by Zack Finley
“We will be leaving in a day and a half, what can we do by then?” I asked.
“I already have all the crystals I need,” Loma answered. “If the guard brings me their sword belts I can secure individual batteries in them. We just need something to act as a wand. I have the batteries for the Malan and a captured pirate ship as well as the mini-batteries for the long boats. We need the large wands for the Malan and the longboats, plus your four water pipes. Once we have the physical pieces, we still have to infuse them with spells. You will likely be training while traveling.”
“I’ll get with my tinker team to make the hand-held wands,” I said. “The tinkers can embed the crystals inside the wands, so we don’t need a separate belt. For the boat wands, consider using the same type mount they use for the tiller, just place it in the bow. It will keep the wand secure but provide stability and a good range of motion. For the wand consider an iron bar or cut off an oar. I’ll have the tinker team fab the water nozzles. I’ll need the boats out of water for them to mount the nozzles. I’d prefer to have a shipwright to help mount them, but at the very least we need a carpenter to help. Someone from Loma’s team will need to set up a switch for turning the enchantment on and off once the battery is in place.”
“We have a carpenter who apprenticed with a shipwright for nearly a year,” said Marfo. “He was part of the Klee contingent and is now on the furniture crew building tables and trunks. The com hub is looking through applications to see if we have any shipwrights pending.”
“I’ll get our two boats put up on the wharf as soon as we are done here,” Cleon said. “The other two boats won’t be available until the Malan arrives. If you can fix our boats before morning, we can practice with them before the Malan arrives. If any changes are needed, we can discover that in time to modify the Malan longboats only once.”
“I’ll assign Gera to ramrod this effort,” I said. “It will be good to have a single point of contact.”
We’d be leaving to take the fight to the pirates within 36 hours. I was impatient, but we needed to upgrade our forces to minimize casualties.
◆◆◆
Chapter 13
Gera had my tinker team assembled by the time Argon, and I arrived. Klid, our tinker, looked confused about why he was present. Flmo, our blacksmith, and Forst, our earth mage, were excited to be given a role in taking on the pirates.
Until Cleon had one of the boats out of the water, I decided to start on the “wands.” Neither a straight tube nor a gun shape was ideal. Our guards would need to use both hands and keeping track of a gun or wand needed to be natural. It also had to be waterproof and something we could build quickly.
I showed the tinker team my idea about a cuff bracelet gun. It was basically a flattened “C” shape with a bar opposite the opening. It needed to be thin enough to allow you to put it on, yet stiff enough to stay in place once it was there. Loma supplied the small quartz crystals that needed to be embedded in the metal. The bangle would need two depressions which Loma’s team would activate as on/off switches for the stun beam and force shield.
As I described the cuff gun, Flmo was already pounding out a prototype using his forge and anvil. Once he had a prototype, everyone critiqued it. Gera even fetched Erik to bless its design. Erik thought the design moved around too much on the wrist. This time even Klid got into tweaking the design.
Once they had a consensus design, Erik called a squad of the guard to try it on. The final design was not as easy to build, put on, or remove as the original. What it had was the blessing of the men who would wear and use it in combat. Now, all we had to do was make it.
Forst began conjuring copies of the final design. According to him, it was a whole lot easier to build than a valve. Gera took the first batch to Loma for activation. I suggested Erik’s crew practice using the new gun to stun fish at the dock.
While Forst was conjuring and Erik was fishing, I concentrated on the new propulsion for the long boats. I took Flmo and Klid to the wharf to meet our new shipwright, Bek.
Bek seemed the right person for the job. The Duchy Guard was already bringing him tools and planks, while the com hub was rounding up his work crew. Gera was stringing up lights when we got there.
I left Bek, Erik, and Argon discussing the shooting platform behind the bow. They were happy with the gun’s swivel mounting but felt the gunner needed a more stable place to work from. Argon was worrying about how to make the front boat shield work with the weapon while protecting the gunner and boat crew.
Flmo, Klid, and I were much more interested in how to mount the new propulsion drive. Jaloan ship’s boats were double ended. Without a transom, I worried we’d need two jets, one for each side of the keel to avoid too much thrust in any one direction. Bek confirmed we could secure the device with nails. He had a caulk to prevent seepage.
After Klid and Flmo measured every aspect of the longboat’s stern, they called Bek over for a quick consult. They then repeated the measurements on the second longboat.
I’d gotten distracted by the guard’s test firing of the new stun guns. A crowd on the wharf were gathering the stunned fish and loading them onto carts. Argon, I, Cleon, Jestn and some of our apprentice mages pushed the mass of fish toward collection points. There was a floating platform tied to the dock. Someone rigged pullies and baskets to lift the stunned fish onto the dock. Those on the platform used rakes and pitchforks to pull the fish from the water surface.
I just hoped the new stun guns worked as well on pirates.
Every member of the Duchy Guard assigned to the pirate caper tried the new weapons. Once they qualified on the stun gun, they put their gear away in the dockside armory. The armory was a converted warehouse on the bottom floor of the port complex. Most of the guard was then dismissed with the only exceptions those assigned to various projects related to the mission.
Argon and I ‘ported to the tinker building to continue work on the propulsion system. I’d seen jet ski and jet boat nozzles, so I had some idea how large they needed to be. What I lacked was how much water could we reasonably conjure to support them.
I conjured a pipe about six inches in diameter with a cap at one end. I necked down the other end to about three inches in diameter. To avoid having it go anywhere, I embedded it in a block of conjured stone.
“Why did you embed it in stone?” asked Flmo.
“The reactive force from the water will try to push the nozzle. If we don’t restrain it, it will move all around,” I said. “That is the way this nozzle will push the boat through the water.”
It was as if a light bulb went off in my companions. They could see the possibilities.
Once I had the nozzle secured, I began conjuring water. At first, it was a trickle, then more and more.
I decided that one propulsion unit was sufficient per longboat and that some reinforcement of the area was needed inside the boat. I showed the tinker team my new concept, which was more of a box with a nozzle on it. The box was indented to fit tightly around the keel with metal straps to secure the box to the hull. I liked this design better as I could see adding a gimballed extension to the nozzle down the road to provide maneuverability. I warned my team they needed to keep the weight down on the whole assembly.
The group decided there were enough differences between the two longboats they’d have to custom fit each unit. That didn’t worry Forst. Once they had a working prototype, he’d copy it three times then conjure or banish any metal needed to finalize the fit. As much as I wanted to immerse myself in the project, I knew it was a bad move.
Argon and I told them to contact us when they had the first unit installed so we could give it a test drive. I didn’t want to risk a boatload of Duchy Guard in an untested prototype. It was dark, but we decided to walk back to the Keep HQ anyway.
Argon had been quiet since dinner. I suspected it had to do with her announcement about bringing the orphans into the Keep.
“Do you want to talk about it,” I asked.
“No, yes, I don’t know,” Argon answered. “It’s complicated.”
“I’m here,” I said.
“You are more than here,” Argon answered. “You are my answer to so much heartache. I don’t deserve you.”
What does one say to that?
“You know I support saving all the youngling’s we can?” I asked.
“You foolish man, if I wanted to collect jervins, you’d help me do that,” Argon laughed. “But I really need to help the younglings. There is much good in Jaloa, but the good is based on the family. If you aren’t family, you don’t matter. Think of how much benefit pooling our magic and resources are bringing to the Duchy. If everyone did that, think of the benefit to all.”
“But we have just expanded the family to our Duchy. In some ways we are no better,” I argued.
“We saved all those captives and killed the slavers to just help you and me?” Argon countered. “We didn’t have to do that. Most Jaloans would have stopped when they completed their mercenary contract. Taking it farther wouldn’t have occurred to them. We needed someone from a different culture to make us do more. And I thought you were the barbarian.”
We walked in silence a few more moments. I reached for Argon’s hand and was pleased she seemed to want contact as much as I did.
“No one else would have brought in a group of ex-slaves to join a new Keep,” she said, squeezing my hand. “In our position, we should have recruited only the strongest and most skilled people. Then making sure mage and mundane are treated alike is revolutionary. Now we are going to hunt pirates and slavers?” she asked. “I know you will offer the slaves we free and any good people we rescue a new home, with us. You will find a way to feed, care, and protect them.”
Argon stopped and tugged me toward her. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. I almost didn’t hear her first words.
“I was one of those lost younglings, abandoned on the street,” Argon whispered, burying her head against my chest. “I don’t remember my parents or my twin. I was lucky, one day I was sleeping on the street against the wall of Shala’s temple. I was so hungry. I’d returned to my cache and found someone had cleaned it of all food and the few things I could have sold for food.”
I ached for my love but barely breathed, wanting to hear more.
“Shala came to me on the street. She invited me to become her acolyte. I didn’t know what that meant and asked if it included food. Shala laughed but took me into her temple anyway. I didn’t see her for many years, but her acolytes took me in. For the first time, I could remember I didn’t go to bed starving. I was hungry but never starving. Shala’s acolytes weren’t kind, but they weren’t cruel either. I worked hard around the temple, gaining strength and worshipping Shala. I wasn’t a prisoner, I could leave the temple at any time. Even before I understood the consequence, I devoted my life to Shala.”
I now understood why Argon’s relationship with Shala was different. I continued to hold her tight, trying wordlessly to encourage Argon to share more.
“The lead acolyte was not a cruel woman, but she had no patience with low ranking apprentices. I’m sure she saw us as an unnecessary expense. She did everything possible to make us leave. By the time I was in the temple half a year, I was the most senior apprentice. All the others quit and either returned to their families or sought employment in the city. This was before I knew I was a mage. I suspect Shala knew, but no one else in the temple knew.”
I projected love and understanding through our bond, encouraging her to continue
“I was late coming into my magic. While I wasn’t starved at the temple, I never had enough to eat. I later learned such malnutrition can stunt a youngling’s growth.”
Argon’s flash of anger damped immediately.
“One of the required duties of the juniors was to serve meals to the senior staff. I assure you the senior acolyte and her cronies did not go hungry. We knew that stealing food from the senior table would get us kicked out of the order. One day it was too much, and I lashed out. Every one of the seniors keeled over. At first, we thought they were dead. At the time, if they had died, I don’t think it would have bothered me. As it was, I treated it as a miracle provided by Shala. We dragged the seniors out of their chairs and ate their meal. For the first time, I knew what it felt like not to be hungry, but we all were afraid of the future once the seniors woke up.”
Argon withdrew from my hug but retained my hand. We restarted our walk to the Keep HQ.
“Shala arrived just as the seniors started waking up. I know now that she read everyone’s mind. At the time it just seemed another miracle when she expelled the seniors. They were forced to leave the temple with just the clothes they wore that day. I don’t know what became of them, but my life finally took a turn for the better. Shala brought in Mistress Zaron to run the temple. Once she came, we worked hard to serve the community as Shala’s representatives, but we were no longer mistreated. Mistress Zaron changed everything. She saved me. I still miss her, even though she has been dead for many years. She was my mother and father rolled into one.”
I conjured a stone bench and tugged her to sit beside me. I tucked her against my side as we stared into the darkness.
“Mistress Zaron knew she had a feral mage in our group, but no one knew who it was. For weeks I thought the magic that ousted the old guard was a miracle by Shala. She brought in a mage from the mage guild to test us all. He outed me right away. I learned later he offered a sizable sum to the temple for me. I know the prior mistress would have gladly taken the money just to be rid of me. That mage never returned, but Mistress Zaron hired a retired mage to teach me the basics.”
I sensed Argon pushing her bad memories back into her mental vault.
“I have been in several of the current orphanages. Most of the younglings in them are adequately fed, but they have no hope for the future. Many will start a life of crime for no other reason than to belong. Orphanages are a major recruiting ground for thieves and pirates. We can change that.”
I kissed her then. “Thank you for sharing, I am here for you.”
Our kiss was a slow, languid physical demonstration that I loved and cherished her. We both had demons in our mental vaults. We were stronger, together.
“Shala blessed me twice, first when she picked me up off the streets and again when she brought you to Jaloa,” Argon sent.
After such revelations, it was difficult not to just drag Argon up to our rooms, even if it was only to cuddle by the fire. We had other responsibilities. The festivities at the tavern were fully underway, as workgroups shared a beverage. Dice games and a variant of darts were well represented.
As usual, Tobron was holding court at a central table. The volume of noise reflected the level of comradery building in our community. I was disappointed to see nearly all those present were male.
“Argon, the tavern seems a good choice for our men to unwind, where do women usually congregate in villages?” I sent.
“I see what you mean,” Argon sent back. “I’m not really sure as I’ve never lived in a normal setting. At the temple most of the acolytes got together in the evenings to read, make things, play games, or chat. I’ll talk with the leadership.”
We joined Tobron’s table. Those around him dragged over two chairs and made room for us.
“What are you up to my boy?” asked Tobron.
“Just waiting for a call from the wharf that the longboat is ready for a test drive,” I said. I noticed Argon had ordered for us.
“Ah, still on duty then,” Tobron said, nodding toward the chee Argon and I were just served.
“Yes, I don’t really want to take a late-night swim with the fishes,” I said. “Argon would tease me about it forever.”
“Those fishies have big teeth and even bigger appetites. Don’t let them grab any parts or you may never get them back,” Tobron laughed. “While Alba can do wonders, you might not want to present her with too much of a challenge.”
“What are we going to do once we catch a few pirates?” Tobron asked. He’d waited for a moment of privacy. Several from our table challenged one another at darts. A surge of onlookers depleted our table for the moment.
“We are going to take out their base,” I answered.
“Then what?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Assuming we kill all the pirates and slavers at their base, someone will just show up and take their place after we leave,” Tobron said. “They always do. You need to be thinking beyond the next step. Do we build another Keep there, try to recruit locals to join the Duchy? We can barely manage our current group. I know you are aching to rescue people from Kavil and Ylee. That would be challenging if we had a large cadre of battlemages and 500 battle hardened troops. We have the forces for guerrilla raids, but not for an occupying force.”
It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over me. Tobron was right. From the trenches, it was easy to criticize how the generals ran the war. Now it was my job to run the war. To balance resources with goals. I was good at tactics. Strategy, not so much. If I picked the wrong objectives, I wouldn’t be the only one affected. We needed everyone pulling in the same direction, and that couldn’t work without revealing the prophecy to a wider group.
“Thank you, Tobron. You have given me much to think about. I still think this is the right move but more of our people need to understand the long-term goal.”
“Now that we have the geas in place, I think that is inevitable,” replied Tobron.