Page 113 of Iron Unicorn

The window plummeted and thumped to the ground. Drawing in a deep breath, I manifested iron, careful to build a scaffolding system sufficient to support our weight, constructing it to angle towards the wall. I secured the structure to the wall, created a bridge over the street, careful to avoid people and vehicles, and fashioned a tube over the length. As soon as it cooled enough to be safe, I installed a series of rollers to help propel the cart out of the palace.

“If we hired him to create roller coasters, engineers would be out of a job.” Olivia came over, and I fashioned a staircase for her. To make sure the cart didn’t go on a ride without everybody, I used more iron to secure it in place. She climbed in. “Hand me Aanya.”

Aanya scrambled up the stairs, and smiling at the enthusiastic girl, I picked her up and handed her over to Olivia. “There you go. Sit on Olivia’s lap and hold on tight to her arms, okay?”

“Okay!”

I held out my hand to the Texan queen. She came up the steps, stepping into the cart behind Olivia before saying, “Have fun stuck at my desk, babe. Can you schedule the rescue for in a few hours? I’m going to find a nice hotel room for us for the night. We’ll come back long enough for the dinner and play out the hero being rewarded afterwards.”

I chuckled at the queen’s flirtations.

“This isn’t a bad deal when I get to be lazy and rewarded for it. Please tell me normal keys work on these, Terry.”

I manifested keys that would fit the lock and tossed them across the room out of the king’s reach. Then, to make certain he didn’t get any ideas, I bolted the chair to the floor. “Sorry about the damage. I’ll help to repair it later.”

“Don’t you worry none about that. If I didn’t want to pay repair bills, I would not have invited a metalweaver into my house,” he replied. “Just give me the cards so I’m not bored to death.”

Holly brought over the cards before coming up the steps. “You go first, captive.” To make it clear that the tables had turned, she jabbed my side with her finger. “And no funny business with the cart.”

“I do not want to be hurt any more than you do, Holly.” I got into the cart, waited for her to get in behind me, and used my talent to give the contraption a nudge onto the incline. The slope and the rollers did as I’d intended, and while a rougher ride than I appreciated, everything held.

Aanya squealed her delight, ignored my request to hold on to Olivia, and clapped.

At the end, curious bystanders gaped, and a rather amused Queen Jessica bounced out, waved, and announced, “Shh, I’m escaping.”

That the Texans shook their heads and returned to their business amused me. Holly grasped the back of my neck and hauled me out of the cart. “Okay, Olivia. I’ve got the hostage.”

“Thank you, Holly. Actually, can you two pose for me?” Olivia waved her phone.

While I shook my head, I grinned at the insanity. The princess recruited a passerby to take a group photo. Once done, I placed my hand on the slide and began the process of relocating the iron to the sidewalk, using the slide to send the bars my way, dismantling it until only some holes in the ground and minor damage to the wall remained.

The effort exhausted me to the point I was grateful the women and young princess would be taking over. Once I had the whole mess barred and stacked, I dusted off my hands and admired my work.

Olivia snatched a bar and said, “This one is mine.”

Laughing, I reached out and manipulated the bar to put her name on it. “There.”

“Hey!” Jessica grabbed a pair of bars and held them out. “I want one, too. And one for Pat.”

I did as she wanted, and then I made one for Aanya and Holly as well, handing them over. To not be left out, I stamped one for myself and for Eddie.

Fortunately for my sanity, he showed up in a black SUV, halting nearby, reaching across the vehicle, and shoving the door open. “Thanks for the invite to the party, Mom.”

“You’re welcome, baby.” Jessica flung herself into the front passenger seat. “Shotgun!”

We piled in, and once everyone had their seatbelts on, Eddie merged into traffic. “Where am I taking us?”

“A good hotel that can tolerate us all having rooms. Apparently, I’m luring your father off after dinner tonight. I’d just lure him off, but I’d rather not offend our guest, especially since we have their daughter.”

Eddie heaved a sigh. “Please tell me that your parents okayed this, Aanya.”

“They did, Mr. Eddie. When they heard the Iron Unicorn was coming out to play, they thought I’d like to see his pretty magic. We got to ride a roller coaster!”

“I saw. That was a pretty impressive working, Terry. How are you holding up?”

“I could use a nap,” I admitted. “It’s been a rough day cleaning the palace and kidnapping a queen and two princesses. Thanks for the assist, Holly.”

“You’re welcome. How do you like my handiwork? Isn’t Terry a beautiful woman?”

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