by Pam Uphoff
Yrno snorted. “My Dad’s already figuring out how he’s going to spend the money I’ll be making. As if I’ll let him get his greasy fingers on it!”
Arno shrugged. “We really will make a lot of money. It might be worth sharing it around, just to keep the peace.”
“Arno!” Ryol poked him. “Not that Mother and Dad need any, but keeping the peace isn’t about money!”
Lala snickered. “The Clan sent a bill to Master Xen, to recompense them for what they had to pay my hideous foster parents. He sent a chit right back. Then the fosters called, trying to kiss up to me. I clicked off on them. I’m never going back.”
Jay nodded. “My mom’s a bit irritated. My stepdad’s cool, but then they’ve only been married for three and a half years, so it’s not like he’s got any ego at risk. Especially with their second kid on the way.”
Voyr sighed. “My parents won’t even speak of it . . . Not that Mother gave a fig for Ylro . . . he’s one of the ones they executed. My Step-dad’s a doctor, he thinks I should look into medical magic.”
Or What grunted. “Councilman Urna. Executed. My mother does this little pretend sob whenever he’s mentioned.”
Lala shrugged. “My mother’s then-husband was killed in the assassination attempt. Fighting on the wrong side, of course.”
“Minister Opri. Executed.” Gior threw her hands up. “Can we talk about something else? Ryol and Arno are the only ones with a happy ending, here.”
Arno started laughing . . . Ryol punched his shoulder. “It’s not funny! We were raised by our biomom’s sister and her husband, with the grandparents nearby and, oh . . . the dinner where Master Xen met everyone! Eep! It was not pretty.”
Aunt Rael giggled. “With a few months perspective it is starting to be funny. And we all kissed and made up at the end. Well . . . no one actually punched Xen. The rest of us kissed and made up.”
Master Xen cleared his throat. “I believe all of you will be starting high school next September, er, Qadah? More or less?”
Nods all around. Master Xen turned a bit to look at the chaperones. “Do you know if the One has any further plans to disrupt the kids’ educations?”
“Not yet.” Ytry shrugged. “But things do seem to come up unexpectedly.”
Xen nodded. “Perhaps you could set future schools on vacation days, sufficiently far ahead that everyone’s families could plan around them? The kids all have the basics. They need to practice them for a few years, get comfortable with them, mature a bit, and then they’ll be ready for more training.”
Mature a bit? Well, yeah, those magic booster stages. Some of us are starting puberty already. Oh, loss of virginity . . . parenthood! Yikes!
He contemplated everything he’d been doing. And I’m not quite fifteen.
What am I, what are we, going to be like when we’re twenty?
***
Arno dragged out of bed midmorning.
The common room was empty, the coffee urn empty.
Breakfast at The Kitchen, or grab some pastries? He flipped a mental coin, and headed for the pastry shop.
And found Yrno, Jay, and Ryol already there.
Ryol shoved a plate of miscellaneous goodies across the table to him. “Master Xen popped in and said he had to go talk to some people, handed over a bunch of tokens and said to not get into any trouble we couldn’t get out of, or would seriously regret later.”
Yrno grinned. “I know what I want to do. I’m going to check out the art in the storm drains.”
Speaking of people who have started puberty . . . And Jay looks like he’s trying to not look interested.
Ryol glowered at them. Looked at Arno.
He shrugged. “All I saw was fish and stuff. And anyway, it’s what, fifteen kilometers. How are we going to get there?”
Yellow brought out cups and a pot and started pouring hot cocoa. “Hasn’t anyone shown you the tram? See the striped pole down there? Push the button, they’ll show up eventually. We really need a proper bus service though.”
Ryol sniffed. “I refuse to believe there’s anything really nasty down there.”
Arno sipped cocoa, then snagged another donut. “Probably not. Of course Yrno can probably find something suggestive in just random patterns.”
Even Yrno snickered about that.
They polished off the cocoa and munched donuts as they walked down the street to the pole on the corner and poked the big red button.
Arno spotted movement on the opposite corner of the plaza. Red and white striped awnings over . . . something like an open Ute and a trailer that was just two long benches, back-to-back facing to either side.
The young woman driving it grinned at them. “You must be new here. Heading for the beach?”
Yrno shook his head. “We want to see the storm drains.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Hop in . . . I usually charge a tok a head for the round trip, but since there’s no way for you to call me for a pick up, how about two toks for the four of you. Or, of course,” She pointed at the manhole up against the curb. “You could start there.”
They stared at the heavy metal disk. Ryol forked over two toks. “This way we can pretend it’s the catacombs or something.”
The driver laughed. “Next stop, the catacombs!”
Of course with a top speed of probably thirty kilometers per hour there was time to finish off the pastries, and realize that there were no bird sounds either from the grasslands or the groves of trees they passed . . .
“Wait! There’s a bird!” Ryol pointed. “Well, one is better than none, right?”
The driver called back, “They accidentally fly through a gate, and then they can’t get back. So there’s more and more animals all the time. We ignore most of them, and they run off, away from all the people. But Xen did hunt down the tiger that came through one day.”
“Bet that was a surprise!” Yrno was sitting as close to the front as possible. Right. Cheerful blue-eyed blonde with freckles. Of course he’s attracted.
“Oh yeah! Fortunately the first person who saw it was a Oner and could shield and yell for help. Xen tracked it and caught up with it about the time it spotted the horse herd.”
“Whoa!”
“Yeah, Disco’s real protective of their horses. And they don’t even let small predators loose on purpose.”
Yrno squished himself against the bench arm. “I’m Yrno Withione Peking.”
“Ah, I figured you were all Oners. I’m Pepi Malder, from Comet Fall.”
“That’s not a witch type name . . .”
“Nah. I’m a girl wizard. And here you go. Have fun!” She waved as they unloaded and walked down the steps to the first ledge.
“Oh look! There’s enough water for the horse statue to have wings!” Ryol hopped down two ledges to get a good look . . . from the up-wind side. Not that there was much of a breeze. And of course the water was completely purified. Except when someone crawled up a side pipe . . .
Arno stayed further back and said nothing.
Jay walked up to the tunnel. “You know . . . lights might have been a good idea.”
“Ha!” Yrno snatched a handful of sunlight. “Let’s go.”
Ryol laughed and headed for the tunnel, Jay right behind her. Arno compacted a bit of sunlight, then shrugged and let it go. Too much work. I’ll use gravity if I need more light than what they’ve got already.
He trotted to catch up, slowing as he left the bright sunlight for the dark tunnel. “I never heard . . .” His voice echoed, and he dropped to a near whisper, “just where these risqué pictures were supposed to be.”
“I heard they were right in front of our embassy.” Jay sounded cheerful. “I’m surprised no one’s giving guided tours.”
Jay’s laughter bounced off the stone walls.
I don’t remember the echoes, when I was here with Ebsa. I wonder if they used a sound damping spell? It sounds like there’s dozens of people clomping around.
As his eyes adjus
ted, it really wasn’t very dark, with the light from the tunnel entrance. He trotted to catch up with the others. “So much for being excused from the morning run. Seven miles to the Plaza, then the tunnel splits.”
“Race you!” Yrno took off. Jay sprinted past him.
“Good grief.” Ryol looked over at him. “Not going to compete?”
“Well, actually, if I alternate a moderate run with walking, I could easily beat both of them.” Arno started out with his usual “going to run the whole lap” pace, and Ryol matched him.
He glanced at his watch, and after ten minutes slowed and walked. Ryol looked back, shrugged and walked with him.
“It’s really weird, thinking about how much we’ve changed in less than half a year. Everyone talks about the magic training they get in high school. Meditation and mental privacy shields. And . . . that’s it. I already do so much more than that, and you can even do corridors. We’re not normal Oners anymore.”
Arno eyed her. “Yeah . . . I hadn’t thought about it like that. If those stupid bank robbers hadn’t locked themselves in the vault, we could’ve at least pretended to be normal. Well, we just need to . . . survive one year. Then we’ll move to Paris, where no one will know who we are.”
“You hope. Maybe I’ll dye my hair.”
“Mother won’t let you.” Arno pinched a tiny bit of gravity and compacted it until it glowed. Stuck it on his forehead.
They ran again, walked, ran . . . found Jay and Yrno staggering down the tunnel, in the dark, still arguing about where the race had ended and who had won.
Arno swapped a grin with his sister as they ran past them. But they stopped to examine the “art work” a couple of times. “Cool sea serpent. But I’m not sure it’s worth the trip.”
Ryol stuck her nose on the stone. “The scales are mineral crystals, with clear glass over them.”
“Quartz, see the crystal edges?” Arno stepped back and collected heat. It really did make a better light. “And they did all this while they were walking around up there on the surface, creating the whole tunnel.”
Ryol stepped back and added more light. “I guess we’re only a little off Oner normal . . . so far.”
Yrno and Jay joined them, eyeing the whole scene, waves, mermaids, and sea serpent.
“Well, that’s not what everyone was talking about.” Yrno grumbled. “But it’s all right.”
“I like it.” Jay grinned and headed onward, Yrno hustled after him.
“Boys!” Ryol sounded disgusted. “The only one with common sense is my twin.”
Arno snorted. “And we’ve met a bunch of kids from all over. Other Worlds.”
Ryol nodded. “Yeah . . . I’ve been thinking that . . . the Directorate School actually sounds pretty interesting.”
Arno stopped dead and gawped at her. “What? Wow! You’ve been fixated on Princess School for as long as I can remember.”
“Yeah. Diuc’s been a real eye-opener. And the other two aren’t far behind. Well, I know they’re Priests, but I asked Aunt Rael and she said Diuc went to Princess School, and then got Dancer training, just like Aunt Rael. But then she sort of sank into the One.”
“That’s . . . interesting.” Arno shrugged. “Actually it’s enough to make me glad I’m not really a Oner.”
“Arno!”
He waved her protest away. “Oh, I’m a citizen of the Empire. But I don’t have that connection to the One. I’ve thought about asking Master Xen about that patch of skin thing . . . but what if I really don’t like it?”
“It’s not like that! There’s no voices or anything, it’s just . . . like you know you’re with friends.”
Arno blinked. “So long as you don’t voluntarily enter their homes. Then you may be swimming with the sharks.”
She reached out and punched his arm. “I’m not an idiot. C’mon.” She trotted off down the tunnel.
It took more than an hour to get to the junction beneath the corner of the plaza.
Ryol found enough energy to trot ahead. “I win!”
Arno grinned. “I don’t see any naughty pictures. I don’t think we’re at the finish line yet.”
Ryol snorted and headed . . . east? Yes, that way should be east, running under the north side of the Plaza.
Arno gathered more heat . . . and illuminated a long mural, the colors and textures all from the minerals in the rock being concentrated . . . “A giant octopus chasing naked ladies?”
“Eww!” Ryol stepped back. “Look at the ends of the octopus’s arms. They’re shaped like, umm . . .”
Arno snickered. “Oh that’s gross and disgusting.”
“What is?” Yrno panted up and stopped to stare.
Jay wobbled into the light. “Well . . . that’s different.”
“Oh, One. That’s too stupid to even be funny.” Yrno put his fists on his hips and glared at the octopus. “And now we have to walk all the way back.”
They all eyed the wall.
Arno shook his head, and opened his mouth to comment . . . except there were still footsteps echoing around the tunnel. “Huh. I guess we’re not the only people taking the tour.”
“That’s right.” Movement in the dark beyond the range of their lights resolved into two men, stripping off goggles of some sort as they stepped into the light. “We appreciate good art, which is notably missing down here.”
They were both dressed in black, from shoes to gloves. And some sort of knit cap.
“Didn’t you guys look a little odd, walking around out there?” Ryol was frowning at them.
“Well we figured we’d be leaving in the dark, so . . .”
The other one shook his head. “Pity there’s only one girl. But that just means less to carry home.”
“For us.” They all looked around. Six men rounded the corner that led from Disco and the north side of the Earth Embassy.
A quick glance . . . there was a ladder. “Ryol, guys, get over there. It’s time for shields.”
He brought up a physical shield, as he backed away. Grounded it as the group to the south ran at them.
“I got this side.” Yrno called. “But how the hell long can we hold them?”
“Long enough to get up the ladder.” Arno frowned as the four men from the east pulled pistols . . . Is that a laser? I haven’t practiced my energy shields very much . . .
He reached out . . . up over their heads, and shoved a dent in the gravity field.
The six men fell upward and hit the ceiling of the tunnel.
Arno let go of the gravity and they fell back down.
Yrno laughed. “Jay get up there and see if you can get the manhole cover off. Mind the traffic. Ryol, you follow him and get ready to do that metal molding thing so they can’t follow us.”
Five of the six men were getting up. One man was sitting up clutching his leg and snapping orders. Three of them turned and limped back the way they’d come.
More footsteps echoing from the south. Arno turned back and watched those two running away . . . angling to the right . . .
“They’re heading for the next manholes. We’re need to get out of here fast.” Arno glanced up at a flash of light. Jay heaved at the cover and slid it off to the side.
“Yeah, but how are we going to do that?” Yrno backed up shrinking the size of his shield.
The two men from the east followed it. “Getting tired, Little Boy? You don’t dare turn you back on us, and my friends are catching the girlie right about now.
Arno dropped his and grabbed a bubble, opened a hole and pinned it to the wall. A square easy enough to dive through.
“I’ll climb up and open the other end, you dive through, I close it.”
“Good plan, get going.”
Arno scrambled up the ladder. Rolled out. Pin two bottom corners . . . “Close it!” He stood, pulling the hole up into a triangle of darkness, he reached to stretch it open and Yrno crashed into him. Arno slapped his hand down, and Jay lunged and poked the bubble. It popped. A faint scream
from below.
Arno heaved a sigh of relief and stood up . . . “What the . . .”
Two men, dragging Gior and Voyr, half of their attention on Or What.
Or had blood running down one side of his head, staggering . . . carrying one of the wooden practice swords. He spotted Arno. “Get up a shield and block them!”
“Behind us.” Jay stalked forward. “What do you guys think you’re doing?”
“We’re taking our brides home.”
The girls squirmed and Gior tried to kick, and was slapped.
“Gagged, I see.” Jay kept talking.
“They hit us with dart guns. Methelformaline or something.” Or What swiped blood away from his left eye and advanced on the kidnappers.
Arno held his hands out and gather light and heat into a nice showy fireball. The magicians among the watchers stopped abruptly. The Discordians shifted their grips on the girls, getting behind them.
So much for threatening them into letting the girls go . . .
He looked at Ryol. “Raise a shield behind us, and keep looking all around so we don’t get jumped by the other groups.” He
“Right. But I’ll start right there.” Her eyes narrowed, and the kidnappers bumped into “nothing” and sidled sideways.
Hit another shield.
Arno squinted . . . Lala with an unnoticeable spell!
Three men rushed in from the east, slowed as Yrno threw up a shield.
Arno looked the other way. Yep, two men climbing out of a manhole down the street. They took in the situation . . . turned and walked away.
“Excellent, only two groups of assholes to deal with.” Arno eyed the way one guy was holding Gior by her wrists high over her shoulder, so she was almost a shield for him . . . “Gior? Judo?”
Her eyes opened, then narrowed. She stopped trying to pull away, backed in closer to shove with her hip and used his grip on her wrists to tip him over her and land on his back, jarring his grip loose. Gior stumbled back.
Arno could see the faint glow of Ryol’s shield wink out to let her through, then pop back up and the man rolled over and jumped for her.