by Phil Stern
This was an upscale urban neighborhood, with residence buildings down the side lanes and apartments above shop fronts along the main streets. For the next fifteen menlars Caylee breezed through several stores, walked into one apartment building and directly out the rear entrance, darted down alleys, and even hopped a fence from one tiny yard into another.
Finally emerging onto a pleasant lane almost eight blocks from where she’d landed, the Haven witch had spotted no sign of pursuit, either visually or magically. It seemed she’d lost them.
Now breathing a little easier, the young blonde sauntered into an upscale grocery store. Meandering into the “organic” section in the back, she now stood by a large display of cucumbers. Other shoppers slowly moved about, carefully examining the high-priced produce. With a final glance about, she again pulled out her disabled ICP.
Thoughtfully studying the still-inert device, Caylee frowned. Surely her pursuer hadn’t been able to break it beyond repair? Hesitantly, the inter-dimensional traveler began tapping on the still-blank screen. Maybe just a standard reactivation code would work? She really needed to report in before…
Without warning, someone slapped her rear end. An infinitesimal burst of earth fire sent Caylee hard into the produce stand. Knocking it over completely, the sorceress soon found herself face down on the floor amid a sea of cucumbers rolling all about.
“Tag.” The vaguely-familiar female voice spoke from right behind her. “You’re it!”
Rolling over, Caylee stared up into the disdainful face of a Coven-mate. “Amanda? What’s going on?”
“This was a tracking exercise,” the older witch purred. “And you, my young friend, just lost.”
Several other shoppers were now staring at the young klutz on the floor. “My dear, you must be more careful!” an older woman now admonished. “You’ve made a mess!”
“Indeed she has,” Amanda smirked. “Make sure you help clean up!”
And with that, the other enchantress turned and regally glided off, leaving Caylee flat on the floor.
*****
Six hours later, attired in a tight black dress and tasteful three-inch heels, Caylee swept through the front doors of The Half-Gee. Stopping just inside the raised entrance, she immediately spied the two other witches at a table.
Yandi and Lilly smiled and waved as she approached. Politely stepping around several guys who tried to talk to her on the way, Caylee was soon sliding into a lightly padded seat opposite her Coven-mates.
This being the last day of finals, The Half-Gee was predicably packed with celebrating college students. Thunderous music pounded from the dance floor, while loud conversation and laughter came from the packed crowd by the bar. Their small table by the far wall was at least a little quieter, but not by much.
“So, we heard what happened,” Yandi began, eagerly pushing a drink across the table. Apparently, her friends had taken the liberty of ordering for her. “Was it really bad?”
Touching the proffered glass, Caylee let out a deep sigh. “I’ll live, I suppose.”
“Well I, for one, think it’s awful,” Lilly declared, even while eagerly eying a guy near the bar. “Amanda shouldn’t have waylaid you coming out of a final! I mean, you obviously weren’t at your best.”
“Ladies, I’m always at my best.” Having already decided that tonight’s festivities wouldn’t turn into a pity party, Caylee pointedly took a deep sip of her drink. “What I still can’t understand is how she, uh, masked herself like that. I really thought it was a foreign contact.”
“Oh, didn’t you know?” Almost conspiratorially, Yandi leaned forward. “Amanda has the ability to alter her signature!”
“Really?” Caylee wasn’t even aware that was possible.
“Yup,” Lilly confirmed. “She has an SA, the lucky girl.”
Generally, everyone in the Coven had the same magical abilities and powers. However, on rare occasion someone would develop a Special Ability, or SA for short, which was unique to her. Caylee actually had an SA herself, in that she could directly communicate with animals.
“Well, good for her,” Caylee groused. Already, her vow of positivity was being tested. “I just don’t understand what the point of chasing me around like that was!”
“What’s the point of half the stuff they do?” Yandi shrugged. “We’re still the newbies, after all.”
This was a common gripe among them, “they” being the older witches on rotating or semi-permanent duty within Vail. Actually, Caylee hadn’t even known her two age-mates very well until all three had been assigned here. They’d quickly bonded, though, within their shared role of students, interns at Eleanor’s company, and errand girls for the Coven Leader.
“I mean, are you okay, though?” A slim, very pretty redhead, Lilly’s long hair always had just the right amount of bounce and curl. “Nothing really bad happened, right?”
“I guess not.” Still, Caylee couldn’t help flouncing back in her chair. “Except that the bitch seems to have broken my ICP.”
“Permanently?” Lilly giggled. “That’s mean.”
“Come on, pass it here.” Sitting up, Yandi peremptorily waved at her. “I can fix it.”
“No you can’t,” Caylee mumbled, pointedly not moving. She’d actually wasted an hour trying to both electronically and magically reanimate the device that afternoon, all to no avail. “It’s busted.”
“Want a bet?” The dark-haired beauty persisted, a twinkle in her eye. “Let’s say the next round?”
However, three more drinks were already drifting down from the ceiling to land before each Coven-mate. Attached to Yandi’s glass was a handwritten note reading “For the prettiest girl in the club and her two friends!” along with the guy’s ICP number.
Giggling, the stunning sorceress twisted around to blow a kiss to the room in general. A scattered round of applause broke out near the bar.
Of course, everyone in the Coven was very attractive, in peak physical and magical shape. But Yandi was particularly dazzling, every movement she made drawing absurd amounts of attention. Not being a slouch herself, this normally didn’t bother Caylee very much. It was only annoying when Yandi feigned complete ignorance of the constant sensation she always caused.
“Hey, you think you can fix it? Fine.” Pulling out the irritating device, she half-tossed it across the table top. “But it’s no use.”
“We’ll see about that.” Turning about once more, Yandi made a great show of picking it up, coolly raising an eyebrow as she inspected the screen. Fifteen seconds later, having very skillfully sent a whisper of magic into the ICP while entering some memorized code, it sprang back to life.
“There you go!” Yandi announced, gracefully displaying the ICP to her two friends like some model on a game show. “Good as new!”
Snatching it back, Caylee felt unduly thwarted. “And just how did you do that?”
“Oh, relax,” Lilly soothed, patting her exposed forearm. “You weren’t there when Amanda taught us the technique for getting inside these things. It’s not hard. I can show you later.”
Last week, Amanda had taken her two friends on an inspection tour of the Coven fortress. Due to classes, Caylee herself had been unable to attend. “Well, aren’t you guys smart,” she growled, angrily shoving it into her slim purse again.
“Come on. Lighten up a little.” Smiling warmly, Yandi’s exquisite features were somehow even more stunning. “Amanda has a decade more experience than you, and she pulled some mean tricks. I’m sure we wouldn’t have gotten away either.”
“Maybe.” Indeed, that’s exactly what Caylee herself had privately decided, though she’d firmly vowed to keep such opinions to herself. “Look, let’s just…”
“Hey, speak for yourself!” Lilly objected. “I’ve got some really slick moves out on the street.”
Sighing, Caylee could only rub her forehead. Maybe going out tonight had been a mistake.
“Well, I save all my best moves for the dance floor!�
� Yandi giggled. Craning her head about, she peeked through the crowd as a new song blasted from the dance area. “Wow, that guy is really cute.”
“You guys go on.” Sighing, the vexed blonde sourly sat back. “I’ll catch up later.”
“No you don’t, Caylee. The semester’s finally over and we all have a little break.” Giggling, Lilly grabbed her hand. “It’s time to celebrate. Come on!”
Bowing to the inevitable, she took a final sip and allowed herself to be pulled up and led over to the floor.
For the next three hours they danced with wild abandon, only occasionally dropping back to the table for a quick rest. This being The Half-Gee, the gravity settings were changed between every song. Caylee actually liked full-grav dancing, as it was a much better workout. Still, it was kind of fun to hop around in half-gee and even scrape the ceiling on two-tenths gee.
Of course, you had to be careful. One girl actually drifted off the floor during one-tenths gee, crashing down on a table with a loud bang. (Why the club didn’t have safety netting was a mystery.) But everyone had a good time, which always made for a great atmosphere.
Early on the three witches kept together, though guys were constantly cutting in. After a while Caylee played the field a little bit, dancing with a different partner for a song or two. About an hour in Lilly kind of hooked-up with a sweet looking kid, the two of them now exclusively focused on the other. They soon drifted off to a corner, swaying together and staring into each other’s eyes.
Yandi was far less restrained, dancing with darn near every guy in the club. Watching her carefully, Caylee realized the young enchantress knew exactly how to draw a man in with her eyes, using her body to stimulate him even further. Then, when he thought they’d made some kind of connection, the 18 year-old beauty would laughingly spin away to be with someone else. Disappointed suitors drifted from the dance floor in a steady stream, often hanging about to watch the undercover sorceress from afar.
What a change from the life she’d been born into. Yandi was from Boulera, the daughter of a prince’s favorite concubine. Raised within the palace itself, Yandi had been cloistered away until her tenth birthday. Traditionally at this point girls of the harem began their indoctrination into the ways of pleasure women, beginning with a special school taught by former concubines.
Of course, that was when both Yandi and her mother had been rescued by the Coven. Relocating to Haven, she’d then begun a very different kind of education, focused on magic and empowerment.
Still, Caylee sometimes wondered if there was a vestige of sensual magic deep within her exotic young Coven-mate, like an SA she wasn’t even aware of. It would certainly explain a few things. It would also make it a lot easier for Yandi to slip into the traditional life of a witch, something she was maybe slightly jealous of on occasion.
As the evening grew very late, Caylee finally found herself back at their table, alone, sipping her latest drink. Clearly, they would all be going home on their own. Perhaps it was time…
“Hey, Caylee.” Along with the familiar voice, a hand now very hesitantly touched her shoulder. “Long time no see.”
Carefully leaning back, the blonde sorceress found herself looking up into Wes’ face. As he had that afternoon outside the test center, the young man was anxiously awaiting her reaction. “Hi,” she said.
“Hi.” Hesitating, he looked about. “Uh, I was just thinking…”
Reaching up, she firmly pulled Wes down for a long kiss. After a while, she let their lips drift apart just the tiniest bit. “Let’s get out of here,” she whispered, squeezing his arm for good measure.
CHAPTER TWO
THE NEXT MORNING, the young sorceress awoke with a start. Slowly sitting up in the oddly narrow bed, she glanced around the strange room in mild alarm.
It was a typical college dorm. Clothes and books were scattered about, with a cluttered desk occupying one corner. A faux-dart board was on the back of the only exit, with a single sock hanging from one of the fuzzy, oversized darts. On the wall beside her was a holo-display slowly sifting through various images of Vail and it’s small system of habitable moons.
Wes himself still slumbered beside her, an arm haphazardly covering his upper face. Only now did various memories of the night before come drifting back through Caylee’s mind, starting with their chance meeting at the club.
Had she even said goodbye to Yandi and Lilly? Well no, not really. But by that point her companions had been quite occupied themselves. In any event, she certainly hoped they weren’t worried about her.
Right on cue, Caylee now heard a light knock on the door. Though seemingly random, the cadence was actually a special code used by the Coven.
Sighing, she carefully climbed over Wes and picked her way across the floor. Pulling on a random pair of sweat pants and shirt along the way, she then softly cracked open the door.
But it wasn’t her two friends standing on the other side. “There you are!” Norine cheerily announced. “Rise and shine, young lady. Time to get a move on.”
In the general Coven shake-up of six months before, Norine had been transferred from her position as senior witch on Earth to Vail. Officially, the glamorous, 30-something blonde had been “promoted” to Eleanor’s chief-of-staff here. In reality, everyone knew Norine was simply being bumped so that Tiffany Smith could take over the leadership role on Earth.
Actually, two of Caylee’s recent courier missions had been to that crucial mid-tech dimension. Slipping across the Boundary near Philadelphia, she’d spent the weekend in an apartment across the hall from where Tiffany and her fiancee lived. Since Tiffany was one of her favorite Coven-mates, they’d been welcome assignments.
This unexpected encounter promised to be less pleasant. “Uh, hi.” Fully slipping out into the hallway, Caylee softly closed the door behind her. “What are you doing here?”
“My, my. You girls had a good time last night.” Smiling, Norine nodded at Wes’ room behind her. “But only one? Yandi went home with three young men.”
Norine was one of those older witches who was always exhorting the younger girls into greater feats of promiscuity. It often made for awkward conversation. “Well, I had a good time,” Caylee lamely replied.
“I would hope so.” Leaning against the wall, Norine still cut a fine figure in her tight jeans, boots, and while shirt. Tasteful gold earrings complimented a gleaming necklace. “Otherwise, what’s the point?”
“Sure. But is there something you…”
“Though I would hope you were careful, dear. This Wes seems like a nice boy. Not the type that you’re supposed to seek out.”
Of course, witches were supposed to have sex with abusive married men, who would then be imbued with their magical essence. That man would then father the next generation of female magicians, who in turn would be collected by the Coven when they came of age. Wes clearly didn’t fit into this classic paradigm.
“I was careful,” Caylee protested, meaning she deliberately didn’t infect Wes with any magic. “Give me a little credit here.”
“If you were doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you wouldn’t have to be careful.” Norine raised an eyebrow. “It’s more fun that way anyway.”
“I’m supposed to just be a top student at some exclusive school.” Unduly irritated, Caylee briefly looked away. “Not to mention an intern at Eleanor’s company. I can hardly start slutting all over town with married…”
“Enough with the excuses. I know what’s going on here.” Taking a deep breath, the senior witch studied her younger Coven-mate. “It’s Tiffany, right?”
“What about Tiffany?”
“You’re trying to emulate her bad example,” Norine scoffed. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Bad example? What do you…”
“Don’t play stupid with me. A witch getting married? I’ve never heard of such a thing!”
The junior sorceress frowned. “Which doesn’t make it bad, does it?”
“Well, it c
ertainly isn’t good,” Norine sternly admonished. “It’s also yet another example of this new permissive attitude that everyone seems to…”
“Look, is there a reason you’re here?” Running a hand back through her tousled hair, Caylee tried to maintain her composure. “I thought I had a few weeks off.”
“Then you thought wrong.” Studying her haphazard outfit for a moment, Norine sighed. “Get dressed. Last night’s clothes will have to do.”
“But why? Where are we going?”
“Eleanor wants to see you. Apparently there’s a job that needs doing, and you’re just the girl to do it.”
*****
Fifteen menlars later they went down to a company limo hovering by the curb. Sedately settling into the back passenger area, the vehicle was soon smoothly whisking towards Eleanor’s corporate headquarters.
Along the way, it dawned on Caylee that the “job” they had in store for her might be picking weeds back in Haven. After all, she’d flunked yesterday’s impromptu training exercise in spectacular fashion, getting caught even after breaking a half-dozen operational guidelines. Cheating and still losing was a bad combination.
Could she have failed her final too? All the math had been a little rough. Perhaps more study would have helped.
Now Caylee remembered that another class of young witches had just graduated to operational status. Perhaps a smarter, more capable girl was getting her spot here in Vail? Becoming depressed, she listlessly watched the high-tech dimension slide by the window outside the limo.
As it turned out, once they reached the huge corporate building, she did have a chance to magically change her clothes in a secured bathroom. Thus, when Norine and Caylee entered the Coven Leader’s large, open office, she was smartly attired in her own jeans, boots, and white shirt.
It was an impressive place, with huge windows displaying a stunning panorama of the corporate grounds. On the horizon was a tall, purple mountain, underneath which was hidden the Coven’s clandestine high-tech fortress.
