Centaur Love Ch. 14

< We both can feel the farms heritage spell. >

Mathew wanted to feed his horse and the pony just hay tonight, not sure on how much hay to grain they were fed, in Midvale. Mathew liked to keep to the two percent rule for feeding his horses. Best just to feed the mare twenty pounds of hay, and twelve or so pounds, for the pony tonight, and let that fill their digestive tract. He racked the pitchfork and opened the drying room.

On the back wall, he found a particular stone and fed it a point of klatha. He retrieved several books and then retired to the house. Opening the magic room, he turned to his uncle's page and wrote a quick note letting him know he was home and if he could stop by at a suitable time.

Sitting down in the front room, he was deep in the book 'evocatis elemental' when he felt his uncle touch the farm's spell and teleported in. Mathew broadcasted to the farm's clairvoyance spell, telling the mares it was just his uncle as he walked out to greet him.

XXXXXXX

Robert took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to force the stress from this morning's audit of his books to flow out with that breath. It didn't work. Looking out the office window onto the quiet courtyard brought home the fact that Cyril and the kids were at the dwarven hill's house. Safely away from Kingsholme just in case things did not go smoothly.

Robert took another deep breath, letting it out slowly, looking at the 'official books' again. The auditors found nothing except a few coppers discrepancy on a payout for a load of Staggerwort. To make such a big deal for paying two extra coppers to the haulers, you would think he was cheating the high king and the Mage College. If you broke down the cost per case after manufacturing, it would come out to less than a copper per one hundred cases sold in taxes.

Robert shook his head at that; thinking well he did ask for it, he invited them to go over his books the last time he faced the council..., he and his big mouth, he thought. He knew those 'conservative' auditors were just doing their job, but to take their frustration out on him because his nephew defeated their prominent leader was just being petty for a few coppers.

Once again, this brought to light how political the College and the council had become. Robert wished for the days when he was just starting out in the potions trade and all he had to worry about was keeping the temps on the vats at a constant temperature. He could not remember the last time he worked a line of vats or mixed a simple potion. The old joys of being a potion maker. Books and costs ruled his days now.

He closed the 'official book' and stared out at the courtyard. Maybe he should just call it quits and teleport to the Dwarf Mounts and spend the evening with Cyril and the kids.

At least he didn't incinerate any of the council's auditors today. Looking up at the ceiling, he was very proud of that fact.

He felt the scratches in the private messaging book over the house clairvoyance spell. Maybe it was Cyril telling him she was ready to come home, or for him to teleport there. Looking over at the book, he noticed it was on Mathew's page. A smile came to his face as he stood to go read. After reading Mathew's note, he stowed the official book and locked up the office. Yes, a trip to the farm is just what the body needed. Time to castigate the conservative party like slaying the dragons from old.

Robert landed near the front door of Mathew and Felicia's house, looking out over the old pecan grove. The sense of peace from the old grove filled him with a warm glow that he was missing living in the city. He missed living at the old farm and missed his magical connection with the grove that was severed when Mathew changed the clairvoyance spell. Robert turned to see his nephew walk out of the house when he heard the door open. He magically looked Mathew over, only a week had passed since he last seen him, but he already could magically see Mathew's aura shine. That told him he was running several spells, with no regards to the power used. Mathew now looked like he was a full Grand Magnus. He bowed, "Your honor, second seat Grand Magnus Lindrose."

Mathew smiled, "Knock that off, Uncle. Like I would walk in and take that seat."

Robert laughed, "You could, Mathew." He said, as he reached in his waist pouch and pulled a super heal potion, "Unless you are willing to trade that 'right' away?"

Mathew laughed and motioned his uncle inside, saying, "They must really want Morrison's amulet back?"

"Yes, unless you will reconsider your decision and take his seat. Certain things would be easier if you did."

Mathew laughed as he walked into the front room, "Unlikely Uncle, as long as the council sees fit to dominate and regulate the lower classed mages' lives. I will have nothing to do with eastern mage council."

Mathew went into the magic room to retrieve the second seats amulet and pulled a western apprentice book, opening it to its clairvoyance variant page as he walked out.

Robert nodded yes. As he took a seat, he looked over the titles of books Mathew had out. Mathew handed Robert the amulet and the open book. "Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the wests 'CV' variant."

Robert studied the spells. "So this is how the elves do their 'heritage' link."

"Pay particular attention to the CV modifiers," Mathew said.

Robert nodded yes. "But how do they run that spell all day?"

Mathew smiled, then took his uncle's hand and connected him to the farm's heritage spell and tying his CV spell to the ley lines.

< Welcome to the Lindrose farm heritage, Uncle Robert. >

Robert opened his eyes wide, as the spell formed without him having to draw on his reserves. It was self powered! Robert thought about it, no it drew its power directly from the ley line. Robert mentally shouted, < This is amazing! > Then he not only heard Felicia say something, but he actually felt her love for him as well through the spell. You can send emotions as well!?

< Inside voice Uncle Robert, I think you scared Mathew's second mate, Rebecca Lynn. >

< What!? Second mate? > Robert turned to Mathew, < Second mate Mathew? You have two wives now? >

Mathew solemnly nodded yes, "It's a Centaur Clan Master thing Uncle, I am the Clan Master of Herd Lindrose. When I asked Felicia's friend Rebecca Lynn to join my herd, I guess I did not know the difference between adding someone to my herd and someone joining it. So when I asked Rebecca to 'join' my herd, I got a second mate, slash apprentice."

Robert laughed, "So you found another female Centaur like Felicia?"

"Four more actually, five if you include Rebecca Lynn, who joined my herd as my second mate. One I already added to my herd. A young stallion, who we had to block his powers until he gets a little older, and another mare, then two who are quarter klatha healers."

Robert shook his head in wonder. Six centaurs in one year to test positive for the mage gene. "Can you handle that many apprentices by yourself?"

Mathew shook his head no, "I am just struggling with two. But as soon as we finish the long house here, we are going to build a western style school with several elven mages living here as teachers to help me."

Robert grinned, "You know you could walk into the Mage College and change it."

Mathew laughed. "And deal with the council and its political maneuvering? Nope Uncle, I would rather start fresh here and let your mighty council come to me when I perfect a western curriculum."

Robert looked up in thought and then nodded yes. "Will you have room for cousins when you start your school?"

Mathew quickly looked over, "What, you're not going to send your kids to the Mage College?"

Robert shook his head no. "Not if I want to leave the potion business to them. If they come home with a western journeyman or Master's rating from your school, they can take over the family potions business with impunity."

Mathew laughed, "Very sneaky, Uncle."

Robert grinned and then turned, looking at the books stacked up. "Are you thinking of branching out into elemental summoning, or are you going to follow your dear ole uncle in learning demon conjuring adding to the council's disapproval of the family name?"

Mathew laughed, "I brought them up from the vault to read both. After a quick read, both have advantages and some disadvantages. I can summon larger, more powerful elementals with my western magic, but it ties me to one elemental per casting. The thought of bringing in a demon lord would free me up to still use offensive spells at any engagement."

Robert nodded yes. "That is true, Mathew. But it also binds you to watch over your demon lord and his hoard as well. That is the part of your contract when you summon one. Your demon lords' fiends and imps are free to return to the demon plane if they suffer injury, but is through the oversight of your demon lord. But that also entrusts you to make sure your demon lord doesn't suffer fatal injury before recalling his hoard."

"So sending your demon lord into a battle might not be such a good idea?"

Robert nodded yes, but said, "Yes and no. You see Mat, your demon lord also wants the souls, or the power of those souls. He or she kills for you. That also includes what his hoard kills. That is what they seek by coming to this plane and bargaining with the mage. He is the gateway to this plane and the power he or she can gain by coming here. That is why most elven mages or the western mage society dis-like demon summoning."

"With your training in ley line magic, and your association with said elven mage society, I would suggest you focus on elemental summoning. You can use ley line power to summon, and then reserve part of your well as payment for said services and still leave you semi free to fight if necessary."

"Also, with your current skills, and your ability to use ley line magic's and still have access to your well, I would say take one up as a hobby, but focus on straight off combat type spells. You have the power to cause more damage and chaos on the battlefield with your combat spells than either summoning either a demon lord or elemental."

Mathew nodded yes in thought.

"I heard the stories of your fight with Morrison, I would say based on them, if I was you, I would learn elemental summoning, you don't need a demon lord and his hoard as scouts and, or backup bodyguards. Your combat spells are more devastating. Especially if you learn the physical type storms and straight up klatha storm. Being able to drop a twenty foot by twenty foot physical type fire, cold, lightning or a more devastating klatha storm on a tightly packed phalanx of soldiers would be more overwhelming than either an elemental or demon lord with his hoard."

Mathew looked up and nodded yes. "I never thought of it that way. Most mages don't learn storms because of the cost."

Robert laughed, then nodded yes. "Yes Mat, that is true, they are very expensive to cast. But I don't think you have a worry there, nephew."

Robert stopped his laughing, in mid-laugh, when he felt Felicia and Becca enter the farm's second, or original, clairvoyance spell range as they passed the first step. He grinned at Mathew. "So you really don't have to be in range, nor power this heritage spell to talk and feel things through it." Smiling, "So how do we add Cyril and the kids to this spell?"

"By bringing them here and having Felicia, Becca, or I add them. You have to be in range of the node," seeing his uncle's confusion, he added. "The object holding the main clairvoyance spell. Then Derek and Beatrice only need to learn their personal shield spells, and be taught the Elven variant."

"Derek should be no problem. I just gave Beatrice her own trainer box."

I gave Uncle Robert the single eyebrow trick. Bea was only six.

"I know. She's a little young," he said, holding up his hands. "But it was either start her on the road of controlling her magic, or block it until she's a little older. Cyril and I talked it over and decided to let her develop naturally."

Six years old and already showing signs of magic. I shook my head. Uncle Robert must have read my thoughts right. "You are not the only Grand Magnus in the family, Mathew."

I looked up at Uncle Robert as he was tucking the western apprentice book into one of the many pockets of his mage over robe. He smiled at me, "Thank you for buying Derek his first apprentice book, now I can tell those idiots at the Mage College, with a clear conscious that he is officially under a western sanctified school and he will not be attending their college."

I looked down, nodding yes. I was wondering about that. It was then that I noticed the scuff on an iron buckle on my uncle's boots. I looked up at Uncle Robert. "When are you going to tell them about your reserves?"

Robert looked up at me, I pointed to the brass coated iron buckle on his boot. "You will need to fix that if you don't want them to know."

Robert grinned and mumbled a trans-morphing spell to reflow the brass over the scuff mark. "Thanks Mathew. We don't need to voice what that means. No words, means no memory."

I nodded yes. The old, 'don't voice it, so no psychic can find it,' thing. It was tough growing up in a mage household that way. "So tell me about the negotiations with the western mage society about removing the easts goblin problem."

Robert laughed. "Should have known you would find out about it. Actually, Mathew, you instigated it."

I looked at Robert with another raised eyebrow.

"Show off!" Robert said with a chuckle. "Since you removed the largest protagonist from Dorthan's path. The conservative party has crumbled without a powerful leader in place. Without Morrison there stopping the progressive party, Dorthan has got the council onto war footing."

"What is Dorthan doing, Uncle?"

"Mainly training the current class and former graduates into a mage army. He has most of the council members going town to town searching for former arms men to train a second king's army here in the south. Recruitment is going well. The trouble is finding enough former formally trained soldiers to train the new recruits." Robert laughed, "That is why they are willing to support the elves and centaur army. Dorthan's thinking is, once Sir Fellis clears the west's goblins, that he could be persuaded to march his little army over Hurley pass and help the east."

I nodded in thought. I did not know if Sir Fellis was aware of this. "Has anyone taken the time to talk to Sir Fellis about this?"

Uncle Robert grinned at me. "No one has volunteered for that duty as yet. Are you volunteering?"

I laughed as we heard Felicia and Becca come in. Robert stood with me as my mates came into the front room. Felicia was the first to step in hugging Uncle Robert. I reached over, taking Rebecca's hand. After Felicia got a chase hug and kiss on the cheek, I pulled Rebecca over.

"Uncle Robert, I would like you to meet Rebecca Lynn, my second mate, and second apprentice. Rebecca, this is my Uncle, Elite Master Mage Robert Lindrose."

Rebecca blushed as Robert took her hand and kissed it. "Welcome to the Lindrose family, Rebecca Lynn, and I hear congratulations are also in order for passing through your trainer box, training, and learning your first spells!"

"Thank you Elite Master Mage Lindrose. I cannot believe it that just a few days ago I was still dreaming that maybe one day I could be a mage, and now...,"

Robert smiled at her, "Just think what tomorrow will bring, my dear. I have been studying magic for over twenty years and I still feel excited when I learn a new spell. The secret is never stop reading and learning new stuff."

Rebecca smiled, "Surely after twenty years, you learned them all."

Robert shook his head no with a smile, "Why, just today I learned a new spell." Closing his eyes, he sent his thoughts out through the farms clairvoyance, < And learning how to speak through the ether, this has opened a whole new world of magic to me. >

Rebecca laughed and mentally said, < Then I have a lifetime of things to learn. >

Robert smiled at everyone, and then turned back to Rebecca to say, "That you do, my dear." Then he took a deep breath, like he was resigning himself to something. "Mathew, Felicia, Rebecca, thank you for the wonderful new gift," he said, touching his head. "But unfortunately I only stopped by to retrieve something the Mage College has wanted back. I think this is the longest the College has gone without a second seat." Laughing to himself, "I think it has done the council some good too, but tradition says we need to elect a new second, and since Mathew has refused it, yet again. And I know you just got home. So with that I will tender my goodbyes and leave you with a dinner invitation for tomorrow night, so Rebecca can meet my Cyril and her new cousins."

Felicia responded first, "We would love to come for dinner. What time do you want us there?"

Robert touched his head again. "That, my dear, is up to the boss. I will ask her tonight and let you know."

"You know Uncle, if Cyril can make a pan or three of lausana..., and say she brings it here, we could make a salad and breadsticks, then we could add Aunt Cyril and Derek to the farm's CV spell all in one shot."

Robert smiled. "An evening at the farm sounds nicer than an evening in the city, even if it's the courtyard with its enhancements. It sounds like a plan, and I think I just might have a package of graham crackers and some chocolate lying around if you might light a fire afterwards, so we could do s'mores for the kids."

I smiled over that comment, because I just happen, to love them myself.

"S'mores?" Felicia asked, "What are those?"

Robert grinned at her. "You mean Mathew here has never made you S'mores before?"

Felicia and Becca both shook their heads no.

Robert laughed, shaking his head at me. "Mathew, I am disappointed in you. The best treat in the world and you haven't shared them with your mates. Shame on you!"

We followed Robert as he made his way out. We had to step around the cloth bags of vegetables the girls brought home. Once outside, Robert bowed, saying "Ladies, Mathew." Then closed his eyes and teleported. I nodded, confirming my guess. My Uncle didn't even need to set his plane before he teleported. Uncle Robert was far beyond Elite Master class mage, maybe even beyond Grand Master.

I followed my mares inside, enjoying the view. Both Felicia and Rebecca knew I was looking at their back-sides, both exaggerating the swished their tails left and right, showing me their sex. Both girls went into the bedroom as I retired back into the front room. I stacked the three demons summoning books to return to the vault and kept the two elemental books out for further study.

"Would a bacon and tomato sandwich with peppers and rice dish be ok for dinner tonight?"

I looked up at Rebecca. She stood there naked as she held the two cloth bags. Felicia just walked out of the bedroom, just as naked. She was carrying several loaves of bread with four or five packages of bacon. I groaned, seeing both of them naked. I got up with a smile on my face, walking towards Becca. I could see a gleam in her eyes.

"A bacon and tomato sandwich is fine with me, love."

She smiled, "Good. Dinner is going to be a quick one tonight. We want to unpack, and get everything cleaned up..., for tonight."

I smiled at her and Felicia's obvious innuendo. Leaning over, I gave her a kiss and brushed her lush naked chest that was on display. It earned me a hiss as Becca shuddered down to her withers. I winked and stepped into the bedroom. I emptied the panniers and stuffed the one inside the other. After storing it in the other bedroom's closet, I sorted the dirty clothes for tomorrow's washing and hung up the clothes I didn't wear.