Free The Gatekeeper's Daughter by Eva Pohler

could be hurt. However, as soon as they were all comfortably seated and strapped inside, Hermes in the passenger’s seat and Than behind him in the back, the landscape changed.
    The sun was rising in a blue sky across rolling fields lined with rows of wheat. Cows grazed on other fields to their left from where they sat in the middle of a country road on the top of a hill.
    “Don’t just sit there,” Hermes said impatiently. “Start the engine.”
    She felt for a key in the ignition, but there was none. “Uh…”
    “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Hermes rolled his eyes and the engine roared to life.
    Therese clutched the steering wheel with both hands, her heart racing. With her right foot, she placed a slight pressure on the accelerator. The engine sped, but, otherwise, nothing happened. She looked at Hermes.
    “Put her in drive first.” More eye rolling.
    “Sorry.” She looked around the steering column and dashboard, only to have Hermes show her the gearshift on the console between them. She grabbed the end of it and tried to move it, but it wouldn’t budge. She wrestled with it, breaking it off completely. “Oh, no!”
    “You’ve been in this car less than two minutes and you’ve already broken it?” Hermes took the broken gear shift. “Where’s Hephaestus when you need him?”
    Warm blood rushed to Therese’s face. “Look, I didn’t ask you to do this.”
    Than’s squeezed her shoulder. “I did.”
    “Yeah, but why?”
    “Because I don’t know how to drive either.”
    She studied his reflection in the rearview mirror. He seemed serious. Hadn’t he done anything but escort the souls of the dead?
    “Just so you know next time,” Hermes said, holding the knob in front of her face, “you have to push this button in before shifting.”
    She turned to him sharply. “I’ll remember that next time I’m driving a Lamborghini.”
    Hermes sighed. “That’s true of most cars, Therese.”
    “Oh.”
    Hermes manipulated the shiny steel nub from which the stick had broken. “There. She’s in drive. Now let’s get started.”
    She eased on the accelerator again. When nothing happened, she pressed harder, gunning the engine.
    “Parking brake?” Hermes asked with an impatient tone.
    Therese lifted her foot as she looked around the dash. “Where is it?”
    Hermes pointed to the knob. “Pull it. Keep your right foot on the brake. Then gently ease your foot onto the accelerator.”
    Therese did as he said and finally got the car in motion. She sped up to twenty miles an hour, feeling jittery.
    “Take her up to fifty,” Hermes said. “Looks like you’ve got the road all to yourself.”
    She eased on the pedal, unable to believe she was actually driving. “So where are we anyway?”
    “Derbyshire, not too far from Ashbourne, one of my favorite towns. Hecate and I used to go fishing together there. So many good memories.”
    She glanced at the speedometer. “I’m at fifty. Now what?”
    “Just get the hang of driving straight. Follow the road.”
    The road turned downward and then up as they passed sheep and more wheat. This wasn’t so bad, she thought. Smiling for the first time since she’d climbed into the car, she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her hands hurt from clamping the wheel, so she loosened her grip. Not too bad, she thought again, feeling like an adult. Up ahead, she noticed a sign indicating a deer crossing. “Why is the sign on the left side of the road?”
    “Huh?” Hermes looked at the sign. “Oh, dear.”
    Before Therese could ask what was wrong, a big farm truck came into view heading straight for them. Why was it in her lane?
    “What’s going on? What should I do?” This was exactly what she was afraid of: killing someone. Her heart throbbed in her ears.
    “Bloody hell!” Hermes shrieked, turning the wheel to the left.
    The truck whizzed by them as Therese caught her breath and pressed on the brake, bringing the car to a choppy stop.