Cascades (Wine of the Gods Book 24)

by Pam Uphoff

  Meditated and looked for corridors and bubbles twice a day. Listened for magic users of any sort.

  As he approached the Old South Road from the north and well inside the Veronian border, Xen had tucked his magic up tight. Hard.

  Two days down the road he started picking up a major concentration of talent and power. Their school. They don't know how to shield worth beans. And there's more talent here than I've ever seen in Ash. This is not good. They're on their third generation after Dydit's visit, and their annual orgies seem to encourage the most magical to reproduce.

  Two more hours brought him to the town of Ochase. It looked prosperous, and had outgrown its old defensive walls. The town guards sneered at his mismatched team and made him go around the inner town. "There's camping on the east side. We don't need any of your tricks inside the town."

  As he drove off he heard the other guard's sarcastic, "Yeah. We've got enough of our own tricks, these days."

  He got insulted and a few elderly vegetables thrown at him. Only one man was foolish enough to sic his dogs on Xen's. The two males were sent off yipping, the females got the usual Hell Hound treatment. After Pig caught back up to him, Xen asked how come bitches were always in season for Hell Hounds and received only a doggy grin in reply.

  The road around the town met the Old South Road again at a big campground, with plenty of other Travelers. An old man stalked out and frowned at him. "Well, if it isn't Xen Rustleson pretending to be a Traveler."

  "Faro! I haven't seen you in . . . decades? Surely it hasn't been that long."

  "Ha! Five years at least. You put your rig right there with ours and join us, or your mother's going to find out."

  Xen put his rig right there and hopped down. "Which direction are you lot headed? I just came in from the west, but I think I've found what I was looking for."

  Farli Valasik, Faro's wife snorted. "Checking out these foreign witches, eh?"

  Marisha snickered. "Hate to tell you this, but there's a heck of a lot more boys than girls in that 'Imperial Academy' of theirs."

  "I am not shopping for a wife." Xen informed them. "I am looking for someone making corridors and fencing gold stolen in the Kingdom."

  "Hmph." Another one of Faro's brother's wives joined them. Born and raised in the Temple of Love in Cadent.

  "Thunder, do you keep in touch with the Temple?"

  "Oh, I talk with my sisters when I'm in town . . . yes, the government is recruiting from the Children of Love. They make them take some tests and then some of them are brought here. They say they only take children who want to go, whose parents agree. The Virgins agree because of some problems they had with magically talented children. They say it's best if they are trained in the gifts of the Gods, so the gifts are not abused."

  "Did Smokey, Sunset, Dawn and Frost come here?"

  "Yes." Thunder hesitated.

  "Actually, they were the trouble makers." Lightening handed cups of ale around. "My brothers, Breeze, Deluge and Calm came as well. They were excited to be learning magic, although only Breeze was really good at it. They come to Cadent sometimes, and I get news from them."

  Dydit and Romeau's children. Thunder and Lightening will have the recessive wizard gene, the boys will all be mages. I wonder if Romeau has any daughters? They'd be witches. And any granddaughters, great granddaughters . . .

  Thunder nodded. "They say this is where we Veronians train our magic users, in case the Western Kingdom attacks with theirs."

  Xen wrinkled his nose. "There's so few magic users, we'd just kill each other on the first day, and then it would just be a regular war, which no one wants."

  Faro sighed. "We Travelers shouldn't have anything to do with affairs between countries."

  Xen nodded reluctantly. "You are correct. I will simply look for corridors then leave. The west doesn't want a war, and we already know enough about Verona's magic users that spying isn't worth the bother. Umm, if it looks like things are going to get messy, I will try to warn you ahead of time, and not be caught looking like a Traveler."

  One of the younger men snickered. "If we must run, we'll take your wagon and horses away and keep them safe for you."

  Xen grinned. "And return them to my Uncle Havi in Rip Crossing, unless of course Harry shows up and asks for the use of them, eh?"

  "If Harry wants them, we will of course give them to him." Faro suppressed a twinkle. "Although an outsider like you using the Name in a joke is in very poor taste."

  "Nonsense, sir. I would never joke about Harry." Xen frowned suddenly. "In fact, I wonder if he knows anything about the bandits using the corridors." Xen got up and walked out onto the Old Road.

  The Valasiks looked around at each other in consternation. "He wouldn't actually . . . "

  "Harry? Are you on the Road tonight? I'm in Ochase looking into corridors. Do they fall into your providence . . . " Xen broke off as the old man appeared.

  Harry leaned on his spear, right handed. "Corridors are roads . . . and I can't stop the builders of roads. I can come when called for assistance, but no one is attacking anyone in the corridors. So I can't help you." He disappeared again.

  "Well. Your mother did claim to actually know The Traveler." Faro stooped and touched the stone of the road where Harry had stood. "He has kept my people safe forever."

  "Yes. And he keeps others safe as well. The Old Gods are people, Faro. Incredibly powerful magical people. Not the abstract ideas some people claim. And so they live among people and love people."

  "I don't think we ought to interfere with road builders either." Seff frowned at the town walls.

  "Probably not." Xen said. "But I need to check."

  "Some of the students are coming out now. They want the charms and trinkets they have never learned to make for themselves."

  Xen eyes the group of young men and women, and turned back to his wagon. Over the years the wagon had been used by numerous families of witches, and lessons were never neglected. A quick search turned up a bubble stuffed with little practice charms.

  A bunch of them were in very fanciful forms and he recognized his sister's work. She'd always had more fun making the trinkets magically than placing a charm on them. Xen spread a colorful cloth over a small table and proceeded to reinforce or change the charms. He put his best truth spell on a fanciful bracelet. "Oh, Pretty Lady, don't look at their wares, their trash cannot compare with this!"

  The girl that was addressed to was perhaps sixteen. She looked longingly at it, gave in and slipped it on.

  "All your friends will be green with envy. No? You look sad, have you no friends?"

  "They failed their tests and ran away to find the man they fell in love with, when they were supposed to kill him."

  Her mixed feelings showed clearly to his inner eye. None of the students had much in the way of shields. If Phillip's ninja trio had come from here, they'd either learned some lessons these youngsters hadn't, or Phillip hadn't been paying attention.

  "All of them?"

  "Well, three of them. Besa wasn't magical enough and now she's helping with the babies in the nursery."

  Three, eh? "Ah, a woman changes when she turns her mind to children. Has she any favorites? Or perhaps you only hear about the naughty children?"

  "Oh, all she talks about now are the children. It's boring." she jerked the bracelet off.

  Xen offered a pin with a whirlpool and a red stone in it. "Look at this red, I've seen a child with hair that red, it even had gold streaks in it."

  "Huh. From a bottle, no doubt."

  She wandered on, and the other students were even less helpful.

  Then a pair of middle-aged mages walked through the town gate and stood frowning at the students.

  One of the boys frowned back. "We're not out of town, nor are we doing anything we oughtn't. In fact, these Travelers make better charms than you teachers can."

  The teacher narrowed their eyes and stalked over. "You are outside the town walls, Zephyr."

  "S
o is half the town." The brown haired boy held up Xen's truth bracelet. "Feel this! It's strong."

  The balding teacher took it, his eyes widening as his fingers touched it.

  The blond teacher snorted. "They are just Travelers, they don't have any power."

  Everyone says I look young again. "I can make good charms. My granny taught me." Xen wiped a sleeve across his eye. "That one is one she made just before she, she . . ." He pulled out his hanky and blew his nose. Lying could be hard, and the very thought of claiming Never was dead bothered him.

  The blond teacher took the bracelet and whistled. "Nice work. How'd we miss her?"

  Baldy sniffed. "We don't test Travelers. She must have married in."

  Xen widened his eyes. "How did you know that?"

  "We have the Power, son. We train witches and wizards in our school." He was still holding the bracelet, so probably the truth.

  They were both mages. Clearly sourcing from the thermal energy around them. Didn't they want to explain out here by the Travelers? Surely they know the difference?

  "You have a school for Magic?"

  Faro hustled over and glared suspiciously. "You got business with my nephew?"

  "Where are your parents, boy?"

  Faro shook his head mournfully. "I'm afraid our Tine is all alone in the cold cruel World."

  Xen gave him a black look. "I have my grandparents' wagon and three good horses, I don't need anything else."

  "Except, perhaps, a good education." Baldy said.

  "Of course you'd have to pass our tests, to show that you have some magical potential." Blondie put in.

  Xen ran his hands though the trinkets on the table, and picked up a ring with a faint jumble of spells. "Here. Feel this?"

  Blondie snorted. "You'd have to do better than that."

  Xen took it back, stepped away from the table and sat down on a clear patch of dirt. He made an obvious show of clearing his mind and concentrated on the charm. What did he need? They had to believe him, to want him, to not be suspicious . . . he put all three on, and over it, unnoticeable, and then a crude 'love spell'. He smiled in satisfaction, and huffed out a breath, as if he had worked hard. Held out the ring.

  Baldy took it and laughed. "Love spells? How . . . predictable. But you do have potential, no doubt about that. Why don't you come and see the school?"

  Xen frowned suddenly and scowled at Faro. "Uncle. I will expect all of my things to be untouched."

  Faro looked wounded. "I wouldn't steal from my own nephew. Any way, we're waiting for Jeri. Should be along in three days, so we'll watch after your things till then. Come and talk to me, else we'll just leave it all here for the townsfolk to steal."

  "I'll be back, sooner than that!" Xen stood up and brushed the seat of his pants off, giving Pig some signals.

  The students had gathered around, wide-eyed while all this was going on.

  The girl that had liked the bracelet sidled up. "How old are you?"

  Drat, how young could he get away with? How old were the oldest students? "Seventeen. Almost eighteen."

  Baldy frowned. "A bit old, but we make allowances for those with a poor basic education."

  Xen pasted an indignant look on his face. "I can read and write in five languages. I do maths."

  "Good, not too much remedial work will be needed. Come along, Tine? Like on a fork?" Blondie led the way toward the town wall.

  "Right. Like a pitch fork."

  That got a few snickers from the trailing students. Pig was trotting ahead, looking like he had every right to trot right through the gate. Barracuda dawdled sniffing the ground. The guards were too busy eyeing Xen in his Traveler's clothes, but they didn't say a thing as he followed the teachers through the gate and down a narrow street packed with wagons and pedestrians. They wound through streets and finally into a mansion. A block of large houses, actually. They'd removed the walls between the grounds, and the nearest carriage house looked to have been converted to living quarters.

  The first mansion was all offices. Xen followed the teachers inside, as the students veered off. Pig and Barracuda slipped out of sight behind the carriage house.

  Like any other organization run by government or military, the school ran on paper. Xen toted up military uniforms and ranks as he filled out paperwork and took a ludicrously easy test.

  "What do you see in my hand?"

  A damn faint glow, you untrained idiot!

  But he brushed the man's hand as he handed over a form.

  And recognized that power gene. Oner! So . . . why so poorly trained . . . oh. Right. The Oners have been spreading their genes around for . . . well, they were well established by 1360 when we noticed them. So half a century. I'll bet Auralia is full of untrained Oners, no surprise they're showing up here.

  But a nice woman gave him a room assignment, and snagged another student to take him there.

  Hastin Jenowitz was horrified and fascinated to be escorting a Traveler. "So, do your people really lay curses? Stick pins in dolls to kill people at a distance?" He was a tubby boy, perhaps fourteen years of age. Obviously Veronian, dark tan skin, warm brown eyes, golden brown hair.

  Xen nodded gravely. "And we kidnap children, just like your school does." It looked like most of the carriage houses were student housing, judging by the distribution of children. Boys and girls in separate buildings.

  "We don't kidnap. If the parents don't want the kid to come here, that's it." Hastin turned in at a carriage house that had once served a mansion that faced the road opposite the 'office'.

  Xen nodded. "All over except for the tax audits. Or do they just light fires and wreck fences?" Xen surveyed the local denizens. Older teens, some younger twenties. Perfect.

  Hastin looked even more horrified. "That was just a coincidence."

  Xen smiled. "And we have the second sight."

  "Second floor. Room five." The kid practically ran away.

  "Oh look. Someone brought us a pet." Two of the twentyish types sauntered over as Xen looked around.

  "Hi. I'm Tine Russik." Xen gave them a sunny smile.

  "A New Boy and a Traveler." The second boy looked disgusted. "Our circle is going to be hard put to stay in first place."

  Xen grinned. "Oh, competition between dormitories? I can fight, play cards and drink with the best. What're the rules?"

  "Good grades, you savage." But a couple of the kids in the back had looked interested.

  "You let them dictate the rules? Hey, none of them paperwranglers had an ounce of power. Although a couple of the military fellows did."

  One of the younger boys pushed through to the front. "Travelers are supposed to have some powers." He eyed Xen. "Maybe he can give us some pointers about increasing our power."

  Xen looked around at them. "Well, you're all past puberty. Have you all lost your virginity? That a big boost, and so is having a kid. Do they let you out for the Annual Orgy?"

  The oldest boy wrinkled his nose. "We have our own orgies, there's plenty of women around. But keeping track and reporting who you had the next day is a bit . . . "

  Xen chuckled. "Keeping a stud book, are they? Nasty. Being the farm bull always seems like a good job until you notice them eating your children. Yeah, you lot are just slaves for their pleasure." He turned and trotted upstairs. Room five was small and plain. He trotted back down. "And I see that you get the elite quarters. They sacrifice and sleep in the mansions. Yeah, you got Power, you just need to figure out how to make it work for you."

  "We're students. When we graduate we'll move to the mansions."

  "Oh ho. You grow up and they still keep you close and they give the orders, don't they?"

  "Hey! I'm going to be an Army officer." The oldest was getting a bit hot.

  "So, you get sword fighting lessons? Ride daily? Study military history and tactics?"

  "We're wizards. We don't have to do that crap."

  "If you don't do that crap, you can't lead an army, and that's what matters, right? B
eing in charge instead of being the peon everyone else orders around? 'Hey you, Magic Boy! Fry those soldiers over there! Good Boy! Get back in your kennel!' You poor fools." Xen walked back outside shaking his head.

  "The assassin trainees get hand-to-hand combat training." One of the boys sounded wistful.

  "Who are you calling a peon, Traveler?"

  "Umm, all of you?" Xen ducked the first roundhouse, blocked an almost competent punch, and then they all piled on. He managed to not hurt them too badly, and once they were all laying around moaning, taught them some basic healing spells.

  Then he taught the spells to their audience, the girls from the nearest dorms plus Hastin and a couple of his pals. The girls were indeed being trained in hand-to-hand. They also admitted to knife fighting, and silent moving and hiding. Throat cutting.

  "There, umm, aren't very many of you older girls." Xen fished.

  "No. A lot of girls flunk when their power isn't great enough. Only about four out of ten of us pass, and then," the girl flicked a look around the group and dropped her voice. "Some girls ran off with men."

  Another girl nodded. "Some older girls and then three sixteen year olds. They went out on a proving mission two years ago. They failed miserably. Instead of killing a Western Officer, they saved him from a bandit. The Chief was furious, and put them in the Pit. But they escaped, and haven't been seen since."

  Phillip's ninja schoolgirls. Old Gods! "What makes you think they escaped?"

  She blinked innocently. "That's what Rain said, when she came back and packed up all her stuff. Not that she had much. She said they were going to go find their officer, because he was so cute and so much fun."

  "Well, you girls are even older, right? So you've killed . . . No?"

  "We don't have any power. If we don't get any by next year, we'll be flunked out. They will give us jobs, but they'll expect us to have babies, and they get to choose the fathers."

  "Eww! That's worse than being the farm bull." He taught them all the haploid spell. And then, for the girls, a spell to induce indifference and impotence in a man. "Unfortunately most of those spells work best when you're in physical contact with the man. So you get pretty deep in trouble before the spells will do you any good."