Davie the Mage (Generations of Eredwynn Book 2), page 7
“My Lord, surely you know that sometimes consorts can be stubborn. You have over a dozen yourself! You can’t say that you’ve never had to lock one or two up to punish them and to convince them to fall in line!”
Lia and I cringed as father stood up. “I’ve shown my ladies nothing but respect in the almost twenty years we’ve been together. I’ve never once even threatened to put one of them in a dungeon or even so much as raised a hand in anger. I can judge by your actions that there may be bad things found at your castle, so for your safety when my ladies get back, you’re going back where you were.” My father signaled the guard and had the terrified Lord placed back into the office. He instantly changed moods and came towards us. “I see a lot of beautiful, happy and healthy faces here. I guess it’s safe to assume that my son isn’t keeping any of you girls against your will!”
The girls all smiled and shook their heads. Lia said, “I would have hated to see what Davie would have done if that man would have tried to take one of his girls. It’s the quiet type that you have to watch.”
My father laughed, “I have to argue that point. I know I have to watch you all the time and you’re nothing like a ‘quiet type’.”
We chatted with my father for a while and the girls finally got over their awe of being spoken to by the king. Amee said, “Sir, if they find girls over there and they’re hurt or something, what’s going to happen to them?”
“That’s a good question, young lady. My keep and the dorm are pretty full and the emptiest castle in the kingdom is this one. I’m sure that I could put some of them up in the homeless shelter in Tesil, but that wouldn’t take care of all their needs. What do you suggest I do?”
Amee was startled that he’d asked her opinion but took a breath and said, “Davie is a wonderful young man and wouldn’t want to see anyone not taken care of. Being an unwilling consort is a scary thing, as four of us know firsthand. They will be scared and there is no telling what else was done. I’d ask Davie if he’d take care of them and I’m sure that all the girls would help, too.”
“Well, Son, you heard the wise words of this young lady. Would you be willing to lend rooms and a hand to taking care of any women we happen to free?”
I looked at Amber and she nodded. “Of course we would, Father. Not a single one of us likes what’s happened. We could take care of them until they were fit to leave, find other work or be adopted by my wife. She isn’t as bad as James’ Star about picking up every girl she walks by, but has opened her heart to these four and who knows.”
“You’re a wise man, Son. I saw you check with your wife before you answered. I’m sure that you got that from watching me be decisive when Isabel is around. I hope that we find nothing, but from his actions and comments about locking up consorts, I’m sure we will. I have no idea how many there will be but we won’t overload you. How many could you take if there were many brought back?”
“If we doubled them up, we could take thirty. I have ten rooms on the second floor and five on the third that are open. If we had to, I’m sure my girls would allow for a roommate, making room for an extra four. So, we could handle thirty-four in a worst-case scenario. The kitchen staff and maids would get a workout but they just got a raise, so I don’t think I’d hear any complaints.”
A guard stuck his head in from outside and said, “Pardon me, Sire, but the escort of the Lord who arrived is getting nervous. What should we tell them?”
My father said, “Have them send in any females that they brought with them to trade and tell them that Lord Pricion is in a meeting. We’ll tell them anything else they need to know later.” He then turned to me. “I wonder if Della is going to be willing to let Seth take over the castle that is just about to become available. It is in the middle of the country in almost a straight line between Kethos and Perlsea. I’d have sons controlling all the northernmost castles then. I tried to give this one to Alec, but he is a lot like his mother, Aunt Alice, and likes travel and hands-on work. Lord Pricion sure traveled a long way to get arrested!”
Six young women, beaten, bruised, wearing tattered clothing and no shoes were escorted though the door. My girls and Lia, with lightning flashing in their eyes, went to them and took them upstairs. I looked at my father and wondered if this Lord was going to make it out of my throne room alive! I was frightened because I’d never seen the man that angry.
There was a loud pop outside and the rescue team started filing in. From the looks on their faces, they’d found some captive consorts. Sixteen more girls came in with them. All were dressed as poorly and looking as abused as the six that had already come in. Father told Aunt Chloe that she was needed upstairs and she took off, skipping the stairs altogether. My Aunt Isabel walked over to father and me and said sweetly, “My dear husband, where is the man who is responsible for this?”
“You need to calm down first, my Queen. I can tell that you think that killing would be too good for him right now but you’d do it anyway. I need you, Davie and the others from the rescue to help me decide what to do.”
Isabel said, “There’s nothing to talk about. One flamestrike and the matter is closed.”
I was in a room full of incredibly powerful wizards and they were all out for revenge. I’d never seen my calm, mellow and passive family like this before. Then again, I’d never seen them witness, first hand, human sex trafficking before, either. All the girls I’d seen brought in were between twelve and eighteen years old. Just the right age for the illegal traffic of consorts that my father had thought he’d wiped out in Eredwynn.
My father said to Aunt Isabel, “I understand that everyone is angry but acting out of anger and in haste causes mistakes. You know how we do things as a family and that is what we’ll do here.” He had every one of the wizards gather up and then the punishment of this Lord was discussed. It took a while for things to settle down to rational discussion because of the anger in the room. With father and Aunt Alice being rational and calm, they finally got down to business. In short order, it was decided that he would be given a pack with a bedroll, rations and other supplies and banished to the Elvin Forest in the badlands. With some help, I quickly gathered up the things that were asked for and put the pack on the floor in the middle of the throne room. The wizards circled the room and father signaled the guard to bring Lord Pricion back out. He came out, glanced at the pack on the floor and then faced my father.
He said, “Your Highness, I don’t understand all the fuss. I took a few common girls to my bed. Sometimes they acted like they didn’t want to be there, but I made sure they did their duty.”
My father took a deep breath, “That isn’t called ‘making sure they did their duty,’ it is called ‘rape’ and is a crime that I won’t stand for. All of those ladies are being treated and your mistreatment of them is being healed. I fear that the mental abuse they suffered at your hands may never be mended. It has been decided that death would be too easy of a punishment for you. You will hereby be transported to the Elvin Forest in the badlands. You’ll be given a bedroll and other supplies. My family and I survived that area and it is relatively safe. If you try to leave, the Elvin charms won’t protect you and there is a very good chance you’ll be killed. That is all I have to say on this matter.
Lord Pricion started sputtering, “But Your Majesty, what is to happen to my castle, my lands and my money? I’m a very rich man and that is how I came into possession of these women. At least let me take my guard with me! This is an outrage, taking away a man’s property and then sending him to who knows where, just for trying to make a living and have a good time!”
My father nodded to the wizards and I could see the magic charging. My father turned his back as if writing him off and Lord Pricion disappeared. There was a sigh of relief all around the room. The women took off upstairs on the run and father and I followed behind.
The door to my room was open and there were people everywhere. I’d counted twenty-two rescued slaves (I couldn’t actually think of them as consorts anymore), my five girls, and twenty-one wizards counting Lia, then my father and me. I’d thought I had a big room but this group needed the great hall! Several wizards disappeared and shortly reappeared bringing clothing to replace the tattered items the girls had been wearing. It was announced that Pricion had been banished and there was a weak cheer. I saw my girls adopting some of the younger ones and showing them to their rooms to share. Two beautiful Halfling girls were going to be taken to Kethos Castle and James’ could see to their return to the village near him. The Halflings had been abducted while walking on the beach less than two miles from their homes. They’d then been sold and since they were ‘common girls’ the Lord wouldn’t hear their protests. He’d had his way with them and for someone as small as a Halfling it had been quite painful. The more stories like that I heard, the more that I wanted to go locate the man and roast him alive.
Finally the girls were checked over and healed physically by Aunt Chloe, and the girls and I started situating them in rooms. All the rooms in the keep had a water closet with a shower and toilet. The girls were all shown how to use them without scalding themselves. We put sixteen girls on the second floor and knew that the staff would be in for a surprise in the morning. I was glad I’d given them a raise!
Everyone left except for my father and Lia. Father said, “I heard you obeyed your mother and stunned that man without questioning.”
“Of course I did, sir; she‘s my mother.”
“I’m proud of you, Son. Now try not to discover anymore crimes like this, but don’t be shy about calling us if you need to. I’ll send over money in the morning to help defray the cost of you having to take these ladies in.”
“Thank you, Father, but you don’t really have to. Amber and I still have a lot of the money you gave us as a wedding present. I don’t mind taking care of people in need.”
“And that’s why I’ll send money. You’re a good boy, Davie.” He hugged me and left.
Lia smiled. “You are a softhearted one, but I saw the murder in your eyes when he said he was going to take one of your girls and trade. I thought you were really going to kill him right there!”
I chuckled, “If he’d tried to actually take one of them, I believe I would have. Mother’s plan worked out much better. Look at all the consorts I have now! Twenty-four? That’s more than Father!”
“I doubt that all of them are going to be your girls. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them didn’t want to be, though. Women like softhearted men like you. I don’t, of course, because they wouldn’t survive me!” She said laughing.
“I have a big favor to ask. I still have a whole lot of money in a pouch from your shopping trip with mother. Do you think that you could make the rounds and try to get these ladies nice clothes to wear? If they could dress nicely, it would go a long way toward making them feel better about themselves.”
“See! Tenderhearted man! Of course; I’ll do that tomorrow. Now, go cuddle with your wife and I’ll see what I can do. Good night, little brother.”
“Goodnight, Sis. Sleep well”
Chapter Seven
That night Amber and I invited Amee to join us. We made very sure that she was with us because she wanted to be and not because she felt she had to be. She smiled, because she knew the reasons behind the questions but assured us that she wasn’t a captive consort. In the middle of our lovemaking session, with me buried to the hilt inside Amee, Amber heard something. She looked over beside the bed and saw one of the new girls standing there quietly. Amee smiled at her and told us that her name was Zayna. She was Amee’s new roommate and had come to see what the noise was about, since Amee’s door had been left open. I laid as still as possible for a man who has his very happy penis inside a very excited vagina. Amber talked with the girl for a while and then came to Amee and me. With a very cajoling tone she said, “Davie, I know how you feel about too many…”
With no blood in the head on my shoulders I said, “Whatever you want, my love, but I’m not laying still much longer. It won’t matter if we have visitors or not!”
Amber giggled, “Our lovemaking has this poor girl in such a state she doesn’t know what to do. She wants to join in with us now and be a consort.”
I felt our slow motion sex cause spasms through Amee and she nodded at Amber. Together they brought Zayna to me and assisted her in getting settled on my angry member. The fit was so tight with my current state and her virginity that I had doubts at first, but with coaching she finally settled me inside her and began to move. Her orgasms were almost instantaneous and repeated rapidly. She must have been quite worked up! Shortly, I signaled and Amee had her let me up. I rolled on top of Amber and thrust into her like I’d gone mad. As my release came, I grabbed a pillow and buried my face. I rolled to the side, panting as the passion faded.
I said, “Hello, Zayna! You sure are a lovely young lady! It’s a pleasure to meet you. This isn’t usually how this is done but I am very happy to make an exception and welcome you to the family. I hope you know what being a consort entails and it isn’t all about the wrestling between the sheets.”
She nodded. “The handler at Starford Stronghold taught us all about it. The three girls and I who are on this floor were there for two weeks before we were rescued. I’ll be the best consort for you that I can and I’m sure that the other three will, too, if you’ll have them. We didn’t want to be with Lord Pricion because of the way he treated the girls. We were all sold to him by our families and don’t want to go back home. Will you take the other three if they want to join your family?”
“That would be up to my wife. She is in charge of the consorts and I’m in charge of not getting buried under all their new clothes.”
She giggled, “Lady Amber, do you think you would be willing to take us all? We know that you’re newlyweds and would want to be alone sometimes. The other girls and I would understand and be respectful, as we should.”
Amber smiled, “I’ve learned from my tenderhearted husband that you can’t just put someone out. If you and the others have no place to go, then of course we’ll welcome you. Please just call me Amber, though, because I’m from a place where only old people are called by titles like that.”
She giggled again, “Thank you, Amber! Should I go back to my room now or will Amee and I sleep in here tonight?”
“Having the two of you sleep here is just fine. This bed is large enough for a small army and if you’ll notice, my husband is already drifting off. So, goodnight to everyone and I’ll see you in the morning!”
There were goodnights said all around and I even managed a sleepy goodnight, too.
The next morning I woke and dressed quickly. I rushed downstairs to the staff area and let them know the situation and that we’d have an extra twenty guests indefinitely. The kitchen instantly went into overdrive. I told them that if they needed to purchase any supplies to let me know and I’d get whatever funds were needed.
After breakfast, my hero James showed up with new employees for the castle. He brought a lady named Ewayn to work as the scribe and treasurer. He knew how bad the regent had left our financial business and had discussed it with her. He also brought a man named Lambin to be the Chamberlain. He would help with the house staff and work with Ewayn to get everything situated in our pitiful financial department. They were given side-by-side offices in the keep proper. Both offices had very nice apartments attached to the back and they said they would be perfectly content. Before we left, I let Ewayn know about the staff’s pay raise and said that I wanted it to stay that way unless situations dictated otherwise. I gave her the key to the vault and wished them both luck. James said that they had both been out of work when he’d approached them and that they had jumped at the chance.
James and I made our way out of the castle and down to the construction site. The workmen had started at first light and were in full swing. Ribs of three small ships were taking shape with the help of some magical woodcarving. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and the work was going quickly. Alec had raised the rock on the beach so it could be used to anchor the dock to the shore. They were building a sort of box, with two fingers of the dock going out into the ocean thirty yards apart, and they would be connected at the ends to each other. James explained that it would make it easier for boats to unload across the dock into the square center, which would be secured all around by nets. There were also smaller unloading areas for independent fisherman who would want to keep their catch and pay, separate from the province-owned fisheries.
After a little over an hour, several tables were brought out for food and drink for the workmen. The tables were cared for by close to two dozen very happy young ladies. James asked, “Are all of those girls from the raid last night?”
“Most of them are. You can pick mine out of the crowd. You wouldn’t even recognize the rescued girls from the girls who were brought here. When they arrived they were in very poor shape with tattered clothes, bodies and spirits.”
James nodded. “My mother told me the conditions they’d found when they were searching the castle. The man had girls shackled in the dungeon and locked in their rooms. The two Halfling girls that were brought to me to return home told me horror stories that I didn’t want to believe. I got them home first thing this morning and it was a very happy reunion.”
“I don’t know what I’ll do with them all but as long as they are pitching in and willing to work, I can’t see putting them out. Lia says I’m too tenderhearted but I think that if people can help, they should. I think Amber has already adopted four of them as consorts. She’s almost as bad as Star when it comes to adopting strays. I know that my mother will be thrilled about it because it will increase the chances of grandchildren for her to spoil.”
James laughed, “Good! Maybe she’ll quit trying to steal my Ivy and our daughter!”
I chuckled, “Don’t count on it. It will be at least a year before we’d have one old enough to be kidnapped. I do have a question that you’re the only one that I’d ask. I know you’ve seen the magic that swirls around Father when he’s… feeling friendly. That same magic kicks on with me, too, and I don’t know the trick to controlling it. Have you had any experience with it?”
