by Pam Uphoff
Those women had a secret corridor to a beautiful tropical beach just stuck on the wall of an alley. It was mind boggling. And irresistible. She stripped and ran down to the surf to plunge into the waves.
Rior'd been frolicking in pure uninhibited bliss for half an hour when she saw the woman. Quite young. Naked. She was spreading a blanket in the shade of some palm trees and appeared to have brought a picnic basket. When she saw Rior looking, she smiled and waved.
Rior walked up the beach, and didn't remember her embarrassing male body until she . . . he . . . was right in front of the girl. Naked.
"Hi, I'm Falchion. Would you like some wine?"
It turned into an orgy, with two of Falchion's pals joining them, and then their three servants had come looking for them. Rior had had second thoughts about the woman who looked liked someone had tried to turn her into a toad and stopped halfway, but by then he was drunk enough to give it a try. Then the girls had decided "he" was badly outnumbered and fetched some damn fine looking men that Rior would have been interested in just a few months ago, and then four more women showed up, one of them the boss of this whole outfit, and madder than hell.
"Enough of this! I forbade you to advance until you were old enough." She made a dismissive gesture toward Rior. "And to bring a complete stranger here?"
Falchion jumped up and glared back. "You have no authority over me, Teri! I'm advancing myself, just as you did. You stuck us in that fast house for years. 'Until you grasped magic' you said. Well, we have. And we're going to advance."
If looks could kill . . . Teri turned to Rior and looked him up and down, cold.
A gorgeous blonde. And beside her, probably the ugliest woman he'd ever seen. Purplish dark hair, skin tones worthy of a corpse. Painfully thin except for the soft pulpy swellings here and there. She looks like a spider.
Rior felt the power gather and shielded barely in time to deflect the fireball from the blonde, and returned it with interest. He caught a slice, had to absorb a flash of light, whipped sand up in a whirlwind that bounced off her shield, returned and bounced again, while Rior went deep and low with a compulsion spell. That one got through. She was spitting mad and clawing her way free of the compulsion when he sent the rest of the magicians away so he could talk to her, one-on-one.
More or less. The spider woman hadn't gone very far. He could follow her by the gloating glee she was leaking.
"We can try to make this a good working relationship, or we can be enemies. You are strong, but I can see that you can only do one thing at a time. You need training, and I can give it to you." He took a slow prowl through her mind, enjoying how much she hated it. "So, your comrades want to free these two women in prison? What about these four trained wizards, eh? We could be quite the criminal gang."
He pushed back a curl of her hair, grinning as she managed to get a growl past his control. "I've been in outlaw gangs before, and the main problem is hiding. But with this many powerful magicians, we won't have that problem, will we? We can take whatever we want, and disappear. Think about it." He got up, collected his clothes, and walked through the corridor.
The alley was empty, but he moved away from the corridor before he dressed and walked away.
He cast a spell of, well, not true invisibility, but a shifting illusion of all the things around him, like a cloud of mirrors. In the rare instances it caught the eye of an observer, it tended to make people rub their eyes and worry about eye strain. Generally though, it was hard to focus on.
No point in letting that woman track him to his temporary home. He dropped the spell as he walked into the warehouse. Once the base for the Post Head and any teams on this world, it had been only occasionally used since the Empire had established a new gate in Discordia. A few mental suggestions, when the Post Head dropped by, and she'd been living there rent free while she changed. Adapted to the changes in her body. Practiced fighting, practiced magic.
Hell, I had to train myself to walk and stand like a man. Different speech patterns, gestures, much, much less deference.
I should move now though. Soon. I'm able to travel now. I could get back to one of my caches, get money. Buy or rent a place of my own, while I . . . negotiate with those witches. The infamous Hors de Combat. Incredibly talented amateurs, no wonder they keep getting caught.
I thought once about taking some of the Veronian children from their pathetic excuse of a magical academy. But grown women, partially trained . . . It'll be more dangerous but a whole lot faster.
The experience of male sex had been powerful, and combined with a magical battle, somewhere between exhausting and mind blowing. He felt like a god, and needed desperately to calm down and start planning. And I'll still kill the bitches with the potions . . . but I'm beginning to think being male might work out very well. I always had to have a front man . . . now I can be the leader in all ways.
Seven witches, powerful, but needing training, and drill in acting in concert. If even a single one of them had stood up with the leader he'd have been in trouble. All of them, and he'd have been toast. The five fellows had magic as well, but almost completely untapped, untrained. Two more witches and four trained wizards in prison.
"By the One." Rior paced, grinning fiercely. "Eighteen of them, just waiting for someone to gather them up and put them to work. This could be more fun than Auchel Ibrah, the first and original."
Chapter Three
Early Summer 1398
Karista, Kingdom of the West
Two days later Xen was explaining it all to the King, and Rufi. They were quite taken with the idea of avoiding a war with either or both the Earth and the Empire of the One.
"But somewhere off the maze, please, until we see if those people will be sensible." Rufi frowned. "And take Garit with you. He needs a dose of your common sense."
King Leano nodded. "We'll talk to King Mark of Arrival. It would be handy to have an allied world . . . especially since they are also an Exile World."
Garit was out in the barn, scowling at horses. "I need a mount while Acrobat is healing. Clowny's going to need to get out to pasture in a couple more months. These others . . . "
"That's the problem with having smart horses. Most of the rest are disappointments. But why don't you saddle up Clowny today and come for a ride. Rufi said I ought to show you what I'm up to."
Garit nodded. "I need to talk to you. Xen . . . I don't know why I'm having these headaches. And nightmares."
Xen eyed Garit. "I suspect it's because you're fighting the collective subconscious. The stuff you drank last year gave you the power genes, and it had enough paranoia, ambition and aggression that you probably came close to fitting the Black Prince Archetype. Why don't we go off and explore the world I think would be a good Embassy planet. You can stay away for awhile, and let the collective get over their expectations of you, or something."
Garit nodded. "The collective subconscious. I think you're right. It's not voices, but a pressure. It's like holding back a boulder that wants to roll downhill."
Xen lowered his eyebrows.
Garit snorted, then clutched his temples. "It never pushed you in any direction but the one you were already moving in. It just made you the best at what you were already good at."
Xen winced. "No, it makes me do stupid things that the collective thinks a heroic spy ought to do."
Garit grinned. "Oh, nasty. But not as nasty as what's in my head. Come on, if that's what it is I want out of here. I need to dodge this thing soon."
Xen sent a groom off to saddle Clowney, and dispatched a page with a note to Easterly to join them and bring food.
The world he wanted to use was off the path to One World, close to the fracture between the Hygiea Worlds and the multiple Earths.
On the other side of the first gate, Garit straightened and rubbed his temples. "Old Gods! Xen—I was thinking about killing my father."
"No, the collective thought that was what you should be thinking. You were fighting them, hence the
headache. However, may I point out that the office of King of the Universe is open?"
"Xen, I might—if you don't remove the power genes—sometime be able to do something dimensional. But let's face it, you are the King of the Dimensions."
"Umm, how about we explore the dimensions, and police them? Keep peace as needed? Forget the king thing."
"Ah, now there's a good idea." Garit nodded, and relaxed in the saddle. He looked like he was enjoying the sudden changes of scene, following him through corridors and gates to the World he had in mind. "This is it?" He looked around and nodded approval, peeling off his jacket. "Sensible to choose a nice climate. Is that the ocean?"
"Yep. A nice ten mile ride or walk from this nice big mostly flat area. I suppose I could put in a corridor for the more sedentary."
Garit chuckled. "Can you picture those Earthers with their gyps walking?"
"It is a bit of a reach. I suppose they'll bring the gyps along, though. How are we going to pay for this? What will we actually do, for that matter." Xen bit his lip. "We have to have limits, we really aren't gods."
"The, umm Department of Interdimensional Security can own the planet, hand out plots for embassies from all the various Worlds, run courts to hear disputes between planets, stuff like that."
"Maybe we should sell the plots, finance ourselves that way." Xen considered the sloped plain. "Or lease them, I suppose."
Garit shook his head. "The Embassies should count as the sovereign territories of those Worlds. Sell them. Maybe charge a road fee or some such to run city services."
"Hmm. Sewage systems. Water. Electricity. Maybe they can each bring their own power generators? We can magic the rest of it."
"We'd better get Q in on this . . . " Garit trailed off, flushing.
Xen bit his lip. "Dare I ask?"
"I, err, at my most ambitious realized how useful she would be, and at my most paranoid decided she should be personally loyal to me."
"You're alive, so she must have enjoyed it." Xen smothered a grin and tried to look severe. "Are you going to break my little sister's heart?"
"Stop laughing. I haven't a clue how I feel about her. She's going to kill me. I was very manipulative. Or maybe Tashi will kill me. If she ever speaks to me again. Maybe she'll take pity on the ragged scraps Q leaves behind."
"You've got a problem. Maybe you should worry less about broken hearts and try to avoid broken bones."
"Yeah. Hey. A hospital with all your weird potions."
"A library. Every World contributes their histories and philosophies. As much science as they are comfortable letting out." Xen grinned. "Should be fun watching One World and Earth copying each other's contributions."
By the time Deena and Easterly caught up with them they were laying out a street grid and wondering about electricity.
"There's got to be some way to generate electricity magically." Xen said.
"Old Gods. What next?" Deena rolled her eyes.
"I resign and become Master of the Dimensions." Xen tried to keep a straight face. Failed. Faltered. "You are not supposed to take me seriously."
Chapter Four
2 Nicholas 1400 yp
Paris, One World
Rael slipped into the conference room late. Hot under her uniform. If I'd known Urfa was going to call us all in, I'd have skipped the extra weightlifting. But then they wouldn't call it an emergency meeting, would they?
She eyed the man chatting with Inso and Jiol. He was familiar . . . Ah yes.
She plunked her comp down on the table and tried to subdue what her favorite instructor had called her "hunting male prey" bounce.
Exterior Relations Subdirector of Intelligence Ajki Withione Black Point looked around and blinked. Recovered faster than most men.
Ajki had returned to the post after a decade in the Ministry of Finance. He had clashed badly with the Director of External Affairs, and rumor had it ten years separation hadn't helped much. But even Agni admitted he was good at what he did.
"Subdirector, I don't believe we've met."
He grinned. "But apparently no introductions are needed, either direction."
She giggled just to see how he'd react. Catch of breath, thoughtful expression.
Xiat snickered behind her. "Behave Rael. "
Sigh. "Business. I know. No one ever lets me have any fun." She winked at Ajki anyway and circled the table to sit down two seats from the head of the table. Good view of the door, close enough to the head of the table to shield whoever was sitting there.
Usually Urfa, but when the President came, Urfa ceded that chair to him.
The small conference room had bare walls, the desk at one end cleared. The man gives away nothing. No wonder people don't believe the easy going tolerant reputation.
There were four men, and four women in the Presidential Director's in-group. Urfa was late for his own meeting.
Rael reached across the table and pulled her comp to her. Tapped away, ostensively ignoring him. She was hitting three fourths of the keys left handed, used only the thumb and index finger of her right hand. Nerve damage. She spotted Ajki spotting it. Very observant.
The door opened behind him and Urfa sauntered through. "Good, everyone made it, have you introduced yourselves?"
A shaken head from the old Princess, the faintest hint of a smile from the oldest man in the room.
"Ah, So nice to see you reaching out to improve relations with Exterior Relations." Urfa sat at the head of the table and eyed Ajki. "So . . . what brings the XR Subdirector of Intelligence to Paris, this morning?"
"Target Forty-two. Or Comet Fall, as my people there report Earth is calling them these days. One of my agents had an encounter with Endi Dewulfe or Xen Wolfson, as he's apparently named. A very interesting encounter. Utto was in trouble, and rather sarcastically called for the God of Spies to come rescue him. And he did." Ajki leaned back and observed expressions.
Rael focused on her screen and forced herself to breathe to a slow count. Old Inso was smirking, and Jiol rolled her eyes, a faint hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.
Urfa raised his eyebrows.
"Dewulfe teleported him off to dinner—perhaps I should mention that Utto had been in a confrontation with an Earther spy when the local enforcers, vicious magical variety, closed in—Dewulfe rescued the Earther as well. Chatted them up over food then took them on a tour."
Ajki frowned down the table at Urfa. "They've got something similar to a gate—a permanent gate like they make. They call them corridors. They link places in the same world, rather than going to other worlds. They use them for transportation. Thousands of kilometers crossed in a single step. Dewulf pointed out how valuable, what a savings in time and fuel, what a nice treaty tidbit they made."
Ajki crossed his arms. "He said he was going to set up an empty world as neutral territory. Every polity could build an embassy there, and hopefully talk instead of fight. He said he'd call you in a month. Which by now should be next week."
Rael froze. Breathe. Again. Relax. Smile. Look interested, as if you were speculating, not panicking.
I will see him again.
Oh shit.
Chapter Five
15 July, 3515 ce
Nowhereistan, Earth
Captain Karl Mantigo edged toward the door, three-fourths of his attention on his vid screen. On the President's speech to the United Earth Council.
Damn it, this is more frackin' important than kissing up to colonists!
President of the World Howard Carmichael took the podium and the restless growls of the angry background conversations slowly died.
"Gentlemen, when you start a war, it's no good getting your feelings hurt because the other guy dares to fight back. Or in this case, that this Department of Interdimensional Security and Cooperation intervened. What we did was unconscionable. That biowarfare agent could have killed every person on that world. The hubris, the intolerance, the arrogant assumption of Godhood has to end." The president looked
around the room.
Carmichael had served his usual three terms, and retired . . . only to be called back when President de Ladmirault resigned under threat of impeachment when the gate was destroyed.
And hopefully he'll stay on top until some semblance of rational thought returns to all those Councilmen.
"A world where we can all talk, carry out diplomacy, is an excellent idea. We will send an ambassador, with staff, and apparently we'll need to build an office."
A universal growl from the Council. One voice carried angry questions.
"We should not be surprised that they are giving out no information about who or what organization is backing them up. We've seen that Elf . . . But for now the Comet Fall people appear to be working on their own to set up a place where we can engage other worlds diplomatically. We have shown what sort of conscienceless brutes we are. So get me some recommendations for the position of ambassador. And find someone with experience in building in a howling wilderness."
One man pressed his lips together in disapproval, then spoke. "What about this nonsense about sending some people to join this Department of Interdimensional Security and Cooperation?"
"I have already contacted the man I wish to place inside their organization, and a sociologist to study them as well." The President glanced at the camera, then back at the councilors. "The game changing potential of these permanent gates and the dimensional corridors is mind boggling. Think about importing raw material from mining worlds at essentially no gate cost. The economic boom will take us into . . ."
Mantigo's chron buzzed. He glanced at the clock, cursed and ran for the assembly ground. Poor damned Colonists were marooned for better than two years. I shouldn't resent their needing help with predators. Thank God there aren't any Natives there. If they were hostile, if they'd killed a single colonist, we'd probably have orders to hunt them as well. Unless the stories going around are complete fabrications.