Hand Made Mage

by James Haddock

  "You will be busy in the morning." I said. He nodded.

  Maddie took us to our new bedchambers.

  Chapter twenty-one

  I rose from our bed, put on clothes and sank into the earth. I flew under Vigil Castle and the village. All was well, and everyone had settled down for the night.

  I flew to the Hinterland Army I found the King's pavilion. He was sleeping. I stole his armor and his weapons. They never made a sound as they sank into the ground. I left them under his pavilion.

  I then found his warhorse a beautiful animal. He had his own tent. I stole all his horse’s heavy armor and left them under the horse’s tent. I raised up from the ground slowly. The horse looked at me never making a sound. A rune on my hand glowed. I put a cloth over his eyes then we sank into the ground. He never flinched. I took him to the new stables at the Castle and we raised up from the earth. He never had to take a step.

  I went back and got the horse’s armor, the Kings armor, I also took his war chest of gold. There were Knights pavilions close to the Kings. They were either rich or powerful, probably both. I stole the ten richest Knight's armor, weapons, and war chests of gold. Then I stole their warhorses, and their horse’s heavy armor. I put all the horses and their armor in the stable. I stood all the suits of armor, swords and shields along the wall in the new grand hall. In front of the King's armor I put his locked war chest of gold. After all it costs a lot to defend a Castle.

  I slept in the earth for a while restoring my strength. I rose back up to our bed before dawn. I placed my ten new chests of gold along the wall.

  "You've been gone a long time, is everything ok?"

  "Yes, I caused some trouble with the invading army. It took longer than I expected." I went back to sleep.

  Sometime after dawn Maddie snuggled up to me. "Ghost?"

  "Hmmm?"

  "What's in the ten chests along the wall?"

  "I don't know, I haven't looked. Did you look?"

  "They are all locked,"

  I smiled.

  "Ghost?"

  "Hmm?"

  "Where are the keys?"

  "Probably with the owners back at the Hinterland Army, nosy."

  She bit my ear, "Ow!" she jumped up to run. But I caught her before she could get away.

  "You wench."

  "You can open the chests, can't you?"

  "I can."

  "Open them, I want to see."

  We got up, and I touched each one, unlocked them. I stepped back as she opened them. Each one was full of gold. She looked at me. "Spoils of war, and the beginning of the Southern Districts Treasury,” I said.

  She jumped into my arms.

  We were late to breakfast. Before we left the room, I pushed the chests into the wall. Maddie watched and nodded.

  ✽✽✽

  We walked through the grand hall on the way to breakfast. The Duke and Duchess were there looking at the armor. We walked over to see them too.

  "Ah, Sir Draugur, Good morning. I don't suppose you'd know anything about this armor?"

  "Yes, your Grace, they go with the Castle."

  "I see, but where did they come from?"

  "Well, that's a long story." The Duchess was smiling. "The short version is, I stole them. That one over there belonged to the King of Hinterland. The chest in front of his armor is a tax I collected, in your name, for trespassing onto your lands." I walked over and opened a chest. It was full of gold.

  The Duke started laughing, "he will lose his mind, and people will lose their heads." Maddie was laughing as well.

  "There are also eleven warhorses and heavy armor in your stables. Including the Kings. Did you know he had his own tent, quite spoiled I'd expect.” We all laughed.

  "We'll go see them after we eat." The Duke said. "I doubt their army will move today; their King will be in a rage."

  "That was my thinking."

  ✽✽✽

  The Castle was a beehive of activity. People moving everywhere. The People of the village had gone back home since they lived inside a wall now.

  We went to the stables to see the war horses. The Duke loved the King's warhorse. "What will you do with them?"

  "They are yours; I only need two, and not that one. You should keep that one. I want two mares."

  He was all smiles. "If you are still here when your mares come in season, we'll let him cover them. That will start the Southern Districts herd." I nodded. We picked out what I thought were the two best mares. Maddie and I saddled them and road around the village wall inside and out.

  "Ghost?"

  I turned to her, "yes?"

  "You said the gold was for the Southern Districts Treasury, what do you intend to do with it?"

  I've already done it; I gave it to you. You are the brains of this team I'm the muscle."

  "Do you mean that, or just saying nice things to your new bride?"

  I stopped, "I mean it, you handle the District's finances. I have some investments of my own, but you take care of those monies. I must talk to Kade about the other lands and incomes."

  "You get to keep those; you just can't claim any of my lands. The Southern District lands that will pass to our children."

  I nodded, "then we'll make it the best lands we can to pass down to them."

  ✽✽✽

  I slept for a while, then I visited the Hinterland Army again. I opened a vault and laid out my backpack. I opened my gold chests, there was room in them to put in more. I went to every Hinterland chest I could find and drew the gold out through the bottom of the chests and replaced it with sand. This trip would be expensive for them.

  When I had finished taking all their gold I closed, the backpack, and it put away. I filled the vault back in. I flew under their camp looking for opportunities to cause trouble. It looked like half the camp was on guard duty. I smiled.

  I raised twenty stone dogs, *scatter all their horses. Chase the horses for a mile then go back to the earth. Go.* The stone dogs rose from the ground and started barking running through the camp scattering horses. The camp was in chaos. The dogs were barking as they ran, as each dog reached a mile away, they crumbled into dirt. That should hold them in place another day.

  I returned to Vigil Castle and slept in the earth for a while. Returning to our bed well before sunrise. Maddie snuggled into my arms and we slept.

  We went down to the family breakfast. The children had adopted me, their Uncle Ghost. I mean as a child having a mage for an uncle was the best.

  We sat down and they brought in food. "So, you own Black Stag Keep?" the Duke asked.

  "I do Your grace, but it is nothing as grand a Vigil Castle."

  "I should think not; I spent a small fortune having it built." We all chuckled. And while we are with family please, you may call me Mathew."

  "And me, Emily." the Duchess said.

  "Thank both of you, you are most kind."

  "I would say it is a medium-sized Keep, with two thousand acres in an enclosed valley. It is completely enclosed by crags. Only a small pass allows entry to the valley. I built a Gate Fort to guard it, which makes it very secure."

  "Farmland?"

  "Probably half is cleared, and good water. My problem right now is tenants. I just opened ten, forty-acre farms with a house, a barn and installed farmers in them. I also bought one hundred cows to start a herd. I left instructions for ten milk cows and chickens to be bought for the farms."

  "Stone houses and barns I bet." I smiled. "My problem is all my farmers live here in the village and go out every day to work the farms. Which means there are no farms past a few miles from the village."

  "I'd bet that if you built a house, and barn surrounded by a wall for protection you'd get tenants to move out there. Offer a better percentage for those who go. Give them five percent more of the harvest. If you add livestock, you have more to tax."

  He nodded. "After breakfast we'll ride out and look at the land. You can show me what You've done."

  "Any excuse to
go riding." Emily said smiling.

  ✽✽✽

  Sir Mathew, Maddie, myself and a squad at cavalry rode down the east road. We rode out to where the last field was being worked. It was a couple of miles out from the Castle.

  "Here, your Grace?" I asked.

  "Yes, about here."

  I got down and took a hand full of soil. It was good soil not to rocky. I stood and looked around, I concentrated, setting my mind on the same style farm I had raised at Black Stag, but added a wall rather than a fence. Stone began rising out at the ground. In a short time, we had a farmstead with a twelve-foot wall around it, with a twelve-foot tower at the front corner by the gate. The gate was a heavy and thick. We went inside and looked around. We looked through the house, barn, well, and corral.

  "Better than the farm I grew up on," one cavalryman said.

  The Duke winked at me, "Princess what would it cost to build a farmstead like this using wood?"

  "Three golds." she answered right away. "seven if you mixed wood and stone. Twelve if you only used stone."

  The Duke laughed, "she always does that. She is sharp."

  I nodded smiling, "so I'm learning."

  "Build me another like this right across the road, so they'll have neighbors." It was finished by the time we walked out the front gate. The Duke laughed, "let's go do some planning."

  We closed the gates and left the farmstead. We rode back to the Castle at an easy pace. Entering the village at the, what they now called, "bridge gate". I must say I do good work. We rode through the village, everyone seemed at peace. No feeling of impending doom with an invading army closing in.

  The grooms took our horses, and we went up to the Duke's office, which was much larger now. There was a map of the Northern District on the wall. "Show us a model of the Castle, and village area, please."

  I raised a platform from the floor. Models of the Castle, the village, roads, and surrounding ten miles showed.

  The Duke looked at it. "How far out is that?"

  "About ten miles." I raised up models of the farmsteads I raised today.

  He nodded, "those you built today."

  "Yes."

  Horns sounded from the gate. "Company is coming." The Duke said. "We'll continue this later Ghost, thank you."

  I let the platform drop, becoming the floor again.

  A messenger met the Duke in the Grand Hall. "The Crown Prince approaches with his Army, your Grace."

  "Impatient arrogant..." Maddie started. "He was to wait at Mid-Brook for father. He just can't wait to show what a great war leader he is."

  "Maddie, watch what you say, he will be King one day."

  "More's the pity." We went down to the courtyard to greet the Crown Prince. His party rode in. We bowed. He dismounted.

  "You've been busy improving things I see." He looked at me. I said nothing.

  "We have brother." The Duke said.

  "How far away are the Hinterlanders?"

  "Five days march." The Duke said.

  "I thought they'd be closer by now."

  "Sir Draugur attacks them every night slowing their progress."

  "He has taken spoils?"

  "He has."

  The Crowned Prince looked at me. I saw his jaw muscles bunching. "You will turn over half of those spoils to me, this is my campaign." The Duke eyes grew.

  I bowed, "Of course Your highness, where would you like your five and a half sets of armor sent?" The Duke closed his eyes.

  "What was that?"

  "You wanted half of the spoils I took. I took Eleven sets of armor; your half is five and a half sets of armor. Oh, and five and half war horses. Your half that is."

  "You took armor, not gold or hostages?" His voice was raising.

  "And warhorses, Your highness." I could see we did not like each other; I was beneath him and did not fear him, and he could not stand it.

  "You were told to improve the defenses and hold the invaders here by making them reduce the Keep."

  "Actually, I was told to improve the defenses and delay them as long as I could. Which I have done with no loss of life. On our side anyway."

  He turned toward me. "Well, as you have accomplished your task, you may leave. Take what you came with and go. Be glad you married the Princess, or I'd have you in the dungeon."

  I bowed," Yes Your highness."

  Over his shoulder he said, "enjoy the swamps of the Southern District." And laughed.

  I just smiled.

  As the Crown Prince left going up the stairs, I bowed to the Duke. "Thank You, Your Grace, for your hospitality. I apologize for any trouble I may have caused you."

  He nodded, "go before he does something stupid. Take care of my sister."

  "With my life." I said. I turned to Maddie.

  "You could have handled that better."

  "I'm sure, but I can't stand bullies."

  "I can't either, but this one happens to be my brother. We'll let father handle him."

  "For as long as he lives, anyway. Once he's King, it will be a whole new mess."

  "We'll worry about that when it happens."

  I took her hand and dropped into the earth. I didn't trust the Crown Prince. I went under the Castle and opened a vault.

  "I don't trust the Crown Prince, I'll be right back with our belongings."

  "You are wise not to trust him." I went up and got our clothes and armor, and other things. I threw them all on the bed. I took the bed with our belongings down to Maddie. She laughed when I showed up with the bed. I went back up and got our ten chests of gold and brought them down.

  "Before we change and go let's go see something." She nodded and took my hand. We fast-travelled out to the East-road farmstead. We stepped off the acreage the Duke wanted and raised two more farmsteads. I made the East-road a wide stone road extending ten miles to the east.

  We went to the North-road and did the same thing. We raised four farm steads on the North-road. I made the North-road a wide stone road extending ten miles to the north. It wouldn't be long before the Duke heard about the new farmsteads and had tenants for them.

  "Let's go get changed and go find Prince Kade."

  Maddie clasp my hand, and we flew under back to our vault. We changed into our armor, and I returned the bed to the bedchamber.

  "The chests of gold?"

  I shrugged, "I'll come back for them later." She nodded.

  We clasped hands and left Vigil Castle.

  Chapter twenty-two

  We found Prince Wade was just arriving at Mid-Brook. I raised an overnight Fort just short of the town for the companies to set up camp. Upon seeing the overnight fort, Prince Kade rode forward, "is there trouble?"

  "Not at the moment," I said.

  He saw Maddie, and looked around, "the Crown Prince?"

  "At Vigil Castle."

  His face lost expression, "the King?"

  "Has not yet arrived."

  He shook his head looking at Maddie, "still the same Luke."

  She shook her head, "worse."

  "Well, it's good to see you two. We'll talk later." He rode to the center of the camp. The companies arrived and moved into the fort in good order. You could tell they had done this maneuver plenty of times before.

  I took Maddie's hand and dropped into the earth; I made a vault for us to change clothes in. This time I made chairs to sit on and a table to put clothes on. Once we had changed into our traveling clothes. I shrunk my light armor to fit Maddie and put her in it. I really didn't need it with my armor ring.

  When the camp settled, we went to the Command Wagon. We went inside and sat down. "So, he could not wait for father as instructed, he had to show he was in charge of an army."

  "It's worse than that, he ordered Ghost to leave and take what he came with, with him," Maddie said. "He was mad that he could not attack the Hinterland Army right away."

  He looked at me, "tell me all that has happened." I nodded and told him most of what we had done since we had seen him last. He
listened, asking a few questions. When I finished, he just shook his head.

  "Perhaps some time in the army, like me, would have done him good. Father will not be happy. How far away is the King?"

  "I don't know we've only just arrived ourselves."

  "If you would Ghost, go see how far away he is. You don't have to speak to him, I would just like to know how long we must wait."

  I nodded. I looked at Maddie, "I'll be back." She nodded and kissed me. I dropped into the earth. I found the King; he and his army were three days march away. I flew under his army. There were not as many as I had expected. His army was only ten thousand men strong. That was half the size of what we were facing.

  I went back to Prince Kade. I stopped under the Command Wagon. The Prince and Princess were laughing. "Then he asked him where he wanted his five and a half sets of armor delivered to."

  "He didn't."

  "He did."

  "Then told him he also had five and a half warhorses." Kade laughing the harder.

  "Our brother was not amused."

  "And that's when he threw him out?"

  "About then, Yes. He could have handled that better. But it was worth it to see the expression on Luke's face. He was so mad because Ghost was not afraid of him."

  "My dear sister, from what I've seen, our Ghost isn't afraid of much of anything."

  "He said he didn't like to kill, but he was good at it."

  The Prince nodded, "the night they came to kill me, he took revenge on the Assassins' Guild. He probably killed fifty assassins, in their Guild house, in one night. He doesn't talk about it. I would say he is very good at it indeed."

  I gave them a moment, then came up and stuck my head in the Command Wagon. "Three days march, ten thousand men, or thereabout."

  The Prince frowned. "That gives us roughly fifteen thousand against twenty-four thousand. Not the best odds. We need to catch them at Vigil Castle. If the crown Prince can hold his water."

  ✽✽✽

  "Sergeant Major Miller, have the quartermaster buy all they can of supplies here. I don't know when we'll get another chance and even if they have supplies, they will get expensive." I gave him a large purse.