just learned. The Chinese used fireworks for a thousand years before the military aspects of gunpowder were realized. Should the same thing happen here, it would turn this world upside down.
Deciding not to open that particular Pandora’s Box, he keeps all this speculating to himself. An idea is one of the most powerful instruments ever devised. For once an idea gets out, there’s no going back.
By the time they get back to The Ranch, everyone is beginning to give Miko a hard time. James listens to it for awhile before putting a stop to it. “Leave him alone, guys. He made a mistake, but for the right reasons.”
Miko gives him a look of gratitude as the others quit pestering him. Once they’re back at The Ranch, James says to Illan, “We’re leaving in the morning. See that everyone is ready to go.”
“Will do,” he assures him.
The front door to the house opens up and Roland and the girls come out. “What happened?”
“False alarm,” he tells them. “Seems Miko was mistaken, they were on their way to a wedding.”
“A wedding?” Roland asks incredulously. Laughing, he asks, “How could he make that kind of mistake?”
Shrugging, James says, “He feels bad enough about it as it is, try not to bother him too much.”
“Alright,” agrees Roland.
“I’ll be out at the workshop for the rest of the day,” he tells him. “I’m taking Illan and the others somewhere for probably about a week. The new recruits will be staying here with you.”
“Very well,” he says as James turns and heads over to the workshop. Sitting on his desk is the crystal he’d infused with the defensive spells the day before. He still has the two crystals out in the woods charging, one from which he will transfer the stored power it contains into that of his defensive crystal.
He looks down to the sack that had once been bulging with crystals sitting on the floor by the workbench. Reaching down, he picks it up and only finds two crystals remaining. Taking the larger of the two, he infuses it with the receiver crystal spells and then places it on a shelf over against the wall. Have to get this set up better so it will be more visible and less likely to get lost or broken.
The box to hold the Fire is prepared with all the spells it will require. The defensive and warning crystals are out in the forest charging, he just needs to transfer the power of one and infuse the other with its spells. The receiver crystal is ready and positioned. All that’s left is to dig up the Fire tonight and place it in the box before they set out in the morning.
Leaving the workshop, he sees Miko and Roland over by the woodpile chopping more firewood. Suddenly, a scream rips through the air as he sees Uther and Jorry come running toward Miko.
“We’re under attack!” cries Uther.
“Oh, help! Heeeeeeeelllllllp!” wails Jorry.
James sees Illan grinning at their antics, but Miko has a grim look upon his face. He knows it’s him their making fun of. Doing his best not to smile, for they are pretty darn funny, he moves away from the workshop and goes over to them.
“Stop that right now!” he yells at them.
They come to a stop and look his way as the grins begin to fade from their faces.
Coming closer toward them, he continues, “I asked you not to bother him about this and I meant it.”
“We were just having a little fun, is all,” Uther explains.
Illan begins making his way over to where James is confronting Jorry and Uther.
“I don’t care if you were,” he says. “It will end, now. Do you understand?”
They both nod their heads.
James glances to Illan as he joins the others and adds, “We are a team, all of us here. We’ve been through too much together to treat each other in this manner. I will not tolerate it in my presence or on my property.”
“Yes sir,” says a chastised Jorry.
“We didn’t mean anything by it,” Uther says. Then he looks over to where Miko is standing with the axe in his hand and says, “Sorry Miko.”
Miko just nods then goes back to chopping wood. His next strike is a bit harder than it had been before. James can see him working his anger at being the brunt of a joke out on the wood.
“Now, don’t you gentlemen have something better to do?” he asks them.
“Yes they do,” Illan tells him. “Follow me please.” Jorry and Uther fall in behind Illan as he leads them off to the barn. James watches them for a moment and when they reach the barn door, Illan has them pick up a rake and shovel.
Illan glances back at him and gives him a wink as Uther and Jorry proceed to muck out the barn. James glances over to Miko who’s noticed where they’ve been put to work and he sees a slight smile begin on his face. The next chop of the axe sounds more normal as his anger begins to subside.
Heading back to the house he’s told by Ezra that dinner is still an hour away. Not having anything pressing to do, he sits in his favorite chair by the window in the front room as he relaxes until it’s ready.
Tersa comes out of her room shortly after he got himself settled and brings over a small brown object. It’s a rabbit shaped stuffed animal. “I thought perhaps children would enjoy something like this as well,” she tells him as she offers it to him. “Miko caught some rabbits today, and after their skins are ready, I’ll try using their fur as well.”
Looking it over, he nods and hands it back to her. “Looks like you’ve really taken to this whole project.”
She sits in a chair next to his and replies, “It gives me something to do and if it helps out, then all the better. I like sewing, and making these lets me feel useful.”
“I know what you mean,” he says. “You’d make a good seamstress.”
“You think so?” she asks.
“Of course,” he assures her. “The stitching you’ve done on the teddy bears I’ve seen thus far is quite excellent.”
“Thank you,” she says, blushing slightly. Getting up, she adds, “I just wanted to show you what I’ve been doing.” When she sees his nod, she returns back to her room.
James once more gazes out the window as he lets his mind wander. He’ll be glad when the Fire is hidden, that’s the major worry on his mind. After that, find someway to sneak into Saragon to look for clues as to the whereabouts of a priesthood that disappeared centuries ago. He really doubts if there is anything left that would tell him anything, but what else does he have to go on? How long have I been here and I still know very little about why I’m here? At times he wonders if he’ll ever go home again.
Chapter Twelve
He moves through the house in the dark of night, light from the moon overhead filters in through the windows giving everything a surreal feel. Snores can be heard throughout from those asleep in the various rooms. He walks softly so as not to risk waking anyone as he makes his way to the kitchen. Moving extra cautiously through the darkened room, he maneuvers around obstacles by touch until his hand comes into contact with the unmistakable shape of the door handle.
Turning the handle, he opens the door slowly to prevent it from making any noise that might disturb those asleep in the house. Slipping outside, he quietly closes the door behind him. He pauses there a moment when he catches movement from the corner of his eye. The night’s sentry is moving out in the dark, going about his patrol. Which one of the newcomers is hard to tell.
Whoever is walking guard duty this evening fails to notice him as they continue on by. He holds still, barely daring to breathe until he sees the sentry pass around the far side of the workshop. Moving quickly, he makes his way to the barn where he locates a shovel. Pausing a moment to make sure the guard hasn’t returned yet, he quickly crosses over to the chicken coop.
The chickens are all roosting inside the coop area, the outer pen is empty. Lifting the latch on the door leading to the pen, he opens it and slips inside where he secures the latch closed.
Moving to the center of the pen, his foot accidentally kicks over a water trough and he can hear some of the chickens within the coop begin to rouse from the clatter it made. He holds still and quiet until the chickens once more settle down and is about to start digging when he sees the guard’s silhouette approaching.
He waits until the guard once more passes out of sight and then places the end of the shovel to the ground.
