The Ranger: Ch. 16

Welcome Back! Everyone depicted in this alternate universe, thousands of years in the futuristic past, are of age and have agreed to the their story being presented today. If your story is added, you will also have to agree.

Team1: Heran, Evaine, Niviena, Ewlene, Yesime, Anders, Isabella

Team2: Sabina, Annalise, Desa, Abigale, Amber, Treya, Ivana, Joan

Team3: Katelyn, Beau, Erika, Alexandra, Triss, Abby, Jenna, Amelia

Team4: Jacob, Dustin, Jamison, Anton, Petra, Erika, Regina

Merchant Ship: Saedin, Agitha, Cassandra

Merchant Ship2: Severan, Penelope, kids, Emma

Readers: Soviet Degenday's, Boulder Dash

"Soviet?" I ask after getting transported to Myread to meet the mages, hope he remembers that we worked well together.

"Shouldn't be but a moment for them to get setup, they knew the minute we left the ruins earlier." Soviet says and wanders over to talk to the lady.

"Saynha, how are things going here?" Soviet asks the lady.

"You really let out a wyvern?" She whispers and he shakes his head no, she looks relieved for the briefest moment.

"It's a dragon, they are bigger, and he let her go." He looks over at me. "She seemed to like us, so stay close." Soviet gives the smallest lip movement as she knows what he is doing.

"You don't have to let one of them fly overhead just to ask for that." Saynha was an older lady, but she smiled at him with want in those eyes.

"Lots of shouting earlier," she whispers over to me, "best on your behavior yeah, everyone says you are mouthy, the council hates that."

"Everyone? There is only Soviet here that would know that?" I say glancing over at him as Saynha laughs,

"Anyway, be good, wyverns are immune to magic, it makes us nervous when we go from the top to the bottom of the food chain." She smiles and turns to Soviet, "It's why we keep Soviet around." Her head tilted as if she was listening.

"It's time, come with me," she escorts us into the room, her black hair had three braids, two wrapping around her head and a thick one down her back, a deep ocean blue-green with a silver trim sundress, a style everyone here wears, light lacy top with an angular cut at the bottom, it appears no matter how old, the women here dress to impress.

'The heat, they dress like this because of the weather, idiot.' Cinthia sends and I laugh as that could be a good reason, also. Sanyha glances over at me with a surprised look, I guess laughing didn't make here feel better that I was going to behave myself.

The doors open on their own, of course, they would, gotta show off your nice palace. "OH, Fiona!" I say a little too loud as they all look from me to her as she laughs. "Welcome Kaethorn, I hear you finished?"

"Everything worth doing, it's cleaned out, just need a healer for the people that do the cleaning and lots of stuff to cart out." I answer walking to the center of the room, "No chairs? Hope this is quick." I say turning around in a circle and then looking at them in their seats, and she laughs again.

"Saynha, please get a chair for Kae," Fiona asks and Saynha does an air thing that opens the doors and pulls a chair to her, I step over to take it and she gives the 'you are starting off wrong look'? "I know," I whisper but it's loud enough for everyone here, "Asking for the chair threw them off of the questions they were going to ask." The alarmed look on her face was so animated I couldn't keep a straight face. "Saynha, I was kidding, it's okay, we are all friends here." I offer her the seat and she shakes her head.

Looking from one councilor to another, I saw the one in the middle was about to say something, clearing his throat, I looked over to Fiona, "Oh, I have something for you, can you do dinner?" I ask Fiona.

"I can," Fiona answers.

"What is it that you took from there? Your percentage." The old man in the center chair asked me.

"I got the goblin, Sandy, you got everything else," I answer.

"What about the wyvern?" He asks.

"I might get her for a year if she doesn't eat me, I've asked her to watch the lands from here to the mountains." I felt pretty good about that one.

"The only thing we want to keep away from Myread and its surrounding lands is a wyvern, and you invited one of the largest of its kind, without asking for permission."

"Permission?" I look over at Soviet, "Her name is Tia, she's a dragon, not a wyvern, her arms are not attached to the wings," I repeat, and can see the vein in his forehead pulse. I'm not even sure I'm correct on this now that I think about it, I'll have to ask her. "To get to what you wanted, we had to get past her and we might as well have been newborn baby rabbits against an immortal dragon, we had very little say of what was happening," I wave over to Soviet, "ask him, he was the muscle of the operation."

Soviet raises an eyebrow at me and turns back to them, "He's correct." I leaned in waiting for him to say more, nope, he just stood there.

"If there is even a single incident." The man says and that was that, there were two other men at the table that never said anything.

I slap my thighs and stand up, walk over and behind Fiona, pulling her chair out and she stands. "Alaric, take over for the evening," she says and it was the guy in the middle asking me all the questions. We walk past Soviet and Saynha, on the way out the door I see Saynha levitate the chair back out into her room.

"That went well?" I ask Saynha who rolls her eyes at me and looks at Fiona shaking her head.

"Don't pick on my Saynha." Fiona answers.

---------------

"So what happened?" Katleyn, Beau, Mertil sat in their normal chairs on the porch with most of the towns people were on blankets, Sandy looked around, she likes a bunch of them, but there are a lot of people here. She crawled up into Sabina's lap.

"We found the Treasure trap room, they made me go in last." Her face was worth a thousand words at how unhappy she looked at the end of her statement. "The Gray and Cinthia ghosts went in first and then Soviet. I went in with master."

"Sandy?" Mertil says in her disapproving voice.

"What? He's not here, you said not to say it around him." They both sat there looking at each other and then Sandy gave in, "Fine, We, went in together, I didn't see any treasure, just books and lots of papers."

"Books can be treasure," Tia said walking around the corner, many of the ladies scream." Sandy hops down and runs over to her, not a care in the world.

"Can I get up?" Sandy is ready to start climbing without her help.

"How about my neck, I don't want you falling from up there, I'm wet and slippery from the swim." Laying down Tia tilts her neck and then straightens it as Sandy climbs about.

"Sorry for the scare, I thought it would be worse if I swooped down from the sky." Tia says as she walks to an open area between Sabina and Katelyn's teams blankets in the grass. "Human's run screaming when I swoop down on them."

"What is it you want?" Beau asks.

"Nothing, I'm supposed to stay here for a while," Tia was rippling her neck for Sandy to slowly raise up and down to the ground. "Again sorry for the interruption, what did you see in his study Sandy?" Tia asks Sandy.

"Oh yeah, we go in there and, uh, it was the only human room, so much stuff in there," tears start to run down her face along with one of her largest smiles. "Hesaidhedintwananyannakepme," she says all at once and starts snuffling and huffing, Heran was staying near Sandy this entire time, reaching up with her arms catching her as she slides down Tia's directing the fall right into her arms.

"Come here?" Heran hugs Sandy, "Say that again?"

"Master gave them everything else and kept me," Sandy looks up into Heran face with a beaming smile. The 'Awwws' were everywhere, Heran walked over to Sabina's blanket and set Sandy down. She'd get hurt playing on, that Tia thing.

Sandy walked over and sat in Sabina's lap again. "Of course he kept you silly." Sabina says look at the top of Sandy's head, "There was never a doubt about you staying with us."

."He seems a good human to serve?" Tia asks Beau, she can smell him on them and can sense Beau's wolf. She glances over at Sabina who also has his scent all over her.

"Yes." Sandy replies while the others try and wrap their heads around the question.

"I'm guessing he asked for your help and you assumed service?" Mertil answers before Beau can figure out how to answer.

Tia's head moved several feet before resting on a neck coil resting on her back. "I don't know, I, he," Tia stopped and reviews every word spoken, she had assumed service, not in its strict term but in it's basic form? yes. "I might have offered more than what was asked?", she answers after a moment.

The ladies in the grass were eating and paying attention while having several side discussions, only Kae's mates were keeping her talking. "Do you think he'd let me leave to get some relics and other items, I might need over the next year?"

"How long until you can return?" Mertil asks thinking if it is short Kae wouldn't care, Tia had been away from her stuff for decades.

"A week."

"If it's that short? Go ahead, we'll tell him," Katelyn says looking between Beau and Mertil who both nod in agreement.

Tia's eye rose at the nonchalant manner they changed Kaethorn's contract with her, all three smelled truthful so she agreed. "He seemed to harbor some reservations about the mage council."

"Except Fiona, he's supposed," Sandy says and gets her mouth covered by Sabina.

"We talked about that." She whisper hisses at her.

"Mmmhmm," Sandy nods.

Mertil replied after smiling down at Sandy pulling at Sabina's hand. "They wanted him to leave here and he refused, but then took on the ruins with Soviet to smooth things over."

------

"Saynha was correct in telling you to be less like yourself, you didn't make any friends in there." Fiona says as we walk down the hallway. "Hand me what you have," she holds out her hand so I reach into my pack and hand her the rolled up letter, she shuffled through a few pages. "How much did you read?"

"The first half of the first page." I answer mostly truthful, it was around about that much.

Fiona gave me a hint of smile and surprise, "I'm not too worried about them knowing about this, but it not being out, makes for less hassles, so thank you." I'm behind and to her left, she gives a glance my way as she walks. "Do you want something in return?"

"Going to dinner will do," I answer without pausing.

"You sell yourself short." She answers.

"Saynha? Does Fiona go out on dinner dates often? I bet she doesn't get out much."

"What, date, chief councilor." Sahnya stutters, Fiona puts a hand on her arm.

"Shhh, he is deflecting to you dear, and no, I don't get out, often and though interesting, you seem a bit too nice for me." Fiona answers, I can see the side of her face, no blushing, keeping a neutral look.

"Didn't you just finish scolding me for being bad and not making any friends." I ask and Saynha squeaks and covers her mouth.

"Sit with us Saynha," Fiona says as she walks to the head of the table and takes a seat. I let Soviet and Saynha take their seats and sit to the right of Fiona. We don't talk much as we went through the main meal.

"You dismissed them, that could spur challenges, and other than your apparition friends, most of them could swat you down." Fiona says to me. I'm guessing she meant the other men in the council, it wasn't so much of a dismissal, more trying to deflect so I wouldn't have to answer questions, that was Grayson's job back home, I was the first one to the table to sit down as the other three ordered and mingled.

'Shush, ask about the challenge, what are the rules?' Grayson sends.

"How do challenges work?" I ask.

"You get challenged, if not in a position of power it is immediate, 'almost' never to the death as that would be self defeating for our numbers, and doing so often will get you a less cordial visit to see us, but I've had a few as a woman daring to take the top spot."

"I'll have to talk to my friend as he is against leaving enemies around." I answer, "he was very unhappy letting those skaldians get away." I answer.

"Yeah? There would have been many more to follow if you kill their tariff collectors." Fiona shakes her head at me.

"I think were good for 200 or so at this point, 400 by the time they can get here, many more if things go as expected, if mages don't fight mages, and you people won't held these people, I might, especially if Tia agrees."

"He named the wyvern," Soviet finally speaks, Fiona raised an eyebrow and then looks at me. "She's the biggest damn thing I've ever seen, nothing even comes close to what it can do."

"She came by here?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"I saw here before they made the hex to hold her in place. It was why they were able to defeat him. You remind us of him in the way you think and treat those in power."

"Good thing we work for you then," I say with a mouth full of a vanilla bean cake that had some creamy filling, it was good, but a little too sweet to eat more than once a year.

----------

"The Viscount Aberdeen sent his troops to gather us up for when the scaldians return, Kae had us practicing when they came down, He could 'feel' them before they arrived like he did to Bjorn the Skaldian and we were ready." Mertil, Katleyn and Beau talked Tia through everything that happened since Kaethorn arrived. It had taken quite a while to give what they thought was a recap of what happened as the women of the town asked as many questions as Tia, most not being around during most of it except of course the final fight with Twin Rivers and even then they were scared and focused on saving themselves.

"Great, the last human I contracted with was a lot like this one, and that got me a few decades of nothing, but, I do love flying again, so, let him know I'll be back." Tia stretches, takes a few steps down hill towards the south and takes off in a straight line over the trees.

Everyone watched her fly off until she was just a dot. "That was interesting." Mertil says as she takes another sip of her midday tea.

"ALL of this is nuts!" Triss says from her blanket, "a month ago we barely talked to each other, trying to figure out how to stay alive, now, we have Kae, and these bows, and magic, and Sandy and that!" She points to where Tia flew off.

"Her name is Tia,"Sandy says, "Kae named her, like me."

"Of course he did," Triss stands up, "He is literally working with a God, dragons, magic and we are his, what exactly? I'd follow him anywhere, but what do we do?"

"Pack, we are his pack." Mertil answers, "raise your hand if you feel the magic inside of you?" Beau and almost half of the people raised their hands, many more than she thought, she hadn't felt it yet, but she hasn't been participating every session letting the younger ones go first.

Beau's wolf was always present in her conscious, she repeated it's feelings, " We work together to ensure everyone has what they need, what to study, what to grow, how to mage, we will run, swim and fly together, fight together and celebrate together."

"Here, here," Desa says with a raised cup of water, the rest did the same. "This is nuts, in a good way, but still nuts." She got a lot of agreement on that.

"Nobody is going to mess with us with Tia here." Yesime says.

"Nobody was going to mess with us after what we did to Twin Rivers." Jenna says from her blanket.

"We have these bows, we have magic, we have Tia," Evaine starts.

"And me!" Sandy says getting into it.

"And you, the perfect gift!" Evaine agrees with Sandy.

Beau gets their attention, she begins her second item for calling this gathering, "We are opening a training range near the docks to practice cantrips and first level spellls. Everyone must study produce flame, it can be used as a light source and attack in emergency. Shape water to ensure we don't burn anything down, And for first level spells, create or destroy water helps everyday with baths and such, fog cloud and whatever else you want. We will practice the opposite times as we do with the bows, Jacobs team in the morning, Heran's last."

"How do we know when we reach level 2?" Niviena asks and everyone got quiet as this was a great question.

"This is what Kae told me, you get experience by writing your own spellbook, you get experience by finding and researching new spells and then it comes down to practicing and you gain the next level when the next level spells, work." Beau looks around, "I thought it would be magical myself, but it seems like everything else we do, you keep practicing until you get it."

---------

"I am happy to hear about Evaine," Fiona says when she thought everyone was done, "How many more should be expected?"

"All of them." I answer and she shakes her head, "People here going to be upset when they hear you have 40 mages?"

"There are barely 40 mages here, you can affect anyone?" She asks leaning towards me, she smells good and I'm sure I don't, mucking around in the ruins.

"I was told, everyone that couldn't; left the town so only those that could, remained for me to affect," I lean back, "I didn't think about being in the ruins all day and coming straight here, I'm sure I smell like moldy mildew."

"You smell like cedar." Fiona says and then leans back in her seat, glancing over at Saynha who nods. "How do you plan to keep them when they find a male, or do you plan to keep them all?" Her voice changed to what sounded like a challenge at the end.

'All acceptable mates will be compatible, obviously.' Cinthia sends and I repeat it, without the obviously.

"Mages swear to the council, not to an individual, they stopped challenging me a while ago, so that shouldn't really matter." Fino says, "but this would be a direct challenge to the council.

"How? You're already in charge, the only difference is that these mages stay together and happen to be your neighbors, keeping the lands safe around you." I answer making sure she knew we weren't going to be sent out amongst the world.

"Let them know that Tia is your second, for any challenges." I smile and am brought an ale that is more like what I'm used to in my previous life, more watery than Katelyn's and basically water compared to Beau's.

Standing up, I take my drink to the lady, "Uh, this is like dirty water, can I get real ale or just water?"

"You are just a troublemaker," Saynha says as I sit down.

"That was crime in a cup, I'll start bringing you Beau's casks of ale, you'll understand." She still looks at me like that was my fault so I shrug. "I'll prove it later."

"You ready?" Fiona asks as we stand up to exit the room?

"Oh, sure," I look over at Soviet, "We could use someone like you when you are done with this." We shake hands.

"You do smile quite a bit more now." Saynha says to Soviet and Fiona reaches out and we're standing in the common room of the Inn.

"Thank you again for how you handled, all of this." Fiona says as I figure out we moved to the Inn, she hasn't let go of my arm yet. There are a dozen people watching us.

"Of course, we have things to do, one second," I walk over to Beau, "Is that one of yours?" She nods, "I want to send that back to show them what real ale tastes like, I'll go get you a new one." Beau hands me her cup and thankfully, it's full.

"Can you give this to Saynha and tell her this is what I meant, you shouldn't allow whatever that stuff they serve to exist." I hand her the ale and she swirls it in the cup and takes a drink, surprising me. She licks her lip and takes another sip.

"That is an old time hearty ale," She raises the cup to Beau who smiles back.

"Take your time, I have some here," she gets up and walks into the kitchen.

"Saynha doesn't drink, this would have been wasted on her, her eyes light up as she see's Evaine near the door.