by Eric Vall
“Are you teasing me, sister?” the blue woman giggled and batted her long lashes. “Don’t I deserve everything jewel-encrusted?”
“What do you think the gnomes would say if we asked for some diamonds?” Nicola asked as she plunked herself down on the ground and shielded her eyes from the sun.
“Asks the woman who got a priceless sword,” I pointed out. “They were very generous with that.”
“Oh, I know, Jack,” the dark-haired woman said as she waved her hand. “I was just joking, of course.”
“Well, are we done looking at this area?” Penelope asked. “I want to keep figuring out where we’re going to build our wall.”
“Go get your shovel,” I instructed the naiad. “It should be in the garden. We’ll use it to mark out where we want the wall to go.”
“Okay, my lord,” the blue woman said with a nod, and she turned and jogged back toward the garden gate.
“I’m so glad we came here today,” Aleia breathed. “This is my favorite part of the convent so far.”
“It is interesting,” Nicola admitted as she flicked a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. “I would love to know who built this convent and how long ago it was.”
“So, should we go?” Penelope asked breathlessly as she ran back after a few minutes with the shovel in hand. “I’m ready to get started on this wall. What’s the first step to building it, anyway, my lord?”
“You're going to have to dig a trench,” I explained. “To be honest, it’s not going to be that fun.”
“But it will be worth it to be protected,” the naiad said as she bounced cheerfully on her toes. “We’ll all take turns with the shovel! Think about how many new muscles I’ll get.”
“Penelope, are you sure that’s okay for the baby?” Aleia asked in a nervous voice. “You don’t want to get hurt.”
“As long as I feel good, I’ll keep working,” the blue woman told the fairy. “And today I feel wonderful!”
Penelope twirled around in the middle of the grass, and I had to admit the naiad seemed way less tired today than she’d been in days past.
That sex boost was some powerful juju.
“Let’s go mark out the wall, and then we can eat lunch,” Nicola said decisively. “Oh, my goodness, Jack, I forgot to check the snare.”
“Oh, shit,” I swore. “With how busy you’ve all been, I forgot you needed to go over there. You can run to the woods in a few minutes to see if you’ve caught a rabbit.”
“Yes, my lord,” the brunette said. “It seems like we’ve found everything there is to see here, anyway.”
“I just want to look in this last corner,” Aleia said as she glanced at the dark-haired woman. “No sense leaving when we haven’t fully explored the whole area.”
The fairy walked over to the far side of the kitchen space and glanced around, and then she looked down and did something a little strange. For no apparent reason, the strawberry-blonde dropped onto her hands and knees.
“Aleia…” I muttered while I tried not to notice how intriguing she was in this position. “What are you doing?
“There’s something here,” the fairy reported. “At least, I think there is. It’s sort of like a big… square under the grass.”
I zoomed in on the strawberry-blonde to see what she was talking about, and I suddenly saw a square piece of wood embedded in the ground.
“What the hell?” I muttered. It almost looked like the entrance to a cellar.
“Sisters, come over here,” Aleia called out. “I think you need to look at this more closely.”
“What is it?” Nicola asked as she strolled up to the fairy. “I only see grass… wait, I do see something…”
“I think it’s a trap door,” the strawberry-blonde said as she looked up with sparkling eyes.
Penelope and Nicola exchanged a wide-eyed look. Then they both dropped onto their hands and knees, too.
“Open it,” the two women said in unison.
Chapter 9
The four-foot by four-foot wooden square was embedded into a frame, and there was a small space between the edge of the door and the outer wood. Aleia stuck her slim fingers into the gap and tried to pull upward, but the fairy couldn’t get any leverage.
“Be careful,” I warned the strawberry-blonde. “I really don’t want you to get hurt. I think we’re going to need a tool to open it.”
“What about the shovel?” Penelope gestured to the tool with sparkling eyes. “That might work.”
“I’m not sure I can get it into the space between the door and the frame, but I’ll try,” Aleia said as she picked up the shovel’s long, wooden handle and looked down at the trap door. The fairy tried to jam the cutting edge of the tool into the crack, but she grunted with frustration when the shovel’s blade wouldn’t fit. Then she wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead and sighed as she laid the tool back down on the ground. “No, this one isn’t going to work.”
“The trowel is slimmer,” Nicola suggested as she squatted down next to the trap door and examined the crack. “I bet we could fit that in there. Someone, go run to the garden and get it.”
“What about you?” Aleia laughed. “Why can’t you get it?”
“Fine,” the brunette sighed. “Can you think of any other tools I should get while I’m there, in case the trowel doesn’t work.”
“Hmm,” Penelope mused. “The chisel? The hammer? The axe? Could we just hack it open?”
“That might be a good idea,” I agreed. “It’s the last resort in case we end up needing the door for something, but I agree, this is worth opening.”
“That sounds like a good start as far as tools go,” Nicola said, and she stood up and jogged back to the garden. The brunette returned in just a couple minutes with the items in hand, and she handed the axe to Aleia and the trowel and chisel to Penelope. The dark-haired woman stared at the trap door for a minute as she gently tapped the face of the hammer against her palm, and then she knelt down next to the wood panel.
“Try the claw,” I suggested. “I don’t think it’s long enough, but maybe you can wedge it in there.”
“Yes, Jack,” Nicola said as she tried to jam the tool into the crack, but then she shook her head. “I don’t think it’s going to work.”
“Dammit,” I swore. “We may end up chopping into it after all.”
“I still have the chisel and the trowel,” Penelope said in a bright voice, but her face fell a little as she felt the tools. “The chisel is strong, but it’s not very long, and I’m not sure the trowel is sturdy enough.”
“Let me have them,” Nicola instructed the naiad. “Anything is worth a try.”
The brunette tried the two tools in succession, but when neither worked, she sat on the ground, leaned back on her arms, and frowned.
“Maybe it’s sealed by magic,” Penelope suggested. “Maybe someone doesn’t want us to get in.”
“Hmm, that did seem to happen with the base of the altar,” Nicola mused. “I suppose it’s possible some sort of force is holding it shut.”
“Well, there is still the axe, in case it isn’t being held shut somehow,” Aleia said, and I could tell the fairy was trying to sound cheerful. “With your permission, my lord, I can try to chop into the wood.”
“I suppose we have no choice,” I sighed. “It will be easy to replace if you have the right tools, I guess.”
“Alright, then everybody stand back,” Aleia told the other two women, and Nicola and Penelope jumped out of the way. The little fairy firmly planted her feet on the ground, raised the axe over her shoulder with both hands, and swung it down at the wood. The blow made a huge cracking sound, but just a tiny scratch appeared in the door itself. “Wow, it’s really strong.”
“Even for you?” I asked the fairy.
“Even for me,” the strawberry-blonde said as she adorably jutted out her cherry-red lower lip. “I’m happy to try again, though.”
“One more time!” I encouraged Aleia. “And if it
doesn’t work, I do have one more idea as far as tools go.”
The fairy swung the axe down at the trap door again, and this time a large piece of wood splintered off.
“That’s a little better,” the strawberry-blonde beauty said as she blew her hair out of her eyes. “But I think it’s really thick, master. I want to get in here today as much as anyone, but if you have other tools, I’d love to hear about them.”
“Well, I can’t get it until tomorrow,” I explained. “I know it’s going to feel like a long wait, but maybe that will just make it more exciting.”
“What kind of tool?” Aleia asked. “We need to wedge something in there.”
“Exactly,” I confirmed. “I’m going to get you a really long crowbar.”
“I’m not sure what that is, master,” Aleia responded as she wrinkled her nose. “But I trust you know what you’re doing.”
“I’m so disappointed,” Penelope pouted. “I want to solve the mystery.”
“You can come back,” I promised. “I’m curious about what’s in there, too.”
“I hope your crow… thing helps,” Nicola said. “This is the most exciting thing we’ve found in a while.”
“Your lives are very exciting,” I protested. “Maybe a little too exciting…”
“But not mysterious.” The naiad’s eyes were wide. “Maybe there is treasure in there.”
“Or old food,” Nicola snickered. “Maybe we shouldn’t get too excited.”
“It’s going to be better than that, I just know it,” Penelope giggled.
“I suppose you should start on the wall,” I sighed. “I wish I could offer you more excitement and adventure today.”
“Maybe tomorrow, then,” Aleia said in a cheerful voice. “So, my lord, what do you want us to do first?”
“I’m going to need you to find that quarry,” I told the fairy. “You can’t do much without stone.”
“I’m ready to get to work, and flying will be a nice way to spend the day,” Aleia responded. “Sisters, I wish you could come with me. It’s so nice to soar through the air.”
The fairy rapidly flapped her lavender wings for a moment and produced a breeze that ruffled Penelope’s hair.
“You are lucky, Aleia,” the blue woman said in a wistful voice. “I would love to fly.”
“So, while Aleia is gathering stone, Penelope and I will mark out the boundaries and dig a trench?” Nicola groaned. “Sounds like hard work.”
“It will be worth it,” I promised. “Just think of how much safer you’re going to feel.”
“I’m eager to work, but I wish we had more than one shovel,” Penelope mused. “I know we’re planning to take turns, but it would go a lot faster if we had two.”
“It will be alright,” Nicola assured the naiad. “We’ll probably get tired after a while, anyway.”
I expected the brunette to be doing most of the hard labor due to her higher Strength number, and I wasn’t sure if Penelope’s condition would make her tired again. I was glad I’d visited her last night, though, because there was a lot of work to do, and I hoped she could keep moving.
“So, the wall is going to basically be a square,” I told the priestesses. “It needs to encompass everything from the stables down to the living quarters, and this large kitchen in between.”
“That’s a lot of rock,” Aleia sighed. “I suppose I’d better get going.”
“Do you know what direction you’re headed?” I asked.
“The quarry is southwest of here, I believe,” the fairy replied.
“I’m going to help Nicola and Penelope get started while you search,” I told Aleia. “But if you find the quarry, yell out for me.”
“I will, Jack,” the strawberry-blonde said with a nod, and then she fluttered up into the air.
The other two priestesses were busy marking out the wall’s perimeter, and I saw them hesitate at the living quarters.
“It’s going to be different not being able to see outside from our beds,” Penelope said in a sad voice. “But I will appreciate the protection.”
“All you have to do is walk outside to see the view, sister,” Nicola laughed. “But I do know what you mean. All our open space has been nice.”
“Maybe we should dig as we go,” Penelope suggested.
“I want to map it all out first,” I responded. “That way we can change the line if we need to, and digging the trench is going to be hard work.”
“Yes, I suppose,” the naiad said in a cheerful voice. “But we can do this. How deep does the hole need to be?”
“It should be below the frost line,” I told the women, “so I’m going to say three feet deep and maybe about three feet wide. And then you’ll fill it with sand.”
“Wow,” Nicola said with raised eyebrows. “That’s going to take a really long time, especially without Aleia working alongside us.”
“The gnomes said they were going to help,” Penelope reminded the brunette. “If they don’t show up today, I’m sure they’ll come tomorrow.”
“I hope so,” the dark-haired woman sighed, and then she smirked. “I hope Wilfrim doesn’t make any more awkward comments.”
“Awkward comments, sister?” Penelope giggled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I suppose you were too out of it last night to remember what he said,” the brunette laughed. “He was so drunk on tea he started to talk about how beautiful Elowise was, and that he wanted to make love to her.”
“What?” Penelope looked astounded as she started to giggle even harder. “I missed that conversation? Wow, I really am sorry I was so tired.”
“It was pretty funny,” I concurred.
“There aren’t too many rocks here,” Nicola grunted as she chopped at the dirt with the tip of the shovel. “It’s a lot easier than I thought it would be to carve out this line.”
“You’re doing great,” I praised the brunette. “Supple soil will definitely make a lot of this process easier.”
“Let me try!” Penelope chirped. “Let’s each do about twenty feet, and then we can hand off and take a break.”
“Good plan.” Nicola nodded and handed Penelope the shovel. “Thanks for taking a turn.”
“I’m happy to, sister,” the naiad responded as she tried to break up the soil next to her feet.
The two women made their way around the perimeter of the area I’d suggested and traded off with the shovel, and they made quick work of figuring out where the wall should be built.
“Alright, I think we’re done with the outline of the wall,” Nicola eventually said as she picked up the shovel. “Jack, how does it look?”
The human and the naiad had done an excellent job. They’d made long, straight lines with the shovel, and the corners were perfect, ninety-degree angles. The large enclosure would still give the women plenty of space to grow, and even more followers might be able to come live within our little fortress. I thought about keeping my baby daughter safe between these walls, and I felt a rush of happiness.
“I think it looks great,” I praised the women. “What I want you to do next is mark out where the doors are going to go. There should be one up by the road, and another down by the path to the stream so you can still bathe easily--”
“Jack!” I suddenly heard Aleia call out. “I found the quarry!”
“Okay, one moment, I’m going to check in on Aleia real quick,” I told the other two women. “Why don’t you start digging the trenches?”
I kept my eyes on the convent for a moment as Penelope took the shovel from Nicola and began to quickly heave big chunks of dirt out of the ground. The dream boost brought her Endurance up to a ‘4,’ and I wondered if that had something to do with how easily she was working.
I’d never seen a woman haul dirt so fast before, and the determined set of Penelope’s jaw assured me she had this next task well in hand. Although Nicola looked eager to take a turn as well.
“Jack, you should see how much sto
ne there is,” Aleia called out to me again.
I looked at my map for a moment before I focused on the fairy’s location. The path where she’d flown had opened up more visible map space, and it appeared the quarry was only about a mile and a half away from the convent. The quarry itself had to be at least fifty feet deep, and it had sloping sides made of pale tan stone.
“It’s limestone!” I told Aleia. “Do you know what that means?”
“I think I do,” the strawberry-blonde replied with a grin. “We can make mortar out of it, correct?”
“That’s right!” I confirmed. “No more collecting shells for Penelope.”
“I think she liked it, though,” the fairy giggled. “She thought it was fun.”
“Yeah, probably,” I laughed.
“What do you think is the best way to get the rock back?” Aleia asked as she looked around.
“Just carry it in a stack, I suppose,” I replied. “I wish we had some sort of truck.”
“Truck?” The fairy’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Yeah, it’s something that helps you carry stuff,” I explained. “It has wheels, so it’s kind of like a giant carriage.”
“Ohh,” Aleia replied. “Yes, that does sound like it would be helpful, but I don’t think it will take me much more than an hour round trip to carry the stone.”
I was about to reply, but then I noticed a group of creatures hacking away at the rock down in the quarry. They were skinny, but sinewy biceps popped out of their arms as they swung their pickaxes. They had fair complexions, pointed ears, and long hair in a variety of rainbow colors streamed back as they worked
“Wait, who are they, Aleia?” I asked.
“Oh, they’re just elves,” the fairy explained. “Elves do most of the mining, and then they sell the stone to everyone else. I’ve brought some gold with me to pay them. It’s very inexpensive, so you probably didn’t notice the small bag of coins I’m carrying.”
“That was smart,” I praised the fairy. “In any case, those elves are pretty cute.”
“Haven’t you ever met an elf, my lord?” Aleia asked, and the fairy looked even more puzzled now.
