by Pam Uphoff
She flung her hand out for the belt she'd put to the side so carefully, habit after all these years. Ricardo laughed as he drained her. "Stupid witches. You all fall for Xen. I know how to control a witch. I can drain you dry if I want to."
Deena pulled more power, tried to hold it, keep it away from him.
And shoved the knife up under his ribs.
He jerked and rolled off her. She twisted the knife, slashed as he disappeared.
She cursed him, and herself, for five minutes, then cleaned her knife, her self, dressed and stomped back to the Tavern. Lily was leaning on the end of the bar, chatting with Harry. Practically drooling. And the old man wasn't nearly as stooped as usual . . .
"I'm heading home. Have fun."
Once in Karista, she worried that she ought to have warned Lily.
No. Ricardo had been badly injured. If he didn't have any of Xen's magic wine, or healing spells . . . fat chance he didn't though. But she did have to report this.
She cleaned up quickly, put on her uniform and headed for the office. This report was going to be seriously embarrassing.
Especially since her father was still there.
"Dad, don't you ever go home?" She watched him not admit that he didn't want to, that his second marriage was past sour and well into rotted.
"Just making sure a report is on the King's desk in the morning. And what is my lovely daughter doing here tonight?" he countered. "Apart from apparently being drunk on duty?"
"I need to report an encounter with Ricardo."
"Where? When? What happened?" He was on his feet, alert and awake.
"Crossroads, on the hill behind the Tavern. Less than an hour ago. I stuck a knife in him, but he traveled, so I suspect he wasn't fatally injured."
"From your blush I suspect I'm not going to like the answer to 'why were you out on the hills with Ricardo?' Am I?" Her father sat back down.
"He was wearing an illusion of someone I trust, and I'd had too much to drink. And I'd been thinking I really ought to get over my scruples and advance as a witch . . . and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Dad . . . "
"Deena. I love you. I loved your mother dearly and every time I look at you I see her. I will love you no matter what you do. And I do understand about advancing."
"I know that. Actually, I was going to say, don't ever tell Xen I thought it was him I was, umm. Because now that I'm almost sober, I realize I have to work with the man."
"That could be a bit embarrassing. Unless I actually need to tell him, I won't." He shook his head. "Go home and sleep it off. I suspect you'll have the granddad of all hangovers tomorrow. I guess I'm going to have to deal with having a witch for a daughter."
"Yeah. I think I'm suddenly in need of some more training for the next step. Old Gods! This is so embarrassing." She headed for the officer's barracks.
She finally dragged out of bed around noon. Walked to the HQ building, telling herself her head didn't really hurt. Until a couple of officers clattered past her on the stairs, making more noise than a herd of horses. Then she just concentrated on not whimpering. She caught Xen's voice as she walked into their part of the fourth floor.
"Drink it all, you're dehydrated."
He wasn't there last night. He's just a friend. She walked out and found him hovering over a ghastly looking Lily.
He glanced over at her. "Well, it looks like Lily wins the worst hangover award. At least until I check on Easterly. Drink." He poured her a glass of something from a pitcher. "It's mostly water. A bit of salt and sugar."
She slid into a chair and took a sip. Something had died in her mouth. "Easterly wasn't with us."
"I'll go see about some weak tea, and toast, for you ladies."
Deena swished the water around her mouth and swallowed.
Lily looked at her through red rimmed eyes. "Did I really go to bed with a god?"
Deena's eyes jerked toward the doorway Xen had disappeared through.
"No, not him. Harry." Lily put her head down. "I am forty-five years old. I don't do things like that. I have never . . . but, I mean, the God of the Roads."
"I hadn't thought about it. Maybe it was just the glow, not The Traveler being irresistible to a Traveler, however much she claims to have given up the life and settled down." Deena said. "Where did you spend the night?"
"At the tavern, in his room. It was really fun at the time. Now I want to die and get it over with."
"It's just a hangover." Xen set a pot down quietly, and then a pair of cups. "Possibly with an indiscretion in there somewhere, but that's none of my business." He poured for them.
"Indiscretion? Ohh, yeah. What my mother would say!" Lily abandoned the water and sipped tea.
"Well, I'll just leave you ladies to your hangovers. Hopefully once you've survived them you'll remember the rest of last night fondly . . . Deena the unassailable, were you indiscrete too? Oh my. Finally the witch advances. Congratulations."
She glared. "Xen, I stuck a knife in Ricardo last night. He traveled, so I probably didn't kill him."
Xen gawped at her and then snickered. "Oh no. Tell me you didn't screw him first and then . . . "
She glared.
Xen snickered. "Well, umm . . . I think I'll check Rip Crossing, see if he ran home." Xen trotted out.
Lily snickered. "Gee, I wonder whose face he was wearing? Was he armed with wine to ensure your cooperation? Or did you dose yourself to ensure a pregnancy?"
"Yes, of course I thought I was getting all snuggly with Xen. I doubt I am ever going to have the nerve to do that again. This is so embarrassing. Ricardo!"
"Do you know where Xen keeps that wine?" Lily frowned. "I've never regretted not marrying, but a child . . . I always meant to, but somehow . . . "
Deena walked to Xen's office and hunted through drawers for the first aid kit he kept there. It included a bottle of wine, as expected. She carried it back out and eyed the other guard. "Should we wait until we're sober and feeling better?" She pulled the cork and tipped it toward Lily's empty teacup. Hesitated.
"And miss the opportunity?" Lily shook her head. "You're having some?"
Deena poured. "This level of stupidity requires a two day hangover. Here's to Pregnant Guards, and pissed off commanders."
Deena and Lily toasted each other silently and drained their cups.
***
Xen whistled up Lion, Blackie, and Silky, and checked Pyrite. The horse swore he felt just fine. Keeping Xen between himself and the Old Dun.
The Dun snorted his amusement and directed him to a bloody patch and abandoned male clothing.
:: Sometimes mares change their minds and kick.::
:: Women are picky about who they breed with, and this guy had an illusion.::
::Yes. She got mad when he suddenly stopped looking like you.::
Xen paused for a long minute. "Deena thought she was having sex with me? Oh, man, she must have been really, seriously drunk. She doesn't even trust me."
The old horse snickered. :: What does trust have to do with lust? ::
"As little as possible. Okay dogs? Got the scent? Lets go."
They went to Ash, and then took the next corridor to Rip Crossing.
The dogs showed no interest around the corridor and gate, and none in the Inn. It was unfortunately well tenanted. Or maybe fortunately. Teri was there; she gave him a glare and walked away. No hint that she'd been nursing an injured lover. She's not worried, anxious or stressed. She doesn't know he was injured last night.
Through the gate the dogs couldn't detect anything either.
"Well, that was a wash."
He glanced at the sun. Several large cometary collisions had slowed his home world's rotation by about four minutes a day, so the shift in the time of day across the gate slid continuously. Right now though, their daytimes were roughly aligned. It was late afternoon here.
He listened, found Havi, Ask, and Richie in the vicinity.
::Come and see the new houses.:: Havi sent a
Location and he jumped.
"All the kids have grown up, so we're starting these new clusters of houses for them." Havi thumped his shoulder, then bent to greet the old dogs.
"And all of their babies." Richie added. "I'm a grandfather so many times over I've stopped counting."
"So many of the genes are so thoroughly mixed up, half the kids probably have six or eight grandparents."
"Ah. The tradition of the Mage Orgy." Havi shook his head. "It's hard to remember, but somehow, when we first moved out here, I had all these plans for a normal little settlement."
They all snickered.
Xen popped through gates and corridors back to Karista. The dogs showed no interest in anything on either side of the corridor to Hell's island . . . and too much interest in the hell hounds. He scolded them. Glared at the snickering triplets, and hauled the dogs all back to the job at hand. They found nothing interesting around the public gates, nothing in Two Trees. He got the recognition feel for the cathouse in the Divide from Quicksilver . . . nothing.
Ricardo had made a very stupid mistake, and been knifed for it. Unfortunately, he seemed to be better at the other parts of running a criminal organization.
Or maybe this is a sign that someone else really is in charge.
He has a safe house, somewhere. The wine heals fast, but he'll need at least a couple of days to recover from a deep stabbing before he does very much. Maybe. Depends on whether he has the micro-telekinetic ability to press tissues together, which allows the wine to speed heal them.
Xen stopped at Janic's office, reported a lack of results and was sent off with instructions to keep hunting for gods, and if he could lose all of them through gates, all the better.
Chapter Twenty
Winter 1393, day 13
Karista, Kingdom of the West
Garit slid into the private observation room, and found himself in good company. Father, uncle, brother, and nephew had all had the same idea. The king and Rufi sat at the front. Rolo was behind and between them, leaning forward to speak in a whisper they could both hear. Staven was sitting back, almost invisible. The room was dark, so no betraying light shown through the decoratively pierced front wall.
The councilmen filed in and sat down. The Council of the West was comprised of the eleven dukes, two governors, one marshal, five city representatives, and eight guild or professional representatives, in addition to the four King's appointments. Most of them were represented by family members with full voting authority. Twenty-five men and six women, all known and trusted by the king and the people. Or at least that was the theory.
With the king not presiding, the high podium was empty. In general, the king presided over the Council once a year, to open the annual session by giving a brief speech about the state of the Kingdom and the most pressing things he felt the Council needed to address.
And of course, when new Crown and Spear Heirs were approved, there would be an official ceremony here. Garit glanced at Staven. He'll be all right. It's been less than two weeks, he'll adjust and father will see that he has either a government job, or the money to do whatever else he wants to do.
He can be anything but the Spear Prince. And that's got to hurt.
Lord Fidel Iron sat at the head of the table and rapped his gavel for order.
"We are meeting this week to interview the nine young men who appear, on paper, to be the most able to serve as Heirs Tertiary to the Spear and Crown of the Nation. Next week we will discuss those children still in their formative years. Not wanting to give any appearance of favoritism, the select committee has randomly assigned the order in which these young men will appear.
"We will therefore start with Lord Franki Negue. Lord Franki is the son of Lord Flandry Negue, son of Lord Marius Negue, son of King Haro Negue. He is thirty-five years of age, and has never married."
Franki had walked out to the Speaker's Stage below the podium. His suit was conservative, his shirt impeccably white. At some point he had escaped his handlers and sycophants. The mascara was expertly applied, the silk hanky in his breast pocket both pink and lacy.
The small size of the council allowed for a somewhat conversational atmosphere, as the councilors genuinely tried to give the young man a fair chance to give his opinion of the Auralians.
"Give me the cold grues, darling!"
"What do you think about the Earthers?"
"You mean that was true? I thought it a marvelously imaginative story!"
Iron was starting to look grim. "And the Cove Islander's increasing control of the seas?"
"Islanders! Just too beautiful for words!"
The Council President glowered at him, and turned to his fellows. "Any further questions?"
No one spoke up.
Fidel Iron nodded politely to Franki. "Thank you for coming, Prince Franki."
They summoned the next candidate.
Lord Edvin looked older than his forty-one years, and was balding, opinionated and a bit over loud.
Then Xen.
Lord Fidel frowned at Xen. "You are descended from Spear Rufi through the female line, and claimed as legitimate under local custom. We will examine the legal and Charter issues separately. I am unaware of your paternity."
"My father is Wolfgang Oldham, Land Grant Holder of Section Two, Foothills Province. He owns an investment and insurance business known as The Wolf Company. Mr. Petro Hastman at the Bank of the Western Nation can speak further of his financial interests, sir."
Several of the men present were stirring a bit in consternation.
Lord Kestin leaned forward. "The Wolf Company? You mean the insurance underwriters? They're, they're . . . do you mean to say your father is the sole owner?"
"To the best of my knowledge, sir. I have proxy and can authorize full disclosure, should you require a financial examination."
Whispers ran around the room, the informed filling in the rest. " . . . underwrote the entire . . . " ". . . he may be the richest man in the Kingdom . . . " " . . . heard the Wolf Company pre-dates the Kingdom . . . "
The King was straight faced, as was Rufi. Garit wondered if they had planned on this disclosure or were simply experienced at not giving information away.
"You are twenty-three and unmarried? Serving in the King's Own as an Intelligence officer?"
"Yes, sir. I started with the two year rotation. I am just starting the fourth year of my first five year enlistment."
Lord Fidel made a note, and dismissed him.
The Council broke for lunch.
"They'll talk to the lot of you in two days at this rate." The king's lips quirked, and he looked over at Garit. "Maybe they'll consider Franki for your Spear?"
Garit grinned. "We'll all be highly entertained, but possibly not as well protected as usual. The King's Own will be just precious in pink and purple uniforms. Maybe the Council will seriously consider Xen."
King Leano thumped Rufi on the shoulder. "There's nothing more relieving than having someone you can rely on at your side. Both to defend you and to pull you up when you go astray."
They're taking my acceptance for granted!
Rolo nodded. "If you are chosen, I suspect Xen will always be there for you, even if he's merely running the intelligence department for some other Spear. Well, Franki was entertaining, but Farit and Thomu are the two I most want to get a good look at."
Staven had sat in a back corner, observing. Not talking. And still saying nothing.
Garit gave him a worried look over. Seems to be recovering physically. He hesitated, stayed a bit behind as the others left. "Staven? Are you . . . "
Staven raised an eyebrow. "All right? No. I still hurt, I'm still crippled, and I'm still madder than hell."
"You're still the confirmed Spear Heir. You don't have to step aside."
"I . . . am not terribly experienced. Just a year more than you. We all know that a junior officer, so badly crippled would, at best, be assigned a desk job."
"We'll get whoever did it."
Garit had his own interview immediately after lunch. It turned into a discussion of current events and the various possible moves of the Oners and the Earthers and what they were doing to prepare for them all. They were all on new and uncertain footing when it came to parallel worlds and gates between them. Garit wasn't certain whether he'd impressed them with his working knowledge of it all, or with his complete insanity.
"Prince Garit." Lady Merry Denacil of Desert Valley Province was fifty, upright, with a gleam in her eye like a predatory bird. "You have been the king's son all your life. Do you wish to be king, in the fullness of time?"
"Madam Councilor, I will serve the Kingdom however I am needed, whether or not it is as King or Spear. I . . . desire it, but I suspect I’ll also be relieved, should you choose another. And while I’ve been assumed to be in line for the Crown, I am also an experienced army officer, and so I will point out that I am probably better qualified for the Spear than your other possible candidates. Relative ages are not the most important qualifications for choosing Spear and Crown heirs. Mirk would be a better king than I, and I would gladly serve as his Spear. I accept your decision, in this matter."
Chapter Twenty-one
Winter 1393, day 14
Crossroads, Section 1, Foothills Province
"The thing is, Quicksilver," Deena could feel herself blushing. "No matter how embarrassing it is to admit what I did with someone I thought was your brother . . . I can't stop wondering why Ricardo was at the Tavern, pretending to be Xen."
"Let's find out if he actually went into the Tavern." Quicksilver led the way back down the path. "And stop blushing. If Xen finds out—which I'll bet he already has—and kids you, just point out that you knifed him."
"Well, in all honesty, knifing him was the furthest thing from my mind until I sort of saw through the illusion while he was, umm."
"Indeed. Ricardo's got that Godlike Presence. Pity you didn't kill him." Quicksilver led the way through the kitchen door.