Chapter 14

With all of the new information that I had presented to them, the members of my community found their minds filled with thoughts of the future. Mr. Dicky was just crying for me to try out the Mating Crystals, but I wanted to wait another day or so. I had become intimate with more women than I would have ever thought possible - and that had been true when it was just Dawn, Patty, and Becky. Later I felt incredibly blessed that Maureen would want to be a part of our family. All of that was before the plague. My four 'first wives', as I thought of them in my mind, had chosen to live a sharing and caring life with me before the gift of the Wizard had been granted. They had put aside any jealousies they might have felt at different moments and instead learned to love each other and the man whose love they all shared. They also had given me another incredible gift - the knowledge that I could love each of them in a special and unique way and still love all of them equally at the same time.

The happenings after the plague had been somewhat fast and furious and I hadn't really understood all that was happening until my conversations with Moon Blossom and the Wizard. Ezra had spoken of many things, but he hadn't really broached the sexual aspects of things very much. On the other hand, Moon Blossom had stressed the sexual aspects of things much to my delight. The Wizard really just added definition and completeness to the concepts his servants had already begun to teach me. I now understood the great responsibilities that came along with the gift I had been given. I also understood that it was unlikely that any woman would refuse me - but that didn't mean that I would always be in the right if I took them for a mate.

My loving relationship with Sarah, my dear departed soul mate who had been stolen from me by the ravages of cancer, had taught me that the depth of feeling, trust, and respect that can come from a good solid relationship with the right kind of mate are altogether wonderful and desirable. The beautiful and powerful sexual attraction we felt for one another just added to it all and completed the relationship in a special way. That was the kind of relationship I wanted to have with my mates. Miraculously most of the women in 'House Telford', as Moon Blossom refers to it, were women I felt I could share that kind of deep and abiding bond with - but there were a few who I still wasn't quite certain about. I realized that may have been simply due to the little amount of time we'd had to spend together but if it was more and the woman in question might have a better chance at happiness with a different man in her life, I didn't want to stop that from happening.

I desired the loving and caring bond Maureen, Becky, Dawn, and Patty felt for one another to remain in our family. There was no way that I was going to rush to judgment concerning any of these women. I realized that in my own mind I was now beginning to understand something that the Wizard had said while telling a bit about himself. Manix had mentioned women that he termed mates and others that he termed concubines. He had said that pre-plague society would have condemned him for this, but there were some women that he shared a deep familial bond with while others only shared a sexual bond with him - and not an exclusive one at that.

I'd already felt the extreme shock at wearing out my wives while still having plenty of stamina remaining and that, combined with the sexual desires of the additional willing participants, was what had led to so many others joining our sexual pleasures. Moon Blossom had said that she had wanted to be the Wizard's concubine and had enjoyed sex with him greatly - but for some reason she hadn't connected to him as fully on an emotional level. I later learned that she was quite surprised to discover that connection with me. She told the Wizard of her feelings and he wished her the best and released her from being his concubine and assigned her to my service as she requested. I too had felt a connection with her and after seeing her with my mates I knew she would fit into our family quite well.

I had gathered from Moon Blossom's comments that a concubine was a woman who enjoyed her sexuality, but hadn't decided she wanted to be mated. I imagined a whole host of reasons for this choice might be possible. Like it had once been for Moon Blossom, the deep emotional connection might not have been present with any man she had yet encountered, or perhaps she might have some other driving interest that would prevent her from desiring to become a wife and mother. Maybe she was interested in pursuing some intellectual or physical pursuit that would conflict with a long term commitment that required a lot of emotional upkeep. The Wizard's willingness to accept such a woman into his sexual relationships without placing other undue commitments on her would allow her to enjoy life more fully without giving up her other goals. As long as a concubine wasn't forced or coerced into the position, it was probably a better option than living a celibate life or being forced to accept the commitments of what pre-plague society would think of as marriage.

Now as I thought of the women in my life here and now, especially the thirty one who already shared my quarters each night, I determined to try to let them know how I felt about them and our situation. I wanted them to understand my thoughts on what it meant to be accepted as mate or concubine. All of the women were special to me and I wanted them to know it; but I also wanted them to realize they had choices. Feeling a physical attraction to me didn't mean they had to accept me as their mate if they didn't feel an emotional attraction as well. I also wanted them and every other member of my community to accept the position of subject willingly and freely. It was important to me that they understand how I felt about protecting them and seeing to the needs of our growing community.

These thoughts were uppermost in my mind - so Mr. Dicky lost the battle of wills; the Mating Crystals would not be used this night. I still longed to use them, but not until each of the women already in my life understood the options available to her. I wanted my mates to want and desire me as much as I wanted and desired them; it would be awful if they were to feel trapped into a long term relationship that they didn't truly desire.

I do not mean to say that Mr. Dicky's wants were completely ignored that evening, the beautiful women of my harem refused to let that happen and once again my eyes were treated to a feast of incredible beauty. The beautiful Jordan joined us for the evening's sexual pleasures. Jordan was so vivacious and full of life! Her smile and laugh are infectious! Her long, silky red hair hung in curls all the way down to her delightfully curvaceous ass; the light dusting of freckles on her face proved to be present everywhere else on her smooth as satin skin.

I wondered at the exquisite sensations and joyful feelings of love I shared with the thirty two women I filled with my seed before the sweet arms of sleep overcame me! I certainly did feel a deep connection with many of them while we were entwined in our sexual embrace.

When I woke up in the morning, once again before the women in my life, I thought about how best to schedule my time. I wanted to develop a daily routine that would section my day to allow time for quite a few pursuits: exercise, learning more about the things the Wizard had given as gifts or told us about, contacting more plague survivors, further setting up to meet the needs of an ongoing and growing community, and most importantly finding time to talk to each of the women who already shared my bed at night.

I decided to start off my day, while the others still slept, by combining my exercise session with some learning. I sent a quiet thought out to Samba, "Are you awake?"

"Yes Master Telford, both Rumba and I are awake."

"Would you have time to talk with me this morning while I exercise?" I inquired.

"Certainly. Where would you like me to meet you and would it be okay if Rumba joins us?" the owl asked.

"Please meet me on the deck of TT1 and yes Rumba is more than welcome to join us."

I asked the owls to use mind speak to tell me about the weapon the Wizard had supplied me with while I ran laps around the perimeter of TT1's top deck. It seemed that the two Owls decided to enjoy a chance for some flight time and I must admit it took a bit of getting used to the whole situation. Here I'm running at top speed and holding a conversation with some bird flitting here and there through the air! But strange or not, it was a very productive use of time and as I mentioned before, the Owls tend to be very thorough.

As I learned more about the capabilities of the tool the Wizard had bestowed upon me, I experienced the same sense of awe I had as Ezra taught me about Telford's Terrace - the amazing craft the Wizard had gifted me with. Both the Ruler's Rod and TT1 were marvelously powerful and versatile. The Wizard had mentioned that it could be used to hold, stun, or kill; but at the time I didn't really grasp the concept that it could be used on multiple targets at once, or the fine degree of mental control that could be exerted with it.

I thought about what the Wizard had said about it being easy to take life but impossible to restore it. "Will I have the mental discipline necessary to control the amount of force exerted even when I'm really angry?" I wondered to myself

As a growing boy, my father had taught me the art of Jujitsu. Dad constantly emphasized the need to remain calm and in complete control of ones mental processes. This went well with Jujitsu's basic concept of defending against and disarming aggressors. My military training had further instilled the need to make informed decisions based on careful calculation and planning as opposed to taking rash and risky actions. But, with such power as the Ruler's Sword provided, defense was assured and risk was minimized to almost nothing - at least in the short term. Anytime a life is taken it has a ripple effect; that is why I'd spoken to each of the women back at the farmhouse before taking Asshole's life. That decision was a group decision and not one that I made on my own. Would I possess the self control to hold back my anger when taking it out would pose no immediate risk to my own safety? That was an important question that demanded that I think about how to react to a wide variety of situations before I encounter them. Well, that brought me back to my training as a military strategist. As a strategist I had learned to evaluate risks and avoid unnecessary ones; now the emphasis of who was at risk was different. If I wasn't careful my own rash actions could put others at risk.

I talked about my concerns with Samba and he told me that if I was already thinking about these things then I was also already taking the first steps to avoiding the potential pitfalls. He added that the Wizard didn't make his choices lightly and that he was certain my actions would prove the Wizard's choice of me to be a good one. When I thought about it from that particular point of view - it just made me more determined to devise strategies that used the hold and stun capabilities of the weapon and to reserve the power to kill for extreme situations where no other choice presented itself. I didn't want to let the Wizard down - I respected him too much to allow that to happen.

When my exercise period was over I went down to my personal chambers on deck three and took a quick shower. After I was dry I walked over to the stand that held the dragon emblazed chest containing so many of the Wizard's gifts. I looked at them again and counted out two hundred of the Dragon Communication Charms and placed them in a small leather pouch. I didn't have any clean clothing with me so I returned to the top deck in the nude to continue my discussions with Samba.

"Samba, how are these Communication Charms worn?" I asked as I held one of the small dragon shaped emblems in the palm of my hand. It appeared to have some kind of pin fastener like the kind on the broach my mom used to wear.

"It is similar to your Communication Bracelet Master Telford. It can conform to several shapes: wrist bracelet, ring, earring, or pin. It is worn according to the bearer's preference and will not come off by accident."

I slipped the Communication Charm into the pouch with the others and said "Let's head back to the others," to my two owl friends.

By now I was getting quite hungry. A quick trip through the mirrors took me back to my suite where I shaved. After dressing in jeans and polo shirt I headed down to the spacious meeting room that we were starting to refer to as 'the breakfast room'. Maureen and Becky had saved me a spot between them and as soon as I sat down, Dawn and Patty each brought me a plate.

"We know you get really hungry Mike from all of your 'evening' activities," Dawn said with a wink.

"So who were you with this morning stud?" Patty teased.

The fork stopped halfway to my mouth, a rare occurrence indeed! "For your information my vocal lover - I was running laps around TT1's top deck while Samba and Ramba were teaching me about one of the Wizard's gifts!"

"Oh you poor dear!" Maureen said as she patted me on the leg. "All of the women in your harem are practically walking bow legged from the fucking you gave us last night - so you have to drain your energy with running instead of fucking. How do you manage?"

Damn that woman can make me blush!

Realizing that thirty two vivacious and quick witted women against one man don't really stack the odds in my favor, I did the prudent thing and stuffed my mouth with food! Besides, I told myself, we have a lot that needs to get done today.

The food really did taste wonderful to me and after I had finished a third plate of food I was finally starting to feel satisfied. I took a good look around the room and saw that we had everyone in attendance: the thirty three from my family, the seven in Gil's family, the five in Drew's family, the as yet unattached women, and the three in Pete's family. Using mind speak I called Ezra and Eve, Samba and Rumba, and Danny and Darla to join us.

"I want to say a few words before we get busy today. Let me start by saying that I'm really enjoying getting to know each of you and how very glad I am that you survived the plague."

There were a lot of smiles and murmurs of approval and affirmation all around the group.

"I also want to thank all of you who have been keeping us so excellently fed!"

More approval and some laughter accompanied this comment.

"Last night I told you a bit about the world community the Wizard is trying to build. I also told you that he has gifted me with many things and also many responsibilities. You should know that above all, both the Wizard and I value you as individuals and desire that you live both happy and free. Yet in this hour of history that we find ourselves in, none of us would likely survive and prosper as well individually as we can if we band together in communities that care for their members.

You could summarize the charge that I accepted from the Wizard by saying that I've accepted the responsibility for growing, caring for, and nurturing one such community. Before I was given the gifts the Wizard felt would help in this responsibility, I swore service to the Wizard and took an oath to care for and protect any who might wish to join our community and are willing to live within our guidelines. I don't say 'my' guidelines for the simple reason that I intend that we establish these guidelines together as much as possible. The Wizard also hopes that this will be the case. Both he and I desire that personal freedoms be protected, that we live in peace as far as possible, and that we develop trade and communication with other like minded communities.

Before I ask anyone else to join our community I would like to formalize the relationship I have with each of you and outline a few goals and objectives that are important to me. It should probably also be said that just as I have been given responsibility for a geographic region, there are many other men who have similar responsibilities for other areas around the globe. If for any reason one of you finds they are feeling uncomfortable in this community, either now or in the future, you would be welcome in another community. The only exceptions are for those who do not respect the rights and freedoms of others.

We've only been together a short while and I'm happy to say that in that time our group has worked well together and I've not seen any major disputes erupt. I believe we have a good base to work with here. If you feel the same way and would be comfortable with me as a leader, I'm asking you to give me your oath of service and also to make an oath to protect and care for the members of this community. These are the same oaths that I was asked to make at the Wizard's request. Let me say again, if you are unhappy with this arrangement, there are other communities and I will be happy to help you find one. I don't want anyone to have to try and make it alone. Just be honest about it and know that I will have no hard feelings either way. You're all good people and whatever you decide I'd like us to remain friends.

Any questions?"

There were a few questions, but they were mostly of the "what does the future hold" type as opposed to being argumentative or uncooperative. As it turned out, there were none in the group who wanted to go elsewhere. I was certain that might change as we added more people to the mix and I determined not to take offense if it did. It can be hard for different personalities to come together. There are an infinite variety of personalities and it would be too much to assume that there would never be any conflict. Sooner or later someone would come along who didn't respect the rights of others. Sooner or later someone would come along who just couldn't get along with some other member of the community. For now we were lucky.

Gil was the first to ask "How do we go about making this oath?"

Ezra stepped in and answered with a question of his own: "Would you like a little help?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll go first and then you can see how it's done."

The big cat stood on all fours and stood near me where he could look in my eyes and be seen by everyone present. In a fairly loud voice he said "I Ezra do offer my service to Master Telford of the Wizard's Conclave. I vow to live in peace with my fellows and to serve Master Telford loyally, caring for his community 'House Telford' and offering my life in its protection if it becomes necessary. Before these present I so swear!"

Ezra moved to stand behind me and slightly to my left. Gil stood and approached us. Soon Gil was standing right were Ezra had been.

"Might I speak a few words Sir?" he asked.

"Feel free Gil."

"I want you all to know that although I've been through the pain of losing friends and loved ones that the Plague has taken from me, I feel so incredibly blessed that I've met each of you. I really do feel a sense of community now that's stronger than at any other time in my life," Gil said with sincerity.

Then turning to me, Gil spoke "I Gil do offer my service to Master Telford of the Wizard's Conclave. I vow to live in peace with my fellows and to serve Master Telford loyally, caring for his community 'House Telford' and offering my life in its protection if it becomes necessary. Before these present I so swear!"

When Gil had finished I said "I accept your oath and accept you as a member of House Telford." I motioned for him to hold out his left hand and when he did I placed the Dragon Charm, in its bracelet form, on his wrist. The bracelet seemed to morph and change until it was properly sized and would clearly not fall off.

"Thank you Gil! With this communication charm you are marked as a member of our community and gifted with the ability to mind speak with any other member within House Telford. I'll tell you more about it later."

I stood there as one by one the members of my community approached and swore their loyalty to me and the community as a whole. As I placed the Communications charm on them, I felt a growing sense of responsibility towards them as well as a deepening kinship with them. To each I whispered my thanks via mind speak. Everyone spoke with sincerity and though we had enjoyed a feeling of camaraderie already, the future now blossomed with the promise of lifelong friendships and support.

I closed what had turned into a solemn yet joyous time with the words "As Master Telford of the Wizard's Conclave, I accept your oaths and reaffirm in your presence my service to the Wizard and each member of this community. May all live long lives blessed by love, friendship, and good health!"

Ezra responded "Long live the Wizard! Prosperity to House Telford!" and his toast was echoed by everyone present.

Next I went over the tasks I was proposing for the day: Locating a supply of large mirrors and placing them in the various warehouses that stocked items we would need on a regular basis, adding the university in Raleigh to the mirror network, and making a trip to Asheville to help any survivors we might find there. All in all a very full day of activity.

I asked everyone who had a gun and some training on how to use it to make sure that they were carrying it today. I cautioned them not to use it if they didn't have to. If any survivors were located on any of our ventures we agreed to first see to their physical needs offering food and medical care. As long as they seemed friendly and helpful I would talk with any survivor about our community and the order of things within it. If they were willing to respect the freedoms and dignity of others, willing to do their fair share of work to ensure the community's success, and were willing to take the same oath every other member had taken, I would offer them membership in the community. I made it clear that race and age didn't matter to me in the least; neither would gender preferences.

After everyone had visited their suites and got their gear together, we would meet on TT1. The Wizard had given us a very generous supply of the Mirror Transport beads and I had added them to about a dozen mirrors located at convenient spots within the Omni. Now, using mind speak, I was able to talk with each member of my community and give them instructions on which mirrors were active and how to use them to get to Telford's Terrace. They were more than pleased at the results!

Ezra had a bit of advice to offer me. "Mike, you should gather your supply of mirrors first. That way you can enable mirrors as you need them, leaving one in any prime location where a mirror isn't already present. That will also allow you to split into teams once a mirror transport connection is established that facilitates the work of one of the teams."

"Like the team that will be gathering food and things?"

Ezra just nodded his head. He was right of course. It would make me feel a lot better as well since anyone doing that kind of work would be able to get back to safety immediately if anyone tried to harm them.

"What happens if one of the mirrors breaks?" I asked.

"I suggest that you try to break one of the mirrors after you've enabled it Mike. I can't tell you for sure what would happen; but I'm pretty confident that the Wizard has already thought about that."

Once the whole crew was on board, most standing where they could look over the edge of TT1, I sent instructions to move TT1 to a position above Beaufort, South Carolina. Sarah and I had ordered a rather large mirror from a company in Beaufort called Athena Corporation. I knew they sold a lot of different types of products but the huge mirrors were what I remembered the most. The one we had ordered was six feet tall and over twelve feet wide in a single plate of mirrored glass. The shipping had been very expensive as had the mirror, but it had been worth every penny then. Now I knew the mirrors would be worth even more to me - but this time they'd be free.

Lot's of oohing and aahing occurred after the scenery below us shifted in the blink of an eye. I gave everyone time to look at the new aerial view we found ourselves presented with and while they were busy gazing and getting their bearings, I used the time to share a bit of information with them. "The Dragon charm that I gave to each of you this morning does much more than mark you as a member of our community. With it you can mind speak to anyone in our community or within any of the Wizard's communities. I'm going to ask that Ezra, Eve, Danny, Darla, Samba, Rumba, and Moon Blossom teach you how to use the charms. Each of them can already mind speak and could long before I was given the gift. Just one word of advice: It is still a form of speaking and can be an interruption or distraction just the same as verbal speech if you aren't careful; so please continue to be thoughtful and considerate of everyone."

The seven appointed instructors quickly broke everyone apart into smaller groups and began their instruction. Meanwhile TT2 used the mirror in the large hold and then came out onto the top deck. Other than using it like a taxi, this would be our first real use of TT2 in my mind. It had several gadgets that reminded me of mini loading cranes with extensor arms for really big objects and I now knew that these devices were capable of lifting those enormous modular metal containers that went from the hold of a ship to a semi trailer or train car. Parked on TT2 were about a dozen small transport pads that could be used to lift palettes and boxes - somewhat like the small electric palette lifts used in warehouses and stores to stock shelves. There were also several other devices that I would have never recognized the uses of prior to the training that Ezra had given to me.

Soon the short impromptu mind speak classes were over and we were ready to begin our little excursion. TT1 was able to tap into the Internet and get the address for the Athena warehouse. Pete, Gil, Drew, and I, along with about a dozen of the women, climbed aboard TT2 and took a gentle ride as it descended the nearly three miles to the ground. It was about 10:30 in the morning and we were all alert for dogs. I had the Ruler's Sword in my pocket. During my training with Samba I had learned that it was thought controlled and I didn't even need to be touching it to activate it. As long as it was near me I could use it, so even in my pocket it was 'locked and loaded' so to speak.

When we were about a hundred feet off of the ground I sent my first instruction to the Ruler's Sword. It was a multipart instruction: Place a hold on any predatory animals and human survivors in the factory and the immediate area we were descending into, link to TT1s scanners and prevent any life forms who were not members of House Telford from getting any closer than 500 feet to the factory, notify me of any actions automatically taken as a result of these directives.

As soon as I had sent the command I could hear proof that it was being carried out. From all around the area of ground where TT2 was about to put down there came the hideous noises of dogs wailing. Not howling or barking but wailing out of fright. Some mysterious force had them pinned and they couldn't move. Something about not being able to see what was holding them in place seemed to frighten the animals. Their noises continued for the first ten minutes or so and then subsided to the occasional whimper.

As soon as TT2 touched down in a clear area I told everyone to step up onto one of the small transport pads. With sixteen in our group this caused some of us to double up and have two on a single pad and I was pleased when Anjali joined me on mine. Sending so the others could listen in and see how it was done I began to send the very simple mind speak directives that the platform was designed to accept. "Mark current location as base. Levitate. Rotate minus 90 degrees. Proceed at low speed." The platforms, while less sophisticated than TT1 or TT2, were able to keep track of the path they had taken as well as the location of any reference points that were marked. That should make the return trip easier if we needed to come back to TT2's current location.

Soon our little convoy of platforms was covering the distance between TT2 and the factory. Low speed turned out to be about seven or eight miles an hour. When we reached the entrance I sent "Easy Stop. Mark current location as entrance point one."

I stepped the foot or so down off of the transport pad and found that the double doors were unlocked. After I swung them both open I asked everyone else to wait a moment and I popped in for a quick survey of the place. It was kind of your showroom and store combo up front, some offices to the side, and then some heavy duty double doors straight ahead beyond the showroom floor. When I reached them I found that these doors were unlocked as well. I sent instructions to the others in my small party to head across to the big double doors after sending the "collision avoidance" directive to their respective platforms.