by Eric Vall
“We will need to start and finish first thing in the morning,” I said as I tried to stifle a yawn. “This time tomorrow, we should be in Rajenne.”
“You’re going to be in Rajeene?” the baron asked as he raised an eyebrow. “That’s fifty miles away. Your … train, as you called it, can go that fast?”
“Once the tracks are laid, it will go much faster,” I responded with a tired grin.
“Then let’s not tarry,” Baron Killock said as he turned to his guards. “Show everyone to a room, and we’ll be up at dawn to create the depot and walls, and send you on your way.”
I shook the baron’s hand as we left the council room, and then I turned to Cayla.
“I’m going to--”
Cayla put a long, pale finger to my lips and interrupted. “You’re going to the hot springs first. You don’t have to explain. I’ll keep the bed warm for you.”
I took the princess’s wrist, proceeded to kiss each of her fingers, and then pulled her closer to kiss her sweet pink lips. She responded passionately, her free hand in my hair to pull me down to her. I released her wrist, and she let go of my hair at the same time. We looked at one another for a moment until we heard one of the baron’s guards clear his throat behind me.
“You can show me to our room,” Cayla said to the guard before she turned to me and added, “Don’t be long.”
I smiled and watched them head down the hall. Then I went down the stairs, past the Great Hall, and down until I reached the castle cellar. Before I saw the hot springs, I could feel the warm moisture on my skin and smell the rich spice of minerals released into the air.
Steam rushed forth to greet me as I opened the door at the bottom of the stairs. Behind it was a vast cavernous room, crisscrossed by stained glass screens lit by candles over a burbling pool. Thankfully it was empty, so I pulled off my clothes, laid them on a bench, and slipped into the water.
Immediately, I was warmed and comforted by the water. The constant stream of bubbles held me up, so I floated on the surface on my back and let it carry me along. The aches in my muscles dissolved, and I felt my eyes grow heavy. Before I closed them, I noticed movement in the stain glass partition that hung over the pool. They were a stylized representation of Nemris made of irregular segments of silver and white for her hair and skin, and black and gold for her eyes that reflected the cosmos. As I watched, the images of the goddess all around the room turned to look back at me.
Finally, I heard her voice.
“This is a special place for me,” Nemris said in a harmonious choir from all around me. “I’m glad to share it with you.”
“You said before you couldn’t stay in the mortal plane for long,” I said as I looked around me at all the abstract images of the goddess, “but I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence that we ended up here.”
“No coincidence indeed,” Nemris said, now in a single voice as she emerged from the water between my legs. Her silver hair and loosened purple robe splayed out behind her and floated on the surface as she rose, naked as I was. If there ever existed the perfect set of breasts, there they were on the goddess before me, big and round and wet from the water.
“Did I ever tell you in our past lives together that you’re beautiful?” I asked earnestly.
Nemris smiled and rested her elbow on my knee as her long silver fingers played with the hair on my thigh. The merest touch from her sent waves of pleasure radiating through my body. I resisted the urge to squirm, but I couldn’t tell my cock not to get hard as she came closer between my legs. Then she leaned in and brushed the top of my dick with her breasts.
“And you are beautiful to me,” Nemris sighed and floated up out of the water.
She hovered mere inches above me so I could feel the warmth of her naked body while her hair waved about her like wings. I raised up my arms and let my hands slide up her slim waist to caress her breasts. She trembled with desire and pressed her lips to mine.
As she lowered herself to press against my body, my cock slid into her, and I felt as the warm wetness enclosed me. Her silky hips ground against mine, at first with a slow rhythm, and then faster. The water crashed around us as she pushed me deeper inside her, withdrew, and pushed deeper yet. I felt myself on the verge of cumming, but I held back and savored every sensation. The buoyancy of the water prodded me on, so I pushed back against her as frantically as she pushed me into her.
My hands traveled down to her perfect, round ass, which I kneaded to match each thrust. When I could take no more, I grabbed those cheeks and pulled them to me, so when I came, I came deep. Simultaneously, I felt a shiver run through her as she gasped, and her bare flesh quivered against mine as we bobbed on the water. I knew she couldn’t stay for long, and that had felt great, but I wished we could have a whole night to remember each other’s bodies. For a moment, she lingered, and her black eyes filled with stars locked onto my silver eyes. Then she began to rise up.
“Send for Haragh,” Nemris whispered as she ascended toward the ceiling of the cavern. “You will need him when you leave Rajeene.”
I blinked, and the goddess was gone.
For a few more minutes, I floated on the water and let its healing properties soak into my body while I pondered over what had just happened to me. I had technically made love to a goddess while she floated in the air and I lay on water. It had been the most erotic moment I had ever had, which was a lot to say considering that threesomes with nubile half-elf mages and princesses were a part of my life now.
When I dragged myself out of the water, at last, I felt completely rejuvenated but ready to sleep. There was a towel on a hook by the door, so I dried myself before I got dressed and headed back up the stairs. I was greeted by one of the baron’s guards who had waited for me on the second floor.
“This way, sir,” he said, and I followed him down the hall past the council chamber.
Without a word, he opened a door, and I stepped inside. It was not a big room, but it was beautifully appointed with a domed, gilt ceiling that sparkled in the candlelight, and a large canopied bed with red silk sheets. Cayla lay curled up and asleep under those sheets, and I shed my clothes and crawled in next to her.
I was asleep when at some time during the night, I felt another warm body slide in next to me. The scent of evergreen tingled my nose as I felt Aurora’s arms curl around my chest, and I fell back into oblivion, content.
Strangely, when I awoke just before dawn, I was alone.
I looked out the window and saw the night sky had turned gray-blue, and I also noticed something that hadn’t been there before. A huge wall, at least fifty feet tall, with crenellations for archers filled the horizon. It had to be the work of the Terra Mages, the suggestion I made to the baron last night.
I quickly got dressed and went out into the hall. There was a savory aroma in the air, and I followed it into the baron’s council chamber. A servant cleaned the remnants of a breakfast feast from the table and turned to me as I entered.
“Can I bring you anything to eat, sir?” he asked deferentially.
“That’s all right,” I said as I pocketed a sausage for later. “Where is everyone?”
“They left with the baron almost an hour ago,” the servant replied.
I headed out, down the stairs, and through the great hall. I feared that the mages had taken it upon themselves to do all this work without me, and if there were anything that was wrong, we would have to start all over again.
I didn’t have to worry though. It seemed like most of the town was already awake. They formed in groups to look at the wall that now protected them, and it was truly a magnificent sight. There were steps every fifty feet for defense, which the townsfolk climbed up and down to get the whole experience.
I followed the wall down the streets of Westrock until I got to the space east of the town where we had arrived the previous night. The walls there curved into each other but did not meet, so they formed a wide, tall gate. On the other side of the gate were the mage
s, Aurora, Cayla, the baron, and several of his guards.
Pindor was the first one to spot me.
“Good morning!’ the young Terra Mage shouted and waved me over. “Did you see what we did?”
“You mean the huge wall surrounding the town?” I asked with a laugh. “How do you think I would have missed that? Well done, everyone. You’ve done me proud.”
The Terra Mages looked at one another and grinned at the compliment. I could tell by the sweat on their brows how much effort it had taken.
“You should have seen the look in the eyes of the townfolk when the wall started rising,” Baron Killock added with a wide smile and shining eyes. “I suggested we wait for you, but I was assured they could handle it on their own.”
“As exhausted as you were last night, I thought we should let you sleep in,” Cayla explained, concerned. “How are you feeling?”
“Never better,” I said, and it was the truth. Between the soak in the hot springs, the encounter with Nemris, and the hours of restful sleep in a comfortable bed, I felt like a new man.
“Good to see you again awake,” Aurora said with her signature smirk. “I brought a fresh load of tracks to lay out. Two cars full.”
“Perfect,” I replied and added with a sigh. “Unfortunately, I’m going to need to send you back to Magehill right away, and you’ll need to come back with Haragh. We will need him in Rajeene.”
“I’m turning into your delivery girl,” Aurora said with a disappointed pout. “I suppose if that’s who you need –“
“Let me go,” Korion, the Ignis Mage with a mop of blond hair, interrupted her. “It’s not like I can get lost. I just follow the tracks east to Serin and then north to Magehill.”
I couldn’t help but think about Korion behind the Stirling engine and how much trouble he had with a steady stream of sparks. He stalled out the train several times, which lost precious time. Unless he mastered the technique, it would take him twice as long to get to Magehill, and that would put the project hopelessly behind schedule.
“I have a suggestion,” Cayla announced, and I could see in her eyes she had similar concerns about Korion. “I can take Bobbie to Magehill and pick up Haragh while Korion takes the train car to get more tracks.”
It was a pretty smart plan. Korion would have a chance to practice without the time pressure, and Bobbie could take a shortcut and make much better time. Cayla and Haragh could be in Rajeene by the following morning. Best of all, with Aurora on our locomotive, we could really save time as we put down the tracks.
“You’re a genius,” I said as I grinned. “Okay, take Bobbie and get to Magehill as soon as possible, the straightest possible path. Tell Haragh we need to meet you in Rajeene, and be prepared for anything.”
“You got it,” Cayla said with a wink and quick kiss before she headed for the train.
“Oh, and take one of the rifles with you!” I called out after her. “And extra ammo!”
“Yes, dear,” she teased over her shoulder with a wink.
A deep-seated, protective part of me worried after the princess, but she had made longer treks alone and been perfectly fine.
And that was before I ever gave her a gun.
I actually pitied anyone who tried to stop her.
A moment later, all eyes turned to watch Cayla aboard the motorcycle jump out of the back of the train. Her black bob whirled behind her as they roared off in a north-east direction over the rough ground, a cloud of dust left in her wake.
“That’s the way to make an exit,” Baron Killock laughed, his eyes wide.
“The girl’s got style,” Aurora remarked as she smiled, and then she turned to Korion. “The tracks are all unloaded, so it’s time for you to get on the train, but don’t try to show off. Just don’t lose your concentration.”
Korion nodded seriously and ran down the track to get aboard the empty smaller car Aurora had taken to Magehill. I held my breath for a moment, worried that the kid wouldn’t be able to step up to the plate, but then we heard the engine growl to life. The train car lurched and then chugged down the tracks east toward Serin.
“What’s next?” the baron asked as Korion’s train disappeared into the hills.
“We need to build your depot,” I replied as I surveyed the area we had to work in. “The walls are going to be key to Westrock’s defenses, so I had a thought. The trains could be vulnerable to bandit raids while supplies are being loaded and unloaded, but we could build the station just inside the walls.”
“I’m trying to picture how it will fit,” Baron Killock said with a scratch on his chin.
“Let me show you,” I replied as I walked back through the open gate.
I could hear the rest of the group follow me, but I concentrated on the ground beneath my feet. Westrock certainly did not need as large of a station as we had built for Serin. I also thought about the possible danger with tracks that would run straight through the town. It wasn’t like there were rail crossings in Illaria. They didn’t even have traffic lights.
So I needed to make sure the tracks couldn’t pose a danger. They needed to be accessible to the town but also out of the way. I thought back to the streets of Chicago, and a smile stretched across my face.
Then I crouched down, my hand splayed on the ground. “Watch your feet. It’s about to get bumpy.”
I didn’t have to tell the other Terra Mages to join me. Even before they touched the earth themselves, I could feel their energy as it joined with mine and the element beneath us. The ground beneath us groaned and buckled, and then it began to rise.
Baron Killock and his men cried out as they were lifted twenty feet in the air by the bridge we built beneath them. They stumbled about to regain their balance and then turned to us, wide-eyed when at last the elevation came to a rest.
“Could you all step back now while we finish the depot?” I asked with a grin.
They didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as they were out of the way, the Terra Mages and I connected again to our powers and the stone beneath us and brought forth a platform six feet above where the tracks would go. Then we sent a wave over the other side to carve a long staircase and ramp down to the ground level of the town.
“By the gods, this is incredible,” the baron gasped as he pulled himself up from the tracks onto the platform.
I had to smile as the group walked down the stairs and turned around to admire our construction. This elevated platform over the entrance to the city didn’t look much like the ones in the Chicago “L,” even if that was the inspiration. It fit the town and space well, particularly since it created a dramatic entrance through a tunnel below into Westock. And soon it would have a track above it next to the platform above us. I remembered walking under the great rattling bridges built in the Windy City, and it brought a smile to my face to see something so familiar. Now all the people who entered Westrock would walk under the tracks and station that I had built and get to experience the same feeling.
“We usually create a warehouse,” I said as I looked around. “It probably makes sense to build those on ground level under the ramp.”
“That’s something we can handle,” Baron Killock said with a smile “What we can’t do is finish the railroad line.”
He was right. It was his town, and he had the workers to build on it, even if it wasn’t as quick as I could do it with my mage brigade
“Okay, sounds good.” I nodded. “We just need to finish up the connection, and then it’s all up to you.”
The baron clapped me on the back as I went out through the tunnel to the town entrance. The mages followed me as I looked it over and then dropped down to a squat, my hands on the ground.
Together, we joined our power together and sent a wave of Terra magecraft to where the walls ended at the two hills that cradled the town on either end. We burrowed tunnels through the hills, and then lifted the rock skyward in gentle slopes to meet each tunnel. The train from Serin would travel up the north-east hill, pass throug
h the tunnel, cross the elevated platform behind the town wall, and back down the tunnel and ramp on the south-western hill. When we were finished, I stood up. The finishing touch I had to do alone.
I motioned to the locomotive with my metal control and lifted rail tracks, one after the other, and sent them into position up the eastern ramp and through the tunnel. Then I pulled more tracks and sent them through the western tunnel and down the ramp to complete the circuit. I took another hour to create two rail switches, one at the bottom of each ramp. Finally, I gritted my teeth and lifted the locomotive itself and moved it to the correct position on the western tracks so that it faced south.
“Don’t overexert yourself,” Aurora called as she shot me a look. “We have a long day ahead of us.”
I let myself exhale and turned to the half-elf.
“It’s like a jog first thing in the morning,” I said as I flashed her a cheeky grin. “I’m charged up. Let’s go!”
Chapter 9
With the station completed, the nine of us, Aurora, Bagnera the Ignis Mage, the five Terra Mages, and I boarded the locomotive. I was glad I made it as big as I did because, with all of us and two cars filled with railroad tracks and ties, it definitely felt like a full house. No wonder I broke a sweat when I lifted it up.
“I’ll take the first shift,” Aurora said to Bagnera as she sent a stream of sparks into the engine.
It purred and then sent a tremor through the locomotive as it was brought to life. I got into position, concentrated, and levitated tracks and ties onto the path ahead of us. The Terra Mages also tapped into their power and smoothed the way forward. They left a crumbled pile of rock for me to lay the tracks onto as ballast.
Once we had all picked up our rhythm, I was able to speak to Aurora without distraction.
“How is everything in Magehill?” I asked as I let my glance flit to her and then back to the track.
“I wasn’t there for more than an hour to drop Shoshanne off,” the half-elf Ignis Mage replied, one eye on the engine. “Her patients seemed well on their way to recovery. There were about ten or twelve new recruits from the Oculus who were being trained, and they said there were more on their way.”
