“Hit him,” Radley growled but Cricket shook her head.
“I’m not killing him. He has a right to be angry.” Cricket swerved, attempting to put distance between them, but the elf expected it. He dodged to the side, throwing himself on the hood of the car and latching on. The short blade in his hands scratched against the paint but Cricket hardly cared. She shrieked when he landed on the hood, swerving to dislodge him. At their speed, it was dangerous to swerve like this.
“The other elf is following,” Radley grunted, his eyes hard on the canary-eyed elf looking through the window. “Throw him!”
“I’m trying,” Cricket grunted. Swerving wasn’t helping and was only putting them in more danger as the road curved again. Her eyes widened as the elf reared back with his blade. If he stabbed it through the hood, there was no telling what he’d hit since there were weapons there. If he went for her, she would die easily by an elven blade. Their magic was potent enough. “The button! Radley, press the Vampire button!” She’d completely forgotten they could use weapons, and the only one that came to mind as useful was the one the Vamp King had gifted them.
Radley slammed his fist against the red button on the dash. Immediately, mechanisms on the car began to whir before, with a high-pitched whistle, small compartments opened around the car and wooden spikes the length of a banana went flying in all directions from the Ferrari. The Elven car swerved to avoid the majority of the spikes as it tailed them, but Cricket’s eyes were on the elf on the hood.
Spikes hit the elf and he grunted, his hands going to hold on better on the hood, but with one of the spikes in his abdomen, he couldn’t get a good grip.
Cricket slammed on her brakes and the elf went rolling off the hood. She winced at the shout of pain from the male, but it couldn’t be helped. She didn’t want to hurt him, but it was currently hurt or be hurt. If it came to a choice, Cricket would save herself and Radley. She wouldn’t die for grudges held against her name.
The elf struggled to drag himself to his elbows, opalescent blood leaking from his wounds to stain the white snow on the road. It was coming down so heavily, the tracks from the previous cars had already been covered. There were still four other teams they needed to pass. This was taking precious time.
“You’re going to pay for what your family has done,” the elf screamed, more blood dripping from the corner of his lips. When he bared his teeth savagely, they were stained with that blood. It made Cricket’s stomach turn.
The other elf stepped out of the car and moved to help him up in the road. They both stared at Cricket through the windshield, despite the falling snow, despite the Games. There was so much pain on their faces, she could barely stomach it.
Without saying a word to Radley, Cricket pulled the quick release for her harness and threw her door open.
“Cricket, no!” Radley snarled, reaching for her, but she was nimble and easily slipped out to face the two elves.
“I don’t know your friend,” she said, facing them. The cold immediately seeped into her bones, freezing through the jumpsuit she wore. With her helmet on, it protected a bit of her face but her nose immediately tingled with the cold. “But if you tell me more information, I can find her and help her. I don’t agree with the way things have been done—”
“Snake!” the second elf snarled. “Just like the rest of the Snapdragons!”
Cricket knew there were thousands of eyes watching. This entire race was being televised. There were likely cameras hidden through the snow that would be catching this entire scene and she wasn’t sure how much she should say, but she was racing for her freedom. The least she could do was make her own decisions.
“Wouldn’t you rather me help you than kill me?” Cricket tried again, holding her hands out innocently to her sides. She wasn’t holding a weapon though the blade Peri had given her was strapped to her thigh. When they both bared their teeth and held up blades, Cricket tipped up her chin. “I am not your enemy.”
The elf dripping blood spit the opalescent life fluid across the snow and snarled, “You’re everyone’s enemy.”
Sadness filled Cricket at his words. Was that how life would be? Would she be seen as the enemy no matter what she did?
Cricket opened her mouth to tell them she was sorry, but before she could, the sound of something slamming through the trees lining the road reached her ears. “Radley?” she whispered.
“I hear it,” he growled. “Get in the car, Cricket.”
But she tilted her head, furrowing her brows. Whatever it was, it was big, and she found herself taking a hesitant step back.
“Cricket, get in the car!” Radley growled. She heard his harness release, but her eyes were focused on the trees as the creatures came bursting through.
She gasped and stumbled backward as the two yetis leapt into the road and grabbed at the elves. They screamed and tried to run. The elf who’d taken a fall from their hood didn’t stand a chance. The moment his friend released him, he collapsed. He hadn’t even hit the ground before the closest yeti closed a fist around him and lifted him into the air before slamming him into the asphalt. His screams went silent instantly. The other yeti grabbed the second elf as he tried to get back to his car and dragged him across the road. Cricket watched in horror as he lifted the elf into the air and pulled him in half. The beast literally pulled him in half.
And the elf was still screaming. . .
“Get in the motherfucking car!” Radley screamed just as he curled claws into her hip and forcibly dragged her inside.
The yetis looked at them, as if realizing finally they were there and with a roar of excitement, rushed toward them. She fumbled with the door, her fingers numb from the cold, until it slammed, but the two yetis were rushing forward, converging on them. They wouldn’t have time to get away. Still, Cricket dropped the car in gear and tried. Her fingers were slowly warming up but not fast enough.
The horn in the distance sounded for the elves, but Cricket barely heard it over the roaring in her ears. The yetis were big enough, they’d easily smash the Ferrari. They were going to die.
“Fuck,” she cried as the wheels spun on the road. The yetis were getting closer, and the tires wouldn’t grab the road.
“Fucking go!” Radley screamed, his eyes wide in his helmet.
“I’m trying!” she screamed. “Weapons! Fire something!”
Radley seemed to remember he had weapons at his disposal and slammed his fist on one of the buttons. A rocket literally shot out of the hood of the car but both yetis looked at it and dodged to the sides, avoiding it before it exploded against the mountain side.
The car came out of nowhere from the opposite direction. No cars should be going backwards on the track, but when this one did, Cricket stared with wide eyes. It was cerulean blue, and there was only one creature that drove a blue car. It slammed into the legs of the two yetis, taking them off balance and making them scream before they took off into the trees at the sudden threat. The car slammed to a stop against the opposite tree line, crunching it beyond repair, taking it out of the race.
Cricket eased off the gas and stared at it before glancing at Radley. The car was clearly totaled but the horn hadn’t sounded. Whoever was inside, whoever saved them, was still alive, but Cricket wouldn’t make the mistake of getting out of the car again. So they waited.
The goblin team came out of the blizzard, following the blue car obviously, shouting as they hung out the windows. They were going the opposite direction but that was normal for the goblins. As they sped by, assuming they were stranded, they threw something sticky out the window for it to splatter across their windshield. It didn’t hurt them, wasn’t anything other than syrup, so when Cricket used the windshield wipers, it scraped it mostly away.
Finally, the kelpie stepped out of her mutilated car and faced them. Mazu Quing was a legend in the races. She’d survived race after race, never quite winning, but driving in them as if she literally enjoyed them. She never raced with a partner, choosing to race alone, and when her black eyes met Cricket’s through the windshield, Cricket had the sudden instinct to trust her.
Cricket kicked open her door. “Get in!” she shouted, not willing to leave her there to get eaten by yetis when they came back. She’d saved them after all.
“Are you fucking insane?” Radley growled. “She could kill us!” He turned to look over his shoulder at the small space in the back of the car. It wasn’t a seat exactly, simply a small crawl space. “We don’t even have room for her.”
“She won’t kill us, and she doesn’t need much room. I’m not leaving her here after she clearly helped us.”
Mazu came around the car and Cricket stepped out, flipping her seat forward for the kelpie to climb in. Most of the supernatural world feared kelpies. They were near impossible to kill sure, but there was also little known about their powers except for they came from the water. But Cricket didn’t flinch as Mazu brushed by her and climbed into the back of the car.
Cricket climbed back in and closed the door, turning the heater up and twisting to look at the kelpie folded into the small space. Radley was staring at her, a blade in his hand in case she attacked. Mazu’s eyes studied it before looking between them.
Finally, the kelpie met Cricket’s eyes. “Danica sends her love.”