Chapter 59

It took a week of hard work to clean up Olaf's Berth and put things in order. I called in some mechanical help from Oak Hall in the form of the low bed tractor-trailer combo and the frontend loader and a couple of other pieces of equipment that Rory and Zahra had found for me. I had them used to haul down the old stockade on the hill and all the burnt out structures and all the debris left from the village. It sped cleanup up and made the work go a lot easier for the locals and the ex-slaves that had decided to move to Ingrid's Reach. It did however create a bit of a stir. The vast majority of locals and ex-slaves had never seen or heard of motorized equipment before and the sight of a frontend loader scrapping up debris into its bucket was a bit frightening for some of them. Thankfully by the end of the week everybody had gotten used to them.

Having the consortium move the stockade and structures from Tobago had been a help on one hand and a disappointment on the other. While the consortium could move stuff around in a blink of the eye, they could not dig foundations or post holes or put things back the way they had been on Tobago. We received the stockade as requested but it wasn't standing. Instead it arrived in a huge heap of pointed logs along with everything that had been used to assemble it. The same went for any of the major huts that had been within the enclosure. If it was a simple lean-to then it had arrived intact but if it had been dug into the ground or had been on posts that had been suck into the earth then the dwelling had been disassembled and delivered in pieces. It meant for the first little while all the locals and ex-slaves had to live out in the open or under canvas that I provided from Oak Hall. This problem was one of the reasons that the ex-slaves had been pissed when the Sea Nymph had finally made it back to Ingrid's Reach.

Thankfully the clean up of the village took very little time and once it had been scoured clean of all dead bodies, both human and animal, building could be recommenced and given the work force at hand and the fact that most of the dwellings were simple one or two room structures, it didn't take long to re-establish the village. The stockade and its buildings took a lot longer. In fact it would take more time than I wanted to spare doing it. After all I had other matters to attend to such as finding Dindraine.

That matter was becoming harder and harder to achieve. During the week Nimue had spent a half hour in the morning and another half hour in the evening trying to connect with her sister only to find out that she couldn't. It was frustrating for her and it was frustrating to me. I even started to wonder if Onyx had simply played with us to get us away from Oak Hall and the resources that I had accumulated. I could actually see them doing that and thinking about it, on top of everything else just pissed me off even more.

What pissed me off even more was the feedback I got from Mai Woo about our recent activities and the activities of the other networks. That was the real problem that got my blood boiling. In a long chat with Mai Woo I learned that the consortium made up of Gold, Bronze, and Onyx had done just as well as my party in the fucking rating game. It quickly became clear that my message really wasn't getting through to the masses on Mai Woo's Earth and that I was really wasting my time. The information left me with something to think about once again.

Ingrid regained consciousness the day after the battle off of Tobago. She was stiff from the bruises that her body had taken and disappointed not to have been up and about during the final action, but eventually accepted the reality of things once they had been explained to her by Felicity. What angered her most was the fact that Felicity wouldn't let her out of bed that day, confining her to bed for twenty-four hours until she had recovered her strength. When she did gain her freedom once again, Ingrid jumped back into things with enthusiasm. She was happy to take on the ex-slaves as her new citizenry and she was definitely impressed with the advanced technology that I had imported to expedite the work of rebuilding Olaf's Berth and the stockade.

As for Kessler, Danton, and Wilson, the three men took longer to heal even with the assistance of Felicity. Of the three men, Kessler recovered the quickest. When he was finally able to talk, he told me all about the raid and what had happened to him and his men.

"We fought as best we could," the man told me in a very tired voice. By then he was out of bed and walking and for the purpose of our chat we had strolled off from all the temporary shelters and the construction that was going on. Our walk took us down to the waterfront and the newly rebuilt jetties. Once there we stood and stared out to the waters beyond and towards the Black Dragon that now stood at anchor off shore and the sloop that we had kept for him.

"Unfortunately," Kessler went on, letting out a heavy sigh as he did, "they outnumbered us by incredible odds. We fought a rear guard all the way up to the stockade and then we tried to counterattack and drive them back down. Our hope was to allow as many of the people in the stockade to slip away before the place was overrun. As it was, the pirates didn't give any ground and in the end, they overwhelmed. We learned later that the pirate leaders had been informed about Danton and Wilson and me. They made certain that we lived through the raid so we could be taken back to their camp for their entertainment. Thankfully they liked to play and to draw things out. If they had been in a hurry we'd have been dead when you got there."

"I know," I said solemnly in reply. "Still I'm sorry it happened. It's my fault that you ended up in this mess."

Kessler just grunted at that and let it go. He didn't argue with me or protest and he didn't openly accuse me of anything. Still it made me a little uncomfortable and I fell silent for a moment or two, reflecting on what the man might be thinking.

"So what do we do now?" Kessler asked after a brief silence. "Is 'Pirate Quest' over with or have you found some new recruits to take over where we left off?"

I sighed before answering, thinking about my options considering the situation. Then I told him the truth.

"I'd like you to continue," I said in a low voice, "if you and your men are still up to it. If you're not we can relocate you somewhere else and let you get on with your lives without having to play any games with the networks. It's up to you and Danton and Wilson to chose. You won't get any grief from me if you chose the latter."

Kessler stood and said nothing for a moment or two. Behind us was a hum of activity and before us was the calm of the morning tide lapping at the shoreline. Eventually he sighed as well and then spoke up.

"You warned us that the networks wouldn't be happy with our work here in the Spanish Sea," the man pointed out, "and we found that out in a hurry. I don't think anyone could have predicted their response so there really isn't any blame to throw around. I'm pissed at what happened because we were just beginning to make friends and establish ourselves here in Olaf's Berth. I'd recruited some volunteers and we'd rescued a few damsels in distress who were interested in sticking around and helping us out. All of that is gone now. One of the women was killed and our three young volunteers died fighting beside us. If we stay we'll have to start all over again."

"I know," I acknowledged in response, "but if you stay there are a thousand men and women now living here who might just want to join you in what you're doing. They're all ex-slaves of the pirates and they all have a hate on for them and their ways. If nothing else, they'll come to you to teach them how to fight."

Kessler nodded at that and then asked me to help him back to his bed. The man still tired easily. I did as he asked.

"I'll think about it," Kessler told me once we got back to his bed, "and I'll talk to Danton and Wilson about what they want to do. When I have an answer for you, I'll let you know."

I left it at that and went back to helping with the rebuilding. It was all that I could ask of him.

By the end of the week I had made a decision. Given the recent events and the facts presented to me by Mai Woo I had come to the conclusion that something had to change. I was tired of playing games with the networks or dragging things out when I didn't really have to do it. After consulting with my party I came to the conclusion that bobbing about in the Spanish Sea waiting for Nimue to sense her sister was a waste of time. Instead we would accelerate the process. I decided to travel via the consortium and hoped that it would work out in the end. Before departing I said good bye to Ingrid. We ended up going for a walk along the shoreline as well.

"I'm sorry to see you go Charles," Ingrid said to me, gazing out towards the Black Dragon as she spoke, "and I regret that I can't go with you, unfortunately both of us have responsibilities and promises to keep. At least we can part as friends."

"Only as friends," I asked her tentatively, giving her a knowing look as I said it.

"Yes Charles," she replied wistfully, "for now only as friends. I'll admit it that I still lust after you. I don't know what magic there is about you, but remembering the tales your mates spoke to me about the first time we met and seeing you stride the deck of your ship during the battle, giving orders and directing the action certainly rekindled it after the time we were apart; but for now I think we should part without taking matters any further. Besides from what I hear from your other mates, you've added two more since we first met. That makes seven wives to one husband and while I think that you are probably capable of handling all of us, for now I think I will abstain."

"Then I too will regret our parting even more," I muttered in a teasing manner, "but hopefully my travels will be short and I will see you again in the not so distant future."

We didn't part then and there. We walked a bit and held hands and I even kissed her good bye. I did so tenderly and I took my time. I wanted to give her something to think about. That night I spent with Elsa and Samira and Asana aboard the Black Dragon and I made passionate love to the two of them while my other mates sat about and watched. I would be saying good bye to them as well in the morning. It was a very long night.

I left Tobias in charge of matters in Olaf's Berth while I was away. My plans now called for me to leave the bulk of my forces behind. Instead I took only my mates and Dork and Goiania. We'd be a small force but I was certain that if necessary we would be very deadly. We also brought Mai Woo along just in case I needed her.

I had the consortium teleport us to what I knew to be eastern Texas. We left just after dawn and arrived in a blink of an eye. The region was heavily forested with tall pines and a few other kinds of trees. We ended up in a clearing overlooking a broad river that flowed slowly through the landscape. On arrival we took a quick look about just to make certain that we were okay. Seeing nothing that suggested danger and feeling no hairs on the back of my neck rising up, I decided that we'd pitch camp right there for the day. The only things we did find were the other items that I had asked the consortium to send along with us. There were packs for all of us filled with the essentials and our horses and tack. There were even a couple of pack horses heavily laden with panniers of fresh vegetables, fruit, and smoked meat to tide us over for several days if we used it wisely. Even better was the fact that included in the horses was my big grey that I hadn't seen for a while. I walked over and gave it some attention before turning my attention to what else needed to be done.

My plan called for Nimue to try and contact her sister once again. My hope was that being further north and of course west from Ingrid's Reach, my little elf could latch on to her sister if indeed she was around. I was still wondering about that. I'd give her twenty-four hours to try and then we'd move on again to another location to try again tomorrow and we'd keep at it until we found the girl or Nimue got so pissed off that I would have to let her kill someone. While she settled herself in, I put together a hunting party.

I left Felicity and Goiania and Mai Woo behind with Nimue to watch over her while she meditated. With bows strung I led the rest of my party upriver in search of a sign of game. Dork trailed behind us to keep an eye on our back. We walked for a mile or so before spotting anything that was encouraging. When we did, it put smiles on everyone's face.

The tracks we found led up a broad track that ran away from the river. The track went on for about thirty minutes and then ended in a small clearing. In the clearing there stood a small herd of bison. There was a bull and five females and a couple of juveniles and a calf. The animals were grazing on the sweet grass and they were oblivious to our approach.

We only needed one animal and a small one at that. I decided that we'd take one of the females, leaving the younger animals alone so that they could grow up and sustain the herd. The question however was who was going to take the animal. My bow had the greater range and the better dropping power, but both Kola and Caitlin wanted to show what they could do and after a brief chat and a little pleading I let them do their thing. While they slipped into the woods and moved around the herd to get into position, I stood watch with my bow ready and Dork at my side watching for any dangers. There weren't any but it didn't hurt being prepared.

Kola and Caitlin had found themselves a small trail that worked its way back towards the river and then swung around the clearing until it came up to the edge of the open space behind some rocks and thickets. Once there Kola took the first shot. Caitlin fired a moment later. Their shots were from a short range, no more than eighty feet away from the animal. Kola's arrow struck it dead on. The beast had been grazing on a patch of grass directly in front of my two mates and it had just raised its head to glance about when Kola popped up and let loose her arrow. The arrow hit the animal's breast and drove deep into its body. Caitlin's arrow struck a moment later as the startled animal bleated out its alarm to warn the rest of the herd. The animal was already staggering on its feet and Caitlin's arrow just helped to finish it off. That arrow struck it in the neck. The beast took a step or two and then collapsed.

We waited for the herd to move off before we went to field dress the kill. While I stood watch with my longbow at the ready, my two mates dealt with the animal. They quickly reclaimed their undamaged arrows and then they pulled out their knives and demonstrated that they hadn't forgotten how to skin and gut a kill. While they did that, Dork went back into the woods and found us saplings to make a couple of travois.

While we had been gone, Felicity and Goiania had set up our camp for us. We found a small fire blazing in a fire pit in the centre of the clearing that we'd appeared in. Around it had been placed our bedrolls and our tack and off to the side stood a picket line to which our horses were tethered. We also found a pissed off little elf.

Nimue hadn't been very successful in contacting her sister. That failure showed on her face and nothing that I said or what any of her sister-wives said helped in the situation. We were forced to let her stew while we tended our kill and put some of it onto the fire to cook for our evening meal; only later would she even tolerate talking to me.

I had her follow me down to the river so I could wash up. As an excuse I suggested that it might be dangerous. I knew from the intelligence briefs provided by both Victoria's people and Mai Woo that the region that we were in was wild and that there were all kinds of beasts roaming about that we needed to keep an eye on especially down by the river. I suspected that we might even have an alligator or two living in the river and I really had no wish to tangle with them. Reluctantly my little elf agreed to watch my back.

"I won't prattle on about this my love," I said to her while I knelt by the water's edge and washed my hands. "I know that you're frustrated with how the search for your sister is going. The truth is that I seriously doubt that we'll have any more success in this venture than we had with you and Felicity searching for her on the back of her grav bike. The reality is that the networks are fucking us over every time we try anything that they don't like and there is very little we can do about it."