Chapter 4

When the temperatures began to go high enough for snow to melt people started venturing out and about. I went to the lake and saw that the ice was so thick that you couldn’t see the water below. This gave me an idea. Before refrigeration, people stored winter harvested ice in caves and icehouses. They used the stored all year round and all it took was a cave, drainage, and insulation like straw. This would let us store meat long term without the BS of drying it first. The thought of a nice grilled venison steak made my mouth water. Now all I had to do was talk people into doing something that seemed useless and even pointless. I talked to Alfreed and Doc about trying it, they talked to the eldermen, and then people asked me how would we harvest the lake ice?

Well forging the head for an ice bore wasn’t too hard. I already had a couple of wood saws that would do the job of cutting, and the lumber wagon could be used for hauling. Now all we needed was a deep vault, of which our area had was too many already. Many were already calling our town “the labyrinth” jokingly. I decided to go to one of the hills near the lake and start excavating. Not only did I go into the hill, but down as well. Along the way I found a few nice mineral deposits I mined out and then hid away for later. I built one of the largest chambers I had done so far, complete with arched ceiling, pillars, and a sloped floor before going a little lower and building a second room below for storing food. Drainage was the hard part though. I went to the top and, like digging a well, dropped through the floor. When I climbed out I then shrank the hole so only water would fall in. The tunnel leading to the chamber was huge, but once we had the vault filled with ice I would go back and build a series of airlocks to keep the cold in.

Thankfully no one was injured during my little experiment. It was a ton of cold, back breaking labor, but eventually the ice house was filled to the brim with only narrow isles inside. Once we were done people commented that it was colder inside the vault than it was outside and water was still freezing out there. The women made sure that nice hot food was ready at the end of each day, and people asked what all could be done with such a great amount of ice. “Imagine taking freshly killed meat and keeping it fresh till late fall or even winter, and rendered tallow never going rancid. The possibilities are many.” Well everyone began talking that idea up and the visions of using meat that wasn’t salted all year round was an incredible and edible idea for everyone.

We were all starting to enjoy being above ground when royal troops came charging in. “Where is the mayor” shouted the leader as he dropped from his horse. Doc came running out and the knight nodded to him. “One of the other villages was hit bad during the winter. There are dead and hungry people as well. Can you spare anything? Well no sooner had he shouted that than I was calling for Balor to head to the shop and get oxen on the wagons. We loaded wood and charcoal on one, and the other was taken to pull barrels of meat and sacks root vegetables. Doc ran back to his house to sack up the meds he would need to help.

We traveled as fast as the wagons could on the mix of snow and ice. “How are the other villages doing?” I asked and he nodded. “Everyone seems to be doing good for this late in the year. Things are running short but not exhausted.” He looked at the wagons. “It’s amazing your village could spare so much, are you sure this won’t hurt your people?” I nodded. “It may cause tight belts, but if it will save live it is worth it.” He gave me a single nod and looked inspired. Honestly it’s only about half of what we had in the central stores. No one dipped into the food they stored for themselves. We were making good time when we came to the next village and the soldiers asked the same question. They didn’t have much to add, but they did their best all the same. Since there was need and daylight we kept going.

The sun was starting to set when we got where we were needed. Only a few houses had smoke coming from them and that meant there was that little firewood. The soldier called out but only a few people ventured out. “We have food and dry wood. All able bodied people come help unload these wagons.” These poor shacks were going to use up a hell of a lot of wood to make them livable. “Hold on, this is not going to work. Go into your homes and wait till called.” I shouted and the knight, or whatever he was, scowled at me. I had them move the wagons out of the center of town and started my work.

This was going to be some serious work, but it had to be done. I bored into the ground before shifting outwards. Like I did with the ice vault I did a dome ceiling with supports for stability. With a little more effort I built fireplaces with baffles in the chimneys. When I created a ramp I called out for them to start moving people, beds, and anything else they needed to start moving down into the vault. I called for Doc and Balor to bring some wood and charcoal to get the fires started. For the hell of it I did a recreation of my forge in the center so there would be a central fire for light as much as heat.

So in the hour since we got there we had built them a vault and people were coming down and looking at it like some kind of miracle. I directed people on where people needed to set up their beds, sleeping pallets or what have you by the light from the central fire. Like with my water heater all the baffles stuck out of the chimneys to radiate waste heat back into the room. I raised a circle of stone around the forge to act as a table to set food and cooking tools on. That way the center would also be the kitchen. Once everyone was inside I asked a soldier to find me a door from one of the abandoned houses to use on the vault. Once that was in place I raised the wall around it so there was only one way out. It leaked like a sieve but that was a means to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. The whole room was about eight hundred square feet, but it was better than crowded in a leaking shed in this weather. I went over to one wall and took a deep breath. Man this was going to suck. I dropped into the floor until I got where I needed to be and started making a water well a little wider than me. Even before I was ready to climb out, the water was already up to my waist. When I reached the top the cold sank into my legs. I pulled a wall up and left it at that.

Balor saw me, grabbed a blanket, and came over to me. “Here you go mage, wrap this around you and let me have those wet pants.” I did as he asked and looked around the room. Doc was going from person to person treating what he could and giving as much comfort as possible. The room was actually silent as people just looked around them and trying to get warm. Soldiers has already shed their great cloaks and were already getting food together and heating up. Pots were being set close to the fires to melt snow for drinking and cooking water. When one cracked one of the barrels he gave a surprised voice. “My goodness, smoked and salted meats? We will be eating well tonight.” When he pulled a strip and stuck it in his mouth he exclaimed. “What in the world? Never in my life have I tasted anything like this.” He then handed a strip of the jerky to a friend who moaned at the taste. “So savory, I almost don’t want to boil it, but the soup will taste incredible.”

I pulled up a chair with a high back and sat down in it. Between all the panic earlier, and the great amount of energy used in construction, I was wiped out. Balor came over with a water skin and smiled. “Your Bethany told me you would need this.” I took a sip and my mouth was filled with her sweet tea. It was just what I needed right now. The knight came over to talk so I raised a seat for him. He gave me a nod of his head before sitting which was an unexpected sign of respect. “You know I have seen some powerful stone mages, but few if any, who could do this so quickly or so well.” I chuckled at this. “Well my teacher Alfreed would have watched me make this and pointed how to have done better.” The knight just shook his head. “This was probably the difference between life and death for every person here. This ... dwelling is a shelter and so much more.” I shrugged. “Well it is a pretty little cave, and it should keep them safe and warm till they can recover. After I regain a little energy I will see about building a small chamber for a privy. It won’t be much, and it will be a bit chilly, but it will be better than going outside to dump buckets.”

Doc wandered over and I pulled him up a seat as well. “So Doc, what’s the damage?” He looked as tired as I did. “Well Mikael we saved some lives. Between the vault you made, the goods we brought and the healing potions we made those who have survived this far will make it through this alive.” I nodded along, but something bothered me. “The question is why they did so badly? At the gathering every village seemed well prepared and more than ready for winter.” I looked around the room and shook my head. “Looking around now it seems there may not be enough survivors to keep it alive.” The knight gave a sigh. “A group of bandits came through and stole what they could carry off. Those that fought died at their hands, and those that didn’t just died later.” I scowled at him. “I remember that. The guards came through but there was no call for relief for the victims at that time, why not?”

The knight hung his head. “I have no idea but it will be investigated. Just hunting bandits while ignoring the damage they did was dereliction of duty.” He looked up and I could tell he was angry at this. “Now I look at what you did in so little time, though with great effort and no little cost to yourself, and wonder why someplace like this isn’t a part of every village in the barony?” he looked around and nodded to himself. “An emergency shelter for all seasons could save many lives in many ways. Storing of food, wood, medicines, and such for when the village has hardships. I must pass this on to my superiors as soon as possible.” He then looked at me. “But don’t worry, I am sure you and your teacher will be well compensated.” I wasn’t worried about compensation, I was worried about how long I would be away from my family. I had a feeling that this wouldn’t be just in the local villages, but all of the ones in the barony. I could do one of these in a day without killing myself, but it was the travel time that would drag this into who knows how long.

As people defrosted with warm food they began to really look around, and there was a renewed feeling of hope. I built a room off to the side and recreated Alfreed’s septic system for these people because they were going to be here for a while. People came over to Doc and I and thanked us for coming to the rescue. The soldiers told them that most of the supplies were from our town as well. Then I turned in and spent a long night on a cold floor. I guess for the people here though it was a great night as they knew they would be waking up in the morning.

When they wanted to know the best place to put the wood, I went to work, again, and built a store room for all that off the main room. Then I went with the knight and began the dirty work. I was moving a lot of soil this day as we dug grave after grave in the frozen ground. The headman scratched names on stone planks as headstones as he identified who was planted where. At the same time anything that could be useful, like wood or food, was scavenged and brought to the vault. We spent one more night there when the knight asked if I would travel with him to the other villages in the area. Doc agreed for the both of us since he was the mayor and we headed out. Each village was doing fine, doc was a bit of a help in few cases, but overall it was just a very long trip for nothing.

When we got home my family was overjoyed to see me again. As we sat down to eat the Knight asked if there were accommodations that could be made for him and his men for a day or two and I just smiled at him. We went to the woodhouse and I guided him down to the central vault. Doc was already down there talking to Alfreed who practically lived in the “grand hall”. The guards were looking around in awe and the knight seemed full of questions. “Well boy, looked like your little experiment is now a public necessity. I knew when you built this place, any good noble would see it that way. Probably could have saved a few lives if they had done this back after the gathering.” The knight laid his hand on the pommel of his sword but Alfreed just raised an eyebrow that the man as a challenge. I just sat back and looked into the fire pit. “Well we can try and throw blame for what could have happened, or simply understand what went wrong and try not to do it again.”

The men were just looking around when Bethany and my wives came marching in from the tunnel that led to the hold with arms full of sleeping pads and blankets. These were handed out and the men were guided to areas where they could put them down for the night. Balor came in and showed the guards the barn where their horses could be left with feed. And then I guided them to the surface and then to my house. No offense but I didn’t want them passing through my store room and through the tunnel system. After one of the women’s wonderful dinners we said good night and they walked back. They stayed for two days before heading back to the capital, with promises of a reward for being so helpful to the lords of the area.

As things got warmer I talked to Doc about changing the crops. Planting season was still a bit away, but if we were going to be planting different crops, like summer wheat, we needed to plan that out. Terraforming the hillsides last year could either expand the crops we already grow, or be where we grew the amaranth while the old fields would be wheat. We could also expand vegetable crops as well. For the first time I had pushback from the eldermen. Wheat wasn’t something our farmers knew how to raise, and crop changes had to be approved by the barony. They explained that the grain raised here was how they paid their taxes, so the barony decided what would make the most profit for the barony.

Everything was nice and quite as people began to prepare for planting season. The fertilizer we had, thanks to the oxen and mules, as well as other goodies were mixed and then spread to the fields. We plowed it all up to mix it in and I stood back while that was done. I may be a great stone mage, but I was a lousy farmer. However all the kids were right out there working their little fingers to the bone for the hold. The women helped by working and also guiding the kids in what to do. Over all it was a fantastic effort by everyone.

The only point I helped was in redesigning the plows they used. Now I am not a farming historian, but a collection of wood, with a pointed stick stuck into the ground is not an effective plow. Now one of the tools that changed western civilization (I am so glad I had to take the class now) was the furrowing plow. I remember one of my classmates told me that the saying “beating your swords into ploughshares” was the start of the furrowing plow. Taking a broadside sword and beating it into a sheet. Give it a slight curve like a shield and you had the early plow. It took me a few tries but when I had it the way I remembered I took it to the fields and tried it out. One the mule started walking as the plow dug into the soil and did all the work. When people saw the results I was getting, well let’s say I was practically carried back to the smithy to make a few more.

When Alfreed came over to watch me he shook his head. “So we have another world changing revelation from the “simple stone mage” huh?” I shrugged. “I was watching people with a plow and it seemed wrong. I remember hearing a story about after a great war many of the men came home and beat their swords into ploughshares. I thought “is that any better than a stick?” and then I thought about a shield. Pointed and curved would fold the soil back into itself.” He nodded to know one in particular. “I have to wonder about your world.” He muttered, to himself and then smiled at me. “I again wonder at the ideas you will have that will change this land. Between your abilities, and your infinite well of knowledge, you are somewhere between the greatest threat ever, and the greatest gift ever. I guess the real question is how it is all perceived.” I sat there and wondered about that myself. “What is your view Alfreed?” His grin spread as wide as it could. “What the hell do you think it is boy? I’ve been teaching you everything I know, showed you tricks I never shared with anyone, and encouraged you at every turn. I think you are good person, not some holy saint trying to push your will, but a good person who is finding ways to make the world actually better for everyone.”

Later I was getting ready for bed when I asked if Bethany would come alone tonight and she nodded and smiled at me. “Anything my lord wishes of me I am happy to give.” When I got to my room we went to the bath, washed each other off, but she could tell from my face I wanted to talk more than anything else. “Sir, why do you seem like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders?” I looked into her wonderful eyes and tried to relax. “Do you think I am doing good, or too much?” She blinked at me and then smiled. “You are an amazing man. You have saved so many people, done so many things to improve people’s lives, you are amazing.” So many nights she has said these very words and made me feel better, but for some reason they seem hollow to me now.

“Bethany, my first and most trusted wife, please help me.” She smiled and nodded. “I need that wonderful woman that used to smack my upside the head when I was a fool. I need the woman who used to walk the halls of power and survive. It’s not my ego that needs help, but my very soul that feels like there is something going on, and I am on the edge of a cliff that I can’t step away from. That things are about to change and I need all the help and guidance I can get.” She nodded, sat up, and tucked the blankets over her wonderful bare breasts. “I can’t say I am happy Howser let that cat out of the bag, but maybe you needed to know who I used to be.” She took a breath and nodded. “I used to be a lady in waiting to the Baroness. She was the power behind the throne in more ways than one, and being her aid, I was seen as a powerful person myself.” She looked at the blanket and seemed to pick at fluff for a few moments. “Then something changed and I knew things were at a tipping point. The Baroness was pushing to fast, too hard, and I knew her power and possibly her life was about to fall.” She took a long breath and smiled at me. “So I resigned from the capital. I told everyone that I had found love and was leaving. What I found was a love of breathing, and I decided to get out before someone saw my existence as too much of a threat. I packed up what I could in a hand cart, and then one evening I fled the capital. I knew the area, the good villages and the bad, and headed for one of the most advanced ones I could find.”

“I got here a few years ago and told everyone I was a widow who was looking for a place to live. The physician knew I was more than that because of my speech, but he spoke up for me and helped me to find my place here. I thought I couldn’t be any happier than to just be Bethany the widow, and then you came along. Now I am Stone mages head wife, ruler of the hold, and mother to all. Rather than the Baroness’s aid, I am yours and I am happy.” She turned tear filled eye to me and her smiled filled my heart. “I’m not just happy on the surface, I am happy to my very soul. I am raising women to be good wives, I am raising the children I was never able to conceive, I am building the life I wasn’t able to have and I am fulfilled as a woman. That is who I truly am.”

Well fuck, a serious moment thrown out the widow because my wonderful wife confessed to me of her deepest love. We kissed gently at first but her passion rose to the surface quickly and we feasted on each other. We made love like it was out first time and it was so perfect I was blown away by it all. As we laid there covered in sweat and love she looked into my eyes and smiled as tears flowed. “My wonderful husband, I finally made love to you. I finally was able to be who I truly am and make love to you. You do accept me for who I am don’t you?” I kissed her salty lips and smiled. “I have always made love to the real you. You aren’t hiding who you are to me, you were hiding the real you until you came here. I fell in love with the real you, you just showed me the mask you wore before.”

The next morning I woke up with Bethany holding me tight. She heard me wake up and smiled at me. “So my husband, you said you needed my help. What can I do for you?” I rolled into her arms and smiled as I gripped her wonderful ass in my hands. “I am feeling too good, and far too happy to talk about anything other than breakfast.” She smiled and I leaned in and sucker her bottom lip into my mouth. “Oh that is delicious, I wonder if the rest of you tastes as good?” I began nibbling and sucking different parts of her upper body making her laugh and even squeal like a girl. I found a few ticklish spots and she started hitting me with a pillow. I sat back and smiled at her. “How about we talk seriously later? Right now I have my heart and mind filled with the love I have for you my wonderful wife.” I stroked a few hairs from her face and kissed her. We cuddled and kissed before nature made us get started with the day.

Later that day Bethany caught up to me and we sat down to finish the talk we started last night. “So, as your wife, please tell me what you wanted to last night.” She said to break the ice. “Honestly I am afraid of what the future may hold. Lately I can’t stop helping people out, but I have a feeling that such help could bring a lot of danger to me and the people I love.” She smiled and nodded. “The new plow, the winter shelters, the hill side planting, the excellent blacksmithing that seems almost unnatural, and other things you mean?” I nodded. “Then I also have to try and understand how you can buy so much trade good with what little gold we have, it’s almost like you can make coins from out of nowhere.” Damn she noticed that too? “And Balor mentioned you traded so much iron to the guild in the capital to buy all that we needed, only I don’t think that much iron came out of the furnaces.” I could feel the cold sweats start.

“My husband I have always watched you and wondered how you can do so much with so little. How you can have such skills yet seem so lost. I could write it off as to you slowly recovering lost knowledge, but that seems flimsy to me. Call it my sixth sense, but there is something different about you that it puzzles me to no end. In all my life I could never imaging a man who could resist women as much as you. I never knew of any man that was so in love with women as you are at the same time. You love us more than for what we can do for you, you love us as we are without any returns. You also have skills that drive women to the point of forgetting everything else just for a little more of your kindnesses.” She took my hands in hers.

“When the baronet came I knew things were going to change again. He knows me, and he sees what you are doing here. You are revolutionizing everything around you and you are right to be concerned. However there is something you are missing. The Baronet let it be known before he left that he wants you to continue being of benefit to the Barony. That was a political way of saying he was looking the other way as long as what you do is beneficial to the Barony and the kingdom.” She smiled at me and I felt my heart warm a little. “My husband, the Baronet knows me and the way I think. As we talked we did so in a speech that the nobles use when at parties and don’t want to be overheard talking. He asked me what I truly thought of you and your developments. He wanted to know if you were undermining the Baron in any way. I explained to him that your only thoughts were to help out the people, and to help build the poor villages into something better. We also chatted about how things were going in the capital, and he told me there were concerns about growth.”

This caught my attention and she noticed. “I thought that would get your attention.” She said and giggled. “The reason the salt mines haven’t been developed was the extra investments needed to support such an enterprise. When he saw the smithy, the trading store, and listened to your ideas he knew that it was possible to get started as soon as spring arrived. After planting people will have the ability to start production of the materials needed to get the mine up and running.” Then she sat up and smiled proudly. “Your new plows alone will speed up the process. While the Barony is not poor, it is strapped when it comes to increasing any spending.” I frowned at this. “That is a dying economy. If there is no investment into new income, then you will only be able to sustain what you have. If all you do is grow one crop, and that crop starts to fail, your economy only collapses. Like a farmer that only knows how to grow one crop, sooner or later you will starve when no one buys your crop.”

Bethany smiled at me like a child who understood something unexpected. “The Baronet is hoping by allowing you unobstructed progression, you will help give the Barony new means to grow and survive. He hopes for new products, new methods, and new resources. The only worry he really has is new ideas.” I wondered what he means by that. “He hopes for revolutionary ideas, but not revolution.” I blanched at her and shook my head. “I would never endanger the people I love like that.” Bethany nodded and kissed my hands. “I told him that and so did you. He watched you closely, he saw the love you have for your family, and for the village. Those men who want more, who want power, would never be so gullible to show off what you did to him. You promoted the people and not yourself. When we were at the gathering with him he watched how people were impressed with how the village had grown, at the houses you built, but you never took the credit or tried to curry favor with the other villagers. You supplied them what was needed but always shifted the credit to those around you. Some would see that as deflecting attention for power, but there is no one at our level to kiss up to for power.”

She gave a big happy sigh and smiled at me before pulling me into a very wonderful kiss. “So just keep being yourself and keep being the loving man you are. Make all kinds of new things to sell, keep making gold from wishes, and keep making wishes come true. Howser will tell me if the wrong people notice and I will tell you. If need be, Kalador is not that far away and we have wagons to pack our family in to make a new life.” I kissed her again and she blushed. “And that is why you are not only my first wife, but my best friend.”

Not long after I was worried when we had a royal visit again. Armed guards escorted a familiar coach into our town and pulled up to the hold. Doc and I ran to welcome them and out stepped Baronet Howser. “Welcome back to Kelton your grace” Doc said as we bowed to him. “Well my visit is overdue considering what I have learned about this noble town and i’s great deeds for the good of the Barony.” A knight came forwards and I recognized him. Baronet Howser handed him a scroll and the man took it before reading. “To all near and far harken to the words of Baron William Ur Hillsdale. The people of the town of Kelton, during the thirty second year of our lord’s rule, did sacrifice greatly and come to the aid of the Barony in such manners that saved the lives and limbs of his majesties subjects. With their brave sacrifices in the name of the crown the people of Kelton have been granted the addition of one hundred hectares of land to use as they see best for the glory of the Barony. Signed this day, the thirty second day of Umber, by our lord William Ur Hillsdale.”

The knight rolled the scroll back up, slipped into the scroll case he carried, and then handed it to Doc. The smiling noble handed Doc another scroll that was a map of the adjoining land we had just received. Doc was in a bit of shock as this basically more than doubled the area of our tiny town. “So, I hope this is a good surprise?” We both nodded and tried to catch our breaths. Bethany saved all our asses by inviting the baronet into the hold for tea.

As we sat down Howser looked at me. “So how is the plan to grow wheat going young man?” I shrugged and shook my head. “It’s not so much our people don’t like the idea, but people who don’t know how to grow a crop fear ruin of a failed crop.” He nodded and seemed to think a bit, but for some reason I knew he already knew that. “Well, that is a problem, but I have a problem of my own that may solve them both to our joint benefit. However it may take someone of great heart and mind to solve properly. The capital is being inundated with refugees from the territory of Viscount Glistner on our northern border. Half of them are women and children who, right now, are begging or prostituting themselves on the streets. These were once proud farming villages, but careless nobles left them to ruin and poverty.” He looked around at the hold and smiled at me. “Would it be possible for you and this town to allow these poor people to live and work here?” I felt the shoe drop when he said that. “And just what did these poor farmers grow?” I said with a tone I already knew what he was going to say. “They were known to be able to raise two crops of wheat in a single year.” He said as if it was a funny coincidence.