by Zack Finley
I heard the easy-going laughter around us as the dart battle concluded. Both the victors and the vanquished were energized by the competition.
For the first time, the enormity of our challenge weighed me down.
“Stop!” Argon sent. “Tobron is correct, we need a real strategy. So far blundering about has been very effective. But, we were lucky. We lived through it. Luck will not always be on our side. We cannot ignore planning and preparation but, it has been our ruthless execution that carried the day. We must not let the dark sect regain the initiative. When they regroup, expect them to come after the Duchy. They may not know what wrecked their plans in Augun, Klee, and Losan but they must suspect interference by a new player. We have to be near the top of their suspect list.”
I was driven to build a refuge for as many people as I could, against whatever dire event would come. The Duchy was currently the best means to achieve that goal. Given time, I hoped we could help all of Jaloa prepare. Today the biggest threat to our preparations was the dark sect and its mercenaries. Eliminating the pirate base near Kavil would reduce the number of mercenaries the dark sect could throw at us.
Following my gut was pushing me in a more strategic direction than I had understood. I suspected the dark sect was a small group of mages who plotted their moves months in advance. Reducing the number of murderers and raiders available for hire was one way to protect all Jaloan’s of good will. It wouldn’t be enough in the long run. But it was a good start, and it reminded me not to forget defense.
I was spared more critical input from my mate and my chamberlain, the com hub told me they were putting the first longboat back into the water.
Argon had the same message. She slipped her hand in mind and allowed me to teleport to the dock.
Loma waited for us at the dock. “We put in two batteries. One with force and mind magic for the wand and the second in the back with water magic for the propulsion. We actually used double crystals for each.”
I climbed down the ladder into the longboat with Argon right behind me. Bek had reinforced the boat’s stern. The cross bracing served as a sturdy bench to sit on while steering the boat. The controls were on a low block against the port hull, an on button, an off button, and a dial. I was pleased to have foot braces to help keep me in position during rough seas or sharp maneuvering.
Argon stunned a few fish at the boat’s bow and activated its force field. The bow position now had no seat but it had two braces, one to lean against and one to hold on. Only one hand was needed for the wand, I hoped the other hand was enough to keep the gunner in position. We had two sets of oars stored against the hull. I handed one oar to Argon and kept another. We used the oars to push off from the dock as soon as the wharf crew untied us and dropped the lines into the boat.
“Brace yourself, I don’t know how this will go,” I sent to Argon. “Don’t let the fish get you.” The control reminded me of our fireplace stove. I turned the dial counterclockwise until it wouldn’t turn anymore. Holding the tiller stiffly in my hands, I pressed the on button. There was a little turbulence in the water behind the boat, but the boat wasn’t making any headway.
I slowly turned up the dial. Everything was quiet. Not even a hum. When I tweaked the dial about half way, the longboat started moving ahead. At first, the pace was less than a single rower could achieve until it settled out at a two-man pace. The tiller steered adequately at this speed, although the boat was sluggish to respond. That gave me some confidence to nudge the dial up. At top speed, the boat moved at a pretty good clip. It wasn’t a speedboat but it was as fast as the rowers achieved after practicing this afternoon.
It didn’t take long to acclimate to the new propulsion. Argon sat down and enjoyed the quiet ride. Loma had us run at top speed for about 15 minutes before returning to the dock. I discovered having no reverse made precise maneuvering challenging.
“Your antics didn’t draw down the battery in any measurable way. I’ll increase the conjuring rate if you think it will be okay,” Loma sent.
“Show Argon how to adjust the conjure rate. That way we can set the speed once and don’t have to get there by trial and error,” I sent to Loma and Argon.
When Loma gave me the go ahead, I cranked conjuration knob down to the lowest setting before turning the appliance on. This time the boat started making headway at a quarter turn. Full speed was much more exciting now for the tillerman. Drastic maneuvers at this speed could swamp the boat, and there was a cavitation sound coming from under the stern. I cranked down the dial and scratched a mark on the dial for future drivers. I’d let the sailors and guard know to keep the dial set either at or under the mark to avoid problems. I would also tell them to use up to the maximum to keep from being captured or injured.
We moored the longboat at the dock and climbed back up the dock. While we had been checking out the handling of the longboat with its juiced engine, Loma made the same mods to the second boat.
Argon checked out the new boat’s armaments. I verified the maximum normal speed. Satisfied they were ready to go we returned to the ladder. There was a boatload of Duchy Guard standing by to ride or drive the boat. I suggested they bring their oars, as they might need to slow the boat down. I asked Erik to warn the boat captains to avoid sharp turns and to turn the speed to zero before pressing the on button.
Loma and Cleon had to promise me that the boat crews would obey the rules before I agreed to go to bed.
“That looked really fun,” Argon sent. “Next time we go out I get to drive.”
“You just want to fight the fish in their own element,” I sent back.
“There may be some truth in that,” Argon responded. She then took off at a dead run, taunting me to keep up.
I’d lazily hoped we would teleport to the Keep HQ, but Argon had different plans. We arrived at the Keep HQ in a tie.
The run up the stairs to our suite had a completely different vibe. We couldn’t wait to get in the shower.
Normally showers were mostly about getting clean with some playing around on the side. Tonight, cleanliness was barely on our mind. Argon had beaten me through the door to our suite, mostly because I opened the door for her. By the time she got into the shower, she was nude, and her clothes were scattered across the floor. Mine weren’t far behind.
I joined Argon in the shower. She had the water temperature set to hot and steamy. She welcomed me into a crushing hug and kiss. Her mouth was hot and eager, urging my tongue to meet hers in a sensual duel.
Her arms were around my waist, holding me so tight we could have been glued together. My hands fell naturally to her firm, soft butt. My fingers couldn’t quite reach the promised land from this position, but we had Happy trapped between us.
I couldn’t help myself. Without shifting any position, I freed a small ball of force magic to stroke her inner thighs, slowly invading her sweetness. My mischievous minx retaliated by cupping the Boys in a tender squeeze that nearly brought me to my knees from the unexpected pleasure.
All the while our minds were joined with the sole purpose of pleasing our partner. Foreplay was great, but we both wanted the main feast. By mutual consent, we shifted to our go-to shower position. Argon turned in my arms. I held her tender breasts in my palms, leaned forward, and kissed her sensitive neck. She put her hands on the wall and spread her legs to invite me in.
Even the lusciousness of her breasts couldn’t delay me from the main feast, not with Happy and the Boys throbbing with need. I slid in behind her, aiming Happy for her simmering core. At that moment nothing would have kept me from sinking him deep into her inner sanctum. The flush of completion this sent made us both quiver as it felt so right.
I was holding her thighs tightly in my hand, ramming her body into mine during each thrust. There was something about the cascading hot water that heightened the overall sensual feel. Now I was only vaguely aware of anything, but the sensations emanating from our flesh joined as one. Each reluctant withdrawal was followed by a deep p
enetrating thrust. Argon crested first and only the assistance of a little force magic kept her from collapsing on the floor. Only my anticipation of her ecstasy kept me from joining her. Her mental avalanche washed over me. I held on until it passed. I was greedy, I knew if I could hold on it would be even better.
I renewed my assault eliciting another crest and then another. By the time Argon approached the fourth crest I had reached the point of no return. Together we jumped into the roiling abyss of feelings, thoughts, colors, and memories. Our mental meld made such moments impossible to fully grasp. Every bit of tension in my body released and for a time all worries and concerns were gone. There was only Argon and me, blurred together in our joint mind space.
Such perfection cannot last, cold tile against your butt and back begins to intrude. Where a few minutes before the cascading shower felt wonderful, now it just was…wet. Argon was draped across me, resting her head on my shoulder with my arm around her back.
“Maybe we should dry off and get to bed?” she asked after planting a warm slack kiss on my mouth.
“I don’t know if I can move,” I said. “My muscles are very relaxed.”
“You can’t move?” Argon exclaimed emphasizing the “you.” “You pushed me so far over the edge I’m surprised I am still breathing.”
“You didn’t like it?” I asked, cupping my hand on her cheek.
She kissed my palm saying, “Hell no I didn’t like it. Like is much too mild a description for my feelings about now. I’d love you even if you weren’t such a sexy lover. The sex is just mind-blowing.”
The tile wasn’t getting any softer, so I coaxed Argon to stand up. She turned off the shower and tossed me a towel. I don’t know if I would have made it upright if Argon hadn’t given me a hand up. As it was, she finished drying me and led me off to bed. It was already late, and the Malan was due in at first light.
Morning conditioning came too soon. Where Argon got the energy was beyond understanding. She was dressed and ready to run while I was still crawling out of bed. She was poking yesterday’s clothing into the laundry as I finished putting on my under armor. My armor and weapons were waiting on a shelf by the front door. One thing about the oso armor, it was easy to put on and take off.
“Have you seen Allo, lately?” I asked as I tugged the adjustment leathers tight on my armor.
“I saw her yesterday, briefly,” Argon said, pushing me out the door.
“I know why she is gone all day, we aren’t here, but I’m surprised she hasn’t joined us at night,” I said, trotting down the stairs.
“I’m sure some youngling needed her more last night than we did,” said Argon.
The conditioning was starting to make a difference, it was much easier to keep up with the pack. I was pleased to see Gera with the group. He was still struggling to keep up, but he was making a valiant try.
When we were released from formation, I flagged him down for an update.
“The two boats we have were modified and tested, as you know,” Gera said. “We now have a full set of the stun wands. The tinker team will jump back into action as soon as they have measurements for the Malan’s boats. Bek has enough carpenters to work on both boats at once. Loma has batteries and wands ready to install in the Malan’s boats. She and Bek think their work will take less than an hour. Flmo thought they would be ready to install the new boxes as soon as Bek finished. The tinkers will need about an hour to finish both boats. Capt. Malek says he has picked his boat captains. They will report to Loma first thing to get their sigils and then will be available to train on the new gear with the guard.”
“When do you expect the guard will be making their first boarding attempt?” Argon asked.
“I don’t expect that until this afternoon,” Gera explained. “Cleon wants to get all four boat crews working together first. Loma and her group are upgrading the grapples and ropes to make it harder for the pirates to cut them loose. Yesterday afternoon Erik cycled all the guard through boat duty and climbing the boarding net. As you saw, he’s added a boarding net obstacle to the conditioning course.”
“Are we on schedule to leave in the morning?” I asked.
“Yes, as long as the Malan gets here within the hour. Cleon is planning to practice offloading the troops and then assaulting the Malan several times during the expedition,” said Gera.
“Good, Argon and I will be ready to leave with the Malan. You should take part in the boat training today, so you are ready for any action,” I said.
“I was planning on it,” Gera said. “Sir, the com hub just notified me the Malan is in sight.” Gera turned and began sprinting toward the port entrance. We continued toward the Keep HQ.
“We need to consult with our partners,” I sent Argon. “Can you connect us. This needs to be very hush hush. Knowing my luck, I’d broadcast it to the entire Keep.”
Within seconds, Argon had everyone connected.
“We need to let at least our department heads know about the prophecy,” I sent. “Once everyone has a sigil, we should consider telling everyone.”
“Why do you think it is time?” asked Inoa.
“Because I’m starting to send people out to do things that make little sense unless you know about the prophecy,” I sent. “We need everyone pulling toward a common goal. My main hesitation in sharing the prophecy is that we can’t save everyone on the planet. If the prophecy becomes common knowledge, those building lifeboats will be overwhelmed, and no one will survive. Another consideration is what if it is the prophecy itself that destroys civilization? I cannot imagine anything more devastating for a community than if everyone believed it was doomed. We wouldn’t need a meteor strike to destroy the population of Jaloa.”
“We are building a Duchy which welcomes all of good will to join us. We do not know that the world as we know it will end. A god has shared the prophecy with you. She has also told you other gods are working to thwart the catastrophe. I think we can leave the fate of the world in their hands. If fire rains from the sky, we will be as prepared as possible. If it doesn’t happen, we will just have the best place for our families to live and prosper in perpetuity,” sent Alba.
“What do you think we should do?” asked Argon.
“We should share that you and Steve have been charged by a god to build a self-sustaining community of honorable mundanes and mages able to combat a future demon invasion attempt through the world gates,” said Alba.
“We must share that some type of planet-wide disruption is prophesied,” sent Inoa. “We do not know what it will be. We do not know that it will ever happen. Despite this uncertainty, we choose to take the warning seriously and to prepare.”
“We aren’t keeping up with our hiring as it is,” sent Tobron. “I don’t want to jump into this without thinking it through. Let us plan to address this situation after we deal with the pirate base. Every member of our Duchy aware of what happened in Augun is itching to wipe the pirates off the planet. They have confidence in their leaders.”
“I agree with my dad,” sent Cleon. “Rushing into this will be an error. We must have a truthful and consistent message. Everyone will want to drop everything and warn their families. I know how torn I am because Jern’s twin and our youngest twins continue to turn down offers to join the Duchy. My brothers and sisters haven’t joined either. I know that really bothers my mom and dad. I’m hoping as we become more successful they will all join us, but it is very hard not to warn them.”
“I will follow Tobron’s council,” I sent. “But, we must get past this very soon. I’ll wait until after we take care of the pirates, but it needs to be a priority.”
“I think there is nothing wrong with letting people know a goddess told you to build a large self-sustaining community of mages and mundanes,” Tobron offered. “It will spread faster if we don’t make an announcement. We just need to work it into day-to-day conversations.”
“Okay, that sounds fair. Everyone suspects it, we just need to confirm it. Ar
e you all okay with that plan?” I asked.
I got a chorus of agreement, and we closed down the mind bridge. “You were quiet, what are you thinking,” I sent Argon.
“There is no good option,” sent Argon. “I underestimate the issue of families because it is out of my experience base. It is a burning worry for Inoa. She’s hoping Marfo and Cleon can convince her other children to join up. She is also hoping we can open up the Keep for extended family tours soon to help with recruiting.”
Argon slid her arm around me as we entered the Keep for breakfast. “We cannot let dishonorable people contaminate our Keep. That will be the hardest issue. Telling a Duchy citizen their new mate or mother or sister or son doesn’t meet our standards will be hard. Knowing it may be a death sentence for their beloved can ruin a good person. We must realize that everyone has a breaking point. Fear and resentment can fester and turn even the most honorable citizen. When that happens, the geas may not be enough.”
Breakfast was a quiet affair as Argon, and I grappled with tough questions. I was relieved when the com hub notified us the Malan was being offloaded.
Capt. Malek was bouncing back and forth between the offloading operations and Loma’s modifications to his ship and ship’s boats. Several of the ship’s crew and Bek’s carpenters were rigging two more sets of davits along the ship’s hulls to hoist the third and fourth longboats alongside the Malan.
Malan’s current longboats were now on the docks with a swarm of workers on them. From a distance, they looked exactly like the two we’d been practicing on.
“Gera, any issues so far with the Malan’s longboats?” I sent.
“No, while they aren’t exactly the same length or width as our crew boats they are close enough,” Gera responded. “I expect they will be in the water within the hour.”
Cleon walked over to where Argon and I were watching the boat races.
“I think we should only take four oars,” Cleon said. “With the new propulsion units, we don’t need them for moving the boats. Four should be enough if we have to maneuver next to the hull.”