by Zack Finley
Not an internet, but lots better than we had before.
Inoa, Cleon, and Alba advised they would shift some of their private files into the common area over the next few weeks, especially information on magic spells.
There was a lively discussion about ways to share common info with our mage recruits, though there was a severe reluctance to expand access until we had a clean method for protecting Toffad’s Keep secrets. Providing our enemies with a roadmap to counter our spells was a serious concern.
Inoa was already considering a Toffad’s Keep geas. Not to kill if any secrets were revealed but to cause someone to forget them under a serious mind probe or upon leaving our employ. She wasn't worried about the current partners because we had sufficient mind magic and tight enough mind shields she didn't believe ours could be broken without killing us.
"Where is the common information in our six-person partnership being stored?" I asked my five partners.
"It is still wherever it came from originally," Inoa said.
"What if one of us dies or becomes unconscious?" I asked. "One day the information stored there might be more important than our lives."
"We lose the information they provided," Inoa said. "I don't have a fix for that today, but I concede your point."
"In my other life, we made backups for our data, in case bad things happened. It wasn't always up to the minute, but it minimized how much we lost."
We didn't resolve the issue, but the right people were working on it. We agreed to discuss the new knowledge sharing arrangement during tomorrow's meeting.
It didn't matter between Argon and me if she died lost information would be the least of my problems.
It took some copilot help from Argon, but I finally got the hang of viewing her vast magic book library. It was wonderful. While I probably missed some of the subtle nuances reading the entire book would have provided, having a Cliff Notes version might cut years off my studies.
This was such an important discovery we retired to our suite and reviewed the available information. It didn't take long for our partners to populate the joint area with their own libraries. While each had a different personality, the books could still be understood.
Many of the ideas I had for our keep involved enchanting. I decided to read all the texts about this. I began with Argon's early texts and finished with the one she finished last week.
What we did with the armor caused me to realize how much magic was wasted by all mages. Everyone wanted to keep their personal supplies full, just in case. But this caused so much to be wasted because once you were full, the rest of your production was wasted. I was thinking about rechargeable batteries. If we could use Argon's excess magic recharging spell to charge batteries with excess magic, it might be available for us to tap into when it was needed.
If every mage in the keep or area was tied into filling and potentially pulling on that battery, we could expand how much magic was available to do things. Clearly, we could charge a "battery" but could that "battery" supply usable power to any mage or enchantment?
A battery at headquarters could potentially supply magic to keep the wards charged and any appliances or enchantments charged, too. This would be much more efficient than having people go around and charge them.
I've been worrying about communications networks for our mundanes. Smaller batteries could power telephone-like devices allowing those in outlying ships or warehouses in Augun or Losan or Klee to communicate to a mage powered switchboard located in Toffad's Keep. It would handle our station-to-station communication better than a com-card.
Similarly, the rare teleport card Argon used to supply our weekly groceries might be expanded to move people and things either routinely or on an emergency basis.
Argon suggested I start with reading force and mind magic texts first. She would read Inoa's advanced enchanting tomes to see what she could glean from them. She got the concept from my shared fuzzy memories of what a battery and telephone did to look for possible applications locally using magic.
Argon was gently reminding me that reading a summary of a few books on complex magic was different than practicing and training with it for decades. Sharing the knowledge base was a shortcut, but it wasn't a miracle.
With force magic being the key to so many things, I chose to concentrate on it this afternoon.
I found out another unexpected result of studying force magic for hours. By the time we stopped to begin getting dressed for the king's reception, and apparently a formal dinner, the different texts were spinning around in my head. I knew a lot more about force magic than I did when the day began, but it wasn't clear how I could apply this new information to our advantage. I already stumbled forward on my own in many of the areas.
I now knew some of the nuances of our standard teleport spell and ways to remove some safeguards and potentially improve its efficiency. I already used a force field as a bubble helmet to walk into hostile environments, to levitate over a wall, put an edge on a blade, deplete an enchantment and more.
As we got dressed, Argon and I chatted about ways to connect magic batteries, setting up force field triggers and a variety of other possibilities. I wasn't ready to start changing our defensive or offensive spell set, but my basic understanding of magical principles was growing.
Tobron had provided us with a teleport location for our reception. While we weren't expecting an attack, we prepped as if one was likely--especially since we weren't allowed to be armed or wear armor. Cleon had promised he'd be on hand to ensure our safety but being prepared costs nothing.
Tobron and Inoa were waiting for us at the 'port site. I knew they were very amused at something to do with this reception, but I didn't probe. Argon had her suspicions but no hard data. I assumed we were being recognized in some way for having assisted the crown. It would certainly make our acquisition of Toffad's Keep an easier nut to swallow for the Klee elite, even those who thought we were stupid for moving into it.
I was confident no one wanted to admit in public how close Klee came to collapse due to a foreign power. We wanted the instigators to remain in doubt about what happened to save Klee from the fate of Augun, Ylee or Kavil.
The four partners entered the room for the reception together. It was a smaller room and I began to relax as this wasn't going to be the big event I feared. The chamberlain greeted us at the door. A Klee-liveried servant brought glasses of graal. I recognized most of the people gathered in the room. They were a veritable who's who of Klee from the guild master to the commander of the king's guard. All those I saw had attended the original meeting, where it was revealed there was very likely a coup underway in Klee. Cleon was there, Alba got to stay at home.
I messaged Alba. She was at her daughter's house playing with the grandbabies. She was happy to be where she was.
Those invited to the reception moved to congratulate us on the positive outcome for Klee. They'd all heard of our injuries and hoped we had fully recovered. Some hinted we should have insisted on a more practical reward than Mad Toffad's Keep but still wished us the best. Little was said about the actual events; these senior officials were fully versed in operational security.
I approved.
While they were very cordial and complimentary to Argon and me, the true hero of the day was clearly Inoa. I thought they were going to kiss her feet, which I noticed had bright red claws rather than the black Argon preferred. She had painted her finger claws red as well, though I only caught a brief glimpse when she snagged an appetizer with one. I was happy to see most of the men's toes were the same natural tone mine were.
Inoa maintained operational secrecy but still basked in their accolades. Much of the time everything she did in the king's service was so secret, there had been few moments like this in her career.
King Ruton and Queen Mother Jenia slipped into the room. I spotted them immediately and saw the king tell the chamberlain not to announce him. Ruton came over to greet Argon and me straight away.
&n
bsp; He thanked us for our service to his kingdom and hoped we liked our new keep. We thanked him for making it available so promptly and admitted it would be a serious challenge to make it habitable. We admitted we were recruiting heavily and getting enough talented people was going to be our critical path going forward.
He didn't want to discuss our findings in Kavil and Ylee tonight but asked us if we could meet with him and a few of his staff tomorrow at an hour after sunrise.
King Ruton warned us there would be some official announcements before dinner acknowledging our contributions to the crown. He bowed to us both and went to greet Inoa and Tobron.
I warned my partners our morning meeting had been preempted. Alba said she'd just go in early to her morning rounds and standby to 'port to headquarters when the rest of us were available. Tobron thought it unlikely he'd be invited to the meeting and said he'd hold down the fort with the recruits.
Cleon chimed in with the observation that King Ruton wasn't known for long meetings so it should only delay us about an hour, he hoped. Cleon had received separate instructions to make sure he, Inoa, Argon and I met with the king in the morning.
I let Argon carry the conversations while I played the silent type. I was so awkward in this type of social interaction because I lacked so many references. This made navigating casual conversations a serious minefield. Revealing I came to Jaloa from another world wasn’t something we wanted out.
Operational briefings were easier, answering questions about my past, not so much. I took my cues from Argon and nodded wisely as she carried the conservational football. I used the time to review texts on mind magic while trying to look interested in the conversations going on around me. I practiced my new note-taking capability.
Finally, we were called to dinner. A discrete attendant escorted Argon and me to our places at the head table. I assumed the king and queen mother would sit in the middle seats with Inoa and Tobron on their other sides. The chamberlain and commander sat on the table ends. We all stood as the king escorted Jenia into the dining room and settled her beside me before taking his seat next to Inoa.
After everyone was seated, Jenia quietly asked us whether we'd recovered from our major injuries. I confirmed we were back to normal; busy wrapping up the operations in Augun and trying to get started on the new keep. She thanked us profusely for having helped her father and former kingdom move forward.
I expected to see Jenia here and brought her sigil we used to enter both the king's keep and the heir's home. I took it out and gave it back to her with our thanks.
She tried to give it back, but we told her it was better for her to keep it safe. I thought we might have an argument but were interrupted by the chamberlain and commander standing. This caused all the conversations in the room to cease abruptly. The servants departed and closed the doors behind them.
King Ruton stood and addressed the room, "We in this room know the debt of gratitude our kingdom owes Steve, Argon, and Inoa. While we cannot speak the details openly, the crown wishes to acknowledge this debt in a way that leaves no doubt about how highly we value these persons.
"Steve and Argon, please rise."
Argon grasped my hand under the table, and we rose as one. "Cleon made sure the king does not require our allegiance, just that you will defend those in your duchy and help defend the innocent within the Kingdom of Klee," sent Argon. "We can accept without any conflict with our main mission."
"For service to this crown, I award you the dukedom of Toffad's Keep."
Ruton nodded to the chamberlain, who walked behind us to reach the king. He had a salver with two sigils resting on a soft, rich looking fabric. The king took one and walked to me. "Steve will you protect and defend those within your duchy to the best of your ability?" the king asked.
"I will," this was an easy one to answer.
"Will you come to the defense of the innocent within the Kingdom of Klee should you be called by the crown?"
"I will," this was a more difficult choice, but I felt no conflict within me. I answered without equivocation.
"I appoint you to be Duke of Toffad's Keep."
The king moved to Argon who became the Duchess of Toffad's Keep.
Once the king turned to the room and introduced us as the Duke and Duchess of Toffad's Keep, we received a standing ovation.
Jenia was not satisfied with a curt bow, she hugged me first and then Argon.
Inoa promised to fill us in on what this meant at our meeting in the morning.
The King signaled for everyone to be seated. Commander Flexon and the chamberlain remained standing. This time the commander walked up to the king with a medal on a salver.
The king rose and turned to Inoa and asked her to rise.
"For service in defense of our kingdom, I am proud to present you with our highest civilian award, the Klee King's Gold Medal of Honor."
The king took the medal and pinned it to Inoa's dress.
"As you know Klee kings are very stingy with this award, with the last being awarded by my father more than 50 years ago. I cannot imagine anyone deserving this award more than Inoa. My only regret is I cannot shout to the top rooftops in the land what she did to deserve this. When I asked whether I should give her a duchy as well, she turned me down. She intends to move into the Duchy of Toffad's Keep once it is ready for occupation," the king nodded to Argon and me, then turned to his guests.
"Please stand to honor Inoa for her service to king and country."
This group gave her a rousing ovation and surged toward the front table to congratulate her. Only a few seemed aware of the award in advance.
Tobron was glowing. He was so proud and happy with the recognition given to his mate. Cleon was trying to look professional, but inside he was bubbling with pride. Alba chimed in with her good wishes through our partner link. Inoa projected serenity.
Eventually, the guests returned to their seats, and the feast began.
I'm not sure what I ate, but I tried some of everything. Only two dishes were not to my taste, the rest was very delicious and quite plentiful. The graal served with the meal was smooth and delightful.
I was so busy eating the conversation moved around me, with Jenia and Argon chatting about the situation in Augun. Jenia was very interested in our civilian corps suggestion. I couldn't tell her I got the idea from Earth so I dodged the question. Argon saved me by acknowledging it was only possible because the Augun King's Guard had retrieved the treasury.
After the king and queen mother excused themselves, we weren't far behind.
◆◆◆
Chapter 12
A quick energy bar and some chee and we were off at dawn to recharge the sani-units in the Augun slave camps. We split up the trips and hit the largest camps first, knowing we'd have to get the rest after our two meetings this morning.
The mood in the three camps I visited was more upbeat than I expected. The water magic was getting low in the sani-units, so I was glad we remembered. While I serviced the units, I was peppered with questions about our new keep and about the situation in Augun. Several of the camp scouts had returned and confirmed the destruction in nearby villages as relayed by King Rufix to the camp leadership.
I gathered up the skills assessments for those interested in joining Toffad's Keep as well as applications for the civilian corps and a few applications to join the king's guard.
I handed the king's guard applications to the camp guards. I suggested someone escort any king's guard recruits to the nearest city. I was sure Lt. Brik or Sgt. Bomes would welcome any reinforcements.
Argon agreed to handle the applications and assessments the same way. We alerted Olive that Asme and Flom might get a few reinforcements later today or tomorrow. We'd have Findot drop off any civilian corps applications at the end of the day.
Olive said Xerib had contacted several Augun mages and they were starting to trickle in. She was still in charge of her tiny band, and Xerib had promised to get her some help as soon as more
mages surfaced.
Xerib warned that a significant number of their comrades hadn't received the warning in time and were likely dead. He had more hope for mages not tied to the king. He and the king were working on a mage rebuilding corps and expected the king to issue details on that very soon.
A review of the applications suggested most refugees wanting to relocate to Toffad's Keep were lone females or females with children. I alerted Tobron, we would start 'porting them to Klee as soon as he had facilities ready to house them. We had between 12 and 16 each in the three camps I visited. I could move four at a time easily. That would take me about 30 trips.