The gates to the Royal Palace opened wide to let out the horses and carriages of the Royal convoy headed to the Palace City Blade port. The convoy passed the main Blade Port terminal and went to the garage where the BoltBlade is stored when not running. King Abbot with the MonarchBlade, Salem with Pawn, and Selene exit a carriage and are led by guards to the large garage. “A man had visited the Palace asking for time in the Royal Library,” said Abbot. “Your library has books not found anywhere else,” said Selene. “Correct. I told the guy that he could look in the library if he liked but no book is to be removed or damaged, I also asked the guy what he would give in return.” said Abbot. “What did the guy do?” asked Salem. “The man had a Blade. It was a very strange Blade, it was short and any use as a weapon did not look possible. He asked me, “What was the most valuable thing in the city.” I told him it was the BoltBlade,” said King Abbot. “What did he do?” asked Selene. “He asked to see the BoltBlade. I took him here,” continued King Abbot, “He then used his Blade.” The group entered the main storage room of the building where the twins were met with an all striking sight. “He used his Blade to make copies of the BoltBlade. We now have eight new BoltBlades, except for color, each one is exactly as the original,” said King Abbot as the Twins looked at the white BoltBlades with blue trim, lined up next to each other.

Selene was being led up and down one of the BoltBlade copies named BoltBlade Two by philosophers as they explained that they did not think the new Blades could repair themselves like BoltBlade One could, but they had figured out how to replace parts for the new Blades. “What we want to know from you is about the power core,” said a philosopher. “Do the new Blades work?” asked Salem. “They work, we had Pixie test each one of them on a long route. They work just as well as the original. Our concern lies in the power cores. I see that we will have to replace parts as they wear down but the power cores are beyond our ability to repair or replace.” said another philosopher. Selene went into the main engine core that powers the Blade and took a good long look at it. “I am going to have to see the original BoltBlade,” said Selene. A minute later, the original BoltBlade slowly entered the garage. Selene climbed into the main engine core. After a while, Selene exited the black BoltBlade and climbed into the other eight. Hours passed before Selene felt she was ready to voice her opinion. “You are right. The other Blades do not have the ability to repair themselves, however the power cores are self renewing no matter how they were made. You should have no trouble with that.” said Selene. “Great! We can start finding pilots for the new BoltBlades and get new schedules written up. I want the original as my personal BoltBlade when I need to travel,” said Abbot. “Personally, I do not think these could be called Blades. They are not made of Blade metal and since that is, anyone can operate them,” said Salem. “Even better!” said Abbot, “Pixie, hire BoltBlade pilots and train them.” Abbot starts to walk out of the building with the twins behind him, “I want the new BoltBlades ready to go in two days!”

After a long dinner with the King, they were dropped off in front of the Blade Port to meet with the other Blade Masters. “I wonder what Blade had the power to make permanent copies of a blade the size of the BoltBlade,” said Salem. “Not sure sister, such a Blade could be dangerous. I am more interested in what books that man was looking for in the Royal Library. There are books in that collection deemed as heresy and have been banned from public libraries.” said Selene. “I would like to know that as well,” said Salem. “Too bad we just do not have the time to investigate,” said Selene as Christina and Vivien appeared around a corner heading back to the Blade Port. Behind them were Emhril and Haiku with fresh food. Coming from another street was Jarody sitting with Mal on the MobilBlade. Zealot and Sturmer come up from behind some trees. “The horses are watered,” said Mal “And we have a MobilBlade full of beer,” said Jarody. “Church was very enlightening,” said Christina. “And restful.” signed Vivien even though only Selene knew what she said. The HealthBlade jumped from the MobilBlade and on the small back of Haiku. “Carber killed all of the lice,” said Haiku. “You be lucky you’re only a little girl,” said Mal under his breath. “We just have to wait for Wayne,” said Salem. Hours had past and the BoltBlade had already entered the station and locks into place ready to take the Blade Masters to Hellion. Mal drives the MobilBlade around the building and onto the loading ramp to be stored inside the BoltBlade. The rest wait for Wayne in the main lobby of the Blade Port. More time had passed as they waited for Wayne to show. The monotony of waiting was broken as a man in a servant uniform arrives and walks to Salem holding out a letter. “This is for you ma’am,” said the man as he handed the letter over and then left. Salem opened the letter and read it out loud.

For whom it may concern:

Wayne has been taken into my custody and will be held until I receive compensation for the money I lost at the Tagi Challenge. You have 48 hours from the time this note is delivered to pay a total of…

“Well?” asked Christina, “How much do they want?” “Pay a total of one million collons or Wayne will be executed. Personally, Lady Slambrawn.” read Salem.

The MobilBlade was unloaded and the group checked into a hotel for the night as Salem and Selene returned to the Palace to ask King Abbot for help. Abbot listened to the twins and even saw the note that was handed to them. “I see your problem,” said the King, “I can’t help you. Lady Slambrawn is within her right to demand compensation for her injury and loss.” “But it was a contest for warriors! Do not tell me that she could simply ransom the prize money if she lost,” said Selene. “Everyone here knows what happened to Lady Slambrawn at the Tagi Challenge. It was a shock to us when she arrived in bad shape and was rushed to the Royal Hospital. If I knew this Wayne guy was one of your people, I would have warned you and had him in hiding until you left, but now she has him and the law is on her side in this case.” said King Abbot. “Why do we not storm her home and take Wayne back by force?” suggested Salem. “Then you would be breaking the law and I would have to have you arrested and if anyone died in the attack, you would get the death penalty.” said King Abbot, “I can’t simply set the law aside just because it’s inconvenient for my friends. What kind of leader would I be?” “We understand, Abbot. We would not ask you to do that for us,” said Selene.

“How about simply paying the ransom with Temple money?” asked Abbot. “We can not do that. It is against Temple Policy to pay ransoms and yield to terrorist demands,” said Salem. “Yes, If word got out that we paid a ransom, kidnappers would start taking people who are connected to the Temple to demand money,” said Selene. “How about you, Abbot? You should have enough to pay,” said Salem. “We have the same policy here,” said Abbot. “Then Wayne is as good as dead,” said Salem. “Wait, I have an idea. The Lysts Downs Equestrian Grand Prix is tomorrow. The prize money is ten million collons,” said King Abbot. “A horse race? Should we gamble Wayne’s life on a horse race?” said Selene. “I see no other answer. But the Lysts Downs Equestrian Grand Prix? Do we not have to be rich or aristocrats to enter a horse in that race?” asked Selene. “Too bad we don’t know someone like a king to enter the horses for us,” said King Abbot. Salem and Selene look at him, knowing what he meant. “Ok King, would you enter horses for us in the Lysts Downs Equestrian Grand Prix?” asked Selene. The King starts to scratch his chin, “I would, but…” “We are not going to show you our breasts,” said Salem. “I wasn’t going to say that.” said Abbot, red in the face, “I was going to tell you that I don’t have race horses to enter. I never participated in that race at all before this.” “Actually,” said Selene, “we have two race horses with us,” “Are they any good?” asked Abbot. “Ever hear of the names Need A Smoke and Brother In-law?” asked Salem. “What? You found the Lost Champions?!! Need A Smoke is a Lysts Downs Champion and Brother In-law would have been in the race had it not been for that bad fall in the last face of the tour just before the Annual Ten Million Collon race. There is only one problem,” said King Abbot. “What would that be?” asked Selene.  “I do not own a jockey, let a lone two of them,” said King Abbot. “Oh,” said Salem as she scratched Pawn on the back of the neck, “We have that already covered as well.”

It took the twins some time to find the hotel the others checked into. Someone had neglected to tell them where they were staying. When they found the MobilBlade without horses, they knew they found the place. The twins entered the small hotel lobby to find Jarody sitting on a large chair staring at the ass of a young teen girl playing a piano and filling the empty lobby with soft relaxing music. “Jarody?” called Salem. “Oh! There you guys are. They sent me to tell you we’re staying at the Celtic Falls Inn. I’ve forgotten the room numbers,” said Jarody. “Thanks for the message,” said Selene. A quick look at the check-in desk gave the twins the room numbers and they gathered the others for a quick meeting. “Wait, you mean you woke us up to tell us that we have to be up early in the morning?” asked Jarody. “First of all, you were not sleeping and secondly, we are letting everyone know the plan but only Mal is needed for this race,” said Salem. “Cool! Horse Racing!” said Haiku. “This is the Lysts Downs Equestrian Grand Prix, it is not like the racing you have seen anywhere else. The Grand Prix is a pure animal sport,” said Selene. “Selene and I have seen a few races in the past, it is always different and you can bet there is an element of danger,” said Salem. “Then I say we get rest, and it is off to the races in the morning,” said Zealot.

The twins and Mal had left before suns-up and had taken Need A Smoke and Brother In-law with them to the Lysts Downs Equestrian Arena. “I still be concerned of your plan. These horses have not seen a race track in two years,” said Mal, “They were in a poorly lit underground stable and have just hit the road as part of a carriage team…” “Are you saying that you did not do a good job when caring for these horses?” asked Selene. “I gave them the care they deserved as champion horses,” said Mal. “Then stop doubting your hard work,” said Salem. The other Blade Masters had woken long after suns-up and had breakfast at a nearby restaurant. Raphael and a few other royal servants found them and handed them tickets to the races. “What are you expecting will happen?” asked Christina to Jarody. “Well I hope the horses lose and we have to raid this Lady Slambrawn’s place to get Wayne out only to find that he was killed and the TsunamiBlade had chosen another young sexy girl,” said Jarody. Then Jarody remembered who he was talking to then said, “But I am very sure the horses will win and we will be nine million collons richer.” The group found themselves in a long line however it was a line none of them had been in before. The Blade Masters were sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of very fancy dressed people. “If I knew this was a black tie affair, I would have changed my cloths,” said Jarody. The group entered the arena to find that they were seated in a private box. “Wow, I feel so lucky to have a private box for this,” said Zealot. “Zealot,” called Emhril, “Look around the arena, they are all private boxes. This is a rich person’s arena.” Far below was the race track. The Blade Masters had a great view and could see most of the large track. “Wait, how long is this track? I thought it was suppose to be a quarter mile,” said Christina. “The track is one and a half miles long with straight-aways and obstacles throughout. The main challenge is completing the race,” said Jarody. “Wow,” said Zealot, “You almost sound like Selene.” Then Zealot turned to look at Jarody to see he was only reading the program, provided for them.

Vivien begins to point up at a section of the arena. The others looked to see Salem, Selene, Mal, and the King in the royal box high above them. “Lucky them, they get a ‘royal’ box,” said Jarody. “Which twin is that?” asked Emhril. “I think that’s Selene,” said Zealot. “How can you tell?” asked Emhril. “Because she doesn’t have Pawn on her shoulders,” said Zealot. Then the other twin came back into view talking to the first one. “Wait, the other one doesn’t have Pawn either,” said Emhril. “Don’t know what to say. Pawn must be eating something out of our view,” said Zealot. “Is there a way to tell them apart if they’re naked?” asked Jarody. Vivien nodded her head and wrote in her PDA, “Selene has a deep scar on her left shoulder.” “Wait, I grew up with them. I know for a fact that it is Salem who has the deep scar on her shoulder,” said Christina, “Salem got it when she first got the GunBlade and she cut herself there by accident when she was trying to learn how to use it.” Vivien wrote, “But the last time we took a bath together, I saw that Selene had the scar, not Salem.” “People, are we forgetting, there’s someone else who’s seen at least one of the twins naked,” said Jarody “Zealot, does Selene have the scar?” “I don’t know. It’s not her shoulder I’m usually looking at,” said Zealot. “Want me to get Carber to check?” asked Haiku. “No, we will just ask. Not like it is something personal,” said Christina. Up in the royal box, the twins were discussing what to do if they win the money and how to get to Hellion in time. “I better go down below and make the last minute arrangements,” said Mal. “Wish our jockeys luck,” said Salem. “That I will,” said Mal as he left.

The sound system crackled on as a voice began to speak. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” announced the voice, “We welcome you to the Annual Lysts Downs Equestrian Grand Prix!” “That is right Ed, your roving announcers Ed and Joe here to help you keep track of the racers in this fast pace action of an event.” “Ed and Joe?!” said Christina, “Is announcing their day job?” “We are very lucky today, Joe,” said Ed. “How so, Ed?” asked Joe. “King Abbot is attending the races for the first time ever,’ said Ed. “That is right, Joe. Not only is he here in the crowd, but he has entered not one, but two horses in the race,” said Joe. “Not just any horses, King Abbot has found and entered the Lost Champions Need A Smoke and Brother In-law,” said Ed. “Wow, Ed” said Joe, “This is going to be a great race. Now normally, these horses would have to have been in the tour to qualify for tonight, but THIS IS THE KING! The Equestrian Society isn’t going to say no to the King.” “It’s good to be the King,” said Ed.

“Now if you are like the King and are new to this event, Ed and I will explain and even give you a brief history of the Lysts Downs Equestrian Tour,” said Joe. “It all started back in the nineteen hundreds when horse racing became popular among Lysts elite and most prominent members of society,” said Ed. “That was when they organized the Equestrian Society and started having races for large collon amounts,” said Joe. “By 1924, the Equestrian Society was well established and Grand Prix racing was here to stay, Joe.” said Ed. “Very good, Ed, but that was not the end of this ever evolving sport.” said Joe, “In 1935, an owner named Sir Charles Howard had bought a horse with a promising future however he was very unhappy with the fees the human jockeys were charging just to ride the horse and not get a full performance out of the horse.” “That’s correct, Joe. It was in the 1937 season when Charles Howard uttered those famous words, ‘A monkey can do better then these jockeys.’” said Ed. “And that is exactly what he did,” said Joe, “Sir Charles Howard had his trainer train a monkey to ride his horse.” “I bet that was quite a sight back then, Joe,” said Ed. “It sure was, Ed.” said Joe, “However, what started out as a joke quickly turned into the greatest idea in the history of the Equestrian Society.” “Sir Charles Howard enjoyed the longest winning streak ever,” said Ed, “And so the Legend of Seabiscuit and Mr. Peepers was born. It was not long after when more and more owners began to use trained monkeys until there were just no more human jockeys.” “Like the winged banana tree, human jockeys in the Lysts Downs Equestrian Tour were gone.” said Joe, “Monkeys were the favorite until Duchess J. D. Hertz used her beloved ferret, Chipper to ride Count Fleet to an undefeated season in 1943.” “Since then, almost every small animal in the animal kingdom has been used in the Grand Prix,” said Ed, “and that’s how it’s been to this very day.” “Rules have been changed and since 1976, the tradition was established that no human is allowed on the track or the infield.” explained Joe, “These animals have been so expertly trained, no human intervention is needed at all.” “That is correct, Joe.” said Ed, “This sport is now and will continue to be a pure animal sport. The horse to provide the speed and endurance and the small pilot on the back to provide the strategy and quick thinking required in this grueling race.”

“And out come our animal competitors now, Ed. They are making the ride of honor from the stable to the starting gate,” said Joe. “From here on, these animals are alone,” said Ed, “What happens in this race is completely up to them.” “First out of the stable is Dungaree and his spider monkey rider Razgriz, owned by Earl Jason of Oski,” said Joe. “Just behind him is Silent-Alarm with his dachshund rider Dementia owned by Lady Lara,” said Ed. “Close behind them is Scooby Fun Forever and his parrot rider Darkhood owned by Lord Calypso,” said Joe. “Out of the gate next is I’m A Winner with his rat rider Zippers owned by Duke Vander,” said Ed. “Next out of the stable is The Master with his ferret rider Miss Behave owned by business owner and current Equestrian Society President, Rex Tyrann,” said Joe. “Rex Tyrann… Where have we heard that name before?” asked Salem. “He is the Equestrian Society President, but he’s new to the position. I don’t know how you would’ve heard of him,” said King Abbot. While the rest of the horses were coming out, the Blade Masters all get into their seats and grabbed the metal Magna Glasses provided for them. Look at that silly wiener dog. “The saddles look to be made especially for each animal,” said Christina. A few more horses were announced as the group changed their attention from the track to the royal box above them. “I’m A Winner? Silent-Alarm? Who comes up with these horses’ names?” asked Jarody. “The last horses are coming out!” yelled Haiku.

“Out comes Dominator with his chipmunk rider named Nuclear-Chipmunk owned by Lady Slambrawn. Dominator is the odds on favorite to win,” said Ed. “Last but definitely not least, the Lost Champions. Need A Smoke and his ferret rider Pawn followed by Brother In-law and his falcon rider Rook,” announced Joe. “All the King’s horses are here,” said Ed. “Very funny, Ed. Pawn and Rook are Blade Animals from the sacred Temple of the Blades,” said Joe. “I bet they know how to use their Blades well, however as we all know, Nuclear-Chipmunk is also a Blade Animal and we’ve seen him use his LightningBlade many times before,” said Ed. “LightningBlade?” asked King Abbot. “We know about that Blade,” said Selene, “The LightningBlade is a Tech Blade Class Companion Blade in the form of a hummingbird. Too small and fast to be seen, the LightningBlade attaches an endless metal wire to a target then shoots up so fast, the wire gains a negative charge causing a lightning bolt to travel down the wire to strike the target the wire is attached to.” “Let us hope that chipmunk is to busy riding to even think of using his Blade,” said Salem. As soon as Salem had said that, a bolt of lightning strikes the ground just in front of Need A Smoke. “Whoa, that was a direct challenge is I ever saw one!” yelled Joe. “The horses are moving into the gates and we are ready to start this ten million collon race!” said Ed. “Twelve horses, one and a half miles of pro class track, Ladies and Gentlemen, this IS the Lysts Downs Equestrian Grand Prix!” yelled Joe as a loud bell rang, “There is the bell and down goes the starting gate!”