the dirt inside.
“Neat,” Cerise commented, and I realized she was watching me intently.
“So that’s earth sorcery?”
I nodded, and stepped into the empty space under the arch. “Yep. It’s
surprisingly easy, although I have to be careful to get the engineering right.
Don’t want a cave-in.”
She winced. “Yeah, that would suck. I’ll let you work, then.”
Repeating the process a few times gave me a little entry hall leading eight
feet into the cliff, which was probably deep enough. I was getting a feel for the
technique by then, and the results seemed more than strong enough.
The next step was an underground hall at right angles to the entrance. This
one was bigger, about eight feet wide and seven high at the top of the arched
ceiling. I did it in sections, but kept going until I had a good forty feet of it.
That would still be a little crowded for a group this size, but it was workable.
Ventilation might be an issue, so I cut a few windows leading outside into
the wall. A foot tall and a few inches wide, they would have made good arrow
slits if not for the two 90-degree bends that ensured light and sound from the
inside wouldn’t leak out too much.
Of course, that let in the cold along with fresh air. So next came a
platform built out from one wall of the room, with a large flat surface of
conjured stone. Enchanting that to radiate heat equivalent to a fire was fairly
simple, since I wasn’t trying to make the effect adjustable in any way. That
gave us a heater and cooking surface, with no light or oxygen consumption.
At the opposite end from the entrance I narrowed the hall to form a
doorway, with a little eight by eight room on the other side. If we were going
to be sitting in place for a day I needed to see what else I could magic up to
improve our odds of survival, and I’d need a little space for that.
I emerged to find that the wind had picked up, and snow was starting to
fall. Avilla was standing just outside the entrance, chatting amiably with a
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clump of peasant girls who had blankets over their heads and piles of bundled
goods at their feet. As usual Cerise was standing guard, although she seemed to
be amused by the conversation.
“Alright, girls, everyone can come on in. Watch out for the hot stone on
the platform, don’t want anyone burning themselves.”
“Good timing, Master Black,” Avilla commented. “We’ve just enough
time to get settled before the storm gets bad. Come on, girls, let’s see what we
have to work with.”
They all swept by in a cloud of smiles and giggles, and I turned a
bemused look on Cerise.
“Honeydew’s taking charge,” she grinned back. “She started talking
recipes and sewing on the walk over, and now these village girls all think
she’s the goddess of domestic perfection.”
“Huh. Well, it’s a big improvement on huddling in a clearing waiting to
die. Keep an eye on them while I get the rest of the group moving, will you?”
“Sure. Better hurry, though.”
A flurry of snow descended on us, briefly turning the world white before
clearing again.
“Yeah, I think you’re right.” I turned and hurried up the path, calling for
Thomas.
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Chapter 5
It took some time to check on the wounded and get everyone settled in,
and more to figure out a viable design for a stone door. By the time I was done
with that the snow was coming down in dense flurries, and visibility was just
about zero.
“Good thing you have earth magic,” Avilla observed. “I’d hate to be out
in that.”
“That’s why I picked it,” I answered. I took one last look at the storm, and
pushed the heavy door closed.
“You had a choice? Someday I’m going to have to get the whole story on
that.” Avilla grinned, and grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned
up.”
She dragged me down the hall to the private room I’d made at the end,
where a couple of men were just setting down a pot full of steaming water
under the supervision of Cerise and a couple of the village girls.
“Hot water?” I asked.
“We melted snow on that magic stove thing,” she explained with a smile,
and shooed the men out before closing the door. “Now, strip.”
I shrugged off my bloodstained cloak, and started unbuttoning my shirt.
“Bit of an audience, don’t you think?”
“We’re auditioning, milord,” one of the girls said as she took my
bloodstained cloak. “Miss Avilla said you might like a maid or two. I- oh,
my!”
She stared at the cloak in her hand with wide eyes. Avilla chuckled.
“It’s enchanted,” she explained. “Very cozy.”
The other girl eyed my bare chest, and licked her lips. “I bet.”
At that point I realized that the girls Avilla had picked, a redhead and a
brunette, were both rather attractive. They were also just old enough not to
make me feel too guilty for noticing that fact, and the way they were eying me
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made it clear that the feeling was mutual. Was she trying to set me up?
I directed a raised eyebrow at Avilla. “Auditions?”
“Mmm hmmm. Trust me, master. Finding the right people for your
household could be tricky, but it’s important. You’ll need someone to handle
all the ordinary details so you can concentrate on your magic.”
Avilla fetched a bowl of hot water and a handful of wet rags, and set to
work cleaning the dried blood and gore off my chest. I noticed that it was
coming off a lot easier than I would have expected, but that was probably just
another aspect of her magic.
“Hard-working maids who won’t blabber about your business would be a
good start,” Cerise put it. “Might want to recruit some guards, too.”
“I have an uncle in the Lanrest garrison, milord” the brunette offered. “I’m
sure he could suggest some good men there.”
They had my shoes off by then, and were working on my pants. I tried
very hard to concentrate on the conversation, and not the feel of Avilla’s soft
hands on my skin.
“What are your names, girls?”
“I’m Beri, milord,” the brunette answered. “She’s Tina.”
The redhead nodded shyly, not meeting my eyes.
“Hmm. Avilla has a valid point, but have you two thought this through?
Working for a wizard isn’t going to be easy. You’ll be constantly surrounded
by all sorts of strange magic, and wizards always have secrets. After a certain
point you won’t be able to back out.”
They finished pulling my pants down, and turned away. Tina busied
herself arranging the soiled clothing in a pile next to the pot. Beri turned back
to me, carefully keeping her eyes on my face.
“We know, sir,” she said hesitantly. “Tina heard what Cerise said to
those deserters, and we figure you’ll do the same to us sooner or later. But
we’ve seen you fight, and heal people, and... please forgive me if this is
impertinent, milord, but you seem like a man who takes care of what’s his.”
“He is,” Avilla said firmly. “I’d be dead three times over if he didn’t
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keep risking his life to protect me.
Beri nodded. “Exactly. Milord, in the last week Tina and I have lost
everything we had, and the rumors say this is only the beginning. I’m sure when
we get to Lanrest every girl with an ounce of sense will be trying to get your