Magic Ink V The Third RealityChapter 27
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New characters who are introduced in the next two chapters:
John Mc Intosh
Gwyn and Glanda's Husband, Lawyer, 5'-11' tall, 150 pounds, 26 years old, auburn hair, gray eyes
William Banister
Sererena and Saraid's Husband, printer, 5'-8" tall, 135 pounds, 25 years old, blond hair, blue eyes
James's Narrative of the Detroit and Niagara Operation:
It had been good working with Gerald again on the preparations to quarantine the warehouses that the British were using in Baltimore. It had been even better working closely with Jillian on that. We had always been so close, being twins, but now she had Connor in her life, and we had drifted apart to a certain extent, even though we worked together in S-3. I was glad that Jillian had found someone to make her happy.
The four of us had been to Fell's Point several times in February to check everything out and to plan how we would enclose the various groups of warehouses in defensive shells. We would need quite a few shells due to the layout of the buildings and piers along the shore. We also quickly came to realize that we would need to create openings at the top of each shell to allow for admitting fresh air and the escape of smoke, since there were sure to be guards trapped inside of the shells. They would burn wood or other items to remain warm and to cook their food. We would also need to determine how to remove them from the shells eventually.
There was another mission that Gerald and I were involved in, and it had to be accomplished before the operation against the Supply Depots at the various ports began. This was the quarantining of the British Fort at Detroit, and Fort Niagara at the mouth of the Niagara River.
We had met with Seamus in late January to assemble our team. The team consisted of Morgan O'Keefe, Duncan MacKenna, Gerald and me, James. Both Mark and Seamus gave us what they knew about both forts. The first thing needed was to create locations to transfer to near each fort so that isolating them could be done quickly just before the general offensive against the ports began. To accomplish this would require that we visit both areas ahead of time. Our nearest bookstore sites were quite some distance from the sites of the forts. Fortunately, we could accomplish this first part of the mission in daylight. We would just need to be careful.
The weather turned nasty on the east coast shortly after Ken, Kell, and their Wives finished the initial survey of the ports. This bad weather extended to at least as far north as Fort Niagara, so we would tackle it last. It also required the most travel.
After some discussion, we decided on Wednesday, the 18th of February, to start on Fort Detroit. We four with our horses transferred from Hickory Hill to our bookstore location north of Detroit. Arriving at what would eventually be the area known as Ferndale, we found it very cold with a wind blowing out of the north to add to our discomfort. We set out for the fort which is located near the Detroit River some ten miles south of where we had appeared. We needed to avoid a number of Indian encampments along the way but managed to make our way to within a couple of hundred yards of the fort. It had taken us nearly three hours to reach the vicinity of the fort because of the need to avoid the Indian encampments.
From our vantage point on ground a bit higher than the fort, we could see that it was quite large but rectangular rather than square like the forts that the Americans seemed to favor. It appeared to be a bit over six hundred feet long by about three hundred feet wide at its widest. This would give it a diagonal measure of about seven hundred feet for a spherical Defensive shell that would cover about nine acres. We created a small Defensive Shell to serve as a marker to return to when we isolated the fort in March. We did not tint it however, leaving it just a clear hemisphere about four feet in diameter with our wards woven into it.
We all transferred back to Hickory Hill then to get out of the icy wind and to warm up. We agreed that we would wait for better weather on the east coast for the trip to Fort Niagara. I reported to Ken later that day that we had set up the marker at Fort Detroit.
"When will you visit Fort Niagara?" he asked after hearing my report.
"We want to wait for better weather on the coast," I told him. "The cold and the wind at Detroit were a real challenge, and there is further to travel to Niagara." Gerald and I checked the weather in Baltimore several times during the next week to determine when it would be best to set out for Fort Niagara. A warm spell was just starting there on Wednesday the 25th of February, and we thought that Thursday, the 26th would be the best day to make the journey. We alerted Duncan and Connor to this.
Dressed for bad weather but hoping for the best, we transferred to our bookstore location outside of Buffalo, New York. It was located near the Niagara River, and was some twenty miles from Fort Niagara which is located on Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Niagara River.
We passed a number of Indian encampments as we followed the general direction of the river but kept at a good distance inland from its shore. The ground was still frozen here but would soon thaw from the warmer temperatures and make it more difficult to travel. We soon needed to move even further inland and eventually had to stop completely. Duncan entered one of the Indian encampments to obtain directions. The rest of us waited for him on the edge of the encampment. Gerald and I had cast glamours of various Indians that we had met around the three of us to look inconspicuous. Duncan soon returned.
"I found an old man that spoke some Delaware, and he gave me directions. We need to move further inland to avoid the area near the river. It can be very dangerous, especially this time of year," he told us.
It required over five hours, but we eventually reached the area near Fort Niagara. The fort itself was on a point of land where the Niagara River emptied into Lake Ontario. The area around the fort had been used by the French as a defensive position since 1629, but the present fort was founded nearly a century later. The British had taken possession of it following the French and Indian War. We observed the fort with its earthworks and masonry walls from back in the trees some distance from it, and from a slightly higher elevation.
"What do you think?" I asked Gerald who was beside me.
"Looks impressive, but nowhere impervious to our Power Rings. It appears to be about a thousand feet or so across that point of land that it is sitting on. With a shell that large, an open top won't be a problem. It would be two hundred and fifty feet high," he commented.
"A bit larger shell would be better," I told him. "At twelve hundred feet in diameter, it would cover ... something like twenty-six acres, and be three hundred feet high for an open top shell, and we would be sure to include all of the fort and its surroundings."
"That sounds reasonable," Gerald agreed before we explained what we were considering to Duncan and Morgan. We returned to Hickory Hill after creating a small Defensive Shell here in the woods as a marker to return to, but again we didn't tint it so that it wouldn't reveal its location. I went to brief Ken and Kell on returning.
"On what day are you planning to isolate both forts?" Kell asked when I had finished my report.
"We are looking at Friday night, the 6th of March," I told him.
"Will all four of you be entering both forts?" Ken asked.
"Yes, Duncan and I will be casting the spells for the Defensive Shells while Gerald and Morgan stand guard. We will be using invisibility spells to keep from being seen. Fort Detroit has a lot of buildings in the center part of the fort so it shouldn't be a problem. Fort Niagara on the other hand has a lot of open space inside its walls and we will need to be more careful there," I told them.
"Fine. Alert us when you are ready to leave and inform us when you return," Ken told me. We all returned to our normal duties until the 6th.
On the afternoon of the 6th of March, Gerald, Duncan, Morgan, and I met at Hickory Hill. We went over what we would be doing at each fort, and I reported to Ken and Kell that we were ready and would be departing at about 10:00 that night. We didn't want to arrive at the forts when the residents were likely to still be out or awake.
We were all nervous after dinner while waiting to leave. Ten o'clock finally arrived, and we donned our winter coats and hats. It had started to rain lightly at Hickory Hill, which did not portend a good beginning to our operation. After setting our strongest wards, we transferred to the marker shell that we had set up near Fort Detroit. It was pouring down rain when we appeared there.
"Isn't this just lovely!?" Gerald asked, sarcastically.
"The sentries will be more interested in keeping dry than in checking on what is going on," Morgan told us with a grin.
"It will also be harder for them to hear any noise that we might make," Duncan added. "Also few others will be out tonight."
"Right. Let's transfer to the area to the right of the rear gate. Then I'll do a transfer inside the wooden palisade for a quick look around the fort.
"I'll return to get the rest of you when I have checked things out and chosen a location," I told them. This was agreeable to everyone, and we transferred to the rear of the fort. I then transferred inside the fort, but in an area well away from the rear gate and any guards there. I made my way across the open area near the palisade and moved through the shadows around the buildings to a street that appeared to run uninterrupted from the front gate to the rear gate. After selecting a location that appeared to be mid way between them in the rain clouded near total darkness, I transferred back outside the fort and informed the others of what I had found.
I transferred everyone to the spot that I had selected, then Duncan and I quickly sat on the soggy ground to cast the spell for an open top Defensive Shell while Gerald and Morgan kept watch. We expanded the shell until we thought that it covered the fort adequately. Gerald transferred outside of the fort to check on the coverage of the shell while we waited. He returned after many anxious minutes.
"The coverage looks good. The shell is past the points of the redoubts at the front of the fort where the gardens are," he told us in a whisper. I tinted the shell a light green before we all transferred back to the marker.
"One down, and one to go," I said after we reappeared at the marker. "How is everyone doing?" I asked after that.
"Fine!" Morgan said. "These wards keep the rain off of you which is important in this cold weather."
"Yes," Duncan agreed. "It has been much better that some of the hunts that I have been on." We transferred to the marker at Fort Niagara after that. The weather there wasn't any better than it had been at Fort Detroit. It just wasn't raining quite as hard here.
On moving to the edge of the forest, we observed the fort and its surroundings in the available darkness. There were a number of lights still showing inside the fort.
"I remember there being more buildings on the south side of the fort when we saw it on arriving here the first time," Duncan reminded us.
"Yes, and there is better cover for approaching the fort on the north or lake side," I agreed before we moved in that direction, bypassing the outer earthworks or ravelin as the French call them. We slipped around to the lake shore and passed the tower there before Gerald did a transfer inside the fort to have a look around. He returned after ten minutes or so.
"They have a huge parade ground, but most of the sentries appear to be on the walls and around the buildings on the south side. We shouldn't have any problems. We can transfer right to the center of the parade ground," he told us. We all checked our wards before casting the invisibility spell again, and Gerald transferred all of us to the center of the parade field. Gerald and I cast the spell for the open top Defensive Shell this time, and expanded it to cover this somewhat smaller fort while Duncan and Morgan kept watch for any trouble. We transferred back to our marker after tinting the shell a light green.
"That was easy enough," Morgan said after we canceled the invisibility spells.
"We need to check that the shell covers all of the fort," I told them.
"How will you do that?" Duncan asked.
"I'll go back, pass through the shell, and check that it actually covers all of the fort. You guys wait here. Gerald can expand the shell here to keep you out of the rain," I told them.
"All right, but be careful," Gerald agreed. I recast the invisibility spell before transferring back to where we had first approached the fort. I checked the shell on the north or lake side until the shell was far out in the water of the lake and past the 'French Castle' as the large stone building there at the point of land was known in our Reality. I transferred back to my starting point and checked around the south side of the fort where there was more land until the shell was out in the water again. Satisfied, I transferred back to the marker shell, and we all returned to Hickory Hill. The other guys left to join their fiancees, and Gerald and I went to report to Ken and Kell who were waiting up for us in the den. After that we returned to our own rooms for a good night's sleep.
Gwyn's Narrative of the Charles Town Operation:
Everyone was nervous on Sunday, the 8th of March. We all knew that at midnight the offensive operation against the British would begin with all of us setting out to quarantine all of the British supplies stored in the warehouses at the east coast ports.
We had all been to our assigned port a number of times during February to determine exactly what was required for our area. We had checked the warehouses to determine the extent of the area to be covered, and had determined the best way to set up our Defensive Shells to cover that area. There seemed to be as many different plans as there were ports. Now the time was drawing near and everyone was nervous, or at least anxious to start.
The weather, while it had been terrible with the freezing temperatures, and then the warming and rain cycles, had kept wagon traffic to an absolute minimum. The roads and the fields too were all muddy quagmires. This had infuriated the British authorities who had wanted to make an early start this year. A few had tried with disastrous results.
Dinner had been later than usual tonight so we wouldn't need to eat again while on the operation. We were all to regroup here at Hickory Hill when we had finished our assigned areas, and after the group leaders had checked the areas that they were responsible for. Sererena and I were responsible for Savannah, Manchester, and our own port of Charles Town. All of our teams were to meet us at the marker shell that we had set up near Mount Edgecomb on Hogg Island when they finished their work.
As midnight approached, we all donned our warmest clothing and headed outside. It was cold here at Hickory Hill and would not be any better on the coast. The moon was not up and would be just past the last quarter phase when it came up later tonight, so it wouldn't be supplying much light. We all assembled in our teams in front of the main house. We had no trouble seeing in the darkness as there was light from the house. Mark addressed us before we set out.
"In a few minutes we will be launching the operation to drive the British out of North America. You have all scouted your areas and made your plans for how to deal with them. Now it is time to put those plans into effect. We will all meet back here after your group leaders have checked everything out. The best of luck to each of you. When we return, there will be breakfast ready for us. The cooks will be starting on that shortly.
"Group Leaders, check your people and transfer to your ports when you are ready," Mark finished. Sererena and I checked with our Sisters and their fiances, and then we all transferred to our respective ports to begin work. Sererena, Saraid, Glanda, and I materialized in Charles Town to find it chilly and damp but not raining. It was certainly warmer here than it had been in Lexington, but it wasn't warm by any stretch of the imagination. We materialized in the alley off of Market Street that we had used previously.
Since we had previously paced off East Bay Street several times, we knew where the center point for the first shell was located. Sererena and I transferred to the dock there after casting the invisibility spell. Saraid transferred to the foot of East Bay Street to determine when the expanding shell reached there. Glanda stayed with Sererena and me as security to handle any problems. We quickly sat on the cold dock and cast the spell for a Prolate Defensive Shell and then began expanding it to 750 feet wide and 1800 feet long, covering half of the length of East Bay Street. Saraid appeared next to us when the shell had reached her position. We tinted it a nice light pink before transferring to the second center point.
Saraid and Glanda cast the second shell while I pulled security for them, and Sererena checked when the shell reached the inlet near the market. She soon returned to inform us that the shell was long enough. We all transferred out of the second shell after tinting it a light pink also. We then moved to the other side of the inlet at Market Street and cast a third shell around the warehouses being used by the English merchants. This completed the first part of our operation We could hear some of the guards in the first shell raising the alarm, as they had by now detected the shell in the dark despite the absence of light.
"We need to check the area where the shells meet to insure that there isn't a large gap between the first two shells," Sererena reminded us. We quickly checked that out and found that there was about a three foot gap between the ends of the first two shells.
"Last we need to create the vents at the tops of the shells so smoke can get out and air can get into the shells. The guards trapped inside are sure to start fires to keep warm," Sererena reminded us. "Gwyn, take Glanda and do the first shell, and I'll take Saraid and work on the second one. I don't think we need to cast wards over the openings. The tops of those shells are 375 feet above the docks."
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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...
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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....
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...
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...