Page 65 of Splintered Shadow
She slid low in the seat, curling her body around Ghost.
Vekele jammed himself into the pilot’s seat. His wings occupied an uncomfortable amount of room. Logically, he should call them back, but he was too agitated. They were attacked. His mate had blood on her. They were not out of danger yet.
He forced open a panel and tugged on wires.
“You really are hot -wiring a car. We’re stealing a car,” she said.
“Now is not the time. We can debate the morality of this when we are safe.” He pinched two wires together and punched the starter with more force than necessary.
The engine came to life.
He engaged the anti-grav, and the flyer rose off the ground. The shell slowly rose, sections unfurling and closing over the open vehicle.
“We’re stealing a flying car,” his mate said. “It’s wrong that this is the best thing ever.”
“It is a personal flyer, and not a very nice one.”
“Well, beggars can’t be choosers.” She laughed again, a frantic edge in the sound.
Vekele leaned over and placed his hand on the back of her neck. “All will be well.”
She took a shaky breath. “I left Kenth bleeding out on the floor. All those people—”
“We are targets. The best thing we can do is remove ourselves from the crowd. That will keep the most amount of people safe.” He hoped. Kenth’s injury was troubling. Baris had not been in the crowd. Hopefully, that meant the royal guards removed him promptly and Kenth had returned to retrieve Vekele and Sarah.
An attack on the palace. The amount of planning required to bypass the many levels of security was astounding. Someone in the guard had to have been compromised. Who had betrayed them?
The computer chimed, the engine ready for flight.
“Fasten the safety harness,” he said.
“Can you even fly this?”
“My vision is not perfect, but the navigation system will compensate.”
“I meant, like, do you know how to fly?”
“I am proficient and passed training,” he replied.
“I took driver’s ed, too, but that doesn’t mean I can properly handle a bus.”
Vekele ignored her chatter. In the time they spent at Summerhall, he learned that her chatter was directly linked to nervousness.
He needed to focus. While the navigation system helped to avoid collisions, it was not perfect and slow to respond at high speed. They needed to leave. Now.
He picked a direction at random. The small vehicle could not travel off the planet. Fuel also limited their flight range. He needed to find a safe location to regroup.
The flyer rose, one of several fleeing the palace, and streaked across the sky.
Chapter Fourteen
Sarah
“Exit the vehicle,”Vekele ordered.
Sarah unbuckled the safety harness, her hands shaking. Ghost kept bumping his head against her head, whining. “I know, I know. We’re okay,” she said, repeating the words in a desperate attempt to make it true.
“We are safe for the moment,” Vekele said. He reached across the cramped space and opened a compartment. His wings took up most of the cabin space. “Take this kit. Inside is disinfectant and a cleansing cloth. Clean yourself and Ghost. I will disable the tracking on this flyer.”
