Carts didn't use pedals, but Danaël didn't know that; the only books he'd ever read on how a vehicle worked were on pre-symbiotic cars.
He looked for a long time under his feet, searching for pedals - whatever they were, there had to be a pedalboard! Danaël straightened up and scratched the back of his neck vigorously.
Outside, the royal guard was busy, lamps in hand and fantastic revolvers drawn, now surrounding the vehicle. Their white tunics adorned with golden outlines glittered in the night and dazzled young Danaël.
The soldiers could see Danaël in the cockpit, but Dod was hidden by the darkness, all the more so as he was in the blind spot of the four soldiers facing Danaël.
The latter could see the lips of the royal guards shouting inaudible words at him, while Danaël, deep in thought, tried as best he could to keep the cart moving.
He instinctively put on his hood, trying as best he could to conceal his face, then, in immense distress, his gaze turned once more to the dashboard.
Noticing four levers to his right, he tried to pull the first one, but the cart rumbled in response.
"Dan", Dod said impatiently.
"I'm on it! I'm on it!" Danaël pulled the lever until it locked.
The fantasia contained in the huge exhaust exploded, and they took off with a bang. Well, take-off was a strong word, as the cart moved along at ground level, gaining altitude.
The royal guards threw themselves to the ground, but two of them, positioned at the rear of the cart, managed to escape before being totally pulverized by the fantastic explosion.
The cart was now moving at full speed, the problem being that they were heading straight for the opposite wall. Danaël pulled the second lever, and the cart abruptly stopped moving forward, heading backward in the opposite direction.
"Okay, so not that one!" Exasperated Danaël.
He pulled the lever, and the cart came to a halt a few centimeters from the rear façade of the central tavern. Outside, the guards, panicked by young Danaël's erratic movements, ran in all directions, trying to avoid the ship.
They jostled one another, falling, getting up again, and then jostling again in a cacophony of noise. As the craft swooped towards the sky, Danaël hastily added fantastic power by raising the first lever, and the cart took off, leaving behind a multicolored veil, obstructing the view of the royal guards.
Reinforcements arrived, and the few guards still on their feet told their companions to take the remaining carts and chase after Danaël and company.
"See Dod!" Exclaimed a euphoric Danaël. "I told you we'd make it."
Dod hadn't moved a muscle, positioned in the same spot, and still with his arms folded. The small hint of enthusiasm he used to have was still not back, and Danaël noticed because his smile faded the second Dod replied:
"How do you plan to get past the metal dome, genius?"
A big detail that had escaped Danaël in the heat of the moment. "Shit, that's right!" he said to himself, too proud to admit to his friend the blunder he'd made.
The cart sped along, Danaël busy managing their altitude by manipulating the various levers. Piloting the cart was no longer a problem for him, but another had been added to a list that had been growing ever since their altercation with Princess Evangeline.
Princess Evangeline! Danaël turned back to Dod and pointed at the princess:
"Try to wake her up, we're going to need her."
Dod, still grumpy, mumbled a few inaudible words, but even he had to admit that there was nothing better to do at the moment.
The latter took a few steps towards Danaël before crouching behind the driver's seat, where the princess was slumped.