Chapter 58

After Derwen and I recovered from our afterglow, having satisfying our mutual need, we dressed and played with our children. My wife was impossible to read when the wheels of her mind processed schemes behind those dark eyes. It was the hint of smugness in our mindlink that leaked Derwen's line of thought, so I hazarded an interruption and asked her what plans she was working on. Under ordinary circumstances my wife would laugh and push the conversation in another direction, so it surprised me when Derwen handed our baby to the attending acolyte and took my hand, leading us out in to the garden.

We walked to our favorite willow tree, looking over the pond where a pair of white swans patrolled the water. Derwen divulged that after the Raiders had left the last port town, she had a new express station built at the Rock River. It now had two wooden blockhouses that commanded the bridge; and my pre-assembled fort was disassembled and moved over to guard the ford. By agreement with Lord Aralast, his estate guards manned one of the blockhouses. Hajin had attracted an excess of recruits, who came to our freehold because of our prosperity and fighting reputation. The mercenary commander had suggested that Derwen set up a robust village watch at the bridge, using the men. The limit on the number of permanent guards was a perpetual problem and Hajin's work-around was brilliant and the guidelines didn't say that you couldn't pay your village watch. In my excitement, I exclaimed to my lovely wife: "We just need a village!"

Derwen was pleased at my antics and happier to explain the full plan. Part of the agreement was the establishment of a village, on both sides of the river, called Defiance. Lord Aralast's freehold had a problem with refugees arriving from the devastation of the north, so our freehold's role was to build business opportunities for employment while Lord Aralast would build the housing for the new people. We had the money and he had the people, a limestone quarry and a large forest of oak trees.

Our estate manager started building a small brickmaking works on the Rock River, at the site of the battle, due to the abundance of clay, but we needed more than one brickmaking factory. Derwen commissioned Lord Aralast to build a stone gatehouse with a portcullis, a small barracks, a public house, a warehouse and a stable on our land. It was a noble start to dealing with a number of issues, including firming up the relationship with an adjacent freehold lord. "Derwen is always thinking ahead."

The two of us continued on the twisting garden path and looking around to make sure no one had entered the garden, Derwen revealed one of her spies to me. My wife was operating a merchant spy ring, using traveling merchants in Convey. She sent three tinker wagons, full of captured weapons and damaged armor north, through coastal villages with her spy, a few slightly wounded, apprentice craftsmen from the battle and a couple of mercenary guards. A mule pulled each tradesman's cart, with a bow-topped roof covering the wagon. Each tradesman lived inside the wagon, moving from village-to-village selling a few items, and offering his skills to the communities they visit. Normally, Derwen used her spy to collect information; however she was using this spy to spread the tale of the battle over the Rock River and the founding of the new village with refugees. We were interrupted before I could find out what forward thinking strategy she was executing.

A deep voice intruded on my thoughts. "Lady Derwen, Lord Solon." He possessed warm eyes, red-brown skin from the mainland and a rich set of clothes. An estate guard escorted him with a woman I didn't recognize. The middle-age frame of his body matched his deep voice, bulky and untamed, his swagger radiated confidence.

"Baron Zizka," Derwen responded. "Von, this gentleman is our go-between for the exchange of the Count. Zizka's brother rules the city-state of Conquest Point and Zizka also has a stake in Hajin's Mercenary Company, which operates in Conquest Point. He is our friend and the man who will exchange the Count for the ransom."

"A pleasure to meet you," Zizka answered. "Let me introduce my counterpart, Lady Becket, the Count's sister and Snake Temple Priestess. She is here to check on her brother's health and escort him to Conquest Point with me."

Lady Becket's had an unremarkable face, a wiry frame, black hair, and green eyes. Shrewd eyes quietly assessed me, as I completed my survey of her frame. The woman had narrow hips, slight shoulders and little, mouth sized breasts. The snake lady was a petite spitfire. I couldn't get over her green eyes, they confused me. "No one has green eyes on this world."

Lady Becket sensed my confusion or understood the stupid look on my face. She said, "All snake priestesses have green eyes. I understand your confusion, perhaps you understand mine. I have never seen blue eyes."

Derwen interjected, "He is Moon Mother's child."

"I have heard the claims of a white, blue-eyed, wizard that burns ships with fire," Lady Becket answered. "I see now that white skinned and blue eyes are true." I shrugged, not feeding her information.

"I can assure you, my husband is very real and very capable," Derwen responded, with a challenging tone. I felt her irritation through our link, but her face was pleasant and open.

Lady Becket turned a critical eye towards Derwen, which manifested a smile from Baron Zizka.

"Well, we are just here to pay our respects and satisfy Lady Becket's desire to meet the leader who spared her brother's life," Zizka said, with humor in his voice.

The couple left with the guard, giving me a chance to learn something from Derwen. My wife felt my curiosity and explained that Zizka was a powerful information broker on the mainland. Derwen's maritime interests and investments in side businesses, like the mercenary company, put their converging interests together over the years. The Baron was a former suitor and Derwen retained his friendship. Zizka was a powerful man, interested in doing favors that help Conquest Point's neutral status. Derwen explained that seeing a snake priestess was a new experience for her. They very rarely left Caldav, so her presence here was suspicious. However, the snake is seen as a protective and beneficial role to the Caldavian people, so a priestess working a prisoner exchange wasn't farfetched. The snake priestesses are herbal healers and the Count was injured. The troubling dichotomy was the snake goddess also carried the role as the avenger.

We followed after the couple, walking at our own pace. They were on a carriage, leaving down the lane by the time we rounded the manor, a troop of our estate guards followed behind at a discreet distance. There were low murmuring voices, talking about the visitors, all around us. A few temple priestesses lifted their sandals and pawed at the ground, like they were removing horse shit off the bottom of their shoe. "They're not happy about the snake goddess priestess."

The crowd dispersed, not wanting to admit they enjoyed seeing a strange foreigner. The woman's green eyes remained in my mind's eye. The day was darkening. A wall of clouds was blocking the sun, casting a dimness that made you think the sun was setting. The weight of the darkness dragged your feelings down. I could sense the sky's eagerness to unleash a downpour. I ushered Derwen past the rose bushes, and into our home. This was a big storm that was going to last the night. Ridgeworth did a couple of double-steps to catch up with us, barely missing the downpour. Like many of the household staff, the senior maid was chatting with her peers about the visitors outside. The maids following us in were water-logged, water dripping off their clothes, hair and faces. Ridgeworth shouted for a maid at the back of the room to get towels. Derwen took me by the arm, slowly leading me upstairs, chatting about frivolous things. "Derwen, never talks such nonsense, " I mused.

I stopped midway up the stairs and turned around; curious, following my six-sense. Ridgeworth was in the middle of stripping both errant maids of their wet clothes. Pools of water spread out under them, their naked breasts displayed hard points from the cold. I felt the grin that formed on my face as the young kitchen maid looked up from removing her panties. The teenage maid's form was pure woman, perky breasts, a slim bell-shaped waist and long muscular, ebony legs. Her silence was the strangest part of the experience. I thought she ought to cry out, full of outrage. Instead, the kitchen maid's face turned into a modest smile and she arched her back, pushing her perky breast forward at me.

Ridgeworth was gathering up the wet clothes, her bottom up in the air at me and another older maid was equally naked, with full hips and a fuller set of breasts that swayed as she turned to accept a towel. Derwen suddenly pulled at my hair at the base of my neck and I yelped at the surprise, bringing the entire room's attention to me. I winked and ran up the stairs and laughter followed behind me. The maids loved Derwen's chastisement of their Lord. There was no moral outrage, only giggles and laughter at my boyish sneaking. "I love this place."