"Bring me the fouled Princess," he chuckled.
"Yes Sire," he said and departed.
He continued eating and drinking. It was a while before the Princess arrived. "And here she is alive and well. Admittedly, more alive than well," he laughed. I really didn't like this guy. She stood at the door, having been summoned.
"Come in Princess, you have a visitor."
I turned, and bowed, "Princess."
She looked at me and nodded, "Sir Mage."
"Forgive me but I must ask, the child you carry, who is the father?"
"Thankfully not His. Although he has beat me enough trying to make me lose it, so he could plant another. He would not touch me until I lost this child. The father is Earl Draugur de Crypta, my first husband."
My rage went cold instead of hot. "He beat you, trying to force a miscarriage?"
The Princess looked at the Prince-King, "he did."
"That's true, but in Hinterland husbands can beat their wives whenever, and for whatever they wish too." I ignored him.
"Do you wish to go home, Princess?"
She nodded, "yes, but to my brother, Prince Kade."
I turned back to the Prince-King, "I agree, I shall return her to the Southern kingdom."
"Good, be gone then."
I concentrated; I opened a portal to the Royal Gardens in the Southland Castle. We could see Prince Kade on the other side. He stood there looking at us frowning.
I stepped aside, "Princess, tell your brother all that has happened to you. Tell him Orcus will visit him after I conclude my business here." She nodded and stepped through the portal. I closed it behind her.
The Prince-King looked at me, "I said be gone Mage." I bowed and dropped through the floor.
"Yes, this would cost you dearly, possibly even your life." These people were greedy so the easiest way to hurt them was to take their wealth. The next way was to take their power. I started at the top of the Royal Castle. I took every piece of gold, piece of silver, every piece of jewelry, every gemstone, and dropped it in my pouch. Any large items made of gold or silver I took down to their treasury vault. I had never seen a treasury vault this large. I sealed the door and moved the vault deeper and away from the vault door. This was easy, I stole a whole island one time. I smiled.
I went under the harbor to one of the big first-rate ship’s-of-the-line. This one only had a port watch on board. Those guarding it were regular Navy sailors, not conscripts. I raised twenty stone dogs and sent them to kill everyone on board. I insured no one escaped. I sent all the bodies and blood to the earth. I left the dogs on guard to kill anyone who came on board.
I went to every warship in the harbor and took their gold chests or whatever valuables there was on board. I put them all in the hold of my new warship.
Now the real fun started. I fast-travelled to vigil castle. King Manfred was alone in his room. There was no guard on the door. I opened the door and stepped in.
"One usually knocks before entering."
"I'll try to remember. I bring a message from your son."
"And what would that be?"
"He has made himself King. He will not pay your ransom, and he has sent the Princess back home to her brother, there is no marriage for peace."
He said nothing for a moment, "now I know why some animals eat their young."
I nodded, "In this case I would agree."
"You are a Mage?"
I nodded, "I am."
"What do you intend to do with me?"
"That depends on you. Would you like to go home and take vengeance on your offspring?"
He laughed, "I very much would." He smiled evilly.
"He holds the Capital, and the Royal Castle, where will you go?"
"The Capital, you get me there, I'll take care of the rest."
"Any particular place in the Capital?"
"The Army Fort."
I nodded and opened a portal to the Army Fort. "Good hunting." he walked through the portal and never looked back. I closed the portal behind him.
I fast-travelled back to my new warship. I had the lines cast off, and the ship eased away from the docks in the darkness. I asked the ocean to push the ship. The sea eased my ship out of the harbor. Once safely clear of the harbor I stopped the ship. I went back under the warships in the harbor and started fires on each of them. I asked the fires to burn the ships, and anything it touched. The flames took off as if alive.
I went under the walls around the castle. I collapsed them in several places and set more fires. I started fires in the powder houses. It didn't take long for those to go up in a ball of fire. I asked the wind to blow over the fires to speed it on its way. Fires spread all over the city.
I went to the city livestock pens. I opened a portal to the Southland. Hundreds of cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs all kinds of animals ran through to get away from the fire and smoke. I went to the Royal stables and sent all the war horses and all the other horses through a portal to Southland.
While the city burned, I went back under the castle to the treasury vault. I was thinking of moving it but had another thought. I opened a large vault, and opened my pavilion, I brought the huge treasury vault up against the pavilion. I went inside the pavilion. I concentrated on what I wanted to happen. *Make the treasury vault part of the pavilion.* I went to the office and looked behind the tapestry. I smiled, there was a vault door there. I opened the door my new huge treasury vault full of valuables was now part of my pavilion.
I went outside and closed the pavilion book, and then the vault I had opened. I put the pavilion book away and flew under back to my new warship. I asked the ship to open her sails, and she did. As I sailed out of sight, the Capital of Hinterland was completely in flames, and there was fighting in the streets.
✽✽✽
I sailed south down the coast toward Southland. When the other port came into sight, I had the ship drop her sail, then drop her anchor. I went under and flew into the harbor. I started fires on every navy ship there. While they were fighting the fires, I stole all the gold chests from every ship and put them in the hold on my warship. I went to the powder houses and moved all their black powder into the hold of my ship. I had the wind picked-up, and that spread the fires.
I went back to my ship, raised the anchor and raised the sails. Looking aft, I could see the ships, and town burning. I continued on down the coast toward Southland.
I changed the pennant, and mainsail to my Rampant Dragon sigil. I was sailing at a leisurely pace. I was in no real hurry to get back. I'd give Maddie and Kade some time to talk. The real question was what was I, or we, going to do about us. We had a child on the way. Well, at the very least the child would be taken care of. Whether I could trust Maddie would take some consideration. Or do I just assume I can' t trust anyone totally. That might be easier.
While I was sailing and thinking, I made the same improvements to this ship as I had my other ships. I would take some of the one hundred and twenty cannons from this ship and arm Southland Castle. This would become our Heavily armed merchantman. It took me a week to get to Southland. I sailed into the harbor and docked.
Kade met me, "I suppose you just found this ship?"
"Oh, no, I stole this one fair and square. But they were busy with their other ships, and they didn't see me leave."
"Busy doing what?"
"Trying to put out the fires. They were having a hard time getting help too."
"And why was that?"
"Well, everyone else was busy trying to put out the fires in the city. And then there was all the fighting in the streets."
"I hate to ask, but why were they fighting?"
"Well, it seems the Prince reneged on his deal to ransom his father and made himself King. Someone released the father and took him to the Capital. Family fights can be so messy."
"You said someone released the father?"
"Yes, I heard a rumor that it was probably a Mage, you know you can't trust them, right?"
"Anyway, as I was sailing away, the Capital City, and harbor were in flames, and the Army was fighting in the streets. As I said, messy. The fire must have been bad, because the next port down the coast caught on fire too. Ships, city, everything."
"Yes, it's terrible how fire spreads. That should keep them busy for a while."
"That was my thinking, and if the Prince survives, I'll pay him another visit, to make sure he does not."
"What do you intend to do with this ship?"
"Use some of the cannons for the Castle, the rest will remain giving us a heavily armed merchantman."
He nodded. "Will you be joining us for dinner?" I wanted to look back at the Castle but did not.
"Does she know where she is?"
"Yes, I told her."
"You told her we were on an island?"
"Yes, and that we were now the Kingdom of Southland."
I nodded. "Then she knows I'm alive."
"She knows a Mage did all of this," He pointed around, "and moved the island. She has not named you, but I'm sure she suspects you are still alive. What other Mage would work for free."
I smiled, "there is that. I don't think I'm ready for a meeting just yet."
"Don't judge her too harshly, Ghost. She acted the way they taught her. She just took it too far. She assumed you had the same motivations and was trying to get the best deal, just like she was."
I nodded, "soon maybe, but not yet. On another subject, there is black powder in the hold, take half for the castle. I'll be around." I dropped into the earth. While I was here, I moved all the treasury chests, and valuables from the ship's hold into the Royal Castle's treasury vault.
I flew under to the north fields where all the livestock were ported to. I opened my pavilion, and sat down to a hot meal, and cool wine.
✽✽✽
I was in the Royal stables brushing Harbinger when Kade came in. "Your presence is requested, Sir Mage. By whatever name you wish to use. Her words not mine." He said smiling.
I laughed, "will you go with me into the lion's den?"
"I will, but only to drag the body out, other than that, you are on your own."
"I don't blame you, maybe I can do the same for you someday." We laughed.
We walked up to the Royal Garden balcony. Maddie was sitting looking out over the ocean. She heard us approach and turned. She looked a lot better than she did the night in the Hinterland castle. She stood up; you could plainly see she was with child.
"I need new clothes. Mine no longer fit, and I'm ugly." She ran to the balcony and threw-up. "And I have morning sickness, and it's all your fault."
Before I thought, I said, "if I recall you were there too."
"Uh-oh," Kade said.
She turned on me, "Oh, I suppose you think this is funny."
I backed up a step. "Not anymore."
She grabbed the chair, "Oh, not good, I think I'm going to faint." I grabbed her as she started to fall. I picked her up and held her. All the runes on my body began to glow, then pulsate.
"Good Lord above." Kade said.
I held her as she leaned her head into my chest and wept. I took her to her bedchambers and sat down on her bed still holding her. She was quiet now and my runes calmed down.
Kade nodded to me and left. I lay back with her, keeping her wrapped in my arms. She no longer wept, she slept peacefully. It was mid-day before she woke. She twitched as she started to wake.
"It's ok, I've got you. You fainted, you're all right." I felt her relax.
We lay still for a time. "I am so sorry Ghost. I was a stupid, arrogant child, and I treated you terribly. I'll understand if you never trust me again, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I need you; I can't do this by myself."
"I forgive you, and I'm not going anywhere. Well, except maybe to buy some clothes, but you have to come with me. I wouldn't know what to buy." She nodded smiling.
"I want to go to the Capital, there is a lovely shop there that will have everything I need."
"We'll go anywhere you would like." We lay there a while longer.
"That old Mage, with the crazy eyes, he said he had killed you."
"He almost did, it took me a while to heal. I was not as dead as he believed."
"Is he dead? I didn't like him."
"If he's not dead, he missed a good opportunity. He won't be bothering us again."
Chapter thirty-one
Kade declined Maddie's kind offer to come with us. Behind her back I was nodding "yes", with praying hands.
He smiled, "No thank you. Buying women's clothes with my pregnant sister is not my idea of fun."
"I don't think it's anyone's idea of fun." I mumbled.
"What was that dear?"
"I was agreeing with you, he should come."
"One day you'll wish you had."
"I'll risk it."
I opened a portal to the street where all the clothes shops were, and we stepped through. People stopped and stared. When I closed the portal, they moved on. I was wearing my light dragon armor without my helm. I wore no guise, I wore my face, as Ghost was now alive, having recovered from his fight with the "crazy old Mage".
We went into the clothing store that Maddie wanted to visit. She looked at and tried on, every dress in the shop. We, and when I say we, I mean me, bought seemingly half the dresses in the store. It was then I found out ladies do not carry money. It would be unseemly. Now I knew why Kade had rabbited. I'll know next time. It probably won't help though.
They wrapped all my, and when I say my, I mean Maddie's purchases. "Can we go to Vigil Castle?"
"When?"
"Now, Of course."
"Of course now, silly me." I opened a portal in the great hall, and we stepped through with all of Maddie's packages.
The kids screamed, "Aunt Maddie, Uncle Ghost." Crown Prince Mathew, and Emily came to see what all the excitement was about.
"Ghost?" Asked Mathew.
"Your highness," I said bowing.
"We thought you were dead."
"Close, but I got better." The family gathered to hear the news; I gave them a clean version of what happened to me. The rest was no one's business but mine.
"So, Prince Manfred sent you back and rejected the ransom deal." Mathew asked.
"He did. He would not touch me except to beat me. Thankfully Orcus came to Hinterland and send me home to Kade."
"You know this Orcus, Ghost?"
I nodded, "I do, mild-mannered fellow."
"When we found Manfred gone, we figured he had help to get away. We hear there is a war going on in Hinterland between father and son. The country is in ruin." I said nothing. "The King is not happy he did not get his ships or any ransom. The war cost a fortune. He took a war tax of fifty percent from us when he left. We are getting by, but it will be close for a long time."
"Maddie, you said you were staying with Kade, is he at West Gate? We had heard Kade was out of favor and had been sent away."
Maddie looked at me, "I didn't know, Kade said nothing about it."
I nodded, "the King blamed Kade for, well, several things. He exiled him, told him to make it on his own, or not he didn't care which. He would get no help from The Crown."
Mathew was nodding, "Mother is still mad."
Maddie started laughing. "What's so funny," Mathew asked smiling.
"Father sent Kade away to make it on his own. Well he did, he is now King Kade, of Southland. He has a powerful Mage as his advisor, and friend. They also own a fleet of eleven, armed merchantmen trading ships. I would say they are doing quite well."
"Southland? I've never heard of Southland," Mathew said.
"It used to be called the Southern District. An earthquake split it off the mainland and made it an island two miles on the coast." Maddie answered.
Mathew started laughing, "father will lose his mind when he finds out. He'll want to tax Kade and take the island back under his control."
>
"Good luck with that," I said. "He kicked us out, he doesn't get a second chance. He wanted to punish and embarrass Kade, to show him he needed The Crown. We'll we don't."
"How did you get a fleet of armed merchantmen?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "Hinterlanders attached me. I took their ships. Hinterland's Prince beat my wife, I burned their capital city to the ground, including their harbor and their Navy's ships. They won't be bothering anyone for a while."
This was the first Maddie had heard of me burning their Capital City, harbor, and Navy ships. No one including Maddie said anything, they just stared at me. I think my harshness shocked them. "As far as your treasury is concerned, let me go check something, excuse me for a while."
"Of course." Mathew said. I left the room before I dropped into the earth; I went back under the family to listen.
"That is an intense man." Mathew said.
"You have no idea," Maddie said, "father had better leave those two alone. It would cost him far more than he would ever gain. I learned that the hard way, Ghost does things out of love and friendship, but if you cross him, he can turn vicious and merciless."
"But you're ok now, right?" Emily asked.
"He has forgiven me, but it will take me a long time to earn his trust back."
I flew under toward the northern mountains. When I was close enough, I stretched my consciousness and called the silver grains to me. I stopped when the block was the size of a wagon. I then called the gold grains. I waited until the gold block was the same size as the silver block before I stopped.
I lay my hands on the blocks and fast-travelled back to Vigil Caste Treasury Vault. I made it bigger and put the two blocks in the vault. these blocks were not usable, I got a wild thought and, and smiled. I lay my hands on the silver block and concentrated.
The silver block collapsed into a huge pile of silver coins. Each coin had the likeness of Princess Madison on one side and, and the shape of Southland on the other.
I lay my hands on the gold block; it collapsed into a like pile of gold coins. Each coin had the likeness of King Kade on one side and the shape of Southland on the other.
"That should cover them for a while." I went back up where I had dropped down. I walked back into the family area where everyone was still sitting and talking.
Hand Made Mage Page 26
