Be Gay, Do Crimes: Ros Vs Everything, Apparently

I should have called THIS one 2 fast 2 Alex

Alex was not a very considerate magic carpet driver.

"I AM ACTUALLY BEGGING YOU TO LET ONE OF US DRIVE INSTEAD!" Sora shouted over the rush of the wind and everyone's screaming. He didn't think Alex heard him. The carpet pitched wildly to the left and everyone but Alex flattened themselves against the fabric.

"I'm gonna be sick," moaned Nadiya.

"Maybe if you throw up on her, she'll listen." growled Sora as Alex cackled madly in front of them, zooming in and out of the way of the other riders.

"I don't think she's that bad," Talib said weakly, eyes screwed shut. "I mean, we haven't crashed or fallen off, yet."

"That's a very low bar, my love," said Sora, ducking as they shot under a breezeway. "She's doing pretty much everything else wrong."

"How high up are we?"

"You don't want to know," Sora told him, glancing over the edge at the dots which passed for the Kingdom of Shazabah, many feet below.

"How long have we got left?" asked Talib hopefully.

"I can see the old temple over there, so not long," Sora reassured him. It was still a long way off, but Alex was going so fast they'd probably get there in less than five minutes.

"I'm fairly sure the only reason we haven't been chased by the Mambas yet is because we're wearing questing uniforms," sighed Nadiya.

Sora had to agree. Sophie had sent them off with brand new uniforms--navy doublets and blue hunting capes embroidered with the white swan on the shoulder for the Evers, and leather waistcoats with blood red capes for the Nevers. All of them had received knee-high boots enchanted to increase running speed, and there was extra cloak embroidery for the team leaders. Sophie had insisted it would give them extra status during their quest, and in some ways, it had (they'd gotten discounts in most food places, and people tended to get out of their way when they ran past) but, in Sora's opinion, it was just putting a huge target on their backs. They'd already heard how Gina's team had been chased down by Stymphilian Birds, who'd been using their capes as a marker.

He glanced back over the edge and was highly relieved to find that they were fast descending towards their destination; the somewhat morally questionable Temple Market on the edge of the city. The Sultanah of Shazabah (or as she was better known to Alex: "OY, REENA!") had pointed them in that direction after the show last night, once they'd asked about any potential disturbances in the city. Apparently there'd been a fight there that day, which was unusual, because normally the market tried to avoid drawing attention to itself.

"That means it was caused by outsiders," Reena had told them, admiring Alex's terrible Tedros wig. "And it means they'll be really indignant about it and probably willing to tell you a lot."

So, the four of them had set off together to see what was going on.

Sora blinked, suddenly noticing the ground coming up towards them rather fast.

"Er, Alex, maybe slow down a--"

There was a bone-rattling thud, and everything went briefly upside down.

When he came to , they were lying in a heap on a random sand dune.

"Sorry!" warbled Alex, spitting out sand. "Got distracted by a camel."

"Why did we let you drive that thing?" barked Sora, staggering to his feet. Nadiya was groaning, still lying on her face in the sand, but Talib looked positively delighted.

"Oh, good, we're on land again." He leapt down from the dune and went to retrieve the indignant carpet. "Perhaps let someone else drive on the way back," he told Alex, shaking sand off it.