by Pam Uphoff
Garit pulled a little power from the bright sunlight and put a physical shield between the group and the gate, anchored it to the ground, angled it up a bit.
Inso gave him a thoughtful look. "I'm going to research your magic system, you know."
Garit grinned. "Prepare yourself for a series of shocks. We are very odd people."
Lon shifted around, his attention on the far side of the gate. "Equis seems to have calmed down the police, no one's shot Xen or . . . you call her Q?"
"Yes. She has specialized in the multidimensional, umm, geography? If you saw that holographic chart of the multiverse, that's her work."
Urfa nodded. "As is that fascinating study on the merging Earths. Much though I hate to admit it, she impressed the hell out of our scientists, even though she couldn't put numbers to her theories. This is why, isn't it? She's simply describing what she sees, isn't she?"
"Yes. I suppose you could call her a naturalist, rather than a theorist." Garit grinned. "If you dare."
"Dare I ask how old she is?" Jiol was looking thoughtful.
"Twenty-two. Never married, no children, so far as I know. Comet Fall Witches, in general, do not marry. They don't allow anyone to distract them, let alone act possessively or in a controlling manner."
Inso grinned. "I know a woman like that." Jiol threatened him with a fist. "So Xen really is a thirty year old punk, with twenty-some kids, none of which he's ever set eyes upon?"
Garit snickered. "Oh, he's got plenty of kids around Comet Fall, too. For a while there it was a running joke that every assignment he got sent on turned into an orgy. His total, including the Empire, is somewhere in the low thirties—I think."
"Looks like you've got an official delegation all ready to chat." Lon called. "Equis is introducing Xen and Q and they are walking toward the gate."
Garit let his shield dissipate. Montgomery hustled up, looking welcoming. Time for diplomacy.
***
Q looked in dismay at the list. "Two hundred and fifty-four mining and colony worlds? And these are the coordinates, as best you lot can measure them? Right. Well, first I'm going to have to figure out how to translate your coordinates to mine, and then we'll see if the people there want a gate back to your Earth."
Ambassador Montgomery was unusually tall for an Earther. He managed a fairly credible loom. "Those are our colonies and our mining worlds. You lot destroyed our gate twice! You marooned our people. A lot of them are probably dead!"
"Yes, especially the mine supervisors who believed in beating the slaves, and feeding them mush. What? You didn't think we'd found some of them already?"
"We expect you to fix the problem."
"Oh, we will. Although possibly not the way you want us to." Q frowned down at the list. "Can you get me the coordinates for Purple and Granite Peak? That would give me a good starting place to figuring this mess out."
***
". . . so the Comet Fall Embassy will go there, although I suspect we need to start calling it the Kingdom of the West Embassy." Xen looked back at his courtesy relatives from another world.
Charlie Alpha was the sole surviving Tellie from another Exile World, and lived in the kingdom called Arrival. He was fourteen centuries old, a colleague of both the "Old Gods" and the "New Prophets of the One True God" who had been marooned on what was now the One World.
Prince Kurt Alpha was a descendent of a child adopted by "King Charles the first" sometime in the past, and only slightly magically talented. Uncle Kurt looked around the plaza and nodded. "I think we'll take the block beside the Comet Fall Embassy. So . . . the Oners and the Earthers required two lots? Each?"
Xen grinned. "Actually, Earth decided they needed the whole square mile. So then the Empire needed the same, and cast looks beyond that. We've decided to keep the diagonal lots. We'll run a street up through a couple of them at an angle, and sell or lease commercial space."
Charlie looked around at the rolling hills, climbing up to higher hills. A few trees broke the monotony, and the white peaks of mountains shown in the distance to the west. "Huh. You think a grocery store might come in handy? That's a market for you uncivilized louts."
Xen tried for an innocent look. "We're going to open the restaurant to the public. Do you know what a restaurant is, Uncle Charlie?"
The old man looked amused. "A place to get foreign delegates relaxed and chatty. Very clever of you. Civilized."
"So, we're the fifth nation here?" Kurt eyed the black angular building and smirked.
"Yep. Tomorrow I've got the Organtes and the Discordians to show around. And I regret to say, Arbolia has demanded a gate. After they have constructed a sufficiently secure way to control access both to and from it."
"Unfortunate." Kurt shrugged. "So, Rustle says her parents will be building their embassy next week. We'll be back to watch."
"So will everyone." Xen grinned. "Should be an interesting day, so long as everyone keeps to a safe distance."
***
"So, what do you think of the Fallen and their Embassy World?"
Urfa shook his head at the image of President Orde Withione over the phone. "Xen Wolfson and that girl Quail Quicksilver sat down and meditated for five minutes and popped open a gate. I pray to the One they were putting on a show and the gate had already been there, created with huge powerful machinery since removed, the power source hidden underground, and the gate concealed with illusions."
"Agni is still insisting that they made the Granite Peak gate from the far side and hid it with illusions until Xen did his grandstanding."
"Yeah, I've heard him. Can't believe he actually let Ajki slip his leash long enough to tell me about Xen's invitation."
"Ajki is playing, but I doubt he's on our side."
"War Party. But I don't see him as a Presidential Candidate."
"What's your bet on that?" The President glanced away from his comm for a second. "I'm trying to figure out if he's got someone in mind to back."
"With himself as the Presidential Director? I'm not betting. I'm getting drunk. My Oner Ego has taken a lot of bruises, lately."
"Huh. C'mon over, I'll get drunk with you."
Chapter Twenty
1 October, 2234
Earth Bogota Nuke
Rior beat out the last smoldering leaves and looked around the forest in annoyance.
Not that it wasn't a perfectly nice forest, now that it wasn't going to burn down around their ears.
"No, I can't 'just suck the heat out of it.' You . . . " The big blonde man glared at Jade and flicked a finger at the chain around his neck. "Never seen one of these before?"
"Oh . . . shut up Eldon." Jade looked around and shook her head. Shut her mouth on what would probably have been a rather unpolitic comment.
Rior was stifling a few of those himself. How did we go from eight of us rescuing two witches and four wizards to this mob of . . . twenty-three?
And a dozen horses, all upset and neighing.
The one called Eldon slid into the brush and trees.
With any luck something will eat him.
"There's a trail over here." The wizard called back.
The horses, with makeshift tack, didn't much appreciate being ridden into the underbrush, and crashed through with much snapping of branches and snorts of protest as they were poked by the sharp ends, and kicked to go further.
Well worth it though. It was a nice well maintained footpath, winding out of sight both directions.
"Regular trade path between villages, perhaps?" Rior shrugged and stalked off the right. He'd ridden double, with Falchion clinging on behind him while they were escaping. A long hard gallop, then a longer walk and trot. But he wasn't admitting how much his leg muscles hurt, and had gladly handed the sweating weary horse over to one of the wizards while they waited for Falchion to open a gate.
I think everyone rushing the gate before Falchion had actually finished it must have destabilized it . . . or something. One knows our gates are too dangerous
to play with.
He rounded the corner of the path and stopped. The man coming the other direction frowned at him, or rather, past him.
Uniformed, and . . .
"What the hell are you doing with horse on a footpath?" The man stepped to the side and pointed back the way he'd come. "Go to the road. Turn left. In half a mile you will see the very clearly marked Riding Trail. Stay on the riding trails!" Show of teeth. "Please."
Eldon booted his horse forwards. "Sorry. We got lost."
Rior stepped off the trail, trying to be casual as he eyed the man's uniform. Parks and Recreation Department? One! We've actually found civilization.
He waited until the horses and the people on foot were past, the wafted a faint forgetfulness spell on the park ranger.
The only problem with the riding trail was that they hadn't the faintest idea which way to go.
Then a gentleman heading north on a big bay gelding made the mistake of irately telling Jade to get out of the way.
She leaned and smiled hungrily. "Well, hello! Why don't we have a little chat?"
The thrice divorced Charles Duchane led them back to his very nice big mansion. The small stable in back wouldn't hold their pack, but the father and son pair of Fidel and Thomu Iron insisted that the horses be fed, watered, and rested before they were bubbled. "We may need them fresh and ready to go at any time."
Rior left that to the horsemen, and explored the mansion. Nice. Well appointed, with a substantial library.
"What a nice normal world. Hot and cold running water, cars, refrigerators."
No magic. Ripe for the plucking.
Smokey walked in from the kitchen. "Maybe we shouldn't have panicked, but those were the scariest . . . people I've ever seen."
Rior nodded, hating to admit the terror he'd felt with the God of War charging at him. "Well, we lucked out, coming here. The gate was in a remote area, and this mansion has large enough grounds to ensure our privacy. We should plan on staying here for awhile."
One of the new women, Lida by name frowned. "What are we going to do with the old man?"
Smokey grinned. "I think we should keep him. He can pay the bills and make everything look normal. In fact, maybe I'll marry him. Then if we have to kill him, I'll inherit the house."
Rior nodded. "Not a bad idea. He makes my skin crawl, though. I'd forgotten what the completely powerless felt like."
Skori grinned and swayed over to him. "Oh? Really?"
"On your world, everyone has some genetic engineering. There's a background level of . . . something that is completely blank here. I'd forgotten how shallow and cold the completely non-magical feel. On Comet Fall, the power genes are rare, but the other genes, the ones that enabled magic, are common. It gives the people a completely different feel, one I've gotten used to without realizing it." Rior narrowed his eyes. She feels . . . like home. These are the Auralian Whores . . . Action Team blowbys, I'll bet. Halfers, with just enough glow to be sexy, but no real power.
Smokey looked thoughtful. Shrugged. "I can always just bubble him and keep him stored."
Rior nodded. "Sensible. Now, what did those wizards and mages mean, they were going out to force break spells?"
Jade sniffed. "I took off all the spells I could, but that chain . . . they'll have to find some virgins to seduce. Which can be tough, with no magic to charm them. But there's always rape."
Rior eyed her. Nearly as dangerous as Teri, but more stable. You always know where you stand with her—prey, to be taken when she gets hungry.
"But now we need to get home to the children. Teri's trained servants are such idiots . . . " Smokey eyed him. "Don't scowl. You're about to be faced with two new mothers with aching breasts and anxiety attacks about their babies."
Sunset walked in from the bedroom wing she'd claimed for the witches. "Falchion's sound asleep. Making that gate was a strain. And Arrow, Epee, and Gauntlet are both back at the Island and won't let the servants do anything too stupid. Or Teri experiment with the babies."
What shall we do next? Rior considered the possibilities . . . very nearly unlimited. "Let's pick up some supplies here, and start a base on an Empty World."
"Why?" Jade's hard stare was unnerving.
"Because from there we can raid several worlds, hell, trade with them, since Falchion can make gates. And return to a safe place where we need fear no police."
Jade smiled slowly. "Where we can do anything we want."
"So, what shall we steal, as long as we're here?"
She shrugged elegant shoulders. "Gold is always nice. Valuable nearly everywhere. And jewelry. If we can find a few other worlds somewhat like this one, we can sell the goods on a different world, with no problem."
Rior eyed the witches, he'd picked up quite a bit of information, listening to them. Learning what was important to them, how they could be manipulated. "Right, then. We need to get back to Comet Fall and collect the children. And raid and trade. Disappear whenever we don't want to be found."
Jade snickered. "We'll build a nice big mansion. You'll just love studying our building techniques, Rior."
Chapter Twenty-one
Late Fall 1398
Embassy World
"White granite for the basement and perhaps the lower run of the first floor, then white and gray marble above." Xen looked uneasily at his grandparents. He gestured with the rolled up plans. "Please, please, don't get carried away."
Behind him he could hear Q explaining that yes, everyone really did have to keep back. They were gathering quite a crowd. More people than actually lived here . . . Old Gods! King Leano and Rufi!
He turned back. "We want the front right here. With the corner . . . " He shut up as a long slab of dirt lifted out of the ground and flopped out flat on the ground. Another joined it, then Never and Dydit strolled around to the side . . .
"That's an impressive mass to move."
Xen looked over his shoulder. "President Orde. Yes, and it'll escalate from here on out." Fortunately the President was standing well back, and had plenty of guards to grab him and haul him further away. If the grandparents got too wild.
He turned back to see a slab of granite slice itself up and float over to form the basement floor . . . and then the walls.
The crowd was surprisingly hushed. The president allowed his guards to chivvy him back away from the site. The next time Xen had time to check—while Never and Dydit gestured about something inside—Orde was chatting with Leano and Rufi.
Note to self. Hold spectaculars more often. Might be good for diplomacy.
Xen backed away as marble slabs flew, and deformed themselves into columns and a huge ornate doorway. The walls rose, ornamentation grew. Never and Dydit walked inside. Slabs of marble floated after them.
"Not going to go in and take a peek?" Abrupt, too loud . . .
Xen turned. "Director Agni. Yes, hard though it is to believe, my sense of self preservation is going to keep me at a safe distance."
"Are they actually following plans?"
"Mostly. There will be a few adjustments to be made, once the drunk on power people leave."
Agni curled a lip.
"Plumbing, window glass, and so forth. Hopefully not too much major structural work." Xen eyed the building. "At least they've stuck pretty much to the style we had envisioned." He tilted his head back and watched a dome rise like a bubble slowly inflating. "Oops. Spoke too soon."
"So, you held an illusion of an empty field over your building, and you're removing it while play sleight of hand with illusional slabs of rock."
Xen snickered. "If that makes you feel better, go right ahead and believe it."
Agni sneered, then jerked his head toward the King's group. It had grown to include Ambassador Montgomery. "One of them going to be your ambassador?"
Xen eyed the man. "Is your intel on us really that bad?"
Glare. The glare switched to the group. "I do recognize two of your fellow spies, hovering."
"That's Am
bassador Montgomery of Earth in the pretty suit. In uniform, General Rufi Negue. In the gray suit, his brother King Leano Negue. Of the Kingdom of the West on Comet Fall."
"Don't patronize me. That's a stupid name for a country."
"Empty land on the west coast of a half empty continent. No indigenous names at all, let alone any with deep history to them. It started with a Charter Company to settle the West, and we never came up with anything more catchy." Xen shrugged. "At least we've got Comet Fall . . . but then that's descriptive as well."
"And your spymaster?" Agni leaned in close. His bulk, height, and aggressive nature usually combined for a pretty good loom. But today he was less belligerent than usual, and Xen topped him by two inches.
"Not here. Err, the king's spymaster isn't here. Disco doesn't have one, as such. We're not spying, just monitoring for military movement across gates. And . . . well we haven't actually got that set up yet, either."
"So we should invade quickly?"
"I'd advise against it. How about lulling us into complacency first?" Xen turned back to the building site. Stifled a curse. Charlie Alpha, Rustle and Uncle Kurt had their heads together with Never and Dydit.
"What?"
"I think the Arrival Embassy will be going up today as well. Yep. There they go."
"Shit. Keep them away from our embassy." Agni flushed angrily. "Not that I'm falling for this, at all."
"Of course not. And don't worry. I think they'll be ready to quit real soon now." Xen shook his head. Arrival was going to get more roundish corners and sweeping arches, but just as much embellishment. And a dome.
At least they were easy to stop after that.
Q handed them drinks and sandwiches, and then introduced them to the Earthers and Oners still hanging about.