Cascades (Wine of the Gods Book 24)

by Pam Uphoff

  A woman with long red hair turned and looked him over as he walked up the street. Apart from the hair color she looked very much like Inky. Well, she was fatter. Or pregnant.

  "You must be one of Inky's sisters." He said, strolling her direction.

  "Scarlet. And you must be this Vinz from Laughiler Mining Company she was all atwitter about."

  The children weren't anywhere in sight, the dogs mostly lounged in the shade.

  The woman turned and escorted him up toward the big house. About halfway there the door of one of the fairytale castles burst open and kids poured out. He took a good count while they were all clumped. Seven of them, umm, maybe seven years old, then five younger ones, five or six years old, maybe. They scattered, with a couple of them yelling 'Hi, Mom!" in their general direction, and a couple of them staring at Vinz curiously. So, Inky was responsible for less than six kids?

  A women came to the door of the school to watch the kids, and eye Vinz. Ha! Another woman, no doubt 'responsible' for some of these kids. He tried analyzing the kids, and came up with six who were dark enough that they might be Inky's.

  The teacher walked down the steps. Strawberry blonde hair, a big curly mop of it. Very, er, busty. Definitely pregnant.

  "This is our other sister, Beige." Scarlet told him. "This is the man Inky was drooling about earlier."

  She held her hand out like she expected it to be kissed.

  "Oops. Your parents missed on that name, didn't they?"

  The hand withdrew with a pained smile. "Yes, although I think I'm glad I'm not named Strawberry." Her well-endowed chest moved with her sigh.

  Not that it mattered to him. He was just an old eunuch. Forty-seven years old. No children, never would have any. He ought to be like Inky, and claim a bunch of kids for his own, and have the pleasure and pain of raising them. They walked on to the big house.

  The big room was full of rugs. And Inky.

  "I can't make up my mind, I love them all."

  Her sisters laughed at her, and the kids romped around on them.

  "You could always use some of them on the walls." He edged over to stand next to Inky. "Don't tell me you have a corridor? I refuse to believe it."

  "Oh, that's right, you don't believe in magic." She had a wicked chuckle.

  "Well, corridors. I mean. They're real, not like hocus pocus, fireballs, and love potions."

  Her grin widened. "Wait till I get you alone again. Then I'll show you a love potion."

  He snorted. "I'm immune to women. Good cooks, on the other hand . . . "

  Creamy mushroom soup. Crispy fried vegetable chips. Lamb kebabs with a light fluffy rice pilaf with perfect seasonings. Lemon meringue pie. Coffee.

  They ate late, after the kids had been fed. There were a couple of toddlers, a redhead and blonde that clung to the sisters. And some kidding about who was going to have twins and who was going to have quadruplets. Really kidding he hopped. And no husbands. And that cooking. Hard to believe.

  The women rounded up the children again and took them off to bed.

  He lingered over his coffee until Inky came back.

  Inky chuckled. "Oh, alone at last! Now you're in danger, fellow. Do you want to run away? This is your last chance."

  "Inky," He sighed. He really hated these explanations. "Like I said this morning, I dare not return to Auralia. I . . ."

  Inky waved a dismissive hand. "Say no more. My magic potions can fix you right up."

  He snorted. "I'm afraid not."

  "Want to bet?" She smile was definitely wicked now. She pulled a bottle of red wine from a cupboard and handed him a corkscrew. "I'll be right back with the good stuff."

  The bottles she returned with were a definite contrast. One wine bottle was wrapped in paper with a big red cross on it, and hand labeled—For Injuries Only. The other was a tiny little bottle, like expensive perfume came in. "I was thinking about selling love potions and whatnot and bottled up all these cute little things." She poured half of it into a wine glass, and added half a glass of the red cross wine. Vinz filled the glass from his bottle, and started to pour the other glass as well. Inky corked the red cross bottle and turned away to put in on the side table. While her back was turned, Vinz poured half his glass into hers, then refilled it. Whatever she was giving him, she was going to drink it too.

  He saluted her with his glass. "To the witch in the middle of nowhere."

  She oozed down beside him. "And the miner hunting our gold." Her eyes crinkled and she sipped. "Umm. Bad Boy."

  He sipped his own, savoring a better red than he'd had in years. "Where do you get this wine?" Another sip. It was a bit warm in here. Odd, the desert usually cooled down after the sunset. He took another sip. More.

  "A friend makes it. C'mon. I'll show you your room. We figured you'd prefer a bit of isolation from the kids, they can be pretty noisy in the morning." She picked up the bottle and brought it along, refilling his glass before she opened a door to a room with glass doors that opened out to a moonlit garden.

  "This is nice." He loosened his collar. "What was in those bottles? I feel very odd." She set her glass down and he watch the play of muscles in her arms and shoulders as she shrugged. Her breasts lifted and fell, and his mouth went dry.

  "A little bit of everything. Why don't you take that vest off, isn't it a bit warm for that?" She unbuttoned it and he stood there mesmerized by the view down her dress, while she ran her hands from his stomach to his chest and pushed the vest off his shoulders. And started on his shirt buttons.

  He set his glass down and slipped his arms around her. Started unhooking all those silly little hooks down the back of her dress. She shook her arms and it all just sort of fell off. He leaned over and kissed her, and finally satisfied his curiosity as to what women's breasts felt like. They wound up in bed, all cozy under the covers and busy with hands and it felt great to be caressed even though everything was missing, down there. He got quite creative in satisfying her, and he was certainly surprised by his own responses and desires. It was a wonderful night, and when he finally slept, it was deeply and satisfyingly.

  In the morning he was alone, but his nose tracked her down cooking bacon and pancakes for a horde of children. Girls, he suddenly realized. "No boys?"

  "Witches mostly only have girls."

  "You really aren't kidding me? How many of these are yours?"

  "Poor man! People who encounter us really need a large dose of open mindedness. My mother is a sort of minor goddess of fertility, and my father is The God of Just Deserts. So being naughty tends to end up in twins or worse. And, umm, I am a very Bad Girl, and a constant troublemaker. Imbri, Juno and Ki." She touched the three dark headed seven year olds. "Are what happened when I tried to play a bit of a trick on one of my sisters. Orgy time, you know? Children are no big deal for witches. Although most manage to have theirs one at a time."

  Vinz looked at the twelve little girls at the table and chuckled. "I'm still not sure I believe a word you say, but they sure are a cute bunch of kids." Little Ki peeked his direction, then got shy and returned to mashing bacon and pancake into speckled mush.

  After the kids were done and freed of stickiness they were sent off to play until school started.

  Vinz sighed, and figured he could get to Rip Crossing in another month, and then detour a bit on his next traverse . . .

  "Do you go to Karista very often?" he asked.

  "I have been thinking I may need to avoid it. I seem to be susceptible to the collective subconscious, who think I'm the Troublemaker. Out here I've gotten so much better. Happier."

  "Collective What?"

  She chuckled. "Never mind. Yes, I go to Karista often, but I'm starting to spend more time out here."

  He'd never kissed a woman goodbye before.

  He hefted his pack and set out determined to return. The two pups that had woken him followed him. Excellent. He would definitely need to return the dogs, couldn't chicken out of that.

  Chapter Four
>
  Late Fall 1397

  Section Five, Foothills Province

  Garit looked in the mirror. All laundered and fresh, and damn it, his barber had suggested a change of hairstyle to, umm, minimize how thin it was getting. "Thirty-one is too young to go bald."

  "Yes, sir." Private Kuri answered. "Shall I ask Quicksilver for a cure?"

  Garit winced. "Umm, no. I'll ask Xen the next time I see him." I will not let him use magic on me . . .

  "Q would tease less."

  "And analyze more, leaving me feeling like a bug under a microscope."

  Kuri snickered. "True. The horses are ready."

  Garit turned his back on the mirror and mounted up.

  The water in the bubble had lasted the whole ten days. Quicksilver had been waiting for them on the Foothill Road that ran from Wallenton to Havwee right where it crossed from section three to section five.

  She'd made a corridor to their headquarters so they could move back and forth, getting remounts, sleeping in real beds and eating in the mess. The old hands shook their heads in dismay at the undoubted laziness such inventions encouraged in the young troops. And took full advantage, themselves. Three days out of the saddle felt good.

  No matter what the barber said.

  But that casual use of power. Doing awesome things, scaring people. It makes her noticeable, famous and powerful above and beyond mere magic. It makes her a threat.

  But if I could make her fall in love . . . I'm pretty sure she's a virgin. Especially considering the effect she has on men. It would be easy, if I can pretend to be stronger than her curse. I'll just have to think really hard about other women.

  Most of the troops were already back on the road, high time the commander got there too. The corridor looked foggy, but a brilliant flash of light, dawn reflecting off some bright metal left him blinking for a minute. He shielded his eyes to look, ah, something of Quicksilver's. His troops would never give away their position with something that reflective. He turned away from her and looked over the double company. His captains trotted up.

  "All ready to play leapfrog?" he asked. This was going to be one of the hard parts of the sweep, checking up every possible route toward the mountains, every little valley and mining camp. They'd be at it all summer, unless they got lucky. "Take your companies out then."

  He stayed in the middle with a small troop, coordinating, and keeping an eye out over the desert for signs of the bandits. The quartermaster came up scowling. "That woman says she can move the corridor south with us, if we want."

  His skin crawled. I shouldn't do this. I shouldn't take advantage . . . I shouldn't let anyone so dangerous so close to me. He waffled. "Tell her to hang back, and jump forward to catch us every three days. Anything more and the men really will get too spoiled."

  "Right." The man looked happy to be able to order Q around. Garit didn't watch; he was more concerned with practical matters like getting up into these hills. Damned bandits. Murderers and thieves. I'll kill them all.

  He hunched his shoulders a bit. I didn't use to be so vicious. I guess I've finally outgrown my youthful idealism. This gang is not redeemable, nor romantic or exciting. They are vermin, even the "white witch" who protects them. Or perhaps, especially the White Witch.

  ***

  Five hundred miles south they finally found the bandits.

  Garit heard the faint trumpet notes from the south and turned . . . "Lieutenant, send a man north, get Captain Barret's company headed this direction. Let's go see what Kessler's caught."

  They found the aftermath of a running fight. Leading from a walled collection of farmhouses down the mountain front and into a canyon.

  Fortunately Kaster had had sense enough to not ride into the twisty canyon.

  "They've got guards up on the hills. Bowmen." He spat. "They must have some sort of encampment back in there.

  Garit scanned the steep rocky terrain. "There could be hundreds of them, and we'd never see them. Set up camp out here, and I'll send in the scouts. In fact, let's see if the locals have any idea of what's back in there."

  They backtracked to the farms.

  "The Millers' and Henskis' have been mining back in the canyons for thirty years. I hired on when I was younger. Picked up a bit of cash after harvest." The farmer shrugged. "They come and buy veggies, salt beef and mutton. Of course, most of their ore they take south to Havwee; they've got a pack trail to the east, but they don't use it much."

  "Damn. I thought we had them trapped. Well, tell us what we'll find up that canyon."

  "Well the main mine entrance is halfway up the Front—that's a steep scarp, a fault break that reaches a couple hundred miles north-south." The farmer stepped out and pointed. "That cliff there that you can see between the hills. Anyhow, they set up on a hill in front of it, and dumped their mine tailings in between, so now there's just the road up to the houses—an you better believe they've got a wall, practically a fortress—and they just go straight across and into the mines. One of the adits goes to the east and comes out on the far side. The track to the east goes from there. So if the bandits haven't explored the mines, they may think they're trapped."

  Garit grinned. "Now that would be grand."

  He hired a couple of bright-eyed teens to guide his scouts through the hills to the mine head. "Mind you send them home as soon as you catch a whiff of bandits."

  Then he caught up with Barret's Company and sent half of them on foot after the scouts.

  A couple of minor skirmishes in the dry rocky hills, and Garit was camped in a loose arc covering three sides of an unfortunately very well built fortress.

  "Everything that's not practically a cliff has a wall across it." Garit muttered. "Guess we'll do this the old fashioned way. As soon as we've got Quicksilver and the corridor up here we can bring through some siege engines."

  He pulled his helmet off and ran a hand through his hair. Looked at the hairs on his hand in disgust. "Is bald supposed to happen this damn fast?"

  The lieutenant shrugged, obviously having no experience in the matter.

  Captain Kaster waved to get Garit's attention, as he wrote out messages. "Look up there."

  Garit looked, and felt his lips peel back from his teeth. A woman in pale clothing, blending into the dry mountain behind her. Pale hair. Gray or a blonde so pale it was nearly white.

  He'd heard her described many times, but this was the first time he'd seen her himself. "The White Witch. Old Gods! If we can capture or kill the White Witch, perhaps we can finally put an end to the Gold Gang."

  He spun back to his messengers. "Tully. Find Quicksilver fast. We're going to need a witch on our side." He looked back up to where, to judge by the gestures, the White Witch was arguing with the large man beside her. She threw up her hands and walked out of sight. The large man leaned over the fortress wall and made a rude gesture in Garit's general direction.

  Garit grinned back and stepped back to his traveling desk to finish his messages.

  They set up camp and settled down happily to study the gang's fortification, and count heads inside.

  The outlaws tried to break out in the early hours of night, and after a nasty nighttime confusion of clashing swords and horses they figured they'd killed close to half the remaining outlaws. The rest retreated back into the fortifications.

  Quicksilver showed up with the corridor an hour after dawn, and dosed the wounded with something nasty and green. Garit could barely stand to look at her, his eye watering in pain.

  "Why are you glowing?" He winced away as she shot a surprised glance his way.

  "More to the point, what have you done to your eyes? And your scalp . . . " Her cool hand touched his face. "How the hell many spells do you have running around your system?"

  "Spells?" Xen! What has Xen done!

  "Xen? I doubt it, but somebody has dosed you with something seriously strange."

  "Damn! Can you do something about them quickly? I don't have time for this." He tried to suck his thoug
hts inside his head. Damn all wizards, and this was a very powerful near-goddess, with her cold hand on his face.

  With anyone else it would have been romantic. Sexual. But she is sexually naïve. Vulnerable.

  With bright sparks and flashes from her fingers. "All right. I've removed all the spells that were still active. There were a bunch more, some that I've never seen, but they've finished whatever they were doing and were falling apart. Not dangerous any more. I'll analyze the remaining fragments and deal with them when you've got the time."

  "Thanks Q." Yes. Someone that powerful was worth putting some effort into. She had no clue about how to attract men. She'd be easy. He'd have to figure her into his long range plans.

  "Garit, there was an essential transformation in there. You have some power genes hitched onto your chromosomes."

  "Power? Like Xen's?" Power! Yes!

  "Umm, I think this must be Teri's work, so it's copied from Ricardo. I don't know if you'll be able to use them or not."

  "I don't want anything of Ricardo's in me." But it's magic! I want that power!

  She nodded as if she'd heard his thoughts. "I can change them over to, oh, Xen's type if you want to see if an adult can pick up the knack for magic. I'll leave everything that is you alone."

  "Yes." He tried to subdue his thoughts again. The most powerful wizard on the World! "Please, Xen's type of power genes."

  She looked absent minded for a moment. Garit could hear voices and calls outside. He needed to go. . .

  Q gestured at him. "There you go. I'm going to talk to Lady Gisele about this. In case there was something nastier hiding in there."

  He squeezed her hand and flashed her a smile as he walked out.

  Captain Kaster had his spyglass out and was looking further up the mountain.

  Garit studied the fortifications. Men standing watch – standing very still. A few walking about. Very few.