by Pam Uphoff
A gyp drove forward and disappeared, another . . . she jumped when the gyp fell out of the sky and onto the steel circle, another , a tank hit it squarely and squashed it flat. Then gyps and tanks were flying out of nowhere, like water out of a hose, spraying destruction around the street, the watching troops, hitting buildings . . . it cut off abruptly.
"Holy One. Did they teleport the vehicles up into the air, then . . . when they squashed the anchor, the gate just whipped around?" She looked back at the carnage on the screen. "Well. That invasion is on hold."
"Indeed." Urfa knocked on her open door and she waved him in. "It's enough to give me the chills. Agni's first report is that the telescopic lens and the desert heat combined to hide any other distortions, so we don't know how their magicians did it, but . . . well, even Agni is starting to believe they can teleport."
Rael looked back at the screen. Frantic rescue efforts underway. "Yeah . . . " Hundreds of casualties, the way those out-of-control vehicles hit the soldiers standing by. Possibly thousands. Some of them looked like troop carriers.
She leaned back and considered her other problem. Problems. "Umm, you appear to have acquired a couple of very . . . unusual people while I was gone."
Urfa grinned. "Sixteen of them, actually. You think Isakson and Ra'd are impressive? Wait till you meet the women. Terrifying!"
She eyed him. "And it's classified?"
"Yep. So, tell no one. I'll send all the forms for you to sign later. Very sloppy of me. You know all those hokey movies, with people stuck in the Bags of the Prophets for a thousand years?"
Rael leaned back and crossed her arms.
"Or over eleven hundred years, in this case. In the year two sixty-five, as Fort Rangpur was overrun, the Prophet Nicholas ordered his last Warrior to take the wives and children who'd been trapped there into the bag he'd inherited from his father, the Prophet Isak, and go in himself and also ordered in his own fifteen year old son, who had been fighting with the Warriors. The Prophet said he'd check for anyone else who could be saved, then do the same with his own bag." Urfa shrugged. "We have no idea what happened, after that. But the Warrior Isakson, Nicholas's wife and twelve year old daughter, the prophet's son, five other wives and seven younger children took refuge in a dimensional phenomenon with about a ten thousand to one time dilation. They argued for a few minutes about how long to stay hidden, then opened the bag. And found themselves inside another bag. And outside of that, Fort Rangpur Historical Park. Six months ago."
"But . . . the time dilation is multiplied?" That would be . . . eight zeros . . . a hundred million times a few minutes. Holy One.
"Apparently." Urfa sighed. "It's been a shock for them. They all were born and raised during a state of war, before the One even existed. A time when the Prophets, Warriors, and Priests would occasionally form a Grand Compass to do great works. But always fell back apart.
"The Empire didn't exist. Nothing was known of dimensions. They . . . well, their first tentative approach to the authorities resulting in the priests taking Isakson's ten year old son as a Priest Candidate. Isakson and Ra'd stormed Makkah to retrieve him."
Rael realized her mouth was open and shut it.
"Izzo had been tracking them down, at first thinking he'd found another incursion from Target Forty-two, and slowly realizing what was actually going on. He caught up with them in Makkah, fast talked them out of there—with the ten year old, mind you—and dumped them all in my lap."
"That young man is a bit scary."
"That young man is a three quarters trained Warrior of the One who's been fighting a war, killing enemy soldiers, since he was thirteen years old. And who feels that he abandoned his father to die. Just six months ago. And in the space of those few months, he's gone from a bloody battlefield to some sissified, tame, over-civilized place that thinks he's a child. Oh, and they keep calling him an upcomer, some servant's child who hit lucky with a withione classification." Urfa sighed. "The son of Nicholas, grandson of Emre is not adjusting well to a suburban high school. I really am not sure what to do about a Warrior of the One turning into a teenage truant."
Rael nodded. "Right. And, speaking of problem teenagers, Paer needs magic lessons. I'm helping her with shields, shall I do the starter exercises?"
Urfa winced. "Yes, and if possible, make her hit the books. She's in a virtual three way tie to make the Paris Division Olympic Team, and to say she's slacking off on the schoolwork is an understatement."
Rael nodded. "The three last qualifier shows are all in the next two months, then if she makes the team, it's off to Linz for the prep and, well, getting used to the Olympic coaches. Then Delhi, for the Games. If she makes the final cut. Umm, not to demure, but I suspect schoolwork's a lost cause until she either doesn't make the team, or after the Games."
Urfa sighed. "I know, but the newsmen jump gleefully all over her poor test scores and make snide comments about the President spoiling his little darling while raising expectations at public schools."
"Oooo. Right. I'll try." Rael leaned back then and gestured at her screen. "So the Earth has a small army, possibly marooned. Things are going to get even nastier, now, aren't they?"
"Depends. I've asked Agni to try and find out if they've got any nuclear, chemical or biological assets, or any missiles. Orde is fighting against a Council and the Ministry of War that are all rather gleeful at the thought of Endi's people getting tromped flat, even if they don't get to be the people who do it."
"There aren't any good sources of liquid hydrocarbons there. They may not be able to wage war very effectively." Rael frowned. "Of course there are biological sources. Biodiesel, and ethanol. But they'll have to develop them, themselves. So their ability to project power is limited. Now. Until and unless Earth can find them again."
"Exactly. Agni's got people watching the situation, and stepping up the gate schedule, so we're more up to date on all this . . . " Urfa broke off to look at her screen. "This interestingly different method of fighting a trans-dimensional war. And espionage."
Rael raised her eyebrows.
"Agni's not finding any more distortions, but Xiat is. While Endi was in the hospital here they had someone in the room with him almost constantly. If I weren't so terrified at how close they got to the President, I'd be amused at the way they had to dodge around when lots of people crowded in."
"Oh. They still take up physical space. That's nice to know. But they can go anywhere they want to, can't they?" Rael bit her lip. "But . . . maybe they can't actually teleport."
Urfa sighed. "Maybe. But Endi did it at arm's reach when he escaped. My guards assumed invisibility of some sort and jumped right in. Nothing but thin air."
They both looked at the vid.
"Well, hopefully we won't find out in such a devastating fashion." Urfa hunched his shoulders and walked out.
Rael watched the vid as the scene of chaos turned into a massive rescue operation. "Endi, you were a very strange person, and I really wish I'd had more time to study you."
Naked, in bed. One magic night . . . that I need to forget. She refrained from slapping herself. And then she tapped out a message to Xiat, asking for the hospital recordings.
Chapter Five
20 Jumada 1398 yp
Paris, One World
Paer was getting used to morning runs, martial arts and magic lessons before her first ride.
She wrinkled her nose, and shrugged. "And anything is better than matrix algebra. Why didn't you go to school this morning?"
Ra'd shrugged dismissively. "Three day suspension for calling the teacher stupid. I do not see why anyone desires those stupid diplomas."
Paer looked at him. "Stupid? You called the teacher stupid to his face?"
"I went into considerable detail, then suggested that his IQ would be improved if I cut his head off. He considered it a threat." Shrug.
Rael was biting her lip and apparently trying to not giggle. Cleared her throat and managed to look serious. "Acquiring thos
e diplomas is necessary. Actually believing the crap they require you to regurgitate is not."
Ra'd snorted. Muscles stiff. If he was a horse, I'd be watching for a bite. To him Rael is just one more irritating adult, treating him like a child.
Rael studied him "You are very straightforward; this is going to be difficult for you."
"It is not difficult. It is infuriating."
"Hmm." Rael narrowed her eyes. "Paer is not in a normal school . . . really there's no reason for you to be, either. Other than socialization, and that seems to be a dead loss."
Paer stifled a snicker. In fact, socialization progress has been negative, as far as I can tell.
"I think perhaps we, well, you, need to find a slightly different way to acquire the credentials that you will need to get into a college. Such as this." Rael tapped at her minicomp and displayed the site for Paer's online school. "You learn on your own, at your own speed. Pass the test, and move on to the next class. These are the requirements for high school graduation. These are other classes recommended for students planning to attend college."
"It's great for me. I can spend more time riding . . . and not fail too many tests." Paer squirmed. Ra'd? In my school . . . probably not the same classes during the same semester I'm taking them, though. So it's not like he'd be competition. And my school isn't competitive, anyway. It's set up to be deliberately individual. So it doesn't matter.
Ra'd eyed the list. "I will have no trouble with most of those. I am behind on the tech developments, but learning those will be enjoyable. The history and civics will be . . . disgraceful."
"Have you ever heard that the history books are written by the winner?" That time Ra'd's snort of agreement was aimed at Rael. "As such, much of history is a myth, with some tenuous connection to reality. Will your unbendable honesty allow you to learn these myths and parrot back the answers needed to complete the classes?"
Paer boggled. Myths! And what's unbendable is Ra'd's pure distilled refusal to accept reality. The world that he's stuck with, now. That has no place for what he always thought he would be. As if I were magically transported to a world without horses.
But for the first time Paer saw a spark of humor in Ra'd's eyes, a slight crinkle at the corners of his eyes and the faintest up tilt of the corners of his mouth. Rael's got him pegged. Huh. Maybe he isn't a complete jerk.
"Mythology. I see." Ra'd's eyes sharpened. "I may even be able to deal with the dissonance between the theories of civics and the reality of political game playing. If I don't have to deal with those soft arrogant spoiled slugs at school."
At least he didn't glance my direction . . . this time.
Rael, however, was looking her way. "Speaking of classes . . . Paer, I have a million reports to read, so why don't you bring your comp down to my office. I'll help you if you get stuck with the math. Ra'd? Get signed up. This school, or some other. Start Monday, and you are also welcome in the office."
Paer paused . . . Work with Ra'd the sarcastic? Well, no way he could beat me . . . right? He's a thousand years out of date.
She trotted off to her bedroom, where she did most of her, umm, half assed studying to collect her comp and carried it down to Rael's office.
Unable to drift into hunting through the Grid for more interesting things, she managed to finish up a bunch of half-done Literature assignments. Broke for lunch with her dad and Qayg. Read the history section and started in on the quiz. Anything to avoid math! Then it was fifteen hundred and she dashed off to get into her riding clothes.
***
Rael's plan worked like a charm. Ra'd didn't like being shown up by Paer in history. Paer was furious to be bested in math and sciences.
President Orde was half amused, and half alarmed at the amount of time Paer spent in Ra'd's company, that week.
"It's not that I dislike Ra'd, I just can't see him as a kind and supportive husband." Orde sighed. "On top, of course, of the usual horror of a father realizing that his daughter has grown up, and is a sexual being. Or will be once she stops obsessing about horses."
Rael grinned. "She's going off to hit the Monte Carlo Grand Prix as a warm up tomorrow. Then the three qualifiers. Madrid, Florence and Berlin. So she won't be studying for a bit. But she passed all six required freshmen subjects this week, and with a little push after the Olympics, she'll be back on track to graduate on schedule." She let her grin widen. "And Ra'd is determined to catch up to her before she gets back. Which will ensure that she tries all the harder. After she wins the Olympics."
Orde laughed. "It's good to have you back, Rael."
***
"And tomorrow, no run and no classes. Yay!" Paer shut her comp. Relieved. Surprised. Pretty good grades, instead of squeaking past. Next classes, I'll work harder.
Ra'd made a note in an old fashioned paper notebook, messy with arrows and sketches. Compulsive doodler. Some of the three-D patterns are neat, though.
"And riding in a bus with those useless girls for hours is an improvement?"
Paer grinned, and glanced at Rael. "Madam Chin's other students think he's sexy. No wonder they don't let teenagers marry. No sense what-so-ever."
A snort from Ra'd. "As if I'll ever marry. No son of mine will ever be kidnapped and castrated." He slapped his comp to shut it down and stalked off.
Rael blinked. "Oh, yes, of course he'd have a priest gene."
Paer snickered. Even the One didn't want him. She looked back at the list of classes. Chose the recommended English II, Geometry I, Ancient History, Biology . . . Foreign Language. "I need another language class."
"Latin. It's the basis for a ton of other languages, both here and on other worlds." Rael glanced at her list but didn't hover.
Paer scowled at the list. I just want something easy, to get it out of the way . . . Except . . . other worlds? Umm, don't think the President's daughter can get a royal tour of Target 42. See Endi again . . . His world must have horses . . . She shrugged off the idea. And tapped the Latin button. Worry about it later.
Tomorrow, off to the warm-up show. Then the first qualifier two weeks later. This is my summer. The one that means everything.
Chapter Six
27 Jumada 1398
Monte Carlo, One World
". . . and a positive attitude."
Paer nodded, half ignoring Madam Chin. Her coach through four years of increasingly successful showing, the woman could get irritating.
Control Freak.
The other students were looking serious and paying attention, but Paer was more worried about what she thought of as her defense in depth. Even Snip is here first to protect me. Private Isna Gurerra, if one was being formal, her groom, was a middle-aged Halfer who’d been with the Black Horse Company for more than a decade. And for all the attention he lavished on Crystal and watched her tack like a hawk . . . he'd drop everything and give his life to save hers.
The official guards, two women in plainclothes, two men in the Blackhorse uniform. All people she'd known since her father had been elected, two and a half years ago. It felt like half a lifetime. Paer swallowed, feeling sick. Xiat could have been killed when that gang tried to kidnap me. Isn't that enough? Must she keep risking herself?
Muef—Muffy—was new to the close in detail, but Paer'd spent so much time with the guards she knew them all. Wsca and Ohhe were both Withiones, champions with every weapon available. Only Rael and Xiat are better at hand-to-hand.
Is every guard I know going to be wounded or killed?
Paer jumped at a thump on her shoulder.
"Stop it." Xiat sat down beside her. "You are not under threat, nothing is going to happen today. Other than a horse show. Let's see about some meditation practice. Just close your eyes and shut the world out. Deep breath and let it out slowly. Focus on the horse show . . . "
By the time they got to Monaco she'd gotten over her attack of nerves. The bus with all the students, chaperones and half her bodyguards, led the procession into the show venue. The two horse va
ns were right behind. A Directorate car bringing up the rear. Armored, full of weaponry, and ready to whisk her to safety at the first sign of danger.
Paer swallowed, firmed up her focus, and watched the horses being unloaded. Followed Crystal to her assigned stall.
A bit stiff at first, she was moving easily by the time she walked into her temporary domicile.
Snip glanced back at her.
She nodded. "Let her relax for half an hour, then I'll take her out for a bit of a warm-up and stretch."
"She travelled well." Xiat turned away from the horse. "And Madam Chin is rounding up her scattered chicks. She really ought to just take half her students at a time. Insane workaholic."
Muffy grinned. "For what she charges . . . she probably just can't resist."
"And for what she achieves, she earns it too." Xiat grinned at Paer. "And once she has a student in the Olympics, she'll be fighting off offers with a stick."
Paer glanced at Madam Chin, approaching while looking over her shoulder. "Maybe she'll take fewer students and charge them even more." She turned and met the coach halfway. "Crystal's good."
"Excellent. Now Paer, you and the older riders know the grounds, but some of the younger students haven't ever been here. So let's take a walk. You'll need to know where . . . "
Paer fell in with the two oldest riders. "So, you guys are trying the Grand Prix today?"
Goem and Baen both nodded.
Baen grinned. "Mind you, this is Hustler's first grand prix. I know he can jump everything there, but the sheer number of big jumps and the time limit . . . "
Paer nodded. "Crystal had a breaking in period. Now I think she get's bored and lazy over the little jumps."
