Wil had only gotten to drive a car a few times in his life. They had been during his last two years at the academy, when Ferrovani’s breakthrough had been a hot topic among the students. The first time had been with a normal combustion engine. It had been a slow, rickety thing that shook violently and made Wil feel seconds away from it exploding on him. Danger aside, it was a lot of fun.

The second car, one gifted to the academy by Ferrovani himself, had been on display for all of the graduate students to try. The moment Wil sat behind the wheel and used his own magic to power it on was one of those memories that stuck with him forever. The feeling of awareness of all the little enchantments woven into every aspect of its design had been eye opening. Together, it carried Wil through his final runic project.

Screaming down the far end of the grounds in Ferrovani’s prototype Model F-Kappa blew both the other cars out of the water.

“Careful,” Thomas warned him, but he was laughing. He had one hand on the handle on the ceiling and another on a mostly empty bottle of whiskey. “Don’t flip us over!”

“I got this,” said Wil, spinning the wheel. They briefly went up on two tires before the weight of the car slammed them back down to the ground. The spinning tires flung snow everywhere, making yet another messy pile for the groundskeepers to later clean up. He’d feel bad about it later; it was too much fun to worry about now.

Every part of the car was alive and in the forefront of his senses. Whatever Ferrovani did with his prototype, it came with more inlaid spells than Wil ever would’ve guessed. Everything from the basic runic configurations needed to make the car go, to extrasensory information. With one switch pressed, Wil could sense everything within two to three feet of the vehicle and see it in his mind’s eye.

It had been the only thing keeping him from clipping through a frozen over topiary animal early on in the drive. What a surprise it had been, going too fast and then suddenly seeing a six foot tall bunny in his head with only seconds to swerve out of the way. That, along with the lights, sound muffling, silent running, and seat warmers had Wil ready to buy one of his own.

“You want to drive on the lake?” Thomas said, cutting through the gleeful fog in Wil’s head. He pointed to the approaching lake, not quite fully frozen.

“Are you kidding?” Wil asked, laughing. “I’m not prepared to drown or freeze to death tonight, thank you.”

“No, I mean it,” Thomas insisted. He pointed to a switch on the dashboard, one of a dozen. This one was marked with three wavy lines for water. “It might be a bit draining, but it’s fun. Trust me, I worked hard on the feature!”

Wil hesitated, then shrugged and went along with it. Why not? So far, meeting the divination master had been a welcome reprieve from silence and boredom. He grabbed the whiskey from Thomas and took a swig before flicking the switch.

The drain on his power, so far light but constant, intensified until Wil had to take notice. The car moved over the snow easier, and right before they hit the water, Wil was reminded of the sleds he had made. Then the wheels hit the water and the car jerked and bounced on the surfaces, speeding through water and over small islands of ice.

Wil’s senses went wild, detecting every chunk of ice, as well as the fish in the water frantically swimming to escape from the speeding vehicle. The drain on his magic went from being incidental to something he knew he could only keep up for a couple of minutes before faltering.

“Hey,” said Thomas, laughing as he looked out the windshield, “you’re not allowed off the grounds, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

He pointed. “Because the lake is at the edge of the property, and I can see the other side now.”

A flash of cold that had nothing to do with the weather pierced Wil. The end of the lake rushed to meet them. They no doubt had a tracking spell on him that would alert them if he left. He spun the wheel hard, willing the car to turn. Unfortunately, he didn’t break.

The wheels turned but the momentum carried him across a patch of ice, sending the car careening wildly alongside the shore. They spun, but the enchantments held and the wheels never left the water. They kept spinning until they crashed into a snowbank on the edge of the lake.

Thomas applauded enthusiastically, careful not to spill a drop of whiskey. “Excellent stop!”

“But I crashed,” said Wil. The drain lessened now that they weren’t moving, but it lingered.

“Are you hurt?”

Wil shook his head, closing his eyes at the way the world continued to spin.

“Well then, it’s fine! Anything you can walk away from, right?” Thomas elbowed him in the side. “But we should get this back to the workshop before we damage it. I can justify some wear and tear, but…”

Wil motioned to the steering wheel. “You want to take us back? I think the whiskey’s catching up with me.” It had caught up with him half an hour ago. He was comfortably drunk, right at the point where his last remnants of reason urged restraint.

“Nah. You’re doing a fine enough job. Besides, I’ve been drinking more than you.” To demonstrate his point, Thomas took another pull, wincing at the smoky burn. “Bring us back there and I’ll show you where I work.”

When he got the car, Thomas had snuck off to the workshop alone and come back with it. That had been after raiding the cellar for some alcohol and the kitchen for a snack. Some of those snacks littered the floor, but if Thomas wasn’t worried, Wil wasn’t worried.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Alright. How do I reverse again? Right, right,” he said, remembering right as his new friend opened his mouth. Wil focused and let his instincts guide him. Combustion cars were notoriously fickle and hard to control, but this beautiful machine felt like it was made for him. It reacted to his every touch and his connection to magic guided him.

They pulled back over the water slowly, then turned around and Wil brought them back to land. Thomas flicked the switch back to off and Wil let out a pleased sigh as the drain lessened. He had more than enough juice left to bring them back. He went more carefully this time, now hyperfixated on caution.

“What’s it like, working with Ferrovani?”

Thomas sighed. “Well, it involves a lot of people asking what it’s like working with him. That part gets old, sometimes.”

“Sorry,” said Wil.

“No no, it’s fine.” Thomas smiled ruefully. “I understand. He’s a once in a generation genius, and I’m just on his team. His name will be remembered forever, and I might be lucky enough to be a footnote.”

“Is that what you want most?” Wil prodded. “Fame?”

Thomas took a long, deep breath. “Well, if you put a gun against my head and told me to choose, I’d probably pick fame, yeah. I make plenty of money, so I want…need recognition. What about you, Wil? If you had to choose between fame and money?”

Wil didn’t have to think about it. “Not fame, but recognition. Everyone wants to be the next person to change the world. I don’t want that, necessarily.”

“Easy for you to say,” Thomas snickered, “having already changed the world and all.”

“Possibly changed the world,” Wil corrected. “Still have to wait to see how that shakes out. But I want to be known for the good I did for others. More than that, I want to do the right work that gets me recognition. It’s not about being owed recognition, it’s about earning it.”

Silence reigned for the next minute. Wil didn’t push and instead gathered all of his focus to drive at a leisurely pace back to the manor. They passed by the uneven, jagged gaps his drive had left in the snow earlier. The workshop came into sight when Thomas spoke.

“You can’t be that saccharine, can you? No offense.”

“None taken, and I can. I’m a simple guy, and I want simple things.” Wil parked unevenly in one of the spots in front of the workshop. “I want my family and friends to be taken care of, and to live a calm, peaceful life, doing things I enjoy. Like you said, money is hardly a concern anymore, so why not focus on what really matters to me?”

“And what do you enjoy, then? What would you spend all your time doing if you had the option?”

Wil expected the same disbelief or judgment he usually got, but Thomas seemed genuinely curious. After recovering from the battle with Hugo and spending a few days here, Wil had plenty of time to think about that exact question. It didn’t take long to find an answer.

“If I could, I’d help the fae settle in on Skalet Peak and the forest and make sure things go smoothly there. I’d spend more time with my girlfriend and best friend. I’d focus on our business, and helping out anyone who needs it. Winter’s the time of year older folks need heating spells laid over their homes, or someone to help clean up for spring. I’d work on my craft, sharpen my claws, and see what I could do.”

“Does that include leylines?” Thomas asked, grinning shamelessly.

Wil shook his head with a smile. “It might. I’m surprised it took you this long to bring it up again.”

“Well, of course,” Thomas took another drink of whiskey. He winced, then fumbled for the lid and screwed it back on. “I had to get you drunk and vulnerable first. Did it work?”

“Almost,” Wil admitted. “I still can’t talk about it yet. Hope that’s not too disappointing.”

Thomas laughed. “Not at all. There’s plenty of time to wear you down. One way or another, I’ll divine your secrets!”

They laughed together, and Wil thought about opening up when he felt a familiar presence coming up. He had just enough time to avoid being startled when Isom landed on the hood of the car. Thomas jerked violently, gathering power. Wil put a hand on his arm and shook his head.

“It’s okay,” he said, eyeing the wampus cat. The jerk had dented the metal of the hood, and sat crouched, one eye glaring balefully at Thomas. “He’s with me.”

“Gods,” Thomas groaned, clutching his chest. “That’s a hell of a pet. Is he housebroken?”

Even from this side of the glass, Wil could hear and feel Isom’s growl. A second later, his voice popped into Wil’s head.

Do not trust this man. Isom’s tail flicked behind him. He’s a predator.

Wil opened the door a crack. “What are you talking about?” he said out loud. “You’re a predator. Should I not trust you?”

“What’s going on?” Thomas asked, alarmed.

Wil waved him off. “Mental connection. Long story involving Hugo’s death. Ask me again later. Well? You’re making a scene.”

True enough, a few wizards had come out of the workshop to watch the wampus cat and the battered prototype car. Isom’s ears flattened against his skull.

Enter his mind if you don’t believe me. Take a peek, it’s all there. He wants something from you.

“I’m not entering his mind!” Will said, perhaps too loudly.

“Um,” Thomas started. He had one hand on the door, but looked too frozen to risk leaving. “Maybe I should go. You two clearly have something to talk about. Am I safe to step out?”

Wil glowered at the wampus cat. “He won’t hurt you. And you’re right: he and I need to have a chat.”

Thomas carefully stepped out on unsteady legs. He held the bottle of whiskey in one hand, and the open door with another. “Tomorrow, after a long day sleeping in and recovering, I can show you around the workshop? That is, if your cat doesn’t mind.”

The tone was teasing, but it had an edge. Isom tended to bring that out in people. “Yeah, of course,” said Wil. He got out as well. He pointed at the spot on the ground next to him and Isom got down, leaning against Wil. He sensed annoyance but also affection from the cat. “Tomorrow, then.”

“Tomorrow. Night Wil! Night cat.” Thomas saluted them with two fingers and wobbled his way into the workshop. Wil hoped he wouldn’t try to fiddle with anything dangerous while drunk.

“C’mon, we’re going inside,” said Wil. “And then we’ll have a long talk about not scaring off my friends.”

Isom hissed. “Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you, wizard.” He padded off to the manor, leaving Wil behind.

With one last look at the workshop, Wil followed after him, thinking of his new friend. Of course Thomas was a predator. Most wizards were, and he made no bones about the fact that he wanted information. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to be his friend.