Logan asked Kelda, “How are you feeling?” as she stirred in the backseat. “About as good as I can be for getting blasted by a hexed ball of Magicfire,” she replied as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Logan then turned to Kelda’s sister, Abina, and asked, “You okay?” “I’ve been better,” Abina sighed. “What happened?” “Jakey and I saved the day again!” Rafe exclaimed. “But mostly me.” Rafe friend spent the next five minutes explaining what happened, mostly truthfully, except for the part about him pulling a rocket launcher out of his pocket and blasting Gallu in the face to distract him so that Logan could stab him. “Unfortunately, we’re not safe yet,” Logan continued after Rafe had brought them up to speed. “Azar is still out there, and he’s going to keep sending his lackeys after us until we’re dead. Unless we get to him first.” “Azazel is one of Demon Lord's captain a most powerful elves lords, that works for the Dark Queen” Abina warned. “I’m not sure
Logan asked Rafe, “Sidekick?” “Shhhh, bro,” Rafe whispered. “I would never, ever, ever say that to your face. Even if it’s true. You are my friend, and all. I like to think we are equals in this story.” A few hours of driving later, they passed through the Rockies in Colorado and were on the plains of the eastern part of the state. As much as Logan loved the desert, he couldn’t help but marvel at the natural wonders that acted as a divide between the Great Plains and the Southwest. He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t been horrified at the thought of Lola traveling along mountain passes that were just big enough for their car to fit through. But Rafe had assured them that his baby could make it through anything, and she had done well. Now it was nothing but an open road and cornfields between them and their destination. Unless they decided to take another detour. “I think I’ve got it, guys!” Rafe exclaimed as he jumped up and down in the seat
“I’m touched,” Logan said as his stomach growled with hunger. They had been so focused on getting away from the scene of the crime that they hadn’t eaten much more than a granola bar and some candy that they picked up the last time they stopped to get gas. It had to have been five or six hours ago. Logan was sure that he wasn’t the only one who was starving at this point. In the distance, he could see a large neon sign that flashed, “Truck Stop, Exit 96.” It was like an oasis that sprung o”t of the vast emptiness of the plains and called to him like a siren. He flicked on his turn signal and headed toward the exit. “I don’t know about you guys, but I could use some grub.” Logan patted his stomach. “Bro, I could probably eat an entire cow right now, and that’s not just the munchies talking!” Rafe agreed. “We’re always read to eat.” Abina nodded. “Earth Realm’s food is much tastier than what we have back home.” “I think anything would taste be
The four of them walked over to the restaurant side of the truck stop, and Logan was hit with the aroma of buttery homemade mashed potatoes mixed with freshly seared steak and a hint of hoppy light beer. Kelda and Abina plopped happily into a booth halfway down the restaurant. Logan sat down across from them and slid across the vinyl seat toward the window. As he slid, his hip crashed into an unseen force, and Rafe let out a yelp. “Hands off the merchandise, bro,” Rafe’s disembodied voice laughed. “Good evening, folks!” an overly excited waitress greeted them. The woman in front of them had to have been in her late twenties or early thirties at the latest. She wore her strawberry red hair back in a ponytail, and her hair stuck out from the clasp of her black baseball cap. She wore a tight red v-neck underneath the apron that hung off her torso and carried a handful of straws and her notepad. The server’s jeans clung to her wide hips, and Logan could nea
Logan muttered a string of curses as he swerved the car to dodge the hail of bullets. The sudden movement jolted the elves awake, causing Rafe to slump over in his seat and the goblin to look around in confusion. “What’s going on, Logan?” Abina asked as she rubbed her eyes. “Somebody’s following us and is trying to—Get down!” Logan yelled at the two women in the backseat. All three of them managed to duck just as Lola’s back window shattered. Chunks of plastic sprayed through the interior of the car, but they all appeared to be unharmed, except for Rafe. The goblin reached up to touch the spot on his head where his left horn used to be. “My horn!” he cried. “My beautiful horn!” “I thought man-made weapons couldn’t hurt elvess?” Logan asked the experts in the back as he swerved to dodge another hailstorm. “They must be enchanted,” Kelda warned. “Can you see what we’re dealing with?” Logan asked the elves as Lola lurched to the left once more. “The
Logan spoke up, “I’ll do it,” as ice began to kill his stomach. Kelda nodded and then stepped away from the man. His eyes grew wide as Logan raised his hand, but then a red flash of Magicfire emerged from his palm and burned the man’s head off his shoulders. Then the smoking body fell to the pavement of the highway. “I'm not going to let anyone attack them without paying the price,” Logan said, smiling at his two beautiful girlfriends. “That includes humans, demons, elves, or gods.” “He deserved it,” Abina said. “You did the right thing.” “That’s right,” Rafe said, smiling at Logan. “No one fucks with the Rafester and his crew, or Logan will fucking melt their faces off!” “Let’s get going,” Logan laughed, and then they all turned and walked back toward Lola. “That was a close one,” Rafe patted his broken horn as the four of them slid back to the car. “Thankfully, the ‘ol dynamic duo of Rafe and Logan were here to kick ass and take names.” “Rafe an
“Nope,” Rafe’s disembodied voice whispered as the salesman finished showing them a brand new silver coupe. “Not a worthy successor to Lola.” “It’s nice, but I think we might have to pass on this one.” Logan shrugged to the dealer. “We need four doors.” “Let us try this again!” he said as a forced smile arose on his face. “What are you looking for in a vehicle? You said you wanted something that would be good for cross-country travel, and something that would be able to fit at least five people at a time.” “But still affordable,” Logan added. “I know, we’re quite picky!” “Not at all, Mr. Pearson! We just haven’t found the right car for you yet.” The dealer smiled and gestured to the enormous fleet of vehicles that stood before them. The nice man in the truck had dropped them off at a small dealership just outside the Boston city limits. Logan had tried to give the truck driver a few hundred dollars for letting them tag along on his trip, but he refused. Inste
The brisk New England wind blew through their hair as they drove past the beautiful coastline. Kelda and Abina couldn’t stop staring at the ocean, and Logan couldn’t blame them. They were from the dark realm, and he didn’t imagine that they had a lot of water there. Rafe puffed his joint and took a break every few minutes to sing along with the upbeat song coming through their speakers. Even after buying Shadow, their pockets were full of riches that Logan could only have dreamt of before. There was only one thing that stood between the four of them and a lifetime of happiness: Azar. “How close do you estimate we are, Darkspawn GPS?” Logan asked Rafe jokingly as he turned down the music blaring through the Jeep’s nice sounding stereo system. He shrugged. “I dunno. Ley Line cartography isn’t really an exact science. I just know that we have to go to this little town on the coast of Maine. We’re only about thirty minutes away, but from there it’s anybody’