Rundimahair: A new hero for a new adventure by Larry Forkner (summer books .TXT) 📗

“We haven’t got a prayer of losing them on these back roads,” Aengus said.

“We don’t have to lose them, Granda. “Just try to stay ahead of them until help arrives.”

“You’re that sure that help is on the way?” Aengus asked.

“You know Eamon and Ashling better than I do,” Ailbe said.

“Right you are girl. If they said help is coming, then it’ll be here,” Aengus said.

“It actually looks like they are farther back than they were a few minutes ago,” Ailbe said, looking through the truck’s rear window.

“I was thinking the same thing, but I don’t understand why. We’re barely keeping our speed above fifty on these winding roads,” Aengus said.

When they came around a wide, slightly uphill turn in the road, Aengus said, “That’s the why of it right there in front of us.”

Ailbe turned to look through the front windshield and felt her hopes for escape sink. A half mile ahead was a highway patrol car, with red lights flashing, parked in the middle of the road. There was also an eighteen-wheeler truck lying on its side. The truck was blocking both narrow lanes of traffic.

“We’re in the soup and the fire’s getting hotter,” Aengus grumbled.

“I hate to think what’s hiding behind that truck,” Ailbe said.

“Aye, they won’t make a fair fight of it for sure,” Aengus said. “You can bet your bottom dollar they’ve got us outnumbered ten to one.”

“They’re coming up fast behind us too,” Ailbe said.

“They’ve got us trapped now, so there’s no point in hanging back,” Aengus said. “I know I’ve held you back on using your magical talents, my dear. It’s not that I didn’t want you to develop your gifts. I just wanted you to learn how to do things with your own two hands and not always rely on magic.”

“I know, Granda, I know.” Ailbe said, while patting his shoulder.

“Well then my dearie, they’ll be no holding back from either of us this night. If it’s magic you’ve got, then now’s the time to use it!” Aengus shouted, as he accelerated to full speed and rammed his sturdy, old truck dead center into the highway patrol car.

The collision caused a huge fireball to explode all around the two vehicles. It quickly spread to the eighteen-wheeler, causing its large gas tank to explode moments later.

Ailbe and Aengus were no longer in the pickup when it struck the patrol car. She had the ability to move from one place to another in seconds, and she used it to great effect just before the collision. To anyone watching, it would seem that she had simply disappeared. In reality, she had moved to another location. If she was touching another person when she disappeared, they would simply go with her. She’d taken Aengus’ hand in hers, just before disappearing.

“Good to know you can still move about at will,” he said, once they reappeared, on a stone ledge, fifty feet to the left of the fiery crash.

“It does come in handy at times,” Ailbe agreed. “I just wish I could push us farther away.”

“That will come with time, dear girl. With Ashling as your teacher, I’ve no doubt you’ll be moving from one continent to another before you reach your thirtieth birthday.”

“I hope you’re right, Granda, but I wish I didn’t have to wait until I’m old,” Ailbe said.

Aengus barked out a laugh and said, “Thirty is still a babe in arms, in our world, my dear girl. Now let’s move on and see what we can do about avoiding a fight to the death with these creatures from the pit of hell.”

“Keep in mind I can only push us through space a couple of times before my reserves of strength are worn down. It could be an hour before I can do it again. Maybe we should hold on to the second one for an emergency exit,” Ailbe said.

“When you’re right, you’re right, Ailbe. Let’s try to slip away on foot before they get that fiery wreck under control.”

As they walked down the back side of the ledge, Ailbe asked, “Do you have any warrior powers that I don’t know about?”

“Sad to say that I don’t,” Aengus said. “My powers always lent themselves to working with the earth under our feet. I could always grow almost anything, and I used my powers to grow them in abundance. I’ve always loved working on the land, but growing a carrot larger than any man has ever seen isn’t much use in a battle.”

“It depends on how big you grow it,” Ailbe said, smiling.

“Then there’s the problem of how long it takes to grow it,” he said.

“So it is with me,” she said. “Other than moving us from one place to another, most of my powers are more on the artistic side of things.”

“I suppose we’re not much good in a fight, but we do make the world a better place to live in. If only we could ever get everyone to stop fighting,” Aengus said.

“Well said, Granda,” she replied. “Although there is one other skill that Ashling has been helping me develop.”

“And that might be…?”

“Communication over distance. It’s a bit like moving myself about. Only it’s my mind’s thoughts that travel.”

“How far can you communicate with your mind then?” he asked.

“To be perfectly honest, I don’t know. I’ve communicated, mind to mind, with Ashling quite a bit. The best we’ve done so far it’s from one side of Rundimahair to the other.”

“Very impressive, my dear girl. I had no idea you could do such a wonderful thing. I suppose you tried to contact her once we knew we were being followed.”

“Oh aye, I’ve tried many times, but I don’t think I was successful.

“You don’t think you were?”

“For a moment or two I thought I’d touched her mind, while we were still in the truck. I could even see her sitting in her kitchen. It was only a for a couple of seconds that I could feel her mind touch mine.”

“Do you suppose you should