112 – Karen gives exposition; Caspian makes an offer

  “Care to say how you killed him?” Rox found she was morbidly curious.

  “He was in the middle of another undead binding, and I deprived him of a suitable person to use in the spell, and it turned on him. Then I had to hack my sister to pieces, and see to her cremation.” Karen continued to be matter-of-fact, to keep the grief from rekindling. She felt she was mostly over her sisters death . . . mostly.

  They sat in silence for a time before Karen spoke again.

  “What’s it like in your world? To have all those marvelous things?” Karen was genuinely curious. She had heard of going off world, but had not before met anyone who had done it that she was aware of.

  Roxanne thought for a moment.

  “It’s convenient. But there are still lots of things to waste your time with. Laundry can take just a few hours instead of all day. There is a larger variety of food, both in type and quantity. Clothes are softer, and stronger. Homespun is virtually unheard of, as are some of the uses of leather. There are more durable man-made materials available. Like this top I am wearing. The fabric impressed an elfin tailor. He said that there is nothing like it in this world. But with all the things, it is still family that matters most.” Rox did not know quite what to say.

  “I would like to visit your world, but would not be able to live there.”

  “How so?”

  She stood up. “What am I wearing?”

  “A woolen skirt, a blouse with a bodice”

  Suddenly the skirt and bodice changed to a ball gown. “How about now?”

  “What magic are you using?” Roxanne could not sense any magic being used.

  Karen’s costume changed one more time. Trousers and jerkin of black cloth, with canvas shoes and a black head wrap. Then a dark cloak, and back to the skirt and bodice, this time without the blouse.

  Karen spoke, letting her concentration loosen a bit, her costume returning to normal. “It’s not magic. I am a Psi-witch, a talent. Within parameters I can make you see me how I want you to see me.”

  Karen turned and walked away into the shadows beyond the firelight, picked up the latrine shovel from the cart and disappeared into the dark.

  Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 140

  Ok . . . so . . . she’s an assassin. At least she’s not the Gate Keeper looking for the Key Master. On the other hand, she is apparently our current local information and exposition source, having usurped that roll from Caspian. Upon her telling Caspian what she was about, he went into his tent for the first time in a while, and generally stayed there. The man can be downright rude without thinking about it. In some ways he is ruder thoughtlessly than when he tries to put effort into it.

  The next morning, Karen was the only one sleeping in the open under the trees, having taken up place under the cart. She noticed by the tracks in the dirt that Caspian’s spells had kept two of the local bears out. The creatures should be hibernating, and were probably after some last snack. The horses either did not sense then, or were too scared to react. Cyrril was curled up on the shoulders of one of the dormant ponies.

  Karen stirred the ashes in the fire pit, turned up a few coals and restarted the fire. She dressed in part of her working clothes. She did not need the under-armor, so it was left off, but her trousers and shirt and non-armor part of her harness were put on.

  She had accomplished her first session with Steven and Rox last night. She had spent time in the Guild library examining the records of the path to the two villages, and had even found a few people who had traveled them. Similar to diving into dreams, she had borrowed memories from them and combined these with the narrative from the library. This last night at dinner, she had arranged for both Steven and Rox to get up in the night and relieve them selves. When they came back, Karen ambushed them and then in a variation of her ability to read a person’s thoughts, she put the information into the Caplan’s minds. Today, she would be telling Caspian verbally about the path to the elf village. She would also take time to verbally tell the Caplan’s generally the same information she had implanted. She had concluded after her research that Rox would be better suited to go after her daughter, who had been given to the elves. Steven was better suited to go see Karen’s distant kin in the psi-warriors village, and retrieve his son.

  This next night, she would be instilling them with a bit of her local fighting skill, and tomorrow, drilling them to see how well the skills stuck. This was on its surface for the villages, but actually for confronting The Queen and King. Her one question had been where to get some silver, for Rox. She had answered that herself, and brought some along. While the three were underground, she would be preparing it for use.

  Karen reviewed this as she set about preparing breakfast. Once awake, Caspian refused to eat, even when Karen served herself and the Caplan’s from the same pan. Only when she ran through the ingredients, and swore an oath that she had not done anything harmful to it, did he finally consent. Karen quickly proved herself the best campfire cook of the four.

  As they walked along later, Steven walked next to Caspian behind the wagon and called him out for his behavior.

  “You know you are being a real jerk. Karen has been as honest as we can expect. She told you plainly, that you need to tell her when she is to kill you. In the mean time she has already shown herself more helpful than Abey was, in many ways. But you are treating her worse than the three critters in that pit. Them you at least were mercifully quick and considerate of.” Steven kept his voice level as he spoke.

  “She is here to kill me, and I should just accept it? ‘Hi, nice to meet you, I will be your undertaker for the day’? And you believe her?” Caspian almost spat this out.

  Steven stayed as neutral as he could. “She seams to have the information we need. We won’t know for sure if she is being honest until we get there. We are at least doing something. I think she is generally honest. Your magic has not gone off in response to her starting to attack in any way.”

  A thought came to Steven. “Why don’t you try to magic her, see if she is being truthful. You can do that, can’t you?”

  Caspian had already thought about this. “Yes, but not without her consent.”

  “You got that one merchant’s consent over Rox’s rings. That did not seem to bother you. Ask her straight out. Be as honest as she is. And thank her for the delicious breakfast.” Steven did not give Caspian time to respond as he stepped out front to where the women walked, leading the cart.

  For a time they walked this way, and Karen talked to both Caplan’s.

  Soon Karen stood aside and waited for Caspian to catch up. She then fell into step with him. Caspian noticed she rested her palms on the butt-ends of her sai’s on her hips as she stood.

  Karen spoke first, motioning up to Steven and Rox. “They are a nice couple. I have just been telling them about the path’s they will need to take to the respective villages, from my research.”

  Caspian derailed this attempted conversation, and pointed it to what bothered him. “Steven thinks I should use some magic on you to see if you are being truthful. Not that he doesn’t believe you, but because I don’t.”

  Karen considered this, as she glanced at Caspian. Cyrril was not on his shoulder just now. Since becoming a Journeyman, she had worked alone, mostly. Adding to that, most of her interaction with magic users was to get rid of them, whether socially, or by proper use of her steel. Also this was an important job. She had become the focus point of the Viceroy’s plans to get rid of a pair of terrible monarchs. Karen was partially apathetic about the monarchs, as were most of the subjects of Krogg, but recognized that this was a task that would ultimately have to be done one way or another.

  Karen responded. “Well, I have been hit by magic a few times in my life. I don’t suppose a truth-spell would be that painful. I will warn that there are some things I would rather not answer just now, that would most likely provoke a violent response. But within those limits, go a head and try it right now, if you want.”

  Caspian had not expected this response. He had to stumble through his answer. “Um, uh, I will need to sit down, and do some preparations. Either lunch or dinner time.”

  Karen smiled, amused at his being off balance. It made him look cute, for all his road-dirty unshavenness. “Fine. I won’t be far away. Now let me tell you about the path to the elf village. Like the psi-warriors village, we are going . . .”

  “Psi-warriors?” Caspian interrupted, asking at the unfamiliar term.         

  “My term, for them, how I have always thought of them. I believe you call them ‘talents’. Anyway I am taking us to the main highway entrance. Follow it for a day, and the paths split, for the elves, stay on the main one until you get to the bottom of the cavern . . .”