Duchy Unleashed

by Zack Finley

  I thanked him. He saluted again and left at a lope.

  Argon was wrapping up her discussion with Perga as I joined them. I passed on the warning about the fracks. Perga called for all his farmers to join us. There was an intense discussion about fracks. Several had encountered them before. Two farmers could speak with them. Perga assigned one in each group as Argon and I keyed up a snap force field to protect the farmers.

  “Why don’t we just wipe out the nest?” I sent.

  “Fracks pollinate the crops,” Argon answered. “If we can persuade them to leave people and our animals alone, it will work out for the best. With four attuned farmers, we have a good chance of actually recruiting frack nests to help tend our crops. We will just have to mark off their nest areas to prevent the unwary from trespassing into the death zone.”

  Fracks were the ultimate killer bees. On Earth we would have destroyed any we saw; on Jaloa we recruited them.

  “Is there anything we can do to help prep the fields for planting?” I asked aloud.

  “Perga wasn’t eager to use conjured earth, no matter how rich. He was concerned it would be dead and that it might take years to properly infuse it with the organisms that live in good growing soil. He did think having a water source would help. A few basas, cultivators, and a supply of manure would really be appreciated,” Argon said.

  “Tobron, do we have a few basas and cultivators ready to go?” I sent.

  “Well, if anyone can teleport a basas to the Keep, you can.” Tobron sent a teleport site for our stable. “Just ask which ones are ready to go. You might build them a quick shelter and let them stay overnight.”

  “I’ll be right back,” I told Argon. When I got to the stable, I asked them to put all the gear needed for cultivating fields in a heap on the floor.

  The two basas chosen for this adventure were waiting for me. I approached them both, patting and stroking them. They were a mated pair and were hoping for a foal during their next cycle. I explained, using the method Argon taught me on my last basas ride, what was happening and where they were going. The male insisted he wanted to go first. I wrapped my arms as tightly around him as I could and ‘ported to the Keep.

  For some reason, I’d expected to feel some strain, but the teleport went without a hitch. Perga was delighted to welcome the basas. They fell into some silent discussion as I headed back for the second one.

  The remaining basas was eager to join her mate and nearly knocked me down when I returned. I wrapped her up with my arms and we ‘ported to the Keep.

  In her eagerness to reach her mate she ran into the Keep ward and bounced off. I stroked her to soothe her anxiety and quickly escorted her through the barrier. I went back for the cultivators. While I’d been gone the stablemen had rolled several barrels of manure for me to bring to the Keep. I was sure several of the stablemen were snickering as I looked at their gifts. Unfortunately, my force magic was barely depressed from the prior efforts, so I had no choice but to make several trips to bring in manure. I can report Jaloa manure smells just as bad as Earth manure. What a duke does for his Duchy.

  Argon hadn’t been idle. She erected a stone tank and filled it with water. She left conjuring the iron distribution pipe for me. The stone tank held enough magic to host a strong water conjuring spell on it to keep it full. She thought it would last several days, depending on the need.

  The leader of the other farm group came over to consult with Perga. He was very interested in what we were doing. Argon went with him to put up a water tank. I arranged to pick up two more basas, gear, and of course more manure. Tobron didn’t bother to hide how funny he found my predicament.

  Our farmers and even the four basas seemed inspired, working side-by-side to prepare the fields. I was tinkering with crafting a butterfly valve for the tanks. One of the farmers donated his belt to provide packing around the valve stem to minimize leakage. Once I had a working model, I quickly fabbed three more and installed two each on the tanks. I ran iron pipe connecting the valves to locations requested by the farmers. One of the Duchy Guards had already cut several tapered pipe plugs from nearby saplings by the time I was done. Between the plugs and the valves, the farmers could direct water where they wanted it.

  The only excitement came from the discovery of a frack nest, but our attuned farmers and Argon quickly negotiated an agreement. They then went to the frack nests discovered earlier and made the same offer. Each nest got a small stone bucket of water for their own use, which Argon provided. This excited the fracks so much they offered to recruit more of their kind to help, for the same price.

  Argon was very pleased with the outcome. She conjured several stone buckets for the farmers to distribute if we weren’t around when a new frack nest was located.

  I was concentrating on the basas quarters. One of the farmers was a basas expert and provided many of the details I might have missed. Since our basas were mated pairs, they expected to stay together. This meant individual stalls were out. The basas had to be able to open and close the stable doors without help. We also needed room to store equipment. I finally called to Clive for help. He sent one of his apprentices experienced in stable design. In a few hours, we had a stable for our first four basas. We cleared off room to expand for up to 12 basas. Perga didn’t think we would need more than that.

  The basas were comfortable spending the night in the stable. Argon warded the building, preventing the door from being opened from outside. She warned the basas about that. With the doors closed the stable now had strong wards providing some safety to those inside.

  While we’d been assisting the farmers, the foresters had been pruning and clearing up around several orchards. Some trees had died and were removed. After seeing what we’d been up to with the farmers, the foresters said their trees needed water. One of the reasons the trees were so stressed is they hadn’t had any rain in 50 years. All the rain which fell on Toffad’s Keep was deflected by the ward protecting it. The only water that came in was through the underground aquifer. Clearly, this would be a problem if we kept the ward in place.

  “My earth magic is a little low, why don’t you conjure the tanks and pipes. I’ll add the water enchantment,” Argon said.

  I put in two systems for the orchards they had nearly finished and then was directed to add tanks in two other locations to support future work.

  By the time sundown came everyone was tired but filled with a sense of accomplishment. I assured Cleon we would teleport his crew back to the Keep. Argon made several trips, but I teleported the majority of them. We all went to wash up before dinner.

  I was tired from the magic use and from the physical work required to clear the fields. As we got into the double shower, cleanliness and dinner were my main concerns.

  That was until I discovered that cleanliness was not all that was on Argon’s mind. She nipped me on the jaw and sent chills up my neck from her caress.

  I turned her in my arms, claiming her mouth, suddenly overcome by a unexpected sharp hunger for her. Once ignited, our passion overwhelmed us. Argon’s mind glowed with her deep carnal need, and I craved to fill it.

  Our tongues stroked the flames higher, and the feel of her hands on my buns sent an unexpected jolt through my body. Within seconds I pinned her against the shower wall as my erection grew between us.

  I pulled back slightly to settle Happy into place and drove him deep into her core, seeking to merge body and soul within her.

  She settled her long legs around my hips as I plunged in-and-out, seeking to reach that spark within her; to connect with her very core.

  I wanted more, and more, and more as I tried to fuse our bodies and minds into a single entity. On every in-stroke, her legs pulled me closer into her heart and resisted any separation on the outstroke. There was no time for finesse, no thought except for becoming one, even as we both teetered on the edge of oblivion.

  As the quiver of her crescendo began to course through her body, I resisted for a brief second before join
ing her in the shuddering crash into the void.

  My legs faltered, and I slid to the floor of the shower, warm water cascading on my face. I gathered Argon’s limp body into my lap, holding her tightly in my embrace even as the afterglow of completion settled on both of us.

  “That was amazing,” Argon murmured nipping my neck. “I do love this shower.”

  “Mmmm,” was all I could say, as I kissed along her jawline, my hand slipping into her pouch.

  Her arch was all the encouragement I needed as I began massaging her sex gently with my thumb. Her legs parted, and she was fully open, even eager for my attention. Her teeth closed on a highly sensitive part of my neck.

  As I brought her back to the edge, she began stroking and pinching my hypersensitive breast.

  I dipped my thumb into her opening while maintaining a firm stroking motion. I felt lost in the feelings of her responsiveness and the wild sensations she was sparking in me.

  But the shower floor was not where I wanted this to continue. I lifted her up and carried her to our bed. Placing her on the bed, I continued my assault on her sex as I dove into her with my tongue. Argon arched into me grabbing my head to keep me in place. I suckled and thrust, sharing the frenzy of feelings it caused my mate. At times it was as if I could feel it too. I rode with her mind as she went over the edge and climaxed.

  Happy was rock hard, and he knew where he wanted to be. Within moments of Argon’s climax, I was sheathed up to the hilt in her tight steamy sex. I took Happy off his leash, and let him take me on the ride of my life.

  Argon and I were so mentally intertwined I don’t think we could have separated if we wanted to. Argon began a series of climaxes, each more intense than the last. It felt like I was coming and coming and coming. When Happy finally blew his top, Argon and I were experiencing each intense nuance of the moment.

  I’m not sure how I lived through that, I thought. Wow.

  “Wow, indeed,” murmured Argon. “I’m not sure what that was, but I look forward to a repeat performance. Just not right away, I don’t think my body could handle it.”

  Happy was retreating slowly from inside Argon, reluctant to relinquish possession but much too spent to try for another round. I wrapped Argon in my arms and claimed her mouth with my own. She wrapped her arms around me just as fiercely.

  “Let’s take a quick shower, a real one this time,” Argon teased. “And get to dinner before they close. I’m starved, for some reason.”

  I was emotionally spent and very hungry.

  ◆◆◆

  Chapter 4

  Argon got us up several hours before dawn. We had to move around Allo as she joined us in bed sometime during the night and showed no interest in getting up.

  Tobron, Inoa, Cleon, and I would standby for the cleansing. Just in case there was a backlash. Nobody expected one, but we would pull out all of Avia’s acolytes if something bad happened.

  I went with Argon to Avia’s temple to help transport the acolytes and their paraphernalia to the Keep. Argon wanted as much force magic available as possible, so I was to the pack mule, again.

  Tobron’s group met us at the Keep.

  Argon and Avia’s acolytes had picked the minutes before dawn because they expected the evil spirits to be at their strongest. Argon tried to explain the process, but it was too mystical to make sense to me. Why one would choose to attack when the enemy was strongest made little sense to me.

  I didn’t dispute the need to cleanse the site. I’d already had plenty of strangeness in my life, this was just one more. Details about the ritual and the infestation were considered need-to-know, and I didn’t. I reminded myself that if I hadn’t seen a glappner, I wouldn’t have believed it, either.

  Argon made me swear that I would not break into the containment circle around the old funeral pyre, no matter what. The evil spirits would do everything they could to breach that containment, including presenting observers with false experiences and memories. Most of these experiences would be aimed at luring witnesses to break the containment circle. This was the reason similar rituals were usually conducted without witnesses.

  Avia’s acolytes were so weak, they couldn’t provide the required level of protection.

  The reason four strong battlemages were present was to prevent any spirits not already within the containment area from breaking into it. It was unclear to me how magic could affect an evil spirit, but Argon and Inoa believed force and mind magic had the greatest chance of working.

  Tobron recalled discussions when the mages had cleared Mad Toffad’s Keep 50 years ago that fire magic could purge a spirit. As a result, Argon and Inoa wove a strong fire element into the shield spell.

  Since earth magic was compatible with fire and both Tobron and I were powerhouses in this element, they added a strong earth element to the containment shield as well. In this instance, neither Inoa nor Argon acted worried about overkill.

  I was worried about the ritual because they were. I keyed up my most intense fire spells for Inoa to use on offense against any spirit if needed. She had already tapped me for force and mind offensive spells as well.

  Inoa had us prepare the strongest individual shields in each of the magics I had ever seen. For routine use, they would have sucked our magic down too quickly to be sustained for long. This morning she wanted us to be nearly invincible for the short duration of the ritual. I supplied most of the magic for the individual shields and for the containment shield.

  Inoa wanted those individual shields in place, in case she had to unleash her offensive repertoire at a spirit or spirits. She didn’t want any of us to be injured in the backlash from them.

  Inoa set us up at the four cardinal points outside the circle, and we waited.

  Argon and Avia’s acolytes first placed some white substance in a circle around the site. This was to become the ritual containment wall. Argon told me once it was established it would create a sphere of containment, stretching below and above ground. While it could hold out minor spirits and the like, its major strength was aimed at preventing anything from escaping. That made it much weaker at keeping things out.

  Argon had been dismayed to learn that Avia’s acolytes were too weak to sustain two spiritual containment fields. In instances like this, divine acolytes would typically establish an external field and then a complementary internal field before launching the cleansing ritual. She was disturbed that Avia’s worshippers were unable to provide this level of spiritual help. She also doubted they could have handled even the internal field without her.

  This forced us to use magic to secure the ritual. Argon didn’t have any experience with purging spirits using magic because they normally succumbed easily to spiritual cleansing. The site where the death cultist’s bodies were burned had such a strong spiritual signature, she expected it could be masking a secondary infection. She thought Avia’s representatives could handle a second ritual today but was sure they would have to return to the temple to restore themselves if more was needed.

  This morning’s ritual had to be delayed to allow Avia’s acolytes time to store up sufficient spiritual power to handle it.

  After completing the circle, Argon sent, “We are nearly ready. Do not believe anything coming from this area. We have the strength of Avia and Shala. They will not let us fail. Focus on Inoa and help her keep any other evil spirits away from us. Once the sphere activates, I will not be able to reach out to you. Trust in our bond, my love.”

  She flooded me with the love she felt, and I nearly fell to my knees in awe. The firm force bump she sent kept me standing, and the playful goose that followed kept the moment from getting too serious.

  Neither prepared me for the sharp cut off from her when the spiritual sphere activated. The spiritual barrier blurred the actions of those within. I could no longer see my mate clearly.

  While she had warned me, the reality revealed a huge hole in my inner being that Argon normally filled. But I was a warrior preparing for battle, it was my j
ob to keep her safe. I took a deep breath and focused on Inoa.

  On our battle net, Inoa reminded us of the sequence. Argon had estimated it would take the acolytes several minutes once the spiritual sphere activated to begin the actual ceremony. Inoa intended to trigger our magical containment first. She reminded me they would begin drawing strongly on my magics and I needed to monitor them closely. She intended to bring in magic from the group as mine drew down.

  Argon had set up drawdown alarms on all my magic, but she was most concerned about force and mind magic. Inoa could also monitor my magic, but she was going to be busy.

  Once the containment was stable, she would trigger our individual invincibility shields.

  If no evil spirits came, Inoa reminded us it was a good combat practice session.

  No one spoke as Inoa silently counted down the time to trigger the containment field. I kept moving my shoulders and legs to reduce the tension. Even Tobron’s normal sense of humor was absent this morning. Perhaps he recalled his last battle here. I decided I’d much rather fight glappners than stand by. Cleon, as usual, was a rock.

  I wasn’t prepared for the way the invincibility fields buzzed and hissed. They also blurred my vision. Inoa apologized for the visual distortion. She didn’t know what was causing it and didn’t want to tweak it now. I knew she was adding it to her to-do list.

  I felt the pull from my magics from both the individual shields and the containment wall. My magic levels were holding reasonably stable. Not even the force or mind magic was dropping quickly.

  “My magic is holding good,” I sent on the combat net. “At this rate, we can probably go several hours before I need any help.”