Five Hertz of Separation

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Johnathyn had pushed the horses pretty hard and we’d picked up almost another entire day by the time we rolled into the outskirts of Dupreeville, a town less than a day’s ride from Glory. The place is named after the head guy of the government. Seems like a big suck up move to me.

Dierdra said Beckwith chose this town because it was big enough that a few extra people coming and going wouldn’t attract attention and it was close enough to Glory to act as a base of operations. As we pull into the courtyard of the hotel, I’d say she made a good choice. It seems like a busy place, more business and trade than residential. Lots of places to gather together without sticking out like a sore thumb.

There was a message waiting for us when we checked in. An address and time for a meeting. Dierdra and I managed to convince Johnathyn that this first meeting should just be us girls, that having a man there might cause problems with the sisterhood vibe. He eventually agreed to stay behind with Lee. Serves him right for all those meetings with Pegues without me.

The meeting place turns out to be a dimly lit warehouse off the main road. As we walk towards it, I notice we pass the occasional woman, covered by a heavy cloak and hood, standing in the shadows of nearby buildings. They wait for us to pass, then pull further back into the darkness. I’ve seen at least three of them by the time Dierdra and I reach the side door of the building. Another hooded and cloaked figure steps out of the gloom.

“I see you weren’t followed.” It was Beckwith. “Where is that husband of yours?”

“Back at the hotel, with our daughter,” I answer. She smirks and opens the door. We all enter and she locks it behind us. She then leads us along a winding path through all the boxes and barrels until we reach the main floor. She stops and throws her hood back.

“We will meet here,” she says.

“Not exactly a silven glen, is it?”

“Where are the others?” asks Dierdra.

“Some are here, some are outside.”

“Waiting to see if it’s a trap?” I ask.

Beckwith glares at me. “Yes.”

I drop my cloak over a nearby barrel. “Good. I don’t want to deal with idiots. Once they’re sure we’re legit, we can get this party started.”

Dierdra and I sit down in a couple of chairs while Beckwith lights a lantern, setting it high on a stack of boxes. Nothing happens for several minutes then four hooded women emerge from the surrounding barrels and boxes, each from a different direction, all converging on the opening where we sit. They stop and remove their hoods, as if on cue. We stand.

“I am Alexia Thompson. Daughter of Jackie Thompson.”

“I am Dierdra Denson. You all know of me.”

The four look among themselves for a moment, then the tallest steps forward, silver blond hair in a tight bun.

“I am Steinvild Bengsston.”

The next is short and dark skinned. If she was from my world, I’d say she was Italian. “My name is Emlilly Sousa.”

The third woman was of average height and appears to be younger than the other two, like around forty. “I am Sarah Finniss of the Western provinces.”

The last woman, slim with brown hair mixed with gray, spoke. “I would prefer to remain nameless for now. They say you are a Seventy Seven.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“You do not know for certain?”

“I’m not from around here. In my land, heritage is less important. Are you asking for proof?”

“We are.”

“I can assure you all,” says Dierdra. “I have been with Alexia for several weeks. She is without a doubt a Seventy Seven.”

“That’s okay, Dierdra. Doubting Thomas’s. What do you want? A card trick? Rabbit from a top hat? Silk scarves from my sleeve?”

Dierdra touches my arm. “Alexia, nothing too … flashy. We are in a city. We cannot afford the attention.”

“Gotcha’. How about this?”

A barrel the size of a fifty five gallon drum slowly lifts off the ground and floats up in the air. It is joined by a second and then a third. They move around in a circle while tumbling end over end and spinning on their axis. I keep them going for about thirty seconds and then put each one back where it came from.

“Impressive,” says the unknown witch.

“It’s a start,” adds Beckwith. “I have seen her healing powers. They are like none I have witnessed before. She is powerful. More than Opulessa? Who can say? The question is, do we wish to join forces and take control of this land?”

I shake my head. “That’s not the question, Beckwith. The question is do you want freedom from oppression? Freedom from this government or any future government? Do you want equality for all, men and women? Do you want a future for your children and their children that includes better education, better health and a better way of life? Because if you aren’t, I’m not interested. This is about individual rights and how the government can protect them. I don’t know how much you’ve been told about me but I’m not from this world. My family was killed on the orders of the leaders of your world and they will pay for that. At first I was only interested in vengeance but now, I am concerned with what is left after my vengeance. I want to leave a better world behind when I return to my world. Let me make this point clear. I am not staying after this is done. I’m going home. You’ll run your own world but I will not help a group of female despots replace a group of male despots. There has got to be fundamental change or I’m not part of this. The short version is I’m not here to talk you into helping me. You’re here to talk me into helping you.”

I’m sure that’s not what they were planning on hearing but I want them to know I’m serious but that I’ve got terms.

Bengsston waves the other four closer to her and they huddle, talking quietly among themselves. While they talk, Dierdra sidles next to me.

“It would have been better to get them on our side first before making demands.”

“I didn’t make any demands. I’m willing to do this but only if it will create real change. If they aren’t interested in what I have in mind, I’ll need to either find someone who is or drop the whole thing. We don’t have much time left. Better to find out now than later. If Beckwith wasn’t upfront with them, not my problem.”

“But you want this to work. You want to be the creator of change. This is a difficult concept for them, for anyone in this world. I have been with you for much longer than they have. I have gotten used to the ideas. I agree with you now but was not certain about it early on.”

“What are you saying, Dierdra?”

“Tread lightly, if you can. Ultimately, we all want the same thing.”

“If they do, we can do business.”

The five of them continue to talk for several minutes then they break the huddle.

“What if we say no?” asks Beckwith.

“I’ll probably go through with whatever Pegues and his people have in mind, as long as I get my man, let the chips fall with the rest of it.”

“And if we say yes?” asks Bengsston.

“We start to plan on how we’re going to either use or remove your Queen.”

“She’s not my Queen,” Beckwith grumbles.

“You do not have a plan already?”

“I have the framework of a plan. The details depend on our resources and further information.”

“What kind of further information?” asks Sousa.

“How do witches actually fight?”

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

Alexia still refuses to allow me to accompany her and Dierdra to their meetings with the other witches. There are ten of them now and they’ve moved to a farmhouse on the outskirts of town. Alexia says it is to avoid attention when they do training. I am not comfortable about them being alone this close to Glory. There are many more members of the Queen’s Guard in the area, sometimes led by people from Alexia’s world. They are armed with the other world guns. I have to admit that I feel more comfortable knowing that we have two of those guns well hidden in our wagon.

Both Alexia and I have fired a few shots with the guns. They are very impressive but, I still prefer my own gun if I need to kill something at a long distance.

It is almost dawn of the fifth day since we arrived at Dupreeville and I am getting more anxious with each passing minute. I told Leeanna when I put her to bed that her mother would be home soon but that was cycles ago.

I feel so powerless.

Even if I knew exactly where they were meeting, I couldn’t leave Leeanna to go search for them and I certainly couldn’t take her with me. There is nothing I can do but doing nothing is driving me mad.

The quiet of the night is interrupted by the sound of a key in the lock of the door to our room. I rush over and throw it open. There stands Alexia, eyes wide open, looking shocked, supporting Dierdra who is leaning against her.

“Where have you two been?!” I hiss, not wanting to wake Leeanna. “It is almost dawn!”

They limp into the room, quietly shutting the door behind them. “We know what time it is, Johnathyn. Dierdra’s not moving very well so it took awhile to get back.”

“What happened? Did you encounter Guardsmen?”

“No. I got a little … upset at practice tonight.”

“YOU did this?”

“It was an accident, okay?”

“I am not hurt badly” Dierdra sighs.

“How did this happen, Alexia?”

“Look, I don’t want to get into this right now.” She points at Leeanna still asleep on a pad on the floor in the corner of the room. “I don’t want to wake her up.”

“We can use my room,” says Dierdra.

“What if she wakes up and no one’s here? She’d freak out.”

“I am sure that she won’t wake for a few more hours …”

“Too late,” Leeanna mumbles, opening her eyes and turning her head towards us. “I’m up.”

Alexia helps Dierdra sit on the end of the bed and hurries over to Leeanna, reaching down, gently sweeping her hair from her eyes. “I’m sorry Lee. It’s late. I’m late. I didn’t want to wake you.”

Leeanna sits up, rubbing her eyes. “Where were you? I was worried.”

“I know, I’m sorry. If this world had phones I’d have called. We had a little accident, that’s all.”

Dierdra sits back on the bed, groaning lightly, propping her leg on a nearby chair. “Accident? You broke my leg.”

“I didn’t mean to. I fixed it, didn’t I? Beckwith shouldn’t have hit me when my back turned. I’d called time out!”

“She did not understand what ‘time out’ meant!”

“The hell she didn’t! That BIT …” Alexia glances over at Leeanna “woman has had it in for me from the start! Just because she’s all jealous about my boob …” another glance at Leeanna “the way I look is no excuse. I don’t have to put up with her … stuff!”

I raise my hands chest high, palms out. “Let us all calm down. We do not want someone to report us to the innkeeper. What happened?” They both start to speak but I extend my arms towards them. “Alexia?”

She throws just the slightest smile at Dierdra then she turns towards me.

“The other girls were in two groups of five. Britanna, Emlilly, Leila, Sarah and Silva were one group and Bellah, Olga, Pamela, Dierdra and Beckwith were the other.”

“Why two groups?”

“Because they’re stronger as a group. That’s probably where the idea of a coven came from. Get a bunch of witches together and their power is multiplied.”

“Why a group of five?”

“We started out as teams of two, then three, four and now five. We want to gradually get the groups stronger until it’s all of them versus me, so it’s more like Opulessa.”

I look over at Dierdra, who is slowly rubbing her leg. “Is that possible? Can you match Opulessa?”

“No, we cannot. We can get close, but one powerful witch will almost always beat a group of less powerful witches.”

“Almost always?” Perhaps, if we can find enough witches, Alexia will not need to risk her life for a world that is not hers.

“We would need to be … it is hard to explain. More … connected. Thinking and acting as one instead of a group of individuals. Just being together increases the amount of magic available for all of us to use but, no matter how much magic there is, a Forty Five or a Fifty Two can only tap so much. A single Seventy Seven is more effective than a group of Fifty Twos unless they concentrate so hard that they are practically one person and, even then, it would likely not be enough.”

Alexia interrupts. “Hey, who’s telling this story? Anyway, we’d been at it for almost two hours, taking breaks now and then to cool off.”

“To cool off?”

“Yeah. It gets pretty hot when a bunch of us get together and start tossing shots of magic back and forth. That’s probably how the stories about groups of naked witches started.”

I quickly peek at Leeanna, who has been listening to us talk. Her eyes are wide open in shock, as is her mouth.

“You’re all NAKED?! Outside?! In the WOODS?!” she gasps.

Alexia blushes a light rose. “We didn’t start out that way. Emlilly was the first to take off her blouse and Pamela was the first with her skirt. One thing led to another. It really works for the best. It’s easier to clean up after practice without bringing a change of clothes.”

Leeanna starts to laugh. “No wonder you won’t let Father come with you!”

She blushes an even deeper red. “There is that. Most of the other girls weren’t comfortable with a man being present even without the naked thing. That came later. Though the ones who had seen him didn’t complain about it.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

She smiles at me. “You know. What with those arms and that chest. Your All-American good looks. Most of the girls think I’m getting the better end of the stick. So to speak. When I told them the marriage thing was just a dodge, the interest level shot way up.”

Now it is my turn to feel warm in the face. I hope it does not show. “You were telling us about the fight.”

“Uhh yeah, I was. We’d been mixing it up.” She looks over at Dierdra. “And I was sandbagging, not wanting to hurt anyone. The two groups had been throwing whatever they could at me, taking turns so each one could get some time at the higher power levels and I could practice blocking, but I’d occasionally toss one back, but I’d warn them it was coming. No surprises. Beckwith was leading one group and I’d just hit her good, no worse than they’d done me all day or I’d done them before … not much worse. Anyway, we were trying to keep about fifty feet apart and we’d gotten too close. I signaled for a time out.” She put the palm of one outstretched hand on the tips of the fingers of the other outstretched hand. “I even said ‘time out’. I was walking back to the original mark and then BAM, I get one square in the back! Knocks me into a damn mud puddle! I’ve got mud in my eyes, in my nose, my mouth … everywhere. And I do mean everywhere!”

“She did not understand,” says Dierdra. “She meant no harm.”

“She was laughing her ass off! No one else was laughing.”

“We were all afraid of what you might do. We were right.”

“What did she do?” I ask.

“She threw a tree at us.”

“It wasn’t a tree! It was just a log,” Alexia protested.

“That was still rooted in the ground and was at least twice the length of the wagon” Dierdra replied. “You tore it out of the ground and threw it right at all of us!”

“Okay, so it was a big log. I was pissed. If I hadn’t been still on guard, she might have killed me! She’s been on my ass from day one and we both know why.”

“Why is that?” I ask.

“DUH? She’s jealous! Look at me then look at her. Us running around all naked just makes it worse.” Alexia stands in front of me, hands on her hips. “Watching my firm breasts, my tight butt, lean legs and arms. Nothing jiggling that isn’t supposed to. She can’t stand it. Just think about it, Johnathyn.”

With her standing so close to me, eyes blazing, dark hair loose but full, smelling of … I do not know what but it is burned into my memory, I can think of nothing else. The image of her, naked, in the woods, in all her glory, fills my mind. Somehow, she seems to become more beautiful every day. I do not know how. I never see her doing anything more to care for her appearance than simple soap and water but her loveliness is undeniable. It makes me very … uncomfortable. I hear a snapping sound.

“Hey! Johnathyn? Wake up.”

It is Alexia, leaning down in front of me, snapping her fingers near my face. I can see deep into her bodice, smell her intoxicating scent.

“Yes … yes, jealousy. I understand.”

“Where were you?”

“I was thinking about what you said, Alexia. I agree, she might be jealous of you. Most women would be.”

She snorts. “There’s no doubt about it. I can see it in her eyes.”

“So how is it that Dierdra’s leg was broken?”

“Yeah. That. Well … when I threw the log …”

“Tree,” corrects Dierdra.

“Fine. Tree. Everyone moved out of the way. Dierdra slipped and it just barely hit her.”

“Breaking my leg in three places.”

“I fixed it, didn’t I? Besides, I’ve apologized like a hundred times. I also took care of that old damaged cartilage in your knee. You’ll be better than new.”

“So, I should thank you?”

“Look, take it up with Beckwith, okay? For the last time, and I do mean the LAST time, I’m sorry I didn't control my temper better when I was blindsided. You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.”

“I suppose I did. Apology accepted.”

I am glad to see that they are letting bygones be bygones. “You are making progress then?”

“Yeah, quite a bit. The girls are getting into it.”

“The power is intoxicating, almost addictive,” says Dierdra. “None of us have ever experienced anything like it before. Always in the past we have avoided one another. We talked, we communicated but we rarely met face to face. All to avoid attention. But now, with so many of us in one place… the magic is just hanging in the air, waiting to be embraced. Things that were so difficult before are simple now. New powers appear daily. Some of us can actually fly!”

Alexia smiles. “I taught ‘em that one. Beckwith hasn’t gotten the hang of it yet. Another reason she hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you, Alexia,” says Dierdra. “You both have strong personalities. She was the unofficial leader, if you will, of our small group before you arrived. She was also the one who worked with the other groups. She has done quite a lot to get us where we are today. A little appreciation could go a long way to ease tensions.”

“Dierdra could have something there, Alexia. You do have a strong personality. Very strong. Extremely strong. There have been times that …”

“I get it. I’m a bitch. A prima donna bitch.”

I sigh. She can be so sensitive on occasion. Half the time I do not even know what she’s talking about. What is a ‘prima donna’?
“No one is saying you are …” a quick look confirms Leeanna is still listening. Attentively. “… one of those but a little graciousness can go a long way.”

“That goes both ways, Johnathyn.”

“Yes, but you can be the bigger …” she glares at me. “Ahhh, better woman. You are a Seventy Seven after all.”

She grabs a towel from a hanger on the wall. “I’ll think about it while I’m in the little girl’s room.” She throws the towel over her shoulder and walks out, closing the door behind her.

I shake my head. “I think we have a very large wolf by the tail, Dierdra.”

Leeanna grunts lightly. “You are just now finding that out, Father? Where have you been the last few months?”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

We arrived in Glory just a few hours late. It really is different from all the other towns we have seen since I got here so many weeks ago. The smell, for one thing. The place is full of horses and oxen. They use ox for the extra big wagons. Oxen also leave behind extra large piles of crap. The horses make their contributions too. As do the thousands of people. There’s no sewer system that I can see so the waste gets moved by hand. When it gets moved at all.

Maybe it’s just the part of the city we’re in but I haven’t seen anything other than third world conditions so far. Disease has got to be rampant..

If you can ignore the smell and get your eyes looking up, out of the mucky streets, things change. The buildings are much larger, four and five stories. What passes for a skyscraper on this world. I’d love to show them the Empire State Building. Still, it’s impressive. Glory is clearly the biggest city I’ve seen since crossing over. We’ve been in steady traffic for over thirty minutes and aren’t that close to where we’re headed.

Leeanna is sitting between Johnathyn and I, all squeezed onto the driving bench. She has her arm wrapped around my waist and I’ve got an arm around her shoulder. She hasn’t stopped pointing and talking since we crossed the border.

There was an actual fence and a gate, first one we’ve seen the entire trip. It wasn’t a Berlin Wall or anything. No razor wire, no chain link fence but it was clearly a barrier and we had to sign in. Give our names and state our business. Thankfully, we didn’t need a pass or official papers.

Once past the gate, we joined the gradually growing throng headed for downtown Glory. I’m happy to be traveling by wagon than on foot like a lot of those poor wretches.

Leeanna smiles at me, gripping my right hand.

“What do you think?” she asks.

“It’s certainly big.”

“Not Glory, Mother. This.” She grasps the gold ring on my right index finger between her thumb and forefinger.

Johnathyn had surprised me last night. He came to me just before bed time.

“Alexia … I do not know about the customs of your world but, on our world, husbands and wives exchange rings on the first anniversary of their wedding. Our papers say we were married a year ago today. I know they are not correct but anyone checking them will expect to see a ring on both your hand and mine.” He reaches into his pocket and removes a small cloth bag, which he opens and upends over the palm of his left hand. Two gold bands fall out, one larger than the other. “I say this only because this is our custom and if we are supposed to be married …”

“Then we need to look the part. I get it. No problem. When did you get these?”

He looks a little sheepish. “Dupreeville. Leeanna had to remind me, I’d forgotten all about them.”

I reach out and carefully pick up the smaller ring from his palm. “Then I guess I have her to thank for my first piece of jewelry. How much?”

“I cannot say. It is not right to talk about such things.”

“Well you ought to get Pegues or his people to pay for them. There’s no reason you should be out the money.”

“No. It is my pleasure.”

“Surely the revolution can pop for a couple of rings.”

“I insist. I am your husband.”

“If you say so.” I start to slip the ring over my finger.

“No! I must do it!”

I stop. “What’s the big deal? It’s just a cover anyway. Who’s to know?”

“Please, Alexia, allow me?”

He looks so earnest. What’s the harm? I hand him the ring then extend my right hand, fingers spread. He gently takes my hand and slowly slides the ring onto my right index finger, easing past the knuckle until it reaches the base of the finger.

I’ve never been a fan of rings. I had a class ring when in high school but it was a pain in the ass, always banging on things. I was almost happy when an old girlfriend claimed she “lost” it and couldn’t return it when we broke up. She probably pawned the darn thing. Good riddance to both of ‘em.

This ring felt different. It was sized right for one thing, not gripping the finger tightly but also not spinning around loosely. Wonder how he managed that? It was comfortable, not pressing against any of the other fingers. It felt nice. I held out my left hand, palm up.

“My turn.”

“It is not necessary for you to …”

“Hey. When in Rome.”

“You have said that before. What does it mean?”

“It’s a saying on my world. ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’”

“Where is this ‘Rome’?”

“That doesn’t matter. What it means is that if you are in a place, follow the customs of those around you. Does the wife put the husband’s ring on his finger?”

“Yes, but you do not need to …”

“Hand it over, hubby.”

He smiles, dropping the other ring in the palm of my left hand as he releases my right hand. He then holds out his right hand. It’s really big. Lots bigger than mine, bigger than mine was back home. When I look at the ring, there’s no way it’s getting past his knuckle but I try it anyway. As soon as it reaches, the ring slowly eases up and over the knuckle, almost as if the metal stretched and returned to shape. When the ring rests at the base of his finger, the fit appears to be the same as mine. Perfect.

“Johnathyn, are these things magic?”

“Not that I know. I purchased them from a reputable store.”

“Huh. Whatever. They seem to fit. Are there any other wedding anniversary traditions I need to know about?”

The question seems to embarrass him. “No. None that apply to … uhh … our situation.”

“Oh come on, tell me all about it. Who knows? I may say ‘Yes.’”

He just stands there, blushing and growing less comfortable by the second.

“No, there is nothing. We can’t … I couldn’t ask you … we aren’t actually …”

“Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to celebrate our anniversary?”

“I’m certain.”

He hurried away. I shouldn’t have teased him like that. He gave up a lot, risked a lot to get us to this point. He’s as good a man as I have ever known. I should have told him that. Lee pulls on my finger.

“What about the ring?”

I look over at Johnathyn.

“It’s great. I’m honored to wear it. No woman has ever had a better husband than your father.”

“Reeaallly?” she squeals.

“Really.”

She hugs me tighter. Johnathyn turns his head to look at me, raising his eyebrows in an unasked question. I look him square in the face.

“Yes, Johnathyn. Really.”

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

I have waited a long time for this day.

Pegues and his witch arrive in Goshen tonight. Patron Miller has called some of the group to meet with her, to determine if she is up to the task. It is fortunate that I have earned his trust and am included.

The meeting is being held in the secret room in his barn. There are four other men besides Patron Miller present, one being Bickle Rholls. I recognize the other three but still do not know their names. No matter. As long as the timing of the future raid is good, we can capture most of the rebels regardless of who they are.

There is the faint ringing of a bell, bringing all of us to attention. The bell is the guard’s signal that someone friendly approaches. This should be them.

There is nothing but silence then footsteps can be heard, initially light but then heavy. The door to the room slides open, revealing Pegues, still dressed in a dusty riding cloak. He obviously took no time to make himself presentable. As Pegues enters the room another man steps to the door, a man so large that he has to turn sideways to squeeze past the narrow door frame. The man is dressed as a common laborer and is almost too big for the room. Once he is clear of the door, I can see the third person, a woman wearing a hooded cloak, the hood over her head hanging low, covering all but her chin from my view.

Pegues takes a moment to knock the dust off his cloak, momentarily filling the air with the dirt before some hidden device pulls clean air into the small room.

“Patron, … gentlemen … I give you Alexia Thompson, our friend from the other side.”

Patron Miller manages to keep from smiling at the mention of her name but others do not. The witch does not say anything.

“Thank you, Pegues,” says Miller. “And who is this large man by your side?”

“This is Johnathyn Tyber, the man responsible for bringing Alexia to us safe and unharmed.”

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Tyber. Such loyalty will be handsomely rewarded. Your part in this affair has come to an end. You are excused.”

The man just stands there, as if he had not heard Patron Miller politely tell him to leave. Patron Miller coughs lightly.

“Perhaps you did not hear me, Mr. Tyber. You may leave us. Now.”

“He heard you,” says the witch, throwing back her hood, revealing a mass of black, full bodied, slightly curling hair, piercing dark eyes, radiant skin, plump blood red lips and shockingly white teeth. “He stays.”

“And why is that?” huffs Patron Miller.

She gives all of us a tight smile that does not extend to her eyes. “Because he is the only person in this room that I trust and, if things go wrong, is the only one who could stop me from killing you all.”

Patron Miller is taken aback by her words. “You do not trust Miran Pegues?”

“I know Miran Pegues. Does anymore need be said?”

OH MY! The entire room looks towards Pegues but he does not even react to the insult, he just continues to inspect his cloak for dust, leaving it to Patron Miller to answer.

“Uhhh Miran Pegues is a loyal friend to me and our cause. He has brought you here at great risk to himself.”

“His mother probably loves him too but I don’t care about that or your endorsement of his character. I was tricked into coming to your world and am anxious to return to my own. At first, only one thing kept me here, vengeance for the death of my family. Now I want more than vengeance. I want change.”

“As do we.”

The witch’s smile became more of a sneer. “What kind of change?”

“What you told Pegues. Equality for men and women. Fairness for all. An end to corruption. A government that protects its people not one that exploits them.”

“You talk a good game. Exactly how do you plan to do it?”

Patron Miller shakes his head. “No one but I knows the entire plan. It is our protection against spies.”

“Buddy, if you’ve got spies in this room right now, you’re in big trouble already. Same if they can’t keep a secret. We can help each other but unless you’ve got another Seventy Seven witch in your pocket, I’m in a pretty good bargaining position. If you don’t trust these guys, then there’s no reason for me to trust your group.”

“You have no choice but to work for us. We control the device that can send you home.”

“Interesting point. How’d you come to have that little toy in the first place? I’m guessing that the Consortium wasn’t handing them out like Cracker Jack prizes. Where’d you get yours?”

“Do you agree to do as I say? If not, you may leave now.”

She grabs both her hands and holds them against her chest. “Oh dear! Oh my! What shall I do?! I’m just a poor little witch with no place left to go! Wait … I know what to do. I’ll just march over to that secure compound run by the Winthrop Group and introduce myself as the new witch they’ve been searching for, the one who’s giving them so much concern. All they have to do is send me home, problem solved. Of course, I tell them all about you and your friends.”

Patron Miller is shocked. “How do you know about …”

“We’ve been traveling all over this part of world the last three months, talking to people who’ve been farther than we have. That kind of place stands out in a world like this. Back in my world, not so much. They brought their approach to security with them. It’s the logical place for them to keep their transport device, probably bigger than the one used by Pegues.”

“They could kill you instead of sending you home.”

“They could try. They’d regret it. A lot.”

Patron Miller sits back in his chair, hands in his lap. “The men from your world first sent several people here on what they called ‘recon missions’ before contacting us. One of those men did not return to your world. After they made their presence known, we offered to search for him. He had been sent to my state. My people found what was left of the body near the Agrina Falls, he was killed by wolves. After a very long search, they decided that he had lost his device in the water and it had been swept over the falls.”

“But that’s not what happened, did it?”

“No. That was not what happened. My people found it when they found the body and delivered it to me. Pegues was able to gain the confidence of one of their technical people and learned how to operate the device.”

Alexia scowls. “Miran is good at gaining confidences.”

“One of my many useful skills,” says Pegues.

Patron Miller continues. “Thus, he became our witch finder. You know the rest.”

“I know what happened but not what your plans are.”

This is a golden opportunity for me. If the witch can persuade Patron Miller to reveal his complete plans to all of us tonight, she will accomplish what I could not. I know bits and pieces but not everything. A report on the complete plans will set me in great stead with the First Minister. I notice that I am not the only one leaning forward, anticipating Patron Miller’s reply.

“I will keep my own company about my plans.”

“It is not ‘my plans’ but ‘our plans’, Patron,” says Rholls. “We are all risking our lives, every man here and many others. I, for one, would like to know exactly how you intend to accomplish our objectives.”

“As would I,” says another man.

“We are too close to the date of execution to remain in the dark any longer,” says a third. “We all must work together and we should not be blind in doing so.”

Patron Miller turns towards me. “What say you, Schicalli?”

Do I join with the others or side with Patron Miller? He will likely be forced to reveal his plans under the pressure of the others so there is no harm in supporting Miller.

“I remain your humble servant, Patron, and trust you implicitly. What ever course you choose will certainly be the correct one. What I object to is our acceptance of Pegues word as to the capabilities of this … woman.”

I saw one man lean over and whisper to another, distinctly hearing the phrase “lap wolf”. So be it. What they forget is that a lap wolf can still bite and is already quite close to the throat. The witch turns her attention to me, that tight smile returning to her lips but again skipping her eyes.

“Go on,” she says.

“You come here, making demands of us, when we have no evidence to judge …” She casually extends an arm towards me from beneath her cloak, her hand grasping an invisible object. “… for ourselves if … if … you … uughh …” I can’t speak, can’t breathe. Something has grabbed my throat and is slowly squeezing the breath from me. I try to stand but am held in place, unable to protest in any way but cough and gag. Things start to go gray around me when the witch leans in towards me, her hand still outstretched.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing,” she growls in a deeper voice than before.

“Release him!” Patron Miller demands.

“As you wish,” she replies. Suddenly, the pressure on my throat is gone. I gasp for air as the gray haze around me lifts. The witch fixes me with a stare so I think it best to remain silent. For now. Patron Miller stands, his hands on the table, leaning forward.

“As it appears that I am outvoted, I will tell you all what you wish to know, but I must caution you that the information must not leave this room! Spies are everywhere. Many who have come before us have either died or disappeared and we are all aware of the rumors about their fates. I do not wish to join them in the grave … or the Queen’s stables.”

I feel a shudder pass through the room. There’s not a man here who hasn’t heard the rumors. When this is done, most of them will likely have a chance to personally discover the truth.

“The plan is to attack during the Queen’s birthday celebrations, probably towards the end, once security has grown a little lax, used to the larger crowds.” He extends his hand towards the unknown man on my left. “Babitch Lappan is to recruit the men we need.”

The man jumps up from his seat. “PATRON! We were to remain anonymous!”

“Not if you wish to know MY secrets, Lappan! If it is honesty you want, it is honesty you get! No more secrets among friends, eh? Not so pleasant now, is it? Lappan is to find the additional men. Rholls, the inside information. Jeremiah Merkel is tasked with finding transportation, Barton Schicalli the guns and Daneel Ahlivar is in charge of communications.”

Each man reluctantly raised his hand as he was identified. This could not be going better for me. Several new names added to my list of traitors.

“Communications?” asks the witch.

“I … I … have a large flock of homing pigeons,” Ahlivar replies.

“Homing pigeons. And I suppose that transportation means …”

“A stable,” says Merkel, “one of the largest in this state. Plus wagons and surreys.”

“Wonderful. Pigeons and horses. I can’t wait to hear about the guns. Schicalli, is it?”

Everyone is now looking at me. This has been a sore point in the plan up to now. The weapons of our world are no match for those from the other side. Our only choice is to steal what we need but that will not be easy. I have been delaying my assignment to give me a chance to identify more traitors but Patron Miller has been pressuring me of late.

“Yes, Barton Schicalli. We will need to acquire otherworld guns and bullets. This may be the most difficult part of the plan. We will need to take them from the Queen’s Guard. Raids on some local outposts should get us what we need.”

“It can also get you dead.”

“Some sacrifices may need to be made,” I solemnly state.

“I see. So you’re leading these raids then, Mr. Schicalli?”

“Me? No. We have other more qualified men for that job.”

The witch looks around the room, frowning deeply. “Men more qualified to make a sacrifice. Is that it?”

“We all have our roles to play,” says Patron Miller, thankfully drawing the witch’s attention from me.

“So what is MY role, Patron Miller?”

“We have people on the inside of the Palace which will allow us to get our men and guns inside the walls without a fight. Once inside, you will challenge and defeat Opulessa. While that is happening, our men will capture First minister Dupree and his supporters. Ours will be a small group but large enough to overcome the Winthrop Group guards.”

“What about the Queen’s Guard? Aren’t there a lot of them?”

“Yes, but they are not in the Palace, they are outside.”

“What keeps them from coming inside?”

“We will strike quickly. By the time they know what is happening, we will be done.”

“And if I don’t win?”

“We all have confidence in your abilities. Pegues has given us glowing reports.”

She turns her attention to Pegues. “Glowing reports, eh. Who am I to argue with Miran Pegues? Assuming everything breaks our way and it all happens just the way you describe, what happens next?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Queen is dead. You’ve got the old government under lock and key. What keeps the Queen’s Guard and other people from the old government from storming in, releasing your prisoners and putting us all in a dungeon somewhere?”

“You will. You can protect us all.”

“For awhile but I’m not staying very long when this is over. What happens when I leave?”

“I am certain by then that the people will see the wisdom of supporting me as the new First Minister.”

She stares intently at Patron Miller for several seconds. I think I see sweat forming on his high forehead before a small smile creeps across her face.

“You’re probably right. What does it matter to me? I’ll be home by then, right?”

He nods his head. “Yes, you will have returned home.”

“If you’re wrong, it’ll be your problem, not mine.”

He keeps nodding. “Exactly! It is not your concern.” The relief is clear in his voice.

“Sounds like a plan, though raiding for guns is a serious mistake.”

“What do you mean?” I demand.

“It’s crazy. Draws way too much attention. The cops figure out someone’s collecting powerful guns and they’ll be on edge, prepared to move on the first sign of trouble. That and some of your guys get killed, or worse, captured. Someone might talk. All around too risky.”

She is endangering my role in the group. “What do you propose? Create them with magic?”

“Hadn’t thought of that. Let Pegues take care of it.”

“What can he do that I can’t?”

“I don’t know. How do your legs look in a pair of heels? Mirantha wasn’t bad looking for an old lady.”

“You aren’t suggesting that I … no man would ever consider … it is an abomination!”

“In my world, every weekend, there are at least sixty gun shows scattered across the country. Pegues takes his little magic wand, crosses over, buys whatever you need and brings it back. No one’s the wiser and everyone lives to fight another day. You can’t get military grade but it’ll be just about half a step down and easier for your guys to handle.”

Looking around the room, I can see that several of the men are considering her suggestion. I need to put an end to this right now.

“And where do we find the riches to purchase this trove of modern guns?”

“I thought you guys were big muckety mucks around here.”

“Muckety mucks?”

“Permit me to translate,” says Pegues. “Important rich people. Yes, Alexia, some of our members are both important and rich, for this world, but they are not riches that are accepted by your world.”

“That’s a bitch.” She reaches into the pocket of her cloak. “I wasn’t planning on bankrolling this operation but anything to get it over with.” She removes her hand from the pocket and tosses something small to Pegues, who catches it then holds it up for all to see. It appears to be a coin.

Pegues takes a closer look. “Wait … is this … by Zaphod’s beard! How many of these do you have?!”

“Forty. I keep them in my backpack. That worthless backpack you told me not to bring. Nothing makes life smoother when you go on the run than a bunch of Krugerands.”

“What is a Krugerand?” asks Patron Miller.

“A gold coin, highly valued in the other world,” answers Pegues.

“You walk into a gun show and offer to pay with gold; you can get a hell of a deal from some of your more paranoid, end of the civilized world types,” says the witch.

“Is that enough to get what we need, Pegues?”

“I believe it is, Patron Miller.”

“We’ve got two military grade rifles in the wagon with us. You can have them plus the extra clips and ammo. On the house.”

We all heard the story about her confrontation with the two men of the Queen’s Guard. The guns confirm it. I am being eased out and losing control of the situation.

“Is it wise to risk another trip to the other side, Patron?”

“What risk, Schicalli?”

“Pegues claimed that the last time he was in the other world, he was betrayed, that he was fortunate to return alive. Would he not be at risk should he return?”

Pegues smiles broadly. “Schicalli, I am touched that you have such concern for my safety. Perhaps you would care to go in my place?”

“NO! No one should go! We have been working on this plan for months and now this … woman arrives and it all changes. We should follow the original plan as created by Patron Miller. It is our best chance for success and …”

Miller raises his hand. “Thank you Schicalli, but with the new resources graciously provided by Alexia, new and better options are available to us. If Pegues is willing …”

“I am, Patron.”

“Very good, Pegues. Then we shall proceed. How long do you think it will take?”

“Two or three weeks, perhaps four if I have to attend several shows to obtain all that we need.”

“Is it true that any man can obtain such guns?”

“It is true, Patron,” answers Pegues.

“You come from a strange land, Alexia.”

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

We left as soon as the meeting was finished. Pegues stopped Alexia before we left, asking to see the coins she had told them about. He seemed to doubt her word. I assured him that the coins did exist, that I had seen them myself. She had sown them into the straps of her pack. For some reason, he felt the need to see them with his own eyes. Alexia invited him to come to our room in the morning.

We had another stop to make before returning to the inn. Alexia sat next to me as we slowly drove the wagon back toward Dupreeville, the road lit by a half moon and our pair of hooded lanterns. We were returning for a meeting with the other witches. Alexia had been silent since her talk with Pegues. I try to get her talking.

“So, what do you think?”

“I think I’m wasting my ‘A’ material on you guys. No common cultural touch points.”

“Do not be so certain … Darth Vader.”

She laughsd. “Johnathyn! Wicked! You DID see the movie.”

“How could I not? You and Leeanna must have watched ‘Star Wars’ ten times since we started out. It was hard to avoid.”

“I know. Sorry. You know how she loves it.”

“You or her?”

“Well, maybe she just likes it. ‘Star Wars’ is just geek Nirvana. If a guy doesn’t know at least twenty ‘Star Wars’ references, he’s got no geek cred whatsoever.”

“Perhaps but I was referring to what was said at the meeting. What do you think?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Not yet.”

I’m insulted! “You do not wish to know my opinion?”

“I do. More than anything. I’ve also got questions for you but I don’t want to influence what you think. I know what I believe but I could be wrong. When we get to the coven, I want to lay it all out, just as they told us. You listen and make sure I don’t miss anything or add anything we weren’t told. I want the other girls to hear exactly what we did. I’ll give them a few additional facts and then I want to know what everyone thinks. Most importantly, I want to know what you think but not yet. Give the whole thing some thought. Do you think it could work? How bloody would it be? Can they keep control assuming they get control? Think about that and anything else you believe to be important. When we get to the meeting, you tell me exactly what you believe. I may have missed something. I hope I have.”

She says nothing the rest of the time we are on the road except to point out hazards I missed seeing. The light is not very good but her vision is extraordinary. We finally reach the barn where the rest of the witches are waiting for us. They have prepared a hot meal of stew and fresh bread.

Say what you will about witches but almost all of them know how to cook well.

While we eat, Alexia relates the plan as told by Patron Miller, exactly as it was told to us, word for word. At the end, she turns to me.

“Did I leave anything out, Johnathyn?”

“No, it was all there.”

“Did I add anything?”

“I do not believe so.”

“Good. Now my question. When was the last time there was a government on this world not backed by a powerful witch?”

“That is hard to say. Opulessa has ruled for over Two Hundred years, longer than any of us has been alive.” I answer.

“Don’t you guys have history books or manuscripts or scrolls or something? You’ve got that damn story about Zaphod, Jillian and Alexia out there. Didn’t anybody write about history?”

Dierdra speaks up. “To be fair, Alexia, that story is of much greater interest to the people than some dry subject like history.”

“I know. Porn is almost always the first to take advantage of new technology.”

“What is ‘Porn’?” I ask.

“Never mind, Johnathyn. Maybe later. Don’t any one of you know the history of your world?”

Emlilly Sousa stands. “I know some things. My family has a long lineage, mostly men. My relatives have had seats at the tables of power. Before Opulessa, there was a different witch who was Queen. She ruled for almost a hundred years herself. Opulessa defeated her. Before that was another witch Queen, and another and another and another, going back at least a thousand years. There were many powerful witches in those days and they often ruled over smaller queendoms but Opulessa overcame them all, uniting the smaller queendoms. As for the last time there was an area ruled by a government not backed by a strong witch, I could not say.”

Sousa sat back down and Alexia stood. “Safe to say, it’s been awhile. Then there are a couple of things I’d like to add. Some of you already know this but I want everyone to be on the same page. Patron Miller’s original plan was to bring my brother Terry to your world. My mother was to come with him. Terry would have been a Seventy Eight but, more importantly, he would have been willing to stay and rule. He would have loved nothing more. He was desperate to become a woman and this place would have been a dream come true for him. My mother would have loved being the parent of a Queen so she would have also stayed willingly. All that changed when they were killed. I got recruited to replace my brother and only agreed to stay until the people who killed my family pay for their crimes. After that happens in this world, I’m going home and making sure the same thing happens in my world. The people who did this will pay. Now, given all of that, and the plans of Patron Miller as laid out for me, here are the questions. Will it work, both short term and long term? What are the consequences for the people? If Miller’s plan won’t work, what does it need to work? How many First Ministers have there been in the recent past? Why does one First Minister replace another? Think about this on your own for awhile and then we’ll talk again.”

Alexia turns and walks out of the barn, leaving the others to their thoughts. Despite what she asked, some of them began to talk among themselves. I wait awhile until their attention is elsewhere and slip out of the barn by a side door. Walking around the outside of the building, I soon find Alexia sitting on a bench by a stone well. I slowly stroll up to her.

“They’re talking together, aren’t they?” she asks, not looking at me but towards the woods.

“Yes. Did you expect otherwise?”

“Not really. I wanted everyone’s opinion, not just the loudest opinion.”

“You mean Beckwith’s.”

“Hers for one. Dierdra can be pretty loud when she wants to though. I know what I think but I was hoping to see if anyone else agreed with me.”

She reaches down, picks up a handful of loose stones and drops one into the well. There is silence then a quiet “Plonk” that slowly fades away.

“Patron Miller’s plan … why did they always say ‘Patron Miller’ and not just ‘Miller’?”

“It is a title of honor. He is the Patron of his district. The country is divided into districts, each run by one man appointed by the First Minister. That man is called ‘Patron.’”

“I get it. Well his plan was created by a man. Men don’t think like women.” She drops another stone into the well.

“I’m not sure I still think like a man.”

“Why does that matter?” I ask.

“It matters because I made a career out of solving puzzles, finding the weaknesses in systems. In order to do that, I had to get inside the heads of the people who built that system, figure out how they thought.”

“Only men made these systems?”

“Mostly.”

“I thought men and women were equal were you came from.”

“They are but some professions have more men than most. Programmers tend to be men and even if there are women on the team, the male perspective dominates. I’ve never run into a system created by a strictly female group of programmers. That might have been interesting to see.”

“Why do you say you no longer think like a man?”

She drops another stone in the well.

“I think about things differently than before.” She turns her head towards me. “About certain people too.”

“Could that simply be due to new experiences? Very few people have done what you have done.”

“Yeah, that’s part of it but it’s more than that … I’m scared, Johnathyn.”

“That is only normal, Alexia.”

“Not for me it’s not! I don’t get scared. Sure, it happens on the short term, like with those mutant wolves of yours but it doesn’t last. Now, I’m scared almost all the time. Am I doing the right thing? Should I do something else? Should I do it differently? Why do I feel the way I do? … Should I do something about it?”

“Everyone fears the unknown, Alexia.”

“I didn’t … at least not before coming here. I jumped into the unknown, attacked it. Now …”

“You hide your fear well.”

She smiles at me. “Thanks. I just don’t know how much longer I can do it.”

“May I sit?” She scoots closer to the well, making space for me to sit next to her. I join her on the bench. “When I was a young man, I was a bit of a rounder.”

“A rounder? What’s that?”

“A scoundrel, a rascal, a rake. I drank too much, brawled too often over inconsequential things, chased women.”

“Did you catch them?”

“Yes. Sometimes they caught me.”

“What did you do when you caught them?”

“What men and women have done since time began.”

“Sounds interesting, tell me more.”

“That is not my point, Alexia. My point is that in all that time, I too was not afraid.”

“Well look at you! A big, muscle-bound stud out chasing tail. Who’d you have to fear?”

“There were some who wished me harm.”

“Ha! I bet you were a dashing rogue!”

My face grows warm. “Perhaps, but I did not know fear until I met Leeantha.”

She is shocked. “Your wife?!”

“Yes.”

“Why did you marry her if you were afraid of her?”

“You misunderstand. I did not fear her; I loved her with all my heart. Until I met her, I was alone, responsible for only myself but when we became husband and wife, I now was responsible for the both of us. I had something I treasured that I could lose or could be taken away from me. I was afraid of either possibility.”

“I see.”

“When Leeanna was born, it became even worse. This tiny, fragile creature was totally dependant upon me to provide for her.”

“I think your wife might have disagreed with you on that point.”

“In this world, they were both my responsibility. When Leeantha died shortly after giving birth, all my fears were realized.”

“Must have been rough.”

“It was, but I would not trade a single moment of my life with her or Leeanna for all the riches of your world.”

“So, what are you telling me?”

“That it is easy to be fearless when you have nothing to lose. Have you discovered that you now have something to lose?”

“I had something to lose, Mom and Terry, but I never thought about it happening until it did. I went straight to anger, skipping fear. After that, there wasn’t anyone.”

“And now?”

She sighs. “How did I get into this mess, Johnathyn?”

“Willingly, I hope. You did not answer my question.”

“I know. Yes, I have something to lose, more than I‘ve ever had before.”

“As do I. Shall we go see what your friends have to say?”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Patron Miller is a complete ninny.”

The others are in deep discussion when Johnathyn and I return to the barn. It really was too much to expect them to not talk to each other. My fears of Beckwith’s dominance were confirmed. I’ll deal with it.

“Why is that, Beckwith?”

“Ahh you’re back. He’s a ninny because there has never been a government without the backing of a strong witch.”

“We’re planning almost the same thing. Our plan uses a council of witches. They will all be equal and majority rules. Frankly, I’d shoot for a democracy but this world isn’t ready for that.”

“What is a democracy?” she asks.

“Where people select their leaders by voting for them, who ever gets the most votes wins and every adult, man or woman, gets one vote each. The chosen leader gets a fixed number of years, two to four, before he or she must run again. Sometimes there are a limited number of times a person can keep a job. For example, the First Minister of my world is limited to two four year terms. After four years, he must be chosen again to keep his office and after eight years, he has to leave, no matter what the people want.”

“That sounds foolish.”

“Oh it gets worse. In addition to the first minister, there’s two elected councils, one with one hundred people the other with over four hundred people. Any law has to get voted on by a majority of both councils and approved by the first minister before it goes into effect.”

“BOTH councils?”

“Yep. Then someone may challenge it in the Courts and then a Judge will have to review it to make sure it’s a legal law, then that Judge’s decision could go to another Judge in a higher Court and then possibly to the top Court and get reviewed by nine Judges before the law goes into effect.”

“That sounds impossibly complex.”

“It is, and don’t get me started talking about administrative agencies and bureaucracy. It’s amazing anything ever gets done. We have a saying on my world about democracies.”

“What is that?”

“That it’s a terrible system of government except when compared to all other forms of government. What you have is a dictatorship and even if we win, it’ll still be a dictatorship, just dictator by committee. It’s a first step to a better world. I hope.”

“I do not understand,” says Dierdra. “I thought you believed in something called Anarchy.”

“I still do, sort of, but your world isn’t ready for that either. Don’t worry, we’ll get the bugs worked out as we go along. The question right now is about Patron Miller’s plan. Beckwith says it won’t work without a strong witch backing it. Who agrees with her? A show of hands.”

They all look back and forth among themselves until I raise my hand. They got the message and most of them raise their hands after Beckwith does. Dierdra was one of the few who didn’t.

“Why not, Dierdra?” I ask.

“I would like to think that my people are smart enough to care for themselves without the watchful eye of some witch forcing them to do things against their will.”

“I’d like that too, Dierdra, but is that going to happen in the next few weeks? Months? Years? Be honest.”

She looks back and forth between me and the few others who had not raised their hands.

“No” she said, reluctantly. “Not now. Too many would seek power by the use of force. It would be a disaster.”

“That is what we will do. Keep the peace,” says Beckwith, a certain amount of smugness obvious in her voice.

“You’ll need to do better than that,” I say. “Peace they can get from any well armed dictator. You’ll have to give them a reason to support you, to believe in you, trust you. Without that, it‘s only a matter of time until someone comes along and kicks you all out.”

“They would not DARE!” Beckwith cries out.

“They would and they will.”

Sarah Finniss stands up. “You are both right! Our people only know the power of a witch. Some chafe under the weight of that yoke, others do not.” She glances at Beckwith. “It could be war.”

Great. These witches can’t get along and they don’t even have the taste of political power yet.

“Which do you think Patron Miller is, a fool … or a liar?” I ask.

“Why do you ask that?” says Emlilly Sousa.

“Apparently, he’s a fool if he thinks his plan will work, the same for those who support him or he’s a liar and he has another plan which involves a strong witch.”

“Where would he find such a witch?” asks Bengsston.

“That’s the $64,000 question, Steinvild,” I reply. “I’m not staying here if I win and they all know that. Maybe they think they can bribe or blackmail me but I don’t see how. If they’ve got another powerful witch hidden somewhere, why go through the hassle of getting me here? That only leaves one option.”

“By Zaphod’s beard!” Johnathyn gasps. “They expect you to lose!”

“Give that man a cookie. Yeah, they plan on me getting killed. In fact, if I win, it screws them up completely. Opulessa must survive. I’m just a diversion to keep her occupied for awhile.”

Sousa is surprised. “But surely Opulessa would take vengeance on anyone who attacked the First Minister.”

“Do not be certain of that,” Beckwith growls. “I have a cousin who works in the Palace. A cook. She tells some amazing stories. Opulessa is loyal as long as it benefits her. The moment it doesn’t, she does what is best for her. If Patron Miller can make a good argument and show her how she is better off with him than the First Minister, he’s in and Dupree is out.”

“It may not be as simple as that,” says Dierdra “but I have heard similar stories, enough to make me think that Alexia could be correct.”

“I’m right. It’s the only explanation that makes sense. They need a strong witch to rule and Opulessa is the devil they know. She’s been around long enough that she’s more predictable than I am. They know her strengths and weaknesses. I keep her busy while they do what they need to do then they make the pitch after I go down. Miller and his people may be the only viable option available to her. Who knows for sure.”

“If you are right, what do we do?” asks Bengsston.

“Exactly what we were going to do,” replies Beckwith.

“She’s right about that,” I add. “We stick with our plan and stay close to theirs. We don’t let on that we’ve tumbled onto the truth. We act normally and keep our eyes peeled, learn everything we can. Beckwith, this cousin of yours, you guys all buddy buddy?”

“We are close, if that is what you are asking.”

“Would she be willing to help us?”

“Maybe. It depends on what you are asking her to do. She has children so I will not let you put her life at risk.”

“It’s not that risky. Just a little recon work, that’s all. When can I talk with her?”

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

I had started on my second bowl of disappointing soup when Schicalli walked through the door of the dingy inn.

Late.

As usual.

He looks around the small room without recognizing me. A credit to my disguise as a common peasant. I’m certain he would have left had I not raised my hand and signaled for him to approach with a crook of my finger, which he did with an admirable sense of caution.

“Excuse me,” he began. “Do you want something … is that you, Rachet?”

“Yes. Sit down and order something before we draw someone’s attention. I suggest the soup of the day.”

He quickly drops down into the seat across the table from me and waves the serving wench his way. After several minutes, there was a tepid bowl in front of him. He brought a spoonful to his lips and grimaces.

“This is terrible!” he hisses.

“I know.”

“Then why did you recommend it?”

“You were late. I wasn’t gong to be the only one suffering through a poor meal tonight. What do you have for the First Minister?”

He pushes the bowl away from him but I push it back with a smile. “Keep eating. You want to blend in.”

Schicalli stares at me for a moment, picks up the spoon and slowly dips it below the grease floating on the surface.

“What do you have for the First Minister?” I repeat.

“Their witch has arrived.”

“Took her long enough. Is she powerful?”

“She nearly crushed my throat without any effort.”

I think that I would have enjoyed seeing that. “Fool. You were supposed to stay in the background. What did you do to deserve such treatment?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all! She was trying to change our plans and I simply objected.”

I shake my head. “You are a fool, Schicalli. What does it matter? We strike when we are ready.”

“It matters because I have been able to delay the attack until you are ready by not providing guns but that job has passed to another, thanks to their witch. The attack could come in the next few weeks.”

“First Minister Dupree will not be pleased. It was your job to keep these traitors under control.”

“My apologies to the almighty First Minister, Rachet. I have been risking my life these past few months to save his life. And yours.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Schicalli. The traitors had no chance of success from the very beginning. You risked your life because the First Minister promised to generously reward you with a position in the government. It is the witch that is the threat. We need to control her.”

“Control?! Are you mad?! She has already killed two men with the merest flick of her hand. She must die before she kills countless others.”

“Schicalli, First Minister Dupree has not remained First Minister this long by wasting opportunities.”

“Nor have you remained as his secretary all these past years by accident, Rachet.”

“I serve my Master well.”

“And the Queen.”

“Yes, yes, the Queen. That goes without saying.”

“So what possible reason would Dupree have for not wanting this upstart witch dead?”

“That is not your concern, Schicalli. Your job is to do as you are told and report to me so that I may report to the First Minister.”

“Of course. I understand. But one can’t help but think about all the possibilities.”

“Thinking is a dangerous thing to do, Barton.”

“Dangerous for us all, Dilgar. It never took much for the Queen to replace a First Minister because the First Minister could never replace the Queen. Until now.”

I don’t like the sly smile on Schicalli’s face. He is a smart man. If he wasn’t, he’d be dead by now. We can’t afford to have him meddling in our plans at this late date. “Keep your speculations to yourself, Barton.”

“Of course, Dilgar. Who could I possibly tell about First Minister Dupree’s reluctance to destroy the challenger to the Queen?”

This conversation is not going as well as I would like. “First Minister Dupree rewards loyalty, Schicalli. And severely punishes traitors.”

“As he should, Dilgar, as he should. I understand the Queen does the same. Very wise of her.”

“The First Minister speaks for the Queen.”

“I have no reason to doubt that, Rachet.”

Devious bastard. We both know what he is saying. Take care of him or the Queen shall know everything. Despite that, he might still tell the Queen if he can benefit from doing so. Schicalli may very well have to go at the first available moment.

But not yet. Not until we have the new witch in our hands and in our control. I take hold of my cloak from the chair next to me and stand.

“Contact me in the usual manner when you have new information. This affair is reaching a critical point. We will take the next opportunity when we can capture as many of the conspirators as possible, including the witch.”

“I thought the First Minister wanted them all at one time.”

“He did, but in light of you losing your leverage, we must make the best of a bad situation.”

“Shouldn’t that be Dupree’s decision?”

“It should be and is. Did you think he and I had not discussed this possibility? We have plans for every contingency.”

“Every contingency? How about the one where the witch crushes your skull like a grape by merely pinching her thumb and forefinger together?”

“As I will not be leading the raiding party, she can crush as many skulls as she wishes, as long as we ultimately succeed. Just inform us of the next major meeting of the traitors where the witch will be present and we will take care of the rest.”

“Then it should be soon. She let it be known that she would be part of the planning council from now on. Whether Patron Miller liked it or not.”

“Knowing Patron Miller, I would say he did not.”

“Very perceptive of you, Rachet.”

“Good evening to you, Sir. And Schicalli?”

“Yes?”

“Be prompt next time.”

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

I’m soaking in a tub of hot water after our last practice. I hurt all over. Nothing fatal, just a general acheyness all around. The girls have been giving me trouble lately. We keep practicing and they’re getting better faster than I am. I’m worried about it. Dierdra keeps pointing out that they’ve all lived with magic for years and learned to work at lower power levels. Now that they’re all together and I’m here, they’ve all got power to burn while I’m still learning the ropes. I can throw the big shots and overwhelm them but I’ve got trouble with touch, the delicate control of the magic. Dierdra says I’ll get the hang of it but we’re running out of time. Add the fact that Opulessa has been doing this at my power level for more than two hundred years and my chances of coming out alive aren’t getting any better.

My hands are getting pruney so it’s time to get out and dry off. The long soak did some good. I don’t feel so bad physically but I’m still worried about my capabilities.

Johnathyn’s off helping with Pegues last shipment of guns. It took him less time than I thought it would and he spent my money wisely. He got some good deals. Say what you will about Pegues, the man can deal. With Johnathyn gone, it’s my job to get Leeanna to bed.

After drying off, I drop a long nightgown over my head and tie a sash tightly around my waist. When I get to Leeanna’s bed, she’s watching old Rocky and Bullwinkle videos on the laptop. She says she likes them but I can’t think she understands more than a third of the jokes.

“Lee, Honey, time to go to bed.”

“Yes, Mother,” she answers. I’m still not used to that. Both the “Mother” thing and that she actually does what I tell her without a fight.

Usually.

I grunt lightly as I tuck the blanket around her.

“Are you hurt, Mother?”

“No, not really. I’m just sore from practice, that’s all.”

“Why do you practice so much?”

“I need to learn how to use magic. All the other witches have a head start on me.”

“Aren’t you stronger than the rest of them?”

“Yes, but the strongest person doesn’t always win.”

“Why not?”

“It’s good to be strong but a smart person can beat a stronger person.”

“But you’re smart too.” She points to the laptop I sat on the nightstand next to her bed. “You can use all knowledge in the computer.”

“There’s not a lot about magic in there,” I tell her. “And most of what’s in there on magic is wrong. I am smart but I need to learn lots more about magic.”

“But the Queen is very old and you’re really young and strong. Is she practicing all the time too?”

“We don’t know for sure but it looks like she isn’t.”

“If you’re practicing and she isn’t and you’re young and she’s old, why won’t you win?”

“It’s not as simple as that, Lee. She’s been at this a long time; she knows everything there is to know about magic.”

“Who taught her?”

“What?”

“If she knows everything there is to know about magic, who taught her? Who was her teacher?”

I sit down on the edge of the bed. Who did teach her? Or did she just pick it up as she went along? Does she have a good grasp of the basics or is she just coasting along on her superior power? Has she ever been really challenged? She is old, she just doesn’t look it. Plus, she’s got a lot of balls in the air all the time, tapping her reserves every second of every minute of every hour of every day. How much extra does she have for a throw down?

“Mother!”

Leeanna interrupts my train of thought. “Uhh … what?”

“Who was the Queen’s teacher?”

“I don’t know. There may not be anyone alive who knows. She may not have had a teacher.”

“What were you just thinking of? You were all quiet and staring out into the room.”

“I was just thinking about an old fighter from my world. He fought a younger man, a very strong man, a man who was knocking out his opponents very quickly. The old fighter decided to take the punches of the younger fighter. Protect his head and take the body shots. Let the young guy punch himself out. He wasn’t used to fighting long fights even though he was in good shape. The young fighter didn’t know what to do so he just punched away, winning the rounds on points. Eventually, the young fighter got tired and the old fighter knocked him out. The old fighter called it ‘The Rope-a-Dope’. He took quite a beating but he won.”

“What happened to the old fighter?”

“That was his last big fight. He fought some others after that but he didn’t have it in him anymore. It was his last hurrah. The beatings took their toll and he eventually got real sick. That fight with Foreman may have ultimately cost him quite a bit. No one can say for sure.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt, Mother.”

“I don’t want to get hurt, Leeanna, but I’ll do what it takes to win.”

“Like the ‘Rope-a-Dope’?”

“Yeah … maybe I will.”

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

“What is ‘Rope-a-Dope’?”

“The name isn’t important, Dierdra. It’s the strategy. What if I play defense? Just hit her hard enough and often enough to get her pissed and keep her that way. Talk a little smack to keep her from figuring out the plan. I block her shots until she gets tired and then I take her out.”

“What if she takes you out while you’re playing this defense?”

“I know. That’s the question. How much does a two hundred year old witch have in the tank and can I hold out long enough to force her to tap all her resources?”

“There is no way to know for certain.”

“Not now there isn’t. Another question is how much does she really know about magic? You yourself told me about all the hard work you did to learn to use what skills you have and it was all done to maximize the limited power that you had. The rest of the girls did the same. Opulessa never had to do that, she had power to spare from day one. How many tricks does she actually know? How many pitches does she have in her game? Maybe she’s just a fastball pitcher with really great stuff, used to blowing it by every batter. If I keep fouling her off, upping the pitch count, sooner or later, that fastball loses some of its heat. If that’s the only pitch she’s got, I can start taking her yard, knock her out of the box.”

Dierdra gives me an exasperated look. “You know that I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Sorry, guys always condense ideas down to sports metaphors. It’s a kind of universal short hand for us but I think you get my drift. If she’s gotten soft and lazy, not fully developed her skills, relied on being the biggest and baddest witch in the room, what happens if she’s facing someone as big and bad as she is?”

“We do not know if you are as skilled as she.”

“I know, I get it but if I put as much into blocking her as she does attacking me then that’s a stalemate. The longer the stalemate, the better my chances. Has she ever actually fought another witch equal to her? A Seventy Seven?”

“There have been no fights with other witches in my lifetime.”

“So she could be coasting on her rep. Interesting.”

“And if she is not?”

“I can always run away.”

“You would not do that. I know you too well to believe it.”

“You might be surprised. Either way, I like this plan. It’s something unexpected. Always screw with your opponent’s head whenever you can.”

“Does that lead to victory?”

“Sometimes. But it’s always fun.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I return to our room at the inn after an evening of shooting practice. One of the leaders of the conspiracy has a large farm nearby. Twenty five of the men brought their rifles and we rode to a remote section of the farm for a ‘shooting contest’. In fact, we were practicing with the other world guns Pegues had purchased.

They are fearsome weapons, firing as quickly as you can pull the trigger until they are spent but are rapidly reloaded. With all twenty five of us lined up, shooting at the same target, it was almost instantly destroyed. The other men were extremely enthusiastic, almost drunk with the power of these modern guns. They weren’t thinking about the possibility that while pulling the trigger, they might also be the target. Looking at the shredded dummies we had been shooting at not long ago, I knew at which end of the muzzle I wished to be.

While the others cleaned the new guns, I took a few shots with my personal rifle, the one my father, Dylan Tyber, helped me make so many years ago. It is a fine weapon, fitting me like an old friend. We have killed many a deer, elk and moose together. The only shots in anger we have fired have been at wolves. I have never pointed it at another man, not even in jest. I am almost thankful that it will not accompany me into battle for I do not wish to stain it with the memories of killing men.

When I enter the room, I see Alexia posed in front of a mirror, turning first this way and then that, tossing her hair, cocking her head to the side with a winsome smile. Then she gently lifts and handles her breasts in a way that made the breath freeze in my throat. She turns to look at me over her shoulder, her eyes bright and her lips crimson.

“Hello Johnathyn,” she purrs. “Does this dress make me look fat?”

By Zaphod’s beard! Not that question!

“Uhhh … well … uhh, no, of course not! You could never look fat! Someone as thin and beautiful as yourself could never …”

Alexia begins to laugh. “Dude! You should see your face! Guess that question puts the fear in the guys over here as much as it does the guys back home. Why do chicks care that much?” She returns to looking at herself in the mirror. “Still, no use in letting the standards drop. You know what I mean? Nothing wrong with looking good and using what you’ve got. Right?”

“Oh yes, I agree completely,” I say, relieved to be free of that question.

“I need to ask you a serious question, Johnathyn. I need your honest answer. I’m not kidding. Your honest answer. I’m not fishing for compliments or anything like that. I’ve already asked Leeanna basically the same thing so now I need your opinion. It’s important. Okay?”

“Certainly, Alexia. Ask me what you wish.”

“Alright, think before you answer, it’s important. Has my appearance changed since we first met?”

“You were wet, chilled to the bone, dressed in too large clothes and coated in mud. Yes, I would say your appearance has changed since then.”

“I’m not talking about that, Johnathyn! You saw me after I got cleaned up that night. Think back. Do I appear differently now than I did then? Think hard.”

I close my eyes and attempt to conjure an image from that first night and compare it to what I see before me. It is difficult to separate the images; we have spent so much time together after that first night.

“I believe that you were … thinner. Not that you are fat now!”

“Johnathyn. Chill. Keep going. Give it to me straight.”

“I just mean that your body is more … curved. More womanly. Your hips are … rounder but your waist might be thinner. Your breasts … are … ahh, they are …”

“Larger.”

“Yes! Exactly! Larger!”

“Don’t be so happy about it. What else?”

“Well, your hair might be darker, hard to say for certain.”

“What about my eyes?”

“Your eyes? What about them?”

“Have they changed?

“How could your eyes change?”

“I’m not dealing with ‘how’ right now, just ‘if’. Any changes in the eyes?”

I close my eyes again and concentrate on the freshly bathed and dressed woman who sat at my table that rainy night. I then open my eyes and look at Alexia, staring at me with her large, bright …’

“They are bigger! Your eyes are bigger today than they were that night! And your nose is smaller! By Zaphods’s beard, your neck is longer too! Why did I not notice this before?”

“Same reason I didn’t notice it. Mentally, were both guys … well you’re a guy and I’m still mostly a guy. At least for now. Leeanna rattled off the changes, bang, bang, bang. Dierdra did the same, though she didn’t know me from the start.”

It is true. Alexia has changed. And every single change has made her more beautiful. She was an attractive girl at the start but now … how could I have missed it?

“How has this happened? Is it dangerous?”

Alexia looks uncomfortable. “Dierdra has a theory. I’m not saying I buy it, not yet at least, but it’s not dangerous … assuming she’s right or close to it.”

“What is her explanation?”

“I don’t want to get into it right now, Johnathyn. The big thing is that I have changed my appearance, maybe subconsciously. If that’s true, why can’t I consciously do it?”

“What does ‘subconscious’ mean?”

“You may know it as the dark mind and the light mind.”

“I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”

“Okay. I did it without knowing I was doing it.”

“Why would you want to?”

“Apparently, the Queen does it all the time, to stay looking young, but what if you could look like someone else entirely? You’d be one hell of a spy.”

“Agreed but how does that help us?”

“Getting into the castle would be a piece of cake.”

“What kind of cake?”

“Never mind. My mistake. It would be very easy to get into the castle if you looked like someone who works there.”

“Obviously but doesn’t Patron Miller have someone inside the castle already?”

“That’s his plan. We haven’t figured out how we get inside yet for our plan.”

“Sometimes, this is all very confusing.”

“I know. The thing right now is, can I change my appearance so that I look like someone else? If I can, it gives us a whole bunch of new options.”

“When do you plan to attempt this?”

“Right now.”

“Alexia! Is that wise? If something goes wrong, I will be of no help.”

“I want to try this where I am most comfortable and that’s when I’m with you. Dierdra’s just down the hall if it all goes south, but it shouldn’t.”

“But you do not know that for certain.”

“Let’s not amp up the nerves here.”

“What if you can’t change back?”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“I heard but these are legitimate concerns.”

“Afraid of losing your hot, young wife?”

“No. I am afraid of losing you, Alexia.”

She looks away, blushing, but quickly recovers her composure. “It’ll be just a quick change. I won’t even try to going back to a guy.”

“I should hope not! You would be powerless!”

“I don’t think so. I’m still me, just in a different package.”

Alexia can be so exasperating sometimes. “It is clear that you are going to do this despite my misgivings. Why you bother to ask my opinions I have no idea. What do you want me to do?”

“Just be cool and don’t freak out.” She takes a deep breath and rubs her hands together. “Here we go.”

She closes her eyes and gives her body a quick shake. Concentrating, she slowly inhales and exhales several times before her body starts to soften and her features begin to become indefinite. It is hard not to panic as the woman I know disappears and is replaced by someone or something I do not yet recognize. It takes a few milicycles before her image becomes distinct again but those few milicycles felt endless.

Alexia now bears a strong similarity to Dierdra, though a younger version. She opens her eyes and turns towards the mirror. I step up behind her, looking over her shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she answers, twisting her head around in front of the mirror. “I didn’t get it right, did I?”

“No, but it was a good attempt. Now please, for my sake, return to your original form.”

She smiles. “The original me or the new and improved model?”

“I do not care, just be Alexia.”

She closes her eyes again and Alexia reappears in the mirror, more quickly than she changed the first time.

“Thank Zaphod,” I whisper.

“All I did was stop concentrating on the new shape and I bounced right back to what I was. Looks like those improvements are here to stay.”

“I’m just content that you returned.”

“I need to work on this before I show it to the girls.”

She should not attempt such dangerous things by herself. “I will stay with you whenever you practice this new power.”

“You sure about that? The whole thing seems to upset you.”

“It does but I would be more concerned if you were doing it alone. Please follow my wishes this time, Alexia.”

She chortles lightly and smiles. “Who could say no to those big puppy dog eyes?”

“You do so. Frequently.”

“Don’t push your luck; I’m giving you this one. I want to try a few more times before we go to bed.”

“You’ll also need to change your clothes when you change images.”

“All of a sudden you’re a critic? One step at a time, Johnathyn.”

* * * *** * * * *** * * * ***

You can feel the excitement in the room. Patron Miller has called us all together for this final meeting before the attack. He had pulled me aside before the meeting, congratulating me on how quickly I had obtained the guns and on the training the men.

“Well done, Pegues!” he says. “My confidence in you was rewarded.”

“Your confidence was my inspiration, Patron.” That and my ten percent handling fee.

Miller nods sagely. “A talent of all good leaders, Miran.”

“I do have one concern, Patron”

“What is that?”

“That you have called so many of us to one place so close to the date of the attack. Is this meeting not a security risk?”

“You are correct, Miran, but it was suggested that everyone could benefit from a dose of my confidence and inspiration. That the benefit outweighed the risk.”

“I see. May I ask who made that suggestion?”

“I believe that it was originally made by Barton Schicalli, but several others agreed.”

Wonderful. A chorus of sycophants led by the chief sycophant leaves all our necks exposed.

“I am certain that you have made the right choice, Patron, but the shorter this meeting, the better. We do not wish to draw attention to ourselves at this late date.”

“Do not concern yourself, Miran. My speech will be succinct and powerful.”

His past speeches have been bombastic, which has actually stoked the enthusiasm of the younger, more idealistic men. The older men have seen too much during their lives to be carried away by mere words. Succinct they were not.

The last to arrive at the meeting is Alexia. I did not see her walk in. It was as if she simply appeared in the back of the room. I’m certain my attention was elsewhere when she entered, though others seem surprised when she speaks out.

“Sorry I’m late,” she says. “Let’s get this party started.”

Her bodyguard isn’t with her but after the performance at the last meeting I don’t think she’s at much risk. Most of the men here don’t have a death wish.

There are too many present to fit in the Patron’s secret room in the barn so this meeting is being held on the first floor of the main house. Too many windows and doors for my taste, though the curtains are all drawn. The longer Miller drones on the more nervous I become. This entire speech is an exercise in ego massage. If I could sneak out of here, I would.

Suddenly, there are several loud crashes and the curtains covering the windows fly inwards. Almost instantly, there is a blinding flash of light immediately followed by a tremendous loud explosion. The room is full of smoke and stumbling, dazed men.

“DOWN! DOWN! EVERYONE DOWN ON THE GROUND! DOWN ON THE GROUND AND HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!”

More men storm into the room, all dressed in black helmets and uniforms, armed with military weapons from the other world. They start knocking our people to the floor, some of them using the butts of their weapons to strike them in the head or back. The demand to drop to the floor keeps being loudly shouted over the pandemonium. A few of the younger men try to put up a fight but they are quickly swarmed and subdued.

I manage to roll across the floor, squatting low behind a short table. The curtain of the window near me is flapping in the wind. If I’m lucky, I can jump through the window and scramble to the woods. I take two steps towards the window before something strikes me between my shoulders, knocking me to the floor and the air from my lungs.

“Where the fuck you think you’re going, mother fucker?”

I try to roll to my left but can’t catch my breath. I feel a heavy boot in the middle of my back, forcing me down, face first on the floor, as first my left then my right hands are roughly and painfully pulled up and lashed at the wrist behind my back. Someone grabs me under the arms, pulling me to my knees and then to my feet, turning me to face him as I gasp for air.

He’s almost a foot taller than me, a black helmet low over his eyes and a black cloth covering his face below his nose.

“You’re not going to give trouble, are you, boy? Cause iffen you do …”

He punches me sharply in the stomach, doubling me over and driving out what little air I managed to regain. He pulls me upright and pushes me ahead of him towards the double doors leading to the outside, keeping a firm grip on my bound wrists. As I stumble forward, bumping into other men similarly bound, my captor pushes and jerks me this way and that, down the stairs and across the yard full of black clad troops and Patron Miller’s men, some crying and begging but most stoically facing their fates. There are several heavy prison wagons, barred windows and doors. Another trooper grabs me and tries to pull me into a wagon but my captor yanks me back.

“He’s a special. The Queen wants to personally question him.”

ME?! WHY ME?! Why not Miller? Why not that BASTARD SCHICALLI??!!

“Poor fucker,” says the trooper.

“Better him than me,” my captor responds.

“Amen, Brother.” He jerks his thumb towards another wagon. My captor drags me in that direction through a swarm of men and horses.

The troopers are trying to corral the horses belonging to our people. There are two of them in front of me, each holding the reins of two struggling horses. As we draw nearer, the four horses spin rapidly to the right, throwing the men to the ground and breaking free. The wild eyed mounts are panicking, overwhelmed by the noise, smoke and confusion. Each one bolts in a different direction, scattering scrambling, cursing men left in their wake, increasing the uproar around us. Unable to keep my balance among the maelstrom of bodies, I stumble, falling face first to the ground, barely turning my head in time to avoid a mouthful of dirt and horse shit. Before I can stand up, I am picked up and thrown several feet into a group of short shrubs at the edge of the woods, my captor jumping onto my back, covering me with his body.

“If you want a chance to live through the night you’ll do exactly what I say,” he whispers into my ear. “If you understand, nod once.”

If my choices are to do what he says or face the Queen, that is not a choice. I slowly dip my head down and back up one time.

“Good man, Pegues. We’re going to get to our feet but stay low, keep your head below the level of the bushes. You follow me like stink on a skunk.”

“Free my hands,” I murmur.

“Not now, maybe later, if we live that long. Get ready to move quickly.”

He rolls off me into a squatting position. I struggle up onto my knees then to my feet, squatting as he does.

“See, that ain’t so hard, now is it?” He raises his head slightly, checking out the chaos I hope we soon leave behind. “Let’s go!” he hisses, taking off in a squat walk, heading towards a group of taller trees deeper in the woods. I try to follow him but my legs are not as young and flexible as his. Dead brush full of stickers tear at my clothes as I struggle. He is soon well ahead of me. He pauses to allow me to catch up and to survey the scene to make certain we are not being followed. Every time I nearly reach him, he tells me to hurry but be careful and takes off again, leaving me to fight on, my legs and lungs burning from the pain.

Eventually, we reach that tall grove of trees and both of us can stand behind their cover, allowing the blood to flow back into my cramping muscles.

“Surely, you can release me now,” I gasp.

“Not yet. We’re far from safe,” he whispers.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Move now, talk later. Follow me, keep low but we don’t have to duck walk. If I hit the ground, you do the same. Fast. Get moving.”

He takes off at a fast pace, not running but faster than walking, keeping alert. Several times he stops and drops to one knee behind a tree or large bush, pausing to make sure we are still not being pursued, then he is off again. In time, we reach a small clearing that must be at least a league away from where we started. Assuming we haven’t been going in circles. My shoulders and arms are aching from being tied in such an unnatural position and then running on top of that.

“I’m sure it is safe to untie me now.”

“For you maybe, not for me. Those woods were real clean, not many sticks on the ground.”

“The people around here heat and cook with wood but they are forbidden to cut down trees. They belong to the Queen. Fallen timber doesn’t last long before being gathered by the women and children.”

“Interesting. That makes sense. Makes escaping a hell of a lot easier.”

“What do you want of me?” I demand.

My captor removes his helmet and uncovers his face, revealing an older man. Clearly a veteran of numerous fights wherever he came from. He’s not carrying a weapon of any kind. He gives me a sinister smile.

“What do I want of you? Good question. Maybe I helped you escape so that they’ll put a big fat bounty on your head and I can turn you in later for the money. Maybe someone wants you bad enough to pay me to risk my life to save you so they can do what they want with you and blame the Queen for it. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes right now, Pegues.”

It would appear that my captor remains my captor and not my rescuer. I need to escape as quickly as possible, before his employer shows up to claim me. He has no gun but I don’t think I could outrun him, not with my arms trussed behind me. I clearly can’t attack him for the same reason. That leaves one option.

“I have money. You release me and you can have it all.”

That attracts his interest. “Real money or that crap you guys throw around locally?”

“Money from your world. ‘Real’ money. Gold.”

His eyes light up. “Where did you get gold?”

”I was doing a job for someone. She gave me gold to pay for some … items. I was able to get the items for less and pocketed the difference. It was a fair deal for all.”

He laughs quietly, almost angrily. “Did you tell your employer about this?”

“She had a great deal on her mind. No need to complicate her life.” Which has probably ended by now if the Queen has an ounce of intelligence. I’d feel bad about that if I wasn’t fighting for my own life.

“You’re a real prick, Miran. You know that, right? I should have just left your ass back there for the Queen to deal with you along with the rest of the idiots. Didn’t think I’d figure out the true plan, did you?”

My captor is getting shorter, shrinking before my eyes. We are now almost the same height.

“Who … what are you?”

His entire body glows dully for a moment and then returns to normal but he has changed. What was a man is now a dark haired woman … a beautiful woman wearing traveling clothes … it is …

“ALEXIA! How is this possible?! Untie me this instant!”

“Or what?”

“Uhhhh ….” I see her point. I’m not in a good bargaining position. “Please?”

“Where’s my money?”

“Safe. Very safe I assure you.”

“Right. How much was left?”

“About three thousand dollars. You can have it all back. I was planning on returning it to you once all this was over. Once we were in power and the Queen was …”

“Save it. I know you all were tossing me to the wolves to buy time. I appreciate a good ruthless plan unless I’m the one who takes it in the butt.” She snapped her fingers and my bindings were released. I bend and flex my shoulders, arms and fingers, thinking about what my next words should be. Can’t go wrong with a classic.

“Thank you for saving my life, Alexia.”

She stares at me for a moment. “First bright thing you’ve said today, Pegues. Let’s get out of here. We’re not safe yet.”

“No place is safe for us. There was a spy among the group. We must assume all our plans and secrets have been exposed.”

“Good thing I’ve got a completely different set of plans and secrets to fall back on.”

“What are you talking about?”

She grabs my right arm. “Time for you to meet my friends. Don’t scream.”

“Why would I … AAAHHHHHH!” We rapidly fly into the air, barely skimming the tree tops.

“I said don’t scream.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Rachet was leading me through the halls of the Palace in the West wing, the portion occupied by the government. The Healers of the Winthrop Group had mended my cuts and bandaged my wounds. I knew something was going to happen last night but they refused to tell me their plans, assuming that I would not be able to hide my reactions when the attack came. I surrendered right away but was still injured by their explosions.

A small price to pay.

I am supposed to meet the First Minister today but Rachet is being tight lipped, perhaps jealous of my success. We quickly pass through all of the security check points and Rachet opens the door for me of what I assume is First Minister Dupree’s office. He steps aside so that I might enter then immediately closes it behind me, leaving me standing in a room with the First Minister and two other people, one who I recognize. The First Minister stands up and reaches out towards me with his right hand, the custom of the other worlders.

“Mr. Schicalli , we finally meet.”

First impressions are important. I grasp his offered hand firmly. “I am pleased to finally meet you, First Minister Dupree.”

“Allow me to introduce …”

I interrupt him. “Mr. Don White, representative of the Consortium. We have met before but I doubt that you would remember. It was a large event and I was one of many.”

White stands and we shake hands, as is their custom. “Pleased to meet you again, Mr. Schicalli.”

The First Minister continues. “This is Colonel Thomas Willis, commander of the Winthrop Group personnel on our world.”

I step towards Colonel Willis but he remains seated, not offering me his hand, just nodding his head towards me, an unlit cigar clenched between his teeth, a very unfriendly look upon his face. The First Minister indicates a chair with his outstretched hand.

“Have a seat, Barton.”

He called me by my first name! Surely, I am a part of the inner circle now! “Thank you, First Minister.” I sit in a surprisingly uncomfortable plain wooden chair.

The First Minister returns to his seat. “Barton, we have a bit of a situation here and we are hoping you could shed some light, perhaps explain something.”

“I will do whatever you ask of me, First Minister.”

“Excellent, Barton. As you well know, Colonel Willis’s men raided Patron Miller’s home yesterday in an attempt to put an end to this plot to take over the government.”

I make a show of rubbing the bandages over my wounds and smiling ever so slightly.

“I certainly remember, I was there, after all.”

“Yes, you certainly were. Among our objectives was to capture as many of the conspirators as possible, with the primary focus being on capturing the rogue witch. Don’t you agree?”

“Yes. She was in the back of the room when the explosions occurred.”

“Then perhaps you can explain why she wasn’t there when the men stormed the house.”

“I don’t understand, First Minister.”

“The witch, the one named Alexia, she was not in the room when Colonel Willis’s men came through every door and window. There was no place for her to go, nowhere to run, escape impossible, and yet she was not there. Can you explain that, Barton?”

I look from face to face and find no sympathy. Something must have gone wrong, someone, not me, had failed. My job was to get as many of the conspirators in one place at one time and I had succeeded. The accursed witch was there. I saw her, I heard her speak.

“I do not understand, First Minister. She was in the room when the bombs exploded! I swear upon Zaphod’s great staff that she was there!”

“Then what happened to her, Schicalli? Surely you aren’t blaming Colonel Willis or his men, are you?”

Of course that is what happened but I can not say it. “I am certain they did their jobs, just as I did mine. Everything happened so quickly after the bright flashes of light. I was blinded at first, then deafened by the blasts. I had barely started recovering my wits when someone struck me across the face and I fell to the ground. What happened after that is unclear until later that night but I can say with absolute certainty that she was there both before and during the raid.”

“I see. Another person was unaccounted for, a Miran Pegues.”

“That’s it!” I shout. “It was Pegues who found and delivered the witch in the first place! They must be together.”

“But how did they escape Colonel Willis’s trap?” asks White, politely but insistently. I had the feeling that the next time he asks, it would not be so polite.

“I do not know, Sir. I only know that if that witch was close to anyone, it would be Pegues. It cannot be a coincidence that they both escaped.”

“They could not have escaped my men,” Willis states as if it was fact. “We had all bases covered and each man was part of a well trained team. There were several redundancies.”

“Well, I never saw these ‘redundancies’, whatever they are. I just know that if you find Pegues, you’ll find the witch.”

The First Minister pauses, rubbing his hands lightly together. “You don’t suppose that they have some kind of alternative plan, do you Schicalli?”

“Of course not! If there was such a plan, I would know it. Pegues is a devious fellow but he could not hide such a thing from me. I assure you, First Minister, there is no other plan to topple your - our government. At least, not from anyone involved in this plot. Pegues is simply on the run, as is the witch. They may be on the run together.”

“In which case, they may be doubly hard to catch. Any idea where they might run to, Barton?”

“Perhaps back to the other world. Did you recover the jump device?”

Both Dupree and White look towards Willis, who shakes his head. I relax just a little. Someone else to blame if things do not work out. Dupree stands up.

“It appears we still have unfinished business, gentlemen. I will detain you no longer, Barton.” The door opens without anyone doing anything, Rachet waiting on the other side. Has he been listening to the entire conversation? “Mr. Rachet will show you out. Please keep in touch, we may have further need of your expertise as this all plays out. Once again, thank you for your invaluable assistance. You will be well rewarded for your hard work.”

I bow slightly. “Your success is my reward, First Minister.”

“How kind of you Barton. I will keep that in mind.”

As I walk past Rachet, I can’t help but let slip a look of satisfaction. My future seems assured.

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

Dupree sits down as soon as the turncoat leaves the room and the door shuts behind him.

“I don’t care what good may come of it, once a man turns on his comrades, I can’t ever trust him again.”

“As useful as such men are, I am forced to agree with Colonel Willis on this point,” says White. Glad that he’s backing me up.

“I do not have that luxury, gentlemen. Spies and traitors have been a part of our statecraft since long before I was born. Even before the Queen was born. If that is possible.”

Both White and Dupree chuckle at the joke at the Queen’s expense. I don’t join them.

“So what are you going to do with him?” I ask.

“I will use him, Colonel. He will help capture Pegues and his witch along with the rest of their people. Once they have been dealt with, Mr.Schicalli will receive his just reward and live a quiet life until attention is elsewhere and he can be safely disposed of.”

White nods his head in agreement. “A very practical solution to a difficult problem. People like Schicalli must be seen to be rewarded, otherwise it would be impossible to recruit others when the need arises, but they can really screw up the works later. They just know too much and can’t be trusted not to spill their guts later on.”

The lack of loyalty and honor in this room is appalling.

“At least he was telling the truth about the witch being in the room before the raid. Our cameras have a clear picture of her just before the Flash Booms go off.”

“And after?” asks White.

“The bright flash overwhelms iris control. You get a momentary whiteout. It only lasts a few seconds. When the cameras come back up, she’s gone. Seconds after my guys break through the door.”

“Any idea where she could have gone?”

“None, First Minister. We had that place locked down TIGHT! A fly couldn’t have gotten out of there.”

“What about Pegues?” asks White.

“We didn’t have him on camera. He wasn’t a prime target. We’re pretty sure he shows up later being hustled out the main door along with some other prisoners. We didn’t have cameras outside. After that, no idea. All my men are accounted for.”

“Bribery?”

“Not MY men, First Minister.”

“It would not be the first time a soldier …”

“Not MY men.”

“If you say so, Colonel Willis. Were their guns recovered?”

“Yeah, not there but at a farm about five klicks South. Nice stuff for civilians. Lots of ammo. They could have given us a bit of a bloody nose if they knew what they were doing.”

“But not enough to defeat us?”

“Not a chance, Mr. White. Not. A. Fucking. Chance. If you’ll excuse me gentlemen, I have prisoner interrogations to oversee. Whatever they know, First Minister, we’ll know soon enough.”

“Right now, the witch Alexia is the highest priority. A great deal depends on finding her.”

“I understand. We don’t have to worry about the Geneva Convention over here so our options are wide open. That plus the Queen has her own ideas.”

Dupree looks uncomfortable. “I’m sure she has but I would suggest you involve her as little as possible.”

“Why?”

“The Queen is often more interested in the process than the results. If someone can be pushed too far, the Queen is most likely going to do so. The best answer I can give is that she enjoys it too much. That is dangerous when trying to acquire useable information.”

“Can’t see any harm in letting her try. She is in charge, isn’t she?”

Dupree waives me off with a flick of his hand. “I leave it to your good, informed discretion, Colonel Willis. Let me know when you have any results.”

“Yes, Sir.” Right after I tell the Queen. And she authorizes it.

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

When I reach the security area, the Queen is already there, waiting for me.

“Your Majesty! I am so sorry! If I had known you were here, I’d have left that meeting and run right over!”

“I know you would have, Colonel. I wanted you to finish the meeting with First Minister Dupree. You can tell me all about it later. I’ve been spending my time profitably. Getting reacquainted with all your fine men. Inspecting the prisoners, looking for good prospects, making certain that they know I am here. You should find many of them much more talkative than they were a few hours ago.”

“Did you do something to them?”

“Nothing requiring magic. People are just more willing to talk when the threat of harm is imminent. With me here, the threat could not be more imminent.”

I have not been looking forward to this. “My Queen, we have failed you. I have failed you. The rogue witch escaped. We had her trapped. There was no way she could have escaped us. I had a fast carriage waiting to bring her direct to you as a Birthday present from all of us, but … I failed you! I … I don’t know how she did it! Every possible exit was double covered. No one saw anything! I offer you my life for my failure, my Queen! We do not deserve your …”

“Hush! Hush, Colonel Willis! All is forgiven! You, your men, they all did their best, of that I am certain.”

“But we failed you!”

“Yes, you did. However, I can be forgiving, when necessary. It is now necessary. Learn from your mistakes, Colonel.”

She is beyond compare! There is no one like her in the entire universe! “My Queen, we do not deserve your forgiveness.”

“No, you do not but the situation is not that objectionable. If Alexia was so easily captured, she would not be worth having. Rest assured, there will be other opportunities, Colonel Willis.” She smiles at me as only she can. “Now, let us visit some of your prisoners. I have some ideas that I would like to try. No better time than the present. Spring is the mating season after all.”

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

“She has bewitched them all.”

Beckwith’s cousin, Celedine Gamgee, agreed to talk with me. Just talk. So far.

“Why do you say all the Winthrop Group guards are bewitched? What exactly does that mean?

“I’m a cook. Cooks know almost everything that happens in the homes that employ them. We are awake when others sleep. No one notices us until they desire something. The maids are there mostly for their looks but cooks must be good. To serve the Queen and remain there for years, you must be very good. I am very very good at cooking and being invisible. As for the guards, they are all in love with her.”

“I guess I can see that, she is beautiful, at least that’s what I’ve been told.”

“No. You do not understand. She takes them into her chambers and they come out unable to do anything but obey her.”

I knew a girl like that a couple of years ago. She was amazing. After a night with her, you’d kill a person if she asked you. What could a two hundred year old witch do if she had similar skills? A woman could get pretty damn good with two hundred years of practice. Was that it or was there more to it?

“Exactly how does she do this?”

The older woman smiles wickedly. “How do you think, child? Did your mother not explain these things to you?”

“I know enough to get by just fine.”

“A girl who looks as you do only ‘just fine’? Such a waste.”

“Look, sex is just sex. Good, bad or great. You can’t ‘bewitch’ a man by just fuc … having sex with him.” At least not for very long.

“I cannot, you may not but Queen Opulessa can and does. After she has been with them, the men from the other side deny her nothing.”

“Does she do this to men from this world?”

“If she does, I’ve never seen it. She has taken them to her chambers but they are not bewitched. The women are not bewitched either.”

Why just us and not them? Wait. Women? Whoa! That’s … that’s …. uuhh … kinda … hot.

“How many women … never mind. Not important. Doesn’t every one in the Palace do what they are told?”

“Yes, but most do it because they are paid, or afraid, or both. The other worlders do it because they desire to.”

“How many guards not part of the Winthrop Group are inside the Palace walls?”

“None. The other guards are on the outside. Only the bewitched ones on the inside.”

Interesting. “And they always do what the Queen tells them to do?”

“If she told them to dance naked in the courtyard then pair off, make love to each other and not remember it, it would happen.”

“Isn’t that going a bit too far? I mean …”

“Ten days ago. She was bored.”

My. God. The possibilities. “If I got you a camera, would you take some pictures of the Queen?”

“What is a camera?”

“A mechanical device, a small device, fits in the palm of your hand. Here, let me show you.” I pull my cell phone from the pocket of my skirt and turn it on. The screen lights up, then fills with icons. “You touch this image right there and the screen shows what the camera sees.” I turn the screen so Gamgee can see it. Her eyes are wide open, as is her mouth. I turn it to face her. “You look at the screen and when you see what you want to keep, you push this button …” The cell made a clicking sound. I’ll have to disable that. “… and the picture is here.” I turn the phone around so she can see the screen. It’s a picture of her.

“What sorcery is this?”

“It’s not magic, just tech. anybody can do it. Here, let me show you. Take this …”

She backs away. “No! I could not!”

“It’s easy! Just point it at something, keep it steady and push the button right here. You’re done just like that. Easy peazy.”

I carefully place it in her shaking hands and walk her through taking a shot. In no time at all, she’s shooting like she’s Diane Arbus.

“Let’s not waste all that juice. It’s a lot harder to recharge here than at home. Can you take that back to the Palace and take some pictures of the Queen without her knowing about it?”

“Why would you need those? There are several portraits of her around town, some very large.”

“I know but I need something a little more detailed. Can you do it safely? Beckwith would never forgive me if you were hurt.”

“Yes, I think so. She often walks across the courtyard to the stables, right past the kitchen window. It could be done.”

“Great! You take that with you and get me what you can, both sides plus front and back would be perfect but I’ll take what I can get. Just don’t take any unnecessary chances.”

“When dealing with the Queen, what is an unnecessary chance?”

“Be careful then.”

“I will.” She pockets the cell phone. “Now, may I ask you some questions?”

“Yeah, fine. Go ahead.”

“Were you truly a man before coming to our world?”

“I was.”

“A real man, not one of those womanly men?”

“I guess that’s a matter of opinion but I’d have to say that I was as manly as anyone you’d meet. More or less.”

“I would not believe it.”

“Why not?”

“You walk and talk and sit as a woman. You say odd things now and then but they are said as a woman would. Your gestures are all female. You brush the hair away from your face as easily as any woman. No one seeing you would ever see the slightest hint of a man.”

“Gosh. Thanks a lot. Just what I wanted to hear. You’ve no idea how that makes me feel.”

She smiles, as if I’d thanked her for a compliment. “You are welcome. So beautiful! Beckwith told me that you were the fairest girl she had ever seen but I would not believe her. I have seen the Queen! But she speaks the truth. More beautiful than the Queen. ’Tis not to be believed unless seen with one’s own eyes.”

“Beckwith said that? Yeah. Well, what can I say? A girl’s dream come true, right?”

“Oh yes! So lucky, and a witch too. Is your world like ours?”

“Yes and no. We don’t have witches and magic, so that’s two big diffs right there but I think the land looks a lot like my world would if not for all the development and the pollution. Living here’s like living in the wildest parts of Central Park, or maybe the woods of Vermont. I wouldn’t know a lot about that, I didn’t get out of the city much back home. I can say that it would be a lot colder back home right now. I’m guessing it’s like February or maybe March back home. You’d be lucky if it was above freezing for a high but here it’s almost Spring. We’ve got global warming but I don’t know what you’ve got to explain it. You don’t seem to be any closer to your sun.”

“It is all Opulessa’s doing. She wants a pleasant birthday so she makes certain there is only sunshine and warm breezes for the entire month.”

“She can control the weather?!”

“More like keep it at bay. Once the last official day of celebration ends, the winds, rains and cold return with great thunderstorms, scaring the children and livestock. There are floods everywhere and the Court yard becomes a muddy mess, but Opulessa cares not. She had a nice birthday celebration and that is all she cares for.”

“Do you know how she does it?”

“No, but you are also a witch, a Seventy Seven. Don’t you know?”

“I’ve only been a witch for like a hundred and twenty days. There’s still a lot to learn.”

“So it would seem. Beckwith’s not certain you will succeed.”

At least she’s honest. “She’s not the only one but we’re gonna give it our best shot. Those pictures could really help.”

Gamgee removes the cell phone from her pocket, hefting it in her hand. It looks like she might be getting ready to hand it back to me. After a few seconds, she returns it to her pocket.

“I will do what I can.”

* * * *** * * * *** * * *

They’ve kept me locked in this room ever since we landed.

Landed. I was never so relieved in my life when my feet finally touched the ground. I had never heard about a witch flying. I know there were stories in the other world about brooms and flying witches but they were just stories. Much of what was written about magic in that world was wrong, laughingly so at times.

Alexia left me almost as soon as we reached the farm. Two other witches took charge of me, leading me to this room and seeing to my needs ever since. The food has been good and it is clean and warm but there is nothing to keep my mind occupied, other than contemplating my fate and wondering why Alexia helped me escape.

Clearly, she didn’t need my help. Once clear of Patron Miller’s home, she could have simply flown away. Why risk her life for me? We aren’t exactly friends, certainly not after what she did to me at “The Silver Forge”. She had her reasons but I am unable to divine them. After breakfast on the third day, Alexia returned, accompanied by an older woman who I assumed was a witch.

“Morning, Pegues. Sleep well?”

“Yes, Alexia, better than I would if in the hands of the Queen. Or would you prefer Alex?”

“Alexia is fine. You could say that I have embraced my role in our little conspiracy. I intend to reform the name of ‘Alexia’ for present and future generations.”

“And exactly how do you intend to do that?”

She sits down on the end of my bed but the other witch remains standing, looking at me with distrust in her eyes.

“Interesting question. I have one for you. Why should I tell you anything?”

“Because I am trapped here and clearly not escaping.”

“So I should just tell you everything?”

“Why not? I’m certainly curious and you should be proud of all that you have accomplished.”

“Why not is because I’m not an idiot, Pegues. You can’t really expect me to start monologuing like the bad guy in the third act when he has the hero trapped, do you?”

“Are you the bad guy, Alexia?”

“You probably think so, that you’ve been ill-used by me, but I’m not the bad guy here. We’ve talked a lot about what we should do with you. Some see you as a threat, some as an asset not to be wasted.”

“How do you see me, Alexia?”

“I haven’t decided yet. When you were in my world, how much did you learn of our history?”

“Quite a bit. You’re a violent lot, aren’t you?”

“Very. Did you learn about South Africa?”

“No, not that I can recall.”

“That’s a shame. South Africa was a black majority country ruled by a white minority. This went on for a very long time before the black majority took control, after years of violent struggle, both sides committing atrocities like murder and mass killings. The man who led the black majority was a very smart guy. He stopped wholesale revenge violence by creating something called the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”

“Which did what?”

“Anybody could come to the Commission, confess their crimes and walk away. There was not going to be any punishment unless it was an extraordinary circumstance, something really, really bad. Which, for South Africa, was saying a lot. The Commission was only open for a limited time. You don’t come in and confess no amnesty. You come in and lie, no amnesty. You may not keep your government job, you may not keep your big plantation, but you kept your freedom, your life. By and large, it worked and South Africa didn’t rip itself apart.”

“Who was this genius?”

“Nelson Mandela. Won a Nobel Peace Prize. Great man for a lot of reasons.”

“What does this history lesson have to do with me?”

“I am your truth and reconciliation commission, Pegues. Here and now. You tell me the truth, the whole truth and you get amnesty. Lie to me, it won’t be pretty.”

“Why should I believe you? You threatened me with a gun.”

“I still have the gun. I just don’t need it anymore. Tell you what, I’ll go first.”

The other woman is shocked. “Alexia! NO!”

She turns her head, raising her right hand. “Don’t worry, Dierdra. Nothing big, just a little trust building.” She turns back towards me. “I was never going to be a part of your plan, not after I learned who was behind it and who was going to benefit. I kept going along just to learn about this world and the details of what was going on. I particularly rejected your plan when I figured out that I was supposed to die.”

How could she possibly know that?! No one could be so stupid as to tell her that detail. Best to keep silent.

“Nothing? I’ll take silence as confirmation of a sort. Our group is organized and we have a pretty good plan, though some details need to be worked out. We’ll get there. Soon. So here’s the deal. We know quite a bit about Patron Miller’s plans already, things he hasn’t told anyone else. We know quite a bit about your activities too but I want to know it all and am willing to pay for it by letting you keep your life. You don’t know what we already know, so playing games with us is risky, though things like that haven’t stopped you before. Your choice. We’ll keep you under wraps until we make our move regardless but what happens to you afterwards is still up for grabs.”

“Assuming you win.”

“Naturally.”

“So my fate is tied to yours.”

“Pretty much, though that ship sailed as soon as the Queen’s boys kicked down the doors two days ago and I saved your ass.”

There is a knock at the door and a third woman enters, older than Alexia but younger than the one called Dierdra.

“Alexia, Emlilly has sent a message, the child’s condition has worsened.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll be right there. Looks like you get a bit of a reprieve, Miran. We’ll talk when I get back. Remember, you don’t know what we know and your freedom is at risk. I’d say that the truth shall set you free.”

“Or you could be lying to me.”

“That’s a possibility too.”

She stands up and quickly leaves though the one called Dierdra remains after the door is shut, her arms crossed, a stern look on her face. Perhaps I can get some information from her.

“Where did Alexia go?”

“Why do you care?”

Not a promising start. “I recruited her.”

“You kidnapped her.”

“Not true, she came willingly.”

“Under very suspicious circumstances. You only told her the truth after she arrived.”

“So where has she gone?”

“There is a child, a boy, in … a nearby town, who is very sick. Alexia believes she knows why but the treatment has some risk to his life. She did not want to attempt to cure him unless his condition worsened. Unfortunately, it has so she has gone to his bedside to do what she can.”

“His bedside? She’s not a Healer. Alex had no medical training of any kind before he came here.”

She answers with a derisive snort. “Do you know why it took so long for us to reach Glory?”

“Because I told Tyber to take an indirect route.”

“You did but she took advantage of that order. We have been crossing the country, searching for people who are sick, in need of a miracle cure. Alexia has been curing them. She has developed a reputation among the people.”

“Is she addle pated? It puts everything at risk!”

“She knows that but can’t refuse to help when she can.”

“If the Queen hears about her and finds her because she helped a few people, she will never get a chance to help the world.”

“She knows! Alexia believes that it is just as important to help a person as it is to help the people. They are one and the same. She says that if you can rationalize not helping one person because of the big picture, you’re looking at the wrong picture.”

That’s Alex, an idealist with a realistic view of life. The two sides in constant conflict. You never know which side will win at any one time. It makes Alex very hard to predict.

“How can you follow someone who acts that way?”

“Because I believe as she does.”

How nice. Even if these people defeat Opulessa, they won’t be able to run a government. They all think like women. I had hoped that Alex might hold out but he seems to be the worst of the lot.

“Sometime sacrifices must be made for the greater good,” I say.

Dierdra smiles evilly. “I am so pleased to hear you say that. Please repeat it to Alexia and make sure you volunteer.”

“For what?”

“To be sacrificed, of course.”

“Why me?!”

“She should never have saved you. You already know too much about us and cannot be trusted. Your death is our best insurance but Alexia will have none of it. She is practically alone in this position. The rest of us want you gone, Pegues.”

“Then release me before I can learn more.”

She laughs. “Alexia warned us that you had a quick wit and tongue. We will wait until she returns and hears what you have to say.” She raps sharply on the door which quickly opens and closes after she departs, the old lock loudly engaging.