Chapter 19

The next day I had to involve a metal worker to make thin metal ribbons for the frames. An iron blowpipe and shears were ordered after I drew some pictures in the dirt. Brass or bronze would conduct too much of the heat to the hands and were no good for glass. The glass was good enough that I could blow a vessel with an existing pipe though it was a larger diameter than I wanted.

The glass was coloured with impurities and those on the ship suggested changing the proportions of the three ingredients. This seemed to work.

Another furnace had to be made to anneal the glass which in turn cost me a lot more money for materials and help. If I stayed long enough I may even spend ten dollars.

Sonya and Tanta went to see the herbalist but they found she knew nothing of magic. Sonya though gave new information about different plants. When learning about magic more than mathematics had to be studied for drugs and plants were important parts. They stayed together for a while and they seemed to get along quite well.

Some of the land was cultivated but other sections had no claim on them. Sonya, Tanta and I put four cairns out that encompassed nearly a kilometre on a side. The cairns though were fused magically and anchored fairly securely to the soil. A determined effort could dislodge the units though.

The land was rocky and even had a few hills. I unofficially told the city fathers that I was claiming this land. None of them wanted it or anybody else they knew but some thought of wringing some money from me. My fiddling with my knife gave them a moment to think rationally. When I talked officially now they said that the land was mine.

I said, "I have been spending money and need a home. I am employing the people who in turn buy your goods. I will need to make purchases too and if you have what I want and at a good price you will make money. Nobody wants to get cheated and I have the benefit of doing something about it if I am."

We stayed one more night where I talked about grinding the blanks I had cast and annealed. A telescope was produced from my pack and the town got a chance to see what it could do. An albino boy of eight or so hobbled up for his turn but was not going to push anybody away for he was on the bottom of the pecking order in this town.

Nobody wanted him and he survived on handouts and the occasional sex with some of the men. After reading the boy's mind I knew that there were two more children, two cripples and four old adults that had a hard time surviving.

The boy finally got his turn and I said in a quiet voice, "What is your name boy?"

"Kosta, Master."

"I need people to help me. Do you want a job?"

"Yes Master. I can do anything you want."

The boy was very serious and I knew he would do his best. Soap had been invented though it was only in the liquid form. We walked to the river and I said, "Kosta take your clothes off. We need to get you clean."

The boy had no problem. All he was wearing was a loin cloth and a pouch that held his valuables. He went into the shallow water but kept an eye out for danger. I gave him some soap but he didn't do a good job. I called him back and used the soap myself on him and he had to rinse off nearly five times. The long hair was the hardest to clean. The boy liked the physical contact but because of his age, none of it was sexual in nature.

Getting back into the town was no problem now though I used the same gate. I was still seen as a threat but not one that was ready to attack just yet.

We walked to a house where the woman was handy with making clothing. We had a discussion and I paid half of what she demanded so that Kosta was clothed properly. She would get the rest when I was satisfied with her work. Part of the deal was that she fed the boy while she had him. This suited them very well and me too.

I checked on the glassworks and the three men were doing as I asked. None of them knew anything about this except what I had told them but they did follow simple orders. They were not disciplined in any way and it was hard to get them to understand much or to understand some complex ideas.

The carpenter was busy making the large axle for the wagon and I stopped him with another and easier project. I drew up a wooden wheelbarrow with only a front board to keep articles from rolling off. Sides would be something to add later along with a steel rim.

He didn't understand this very well but he did start making the wheel. Slaves used hand barrows that were two poles that were supported by a man in front and a man behind with the load put between.

Sonya was bring enlightenment to the town too. Dorum was a native of this world and knew of some plants that would rid the locals of many parasites without the use of magic. When Dorum communicated with Sonya she explained what the three plants looked like and what to do with them. Sonya and Tanta were now looking with the herbalist for what was needed.

The 'Lady' was gathering seaweed down the coast and on the lookout for other carbon based material. We could not manufacture atoms but we could move the atoms we did have. Diesel fuel was easy to make with the power we had and our purity was better than any Earth refinery.

Sonya gave a mental warning and I saw four men through her eyes. They were riding the horse like animal with the elephant trunk. The men came on Sonya while they were searching for the second plant they needed. I ran to the gate then even faster when beyond the walls of the town.

I caught glimpses of what Sonya saw and it looked like trouble. The men liked what they saw and wanted some of it. They caught sight of Tanta and thought an eight year old girl was nice too. I was worried about their safety but we had been trained to fight. When I got close, Sonya actually said, "Stay away for a moment, Master."

Three men closed in on Sonya and their weapons were still sheathed. One was going after Tanta. I readied myself but did as Sonya asked. She went into action and struck two of the men with her hands then turned and used her foot to catch the third. The one going after Tanta turned and drew his bronze sword and went wearily to meet the big woman that beat his three men.

Sonya tried talking to him but he didn't listen. I said, "Do you want me to help?"

"No, Master. He's clumsy and I can take him."

"If you allow him to hurt you I will turn you over my knee and beat your butt."

"I won't let that happen."

The man tried to force Sonya to retreat but she moved in very quickly and pushed the sword wielding hand to one side then used her elbow to strike the man's larynx. He went down in a flash just like the rest.

I came in now and so did a crying Tanta. The girl cried at what could have happened and Sonya crouched to hug the girl. I bent too so I could hug both of my girls as Tanta recovered from the traumatic experience. In a few moments of reassurance we stood to look at the four men. I wanted to hurt them because of what they were going to do to my family but the rational mind was still working.

Sonya called, "Soffie, it's safe. Come on out."

We looked at the line of trees and finally saw a head peer out from behind a bush. From the distance she was worried about me now. We both waved to her as we held Tanta between us.

Soffie took her time getting near and the four men had not regained consciousness yet.

Sonya asked verbally so Soffie could hear, "What are we going to do with these four. They do this all the time and nobody gainsays them."

I finished reading the men's minds and said, "You have the right to take them as slaves and confiscate all the property they have with them. The moddas are now yours and they may be useful as draught animals for a large wagon."

"What do I want with slaves." She too read their minds and said, "They are in the employ of a mage. Apparently he's coming this way."

Soffie was an old woman for this planet and wanted to run and hide. Her own memories of a mage were not nice. The man was needlessly cruel in what he did. Sonya moved quickly and stopped the woman. Soffie fought for a few seconds and then just collapsed.

I went to the men and disarmed them of even their eating knives. The Moddas were more interesting though. They were fairly intelligent for an animal. They stood over two metres high at the shoulder. To get on, the animal must crouch like a camel did. Staying a few metres in front of them, I tried to look into their minds. Again in the high octave range I found their thoughts but they were not just simple animal ideas. They were not great thinkers but I detected each one assessing me for danger.

They were all hobbled and I walked to one of them. Slowly I put out my hand and a trunk came up to smell me. When it had finished and stored my odour I got closer and rubbed the trunk. It was not like an elephant. It had some small horny plates similar to a snake or a fish in this area. The ears were not hanging but turned like a cat to detect danger. I reached up and the animal moved but I got he ear first. I just scratched behind it like I had done to a cat and the animal relaxed.

In a moment I had the other ear scratched and then I introduced myself to the other three animals. When they go their ears scratched they too relaxed.

Tanta was right behind me and I put her forward and she was sniffed by four long thin trunks. She reached under the trunks and rubbed the undersides.

I said, "Tanta, link with me and I will show you something." She did and I went up to that area where the modda thought at and assisted her in listening to their ideas. Tanta smiled both physically and mentally and now moved her hand where this particular modda wanted scratched.

Soffie was pleading with Sonya now to run away before everybody was going to be killed.

Sonya said to me, "The main body is coming this way in an hour. There is usually no opposition and the toughs are used to frighten the locals. The mage is not much and is even more excessive than some of the trainees. He has twenty seven slaves and seven of them are children."

I said, "If we remove him we have to put somebody in his place. We don't want a power vacuum or mage that lead others to follow in his footsteps."

"We can find somebody and train them. Maybe one of the slaves themselves could take over if they are trained first."

Soffie interrupted, "You can't fight the mage. He has magical powers and an army of followers."

Sonya said, "He has seven more thugs to keep order and a lot of slaves that are suffering. The mage is not as powerful as you think."

"I have seen him do things. He can kill with a look and move knives with his mind."

I was casting my mind so I could see further. I finally saw the procession coming down a beaten track that was called a road. Ahead of them were some areas that were overgrown and the road meandered between tall trees because they were too big to remove.

"Sonya, let's go now. Get Soffie to rest here."

"Ok but these guys have to stay asleep." She looked at them and cast a sleeping spell. Soffie's mouth opened for she now thought that Sonya had may have magical powers too.

Sonya said, "Stay here. Tanta will protect you if necessary. Do not leave. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress but she is just a child."

"Trust us Soffie. You will not come to harm."

We hurried off at a run. It was fun to be with Sonya this way and I could feel her contentment too. I explained what I had seen and the ambush was easy to do. The men were of no real threat and it was best to take out the main opposition first.

I had to throw Sonya into a tree so she could catch a branch. I climbed some smaller trees and then moved over to a larger one then eventually to hers. There was a large vine but it was not big enough. The joke would not be funny if I fell.

We had been trained to go on a mission here by Erasmus. One of the things we had to do very well was hide our abilities and even some of our memories. We did this now and at the very least the mage would think he was being attacked by robbers.

We waited as three men passed under us. There was a gap of thirty metres then there was a covered contrivance that was strung between two large moddas. Yossich the mage was sitting there being swayed by the movements of the beasts. I chose the range and shape and cast a time spell that would only encompass the mage.

The moddas came to an abrupt halt as they couldn't push or pull the load that was slung between them.

Sonya and I jumped down and she ran to catch up to the three guards in the lead. They were just turning their heads when Sonya was among them. Her hands and feet flashed and the three fell from their seats.

The screams of the slaves alerted the two following and they charged at me with swords drawn. I had two smooth rocks in my hand and threw one at a time but not as hard as I could. Even though the men were charging at me on the backs of running animals, the physics of the act were simple. The two fell from their saddles and I was close enough to give some small sleeping spells as I passed.

Further back were the other two. They had been stationed there to warn of an ambush from the rear. They saw what had happened to the other two and split left and right and I could sense that they were just going to flee for their lives. I chased the one on my left down and was able to jump on the moddas' back to take the man out.

The other one was tearing away at a fast pace. I considered sending on the modda range an image of an attacking bomas, but all of the modda in the train would try to flee. I dropped to the ground and ran for all I was worth. The rider looked back and after seeing me urged his mount on even faster. It took three kilometres before I could jump hard enough to pull the man from the beast.

One quick chop and he was out but now the modda continued to flee. This time I sent out the thoughts of a contented modda getting scratched and the animal slowed to a halt. I called, "Come, an I will scratch you," but the animal stayed put. I was able to walk to it though after continuing to send it thoughts. It was not that apprehensive when I approached and gave it a few complimentary scratches before leading it back. The unconscious man was thrown on the back as I fulfilled my promise to the animal.

With everything I set out to do completed I called, "How are you doing Sonya?"

"Just fine. I am having a nice chat and trying to explain how the mage is hanging in mid air. The modda bolted but didn't go far. I see you bagged your limit. When are you getting here?"

"Ten minutes I guess. The guard is laying across the saddle and I don't want to hurt him needlessly."

"Don't worry about that. The guards are as bad as the mage. If it were up to me I would turn them into capons."

"We will see what we can do to reeducate them. How is Tanta?"

"She is doing fine. Soffie doesn't believe we took the caravan but she did stay."

I picked up the other guard and the modda then returned to the road. Two more guards were thrown on their mounts and the four of them were led back into camp. Sonya had picked up her garbage too and they lay in a pile close by. I picked through the pile and took out weapons then cleaned the game I brought back and added to the pile.

The slaves were very frightened of me but Sonya did her best to allay their fears. She was explaining that since the mage had allowed his men to attack her she was justified in taking the mage and guards as her slaves. The present slaves were now her slaves thus making the change of ownership very logical.

"Master, what are we going to do with the guards and this worthless lump of shit fouling the road?"

The term master made the slaves turn to me and those standing got to their knees facing me.

Sonya said, "See what you did. I had them starting to accept me." I had done nothing since it was her words not mine.

"Let's get the train down the road a bit and I can remove the spell. We can deal with Yossich in private."

Sonya had the slaves strip the former guards and the clothing was put on one of the mounts. When this was done she said to me, "You better put a loyalty spell on them. I don't want to tie them up or chase them the way you had to do."

"Yes, Mistress. Whatever you say, Mistress."

The slaves were now looking at us differently again but did nothing new. There were some spells on the guards but they were very inefficient and almost worthless. I took my time and removed all of them then put my own in their place. The guards woke up and quickly got to their knees awaiting orders. I said to them, "Do what your mistress tells you to do." I heard a reply in unison from all of them.

Sonya had the naked men on their feet and then working hard to get the train going once more. When it had gone for five minutes I readied my spells and so did Sonya. The time spell was removed and Yossich fell to the roadway immediately. I had a spell on him even as he was falling. After he bounced a bit the spell set in and he looked at me as his new master.

I said, "Pick up the front of the palanquin."

The man hurried to do so and I carried the back. Sonya got in for a while but the mage was not strong enough to keep up the pace or do the work.

Sonya said, "This guy isn't a mage. The children on the ship could do just as much after a few months."

"He is a mage in his own mind. He has heard of others and they have similar powers."

"That means our job is easy. Reform them and see how long their training lasts."

"We may have to stay here to go back to our time. I can see the need to nudge the new ones back to the straight and narrow."

Sonya disgustingly got out and we continued. When we got close to the area where she was first attacked she got back in. The mage and I carried her to the encampment. Everybody was amazed to see Sonya get out and a bedraggled mage hardly able to stand.

Tanta ran to Sonya and hugged her. "We both stayed. I taught Soffie something and she taught me something too."

"You're a good girl."

Soffie came to within five metres and then came no closer. Sonya called her over but the woman came reluctantly. Sonya put her hand on the shoulder of the subdued mage and said, "This was a man that had just a little magical powers. He knows next to nothing and never would know much. His guards put the fear into you and he could do a few tricks."

"But he can kill with his evil eye."

"It is not the eye. He has to think the thought instead. He won't do that anymore. He is our slave, as are the rest of his party now are."

"What are you going to do with them?"

"That's a good question. We came here because one day this area will have a big city of more people than you can imagine. I guess we could build a home here."

Sonya turned to me and said, "Let's put the men to work clearing the land. We have almost a square kilometre to work on. The slaves can go to the ship for re-education and training."

I said, "Better to go to our property and make a base to work from. We can anchor it later to the building itself. Twelve men are going to do very little for us. A home that you imagine needs thousands of trained workmen. We can canvas but all we will get is labourers. We will have to train all of them. To make this successful we need to make this city grow now. Eyeglasses carts, herbs and domesticated animals will only go so far."

Sonya countered, "There is a small volume of metals coming down the river. We can process them ourselves and people will come here to buy and live. This city could be the one of your schools as good as the one further north."

I said, "I would rather spread out the wealth a bit better. One city getting too wealthy will attract too many greedy hands."

"One wealthy city can defend better and the other cities are of no threat if they don't have the money to hire soldiers. That doesn't stop groups from banding together under a charismatic leader to take the city and split the booty."

We had been speaking so Soffie would understand but she said, "What do you have planned for our town?"

Sonya said, "We want to make the city a place of learning. Magic will be taught but also how to farm. Farmers just guess about their crops. There are many tricks that can be done to bring in good harvests. We can build large ships and they will take what we make to everywhere possible."