Part 45 (1/2)

”And we couldn't get moving to escape it before it formed, because of the time it takes to fix a washed out car,” Dug said, understanding. ”Dearth knows what he's doing.”

”I've never seen such a dangerous looking storm-cloud,” Kim said, awed.

Nimby touched Chlorine's arm. ”Nimby wants you to know that if you leave now, while we remain here, the storm will not follow you. You can escape what is apt to be exceedingly ugly weather.”

Dug and Kim spoke together: ”No.”

”Spoken like true Companions,” Chlorine said ”But you will pay a price.”

”Let's get moving now.” Dug said ”But maybe you'd better park the Lemon and ride in the car with us. It'll be safer.”

Nimby shook his head. ”We'll ride it back,” Chlorine said. ”You told us how Edsel values it. We must return it to him in good condition.”

Dug looked again at the brooding cloud. ”You do have a point, but this could be dangerous. We could have it garaged here, to keep it safe. Cars are safer in storms.”

But Nimby would not yield. Chlorine knew that he had his own reasons, perhaps beyond her understanding, but surely valid.

The Neptune was ready. ”It's amazing how much damage a single storm can do, sometimes,” the mechanic said.

”Well, it's not a new car,” Dug said.

”This was independent of age. This car has been well cared for, but somehow the wiring-I've never seen this particular failure before. It's a fluke.”

”Just so long as it won't happen again.”

”Guaranteed. It's better than new now.”

Dug and Kim did what they had to, to settle the cost of the repair: they had something called insurance that made it easier. Then they drove the car out of the repair shop.

Nimby and Chlorine climbed on the motorcycle and joined them. ”Maybe Pia should ride in the car,” Kim called. ”It's going to be wet on the Lemon ”

”No, I'll stay with Ed,” Chlorine called back.

The storm looked worse than ever. It frightened Chlorine, but she clung to Nimby. She was not going to let him face it alone.

The Neptune turned south and followed the highway out of town. Most of the traffic was streaming the other way, into town, as Mundanes caught on that the weather was truly threatening. They were doing the sensible thing and heading for cover.

A gust of wind caught them. The cycle veered, then corrected course. Nimby had progressed from beginner to full competence at a rapid rate, and now could handle it very well. But she wondered why he had chosen to ride the Lemon, when he could have ridden in the safer car. Was it to spare the Companions some risk? She suspected not; there must be some way in which the motorcycle enhanced his own chances.

Lightning cracked close by, and thunder boomed out from it. Chlorine remembered c.u.mulo Fracto Nimbus, once the worst of clouds, and the show he could put on. But this was in drear Mundania, and that made it more frightening.

Rain came down, first a few big drops, then a pelting of medium drops, then an almost solid sheet of small ones. In one and a half moments they were soaked. The road looked slick and slippery. But Nimby pressed on. following the car. Chlorine s.h.i.+vered, and hated what it was doing to her hair. But what had she expected?

Lightning struck a tree ahead of the car, and a large branch crashed onto the road, blocking it. The Neptune's wheels skidded as it braked, and it almost didn't stop in time. The Lemon stopped beside it.

Chlorine was in contact with Nimby, so knew what he wanted her to know. ”Clear the branch; we'll distract the storm!”

”But we must stay with you!” Kim called back.

”We'll return soon.” And they were off, riding back along the road.

Nimby lifted one hand, reaching behind his shoulder. Chlorine realized he wanted to talk more specifically. She touched his hand with hers.

His thought came, but she couldn't believe if at first. ”You want me to drive this thing? But I don't know how.”

His further thought came, instructing her in the rudiments. He was serious. He needed time to think, to spread his Awareness, to find something he needed. But he couldn't pause, because the moment he did, the storm would catch him with a bolt of lightning. It wouldn't kill him, but could kill her, and knock out his body, costing them valuable time if his body was unconscious, away from the Companions, it might be days before they got together again, and Dearth would win.

The notion appalled her, but she would have to try to do it. To give Nimby the time he needed to be Aware. It was almost the only magic he retained, and he had to have the chance to use it.

But to control the motorcycle, she would have to get in front. How could they change places, without stopping?

She drew her feet up, setting them on the saddle beside Nimby. Then she clung to his shoulders and lifted her bottom, standing behind him, bent over his head, hanging on as the wet wind tore at her body. Then she hauled one foot up and over his shoulder, and the other. Now she was standing in front of him, reaching under herself to clutch at his shoulders, her panties in his face. If he had been a normal man, in Xanth. he would have freaked out and they would have sailed into a tree. She slid down his front to land in his lap. Then he slid back, and she took over the handlebars and pedals. He put his hands on her hips, and did not move again. He was tuning out.

She was controlling the machine! All she had to do was keep it going without spinning out of control and cras.h.i.+ng, until Nimby was through sensing. She didn't have to race, but in the driving rain the handling was treacherous. She tried to keep going straight, but veered to the left. She leaned and steered right, and veered too sharply right. The wheels went into the puddle that lined the side, sending up a spray and dragging; she felt the machine slow. But she managed to get it back into the center and straightened out.

Then something in the road loomed. Maybe a piece of branch, or an animal. She swerved around it, and veered too far left, into the puddle there. Again the water went up in a sheet, and the cycle slowed. She had to watch her reactions. But she was getting better control. Her confidence was increasing. This wasn't so bad.

Lightning struck right ahead. The flash blinded her. and the crack of it deafened her. She could neither see nor hear-but they were still hurtling forward.

She didn't have time to panic. She knew where the load was, and if she kept their balance, it would be all right until she recovered her senses. If she could just go straight. Was she going straight?

She felt the motorcycle slowing. That meant she had drifted to the side. But which side? She had to turn back into the road, but if she turned the wrong way, they would go off the road and crash She didn't dare go wrong-but which was right?

She used her ears which were starting to recover The splas.h.i.+ng seemed worse on the left, and the motorcycle seemed to be trying to drag that way. So she fought it. going straight, because she wasn't quite sure. Better to forge on through water than to turn the wrong way.

Her vision was returning around the glare blindness. She saw the road on the right, and moved that way, recovering speed. She had been correct! She was back in control. Then she wondered: had that lightning bolt been intended to strike them, and missed because she had gone too slowly? Or had it been meant to blind her, so that she would have to stop or crash? Would there be another?

Chlorine nerved herself and accelerated. She steered to one side, and then the other. She wanted to become a more elusive target, just in case. She also squinted, hoping to avoid any further blindness. However, Dearth did not seem to be trying very hard to stop them, maybe because they were going away from home. When they eventually turned back south, it was bound to get worse.

Nimby squeezed her hips. He was tuning back in. ”You want to take over?” she asked over her shoulder, and put one hand back.

He touched her hand: yes.

She was concerned how to change places again, as reversing her moves would be tricky. But he simply moved up. and she lifted to sit in his lap. his arms going around her to take over the handlebars. He had control now, and knew where he was going.

He swerved, splas.h.i.+ng through the puddle and onto a dirt trail that was now mud. The wheels slued and skidded, but the machine remained upright. The trail was sloppy, but navigable. Chlorine couldn't have done it, but Nimby seemed unconcerned.

Soon they went cross-country, zooming across a soggy field and up a wet slope. They intersected another road and followed it to a farmstead.

Nimby slowed the machine, and held his hand toward her. Chlorine touched it. and received a mindful of information. As she a.s.similated this, Nimby guided the Lemon to the farmhouse and stopped.

Chlorine got off. Then Nimby rode on, so as not to make a stationary target for lightning. Chlorine knew what she had to do.

She marched up to the farmhouse door and knocked. It opened after a moment, revealing a mature woman. ”Girl, you're soaking!” the woman exclaimed. ”Come in and get dry.”

”Thank you, but I must go out again in a moment. I must talk to your husband.”

The woman led her to a warm stove. The radiating heat was wonderful. A mature man approached. ”I'm Farmer Jones. What's a slip of a girl like you doing out alone in weather like this?”

”I am Pia,” Chlorine said ”My party is stalled on the road because of fallen wood. We need a pulley to haul it off. I would like to trade for yours.”