Fourth Day of August, In the Year of the Empire 6777 Continued

Placing ledgers on the table, I begin to write a note to Cali in the campaign ledger. Beside me, Sienna's eyes go wide as she reads the balances and how fast I'm now spending it all. I was transferring large amounts from my personal funds to the noble account for more improvements and campaign account for more soldiers and equipment.

"Cali. We have a significant situation here." I proceed with instructions to get Knight Terrence to the Warriors Guild and immediately send twenty mounted scouts with bows as soon as possible. Once he has them on the way, he would become the new Second Platoon Commander. I then instructed him to start building another oversized platoon of sixty men, horses, and gear, including himself. Plus specialists and support.

Once that is done, I proceed to relay a confidential letter for Cali to send to General Jackson. I detail the facts that we have and then what we suspect. And then the actions I'm planning to take.

Sienna asks me after I pile the ledgers beside me, "What do you think is going on, Hartson?"

"I suspect the Crown is taking advantage of someone who foolishly bought a barony unseen, marches in defenders, and starts cleaning up the place. No one ever expected anyone to do that, and it has surely surprised some people. The Viscount of Westcroft has remained unfilled for too long."

Sienna still looked a little confused. "Let me put it like this, there is a 'rat,' and I'm either the 'bait' or the 'cat.' And I don't know which yet."

Sienna grabs my hand and looks me in the eyes, "Can't we just leave and go back to school?"

"I'm doing things to help people, just like I did in the library and what I've been doing here. Sienna, you seemed to become interested in me because I helped you and was kind to you. And maybe because I was helping others. Would you still be happy if I did stop helping others?"

Looking down, Sienna shakes her head no.

Squeezing her hand, I say, "Good. Let's keep trying to help people and each other. Who knows what we could manage next?"

Sienna smiled, "Okay, we'll do that."

"Great, we'll keep each other honest and working hard, especially learning to do more with magic."

Sienna smiled weakly, "I'd like that." She looked away nervously, biting her bottom lip.

What is that? Then I understood, "Something else is wrong."

Sienna nodded and whispered so quietly I almost could not hear her, "I did not go to my parents and ask them about coming along as you wanted. They think I'm still in school."

I pulled her closer in a one-arm hug while we sat at the table and said, "Oh, hells."

For some reason, she thought that was funny and started giggling.

After holding her for a bit, I asked, "Are you staying here or going back?"

Sienna looked thoughtfully at the table for a long minute. "I barely passed this last year, and it's only going to get harder for me. You keep showing and explaining to me how to do more with magic than I ever understood in class. I want to stay with you, Hartson. I don't want to go back."

I pulled the campaign ledger open again to write, "Cari, I need you to send another letter for me. Also, see if you can get some non-ledger linked books to share with my commanders and stewards, a set of ten if it's possible. Have nine sent here as soon as possible, and you keep one. Please consider taking the steward job there at the city mansion. It's yours if you want it."

I got a quick response, "I'll take it, thank you. Whom am I writing to this time? The King?"

I wrote back with a bit of snark, "Worse, Sienna's parents." And I got punched in the arm.

Cari, "She did not tell them, did she? Sir, have you met Sienna's mom? The Battle Mage, known for her unstoppable rage? And her only child, her daughter, is there with you, a boy, outside the city, away from supervision?"

Reading this, Sienna paled and started to look scared and worried.

"Oh, hells Sienna."

I wrote back, "Well, hopefully, your employment lasts longer than your prediction."

It took some time, but we both wrote letters for Cari to copy and send to them. Sienna spoke a lot about spending time with my mother and sister. To her father, I explained what was supposed to happen and apologized for not speaking with him directly about the situation. Then I ordered three more Life rings just like mine for Sienna. Well, not as wide a band as she had smaller hands.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was a long wait. I was sure that more bad news would come fast. Mother and father had decided to take the mansion as I'd asked. I did have more than one. The rest of the 'family' would be building homes on the other side of the mansion from the fort area. Father would build his new workshop directly across the road. They liked the idea of being out of the city and were enjoying the 'backwoods' as they called it.

I'd contacted Cali again, requesting four construction crews.

When Cali wrote back, she advised Sienna's parents where on the way. And somehow they were riding with the twenty new scouts, for which Sienna's father wanted an explanation.

I let Sienna know, expecting her to get upset. She just said, "Okay," with new confidence and kissed me on the cheek.

Meanwhile, I advised my father what was going on while burning out tree stumps for the new houses. He began to laugh and sat down. I went to start on the next stump burning. When he caught up with me, he confessed that the same thing had happened with him and my mother years ago. However, he did note that they were older. He was able to help me understand many things that afternoon while working with him again.

When we heard the horses arrive from the city, we went back to the mansion. I met the twenty scouts and ordered them to the fort area to report to First Platoon Commander Bradley.

Behind the scouts was my carriage from the Captial, with Sienna's parents. Mr. Green helped a small woman down. Sienna and I stood there waiting for them, everyone else giving us plenty of space.

Mrs. Green looked at both of us with a smile, hugged Sienna, and turned to me, "So she ran away for you?" Looking me over, she patted me on the cheek and said, "Good, you’re a strong one." Then she put her hand on my arm, "You do have a lot happing here, don't you? But I want to see why you started here. Lead the way."

I glanced back at Mr. Green and Sienna to see them both standing there dumbfounded. I had to smile at that.

They trailed after us as I walked Mrs. Green around the mansion and back to the stone house. I stopped us ten meters away. "Sienna, would you ask if you can show your mother around, please?"

"Why not you?" Mrs. Green was quick to ask.

I smiled, "Out tenants, Ava and her two daughters were recently rescued from bandits and are nervous around others, especially men."

Sienna smiled, "Come on, mom, I'll introduce you."

Sienna and her mother went to the house to speak with Ava. Soon the two of them entered the house.

Mr. Green cleared his throat.

"You warned me that she could be pushy. I should have been looking out for what happened. My apologies, Mr. Green."

He chuckled, "I used to worry that she would be like her mother, but Sienna is kinder and more optimistic."

I smiled in agreement. "Sienna wants to leave school, sir. Though, I believe she will allow me to continue teaching her."

He nodded, "Not surprising. Sienna has been struggling, even though she thinks her mother and I don't know."

"She is finding it much easier to learn with me without the distractions of a classroom. She has been progressing well and asking good questions."

"Good." He looked at me carefully, "Are you going to be teaching her some of your new magic then?"

"She has taken quickly to it and is doing well already."

He nodded again. Looking right at me, he asked with concern. "When do you plan to marry Sienna? How are you going to take care of her?"

I knew he was going somewhere and thank the gods that father and I had time to talk earlier. Smiling, "I've not discussed it with Sienna yet, though I would be inclined to wait until she is sixteen or more. And I will provide for her with the magic, of course."

The tenseness seemed to go out of him. "Good. That's good to hear."

"Mr. Green, we are just starting in our relationship. I've only just turned thirteen, and Sienna is just nine months younger. We are in no rush."

He laughed, "We'll your not. Rita was saying, oh." He had a distant look in his eyes.

"Oh?" I asked.

He shook his head, a little pale. "You're soon going to face my wife in a battle of wills Hartson. I was going to say she was already discussing grandchildren, stay strong, son."

That took me a moment to accept before I let out a deep sigh. "Sienna is not the pushy one then. Well, this is going to be fun."

Now we both just stood there looking at the stone house and thinking about our futures. I had to wonder if Sienna was aware of her mom's plans or not?

Ava, Rita, and Sienna came out of the house smiling and talking happily. After giving each other goodbye hugs, Ava went back inside.

"There they are, kill them all!" A man roared from behind us. Turning around there were, three or more men running at us with drawn blades wearing rags. A fourth with a crossbow was aiming at Mr. Green or myself when he fired. I pushed Mr. Green away just before the bolt went flying past us.

Gathering my magic, I formed an arc of air hurling out toward the men, as it flew it compressed the very air into a tiny wire moving at incredible speed. I'd not studied a lot of battle magic, but what I knew was powerful and fast. It cost me an expensive, hard to get, a necklace made of diamond chips embedded into a wire of immense strength. The jewelry disappeared from under my shirt. Then nearly all of my mana was gone, just about dropping me to the ground, but you could not deny the effects.

As the arc shot forward and widened, it hit the front man's sword first. Still, picking up speed, the arc pushed the sword, causing it to slash deeply into the man's chest. At that moment, the sword slowed enough that the arc finally just cut through it before going through the man at the bottom of the rib cage.

The arc also created an explosion of sound that boomed forward for kilometers. Anyone not killed by the cutting arc would suffer from the boom, breaking eardrums and possibly organs depending on how close the victim was. The power I'd released was an army killing spell.

The other three men suffered the same fate of suddenly being into parts. The bodies didn't fall. Their bodies blew apart, scattering the remains into the destroyed forest behind them. Cracks, groans, and crashes from a widening swath of countless trees followed. But this was not heard by me, as the only sound I heard was Sienna's name called out in terror.

"Sienna!" I turned to see Rita holding Sienna, clutching her chest where the bolt had driven into her. I began to run to her on my wobbling legs. There was blood coming out of Sienna's mouth, and her face was pale. She was looking at the bolt and blood, trying to comprehend what had happened.

Recovering slowly, I finally managed to slide to a stop beside Sienna. Without thinking, I drove my mana into her body to heal it. There was not enough mana to even reach the wound, causing my heart to break. I did not tolerate bullies, not any longer. Not consciously knowing, I withdrew flat rock from my bag. I'd placed a collection rune on it and was planning to test another idea. I slammed the stone into the ground with my hand directly on the rune, and then I put my other hand over Sienna's heart. Then I pulled the mana from the rune with all my soul. Mana hammered into me in an immense flash of pain as if every nerve ending in my body was burning.

Nearly passing out, I gritted my teeth and fought back until my focus returned. I flooded Sienna's body with healing mana. The bolt simply dissolved away before the wound healed, not even leaving a scar. The massive volume of healing mana was flashing through her entire body, fueled by my desire to save her.

She was safe.

That last satisfying thought was all there was before the excessive mana roared into me, throwing me into darkness.