Page 30 of Iron Unicorn

“Considering that I was given over a week to scheme, yes. I’m certain there are things that happened while you were sleeping on that job that you might want to know about. I have made a few decisions, and I am working on implementing them as plans.”

I was doomed, and if her plans involved Texas, the entire kingdom might fall to her wicked ways. “Please don’t kill anyone undeserving.”

She laughed and raised her cup. “I can do that, but that’s all I’m promising.”

As something beat nothing, I accepted the concession, reached over, and tapped my coffee cup to hers. “Good enough. Do you know anything about the horses we’ll be riding tomorrow?”

“We’re going to have fun. From my understanding, we have made mistakes, and we have to prove to the Texans we can handle horses with minds of their own. We’re both going to be wearing helmets, but I talked them out of the safety vests. I think they misinterpreted your request for steady to mean rambunctious. But hey, in good news, you’ll be getting plenty of exercise.”

Why me? “It could be worse, I suppose.”

“If you say so, Terry.”

“Unless someone tells my queen about the squirrel, it could get worse.”

“Well, let’s just say if you take a fall on this trip or fail to show those Texans who are boss, shewillbe finding out about You Furry Little Bastard.”

Was there anything more ruthless or cruel than a Montana royal? “Somehow, I will make you pay for that, Olivia. I don’t know how, but I am not taking this abuse of my person lying down.”

“If you say so, Terry,” she repeated, and her smirk promised hell to come.

Knowing her, she’d make me enjoy the ride even when I wanted to yank out my hair, kick rocks, and otherwise behave in fashions unsuitable for a member of the RPS. No matter what I said, I’d lose, so I drank my coffee and acknowledged she’d won the battle. “I will take the abuse to my person upright in the saddle, if you please.”

“Three times is clearly the charm.” With her brightest smile plastered on her face, Olivia got to her feet and headed for the tent. “If you say so, Terry. I’m going to get ready for bed. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. I brought a book for you, so get in your hour of reading, else you might be the one who deserves the title of Monster of Montana.”

* * *

The next timea Texan informed me I would be hiking, I would accept the reality of the situation: I battled through an obstacle course, and the Texan RPS agents were determined to make me work to beat them. After the first ambush, which involved Eddie jumping at me from behind a rock, I’d armed myself with a metal short staff, which was the only tool I needed to dump my assaulters onto the ground.

I almost felt bad for tossing Eddie over my shoulder, and only a last moment twist had spared Olivia from being flattened. As for the others, if they hadn’t wanted me to leave them on the ground in my wake, they wouldn’t have made the mistake of putting the younger agents up to bat first.

There were only so many places RPS agents could hide in the terrain, and more often than not, their shadows betrayed them. As Olivia predicted, the hike exhausted me, although I blamed the incessant stream of RPS agents for the worst of it.

The woman wouldn’t stop laughing, and every dour look I shot in her direction encouraged her further.

According to the watch the Texans had forced me to wear, which paired with my phone and monitored my health, three miles had become five, and I’d taken enough steps to please the royal physicians. “Cruel and unusual punishment is illegal in the Royal States.”

“There is nothing cruel about physical therapy, and it isn’t a punishment.” She pointed at a slight incline with a few more rocks likely hiding RPS agents. “We should be meeting our horses over the ridge.”

“How did you even find terrain like this?”

“The RPS picked it specifically to test your endurance. You’re doing a lot better than everybody thought you’d do. We were expecting two miles and a great deal of whining. Instead, you’ve beaten the snot out of the Texans with your stick.”

I smiled and tapped the short staff against the ground. “Think I’ve damaged their pride yet?”

Olivia gestured to her ear as a reminder she was linked into the RPS channel. “I wouldn’t say you’ve damaged their pride yet, but they’re questioning how you, as sick as you were, could still be in good physical condition. You’re suppressed, so magic isn’t playing a role.”

“I mean, I’m exhausted, and I really hope we aren’t riding far today.”

“We’re riding for about a mile. The RPS has picked the campground for tonight, and they’re setting everything up. We get to just relax and have a good time as soon as we reach the camp. Tomorrow night, we’ll be racing to a hotel on horseback. It’s our first evasion scenario. Their goal is to get you out of the saddle. Your goal is to stay in the saddle.”

“And you?”

“I’ll get to enjoy being yanked out of the saddle. I’m to play a distressed damsel if I’m caught. If they catch me and not you, the next scenario is a rescue mission.”

“Go get caught,” I ordered, lifting my chin and marching up the incline so I could get on with the next part of my day. “That sounds a great deal more entertaining than being the one caught.”

She laughed. “Terry! That’s not how this works.”

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