Chapter 30

Mark resumes the Narrative:

The following new characters appear in this chapter and the rest of the story:

Clare O'Hara

Mark's Wife, 5'-1" tall, 100 pounds +, 34C-21-32, 16 years old, auburn hair, gray eyes, very cute

Saoirse Ward

Wolf's Wife, 5'-0" tall, less than 100 pounds, 32C-20-32, 15 years old, bright red hair, green eyes, very cute

Nora and Nola

Twin Sisters, 3'-0" tall, 35 pounds, nearly 4 years old, red hair, green eyes, adorable

The following characters reappear from Magic Ink IV:

Kennard Curran O'Connell (Ken)

Mike and Clare's Son, 5'-10" tall, 142 pounds, 17 years old, red hair, green eyes, dual Talents

Kellen Conroy O'Connell (Kell)

Pat and Cathleen's Son, 5'-10" tall, 144 pounds, 17 years old, red hair, blue eyes, dual Talents

Airmid and Almha Mac Sweeney

Kell's Wives, 5'-1" tall, 104 pounds, 34C-20-33, 16 years old, dark strawberry blond hair, green eyes, only a few freckles, but very cute.

Sunshine and Rose O'Hallinan

Ken's Wives, Mages, 5'-1" tall, 108 pounds, 34C-21-32, 16 years old, long red hair, green eyes, some freckles, very cute

While Seamus and his team at Fort Washington were having all of these adventures and finding Wives and Husbands or at least lovers for now, things here in Kentucky continued at a more sedate pace.

In mid-July, I transferred General Clark and Captain LeGras back to Fort Jefferson for the Commander's Conference. They were there for five days before I returned them to Fort Henry. Several of the other Generals had been jealous of their easy mode of transportation. It was also during this period that we received our first Ranger Platoon at Mount Sterling. We had already set up a second Portal at Gilmore's Station, one that went to Fort Henry so that the Rangers could receive personnel from there, and so they could take care of administrative and finance problems for the men.

Ensign, now Lieutenant, Craig Robinson had already been assigned to Mount Sterling to handle the Portal as well as the wards on the defensive shell there. He would be in charge of the fort when we were all away, and had taken over responsibility for guard duty. Sergeant Morgan was there as the Administrative NCO and supervised the Corporals. A new man, Private, now Corporal, Price was his assistant at Gilmore Station to handle the Portals and wards there. He was one of those recruited at Fort Jefferson. Price lent Captain Moore's NCOs a hand with the trainees when needed as he was a tough, strong young man.

We started our new Ranger Platoon on patrols around the Mount Sterling area to familiarize them with the area and to give them more practice in patrolling together, as they were recent graduates of the school. We O'Connells continued to check out additional settlements in the area besides those indicated on the maps that we had received from the Eternal Flame.

We received our second platoon of Rangers, a larger one, in late August from the Ranger Training Center. We started them patrolling the area around Mount Sterling and sent the first platoon on longer patrols to some of the nearer settlements. At least one O'Connell always went with them.

During this time frame, I had been busy recruiting militia men for our reaction force. I hadn't been terribly successful. Crops were ripening and most of the men in the area were busy with them and preparing for the harvest. They would not be interested until their crops were in and their meat animals had been processed as food for the coming winter.

I did manage to recruit some hunters who were out of work. These men were very good in the forest -- better in some cases than the Rangers. However, most of them were more interested in having a warm bunk for the winter than anything else.

In early September, I received word from General Clark that my Rangers were being replaced. Both platoons were to report to Fort Henry. It seems that the Army believed that they needed further training in working with conventional forces, that is the Continentals. I would receive in their place two platoons of Rangers who had been at Fort Henry for some time. I would also receive two platoons of excess Continentals for a reaction force.

As you might imagine, I was less than pleased with this decision. The first platoon of Rangers had spent some seven weeks becoming familiar with the area around Mount Sterling and working with me and my team. All of that was out the window now, and I was suspicious of just what I would be receiving. I, however, had little choice in the matter, as the orders had been issued by General Greene himself. The only good thing about this was that it wouldn't affect Seamus who already had fully trained Rangers.

I informed the Ranger Platoon Leaders here at Mount Sterling before I transferred to Fort Henry to coordinate the Rangers' transfer. The Commanders, of the Ranger Companies there, were less than pleased with the arrangement also. I would be receiving one platoon from each of the companies there. We agreed to make the transfer in two days to give all of the men involved time to prepare. Following that, I transferred to Gilmore's Station to see Captain Moore. He was still seeing my older Sisters but not on a regular basis.

"I need a favor," I told him after we greeted each other.

"What kind of favor?" he asked warily. I explained the situation. His reaction was predictable.

"That is so stupid!" he said on hearing me out. "What do you need?" he asked after that.

"I would like you and your NCOs to look them over. I need to know whether they are any good, or if I am getting the sick, lame, and lazy," I told him.

"Yes, we can look at them for you, and maybe even do a little remedial training if necessary," he told me with a grin.

Following that, I transferred to Fort Washington to speak to Fredrick Matherson about inspecting the Continentals that I would be receiving. I would need to contact their headquarters also, but after I had straightened out the Ranger situation. I posed the same question to Fredrick that I had to Samuel Moore. He too agreed to help.

As it turned out, I was making a mountain out of a mole hill. Captain Moore and his NCOs made a thorough inspection of the Rangers that we were receiving and passed most of them. A few received some extra training and a little encouragement to do better. Sergeant Morgan got everyone's names so they would be paid on time here.

I waited for a week after receiving the new Rangers to inquire about the Continentals. Gwyn had needed time to arrange for the delivery of extra food for them also. The men that we received were not from Lieutenant Matherson's Regiment, but were from the same unit that the dead Massachusetts soldiers had been from. They were the remains of various units that no longer existed. This did not mean that they or their Officers were not good soldiers. Most were very good soldiers, and those that weren't were sent back to Fort Henry for disposition there. Though from different regions originally, they had been working together for some time now and were a good unit. Many were older men and had been in various Army units for a considerable time. Fredrick was a huge help in getting things sorted out.

We had them train outside the fort to work with Magic and the Defensive Shells. It required several demonstrations to convince them that they were safe inside the shells and not to fire until the shells were dropped.

Mount Sterling now had two platoons of Rangers, and two platoons of Continentals in addition to the ten or so hunters that I had recruited and the original guard force. We were just about at capacity, and we would not be able to take in many settlers in the event of an attack.

It was shortly after all of this that we learned of the Shawanoe attack on Chillicothe and the O'Keefes joined our family, if unofficially for now. The other women had all been jealous of their Sisters or Cousins finding mates. They were amazed that they had found an entire family. I thought it too bad that their Parents had died. They could have given us a lot of background information on their origins and of others in their family. The children all had strong Talents and would make good additions to our efforts, as soon as they learned more Magic that is. They would be coming to Hickory Hill daily for instructions in Magic, but would be sleeping with their chosen lovers.

Less than a month later, Seamus brought the MacKennas to the family dinner at Hickory Hill. Again we were surprised that he brought the remaining members of an entire family, but were also disappointed again that the Parents were dead.

Chandra is a very beautiful woman, and her Brother, Duncan, caused quite a bit of excitement. He was an available young man, and a very good looking one at that. Amelia and Annan nearly fainted when they saw him. They couldn't keep their hands off of him or stay away from him. They sat on either side of him during dinner, and did everything but eat his food for him. He seemed very receptive to their advances.

"I thought you wanted a Husband who would listen to you?" Sererena asked on seeing their antics.

"Among the Cherokee, the women are always in charge. They own all of the property, and the children belong to their clan and the Daughters take the Mother's and Grandmother's places in the clan and the tribe when they die," Chandra told us. A & A just smiled on hearing this, and the three of them disappeared a little later that evening. Chandra had been watching my Sisters and her Brother with a knowing smile through all of this. She had asked everyone to address her as Chandra and not as Sarah. It wasn't until later that I learned of her prediction to her Brother.

Seamus filled me in later that evening in the den about what had happened during the attack and about his killing Tecumseh, and Chandra killing his Brother, the Prophet. Initially I thought it strange that there had been two attacks by the Shawanoes in less than a month, but that was before I remembered something or thought that I did.

"Say, wasn't Tecumseh born in Chillicothe? The one on the Scioto River. I seem to remember reading something about that in one of our history classes," I told him, and I could see the light come on in Seamus's eyes as he put things together.

"You could be right, Mark. That would explain a lot of things," Seamus said after a few seconds. We had nothing here to check the supposition with, but there seemed to be too many coincidences to suit us. His written report along with those of the other Officers would follow in a few days and be forwarded on to our higher headquarters.

Seamus and his team returned to Fort Washington that night with their lovers. Duncan remained here with A & A. They didn't appear for breakfast until late the next morning. Duncan remained at Hickory Hill that day for instructions in Magic. His Sister and the O'Keefes also returned for more instruction.

About a week later on the 27th of October, we received a request from the Drip Rock militia for assistance. They wanted us to send a representative there to teach them to work with those using Magic. They specifically asked for Jillian. I was sure that this was the work of Sergeant Mulligan, but the request had been signed by a militia Captain and a Major, neither of whom were named Mulligan.

I wasn't inclined to approve it as Jillian and her Brother, James, were teaching Magic here at Hickory Hill. Jillian came to me later that day and asked me to approve the request.

"We would only be gone a couple of weeks, and the men from the Drip Rock militia were very nice to me on the way here," she told me. Sererena and Saraid agreed to allow Jillian and James to go.

"The people that we brought here from Fort Jefferson have mostly finished their Magic studies and are now working in various positions," Sererena explained. "Lieutenant Lister and some of the others can help any of them that need it," she finished.

"The main thrust now is all of the new people in the family, and they all have high levels of Talent," Saraid added. "It also looks like the 'Book of Dreams' has been very active here because all of these new family members are advancing very rapidly in their study of Magic as well as other things like reading and writing in both Gaelic and old English," she added.

I approved the request, and James and Jillian left the next day on horseback. Drip Rock is some thirty-five miles due south from Mount Sterling. They were there for more than the two weeks, and we didn't see them again until some time later.

Things continued to be very quiet in our area. I was very surprised a few days later on the 31st of October when we became aware that the celebration of Samhain was under way by many of the Scots and the Irish here in Kentucky and the Ohio country. It's possible that it was being celebrated in other areas also, but we only had observers in those two areas. They definitely were not celebrating Halloween. The Scots and the Irish here were from many different Christian denominations, yet many of them were celebrating the old Celtic custom in very traditional ways. We joined some of them at their celebrations in the various settlements. Even those working at Hickory Hill were celebrating the holiday.

The weather turned cold after Samhain, and we began to think that the British had given up any ideas of attacking the settlements in Kentucky after their defeat at Johns Creek earlier this summer. Our patrols had found no indications of trouble in all this time. We were soon to be proven wrong.

About noon on Wednesday, the 12th of November, a rider appeared at the Mount Sterling fort on a blowing and foundering horse.

"The British are attacking Olive Hill," he screamed at the sentry on guard and was quickly admitted. His news couldn't have come at a more inopportune time. Amelia and Anann had requested time off earlier that week so they could spend more time with their Husband-to-be, Duncan. They had disappeared shortly after that, and we suspected they had gone to the Delaware village in Indiana with him.

D & C, Dymphna and Coleen, were away inspecting the Bell's dairy farm that morning, and they hadn't returned yet. Wolf and I were the only O'Connells here presently, but we would have to do. After speaking to the man who brought the news, I sent Wolf to ready the Rangers and the Continentals. The few hunters that I had hired were all away on a hunt presently to increase our stock of fresh meat.

I spoke to Lieutenant Robinson about alerting those at Hickory Hill and returning the Mages before setting up the temporary Portal to Olive Hill. Earlier this summer, I had been there twice and knew the correct location for it at a short distance outside the fort. I had a quick conference with all of the Platoon Leaders to assign responsibilities when we entered the fort. When our men were ready, I opened the temporary Portal. The view through it revealed a broken and open section of the stockade wall.

"This is our entry point," I told the assembled Rangers and Continentals. "Be careful and don't shoot any settlers. Any British soldiers present are fair game," I finished before we charged through the Portal with Wolf and me in the lead. We had already set our strongest wards and plunged through the opening in the stockade wall after emerging from the Portal. We were instantly met by signatures of two Talents in pain and deep trouble. We hurried toward where the signals were coming from while our men took possession of the fort.

Wolf and I burst into the militia barracks room to find it an absolute shambles. All of the homemade bunks had been pushed back to create an open space at the front, and some were now broken and others had fallen over. There was a dead woman on the floor near the door with a musket not far from her outstretched hand, and two little girls, maybe three and a-half or four years old, were crying over her body.

What really stopped us, however, were the two young women who had been tied to the posts supporting the roof with their hands over their heads. After raping them, the two British officers there had stripped and whipped them until their backs and thighs were a bloody mess.

"Surrender!" we both shouted in loud voices, as the two British Lieutenants turned toward us. The Lieutenant on the left had just used a large knife to cut loose the girl he had been abusing from the post. He looked at us with disdain and a sarcastic grin, noting that we didn't have any visible weapons, and plunged the knife into the girl's belly and ripped it across. The other Lieutenant was just cutting the second girl loose with another knife.