Destined To Die

Chapter 26 - Ties That Bind

-26-

-Ties That Bind-

The car sped through the northern countryside at breakneck speeds, handling the sharp turns with practiced ease, a combination of its inherent manoeuvrability and Abigail's skill behind the wheel. The witch was openly whooping as they tore through the countryside, windows down, a cold wind rushing through the car. They'd spent most of the day driving through England, stopping only to refuel, wired on the energy of being so close to the end.

"We fuckin made it, baby!" Abigail called out of the window, her voice mostly drowned out by the roar of the engine, the wheels sticking like glue to the weathered backroads as they tore through the north of Scotland, making a beeline for the coast.

"Well unless you know a spell that turns this into a submarine, we're not there yet," Maddy shouted in reply, using a hand to try and keep her bleached hair from whipping into her mouth.

"Details, details! We just get a boat and we're golden."

Akane kept an eye on the horizon behind them, watching as heavy clouds rolled in fast from the southeast.

"Trouble," Akane muttered, watching the thunderheads in the distance.

"Oh, it's raining half the time in the UK," Abigail waved him off, looking in the rear-view mirror and taking a hard corner that jolted them all in their seats, "Lighten up, Akane."

He said nothing, keeping an eye on the horizon as they made their mad dash towards the coast. It wasn't the rolling clouds alone, just a mounting sense of unease the closer he got towards their goal. Things were beginning to draw to a close; somehow that wasn't a settling thing to know.

"I don't like the idea of being on the sea in that," Maddy commented, holding on to either side of her seat, following Akane's gaze.

"We'll beat it," Abigail smiled, the car coming over a rise in the hilly countryside, revealing the wide stretch of water beyond, the distant isle that was their goal just barely visible on the horizon.

The road stretched on, curling tight around along the coastline, just along the water. The bright green sports car raced along the thin road, walls of mossy stone stacked up on either side, tightly packed onto either side of the road, which at this point was unmarked and almost single lane.

Low waves broke against the rocky shoreline, the sea relatively calm as the sun began to sink down beyond its zenith. Far ahead, perched along a short stretch of open sand, was nestled a cluster of buildings that looked like they'd been built in the early-80s and hardly maintained since. They drew closer, slowing as the asphalt gave way to a smooth track of packed earth, more suited to trucks than sports cars, the peeling paint all along the cluster of the buildings becoming evident.

"Nice place," Maddy muttered, the roar of the engine fading to a low rumble, faces peering through windows on each side, people moving out of the way as the car pulled into the small harbour, "Drawing a lot of attention, aren't we Abigail?"

"That's kinda the idea at this point," Abigail replied, flashing a wide grin, "Akane, throw on a jacket and bag the swords. Don't want to scare the locals. Maddy, how much money do we have left?"

Akane wordlessly unbuckled the scabbards from his back, stuffing them into a bag and covering the top half of his armour with a loose hoodie. The greaves and lightly armoured boots were still plain to see, but at a passing glance he should be able to pass just fine. Not ideal, but workable.

"One thousand, two hundred and seventy-one Pounds," Maddy said once she'd finished counting their money, the dismay clear in her voice. They'd started with so much, burning through it quickly in just a few days.