Magic Ink V The Third RealityChapter 27
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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 discuss the New England colonies joining our new, larger North American Confederation. All of the colonies south of New York had already joined, even New Jersey. The British had quickly removed their forces from all of the southern colonies, but were hesitant to remove them from New England and also from Canada.
Much to the disgust of those from New York, the negotiations were being held in Boston, where the War for Independence had started over twenty-five years ago.
We had transferred to Philadelphia from O'Connell House and sailed up the east coast with Captain Graham and Rattlesnake. We reached Boston in good shape and a day ahead of the remainder of the Commission members even though we had left well after they had. Rattlesnake and Captain Graham received quite a welcome when we arrived in Boston harbor. We were hardly noticed when we departed the ship following the welcoming ceremonies at the dock. Having read all of Great Grandfather Mark's books, we had a fairly good idea of how Boston was laid out in this time and Reality. We were therefore able to secure excellent hotel accommodations before the other Commissioners or most of the delegates arrived. The meetings started several days after the arrival of the last of the delegates from the various New England colonies and from Canada.
The arguments stared on the first day and continued at each meeting thereafter. The New Englanders in their conceit seemed to have the mistaken impression that we were joining them rather than it being the other way around. The four of us quickly proved to them that we were the ones in charge, and that they could join us under our terms, or they could hang by themselves.
It was made very clear to them that there would be no extension of their boundaries into the west, and that they had no valid land claims there. Those lands were ours and had been paid for with our peoples' lives and blood, and we would not allow them to encroach upon them.
It finally required us to transport their leaders to Fort Niagara, which I had personally scouted in February and had then also isolated when we had launched our offensive. After emptying it of people, we destroyed the fort totally to convince the delegates that we were serious. Some of the other Commission members from our Confederation thought that was overdoing it a bit, but there had been too many raids into the upper Ohio country from those at Fort Niagara for it to be allowed to remain a threat.
We also made it very clear to the Canadians, especially the French, that they would join us, and that they could not be ruled by those in Paris, though they could continue to trade with them if they wished. Many of them were delighted to be out from under the thumb of the British, though not all of them. A considerable number of them were not excited about joining the North American Confederation.
It was also pointed out to them, that if they went on their own that either Britain or France would try to take them over again. The English delegates didn't want the French to reacquire Canada again, and the French delegates didn't want the British to reassert control of Canada. They eventually accepted our Confederation as the least of the three evils.
We had been in Boston for three weeks, when I heard a rumor about a witch trial being conducted in Salem. The next day there was a notice in the local newspaper. I quickly went to see Gwyn and Glanda.
"Have you seen this?" I asked them on reaching their rooms in the hotel. They had their wards in the walls, floor and ceiling, of course, but I had easily passed through them since they were standard O'Connell wards.
"Yes, we saw it this morning," Gwyn answered, showing me their copy of the paper.
"Obviously, you have something in mind, or you wouldn't be here," Glanda said observing my stance and the look on my face.
"I don't intend to let some poor soul be abused and probably killed by those religious fanatics," I told them.
"Yes, those asses who tried to shoot your Sister, Jillian, were from Massachusetts weren't they?" Gwyn asked.
"Yes, they were," I told her, remembering how upset Jillian had been.
"Will you be gone long?" Glanda asked, assuming that I intended to do something about this.
"I've already talked to some people. Salem is some twelve miles or so up the coast from Boston. I'm going to rent a horse and go up there. If I find a bunch of fanatics abusing people, I'll deal with them. With the limited use of Magic here, I don't imagine that anyone could have done anything serious. We certainly haven't found anything like that so far," I reminded them.
"No, we haven't. All we have found is some with the Talent, but with no real knowledge of how to use it or how to control Magic. We and the 'Book of Dreams' have had to teach them everything that their level of Talent would allow them to learn," Gwyn pointed out.
"S & S are still teaching Magic and probably will be until they die. The rest of us also. There just aren't any schools for that here, although that might be something to start, but certainly not up here in this unfriendly territory," Glanda agreed but had a thoughtful look on her face.
I easily procured a horse and set out for Salem at just after eight that morning. I needed to do a line-of-sight transfer across some open water initially to reach the road going to Salem. With a ride of just over three hours, I reached the outskirts of Salem a bit after eleven that morning.
I realized that things like this shouldn't be happening, but there was presently a lack of a strong government in most of the New England colonies. While the British were still here, they had lost interest in trying to control the people, and strong leaders weren't yet in place to take control and form new governments. Many of those who had formerly been in government here had been purged by the British after they defeated Washington at Fredricksburg. Others had fled to avoid being hanged or imprisoned. The British had not encouraged citizens to participate in governing the colonies after the war.
Salem Town, located at the mouth of the Naumkeag River, was first settled in 1626 by a group of fishermen led by Roger Conant.
The Puritan migration to New England, of which the Massachusetts Bay colony was the largest and most important economically, had accelerated in the 1620s and 1630s due to repression by the Anglican church in England. Self-government came naturally to them, as they desired to build a society based on their religious beliefs. The Puritans had come to Massachusetts to obtain religious freedom for themselves, but had no particular interest in establishing a haven for other faiths. Their laws were harsh and strictly enforced, with punishments that included fines, seizure of property, banishment or imprisonment.
In Salem, life was governed by the precepts of the Church, which was Calvinist in the extreme. The only schooling for children was in religious doctrine and the Bible, and all villagers were expected to go to the meeting house for three-hour sermons every Wednesday and Sunday. Some common superstitions became associated with the Devil, and witchcraft persecutions became common. Men and women in Salem came to believe that all misfortunes were attributed to the work of the Devil. Witchcraft was then known as the Devil's Magic and many were executed who were believed to have practiced it.
In a village where everyone believed that the Devil was real, close at hand, and active in the real world, it was easy for them to accept that those accused of being Witches were responsible for their problems, and it became an obsession.
I was disappointed on arriving in Salem. It wasn't the prosperous and thriving town that it had been in our Reality. With British control of trade, the flourishing trade with the rest of the world which the town was famous for in our Reality had not developed. The British had also retaliated against the town and those in it since Salem had been a center of privateering during the War. Their ships had been responsible for capturing or destroying some six hundred British ships. The area was presently dependent on fishing and agriculture for its support.
While my clothes and fine horse marked me as a stranger, I was not alone as there were a number of visitors here from other locations in the colony. Consequently, it was easy to learn where and when the proceedings of the day were taking place. In fact, it appeared that I had arrived just in time. The trial was over already, having been completed yesterday, and the witches had been sentenced to death. The sentence was to be carried out today at noon. They were to be burned at the stake. This alarmed me greatly, as I had detected two strong Talents on approaching the town, and they had been in great distress.
While I had planned to intervene on behalf of those accused of witchcraft, this put an entirely new face on just what that intervention would be, and how strong a response would be required. In preparation for what might be required, I sought a stand of trees well outside of the town in which to leave my horse and cast a ward around the area to protect him. I then returned to the town on foot and followed a number of others heading for the site of the proposed punishment.
As I neared the area, I could feel the Talents of those there and could tell that they had little conscious use of Magic although they had HUGE but untrained Talents. This had become the accepted standard to us O'Connells in this Reality. I was determined to protect them and remove them from their present danger.
On arriving at the town square, I saw two men standing in front of the crowd on a raised platform. One was addressing the crowd and whipping them up into a mob.
"Who is that?" I asked the person next to me, who also appeared to be a visitor.
"He is the famous British Witch Hunter Matthew Hopkins, the third," the fellow told me. "The younger man is William Stoughton, the third, the ex-governor of Massachusetts and a firebrand in theses things. His Great Grandfather was one of the judges at the original Witch trials in Salem Village, and was the one who 'cleared the land' of Witches as he told it," he added quietly.
"And the two young women tied to the stakes?" I inquired. I had been shocked at how young the accused witches were. They were hardly older than I was and very cute.
"They are the convicted Witches, the Collins Sisters," he whispered.
Several of those around us were looking at us with scowls, so we stopped talking and listened to Matthew Hopkins exhort the crowd into a frenzy for a short time.
He was followed by the younger Stoughton, who repeated the charges against the Sisters to the crowd and then the jury's findings. I had never heard such a litany of crap in my entire life. There was no real evidence against the girls. The entire case was based on superstition and unproven accusations by people who hadn't really seen or heard anything. From this, it was obvious to me that there was an ulterior motive behind all of this somewhere.
As noon approached, the Sisters became more frantic and desperate, as more wood was piled up around them and the stakes. By then the two speakers had fallen silent, and a man brought out two lit torches and handed them to the speakers who left the platform they had been on and turned toward the Sisters who were beyond frantic by now.
I was unwilling to allow this farce to go any further and cast the transfer spell for a line-of-sight transfer to the middle of the street about five feet in front of the Sisters tied to the stakes. I startled the crowd with my sudden appearance.
"Just what do you think you are going to do?" I demanded in a loud voice in my best colonial old English.
"Who are you, and what do you think you are doing?" Hopkins demanded in an angry voice.
"I am James O'Connell of Clan O'Connell, and I am here to stop you," I told them.
"They have been convicted of witchcraft and are to be burned at the stake," Stoughton shouted indignantly.
"I don't believe that you have any idea what a real Witch or Wizard could do. None of you have ever seen a real Witch or Wizard. Those that you have convicted in the past were nothing more than poor misfits and emotionally unstable people who you tortured until they confessed to things that they couldn't possibly have done, as they had no Magic," I told them in an amplified voice. I had cast the spell to make my voice louder so that all of those in the crowd could hear me. A number of those in the front row had turned surly already.
"What do you know of witchcraft -- the Devil's Magic?" Hopkins demanded in a loud voice that rose to a frenzy as the pair stepped closer.
"Out fire," I said, and their torches went out as I added Magic to the small spell that I had cast. The pair stared first at the now dead torches in their hands and then at me in amazement.
"WIZARD!!" Hopkins shouted in shocked surprise in a loud voice.
"Yes! I am a real Wizard and not some poor fool that you can intimidate. You have never met a real Witch or Wizard, or you wouldn't be here now," I told the two of them.
"Devil!" Stoughton screamed and raced toward me with the extinguished torch raised like a weapon. I froze him in place in mid-stride.
"Kill the Devil!" Hopkins screamed, exhorting the crowd while pulling a flintlock pistol from his clothes. Before he could fire the pistol, I spoke the trigger word that brought my wards up around the Sisters and me. The pistol ball had no effect on the wards and flattened out to fall to the ground. The crowd in the meantime had started forward.
"YOU ALL LIKE FIRE SO MUCH," I roared with my amplified voice, "HAVE SOME OF IT," and I cast the spell for Magic Fire. It appeared around the outside of my wards to leap and dance in the strong wind that had come up in the last few minutes. Hopkins was continuing to exhort the crowd to continue the attack despite the presence of Magic Fire, which had seriously burned a number of people already. This aggravated me no end.
"HERE IS SOME FIRE FOR YOU," I shouted at him as I raised my arm, aimed at Hopkins, and thought 'fire', before triggering my Power Ring. Magic Fire leapt from my fingers and passed through the crowd without touching anyone else to set Matthew Hopkins, the third, on fire like a human torch. The fire consumed him entirely in little more than a minute, and there was nothing left but some ash being blown away on the still strong wind. The stunned crowd just stared at the spot where he had been for a short time before panic overtook them, and they ran off screaming in panic and fear. The hold that he had on them had been broken by his death.
I canceled the Magic Fire but left the wards in place before turning to the two young women still tied to the stakes. I brushed the firewood around them aside with a swipe of my Power Rings. They too were staring at me in fright.
"Are you the Devil?" the one asked in fright, as I approached.
"He must be with the things that he has done," the second said, just as frightened as her Sister as I neared them.
"No, I'm not the Devil, but I am a Sorcerer and use Magic. The two of you also have the ability to use Magic. You just don't know any -- yet," I told them with a smile, as I moved behind the stake and cut the ropes that held them.
"But only the Devil or his chosen can do Magic ... can do things like you did," the first continued.
"We refuse to sign your book," the second one said in a frightened voice.
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...
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"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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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....
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...
"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...