Alec the Wanderer: Generations of Eredwynn #4 (9 page)

Carol and I watched out the windows as the landscape whipped by. I could see on the panel that we were going seventy-five miles an hour! I was tempted to up our
shield
strength in case the machine flew apart, but the man driving barely seemed aware of the speed. He kept up a running dialogue, picking our brains about where we were from and what we were doing in the area. We hadn’t made up a cover story, so I resorted to what I knew. I ended up being a poultry worker from Arkansas who was traveling with my new wife.

We could see a sign that said ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ by the time that we stopped. We’d learned that we’d met a police officer and he seemed as friendly as the guards back home were. He pulled over to the side of the road, opened the door away from the traffic and let us out. He gave Carol a curious look. “I’ll need for you two to step behind the vehicle for me. If you could get out your ID’s for me, or a marriage license, it would just make my day. Ya see, I have a fourteen year old daughter that looks as old as you do, Miss. I’d hate to think that you’d run off with this feller and your folks were worried. If you’re of age and married, I’ll say ‘sorry’ and be on my way.”

I signaled for Carol to pretend to look in her pack and while the officer was distracted, I formed a plan. I focused on the handle that the man had pulled down, and with
telekinesis
I moved it to where he’d put it to move forward. When nothing happened, I gave the car a gentle mental shove. As the car started rolling, the man got excited.

“What the hell! I put that in park!” He ran around to the wheel side of the car, yanked open the door and dove inside.

I took advantage of his distraction to cast
invisibility
on Carol and myself. I took her hand and helped her over the rail, where we stood quietly. The man brought his car to a screeching halt, jumped out and looked around for us. He stared off the side of the road into the desert in confusion. He finally gave up, turned off the red and blue lights, and went on his way south into the city.

I led Carol away from the road a few hundred yards and dropped
invisibility
. She hugged me. “I was so scared that he was going to separate us! I thought that he’d think that we weren’t married and were lying about it. He didn’t believe your stories that you were from that place you told him.”

“Well, it was all I could think of and I couldn’t remember many details about my father’s life here.”

“We got away and that’s what matters. So, what’s the plan now?”

“I think we should just find a spot to camp and wait until morning to go into town. One of the first things that we’ll need to do is get some local money. We have to look for a place that will buy gold. I think that we should set aside twenty gold coins in a pouch tonight and sell them tomorrow. You could use your skill at lie detection to help us get the best deal possible.”

“At least we have part of a plan; when will we start looking for a girl or two to save? I’m not so sure I’m happy with my plan of coming here. This place is much scarier than I thought it would be. That ride we took was terrifying! I didn’t know if we were going to get out of it alive!”

I chuckled. “Don’t feel too bad, I thought about turning up the
shields
. But we made it out and got three days closer to finding someone for you to help. We’ll get money and then look for young ladies tomorrow night. Father said that they were called ‘Ladies of the Night’ here, so I suppose that the evening will be the best time to find them.”

We moved a couple miles from the road and I set up the tent. Carol
ported
in wood from our last camp site and made dinner for us. We chatted about her ideas for locating people that wanted help and what we should do for them when we found them.

I commented, “Some of the girls that we find might have been lured into the job. They might want to get out, but not have money for transportation home. We might be able to send someone back to their family after we sell some coins. That would be the best case. If they don’t have families and need somewhere to go, we could suggest going to Eredwynn. We could get them a position at one of the castles.”

Carol gave a sly look. “Maybe they like hiking, camping and adventure and would like a Consort position.”

I laughed. “You and I having Consorts doesn’t make much sense, because I don’t have or want a castle. They’d usually help with the books and staff, and we have neither. The only thing that I can think of that they could do for us is something that you handle perfectly on your own!”

Carol pouted. “I could ask them to be personal servants, couldn’t I? That way, I wouldn’t have to be the only one cooking and doing dishes!”

I smiled. “I always help with the dishes, but if you’d like servants and found someone to travel with us, I’d agree to that. I can’t think of a thing that I’d deny you, as long as you couldn’t be hurt. I may not share your ‘servants’ beds, but I’d be willing to care for them as Consorts, after a fashion.”

Carol grinned. “That’s all I ask, and honestly, I don’t think we could find someone that would fit into our lifestyle. I just wanted to know if you’d allow something like that if I asked you for it.”

I hugged her, laughing. “You are so full of mischief sometimes. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you!”

Carol winked. “It’s early, I know, but if you’ll take me into the tent, I can give you some idea of what to do with me.”

I scooped her into my arms. “My Lady, it would be my pleasure to escort you to the tent.”

Chapter Nine

A
fter a very energetic evening’s activities, we slept soundly. The next morning we woke at dawn, ate breakfast and began our trek into the city. The road was much busier this close to the population and we were often frightened by it. We walked into the heart of town, following the road that was marked fifteen. Downtown, we wandered until we found a section of town that sported many shops that offered to buy gold and silver. We found one that seemed to be quite popular and went inside.

When we found a man working there that didn’t have a customer, we approached. “Good afternoon, sir. I have some gold coins here that I’d like to sell. I don’t know if you’d buy them for the type of coin they are or just for the gold, but I’ll be happy with a fair price, either way.”

The man was a bit gruff and all business. “Let’s see what you have and we might work a deal.”

I pulled the pouch with the twenty gold coins from my pocket and threw it up on the counter. He looked at the pouch curiously, then opened it and dumped the coins onto the counter. He looked at the minting closely and shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, but they seem pretty heavy. I think you’ll do pretty well for yourself if you just take the gold weight price.” He turned to a machine and began pushing some buttons, then set the coins on a scale.

With his attention on the coins and the scale, I saw Carol cautiously slide her hand to the back of the machine that the man had been using. There was a tiny spark between her fingers and the metal box and she jumped! Her eyes glazed slightly and darted around in the sockets so quickly I feared for her health.

The man turned back to us. “You have ten ounces here. Gold prices are taking a dive, so the only way I can make a profit would be to give you eight thousand five hundred, cash money.”

Carol stepped between the man and me. “Sir, gold has dropped a bit of late but is just under thirteen hundred an ounce. You could easily pay ten thousand for the ten ounces and still make a substantial profit.”

The man and I were both shocked and surprised. He nodded. “You’re absolutely right, little lady. Let’s do some paperwork and I’ll get your cash.”

The man wandered off to gather the things we needed to complete the transaction and I looked questioningly at Carol. She grinned. “That machine works on the same power as lightning. It is full of information and since he’d been looking at gold prices and trends, the information was easy to find. I also learned that ‘street walkers’ can be found hanging around a place called ‘Stardust’, just down the road a bit.”

“You’ve amazed me again, beautiful lady. I guess when we get the money, we can find that ‘Stardust’ place. Then we could wander and learn about the people, buy anything we might need and come back near dusk.”

Carol smiled happily. “It’s much nicer having a plan instead of just diving in and hoping for the best. The man is returning and I’ll move out of the way and be the passive young lady I’m supposed to be.”

I chuckled. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” I turned back to the counter as the man laid a sheet of parchment down and wrote on it with an inkless pen. He pointed to a line and handed it to me to sign my name.

He nodded contentedly. “Son, if you come across any more of those coins, bring them by. You might as well bring your gold expert, too. Here’s your cash.” He counted out ten thousand dollars in one hundred dollar bills, stuck them in a parchment folder for us and thanked us for our business. I stuck the money in my pocket and we exited the shop, happy that things had gone so smoothly.

We walked down the road and found the place that Carol wanted to check out that evening, then continued downtown. We found some shops to browse and found a few items that might be nice to have. We realized quickly that the money that we had was quite a lot to be carrying in my pocket. I took ten bills and folded them up, stuck them in my pocket and gave the same to Carol. I put four thousand in each of our packs where it would be safer. I made sure that my wife had her
shield
on, and continued our exploration.

With so many fascinating things to see, including some very oddly dressed people, the time flew. Before we knew it, the sun was setting and we were a couple miles from where we wanted to be. We began walking back toward our hunting grounds, holding hands and chatting about what we’d seen.

We hadn’t even made it back to the building we were walking to before we spotted trouble. In fact, we were beside an open lot where a few girls were standing and dressed for the business. A man, dressed in nice clothing with very shiny shoes, was yelling at one of the young ladies there. We could hear him before we even got very close.

“I know you’ve got cash on you somewhere, you slut! I heard that you been looking into bus tickets for your little slut sister, too. It’s not gonna happen. You need me as much as I need you. I take care of you, don’t I? Now give it over; I have plans this evening.”

The girl shook her head while backing away. The man shoved her, hard, into a parked car on the side of the road. The girl went down and money flew from the top of her tunic. Carol sprang into action, charging toward the man before I could say a word. He saw her coming and gave an evil smile. He sidestepped her attack and spun her around with his forearm against her neck.

I started forward and he gave me a warning look and tightened his grip. He looked at a girl a bit younger than the first. “Pick up my money that your sister dropped. The only smack the two of you will be getting after work will be from the back of my hand. That might remind you of your place in this big world.”

The girl came forward timidly and began to comply. Carol gave me a wink, there was a tiny flash and the man dropped like a stone. The area was instant pandemonium. Girls started scattering; some came to the downed man’s side and the sisters grabbed the money, then looked at Carol for direction. Carol jerked her head for the girls to follow, and we made our way back to the well-lighted downtown.

The older girl spoke with a note of panic in her voice. “Did you Taser him? He dropped as if you did. How long will he be out? He’ll come looking for us now, you know.”

Carol smiled. “I
stunned
him and he should be out for at least fifteen minutes. You don’t have to worry about him coming after you; you can stay with Alec and me if you want. We can help you get home or at least out of that situation. You didn’t seem to be very happy back there.”

The older girl spoke again, “I’m Amanda and this is my little sis, Barbara. We aren’t happy working for that prick, but we have to go back. If we don’t, we’ll get sick, and I don’t ever want to go through that again. He took our stuff away once for talking back and I thought I’d learned my lesson. I guess not, though.”

Carol hugged her gently then turned to me. “Alec, this young lady has some type of poison in her.”

Amanda nodded. “It is a type of poison, I suppose. But once you start taking it, you want more. If you quit, you get sick. It’s called heroin. I can’t believe you’ve never heard of it.”

Carol smiled. “We’re not from around here and there are a lot of things we haven’t heard of. My husband and I know some healing techniques that might help rid you of that poison and make it so you didn’t have to have it. Would that be something that you’d be interested in?”

Amanda gave a scoffing laugh. “Do we have to screw one or both of you before you show us your ‘techniques’?”

Carol looked confused. “You don’t have to ‘screw’ anyone, I don’t think. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but we’d help you just to be kind. If you don’t want our help, you can rejoin that man and we’ll go on our way. Maybe we’ll find someone who wants our help elsewhere.”

Amanda looked at Carol, studying her with a confused look. “You seem like you actually mean it! If you’d at least help my sister, I’d do anything you asked.”

Carol nodded at me and I waved Barbara over. “Come here, hun, let’s see if we can’t get that stuff out of you so you’ll feel better. Just take my hands and relax.”

Barbara cautiously reached out and took my hands. I scanned her and saw the poison that Carol’s scan had uncovered. It was a fairly simple poison and my magic scrubbed it from her system quickly. The poor girl started having cramps and sweating, so I had to scan again to look for the cause. I located a portion of her brain that had become accustomed to the stuff and corrected the balance back to normal. I released her hands as I finished up.

She straightened slowly and looked into my eyes. Color had returned to her cheeks and her eyes sparkled; she threw her arms around me and kissed me full on the lips.

Her sister interrupted. “Barbara! You know the rules about that. Kissing on the lips like that can get you emotionally attached. You don’t know these people and his wife carries a Taser!”

Barbara sighed. “I don’t care and rules be damned. I’m not a hooker anymore; after what he did for me, I’m his. I know he’s married and I will back off, but I’ll be forever grateful.”

Carol got Amanda’s attention. “You see that we’re not going to hurt you. Would you like me to rid you of that poison like Alec did for your sister?”

Amanda nodded. “If you can I’d be grateful, just like my sister. I might not kiss you as she did him; I don’t swing that way often. I hate being a slave to that junk.”

“Carol,” I called before she started, “after you clean her blood, there is a spot in the brain that will have to be put back to normal. That stuff is monstrous in the way it holds people. I can see why folks here use it for control.”

Carol nodded and went to work. Since Carol hadn’t called Barbara down for kissing me like that, she’d taken my hand and stood there watching as Carol worked on her sister. It was easy to see when she’d cleared the girl’s system of the stuff, and equally as easy to see when she corrected the imbalance in her brain.

Amanda straightened and then hugged Carol. “I can see why my sis reacted so strongly! I haven’t felt like this in forever. She’s right, we owe you our lives.”

Carol smiled happily. “We’re not from around here, as I’m sure you can tell now. I asked my husband if we could come and look for girls in need, and we found you. If you know of any other girls that would be happier out of the business, we might be able to help them, too. Then we could help you get home or find something for you to do.” She winked at me and continued. “If you’ve fallen in love with us, we might even consider taking you into our family. If we do, you’ll have to be told a few things first. Oh, and Barbara? Where I come from, people like Alec often have young ladies other than their wives, so I don’t mind you holding his hand.”

Barbara looked confused. “They have other girls? And you don’t mind?”

Carol laughed. “That’s just the way of things there. In fact, the wives of men like Alec often encourage their husbands to take a few Consorts; that’s what they’re called.”

Amanda snickered. “You really aren’t from around here! The guy that you knocked out, our ex-pimp, has four girls that he’s been ‘grooming’. They’ve all mentioned getting away from him. Two of the girls might already be gone, if they had money for the bus. The other two don’t have families, so I don’t know if they’d want to go with you too, or not. But I can tell by the look in Barbara’s eyes after you said holding your hubby’s hand was okay, she wants to stay with you guys.”

Carol, excited by her success so far, jumped at her chance to do more. “Do you girls think that we could get to the other girls without having much of a fight?”

Amanda nodded. “He has them scared so they won’t leave the apartment. I’m sure that with Barbara and me there, they’ll go with us. Mister Jackass said that he had plans, and that means blackjack. He won’t be home until really late. If he loses, he’ll cruise the bus station looking for more ‘product’. I hope he loses all six of his girls tonight. That would serve him right for shoving me!”

Amanda led us to the road and asked if I had any cash. I’d figured out that word and handed her a one hundred dollar bill. She nodded gratefully and waved at a yellow car that was coming by. It stopped and she climbed in front. The rest of us piled into the back, packs and all. She gave the man directions and off we went. It didn’t take long to make it across town in a car and Amanda handed the driver the money.

He shook his head. “I ain’t got change for no hun’red.”

Amanda looked at me for options and I shrugged. “Just keep the change and have a good evening.”

The man waited, patient and happy as we untangled from the back seat, and then drove away.

Amanda looked at me for a moment and then shrugged. She led the way into a building and up a couple flights of stairs. She knocked on a door that was cautiously answered. She pushed the door open. “Relax, Linda, it’s just Barb and me with a couple of friends.”

Linda shook her head. “They can’t be here, Amanda! If Grady comes home and catches them here, he’ll kill them!”

Barbara smiled. “They might be a bit harder to kill than he would think. They’ve come to help. We’re leaving with them and they said that they’ll help you get away, too. They even have a way to get the junk out of Maria and Elizabeth’s system. That way they won’t get sick and won’t want it anymore. I think Carol would buy them bus tickets home, if they want to go. Since you and Susan don’t have family, you can go with them and they said they could find you honest work.”

Linda sighed. “All that sounds good, but they say if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”