Thread: Meet the Author [Goody + incendo]

There was a lot Mahon didn't quite get and he struggled hard to make sense of it. The carriage explanation was the hardest. He didn't know what she meant by engine, wondering curiously if the carriage was armored because it was a machine of war. And the way she spoke of it having the power of horses definitely made it sound magic especially the fact that the entire thing responded to and obeyed the key she held. As far as Mahon knew, keys unlocked doors, chests, lockets, and other locked items. And the carriage made noise and moved on command but he couldn't see the mechanisms by which she was forcing it to do so. He decided that for now, it was the easiest thing to drop, being the least pressing and most confusing thing. Mara had his attention when she explained lying to other people about him and the fact that her motives were to protect him weren't necessarily the highlight. She knew of him, mysteriously but she was unaware of his journey. He was all too willing to help her if it helped her also clear up things for him as well. I am not sure exactly what it was but I know how I got here at least, he said, shrugging softly, the metal plates of his shoulder armor clinking as they slid together with the motion. I was fighting the Demon Lord in his castle, ready to kill him when a bright bloom of light appeared in the throne room with us. At first, it just hovered there, throbbing with power but a tunnel of light appeared in its center and sucked us both in. I do not think it was Gammon's magic. He accused me of creating it and when we were in the tunnel together, he was screaming just as fearful as I. I do not know where he is, if he's even in America too. He was not in the gardens with me when I woke. When Mara spoke low, Mahon still caught what she said, and he removed his helmet, having grown hot again with it on and feeling safer now that danger had passed. Incredibly tall, even in the seat, he had to tip his head forward to remove it, his knuckles an inch or two away from the ceiling as he ran a gloved hand over his sweaty, disheveled curls. I do not know what that means, he sighed softly, mildly frustrated but accepting that his learning in this strange land would take time. He was willing to put in the effort. As the carriage moved, Mahon tensed, his hand reaching out to brace against the dashboard, absently knocking Jenna's card to the floor between his knees. His breathing grew shallow and rapid, his green eyes wide as he watched them move quickly along the road. More carriages appeared and Mahon grimaced in agitation, feeling trapped, his other hand releasing his helmet to reach out and grab Mara protectively across the front, unknowingly cupping her breasts. The carriage stopped before it hit anything and he relaxed, his gloved thumb getting caught in her top, accidentally stroking her nipple before he pulled away, panting softly but smiling in amazement as he watched the complex dance of the carriages moving along the roadway in concert. Looking out his own window, Mahon began flinching harshly every time they passed other carriages parked beside the road, his perspective putting them awfully close to the door by which he sat. In his eyes, they were speeding faster than any carriage he'd ever ridden in, almost as fast as a horse, indeed. But they were contained within the safety of the armored shell, passing things very closely, almost making him feel like they were bearing down on them. And people and other carriages were often in the pathways, the carriage stopping of its own accord, avoiding them with efficient precision. Coming to a stop finally, Mahon whipped his head around to look at her in question, bereft that the exhilarating ride had come to an end. Looking out the windows, he didn't understand where they were, everything looking very much the same as elsewhere in the city he'd been. Where have we arrived, m'lady? he asked warily, his fingers stroking idly over his helmet, debating putting it back on.