SAVING THE DAMSEL

Chapter 6 The Ride

Prison Garage:

Two officers dressed Blackstone in a casual gown inside the carriage.

Florence addressed the officers. "I'm not telling you where he is hiding for your safety."

"I have the emergency cabin near the woods in case, it doesn't work out," an officer said.

Florence applied makeup to Blackstone. He sparkled.

They left the prison, and the wide street twisted before them.

Their carriage weaved around couples celebrating the end of a street festival, and the last couple hugged under a tree decorated with string lights and paper rings.

Wendy cried, and she darkened the artificial sky to make it appear as if Blackstone was actually dead. It would be to hide from the troops, who'd use the stormy weather as an excuse to guzzle barrels of excess mead.

Dozens of younger troops played in the rain. Wendy changed the temperature.

The carriage stopped in front of the busy train station, and the officers fed the unicorns. 

Trains zipped along, and they waited for the prince's escape train to arrive.

Chatter among the well-dressed passengers disguised their thumping hearts, but the prince drew stares. 

The solar train used batteries to run in the shadow of darkness, and they waited. Trains received filtered sunlight through Wendy, no matter the weather, but it only snowed when enough children wanted a snow day.

Wendy lightly created snow, and the children received a day off.

Ticket takers dressed in black and red uniforms.

Florence, her brother, and the nurse lifted Blackstone into the solar train.

They fooled everyone.

Blackstone appeared to be a woman—and otherworldly beautiful.

Men handed him their numbers.

Edgar unloaded the heavy chair in the back with the badges as if it were a toy.

They entered the train. The compartment was only partially renovated, with the first three rows and images of the purple and pink flowers.

Florence monitored the prince's breathing.

A wooden floor replaced the translucent one, but the red and white stripes stopped halfway, revealing what appeared to be rest-colored drops of blood, where the new queen dispatched her mother.

Attendants twisted fairy lights and fake ivy across the metal bar underneath the overhead baggage.  

Edgar and the hospice nurse sat in the row across from Florence and Blackstone.

The train started moving over the tracks and picked up speed.

Blackstone coughed, and even his coughs were like music, soft and sweet.

Florence purchased Blackstone ginger soda from the lunch cart and gave him his pills.

A couple of Petunia's troop members burst into the cabin.

A large man adjusted his eye patch. "The queen wants her taxes." He shot a passenger with a laser gun and held a burlap bag open for valuables. "I'll turn the level up to cooked beef if you don't hand me the loot."

The victim clutched his side and handed the thief gems. "Please, don't kill me."

A female troop member grabbed wallets. "No credit cards. Every shop requires an ID now." She reached for Blackstone. "This girl is beautiful. Take her hostage. I bet her boyfriend will pay a fortune."