"I can read this. I'm just not sure what it is saying." I said.
I had been pouring over through surveyor's notes for some time now. The Princess's men had provided it shortly after the coronation. These notes had been transcribed and handed to each one of us in turn. Clearing the Hlofolk Tunnel had cemented the Princess's faith in us as those who were loyal, but who also could get work done. Defending her from the assassin during the race had made that loyalty even more apparent.
You could see it, as she looked on some of the other nobles with disdain, she looked on us with a sort of pride that I had rarely seen. It brought my thoughts to Duncan, which made my heart ache.
We were doing right by Duncan, though. In a way we never thought possible. Tagaern's plan for gaining the lands that the Princess had offered in exchange for clearing the passage were solely to allow Amalia a chance to grow the new established township of Lyon, on the land where Kellas House stood, into a standing monument to Duncan himself. Tagaern promised her that she had control of her fate in this.
The burden with these lands ended up being that they were meant to be made profitable and essentially be taxed by the Princess. The thought of making these lands profitable was daunting and looking through the tiny handscrawl of notes was beginning to make my head hurt.
My indirect plea to Silah had fluttered past her as she had settled into our room at Butterwicks. Her only intention was to relax and let the day's events flow over her. She wasn't quite naked, wearing a clean tunic of mine that hung mid-thigh. The billowy sleeves swallowed up her thin arms and she flapped them around as she lighted from bed, to mirror, to my shoulder, and then back to the bed again.
I raised an eyebrow at her as she smiled glitteringly into the mirror.
"You're adorable." I said with a chuckle then continued, "Can I ask where your head's at?"
"Oh, just... That felt good." She said, drawing out the words.
She tipped her chin my way, looking toward me briefly, then back to the mirror.
I nodded.
Vague, but fitting. I thought.
I focused back on the page and looked over the map. I could feel the heat rising in my head again, creating a tinge of pain as I scrunched my face at the infuriatingly small words.
"I need you here. I am not sure what to do and taking this on has me worried." I said.
It was an understatement. I was terrified. I tried to meet her eyes, but she was spinning across the floor, the flapping arms twirling with her movements.
"I am not like Sig and Bromm, I can't make money from nothing like they seem to be able to do." I said, feeling the panic edging into my voice.
Silah clucked her tongue.
"You just need to right people to help you." She said, still spinning, but her voice remained perfectly steady.
"And how do you propose that I find those people? I am not a people person. Sig and Bromm had all sorts of connections."
She stopped, smiled, and tilted her head.
"And you don't? Who was your friend at Fenton's? Who knighted you?" She righted her head and giggled again, "Oh, my Beast. Your willful ignorance is stunning."
I grimaced at her, feeling the heat rising even further and that twinge become an ache. I turned back to the maddening scrawls and map that laid out a semblance of my future, if I could somehow decipher it.
"Oh, don't take it personally. You do realize that you don't consider yourself capable and you simply dismiss yourself. I still ask why, but still see that you believe you are a soldier following orders." She draped her warm body over my shoulders, catching her head in the nook of my neck.
I could see her purse her lips as she perused the maps and other paperwork.
"You should realize that you haven't been taking orders for a long time." She said absently, her eyes speeding down the laid out pages. "You're being treated as an equal, even if you refuse to see it."
I closed my eyes against her touch, feeling her warmth seep into me and I let my mind wander toward her. Feeling her cheek press to my neck.and her fingers lazing on my biceps.
"What do you want to do?" She asked, her body vibrating against me with her words.
"I have no idea." I said, giving my head a slight shake as she pressed against me.
"That's not an answer. Be decisive. You had a thought when you decided to accept the lands." She said it sternly, but didn't move from her perch.
"I wanted a place for those who'd feel like outcasts. The displaced. Those I'd consider my people, whether they were half-orcs, elves, dwarves, humans, it doesn't matter. It's a fresh start. A chance to put down roots."
"You continue to both amaze and confound me. A bloodthirsty romantic. You are one of a kind, my love." She mused then her voice sharpened, "Wait, you plan on setting down roots?"
"Well, not me." I said with a shrug, flopping her arms in the process.
"Good. Roots are boring." She said tersely, then continued, "Do you have someone in mind that you'd put in charge? Bromm has Erland back at the Brewery. They have a solid foreman at the mines. They have Beidrick handling their shipping."
I suddenly felt overwhelmed and now felt that throbbing at my temples.
"No. Don't disappear on me." She said, tapping my arm as she picked up on my shift in mood, "This isn't as hard as it seems. Let's put the word out there, just like Sig and Bromm did and they'll come to us. I'll help you interview."
"I'd appreciate that." I said, letting out a sigh.
"Think of your friend earlier. There are people like that all over. And you said exactly what you needed to get both his friendship and his interest."
I nodded at her words.
"You're a natural, you just don't know it." She said.
She turned and kissed my neck, sending warmth percolating through my body and I shivered. She laughed into my neck with the reaction. She arched her back and rose from my shoulders.
"So, we know you'll need people to run the space. What do you intend for those people to do?"
"I thought of mining or farming, but it all seems so trivial. The Princess will want more than that." I furrowed my brow, looking over the words again. "The others will likely want a place on the council to defend the Ether Tree. I like the idea, but there's nothing interesting in those lands there for me."
Silah moved to the window, looking out at laborers breaking down the stands and moving straw bales from what was once the Landframe race track.
My finger slid over the lines on the description and I stopped short.
Plot E - 900 acres. The old camp occupied by the army during the liberation of the area is still in evidence on the site. Jack trenches and abandoned siege equipment as scattered over the area. A number of piers were built to aid in access to the river during the siege. They are still in good order. Good quality granite has potential to be a quarry for any construction needs.
"I think I've got it. Why not a quarry? All of this new construction is going to need stone. With an investment in the right skilled laborers, we could be turning a profit almost immediately." I smiled in spite of the overwhelming fear that came along with it.
Silah turned, the light from the window revealing her elegant shape through the baggy tunic. She flopped the oversized arms into a folded position and she nodded with a smile.
"That sounds like a fine plan. I'm glad I thought of it." She said, rocking back and forth.
"Uh huh. Sure." I said with a furrowed brow and started looking more closely at the map as she padded over.
"Bromm mentioned running a barge up and down the river here. There is a pier stretching out to the river from this plot. The surveyor says it's in good shape." I said tapping on the map.
"Then what's next?" Silah asked.
It had become obvious that she'd been prompting me to make decisions, but it was becoming less intimidating with each decision made. I was starting to see the pieces come together. And with both the winnings and the payoff from the Princess for helping clear the Hlofolk Tunnel, I could invest enough to get the property well on its way to turning a profit.
"Cranes. Tools. Housing. Carts and tracks. That barge, perhaps Bromm and I could go in on that together? An alchemical barge! I bet the engineers could work something like that. I could rent that out to the neighbors, too."
"Maybe down the road. You're getting the hang of it. Just don't get ahead of yourself. Let the investment pay for itself before putting too much money down."
I nodded.
"There is old siege equipment out there. I bet engineers could make those into cranes and rigging? Perhaps we can even have the barge built from the scraps?"
"Good use of existing resources, as long as they're still sound." She said with a nod.
"And contracts. Yes. Maybe I could negotiate contracts for deliveries?"
"You? Probably not. Me? Maybe. Who knows, maybe Sig's father could help?"
My eyes widened.
"I wonder how much his services would run?" I looked to her and nodded.
"It doesn't matter. You'll be making enough money to compensate. You choose the people who are best for the task. When you are being told you'll eventually be in charge, you begin to realize that it's impossible to do it all yourself. Find those you can trust. Keep them happy and you'll be in good hands." She spoke evenly, but a flutter of pain crossed her face for a moment.
I nodded, watching her closely.
"So, people first." I said, looking back to the paper and starting to scratch away with ink and quill that came with the room.
Foreman
Engineers
Laborers
Healer
Office
Quarters
Stone Cutting and Shaping Tools
Cranes
Barge
Rail Carts
Rail Tracks
Silah padded over and looked down at the scrawls on the parchment.
"Your handwriting is awful." She shook her head with a grimace. "I'm not sure if we'll be able to fix that."
(Get to know Akeron.)
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