by Phil Stern
Whatever else, the sheer variety of the universal blueprint could sometimes perplex even the most hardened of Coven operatives, making her wish for a comfy bed back in Haven.
In Tiffany’s experience, the blending of magic and technology was what truly defined a place. Full-blown sword and sorcery dimensions, with a plethora of local magicians and powerful beasts, were extremely unpredictable. As noted already, high-tech worlds were pretty cut and dry, yet presented their own difficulties. Mid-tech worlds just a few steps away from light fringe, like Earth, were Tiffany’s favorite. Random magic could be easily explained, and one didn’t have to battle any dragons in the middle of the night.
So if a super high-tech world like Vail presented such obvious operational difficulties, why was it a designated Coven rallying point? Quite simply, such an environment also provided the perfect cover, and greatest protection, for a reeling, displaced Coven.
Let’s say some group of super-magical beings, like a hundred Gensrows, or possibly these new witches, hit the Coven hard in some coordinated attack. The Boundary was breached, the Haven portals overrun, the Coven’s home obliterated. (Unfortunately, this rather grim scenario had been discussed quite openly the past few years.) If everyone scattered to the nearest magical or even fringe world, their assailants could then hunt them down one by one.
But could their enemies follow them to Vail? Highly unlikely, at least in any force. If they weren’t detected by the local authorities the moment they crossed over, their first overtly hostile acts would bring the full power of a high-tech world down on their heads. The Coven was exhaustively trained to blend into such an environment. Hopefully, their enemies weren’t.
Plus, the Coven had stockpiled some pretty advanced mundane weaponry in their Vail stronghold. If they were outclassed magically, a good laser rifle might well do the trick.
The portal in their Vail fortresses, a secret every sorceress was supposed to guard with her life, was only to be used in the event of full-blown disaster. How Eleanor traveled back and forth was a bit of a mystery. Tiffany suspected she had a personal Boundary portal in her massive home or corporate headquarters, perhaps shielded with some specialized device.
So short of disaster or ultimate rank, the Coven had to carefully infiltrate Vail as best they could. For this trip, Tiffany and Marissa decided to use an underwater portal on Vail’s farthest moon.
Breaking the surface about a hundred yards off a public beach, the two young women struck out for shore. Since the entire sphere was a designated natural park, the moon lacked the soaring buildings and ubiquitous technological marvels of Vail’s super-cities on the planet below. Yet it was always sunny and beautiful, the year-long temperate weather making the remote satellite an ideal summer playground for those inhabiting Vail itself.
Indeed, this particular area was especially crowded, with thousands of people frolicking up and down the sand. No one could possibly know that Tiffany and Marissa had emerged from an inter-dimensional rift fifteen feet underwater, rather than simply having drifted down from another part of the beach.
Both witches being strong swimmers, they were soon walking up out of the lunar sea, wearing only earth stones and the tiniest of bikinis. Instantly noticing all of the stares they were receiving, Tiffany looked down at her skimpy swimsuit in dismay.
“That’s the last time I let you pick our wardrobe,” she sighed, desperately wishing for a towel.
“By the stone, Tiffany, I’m beginning to believe all those nasty rumors about you.” Laughing, Marissa indifferently strode though the throng of gawking beach goers.
“Uh, and what rumors are those?” Quickly Tiffany followed, trying to keep her natural bounce to a minimum.
“That you’re some kind of prude now, or something.”
“Will you stop it? Was I a prude in Peth last year?”
“No, you definitely weren’t,” Marissa conceded, giving her a wicked grin. “Those Pyron mermen were your thing, no question.”
Their wild Peth excursion had been over a year ago, before Tiffany’s return to Earth and meeting Blake. It had been a very confusing time, the young sorceress still reeling from a bizarre, irrational confrontation with her mother.
After defeating the mad wizard, Tiffany had given into a sudden urge and shot back over the Boundary to Dytha. Once there, she’d confronted her surviving parent about her father’s sexual abuse of her as a child. But instead of admitting what had transpired, the Smith matriarch had wildly attacked her only daughter, accusing Tiffany of being a whore.
This, in turn, brought another hard truth into focus. Quite simply, during Tiffany’s tumultuous girlhood, her mother had been utterly lost in a narcissistic, alcohol-fueled haze. Any inappropriate contact among the rest of the family hadn’t been noticed. Enraged by this unforgivable parental dysfunction, she hadn’t spoken to her mother since.
“Well, shape shifters were my thing, but only because I was always curious what kind of creature they’d turn into the next morning,” Tiffany explained as they carefully walked past a hundred locals, each of whom either stared in open appreciation or stark disapproval at them. “You know. Dolphins, sharks, those weird sailfish. It was interesting.”
By now they’d reached the top of the beach, mounting a wooden boardwalk paralleling the water. From this slight perch, the two young women first stared out at the gorgeous lunar ocean covering one horizon, then looked inland at the parking lot containing hundreds of sleek aircars. Strolling along the festive boardwalk, they began inspecting a wonderful mix of clothing stalls, gift stands, and food vendors.
“Oh, you were curious all right.” Grinning, Marissa punched her on the shoulder. “But I don’t think you gave a shit what they turned into after you were done with them.”
Tiffany blushed. “Well, the point is I’m not a prude.”
“I hope not!” Waiting for an older couple to pass, Marissa darted up to a deep shop overflowing with colorful beach clothing. “We’re in Vail, baby!” Ducking through the entrance, Marissa began browsing through a rack of tops. Smiling, Tiffany followed.
Twenty minutes later they emerged from the beach store with stylish sunglasses, sturdy open shoes with an inch heel, and trendy handbags. In a slight nod to modesty, they now wore dainty, broadly meshed pullovers over their bikinis. In anything, though, the sheer garments merely gave the appearance of clothing, while doing very little to actually cover exposed skin.
Striding across the parking lot on the other side of the boardwalk, Tiffany glanced over at her friend. “We look like call girls who do some light beekeeping on the side.”
“By the stone, Tiff, I’d almost forgotten.” Marissa thoughtfully glanced up at the broad, blue sky, a dozen aircars flitting about. “You had such a sweet little setup on Peth! There you were, on your own little island, in the middle of that channel. All the mermen would gather there in human form, just waiting for you! Then you’d pick the ones you wanted…”
“Are we back to that?”
“Yeah, we are, if you’re going to call me a beekeeper!” Marissa danced ahead, heading towards a gleaming new aircar hovering expectantly off the ground. It was a sleek yellow, clearly fast and very powerful. “Come on, babe! It’s time for a ride.” Pressing her thumb to the entry pad, both doors popped up, momentarily giving the craft the appearance of high wings.
“My, my.” Stopping, Tiffany looked first at the aircar, then the twenty or so locals watching the two glamorous young women and their hot ride. “Quite the low profile we’re keeping.”
“Listen.” Walking around to the passenger side, Marissa looked over the gently bobbing car top. “Everyone’s worried about you, Tiff. Let’s let loose. Have some fun!”
Removing her glasses, Tiffany studied her Coven-mate. “This isn’t exactly a fun trip. I’m here to debrief our Coven Leader on a very tangible threat.”
“Fine,” Marissa sighed. “But I’m going to be stuck with Eleanor for the foreseeable future. Forgive me if I’m letting m
y imagination run a little wild.”
“And here I thought you were my mature friend.”
“Oh, I am. Very much so. You drive.” Marissa jumped into the passenger seat, the car door automatically closing. Smiling, Tiffany got into the driver’s seat, her own door soon sealing her in.
Okay, Earth vehicles were quaint, but a roaring, surging aircar was pretty nice too. Carefully rising straight off the parking lot, Tiffany then pulled up the nose and hit the gas. Shooting high into the sky, the beach buildings soon looked like miniature models, the swimmers tiny dots. Spread out beneath them, as far as the eye could see, the moon-wide natural park was a green and blue panorama of sparkling, shimmering beauty.
A minute later they slipped out of the moon’s atmosphere. Tiffany frowned at the strident beep of an automatic registry check issued by a small, orbiting space station. But there was no problem, a green light almost instantly flashing on the dashboard. “Who owns this car?” she carefully asked.
“Eleanor’s company. She’s stationed cars all around Vail, supposedly for use by company employees. But they actually respond only to our DNA.”
“Oh.” Looking at her hands on the steering wheel, Tiffany wondered what would happen if the car didn’t like her DNA. Nothing pleasant, she was sure.
It was a glorious view out in open space, with Vail’s soft, glowing primary off to the right. The main planet itself was actually some distance off, with a dozen moons positioned in gradually closer orbits. It was like following a trail of celestial breadcrumbs from the outermost moon back to the mother planet, each natural satellite possessing its own stunning beauty.
While enjoying the scenery, however, Tiffany noticed another aircar following them. Of course, this section of space was pretty crowded, with private cars, larger liners, and plenty of commercial craft, yet they were definitely being tailed. Tiffany thoughtfully opened the weapons panel, letting her fingertips idly slide over the lethal controls.
“Uh, Tiff. What are you doing?”
“I thought you wanted to have some fun.” Pointedly, Tiffany looked at her companion.
“Maybe not that much fun,” Marissa conceded, craning her head to look behind them. “Do we have a problem?”
“We might.”
“Probably some guys from the beach, that’s all. Can’t we just lose them?”
Carefully studying the sensor plot, Tiffany first zoomed around a ponderous freighter, then between two space buses. Pushing down hard on the wheel, they roared into the atmosphere of another moon, dipping down to run hard along a dizzying array of mountain ranges.
“I’m going to be sick.” Pulling up her legs, Marissa sank back in her seat.
“We’re almost done. I think we lost them off that plateau back there.”
“Yeah, I almost lost my lunch at that plateau.” Marissa gave a queasy groan. “I guess you grew up flying these things, huh?”
“Yeah, the cars on Dytha aren’t as advanced, but it’s the same general idea.” Now Tiffany executed a nearly vertical climb, punching back through the moon’s heavy atmosphere by the lunar pole. Once more, the stars shone brightly amid the vast backdrop of space. “I actually won a flying contest as a kid.”
“Hmmm.” Marissa sat up, peering out over the dashboard. “Well, I had a miniature pet dragon when I was young.”
“That sounds messy.”
“You have no idea.” Marissa frowned. “Were you really going to just shoot at that other car?”
“If I had to.” Leaning back, Tiffany kept her hands lightly on the wheel. “Then you and I would have just space-dived onto the fifth moon, jumped through a portal I know of there, and escaped the dimension entirely.”
“Bullshit.”
“I guess we’ll never know, will we?”
Marissa shook her head. “You’re hardcore, Tiffany, I’ll give you that.”
“When I want to be.” Smiling, Tiffany glanced over at her. “Or are you forgetting my little island on Peth?”
They both laughed, watching Vail itself grow larger up ahead.
*****
Tiffany expertly landed their craft on a pad behind the main headquarters of Eleanor’s company. As soon as they touched down, a barely visible electronic shield snapped into place around the pad. That’s a nice touch, Tiffany thought as the doors popped up and they disembarked. A tiny missile, timed to strike just as they were powering down, could ruin your whole day.
She’d been a little worried about entering Vail’s airspace after their wild chase in and around traffic, but neither the sentry satellites or police patrols took any special notice of them. Tiffany suspected they’d broadcasted an entirely different registry from the one used leaving their original location. Eleanor might also have paid agents within the various law enforcement agencies, who only had to hit a button at the wrong moment. The Coven Leader had quite a bit of influence within her home dimension.
Walking down the slim stairs circling the raised landing pad, the two young women found valets in tuxedos waiting on the lush grass. Daintily taking the proffered bottles of water and pastries held out on trays, the two sorceresses then jumped in the back of a chauffeured, hovering shuttle cart. Whisked across the impeccably manicured grounds, they soon zoomed within the massive, ultra-modern building itself, coming to a gentle halt within an inner hanger.
“I don’t know, Marissa.” Jumping off the cart, both young women strode through pivoting glass doors. Soon they were strolling down a stunning marble hallway, stupendous artworks and sculptures adoring the walls. “I could get kind of used to this.”
“If you want this job, it’s yours.”
“Oh, no.” Tiffany tried to sound serious. “We need a tough girl like you, and her Coven Stick, by Eleanor’s side. At all times.”
By now they’d reached an elevator at the end of the hallway. Stepping inside, Marissa hit the button to go up. “Well, let’s just see where she sends you. This gig may not seem so bad.”
Actually, Marissa had a point. In the current crisis, who knew what Eleanor had in mind? Each lost in their own thoughts, the two sorceresses rode up in silence.
Exiting the lift on the thirteenth floor (Eleanor did have her sense of humor), the two witches found themselves in a rounded, elegant outer reception area. The gorgeous, professional young woman at the receptionist’s desk wasn’t of the Coven, yet seemed to straighten up a tiny bit upon seeing their earth stones. They were quickly led back through another open area and short hallway, the local girl soon knocking on massive doors at the far end.
“Enter!” came Eleanor’s imperious voice from inside the executive office. Standing back, the receptionist nervously motioned at the door. Pushing it open, Tiffany and Marissa passed into their Coven Leader’s inner sanctum.
Attired in a conservative business suit, Eleanor stood by a far wall made entirely of glass, overlooking the outside grounds. It was an incredible sight, the verdant greens of the precisely trimmed foliage set off perfectly by the blue and white sky. The landing pad had seemingly disappeared, presumably sinking down below ground level. Soft purple mountains dominated the horizon, the tops covered in white snow. As usual on Vail, there was an assortment of aircars and other craft flitting about, though none seemed to encroach on the airspace directly over the compound.
“Ladies.” Eleanor’s eyes briefly flicked across them both. “I see you’ve brought a bit of the beach with you. How nice. Though my staff has been given quite a show, it would seem.”
Uh oh. They were still in their bikinis and flimsy nets, regally striding about as if on a fashion model’s catwalk.
“We, um, didn’t have a chance to change yet,” Marissa haltingly explained. “If there was a room somewhere…”
“No need for a room.” Eleanor gave a tired smile. “Do it quickly or I’ll dress you myself. And you probably wouldn’t like that.”
“We can’t just change here, can we?” Tiffany glanced at Marissa, then back at the Coven Leader. “This is Vail, after a
ll.”
“Ladies, this office is completely secure.” Holding out her hand, a mug of steaming coffee appeared in a brief surge of green energy. “No one, and no thing, can see inside.”
Hesitating only a moment longer, both younger witches touched their own earth stones. When the flaring magic receded, they were back in their customary jeans and boots, with tight, scoop-necked white tops.
“Thank you.” Graciously inclining her head, Eleanor walked over to the desk. “Marissa, you may wait outside. Once I’ve finished with Tiffany, I’ll explain your duties here with me.”
“I see.” Giving Tiffany a tight smile, Marissa then exited the office, closing the door behind her.
“Please be seated.” Eleanor continued, settling down herself within a large, executive chair. “We have much to discuss.”
For some reason, Eleanor always made her nervous. This annoyed Tiffany no end, as she made a point of directly confronting any dissonant aspects of her life. However, the Coven Leader was who she was, and certainly wasn’t going to change for Tiffany’s benefit.
“Thank you for taking what happened last night seriously,” Tiffany began as she sat in one of the two smaller chairs before the large desk. “Norine wasn’t very helpful.”
“Well, part of Norine’s job, as the senior sorceress on Earth, is to prevent any type of extreme reactions,” Eleanor intoned. “However, in this case, a more vigorous response was obviously in order.”
“Extreme reactions,” Tiffany repeated, briskly tying her hair back in a neat pigtail. “Like we bump heads with other witches all the time, especially in one of our core dimensions.”
“Tell me about these other women. Leave out no detail.”
So Tiffany told the whole story, including their attack on Blake and others at the dinner, the references to other worlds, and the vicious spat outside.