Magic InkChapter 28
- 2 years ago
- 28
- 0
The following new character appears in the remainder of the story:
Mankato (Blue Earth) Two Wolves
Called Robert, Lakota, Crendenor the Dragon, 6'-0'' tall, 185 pounds, 26 years old, black hair with streaks of auburn, gray eyes, quite handsome
On transferring into the end of the corridor with the steel plate, I discovered that I was no longer alone.
"There she is, kill her before she recovers," someone shouted, and this was instantly followed by a chorus of shots and their bullets impacting on my wards. Fortunately, I had pulled up my strongest wards before beginning the transfer spell.
Since they had fired first, I felt no compunction about returning fire and raised my arms, spread my fingers, and thought fire. Instantly, eight beams of Magic fire erupted from my fingers and incinerated the men facing me in the corridor. It was obvious that James Knox had not been killed, and he or someone had sent them after me.
Having taken care of business here for now, I recast my wards in an expanded size using a spell that was air tight, since I didn't know what the air in the corridor below me was like. Looking around then, I marked my location before casting the transfer spell again and disappeared from this corridor to reappear instantly in the one below, leaving the metal plate undisturbed.
The corridor that I reappeared in was marginally smaller then the one above and darker, but not dark, just less well lit. It also ran at ninety degrees to the previous one.
Something moved just after I appeared, and I hit it with a quick freeze spell. It turned out to be a rat like those that we had seen in the corridor above. This got me to wondering how many small rat sized tunnels there might be that connected the various levels of these corridors, tunnels, and the sub-basements. We would probably never know, or know how many rats populated this area.
Since it appeared to be a common ordinary rat and was obviously breathing the air down here without any problems, I changed my airtight wards for my strongest regular wards and tested the air. It was cool, dank, and musty, but otherwise appeared to be all right to breath. I canceled the freeze spell on the rat, and it scooted away from me and disappeared into a small hole in the end wall of the corridor.
On advancing up the corridor a short distance, the first thing that I came to was a cell. It was presently empty, and from the scents and signs, it had been so for a considerable period of time.
Seventy feet or so further down the the corridor, I came to a large chamber. It's entrance was only some eight feet wide, but the room beyond was much larger, appearing to be about fifty feet wide by about thirty feet deep with a twelve foot ceiling. There were numerous work stations in it. Some held the glassware and machines associated with a chemistry or biological lab, while others held the less clean things associated with the use of Black Magic. There were a number of cabinets along the walls that held various types of supplies.
Additionally there were a number of large glass or plastic jars and cases, some filled with liquids, that held the apparent results of various experiments. The entire area stank of the use of Black Magic. Lastly there was a Wizard dressed in a traditional robe and not a business suit as was now fashionable, who I recognized as Taylor Peale. He was only a bit taller than I was and rather thin with brown hair. He must have sensed my Talent as he turned from his work with a smile, which turned into a shocked expression on seeing who was there.
"YOU!" he screamed in shock and rage. "You destroyed my pets, my finest creations," he continued and started to cast a Black Magic spell to throw at me.
I had cast a powerful spell against Black Magic as soon as I had seen into the chamber and instantly hurled it at him. On hitting his incomplete Black Magic spell, it destroyed the spell as well as the Wizard casting it who burst into flames and was reduced to nothing but ashes in less than a minute, while the intensity of the fire caused the area surrounding him to also catch fire. In that time, I had begun destroying the remainder of the lab with the use of Magic fire. I had started with the specimens in their enclosures and worked my way around the room. When I withdrew, there was little of use remaining behind the ward which kept the heat and smoke in the chamber.
Back in the corridor, I took a short break and had some water from the canteen and a snack before continuing.
On continuing down the corridor, I next came to a medium-sized chamber that was dedicated to the use of Black Magic. The only light there came from numerous black candles burning around the room which was carpeted with a number of rugs scattered about the floor. There were Black Magic symbols painted on the walls, containers of materials used in the ceremonies, and there was a black stone altar in the middle of the room. There were channels carved in its top surface leading to a collection point at one end. This was obviously a place where major Black Magic was practiced.
While the Eternal Flame had continued to allow the use of minor Black Magic spells in this Reality, the use of major Black Magic was outlawed in all of the Realities that we O'Connells knew of. I therefore activated my Magic beams and cut the altar into numerous pieces before changing to Magic fire and incinerating everything remaining in the chamber. The fire burned for many minutes behind the ward that kept the heat and gasses in the room, thus insuring that everything was completely destroyed.
I had backed away from the intense heat generated by the Magic fire but stayed until the fire died out. The walls of both chambers would radiate the absorbed heat from the fires for some time.
On leaving the two chambers, I continued down the corridor for some distance before coming to another cell, or what I assumed was a cell. This one had a solid steel door with no window or feeding slot in it. It did have four very heavy duty hinges on one side and four large locks on the other side of the door. Additionally two large thick steel bars crossed the door and were held by brackets set into the wall on either side of the doorway. It certainly appeared that whatever was inside the cell wasn't meant to get out. Additionally, there was a Magic-canceling spell worked into the concrete walls of the room.
I was now faced with a dilemma. Should I attempt to determine what was inside this most formidable cell, if it was a cell, or should I just pass it by? Surely there must be something extraordinary inside to call for the massive amount of work put into keeping it there. Could it be a denizen from the deepest, darkest pit of hell, or some terrible Magical beast from antiquity? Whatever it was, it wasn't meant to get out. Should I interfere or just pass by as I had the others, I wondered?
On further consideration, if the Council had gone to all of this trouble to keep whatever was in there contained, perhaps it would be best to at least learn what it was. It could be something to use against them. On the other hand, it could be something so terrible that it was best left behind this security. I would never know unless I confronted it, I decided.
Once the decision to investigate was made, the next was to determine the best way to enter the area. I could disable the Magic-canceling spell, but that would allow whatever was in there to use its Magic, which could be a bad decision. I could open the door, as locks had never been a problem for the O'Connells. That of course could allow whatever was in there the possibility of escaping through the open door. Neither of these simple solutions were good ones. Something more complicated was called for but what?
After further consideration, I decided that a large Defensive Shell with the wards on the inside could be the answer. That would prevent whatever was inside from escaping, and I could then adopt either of the simpler solutions.
Sitting on the floor, I cast the spell for a spherical Defensive Shell and expanded it to a hundred feet in diameter, which should be more than sufficient to contain the resident of the cell. On rising to my feet, I cast another spell to disable the Magic canceling spell in the walls and threw it at the wall here in the corridor. There was a loud 'POP' as the spell in the walls collapsed, and I drew in a deep breath before transferring into the cell to see what was in there.
I reappeared two feet from the interior wall, just as I had planned. It appeared that the walls along this corridor were of a consistent, if substantial, thickness. The Cell itself was small being some eight feet wide by ten feet long. There was one light panel in the ten foot height ceiling, and it cast a weak under-powered light on the area. The walls were bare, and the only furnishings were a waste bucket and a cot with the resident of the cell lying on it.
The prisoner was definitely a male and a large one at about 6'-0'' tall. It was difficult to determine his weight or age at present, and I used a spell to increase the level of illumination from the panel on the ceiling. The increased light level didn't help much with his age or weight estimate, but did reveal the auburn streaks in his long black hair. It also revealed that his skin was a darker shade than mine was.
Since he hadn't moved, even with the increased level of illumination, I would need to determine if he had been drugged like Celeste, or if something else had been done to him. I reached out with my right hand to touch him as I neared the cot, and a small dragon appeared and landed on my hand. It appeared to be a perfect miniature of a blue dragon. It walked around on my hand for nearly a minute. I could feel it probing my Talent with its small bit of Magic. It disappeared when it seemed satisfied with my intentions, but it had left me with several thoughts.
The first was that we weren't safe staying here because the Wizards were on their way here. The second was that we should move after creating a diversion to keep the Wizards busy. Since both of these seemed like good ideas, I considered how to implement them.
The following new characters are introduced in this chapter: Culann McCallister Blacksmith, Jillian’s husband, 6’-0” tall, 180 pounds, 21 years old, black hair, green eyes, handsome, a huge Talent Connor Gallagher Nora and Nola’s Uncle, D & C’s Husband, 5’-10” tall, 170 pounds, 20 years old, long auburn hair, gray eyes, a strong Talent Amelia, Anann, and Duncan returned the next day, Tuesday. When they were informed of the attack on Olive Hill, my Sisters were shocked that they had...
Robert and I had retired to my bedroom following our second breakfast and a short stop to watch a part of the news broadcast. After losing our clothes, I led him into the bathroom where we showered together in my large glass shower enclosure. We took turns rubbing soap onto and into each other's skin for a long, long time, and we were very excited before we finished. Following drying off with my large, soft fluffy towels, I escorted him back into the bedroom and the bed there. "Love me,"...
Annie and Sara arrived at the printing plant just after 12:30. Sean and I were just finishing cleaning up the presses, and only needed to use a quick spell to clean ourselves up and be presentable. Annie and Sara were wearing jeans like Sean and I were, but had on heavy blouses and jackets rather than the "Magic Ink" T-shirts that Sean and I were wearing with our sneakers. They had also brought jackets for us. "It's a lot colder in Denver than it is here," Sara told us, as they handed...
The following new character appears in last few chapters: Makhpia – Luta (Red Cloud) Two Wolves Called Jason, Lakota, Robert's older Brother t, 6'-0'', 200 pounds, 28 years old, jet black hair, gray eyes, a very rugged looking individual and the guardian of the Thunderbird spirit By late on the afternoon of my third day in the wild, I had reached a decision and reviewed it to ensure that all of the necessary points were covered. I was now ready to return to the house and those...
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...
Carl takes the Narrative: New characters introduced in the next two chapters: Eileen O'Keefe Carl's Wife, Morgan and Donald's Sister, 5'-2" tall, 105 pounds, 34C-22-34, 16 years old, dark auburn hair, blue eyes, a few freckles, very cute Morgan O'Keefe Eileen's Brother, M & M's Husband, 5'-10" tall, 145 pounds, 19 years old, auburn hair, blue eyes Donald O'Keefe Eileen's Brother, C & D's Husband, 5'-9" tall, 140 pounds, 17 years old, auburn hair, gray eyes We...
We didn't get to see Grandfather Michael until well after noontime. We joined him in his private parlor when summoned. "Good afternoon, Grandfather," we both said in greeting after being told to enter. "Well, what do you think of us after spending your first night here, and scaring the staff half to death?" he asked with a grin. "The scaring part wasn't intentional," I told him. "Maybe not on your part," Pat told him in a disgruntled voice. "And just what is the problem?"...
I awoke the next morning a very satisfied and rested kitty. I instantly knew that it was morning even with no windows to see out or the fresh air of dawn to sniff. The remains of last night's meal, about twenty pounds of meat, were still there and I wolfed it down in short order before starting to clean my muzzle and whiskers, which I had neglected to do last night due to tiredness. Following cleaning up, some of last night's meal was anxious to depart, and I deposited my cat scat in the...
The following new characters appear in this chapter and the remainder of the story: David Strickland Master Wizard, President of the Council William Rittenhouse Master Wizard, Oldest Member of the Council, builder of the trap James Knox Master Wizard, Member of the Council, Master of Creatures Taylor Peale Master Wizard, Member of the Council, creator of the Magic-stealing creatures Ross King Master Wizard, Member of the Council, in charge of external security Neville...
The following new character appears in the next several chapters: Franklin (Frank) Mahony Master Wizard, Celeste's boyfriend, 5'-9'' tall, 160 pounds, 22 years old, dark auburn hair, gray eyes Frank's Tale: I had heard rumors of creatures down in the tunnels under the headquarters building of the Wizard's Council that stole people's Magic if they ventured into the wrong areas down there. There were also stories of missing Wizards who had vanished trying to eliminate this...
Saint Patrick's Day, the 17th of March, fell on a Wednesday this year, 2032. Sean and I had already helped Dad plow the fields in late February, and we had planted the seeds by the 1st of March, as we were having a warm spring this year. The past three years had seen the last freeze in Mid-March, and it hadn't been conducive to early planting. This afternoon, we were out checking the various fields on foot with Annie and Sara. They were still new to farming, and we wanted them to see the...
New characters appearing in this chapter and the next: Gwyneth O'Leary Doctor, OB/GYN, Irish, 5'-3" tall, 108 pounds, 34B-23-35, 28 years old, long red hair, gray eyes, some freckles Gwyn and Glanda Mike and Gretchen's Daughters, born 6 November 2051, both have dark Auburn hair and gray eyes Sererena and Saraid Pat and Petra's Daughters, born on 6 November 2051, both have red hair and green eyes Early on Monday morning both of our Grandmothers and our Moms came to visit us. We...
Characters introduced in this chapter: The Wizard Master Wizard of Leinster House, a tall older man of indeterminate age with a beard going gray. We were up early the next morning, and dressed for a day touring the city. We didn't wear anything too formal like a suit, or anything too sloppy like ragged jeans. Slacks and sports shirts along with comfortable pairs of athletic walking shoes completed our outfit. We left the backpacks in the room and returned our suits from last night to...
We were awakened early the next morning to the cold gray light of dawn by the Castellan calling to us through the wards across the stairwell entrance. "Master ... Master, you must come out here. Something awful has happened!" As I sat up in bed, my movement disturbed Sunshine, and she sat up also, as the Castellan continued to call to me. "What is wrong?" she asked. "I don't know. I'll have to go and see," I told her, as I pulled on my jeans and reached for my Wizard's...
The following character returns from the original Magic Ink story: Sean Patrick Martin O'Hennessy Senior Master Sorcerer, head of the Boston council, 5'8" tall, a thin old man with a long white beard and hair When we arrived home, it was mid-morning on Friday the 11th of June in Statesboro. Our Moms called our sisters to let them know that we were back. Dad called the printing plant to let Uncle Will Stuart know the same thing. Sean and I didn't have anyone to call. Neither did Annie...
Amelia continues the Narrative: "Are you expecting anyone else?" I asked quietly, as Duncan and Connor cast wards around the room as a precaution. "No! Let me go and see who it is," Captain Billy told us, and started for the hall that led to the rear of the house. Connor created an opening in the ward for him. After several minutes, the Captain returned with another man who appeared very reluctant to be seen here. "Tell them what you told me," the Captain directed, without...
Margie has the Narrative again for a time: My timing was just about perfect, as I arrived in the kitchen just as Grace was ready to leave. “Hi, where are you off to?” I asked, as I appeared. Grace jumped in surprise on hearing my voice and turned to look at me. “Lord! Margie, you scared me out of two years growth,” she told me on recovering. “Sorry, most of those in the Clan can detect when someone is transferring to their location,” I told her. “It’s a skill that you’ll develop over...
The following characters appear in this chapter and later in the story: Carl Michael O’Connell, Were – Siberian Tiger, Margie K’s Father, 6’-3’’ tall, 230 pounds 42 years old, broad shoulders, auburn hair, green eyes Seamus O’Connell, Margie K’s Great Uncle, an Ordained Minister, 5’-10’’ tall, 170 pounds, very old, white hair and a short beard, gray eyes We appeared in the Clan Hall just before 5:45 that afternoon. It had been set up with tables and a serving line. A number of the Clan...
Mankato's (Robert's) awakening: I awoke next to the woman who had rescued me. From the size of the Talent that I could feel and the amount of Magic energy surrounding her, one would assume that she was a woman of large proportions and stature. In fact, the woman next to me was short with large breasts and a slim but very female figure. In her sleep, her breasts rose and fell rhythmically, and I watched them joyfully for a considerable period of time. At last she awoke and sat up. "How...
The following new character appears in the next two chapters: Kurt Celeste's former friend, 5'-7'' tall, 135 pounds, 16 years old, brown hair, gray eyes Celeste's Tale: When the Mistress left, I finished my school work before resuming my Magic studies for the day. The book that I was currently working on was a very dry and unexciting text dealing with ancient spells and lore. It was not something that I was really interested in. Consequently, after a short time, my attention waned,...
Characters returning from the previous story: Mark Kent O'Connell The children's Father, 5'-9" tall, 165 pounds, 39 years old, brown hair, hazel eyes Mary Kathleen O'Connell (Katie) Mary Margaret O'Connell (Margie) Mark's wives and the children's Mothers, 5'-3" tall, 124 pounds, 36DD-25-37, legally 38 years old (actually 196 years old), long flaming red hair, deep green eyes, a sprinkling of freckles, very cute Edana and Gale O'Connell Margie's daughters, 5'-4" tall, 105...
Margie K resumes the narrative: We instantly reappeared in the area just north of Arch Street and west of North 5th Street in the small open area near several large buildings from where I had made my initial search for Celeste. I instantly cast a glamour around us. "Why did you do that?" Robert asked on realizing that I had done something. "To keep anyone from recognizing us. These are glamours of two people who were at the Capitol the other morning when I was there," I informed...
We sat on the porch with our thoughts for a long time after that. Eventually our thoughts were interrupted by a high flying reconnaissance plane flying over our property. Its various probing beams and spells created pastel colors on the wards of the spherical Defensive Shell, as they touched it in the morning light. "Don't worry," I told Celeste. "They won't discover anything other than that we have a Defensive Shell over our property. They won't be able to see inside of it." Celeste...
The following characters appear in the first two chapters: 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 Mark Michael O'Connell Mike and Shannon's Son, 5'-10" tall, 140 pounds, 17 years old, red hair, green eyes Seamus Patrick O'Connell Pat and Sheena's Son,...
I was awakened from a sound sleep some time later that night by the sound of someone attempting to get through my wards which rang like a bell from the attack. Robert sat up beside me at the noise, and the lights had come on when we moved. "What was that?" he demanded sleepily. "That was probably the owner wanting access to his hideaway," I told him. "We've been discovered." "Can he get in here?" he asked in a worried voice. "Not if that's the best that he can do," I assured...
The following new character appears in the next two chapters: Janeen Two Wolves Robert's older sister, a Healer, 5'-7'' tall, 130 pounds, 34C-22-32, 30 years old, long black hair in braids, brown eyes We arose early the next morning following a quiet night with only a little hugging and kissing. Breakfast followed shortly, and we were ready to leave well before 9:00 AM. "I should have asked, do you want to take some extra clothing along?" Robert asked as we prepared to...
Everyone was still excited about the upcoming move to the O'Connell Realm on Tuesday, the 18th of October, when they resumed work at the printing plant. The excitement was soon replaced by shock. On Wednesday morning, the 19th, just before 8:30, as everyone was just getting to work, Uncle Will noticed a black Humvee and several black Suburbans pull up across the street from the plant. The hair on the back of his neck stood up in premonition, and he instantly reacted by reciting the spell...
The following new character appears in this chapter and the remainder of the story: Crendenor Robert's Blue Dragon, its size varies from a miniature Dragon that can walk around on your palm to a huge monster of a Dragon with a wing span of some 120 feet. I awoke late on the morning of the second day here with a raw throat, but was a very satisfied woman even if I was starved. All of the love and sex had used up a lot of energy which we needed to replace. My throat was easily repaired...
Over the next few days, Dad got with Uncle Will and Thomas Stuart to determine how much paper, plates, ink, and other supplies that we used in a year. They went over the business records and then projected future increases based on the increases over the last two years. They were quite surprised at the amount of materials required. "You say that we have maybe a year or so?" Uncle Will asked. "Yes, that's our daughters' estimate," Dad answered. "We can double our regular orders and...
We returned to Hickory Hill much earlier today than we had yesterday, and took care of our horses ourselves, but allowed the stablemen to take care of the pack horse. After cleaning up, we went to look for Mark and Seamus. Sererena and Gwyn were already here. We finally got everyone together in the den. “What’s so important?” Seamus asked. “There are things that we need to discuss,” I told them. “It couldn’t wait until after dinner?” Gwyn asked. “No, we’re going to need to make an...
The following characters appear in the next few chapters: Aengus Patrick Sean Michael O’Brien “himself”, half owner of the Pub, 5’-10” tall, 86 years old, stoop shouldered, silver gray hair, watery blue eyes Patrick O’Brien Aengus’s youngest son, 5’-10” tall, thin, 52 years old dark blond hair, blue eyes Michael O’Brien Aengus’s grandson, Patrick’s son, 5’-9” tall, thin, 24 years old, brown hair, blue eyes Monday morning dawned bright and sunny. We were up shortly after 6:00, having...
The meal that evening was much more festive than our afternoon snack had been. Everyone wore their best clothes, and there was even music at the meal, which consisted of seven courses and finished with wine and ale. The twins did try some of the ale which was very good, but only a little, and none of the wine. They had learned their lesson. That night the Sisters wanted sex, which was all right with me. Both of them wanted the long, slow, and passionate variety, but separately and with a...
We found Red Cloud, Jason, out by the bunk house giving instructions to a number of his ranch hands. A couple of them seemed greatly surprised to see me with Robert as we approached them. He waited until his Brother had finished before approaching him, but I could feel Robert's eagerness in my mind. "Brother, it has occurred to me that the Council of Chiefs and Elders needs a reminder of just who they are dealing with and trying to take advantage of," Robert told him. "And how would you...
The sun was well up when I awoke the next morning. I was indeed loved. Gretchen was still in my arms, and Clare and Shannon had moved up against me. Clare was pressed against my back, and Shannon was pressed up against her little blond friend. I lay there for a time thinking about what had happened last night. It had indeed been an exceptional night, but I was worried. I had three women in love with me. Somewhere along the line, I had already decided to marry two of them. This, of course,...
Kell and his twins arrived an hour, or so after we had gotten back. He knocked on our door when they got upstairs. They looked tired. "Anything?" I asked, after they were seated on the bed. "A morning's ride, some nice scenery, and time spent at two ancient sites, but no trace of recent Magic use at either of them," he told me. "There were still some traces of ancient Magic at the well. Kell told me that the goddess Airmid was one of the ones that created the healing well, and that...
"Oh Dear!" the Smith groaned in distress at the table. "What is it, my Sweet?" he asked, as he quickly rose to see what was the matter. He never did make it to the bedroom, as his wife led a small boy and girl out into the main room. She was followed by a girl a few years older than the pair of youngsters, and Clare and Cathleen. "Look at them, Henry!" the wife demanded, excitedly. "This morning, they could hardly hold their heads up, and now they are as well as you, or I. How could...
The following new characters make an appearance: Mary Margaret O’Connell (Margie) Katie’s twin Sister, Margie and Robert’s Daughter, Born on the 18 of September 1907, 7 pounds, green eyes, flaming red hair, Siberian Tiger cub Mary Kathleen O’Connell (Katie) Margie’s twin Sister, Margie and Robert’s Daughter, Born on the 18 of September 1907, 7 pounds, green eyes, flaming red hair, baby Dragon Patrick Owen O’Malley O’Connell Grace and Owen’s Son, Born on the 15 of October 1907, 7pounds 8...
Characters returning from Grace and Owen: Grace O’Malley, Heroine, former prostitute, 5’-2’’ tall, 110 pounds, 34D-22-34, 21 years old, alabaster skin, long flaming red hair, bright green eyes, some freckles, very cute, has a large but untrained Talent and little knowledge of Magic Owen O’Connell, Blacksmith, Grace’s lover and soon-to-be Husband, 5’-9’’ tall, 150 pounds, 25 years old, light auburn hair, gray eyes, quite handsome, has a large but untrained Talent and little knowledge of...
Final characters introduced in the story: Wolfgang Patrick O'Connell Mike and Gretchen's son, born 7 November 2053, auburn hair, green eyes Carl Michael O'Connell Pat and Petra's son, born 7 November 2053, reddish blond hair, blue eyes While Pat and I had been busy with our Wives and Sons, a bit of a brouhaha had developed at the University. It seems that some of the other Faculty members were jealous of our Parents and Aunts, and their position in what had become one of the...
We had just finished taking our seats and Lady Caoilinn had signaled for the first dish to be served when everything was interrupted by a long, loud, high pitched, agonizing scream that was suddenly cut off. I immediately sent out my Magical senses to determine what had happened. I didn't like what I found. "What on Earth was that?" Lady Caoilinn demanded in the sudden silence that followed the scream being cut off. Captain Sean Og was already on his feet and calling for the guardsmen,...
Seamus continues his Narrative: The following new characters appear in this chapter: Sarah MacKenna, Chandra Duncan's Sister, Seamus's Wife, 5'-2" tall, 100 pounds plus, 34C-20-30, 18 years old, long lustrous black hair, brown eyes, beautiful Duncan MacKenna, Oconostota Chandra's Brother, A & A's Husband, 5'-10" tall, 145 pounds, 16 years old, dark auburn hair, gray eyes, a very handsome young man I transferred Black Bear, the Ranger Lieutenant, and myself back to the...
The following new characters are introduced in the next two chapters: Savannah Collins Shannon's twin, James's Wife, 5'-2" tall, 105 pounds, 34C-22-34, 17 years old, blond hair, gray eyes, very cute Shannon Collins Savannah's twin, James's Wife, 5'-2" tall, 105 pounds, 34C-22-34, 17 years old, blond hair, gray eyes, very cute James's Narrative of his trip to Boston: I went north with Gwyn, Glanda, and their soon-to-be lawyer Husband plus a number of other Representatives to...
Grace takes over the narrative: Margaret O’Connell and her Husband returned that evening after supper. As promised, she brought the wedding dress and a box of books, but she also brought two lamps with her. “These are Magic Powered lamps, which don’t require fuel or electricity to work. All that you need to do is activate the spell in them with your Talent, and then you can adjust the intensity of the lamp to the level that you require,” she told Owen and me, before demonstrating how to do...
It was just after 4:00 that afternoon when the radio broke the silence. "Attention all O'Connell teams! We have just received word from the Intelligence Corp that the Persians have landed a short distance down river from Frankfurt. Keep a sharp lookout for their arrival. That's all for now," Grandfather Mark finished. Pat and I used the small pair of binoculars that we had been issued to search the area west of the city, but could only make out the top masts of several ships down the...
On arriving at the Hall for the evening meal, we were surprised to see a larger table set up and that several other guests were already there for the meal. The current conversations all stopped when we entered the Hall. "These are my house guests," Lady Feidhelm told the others. "The young man is Master Kellen O'Connell and the young ladies are the Mac Sweeney Sisters, Airmid and Almha, his Apprentices," she finished. "Kellen, these are my guests for the evening meal: Master Murchadh...
We materialized in the Duke's apartment on the second floor of the Manor house. The lamps there ran on Magic and they were lit. There was a fire in the large fireplace, making it much cheerier than the cell that we had just left. Of course the four girls couldn't see any of this, but they could feel the increased warmth. A large sumptuous dinner had been set out on the large table in the dining area here. It appeared that the Duke and Duchess had been interrupted as they prepared to have...
Mark's Narrative Continues: We didn't see Seamus or most of his people for ten days following dinner that night. Meagan and Maureen did appear for dinner a couple of times during that period, and they borrowed Dymphna for a time as Seamus and Carl had taken Dealla and Cessair with them. Having three Mages in the Ohio country put a strain on our one remaining Mage, Coleen, who was rather busy with two locations to take care of. Things on this side of the Ohio River had not slowed down or...
June slipped into July, and we still hadn't found time to return to the Other Reality to visit the girls still there, and to see how they and the Daughters they were carrying were doing. We had planned on returning several times, but every time that we had, something had come up to prevent us from leaving. Aside from the normal work in the fields on the growing crops, and our work in the printing plant, several emergencies had developed to prevent us from leaving. The first was one...
Because of our late start, there was no way that we could make the fifty kilometers to Gray before dark. We passed through the hamlet of Belleauve that afternoon, and had neared Mirebeau-sur-Beze before deciding to stop for the night. We looked for, and found, a wooded area with a pond nearby, at the edge of an open field. Pat and I had unsaddled our riding horses, unhitched the cart team, and removed their harnesses before we took them out to the pond for a drink. The women were preparing...
Monday started a week of discoveries and amazement for our future wives. While Pat and I hit the books, as the old saying goes, on Monday morning, our Sisters and female Cousins took our girlfriends shopping in Statesboro. They went on the small bus that makes regular trips to town several times a day so that our people can shop or run other errands. The first shock was the bus itself. It's one of the small types of buses that can carry 25 or so passengers, like those used by many churches...
Characters introduced in this chapter: Shannon O'Connell (Shan) Sheena's twin, one of Mike's future wives, 5'-4" tall, 104 pounds, 34C-21-30, 15 years old, long flaming red hair, deep green eyes, some freckles, and terribly cute Sheena O'Connell (She) Shannon's twin, one of Pat's future wives, 5'-4" tall, 104 pounds, 34C-21-30, 15 years old, long flaming red hair, deep green eyes, some freckles, and terribly cute Clare O'Toole Cathleen's twin, one of Mike's future wives,...
At home on Monday we all relaxed for a while except for the need to weed the fields and some maintenance on the new Tractor. Sean and I took Annie and Sara out to show them how to weed with Magic. They were surprised that they knew the spell, and at how easy it was to weed the large fields with Magic. Later our Moms took them out and introduced them to the herbal garden and weeding by hand because many of the herbs and other things growing there would be considered weeds by the Magic spell,...
"Shannon, what are you doing?" Savannah demanded, standing in the hall behind us. Shannon's head came up off my chest, and she turned toward her Sister in a more determined way than I had seen before. "It's all right, Savannah. He will take us with him and will marry both of us," she told her Sister. Savannah gasped in surprise. "Really? Both of us? Are you sure?" she asked in a doubtful voice. "I told Shannon that I would marry both of you. I will be glad to have both of you as...
Annie and I spent a troubled night with thoughts of Weres waking us from time to time, as I was sure others in our family did. We had all heard tales about them, but had always assumed that they were just that - tales, and not anything real. We were about to discover if they were real or not. Annie and I were up early for breakfast and were joined by Sean and Sara, who were up equally early. After breakfast there wasn’t anything to do at our houses, so we went over to our parents’ house to...
Mark resumes the Narrative: I didn't have a chance to return to the barracks room until sometime later. I had checked with all of the Platoon Leaders and the remaining leaders of Olive Hill. I had also created the permanent Portal to Hickory Hill to get supplies in here. Wolf came over to me as I entered the room. He had very hesitantly left the girl that he had rescued, who was asleep on one of the bunks. "I'm sorry that I let you down, Mark, but I ... I just couldn't leave Saoirse....
The sun was already up when we rose the next morning. It was dry and fairly warm in our defensive shell, and the fire that the Eternal Flame had left was still burning. While the women started on breakfast, Pat and I fed the horses. "We are going to take the horses for a drink," I told the women, as we prepared to move the horses through the defensive shell and our wards. They didn't like this, and were always skittish when we did it. "Breakfast will be ready in a bit," Shannon called...
The following Monday, the 4th of September, was Labor Day, and on Tuesday, the 5th, we all started back with our home-school studies. Pat and I were now Seniors in high school. Thanks to the work done by the 'Book of Dreams', Shannon and Sheena were now in their Junior year of high school, while Clare and Cathleen had started their Sophomore year. Gretchen and Petra, because of their late start with the 'Book of Dreams' were only on eighth grade work at present, but were advancing rapidly...
It was July before more checks showed up. It was Wednesday, the 13th, to be exact. On Thursday, the 14th, we returned to Nassau to deposit the latest checks and some excess funds from our parents' regular bank account in Georgia. Our parents were maintaining a large reserve of cash on hand in their house now. They had built it up over the last eleven months. This deposit brought them to over 225 million dollars in the two Nassau banks. It would appear that we weren't the only ones moving...