‘Damn,’ Jack responded. Glancing about he realised most people were now focused on the wizards standing on the grass on the other side of the driveway. He took the opportunity to shift back into human form and dress. ‘Do you really think a lion would admit to a personal problem and ask a stranger for guidance?’
‘No,’ Dustin responded. ‘Perhaps she’ll be able to kick him into shape.’
‘Possibly, but she didn’t seem to understand what was going on, either. Oh well, I’m sure they’ll work it out. If not, perhaps we can drop a discreet word to Natalya. She’d be able to talk to her sister?’
‘Good idea. Come on, let’s get a bit closer so we can see,’ Dustin urged, now that other villagers had arrived and partially blocked their view. ‘You don’t want to miss this.’
Jack went with him eagerly until they stood near the front of the curious crowd that had gathered on the opposite side of the driveway. Cassy and Natalya stood surveying an open section of grassland edged at the back and to the right by the perimeter wall with the main driveway at their backs. The space was large and its location near the main gates was ideal. He wondered what exactly they planned because they held between them a large sheet of paper that flapped and twisted in the breeze.
‘Who is that man beside Natalya?’ Jack asked eyeing a dark haired powerful looking stranger who wore authority like a second skin.
‘That’s Darius, Drako’s elder brother,’ Dustin said. He was gaining the appreciation that Jack was very observant and could immediately spot those in authority, even when amongst a crowd. ‘He’s the Clan Green Bear heir.’
‘Ah. What are they doing?’ he asked, wondering if any of those surrounding them, who would primarily be clan members, would be offended if he asked outright what Darius might be heir to. Hadn’t the clan’s lands been forfeited to the crown? He prudently bit his tongue, but continued to watch Darius. To his surprise the man didn’t seem demoralised, as someone in his position ought to be. Surely the elder brother ought to be the one leading this village, for instance, yet Drako had that authority. So what did Darius have instead? Jack knew he was missing some critical detail but also knew it was likely to be sensitive information he’d have to earn the disclosure of.
‘Cassy asked for animus volunteers; they must have accepted.’
‘To do what?’
‘To lend her their magical strength.’ Dustin noticed Jack’s frown and continued. ‘Building anything requires strength, whether you do it by hand or by magic. Many people help spread the load.’
Jack pondered that. Could it really be so simple? Cassy and Natalya took each other’s hand, held out their free hand and an animus person took it. They were then joined by others until a group of ten people stood in a circle holding hands. This arrangement was clearly fundamental in some way. ‘The hand holding?’
‘They do that to create a meld. Wizards can share their magic with another through touch.’
‘Ah. Yes, I had heard that wizards are able to do stuff to you when you let them touch you,’ Jack affirmed. ‘I don’t understand about the animus involvement though.’
‘How it was explained to me is that an animus has the same magic that a wizard does, it is simply structured differently. Whilst we cannot use our magic for anything other than shifting, a wizard can see it in us and use it, if we allow them to. To build this village Jim merged groups of wizard students. However, on other occasions he’s shown us he could use our power too, when necessary and just as effectively.’
Jack contemplated that explanation even as he watched the weird spectacle of a strip of turf cutting and rolling itself into a tight reel, exposing the soil beneath. Cassy made a gesture and the reel floated off to one side out of the way, without unravelling. Then she turned back and a new strip was rolling itself up. He realised that, despite Natalya being stronger, Cassy was leading the group. Soon, a large rectangular shape of bare earth emerged from the turf. She swept a hand and streams of dark stony soil flowed out deepening the shape into decent footings. Work abruptly stopped and the group split up to go and have a closer look at what they’d done. Seemingly satisfied, Cassy bid them step back and link up once more.
Jack watched a stream of gravel fly into the hole rather than out, covering the footprint thickly. The flow ceased and then the gravel rustled and he actually saw it shaking.
‘What was that?’ he whispered.
‘Levelling the gravel and I think they compact it too,’ Dustin explained. Jack merely nodded, taking it all in with wide eyes. ‘You haven’t seen anything yet,’ Dustin murmured cheerfully.
As a wild flurry of bricks began flying through the air, two edges coated with cement and then laying themselves into a wall, Jack had to concede Dustin was right. The spectacle was awesome to behold and judging by the rapt attention on everyone else’s faces, he was not alone in that feeling. It was almost a relief when the bricks stopped flying and they could then see the structure created. Clearly it wasn’t yet finished, but the progress achieved in less than an hour was astonishing. He wondered what they’d do next and then noticed the builders were obviously taking a break. They flopped where they stood, weariness stark on their pale faces. They accepted cups of something hot served from a flask and then delved into the basket of goodies passed round. As they ate he could see the pinched look to their features dissipate and knew they were regaining strength quickly.
‘Want to have a look while they’re taking a break?’ Dustin asked and he readily nodded. Only when he stepped inside did he realise the scale of the building. The walls already towered above his head and he wondered if they would be left that way or if a floor was to be added; there was certainly room. Rectangular window holes pierced the walls at regular intervals bringing in light. Noticing there was a rank of windows matching the ones below but well above his head, he concluded that yes, the space would have an upper floor.
Two gaps at the far right and the far left of the back wall showed where external doorways were to be sited. Going over to one and looking out at the rear, he noticed the footings carried on, beyond the wall of the building as it now stood; presumably they planned a further structure. They were not the only ones who’d taken the opportunity to have a nose around; it was just as well the building was just one giant room so there was space for the curious to mill.
‘So, what do you think to this kind of building?’ Natalya asked from behind him.
‘It’s certainly quicker,’ Jack admitted turning to face her. She still looked tired, but not as bad as a few minutes ago. She was also making swift work of the wedge of fruit cake in her hand. ‘What’s this room to be?’
‘It’ll be divided up,’ she told him. ‘This doorway will head outside to the wizard accommodation and the other door will be to the animus ones. We thought it best to keep our differing guests apart as much as possible so the sleeping block will be back to back.’
‘Sensible,’ Jack observed.
‘We’ll divide this room to house two small dining rooms which will lead straight out to correct rear door. The kitchen will be in the middle to serve both, with the rest of the room as a large common room, with the bar and reception dividing the space.’
Jack nodded, glancing around and trying to visualise what she described. ‘These walls are tall. Will there be an upper floor?’
‘Yes. All the businesses in the village are designed so whoever is running the place has space to live upstairs. With an Inn it’s particularly important to have staff always onsite.’
‘That’s true. So, I understand you won’t even be serving beer?’
She merely shook her head, amused by his disappointment. She could tell he approved of their reasons however.
‘Your bar isn’t going to busy with locals then and you’ll probably have the odd disgruntled guest.’
‘True, but the flip side is that our policy will reassure visiting parents and cut down on the likelihood of altercations,’ she said with a shrug.
Jack nodded and
glanced round hearing her name being called. As she headed off, he realised all the wolf-men had gathered behind him obviously listening. Since she was their alpha female and he was nominally part of their group, it was little wonder they’d gravitated to them and of course they’d be curious.
Jack headed back outside, suspecting the building work might be about to recommence. He had no wish to be in the line of fire. The flying building materials could easily be considered deadly missiles for anyone unwary or unlucky enough to get in the way. With the wolves following behind him it triggered a general exodus of the building.
‘Why doesn’t Jim help?’ Jack asked quietly, having resumed his previous place outside and noticed Amelie now hold hands with her sister to lend her strength to the group. ‘It’s a very big structure.’
‘I think the whole point of having Cassy and Natalya taking the lead is to get them used to making decisions for themselves. We can’t keep running to Jim every time we need something and those women might be wizards but they belong to our clan now.’
‘Makes sense.’ Cassy was married to Drako and Natalya to Freddie, although thinking about it, he wasn’t actually sure about Freddie’s status since he never referred to her as his wife and Jack was certain he would if he could. Certainly both women lived in the village, whilst Jim’s responsibility was actually to run the school and care for its students.
‘Of course, the one thing we all are aware of but no one speaks about, is that Jim’s ability sucks in other people’s magical power. Unfortunately, he seems to have little control over how much he takes on when the opportunity arises, and too much is all kinds of dangerous.’
‘What do you mean? What happened?’ Jack was aware Dustin was eyeing him up, obviously making up his mind what to reveal. His chest expanded when Dustin then continued; had he earned his trust then?
‘Have you ever seen a lion seven feet tall?’ Jack just gaped at him. A lion’s body was long rather than tall, with sturdy limbs. Gaining that kind of height meant he would out-weigh the largest plough horse.
‘I can’t say as I have,’ Jack admitted. ‘He wasn’t that size when I saw him last.’
‘No, you saw his usual form. When he takes on too much magic, he physically grows to try to contain it. As I understand it, handling so much power is fraught with danger, because the magic is always trying to escape. Therefore any stray thought could accidentally turn into a spell. The last time this happened he had to find a way to offload the excess power before it was possible for him to return to normal. Freaky eh?’
‘Yes. I’m surprised he wanted to get rid of power though. Few wizards would.’
‘A battle squad of twenty wizards came after him one night. He beat them and nicked the strength from all of them. He let them live to tell the tale. I think he probably made his point to the wizard establishment.’
‘Are you trying to scare the leopard?’ Jim asked Dustin mentally.
‘Ah. No sir,’ Dustin responded uneasily. He’d thought they were out of hearing range, but evidently Jim had been listening in. Dustin wondered whether Jim had augmented his hearing or was listening to his mind. He hadn’t noticed any mental intrusion but one never knew with a wizard of Jim’s ability. He was relieved to note Jim’s eyes remained their usual blue; no suggestion therefore that the lion was close to the surface. In fact he’d felt amusement in Jim’s tones despite the fact he was chiding.
‘He isn’t the only one listening to you, you know,’ Jim added.
‘Who are you talking to?’ Freddie asked, who’d also been listening.
‘Jim,’ Dustin explained and glanced around. Ah, the wolf Daniel, his lady and the latent sister, were behind him and in earshot.
‘I’m considered idle am I now?’ Jim asked. ‘Letting the women do all the work?’
Dustin simply shook his head noting Jim’s raised brow. ‘You explained that you were here to teach them, rather than do everything yourself. I meant no disrespect.’ Dustin couldn’t send but knew if he thought a message clearly then a wizard could pick it up, particularly since he already had Jim’s attention.
‘Don’t worry Dustin, I’m not annoyed. I was however attempting to keep a lid on the more extravagant things I’ve apparently achieved notoriety for. Guess it was a foolish wish in any case.’
‘Why would you bother listening to me?’ Dustin asked curiously.
‘I was curious as to what could rivet the leopard’s attention away from watching the building unfold.’
‘Ah, it’s Jack you’re curious about.’ Dustin mused, no longer surprised. The lion was undoubtedly behind this surveillance, recognising a highly intelligent and powerful predator in the leopard. Leopards were independent, taking their own path, rather than followers and at some point soon that nature would reassert itself. Whilst leopards rarely chose to be leaders, they often gained followers. As Jim walked off towards the merge team, Dustin wondered if he felt threatened by Jack, considered him a rival.
‘He didn’t like us talking about him?’ Jack asked, watching an exchange that had been mostly silent but facially expressive.
‘He noticed we were talking rather than watching,’ Dustin explained simply.
‘We were being naughty little boys and not paying attention? I suppose they are putting on a show and he is the school headmaster,’ Jack remarked and heard chuckles from the pack. Daniel too was biting his lip in amusement; clearly he’d also been listening. Eyeing the building site again he frowned. ‘I know stuff has been going in, but it doesn’t look any different from here. What did we miss?’
‘Most of the interior structural work of floors, walls and ceilings,’ Freddie told him, noting the flow of heavy wooden beams, leaving the pile and zooming up to the top of the walls, cease. He watched Natalya critically as they took another break, noticing the way her shoulders slumped. She’d shut down their link while she was working but he could still sense her.
‘I’m ok Freddie,’ she told him, turning to meet his steady gaze. ‘I can feel your disapproval.’
‘I don’t disapprove. I’m concerned for your health. There’s a difference.’
‘Don’t mind him,’ Dustin remarked with a grin and gesturing at Freddie. ‘The vacant look means only one thing: Natalya.’
‘I don’t doubt it,’ Jack agreed. ‘What I can’t understand is why he’s still standing with us when they’re taking a break. He could be over there rubbing her back.’
‘Rubbing her back?’ Dustin queried.
‘Pregnant women often get backache,’ Jack explained with a shrug but watched as Freddie immediately headed over. Giving an alpha tips or advice, particularly when it concerned his mate, had to be done obliquely to avoid giving offence. He watched Natalya lean in to Freddie’s gentle embrace and then his hand moved at the small of her back. Natalya’s eyes closed and her forehand came to rest on Freddie’s shoulder. Jack knew his guess, based on the stiffness of her posture, had been accurate.
‘Jim’s now looking at the plans. I wonder if he’s going to help out,’ Rupert asked. ‘I mean, I thought he was here just to be on hand if they needed him to show them how to handle any of the building.’
‘You’re right, but Natalya’s tired,’ Dustin said quietly. ‘Remember the other projects were spread over twenty to thirty wizards. She and Cassy have borne the brunt of the heaviest lifting today and this is no small building. At least Amelie helped with the last session.’ He fell silent as Jim called a warning to those closest to the building and then timber started flying again. Jim was not linked to anyone however, allowing the team to continue resting. This timber flew in a fast almost unbroken stream from the stack up to the roof, a rain of nails following. Each piece of timber landed with a thud, followed immediately by the different tone of dowels or nails pinning them into place. Soon the view cleared enough to see that the timbers were forming themselves into neatly spaced roof trusses.
The Inn was a large building yet the roof work took Jim less than five minutes. He critically e
valuated the structure he’d created even while he caught his breath. A few flicks of his hand and the pillars and trusses for a wide porch over the front door formed. Next he added timber planks to cover the porch trusses and roof it over, followed by a neat topping of waterproofing slate tiles. He paused again to look it over and Amelie went to his side.
‘Do you want a hand finishing up the roof?’ she asked, eyeing the wide expanse already trussed and then her man’s aura. When they’d first come to the school and begun using magic for building, he would not have been able to do what he’d just done without her help and probably a merge as well. It would also have taken considerably longer and been more difficult to achieve. There was no question he’d changed.
‘No need. I wouldn’t mind a bit of that fruit cake though,’ he admitted. She cut him a hefty wedge from the selection in the basket. Eating did indeed help recharge his strength. It was a fair trade he thought, a big slice of cake in reward for his ten minutes work. Dusting off the crumbs from his fingers he glanced about to be sure no-one was in the danger zone before gesturing once more. Planking over the entire roof took time to achieve with precision, but with deep snow and considerable cold in winter, draughts and weaknesses needed to be minimised if not eradicated. Completing one side of the roof, he took another brief break, sending his senses into the entire structure to ensure there was nothing amiss.
‘You don’t need to do all of this alone,’ Amelie told him. ‘You’re starting to flag; let me help.’
‘Thanks,’ he said simply and moved them to the other side of the building where he could better see the partially covered roof. Taking her hand he felt his leach ability wake, trying to grab her strength but he resisted it, restricting his use of her magic to what was needed by the job at hand. Now, with her infusion of strength, the planks thudded into place in a rapid flow, covering the roof in just a few minutes. He let go as soon as they’d achieved that, pausing to once again check for flaws.
Forging Alliances: Wizards of White Haven Page 12