Lamp Riders: A Jinn Motorcycle Gang Novella by Augusta Hill Read Free Book Online Page B

the dry vegetation in the canyon. Inside, Juan Reyes smirked with satisfaction as every blast of magic failed to penetrate his dome. He seemed to be holding up some sort of staff, bedecked with jewels and shining bright in the noonday sun.
    “Well, the world is fucked,” Celia groaned softly, watching Reyes toy with the genies.
    The cartel leader appeared to be alone, having no doubt the same cocky assuredness that the genies had earlier. His confidence in himself was evident as he swung the staff around suddenly, sending a shock wave towards the huddled genies. The last standing bikers fell over as the blast hit them. Reyes had clearly found whatever it was he was searching for, and Celia had no doubt that once he fully grasped its power he was going to steamroll over anything and everything in his way.
    She looked around trying to figure out what to do. Escape was an option, and there was a good chance she could make it back to the car and drive away without being spotted. However, that would only delay the inevitable as Reyes came looking for victims to test out his new powers on. The other option was to join the fight, but her lack of lightning-shooting abilities seemed to preclude her from that.
    “Think, think, think!” she muttered, searching for any sort of out. “This guy is like a Bond villain, and those guys are always dumber than they look.”
    Just then, she noticed a tumbleweed rolling across the bottom of the wash. It rolled slowly, making its way towards Reyes’ bubble. The dried ball then popped right into the bubble, as if there wasn’t a barrier there at all. Inch by inch, it made its way to Reyes’ feet; no doubt pushed on by the wind created by all the spells bouncing everywhere.
    “That arrogant bastard’s shield is only good against magic,” Celia whispered, smiling a little to herself.
    The tumbleweed had been able to roll right in, completely ignored by all the men who were busy in their magic showdown. Neither side had considered using brute force, so the shield seemed completely penetrable by solid objects. All that was needed was something to penetrate the shield and get Reyes off guard. That something would have to be Celia.
    The side of the gorge was steep and rocky, but Celia thought she could make it down. The trick would be to get to the bottom in one piece, unnoticed, and then somehow take out Reyes. She took a deep breath, said a silent goodbye to her parents, and then stood up.
    Having grown up clambering up and down desert hills, Celia was quick on her feet. She flung herself down the cliff, hopping from rock to rock before a shred of doubt could hit her mind. That was the secret; if she paused long enough to doubt or think, her feet would slip out from under her, and she’d tumble. The momentum kept her upright, and she hopped down the side of the cliff, scrambling and sending rocks flying as she landed on the very edge of boulders. She’d always thought that walking on the edge was safer, because then she knew exactly where she was in relation to disaster. Today was no exception; she knew that she was straddling the very edge of chaos.
    She hit the bottom of the gorge quickly, before anyone had even turned to see her. The sounds of the fighting had drowned out her wild descent, and she decided to take full advantage of the surprise. She flung all five foot two, one hundred pounds of her body against the shimmering bubble. She popped through with hardly any resistance and began to pick up momentum as she neared Reyes.
    At the last possible second, Reyes turned with wild eyes, finding himself under assault from the last person that he probably ever expected. He raised the staff, preparing to fight her off, but he was far too slow. Years of being protected by gangs of henchmen and a terrible reputation meant Reyes hadn’t actually gotten his hands dirty in a long time. His body felt soft as Celia slammed her shoulder into it. All of her hard work in the shop, lifting big boxes