“So what’s the plan?” Cat asked. At the blank looks she got she clarified, “With Lily. Did you fix her yet?”

  Amanda lowered her voice. “Not yet but I bought her some time.”

  “I don’t think she can be fixed,” Kass said quietly. She quickly dropped her eyes when Amanda shot a sharp glance her way though.

  “I mean, we can’t just kill a little girl,” Falco replied with a frown.

  “No but maybe we should look at getting some help from someone who knows what they’re doing,” Zephyr added. “Someone who can watch her full time.”

  Amanda shook her head. “She’s safer with us.”

  The slight clench of Sirius’s jaw suggested he wasn’t quite so sure.

  Falco nodded in agreement though and Indi seemed happy enough. Zephyr looked worried and Kass kept her eyes on the table, silently saying nothing.

  “So, what’s the plan then?” Cat repeated. She figured if Amanda trusted her kids around Lily then there wasn’t an issue. Besides it sure as hell would be better than trusting any of the authorities.

  “I want to go to Wtichaven,” Amanda answered.

  They were interrupted then by the arrival of food. “Oh, fuck!” Cat exclaimed at the sight of pancakes topped with cream and bacon and more than one kind of fruit. For a few minutes she focused on stuffing her face not caring how she looked to the others.

  Halfway into the meal and with food still in her mouth she remembered what Amanda had said and she asked, “Why Witchaven?”

  “I spoke to Lily’s father-”

  Cat frowned. “You found him

  “Well, he’s dead.”

  “Ah.”

  “Coal killed him. But before he died, for the uh second time, he mentioned that there was someone in Witchaven who might be able to help Lily. Someone they’d planned to meet there.”

  “Wait a sec,” Cat held up her fork. “Coal killed Lily’s father but he hasn’t killed Lily yet?”

  Amanda’s face took on the expression of a mother grizzly bear. “Probably because he knows I’d light him up like a bonfire if he touched her.”

  Cat shook her head. “No way, if Coal wanted her dead she’d be dead. He can be subtle when he wants to be, make it look like an accident. You’d never know it was him.”

  “If she died I’d know it was him,” Amanda replied definitively.

  Falco chuckled and said to Cat, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s going out of his way to keep Lily alive just so Amanda doesn’t flambe him.”

  “Mmm, then if he isn’t offering a solution for her condition it suggests there probably isn’t one,” Cat pointed out.

  “Just because he doesn’t have one doesn’t mean there isn’t one,” Amanda replied.

  Cat met her fierce gaze and wanted to call bullshit, not because she thought Amanda was lying but because she knew the woman wasn’t an idiot. Blinded by love for the kid perhaps but not an idiot. What was the alternative though? She didn’t want to know what Kass’s suggestion was going to be and if anyone had a shot at saving Lily with some rare magic solution it was probably Amanda. Coal had resources and money but he didn’t have Amanda’s aptitude for magic. So Cat just nodded. She’d go along with whatever plan Amanda had as long as there was any chance at saving Lily, and maybe even if there wasn’t. The kid deserved someone to fight for her. Every kid deserved that. It was more than she’d ever had.

  Indi clapped her hands together. “Road trip!” she declared.

  “When are we leaving?” Cat asked Amanda.

  “Right away would be better,” Amanda said, “But Tuesday’s the current plan. Give everyone time to sort shit in case we’re gone awhile.”

  Cat nodded. Either now or Tuesday worked for her. Her business ran itself. She’d check in on them, let them know she’d be gone awhile, then check out again. “How are we getting there?”

  Amanda met Cat’s gaze with a soft smile. “Driving,” she replied.

  Cat tried not to look too excited. Last time they’d driven part of the way with Coal jumping them past the dangerous part of the dragon mountains but that had been in a shitty van. The look on Amanda’s face and her dislike of the aristocrat suggested this time they wouldn’t be skipping the dangerous part. Cat loved that road, every damn inch of it. The thought of it made her whole body itch to get back in a car and put pedal to metal. There was one problem though. There were at eight of them which meant more than one driver. “Whose cars?” Cat asked. She couldn’t help the smirk that crept onto her face. It would be her cars, she knew that. Zeph’s car was fast but it was in good condition at the moment and Cat had faster ones in her garage. Zeph was not going to be inclined to risk scratching up his paintwork like he had last time he’d travelled that route, back when they’d first met.

  “I’m guessing you have a couple in mind?” Falco said to Cat with smirk.

  Cat grinned. This day just got better and better.

  “I want to bring Lily with us as well,” Amanda said.

  No one objected on that point.

  “Who’s going to drive the second car?” Falco asked.

  The answer was obvious. Cat knew Zeph was a better driver than Falco and that he’d actually driven that road before at least once even if he’d had the car slightly clawed in the process, but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. “I think we should have a race to decide. Tomorrow, my place.”

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  Amanda gave her a disapproving look but didn’t object.

  Indi’s eyes lit up. “Fun!” she declared.

  Zephyr frowned.

  “You can bring your car or borrow one of mine,” Cat told him with a purr.

  “What time?” Kass asked.

  “4pm,” Cat decided. That would give her the day to get some work done and tune things. Plus the race track could probably use some prep. It wasn’t representative of a real road. It was more like a rally track, dirt and mud and all that. That fact probably made it somewhat unsuitable to decide who would drive through the dragon mountains if it had been a real competition but it would be enough of an indication and Cat was pretty confident of who would win. The race was more for her amusement than anything else.

  Plans were made, dates were set. Cat had a few vehicles prepared, at least three track-ready cars plus her own, the latter of which was the fastest she knew but none of them were going to be driving that one.

  To her surprise, both Amanda and Sirius turned up.

  At Cat’s raised eyebrow Amanda shrugged. “Figured it was worth a watch. If we’re going to select a second driver this way I want to make sure it’s actually a reasonable competition.”

  With a similar shrug Sirius added, “Figured I might as well give it a go.”

  “Alright, well, you get three laps to get a feel for the track and then I start timing,” Cat told them. She waved at the three cars she’d parked near the edge of the track. They were each a different colour and all were made for the rally track. They were not what would be driven through the dragon mountains but she’d deal with that later. There was an orange one, a yellow one, and a green one, all cheap, witch-made knock-offs, and a little dented but otherwise quick with tight handling. “Pick a car, any car. Once we start timing I’ll space you all out a bit but for now it shouldn’t matter much.”

  Amanda shared a glance with Sirius, shrugged, and then they each took one car out onto the track. Cat figured it didn’t actually matter how many laps prep they got.

  Wolf showed up next, closely followed by Indi and Falco. Falco walked around the remaining green car, checking it out, or at least pretending to check it out. Cat wasn’t sure how much he actually knew about cars. Although, apparently his mother was a bit of a petrol head. She’d never been a driver though, more of an enthusiastic spectator.

  “This is so fun,” Indi said. She walked up the small bank that overlooked the race track to take in the view.

  “They let you out,” Wolf remarked to Cat in a strange tone, maybe relief. Relief was a weird emotion on Wolf. Had he actually been worried?

  “Do you even have a licence?” Cat retorted.

  “Don’t need a licence to drive,” Wolf replied.

  That was true for this region. Driving licenses were something only the inland cities tended to require. That didn’t change the fact that Cat was pretty sure the number of times Wolf had been behind a wheel was still single digits.

  Indi came back down and joined Falco by the car. Cat could hear Falco giving her tips, simple basic tips and some questionable ones. Cat rolled her eyes. He was such a poser.

  Zeph though. Zeph knew about cars. Not as much as she did, but enough. Just when she was starting to wonder where he was, he pulled up in his silver skyline.

  “You taking that on the track?” Cat asked. It would be faster than the rally cars but harder to handle. She was curious to see how he’d compare at driving the two. She was distracted from his answer when a second person stepped out of his car. Some prissy woman with red hair that hung down to the top of her butt. She was skinny like a stick insect skinny.

  Cat scowled. Sure, she’d been the one to end things with Zeph and his pining annoyed her, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a part of her that secretly liked having his attention to herself.

  “This is Arianna,” Zephyr said, introducing the woman who had come with him.

  “Hi,” Arianna said brightly.

  Cat scowled but gave the woman a nod. She looked like a strong wind could snap her in two and she sounded kinda meek.

  Then again, Kass had given the same first impression but Kass was... something else. Cat wasn’t sure what. Kass appeared small and shy the way she ducked her eyes like a little mouse and blushed bright pink at the slightest teasing but under pressure... Cat thought back to their last visit to the facility. The way Kass had looked when she’d taken out that guard by the fence. Her expression had been blank then, and ice cold, more like a snake, sharp, keen, and quick. It was confusing, like a pampered princess who could switch to a cold-blooded killer with the flick of a button. The contrast intrigued Cat.

  Arianna didn’t look like that. Her eyes were grey but even they somehow looked warm. Cat didn’t hold out much hope that this woman would prove anywhere near as interesting.

  Still, she thought sadly about her dead friend, Natasha. The necromancer who upon first meeting had also appeared overly prissy but surprisingly knowledgeable about cars and the finer points of tailoring. She’d been interested in not just the superficial look of things but the finer points of their construction too. Cat kind of missed her. Future track days wouldn’t be the same without her.

  Only time would tell if this new woman was worthy of Zeph. Time and a little hazing, something Cat was only too happy to indulge in.

  “Do you race?” Cat asked Arianna.

  Arianna shook her head. “I’ve been on the track a few times back home but mostly just for fun.”

  Her smile was hesitant and her answer neither lost or won Cat over. So she’d driven on a race track. It probably just meant she was rich. She looked rich. Cat would be able to judge her better once she got behind the wheel.

  She explained the plan to the group and then walked up the hill to start timing Amanda and Sirius’s laps. After a few runs she brought out a whiteboard and wrote the fastest times for each person up on it. Then the drivers swapped cars.

  Falco took the third car out first. Then Indi, Arianna, and Wolf had a go. For some reason Zephyr didn’t seem that keen.

  Kass showed up late, just as Falco swapped with Indi.

  “I was starting to think you’d gotten trapped in the dreamworld again,” Cat remarked only barely resisting the urge to call Kass, ‘princess.’ She’d save that one for later when she really wanted something to hit hard. And maybe not in front of Amanda and Sirius. She wasn’t that mean, at least not today. The fresh air combined with the smell of petrol had put her in a good mood.

  “I was just finishing up some work. Putting things where I can leave them for a few weeks. I managed to get some time off for a bit,” she explained.

  “How are you feeling?” Amanda asked.

  “Fine,” Kass replied as she took a seat on the back with them to watch the others.

  Cat returned her focus to timing. Falco wasn’t too bad but just as she’d expected he would be no competition for Zephyr. Even though Zeph hadn’t raced today yet, she’d timed him on this track before and she knew what he was capable of.

  Arianna wasn’t too bad either. She wasn’t a racer that was for sure but she was faster than the average person and her times weren’t that far behind Falco’s. Indi and Sirius were slower but had similar times to each other, with Indi being the slightly faster of the two except for the lap where she accidentally put her car into the bushes and had to be towed out.

  “This is fun,” Arianna remarked as she swapped with Wolf and came and sat awfully close to Zephyr.

  Zephyr nodded but he looked on edge for some reason.

  “Oh my god, it’s so bumpy and my hands are all like arrgh,” Indi declared with a giggle as she threw herself down on the bank as if exhausted. Unable to lie still she was sitting up again a moment later though.

  “Alright, you two get!” Cat nodded at Zephyr and Kass to take their turns.

  Kass was already half way down the bank. Wolf tossed her the keys on his way up and she caught them easily. He’d stalled the car on his first few attempts but had eventually managed to get a few laps in as well as the slowest time of the day so far, far far slower than any of the others.

  Zephyr hesitated.

  Cat narrowed her eyes at him. It was almost like he didn’t want to race. That wasn’t like him at all.

  Finally he got to his feet and started off slowly down the bank.

  “Keys are in the ignition,” Indi told him as she watched with bright and eager eyes, keen to see the next participants take their turns.

  Falco glanced back at the board with a satisfied smile. So far he was winning. Cat would wipe that smile off his face later though, if Zephyr didn’t do it first.