by Randi Darren
“She will lead you to a point where we’ll be camping until we move.”
Vince ground out the words between his teeth as he stared at the Elves. “Any questions?”
“My lord, which of us should service your bed tonight?” Thera asked in a voice bordering on breaking.
“Neither of you. Now go, shoo.”
The two he’d “chosen” as concubines convened with their cohorts. The Dark and Wood Elves put any differences they had aside and merged into one group. After a rapid exchange in a language he didn’t know, they broke apart, splintering into the crowd.
His two “concubines” took up positions on each side of him, watching the crowd with him.
Eying the women critically, he quirked a brow. “And what are you two up to?”
“Following your orders,” Thera said immediately.
“We shall prevent anyone else from approaching,” Eva concluded.
“I see. Well, don’t stop the Dryads. I have business with them,” Vince said, turning his eye to the three Dryads shuffling their way over with two trees between the three of them.
The three Dryads resembled each other vaguely, though they had different heights, and vastly different appearances. Though each had the same green eyes that Meliae did.
The first Dryad was several inches taller than Meliae. Though her body type was similar to Meliae, her hips were a touch narrower, though her chest was larger. Her hair was a dark brown with lighter brown streaks throughout. Like everyone else he’d purchased, her hair had been hacked dreadfully short in the slave fashion.
Beside her stood the other new Dryad. She was significantly taller, coming close to Vince’s own height. She was closer to Meliae in having an hourglass body, but her shoulders looked broader to him. Straight blonde hair hung short and ragged at the level of her ears.
“Sweetling, this is Karya. She’s a walnut,” Meliae said, indicating the one with dark brown hair.
Then she pointed to the blonde. “And Daphnaie,” Meliae said, uttering a name that sounded strange to his ear. “Who’s a laurel. She also goes by Daphne.”
Definitely easier to pronounce.
Vince nodded his head to the two women. Both of them eyed him speculatively, before looking back to Meliae.
“See? A tree. Overflowing with power, even though my tree drinks all it can.”
Daphne opened her mouth and pointed at his chest. “Your tree is entirely in his chest?” Her voice was eerily similar to Meliae’s in its musical quality, though deeper.
“It started to spread, but then retracted. It was being overfed. Even now, it’s overfed.” Meliae said that with a touch of pride, and maybe a hint of fear.
Karya moved before he realized and had her nose pressed to his chest. “He reeks of sex and power.”
“Yes. Yes, he does,” Thera agreed from beside him. Eva nodded her head at the same time Thera spoke.
“I’m glad we all agree on that,” Vince said, pressing his hands to Karya’s shoulders and eased her away.
Getting her to move back a few steps, Vince looked to Meliae.
“So?” he asked her. She was supposed to find out if they could move freely and if their trees would handle the journey.
“I’m afraid not. Neither is carrying the seed of a man, though they both have a seed from their tree.”
“I don’t—”
“If they were pregnant, they could go further without their tree,” Meliae explained.
“Ah,” Vince said.
That makes an odd sort of sense.
“Definitely explains why you were able to practically be an entire state away without a problem.”
“Yes. Yes, it does,” Meliae said, ducking her head as her cheeks flushed.
The other two Dryads, and the two Elves, all eyed Meliae.
“So, what do you want to do?” Vince verbally prodded Meliae. She was his Dryad expert, after all.
“Ah, about that. I… can they plant their trees in you?” Meliae asked, her eyes coming up to meet his own. They’d gone to a completely green color without a hint of iris or even whites.
“I don’t understand. You want… me to be their tree, too? Is that even possible?” Vince asked slowly.
Meliae nodded her head woodenly. Looking to Daphne and Karya, he found their eyes to be the same completely greened-out version of Meliae’s.
“Would I suffer any ill effects or anything?” Vince asked to any of the three of them.
All three shook their heads.
This is going nowhere.
“Meliae, if you explain this to me, and why you’re reacting like this, I’ll humiliate you in front of everyone here.”
Meliae shuddered and lifted her hands to her face. “Sharing a tree with two other Dryads would shame me until the day I die. I could never look at another Dryad without them knowing. It’s unheard of.”
Vince frowned and scratched at his jaw. He noticed that the Elves were quickly distributing clothes, rations, and instructions to everyone in the room.
“In other words, all three of you would be shamed eternally for sharing a tree, which has knocked these two on their ass,” Vince said, pointing a thumb at the two wooden Dryads.
“Yes, Sweetling. It’s… a bit easier for me since I’m carrying your seed.”
“And they can’t travel otherwise?”
“They won’t last a week. Their trees didn’t survive their uprooting; it’s taking a good portion of their power so they die slowly instead of immediately.”
Vince grunted and pulled out his belt knife. Then he stripped off the tunic he’d worn into town.
“Fine. I’m assuming I need to cut myself open again?” Vince resolved himself to this action. He couldn’t condemn them to die just because he didn’t want to be a traveling flowerpot.
“Yes. Same spot, if possible. I can keep you from bleeding or feeling pain.”
“This is until they plant their trees later,” Vince said, pushing the knife into his chest right on top of the same place from the previous incident.
True to her word, he felt no pain. The knife parted his flesh smoothly and easily, the wound popping open into a gaping maw.
It was eerie, staring into the same exact wound that had nearly taken his life.
“They won’t be able to replant elsewhere. No seeds will grow inside you,” Meliae admitted.
At the same time she said that, Karya pushed a walnut into his chest, while Daphne shoved a black seed in.
“Meliae, what—”
Meliae pressed her hand over the wound, and it closed itself in an instant. As she pulled her hand away, he looked down and found the flesh looked undamaged as ever.
A single streak of blood was the only evidence he’d ever cut himself open.
Both Thera and Eva kept their eyes moving, but their noses were twitching.
Strange.
Vince let his thoughts go back to Meliae and he growled at her.
“I’m sorry, Sweetling. I couldn’t let them die. Not when we could all survive together.”
“Goddammit, Meliae,” Vince huffed.
“You’ll never even know. I promise. Only benefits. Pure benefits. Strongest tree ever,” Meliae said excitedly, her hands rubbing up and down his biceps.
“So much,” Daphne muttered.
“Too strong,” Karya said.
A second later, both of them dropped to the ground as if someone had hit their power switch.
“They’re okay. Only transferring their bond to their new tree. You’re much stronger now than when I planted in you,” Meliae said, waving a hand at the two unconscious women.
Thera and Eva were there immediately. They were joined by two of their coworkers, who all worked together to carefully bring the Dryads to one side.
“Thank you,” Vince murmured to the Elves.
Then he closed his eyes and shook his head. He wasn’t cut out for this. He was a Ranger.
“Can… can I get my reward tonight? Other than the other Dr
yads, I was very good. Reward me?” Meliae asked, her tongue sliding over her lips.
Vince groaned into his hands and wanted the day to end.
Chapter 22
Vince had spent the following two days in the auction house of Sacramento, purchasing a vast array of Wasters.
None were as unique or interesting as the first day. The next two days were little more than leftovers from other auctions nearby.
He purchased those would fit in and not rock the boat and wanted a chance at a new life. Unfortunately, many were bitter, angry, and resentful. They’d murdered others or done worse in their hatred.
While the ones he’d purchased wouldn’t be as useful as some, they’d be part of the labor force for his plan. That, and they’d be free.
He’d take a happy Waster with no skills over a skilled individual with nothing but hate in their heart.
Vince felt like he was losing himself as they journeyed south with over four hundred pairs of eyes watching him.
What regret he’d had for taking Eva and Thera as concubines vanished as their families went to work with a single-minded determination.
They’d increased their numbers as well. He doubted there were very many Elves left in the purchased population that weren’t included now.
Not that he could complain about them only bringing in Elfin-kind. Everything was neat. Orderly. Planned.
He found that when he felt like he was about to be overrun, Eva and Thera were there to pick up the slack with exactly what he needed.
He’d decided to skip Modesto after he found out that it’d been stripped clean of slaves to purchase. They’d all been sent north for him to look over.
Knight’s Ferry would be too hard to remain anonymous, so that was out.
Which left him with Blanchard as the best place to spend money.
Blanchard had originally been not much more than a stain on a map. Now it compared to Modesto or even Fresno in size and scope.
All thanks to its slave trade.
Vince looked at the truly massive building that served as the local auction for Blanchard. The sale would be starting in about an hour, and Vince was ready.
He’d sent everyone east to begin settling into their new home.
Everyone except Daphne, Karya, Thera, and Eva. The two Dryads were too weak to be separated from him yet. Thera and Eva simply wouldn’t listen to him when he told them to keep moving.
“Lord, I believe everything is in order,” Thera said from his right.
“Master, all is as it should be,” Eva concurred from his left.
“You sure you two aren’t related?” Vince said to the two Elves. They were drastic opposites in skin tone, yet so very similar in every other way.
Looking to Eva, she was the picture of a Wood Elf. Tousled brown hair, brown eyes, delicate features, exquisite looks, tanned skin, full lips, and an athletic body. She topped out at a paltry five foot two.
Thera was similar in nearly every way to Thera. So much so that despite their skin tones, you couldn’t mistake them as anything other than the same species.
She shared her “cousin’s” build exactly, though she had several inches on her in height. With dark eyes and long, dark hair the color of a raven’s wing, she was nearly like a shadow. Her pearl-gray skin only added to that impression.
Both of them were dressed in a fashion that turned the head of everyone they crossed, though for very different reasons.
Thera had donned a set of black painted brigandine armor. The metal plates were tight around her chest, but not prohibitively so. Her arms and legs were coated in hardened leather.
Belted to her hip and slung low was a long sword, and a matching dagger on the other side.
Eva, on the other hand, was dressed in dark brown leather armor, with a slim blade at her waist. On her back was a strung recurve bow.
He doubted either was anything less than proficient in each weapon, though they clearly had their preferences.
“Beyond a doubt, Master,” Eva assured him.
Vince looked to the building again.
He’d only managed to spend a hundred thousand standards so far. Most of that had been on supplies. Slaves were cheaper than he’d imagined.
This would be the best spot to pick up more. Then he’d have to wait for them to replenish their stock, so to speak.
Taking a deep breath, Vince put one foot in front of the other.
“No time like the present.”
He was greeted at the door by a clerk.
“I’m sorry, sir, we don’t allo—”
“Get your manager,” Vince said simply. Turning his back to the clerk, Vince walked over to a chair and sat down with a sigh. Thera and Eva flanked each side of the chair while Daphne and Karya took the chairs to each side of him.
“I don—”
“Get your manager,” Vince repeated, with a flick of his fingers.
This time, both Thera and Eva turned their heads in unison to stare at the clerk.
As the clerk hustled off down a corridor, Karya leaned in close to him.
“Why do you act like that?”
“Because that’s what they expect from someone with money. If I act the part, they’ll accept the part, then forget the part when we leave,” Vince explained
“That sounds stupid,” Daphne replied. Of the three Dryads, she was very no-nonsense.
“Yet here we are. And here’s the manager now. Good morning.”
A slender man in his forties approached Vince as he finished speaking. He was as nondescript as anyone else and barely registered as average.
“Good morning to you as well, sir. How may I assist you?”
“I need a private booth. Here is a letter of recommendation from your offices in Sacramento, as well as several notes to act as collateral for the time being.” Vince reached into his vest and pulled out an envelope and handed it over.
Inside was two hundred thousand standards in notes.
The manager flipped it open and read over the letter the manager from Sacramento had written. Then he looked to the bank notes.
Everything went back into the envelope and disappeared into the man’s coat. “I understand. Please, follow me this way, good sir. I believe we can take care of everything for you.”
Vince nodded and then stood up. A walk and an elevator ride later and Vince sat himself down in a comfortable recliner overlooking a vast stage.
“Will there be anything else at this time, sir?” the manager asked from the doorway.
“No, but I’ll be in town for tomorrow. Will you be holding a sale then?” Vince asked without looking back.
“Ah, I can arrange one. We don’t always hold them back to back, but it can be lucrative at times.”
Vince only nodded his head.
Thera ushered the manager out the door while Eva closed it, then locked it.
Daphne took the chair to Vince’s right, Karya his left.
“Do you really need more?” Daphne asked.
“Yes, and yet no. I need people with skills. In particular, fighters with the right attitude, farmers, lots of those, teachers, and if we can manage it, some accountants.”
“Farmers? Accountants?” Daphne asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“Can’t run a city without someone counting the coins. We can’t afford to not be profitable. And that means being self-sufficient. Hence, farmers.”
“Can I get you anything, Lord?” Thera asked.
“No. If anything, take a break,” Vince said, looking to the Elves. Then he pointed to the side table where fresh fruits and pastries had been laid out. They looked fresh and as if they’d been carted in only a minute or two before they came in. “Get some food, relax.”
“We couldn’t eat before the master.”
“Eating isn’t done without our lord.”
“I order you to eat, then. Please follow those orders,” Vince said. Turning back to the stage, he sighed.
Daphne was there, her lips press
ed to his ear. “They wish to please you.”
Tilting his head away from Daphne, he eyed her. “I know. They’ll do that by listening.”
Karya’s breath steamed over the skin of his neck, her lips brushing up against it briefly.
In moving away from Daphne, he’d put himself quite a bit closer to Karya. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and pulled. “I want to please you too.”
Standing up, Vince folded his arms across his chest.
Meliae had told him that the two would be like this for a while. He’d have to wait it out till then.
“I can’t wait to get home,” Vince muttered. “Thera, Eva, did the suppliers confirm their meeting times?”
“Yes, Master,” Eva confirmed.
“They did, Lord,” Thera agreed.
“Great. After this, we can hit them up. If they can meet our needs, we’ll be done here. Long gone before the military paymasters realize we’ve robbed them blind.”
Down below on the stage, an auctioneer swaggered up to the stage. Vince watched the heavyset woman as she settled into a chair behind the podium.
“Master, will we truly be living in a forest?” the Wood Elf asked.
Vince nodded his head. “That we will. There’s a large cave system nearby—quite mountainous, to boot—a wide river, and a few smaller streams. It’s more than what we need for our people.”
“I’m glad to hear of this, Lord. Will the manor fit the entire household?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Not at all. We’ll have to build separate housing units.”
“Unacceptable, Master. We’ll make arrangements.”
“Not possible, Lord. Leave it to us.”
Vince pressed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. “For concubines, you really don’t listen.”
“No,” they said in unison.
“First up on auction, by special request of our manager, is a lot sale.”
Vince raised his eyebrows. Apparently that letter he’d handed over had conveyed more than the text of it had let on. He’d been polite enough to not break the seal and read the letter himself.
“This is more of an assortment than by type,” continued the woman. To one side, several men pushed a large tank of water onto the stage. “Inside are four Nereids, nine Nixies, and at least two water elementals. Forgive us the improper count. It’s hard to distinguish them from the water at times. The elementals, of course, cannot be collared, but the rest are already taken care of.”