“Millions…” he whispered almost like a prayer. “I would be able to handle that volume but would have to do it over time. I could get a message to you and then wait… how long for you to arrive?”
“This morning we took our time so it took about an hour to get here.” I said matter-of-factly.
“Amazing! Wizards! Well my…” he stopped suddenly and bowed, “my Lord!”
“I think we’re beyond that. Just let me know when you’re ready for more stones.” I then looked at him and asked him to please step back from the counter. I slid the bag over in front of me, closed my eyes and pictured the shelf in the vault. I then tapped the bag with my wand, for dramatic effect and said transporto. With a bit of a ‘crack’ the bag disappeared.
“What… Where did it go?” The jeweler exclaimed.
“It’s now in my vault in Valeview. We must be off. You have a wonderful day!” and I headed for the door.
I heard behind me, “Wow! And he doesn’t have to carry that all the way back!”
“I want to learn that spell too!” said Isa.
“I assumed you would. You heard the activator word? Just focus and picture exactly where you want to send something and say the word. The wand tap was just for the jeweler.” I grinned.
“That’s funny, but should you be picking on the poor over-awed shop keeper?” She asked.
“He almost accused me of stealing!” I protested jokingly.
“Ok, ok. He had it coming. Let’s sit over here and wait for the girls to find us.” she said leading me to some benches under a tree.
We sat and I smiled happily at Isabel. Thirty thousand gold coins for just a few stones. We could quit and live happily ever after with just the money I’d sent to the vault but I didn’t want to be rich for the sake of money. I wanted to help, like we’d helped the village. It was fairly easy for us and was something that no one else could have done without loss of life. No, retirement wasn’t in our near future.
“So… Chloe.” and I left it at that.
She took a deep breath and began. “You’ve been flirting, playfully, with Chloe for quite some time. She knows it’s been playful, Alba and I know it’s been playful. Today, when you swatted us, she wasn’t sure if it was still being playful or if you were really flirting. I knew you were playing and she learned you were when she asked you about it. She saw your joke for what it was but realized that she didn’t want it to be playful anymore.”
I put on my best hangdog look. “I’m really sorry. The last thing that I’d want to do is offend you or your sisters. If she wants me to stop the playful flirting, I will. Think she’ll forgive me?” I asked.
“David, I don’t think you understand! Chloe came to me and asked to be your consort! Cador found someone else shortly after we arrived at the castle and that had her down for awhile but she’s getting over that. During our trip here she was making the closest thing to a formal request that one can make flying through the air at a thousand feet over a hundred miles an hour.”
I was stunned. I didn’t have a clue what I was supposed to say or do. Culture clash! Back in my world having a wife and a girlfriend was taboo; here it was the accepted norm. I was quite flattered but was more concerned about how this would make Isabel feel. The best way to learn something is to ask.
“If Chloe was my consort, how would you feel about it? Would you be jealous or have your feelings hurt?” I ask uncomfortably.
“I would be thrilled! Both for Chloe and for you. Chloe really likes you and that’s why she would blush so much when you would flirt with her. Being your consort is something she really wants. For you, aside from the obvious, I’d know you were always taken care of. You see, women know how helpless men really are, even though they think we are the helpless ones.”
I asked, “So what should Chloe be told?”
“She should be told that you want her as your consort! That’s my honest opinion. I’ll tell her when we find them if you agree.” said Isa
“Alright, it sounds like a plan. You’ll have to talk me through how all this works but I’ll follow your advice My Lady.” I said smiling.
“Thank you, David! You’ve made me very happy and I know Chloe will be too!” She leaned over, put her arms around me and kissed me.
From across the street a man yelled, “I see now! I have been watching you two for a while but, by the way you’re dressed, I couldn’t tell who the man is and who the woman is!”
I flipped him off. I knew he didn’t know what the gesture meant but he was sure it wasn’t a friendly wave. He came storming across the street towards the skinny man in the funny clothes. He was saying something about stomping me into compost. That didn’t sound like fun and my mind was occupied with other things. I saw Isa’s hand drift to her wand and I shook my head at her. We didn’t need to cook some poor misguided fool in the middle of the biggest city I’d been in! I waited until he was about ten feet away and I raised my hand and said, “Stop.” My command and a touch of telekinesis made him obey, even though his feet were still moving. I held him there until he realized that he wasn’t moving. I heard someone run up behind me and got ready for more trouble but it was the city guard.
“Master Wizard,” he addressed me, “is there a problem?”
Upon hearing the guards greeting, the man went ashen. His feet stopped and I let him go. I looked at the guard and smiled. “No, I don’t think that there is a problem at all.” I looked at the bully. “Is there?”
The bully shook his head, “No sir, there’s no problem at all. I’m sorry sir!”
Just at that time the girls found and swarmed around us. One would be bully found himself surrounded by people dressed as the man that was addressed as ‘Master Wizard’. He turned and ran headlong down the street. Isa and I couldn’t help but laugh. I turned to the guard and asked how he knew I was a wizard. He said that the news that the wizards had returned to Eredwynn was spreading through Tesil like wildfire! I thanked him for his assistance and sent him on his way. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Isabel nod to Chloe. She turned scarlet and sat down quickly. I pretended not to notice and said that we needed to hunt food!
We headed off down the street in search of an eating establishment. On a corner I spotted another guard and walked up to him. I asked if there was a good place to eat close by and he answered, “Yes, Master Wizard. About half way down the block on the left is a very nice place.”
I smiled and thanked him. We turned and continued down the street and into a finely decorated place. A young lady met us and took us to a long table. She told us what was on the menu and asked what the wizards would like to drink. Three waters, three wines and ale.
I looked at Isa and said, “this ‘wizard’ thing could get on my nerves more quickly than the ‘my lord’ thing did!” Everyone at the table laughed.
Or drinks were brought and our orders taken. We ate in silence. I think that the princesses were the only ones that were comfortable in the city. The rest of us were ready to get out of there and back home. We finished quickly and I went to the counter to pay. I tossed a gold coin on the counter, turned to the young lady that had served us and slipped five silver coins into her hand. The proprietor smiled and thanked me as did the server. We walked out the door into a crowd.
It seemed like half the city had located us. I raised a hand and it got quiet. I said that we had business in town today but needed to be getting back to Valeview. We would try to return to Tesil soon. There were sounds of disappointment but I was tired and ready to go home.
“Shields please.” six pops and then my own. “Fair well, good people. We will be seeing each other soon. Twenty feet, please.” And the six girls whispered and popped straight up to ‘ohhs and ahhs and a single scream. I made sure they were stable, waved, and popped up to join them. We turned south and climbed fast.
When we were a short ways from town I brought us down for a landing near an easily recognizable stand of trees. I told the girls I wasn’t in the mood for flyin
g. We were going to take a short cut and they knew what I meant. They got into a circle and we joined hands. I was not at all surprised when I saw that Isabel was holding my right hand and Chloe, looking shy, was holding my left. I made sure everyone was hanging on; focused on the field by the river, and receptui! The loud crack of displaced air and Valeview castle was right above us. We cast fly and entered through the balcony door. I suggested that it was nap time and we could discuss the trip after. I went to my room and crashed.
Chapter Nineteen
I woke from my nap after a couple hours. Isabel was still asleep and I supposed that the other girls were too. I decided to go out by myself for awhile. I checked my wand, fixed my clothes and quietly went out the door. I told the guard that I was going to be leaving the castle for awhile and if my wife asked I’d be back before it was very dark. He nodded his understanding and I walked to the balcony door. I was shielded and flying before I really noticed. It’s amazing what you can get used to. I turned east and flew along the river. I was flying about twenty feet above treetop level scanning the river bank and the trees for Orcs, trolls or other unfriendly critters. My real hunt was for the dragon hoard that was supposed to be out here somewhere. It wasn’t that we need the money; it was more that I need a break from being the ‘Master Wizard’. In the city the recognition had been fun, for about five minutes.
Below me there were trees. There were just lots and lots of trees. I was tempted to go to ground and walk along the river but it wasn’t like it was when I first got to this place. Now I had a half dozen wizard trainees and an unknown number of villages, towns and cities that were counting on me. So I soared along, watching the ground, lost in thought.
Fifty miles, approximately, down river I saw a large clearing to the south. It led all the way up to the canyon wall. It looked like there may be a cave! Could this be it? I dropped lower to get a better look and closed in on the southern canyon wall. That was when the hole in the wall erupted! There was a loud horn and from the cave mouth poured Orcs and Orc Captains! There were too many to count and I was so busy getting altitude that the only numbers going on in my head are the number of feet I was putting between me and the monsters! Huge spears filled the air and I was struck three times extremely hard! I felt my shield giving way and had to get out of there, now! A quick focus and receptui! I returned to the valley below Valeview, but without a shield or an active Fly spell, and I was about twenty feet in the air! By the time the valley came completely into focus the ground rushed up to meet me, and the world went black.
Some time later, I had no idea how much time, but the sun had started to set. I woke with my head in the lap of a crying Chloe. She was using the heal spell to set and heal a compound fracture in my upper left arm. The tear stained face of Isabel was down by my right leg fixing fractures there. I couldn’t see how many or how bad it was but judging by the pain of the healing, it was pretty bad. I started wishing for unconsciousness again or maybe amputation. I didn’t think that cutting off an arm and a leg could be worse than feeling the bones grind together as they set. I clenched my teeth and looked around. All the girls were there and Pariset was holding the reins of a horse a few feet away with a look of genuine concern on his face. The bone in my leg ground and popped and with gratitude I saw the world fade, once again, to black.
I woke lying in my bed, undressed with a sheet covering me. I thought, for a moment, that I just had a pretty realistic nightmare. Then I moved and ached everywhere. Chloe and Isabel were there instantly! Was I ok? How did I feel? Did I need anything? I said that I was alright, just sore all over. Ale would be nice if they wouldn’t mind. Chloe nodded toward the door and Alba was off like a shot. She returned very quickly with a large mug of ale and Pariset.
Pariset walked over and drug a chair to the bed. He looked at me and shook his head. “So, what happened, Master Wizard?” he asked semi-playfully.
“I was patrolling the river to the east of here and about fifty miles down I met an Orc that wanted to play.” I led into my story.
“An Orc, one Orc caused that to happen to you? David, I know better. What really happened?” he asked with a slight smile.
“Well, it seems that this Orc had a horn you see. And this horn called probably fifty or so of his buddies and more Orc Captains than I had the urge to stick around and count. The Captains nailed me three times with spears before I could get away. Then I popped in about twenty feet or so off the ground and gravity did the rest.” I rattled off the short version.
“Fifty miles? That many all grouped together? We have to get the guard and…” he began
“NO! I forbid it! Going after that camp with the guard would be suicide!” I exclaimed loudly bringing the other three girls running from their rooms.
“Then what can be done about them? They’ve already almost killed our ‘Master Wizard’. If you were killed where would that leave us? The girls are impressive but not completely trained. We’d be back to where we were before you came. And personally I didn’t like where we were.” he admonished me and brought tears back to Isa and Chloe. I even thought I heard Alba sniffle.
“I’m sorry that I scared everyone and sorry that I got into that situation. I know you’re all relying on me. I don’t know what we can do about the problem of that camp. Give me some time to think about it and I’ll get back to you. For now I think that I’ll heal up a bit and see what tomorrow brings.” I sighed and leaned back on the pillows.
“I’ll talk to you more when you’re feeling better, David. Get some rest. You were really banged up before the girls went to work. That was the most impressive thing that I’ve ever seen. And then they floated you up through the balcony window and to your bed! You have some wonderful apprentices.” He smiled at the girls and headed for the door
I looked at all the girls and told them that I knew I had wonderful apprentices. I thanked them all for being on the ball and doing what needed to be done. I told them that maybe I shouldn’t have wandered off by myself like that but this was one time that I was really glad they weren’t with me. I didn’t know what I’d do if I were to lose one of them! I let them know that I was going to try to get some rest if they would grab the lights for me and maybe tomorrow we’d go out and wrestle bulls or something. Everyone laughed and Alice and the twins headed out one side and Alba the other.
I called Isabel over and asked if Chloe wanted to stay with us tonight. I strongly doubted that there would be anything intimate because I was in no way, shape or form up to it. She said that it would a wonderful idea and if I didn’t pass out again Chloe and I could get to know each other better.
I watched as Isabel walked across the room to the table where Chloe was putting up Pariset’s chair. She put her head against Chloe’s head for a moment. Chloe turned pink and nodded. She then looked at me and smiled. I returned the smile and winked. She went off to her room and while she was gone Isa put on her night gown, grabbed a towel from her closet and set it on her nightstand.
“Just in case you’re aches and pains die down tonight. She is a virgin and we should protect the sheets.” She explained.
Now it was my turn to blush. Chloe returned in her nightgown dimmed the lamp, waited momentarily while I moved my, not so speedy self, to the middle of the bed and laid down. Isabel lay on my other side and as if on a signal they both moved over against me and put their heads on my shoulders.
Chloe whispered, “David, please don’t scare us like that again! Isa and I were crying so hard we could barely remember how to heal!”
I promised to avoid getting beat up whenever possible and that brought giggles from both girls. It was good to hear happy noises from them after the stress of the day. I was sure it wasn’t any fun for them. They told me that Alba had stepped out on the balcony for some fresh air and had seen me lying on the ground. She had screamed for help bringing the guard, the house staff, all the girls and Pariset running. The girls had all flown down and Pariset had run to the stable, grabbed a horse and had almos
t flown down himself.
I pulled my arms out from under the sheet and put them under the girl’s shoulders. I pulled them close and told them that I was very lucky and very happy to have them. They did that sister synchronized thing again and both kissed me on the cheeks. I looked at Chloe and said that this might not be exactly how she’d pictured our first night together, but I thought that it was very nice! I asked Isa and she agreed.
“All we need now is Alba! I wonder how long it will be before she is begging to be a consort also!” Isa exclaimed jokingly.
“I’m pretty sure that Alba is perfectly happy teaching the new girls everything she knows. I’m sure that she likes me but I’m not sure that she likes me like that.” I said matter-of-factly.
Chloe said, “I don’t know. She told me that she was flirting with you on the day of the tournament because she thought you were cute! On the trip here she would grumble that it should be her in the tent with you when we would hear, umm… noises!” She giggled and we all laughed.
I rose up the best I could, being penned on both shoulders, leaned over and kissed Chloe softly on the lips. She sighed and smiled. I turned to Isa and kissed her and she whispered, “I love you.”
“Ladies, forgive me but I’ve had a bit of a tough day. I think I’m going to try to get a little sleep.” I whispered tiredly.
They both laughed softly and said ‘goodnight.’
Chapter Twenty
Keeping the Family Together
I woke early the next morning and smiled. The girls didn’t look like they’d moved all night. It was sweet and a loving gesture, but had my arms sound asleep! I quietly pulled my arms free and let the blood circulate until I get feeling back. I then closed my eyes, focused on the heal spell and my dented self, just as I was about to whisper the word for activating the spell I felt it take hold. It moved through me repairing cuts and bruises that were passed over for more pressing things last night. My silent activation the spell made me think. As I used magic I got better at it and more spells activated without an audible. I explained it to myself as being similar to a muscle memory. The more you did something, the easier it came to you without thinking about it. As a gamer I knew many, many spells but there were quite a few that wouldn’t have any practical use in real life.
Vol. 1 - Another Typical Day (The Wizards of Eredwynn) Page 14
