The Mask of Omegon (Gwen Farris Book 6) (2 page)

“Really? I can see that, since
Bethany is incredibly awesome. Blonde though, so it won’t really work. Would it
help to know that I was sent by the King himself? I’m almost certain he’s just
trying to keep me busy. You heard about the Europa thing?” It had made the
news. For months. Possibly even still, over half a year later. She’d tried not
to listen to the telesar in that time. Thankfully, working as a palace guard
for the Queen, it rarely came up. Marianna preferred live music, which she
could get, being her.

There was a slow nod and a sour
look. The man’s voice shifted a bit as well. It probably meant he was insane,
but so far it seemed an innocent enough thing. Like a boy playing a game of
being more than he really was, as had been mentioned. He was a bit old for that
kind of thing, perhaps, but… Role Playing was a thing in her world, too. It
kind of seemed like that was what was going on there. Only with real magic.

Which was freaking
awesome
.
Even if he did do it while wearing a creepy mask.

“That the woman who stole you from
your rightful world, Kathrine Vernor, still lives on in your mind and betrayed
us all, giving the Europans the key to rifting? I
might
have heard
something about that one. Yes. For a few years. Well, at first it was thought
that you,
Gwen Farris
, were the one doing it. That…
That
part was
harder for people.” He swallowed, and looked very young suddenly. Kind of cute
as well. Maybe more than just a bit, if she were going to be honest about it.
He was, she thought, nearly good enough looking to be an actor.

Not that she was all that picky.

A man not running away from her too
fast or spitting in her general direction kind of seemed like a prince to her
way of thinking. It had been better, before she woke up one day to find that
Katherine had taken her body back for several years. Gwen wouldn’t have
ever
been allowed to come back, except that the woman had gotten them trapped in a
foreign land, in what was essentially a mental hospital.

Chained to a bed, with magical
wards that prevented her from using her powers to leave. So in desperation the
spoiled heiress and traitor to her own people had gotten Gwen back out. Unpacking
her from the dusty recesses of her mind. Like an old tool box. To save her. It
had worked. That part had been close however. Her ankle had been broken when
she’d teletransported away, one of the cuffs trying to hold her in place.

It had been a few months since
then. Over half a year, to be honest.

Gwen still wasn’t a hundred
percent.

She’d been eating, exercising and
pretty much staying out of the press when she could. Until three days before
that point, when Ferdinand had sent her away from his palace. Politely.
Suggesting that he didn’t have a right to keep her any longer than that. Not
that she
blamed
him at all. Her job there was helping to watch the new
Queen. The woman wasn’t exactly perfect,
especially
with the
Westmorlands. The lady saw them as a constant danger, since some of them were
basically able to explode like atomic bombs.

Gwen could do that as well. It was
a secret, though for some reason the Queen knew
all
about that part. It
didn’t seem to bother her at all. Why that was, Gwen had never gotten out of
her. It was kind of strange, but the woman actually seemed to like her. Bethany
too, for all she could barely stand most of the others of that family.

Marianna was nothing if not free thinking.
As in she
believed
whatever suited her at the moment. Oddly enough, her
mood had started to change as soon as Beth had gotten pregnant. As if being
with child meant she couldn’t possibly be a horrible monster, due to that
single fact.

Omegon moved his mask a bit in his
hand, as if trying to hide it suddenly. At the same time he was staring at her,
closely. Possibly recognizing who she actually was. If he were smart, which
there was no reason to imagine he wasn’t, he might well be considering her death.
Not that she loved his chances. She pretty much walked around armed all the
time now. More than that,
she
could kill by pointing her finger,
teleport and fly away. If she wanted, she could just pick the man up with her
mind and dash him into the cave wall. Most magic users couldn’t do that kind of
thing at all, even if they were pretty strong.

That
this
boy was decent
that way just made sense. He seemed to focus on ceremony though, which wasn’t
all that fast. Not when someone was shooting at you. It was still useful, since
it left the magician able to do a
lot
of different things. Almost
anything, if they were clever, skilled and disciplined enough. That and had
enough energy to make what they wanted to happen come into being.

Still, a rock to the head
might
just take her out, if he tried hard and didn’t let on to his plan until it hit.
A part of her considered that concept for a moment. It
could
work. Just
going into that cave and never leaving. It wouldn’t balance what Katherine had
done, but it was a start. The truth was that nothing she ever did would balance
what the other woman had managed, using their shared body. The world might well
end up being destroyed due to Kat’s bad life choices. It was sort of a major
thing. Not one that would be easily swept to the side, either.

So she waited, wondering if she
could just let him murder her, not responding at all.

Instead… the man flipped a single
palm over. The left one that didn’t have the bit of blue stocking mask in it.

“No one knew if it was to punish us
for letting those people harm her. Gwen. You, I mean. Letting Kat Vernor steal
you from your life and kill your body. Then we were told that you were back. I
heard you, or… Her? Vernor? Talking on the telesar. Admitting to everything and
letting us know that it was just another wrong that
she’d
done. I…” The
boy let his head drop a bit. “Is that why you’re here? To punish me for the
pain you’ve suffered?”

She started to shake her head, but
before she could the boy, shaking a bit, took a deep breath.

“I… Understand. Of course. I stand
ready. Proceed.” The tone was firmer than his slightly pale face seemed to
indicate he was feeling. It was hard to know if he were still playing a game or
not.

For once, feeling exhausted by
life, she didn’t even pretend not to get the idea. He was expecting her to
kill, or even torture, some random person. Because bad things had happened to
her. That was true, but two wrongs wouldn’t improve the situation. Besides, he
didn’t seem to get that she was actually her yet. So it would probably be a bit
much for her to start slapping him around or anything like that. Rude, if
nothing else.

“All right. Walk me through what
you’ve been doing?
All
of it. If you’re actually a bad guy and not just
a good person helping trees, tell me now. We can just fight about it and call
it a day? I just can’t take any more lies right now. My cup is too full of
those already.” Not that a person that had committed great crimes would just
admit it. Except that it had worked for her before, in that world. Just asking
for the truth like that.

He nodded.

“I haven’t been doing much else. A
little bit? For real, I mean, not pretending like we’re doing. There’s a man in
town. A shopkeeper that keeps
cursing
people if they don’t buy enough. I
traced the spells back to him, but can’t prove it under the law… So I rather
cursed him in return. Not a death curse! Just to make it hard for him to think
when he tried to do magic against anyone else. I’m stronger than he is and
willing to put the time in with the solo ceremony needed. That’s… Not just
helping plants.” He seemed almost ashamed. As if he were being honest with her.
Which
was
what she’d asked for. It didn’t fit the game though, if he
were still doing that.

Then, the power raising
had
been real, and magic wasn’t normally raised for no reason.

Gwen just waited, not really certain
they weren’t about to trade blows. That didn’t happen however. The guy stood
there instead, since it was clearly her turn to add to the scene they were
playing out.

“Take me past
everything
you’ve been doing and demonstrate it to me?”

That took about an hour. Her hand
lamp had plenty of power left by the time he was done. As far as she could
tell, other than a bit of fairly tame vigilante work, having fought others who
were using their powers to hurt people, if from a distance, the boy really
hadn’t done much of anything. Except things that she might have done herself,
if
she’d thought of them.

They even walked out into the
night, under the stars, to inspect some of the formerly afflicted trees. They
had scars on them, but seemed to be healing now. Not all of them, but he hadn’t
claimed the job was done. There were traces of power there however. Energy that
she could feel pressing on her mind as she focused on the plants. Almost like
they were crystal packs. Weak ones that pushed at her mind, telling her of how
they were healing.

What there wasn’t, she realized,
was any hint of her about to be attacked. Normally, if that kind of thing were
going to take place she’d feel a bit of pressure on the right side of her head.
Feeling
nothing
probably meant she was decently safe. Unless he wanted
to ask her out, of course.
Then
she’d be in trouble. If that happened
there wouldn’t be any warning
and
she wouldn’t know what to do about it.
Saying yes crossed her mind on the matter though. She was too old to be
constantly alone. Everyone was, probably. Really, if she were smart she’d
probably ask him out. Or hint that he needed to ask her. That was the way
things were done in that place, she knew.

The thought got her to grin a bit.
That kind of thing wasn’t going to be all that likely. Not unless he really
thought she was named Bethy and just playing girl investigator. Though, that
the idea was even a thing there was interesting.

“I think that what you’ve been up
to is… fine? I mean… You’ve been breaking a
few
laws, but I can’t actually
be bothered with that. You’ve
tried
to help people, which is more
important.” She smiled at the boy and winked. That was probably a mistake,
since it was kind of flirting with him. “
Not
that you don’t need to hide
that kind of thing better. You’ve been raising enough power that the neighbors
were catching on and reported it.
That
means you’ve been leaking all
over the place, which is sloppy. Meditation might help you increase your focus?
I’m
not the constabulary however, so it isn’t my business. Not as long
as you aren’t actually sacrificing anyone. It
wouldn’t
be even if you’d
been committing crimes out here. Though…” She looked at him, turning so that
she could see him in the edge of her hand-lamp light. He’d stopped walking when
she did, seeming nervous.

Which she
didn’t
get. After
all, she’d just said that he was free and clear. Even if he were guilty of a
lot more than had been admitted to, she couldn’t see him being
more
worried at that point. She was really about to just let him go home. Even back
to his work, helping trees and preventing evil shop keepers from ruining lives.
It sounded kind of noble even, as long as it wasn’t more than that.

Still, he moved toward her, so she
readied herself. Waiting for the blows to rain down on her. To punish her for
sharing a body with the most evil woman in history. The one that had brought
the possibility of a rift war down on everyone. Even if it were hard to take,
she decided to let him do it. Even if it killed her. That… might have been a
blessing, at that point. An end to the suffering that each day had become for
her. If nothing else, it would at least be real punishment for it. A thing that
she deserved, for failing to stop Katherine.

Which made no sense, given that the
man was
clearly
humoring her. Thinking she was just out playing in the
woods. Alone.

Instead, he kissed her.

It was just a peck, though on the
lips. He didn’t even try for a hug first,
or
to go along with it. Not
that she was a great expert on sex, or even what people did on long walks in
the woods. Standing up straighter after it was done, Tomas went wide eyed. Like
he’d surprised himself, being so forward.

“Um… Forgive me! I shouldn’t take such
liberties. That was…” He seemed embarrassed. The real kind, unless he was a
much better actor than he’d shown her so far.

Gwen didn’t know what to feel at
all. She was older than he was, both in mind
and
body. It was kind of
clear that he was interested in her however, or he wouldn’t have bothered with
even a quick kiss. In her life that had rarely happened.

Never
when she was alone with a man at
all.
Part
of her wanted to freak out. To run, or even fly away. That
wouldn’t change anything in her life though, so she simply nodded, and decided
to pretend to be an adult. She was, when it came right down to it, so very
tired of things. Especially being alone.

“How old are you, Tomas?” She
waited, for him to say he was younger than he looked. She
was
a horrible
judge of that kind of thing after all. It made a certain kind of sense for him
to be fourteen. In which case being alone like they were, was probably hugely
confusing to him. It kind of was to her, so she understood the basic idea.