by Pam Uphoff
The house was quiet and still and reeked of gas.
He stepped back and slid the glass patio doors wide. "House . . . " Is there a trigger for a fire or explosion? Like raising an alarm or shutting off the gas? "How many occupants right now?"
"Seven, including yourself, Master Ajha. Your mother is resting and is not to be disturbed."
"Any servants in the house?" Little Maiv! He ran for the kitchen. She was draped over the center chopping block. He heaved her over his shoulder and ran for the front door. He was staggering and his vision had tunneled down to a small spot as he staggered through the door. "Leave the front door open! Is Mother in her bedroom? Where is everyone else?"
"She gave me very strict instructions to not allow her to be disturbed."
"Very good. Sensible. Who gave the actual instructions?"
"Lord Arja. The Mistress concurred."
His vision was back to normal, the gas was lighter than air, the leak must have been low, possibly in the kitchen. Or the crawl space and rising through gaps in the floorboards . . . and would be thickest upstairs, with luck. He hyperventilated and threw himself back through the doors. He made it to the Great Room before he had to breath. Choked and staggered to open the patio doors. Two deep breaths, and he headed for his mother's room.
Locked. Damn. He was going to have to say it.
"House. Turn off the gas. Unlock all the doors. This is an emergency." The lock clicked. He heard a distant foomp of ignition. He threw himself through the door, slammed it behind him as the security system alarms started hooting.
The forms in the bed didn't stir. The patio was burning already, the floor was getting hot. The crawl spaces beneath must have been full of gas as well. The other door led to the bathroom, there was a window large enough for a person to get through easily. He threw it open, ran back to the bed and grabbed the closest body, dragged Fibber out.
Where's mother?
He dropped Fibber through the window, five feet to the ground here. Ran back and hauled Imgo out and tossed him as well. He could hear sirens, now, and opened the door to the adjoining bedroom.
His mother. He opened the side window, grabbed her and heaved her unceremoniously out. The other figure in the bed—Father!—followed in moments. There were hands waiting for him, and they grabbed Ajha and dragged him through after.
"One more inside. Maybe the front bedroom." His voice was hoarse and choked, but they seemed to understand him. He was hauled around to the street, away from the house. He saw someone being handed through the front window, and staggered around to point. "I shoved two people through the back bathroom window . . . "
Are they breathing? Are they alive? He was afraid to say it aloud.
Someone put a mask over his face, people in orange coats were running for the back of the house . . . his mind blurred for a bit, sharpened as the oxygen took effect. All those other figures were getting oxygen too, one was getting chest compressions.
He closed his eyes and floated, seeing glows everywhere. There. That was Mother. Weak but alive. The glow that fluttered was his father. Ajha felt the tears come.
He always did what was 'right' even when it meant rejecting mother and me. Poor idiot.
He reached out and sent power into that fluttering light, and saw it steady. Oh. I'm a Priest now, aren't I? Sort of. He sucked down another lungful of oxygen and looked at the other glows. On the far side, Jain was waking up. Beyond, Maiv wasn't doing well. He climbed to his feet and walked over, as steadily as he could manage.
"She was at the lowest level, closest to the gas leak." He knelt and put a hand to her forehead above the mask, tried to not look at the tabs all over her bare chest, the uneven bleat of the machines. He poured a gentle stream of power into her. Healing spells for the nervous system, the brain.
I know those, from the Merge fights, from the victims of the Helaos. He pulled out the glittering string of spells he'd learned from Quicksilver and cast them over the girl. Powered them from his own reserves and the heat energy of the air. Now the heart, the lungs. Another box, another cast. He could feel her heartbeat even out, hear the beeps echoing that. He opened his eyes to find himself surrounded. Medical and emergency people. Staring at him.
He cleared his throat and they all startled. "Does anyone else need anything special?" He flinched at the crash as the roof caved in. No one died but the House. I hope Mother had backups, I rather liked that computer.
He staggered to his feet, the investigator grabbing his arm to steady him.
"Can you tell me what happened here?"
"I think Arja was cleaning up some loose ends, including his wife. Why don't you start by trying to find him. No. Find the other loose ends, Allu, Ewmo, Orqu, Ukky, Ifbo, Ask Me. Check them first, in case he's going for a clean sweep."
The investigator spat something obscene and unlikely and bolted toward a knot of policemen.
***
"It was for Kiaj. I thought we could take Axti down a few notches and she'd get over him. It's obscene, seventy years and she's still in love with the man!"
"That was nice of you." Ajha lowered his barriers a quarter and glowed at her. "Mother does need to develop some healthy interests, not dwell on the past." He felt weak from over-exertion and hunger. He'd snatched a candy bar in the hospital, waiting his turn to be checked by the overworked doctors. It hadn't been nearly enough.
Jain licked her lips and leaned toward him. "But then he said I had to stay."
"He and his Principal used you. Who was that again?"
She sighed "Arlew of coooorssss . . . " She dribbled off and nearly fell into his lap. He closed up just a bit.
"Arlw really trusted him. When did they meet?"
"Oh, University. Sports teams, you know. I think boys form their closest bonds then. They've always stayed in touch. S'funny listening to them not-talk about their plans."
Ajha heard the investigator muttering in the background. "Heard a Princess can get a man drunk on glow, but this is . . . probably illegal."
"So, you've known Arja and Arlw for a long time?"
"Oh yeah. When Igso got snarky, I showed him! Ha! Bastard twins. When I divorced him, he paid through the nose to keep me from telling everyone the twinnies were Arlew's." She dribbled off in giggles. Then swapped to tears. "But then he used me! To spy on Kiaj and she's my buddy . . . "
"Too bad he decided to use Poppy, too."
Jain grabbed a tissue, almost falling out of her chair. "Poor girl, she needs shaking up worse than Kiaj. She can't make up her mind who she's in love with. Uzga or Endi. Maybe now she'll realize she shouldn't bother with silly things like love."
"When Arja left, did he say anything about where he was going?"
She shrugged indifferently and gazed calf-eyed at him. "He had me get him some tickets for Denver with Kiaj's ID. Bastard. Left me lying there listening to the fire alarms." Tears dripped.
"Maybe it was Efge, what do you think?"
"Who? Oh, we all laughed about him being a goat. Really, Good Old Endi got him proper. I could almost forgive what he did to Poppy . . . "
Ajha shut his glow down. Sighed as Jain shifted from euphoric to horror.
"He tried to kill me! He tried to kill all of us! Son of a Camel!"
Ajha stepped out as she started cursing in earnest.
The investigator glanced over. "Allu and Ask Me died about noon yesterday. The Highway patrol says it looks like their brakes failed. They had to fish the car out of the ocean before they could get IDs on the bodies."
Ajha closed his eyes in pain. "The two with the least anger."
"We need to find Arja in Denver and try to get something definite to show that Arlw is the Principal. Something other than an angry frightened woman."
Ajha looked up as a trio of Ecclesiastical Guards walked in the front door. The captain's eyes widened as he took in Ajha's disheveled appearance. Ajha sighed and pulled out his comm. Would Xiat know why Arja was headed for Denver?
Chapter Twenty-on
e
28 Shawwal 1407yp
Paris, Central Region
"For better or worse, I'm Playing." Izzo sank back into his usual chair. "Had lunch with several other War Party elites. They talked about all the public stances I'm supposed to repeat whenever asked, the agendas, the way I slant the things I tell the President." He threw himself out of the chair and paced to stare out her window.
"They aren't your biases, are they?"
A heartfelt sigh. "No. What's your analysis of what would happen if I were to change parties?"
"They'd blackball you, at every possible turn." Xiat squinted, feeling very odd . . . almost lightheaded . . .
It was a dark night. A faint sheen of drizzle. Oily patterns floating on the wet pavement where the street lights hit just right. Izzo stepped off the curb, the car came from the left . . .
Xiat startled as he touched her.
"Are you all right, Princess? You looked a bit odd."
She forced a smile. "Picturing the rage in the smoky back rooms." Oh shit.
"Speaking of which, they want me to meet them tonight."
Xiat glanced out at the gloomy clouds darkening the evening into night already. "It looks like it will rain later." I cannot let him go out tonight. I will not.
She was a bit surprised that when the time came, it took no thought at all.
She walked into the kitchen and pulled two wine glasses off the rack. Pulled out the bottle and worked the cork out. "See what you think of this while I throw a salad together."
He inhaled. "Nice." Then he took a mouthful. Swallowed. And froze. "Princess? I thought the poison would be physical, not magical. And on a toothpick." He moved jerkily and pinned her against the fridge. She could feel him fighting a dozen spells. And under it the pain of realization. That she had done this.
She raised her own glass.
His hand shot out to trap hers. "No! Not some stupid damned sacrifice." He shuddered as spells slid through his efforts to shield himself from something inside. "Don't, don't . . . "
"It's not poison." She turned her head and took a good long swallow of her own. It burned all the way down.
With desire.
Some hours later, the grip of the pre-cog faded. Not that she had the faintest intention of kicking Izzo out of bed. Now or ever. Or letting him out for the rest of the night.
He sighed into her neck. "Please don't ever do that to me again. I can't deal with the shock of you really killing me. Or worse, yourself. But if that wasn't poison . . . Was I just sideswiped by the Wine of the Gods?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"I think you didn't do a very good job of hiding your opinions at lunch."
He propped himself up on one elbow and eyed her in the dim light coming from the living room. They hadn't bothered with details like light switches on the trip from kitchen to bedroom.
"Princess network warn you about that?"
She shook her head, tension unwinding from around her heart. "It's funny. I've never had a pre-cog before. But I didn't doubt that I was seeing your death, not for a second."
"Does that mean I should give up toothpicks forever?"
"No. But you'd better learn to look both ways before crossing a street on a rainy night."
"Ouch! Just one more traffic statistic? I always wanted to go out dramatically, until I thought it was happening. Now a quick and easy auto-pedestrian encounter sounds good." He rolled over and pinned her down. With his nose about an inch away from hers. "Next time you have a nasty pre-cog, just tell me. I'm an expert. And I'm supposed to be capable of making my own decisions and plotting to save myself in this damned stupid collection of power plays." His voice slid from anger to exasperation. He sighed. "Or just hit me. Tie me up. Lock me in the closet. I think I'm still in shock. Horrible woman." His grip softened, his hand slid down her arms, found her breasts. "One! Against the fridge. On top of the dining room table. Under the table. On the couch. In the doorway. How many times since we actually made it to bed? That stuff should be illegal."
"It is."
It was past midnight before they were able to talk again. "So tell me all about this pedestrian car thing."
She shivered, and described it in as much detail as she could.
"That's a nice tidy pre-cog. They tend to need interpretation, also known as guess work. Huh, road kill."
She thumped his ribs. "Well, you're going to have to put it off for awhile. I fully expect you to hang around and observe the results of this experiment involving the effects of the Joy Juice on a Princess."
His smile grew slowly. "You think maybe it's just the wine, not the wine plus a Fallen wizard? I think you'd better marry me and make sure I stick around."
They both flinched at the sudden tones of her comm. She cursed it mentally, and when it failed to stop, out loud. She had to hunt it down, backtracking the trail of abandoned clothing until she found her bracer under the couch. Frowned at the unfamiliar number.
"Yes?" She made her voice chilly.
"Sorry to bother you at this time of your night, Xiat. But do you know any reason Arja would go to Denver?"
"Ajha? Where are you? Are you still doing the amateur detective thing? Arja? Why Arja?" She tilted the comm so Izzo could hear. This sounded like business . . .
"He just burned down my mother's house. We barely got everyone out in time. Both my parents, Jain, Fibber and Imgo were inside. We think Arja was heading for Denver."
"That is where I hid Poppy and Jay. One! How fast can . . . I can call the Denver Police, but if Arja has any contacts among them . . . "
"Or Arlw. Or Efge."
"Umm. Sounds like I need an update. Later. The director does have contacts, they all work for him, after all. But he can't actually do anything right now."
"Are you sure? You broke the goat spell. Fean said he was demanding a comm, last she heard from him."
She headed for the shower. "Poppy's address is 5342 Meadowside, apartment 18. I'll get there as fast as I can. You may be faster."
Izzo mouthed something obscene and fairly sprinted through the shower. Her own was nearly as brief. After a night of sweaty hot sex . . .
Izzo was on his own comm as he dressed. The car arrived at the curb as they hustled out the door. "The fastest way there is a web of corridors. I really wish the environmental people weren't so damned rigid about continent to continent accidental wildlife transport. We've got to go through two decontamination stations."
She looked at him, exasperated. "Somehow I don't think the director, even just an acting director, is supposed to be the one making the emergency runs."
"And I know for a fact, from personal experience, that the Subdirector of Analysis isn't supposed to. Shall I have the driver pull over and drop you off?"
"No." She rubbed her forehead. "Umm, you know, I'm pretty sure that wine is starting to wear off, and I'm going to have a massive hangover."
"Right. Let's blame the wine, not the inadvisability of our doing this ourselves." He leaned and kissed her. "Shall we do this right and call out the subordinates?"
"If we did, we could at least make them do the clean up paperwork."
"Now you're thinking like a real executive."
Chapter Twenty-two
28 Shawwal 1407yp
Black Point Enclave, West Coast of North America
They took the fast train to Freeport, then Ajha's corridor to San Francisco. The investigator gritted his teeth through the locals trying to explain how Arja'd been missed at the airport. " . . . and there's no one of that description on the plane, let alone someone with his ID."
Ajha had called ahead, and the Guards on duty in Freeport had hustled ahead to San Francisco and gotten them a car. And researched the way to get to Denver soonest.
"The train, One. It climbs to five thousand feet in the Sierras, then passes through a corridor to the Denver region—same air pressure, you see?"
Ajha nodded, checking out the situation on his comp. "And so it arrives in Den
ver about ten minutes before we'd get there, taking the next plane. One, I hope the situation isn't that critical." He tapped at the comp. "In any case, I've got tickets for everyone but the driver. The time is so tight, I don't think we can even park."
The captain growled a bit. "I don't think Philosophers are supposed to act like this!"
"Well, you have a rather small sample to choose from, and I think I'm the only one under a hundred and fifty years old."
"One Usse is only a hundred and thirty four."
"Is that all? One, he looked that old fifty years ago when I first met him."
Investigator Efku looked surprised. "You know the First Alternate Philosopher?"
"Oh yes. He was Post Head in Karista when I landed there as the newest and rawest member of an Info Team. I agree with his thoughts about learning more about the Fallen Magic—I split off where he says 'So we can fight them effectively, or wall them off.' There's no reason to fight them. Sorry, I keep slipping into lecture mode." As the car swung to the curb, he bailed out, leaving the rest to race after him. The train was in its last boarding phase. It started moving before they found their seats.
The guards called ahead. A sleek black car met them, the startled driver absorbed their anxiety and drove faster than the guards were comfortable with. Ajha smirked a little at their white knuckled grips and the other drivers tended to get out of their way.
He'd learned all about opening electronic locks in various places; the gate to the parking area opened at a tangled thought, and Ajha bailed out at the first walkway. His minicomp had placed apartment eighteen on the ground floor . . .
Two policemen stepped into his path, aggressive shoulders . . . He slowed and let the guards confront them while he dodged around them.
The door of eighteen was open.
Poppy was on the floor semiconscious, right arm curled protectively over the left, cuddled to her chest.
Jay stood between her and Arja.
The man rocked back at a mental slap from the boy. "How cute."
