by Eric Vall
The dryads pulled their hands from the now-fertile soil and noticed the gathering crowd. So, they grinned and walked back over to the group.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Polina began dramatically.
“We have begun our work on the farmlands, but we will need your help moving forward,” Trina continued.
“The soil here should be extremely fertile with this climate and the grasses you grow, but you have to know how to treat it regularly,” Marina advised.
“Are you the gardeners?” Polina pointed at the seven extra people standing next to us.
Several of them nodded.
“Great!” Trina clapped. “Let’s walk and talk about crop rotation.”
The girls gestured back toward the fields, and the gardening team followed as they listened closely.
“They are something, aren’t they?” Lady Imani was clearly amused by the dryads.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “They know their stuff.”
I turned back to the remaining cheetahs and noticed Chax pointing to the cottonwood tree as he spoke to Chidi.
“So, you get the healers together and let them know they can start making their tinctures and whatnot again as soon as we can harvest!” Chax declared.
“Of course, my lord,” Chidi responded and bowed deeply. Then he traipsed back through the field to the palace.
As I chuckled at the grumpy advisor’s exit, I noticed movement in the field further to my right. Some large, brown creatures were moving in and out of clear view, and I knew I recognized the shape, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“What’s over there?” I asked Imani as I pointed in that direction.
“Oh, we have some bison that roam the area near the fields,” she answered. “Actually, we may have to pay more attention to them now if the plants are going to actually be growing again.”
“How many do you think there are?” I questioned, and another idea started to form in my brain.
“Probably dozens,” Imani replied with a shrug. “They don’t really come up here, and we rarely hunt them since they provide so much meat at once. One bison can last several families for a month.”
“Fantastic!” I rubbed my hands together. “What if that was one of your wares for the bazaar?”
“A bison?” Imani quirked a brow.
“Well, not a live one,” I clarified, “but you could hunt one or two, harvest the meat, the fur, and even the horns for things to sell at the bazaar. The meat could be divided up into several portions. The fur can be made into clothes or stuff for a house. The horns can be carved into tools. And you guys could still come up with more than that. Those are just some things I thought of right now. What do you think?”
“I think that’s brilliant!” Chax jumped up and down as he appeared beside me. “We may not have the best crops in Tikal, but if we can provide something like that at the bazaar, it would be amazing!”
“Absolutely.” Imani nodded in agreement. “While our goal is not to compete with the other Houses, we certainly want to hold up our end of the bargain.”
“Great!” I grinned and gave myself a mental pat on the back.
This bazaar was going to be badass.
Chapter 10
I walked out of House Jubatus with my head held high.
We were really making some differences in Tikal, and I knew there was more I could do. I just had to find out what else the city needed.
The dryads decided to stay at House Jubatus with the gardening team for the rest of the day, so I stepped out into the sunshine and transformed into my dragon body. Then I leapt into the air and took flight.
As I flew over the grasslands, I decided to circle around the city and see what else I could do. I’d assigned a job to everyone in my group, so surely there was something else for me. I had all this magic and power with nowhere to aim it at just yet.
I floated over the fountain where all three factions would be meeting in just a few days for the bazaar. Everyone would bring things to trade and sell, but how would they get them there? I’d already seen some small carts in each faction, which would likely be hard to move long distances, especially over some of the terrain. I wondered how hard it would be to make some kind of stone pathways for travelling between areas of the city. We wanted the Houses to integrate, so it would make sense for us to make it easier for them to do it.
Okay, that’s one job I knew I could do. I loved city building stuff.
As I hovered about the city, I compared Tikal to Hatra. Obviously, we weren’t divided like Tikal and its factions, but we still had to have central systems that worked for everyone, like water and sewage systems. Maybe I could make some aqueducts here like I had in Hatra. That would also save time for those in House Onca who were using carts to lug water back from House Oel while we solved the river issue. Plus, if there was a central system, it would benefit all three Houses. I bet I could even use those wells I dug up in the desert, not to mention the fountain could be functional again, which would make it an even better location for the bazaar every couple of weeks.
Hell, yeah, I had a couple things to do while my people got the bazaar ready and worked on that damn curse.
It would take a lot of my magic to make both of those stone structures, though, so I decided to meditate tonight and get started on my stone work tomorrow.
I flew down into the clearing in front of House Onca and took my human form. I had to find somewhere quiet since I didn’t have the River Moonstone House, but I needed to get myself ready for the coming big days. So, I walked into the jungle and took the path opposite the cursed river, since I doubted I could relax being that close to the dark poison. I followed the other path for about ten minutes until I came up to a thicket of fruit bushes that seemed to intertwine and form a gate. Then I pushed through and found a clearing the size of a bedroom.
The clearing was surrounded by the thick, multicolored trees we’d seen when we first got to Tikal. As I looked around, I noticed no animals were making noise, and only a slight breeze blew through the leaves and allowed small bits of sunlight to shimmer through onto the perfectly green grass. It was no River Moonstone House, but it was still a beautiful and calming space.
I could work with this.
Before I started my process, though, I sent a messenger dragon to Chax and Kinba to let them know I’d be there in the morning to start on the aqueducts.
Then I sat down in the middle of the clearing with my legs crossed and closed my eyes. It took me less time every meditation to focus on finding my inner self, and this time I was almost immediately sitting on the beach of my spiritual sea. I’d almost forgotten how relaxing it was to just sit here and watch the waves lap against the shore with the moonlight reflected on the water.
Suddenly, Miraya sat down beside me in her beautiful woman form. Her white gown nearly glowed in the night, and her white-blond hair pooled around her as she sat in the sand. She’d taken this form because she knew I preferred her womanly features, and I would never complain.
“It feels like it’s been a long time since you last came,” the spirit sword murmured as she looked out on the water next to me, and she pursed her beautiful, plump lips.
“I know,” I replied. “I’ve been so busy here in Tikal …”
I trailed off. I knew I needed to make more time for this. It was important to keep my soul and magic healthy and strong.
“You’ll need this for all your work tomorrow,” Miraya reminded me. “It will be a lot of strain to rebuild here, just like it has been in Hatra.”
“I know.” I nodded as I looked out on the water. “It’s worth it, though.”
“I agree,” Miraya said and leaned her head against my shoulder. “We need to make Rahma strong for the battle to come.”
We both watched the waves lap against the shore at our feet, and I dug my toes into the sand and felt the power of my spiritual sea flow through me.
This meditation was nice. I wasn’t already drained from a battle or prepari
ng for another one. I just had to connect and cultivate myself, so I could build up my strength.
I realized I could easily lose track of time here since the moon stayed in its position directly above the water, so after a while, I stood up and stretched my arms above my head.
“Feel better, Lord Evan?” Miraya asked with a smile, and she stood up beside me.
“For sure,” I confirmed. “I’m ready to kick tomorrow’s ass.”
“Then you better get going, since it’s almost tomorrow.” Miraya winked.
I pulled myself out of my meditation state and back into the jungle. Miraya was right. The moon was high in the sky now, so I had to have been here for hours. I felt stronger than ever, though, even compared to the times I’d meditated in the River Moonstone House.
I wondered if the jungle had some kind of extra power to it.
If the jungle had power, maybe Alyona and Ravi could tap into it when working their magic on the cursed river. Or maybe even the dryads could use it. I was still new to all this magic stuff, but it was worth mentioning.
I made my way back up the path to House Onca’s palace. The jaguar guards eyed me as I walked in but didn’t say anything, and I walked down to the library and peeked in. There were books spread out all over the table, but neither Alyona nor Ravi were inside, so I traipsed up the stairs to the bedrooms and looked into the princess’ room.
Alyona was curled up on the bed with Laika next to her. Both of them were sleeping hard, but Ravi was sitting up on the edge of the bed, and she looked up as I creaked the door open.
“Laika planned to send you a message when we got back, but they were both so tired,” Ravi whispered and gestured to the sleeping women. “I’m sorry, I should have found you anyway.”
“No, it’s okay.” I waved my hand. “I was meditating anyway. How did it go at the river?”
“Well, we did the purification ritual I found, but I think Alyona was right.” Ravi frowned and looked down at her feet. “It won’t work for long. It might help for a bit, but it’s barely holding back the curse.”
“That’s better than nothing for now,” I consoled the phoenix. “You guys will get it. Besides, I think the jungle is more powerful than we realized. I had a great connection to my spiritual sea out there.”
“You cultivated in the jungle?” Ravi asked with wide eyes. “You have terra magic?”
“Uh, I have what?” I had no idea what the phoenix was talking about.
“Oh, this is great!” she gasped with excitement. “We have to tell Alyona tomorrow!”
I contemplated questioning Ravi further, but I was tired, and I didn’t want to wake the other women, so I let it go for now.
“Well, I’ll be building some stuff around the city tomorrow, so you can just tell her for me, okay?” I shrugged.
“I will!” Ravi grinned. “Good night, Lord Evan!”
“Good night, Ravi,” I said as I closed the door.
I headed to my own room and undressed before I tossed myself on the bed and crossed my arms behind my head. No sooner had I laid down than the sun was peeking in through the window above me. I was so relaxed I didn’t even notice when I fell asleep, yet it felt like the best sleep of my life.
I got up, dressed, and headed downstairs, and the dryads were already sitting at the table eating breakfast.
“Good morning, ladies,” I greeted the sisters. “You’re up early.”
“We’re bored,” Polina sighed with an eye roll.
“We fixed all the crops, and now there’s nothing else for us to do,” Trina whined.
“And we’re, like, almost useless now,” Marina pouted.
“No way,” I argued. “Besides, who else is going to come with me while I build some shit like a badass dragon today?”
“Ooooh!” Trina squealed and perked up.
“We can do that!” Polina waved her hands around.
“Good,” I chuckled. “Let me grab a bite here, and we’ll head to House Oel.”
I piled some of the thin strips of meat on my plate with some fruit and practically dumped it all in my mouth. I was antsy to get started on more progress for the city, so I swallowed the last bite of food, wiped my face with my sleeve, and looked up to see the girls watching me in shock.
“Are you ready or what?” I asked them.
They giggled and mumbled to each other as they got up from the table. We walked out the palace doors and down the steps, and I shifted into my dragon body and waggled my eyebrows at the dryads.
“Who’s coming along for the ride?” I asked playfully.
“Meeeeee!” Marina shrieked and yanked herself up onto my back first.
Trina and Polina quickly hopped up behind her and held on tightly, and I spread my wings and took off.
We headed to House Oel first. I decided to start at the wells and make my way toward the other two Houses. This way, I could join the water system using aqueducts like I had done in Hatra. If we could make it work, I figured I’d make a sewage system like we’d also done back home.
As the morning sun rose in the east, I drifted over the desert sands and slid in front of the palace for a dramatic landing. The dryads giggled and clapped as they leaped off my back, and I gave them a toothy grin and changed back into my human form.
The lion guards seemed to be used to me, and they opened the doors without a second glance.
Kalem waited for us in the great hall and signaled us over to the seating area under the giant palm tree.
“Kinba will be down shortly,” the tall lion advised us before he glided out of the room.
“I guess he’s not a morning person,” I muttered to the girls.
The dryads were still giggling when Kinba strode in through the door.
“So, Lord Evan, we are building aqueducts today?” he asked and opened his arms wide. “How many of my men do you need?”
“None,” I answered with a smirk. “I’ll do the heavy lifting. I just didn’t want to surprise you with another random morning visit this time.”
“You … you don’t need anyone?” Kinba dropped his arms and looked surprised.
“Nope, he’s a sexy badass dragon,” Trina cut in.
“And he has magic,” Marina added.
“So, he doesn’t need all that,” Polina finished with a shrug.
“Well, I suppose I was unaware of all those details,” Kinba chuckled. “I will be here in the palace if you need anything.”
With that, the lion Demi-Human swished back down the hallway, and the dryads and I walked out the back door to the farms. I led them to the first well and checked out the landscape. It was too close to the palace to connect with the other Houses easily, so we moved on to the next well further out. This one was a near straight shot out of Oel territory in both directions, and a grin spread across my face.
“This one will work,” I decided. “Now, stay on that side, ladies.”
I cracked my knuckles dramatically as the dryads backed away from the well. Then I focused on the stone beneath the surface and listened to its distinct hum. I pulled up the stone to form a solid pipe in about twenty-foot sections, since I’d already learned my lesson about trying to do it all at once.
“You know, if you break a sweat, you could take off your shirt,” Polina teased.
“Or you could take it off anyway,” Trina remarked with a grin.
“Yeah, so you don’t get it all sweaty,” Marina agreed.
I laughed at their antics and continued forming the first part of the aqueduct. I probably would end up shirtless in this desert, but I’d let them tease their way to it first.
As the first pipe rose up from the sand, the dryads clapped and cheered, and I knew I’d brought the right women for some moral support.
We moved on to the next part, and I pulled up another section of pipe. It was time-consuming, and I definitely started sweating, so I pulled off my black shirt and tossed it at the sisters. They play-fought over it and laughed some more as we walked to the end
of the piping.
“You sure know how to handle that pipe, Lord Evan,” Trina said as she waggled her eyebrows at me.
“We can handle some pipe, too,” Marina announced with a giggle.
“Oh, he already knows that!” Polina cackled.
I shook my head and laughed to myself, and as we continued down the line closer to the jungle, the dryads kept cracking jokes and falling all over each other laughing.
By the time we connected the aqueducts to House Onca, the sun was high in the sky.
“Better take a break,” I said as I wiped some sweat off from my forehead.
“Yeah, I’m sure the work you’re doing is really hard.” Polina pursed her lips and fought back a grin.
“Like, reeeeeally hard,” Trina agreed as she also struggled to keep a straight face.
“I can think of a few harder things.” I smirked.
I led the sisters into the edge of the jungle and picked a few fruits for us to eat for lunch. I didn’t want to slow down much, though. We were only halfway done with the aqueducts, and I wanted to finish them today, not to mention the sewage system.
I gulped down the fruit and washed it down with some water from the fountain. It wasn’t at full power yet, but I knew it would work great once the entire system was up and running.
“Bring your fruits, ladies,” I told them. “Let’s keep it moving.”
“Thank you for the juicy fruit, Lord Evan,” Trina said as she took another bite of the blue fruit and let the juice run down the side of her mouth.
I growled and fought the urge to lick the sticky sweetness off her face.
“Don’t distract the dragon lord,” Polina chided her. “We can fuck him later!”
I chuckled and walked toward House Jubatus to start connecting the aqueducts to their territory. We continued on our path with me pulling stone up to build the piping, and the dryads cheered me on. They did a great job of keeping me motivated with their remarks about taking me to bed later. That would be a great way to end a rough day.
“Those aqueducts look awful wet, Lord Evan,” Polina murmured as she rubbed her inner thighs.
