by Pam Uphoff
"What, umm . . ."
Garit shot a grin at Captain Brewster. "Quicksilver Oldham. She's making a corridor."
"Uh . . . "
"Xen Wolfson's sister. Very powerful witch. You'll get used to it, if you're around them much."
They'd set up resupply points in this middle area. Too dry for crops, the few mines in the mountains weren't productive enough to support towns.
Rather than drag wagons or pack hundreds of mules along with them, the Army had contracted with Oldham Engineering to place temporary corridors in set times and places to bring in whatever Garit needed.
And at the moment, save them from a difficult river crossing.
A bright dot opened up to a square of desert interrupting their view of the river. Q stepped out, bent to touch the ground in two places.
"Do you need it to stay open?"
"No. In fact I definitely want it closed. The river's so high, I suspect it'll keep the bandits from heading west. Assuming they are on this side." Garit waved the troops forward. The horses were familiar with corridors and gates, and trotted through in good order.
"Governor Newry's sure. He's got all his people out, and they've had a few encounters, up against the mountains in section six. He asked me to ask you to angle a bit more north and make sure you're in between them and Wallenton."
"Damn. Right, we'll head northwest first and then across to the mountains, then sweep south."
***
"Technically, we were out of our jurisdiction, but we've had a couple hundred farmers and some miners move east of section six. The foothills flatten out a bit, and there's some reliable streams off the high snowpack." The young man shrugged. "So we patrol out that way, even though it's technically Gold Rush Territory."
Garit eyed the mountains. "Yeah, the Divide sort of runs southeast from here, doesn't it? And Genero and the army on that side can't get here. Or . . . are there trails through to the east side?"
"I've heard there are some tracks through, nothing a wagon could take, and mules better than horses."
Garit nodded. The militia had intercepted them, ready to run if they'd turned out to be bandits rather than army. Lord Basil was Governor Newry's son. Looks competent, maybe Foothills ought to make the Governor a Duke. He thought about Xen and dismissed the notion. Pack of egalitarian democrats.
"Why don't you come along and show us where you've spotted the bandits."
"Of course, sir." Lord Basil did a double take behind him. Garit turned quickly hand going to sword, and falling away. Q.
"Hey Quicksilver, long time no see."
"Hi, Junior. I thought your Dad had finally strapped you down to a desk."
"I cut myself loose and fled when mother started bringing 'suitable young ladies' around."
Q grinned and looked over at Garit. "He's fallen in love with a not-witch from Ash. Lady Dominique does not approve. This isn't going to end well."
"Mother can just go right on not approving. I'm going to marry Kestrel." "Junior" looked stubborn.
Garit shifted in his saddle. I'm surprised he's not after Q. She's so powerful . . . a good person to have on your side, and a bad enemy. I . . . could get her on my side . . . He shook his head abruptly. She is on my side, dammit. A friend, and Xen's sister.
"Do we need to go further north? Or shall we sweep to the east and, then head further south?"
Junior shook his head. "We're north of any reports of bandits. I'd recommend due east and then searching for sign up all the little valleys. My guys can act as guides."
Excellent." Garit signaled the scouts out to the east and the company moved off, turning east.
The next four hundred miles had damn little water available, and his Quartermaster was definitely sweating it. A single horse, with some odd shaped saddle bags and packs, shouldn't be able to carry two weeks of food, feed, and water for four hundred men and horses.
Quicksilver had quietly informed Garit that she'd be keeping an eye on them, and would make sure they didn't run out of water—but hoped the experience would give the quartermaster more confidence in the future. Garit rather cynically figured she'd told him that so he'd not let the quartermaster talk him out of cutting straight across the desert strip.
Even with water, it was going to be a long dusty ten days.
Garit eyed the pack horse's odd saddle. Very useful, that. Unfortunately none of us can make them. Q is . . . smart and powerful. A dangerous enemy.
Acrobat stopped abruptly, and Garit glanced down at his fist clenched around tight reins.
Dangerous? Q isn't an enemy! He forced himself to relax and let the reins slide through his fingers, giving the mare plenty of slack.
"Sorry. You I can trust with my life."
The mare nodded, and walked out again.
But Q? She'd back Xen over me. Unless I can override her loyalty to her brother with loyalty to a lover.
He shook his head suddenly. "I must have been out in the sun too long. Getting paranoid. Xen's got my back." He tromped hard on a vision of a knife in his back.
***
Garit found Junior Newry an interesting young officer.
All the farmers in the valleys recognized him and automatically trusted and welcomed Garit simply because Junior was with him. And told them all about the bandits that had looked them over, then moved on. The Army should have tried harder to keep Junior, after his rotation. But I understand his father's need for him, out here. There's a problem that needs to be addressed.
He looked over at the young man. "I had a thought, don't know if it's been pursued yet or not."
Junior gave him an enquiring look.
"These nice north-south province and section lines are all well and good, but the way the mountain front is trending east-southeast, this side of the mountains are technically Gold Strike Territory, but inaccessible from the east. They need to be appended to Foothills and Dry Hills Provinces, so your militias can patrol them, try bandits in your courts and so forth."
Junior tipped his head back and stared at the mountains. "Just extending our patrols two hundred miles, as in a standard section would get us most of the way through the mountains. Certainly past all arable land, and really, there's not much to mine once you're up in the granite. I wonder if it would go too far, and take in areas we couldn't get to from this side, though. And anyway, Genero might not like the idea of handing over a piece of his territory."
"True, but if it'll keep the people safer . . . I think I'll float the idea past some people."
Junior's lips quirked, but he didn't say "like your daddy the King."
Garit nodded. And I think I'll mention Lord Basil Newry, Jr. as a good prospect for Land Grant Holder, Foothills section 7.
Chapter Two
Fall 1397
Section Nineteen, Desolation Territory
To the horror of the sisters, Lord Hell and Lady Trump followed through on their threat to remove the sisters from the proximity of men. They found themselves with yet another country home.
Desolation Province, section nineteen.
Inky took one look and declared it to be the official Middle of Nowhere.
Father grinned and mentioned that it was actually a bit closer to Gemstone than Rip Crossing.
"Middle doesn't have to be exact. And either of those are seven or eight hundred miles away, aren't they?"
The village was built by Oldham Engineering, by magic. It was quite cute—little castles full of impractically large windows, balconies just begging for grappling hooks, and each one had a wild selection of magically inclined appliances. There were stables and gardens inside a wall that actually did look serious.
"I vetoed the moat and crocodiles." Trump looked around in satisfaction. "And not a man in sight. We should have done this years ago."
Sandy had stayed in Karista—she had a store to run, after all. And Will was there, so to speak. He seemed to be living in college. Peter was in the Army, and only the Old Gods knew where Phillip had gotten to. So it
was just the eight Sisters of the Half Moon with their, umm, twenty-three children.
All parceled out, each with their own parents.
Not that she didn't love Imbrium, Juno, and Kupier. It was just that they were supposed to be in school all day, and it was supposed to be easier to trade off with the sisters. There was no movie room.
Her mother didn't cut them any slack, either. As Half Moons they ought to be able to pick up all sorts of density changes in rocks and manipulate the rock to some extent.
So they explored—while Father kept an eye on the little kids who thought this was a great new playground.
Lemon kept whining, and not trying, Kohl was grumpy because she was pregnant, and they were all blaming Inky.
"Hey. You yelled and screamed and threatened to tell Mother if I didn't share the wine. And I didn't feel any compulsion to roam Karista like a bitch in season. You're the ones who went and fucked half the men in the City. Sheesh." She picked up one of the puppies and pet it. They really were cute. Pity the bottom had dropped out of the market. The pack was having fun running around the desert. Just as well they didn't have any neighbors.
Yoderite and Tirdal—who were sisters-of-the-moon, not actual sisters—were insufferably smug that they'd dodged getting pregnant this time.
After a week's constant work, she'd gotten good at telling the difference between the old rock, the new rock, the weird stuff in the contact zone, and the big quartz veins. The quartz was strange; the better the crystals, the more invisible to her inner sight. She started hunting for those empty spots specifically, and found some really pretty rose quartz crystals, and in an older vein, some aquamarines.
And gold. Very deep, and not in huge amounts, but she kept her mouth shut about it. It was kind of nice, being alone, without the press of a city's worth of subconscious pressure pushing her to give into her worst impulses. So she mined only as much gold as she was likely to need for her metalworking experiments. With a bit of luck, she could dodge an influx of gold miners who would disrupt the local emptiness.
It was starting to get fun, now, and she bragged to her sisters and turned it into a contest.
Chapter Three
Fall 1397
Section Nineteen, Desolation Territory
Vinz walked into the little village in the early morning. He hadn't realized there was a town out here and had camped just a few miles away. Damned odd little place too. Inside the wall there was all sorts of fancy stone work and little gardens in between houses all dressed up to look like fairy tale castles. It was enough to give a man the willies. A couple of big dogs had come out and woofed at him, all the while wagging their tails.
And kids everywhere. All in the six to eight year old range, running and hiding and chasing all through the gardens. Bunch of half grown pups running around with the kids. Hard to say how many of each there were. There were shops too, but they were empty, looked like they'd never been used.
And finally, a woman walking down the street to one of the shops and walking in.
He dodged children and dogs and stepped into the shop.
Or workshop. It wasn't exactly set up to sell things.
The woman looked around in surprise. "Goodness! Where did you come from?" She had bright blue eyes and shoulder length black hair and was nearly as tall as he was.
"I'm with Laughiler Mining Company, I'm running a survey from Gemstone to Rip Crossing. Call me Vinz." He looked around the shop. "I guess you don't get much business, out here in the middle of nowhere?" Good looking woman, no doubt if he'd not been sold to the Auralians as a boy he'd appreciate her more. And get beat up by her jealous husband. "Is there a restaurant in the village? A public house?"
"Oh, well no. Actually I think you're the first person to trip over us. My father bought the land grant and built the village to try and keep me and my sisters out of trouble. More trouble. I'm Inky Trumpdaut."
Trouble. Pregnant, no husband? "Built? What, he just put in specs and poof, you've got miniature castles and shops that might someday have something in them?"
"Yep. Oldham Engineering. All done by magic."
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to settle the hair. "I've never given much credence to magic. I expect the magic elves looked a lot like people, and used mortar just like real mason would."
Inky snickered and pointed. "Look at the wall."
It was all one piece. And just bent at the corner and kept going. He wiped suddenly sweaty palms, and looked back at the woman. She had about a pound of gold out on her work table, and a selection of stones.
"You're a jeweler?" He shifted his weight uneasily. Wasn't she afraid of thieves?
"Yes. I have a friend with a shop in Karista. She sells things like this."
'This' was a bracelet, wide and flat, full of lines and angles. He learned closer. "It's a maze?"
"Yes. Silly isn't it? But she doesn't want ordinary jewelry, she wants art. Pity she doesn't sell potions and things. I could make a mint."
Vinz snorted. "Love potions? Wish fulfillment and day dreams. Damn silly. Where do you get the gold?"
She giggled. "This is the New Lands. There's gold everywhere."
"I thought we were north of the gold zone."
"Well, yes, but it's still easy to buy."
Ha! Liar! he'd always been able to tell when people lied to him. He shifted uneasily. But was she telling the truth about the magic builders, then?
"Well, since there's no place to buy a meal, I think I'll be getting on."
She looked up from her work. Her shoulder length curls were so black they seemed a bit blue. "Are you hungry? Sorry, we really ought to be nicer to our first visitor. Come up to the big house and I'll fix you something."
She didn't even bother to lock the door behind her.
The big house was just beyond the little strip of empty shops. She led him through a big empty room and into a more homely dining room adjacent to a kitchen. Large, mind you, with a large table. "We've only been here, umm, gosh it's been four months now. And we still haven't gotten much furniture in. I really ought to go on a major shopping spree. So—what's your favorite cuisine?"
Vinz chuckled. "I haven't had any decent tacos in thirty years—too smart to get near Auralia or Verona again, you see."
"Tacos. Can do."
She did too. Fresh tortillas. He ate half of them right out of the frying pan. It was enough to make an old eunuch want to get married. She spiced up ground beef and had fresh tomatoes and lettuce at hand, grated cheese. His mother had cooked like this. She'd been a maid at the royal palace, her own mother an Auralian who'd married a Veronian. And then the Orgy. He'd heard the jokes all his life. 'Your mama got goat fucked!' All he had to do was look in the mirror at his black hair and golden brown eyes to know it was true. Mind you, the Emperor gave all the pregnant maids a cash settlement and that was how mama opened the Tacoria, but still . . . Tortillas like this were what he remembered from before his stepfather got drunk and gambled away Vinz's future.
He'd been too old for a Solti's harem—he'd been sold to a rich merchant, who found out that a sixteen year old who'd been teased all his life about being a goat knew how to fight. Vinz had killed him, snuck across the border and killed his step father. Run for the Western border, and finished growing up in the silver and gold mining towns of the South Divide territory. Immune to women and too damn smart to gamble, he'd gotten rich and built a mining company up from nothing. These new gold discoveries down in the Rip were making him even richer. But he still missed the hands-on work, and no, he did not mean the dredging of the Big Swamp. Sometimes he just had to get out into the lonely and desolate lands. Empty as my heart. No home to return to.
"So, Inky. How many brothers and sisters do you have, that your daddy wants them out of town? Any man who can buy a grant can afford dowries."
She chuckled, and her eyes crinkled. "Three brothers, five real sisters and five more Sisters of the Moon. We're all witches. We don't get married."
&nb
sp; He chuckled himself. "Oh right. According to the myth you just run around seducing men to gain magical power. In your case, I highly recommend using your cooking as a lure. Irresistible. Do these ten sisters and three brothers of yours all live here?"
"No. Mom and Dad decided that maybe we needed to be separated. So it's just Beige, Scarlet and me here, now. And our twelve kids, of course. Mom and Dad's combined influence, I think."
He blatantly eyed her slender figure and grinned. "Oh yes, I can tell you've been worn down by childbearing. Is even one of those kids running amok out there yours?"
Her blue eyes twinkled. "Umm, let's just say that I'm responsible for less than half of them."
"Less than half? Oh, I am impressed." He ate another wonderful hot taco. "With your cooking." It wasn't even noon and all he wanted was a soft bed to sleep the day away.
"All I'm going to be good for today is a bit of gold panning. If I can waddle down to the nearest stream."
She snickered. "Well, when you're done panning, why don't you come back for dinner. We've got extra beds—in fact extra houses, now. Then you can get back to surveying."
He nodded. "I may have to run an awful lot of surveys up this direction."
He followed her directions to a stream, and did some token panning before making himself comfortable in the shade and dozing off. He awoke with a yell, throwing the attacking wolves . . . two overgrown puppies gave him a hurt look, then returned to wrestling with each other. He snorted. Apparently they had decided to wrestle on top of him.
"That was not a good way to wake up." He informed them.
They looked at him. One was a reddish color with white markings and the other a mottled black and gray with white markings. Short haired coats, but with a hint of curliness on the chest and three of their four ears flopped. They were already pretty good sized. He guessed they'd weigh in at close to a hundred pounds once they finished growing up and filling out.
"And those women need much more than a pack of dogs to protect them." He shuddered at the thought of one of the larger bandit gangs finding the place. The pups grinned at him, and escorted him back to town.
