Danaël turned full throttle towards the turbo transporter, praying he wouldn't end up disintegrating. The three carts in pursuit didn't hesitate to follow.
As the cart passed through the metal ring, Dod and Danaël felt the pressure of the transporter accelerating the particles in their bodies. However, the sensation was quite different.
The cart seemed to be protected by a fantastic barrier; the turbulence was noticeable, but at least the two friends were still alive.
They breathed a sigh of relief once out of the turbo transporter. The unpleasant sensation of a turbo transporter trip had been enough to finally wake up the princess, still in Dod's arms.
Evangeline de Résevi awoke painfully, rubbed her head, and immediately felt Dod's hands embracing her.
Evangeline jerked away from his embrace.
"You beat it!" She exclaimed, slapping Dod's face.
"Dan, I think the princess is finally awake", grunted Dod, holding his cheek.
"Who the hell are you?! And what was I doing asleep? Did you knock me out?"
"Knock you out...of course not, princess, we wouldn't dare, would we, Dod?"
Dod nodded reluctantly before saying:
"Listen, we don't want to hurt you, we just want to get out of town. Help us lower the security veil, and we'll let you go. Provided, of course, that you don't turn us in. Then you can go about your princess business and forget all about this."
"What makes you think I want to go back to my "princess business" as you call it?" Retorted Evangeline, moving away from Dod. "That's my cart you've just stolen, and you're requested to return it!"
The two boys had an almost simultaneous moment of realization: "Ohhhh," they exclaimed in unison.
"Princess Evangeline, you wanted to run away!?" Exclaimed Danaël again. "But why?"
"None of your business, kid!"
"Kid?!"
"Yes, you heard me", continued Evangeline. "I'm 15. How old are you two?"
"We're both 13." Dod intervened in a calmer tone. "You're only two years older than us, so there's no need to get on your high horse, Evangeline."
"I didn't allow you to be on first-name terms with me! I'm the second princess of the kingdom and your eldest, so I demand more respect!"
Dod looked exasperated, "she's seriously getting on my nerves, that princess", he breathed in before leaning back against the same porthole as before.
"Dan, it's better if you talk to her."
Danaël was already quite busy, with the royal guards on their heels putting him under pressure. They had calmed down the fantasia fire, trying not to destroy the town.
Danaël found himself surprised by unexpected bursts of fire. The boy's strategy was based on his knowledge of the city.
Danaël flew low and unpredictably. Since the crash of one of the royal guards' carts, the remaining three were on the right track.
They were able to keep up with Danaël without too much trouble, and when they found themselves in a straight line, they attacked him with fantastic bursts.
"Listen, Princess, as my friend Dod said, we're just looking to get out of here. You don't need to tell us why, but it seems to me that our interests converge, don't you think?"
"Yes, it's possible", replied the intrigued princess.
"At the moment, we're blocked by the anti-monster barrier, but since you were planning to run away tonight too, I imagine you have a way of lifting the barrier, don't you?"
"Yes, I can raise the barrier, but only partially." Evangeline brandished a small rectangular card in Dod's direction. "I stole this pass from one of the men who are assigned to protect me. Normally, if you show it to the two knights at the entrance of the barrier, they should lift part of the barrier, enough to let us through. The problem is, since we're being followed, our window of passage is much slimmer."
"I see", replied Dod thoughtfully, "Dan, before you head for the entrance-you'd better make sure you're one step ahead of the guys behind us."
"Yeah, well, that's easier said than done."