by Eric Vall
“They were fighting with good-sized weapons at the battle with the trolls,” I reminded the priestesses. “I think you’re going to get something nice, Nicola.”
“They might even have bigger swords than the ones they were fighting with.” The brunette tapped a finger against her lips. “I think I might have seen them in the gnome’s storage tent.”
“Yeah, they definitely had more than the four gnome adults need,” I agreed. “And I think they were all different sizes.”
“Well, should we go to the woods now?” Nicola asked. “I’m excited to build this snare so we can go visit the gnomes sooner.”
The priestesses grabbed cordage and the modern axe, and the dark-haired woman led the other women out of the garden and toward the forest. It was a beautiful day despite the heat, so the priestesses all remained silent for a few minutes as they hiked, and I couldn’t hear much but the sound of their feet crunching pine needles and the birds chirping in the trees.
I really missed being in the woods, and I wondered if I would ever get a chance to explore the convent grounds with my own eyes.
“There’s the burrow,” I announced as the three women approached the large hole in the mud.
“I need to find the right tree,” Nicola mused as she glanced around. “Hmm, I think this sapling will work. Let’s make the noose first, and then we can set everything else up. I need some rope that’s about two feet long.”
Aleia handed the brunette a piece of cordage, and the dark-haired woman tied the knot. The big loop seemed nice and solid, and I was impressed by the quality of the women’s rope.
“What next?” the fairy asked as she dusted off her hands.
“Next, I’m going to find two sticks that hook together to form the trigger,” Nicola explained, and her dark eyes sparkled with excitement. “This reminds me of being a child, as my father taught me how to do this when I was a lot younger.”
“Aww, that’s nice,” Penelope said as she put her arm around the brunette’s shoulder. “I bet you miss him a lot.”
“More than I can say,” Nicola sighed.
From what she’d told us, the brunette had experienced a Cinderella upbringing. She’d had a kind father as a little girl and a mean stepmother as her guardian after he died. I wished she’d never had to suffer, but I was grateful her life had brought her to this convent.
“Will these work?” Aleia asked as she held out two pieces of wood in her palm. They were each about a foot long and had a hook-shaped branch coming off the end.
“Sister, those will be perfect,” Nicola said with a big smile on her face. The dark-haired priestess took the shorter stick and tied the end of the noose to the bottom of the hook. “You need to attach the noose to the hook, and then you have to tie the leader line to the tree.”
The brunette grabbed the branches of a sapling next to the rabbit hole, pulled them down, and tied on a long piece of cordage. She attached the end of the first stick to the leader line, and then she drove the base stick into the ground. Once she hooked the two pieces of wood together, the trap was set.
“Great job,” I praised.
“We’ll come back and check it later,” Nicola informed the other priestesses as they began to walk toward their favorite spot to collect firewood.
“That sounds good,” Aleia responded. “I can be in charge of getting wood for weapons.”
“Thanks, Aleia,” I said. “That would be helpful. Let’s do three more spears, two more bows, and… thirty arrows.”
“Wow, thirty is a lot,” Penelope rubbed her head as if she were already exhausted. “Do you really think we can make all that today?”
“You can start, anyway,” I replied. “Aleia, you understand what kind of wood we need, right?”
“Yes, and look at this tree,” the fairy said as she pointed at the stump of a sapling. “It has several shoots that are exactly the right size for arrows. Hopefully, we’ll find more of the same thing, and thirty will be easy.”
“Yeah, that’s awesome,” I told the fairy.
“I want to go check on the fire,” Penelope said as she bounced on the tips of her toes. “It feels like it’s been enough time. Hey, do you see how fast Aleia is working?”
Nicola and Penelope both turned to watch Aleia as she felled sapling after sapling with swift, practiced swings of her axe. The fairy soon had way more than thirty pieces of wood, and she smiled proudly.
“Aleia!” Nicola laughed. “You’re making the rest of us look bad.”
“No, I’m not,” the fairy responded, and her cheeks were flushed with exertion. “I’m just doing what I’m good at, like everyone else does. Anyway, master, I now have three saplings for the spears, two for the bow staves, and way more than thirty sticks for the arrows.”
“You’re so incredible,” I praised the fairy. “I can’t believe you got all that already.”
“It was easy,” Aleia said with a bashful shrug. “I’m doing my best to get better at all sorts of things, you know.”
“I do know,” I assured her, and I inwardly smiled at her telltale blush.
“Can we head back to the garden now, sisters?” Penelope asked eagerly. “I want to honor our lord by rebuilding his altar.”
“If the shells are done, you might be able to start soon,” I told the naiad. “You’re going to have to let them cool, though. I bet you’re happy I got the tongs now, aren’t you?”
“I suppose so, Jack,” Nicola laughed. “You should bring us something even more useful tomorrow.”
“I’ll have to think about what you need, first,” I responded. “Maybe some cooking pots…”
“That’s not heavenly at all,” the brunette moaned. “I want something else that shoots fire.”
“Nicola!” Penelope scolded. “We don’t demand things from our lord! We remain servantile and ask politely.”
“Yes, of course,” Nicola said while she struggled against her smile. “Jack… would you pretty please bring us something with flames shooting out of it? One for each of us would be oh so glorious.”
I chuckled at her mocking tone, but I didn’t bother pointing out that this hardly counted as servantile or polite. I preferred to punish the sassy brunette later for it, instead.
“I’ll think about it,” I allowed.
“Oh, goodie!” Penelope giggled. “Then we can play with them all the time.”
“Those things run out, you know,” I told the women as they started to walk back toward the garden. “Propane doesn’t last forever.”
“Propane?” the naiad asked with a wrinkled nose. “What’s that?”
“It’s a flammable gas,” I explained. “That means it catches on fire. Wait, do you even know what a gas is?”
“No, I don’t think so,” the blue woman said as her brow furrowed in confusion. “Do you, sisters?”
Both the other priestesses shook their heads.
“Hmm…” I mused. “Well, I suppose what you really need to know is not to bring those tanks anywhere near the campfire, because they will explode.”
“Maybe we only need one torch,” Aleia said with wide eyes.
When the priestesses returned to the garden, they saw the fire in the kiln had burned down to coals already, and Penelope cheered.
“Master, it looks like it’s done!” the naiad chirped. “Can I take out the pieces of shells now?”
“It’s still smoking a little…” I said. “I think it’s going to be too hot for a while. And you’re going to need to be careful of the smoke, because quicklime is poisonous. The temperatures you’re working with are less hazardous than they could be, but a full face full of the stuff could definitely cause some issues. In fact, Penelope, why don’t you let someone else do this part?”
“Why, master?” the naiad asked with a puzzled expression on her face. “I am more than capable of handling this job. I will show you!”
“Please don’t,” I countered. “I’m only thinking of the baby. For all we know, inhaling even a sma
ll amount of this smoke could be dangerous to it.”
“My lord, that is so silly!” the blue woman giggled. “She will be fine. She is your child, after all. Aren’t you protecting her?”
“Yes, of course…” I replied, though I hadn’t really thought about it in those terms until now. “You’re right, I guess I’m feeling a little overprotective today. I’m sure the baby will be fine.”
Penelope blushed purple at the words, and she sent a flirty glance toward the sky. I decided not to argue with her any further on the topic, but as far as the fumes went, at least the naiad was outside.
“I’m going to run down to the living quarters and get some tools,” Nicola announced. “I’m going to need a chisel to make the bow.”
“A modern chisel might be a good tool to provide for you,” I commented. “We could really use more woodworking tools in general.”
“A modern chisel?” the brunette asked. “How is that different?”
“It’s not that different in principle,” I explained. “They usually have handles, so they give you better leverage and are easier on your hands. I should really get you work gloves, too. I can’t believe your hands are still so soft after all the work you’ve been doing.”
“It’s probably the creek,” Penelope suggested in a flirtatious voice. “You know we like to keep our hands soft for you, my lord.”
“And I appreciate it,” I chuckled, and I watched Aleia turn red again.
Nicola seemed to notice, too, but she only smiled good-naturedly at the fairy and didn’t point it out. Then the brunette turned and headed off toward the living quarters.
“What do we do while we’re waiting for the shells to cool?” Penelope asked.
“You can make arrows with your dagger,” I suggested. “Just scrape the wood off, remember?”
“Nicola took my good knife.” The naiad looked a little sad. “I told her I would trade.”
“Sister, that’s so nice of you,” the fairy complimented the pale blue woman. “I know she loves your dagger, and I bet she’ll sharpen hers for you. Why don’t you sit down in the meantime? Are you tired?”
“Are you trying to make sure I’m okay again?” Penelope accused Aleia, and the naiad’s lower lip jutted out in a pout. “Aleia, that’s so kind of you! You’re so wonderful, sister.”
“Well, you weren’t feeling well,” the strawberry-blonde said with a warm smile. “You can’t blame me.”
“I’m glad she’s looking out for you, Penelope,” I said. “I need you to stay healthy.”
“Thank you, everyone.” The naiad’s eyes misted over in what was apparently another mood swing. “I love you all sooooo much.”
“Why is Penelope crying?” Nicola asked as she walked up to the other two priestesses with tools in hand. She’d brought the chisel and the modern hammer, which was an improvement over a rock.
“I’m not sure,” Aleia said with a shrug. “I only checked if she was doing alright.”
“Hormones,” I muttered to myself.
“Hor-mones?” Penelope asked. “Is that a dirty word, too? It sounds dirty, Jack.”
“No, it’s not dirty,” I laughed. “I’m not sure if I should tell you what this one means, either. I don’t want you to get mad at me.”
“Mad at you?” Penelope gasped and put her hand to her chest. “How could I ever be mad at you?”
“True,” I sighed at my most loyal priestess. “Hormones are these chemicals… well, they do lots of things in your body, but apparently, when a woman is pregnant, these hormones end up in a different balance, and they make her hungry, and emotional, and horny…”
“Horny?” the naiad repeated with a puzzled frown.
“Uhhh, aroused,” I explained.
“My lord!” Penelope gasped. “How would it be possible for me to want your holy body even more than I already do? Now I know you cannot be serious.”
“I’m just telling you what I’ve heard,” I laughed. “Anyway, you should make weapons while you wait for the kiln to cool.”
“Yes, master,” Penelope said with a smile. “Although, I might be feeling more… horny already.”
“Oh, really?” I chuckled. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“I’m more horny, too,” Nicola chimed in with a frank nod, and Aleia giggled at the bold statement.
I noted the dark-haired priestess’ blatant enthusiasm, though, and I made a mental note she could use a little more attention, too.
Nicola worked on the first bow for a couple hours while Penelope and Aleia made arrows. The fairy’s hands worked incredibly fast as she shaved the branches down and sharpened the tips with her knife, and she made thirty arrows look easy.
After some time had passed, I decided the kiln had probably cooled long enough for Penelope to get the shells out. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and I knew the women would have to go see the gnomes soon. I really wanted to get this altar finished today, though. It would be quicker if Aleia worked on it, but I didn’t want Penelope’s feelings to be hurt, either.
My altar meant so much to the sweet naiad.
“Penelope, how would you like to go take a nap?” I suggested, since she looked a little sweaty and tired.
“That might be nice,” the naiad sighed. “But the shells just came out of the oven.”
“I’d be happy to work on it,” Aleia volunteered.
“That’s kind of you, sister,” the blue woman responded. “If you really don’t mind, master, I think I will lie down.”
“Make sure you drink enough water,” Nicola added. “You don’t want to get sick. And eat more meat.”
“You’re babying me,” Penelope pointed out. “I can take care of myself.”
The priestesses smiled in response while the naiad tousled her long, blonde hair, and they exchanged quiet giggles once the naiad made her way out of the garden.
“Well, she is going to be a little sassy pregnant naiad, isn’t she?” Aleia mused.
“I like it,” Nicola chuckled.
The little fairy was already almost done picking shells out of the fire pit and putting them into a clay container, I quickly checked to make sure Penelope was nestled in her blankets.
“So, Aleia, what are the chances you can fix this altar really quickly?” I asked.
“Fairly high,” the strawberry-blonde said with a shrug. “You know I’m a good worker, my lord.”
“I do,” I assured her. “Do you have a plan in mind for rebuilding it?”
“I’m going to fit the stones back together as best as I can and use a lot of mortar,” Aleia replied. “Is there more to it than that?”
“I suppose not,” I chuckled. “It sounds like you’ve got the hang of it. Nicola, your bow looks amazing.”
“Thank you. Jack.” The dark-haired woman blushed slightly as she looked at the beautifully-carved item in her hand. “I had more of a feel for it this time, and I’m enjoying the process quite a lot.”
“I can tell,” I praised the brunette. “Aleia, once you’re done picking out shells, you’re going to want to mix them with water so they form a paste. It’s going to react and bubble, and you’re not going to want to breathe in the vapors.”
“I understand, my lord.” The fairy dug around in the ashes for any remaining shells, and when she was satisfied she was done, she took her canteen and poured water into the pot with the shells in it. Then she observed the reaction for a few moments with amazement as she stirred the pot from a distance with a stick. “This is so fun. Jack. I’m glad I get to do this work for you.”
Aleia continued to stir the quicklime and water together until it stopped bubbling and started to thicken, and when it turned into a dense white paste, I was slightly amazed we’d actually managed to make cement.
“Nice work,” I admired. “You’re going to need sand from the creekbed to keep working, so why don’t you run down there and collect some?”
“Of course, my heavenly lord,” the fairy replied. “That will be easy for
me.”
As Aleia left the garden with a large clay pot in hand, I took the time to admire Nicola’s handiwork again.
“You’re getting so good at this,” I told the brunette. “You’re a natural with weaponry.”
“I feel good doing it, too.” The dark-haired woman grinned. “It’s so satisfying to create my own tools for my sisters and I. Look! I’ve already strung it.”
“What do you want to do now?” I asked.
“Whatever needs to be done,” Nicola said with a shrug. “I can help Aleia with the altar.”
“We only have one trowel, but you can probably use a flat rock for mortar,” I suggested.
Aleia came flying back into the garden just then, and since she’d returned so quickly, I wondered if something was wrong.
“Did you forget something?” Nicola asked.
“What do you mean?” Aleia asked as a puzzled expression flashed across her face. “I have the sand we need to make the mortar.”
“Already?” I was shocked.
“You asked me to work fast, master,” the fairy said with pink cheeks. “I only want to please you. I filled this entire container with sand, and I know we already have water back here at the garden, so it looks like we’re all set to begin.”
“You’re perfect,” I praised the strawberry-blonde. “Honestly, I’m constantly impressed by you, Aleia.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” the fairy giggled. “But are you certain we should do this without Penelope? It means so much to her.”
“That’s why we should do this for her,” Nicola decided with a small nod. “I may not be as devout as Penelope, but this work is so important to our sister. Think about how happy she would be if she woke up from her nap and the altar was done.”
“She could begin worshipping our lord right away!” Aleia said with bright eyes.
“Let’s do this,” I responded.
The women wanted to get the altar done for different reasons than I did, but I was glad we were all working toward the same goal, especially since Nicola seemed as determined as the rest of us. Her natural inclination to take care of her sisters contrasted so much with her weapon-building and hunting interests, and I loved to see this side of her, too.