Magic Ink IV Ken and KellChapter 34
- 3 years ago
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We were unceremoniously ripped awake from a very deep sleep some time later by shouting and the sound of the castle's metal alarm being rung. We both bolted upright in the dark, and I quickly went to the arrow slit window facing the bawn to hear what was going on. I could see a fire in the bawn and men rushing to the walls.
"WOLVES!!" I heard someone shout. "Wolves are attacking the village!" There was a pounding on the screen wall, as I quickly dressed, since we had gone to bed naked. Sunshine was also in the process of dressing.
"Master Ken, Master Ken!!" I heard between the pounding on the doors. I hurried over and opened one of the doors while using the spell to light the Magic-powered lamp near it.
"There are wolves attacking the cattle, sheep, and pigs as well as the people in the village," a hastily dressed Eamon told me while regaining his breathe after I had opened the door.
"Does this happen often?" I asked.
"There are occasional problems with wolves, but nothing like what the guards have seen this time. There must be a huge pack of them, as the guards have seen over twenty already," he told me.
"I'll go there immediately and deal with them," I told him.
"How can you do that alone? It will take time to ready the guards to attack them," he told me.
"I will use my Magic. Have the guards man the walls, and I will drive them toward the castle. The bowmen should be able to take them down," I told him, as Sunshine joined us.
"I'm going with you!" she told me.
"You should remain here," I told her, but meant somewhere that it was safe.
"These are my people, and many will be injured. I WILL GO!" she told me defiantly. I saw that she was both serious and concerned about the people as well as the animals.
"All right," I told her, and took her hand plus Eamon's and transferred all of us to the bawn.
"Get things organized here, Eamon," I told him, as I released his hand, and transferred Sunshine and myself to the Village Chief's house.
There were two large gray wolves there attacking the door when we materialized behind them. I had already cast my wards, and quickly raised both arms, as I activated my Magic beams. I thought 'cut', and the beams shot out of the finger of both of my hands like laser beams, as I brought my hands down with a chopping motion, cutting both wolves in half.
"Chief O'Carroll are you in there," I shouted.
"Yes! Are the wolves gone?" came the reply.
"They're dead," I announced, and the door was flung open revealing not only the Village Chief, but his family and a number of others, many of whom were injured.
"I'll work here. Send the others to me here," Sunshine told me confidently, as she entered the house to begin working on the injured.
"Where are the majority of the wolves?" I was asking the Village Chief at the same time.
"Around the cattle and sheep pens mostly. There are some wards there, but I don't know how long they will keep this many wolves out," he told me, before adding, "There are also some wolves still going about in the village. More than the two that you killed here."
"I'll go deal with the ones at the pens. Can you gather the other men? We'll drive the survivors toward the castle. The bowmen there are waiting for them," I told him.
"I will gather whoever I can. At least the last quarter moon is still up and providing some light, or we could never fight them," he told me.
"Light torches to drive them with, many torches," I told him, as I hurried toward the pens where I could hear the sounds of wolves and cattle. I had no trouble seeing in the low level of light provided by the last quarter moon.
As I neared the cattle pens the sounds of many wolves in a frenzy increased along with the frantic sounds from the cows and the sheep. The pens for the pigs were separate and there was a small building that they could retreat into. The wards that I could sense here were weak and certainly wouldn't keep this many wolves out for much longer. There were certainly many that I could see, at least a dozen or more on this side of the pens alone.
I again activated my Magic beams, as I raised my hands, and then sent individual beams of Magic force into each of the wolves. I had killed more than half of those on this side of the pens before they became aware of me and what I was doing. They all turned then with snarls and charged at me. I cut them down having changed my Magic beams to cutting beams with just a thought.
They never even got near me, and I had my wards activated in any case. I was ready to transfer to the other side of the pens when the wolves from there came charging around the end of the pens to aid the others and came straight at me. I was busy with my beams and didn't have time to count, but was later told that I had killed well over two dozen wolves there near the pens.
Villagers with torches appeared as I was dispatching the last of the wolves.
"There were others in the village," Chief O'Carroll told me, as he hobbled up to me. I could see that he had been bitten on the leg. I noticed that many of the men and some women with him had pitchforks, the ends of which were stained a dark color.
"Some are escaping," he told me as he reached me, out of breath.
"In what direction?" I asked.
"Towards the castle," he added.
"All right. Let's keep the pressure on them and drive them into the bowmen's range," I told them, before grabbing one of the other men's arms.
"Take the Village Chief and any other wounded to his house to have their wounds cared for. The Mage is there," I told him before turning to the others.
"Let's chase those wolves toward the castle," I told those remaining. The Chief and two others were taken to have their wounds treated, as the remainder formed a line on either side of me with their torches and pitch forks to chase after the remaining wolves.
It wasn't a difficult task, as the wolves outran us easily, but kept heading right for the walls of the castle, as if it were a safe haven. They soon discovered their mistake as the archers on the walls loosed arrow after arrow into them. I managed to pick off several that tried to escape with tight beams of Magic energy that cut them down. It's possible that a few escaped, but most of them were killed. The people with me just stared at the scene in total disbelief.
"My Lord, what of the skins?" one of the men, who seemed to be some kind of a leader, asked once all of the wolves had stopped moving.
"What about the skins?" I asked.
"They are very valuable, and should be collected immediately," he told me with a strange look on his face in the moon light.
"All right. Set some men to doing that, and I will want a couple of men to go with me to the pens to help with taking care of any injured animals there," I told him.
"And the wolves there?" he asked confused.
"Skin them also if the hides are so valuable," I told him.
"You don't want them?" he asked in shocked surprise.
"No, not especially," I told him.
"But ... but the Lord of the Castle has always taken the greater part of the profit from the hides," he told me in surprise.
"I have no need of the money, but I'm sure that some of those bowmen will want to be talking with you about who gets some of the profit from the hides," I told him. A number of the men had already moved toward the now still forms on the ground with knives out, and there were torches visible at the gates of the bawn, as others came to join them.
The man that I had been talking with sent several men with me to check on the animals in the pens. I stopped at the Village Chief's house to check on Sunshine. She seemed to have things there well in hand, and I only stayed long enough to tell her that I was going to the pens to check on the animals. She indicated that she would join me there later.
Arriving at the pens, we found men there already skinning the wolves by torch light. My men and I entered the pens carefully and began checking the animals, many of who were still frantic, as they could still smell the dead wolves and their blood.
There were a number of younger cows and calves that had been injured when the larger animals had crowded them into the walls of the barn in their fright and I needed to repair some legs and bruised sides. Several cows had been bitten by the wolves where the wards had been the weakest. Two had been killed by wolves that had breached the weak wards at the gate. They would be butchered and cooked or preserved.
The sheep were in a similar situation. Some of the lambs had been injured in the crowding and a number of the older animal had been bitten. Two sheep and a ram had been killed, but all in all they had gotten off very lucky for being attacked by such a large wolf pack. At the pig house one large sow had been bitten, and I took care of her. I was strengthening the wards around and between the pens when Sunshine arrived.
"How are the wounded?" I asked.
"The men are all right. There was a child, a girl, who was in very bad shape. I wasn't sure that I could help her, but when I looked at her injuries, the solution became immediately apparent, and I was able to heal her. I never knew how to do that before," she told me, but seemed disturbed.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"There were two of the old people brought in. They were terribly mauled by the wolves. I tried to save them, but nothing that I tried worked for them, and I had to stop. There were other who needed my help just as badly. The two old people died. I COULDN'T SAVE THEM," she wailed in tears of despair as her whole body shook. I took her in my arms and held her for a long time, as she cried in misery.
"Sometimes there is nothing that we can do. We are Mages and Sorcerers and can do much, but there are some things that even we cannot do," I told her quietly, and continued to hold her.
"The things that you did for the child were taught you by the 'Book of Dreams'," I told her after a bit. "It still has much to teach you."
"It is a most wondrous book then," she told me quietly. Her body had finally stopped shaking, and her breathing had evened out. We started back to the castle then. Along the way we stopped at the Village Chief's house again. He limped out the door when he saw us approaching.
"Thank you, my Lord!" he said, as he approached us. "My Son told me what you have done about the pelts. Are you sure that you don't want the money from their sale?" he asked in doubt.
"No, that is all right. Use the money to improve the village," I told him.
"Thank you, my Lord. You are a most generous Master," he told us with a bow. I just smiled at him, but noticed that Sunshine was frowning. We had walked some little distance before she spoke.
"Those wolf pelts are very valuable, especially so many of them. It is the Lord's right to take at least half of what they will fetch. From what I heard while tending the injured, you personally killed many of them by yourself, and are entitled to the other half for those. Are you sure that you want to give up that much money?" she asked with a frown.
"My sweet Sunshine, my family is quite wealthy as is my clan. I don't need the small sum that the wolf pelts will bring, but the villagers will be able to improve their lives with the money," I told her, as we neared the gates to the castle. There were men with torches on guard there now. I could hear them call someone as we approached.
"A good morning to you, my Lord," Captain O'Carroll said coming out to greet us, as we approached.
Kellen's narrative continues: The sun was shining on a clear and calm day when we arose only a little late on Thursday morning, the 3rd of July. The remnants of yesterday's storm were long gone, all but the mud in those streets and byways that were unpaved. The swans and their broods had even returned to the river and could be seen through our window. We all cleaned up before dressing and going down to eat. We were in the hotel's dining area having breakfast later when both Sisters...
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,...
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Hi, To all Iss reader this is my first story hope U all would like it a complete fiction.my self raj i live in Mumbai this story is about my aunty nandita,let me describe her she is in her 30s,lives with her husband and daughter.She is born beauty with an awesome fig of 36.28.40 ..her assets are her huge melons of 36 d and her ass that will give a hard on to any guy who looks at it So now my story starts this was like 5 years ago when I was appearing for my 12 th HSC examination at that time my...
We materialized on the road near the Mc Dermott cottage on the outskirts of Rathkeale. "What is here?" Sunshine asked looking around at the scattering of cottages along the road. "Not what, but who. I know some people here," I told her, as I approached the Mc Dermott's door and knocked. "Yes, what is it?" Mrs. Mc Dermott asked from inside before opening the door and looking up at me. "Oh!" she said in a startled voice, before looking closer. "You're the Apprentice that stopped...
As soon as I finished the healing spells and had canceled the preservation spell the body in the casket-like box snapped upright. Her eyes were bulging out in shock, and she screamed and screamed in fear. "It's all right, Rose. Don't be afraid. No one will hurt you again," Sunshine assured her twin, but Rose's body wasn't listening -- yet. Sunshine bent to try to calm the frightened girl, and Rose's spirit, which had resided in Sunshine's body for the last several years, flowed out...
I was 19 when I met Ken. I was still at Uni and I met him during a work placement at a large accounting firm in the city. I had just completed my first ever full scale audit of a medium sized business. I had essentially completed the audit on my own but I was closely supervised by one of the accountants there and he had double checked everything I had done.I had to attend a meeting with the client, more as part of my work experience than anything else. I wasn't really needed there because my...
"Complications, Carl?" Seamus asked with a frown. "There were a number of cabins under attack also. Not everyone had gotten as far as the fort before the Shawanoes caught up with them, and they had holed up in some of the cabins near it. They needed immediate assistance, and we took care of that first after securing the fort. The Shawanoes broke off the attack, once we secured the fort and the cabins with Defensive Shells. We followed them, and eliminated the majority of them," I...
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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?"...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...