Chapter 32 (Patreon)

Flint only needed to spare one cart and horse for the humans. The group consisted of the elderly and a couple of young mothers. Most of them expressed their distaste of fae and refused to reside next to them. The rest worried Flint didn’t have the means to protect the fort. Fortunately, none of them put up numa fight when it came to the blood oath. After all, he had saved their life while risking his own. Instead, they thanked him for what he’d done, the transport and enough supplies to last them ten days.

The slavers and deserters carried plenty of extra weapons in their cart, and Flint let the group have their pick. He gave them a part of the gold he found too. There was a significant amount, and most of it belonged to the people Viking had killed during their raids.

“You’ll come upon farmland after a week of riding,” Flint told them. “They’re patrolled and protected by the Iron Army since the forces rely on the lands for their food. I’m sure you can purchase supplies if the food runs low.”

Twylip added emergency medical supplies to their load. The older folk appeared fragile while the young mothers and their babies had gone weeks without proper nourishment. She advised them to brew teas using the roots and herbs whenever they made camp. It would provide them with the vitamins and minerals they’d been missing.

Even though Flint offered to let them stay the day and recover, the group set out at noon. After closing the gates behind them, Flint approached the Heartstone once more, pressed his hands to it and prayed they’d make it to safety. There was little more he could do to help them. From what he understood, the South Western road cutting through the Verdant Plains was mostly safe. They just needed to be careful for the first week until they left the tall grass.

Things weren’t as simple with the fae. There were close to three dozen of them. A third of the group had joined after the first puck, Keen, while the remaining were still undecided. They trickled to the Heartstone little by little as they made up their minds.

It wasn’t long after lunchtime when a trio approached him: an old male puck wearing glasses, a young female brownie with hair as white as Winona’s skin, and a woman from a fae race Flint didn’t recognise. She had sunkissed skin, orange hair and long pointed ears.

“Do you really intend for all of the children to work?” The puck asked. “Human and fae?”

Flint nodded. “Everyone will need to contribute to this land if we’re to survive and stay out of the war. The little ones can help pull weeds in the gardens, plant seeds, and water the plants. It won’t be hard finding jobs for the older ones either. There’s a lot to do around here.”

“But what about their education?” The sun-kissed fae woman asked. “Just because they’ve been dealt bad cards at the start of their lives doesn’t mean they should spend their days in ignorance. If you’re serious about growing, let them learn how and why things grow.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Flint said, glancing at the children running around and playing with the dogs. Bjorn displayed a surprising gentleness with them. The bloodhounds appeared keen to join in on the fun, but the little ones shied away from them. It didn’t come as a surprise since they were the slavers’ dogs after all. He wanted to tell them that there are no bad dogs, just bad masters, but it wasn’t the time for that. “Life wasn’t pleasant to me, and I didn’t time to learn much besides the common tongue and basic arithmetic. The streets and then the Iron Army taught me everything I know. It shouldn’t be the same for these children. I’d prefer it if they know what they want from life by the time their nodes unlock.”

Flint glanced at his friends sitting behind him. They were all listening to his words intently. Twylip shot him a soft smile while Winona appeared mildly surprised. He stood up and approached the Heartstone. The three fae followed.

“The children will still be expected to work after they’ve finished their lessons for the day,” Flint declared.

“I’m what your people call a plains dryad,” the sun-kissed woman said. “I dedicated my life to learning about the disk’s plant life, the land, and how to grow for sustenance without damaging the local ecology. My teachings will involve such knowledge.”

“Perhaps I can add to that with an understanding of diseases and medicine,” Twylip said, joining them. “This is a great endeavour, in my opinion. There is plenty of room in the fort to set up a school.”

Lefa swore her oath before wandering off with Twylip, discussing the gardens above. The brownie stepped up next.

“The name’s Seven,” the brownie said. She held up her four-fingered hands and her left had half the middle finger missing. “I was training to become a Wyldmaster but had little affinity for mind magic. I do know how to befriend animals though, have guided the essence allocation of many, and know beasts better than any one of my master—former master’s apprentices.”

“You don’t have to give me your credentials.” Flint laughed. “As long as you swear you won’t do anything to harm this land or its residents, you’re free to do whatever will help us. I’d love for the children to understand the disk’s fauna.”

They shook hands, and Seven swore her oath too. Unlike Lefa, she didn’t run off immediately but stuck to the aged puck. He looked Flint up and down through a pair of half-moon glasses, leaning heavily on his cane. Despite the white and grey hair, there was no frailty about the aged puck, and his sharp eyes appeared to look through Flint’s very being.

“Which side of your family was fae?” He asked without introducing himself.

“I don’t know,” Flint answered.

“What kind were they?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know either. When the war started, a caravan moving to the Wyld’s lands dropped me off at an orphanage. Apparently, I wasn’t fae enough to survive there.”

“Given how you look, they were probably right. I see how you interact with the dogs. Is it safe to assume you’re an empath?” Flint nodded. “That explains a lot. Empaths are rare. They’re much too kind and forgiving, and this often results in them getting killed. You’ll need our council if you intend to stay strong and out of his war.” He glanced at Seven and then looked over the crowd behind him.

“I’m Alais. Unlike Seven and Lefa, I don’t have any useful skills that can directly help your fort. I don’t particularly like humans or trust them, but I feel the same amount most fae, including pucks. So, it’s probably not a race thing either. If you want a school for the children, though, you need me. I used to be a scholar. My books and scrolls might be gone, but they’re all in here.” Alais tapped the side of his head. “I’ll want an office and supplies to write, but you need me in the long run.”

“I can’t promise all of that straight away, but I’ll certainly try my hardest. Having an educated man—puck will help us a whole lot going forward.”

Alias rejected the handshake but swore his oath. Then he and Seven walked away together. Winona still appeared shell-shocked. Flint was about to sit back down and help himself to some fruit when she jumped onto her feet and marched to the Heartstone. She thrust her wrists our, jangling her chains. For a moment, Flint thought she would make a speech and discourage the remaining fae from swearing an oath.

“You might be ready to lead people, Flint, but you don’t understand or their plight yet,” she said. “We have our own internal and external issues. I see you’re serious about this, though.” Winona faced the fae. All eyes were on her. “Let me help you.”

“What changed your mind?” Flint asked. He wasn’t surprised. He expected her mind to change after the fae started swearing their loyalty to the Sleeping Fort.

“I never thought you’d let the fae in, let alone let three of them take over the education of human and fae alike.” Winona sighed. “You’re not all talk, and I respect that.” She thrust the manacles to him. “I can’t swear an oath with these around my wrists. Remove them, and I’ll serve these lands. I’ll fight whatever force appears outside your walls. If anyone, human or fae, displays an ounce of magical potential, I’ll teach them too. You’ll need power and individuals with mastery of essence for this to work, and I’m your girl.”

Flint heard whispers containing the term ‘high fae’, but he ignored them. Many commented on the contrast of her dark hair and pale skin. Some highlighted their sharp nose and delicate ears. None of that mattered. Winona was an ally he desperately needed, so he removed the manacles.

“I swear to serve the Sleeping Fort and help you on your life quest,” Winona said. “As long as you treat the fae residents of this land the same as the humans, protect them and give them equal opportunities, I’ll not move against you. My powers and knowledge will go to our defence and enriching the residents.”

“I accept your blood oath,” Flint replied, touching the Heartstone. The stone pillar’s runes flared, and a smile spread across Winona’s lips.

“Can you remove my ankle bands as well and lend me Maya until the morning?”

“What are you planning?”

“I’d like to hunt down the slavers that got away. It’s in everyone’s interests if they don’t survive.”

Flint nodded and set her free. He summoned Maya closer, scratched her behind the ears and channelled [Guide Growth]. As expected, a large urn of sand awaited him. However, the almost black hanging over the green plains surprised him. During his last couple of visits, the skies were clear and beautiful. Now, he heard distant rumbles.

Flint once again divided it between [Power] and [Mind], taking the latter sector to the groove. Lights flared along with the curving depression in the [Mind] and [Control]. They connected, emitting an aquamarine light. The glowed brightened until it was almost blinding before energy pulsed from the compass through the green fields.

A flurry of movement drew Flint’s attention to the fields. He saw Maya in the distance, but she was slightly bigger and lither than her current self. Blue wisps floated around her, crackling with power. When she ran—moving twice as fast as her new normal—they kept up with her buzzing. Flint knew instinctually that he didn’t want them touching him. A shadow rose out of the grass, and Maya zipped past it moving faster than her current self. One of the wisps struck the shape, and it writhed for a moment before dissolving into the smoke.

Flint spotted another version of Maya in the distance. Her dimensions hadn’t changed, but her fur had darkened and gained a blue tint. Her snout and feet had a slight gold tint to them, and her eyes carried a similar but richer shade. Yellow and blue energy crackled around her paws, then she flickered and appeared much closer. The grass had flattened and darkened several feet behind her landing spot and looked almost burned. Meanwhile, her dark fur stood on end, sticking up diagonally, and lightning appeared to arc between them.

Then shadows bubbled around her, and she leapt back, moving no faster than the current Maya. After putting some distance between them, Maya crouched, bending her front legs in a play position and yellow energy crackled around her snout. When she barked, Flint jumped out of his skin, thinking it was thunder. Instead, the air rippled in front of Maya, and the resulting shockwave knocked the shadows back, dissolving them in the air. Then his beloved sheepdog stood panting heavily. Maya took off after the wisp-surrounded version of her, towards the hill where Flint stood.

It took a while for Flint to realise there was a third. He’d been so focused on the other two that he missed several shadow figures in the field disappearing. Then he spotted a blur moving around the hill. Even though it was close, Flint heard no footsteps. Then the figure slowed, and he saw Maya. She looked up at him, smiling and wagging her tail. Her dominantly white fur was now black and not as thick. Maya’s body appeared slimmer and more elongated.

It didn’t take Flint long to figure out what the three points signified. The one with the wisps was a hybrid of [Control] and [Mind], while the other two focused on either node. Flint didn’t think long about his decision. Despite Maya’s occasional challenges, he wanted to have her get smarter. After all, she was his number two. He liked the idea of her dealing with foes at range and then zipping away when things got hairy.

When Flint ended [Guide Growth] and pulled away from Maya, he found himself looking at a completely different dog. Her basic structure and size had barely changed, but her colouration and eyes were completely different. He saw clarity and understanding in them unlike anything before.

“Listen to Winona and don’t get into trouble, alright?”

Maya licked his face, and he got an explicit confirmation through the empathic link. As she left, Flint found several widened sets of eyes watching him. The brownies appeared especially alarmed.