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 . . .”

113 – Karen tells the truth, somewhat

  They set up camp for the evening. Caspian sat on a log putting his thoughts and reagents together. Karen had waited in good humor through out the day, and now helped Rox put up the Caplan’s tent. Steven was preparing their dinner a bit aside. Cyrril was on the ground, helping Caspian set up a magic circle. This had a triangle circumscribed by a circle circumscribed by an octagon. Finally he was ready. Cyrril hopped up onto the log next to Caspian and sat next to where Caspian’s staff lay. Caspian turned to where the ladies waited. Karen stepped over, careful not to step on the drawn lines, and sat in the triangle.

  Caspian used the language from the north to cast his magic. Rox paid attention as first Caspian turned on his safeties, cleared and neutralized the mana in the area, and then he set up a ward against outside interference, a ward against inside interference, and then a requirement that only what Karen believed true could be spoken. He bound the output of this to a pair of stones he held. Caspian finished, and then turned his attention from his casting to Karen.

  “This setup does not constrain you in any way. It will only respond if what you say is not true. Tell me as much of your name, as you are willing to tell us.” Caspian started simple.

  “Lady Dannakarena Konsalva Olegsdottor.” Karen composed her face to neutral.

  “Tell me something that is untrue.” Caspian held up is pair of pebbles.

  “I am a horse.”

  The pebbles vibrated against each other then stopped.

  Caspian and Karen both nodded.

  “Give me an example of a subject that should I ask about it, you would react violently.”

  “My sister.” Karen snapped this out, without having to consider it.

  “Care to say why?” Caspian was slightly curious.

  “No. I don’t.” Karen’s face had hardened slightly.

  The pebbles did not vibrate.

  “To business. Will you tell us now who has commissioned you?” Caspian began.

  Karen did not have to consider this. “No I will not.”

  “Why?”

  “Guild policy.” Karen answered. The pebbles were still.

  “Will you please tell us why you are helping us?” Rox overran Caspian and cut to the chase.

  Karen looked up to Rox, then back to Caspian, glancing briefly at Cyrril. “Because I chose to. There are issues involved that you are not aware of; some you cannot be aware of, some I choose not to tell you about. Suffice to say I have my reasons and they are my own.”

  They waited for her to continue. Karen being a bit taciturn, held her silence. Cyrril shuffled his wings.

  Caspian got to his first issue. “Are any of us in danger in your presence, and whom?”

  Karen countered. “Define ‘Danger.’”

  The pebbles did not move.

  “Do you intend to kill any of us?” Caspian clarified.

  “If need be. I haven’t fully decided.” Karen answered. She was a bit surprised at herself as she said this.

  The pebbles vibrated a little, but not so strong as earlier.

  Caspian said what was really troubling him. “You have already admitted that I am a target. Do you intend to kill me?”

  “If I need to. There is more going on than you are aware of.” Karen had pulled herself back to neutral, squelching her own surprise at her previous answer.

  Steven, watching meal on the fire behind Caspian, grabbed the pieces of information floating around and put them together. “Will you tell us your time table? What order events are supposed to happen in?”

  Karen looked over at him, and paused, then back at Caspian, thinking. That she did not get up actually was comforting to all but her.

  Karen took a breath. “First, I need to get you to the caves, and send you in after your kids. Then after you return with them, things happen.”

  Steven kept up the asking, wondering if the others had picked up on this, or remembered what the Nidaer Elves had impressed on him about this. “Involving the monarchs of this land, and Diana and Alex interacting with them?”

  Karen felt trapped. Her guild training told her not to even be doing this, talking about her assignment. Her professionalism was impressed that the Caplan’s were capable people. She felt she should be slightly resentful of Caspian for doing this truth or consequences test, but was instead a bit put off of herself due to what she realized was some attraction to him. Cyrril was looking at her as intently as Caspian was.

  “I cannot say,” Karen finally answered.

  The pebbles vibrated loudly. Cyrril perked at this.

  “That is I will not at this time if at all,” Karen corrected.

  The pebbles quieted down.

  “I need you to trust me, and not worry about why until later. I cannot say exactly when. Part of the plan is Caspian’s death, but the details have been left to my discretion. Things need to happen, and we all have our parts to play. I will not say more on that.” Karen focused into her professionalism to keep from saying more.

  Rox asked the next question. “Will you be going with us into the caves to the villages?”

  Karen answered this a bit too quick. “No. I will not. I don’t like caves.”

  The pebbles were still. Cyrril stepped up onto Caspian’s lap, putting his nose on the level of Karen’s.

  Caspian let her down on this. “Care to say why?”

  Karen non-verbally responded negatively. Rox picked it up, remembering from the night in city, just after their swim.

  “You didn’t like the sewers after the river. Fine. Is there more information that you have, that you need to tell us right now?”

  Karen looked at Rox, and dissected the question. Then answered with a bit of relief. “No, not right now.”

  Rox looked at Caspian. Cyrril was reaching out from Caspian’s lap looking closely at Karen’s face. “Are you satisfied? It appears to be as Steven said at the Bloody Daggers. There is more going on that we are lesser players in. We play our roll, and learn what we can along the way. And wait for things to happen. Kind of like how you were with Steven versus the elves before getting me. Judging by Karen’s reactions and behavior here, I think she is breaking some of her own rules by telling us anything. But I gather being a trail guide is not a usual task for an assassin.”

  Cyrril turned and jumped to Caspian’s shoulder. Caspian dropped the pebbles, picked up his staff, and planted the point in front of Karen, than dragged it across the three symbols diffusing and dismissing the spells. “I’m satisfied for now. I know of the ‘sense of death’ that you mention some magic users having. It is not as common as you appear to think. But I do not sense my death in the close future.”

  Cyrril clung to Caspian’s shoulder as he stood up, and offered his hand. Karen took his hand and stood up. This was the first time they had actually touched. She felt the warmth of his hand, and sensed his apprehension with her psi-senses. But Cyrril was not visibly upset.

  Karen dusted her rump off. “Well, tomorrow we cross the Ring Road. We head south along it to the east highway to the caves entrance. With any luck we should not encounter any traffic. But there is always traffic, so don’t be upset if we see any.”

  As she turned, Caspian’s eyes flicked past her rump, and then he went on to his other business of the evening. But either his or Cyrril’s eyes never quite left her the rest of the night; whether it was watching a potential target, or male-female appreciation, Karen could not decide.

  That evening, Karen stayed up, practicing some of her fighting drills. Rox watched. Karen cast about and sensed that Steven was rapidly falling asleep, and Caspian was likewise dozing. Cyrril was asleep curled up on Caspian’s shoulder. As Rox turned to go to bed, Karen though she had a brief opportunity to implant the information in Rox. But she passed, not wanting to stir up trouble.

  As the night before, she waited until Rox and Steven got up in the night and then took the opportunity to implant the knowledge then.

  Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 141

  Communication can do wonders for a relationship.

  Cyrril woke Karen up the next morning. He had a fresh killed critter for her. Karen quickly had it slaughtered and rendered for food for the dragon, the critter being too small for herself or the other three humans. Rox and Steven were quietly enjoying each others morning company; Caspian was still asleep in his tent, so Karen moved a ways off and ran through her exercises again. She noticed Cyrril watching her intently.

  Karen stopped, and looked right at him. All she could tell for sure was the dragon was interested in her. “Well?”

  As nothing further happened, she went back to her drills.

  Rox got up and went to the near by stream where she gave herself a sponge bath. Steven came over toward where Karen was, and ran through his own morning exercises. This was the first time Karen had seen this, as Steven seemed to prefer to spend his time while walking doing his exercises.

  Steven and Rox traded places, evidently having one set of washing things. Rox was a bit different in her exercises. There were the typical grace versus power differences of male to female, but Rox turned her grace toward speed where Steven preferred economy and accuracy.

  Caspian finally roused as breakfast was cooked, by Rox this time.

  As they traveled, Karen made a point of walking with each of the three, and discussing their fighting ability and mindset. She observed that Steven had a military mindset to battle, Rox was pragmatic, and Caspian was a brawler. They lunched as they walked along. After finishing, while walking behind the wagon and Karen’s horse, Karen asked how Rox would handle magic in a fight.

  Rox first outlined what she had done in her fight in Skarg.

  This was not what Karen wanted to know. So she asked “What about fighting a deamon?”

  “I would get a priest,” Rox replied.

  “None’s available,” Karen countered.

  “Use the Nun’s, then,” Rox joked then moved back to seriousness. “I suppose you are suggesting I use magic against the hypothetical deamon. I remember something about ‘bell, book, and candle’ but beyond that am so new to practical magic, that I don’t have a realistic guess.”

  Karen was a bit pleased to hear Rox admit her ignorance. The Society in Skarg had generally developed an inability to admit inability and ignorance. “’Bell, book, and candle’ is also passed around a bit in our literature, but I have never seen it in action. The method recommended in The Guild is ‘silver and fire.’ But that can be a bit hard to arrange. I suppose the source is the scriptures that God will refine the worlds as a silversmith does sliver, by heating until it reflects his image. As such for some reason, evil spirits do not like burning silver.”

  “How do you light silver on fire?” Rox asked. “I understand you can do it with enough magnesium. As you say silver can be smelted, but ignited?”

  “Magic. Or concentrated psi-energy, but that takes some doing. If you are going to look to nature, lightening will do.” Karen answered.

  “Why do I need to know this? Is this some of your ‘further information’?” Rox wondered how much was really going on, and what Karen was apparently priming her to fight.

  Karen though for a moment. “Yes it is. There are things you will need to do, that I need to prepare you for. I don’t know how much more I can tell you, without causing everyone more trouble than is already in store.”

  Rox took up the conversation, partly to let Karen think, partly to clear her own thoughts. “Before I came to this world, I won a few fights in my life that were ‘for keeps.’ Since arriving, I have knowingly killed on two occasioning. The first was in a battle, that I foolishly ran head long into. The second was at the ball, and that mage who I gather was trying to take me back to his place. Now, I get the feeling that you are trying to prime me to be able to win in some fight that I do not as I stand right now have the ability to win. I do not cherish the idea of taking life. Perhaps I come from a world that has grown too soft, or that is so religious or advanced that some of us respect even the life of our enemy.”

114 – Karen provokes reactions, and gets provoked

  Karen spoke as Rox paused to gather her thoughts. “Perhaps there is a different perception or belief on what happens after death. I have met people who believed that the soul did not continue. I know of myself, by my talents, that the soul does live on, but it does not linger here. I leave it to religion to squabble over those questions. What I need to prepare you to do is . . .” Karen paused as she looked for the right words.

  Rox let Karen find the words.

  “. . . is be ready to do whatever the situation will require.” Karen finished.

  Rox could see that Karen wanted to say more, but was not able to for some reason. “For that I need to know how to light silver on fire. All right.”

  Karen paused and Rox took initiative. “You’ve never asked about how we know your language. Why not?”

  Karen pushed this question aside as almost irrelevant. “I never needed to. You have a skilled, non-local wizard with you. Our understanding about their training is that the wanderers pick up a way to learn and share languages.”

  “What about your talents? I have met another talent who was able to understand what I meant just by listening to my thoughts.”

  Karen was a little surprised by this. Few outside the general talent community understand what that really meant, as opposed to ‘reading minds’. She did not immediately answer while looking at Rox in her surprise.

  “I don’t use them that way. It’s not polite most of the time, and the noise of all the minds in a city going can be deafening, so I keep that ability suppressed.”

  Rox nodded, remembering glimmerings of ideas from Macsam son of Voloam, whom she had met in Shalaia; also fragments from her magic training. “Kind of like standing in a noisy room and listening to only one person.”

  Karen was surprised to find that Rox generally understood the concepts. Most non-psionics were not aware of theses ideas, let alone understand them.

  They talked for a while about this and a few other things, and then Karen stepped out and caught up with Steven, walking point. Caspian was leading the cart a few paces behind. Steven was working though his hand drills; blocking and throwing punches as he walked.

  Karen watched for the pattern to finish only to realize he was doing sets, not a pattern. He finished and she spoke.

  “Do you really know how to use that sword?” Karen indicated the sword at his left hip.

  “That depends on what you mean by use. ‘Hold the blunt end; poke the other guy with the pointy end.’ Yeah, I know that. Do I know the entire manual of arms of combat with this general and particular design of weapon? No.” Steven’s hand went down to his sword hilt as he spoke.

  “Have you killed anybody with one?” Karen was curious to know his experience level.

  “Caspian says I did, but I don’t remember it explicitly. After picking up Rox we then headed for the coast, then reversed and headed for the city where her elf relatives live. Along that way we were jumped by a gang. I remember slicing a few people up, but do not remember explicitly killing any of them.” Steven said this with what Karen understood to be a professional’s detachment.

  “So you have not had a prolonged sword duel. Fine, tonight I want to test you, with live steel. As I was just mentioning to your wife, you need to be ready for any situation.” Karen said.

  Steven drew his sword with his right hand. As Karen watched, she though he needed a buckler. The sword was a long sword. In Caspian’s or Karen’s hands it would be a hand and a half. In Steven’s it was more like a hand and a quarter. She watched as he held it out in front of him one handed. He turned his wrist and retracted his arm, swinging the sword back over in an overhand chop. He swung out and back, right and left, underhand, and then from the diagonals, finishing with a straight forward thrust. He twisted his torso in almost the same manor as he did with his empty hands, adding power.

  Then he took the blade at its midpoint with his left and used it almost like a quarter staff. Slashing and stabbing with the pointed end, and similarly striking with the pommel and crossbar. Karen had seen this in the past, but most of the swords in Skarg were of a slimmer blade profile and different crossbar and guard design and so not as easily wielded this way. Further, while this sword had a good edge on it, Steven’s hand and glove were not cut by his grip on it; most local swords were either slim stabbing swords, similar to the stiletto on her left wrist, or single edged curved slicing scimitars. This straight double edged blade was not unheard of, just not deployed among the local populace, despite it being the simplest shape to make a sword.

  As she walked, Karen cast about for an appropriate stick. She soon found one, and using the broad cutting and slicing blade knife from her right wrist, she began carving it down to approximate sword shape.

  Steven watched Karen. “I though you said live steel?”

  “You use live steel. I will use this. I don’t have a large enough sword anyway.” Karen continued shaving the shape to flatten it some. She continued to work on it as she fell into step with Caspian.

  Caspian quietly spoke to her. “What did you do to them last night?”

  Karen worked a knot smooth. “What do you mean?”

  “Cyrril saw you knock each of them over and then kneel over them for a while. Then they got up and went back into their tent. First Steven, then Rox. What are you up to?” Caspian kept his voice low, so only she could hear it.

  “My job. There are some things they need to know that words alone can’t communicate in the time available.” Karen ran her hand along the flat she had carved into the stick. Then she turned it over and started shaving down this side to match.

  “And how much time is that?”

  “We get to the Ring Road tomorrow, and then the cave mouth two days after that. If you want to stop moving, I could sit down and hold a weeks worth of class, each. Or I can use my skills to put the information into their subconscious minds, and talk to them about when this information would be useful.” Wood shavings dropped form the stick.

  Rox walked past, and up to Steven. Caspian slowed his pace slightly, letting the Caplan’s get another pace ahead.

  Caspian spoke again. “Is there anything I need to be taught that way, or am I marked for death before any such information would be useful?”

  Karen did not answer. Shavings continued to fall as one side of the round stick flattened.

  They walked in silence for a while. Finally she began quizzing Caspian on his herb lore. Then when Rox drifted back to earshot, Karen asked Caspian how to attract a lightening bolt.

  “Well, generally, to get a large bolt to come down, you need a small one to go up. Some of the spells I am competent with are throwing single and chain-lightening bolts around. The weather conditions here are not conducive, but that can be overcome through resonance. I may as well demonstrate.”

  Caspian raised his voice. “Steven. Come take the animals, I am going to demonstrate calling down a lightening bolt, from a mostly blue sky.”

  Steven led the cart further along the path as Caspian led the women off the trail and up a hill to a stand of trees.

  “This can be done anywhere, but having trees nearby for the lightening to hit is the safest way.” Caspian explained.

  “Right. Lightening likes to hit the tallest thing nearby.” Rox added.

  Caspian made a snap decision. “I’m not going to cast this. You are. First in an area right in front of you, or wherever, you need to make a miniature thunder storm. Then through a resonance, get the air above your target to also form a storm cell. Then cast a low power lightening bolt up, near the tree, into the resonant storm cell.”

  Karen understood enough magic theory, it being similar to psionic theory, and enough practical theory to know what happened next. “Then duck and cover your ears.”

  Rox was unsure, but decided to start by defining a space in between her hands in front of her. Using her magic ability, she drew on the mana in the area and first raised her shields, and safed herself against surges and stray magics. Then she lowered the air pressure between her hands. She then increased the heat and humidity in a column of air under the low pressure. A small cloud began to form between her hands. Rox then reached out with this form and spread it out through the mana over the hill. A wind picked up around them, and quickly a cloud formed some distance above the top of the trees.

  Caspian and Karen both stepped back, putting their hands over their ears. Rox cast a silence spell over her ears, and let the miniature storm before her dissipate, feeling the larger version running on its own inertia, and already beginning to break up from the flow of the local weather she was disrupting. She felt the energy build and static slightly pick up. She decided she was ready. Rox knelt and as if doing a double palm strike in her martial arts, she punched across the top of the nearby trees into the slowly dissipating heart of the storm pocket she had created, and let loose a small magic powered lightening bolt. The concussion was negligible, but the backwash of heat was impressive, as she was unprepared for it.

  The return downward bolt was almost instantaneous.

  The tallest tree caught the bolt and glowed as the energy crawled down it. The concussion from this was as much larger as the bolt coming down was from the bolt going up.

  Rox had to blink several times to clear her eyes of the flash blindness.

  Elation flowed over Rox, followed by some panic as she saw the tree combust from the lightening. She reached out into the mana, and the storm, and increased the low pressure and humidity, and quickly had a down poor localized on the hill putting the fire out.

  Caspian and Karen stood aside, soaked by the downpour, and awed by what this novice mage had just done.

  Caspian found his tongue first. “Wow.”

  Karen only soberly nodded, thinking to herself. ‘If she can do this, untrained and raw, I see why they are scared.’

  They walked off the damp hill after Rox made sure the fire was out, and soon caught up with Steven. Rox almost floated the whole way, bobbing in elation.

  Steven commented as they approached. “I heard the lightening, and felt a few gusts of wind.”

  Rox smiled. “I called forth a bolt of lightening, and then put out a forest fire. All by magic, by myself.”

  Steven turned to Caspian and Karen, both damp from the rain, who both nodded. Karen had slowly begun to smile at some point. She continued carving her stick.

  When Karen tested Steven’s skill that evening she was equally elated. He chopped her stick to pieces and was almost a match for her general fencing skills. When she drew her sai’s, she had his sword out of his hands in a few moves, but she figured this an unfair test, as it was her best against his novice level. Then she tried to have Caspian strengthen another stick to use for a second sparing drill.

  Caspian and Rox felt the spell take on the stick. Karen felt energy about it. Then as Steven wielded his sword they all felt the energy dissipate and the stick revert to being a normal stick.

  “What just happened?” Karen asked as she put the stick down. She turned over to Caspian. “I felt the energy on the stick, so the spell must have taken.”

  Steven put the sword down, from ready to carrying it.

  The other three felt the energy of the spell reengage.

  Caspian remembered what the elves had said about the sword, at the same time Steven said it.

  “The elves said this sword had negative-magical properties. That is probably a poor translation.” Steven continued to wait, sword just held down.

  Caspian nodded, having neglected to remember. “So when wielded, it negates the magic in a direction, or in all directions. It probably has some aspect of the magic on it that is keyed to intent.”

  Karen nodded. “As you put the sword down I could feel the energy on the stick re-energize.” She turned to engage Steven.

  He put the sword up to a ready position.

  Karen nodded as the energy faded. “Yep. That sword is apparently an equalizer for you, well chosen by those elves. You don’t have the experience to fight on the level of, say, me, without some way to force me down to a level of skill and ability equal to yours. So let’s try that fencing again, and see how quick you can smash this stick.”

  This time Karen started on the fundamental patterns of the style she knew. Steven recognized this as similar but not the same as what the Wolf’s Weapon Master had drilled him on. Karen went in close using the stick as a staff, and getting Steven to use the blunt end in defending himself from her. By the time Rox called a stop and that her stew and bread was served, Karen had broken a sweat, and Steven was soaked. The stick was kindling.

115 – Changes have been made

  As they sat around the fire and ate, Karen realized that there was one subject that had not yet been addressed. When she had thought about it earlier in the day she had looked over the inventory in the cart. Now at a lull in the conversation she addressed this. “Once you get your kids back, where are they going to sleep? Your tents are only big enough for yourself. Unless you are going to squeeze your kids into your tent, they or you will have to sleep outside. Do you have enough blankets for that?”

  Caspian kept eating his stew, staying out of the conversation. The tent he used was large enough for him to occupy with a little extra space. The kids using it and him sleeping outside as Karen did would not be a big issue. But what kids the age of Alex or Diana would want to sleep with an opposite sex sibling?

  Rox and Steven looked at each other. The unspoken conversation was that neither one had really thought about this question.

  Steven turned to Karen. “Is there a village or town along our way, where we could get something?”

  Rox added to the ideas. “Or are we going to have to pick some up when we get the kids?”

  Karen though for a moment. “There are towns and villages along the road, but I did not plan to go by one. This path is favored by the cave-dwellers for overall lack of locals along it. But most crossroads have someone with goods near by. I think there is a farm-village between where we join The Ring Road and where we turn back off of it. We can check there.”

  Steven nodded and looked at Rox. “Sounds ok. Worst comes to worst, we can wrap in our coats and cloaks, and the kids in our blankets. Maybe set the cargo tarp up as a tent against the cart.”

  “How about picking up something when we get the kids?”

  “I don’t know,” Steven answered. “If the locals are wiling to just give Diana and Alex back they may send some supplies, but I am not planning on it. I just hope we don’t end up in a long running fight.”

  Rox considered this, but had not answer.

  Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 142

  Sometimes you need someone from outside to point out the obvious flaws in your plan. We should have got blankets and a second or larger tent while in Skarg. Now we have to see if there is some other place or way to deal with this issue.

  They came to the Ring Road highway just before midmorning. Karen instructed a right turn, to head south. The road was wide enough to drive three large wagons abreast with room to spare, as the highways in the north were. Once they though about it up north, the Caplan’s were not surprised about most of the traffic staying to the relative right side of the road, probably for the same historic reason that most traffic on earth traveled on the right. As they walked they had again paired off, and rotated marching positions randomly. Soon Steven walked next to Rox behind the cart and horse. Karen led the cart for the moment, with Caspian beside to her right, his staff marking time. They went on past two left turns. Karen mentioned that these roads led into the mountains in to their direct east. One to a mining and lumbering area. The other went into a city over the first summit that was known for making musical instruments.

  A train of a half dozen carts passed going in the other direction. Karen did not sense anything to impress her about it. Caspian and Rox did not sense any active magic. The train moved on. Karen picked up a few stray thoughts about the two couples traveling together, the humans and the elves. Karen almost turned to correct that, then though better of it, and walked on.

  At the turn off they wanted, Karen paused, bringing the cart to a stop. It was a less used road that the last two. She turned to Rox and Steven.

  “This is the road to where we want to go. I was not certain where or if there is a village in this area. I think there is one a bit further south. I suppose we should have asked the train that passed us. That that is behind us now. So, do we divert and go south, or go ahead and up the road?”

  Rox and Steven had discussed this some as they walked this morning.

  Steven spoke for them. “Let’s go south, at least until lunch, or a hill where we can survey the area if such exists. If we don’t find anything by then, then we turn back and go up the road.”

  So they went.

  Cresting the second subtle rise as they went they quickly found a large cleared area where the forest had been removed for a small community of orderly several farms on one side of the road and pasture land on the other. At the center was a small crossroad and market with a church, a tavern and inn, and two storehouses all built in dug-out pattern for the lower lever, with the framed timber construction similar to Skarg above. They stopped at the tavern where Caspian held the lead for the cart as Karen and the Caplan’s went in. Once inside Karen’s senses pricked. She reflexively passively scanned over the locals as she led to the bar and the proprietor, a few of the patrons sitting a bit apart did not seam quite right. Karen took the lead and inquired about purchasing some blankets. As she did, she cast her senses about listening to what each person though about what was happening.

  The proprietor looked at the local woman and the two tall strangers, and then led them across the street into one of the storehouses.

  Karen paused with Caspian as she went out. “There are a handful of shady characters in there. The locals don’t like them. Be on alert.”

  The storehouse was a cooling house filled with harvested vegetables stored for the winter. That was in the back. In the front were a few shelves of domestic goods. Rox and Steven quickly picked out four thick blankets of good size. There were no tents, nor was there any heavy fabric for making a tent available. Karen and Rox unfolded the blankets and checked them for vermin, then refolded each one; the blankets would do. Steven paid as the last one was being folded. Karen then quickly purchased a few pounds of assorted vegetables which she paid for, and they went back outside.

  Caspian had led the cart around to near the door and they quickly added their purchases into the existing stores and secured the tarp over all, as the weather looked threatening.

  They went back quickly and were back at the turnoff within in time to think about stopping for lunch. They all decided to walk a little and look for a good clearing to pause in, or a good tree to stand under as the weather was beginning to change. Rox could sense almost sense the energy of the area shifting as the storm front approached from the southwest.

  Karen led them east up the road. Her senses shortly told her that eight bandits were now stalking them. Karen wondered briefly why she had not picked them up sooner, and then chided herself for staying in the city among so many minds too long. It led her to automatically dampen her range of senses, simply to keep from hearing so many minds.

  Karen reached out to the three with her. Psionic to psionic this was easy, it was not really telepathy as thinking loud. Now she thought loud to three non-talented minds.

  -There are eight bandits moving to surround us. Be ready.-         

  Caspian jerked his head in her direction. She sensed Steven and Rox start looking around, slightly, as they continued walking normally.

  Karen expanded her range and felt a lot more minds going about their daily business of hunting and gathering and playing. She focused her senses on the eight bandits, but did not want to show off. Neither did she want to show her full capability. If she wanted, she could zap all eight within moments, and then be asleep from before dinner to after breakfast tomorrow. That would not be good.

  -Two for each of us, one with a bow, one with a sack. Take your two, then help whomever needs it. Ten steps, or so-

  Karen walked forward, and then the men jumped out of hiding beside the road. Some were behind scrub, some were under dirty and camouflaged blankets. For a moment four bandits with sacks tried to attack four travelers.

  Rox turned and kicked her sack man mid stride, doubling him over. Steven forearm blocked his across the man’s shoulders and upended him, while turning him into a shield. Caspian raised his hand, and the man felt himself hit by solid wall of force and thrown back. Karen let her man get close, dropped the horses lead, and then chopped the man in the throat, and grabbed his tunic.

  The archer facing Rox let fly, and hit a magic shield. A force grabbed him and pulled him from his tree stand at twice his height to the ground, hard. Steven used his human shield to catch the arrow shot at him, and then still carrying the human shield with an arrow stuck from its back charged at his attacker, who was only half again the archer’s height off the ground. Steven threw his shield against the tree trunk, careful not to drive the arrow further in, and grabbed the archers legs out from under him, dropping him from the limb, and to the ground, breaking the bow as he hit the ground. The archer facing Caspian had his own partner hit him and they flew past two more trees before hitting the ground. Karen held her human shield in place, pulling her stiletto from her left wrist sheath, and threw it at the archer, harder than a normal person could. That archer then fell from his perch.

  The four paused and looked around, and all were still standing.

  Karen let her man fall. She walked the two dozen or so yards into the woods and retrieved her knife, wiping it on the man’s shirt and sheathed it. The horses had started at the four bandits, but were already moving on, as Caspian led them. The Caplan’s were looking around, trying to decide what to do with their bandits.

  “Leave them. If they can get back home, they might decide to take up a more honest trade.” Karen said this as Rox stepped over the man she had possibly sterilized with her foot.

  Steven had left his injured men at the base of their tree.

  Karen’s psi-sweep showed that both of Caspian’s were dead, the one Rox had pulled down was unconscious, with assorted broken bones. Maybe half of the eight would live. She stepped over her bagman as he tried to gasp through a crushed throat, and bled around an arrow in his back.

  Steven took Rox’s arm and led her off, neither wanting to watch or see any more. Karen followed.

116 – Final Plans and Preparation

  Karen fell in step with the Caplan’s “We hike all day tomorrow, then about this time the next day we should be at the cave entrance.”

  Rox was most shaken. “We just killed those men. Without any hesitation. Over what, some food?”

  Karen took up the answer. “You did not kill yours, though they were badly hurt. Food, metal items, you life. The bag was to cover your head and arms. The archer in case you tried to resist. They would not have worried about your life or pain. Don’t worry about theirs.”

  Karen knew that she now had two more faces to fade to gray in her dreams. She stepped away from the Caplan’s as Steven put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and kept her walking. Karen’s senses told her that Steven was as torn up as his wife, but better trained to deal with it.

  “That force wall was rather efficient.” Karen spoke to Caspian, taking the animals lead back.

  “Thank you.” Caspian replied. “Weren’t some of these guys at the village we stopped at?”

  “Possibly. I did not take a long look at them then. Probably should of. Would have if I were actively hunting. I must be a bit dull of edge right now.”

  Karen’s passive senses told her that Caspian was unsure. Cyrril was watching, her. She risked a brief active scan of Caspian. She found he wanted to compliment her, but did not know how.

  Karen walked along quietly smiling slightly. Caspian was cute when he was befuddled. Cyrril was just plain cute, when he wasn’t creepy.

  Over the next two days the most remarkable thing to happen was the road had a branch, and gained a bunch of altitude. After that it appeared to be little more than ruts across a forest and its meadows as the river valley gave way to mountain foothills. The road paralleled the stream between foothills and started into a canyon of the mountains.

  Along the way, they discussed the plans of who was going where, after which child. Karen had already mentioned that her information was of the two villages, elf and psi-warriors. As she had gotten to know the Caplan’s she was confident that Rox should go to the elf village after Diana, and Steven to the psi-warriors after Alex.

  Steven and Roxanne also took opportunity to practice fighting together, as a team. Caspian gave them some illusionary characters to fight.

  Karen was impressed by their competence, and heartened that this just might work. Her problem was that despite his dour and unfriendly behavior, she found that she rather liked being near Caspian. She was commissioned to kill him, and train the Caplan’s. She was in process with what she needed to for Steven and Roxanne. When the kids were here, she would need to do the same to them.

  Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 144

  Hiking though mountains, Again. It is both surprising and disconcerting how far we are and are not away from where we started. If I got our directions and distances right, we are a little over one hundred miles straight line east from Skarg. Looking at a local map would be nice, but we left the city in enough of a rush that we did not get one.

  The canyon climbed at an easy climb, mostly. A few parts were deceptively steep. The road picked up and followed a stream that wound back and forth a bit, before the canyon widening into a larger clearing. Two large boulders straddled the road as it entered the clearing and went up a short rise. The stream wandered to the south side of the clearing and into a small lake or large pond fed by several sources. On the north half of the clearing the road turned into a stand of trees against the curved wall of the canyon. The trees shaded a large cave mouth on the east wall of the north east corner of the clearing. Once at the cave mouth, and turned aside to a convenient camping spot, Karen began to relax.

  Steven was the impatient one. “Do we go in now; just saddle up and head in?”

  “No.” Caspian answered. “First and most importantly at the moment, you would not be able to see. We rest for the afternoon, and as far into the evening as we can. Tonight, after our eyes have adjusted, then we go in.”

  “I think he is right.” Rox seconded. “Sure, we could go in and be adjusted within an hour, but we would not be rested.”

  Karen spoke up. “And I have a bit more to tell you, now.”

  They turned to look at her.

  Karen put on her professional face and began. “I have been waiting to now to tell you that I have to give you the path to the villages. I need to do so in a manor that you will not loose, using my talents. The best way to do that is with you at or near asleep.”

  Steven responded. “So that was what you did to us those two nights. I wondered where those dreams came from.”

  Karen was slightly put off by this. “Yeah it was, but you were not supposed to remember my actions.”

  Rox laughed slightly. “You have never slept with someone for years. You notice when they are gone over long. Then looking out and seeing you kneeling over Steven was a shock, but since you were not hurting him so far as I could tell, I let it go, and figured you had done the same to me. We don’t remember your actions in first person, but each saw it done to the other, and put two and two together.”

  Karen was very put off by this. “I will have to remember that.” She continued. “Anyway, I need to do that now, to give you the borrowed memories of people who have been on the path you are now going to go. It will be easier than drawing you a map you will not otherwise be able to read.”

  “You won’t change your mind, about coming in?” Caspian asked.

  “No. I won’t. I would just be in the way of you and Roxanne. I could help Steven some, but he will do just fine on his own.” Karen answered.

  “And you will still be here when we get back.” Rox commented.

  “Someone has to watch the horses.” Karen responded. She had other things to prepare in the mean time anyway. “Any other questions?”

  “Yeah,” Steven turned to Caspian. “Why not teleport, this time? I am fairly certain that you don’t know the landing point, regardless of any magic shields that might get in the way. So teleporting in is out of the question. But why not teleport to get back together, or back to the surface?”

  Caspian looked at Steven for a bit, trying to decide whether Steven was just teasing, bringing up a settled argument for the sake of rearguing it, or being serious. After a few moments of the men not staring each other down, Caspian answered.

  “I expect that there are magic users of several stripes among the elves. If you have a teleport of sufficient distance prepared to do, you can escape them quickly. Otherwise they can sense you casting your spell and interfere, piggyback, or follow easily. Do you want to try to fight in a cavern where you have to provide your own light, and they can see clearly? How about have tag-along’s showing up unexpectedly? No, the better way is that of the mouse, run for the tunnels and hide where they can’t easily if at all follow. Once we are clear of the initial search groups, we can reassess the situation. That is of course assuming that these elves that Rox and I are going to go to react typically, and aggressively.”

  Steven accepted this. He really had not expected Caspian to want to teleport, but was curious to know why.

  The horses were hobbled, but otherwise allowed to roam and graze. The cart was set among a copse of trees in sight of the cave. They had taken time to sort through their things and set up their bags and equipment to hike. Steven was still going back and forth about carrying his crossbow, particularly because he had his gun, but noise of the gun vs. bulk of the crossbow . . .

  Karen set up a bit of a camp for herself. After some reluctance, she set up Caspian’s single occupant tent for herself, and she left it to air out before putting her sleeping gear into it.

  After being sure that they were ready, the Caplan’s and Caspian lay down to rest, and nap. Karen took advantage of this, with permission this time. Once done she puttered about camp and the meadow. She had dinner ready when the other three got up from their naps.

  They sat around the fire burning down to coals talking as the last light from the sunset fled the sky, three of the moons had set behind the western hills in the afternoon. The one of the twins was up over the eastern mountains before full dark, brightening things a little.

  Caspian had given Steven the trackers the elves had made for Roxanne and Alex. Somewhere he had acquired necklace chains and attached the trackers as medallions. Steven quickly intuited how to read them. Rox’s had a bright rainbow dot at the center of the doomed surface. Alex’s had a very dim dot partway down the side and to the southwest, as oriented to the compass. The necklace was long enough to look at the medallions without removing the chain from around one’s neck. Caspian had thoughtfully arranged the trackers on independent loop-strands. Steven unhooked Rox’s from the neck chain, and hooked it into the pocket of his jacket.

  Rox was given the pair for Diana and Steven. Diana’s dim dot was to the southeast. Like Steven she put the chain on and separated Steven’s from Diana’s and put it in a pocket.

  Along the way, Steven had gathered three sticks that were of a length to use as torches. He had some strips of canvas that he had acquired and soaked in lamp oil carried in a sealed leather bag. As he sat he wrapped some strips around the end of one of the sticks to use as a torch. He took two more sticks and secured them to his pack to use if this one he had burned to un-usability. He expected to use one each for about a day before it was little more than kindling for cooking on and maybe starting the next one.

  Caspian declined any torches, stating that he would use his magic. Rox had been practicing with her heat-vision and was going to work with it.

  Steven sat across the small fire from Caspian, Rox to his right, Karen to his left: they were conducting a final briefing and discussion. Karen was discussing the path they would have to travel. As Caspian and Rox began to digest and brainstorm about getting Diana out of the village, Karen turned to Steven.

  “You have the harder task. The people in the village you are going to – there is no way you can stand up to them in a concerted fight anymore than you could stand up to me long term. You have seen what I can do, with my talents. There are people in the village you are going to who may be orders of magnitude stronger than me.” Karen was deadly serious about this.

  “So how do I fight them? Hit and run, and don’t let them pin me down?” A tinge of negativity lurked in Steven’s mood, partly from the sense that Karen might be bragging just now.

  Karen shook her head. “You don’t fight them. You use a different tact, and the one thing that should convince them. Your blood-right to your son.”

  “Just walk in and ask?”

  “Exactly.” Karen could sense Steven’s dubious assessment of the situation, or of her information. But she had already put this idea into his subconscious. She threw down her next play.

  “Look. My grandmother’s grandmother came from them. They value family above all else. Twelve generations ago they broke out of slavery. Ten generations ago they came to this world. That sense of family is the primary reason for both of those. You assert your family and it should be a stronger means of battle than your physical skills. Your preferred weapons are unavailable. Your army is not here to back you up. But just by being the father of your son, you have already won. Those who are true to culture will stand with you, against those not true.”

  Steven considered this. At the same time, he decided not to take the crossbow.

  “And if I do have to fight?”

  “They are as human as you an me. Still soft and squishy with a few hard parts. Your sword does not stop psionics, so be careful with that. Most psionics do not use magic. I haven’t heard of any locally that do. If they attack you with psionics, just keep your mind as focused as you can, like any other attack and injury. Almost no non-psionics can withstand direct psionic attack.” Karen was a professionally matter-of-fact as she could be.

  Steven accepted this, as he put the prepared torch away.