I sighed. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, but it might. We’re already up to eighteen and word hasn’t even gotten out yet.”
“Alice has said that she wouldn’t mind building as many buildings as you need, if Raven will help her. Even if you only fill one building, taking care of that many people will cost a bit of coin.”
I nodded. “I’ve thought of that. This winter will be a hard one to get through; but with the farm, we should be able to produce enough to feed quite a few people. We have the money that you gave us as a wedding present, and people are more important than money. We’ll make it work somehow.”
Father looked thoughtful. “People are more important than money. For a moment, I was thinking more about money than the people that were hurting. I’d almost become like the people that governed the land that I came from. Son, I’ll make sure that there is plenty of coin in your vault. You know how wealthy I am and I should help, since I’ll never need that much money.”
“Thank you, Father, that is very generous and eases my mind. Now I need to talk to some people about living in the office apartments. Davie can contact me if you need me.”
I ported to where Noam and Avis were watching the construction. They were fascinated with the floating slabs of stone and the fact that every time Aunt Alice stopped, she’d hold hands with their daughter.
I strolled up beside them. “Avis, I know you’re enjoying the show, but I’d like to ask you something. You said that you can read and write, but as a maid you get no practice. I can tell by your voice that you’re good with people and could calm out of control situations. These homeless girls are going to need someone to look after them. I was hoping that you’d be the shelter administrator. You and Noam could move in to the office apartment they’re building and Noam, you could act as security. I’d miss you as my Valet, but taking care of these girls and keeping them safe is more important.”
Noam and Avis talked to each other for a few moments, then Avis turned to me. “We’d be honored to take those positions. Noam will miss taking care of you; he’s grown quite fond of you in the months you’ve been together. I’m just glad I won’t be on my knees scrubbing floors. I’m getting a bit old for that kind of thing.”
I smiled. “That’s great! Knowing that you two will be there takes a bit more of the load off my mind. I am going to try to get someone in the second office who will help you, too.”
They smiled and nodded. I ported down to where Warin and Celina were watching Davie stare at the ground. Celina was explaining what he was doing and why. I tugged on Cel’s sleeve. “Can I talk to you two for a minute?” They turned toward me with a questioning look. “Aunt Alice is building two offices with apartments into the shelter, just like the offices in Wizard’s Castle. I was wondering if you two would move into the second office, next to Avis and Noam. Warin could help Noam with security and you, Cel, could act as a counselor and take care of anything that came up. Some of the girls that show up may be sick or hurt; you could take care of that, too.” I stepped away to give them some talking room. They conferred, then stepped back to me.
“We’d love to help any way we can,” Celina said. “Warin suggested that if any girls have male callers, they should stay in the commons area. We wouldn’t want this to turn into a giant brothel!”
I laughed. “Good thinking, Warin. That’s the kind of thing that I will want you to do. Think of anything that could go wrong and fix it before it happens. We can’t have a repeat of Krose! Thank you both for helping; now we just have to get your new home built!”
Items began popping into the circle that Lia had set up: bed frames, mattresses, and candles and candle fixtures for the walls and ceilings. I began moving things out of the way and organizing them. Celina saw me and joined in. Warin offered to help, but we suggested that being in the circle when a bed frame was ported in might be a bad idea.
Aunt Alice put the roof on the second floor and while Father fused it to the walls, she went inside. We couldn’t see what she was doing and Celina and I couldn’t take the suspense. We flew down and carefully sneaked a peek inside. Alice was in the process of cutting doors in the walls that she’d placed, and using the stone slabs to make a stairway. She’d cut a hole to the next level and the stairs were starting to lead up to it. Everything inside was flying around, and she was so busy she didn’t even see us. We decided that it was safer to stay out of the way and prepare the new inventory to be moved inside.
Over the next few days as the building was completed, we housed the girls in the castle. We did have to triple up some rooms as new girls wandered in, but they didn’t seem to mind. The king-sized beds that were in all of the regular rooms in the castle were better than what most had been sleeping on, even with other people in them.
Finally, everything was done, the building, plumbing and very importantly, heating. There were fireplaces and radiators scattered throughout the complex. The place felt a bit bare, but I knew that it would warm up as it was lived in.
This building was even larger than the castle keep proper that the girls had been staying in, so they were understandably intimidated when they first started moving in. Alice had numbered the doors to help keep people from getting lost. She had put in a roof access, but it could only be reached by a wizard. She didn’t think that some distraught young lady should be on top of a forty foot tall building.
Everyone was assigned rooms, and the half dozen girls that claimed to be twelve were on the ground floor close to Celina. Some of them looked no older than nine, but I knew better than to judge age by looks. Once everyone had been given a room, I was happy to note that we still had the third and fourth floors completely empty. But I didn’t think it would stay that way for long.
I sent a message to Father to ask if my sisters would be willing to spread the word about the shelter throughout Eredwynn. I suggested that they could go back to the towns a couple times a week to help with transportation so we didn’t have young ladies freezing on the road. Father sent back that he would, and Aunt Alice wanted me to let her know if we got three-quarters full. She had enjoyed herself immensely and hoped she could work with Raven again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
We almost made it through year’s end before Aunt Alice had to work again. As the temperature dropped, the young ladies came from all over for shelter. A second building, the same size as the first, was built against the left side of our operating building. No access to the outside was put in, so the young ladies coming and going used the same door. That kept down the possibility of things going on at the shelter that we didn’t want. The entrance was placed beside Celina and Warin’s office and apartment.
The purchasing and set-up of bedding and other items went much more smoothly, since we’d had practice. I hadn’t minded using my own money, but it was nice to see the eight million in coin that Father and the other Lords of Eredwynn had sent in support.
While the construction of the second building was going on, it was easy to tell the wizards from the normal citizens of the land. Well, with the exception of the families that had a wizard. The normal citizens were bundled up in heavy jackets and scarves, while the wizards and their families enjoyed heated shields and their normal clothes.
Aunt Alba had located ten young ladies that demonstrated caster magic and had had a target range built. The only rule I’d made about the range involved the ‘meteor swarm’ spell. I told my aunt that when it came time to teach that spell, she needed to move them away from the farms, which were everywhere, and the river. I’d learned in the fall that my grandfather had family members, and who knew what other creatures, there checking on us. I didn’t want the farms destroyed or friendly folks accidently hit.
Every morning come rain, sleet or snow, there was a show the people of the castle got used to. Celina, Raven, Warin and I would meet out between the castle and the shelter. We would then run a few laps around the castle, loop around the shelter and back again. After our warm up, which would have killed me
before Alec, we drew our swords. We worked on the stances and swings that we’d learned at the expert hand of my brother. Our weapons became an extension of our bodies, just as we’d been told they would. We didn’t do any of that play sword fighting with each other. For one thing, the enemy that we’d trained to fight wouldn’t be using a sword. For another, the idea of banging our enchanted swords against each other just seemed dumb! The captain had offered to have some of his men spar with us, but we declined. We’d seen what Raven’s sword had done to solid rock; the men’s weapons would stand no chance.
As the first winter of the Starford Women’s Shelter drew to a close, I was interested in what would happen. When the weather started staying warmer, even at night, the young women began checking out. Those that felt comfortable enough out on their own said their goodbyes and hit the road.
Rosemary and I finally consummated our relationship and she was sworn into the family. I had thought that Jasmine and Holly would follow suit, but that wasn’t meant to be. I cared for them very much and had hoped they would join the family, but a couple of young men from town had captured their eyes and their hearts. I waited for word that the young men would be moving into the girls’ farmhouse, but that wasn’t the word that came.
One morning a very worried Rosie found me. “Seth, we have to talk.”
I cringed. “Please don’t tell me that you found a man in town, too.”
She rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t leave you! You’re the only man for me; but it is about my sisters who did find men in town.”
I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword. “What about them? Those men didn’t do anything they shouldn’t have, did they?”
Rosie shook her head. “No, actually, they were married by the governor. The news that affected me is that they are going to move thirty miles on the other side of Omedo! That will leave Debra and me alone in the house to tend to the farm.”
“Why does that bother you, Rosie? You know that I’m going to be right here if you need anything. Everyone knows you’re a sworn consort and the guards will do whatever you ask. I hope that you’re not afraid of being out there without your sisters.”
She shook her head. “It’s just that the property has been marked off into four fields of five acres each. Seed is being delivered for all types of vegetables and grains. There will be no way that Debra and I can tend the cows, horses, chickens and those huge fields, too. I believe what you’ve said about women doing the job of men, but this is too much for a twelve year old and a fifteen year old, man or woman!”
“So you’re just worried about not being able to work the fields?”
She nodded. “I love my home, but that’s too much work.”
I chuckled and kissed her. “Let me get someone up here to ask about making sure you have help.”
She nodded and I turned on my favorite new skill. ’Celina, my favorite sister, are you busy?’
Celina answered quickly, ‘No, big brother; what can I do for you?’
‘Would you mind coming to my room? I have some questions about the shelter and the girls’ spring plans.’
‘Be right there.’ With a quiet ‘pop’ Celina materialized beside me.
I hugged her. “Sister, Rosemary is worried. Her sisters that were living with her got married and are moving away. With Heather living in the castle, that only leaves her and little Debra out in the farmhouse. She is worried that she’ll have to give up her home, because they can’t work it. How have your plans been going?”
Celina smiled comfortingly at Rosie. “Sweetheart, we never had any intention of making you and your sisters work all the land that was marked off.” She turned to me. “As things stand now, there are still many young ladies that are packing to leave. I’ve asked the ones that would like to stay to check with me, so we can make plans. A lot of the young ladies that are staying had a hard time getting here, or were very badly abused before they heard of us. They are understandably skittish about getting back to the men’s world again.” She laughed to herself. “I asked some of them if they were scared of men. Quite a few said they were, except for Lord Seth. They think you’re a sweet young man and they love you.”
Just that comment scared me. “You don’t mean as in ‘blue robes’ love me? I won’t do that again!”
Celina laughed. “All these girls grew up here and know about consorts. They know you can’t just wave a girl over, like you could have done in Krose. They do love you and would do anything for you, including work the fields to feed and pay for the shelter. They feel that it’s the least they can do to help you support them. They almost think of you as an absent husband who takes care of them without the vows… or the sex.”
I smiled and winked at Rosie. “So the fields are going to be taken care of, you and Debra still have your home and I don’t have to have sex with the shelter girls. I hope all of that is good news to you, too, Rosemary. It’s good news to me, because ever since ‘harder’ became a common bedroom word, I don’t think I’ll ever look elsewhere for sex again. My castle supplies plenty!”
Rosemary turned radish red and Celina added to her embarrassment by saying, “Seth, wasn’t there an issue concerning size? Now someone wants it harder?”
I replied using my most pompous tone, “With good preparations, things go so well that extra energy can be safely expended.”
Celina hugged the speechless and red Rosemary, then ported back to the shelter. Rosemary shook her head. “If I didn’t love you so much…. Thank you for putting my mind at ease. I didn’t want to give up the farm, but I knew the fields needed to be tended. By the way, Debra heard us playing last night.”
I laughed. “I was glad your sisters were away and honestly forgot Debra was there!”
“She saw you undressed and wanted me to tell you thank you for taking her off the stairs. She finally learned what the men wanted to talk to her in the pub rooms for. She did say that when she’s older, she wants to be a consort. She knows she’s old enough now, but she doesn’t think that she’s developed enough to lie with a man.”
I nodded, smiling. “At least she’s mature enough to realize that. Maybe in a few years, when you’ve run off because you’re tired of me, she can take your place.”
Rosie kissed me. “If that’s what has to happen, she’ll never be a consort. I have to feed the chickens, but might see you outside later. I love you!”
The river thawed and the birds began their spring songs of love. The trees began to show their green buds and it was time to work. I told Celina and Raven about the field that Father had plowed using pure visualization and intent. With Warin tagging along, the four of us jogged from the castle to the fields.
We stopped at the first field and Celina stepped forward. “I think I have the idea of what we’re doing. I want to try first, if the rest of you don’t mind.”
I smiled. “Be my guest, sis. I know that you’re better at this kind of magic than I am, but don’t ever ask me to repeat that!”
She laughed. “I have witnesses! I’m thinking that about eighteen inches deep should be right. I’ll try to plow it and then picture going over it with a harrow, to make getting ready for planting as easy as I can.”
I chuckled. “See, I wouldn’t have even thought of that. I did wonder how the girls were going to bust up the clods the plow left, but I’ve never been around farming much.”
Celina smiled. “I spent the winter surrounded by scores of farm girls. They taught me quite a bit. If you’ll look behind you, it seems that they know were getting ready to put them to work.”
I looked and saw that we’d indeed drawn a crowd. I guessed there were close to sixty, maybe more, ladies standing out of the way, quietly watching. Since I didn’t visit the shelter often and never went upstairs, I wasn’t aware of the age spread of the girls that we’d taken in. There were females that looked eight or nine and some that looked to be in their forties. When I had the idea for building the place, I thought that we’d get girls ages twelve to eighteen. I
didn’t know that the need was even there for the older ladies, and I surely didn’t expect the youngest ones. I was happy that we were providing them a place to call home.
Celina took a position at the end of one of the fields and began to focus. Raven and I adjusted our vision to detect magic and watched as it spread across the field. When it reached all four corners, Celina released her intent and the field appeared to plow itself with one muddy ‘thud’ sound.
Cel began to focus again, with her harrowing in mind, but Raven called out to her. “No, no, no, Hun! Check your magic! That took quite a chunk and if you try to finish this, we’ll be babysitting for the rest of the week.”
Cel stopped. “Whew! Good catch, Raven. I’ve never found the bottom of the magic barrel before and I would have, if I’d done that. Thank you!”
Raven went to her, hugging her and recharging her magic at the same time. “We have to look out for each other. Grandfather said so, and this is a good time to start. There is no telling when the bugs are going to get here and we should all be practiced in watching each other’s backs.” She released her and moved back out of the way.
Celina focused on the field again, let the magic cover it and released. The field was covered with soft dirt that would be ready for planting.
I went to where Celina was smiling happily and admiring her work. “Sister, I think that it might be a good idea to let you handle this job. Since Raven will have to recharge us before we could get done, it would go just as fast with one of us doing it. It sure looks like you know what you’re doing to me!”
She nodded. “I’d be happy to. Now that I know exactly what I’m doing, it won’t take any time at all. I really love your black-haired consort, Seth.”
I looked at Raven. “I do too, sis. I do too.”
Seth, A Naiad's Son (Generations of Eredwynn Book 3) Page 27
