Metal Mage 12

by Eric Vall

  I instinctively glanced over to find them sending me flirty waves, and I was just about to ignore them when Deya suddenly whipped around and hissed like a rabid cat.

  All seven girls shrieked and turned beet red while their father looked downright scandalized, and the rest of my women just burst out laughing.

  “Deya!” I gasped, but the young girls were already scurrying off the platform like she might eat them.

  “I am so sorry about that,” I muttered as I grabbed my elf, and I swiftly carted her toward the train as she giggled in my arms.

  Then I heard a strange whooshing sound followed by a light ping, though, and an arrow dropped to the ground directly behind me.

  In a flash, my women whipped their pistols out as the Defenders on the platform armed themselves, and the crowd abruptly fell silent.

  My adrenaline surged at the thought of how close the arrow came to striking me, but then I realized Deya was in my arms, too, and I hoisted her up into the train car.

  “Get below the windows,” I ordered.

  Then I sparked my Terra magic to scan the area and prepare for an attack, but there was nothing coming this way for a mile around. Still, we all stood there armed and prepared for several minutes to be sure, but nothing else came our way.

  “Was that it?” I muttered to Aurora, and General Kin snatched the arrow off the ground.

  “Are you alright, Defender Flynt?” the Flummen Mage asked.

  “Yeah,” I said in confusion. “Was there only the one arrow? Where did it come from?”

  “Yes, and I’m not sure,” Aurora answered as she looked up and down the platform.

  Kin lowered her voice and handed me the arrow. “Defender Flynt, this could have been an attempt on your life.”

  “I doubt it in this crowd,” I countered.

  “Either way, you’d better get going,” Kin said with a grave look. “We’re prepared for anything here. Limont will be in good hands.”

  I nodded and motioned for the Defenders to stand down, but as I glanced at Deya ducking just inside the door of the car, I had a sinking feeling someone’s life had been in the balance just now.

  It probably wasn’t mine, though.

  Chapter 11

  “I think it’s more likely some kids were messing around and made a mistake,” Cayla suggested while the train took us further south.

  “I did see a lot of boys playing with bows and arrows,” Shoshanne added.

  I looked across the table as their words interrupted my brooding, but I continued turning the arrow between my fingertips.

  “Really?” I asked. “You’re not just saying that to keep me from worrying?”

  “No, I saw this, too,” Deya assured me. “I’m almost certain that’s what happened. You know how careless boys are when they’re small. Dragir and Rhys used to play a game called Kill First. I would be so angry with them every time they played it. Then I realized they were each as cunning as the other, and I was less worried, but I did learn boys are very careless that way.”

  “What are the rules in Kill First?” Shoshanne asked.

  “There are no rules,” Deya said as she furrowed her brow. “The game is just that. Who can kill the other first? Neither of them ever won, but they spent hours tracking each other through the jungles trying to kill each other.”

  I snorted. “I’m so glad they’re both my allies now.”

  “Yeah, it’s reassuring they’re so close,” Aurora chuckled in agreement.

  “I guess that makes sense, though,” I sighed. “Why would an elf come all the way to Limont and try to kill Deya in front of an entire town?”

  “It doesn’t sound very elven,” Cayla mused. “I would expect a whole House to tear us to pieces in our sleep and burn Falmount to the ground.”

  “Yes, that is more elven,” Deya agreed.

  I cocked a brow at the flower crown the elf was daintily piecing together. “Is hissing an elven thing? Because you just hissed at a group of harmless girls. That happened.”

  “No, that is a me thing today,” the beautiful elf replied with a sheepish smile. “It’s just so sad to see a father parading his young daughters around like that. It makes me furious. Mason, would you ever parade your daughters around like that?”

  “No, I’d probably rig the yard with underground explosives,” I admitted. “Then no men could even get close enough to the house to see them.”

  “You’re so sweet,” Shoshanne sighed.

  I smirked. “I try.”

  “Then you understand,” Deya said with a nod. “Now, the little girls know they are not at all prepared to handle a real man such as yourself, and they will think twice about allowing their father to teach them it’s okay to giggle that way.”

  Shoshanne and I stared at each other across the table.

  “How does hissing at them translate to that?” the healer clarified.

  “I’m very feisty, and Mason gave me his baby,” Deya giggled. “They are not feisty and couldn’t handle getting his babies. I think I made that quite clear.”

  “I love everything about you,” Aurora informed the elf as she leaned over to leave a kiss in her hair, and Deya smiled.

  “I love you, too, but I don’t see the logic,” I muttered.

  “Don’t worry, Mason,” Deya sighed. “The poor little girls did.”

  “Well, for the poor little girls’ sake, let’s hope none of these other lords expect Mason to whisk their daughters away,” Cayla said with a smirk.

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, that was uncomfortable.”

  “But Mason, you’re so handsome in your armor,” Aurora teased. “The ladies can’t help wanting to be whisked away.”

  “Stop,” I ordered.

  “They think you’re bold and daring,” Cayla added. “It makes them feel bold and daring, too.”

  “Nope,” I countered. “I have enough women for now.”

  “Should we paint that on the side of the train?” Shoshanne asked.

  “Yeah, actually,” I chuckled. “Or better yet, you can write, ‘Mason has four women to get pregnant. Not currently seeking more women.’”

  “Four?” Deya asked, and her violet eyes shone eagerly. “Nulena, too?”

  All of my women sat up as their eyes sparkled, but I swiftly shook my head.

  “I miscounted,” I clarified. “Deya’s already pregnant, so three women to get pregnant.”

  “I think Nulena should have your baby, too,” Cayla mused.

  “Gods,” Aurora sighed. “That would be the scariest, sneakiest, most magical baby this world has ever known.”

  “And so beautiful,” Shoshanne added. “One silver eye, one all black eye.”

  “Or--” Deya began.

  “Everyone pause,” I ordered. “No one is talking about babies with Nulena, because Nulena isn’t talking about babies with me. You are. She’s not.”

  “But she should be,” Cayla countered.

  “Babies with you is such a good idea,” Deya agreed.

  “No, babies with people who talk about babies is a good idea,” I said. “Nulena has not said a damned word about babies. So, drop it.”

  “I agree with Mason,” Shoshanne admitted. “Nulena just learned how to say I love you like … days ago. Do you really think she’s ready to raise a child?”

  “But maybe having Mason’s child would teach her about … ” Deya trailed off when she caught my warning look, and she immediately turned her attention back to her flower crown.

  “Thank you,” I muttered. “Moving on, I’m gonna go see Bagneera about an extra train car for Taru.”

  “You mean for Haragh and Taru,” Cayla corrected.

  “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

  My women all smiled in a polite silence while I headed for the door, but as soon as I was out of the car, they continued the topic of me getting Nulena pregnant. I only stood there long enough for Deya to suggest they trick the Baroness into it, but once the others made it clear that would be a terrib
le thing to do, I headed into the dining car.

  Then I began making my way through each car, and I found myself slowly weaving around booths, bags, and several piles of books. The younger Defenders were gathered in hoards in every sleeping car while they talked to their friends, and most of the bunks had flames or spurts of water hopping between them in some kind of game.

  One car I passed through smelled strongly of Aldrin pollen, though, and every Defender in the bunks were bug eyed as they silently stared at books. I could tell in one glance the pages had been thrown open at random since two of these books were upside down, and one young man was apparently enthralled with a title page, but I just nodded and continued on my way.

  I was nearing the front of the train now, and the closer I got to Bagneera’s engine, the more subdued the troops became. They were closer to my age as well and seemed preoccupied with being lazy while they still had the chance, and I envied half of them who were taking a cat nap before they reached their posts.

  Then I got to the generals’ sleeping quarters, and I didn’t miss the giant barrel of Rosh they’d tried to keep hidden under their bags in the corner.

  “Don’t tell Bagneera,” Kurna muttered when I cocked a brow at his mug. “She doesn’t allow Rosh on her trains.”

  “Neither do I,” I snorted. “You’re in charge of my Defenders, and I don’t need you tearing your clothes off at any of these stops.”

  “I’m pacing myself,” the brawny mage insisted. “One mug every two hours.”

  I glanced at Urn to confirm this, and he nodded while the generals on the top bunks chuckled to themselves.

  “Okay, then,” I sighed. “I’m on my way to speak with Bagneera about something, but how are things going so far?”

  Kurna stooped to pull a map and schedule from under his bunk, and he handed them over.

  “This system your butler came up with is airtight,” the brawny mage told me. “That man does it all, huh?”

  “Yeah, Alfred’s the best,” I chuckled as I scanned the agenda.

  “We should be finished up in three days with overnights in Tellish and Rainard, and our last post is up in Garioch,” Urn told me.

  “The logger’s town near Orebane’s border?” I asked.

  “That’s the one.” Urn nodded. “Bagneera has a man up there she’s itching to get back to, so we might even arrive ahead of schedule. We’ve also gotta take a bit of a jaunt from the station in Fraling since the locals wouldn’t allow any platforms so close to the village, but other than that, everything should go smoothly. Any idea what that arrow was about?”

  “My women saw some young boys playing with bows in the crowd,” I muttered. “That’s my best guess at the moment. Can I borrow this map so I can coordinate my work along the way?”

  “You can take it all, I’ve got it memorized,” Urn assured me. “Three more stops today will bring us into Tellish about an hour after sundown. If we head out around first light, we’ll hit Rainard by sunset tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good,” I said with a nod. “How many more cars until I hit the engine room?”

  “Right next door,” Kurna belched before he took a swig from his mug.

  “Alright, but if you’re missing even one article of clothing at any of our stops, I’m taking that Rosh for myself.”

  Kurna clutched his mug a little closer as I headed for the opposite end of the generals’ sleeping quarters, and when I crossed from the car to the engine, I found Bagneera in a power stance at the helm while her Ignis Magic kept us barreling along the tracks at top speed.

  The old mage was more than happy to accommodate my ogre friends with a private car, and it sounded like our best bet would be a town called Orven that usually had spare cars around. She’d somehow already heard about my request for griffin in the dining car, though, and this on top of the crowd in Limont led to the old woman accusing me of leaving Falmount early just so I could parade around like a hot shot.

  I let Bagneera have her fun, but I doubted all the citizens would be as short sighted about the circumstances as Lord Henesy’s residents were, and I assured her the rest of the nation was most likely living in constant fear given the recent increase in attacks. I told her with absolute confidence they’d be more focused on showing their appreciation for the Defenders than me from here on out, and considering my mages would be the ones protecting their villages through the darker times ahead, this seemed plausible.

  It didn’t pan out that way, though.

  On my way back down the train, I could already hear the townsfolk screaming my name as we neared our next post, and when signs flashed by the window with crude attempts at my face painted on them, I imagined Bagneera propping her hands on her hips with a cocky look in her eyes.

  My women, on the other hand, were beside themselves, and every stop only made them more enthusiastic as the day wore on.

  Cayla and Aurora made a point of draping themselves under each of my arms while their fingers toyed with my gun belt and armor, and even though this made it difficult to speak with all the lords and generals, I rolled with it.

  My Defenders started chuckling at every stop when they realized my women were swapping their outfits out, though, and I gradually noticed each wardrobe change was a little more revealing than the last.

  Which almost bothered me until it occurred to me they were getting more handsy as well, and around the third stop, I caught on that they were just super turned on by how many people were shouting my name.

  Deya absolutely reveled in the attention as she threw her arm out to make sure everyone knew to look at me, but then my beautiful elf started referring to the townsfolk as “Mason’s subjects,” and I decided the women were getting way too caught up in all the fanfare.

  “Deya, these aren’t ‘my subjects,’” I clarified once we’d re-boarded the train. “They’re the citizens of Illaria, which literally makes them Temin’s subjects.”

  “Not if your wonderful railway goes to their towns to bring them so much wealth,” Deya countered. “Your impressive army is guarding them, too, and look at the way they all cheer for you! They worship you and your railway.”

  Cayla let out a happy sigh. “As they should.”

  “Yeah, this isn’t really my railway anymore,” I tried to explain. “I didn’t build this part of the tracks, the people of Illaria pulled together to build them by hand. They’ve labored for months to expand what I only started, and they did it with no magic at all. Do you have any idea how impressive that is?”

  “No, it’s all yours,” Deya decided. “It wouldn’t exist without a man as brilliant as you around to make it so.”

  “I agree,” Cayla said as she picked her way through the pile of gifts. “All of this wouldn’t have been possible without you, Mason.”

  “Flynt’s Railway,” Aurora mused. “I like the sound of that.”

  “We could have Temin post signs along the tracks,” Cayla realized. “Huge signs with gilded lettering … ”

  “No,” I firmly countered. “Look, it wasn’t me who spent countless hours sweating in the sun to level all this land, lay tracks and ties--”

  “Uhhh, you did, though,” Cayla snickered. “I was there when you used your powers to flatten the earth and lay the tracks.”

  “At first,” I clarified. “All of this area was forged by the efforts of honest working folks who--”

  “Mason, you’re too humble,” Shoshanne informed me. “Your strength and fortitude inspired these people to labor as they do.”

  “It’s so generous of you to inspire them,” Deya sighed. “Look at what they can do with you as their leader. In a way, this railway has become an ode to you. Which still makes it yours.”

  I gave up there and just let the women carry on, and while I returned to the table, they began fantasizing about all the things they’d demand of these poor lords on my behalf the next time we travelled through Illaria.

  I smirked at their silly rambling as I sketched out the parts assembly of the
upper and lower receivers so the build for the AR-15 would be easier, but I wasn’t too surprised when our next stop only increased my women’s enthusiasm.

  The vassals of Orven had actually found a red carpet big enough to cover the platform with, and the banner welcoming me, and only me, stretched from one end of the street to the other. Brassy music blared over the teeming crowd as the Defenders tried to calm their horses, and everything added to the sensory overload thanks to my rune.

  The two lords who presided over this part of the region each had two daughters, too, and they were bold enough to follow only inches behind me from the second I stepped onto the platform. Twice, they slammed into me when I stopped to discuss things with my generals, but once my women ditched their sheer skirts, I was able to get my work done.

  My four lovers strutted beside me like a pack of sexy bodyguards with their asses fully exposed, and their hands roaming all over my chest and back. After five minutes of that, the lords’ daughters seemed to have vanished.

  I still ducked into the last car on the train as soon as I saw Bagneera had hitched it up, and as the crowd quieted down in their efforts to locate me, we were able to get the Defenders situated more quickly.

  Haragh and Taru hopped into the car with me just before we left the blaring noise of Orven, and the half-ogre informed me my women had been giving out kisses on the cheek from “Defender Flynt’s Prized Women,” to keep the crowd distracted.

  I shook my head. “This is getting out of hand.”

  “Aye,” Haragh snorted. “You’re just one man on a train of hundreds. Why the hell should you get the banner?”

  “Hey, I’m in full agreement with you,” I replied.

  “It’s thoughtful,” Taru murmured, and my mood lifted as soon as she spoke. “Haragh has told me the citizens have struggled to rebuild their faith in your Order. This is their way of showing they support your promotion.”

  “That’s an excellent point,” I realized. “I should be grateful they’re so on board with this. If you think about it, this shows their faith in the Order more than anything. They’re not questioning my qualifications, and they’re not even nervous about having our mages in their towns. Their spirits are lifted, and if anything, that’s what the people need most in times of war.”