Another hand-operated machine was near. It took the quires bifolia , what Terrans called registers, and linked them together with a hog bristle needle, beeswax, and thread.
The covers were thin wood covered in leather.
"To do this …," Domina Rasmussen admired, looking around her. Books were very valuable because they were so expensive to make. Some orders took several annus to fulfill. Only the rich could afford them. The introduction of the press would drive the cost down she noted. She shook her head in wonder.
"I know, I am looking forward to doubling my library. Having books to read during the long hiems helps the time go by," Zara murmured.
The dominus and domina nodded at that.
"I have made more books in a single hafta than in an entire annus . And we're picking up the pace. As long as my supplies hold steady, we can keep that pace up."
"Is that an invitation to get our orders in now? Or a warning?" Domina Rasmussen asked in amusement. She fingered a book. The lines were clean; the book was quite impressive in quality even if it had only just been made. The leather cover might look a little shoddy and lacking detail but it was still quite impressive.
"We can add pictures too," the printer stated with a grin, ignoring the dig. "They are carved at the moment, though we have hopes to make better ones in the future. No longer will we have to import the books from Medicini or elsewhere," he said, shooting a slightly guilty look to the princess. "We can make them here, for our people."
"In time we can use printers to make documents to keep track of things or to give news," Zara said, placing her hands together in front of her. "We can let the rusticus know of things like the news or things for sale or new laws."
"And we can recycle the paper once it is no longer needed to make new paper," the printer said with a nod to her.
"The future is looking bright indeed," Domina Rasmussen said.
~~~^~~~
Hakon surreptitiously staked out the exit to the printer. He had her now; he was certain of it. The crossbow he had was short and therefore short-ranged, but it should do the job. All he needed was a clear shot.
As the first guards came out, he went on alert but did not react. Any moment now …
~~~^~~~
Domina Rasmussen was the second out of the room after thanking the printer for his time. She had made it clear that she was keenly interested in a press of her own. The fact that the princess didn't object to her request but actually encouraged her to invest in one was surprising.
When she came out, she sniffed the air and noted a man standing near a rain barrel wearing a cloak. She recognized him; she'd had several meetings with him after all. She went to the carriage and opened the door and then stood broadly as the others came out, subtly blocking the assassin's shot.
~~~^~~~
Hakon's lip curled in anger as the broad woman blocked his shot. He knew who it was too, Rasmussen. He didn't know why she was doing it; she rarely helped others. Only if she had a purpose behind it. Had he been recognized? If so, why did she care? He'd thought she'd would have been one to approach for additional money to fund the assassination but she hadn't come to him.
~~~^~~~
The domina nodded to a guard standing across from her. She finally got his attention, and he looked up to her. "There is a man standing by the rain barrel behind me with a weapon. I believe he means one of us harm," she murmured.
The guard's eyes narrowed. He hand signed something to another guard who motioned to others. One took out an odd device, cranked at someone on one end and then spoke into it. They then ushered the others into the carriage and closed the blinds.
~~~^~~~
Hakon realized something was wrong when the loading was rushed. He turned and left, following his planned retreat down the alley.
When a guard moved to block his line of retreat, he went into overdrive. He raised the crossbow in a smooth action and fired at the man. The dart hit the man in the eye, dropping him instantly. The assassin stepped on his chest as he bound over the fallen body and kept running.
He heard the roar of something and felt something punch him from behind. He staggered and then fell, gripping at something on his arm. He gasped, feeling intense pain and then cold as his hand came away with blood.
He turned to snarl but a second shot hit him between the eyes, ending him for good.
~~~^~~~
Zara winced at the gunshot. Others in the carriage looked about in confusion. "I'm not sure," she answered truthfully. "But I intend to find out as soon as we can. In the meantime," she said, briskly changing the subject, "I thought we are due refreshment. A vendor is near here; he makes a quite refreshing drink to order. It is made of various fruits and vegetables and some of them are quite tasty. And they can be slimming too," she said with a smile.
"Of course, I would have liked to have them cold during the summer, but one can't have everything … yet," she said impishly.
A few of the domina and dominus chuckled.
~~~^~~~
Augustus reported the incident to the princess as the others sipped at their drinks. She scowled at the news that one of her guards had lost his life.
"No chance he was a robber?" she asked.
Augustus shook his head. "He had poison on him. The darts were coated with poison and covered for his protection. He had other items to kill with on his person. We are taking his likeness to the taberna to find where he was quartered. Hopefully, we will learn more there."
"Like who hired him," she said.
Augustus nodded. "The troubling thing is that the guards reported they had seen him around for quite some time," he said. She turned to him in surprise. He nodded grimly. "He was good, blending into the crowd, but the cloak was recognized.
"And no one thought to question him earlier?" she demanded.
Augustus spread his hands apart in supplication. "He was quite good at disappearing."
"And you didn't think to warn me?"
"You already knew assassins might come for you. We did not know if he was an assassin or just a spy. Until we knew more, we had to …," Augustus paused and then sighed. "You are right, Princeps. My apologies."
"You don't protect me well from threats unless I am aware of them too. I appreciate you trying to shelter me from them so I could find some peace. But I should have known," she said in rebuke, not willing to let it go. "But it is over. Except for who hired him."
"We will look into that."
"I assure you; I will too," she said firmly.
~~~^~~~
The princess took the time to thank Domina Rasmussen for the tip.
"So, he is some bandit?"
"He was an assassin," Zara replied. She saw the curiosity in the woman's eyes and decided to give her more information. "He used a poison dart to kill one of my men. He was killed in return as he tried to escape."
"Oh, my!" The older woman's eyes widened theatrically at that news.
"That dart was most likely meant for one of us; the captain believes it was meant for me. So, I am in your debt," Zara said.
"We are all in this together, my dear," the older woman said with a small smile and bow.
"Well, your loyalty to the crown will be remembered and rewarded," Zara said with a gracious nod in return.
~~~^~~~
By the time they left the drink vendor, the other domina and dominus had been apprised of the assassination attempt. Zara made a point of having Augustus give them the straight version. She then put it to them; do they press on or turn back to the capital?
"I say we keep on," Dominus Hansen said slowly. He was not happy about the report of the assassin. "You have to live your life and do so without fear."
Zara nodded. "My thoughts exactly," she murmured with a slight nod to him. "Thank you. Well then, if that is all, we can move on. We have one more stop before we return to the castle for the dreary afternoon of meetings …"
She tucked her arm in with Domina Rasmussen's. "A textile mill has come onl
ine and is turning out linens. They are soft, nearly as soft as silk. I thought each of you could see where the linens in your rooms came from and where you could order more. And of course I arranged a small gift for you there," she said.
The domina smiled and nodded, seemingly pleased with the invitation. "I'm ready," she said with a happy smile.
~~~^~~~
Later that afternoon Augustus brought word that the guard on the main road had just spotted a convoy coming from the Imperium.
That surprised Zara, who took a moment from her busy day to try to call her sister, but she couldn't get a signal through.
The convoy arrived late in the evening. It was a surprise from her sister. The convoy master warned her that it would be the last of the year with a bit more food and some gifts for the members of the Thing .
The arrival threw off her plans for the Thing preparations, and she made certain her sister knew that. But she did thank her nonetheless, grudgingly though.
She was amused to see some of the dominus and domina surreptitiously watching the convoy unloading in the courtyard. She sent paiges out to invite them to have a closer look at the wagons and kit that the travelers carried.
She planned to send a tribute back. It would be small, mostly a few rare furs and some rare metals that had accumulated since the last convoy's departure.
When she called Deidra again, she told her of the assassin. She then changed the subject and promised to do better next annus .
"Of course you will," Deidra said.
"Gee, thanks," Zara complained.
"Sister, I have spoken much with Eugene on this. He told me that we would expect a loss for several annus before things were turned around properly. Only then would we see a profit as the seeds took root. So, I have been counseled to be patient. I counsel you to do the same."
Zara snorted.
Zara had to admit, her sister was right. She couldn't help but appreciate the patience her sister and the others were showing on her and the Duluthian's behalf. Not that some of the local lords understood it as such. She heard from some of her staff that there were some dark mutterings about the tributerium flowing out of the country.
Some of the Terran techniques had really come through. The Duluthians were starting to take them seriously, which was also a good sign. The next year would be even better.
"Still no vaccines though?" she asked. The convoy had a small smattering of supplies for just about everything. Eudoxia had been heartily grateful for the medical supplies, especially given the planned clinic coming up in the next hafta .
"The vaccines need cold to be kept. We can't do that, yet," Deidra warned. "Most likely we'd have to fly them in. Expect that in another annus ," she explained.
"Ah. So Max is moving forward with the long-range planes?"
"Yes. We'll have to fly up the coast; the machines can't fly too high. But they can fly through the pass. You may see them next autumnus ," Deidra said.
"Does that mean I'll be seeing you around then?" Zara asked wickedly.
Deidra sputtered and then laughed. "I doubt that. I don't mind Max's contraptions but some I'll wait until I'm sure of before testing them with my life or the lives of you or Eugene or Hermione or anyone else."
"How is she growing?"
"Like a weed," Deidra replied. She had sent a series of pictures, and Zara had teared up when she'd seen them. She'd kept the majority of them for herself but she allowed two to be framed and posted in the hall for others to see. "I think she has our mother's eyes."
"Which means your eyes," Zara replied with a chuckle.
"Perhaps," Deidra replied. "She has finally settled on a hair color, at least for the moment."
"Oh?"
"The honey color but darker."
"Ah. Good for her," Zara murmured, picturing it. "I can't wait to see more pictures!" she gushed.
"I just sent you some!" Deidra protested with a laugh.
"I know but they are hafta old!" Zara said. Deidra chuckled again. She heard the door creak and looked up to see Emma there. She nodded to the girl and then sighed internally. "It looks like they found me. I've got to go play ruler again," she said.
"Find a better hiding spot next time so we can talk longer or clear your schedule," Deidra said.
"Will do as your mate says," Zara quipped with a grin. Deidra snorted. "Pass my love to all."
"Will do. Please send my regards to the dominus and domina."
"Will you be addressing them?"
"We'll see how things go. I'd prefer to keep a lower profile if possible."
"Eventually they'll need to see you," Zara warned.
"In time they will. Now go before you get scolded. I have a little lady in need of her bed here," Deidra said.
Zara kissed her fingertips and then touched the microphone, then shut the device off. She heaved a sigh, adjusted her skirts, and then got back to work.
Act II
Chapter 17
As the Thing progressed, Zara had to ease the dominus and domina into light debates while dealing with the undercurrent of resentment over her commands and her kingdom's grip on Terran technology. She tried to explain that the new devices will make things better in the long run; they just needed to hang in there. They also took a great deal of investment and time to make. That they at least understood to some degree.
Some of the things were debated, and the wisdom of putting more importance of one over another was debated. It was hard for her to explain though; she wasn't a natural engineer. And trying to explain to them that they had to make other machines and build up to the better ones was even trickier.
Some of the changes she proposed were accepted. Some were debated. When she didn't strike anyone down over contesting an idea, the debates began to pick up. She insisted on decorum though, and insults would not be tolerated. They had to debate something on the merits, not the motives or character of someone.
She understood some of the older dominus arguments. Dominus Hansen seemed especially bitter about throwing out tradition. She nodded and made it clear she thought it was wise to try to keep some traditions and not make changes in some areas too quickly. He seemed relieved by that.
~~~^~~~
When they weren't meeting as a group, there were scheduled activities around the capital as well as chances to meet up with each other privately or do business in the capital. Some of the dominus pointed to the schedule as something against tradition, but Zara took a page from Agnes and pointed out that it was there, for all to see. They could go to some of the events or not, or they could send a mate or child to do so. It was entirely up to them.
That seemed to only confuse them. They also scoffed at some of the events; Zara had said it was a way to unwind while also giving them a chance to see new things or have a bit of fun. That seemed to make a few curious enough to attend.
She hoped to turn the Thing into an event for the capital over time. A carnival would be nice, a place to have rides to entertain the children while also shops showing new wares and devices for the dominus to consider. But that was in the future. For the moment, she had only a handful of events planned and only a half a dozen entertainers. There were four bands though, with concerts in the evenings, all paid for by the Imperium.
Some of the men were amused by the beer tasting though, and the ladies were interested in the wine and cheese tasting. Zara enjoyed that as well.
She had found a great liking to Duluthian cheese crafters. One in particular had a gift for making different flavors of cheese. She had sent some of his wares to Deidra. She was curious about her sister's reaction when she finally got them.
His cheddar and hard cheeses could be stored for years. He had said during his tour that the best cheese was made from what Charlie called unpasteurized fresh milk. That milk did not need to be chilled.
Yesterday's whey was used to kick-start the processing. Rennet from the stomach of a calf was added to curdle the milk. The resulting curds were then molded into rounds and th
en placed in whicker shapes. Willow cheese was molded in a wicker basket.
Molds were painted on the outside to add flavor. Wey dribbled out of the gaps in the whicker. The rusticus flipped them and added stone weights on top to squeeze the cheese and hasten the process. Once they had stopped leaking, they were left on a bed of clean grass to help absorb the whey.
Hostage Rescue (Princess Rescue Inc Book 2) Page 23
