Alina felt a twinge of guilt for her immortal comforts. The shields looked tight and uncomfortable. Jade grimaced as she snapped hers in place. “Interesting,” she said. “I can hear the same as before.”
“Another tribute to Lance’s genius,” said Baylor. “Shields would be worthless if they kept people from hearing other dangers.” Baylor revved the engine over a large sandy patch. One of the back tires sank in, and he switched to four-wheel drive.
“Wow. This is going to be a long trip,” Rex commented.
But Baylor soon got into a rhythm, and he kept the car at a steady if bouncy pace. He seemed to know the road well.
A restless mood settled over the group. “Tell me about life in Pria,” Baylor said, trying to disperse the tension. “Are all the women as beautiful as you, Alina?”
“Oh yes,” Rex said. “And if they had brains and personality like she and Jade, Pria would be a paradise indeed. But most of them are shallow and vain.”
Baylor chuckled, and Rex began elaborating on the many women who tried to seduce him over the years. Baylor shook his head in disbelief, but Rex didn’t exaggerate—women did outrageous things in Pria to get attention. Alina leaned back in her seat to enjoy the view outside. The prairie lands stretched out before them: flat and golden.
Before long, Alina heard a strange noise, which grew louder as she put her ear to the window. She furrowed her brow. Could something be wrong with the car?
“Baylor?” she said, but he was engrossed in Rex’s story.
“There I was at home, having barely escaped her, when I heard a knock at my door,” Rex prattled. “Well, I wasn’t about to answer it. The next thing I knew this woman was peering through my bedroom window—”
“Quiet!” Baylor hissed.
They stiffened. “What is it?” Rex asked in a hoarse whisper.
Baylor didn’t answer but cracked his window and removed the dart gun from his pocket. He held it steady through the gap.
A shrill cry broke out, and Rex, Alina, and Jade screamed and cowered in the car. Baylor fired, silencing it.
“What was that?” Rex panted.
“A grimalkin,” Baylor answered. “Vicious feline creatures with poisonous claws. They pounce and scratch their prey. If a claw draws blood, the poison is pumped to the heart in minutes.”
“We wouldn’t last five minutes without you, Baylor!” Jade exclaimed. “How did you hear it?”
“They give a strange hiss when going for the kill. It’s not very loud, but distinct enough I usually notice it.”
“I heard it, too,” said Alina.
Baylor nodded at her. “I’m sorry to put an end to the only relief we have, but I don’t think we should talk. Not that your story isn’t engaging, Rex. I definitely want to hear the ending another time. But for now, we should speak only when necessary and in whispers. I’ve never encountered a creature so close to Stormport before.”
“Keeping the windows closed should help, right?” Rex asked.
“Glass can’t stop anything Prian-made, just so you know.”
More edgy than before, they strained to hear any unusual sounds outside. Baylor’s driving became erratic, and he pushed on the gas to get the tires out of ruts along the road.
A few moments later, Alina heard the noise again, this time strong and disjointed, like a chorus hissing all at once. She panicked.
“Baylor!” she cried, “I hear the hissing, and there’s a lot of them this time!”
“I don’t hear anything—”
“I heard it before you did last time, too.”
Baylor stopped the car. “Guns out, everyone,” he said, cracking the windows so the guns could fit through. “This could be bad,” he warned as the hissing met their ears.
A moment later, the battle cry of grimalkins cut the air, drowning out the whizzing of darts around them. Thirty or more, with vomit-colored fur and ink-black eyes, stalked the vehicle. Jade shrieked as several jumped on the roof, their sharp claws screeching over the metal. One poked its head over the edge and swatted through the window crack. The creatures fell to the ground when hit, only to be replaced by more of them. Alina gritted her teeth and prayed the darts wouldn’t run out. Had the guns been tested like this before?
An unusually large grimalkin clawed at the window with a horrible grating noise. It lay low on the roof where the guns could not aim. “Smart creature,” Alina muttered.
“Hit its paw—anything!” Baylor shouted, sweat dripping from his forehead.
After several unsuccessful shots, Alina could see the glass about to shatter. Numerous grimalkins remained, and if they penetrated the car, she’d be the one person left alive.
She leaned against the window and slipped her hands through the crack, seizing the animal around its neck. It scratched ferociously at her hands and arms, but with one strong twist, she broke its neck and flung it to the ground.
One by one, she killed each creature on the car until she could open the door, then slipped out and slammed it behind her. She ran from the car, screaming at the top of her lungs. The diversion worked. Fifteen sets of claws sprung on her at once, and in less than a minute, a heap of mangled grimalkins lay on the ground around her.
She flipped back her hair and ran her hands over her arms. Her sleeves were in shreds, but her skin was smooth without a scratch in sight.
Jade and Rex burst into cheers, and despite Baylor’s instructions not to leave the vehicle, they scrambled out and ran to her, almost knocking her to the ground.
“Alina, that was incredible!” Rex exclaimed, squeezing her against him. “I’m not afraid of anything now!”
“Maybe we’ll be safer than we thought,” Jade agreed. Alina beamed, but when she looked at Baylor, her smile faded.
He seemed relieved, but with a hint of sadness in his eyes. She knew then, as he did—defending themselves wouldn’t always be that easy. Larger and more dangerous creatures than grimalkins haunted Carthem’s wilderness.
They drove through the prairie all afternoon.
