The Pendelton Cruiser tore down the paved Imperial Road, putting miles between the fugitives and the smoking ruins of the Academy wall.
Arthur drove with a focused intensity, his eyes darting between the road and the dashboard gauges. The adrenaline was fading, replaced by the grim reality of logistics.
"Status check," Arthur called out, his voice vibrating with the hum of the engine.
"Engine temp is stable," Julian reported from the back seat, reading a gauge Arthur had forced him to monitor. "But the steam boiler is thirsty. We used a lot of water, blinding Professor Ignis."
"We can refill at the river," Arthur said. "Zack, what does the Atherian Relay say?"
Zack was huddled over the iScroll. The screen showed a topographic map of the region, beamed down from the ancient crystal relays in the sky.
"We are approaching the Osgard Canyon," Zack said, his voice trembling. "There is only one crossing for fifty miles: The Iron Bridge. It's a choke point."
"And if I were the Headmaster," Arthur muttered, shifting gears, "That is exactly where I would put the net."
"Arthur," Zack zoomed in on the map. The relay showed a cluster of stationary red dots at the bridge. "There are twenty heat signatures waiting for us. And one... really big one."
"A Golem?" Vivian asked, loosening her sword in its scabbard.
"No," Arthur squinted at the road ahead. "A barricade."
....
They rounded a bend, and the Iron Bridge came into view.
It was a massive structure of stone and black iron spanning a deep, rocky gorge. The Osgard River roared three hundred feet below.
But the way was blocked.
Heavy wooden spiked barriers—Cheval de frise—lined the entrance to the bridge. Behind them stood a phalanx of the Royal Guard in shining plate armor, holding halberds and tower shields.
And standing in front of them was Sir Galahad, the Captain of the Local Garrison. He was a giant of a man, wearing armor so thick it looked like he was wearing a bank vault.
"Halt!" Sir Galahad's voice boomed, amplified by a helmet rune. "By order of the Arch-Mage and the Headmaster! Surrender the vehicle!"
Arthur slowed the car, bringing it to a stop a hundred yards away. The engine idled with a menacing thump-thump-thump.
"Can we ram it?" Vivian asked, judging the distance. "The cowcatcher is solid iron."
"Physics says no," Arthur shook his head. "We weigh three tons. Sir Galahad plus twenty men plus those spikes weighs five tons. Kinetic energy favors the wall. If we hit them, we wreck the radiator."
"So we fight?" Julian asked, clutching his new rifle. "I can snipe the Captain from here. The Sun-Lance has infinite range."
"Negative," Arthur looked at Julian in the rearview mirror. "They are the King's Guard. They are just doing their job. If we start killing soldiers, we become villains. We need to save the Kingdom, not depopulate it."
"Then we are trapped," Zack whimpered. "We can't go back. We can't go forward."
Arthur looked at the bridge. Then, he looked to the right.
The paved road ended at the guardrail. Beyond that was a grassy field that terminated abruptly at the canyon's edge.
Arthur's eyes scanned the terrain. He wasn't looking at the guards. He was looking at the slope.
[Engineer's Eye Active.] [Slope Gradient: 65 Degrees.] [Surface: Loose Scree and Rock.] [Vehicle Capability: 45 Degree Max Climb.]
"It's steep," Arthur whispered. "But gravity can be a tool."
"Arthur," Julian warned, seeing the look in his eyes. "Arthur, why are you looking at the cliff?"
"The road is blocked." Arthur shifted the car into low gear. "The geography, however, is open source."
"Arthur!" Zack screamed. "That's a 300-foot drop!"
"We have a winch," Arthur said calmly. "And we have a roll cage. Everyone, hold onto something bolted down."
...
Arthur slammed the throttle.
But he didn't drive toward the bridge. He yanked the steering wheel hard to the right.
The black steel beast surged off the road, smashing through the wooden guardrail. Splinters flew. The car roared onto the grass, picking up speed, heading straight for the canyon edge.
"They are trying to flank us!" Sir Galahad shouted from the bridge. "Mages! Wall of Earth!"
A mage behind the barricade slammed his staff down. A wall of stone erupted from the ground in front of the car.
"Julian! Countermeasures!" Arthur yelled.
"I'm on it!" Julian leaned out the window with the Sun-Lance.
ZAP.
He didn't shoot the guards. He shot the ground directly in front of the rising stone wall. The heat of the laser flash-vaporized the soil, creating a massive cloud of steam and dust.
"Blind them!" Arthur commanded.
Arthur drove into the dust cloud. He didn't slow down. He drove straight off the edge of the world.
"WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIE!" Zack screamed, his voice cracking.
The front of the car tipped forward. For a terrifying second, all they saw through the windshield was the river, three hundred feet down.
Then, the nose dropped.
The car slammed onto the steep slope of the canyon wall.
CRUNCH. BANG.
The suspension groaned. The massive rubber tires bit into the loose rocks. The car began to slide, surfing down the avalanche of scree.
"Deploying Steam Brakes!" Arthur flipped the red switch.
Jets of steam shot out from the front of the car, acting as reverse thrusters to slow their descent.
Inside the cabin, it was chaos. Tools rattled in the back. Julian was bouncing off the ceiling. Vivian was laughing maniacally.
"Steer into the slide!" Arthur gritted his teeth, wrestling the heavy wheel.
The car drifted sideways, kicking up a shower of boulders. They were halfway down.
Above them, the Royal Guards peered over the edge, their mouths open.
"They... they drove down the cliff," Sir Galahad whispered. "That is not a carriage. That is a mountain goat made of iron."
.....
They hit the bottom of the canyon hard. Mud sprayed over the windshield. The river was right in front of them—fast, deep, and raging.
"We can't cross that!" Julian yelled, looking at the white water. "The current is too strong! It will sweep us away!"
"We don't need to swim," Arthur said. "We need to climb."
He pointed to the other side of the canyon. It was a vertical wall of rock. But at the top, a massive ancient oak tree hung over the edge.
"Zack! Target that tree!" Arthur commanded.
"With what?"
"The Harpoon!"
Arthur hit the button for the pneumatic winch.
THWUMP.
From the front bumper, a steel grappling hook shot out, trailing a thick cable. It flew across the river, soaring upward.
THUNK.
The hook bit deep into the roots of the oak tree on the far cliff.
"Line secure!" Arthur shouted. "Retracting!"
The electric motor of the winch whined. The cable pulled taut.
Arthur drove into the river. The water rushed over the hood, hissing against the hot engine. But the cable held them steady against the current.
The car didn't float. It was dragged through the water by the winch, grinding over the riverbed.
"Seal check!" Arthur watched the water level rise against the glass.
"No leaks!" Vivian reported.
They emerged on the other side, dripping wet. Now came the hard part. The vertical climb.
"Turbine to 110%!" Arthur commanded. "Julian, feed the core! If we lose power now, we fall!"
Julian grabbed the intake handles. "I hate this car!" he screamed, pouring his mana into the system.
The car groaned. The winch pulled. The tires clawed at the vertical rock face. Inch by inch, the three-ton machine hauled itself up the cliff, defying gravity with sheer torque and magical horsepower.
[Engine Temp: Critical.] [Cable Tension: 98%.]
"Come on, Bessie," Arthur whispered.
With a final heave, the car crested the top of the cliff. It flopped onto the grass on the far side of the canyon, bypassing the bridge entirely.
......
Arthur killed the engine. The silence was deafening, broken only by the ticking of cooling metal and Zack's hyperventilating.
They looked back across the canyon.
The Royal Guards were still standing at the bridge, staring at the empty space where the car had vanished. They looked confused, terrified, and impressed.
Sir Galahad took off his helmet and threw it on the ground. "I quit," the Captain's voice drifted across the wind. "I am not paid enough to fight physics."
Arthur slumped back in his seat.
"Suspension check?" Arthur asked weakly.
Zack looked at the iScroll diagnostics. "Shock absorbers are at 40%. Alignment is ruined. And... I think I wet myself."
"Acceptable," Arthur nodded. "We are clear. Next stop: The Wilds."
He put the car in gear.
"Zack," Arthur said. "Since we avoided the checkpoint... did we also avoid the town?"
"Yes," Zack said. "Why?"
"Because," Arthur's stomach growled loud enough to be heard over the engine. "That town had the food."
The realization hit the car like a physical blow.
"We have no snacks," Vivian whispered, horrified.
"We have water," Arthur said, trying to be optimistic. "And... a bag of coffee beans."
"Drive," Julian ordered, cocking his rifle. "If I see a deer, I am shooting it. I don't care if it's majestic. I am eating it."
End of Chapter 38