Portals of Infinity: Book Five: Demigods and Deities Page 13

I nodded and stood up. "Nikki is right, we need to move. I thank all of you for helping, I appreciate it very much. You're all free to go."

  "You saying you don't need any help?" Nikki said, still looking angry.

  I sighed, "I need help, I need a lot of help. I'm in the middle of the wilderness with no supplies and no transportation, and a very long way to go. But other than you, Sis, none of these folks signed up for this, and if they want to leave, that's okay.

  "We need to get all these guns of yours out of here anyways."

  "Lets hold on to the weapons for a little longer," Suzona said. "You can hold the baby, the rest of us will shift into our champion forms, and you can ride on Joseph's back." Suzona finished with a smile.

  "Hey! I'm not a horse!" Joseph protested.

  "What if I promised to make it up to you?" Suzona said and gave Joseph a wink.

  Joseph sighed and lowered his body to the ground, "Climb on."

  "You sure you're okay with this, Joseph?" I asked looking at him.

  "She's right. Besides, you don't really weigh that much as a woman."

  Gregory and Dezba both agreed to stay on, and we quickly headed off into the night. Champions are able to move rather fast for long periods of time, so by morning we were quite far away. We continued to move during the day, avoiding the few towns we came across, and except for water and rest breaks, we didn't stop until nightfall.

  When we finally stopped and settled down to camp for the night, Joseph went off and killed us a deer, which he brought back to camp, then went off to find another one for himself to eat apparently.

  When the others were all finally relaxing, I went over to Nikki and nudged her foot. She glared at me, and I motioned to the side with my head.

  She glared a moment more, then with a sigh got up and walked with me, I made sure we were well out of earshot of the camp.

  "I'm sorry I had to step on you like that, Sis, but you had to shut up, and I didn't know how to stop you."

  "Oh? And why did you have to shut me up?" She asked still glaring.

  "Fel told me flat out that Aryanna won't tolerate Cam setting foot in any of her temples. She's not to be seen, or even touched by any of her clerics. The only reason you're allowed is because you're my sister and Cam's aunt. I can't even hand her off to any of the other people here, and Fel is afraid that if she's discovered in his realm that the other gods will team up against him."

  "Why would they do that?" Nikki asked concerned.

  "They're all still pissed at Fel and me, because of what I did to that other god. They're afraid he's getting too powerful. Apparently if they were to find Cam here on his grounds, they'd freak or something."

  "You sure about Aryanna?" Nikki asked looking concerned.

  "Ask her yourself!" I sighed, "Nikki, do you think I would make this shit up? You're my sister, and probably the only living being I trust."

  Nikki raised an eyebrow and looked at me, "You don't trust Fel?"

  "He's not exactly living now, is he?"

  Nikki smiled, for the first time since last night, "Point. So what do we do? Can you gate home to Feliogustus's temple and then make a dash for the portal there? It's what, a two day walk?"

  I thought about that, mounted I could make it in less than a day.

  "I'll have to ask Fel, if he allows it, we could try that."

  "Well, that's really our only option," Nikki said.

  I shrugged, "There are a lot of portals on this plane, now that we got the hard part done, Aryanna or Fel might be able to find us a way out of here."

  Nikki nodded.

  "And I'm sorry for yelling at you, Sis."

  "Well, I'll forgive you on one condition," she smiled.

  "What?"

  "Can I hold my niece?" She said looking at me rather wistfully.

  I laughed, "Sure," and I handed her over.

  "Wow, isn't she the cutest little..." Nikki stopped and her eyes got wide.

  "Sis? Sis, what's wrong?"

  Nikki looked up at me, "I can feel something, when I touch her. I don't know what it is, but I can feel it."

  "How come I can't feel anything?"

  "Maybe because you carried her? Or she's your daughter?" Nikki shrugged and looked back down at her niece, "but there is definitely something there, and I know Aryanna felt it when I did."

  "All the way from here?" I said surprised.

  Nikki nodded. "I think that's why she and Feliogustus want the baby kept hidden and away from everything, even themselves. There is something here, some kind of power, and until she's old enough, she's a target."

  I nodded slowly, "I had no idea. But if just touching her has such a big reaction, then yeah, I can see why."

  "Well, let's get back to camp, we can put Joseph on one side of you, and I'll sleep on the other."

  "You sure that's okay?" I asked looking at her.

  "Joseph already said that Circe wants no part of the child, so we know he's safe."

  I nodded, it made sense.

  "What about the others?"

  "We'll just have to see what happens." I said, and realized I had to talk to Fel again.

  # # # #

  "Ah, you're back," Fel said smiling.

  I nodded, "Can we do what Nikki said? Just run through here to the other portal?"

  Fel nodded, "Yes, but you have to be quick, and you can-not stop for anything. I'll have Narasamman bring two wolats to the room."

  I nodded, "Thanks, Fel."

  Twelve

  East of Lionesnesc

  The next morning we told everyone what our plan was, and they all wished us well as I shifted back to my champion form and opened a gate back to Fel's. There were two wolats there, tied to the altar, and no one else in the room. We mounted up, and rode out of there, not stopping for anything and keeping a fast pace until we were well out of town.

  We stopped for lunch and that of course led to our first problem. I was no longer female, however Nikki was. So she had the wonderful task of playing wet nurse.

  "Hey, she's no longer a she!" Nikki said.

  "Huh?" I said and looked over at Cam, who was now a male felinoid cub, "Oh, yeah. I kind of expected that would happen. So little Camille just became Cameron."

  "Well I hope she, err he doesn't have gender issues when he grows up."

  I shrugged, "At this age, I think they're all pretty much the same, so I don't think we have anything to worry about."

  Nikki nodded and after getting Cameron cleaned up, we continued on our way.

  We made the portal by nightfall, and debated what to do with the wolats.

  "Bring 'em through," Nikki said.

  "But they're not horses!"

  "If their intelligence survives, they'll be handy, even if they're still just wolves."

  "Well, grab one," I said.

  "I'll take Cam, you bring them."

  "Why?" I said looking at her.

  "Because I'm Ary's champion, and if they're not allowed, I can't bring them. Duh!"

  I laughed and stepped through.

  I looked at the leads, and I had two rather large wolf-like dogs on leads. They were both wearing collars.

  They both 'woofed' at me, and Nikki stepped through a moment later with Cam.

  "Hey, you two," she said. "Sit!"

  They both sat, and wagged their tails.

  I looked at them, then over at Cameron.

  "You protect him, okay?" and taking Cameron from Nikki I let them both smell him. Then smell me again. "And if you hurt him, I'll turn you into a rug! Got that?"

  They both whined a moment, and then licked my hand.

  "Wow, I think they're smarter now." Nikki said as we headed off towards the road.

  I shrugged, "Hard to say, wolats are pretty smart, they're just a bit contrary. Making them over into something more like a dog may just have made them easier to deal with."

  Nikki nodded.

  "So where are we?" She asked.

  "East of Riverhead, a couple of days ride. I
f we head east from here, we can make it to Portsmouth in a day, probably less, on foot.

  "Oh, okay." Nikki nodded. "We can catch the ferry down the river."

  "Hope you have some gold on you, because my pockets are empty," I told her.

  "Heh! I'm Aryanna's champion; I'll have the local guard cover it for me."

  I nodded, "Good idea."

  We walked through the night and made it to Portsmouth early the next morning. The weather was nice enough, so neither one of us minded the walk. We even caught the morning ferry down the river. Two days later we made it to my inn in Riverhead.

  Darlene was as happy to see me as ever, especially as I had a new daughter with her, child number five had been born only about a month ago. Darlene had named our new daughter Rachel, which surprised me. But whether it was coincidence or on purpose, I decided I'd wait until Darlene told me why she had picked the name.

  "Welcome to our home, my Sister!" Darlene said and gave Nikki a hug, "And who do we have here?" She asked looking down at young Cam.

  I opened my mouth, but Nikki spoke up first.

  "This is my son, Cameron," Nikki said, "and I need a favor, a really big favor from you."

  "You want to foster him here with our children," Darlene smiled, "Of course I will take him in for you, you're our family, Nikki! And I know that bein' a champion for our goddess you surely don't have the time to be raising a child all by yourself."

  "Oh thank you so much," Nikki said with a sigh, "I was sure you would, and Will told me not to worry, but well. I know it's a lot to ask and all."

  Darlene took Cameron and held him smiling. "I like children, the more, the better as they say. Come, let me introduce Will to his new daughter, and you can meet her as well."

  "Another one, Will?" Nikki whispered to me as we followed Darlene back to the family section of the inn.

  "What can I say?" I sighed, "I can't say no."

  "Yeah, I've noticed," Nikki teased and motioned to Cameron.

  I blushed so hard I could feel it going down my chest.

  We spent a while with the children, and then we all sat down and caught up on things. Nikki hadn't been here in a lot longer than me, as I'd come here before setting off to have Cameron, some nine months ago. Darlene caught us up on the goings on in town, the inn, and even some of the local area news. Nikki shared what was going on back east, especially in Kingstown.

  "There is one more thing you have to do for me, Sister," Nikki said to Darlene.

  "What?"

  Nikki then told Darlene Aryanna's conditions for Cameron being here. Darlene seemed puzzled at first, but Nikki was Aryanna's champion, and told her that the dictate had come from Aryanna herself.

  "That is strange, but if it is what the goddess commands, then it is what I shall do."

  I sighed and nodded, "Thanks, Hon, and thanks for taking Cameron in."

  Darlene smiled, "Family is family. No matter how they got that way. Now, what is the story with these two strange looking dogs?" She said and motioned to the former wolats.

  "Well, that's Heckle, I pointed to one, "and that's Jeckle," I pointed to the other one. They both wagged their tails. "I can leave them here with you to watch over the family if you'd like?"

  Darlene smiled, "The children could use some watching, and people say that dogs are good with children."

  I nodded and turned to Heckle and Jeckle. "You listen to my wife," I told them and gave Darlene a hug, "And keep an eye on the children, understand?"

  They thumped the floor with their tails, and I think they might have understood. Only time would tell I guessed.

  "How long can you stay?" Darlene said looking at me.

  "A few months, maybe longer," I told her and gave her a kiss.

  "And you, Sister?" she asked Nikki.

  Nikki looked a bit more wistful, "Maybe a week. There are things that need my attention."

  Darlene nodded, "Well, let me get dinner started. Come, Will, you can help."

  "Yes, Dear," I smiled and followed her out of the room.

  I spent the whole summer with Darlene, something I hadn't been able to do in years. Rachel may have been a little put out, but Darlene was often on the losing end of the arrangement that had developed over the years, and I did love her, a lot. So it was only fair that I do these things for her, when I could.

  Cameron continued to thrive, and so did my new daughter and my other children. Travis, the oldest of all my children, was nine now! I spent a lot of time with him, and his younger sister. It was hard to believe I'd been doing this for so long, that I'd been coming here for so long, that I'd been married almost ten years now to Darlene. The life I'd lived as a junior engineer seemed so far away and foreign to me now.

  I went back to Rachel and Hiland in the fall; I usually didn't spend my winters in Hiland City, or had not in some time at least, but Fel had been keeping me apprised of the war, and it seemed likely the invasion of Marland would start early next spring. So we'd need to spend the winter preparing.

  Thirteen

  Hiland

  "So," Rigel was wrapping up his presentation to the council, "the reports we've received from the Mowok's leaders, have all been verified. The Barassan army has pulled completely out of their territory. The reports we received from them over the course of the summer on casualties is rather striking when you add them up, Barassa lost about ten percent of it's army while trying to fight with the Mowok's, whose own losses appear to be less than one percent."

  "Is ten percent a lot?" Shellia, our foreign minister asked.

  "It's huge when you consider the size of their army," Holse said. "And it means that everyone lost someone they knew, everyone suffered at some level or other. It's very hard on morale, and it's very hard on the army, as all of those people need to be replaced."

  Holse turned to Rigel, "What are the reports on their morale?

  Rigel smiled rather toothily, "Their morale is terrible, there were so many deserters when the army pulled out, that the Mowoks had to field a force to escort them through the plains before the winter rains came."

  "Really?" I said surprised. "How many do they think deserted?"

  "No idea really, but the Mowoks 'escorted' several large groups to the cities north of Metina. From the sounds of it, I'd suspect thousands."

  "Why would they desert? Especially into the hands of their enemies?" Narasamman asked.

  "Because Stivik's generals are probably going to be looking for scapegoats to keep the blame as far away from themselves as possible. Then the locals back in Barassa probably won't be too happy about welcoming back their army after it was beaten." Holse supplied. "Any of the smart ones, and probably half of the leadership, have now left.

  "After all, King Stivik still needs slaves to sell to raise money, what better place to look than among the ranks of his defeated soldiers?"

  Rachel sighed, "Promise me that we will never do that to our soldiers if they should lose, General."

  Holse nodded and smiled. "Yes, Your Majesty. I promise."

  "Good, make sure your successors and subordinates understand that as well." Rachel looked around the room, "Thank you for that report, Rigel. Do we know for certain yet that Marland will be their next target?"

  "No, Your Majesty, we do not. However the show of strength in eastern Holden has definitely been noticed, and those residents of eastern Marland who can leave, are leaving."

  "Where are they going?" Rachel asked.

  "Quite a few are settling in Holden, Your Majesty, the rest are heading further west inside Marland. A lot of Marlanders seem to feel that Marland will be attacked next."

  "Still, we should be on our guard," Holse said, "Deception is a valid and worthwhile tactic."

  Rachel nodded, "Very true, we've even used it ourselves a time or two," she said smiling. "I think we should call up the levies now, before the snows hit. We will let half of the regular army winter in Holden with King Charles's forces, with an equal number of levy troops, to dissuade any ideas
of adventures there by King Stivik. Also make sure that Tradeson, Midway, and Rivervail all have sufficient troops, and send something to Stongshold as well so they don't feel left out."

  "Your Highness, if we call the levies up now, that will cost a substantial amount of gold." Ceras, whose primary concern now was the kingdom's finances warned.

  "Stivik is getting desperate, the moment the weather even begins to look favorable, he'll be marching. He may even decide to launch a winter campaign, if he thinks it will be successful. The starving bear is the most desperate, and Stivik is most definitely starving."

  "What about the spring planting season?" Ramert said, "With so many young males off their family farms, there will be problems."

  Rachel nodded, "I know, sit down with General Holse and the other commanders, and find a solution. We can always send the home guard out to the farms to assist in the planting."

  "Yes, Your Highness," Ramert said and nodded.

  "Will the Church be ready to support us?" Rachel asked, turning to Narasamman next.

  "Yes, Your Highness. We have been preparing all summer. We will have priests and priestesses ready to accompany your army."

  Rachel nodded, "William will be in charge of operation, Holse will be second in command. The two of you can spend the winter going over plans and force assessments. I'll send a missive to King Charles to find out how he wants to integrate his forces with ours."

  "Are you sure he will?" Shellia asked.

  "I'd be surprised if he doesn't," Rachel said, "seeing as our two kingdoms will soon be one. If you'd prefer, I can send you along with the missive, to help with any issues that might arise."

  "I'd be happy to go, Your Highness," Shellia said. "I understand how important this is, and of course I want to do whatever I can to help," She smiled, "it's not like I know anything about military matters, but I think I can handle the diplomacy part."

  Rachel nodded and smiled, "Good, in that case you're going." She turned back to General Holse next. "Now, let's go over the force assessment for Barassa, Holden, Marland, and our own army.