by Pam Uphoff
Double sighs. Goem glanced back at the stabling. "Killer's getting old. Dad's says he'll buy me a new horse, but the creatures the brokers keep offering are 'suitable mounts for a young lady' not the jumping fool I want."
"Suitable . . . they mean pretty and well mannered, right? What a horror that would be." Paer thought about all the horses she'd ridden. "Maybe next year I'll start a really green horse. I probably ought to think about having a second string mount."
Goem smirked. "You must worry about Crystal's ankle. Can the bones really be as strong as they used to be?"
Paer mentally rolled her eyes. Competitiveness rears it's ugly head.
"No, she's had two years since the injury. You can't even see it in X-rays anymore." She smiled sweetly. "And really, Killer's got a lot of miles left in him. If you think he's past the Grand Prix courses, you might think about selling him to one of the younger students. They could use his experience, and you could afford to buy the sort of horse you want."
And just to put one-horse Goem in her place . . .
"Baen? How's Fallen Star coming along? About ready to move him up to Grand Prix as well?"
They talked horses, noted the minor changes in the warm up arenas, and eyed the array of obstacles lined up and ready to be moved into the arena once the surface was regraded and inspected.
Xiat and Muef walked along with the group, wandering close then drifting out, one of them always a step away. Wsca and Ohhe stayed out of the group, the obvious bodyguards who would, without that being their actual purpose, discourage any rival riders from bothering them.
It was a three day show, the Grand Prix the culminating class and big crowd draw.
Paer watched wistfully as Baen showed Fallen Star in the Open classes.
I really do need a second horse.
But then it was, finally, time for the Grand Prix.
They walked the course. Madam Chin, Goem, Baen, and Paer. A complex pattern, not very logically laid out, lots of galloping around some jumps to get to the next. Tricky and irritating, just remembering what order to jump the darned things in.
Paer was about the middle of the order, so she watched the first three riders, then went off to warm up Crystal.
A newsie was snapping pictures, his flash went off in Crystal's face, causing her to toss her head. Paer glared.
"Don't."
Paer looked around.
Xiat shook her head. "That anger flashed through your shield. Do those exercises Rael's given you while you warm up." Then she stepped over and loomed at the photographer. "That is how to get banned from show grounds. Go. Away. Do not do that during a class."
"Bugger off." He side stepped, lifted his camera . . . hit the ground hard.
Wsca grinned, hoisted him back onto his feet, with one arm twisted behind his back. "Ah! I was afraid I wasn't going to get any exercise at all this trip. Hand me his cam, will you Xiat? Then this lad is going to leave the venue."
"You can't do this!"
"Yes I can." The cheerful Wsca marched the man away.
Paer took a deep breath. Focus. Shield. Relax.
And being on horseback helped, muscles relaxing to the horse's movement as she walked. Paer walked her for a bit, trotted, walked trotted. Focused her mind on the pattern of jumps. Two tight turns. She warmed up with a couple of easy jumps, then Xiat moved jumps so she could practice those turns. Then off to the waiting area in front of the in gate. The horse ahead of her trotted in, snorting and fired up.
Madam Chin eyed Crystal. "Tighten her reins, sit deep. You know she always gets excited as soon as she heads for the in gate. Hustle on that long gallop around the far end. This is a nice solid course. You'll win it."
Paer nodded. Then her focus narrowed down to the horse and the jumps, the course.
Feeling Crystal, excited and eager. Trot a circle, back to the start, nod to the judge and take aim at the first jump. Turn right to the second jump, turn left for the long gallop. No problem. Nice tight turns, fire, control, focus and over the last combination and out.
Paer relaxed and took a quick peek at her time. Clear and clean. The announcer said something about the first clear round.
No jump off, yet.
"Excellent. Cool down while I get Goem ready." Madam Chin hustled off.
It was a large show; Paer's place in the order made for an awkward cool down, fast groom, then saddle back up to warm up, in case there was a jump off.
Paer stretched and started listening to the announcer.
A clear round. Goem and Killer pulled a rail and were over the time limit. Next week Madam Chin's going to be working them on that. Lots. Two more riders, then Baen and Hustler knocked down two rails, rushing to beat the clock. Oops. Madam Chin's going to get you!
Snip saddled Crystal, and she took her out to warm up again.
The last horse and rider also had a clear round. The ground crew came out to set up the abbreviated jump off course. Snip held Crystal while Paer and Madam Chin walked it out. Paer stopped and eyed the turn into the next to last jump by the arena wall.
Madam Chin eyed the jump and then her. "If you are going to be upset, slow a bit more than you usually would before the turn. Take it straight on, then turn and take the last jump."
Paer looked at it again. Just like where we fell. I will not be afraid. Else I'll have to run away from home, sneak through a gate, find Endi, and get him to make me fall off ponies until I get over it again.
She paced it out, nodded in satisfaction and headed for the gate.
Someone's voice rose above the crowd noises, a jeer? It slid off her focus, barely noticed. She mounted and walked Crystal, then trotted into the arena, and past that jump. Back to the start, nod and go. Hustle between jumps, slow and collect for a sharp turn, stretch out and run, rock back for the in-and-out. Angle in on that jump, firm heels, turn, gather, leap. Lengthen stride to the final jump and run for the finish line.
Done. Now I'm the time to beat.
This time she turned Crystal over to Snip for a bit of a cool down and watched the other two horses both beat her time.
"Hmm. That actually surprises me." Madam Chin eyed the arena. "I think we'll be practicing speed before the qualifier."
Paer sighed. "They're complete unknowns!"
"Here. Some wretched click-click Division Team has come across from Homestead to check out One World courses, and to be sure their horses are fully acclimated before the Olympics."
"Oh . . . so those were my Olympic rivals."
"Yes. So even if this had been a qualifier show, third place wouldn't have mattered, for getting you onto the Paris Division Team. In any case, in two weeks you will beat them both."
Paer nodded. Faster between jumps. Faster turns.
Chapter Seven
12 Rajab 1398
Madrid, One World
Rael eyed the security team. "There are ninety-four division teams. Seventy from the eight Home World Regions and twenty-four from the colonies, half of them from Homestead, as it has the highest population. Thank the One, the equestrian sports are so bloody expensive that there are actually only thirty-one divisions sending people.
"But this influx of new people will be half the security problem for the next three shows. Lots of strangers among the usual horsey set, and no one knows if they belong there or not. All the colony teams brought their horses through early, kept them quarantined, and now they're hitting these top level shows to get some experience against some of the horses and riders they'll be up against in the Olympics. They . . . and the Home World division teams . . . are not above a bit of . . . psychology. Harassment, disparaging comments, hopefully only no-touch intimidation. So we're adding in a whole bunch of outer perimeter people to pick up on any dirty tricks aimed at Paer."
"But the rest are all right?"
Rael wrinkled her nose. "No, but they aren't our job, either. However, feel free to step in whenever you see anything. Because if tit-for-tat retaliation gets going, it could foster a . . . le
ss safe environment for us to all work in."
Nods all around. Hostile environments were tough.
"So, close in Paer will have an extra groom. The usual two Black Horse guards in uniform, and the pair of princesses. Twelve outer perimeter in plain clothes. We're looking for people with horse show experience, the better to recognize something out of place."
A stir around and more than enough volunteers, ready and willing.
Rael huffed a bit, and added herself to the mix. "After all, I can read reports all the way there and back, right?"
In a bus half full of giggly teenagers. Half spectators. Only the three Grand Prix riders showing this time.
Rael kicked back and tried to read. Paer hung over the seat back and read over her shoulder.
"It's kind of boring. All this stuff will condense down to half a sentence in a history sometime. 'After six months of observation, something interesting happened.' Fill in the 'something interesting' and there you go."
Paer eyed the vid playing. "You know, they were stranded for so long, you can tell which ones are the marooned Earthers by their body language. They stand and move like the natives, not the recent additions."
Rael blinked. "Umm, yes." She noticed something besides horses? "Be careful, or you'll wind up being put to work analyzing this sort of thing."
"Umm, I could analyze their horses."
Rael giggled. "I'll keep you in mind, if and when we need horses analyzed."
The show was packed with unknowns. A lot of Homesteaders, with their distinctive reddish complexions, as spectators, riders, and grooms. And no doubt other natives as well, less obviously not-from-here.
Paer was wide-eyed and delighted, talked to everyone, admired their horses.
Beat them all.
The plains clothes guards reported a couple apparent attempts to sabotage another team's tack, or at any rate gain access to it, but nothing around Madam Chin's area, and nothing accomplished.
Goem and Baen, as Madam Chin put it, gained invaluable experience competing on the Olympic level.
Chapter Eight
21 Rajab 1398
Paris, One World
"So it only took Earth three months to find Target 42 again. That a bit bothersome. They're getting good at steering, at finding the same world without an anchor."
Rael frowned at the wall screen, where vehicles were emerging from a large building, a few at a time. "Troop transports and ambulances, would be my first guess. No weaponry, no tanks. Are they going to evac?" She leaned back and eyed the man delivering the newest report.
He nodded. "Yes. I managed a couple of closer shots, as they moved through town to the palace they're using as headquarters."
Ajha Clostuone Black Point. Average looking, tall, thin wiry build, hair brown going gray as it thinned. He was not at all the picture of a daring field agent. Apparently he was the best.
"No trouble getting closer?" Idlo looked surprised. "Or do they not use the native magicians? One knows sneaking around Endi wouldn't work."
"No doubt. But the center of their magical training is in the Kingdom of the West. The Auralian Empire never had much, so even with the, umm, influx of Oner genes there are very few magicians with any training, and even fewer with naturally strong enough talents to be dangerous."
Rael eyed him. "But there are some?"
"Yep, two of them. I've watched them experiment, trying to figure things out on their own. And every once in awhile I'll spot one of the Western watchers, and have to fade back. Your Endi Dewulf is there regularly. Xen Wolfson. And I've spotted three others from their infiltration here." He tapped at his computer and brought up some stills.
Xiat, Ydro, and Inre started nodding.
"Major Easterly—I never did hear anyone call him by his first name—Captain Deena Janic. This young woman is referred to as Quail, Quicksilver, or just Q. Sometimes with 'Lady' in front of it. She's associated with their University, but is neither a student, nor a professor. The . . . sheer number of powerful people around . . . I had to keep my distance."
Xiat eyed the screen. "Ajha, just how good of a grasp of their magical community do you have?"
"Umm, I'm being a whole lot more careful than I was when I was there the first time."
"But how large is it? We're seeing the same people, over and over. How many other people have you spotted?"
"Ah. They've got, as part of the King's Own, what gets called Magic Central." More tapping of keys, more pictures. "Run by Colonel Lebonift, here. Only eight other magicians, that I've identified." He grinned suddenly. "These two. Lieutenant Fuchsia Irondaut and Captain Dominic March I've not seen in Fascia. So you might want to look for them here."
Urfa pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll send that off to Izzo. He's the fellow in Interior I sic on all the possible incursions."
The XT agent paused . . . refrained from asking.
Urfa smiled crookedly. "Haven't found any yet, but investigating the reports has turned up some interesting things about ourselves."
***
A sudden brilliant flash of light. Crystal rearing, spinning, the jump in the way. The crash . . .
Paer jerked awake in her familiar bedroom, quiet, no obnoxious newsies flashing lights and spooking Crystal. "Oh. One damn it. Damned stupid photographer. I don't need this." She looked at the clock. Four thirty.
Late enough that I don't have to go back to sleep. Good.
She splashed water on her face, and brushed her teeth. Changed into her running gear. Grabbed her karate gee, all tidily rolled and tied with the belt. She was early, so she took her time walking to the guards' gym. A few stretches, then a few machines. They were set up for tall men and women, not lanky teenage girls, so the interesting looking ones just didn't work.
Ra'd trotted in early, and headed for the free weights.
Paer eyed him. "You're already sweating. Did you run all the way here from your stepmother's house? And then you go out and run another two kilometers?"
"Yes. Two is not far enough. And it would be ridiculous to take the tram, when the purpose is exercise."
And I think of myself as an athlete!
Paer wasn't about to let a boy see her struggling with the sorts of weights he slung around so easily, and walked over to the east facing windows and sat to meditate while the sky slowly brightened behind the bare silhouettes of trees .
Mirror mental shields. Up and down, up and down. And up and stay up. Centering. Focusing. Another stretch, then all the Black Horse Guards and the Directorate people were thumping down the stairs, yawning, and heading out for the morning run.
Paer spotted Rael and ran beside her. Ra'd passed them and kept going. As often as not he finished first. He'd taken to delaying his start, but if he was trying to be a part of the group, he was failing badly.
Rael and another Directorate Agent ran a small morning martial arts class. Ra'd, Paer, and a dozen of the older children of the Guards. Just a quick lesson in a new strike kick or block, then they ran through a kata, and the other kids headed home to get ready for school. The guards with families had homes along a strip between the road and the security fence. An easy commute, with enough separation from the job to have a real life. The kids all went to the local schools.
It must be nice to be normal.
Paer watched Ra'd run off toward the street. But some people have a worse time of it than me. I wonder if Ra'd has nightmares?
She thought about Fort Rangpur and winced. Of course he does, and probably twice as bloody as my worst.
Then she settled down in the warm sunshine for a lesson in magic. And magic in combination with martial arts. She was getting good enough with the stun spell to make Rael blink. Followed her through a kata, getting faster and faster. Then another cool down stretch. Meditated, to subdue the magic and react only physically. Focused and let the determination flow through her. Then she changed into her riding clothes and took Crystal out for a gallop on the paths of the parklands behind the Versalle grounds
. Kept an eye on the time and circled back right as Madam Chin arrived for her private lesson.
Time to buckle down and study. Ra'd was already there in Rael's office. He gave her a glance then went back to his screen. Paer ground her teeth, and did the same. Sneaking peeks at Rael, who finally raised her eyebrows in question.
"I was wondering if there was anything interesting going on, on Target Forty-two."
Rael scratched her chin. "Well . . . not for outside discussion, mind you, the Earthers' got obnoxious and got their asses handed to them." Fingernails tapped on the desk briefly. "All right. Watch this. Ra'd? I'd especially appreciate anything you can think of that might explain this disaster."
Paer shivered at the scenes of a transdimensional invasion. "We did that to them, too." She glanced sideways at Ra'd's eagle-eyed fixation on the vid. Then back to the vid.
To cars and, finally, a tank, falling out of nowhere and landing on the gate. She flinched away from the carnage.
Rael gripped her shoulder. "Sorry. I shouldn't have . . . "
"No!" Paer ducked her head at the too-loud denial. Swiped the hair out of her face and looked Rael in the eyes. "I . . . will not be some stupid fainting flower. I . . . want more out of life than, than . . . to be protected from it."
The grip on her shoulder tightened for a moment. "Good."
Even Ra'd gave her an approving nod, before he focused on the vid again. And asked to see it from the start. And then in slow motion.
"Isakson should see this. I never saw the Prophets do anything like this, but he has more than two centuries of experience, of watching them in battles."
Paer bit her lip thinking. Dates, she hated memorizing dates for history. "Two centuries? Is Isakson one of the first warriors?"
"Yes, the second generation born here, the first men to inherit the X-chromosome power gene through their mothers—who were what you now call Halfers."
"And you too? Well, obviously much later, no?" She never actually asked him before.