the guy stabbing at the window with a bit more field to maneuver, no longer having to care about the attacker firing inside the car. He briefly looked at the woman. He knew that look, at least part of it, that gleam in the eyes after a battle won. ‘The asshole has an eye for crazies like himself,’ sighed the cat on the inside.
“You did well. Leave the rest to me,” he said, preparing for a new maneuver.
Ophelia caught her breath as she looked outside the window. Only now did she notice that they were near the place where they had left Sam previously.
“Look for a fire signal in the air,” said the cat.
Then, the runes lit up on his tail rings as the handbrake jumped up, locking the wheels. Accompanied by a loud screech, the animal rotated the car 180 degrees, simultaneously putting it in reverse and releasing the brake. He locked eyes with the attacker, now face-to-face with him, seeing his expression, full of surprise and confusion.
The tip of the tail danced in patterns as they approached another crossroad.
The cat spun the machine sharply, drifting 90 degrees, putting the car back into first gear to enter the turn. The man was now driving into them, pulling his crossbow with a clear shot of the car’s side. But Ophelia noticed that he was coming too fast. All of a sudden, he seemed to panic, as if realizing he was too close. He tried to brake, but it was too late. The machine hit their side as the man flew over the hood, landing with a grunt on the other side.
The car moved forward once again. The maneuver was effective, but it cost them quite a bit of speed, as the red car closed the distance effortlessly.
“Did you see some fire?” asked Q’Shar, now apparently much calmer, even though the unknown vehicle was fast approaching.
“No,” Ophelia answered, looking around for any light in the night.
The back window of the chasing car opened as a man with a bow leaned through it. He pulled the string and seemed to be aiming, but the cat was not making it easier for him, going left and right. Finally, the bowman released the arrow. The projectile shone with a strange light as it impacted the back of the car, right next to the back window. Ophelia thought he missed the glass, but the cat hissed in irritation. “Fuck. They figured it out.”
“Figured what out?” she asked, worried.
“This car is mostly for emergencies and was made by modern enchanters of the second magical circle, so the runework isn’t stellar. Since the runes are exposed, a direct hit to them could destroy the ward entirely. They had to have some communication with the bikers, or someone with good eyes,” the cat explained, still in a relatively calm voice.
“Can’t we lose them?” asked Ophelia.
“If we want to,” smiled the cat.
As if to mock his words, another arrow made its way next to the back window, hitting the same spot. The cat swore. Ophelia was about to try and shoot when she saw a small fire rise into the night sky, like a small flaming projectile.
“Fire there!” she shouted, pointing at the sky.
The cat smiled, stopped weaving left and right, and just sped straight ahead in the direction of the fire.
The man with the bow whispered something, and the arrow seemed to catch flame. He released it into the same spot. They felt an impact as the tip pierced the metal, entering the car.
Ophelia looked at the cat, but it looked relaxed. The man readied another shot, but then Q’Shar did something she did not see coming. As they were directly beneath the place of the signal, the cat brake-checked the car behind them. The red vehicle crashed into their back, preventing the shot as metal ground on metal. But they lost speed. The bowman aimed another arrow, getting back his bearings, as they were very close.
Ophelia was about to scream at Q’Shar to duck as the arrow would surely kill him, judging by the force of the last one, but then she heard a crash.
Out of nowhere, with a bang, Samuel landed on the roof of the chasing car.
