Duchy Unleashed

by Zack Finley

  The palace entrances were crawling with guards. I wondered how Pirate City could afford to pay so many.

  The northern docks were very neat and tidy. Only a few ships were docked. There were indications that most hadn’t left the docks in a long time. Capt. Malek would not have allowed his ship to decay the way these captains had.

  We spotted a ship that had just arrived from Ylee in the harbor. It was moored near the center of the harbor, just as we had learned from the pirate captain. A water taxi brought some of the crew ashore. This captain had decided to sell all the collected loot through the designated Ylee merchant rather than pay a fee up front. They ship’s captain was still negotiating the final price for the loot.

  The docked ships had only a few people staying on board, typically with only the captain, a few officers and a steward. These ships were owned by merchant families who lived inside the walled compound.

  The basas proved to be an excellent investment. We covered the northern sector in only a few hours, leaving time to begin exploring the south. Most ferries had an area suitable for basas.

  Destroying the ferries would effectively cut the city in half.

  The first thing I noticed about the southern half of the city was the stench. I hadn’t really thought about what the north half of the city did for sewage or garbage disposal until I smelled south Pirate City.

  The only thing that could clean out south Pirate City was a flood. Argon assured me I would stop smelling it after a while. Here was where most of the raiders and pirates lived. Apartments, tenements, barracks and anything that would nail together to make a shelter seemed the order of the day. No guards in sight. Taverns and brothels seemed the only businesses thriving businesses. No market and no obvious place to purchase food. Everyone was armed. As we rode through the squalid streets, we noticed a few bodies, naked and discarded.

  The docks seemed the only place with some reasonable level of activity. Here were the missing city guards. Barges served as portable marketplaces. Under the watchful eyes of several groups of guards on patrol. Dock markets were the main way north Pirate City interacted with the south.

  The pirate captain’s warehouse was empty. From outside it looked very decrepit, but inside it was well maintained. Even the sagging roof was more of a theater prop than real. It had several wards that had run out of magic. If we hadn’t had the basas, we would just have ‘ported back to the pirate captain’s house.

  When we returned to the ferry slip, the ferry was idling several feet away from the pier. When we shouted to get his attention, the ferryman demanded a substantial payment to let us back onboard.

  The ferries were just another way to keep the riffraff out of north Pirate City. Such “payments” were the main source of income for any ferryman. I failed to notice this on the ride to the south bank, in part due to information overload. There were too many people plotting and scheming around us. I couldn’t read them all. It was worse than trying to drink from a firehose. Argon had many more years of experience with mind reading, but even she missed the ferry problem.

  We paid the bribe. I thought it was worth it to keep the basas with us. I’m sure that was part of the ferryman’s calculation as well. Argon learned we should have negotiated the round-trip price up front.

  This was how the ferryman guessed we were new to Pirate City. He just took advantage of our ignorance. There was enough competition between ferryboats it kept the prices from getting too far out of hand. Ferrymen who negotiated in bad faith were usually visited by the guard, and there was an immediate opening for a new ferryman.

  Good to know.

  We were reluctant to leave our basas with any commercial stable overnight so moved them into the pirate captain’s outbuilding. The basas barely fit through the door, but once inside it was large enough. The basas liked it much better than their former residence. Argon arranged with Tobron for someone to bring food and treats for our mounts. I built a small water trough for them.

  We had had enough of Pirate City for the day and ‘ported to the Keep’s main entrance. We trotted to the Keep HQ in time for a late dinner. We didn’t have enough intel to launch any attack, but we wanted to consult with our partners to gain any insight they had.

  I was disappointed that pitting the lower-class pirates against the upper crust didn’t seem possible. The upper crust had isolated themselves too well. Even if there had been a bridge, the logistics of launching an insurrection were daunting. I doubted any from south Pirate City would come to the merchants’ aid, but they had no appetite for challenging the ruling class, either.

  Tobron thought he and Clive could dam up the small river serving the harbor near its mouth quickly enough to flood the south city. It wouldn’t do much to hurt the north side, though.

  We agreed our best attack plan was to quietly remove or kill everyone from the warded manors in the walled section of town. The building wards worried both Argon and me. Breaking them would be time-consuming and fraught with a chance of discovery. We were fortunate the buildings were made of stone, so once the wards were broken, we could enter easily.

  “I have spoken to the armorer’s guild, and they have volunteered to assist in any attack of pirates,” Jorvik announced. “When we need them, they can furnish about the same number of mages that we used in Losan. I have not told them where we will strike, just that we have a chance to fight back against the thieving pirates.”

  “That is wonderful,” I said. “We really need several ward breakers to allow us to hit all those buildings in one night.”

  “We should consider tunnels,” Tobron offered. “A tunnel complex could allow us to weaken wards and prepare over several days and nights. With only the final attack scheduled for a single night.”

  “We’ve been working on several offensive weapons for the guard,” Loma added. “As well as a prototype portable teleport station. Clive has set up a receiving location in one of the Klee warehouses. We have tested it. It can teleport up to one basas at a time or an equivalent weight of supplies. We haven’t tried it with people yet, though we already have some volunteers.”

  “The teleport spell is sound,” offered Marfo. “I’d be happy to volunteer.”

  “The station is just a more robust version of a teleport card. It still must be imbued with the teleport spell by a mage who knows both sites. The battery just provides the power needed to teleport a lot of items for an extended period of time. If the battery falls below a certain level of force magic the spell will not work until it is recharged,” said Loma. “You can set up one or more stations in Pirate City to send freed slaves, captives, or loot back to Klee.”

  “I’ve questioned our captive animage,” said Inoa. “No dark geas for him. He was hired to run the outpost and was supposed to live there full time. It was too primitive for his taste so he spent as little time there as possible. He is a really vicious man and will be executed once I determine we can learn nothing more from him. He was hired by one of the merchants in the Pirate City palace. We have the merchant’s name but haven’t determined whether he has a residence in the walled compound.”

  “Did he have an estimate on how many mages live in Pirate City?” I asked.

  “Not really,” Inoa answered. “I have his address. Several mages prefer to live in modest homes in that area. From your description, it seems a lot like the pirate captain’s residence. Mages living in this area are available for hire for substantial fees. Our animage took the outpost job because there are few high paying jobs for mages without strong battle skills. We should also expect to find mages in the walled compound. The animage believes most top-tier merchants employ several battlemages who live quite lavishly inside the mansions.”

  “We should expect the mages inside the compound to fight rather than flee,” said Tobron. “Their reputation requires they fight for their employers. Freelance mages might fight if cornered or to protect their property. I think they will flee rather than fight a strong force. I doubt any will care about casualties
to other residents of Pirate City.”

  “Let’s sum up,” I said. “We tunnel under the buildings in the walled compound and breach their wards. When we are in position, we enter the buildings in a single night, stunning everyone we encounter. Our next goal will be the Pirate City guardhouse, followed by the palace. We send everyone of interest back to Klee for processing.”

  “Should we bring either the Malan or the pirate ship into port?” asked Cleon.

  “We can leave the Malan far enough out to avoid detection. I’d like to have the powered boats hitting everything along the waterfront with massive stuns. We may want to burn the Pirate City ships if we can’t take them as prizes. If we can keep the lid on south Pirate City without flooding them, I’d rather do that. Our powered boats are faster than anything they have.”

  “What are we going to do with the rest of the Pirate City residents after we’ve dealt with the leadership and the guard?” Alba asked. “We can’t just kill them all. Even if they deserve it.”

  “But we can’t let them hire out to attack innocent settlements, either,” said Inoa. “I’d rather kill them all now than face them later.”

  That was the problem. There were too many. Executing even a few people we knew had committed heinous crimes was hard on good people. Dealing with the pirates captured on the six pirate ships showed us that. With Pirate City, we were talking tens of thousands of pirates and slavers who were just as guilty. They were just resting between jobs. Many got rich destroying and looting Kavil and Ylee.

  We needed a place to move them to. A place unknown to the dark sect and a place far from other civilized people. We had to capture or kill any mages. We couldn’t afford any pirate mages knowing where we were sending the rest of the Pirate City residents.

  I had already spoken with Capt. Malek and islands he had encountered at sea were barren rock with few plants and no fresh water. To be viable, the exile location needed fresh water, soil suitable for crops, and enough trees to build shelter. If they cooperated and worked hard, the exiles could survive. If they preyed on one another, then that was their choice.

  Finding such a location was going to be difficult. Maybe it was time to fire up my hot air balloon. The winds were blowing toward the spine this time of year. I could use one end of a boarding net to wrap around the force magic air balloon. With ropes, I could create a cradle or basket of the rest of the net for me to ride in. Fire magic could heat or cool the air in the force magic balloon to provide lift. Air magic could steer. In an emergency, I could use force magic to levitate and weigh nothing if need be. With an invisibility cloak, I should be hard to spot.

  “We need to relocate the mundanes,” I said. “It will probably take weeks and drain all of our force magic. But our only real alternative is to kill them all. That would sap the hearts of our people.”

  “We can’t move them near civilized people. I sure don’t want them to inherit the countries of Ylee or Kavil,” said Cleon. “Where can we send them that doesn’t already have people living there?”

  “I understand that few people live near the spine?” I asked.

  “The gods have claimed much of the spine area,” Argon said. “There are a few villages which serve their gods, but most people live near the rivers on along major tracks. Much of Jaloa is still wild. Someone would have to go into the wilderness and get us a teleport location.”

  “That was what I was thinking,” I said.

  “It would take weeks for someone mounted on a basas to reach a suitable location,” said Loma.

  “I agree, that is why I’m going to look for a place using a hot air balloon,” I said. “While Tobron, Clive, Jorvik, Argon, Inoa, and Cleon, prep for taking the walled city.”

  That set off a series of loud and vehement disagreements. But in the end, no one had a better plan.

  I asked Loma to supply me with a belt of crystals, in case my own magic went too low.

  She and her team would be storing up as much force magic as they could to prepare for the big relocation. I suggested she find a way to harvest force magic from groups of Pirate City captives while they were awaiting transport.

  I didn’t want to attempt starting my travels at night, so Argon and I had time to get a good night sleep.

  Or not.

  The moment we returned to our rooms at the Keep HQ, Allo swarmed us. It took an unusual amount of petting, grooming, and affection to calm her down. Allo was still quite happy playing with the younglings and was being well cared for by the kitchen staff. She still felt ignored by her chosen people. It was a struggle to shed our armor and hang them on the racks.

  I left Argon and Allo in a deep conversation and slid into my easy chair. The chair didn’t have my name on it, but I sat in it whenever in the family room. I suspected Argon selected it and the accompanying lighting to encourage me to study. I just liked how comfortable it was.

  “I don’t approve of your plan,” Argon announced, joining me in the family room. “It seems unnecessarily risky to me. We could drop them off at our desert training area, instead. I’m sure we can find water nearby.”

  I pulled her into my lap and cuddled her close. Not to be ignored, Allo crawled into Argon’s lap.

  “You remember your first experiments with floating on air didn’t work out well,” Argon began. “I realize you can ‘port out if you get into trouble, so I didn’t insist. Remember if you are falling from a great height and you ‘port away, you will maintain much of your speed when you arrive. Stop your fall, then ‘port,” said Argon. “It would be better to liquefy the ground 10 feet under Pirate City then solidify it. I’ve seen what these pirates do, and I’m not comfortable leaving them alive. I’m really not comfortable spending a lot of effort and putting you at risk to give them some remote chance. These raiders will prey on and enslave each other. They’d rather steal and murder than plant and care for crops.”

  “You are probably right,” I replied. “But killing so many weighs on my soul. I feel no remorse killing them in the heat of the battle or to protect others. The executions we’ve been part of were necessary, but they bothered me. Asking others to do what makes me uncomfortable isn’t the kind of leader I am.”

  “I have no problem killing every one of them,” said Argon. “Most are guilty of the same crimes of murder, rape, torture, and slavery we saw in the worst of Augun. Their minds are cesspools. I feel unclean just walking through Pirate City. The city guards are among the worst. Even many of the slaves are just pirates who went into debt.”

  “You and Inoa cannot read the minds of everyone in Pirate City to separate out the worst from the potentially salvageable. Can we use wards similar to those in Klee HQ and in various temples to have them condemn themselves?” I asked. “Those who enjoy killing can bunch together and kill each other or throw themselves into the harbor to either drown or be eaten. Those bothered by that lifestyle will gravitate toward the wards. We can transport any who are left?”

  “I wouldn’t have thought of using such wards for anything this terrible. Astute mages could thwart our efforts, but we need to rid the city of them anyway. While we are doing that, the wards can work silently. I suspect it will work very well in south Pirate City. We could add a welcoming aspect to the wards. This will encourage those not driven out by the wards to move toward them. This can actually work well with massive stunning spells,” Argon offered.

  “People who are stunned can’t move,” I said, unclear on where this was going.

  “Very true, but their bodies will want to move. As soon as the stun wears off, that compulsion will drive them either toward or away from the wards,” Argon explained. “It will be safer for those seeking refuge.”

  “We still need a place to send them,” I said. “The wards will give you, Loma, and Inoa something else to consider while I’m floating in the air.”

  With that I captured Argon’s lips with mine, tightening my arms around her and displacing Allo from her lap. I’d missed the physical intimacy. Don’t get me wr
ong, I loved going on missions with Argon. We meshed well together, but being constantly on edge and worrying about discovery made it hard to relax. We were safe and at home. Tomorrow we’d be back in the fray. Having a common mission added spice to our relationship. The shared danger and the mental intimacy of our communal bond were exhilarating, but I needed to touch and renew our visceral bond.

  I wasn’t the only one. Our lips and tongues molded together in a gut hollowing affirmation of desire. The instant ignition of passion made waiting impossible. Nothing mattered except the craving to mate, to join, to drive deeply into her.

  Argon was just as eager, just as hungry. No finesse. Clothing was an obstacle, shifted to the side.

  I cradled her to me, with her back on the floor and her legs wrapped around me. I plunged deep into her hot throbbing core. She urged me to a pulsing rhythm that drew us both to the edge, time and again. The exquisite pain of trembling at the edge before plummeting deeply inside her. I could take no more as we both reached the climax, gasping and rejoicing in our shared being. The agonizing richness of our shared journey left us hollowed and reluctant to move.

  Argon renewed the festivities when she used her deep muscles to squeeze Happy, awakening him from his post-coital trance. I shuddered with the shiver it sent through my entire body.

  Argon’s smile said she knew what she had incited. I reclaimed her lips still hot and slack from our joint release. I maintained a slow but steady pace as Happy gained in strength and size. This time I removed our shirts, dipping to worship her breasts. I used force and air magic to caress them making Argon moan into my mouth. She responded by cupping the Boys in a warm force magic caress that caused me to speed up my strokes involuntarily.

  The tactile sensations of being touched with whispers along my back and thighs made it hard to return to a deliberate pace. When Argon used magic to flip me onto my back, I knew I was no longer in charge.