Chapter 28

Jenks was put in charge of overseeing the construction related to the horse operation, and the breeding to follow. He would be answerable only to us, where it concerned his duties. When it finally dawned on him, it looked like he had discovered a buried treasure. Seldom had I seen a happier man.

A few days later, everyone around me saw one even happier. I couldn't wipe the silly grin off of my face if I had tried. To make things worse, it was spread out over two weeks. Bernie was first, and I had a son. I left the naming completely up to her, and was pleased when she named him after her father. Franklin surprised me with the quiet way he made his entrance. There wasn't any screaming or crying, but he didn't waste any time grabbing his first snack in his new environment. I couldn't fault him for that, they looked very appetizing.

"Bernie junior" arrived five days later. I know babies look strange when they first arrive, but she was beautiful. Bernie had her mother's golden skin, and bright blue eyes. Her hair, what little she possessed, was as black as night. Mother and child did well, and the Queen was almost as happy as we were. Everything was in its proper place, and there were no surprises relating to her heritage.

It was a week, before Delia delivered. I guess the twins needed a little more time in the oven. Paul and Paula were still a little smaller than their siblings, but I was informed that this was normal. What wasn't normal, was Paul. I don't mean physical appearance. He was as perfect as the others. He and his sister both had the royal coloring, though their hair was golden also. All the fingers and toes were where they belonged, and all was well.

The thing was, I had been told that newborns were very nearsighted. When Paul first looked at me, I was across the room. It was my usual corner, where I had been shoved out of the way for every birth. Our eyes met, and I knew immediately that he recognized me as his father. I don't know why, or how, but I sensed it. He was also the only one who smiled after their recent ordeal. That happened when our eyes met. My goofy grin had become attached days ago, so I can't claim I returned his. From that moment, I knew that this one would be a hand full. I swear, when I thought that, he giggled.

His behavior was different in many ways, and it was soon apparent that we would be spending a lot of time together. He would let others hold him, but didn't like it when I was out of his sight. I'd never heard of this, especially in one so young. It baffled everyone, but I'll admit to being almost as attached to him. I'd have to watch myself to keep from showing any favoritism. Since I thought they were all adorable, I believed it wouldn't be too difficult to manage.

I remembered to ask why the O'Hara clan had been so reclusive, and dad laughed at me. "Son", he confided, "we were in town just yesterday. We usually take a walk at least once a week."

I asked why people hadn't noticed, and he told me "It's your mother's fault. When you run a spy network, being known is not necessarily a good idea. She also travels alone, at times. Personal contact with her people is sometimes needed. We've developed quite a few disguises for our trips. I'm glad to get an independent confirmation of their effectiveness."

I could see where that made sense, but thought they could help the progress of the kingdom by being better known and accepted. I told him some of the things we had noticed in the people we met, and the change that had occurred in them after they got to know us.

"I never realized that people feared us so much", he sighed. "I suppose it's only human nature. I'll have a talk with Mel, and perhaps she and I will join you the next time."

That talk was just before our first walk after the children had been born. I'll admit part of it was to show them off, but the three new mothers had a lot to do with it. All of them were going stir-crazy, and were eager to get out of the castle for a time.

We stopped by several places to say hello, and then took a walk through one of the markets. Everything was completely normal, other than all the women flocking around to see the babies. Geri, Delia, and Bernie all had carriers that held a little one on their chest. I had one, too. Paul was nestled in it, and looking around like he was shopping.

The calm was broken, when we heard "Look AHH!". I turned to see Jenks completing a dive. He landed heavily, and there was a bolt protruding from his back. I knelt by his side, and he gasped "Ware, yon window!"

I looked around, but turned back to him when I heard Cheryl snarl "I've got it. Take care of Jenks, that one isn't going anywhere."

By this time, Bernie had joined me by his side, and had her hands on him. She looked very worried, as she said "I'm going to need help on this one, babe. The bolt went through his left lung, and it nicked an artery. I can't remove it, and stop the bleeding at the same time. He needs both, or he won't make it."

We had no time to move him. Ann cut his jerkin away even as we began to work. It was a team affair, Bernie had a gentler touch, so as she eased the bolt back out the way it came, I healed the damage left behind. That makes it sound a hell of a lot simpler than it actually was, because there was considerable damage. The fact that the bolt had barbs on it didn't help, nor did the fact that it was poisoned. Someone wasn't taking any chances.

The sad thing is, Jenks had done it for nothing. All of us were shielded, and had also been wearing the Kevlar. He didn't know that, and Geri verified what I had suspected. "He dove right into the path of the thing! I didn't know he could move that fast!", she gasped.

Even after the bolt had been removed, and the damage repaired, Jenks was still very much in danger. He had lost a lot of blood, and the poison had to take priority over helping his body replace it. If Bernie hadn't been there, he would surely have died. When he was stable, we had some men move him to the nearest inn. As we stood, Paul looked at me. Either I was hallucinating, or he nodded as if he approved.

Bernie followed Jenks inside, but the rest of us went to visit an assassin. We found him curled up in a ball, just below the window he had shot through. Next to him was a crossbow, and an open flask.

"He can hear us", Cheryl warned. "He can't move, except to breathe, but everything else still works. I can find out who sent him, if you'd like."

I told her I would, and she went to work. In a matter of minutes, she had answers. "I'm almost glad he'll live", she sighed. "As you might have guessed, that fat ass Ramus sent him. How he got him to agree, is a problem. The man's name is Corby, and the Duke is holding his wife and two daughters hostage on his estate. His orders were to kill you, and then drink what is in that flask. I got him before he could take a sip. I'd imagine it's also poison. The fat fucker must have learned to cover his tracks."

I thought for a moment, and said "OK, here's what we're going to do. Leave him catatonic, and wrap him in a sheet. Make sure he doesn't suffocate, though. We'll have him taken to the castle like he's dead. Ramus won't know we discovered his plan, so that will make my visit a bit more of a surprise."

I cut off the protests with a glance. "That asshole has gone too far", I growled. "It's bad enough he tried to kill me. He endangered my family, and damn near killed a friend of mine. That, I will not tolerate. I'm going Duke hunting."

Convincing Paul not to complain about me leaving him proved not to be a problem. It was almost as if he understood the necessity. A little more information was obtained from Corby, as well. We got the general layout of the place, and where his family was being held.

I wasn't totally stupid. I only allowed one person to come with me, but that was Claude. Unlike me, he knew what he was doing. Since we didn't know how Ramus would act when he found out the attempt had failed, we moved immediately. Our rides around the countryside came in handy. We hadn't actually entered the Duke's lands, but we had been close. I took us to a place hidden from the approach to his estate, but nearby.

"Damn, I miss night", Claude groused. "Sneaking around in the daytime sucks". He wasn't kidding. It's was kind of hard to sneak up on a place in these conditions. We were trying to figure out how to manage it, when it dawned on me. "Mind getting a little wet?"

Comprehension dawned on his face, and he smiled. "The wetter, the better. Think you can whip up a few clouds to go with it?"

I promised to try. Denise, or even Ann, could probably have done it easier. I thought what I came up with was a bit extreme, but Claude seemed to like it. We couldn't see three feet in front of us, and the black clouds blocked the sun perfectly. The resulting darkness was as close to night as this world probably ever experienced.

It was a cross between swimming and walking, as we made our way to the manor. It's a shame we couldn't manage to do everything with magic, but that's the way it was. In this case, I preferred it that way. Magic seemed too easy for the state of mind I was in. Wizardry was just too impersonal sometimes.

The captives were being held in a small shed, at the rear of the house. There was only one guard, and Claude insisted on dealing with him. Afterwards, I was glad he did. I don't think I could've got as close to the guy as he did. My way would've killed him. As it was now, he'd just have a really serious headache.

He had been sitting on a bench, and we left him propped there. The ladies inside were alive and healthy. They didn't even scream, which was nice. Claude told them to stay put, while we dealt with the Duke.

Evidently, he felt secure in his own house. There were no guards at the back door, and no one in the kitchen it opened into. Now the real fun began. It wasn't a small house, and we had to find the asshole. Along the way, it proved impossible to avoid bloodshed. Unfortunately, some of the guards were in the house. We went through four of them, before too much noise was created. One of the fallen took a table with him, and there had been a pitcher on it.

It proved to be a fortunate noise. I saw Ramus poke his head out of a door, and was on him before he could get it locked. He was knocked ass over teakettle as I barged in, and laid there cringing. He wasn't about to get any sympathy from me.

"If you have a sword", I calmly stated, "You'd best get it. I don't like killing an unarmed man, but in your case I'm prepared to make an exception."

"You'd not murder an unarmed man", he sneered as he rose. "I know your type. You think you're better than anyone else, just because you can do parlor tricks. You're too weak to kill in cold blood!"

I ran him through, even as he began his lunge. For good measure, he lost his head on the way down. The dagger was still clenched in his chubby little fist. We left him where he fell, and quietly returned to the ladies. I stopped the storm just before we returned to the road in front of the inn where Jenks had been left. I wasn't returning to the castle without checking on him, and neither would Claude.

Bernie was something else. Not only was Jenks awake, he was sitting up in bed. In front of him was a plate full of food, and he was holding a mug of ale. I think he would've jumped out of bed, if I hadn't stopped him.

I Picked Paul up. Evidently he had demanded to be allowed to wait for me. I asked Jenks how he felt, and he admitted "A bit poorly, but I hear it could well have been worse. I owe you once more for my life it would seem, and your good lady wife, as well. I'll be building up a debt I may never be able to repay, if I'm not more careful."

"Careful would be good", I laughed. "You owe us nothing, however. In fact, I think just the opposite is the case. You were prepared to give your life, for mine. No greater act of bravery or loyalty exists than that. I would be proud to call you my friend, if I may."