“What?” Velva replied, gulping air. “WHAT?”
“We need to leave, Velva. All of us. Get the girls. And the children. Now!”
She glanced at her power levels and blanched.
“Mother, what’s draining power?”
“Changed are attempting to pass my blocks,” Mother noted. “I’ve rearranged them to simply block the main corridors, but they are throwing themselves at the block points.”
“Shanea! Amber!” Megan yelled. “Hurry!”
Women, some of them carrying infants, were streaming out of the side rooms. Most of them were more heavily dressed than the girls in the harem but a few, those who had already delivered, were clearly trying to fit back into their costumes. There were definite signs of conflict.
“Okay, this is the deal,” Megan said. “I’m not going to repeat it and I’m not going to answer questions. Paul is dead. I have his Key. I’m going to transport us out to safety. Anyone who wants to come, fine. Those who stay behind, though, are going to be at the mercy of the Changed.”
With that she turned and headed for the battle at the entrance.
The corridor was a madhouse but the geased guards were holding off the Changed and there was a clear run, or in many cases waddle, to the harem. Megan briefly wondered if it would have made more sense to bring the harem girls to the pregnant ones instead of the other way around but it was too late for second thoughts.
There was another group of guards battling by the entrance to the harem but they were blocking the door, being forced back by the Changed. Megan looked at the gaggle of women behind her, then at the door, then at the battles at both ends of the corridor. The floor around the door was slick with the blood of guards that had already fallen and the continuous clatter of sword on shield and armor was shattering her concentration. After a moment she waved at the women.
“Up against the wall!” she shouted. “Shanea, Amber, get them up against the wall!” She looked at the backs of the guards in the further battle and picked six that weren’t in the front line. She sent a thought winging to them and they turned and charged back down the corridor, smashing into the fight around the doorway and briefly clearing it.
“Move!” she shouted, running to the door and standing in the way of the battle as the pregnant women scrambled to the doorway. “Mother, release the blocks for these girls!” she suddenly shouted. This was not going according to plan.
“Already done,” Mother assured her. “In little things like that I’m permitted to anticipate.”
“Thank you,” Megan breathed as a Changed hit her protection field and rebounded.
“They’re all through,” Amber said, tapping her on the arm.
“Great,” Megan replied, sliding through the door to the harem and shutting it. “Mother, release all blocks not directly sealing the harem. Seal the harem entrances; nobody in, nobody out. Release the loyalty geas on all the special guards, everywhere. Open a portal to Sheida Ghorbani’s house.”
“All done except the last,” Mother said. “There’s a teleport block over all of Norau. Given the way that those can be bypassed, it’s quite definite. Nothing in, nothing out. Definitely no teleports from Ropasa to anywhere in Norau.”
“Damnit!” Megan snapped. “I need someplace to teleport that’s safe.”
“Safe is a relative term,” Mother replied. “You need somewhere that doesn’t have a teleport block on it and that is not held by New Destiny forces. The Finn has voted with New Destiny on some minor matters in exchange for binding prohibitions against power use against forces that are not directly tied to the Freedom Coalition. However, the McClure clan in Gael is in contact with the Coalition and would probably provide you safe-haven.”
“Is that what you’re suggesting?” Megan asked.
“Yes.”
“Open a portal to their house, then,” Megan said.
“Castle, actually,” Mother replied as a rippling silver mirror appeared in the doorway to Christel’s office.
“Okay, here’s the deal,” Megan said, looking around at the girls. “Paul is dead. Nobody is going to care for you after this. If you’re lucky, you’ll only be Changed. If you’re unlucky you’ll be turned over to Reyes. Either way there are going to be some pointed questions about this event.”
“I can’t believe you killed him,” Christel shouted. “Why?”
“Because I don’t like being a slave,” Megan replied. “I’m not going to debate about it. It’s done. And we’re leaving. Anyone who wants out, there’s the door,” she added, pointing at the portal. “Anyone who wants to wait for what Chansa and Celine will call ‘mercy’ can stay.” She looked around at the girls as none of them moved. One of the babies started crying.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” she snarled. “I need to be last. Who’s going?”
“Me,” Amber said. “Better anything than this life.” She walked to the doorway of silver and strode through.
That started a rush as almost all the women crowded the doorway. Christel, however, stayed where she was.
“Christel,” Megan said, looking at her power gauge. It was down in the yellow and dropping as thumps indicated that the Changed were trying to break the blocks on the door. “When they come through they’re not going to be asking a lot of questions.”
“I’m staying,” Christel said, shaking her head. Her whole body was shaking for that matter.
Megan looked at her coldly then nodded her head.
“Okay,” she replied, striding to the portal. “Good luck.”
Jock McClure shook his head as Steffan, who was a nephew of some sort, threw a beef bone at young Jock. Young Jock responded by climbing onto the heavy oak table and hurling himself onto Steffan, the two of them rolling around in the rushes on the floor as dogs gathered around barking.
“I hate winter,” he muttered, pulling his fur cloak around himself and picking up a mug of warmed mead. The long great hall of the castle was impossible to heat, and close as he was to the fireplace it still was bloody cold.
“The young bucks are getting restless,” Armand Byrne said, nodding toward the brawlers. Armand had been a friend, and quite serious reenactor, before the Fall. When Jock had succeeded to the position of Laird McClure he had moved in to play “seneschal.” After the Fall the two had made the roles real, managing to hammer together an alliance among others in the area that had been holding off New Destiny, with damned little help, for over two years. And winter was no respite; supplied from their bases in Ropasa the forces of New Destiny attacked year round. “Been a long one. Everyone’s getting restless for that matter.”
“And old bones don’t care for it much either,” McClure replied. He was a big man slightly shrunk by age, with long white hair that was pulled back by a gold cord. But his blue eyes were still bright as he watched the two youngsters rolling among the dogs and bones on the floor. “NO KNIVES!” he bellowed as young Jock fumbled at his belt. “Godfrey, break them up before that idiot son of mine makes more of a fool of himself.”
Godfrey, who was easily the largest man in the room, plucked the knife from the boy’s belt, then picked them both up and banged them together until they stopped struggling.
“No knives,” McClure said. It was the reason that the swords were stacked against the wall; once two fighters got to battling they’d use anything to hand. He’d rather that the swords were in the armory but even in Dun McClure there was the chance of a sneak attack.
Such as if New Destiny formed a portal like the one that was opening up over the kitchen entrance.