“That’s not a yes.”
“Would you have believed me if I’d just said ‘yes’?”
Dy barked out a laugh.“A valid point.You’ve never lied to me, have you, Cha?Despite all the rest.”
“I’ve never lied to you and I never will.”
The sorceress hesitated, then visibly came to a decision.“I want you to promise me something.It’s important.”
Uh oh.“All right,” Cha replied evenly.
“Promise me you’ll be responsible.Every minute of the way, and back again.”
Cha nearly protested, but she caught the serious glint in Dy’s pretty blue gaze.And it was true: responsibility had never been Cha’s strong suit.“I’ll be responsible, every minute of the way and back again.”
“Promise.”
With a groan, Cha lifted her eyes to the sky.“IpromiseI’ll be responsible, every minute of the way and back again.”
“Thank you,” Dy said quietly.
“I believe we can do this,” Cha told her, happy to have that done with.“So what if it’s purple fae and ley lines that go bump in the night?We’ve never not made a delivery.We’re not going to screw up now.”
“We’re out of practice.”
“Rested,” Cha corrected.“Ready to blaze.”
Betty, as if understanding, lifted her trunk in a vigorous trumpet.From the far side of the cottage, Katu let out a purring yowl of agreement.
“The carriage-critters agree.Let’s ride.”
Dy held out a hand and they gripped forearms.“Bandit and Goldilocks, on the road again.”
*
Dy led Bettyaround to the ley-line driveway, the elephant lifting her ears and trunk in happy anticipation, a sprightly skip in her step.People argued about the ethics of enchanting the animals for use as carriages, but those who worked with the animals knew how much they loved the speed and excitement of riding the leys in more powerful, indestructible forms, maybe even more than the ley riders did.Only the fae knew how the actual enchanting worked, doing that bit of spell work in secret before selling the carriages to humans through various marketplaces.The bigger or faster the animal and carriage, the more expensive the price tag.
“Betty has missed our runs,” Dy commented, echoing Cha’s thoughts.
“The carriage-critters aren’t the sort to sit around any more than we are,” Cha replied, running her hand over the Katu’s wickedly curved fender.“They’re raised to run and trained with the best, just like us.Once you get a taste, you can’t get away from it.”
“I can vouch for that.”Dy guided Betty onto the ley line.The big elephant moved eagerly, caressing the currently inanimate jaguar with a thoughtful nuzzle of the flexible tip of her trunk, then stood stock still as the enchantment embedded in the ley line triggered the spell woven into Betty’s physiology.The prismatic magic shimmered over Betty’s gray and wrinkled hide as it became metallic, her body extending into a long, boxlike shape.Her head and shoulders clip-clapped into a shell, creating a cabin within.Feet tucked up, leaving the carriage bobbing some distance above ground before the motion settled out.
When the transformation was complete, all signs of Betty the elephant had vanished, replaced by the biggest transport rig on all the ley lines of all the human principalities.Maybe the fae realms too.Big Betty hummed quietly with power, ready to cruise the lines at full speed, empty or laden.Beside her, the jag picked up on the magic Dy had juiced into the ley-line spur, purring to similar life.The two carriages—Big Betty, huge and imposing, and the open-topped jag, low and sleek—shared a quintessential partnership.Like Cha and Dy, Katu and Betty had always been at their best working together.
“They look good together,” Dy commented quietly.
Cha threw her an appreciative grin.“Yeah, they do.”
Something gargled out a sound like a vomiting hound dog might make, and Warg ambled slowly up, belly dragging on the lavender-tipped grass and leaving a denuded trail behind.Basically a cross between a crocodile and a salamander—though in an unnatural shade of pink with violet, palm-sized spots—Warg had zero attractive qualities, but Dy squealed at the thing’s arrival, crouching to embrace the irascible creature and kiss its slimy cheek.“There you are,” she chided in a honeyed baby-talk she didn’t use with her own kids.“Have you been swimming in the swampy end of the pond again, sweetums?”
Judging by the reek, the answer was a definitive yes, but Cha heroically said nothing.With a grunt, Dy lifted the stinking Warg into the cab of Big Betty, staggering slightly under its unwieldy, long-tailed weight as the creature nearly overflowed her arms.Once inside, Warg showed considerably more alacrity, sitting up almost like a person, tail curved under its lumpy rump and wrapped around in a circle.It propped clawed front paws on the dashboard as it gazed eagerly out the front window, tongue lolling between yellowed, serrated teeth.
“Look how happy Warg is to get on the line again,” Dy exclaimed to Phinny as she joined them.Phin nodded, a sad smile gracing her strained face as she held out an overnight bag and food hamper.Dy went to kiss her wife and they embraced.
“You and Warg both look happy,” Phin noted, then turned to Cha.“You take care of her or I’m coming after you.”
“Of course, Phinny,” Cha replied, a somber promise.“Always have.Always will.”
