Chapter Four

 The cool temperate city on the mountain was just lovely to visit; and Thomas thought it would be a good idea to get themselves away from any place Balthazar would try to search them out - so Toowoomba was the first place he could think of.

“It’s such an arty place.” Mary said, “And I’m glad you brought me here.”

Thomas pulled the large, old-fashioned car into Queens Park parking lot, under a tree, and and turned off the engine, “Well, I have a few thoughts about what to do next.” he turned to her, “I think we should change cars. Balthazar has seen us in this one, and Dad won’t mind. I’ll let him know where it is, and he’s got friends here who will let us borrow another car.”

“But what about the size and… and the boot size?” she fretted, “And how nice these big cars are?”

He smiled, “Yeah, I love them too, but they’re not fuel efficient and are heavy as hell to drive. I’d like something a little more modern and has air-con… I know I’m spoiled but really, this thing doesn’t have it.”

“Sure it does…” she pointed it out on the dash.

He glanced at it and back to her, laughing, “Oh yeah, sure! Use that and it’ll guzzle more fuel!”

“Oh… I didn’t know that.”

“Modern cars don’t do that with their air-con.” he sighed, “So, seeing we’re in this together, I want to work this like a team - and run anything to do with change past you.”

“Okay… let’s change cars.” she smiled.

“But…”

“But?”

 

“Hey, Thomas my man!” a half-huge lizard, half-human in a cheap suit sauntered up to Thomas, slapping a muscled, webbed arm around his shoulders, “What can I do for you?”

“I need a new car, Sparrow, one which is modern and can handle the heat of the outback.” He smiled, “Nothing European - they just shit themselves in the heat!” Thomas grumbled as Mary followed him around the chop shop of cars, utes, caravans, motorcycles and other vechicles which were being pulled apart and put back together. Sparks flew around the massive tin shed as the oppressive heat clung to the three as they walked around. With the noises and crashes of pieces of vehicles being removed and welded back together, Mary was stunned it was being run by a… lizard.

Sparrow turned and peered around the shoulder of Thomas, “And who might she be? Your wheel man… um, wo-man?” he grinned and showed two rows of greasy, yellow teeth filling his mouth.

“Never mind who she is… dammit, she’s the cat’s mother you ate for dinner you filth!” he snapped, “And this better not get back to Balthazar, so the Gods help me.”

Sparrow raised his webbed arms in surrender, “Hey, hey, you’ve got the attitude, dude… I’ve got the wheels… I assume you want the magics in the boot bit, like your Dad did?”

“Yeah… and I want his car returned - untouched - to my Dad in Brisbane.” he said, “A trade.”

The lizard ran one of his clawed hands along his long, thin jaw, sneering, “The HQ Kingswood, come on… it’s the ultimate in your family’s magical vehicles… how could I not touch it?”

Mary wanted to stick a skewer up this smart-arse lizard’s butt and roast him over a slow fire, “Listen, you’re pulling our chain mate!”

Sparrow looked at her, “I assume she’s supposed to talk?”

Thomas sighed, “Forget it, we’ll keep Dad’s car. And you’ll pay for it with her temper… oh, yeah, unhoned magics, right here.”

The lizard staggered back, running into his poor excuse for a desk, pushing a collection of papers off the edge and onto the floor, “Woah! If you’ve got unhoned magics, you could destroy everyone here - and I mean in Toowoomba, girl!”

“Well, stop pulling a fast one on us.” Mary shouted.

“How about I install a camouflage unit into your car… you can make it any car you like and it’ll still be your car?” Sparrow shuffled through the papers on his desk and found a folder. He opened it, pulled out a form and showed Thomas, “We just had a Delorian drop in from another planet, and it shat it’s fuel injection - which won’t be invented here for the next forty years.”

“Which means it can’t be returned home.” Mary said, “So, it’ll work like the Tardis on Dr. Who.”

Thomas looked at the form, “How does it work?”

“It plugs into your cigarette lighter and using the same cloaking system as your magics does Thomas… but it has over sixty styles of cars from any planet it lands on. And seeing it’s on Earth, you won’t have a worry; only that your license plate will be the same.” Sparrow leaned on his desk full of folders, sweating as he glanced from Thomas to Mary and back, “So, do I install it? For free of course, seeing what a… lovely person you brought with you.”

“I’m watching you do it… one fuck-up, and I’ll let her blow you and your establishment sky high - with you all inside it.” Thomas handed the form back, “And we want a copy and the manual on how to work it.”

“Yes, yes… we’ll get to work on it straight away.” Sparrow dodged around Mary and out to the workers, shouting to them, “Where’s the bloody Delorian parts! I need to look at anything about that car before you sell them!”

Thomas touched her arm, “If you keep blowing up things and freaking people out like this, you’ll become uncontrollable.”

“But I feel fine.” she said.

“You feel strong?”

“Stronger than I did two days ago.”

“Yeah, that’s how it starts. I don’t want you getting angry anymore. Try to pull in your temper if you can, even smart-arse comments can pop light bulbs now.” Thomas said. He moved his hand down her hand, “And this worries me like nothing else. I don’t want to lose you to the magics you have, because you’re a good person and…” he looked out at the workshop, “We better get out there before they put in that camouflage unit. I want to see how they do it, how it works and find out if there’s spare parts we can use from that Delorian.” Squeezing her hand, he led her outside and to the work bay where their car had been parked by Thomas, “You got the box?”

“Yep. I wouldn’t leave it in the car.”

“Good.” he said, “It’s not just car parts these guys hock… it’s anything they find inside cars.”

Sparrow walked into the bay, “Okay, the camouflage unit goes to this car, and any spare parts for it.” he looked around, whipping his tail out of the way of the workers, “And is there a book on that unit? No… okay. Show Thomas here how to install it, and what parts can be used for it in case it needs work.” he looked over a Mary, and walked to her, “This is going to take some. I’m sorry I was sleazy to you, but women in this place is a rarity.”

“How long?” she asked.

“An hour or so.”

“I want to learn about it as well. Can you get the guys to write down every detail of how it’s fitted, so we have a manual of its fitting?” she suggested.

“Good idea.” he smiled, “Guys! Write down the installation! If you can’t find a book on it, make a book on it.”

“And like Thomas said, if Balthazar finds out you’ve spoken to us,” she looked up at the sweating lizard in a suit, “,you’ll pay.”

He looked down at her small form and red hair, “Yes I know. And besides, that demon lawyer is an arsehole. If he’s after you, something isn’t right in your world.” he looked over at Thomas, “And if Thomas Benson is involved, something really has hit the fan.” glancing down at her book bag, “Whatever you’re carrying in that box, won’t be hidden for very long… lead-lined boxes hide huge magic. I’d be very careful where you try to hide after this.”

“I know. And this is why Thomas is involved.” she said, “He’s the best at what he does.”

Sparrow took her to one side, “Listen to me very carefully, Thomas if Balthazar’s protege. He is required to contact that demon lawyer at every chance he gets when he’s not around you; even if he says he doesn’t, he will.” he looked over at the Kingswood where Thomas and guys were working on the camouflage unit, then back to Mary, “If I was you, I’d be very careful about how far you let him go with you, as Balthazar will be around here soon… which means I’ll have move my business after we’re finished here.”

“I’m sorry you have to.”

“Don’t worry, it’s a magically inclined business. I’ll move it as soon as you two leave. It’ll disappear and show up in another city, under another name; and I won’t be a lizard.” he grinned, “It’s all smoke and mirrors… really it is. But I do deal with just about any vehicles - magic and otherwise - and that’s a good thing.”

“So how would people find you again?”

He looked around, “This place looks like it’s been here for over twenty years, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does.”

“I screw with people’s perception of time.” he chuckled, “It can be fun, but really it’s cruel.”

“So, this place has been here…?”

“Three months.”

She smirked, “You are mean.”

He looked at the book bag, “And I mean it with the book, be careful with it. If you’re hiding it from Balthazar because he wants it, it’s because it’s dangerous and he’s got big plans for it and for you.”

“Thank you for the warning.” she smiled, “I’m looking for my mother.”

“Yeah.” he nodded, “That’s how it started with me… and I never found her.” he looked over at the bay where Thomas and the boys were going over the car, “Hey, how about we go and get something to eat. That’s a laneway of cafes nearby.”

“I’d rather stay here.”

He glanced outside, “Yeah, I don’t blame you. When you and Thomas were in the office, I called Billy, Bob & Sons… tipping them off where you were.” he frowned, “Why did I just tell you that?”

“My power is that if I want you tell the truth - even if I don’t verbally say so - you’ll do it.” she smiled, “Thomas thinks he’s weak around me, but I could get anyone at school to tell me the answers to the tests; but I’m not a cheat.” she looked over at Sparrow, “So, how long do we have before that demon lawyer gets here?”

“An hour.”

“And why the name?”

“It’s my favourite food.”

“Gross.”

The horn blew of the Kingswood and they turned toward it as he leaned out the window, “It’s done! We had a lot of hands and, you know, light work. Everything is written down, spare parts in the back… ready to take off.” As he stood next to the car, it changed from being a HQ Kingswood, into a 1969 Kombi-van, then it changed into a Boxer Porche. With a press of a button, it changed back to a HQ Kingswood again. Thomas grinned as he looked over at Mary.

“Now, that’s very cool.” Sparrow looked at Mary, “I hope you find your mother… and be careful.”

“I’m sorry you have to move your business… you’re a cool lizard king.” she smiled as she turned and walked over to the car bay.

He laughed, “I knew somebody would get it!”

 

As she climbed into the car, she checked the box in her book bag, opening it a little and the book’s massive about of power emanated from within.

“Hey… what are you doing?” Thomas’ panicked voice reached her ears as she closed the box.

“I’m making sure the book is still with me.” she looked over at Sparrow, “I don’t trust Sparrow.”

“There’s a lot of people you don’t trust; and it’s good you don’t trust him. This is why I insisted I helped install the camouflage unit - I didn’t want his guys installing something to move the car back to Brisbane while we were driving it.”

“Sparrow wanted me to go down the road for coffee.”

“What?”

“Obviously I said no.”

He sighed deeply, “Did he tell you anything about Balthazar?”

“Yes. He said that when we were in his office talking, he called Billy, Bob & Sons and told them where we were.” she said, “Then he flipped out wondering why he told me that.”

Thomas smiled, “Now, that’s how you use the magic… gently, not shattering windows and scaring people. You know you nearly made Sparrow implode in his office. We almost picked lizard out of our hair back there.”

“Oh… okay. I’ll keep my temper under check.” she mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

Turning down Hugh Street from the city centre of Toowoomba, Thomas turned the car towards the lower Darling Downs, where he was going to turn the vehicle into a Landcruiser so it would be able to handle the roads better. But he wanted to wait until he was out of the city first.