Friends and Enemies (Gwen Farris Book 5)

by P. S. Power

  Gwen had to work that one out, since it was practically in code.

  "She's afraid of Westmorlands?"

  Beth covered a smile with her hand, but didn't answer, not wanting to be rude herself. Derrick however did. That had to mean the women was pretty bad, since Gwen was pretty certain his conditioning made that kind of thing very hard to pull off.

  "I think there might be some truth to that. It shows as a rather harsh demeanor towards most of us. I do hear she's a lovely person otherwise."

  That was good. She liked Ferdinand, well enough that she wouldn't want him trapped with an evil harridan all the time. She was about to mention that when the rest of the people suddenly straightened, and ran from the room toward the front door. Well, not all of them, but the Westmorlands did.

  Peter explained as he was the last to move.

  "Emergency. An attack on the Azort islands. We're being called on to stop the landing. Sorry. Later Gwen?"

  "Go! I'll be here. Be careful."

  It left the whole place in silence, or nearly so, as the guards went back to work, watching her like she was about to leap up and start fighting with them. It was obvious enough she laughed after a bit.

  "Look, guys, I get it. You don't need to stare at me like that though. I'm really not going anywhere. Also you caught the part where I didn't do anything? I'm all good and wholesome, and it was proven, right?" They might not believe that anyway, since it had been confirmed by the Bogeyman, more or less.

  The youngest guard, the one she'd seen first, cleared his throat. It didn't sound like he was trying to be mean anymore, so there was that.

  "What we heard was that you, Miss Farris are innocent and even being wronged. Right there, in your own person, is also a confirmed traitor. We aren't watching you, or doubting your good word, but how can we trust her?"

  It was a real point. Still, the staring was setting her last nerve on edge. She was about to have a long, and no doubt unrewarding, conversation about it, when Winslow clapped.

  "I could have a small meal served in here? Perhaps some soup? I fear that we don't have much on hand, the staff not being set to move back here for another two months. Daria, the undercook, won't be up for several more hours, to prepare breakfast. I can wake her now, I'm sure, given the emergency situation?"

  She shook her head, not wanting to piss the person that did the food off that soon.

  "Just grab some bread for me? Or whatever there is. I don't need much. I haven't exactly been pounding food in for a while. More of those biscuits, or... Anything really."

  The man glanced at the guards, "very well. It lacks standards, but it is good to have you back. You're always so understanding of reality."

  Hopefully that was true. Since she was at the mercy of everyone in the world at the moment, she didn't want to be a pain in the ass, if she could help it.

  The butler walked off, moving at a sedate pace, and she was left alone. Except for the armed men that were still looking at her like she was Satan herself. Because, in a very real way, she was.

  Katherine had made sure that was probably just the truth. There was no way to fix it now, either. She couldn't put the genie back in the bottle that way. Even if she could find all the rifters in the Europan project, and kill them, that didn't remove the knowledge of how to get the work done. The best she could do now was...

  She stopped, not thinking what that really was. She knew it would have to be done carefully. Otherwise Kate could stop her, just by taking over. She'd tried to use a crin to kill herself once, and that hadn't worked at all. There had to be ways though.

  Blinking, the idea of what to do occurred to her in a flash.

  She could teletransport, couldn't she? It wouldn't work if she was tucked away like she had been for all those years, in the depths of Kate's mind, but from where she was at that moment, Gwen could do it. Just put herself a mile up, in a half moment, and then let them both fall to their death. That wouldn't work against her, if she wanted to live, but Kate would be helpless to stop it.

  It was tempting to do it right then, but something stopped her. Some niggling doubt, at the back of her mind. After a moment, Katherine spoke, inside.

  'Why should you die? The wrong doing, the missteps, were all mine. They won't hurt you over it. You're safe here, Gwen. I'd wager even the newsies won't hit you too hard over it. After all, everyone knows what a waste of space I am.'

  The words sounded slightly defeated. Like she knew that she'd lost, well and truly.

  There was a problem there however, since the last time she'd thought that was the case, Kat had rallied after a while, which had lead to all this current splendor and wonder.

  She spoke out loud, which had all the men standing there staring.

  "If I seem like her, or you aren't certain who's in control. Then kill me. I don't like being watched, but you aren't wrong. We can't let her get away with this. I won't let her, but I might need help. If I ever tell you to kill me, you all need to do it, without hesitation."

  She expected some resistance, or glee, over it, but the younger guard just bowed a bit.

  "Understood ma'am. We won't fail you. You have my word."

  It seemed real, so she bowed back, as best she could, in response.

  Chapter twelve

  It was nearly funny, how things happened after that. If Gwen had been in charge of the situation, a certain heiress would have been locked in a dark hole already, to prevent her from going to the enemy and tattling even more about all the cool secrets. More to the point, that hole would have been six feet down, and covered with dirt.

  Death wasn't a fun prospect, especially since Gwen had never bothered with the idea of religion. Besides, she was almost certain that if she died now, she'd end up being sucked into the void that the Elder Gods lived in, and tormented far worse than if she merely went to hell for all eternity. Most people imagined that as the worst thing that could happen to them. A fiery pit, with constant pain, and probably humiliating sodomy, just to round things out.

  That was because they lacked the experience to know that would be a pretty sweet deal compared to some things.

  For the ten millionth time she checked over her shoulder to the right, only to find that the wall of her old bedroom was right where it always was. Papered with silk, in a peach color, now. It looked nice, she had to admit, if a bit too extravagant for a prison cell.

  There was a guard on her door, though she hadn't really been told she couldn't leave, exactly. At least she'd been told that someone would be right outside, if they were needed.

  No, after everyone had left the night before, she'd eaten, chatted with Biggs, the younger guard, for a while, and then wandered off to bed, exhausted, even though that was insane after months of enforced rest. She'd floated to her room, since walking was out for the time being. That had gotten the guards going, since for some reason they hadn't understood what watching her had really meant.

  The Westmorlands all had, so she'd just figured that these men would have been told all about her. Gwen didn't explain, not able to summon the will for it at the time being.

  After all, in the end, Kate had only known how to rift, or more exactly teach rifting, because Gwen had decided that she needed to learn how herself. True enough, that had really all been about saving the Westmorland orphans of the future from horrible torture, but she was the one that had butted in, and created the conditions they had now. War, with looming death, resting just on the horizon.

  When she woke up, with light coming through the window and the clock on the dresser across the room claiming it was about eleven, she stretched. Carefully, but completely. Her ability to do that was nearly gone, she noticed. Her back hurt, too.

  "Which is funny, isn't it? Why would I be mainly fine for months in bed and now I hurt?"

  Her own voice, the new one provided by this body, answered her, out loud. It was just her though, and not Kate coming to take it all back, now that they were free.

  "Because, that pudding
slash gruel was drugged to the gills. Probably with a half dozen things, so that I'd stay calm and not be able to struggle much. It was probably why it took me that long to escape, I bet." She grinned, and carefully moved to the side of the bed, trying to think of how to best get to the bathroom.

  Because it had been a lifelong goal of hers to not pee in a bedpan, whenever possible. The great part there was that it was an actual thing. Gwen had spent so much of her time in places like that, unable to get up and walk on her own, that she'd made it a real project, more than once in her life. Now she could fly to the next room, and while it took a bit of focus and energy, it was better than screwing up her ankle. The tough part being that she still needed to get up and stand when she could. Otherwise her strength would never really come back.

  After doing her business, showering and dressing for the day in a loose skirt, slippers and a comfortable and loose shift, all of it in blue of one shade or another, she moved to the door. When she opened it, Gwen made a point to be smiling and to go slowly, popping her head out first, so that the guard wouldn't shoot her as easily.

  That was the first sign that something was incredibly wrong.

  No one was there.

  "What kind of a prison are they running here, anyway?" She didn't know if the correct response was to go and demand she be guarded more carefully, or to revel in the fact that no one had been watching her pee. Both were probably the correct thing to do, on some level or another.

  She was about ten feet down the hallway, going slowly, her feet a few inches over the ground, when Katherine explained.

  Sort of.

  'You gave your parole, Gwen. So did I, as far as that goes.'

  "So? Why would they trust my word, in particular?" She sounded just a bit pissy, thinking about how it was all her fault that Katherine had access to the knowledge she'd given Europa. Rather than address that rather obvious point, the other girl used their mouth to speak.

  "Why wouldn't they trust you, Miss Farris? Your word has been impeccable, at every turn. Even when it could have led to your own death, you've honored it. The pure fact is that I can't escape from here, not while I'm injured. A point that I'm sure young Peter didn't miss when he failed to fix my leg totally. You won't help me do it, so there's no need for a guard on me that way, for the time being." They kept floating along, Gwen doing the work that way, using her own magical talents for the task.

  Then she giggled a little. It was Katherine still, but it was annoying. Especially since the situation was so incredibly fucked, thanks to her.

  "Peter grew up rather nicely, didn't he? I bet I could get him into bed. Boys that age don't need a lot of convincing, as far as sex goes. It's one of their better traits."

  Gwen nodded, both because Pete had grown up cute, and because if Kate tried that, even once, she'd teletransport them straight up in the air so fast and hard that they might leave some internal organs behind. That was metaphor, but the other woman chuckled at it, a bit nervously.

  "Killjoy. Why shouldn't we have a bit of fun? You have to know that one way or another, we aren't long for this world. Goodness, it's your own plan, isn't it? I hear it all, you know."

  She took back over and frowned, just as she was about to float down the stairs. It was a nice set of them, which wasn't a problem, most days. Wood, but polished and cleaned in a way that made them slightly tacky, instead of slippery. Gwen had never been certain how that worked. Some kind of wax, possibly.

  "You hear what?"

  "Why, everything you think. All the time. Not when you were tucked away for all those years, since all you did was scream, but when I let you out, ever since you came to my world, I've known every part of it. Every hope, fear, and desire for nachos, whatever those are."

  "Oh." It made a certain amount of sense, but she didn't bother to let it get to her. It was just one more sign as to who had the real power here, wasn't it?

  Katherine Vernor was the owner of this body, and Gwen Farris was simply the ghost that tried, and had failed, to possess her. That the whole thing had been set up by the heiress, probably using some help from Erin Debussey, just made her feel that much weaker about it all.

  Like she didn't matter at all, when it came down to it.

  It wasn't until they got to the front hallway, and she turned toward the morning dining room that anyone saw her. It wasn't even one of the guards.

  It was in fact, Will Werner.

  He actually looked good, compared to most of the others that she'd seen, who'd looked worn around the edges. He'd gained a few pounds, but had been a raw boned man before. That made him thin now, but healthier looking for the extra bit. The suit he had on was nice, if a bit more somber than what she'd noticed him in before. This was striped, which was the fashion, but in light blue and silver, instead of warmer colors. He had a hat, held firmly in his hands, which meant he wasn't living there, most likely. If he was that would have been closer to the door, and he wouldn't have picked it up until he was heading out.

  When the man, who had to be pushing fifty, she realized, saw her, he went a bit white.

  "Miss Vernor?" There was something near terror in the words.

  Kate the Bogeyman. It actually kind of fit, Gwen realized.

  "It's me, Gwen. I have control again, after a fashion. Mainly so that people here won't kill Katherine out of hand, I think. Are you visiting Winslow? Or... Um, just leaving for the day?" She smiled, since it wasn't her business, but the man blushed. It was a dead giveaway.

  "Don't tell, but it's that second one. It's poor form for the help to have guests over, when the master of the house is away, but things are unsettled enough that Charles felt it worth the risk. When did you get in? I was here all night, and no one woke me."

  "Late enough to be annoying. I'm shocked you didn't hear the ten people that came in for the questioning. Anyway, I was just about to try and find some food. I'm under house arrest. Self-imposed, really. If you want to report on this on the air, remind people that if they see me without a guard they should try to catch me. That will mean Katherine got out. I have a broken ankle right now, so it will be a while, but better for people to be watchful, yeah?"

  The man, his normal color returning now that he knew he wasn't facing a world killing nightmare bitch, fiddled with his hat for a bit.

  "Would it be improper for me to sit to meal with you? That way I can unscrupulously question you, and get the jump on my competitors. I haven't had a good story in several years. Once things came out about myself and Charles, it's been hard. If it wasn't for the Vernors purchasing WGN and firing my old boss, I'd be out of the business altogether. No one else would hire me."

  Gwen tilted her head, then shook it a bit, floating lightly as she was. It was starting to become work, since she wasn't used to it anymore.

  "I should have suggested that back then. Buy the station, and fire the asshole. Brilliant, but not the kind of thing I would have ever considered. Still, you and Charles are out now? Good for you. Sure. I'll give you an exclusive. People might as well know it all. Secrets almost never help anyone. Not to do anything good, or healthy."

  They traveled with decent speed then, Gwen not wanting to land until she got to a chair. The room she'd been headed to was set up however, the table for ten having been in use, it seemed. If not that day, then recently enough that the furnishings in the space weren't covered up.

  Just as she started to settle in the chair at the head of the table, Will having pulled it out for her, Winslow walked into the room, and froze.

  "Miss? Will, I don't think you should be here." There was something near fear in his voice, probably due to the breach of trust having a man over for the night showed. The guy took his job very seriously, she recalled.

  So much so that he'd broken Will's arm to try and get him not to report anything about her once. How the men had moved past that bit of domestic violence she didn't know. Will didn't seem scared at the moment however, so it might not be a common thing.

  "Miss Farris
has invited me to interview her. It's a huge story, and this way she'll be able to get her side out before the gossip starts."

  She nodded, even though the man had invited himself.

  "That's the plan. Though the real tale isn't going to be better than the rumors. People might as well hate me for the right reasons." She glanced up as her butt sank into the cushioned dining chair. "Would it be possible for me to get something to eat? I think the drugs that the Europans had me on are finally starting to fade. I certainly ache enough now." She smiled, not meaning it. It was true, after all, and as time went on, her body was becoming more uncomfortable.

  In fact, at the moment it felt like she'd had a hard work out the previous day. No one had even kicked her ass. Yet. That it was coming was, of course, just a thing. Sooner or later someone was going to lose it and come after her. Then she'd do her best not to lose, even if she was too weak and tiny right now to make that work.

  Like Billy had told her when she was a girl, fight. Even if you were going to lose, or die, you had to do what you could. Otherwise, the bad people would take your life from you, and leave you with nothing at all.

  Winslow did not seem all that pleased that his honey was trying to do his newsie best to get with Gwen at the moment. In a totally business like fashion, but still, the room got chilly every time he came back. As if saying Will didn't have as much of a right to know what was going on as anyone else.

  The only things she kept quiet about were how to rift, and the fact that she could do it herself. It was cowardly, but the public knowing she was a bomb wouldn't go over too well. The fact that she'd learned, the hard way, to teletransport, was left in however. It was how she'd escaped, so needed for the story to make sense. She covered it all, then as the man sat taking notes and asking questions, suggested to Katherine that she do the same.

  She grimaced, and looked at Will.

  "After all, she's the one that's on trial. She's already confessed to it all, so there's no need for it to be hidden. Unless she says the wrong thing. If she tries to tell you how to rift, then-"