Free Mad Lizard Mambo by Rhys Ford

radar or sonar to check ground stability.
    What I didn’t see were weapons.
    “So that’s where we’d sleep?” Ryder asked. “On top of the tank thing?”
    “Kind of dangerous if we were in Pendleton, but most inland draconian species are smaller. They don’t attack vehicles, so we’d be safe.”
    “I don’t like your use of the word most .”
    “Unlike you, I don’t like to lie.”
    “Once!” Ryder protested, setting the puppy down. “And it was necessary. I didn’t know how you’d feel about a human woman carrying elfin babies.”
    “Blah, blah, blah.” I made a flapping motion with my hands. “Just remember, everything you do is banked. You only grow what you sow. Now let’s go take a look at this thing. Maybe it’ll be big enough to hold that ego of yours.”
    Sparky rolled down the windows, and I climbed up onto the passenger side step to get a better look. Ryder edged in next to me, crowding me against the doorframe through the open window. Slapping the dashboard, she asked, “Whatcha think? This do it for you?”
    “What I’m seeing here is you’ve got no weapons, Sparky. This thing’s big enough to hold at least one Gatling gun, but there’s no hard point to mount it on.” I peered into the drover’s back cabin.
    “So you get weapons. That kind of thing is something personal. Say I go and mount a semi but you want something bigger? Take a long time to dismount, change a bracket, and then load something else up in its place.” Sparky’s mouth twisted into a wide smirk. “And don’t tell me boys don’t like to choose their toys. I’ve seen you in a gun shop, Kai. Worse than a virgin in a one-price-all-night whorehouse.”
    She wasn’t wrong. I did like to choose my own guns, but rolling out of the gate with nothing was unsettling. I must have had an odd look on my face because Ryder nudged his shoulder into mine.
    “If we have to wait a day or two to get what you want on this thing, it will be okay. I trust you, Kai. Whatever you think we need, we’ll get.” His eyes were too bright, too skilled at peeling back my defenses for me to stare into them for very long, and I looked away, pretending to examine the cabin again.
    It was nerve-racking to have someone place their life in my hands, especially Ryder, who spent his entire life giving orders to people so they could order someone else around. He was getting to me, the green tea and vanilla scent of his skin and the way the sun caught on the metallic gold strands of his hair. For me it wasn’t simply the genetically driven imperative to want him. He was definitely getting to me.
    This trip was going to suck.
    I turned my attention back to Sparky. “So no guns at all?”
    “Nothing offensive. Frame and body are solid, nearly impenetrable and sealed airtight. And there’s an exterior shock grid built into the body. Downside of that is, you’ll have to wait to recharge after using it. Probably takes about an hour of full sun, longer if cloudy. Don’t think that’s something you have to worry about where you’re going, but you never know, what with the storms that move through that area.” Sparky leaned back in the captain’s chair, gesturing behind her. “Benches fold up for storage. Instrument panel is compact, and there’s a recycling water plant and a separate generator.
    “You’ll have to do your business outside, but it’ll be good for you to stretch your legs. It’s got a full link communications setup and….” She flicked a switch by the steering wheel, filling the drover with a jangle of guitars and drums. “Built-in stereo system. You can hear whatever you’re playing anywhere in the thing. Even up top.”
    “Great. So defense is going to have to be hand held. How much?” I stopped Ryder from playing with the instrument panel, grabbing his fingers before he opened up a link to Pele-knew-where. “Don’t touch anything. Not until you’ve paid for it.”
    “What does it matter the cost if it’s the