Magic Ink V The Third RealityChapter 27
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We all transferred to Lexington after that. Our Sisters all knew where to go as there was only one real jewelry store in town, and all of our female relatives had been there multiple times. The manager was a French gentleman and smiled as we all entered.
The store only had a limited selection of engagement and wedding rings. The engagement rings were mostly wide rings that were engraved but had no gems set in them and certainly no diamonds. They were, however, made of 20 carat gold. The wedding rings matched the engraving on the engagement rings but were narrower.
Our fiancees looked over the rings for some time before each selected a set. The ones that they selected were richly engraved. Gwyn did the bargaining with the manager and paid him once they reached an agreement. Wolf, Carl, and I slipped the engagement rings on the fingers of our fiancees before we left the store. They all fit as our Sisters had used a shrinkage spell to ensure that. Gwyn took charge of the wedding bands.
"You can go back to work now," our Sisters told us on leaving the jewelry store. "We'll take the ladies to look at dresses."
"Will they have dresses to fit us?" Eileen asked.
"They will definitely fit you," Amelia assured her. We guys returned to work while the women looked at dresses. I spoke to Wolf and Carl before we returned to our operational sites.
"We need most of the family to attend dinner at Hickory Hill for the next several nights," I told them.
"It's going to be awfully crowded then," Wolf observed. "Is it important?"
"Yes, there will be promotions and a number of the newer members of the family will receive commissions," I told both of them to looks of surprise. That was when both of them noticed the Lieutenant Colonel's insignias that I was wearing.
"You've been promoted!!" both said in shocked surprise.
"Yes, this morning by General Greene," I told them.
"Who all will be getting promoted?" they wanted to know.
"A number of people but not everyone," I told them.
"We'll get everyone there that isn't out on patrol," they assured me before we all returned to work. Before going to Mount Sterling, I alerted Sererena and the cooks to expect everyone for dinner.
Dinner that evening was a bit crowded, but we managed. Gerald was out on a patrol, and Nora and Nola had been fed early and were being watched by Mrs. O'Flannagain. The senior NCOs and non-O'Connell Officers ate in the second dining room. All but Lieutenant Lister that is. Once everyone was seated, but before dinner was served, I made the announcement.
"As some of you have noticed, I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel while we were at Fort Jefferson this morning," I told them, but had to stop while those present applauded. I was able to continue after a short time.
"There will be a number of other promotions in the unit because of that. The first ones will be tonight. There will be more over the next two nights," I informed them and held up the orders that Sergeant O'Faolain had drafted and I had signed that evening.
"The following individuals are being promoted to the rank of Major:
Seamus O'Connell B Company Commander
Gwyn O'Connell Quartermaster
Sererena O'Connell Headquarters Commandant
Kennard O'Connell S-3 (Plans)
Kellen O'Connell S-2. (Intelligence)
"The following individual is promoted to Captain:
Jeremy Lister Finance.
"Those are all of the promotions for today. There will be more tomorrow," I finished before sitting down after handing out the promotion orders to the people named. There was applause for the group being promoted before the dinner was served. It was a very gay affair.
That night Clare was very amorous, and we made long, slow, passionate love before having wonderful sex. We were a little late getting up the next morning, but we still felt fantastic.
I went to see Sergeant O'Faolain that morning after dropping Clare off for her Magic studies. I wanted to check on the progress of the additional orders. He had paperwork on those promoted for me to sign and for Jeremy Lister to take to Finance at Fort Henry so they would be paid at their new rank.
Thomas Young had also been at the dinner last evening, and I found him with Ken and Kell in the den.
"Your organization seems a little heavy with Officers," he remarked after greeting me.
"A not unusual occurrence in Headquarters units," I remarked.
"But your Brothers have told me that you currently only have four platoons of Continentals and five platoons of Rangers, and that they have their own Officers. How can you justify so many additional Senior and Junior Officers?" he asked.
"We have several unique requirements," I told him and took him out to see the Portals. We went to Fort Washington, Mount Sterling, Louisville, and finally Fort Henry. I explained about the need to have people capable of opening and closing the Portals and the wards in the defensive shells. He was amazed at both concepts, but still didn't understand why we had so many extra Officers.
"The final difference," I told him once we had returned to Hickory Hill, "is that all of the O'Connells and their Husbands or Wives are or will be 'Combat Officers'."
"I don't understand what you mean by 'Combat Officers'. Will they take command of the Rangers and Continentals during time of war?" he asked.
"The Continentals and Rangers are only necessary for the current operations, and yes, an O'Connell goes out on each patrol. We also did all of the initial reconnaissance on the areas that we are responsible for. However, that is not what I mean by the term 'Combat Officers'. By that I mean those who will take the fight directly to the British on the Atlantic coast, and will use spells, wards, and their Power Rings against them. There will be no Rangers or Continentals there to help, but we won't require them. We are sufficiently powerful to defeat the British on our own," I finished.
"What are Power Rings?" he asked. I help up my hands and showed him the Power Ring on each hand.
"We can fire beams of Magic Power with these that can do many different things. They will also produce Magic Fire which consumes things very quickly. A few of us are powerful enough to do these things without the aid of the rings," I told him, and then related the story of the rat at Fort Washington and took him to see the monoliths in front of the gates at Fort Henry. Thomas had difficulty believing that Seamus and I had moved them there until I used my rings to lift one of the large stones.
"Ask Kell to tell you about his Wives at the beach," I told him when we returned to Hickory Hill again. He didn't look convinced just then, but appeared a lot more convinced at lunch after talking to Kell.
That evening at dinner it was a bit more crowded initially before I announced the promotions.
"The following individuals are promoted to the rank of Captain:
Glanda O'Connell Quartermaster
Saraid O'Connell Adjutant
Wolfgang O'Connell A Company
Carl O'Connell B Company.
"The following individuals are promoted to Senior Lieutenant:
"Lieutenant Graham B Company
The other three Lieutenants from Fort Jefferson were also promoted. They worked in various sections but their names are unimportant to our present tale.
"The following enlisted personnel are promoted to Senior Sergeant:
Sergeant O'Flannagain Quartermaster
Sergeant O'Faolain S-1 (Personnel)
Segeant Morgan A Company
Sergeant Parker B Company.
"Those are all of the promotions for tonight. There will be more announcements tomorrow night," I finished. There was applause as each individual came forward to receive their orders. I'd had Sergeant O'Faolain date his orders yesterday so he would have one day's seniority on the others. Dinner after that was again quite a festive affair.
I didn't enjoy it that much as I now had a problem -- several actually. None of the Mages had been promoted, and I didn't want to create a problem by showing a preference for one of them, but at the same time I didn't want them to think that we didn't appreciate their hard work or care about them. The same was true for our other Sisters, A & A and M & M. Lastly there were our Cousins, James, Jillian, and Gerald. All of them had worked hard, but they weren't in leadership positions like those who had been promoted. I wasn't sure what I could or should do.
Things had been all right when all of them had been just Lieutenants and then Senior Lieutenants, but there was a limit to how many Captains and Majors we could have in the unit. In addition to this I was going to commission most of the new additions to our families, a number of whom had very strong Talents.
Clare noticed my lack of attention when we went to bed later that evening.
"What's wrong, Mark?" she asked, as she cuddled up against me. I explained my problem to her.
"Sleep on it and an answer may suggest itself in the morning," she told me before pulling me over on top of herself.
"Make me scream!" she demanded then. I was way too busy after that to worry about other problems. Clare didn't want it long and slow tonight, and we were soon pounding into each other at a rapid rate. I definitely made her scream that time. Later, the second time was much slower but just as passionate. Clare squeaked and moaned but didn't scream. She enjoyed it just as much though, and so did I. We eventually fell asleep contented for the night.
When I awoke in the morning, I still didn't have an answer to my problem, but had decided that I needed more advice on what to do. I would meet with my senior people and seek their advice. I would have liked to have our Parents and Grandparents here to offer advice, but that clearly wasn't going to happen.
After breakfast, I transferred to Hickory Hill and called Sererena, Gwyn, Ken, and Kell in to the large parlor for a meeting while sending James to Fort Washington to have Seamus join us. With everyone here, I laid out my problem and worries. Everyone listened attentively, but no one had an immediate solution.
"Think about this and if you come up with a solution see me later," I told them before we broke up. It appears that at least some of my people discussed the problem with those close to them, as Airmid came to see me later that morning.
"Mark, you should appoint one of the Mages to be in charge of the others and to represent them. There are six of them plus Chandra is also a healer though not a Mage," she told me.
"Do you have any idea what could be done for our other Sisters?" I asked hopefully.
"No, but Almha and I will continue to think about it," she assured me. It was a partial solution, but who could I select for the job without upsetting the others? Thomas Young came to see me an hour or so later.
"I heard your people discussing your problem in the den. They were doing very little other work," he told me. "May I offer an outsider's perspective?" he asked.
"Go ahead."
"In the partisans and the militia, the Officers are elected by the men. Some groups are started by one or a few individuals who are the leaders, and others then join them.
"Yours isn't that kind of an organization. Apparently all of you are related or will soon be, plus you all share this Talent," he said with a knowing smile before continuing. "Now for these healers that they were talking about in the den, let them decide who should be their leader and represent them. That should make them happy.
"As for the others, there are always followers in any military organization. From what I have seen in my short time here, it appears that you have promoted those who are the natural leaders in your family. They are the ones who the others are used to obeying or looking to for solutions to problems.
"For the others, thank them for their devotion to duty and hard work in the past and encourage them to continue in that vein in the future," Thomas told me with another smile.
"You seem very wise about this sort of thing. Do you have a Military Rank?" I asked.
"Yes, I'm currently a full Colonel in the South Carolina militia, such as it is," he told me. "I've been at this since I was sixteen and have seen and handled many similar situations," he finished before returning to the den. I had been somewhat surprised by his rank and easy attitude about things. I went to see Sergeant O'Faolain about the commissioning orders that he was preparing for tonight.
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...
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...
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...
That evening we discussed with the Stuarts whether they would be interested in working for us full time. They were, but had some issues. "We have a house near Akron that we would need to sell. We also have jobs that we will need to leave, plus bank accounts and other financial matters to take care of," Will Stuart told us. ""If you would rather still live in Akron, I could install a portal in your house there, so you could travel back and forth to work here," I told them. "No," Myra...
Back in the O’Connell Realm, things were abuzz also. Jillian had taken Culann to see Great Grandfather Mark’s Blacksmith shop with its many kinds of modern equipment, and he had been shown Fragrach. He, Connor, and Duncan were also shown the tractors and other farm equipment. Wolf, Carl, and James had been working on the fields and had allowed them to ride on the tractors with them. Our Mage Sisters and Ken’s Wives had all been out in the fields also checking them. Chandra and the O’Keefes...
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...
On arriving at Hickory Hill that evening for dinner, there were a number of surprises, and there was considerable excitement when we appeared in the large parlor. "These are the O'Keefes," I announced before introducing each member of the family. Everyone was amazed that we had found an entire family with very strong Talents. "Yes, and they are already taken!" M & M told their Sisters and Cousins in very possessive voices before I had a chance to introduce my relatives to the...
In a short time, we had closed to about three hundred yards from the lead ship of the fleet when Ken, Kell, and Kell's Wives sent blasts of Magic Power into the ship that Admiral Ball had identified as Queen Charlotte -- a one hundred gun, first rate ship of the line. Her masts and rigging began to topple almost immediately and crashed down onto the main deck and over the side of the ship creating havoc and many casualties. At the same time, Sunshine and Rose, Ken's Wives, called red hot...
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...
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'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...
"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...
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....
New characters appearing in the next two chapters: Gerald Ward Saoirse's Father, 5'-7" tall, 165 pounds, 40 years old, brown hair and gray eyes Maureen Ward Saoirse's Mother, 5'-2" tall, 120 pounds, 36C-27-36, 34 years old, long red hair, green eyes The storm had subsided by the morning of our third day here, and it even managed to warm up a little that day, as the sun was out for most of the day. The snowshoes and toboggans had been transferred here from Mount Sterling via...
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?"...
On returning to our quarters to change clothes, Seamus and I were greeted by Cessair and Dealla, who were in an exuberant mood. "You missed the big event!" they told us joyfully. "Big event?" Seamus and I asked. "The mare delivered her foal this morning while you were gone," Cessair told us with a big smile. "We helped!" Dealla added happily, also with a smile. "You have to come to the stable and see her," Cessair told us, insistently. "Maybe we should change clothes before...
Our Sisters and female Cousins insisted on changing clothes before dinner, and the rest of us waited for them. None of us had a chance to bathe yet, but we had all washed up in our rooms. The Officers' Mess was located on the far side of General Clark's Headquarters in a separate building. During our walk there, I again paid attention to the construction of the various buildings that we passed. I had been doing that since we had arrived here, and had drawn several conclusions. The first...
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 meeting that evening was held outside the main house at Hickory Hill for two reasons. First, everyone was invited, and that included all of those that worked for us and not just us O'Connells. There wasn't a large enough room in the house for that many people. Secondly, it was a very nice warm evening, and it would be more pleasant outside. We hung a number of the Magic-powered lamps in the trees around the main house for light. Seamus and I stood in one of the wagon beds so everyone...
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...
At the sound of the rifle, Wolf pulled his wards up around us for protection. "You'll just stand there, or the next one will take one of you out," we were told by a voice that came from back in the trees. I could detect a number of men moving through the forest approaching us, now that I was paying attention to our surroundings. I had also added my wards to Wolf's during this time. Several men in long hunting shirts, leggings, and moccasins appeared out of the forest. They all carried...
The following new characters appear in the story in the next few chapters: Allistair O'Flannagain Supply Sergeant, 5'-8" tall, 155 pounds, 42 years old, brown hair going bald, gray eyes, married Egan O'Callaghan Private, 5'-9" tall, 145 pounds, 21 years old, dark blond hair, blue eyes, second level talent "And how was this remarkable feat achieved?" President Jefferson asked in a calm voice. "We created Defensive Shells around all of the front-line militia units," Gwyn...
The four of us instantly reappeared on the field in front of the fort where we had watched the column arrive earlier that day. The Rangers and our relatives were all gone by this time. There were a number of tents belonging to the various militias set up a short distance from the fort. There was also the spherical defensive shell by the creek where our horses were being kept until we learned where to stable them. Both Generals stared around them at their new surroundings in shocked dismay...
The following historic characters appears in the next few chapters: General George Rogers Clark Major General, Commander of Fort Henry, Conqueror of the Northwest Territory, 6'-0" tall, 190 pounds, 48 years old, red hair going gray, brown eyes The others were all waiting for me when I reappeared in G & G's, Gwyn and Glanda -- my older Sisters, shell after leaving the Headquarters. James had Jillian off to one side away from everyone, and had his arms around his twin to calm her...
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...
The Following new characters appear in the next two chapters: Sergeant O'Faolain Administrative NCO, 5'-10" tall, 165 pounds, 36 years old, brown hair, gray eyes, he had a limp from an old wound when he joined to the O'Connells. Jeremy Lister Senior Lieutenant, Finance Officer, 5'-9" tall, 150 pounds, 28 years old, brown hair, gray eyes Charles Immes Private, Short but muscular, long brown hair, hazel eyes, about thirty years old The next day we were very busy. The wagon...
The next morning, we all returned to what I had termed "O'Connell House". Both of our cooks came with us, and all of the women began preparing food for those whom we expected to arrive at around noon time. Albert, his Wife, and their children were the first to arrive. We were glad to see them and to know that he was well enough to come to the meeting. He was followed shortly by a trickle of other men, and as noon approached a veritable flood of men appeared, but there were very few women...
Mark resumes the Narrative: New characters introduced in the next two chapters: Colonel Williams Chief of Staff, 5’-9” tall, 170 pounds, close to fifty years old, gray hair, blue eyes After clearing away the carnage in front of where G & G had their shell, the guys and I create additional defensive shells, one on each end of our Sisters’ shells, across the width of the valley making six shells, and two more on each side of the valley to form a deep, wide U-shaped area protected by...
The three of us appeared in the evening shadows near the Officers' Mess at Fort Jefferson, and proceeded inside where we secured a table and ordered some ale while we waited for Captain Moore to appear. That gentleman arrived fifteen minutes or so later. He had on a clean and correct uniform and spotted us soon after entering. "Good evening, Major O'Connell and also both of you lovely ladies," he said with a large smile. "Have a seat and join us!" I requested. "My pleasure, sir,"...
New characters appearing in this chapter: Thomas LeGras General Clark’s Aide, 5’-7” tall, 145 pounds, 30 years old, brown hair and eyes, a bit of a dandy The site for the town of Lexington was first selected in June of 1775, when a party of surveyors and frontiersmen led by William McConnell camped on the Middle Fork of Elkhorn Creek. When they heard of the patriot victories at Lexington and Concord, they named their campsite Lexington in honor of it. A permanent settlement...
The following new characters are introduced in this chapter: Seth Thomas's contact in the Baltimore area, 5'-8" tall, about 150 pounds, forty years old, blond hair, hazel eyes Phebe Harper Owner of the Turk's Head Tavern, 5'-7", a bit heavy at 150 pounds, 36C-27-37, 62 years old, gray hair, light blue eyes We were soon ready to leave Brown's Summit, and Kell and I cast the transfer spell to take us to our Towson bookstore location. In this Reality, we appeared in a small...
New character introduced in this chapter: Craig Robinson Ensign, 5'-8" tall, 135 pounds, 18 years old, black hair, blue eyes After a fine dinner prepared by our Sisters and Cousins, the enlisted men were excused while we had our planning meeting. I did notice that even the large dining room here was a bit strained with the thirty people now here to eat. "We will start with the things that must be accomplished in the next day, as they are the most pressing. After that, we will...
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...
It turned out that we needed to wait quite some time for our Wives. We soon grew tired of waiting, and I went to check on the shells to be sure that all of the guards were gone, the fires were out, and everything was taken care of. The last thing that I did was to cancel the openings in the tops of the shells as there would be no one here to start fires or breathe the air. When I returned, Wolf went to check on things also. Our Wives eventually returned, but they were very upset. “These...
“We will allow you time to consider your decision,” I told them before we all transferred back to Hickory Hill. After a fine dinner there, we all returned to our separate rooms for a good night’s sleep. I was sure that the Generals in Philadelphia were having a much less comfortable night and no sex. On Monday morning the 16th of March, I again went to Fort Jefferson to see General Greene, and to update him on the most recent developments. Ken and Kell went with me. We had no trouble getting...
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,...
Ken Takes the Narrative for the trips to the East Coast: We packed our things on Monday night and following breakfast on Tuesday morning were ready to leave for the East Coast, specifically for Charleston, South Carolina. The we included Kell, his Wives Airmid and Alma, Thomas Young, my Wives, Sunshine and Rose, and me, Ken. We all had our horses plus a pack horse in addition to extra clothes and food. Thomas Young had been very nervous when we mentioned that we were going to Charleston,...
The following new character appears in the next few chapters: Fredrick Matherson Senior Lieutenant, Continental Commander at Fort Washington, 5'-7" tall, 135 pounds, 25 years old, brown hair, blue eyes We had been told that Gilmore's Station was located a bit more than the twelve miles east of Mount Sterling, but distances here had to be taken with a grain of salt, as they were seldom correct. The trail that we were following crossed the Licking River, twice before it approached the...
We found our Relatives at the far end of the field with a large pink Defensive Shell set up for our horses to remain in while we attended church. They had all been unsaddled. The field, which had been empty when we arrived, was now crowded with wagons and horses. There were easily well over two hundred people here now besides us O'Connells, and the chapel would be overcrowded with fifty people in it. Something would need to be done. It soon became evident that something was being done....
The following new character appears in the next few chapters: Samuel Moore Captain of Rangers, Chief Ranger Trainer, 6’-0” tall, 180 pounds, 25 years old, broad shoulders, long brown hair, blue eyes, a rugged individualist with a quick smile, Gwyn and Sererena in their evening gowns made quite an impression on those gathered at the Officers’ Mess for their evening meal. On entering, they were immediately approached by several Captains and a Major, all of whom they brushed off with a...
It was nearly ten minutes before the Lieutenant commanding the garrison here appeared, and even then he was only partially dressed and was unshaven. He was still drunk and stumbled as he entered. He looked at us through bleary eyes for a number of seconds before attempting to salute, which wasn't done well either. "You are drunk on duty and also present a very poor appearance, Lieutenant," I growled. "Additionally you set a very poor example for your men," Seamus added. The Lieutenant...
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...
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...
Mark resumes the Narrative: The remainder of the family had continued with our regular chores while James, Gwyn, Glanda, and John were in Boston with the Commission to convince the New England colonies and the Canadians to join the Confederation. Ships had continued to arrive to transfer units of the British Army to their new stations. The soldiers weren’t the only ones leaving, however. Many civilians were also leaving. It had started with some of the English merchants departing that...
The following new character appears in this and later chapters: William Graham (Captain Billy) Ship's Captain, 5'-10" tall, 170 pounds, 49 years old, brown hair and beard going gray, blue eyes, weather complexion The next morning the seven of us were ready to leave again, but we only took one pack horse with us not feeling the need for the extra grain. We transferred to Savannah, Georgia this morning. At least Savannah didn't have marshes near where our bookstore would be at this...
The two Mage Cousins then sat down on either side of Gerald Ward, and reaching through the freeze spell took his hands and started a mantra. I could feel their Green Magic at work, but couldn't tell what they were doing. They had been working on him for several minutes, when both Cousins looked up in shocked surprise. "His condition is much different than we at first thought," Coleen told us after several seconds. "Yes, we have detected a virus in his brain that was causing him to act...
I reappeared near another large warehouse. On the side of the building, a large Sergeant was busy kicking a younger man on the ground. The one on the ground was the one with the Talent. "That will be enough of that, Sergeant," I growled to get his attention. The Sergeant who was in the process of drawing his foot back for another kick instantly whirled around on one foot to see who was behind him. What he saw was not a young Mark O'Connell. No, what he saw was the grizzled face and...
The following new characters are introduced in the next two chapters: Father Michael Fournier Priest, Missionary, 5'-7" tall, 135 pounds, 45 years old, brown hair, hazel eyes Thomas Young Partisan Leader, Lieutenant Colonel, 5'-10" tall, 150 pounds, 38 years old, brown hair and beard, blue eyes, no Talent Shortly after the Feast of the Epiphany, which is on the 6th of January, a Tuesday in this year of 1801, Clare, Saoirse, and Eileen became very agitated. On the evening of Friday,...
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...