“He said you’d insist on doing it all yourself,” Venna replied smugly as she pocketed the coins.
“I told you to stop wagering on me, master dwarf,” I smiled at the hapless man.
Rather than bothering to reply, Khorim only grumbled under his breath and took a deep sip of ale.
“Fool,” Broda scolded him.
Thankfully, we passed the remainder of the evening discussing lighter matters, and when it was time to retire for the night, I was able to relax at least a little. As we entered the tent, Tási plucked Bane off my shoulder and shooed him outside and I immediately became suspicious.
“I love you Tási, but after last night, I can’t take anymore,” I implored her.
“You know, I’m good for more than just one thing,” she replied in mock offense.
“What are you planning?” I asked curiously.
“Get ready for bed, I promise it’s not what you think,” she smiled at me slyly.
I stripped down to my thin undergarments and was about to slip my night dress over my head when Tási stopped me.
“That’s good enough,” she said as she guided me down to lay on my stomach.
Tási straddled herself across my hips and then began kneading at the bundle of knots in my shoulders. The tightness in my muscles yielded to the gentle pressure and she added warm tendrils of relaxation into her massage.
Days of unrelenting tension melted away under her soothing touch. The threads she sent into me from her fingertips had the sensation of warm water pulsing over my knotted muscles. As she worked the tangles free from my neck and shoulders, she bent over and kissed me softy on my neck.
“Relax, Dreya,” she whispered gently in my ear. “Let me put you to sleep.”
I did as she instructed, and Tási gradually lightened the pressure she applied until her touch was just a soothing graze across my skin, and as tendrils of warm water flowed over me like a relaxing mist, I slipped off into unconsciousness under her tender care.
11
I woke up the next morning alone but feeling refreshed. Tási’s soothing massage had relieved the tension I had been holding in my muscles, and I’d slept better than I had in many days after she put me to sleep with her gentle kneading. The smell of breakfast wafted inside the tent, and I dressed myself quickly before I went outside to grab a bite to eat.
Tási was cooking over the campfire as I emerged. Aside from Bane, we were the only ones up, and I kissed her gently on the lips as I greeted her.
“How are you feeling this morning?” She asked curiously. “Any better?”
“Much,” I replied to her sincerely. “I didn’t realize just how knotted up I was until you started working on me.”
“I may have to do that more often then,” Tási offered with a sincere smile. “I actually enjoyed making you relax and watching you fall asleep under my touch.”
“Not as much as I did,” I countered.
Tási piled some eggs on a plate for me and while I sat down to enjoy them, she continued cooking for the rest of our companions. Then, as if by magic, they all seemed to appear as one, popping out of their tents just as the food was ready to be served. After Tási put together the last plate, she sat down beside me, and we finished eating together before making our plans for the day.
“It’s going to be boring for me,” Tási complained, “but I think I should stay here today and tomorrow before making my next appearance.”
“Khorim and I will begin reviewing personnel with Broda later,” Stel offered. “Then I’m going to inventory our loot and see what I should bring with us to trade.”
“Venna, if you’re free, I have a project I’d like you to help me with,” I asked her. “If it’s successful, it will get your husband back to you much faster.”
“Then you will definitely have my assistance,” she smiled back at me.
While I did want her help, I also hoped to keep her away from the stonemasons while they finished working on her infirmary. Hopefully, if I could keep her occupied long enough, they would be done before she returned to hover over them again.
Bane devoured the left-over scraps of food before flying off on his daily scouting and begin his search for a suitable path to connect us to the main road. As he vanished into the bright morning sky, I took Venna’s hand and we began walking towards the valley, to where Ridge was working on the next phase of construction.
We found the elemental as he was beginning to work on Renn’s forge, setting the base for the columns that would eventually support the roof of the structure. As we drew close, the heavy stones shook the ground around us as he set them in place.
“Ridge, I see you’re making great progress, as usual,” I complimented him.
“The forge will be finished before I leave to begin work on your road, Sintári,” he replied in his monotone voice.
“That’s great! I have decided to try and summon another elemental to help you,” I said, finally letting Venna know why we were there. “That should make this work, and your efforts on the road, go much faster.”
“I welcome the assistance if you feel you are ready,” he intoned. “I should be able to direct my brethren’s efforts so that our work is performed efficiently.”
“What do you need me to do, Dreya?” Venna asked.
“Hopefully, nothing,” I answered. “But there is some risk if I fail to bind the elemental. In that case, we may have to fight him off.”
“I did not bring my weapons, Dreya,” Venna replied with concern. “We should arm ourselves before we attempt this.”
“I’m confident that I can do this, I just wanted to let you know the whole truth.”
“Alright, if you say so,” Venna replied skeptically.
I began by emptying my mind of all its random thoughts, focusing only on my demand for help. Then, as I started to recite the words that triggered the summoning magic the air crackled with their power. Shadow energy merged with the summoning power, and I felt the stony presence of the new elemental as it’s will matched against mine.
I wielded the dark power of the shadow magic against him, enhanced by the might of my Charisma. Ultimately, despite its strong will, the power I brought against the being was far too strong for it to resist. Although our battle of wills ended quickly, I could sense that my power had been seriously hampered by the concurrent demands of maintaining my hold over Ridge—while summoning this second elemental might be well within my boundaries, attempting to call another would be foolhardy.
The elemental sprung from the ground in the same manner Ridge always had. This being was somewhat smaller than him, however, and I had the impression that it was very much his junior.
“Welcome,” I offered the new elemental in greeting. “I have brought you here to help Ridge with a few projects.”
“You will follow my direction, unless the Sintári instructs you otherwise,” Ridge added flatly.
At the invocation of my title, the new elemental appeared to glance over me again before acknowledging the orders that had been given.
“Tell me what I must do,” he uttered in a distinctly different tone than Ridge’s gravelly voice. The second being lacked Ridge’s deep baritone, and although his speech was tinged with the same rocky characteristic, it sounded much less imposing. In response to his words, Ridge simply guided the new elemental away, passing him instructions as they began working together on Renn’s forge.
“That went… better than expected,” Venna commented in amusement.
“What were you anticipating?” I replied.
“Something more… spectacular,” she smiled. “I just wasn’t sure whether it would be good or bad.”
I smacked her arm in mock offense as we walked back down the canyon, leaving the elementals to their work. Even though her comment annoyed me, I couldn’t help but smile at the truth behind her subtle jab.
With the extra help, Ridge’s work progressed rapidly—the two elementals completed the forge that day and then moved on to ot
her parts of the vast Palace and fortress complex. Renn remained working in Hilgreth’s forge for the rest of the week, helping her complete the new portcullis before he took up his duties in his new facilities.
The gate the two of them constructed was a masterpiece, fabricated completely out of dwarven steel, and the metal had been blackened just as the hardware used on the drawbridge had been. The smiths twisted the bars of the portcullis in spirals and then fashioned them into exquisite arches, making the barrier appear more like an elaborate decoration rather than a protective measure. Hilgreth heaped praise on Renn’s efforts once again, and I was glad that I had rewarded the talented smith with his own forge.
When Renn departed to begin working on his own, I was surprised to learn that Hilgreth sent both her apprentices to work under him at the new forge, and in their place she took on two new apprentices, Clorid and Madren. The two were still inseparable and wanted to contribute to the security of our settlement, but after their joint resurrection, were hesitant to return to the front lines. Helping at the forge provided the two new apprentices an opportunity to still feel helpful, while keeping them away from any real danger.
During that week, Ilvain completed the house that he built for my companions and I to share. Everyone was extremely grateful for the effort he had made for us and showered him and his crew with their thanks. For the first night in a very long time, the six of us slept in real beds under a dry roof, and although the beds may have been roughly made, and the mattresses that had been patched together for us were quite thin, it was one of the best night’s sleep any of us had in a long while.
It took several days for Bane to find a viable route for our road, complete with suitable campsite locations for any caravans to overnight securely along the way. Once we had the route plotted out, I pulled Ridge and his assistant away from the Palace complex and sent them off to begin clearing the way.
The elementals worked hard, and after two solid days of effort, had reached the first of three planned campsites. With the ground cleared and logs stacked up and waiting, I reluctantly let Stel and his team journey out to begin construction of the first campsite. Within a week, the elementals were done with their work, and Stel’s crew were finishing the construction of the final campsite soon after.
Stel returned to us after the last campsite was built, and I forced him to spend a few days with his wife before leaving again on his long trade and recruiting mission. He gave in reluctantly, under some added pressure from Venna, but still used much of the time to plan and organize his journey.
When they left, Khorim and Stel took twenty of our best fighters with them. Although they hoped to journey with trade caravans for the majority of their time on the road, the added security was definitely required for the long trip over our newly constructed trail to the main road.
Venna was a nervous wreck the entire time he was gone. We tried to keep her distracted with any tasks we could find for her, but she worried endlessly over Stel’s safety while he was away. Broda was just as bad, but she hid her anxiety much better. However, she had trouble sleeping at night, and often resorted to drinking too much ale from Khorim’s favorite mug to help her fall asleep.
Mercifully, the two men returned only three weeks later—Khorim had finished his trading in Dhel-Ar after barely more than a week, but had waited for Stel’s return so they could travel back to the valley together.
The train of wagons they brought back with them was heavily laden with all manner of goods. Seed and livestock were distributed to the nearly completed farms and paddocks of the valley, boosting our food reserves. Tools and equipment had also been purchased, including sawmill components that would allow Ilvain to produce more refined lumber, as well as some additional furnishings for Renn’s new forge.
In addition to materials and supplies, Stel also brought back a tremendous amount of coin. During his travels, Stel had used the opportunity to trade away almost all the loot we had accumulated, and when he returned, we discreetly deposited the fortune in our vault for safekeeping.
Stel told us that he had spread word of our settlement far and wide, even going so far as to have notices posted in many of the smaller villages in Lorida, hoping to entice more settlers to our fledgling realm. Although no one had immediately joined with him, he felt confident that we would see new citizens arriving in the future.
The biggest surprise the two brought back was a wagon full of armor and weapons, courtesy of the King of Dhel-Ar. Khorim had relayed the news of our growing settlement to the King, including our destruction of the Black Hand tribe. The King had been overjoyed to hear of the tribe’s demise, and in a show of gratitude, the dwarven King declared our actions to be a great service to his own people, supplying us with the equipment as a gesture of goodwill and appreciation. When the King’s gifts were combined with the arms Hilgreth and Dellon continued to churn out, our armory was nearly overflowing with high-quality arms and armor. While Khorim and Stel’s return was cause for much rejoicing, an even more unexpected reunion occurred only a few days later.
Bane flew back early that afternoon from his daily scouting foray and insisted that I accompany him to the edge of the forest. He steadfastly refused to tell me why, but assured me that I would understand when I saw what he had to show me.
Stel and Broda were nearby, so they accompanied me as I walked across the wide field outside our walls. We had clear-cut away a wide swath of the forest, giving us a large open area over which we could observe the approach of any threat. As I reached the edge of the cleared land, and the forest loomed over our heads, the foliage shimmered, and someone I never dreamed I would see again emerged from the underbrush.
Standing before me was the Dryad I had met long ago. She had been guarding one of the Tokens, and had also given me the Essence Blade once it became apparent that I was destined to claim the treasure she’d been protecting for so long. Though I recognized her immediately, I could tell that she was not doing well—her green skin had lost its once luminous glow, and she looked extremely tired and worn out.
“Greetings, Lady Dryad,” I said in welcoming. “What brings you here?”
“You have, Sintári,” she replied as if the answer was self-evident.
“Is there something I can do for you?” I said, confused by her cryptic response.
“I have come to beseech you to allow me to settle in your lands,” the Dryad replied, clearly distressed. “Though I have searched for a place to call home, I have been unable to find peace. I’d almost given up, but then I felt your power and the new life you have bestowed upon your lands beckoned to me. I have come hoping that I may finally find a home here. You are my last hope, Sintári.”
“If I can provide you with the comfort you seek, then you are more than welcome here,” I replied, offering her my hand. “Come with me—I think I know a place that might suit you.”
The Dryad accepted my hand hesitantly, clearly remembering how I had admonished her not to touch me the last time we had seen each other. Although her cool skin had an odd feeling to it, more akin to the surface of a plant than a person, my control prevented any impulses from passing between us. She looked as me appraisingly as she recognized my increased power, and I nodded back to her, confirming her unspoken evaluation.
As we passed through the gates, a crowd gathered to watch me escort the Dryad through the canyon. I had Stel and Broda dissuade them from following us as I walked her into the valley and quickly led her off the well-traveled paths, so we could avoid any further gawkers.
“These are very special lands,” the Dryad commented as I drew her further into the valley. “The plants are strong, and the soil runs fertile and deep.”
“This valley has laid in wait for us for a very long time,” I told her. “We have been blessed to have far-sighted people prepare the way for us.”
We finally came to a halt as we reached the entrance to the offshoot of the valley where we had met the elf King.
“This is a very special p
lace to me. It is off limits to all of my people, only my companions and I are permitted to venture any further than this point,” I told her.
“I feel it calling me,” the Dryad replied, closing her eyes and basking in the energy that flowed from the land. “This is where I belong.”
“I like to come here sometimes,” I offered her. “But we can leave you in peace if you would prefer.”
“No,” she smiled as she opened her eyes again. “You and your companions share a link with this place—your presence would be welcome.”
“Then I give this land to you and I hope to see you when I come to visit.”
“Thank you, Sintári,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “In exchange for your gift, I shall venture out and bless the rest of your lands. I will make sure your crops are bountiful and that your livestock prosper.”
With those words, she slipped her hand free of mine and melded away into the foliage. I smiled as I watched her vanish into the green leaves, knowing that not only had I helped a friend in need, but that my people would also benefit from her presence.
When I returned to the canyon, I confronted the crowd that was still gathered around where I had walked the Dryad past. I told them she was now one of us, and that her privacy was to be respected. The side valley was completely off-limits, and any trespassers discovered there would be dealt with harshly.
My stern warnings were unnecessary—the awe and respect that my people held for the Dryad were more than enough for them to honor her presence among us. More than anything, they welcomed her arrival and took it as a sign of even greater things to come for us.
My people were so taken by the Dryad’s arrival, that an impromptu celebration broke out. Her presence among us was just the most recent in a string of good fortune we had seen, so it was no wonder that they fell so quickly into a festive mood.
Kegs were tapped and the musicians fetched their instruments; before long, a festival was in full swing. I smiled broadly watching as everyone happily joined in together. Over time, my people had come together as one, and the barriers that had once existed between them had crumbled away as they worked together building our future.
Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Page 27
