Wine of the Gods 08: Dark Lady (25 page)

Midsummer 1376

Valley of Ash, Kingdom of the West

Rustle
sat quietly back and listened to Crescent Moon lessons, half remembering the building blocks she apparently outgrown long ago.

I was so powerful in Joramtown. So confident. I could go back . . . but now I'd know how very vulnerable I am. I'm surprised that Arbolian god and priest, between them, didn't kill me. Perhaps, by Ash standards, they weren't well trained either.

She'd spent months now, sleeping and exploring the area around Ash, both afoot and from horseback. She'd found familiar things, and areas she didn't remember at all, and was very often surprised to remember names. Sometimes she left Quail with Wolf or her mother, and sometimes she brought her along in a sling.

Today the baby was sleeping in the sling as Rustle walked up to the halted wagon. The driver was a young woman, with a crying baby. They were both crying.

"
Vala?" Rustle smiled a little; another working memory! "What's wrong?"

"
Everything. Oh, Rustle! Why'd I do it? I got all carried away and the next thing you know I'm pregnant. Twins! I can't raise a baby in a wagon, let alone two. I can't be a drover when I have to keep stopping for one baby or the other. I thought that when we all survived the comet that everything would be fine. "

Rustle
shrugged out of the sling and eased the sleeping Quail down on the bare boards of the wagon between a sack of grain and another slumbering baby. She climbed up to the driver's seat and held her arms out. "Upset tummy? Some babies have them regularly." She cuddled the little boy and send tiny soothing thoughts. He quieted a bit. "A large scale disaster brings everyone together to deal with it. Have a personal disaster, and you find yourself all alone. What's his name?"

Vala sighed.
"My mother wanted to call him Oscar, after my father. I figured something entirely different would be better. We finally settled on Orion, like the constellation. And Solar Flare, to keep to the theme, poor girl."

"
Oh, I like that! I'm surprised the witches haven't ever gone through the constellations."

Vala wiped her face.
"Too many male names."

Rustle giggled.
"Look I can make something that will be useful, if you promise to not over-use it."

"
Anything. I can't believe I was so insane. I even bred the mares. I'm going to lose a huge chunk of the summer cartage season to that soon enough."

Rustle handed the baby back, and swung down to the ground. She pulled up a trio of head sized rocks from just underground, and shaped them into a baby bed, big enough to accommodate
twins and quite a bit of growth. Looked and quickly captured a small bubble, and wrapped it around the bed. She took another rock to shape into a handle and attached it all to the bench beside Vala.

"
You've heard about the gods in their shielded temples, hiding for hundreds of years without actually experiencing any time themselves? This is the same sort of thing. If Orion fusses when you just can't deal with it, pop him in there until you've got the time.
He
will just think you closed the lid and immediately opened it, so he won't feel neglected. And Solar Flare, too, of course."

Vala reached over and closed the lid then opened it.
"It's invisible, except for the handle, when it's closed. No one would know I even had a baby, let alone two." She opened and closed it a few more times. "Rustle, this is, I can't take it, I can't pay you . . . " She started to cry again.

"
Don't be silly, Vala. I made in less than five minutes, out of rocks I picked up on the road. And think about bandits. If they attacked, the twins would be safe in there." She climbed back up and sat beside the girl. "Put him to bed and drive on for a bit, get your breath back. I'll bet you haven't have a good night's sleep since they were born."

"
Sleep? What's that?" Vala put the baby in the rock cradle and pulled the lid shut. She picked up the reins and kicked off the brake. "How about you? Everyone says you don't remember anything, like the gods."

"
I think it's different. I think I just sort of sprained my brain. I'm healing slowly, and the memories are coming back. Hopefully
all
of them will show up eventually."

"
Pity you can't pick and choose. You could forget that horrible rape. Everybody is still boggled about you climbing into the Auld Wulf's bed so you'd have his baby instead of one of theirs." Vala hesitated. "You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

"
Haven't remembered that part yet. Drat, I was hoping I'd remember, oh, you know, romance and candlelight."

Vala giggled.
"Oh man, everyone said he was in something like a healing trance, and slept for a year and a half. You seduced him when he was dreaming, and he did something magical in his dream, and that was why you had a baby boy."

"
Oh. Dear. I really do hope I remember, now. How far are you going this trip, Vala?"

"
Oh, just to Fort Stag and back. I've got enough sense to not try a long trip, yet. Want to come all the way?"

"
Sure. You can give me all the gossip everyone else has been too tactful to tell me."

"
Well, everyone's been told to not mention the Rip to you. It got very active, with the earthquakes and all when some of the comet pieces hit. But I don't see why you shouldn't know. All the Rip Crossing people were safe across the Gate, and your mother and father jumped in and repaired the inn there, and rebuilt the bridges. So it's not like you're going to strain yourself doing things there; it's fixed. Or maybe they didn't want you to go there because those Rip Crossers are all so randy. Honestly, orgies at the drop of a hat."

Rustle laughed a little ruefully.
"I don't think my parents approve of me hanging around a god. I'm surprised they haven't aimed me at a few orgies."

They laughed at that, and other things.

They traded off driving, nursing babies, and changing diapers and were at the fort by mid-afternoon. On the way back, Vala even took a nap on the bare boards of the back.

As Vala expertly backed her wagon into the usual place, Rustle warned her agai
n. "Don't over-use the bubble. The twins won't grow in there, and if you keep going too long without nursing, you can dry up."

Vala hugged her.
"I'll be careful. Thanks, Rustle."

"Ha. Thank you. This was one of the more pleasant days I've had, since I got back."

She was yawning as they walked into the winery.

"Sorry, I'm falling down on my parental duties."
The Auld Wulf walked out of his bedroom, taking Quail as the baby reached out for him. He looked sleepy, comfortable and rumpled.

Rustle shook her head. "I think you need that healing sleep a lot more than you're admitting. I suspect Quail and I are a distraction."

He shrugged. "Not really. I didn't take any physical damage this time, so it's just my brain that needs to mend. Now that you're back I'm trying to minimize the magic I do, and that ought to be enough."

Rustle
raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I need to start practicing magic again. I think. Or at least do something other than wander around confusing people who aren't getting the responses from me that they expect."

His quick grin flashed. "Oh, you did that often enough before the comet. How about some dinner?"

His baffling kitchen was prodded to produce something that tasted like beef, but felt a bit too soft. Some odd vegetables, a spicy sauce and rice.

Rustle eyed the machinery. "Even if it was magic, and not just machinery, you can't conjure stuff up out of nothing."

"Oh, it mostly needs sugar; there are special yeasts in there. Genetically engineered to make protein of several sorts. I run a line from the hot spring through it. That gets it most of the minerals it needs. A slurry of photosynthesizers, every once in a while for the vegetable types." He shrugged. "It has been sealed up for centuries at a time. And I'm a bit surprised that it still works. Sometimes I bubble it and put in a regular kitchen. Or eat at the Tavern. I just brought it out again a few months ago."

She shook her head.
I need to do some reading in the library. I'll bet I can find out how it works.

Quail Quicksilver was soundly asleep beside her. "I ought to take advantage of her sleeping
."

The Wolf
kissed her forehead gently. "Sleep all you need to. And I will as well."

She leaned on him, some sort of kinesthetic memory wanting
him to hold her. He put his arms around her gently, and rubbed his cheekbone on her hair. "I love you Rustle. Please go heal."

She
picked up Quail and walked back to her bed. It looked cold and lonely. "I need to either remember more, find some nerve, or run back to Arrival."

Monday October 26, 3493

City of Arrival, Arrival

Liz spent a lot of time in the library. Researching, making lists.

Her father quickly learned where to find her. "What is that you are studying?"

"The founding of the states. It's a bit intimidating, what we're going to need."

"Yes, but you have the advantage of a settled state next door. You can buy whatever you need with just a two week round trip. Not that you should lack for much. The negotiations for your marriage are coming along nicely. You should have most of what you need, and money to buy the rest."

He helped her make lists of the basic necessities for starting up, and then they left for the country.

East Heights was a thousand miles to the east, on roads of variable quality. They made a slow trip of it, stopping at historic sites and visiting the other barons. It was nearly two months before they reached the baron's lands. Then they were stopping at every village and cluster of farms for the baron to explain the situation. Rumors had been flying and Liz was closely inspected. She did not miss that the regret expressed about Raulph's disinheritance were proportional to the speakers lack of acquaintance with the boy. The closer they got to the baron's seat, the more people were concealing pleasure, if not outright glee, about it.

Even Raulph could see it. But when he spoke about it, somehow the blame was never his. It was all due to envy and greed and old grudges. The permanent staff in the country house was lectured firmly by Mr. Hodgens and Liz got a few sideways looks, but had no difficulties.

The Baron had timed his trip well. They'd barely settled in before the first snowstorm hit.

Wednesday, February 16, 3494 AD

Sacrament, East Heights, Arrival

Liz rode whenever the weather permitted, careful to choose horses that were not the favorites of any of the family, and riding a different horse every day, so some poor beast wouldn't become the target of Raulph's displeasure. She worried about the horse she'd left behind in Jeram. Lonnie had sent a note. Moxie was pastured at a farm that was delighted to keep horses with any sort of relationship to Phantom. A second letter came; a paragraph of Lonnie telling all about Moxie's easy delivery. Three pages all about the incredible black colt. Liz sighed, and wished herself there.

Sacrament was a large town, easily triple the size of Jeram. She liked it, and found the people friendly. Curious, mind you. And careful to not mention Raulph. Or Lady Millicent.

Liz felt no qualms, and brought up the subject herself. "I feel sorry for them all. I'm afraid father is so delighted to be rid of Millicent that their children are horribly shocked and uncertain. Of course he's been very clear about settling their dowries, unchanged. And both boys have an income. He trying to get Raulph to think about either further education, or the Army, but his Uncle is urging him to stick to the baron and not back down on demanding a petition of legitimacy and declaration as the baron's heir."

The two women she was lunching with, Lady Harriet, the Mayor's married daughter and Lady Janet, a local lawyer's unmarried daughter
, were unreservedly friendly, but Liz knew every word she spoke would be gone over in gossip all over the town. She was trying to be clear and honest, and not catty.

"She spoiled them." Lady Harriet shook her head. "And
everyone
knew young Paul didn't want to marry Millicent, who was rather obviously pregnant. But everyone thought
he
was the father, so they didn't
much
count on their fingers when Raulph was born. I must say this mess has cleared the air—and brought in a very large, new, load of gossip." She leaned back and fanned herself slowly. They were eating on the south patio of a small restaurant and the late winter day was warm in the sunshine filtered through the still bare branches of the old oak that gave the restaurant its name.

Lady Janet dimpled. "Especially about
you
. All the news is dribbling in from Jeram.
Especially
speculation about just how damaged a property Prince Kurt is." She giggled. "Oh, you do blush. So it's all true. You are going to marry him?"

"Yes."

"Oh my, that was
very
definite. He is cute. I've only met him once, and was swooning over his brother at the time, so I'm afraid I don't remember much more than that."

Harriet leaned forward. "And what about these monsters and 'gods' they all talk about?"

Janet nodded. "What about the magic?"

"Bishop Langdon has asked me to not say much until the Council has had time to study the evidence. But I can say that there were no
gods
there, whatever the labels. The Arbolian's had these nasty deformed people they called gods, and
perhaps
they could do some magic, but it was mostly all show and intimidation."

"But what about the Dark Lady? They say she came to protect the town."

Liz felt her face heat. "We, umm, tried a bit of intimidation and, well, show right back at them. It would have been fun if it hadn't been so deadly serious. Gosh, one night we fought fires all night long until we all just wanted to drop and sleep on the street. And the prince got up on the wall the next morning and said the Dark Lady had taken care of it. Because frankly, if they had come over the wall just then I'm not sure we could have raised any defense at all."

"Wow. You didn't actually fight yourself, did you?"

"Just fires. And I looked up things about the Arbolians for the prince, and took food up to the walls for the troops. Things like that. Oh, and before the Arbolians got the town surrounded, we were all bringing in food from the farms around the town. Looking back, it seemed so long, but it was just over a month really. Huh. Then they packed up and went away. We must have fooled them into thinking we had more troops inside than we really did. Because they put off an assault too long and the King was on the way."

They looked thoughtful, and then Harriet straightened, eyed a lady across the street, with a string of well dressed children following her out of a shop. "You must meet Lady Laura Hepplewhite and her children." She caught the woman's eye and beckoned her over.

"Laura, this is Elizabeth Jameson. I'm sure you've heard all about her."

Lady Laura froze, hand half extended, then reached the rest of the way. "Err. How do you do?"

"Umm, frankly I feel a bit like a toy being tossed around by children. Are you a friend of Lady Millicent's?"

"My older sister and Millicent were best buddies in the finishing school Daddy sent us all to. She introduced me to my husband. However." She put on a perky smile and turned to her children. "This my oldest, Mitchell, and Ashley, William, and Rose."

Mitchell was a charmer with red hair and freckles. Liz shook hands with all of them and invited them to dinner. "I expect you know Susan, Katherine and Felix. Err, I suppose I ought to ask if Lord Hepplewhite and the baron are friends or enemies."

"Ferocious antagonists over the chess board." Laura grinned. "Oh, yes
, I accept, if for no other reason than to see the expression on George's face when I tell him. He's a bit steamed over Paul's treatment of Millicent. It should be an interesting dinner."

Liz looked at Harriet and Janet. They both shook their heads.

"Cowards." Laura grinned. "Oh my. I may learn a whole new vocabulary tonight. And I'm certain that my children will be shocked and never ever repeat any of those new words. Right?"

The girls giggled, Mitchell looked somewhere between hopeful and truculent. Indeed. It appeared that Katherine was right about her friend, who appeared to be about her age.

The dinner was a success, despite the initial bristling of Lord George. Felix hauled William off to a corner for a long talk with gestures. Given the giggles and the glances at Raulph it was not a horror story that was being told. Susan and the little girls started talking fashions and the proper dressing of their favorite dolls. This left Mitchell and Katherine, Raulph and Liz in a rather dismayed circle.

"I suppose you could marry this Elizabeth to Raulph, if you're so certain, err." George had a rather carrying voice.

Raulph leered at Liz, who crossed her arms and tossed her head. "On paper you're my half brother, and anyway, I have plans already."

"Oh yeah?" Katherine stuck her jaw out. "Then why didn't you leave us in peace?"

George's voice boomed. "Prince Kurt! Thought he'd gotten himself gelded by those damned Arbolians."

The others all turned to stare at him, and then Liz, and Liz smiled. "I'm not worried by the rumors. I expect we'll be quite happy, way out in the west."

The baron nodded. "Got the final papers today. We'll go over them with a magnifier tomorrow and get them signed and witnessed. Then it's just a matter of getting Kurt loose from those idiot churchmen."

Liz could feel herself grinning like a loon, and didn't even care.