Chapter 41

“I’m surprised Miss Lya is willing to let that oaf stay in power,” Flint commented, tearing his eyes away from the table. Adam had just disappeared down the repaired stairs carrying her. Percy had followed but Jerome was still around. Flint ignored the still wide-eyed young man and let him be for the time being. “If I were in her position, I would’ve let everyone know what he was trying to do.”

“A known enemy is better an unknown one,” Twylip said. “Don’t worry, though. Miss Lya probably wants to keep him around until she’s groomed someone better to take his place. If she fires him now, one of his bigoted kind will just swoop in and take the position.”

“Does Lea’s Slumber hold elections?” Flint chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

“The village is larger than it looks.” A defensive tone found its way into Twylips words. “Just because we’re in the middle of nowhere doesn’t mean we aren’t civilised.”

“My mistake,” Flint held his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just a bit shaken by that thing he shot at me. You can feel my heart if you’d like. My heart is still pounding.”

Much to Flint’s surprise, it was Twylip that accepted the offer. It was one of the many children that had gathered following the commotion. The little boy with pointed ears and sun-kissed skin paused in front of Flint and reached for his chest. When the little fae’s arms proved too short, he hopped and got more air than any human child could. A hand patted Flint’s chest. The boy spoke in his native tongue after landing, attracting several laughs from the nearby fae. Then he grinned at Flint’s surprised face before running off.

“I apologise for that,” Winona said. She waved at the children, narrowing her eyes and speaking in fae speech too. They giggled before running off. “The little ones can be rather unabashed. I’m afraid they’re having a bad influence on the human children too.”

“It’s quite alright.” Flint chuckled. His eyes widened when Winona slipped a hand under his shirt and pressed it against his left breast.

“Your heart is pounding,” she commented. Flint liked how her skin felt against his and felt a tingle run down his spine. He had to shake his head to pull himself back to reality. Winona pulled her hand back when Twylip cleared her throat, smiling softly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here. The fools wouldn’t have gotten away with their antics if any of the inner guards were here?”

“Inner guard?”

“I’ve been talking to a handful of arcanically gifted fae. Agatha pointed out a couple of human combatants you didn’t recruit for the guard either. They’ll watch the path to the village, ensuring everything stays safe and keep order within the Woodson grounds.”

“Are you sure that’s necessary?”

“This just proves that it is. I’m ashamed that we weren’t present or prepared but will be next time.”

Flint’s fingers wrapped around the hand cannon in his coat’s right pocket. The muzzle still felt hot to the touch. The pellet would’ve killed him instantly if not for the distraction. If the weapons weren’t so expensive, he was sure the Iron Army would equip all of their forces with them. Flint had seen the new human-sized cannons atop the Iron Council’s controlled cities. The fact that someone had miniaturised the contraption had always felt incredible to Flint.

It was unlikely anyone would protest if he held onto the hand cannon as compensation. The volume wasn’t ideal, but he had a tinker and alchemist to turn it into a backup weapon. [Trigger Finger] and all the other [Marksmanship] skills would fill the hole brilliantly. Flint had heard that loading the weapon in battle was a pain, so he’d continue to use a crossbow as his primary weapon.

“I was hoping you’d direct the guards and hunting party too,” Flint told Winona. “You probably have more experience in that department than anyway here.”

“Where do you think I was?” Winona asked. “Instead of bringing back meat, the hunters returned with a herd of woolly mountain goats—or part of a herd, at least. Bramble enchanted them, and the archer girl took down a Gator Tooth Cat stalking them. I wish they followed your orders, but I can’t complain about the results.”

Flint laughed. “We can’t, can we? They might have solved quite a few of our issues in one fell swoop. We’ll have a steady supply of wool, meat and dairy going forward.”

“Might be worth talking to Seven about that. I think she’d prefer to use them just for meat and wool for the time being. We don’t have room to rear a flock for consumption.”

“You’re right.” Flint sighed. “I don’t know the first thing about raising livestock. By the Heartstone, I barely know how to use this table.” He tapped the stone structure in front of him. The slope melted away at his touch. The shapeless sand shifted, making the fort and its gardens’ display grow. “It says I have renewable resources schematics but don’t know where to start.”

“Our order had one of these,” Winona commented. “Before you ask, I’ve only seen them controlled from afar. They didn’t teach the warrior mages how to control them. The runes should speak to you, though.”

Flint glanced at Twylip, but she shorter woman only shrugged. Instead, she shot Flint a sly smile, her eyes dancing between him and Winona. He ignored her and pressed his hands against the table once more. The runes brightened, humming in response to his touch.

“Show me the schematics,” Flint said.

The sand melted into a mound once more before flattening itself to appear seamless with the table’s stone edges. Then a variety of shapes grew out of it. Children and adults alike had gathered around the table, making Flint wish there were more walls on the second floor. He didn’t want anyone outside of the council influencing his decision.

Trees, shrubs, herbs, stones, and a multitude of shapes Flint didn’t recognise appeared out of the sand. A shiver ran down Flint’s spine as he took in the options. Symbols accompanied the stones, and he recognised done of them straight away. Words appeared in the sand when he touched it.

Iron Node

When Flint questioned the term ‘node’ and its context, the sand expanded with an explanation.

Nodes feed on the Woodson Fort’s stored essence to grow and restore the respective metal or mineral.

Then a follow up appeared to answer Flint’s follow up query.

The Woodson Fort passively feeds on its residents’ essence to fuel its stores. When friend or foe die within the walls, they bolster the reserves too.

A segmented bar appeared, and Flint assumed it displayed the fort’s current essence stores.

“That looks like a lot,” Winona commented. “What are you going for first?”

“Metal,” Flint answered. “I’d like to give Adam all the material he needs to continue smithing and tinkering.”

“Don’t just go for Iron, then.” Winona pointed at a stone marked with three interconnecting rings. “Aetherite is hard to work with it and looks more like stone than metal. However, it stores, conducts and absorbs essence well. It won’t just benefit the fae but humans that use their [Mind Node] too.”

“Does that mean it could bolster the fort’s essence absorption abilities?”

Winona shrugged. “Alias might be better capable of answering that question. Theoretically, it shouldn’t. However, that doesn’t mean the Aetherite can’t bolster its own growth using ambient essence.”

Flint nodded and selected the two nodes. The grounds’ outline reappeared, and the two stones floated above the rest of the sand as if waiting to be placed. When Flint willed it, the sand sculpture grew to expand the fort’s interior.

Percy hadn’t yet repaired the far corner of the ground floor diagonally opposite the stairs to the basement. Flint intended to turn it into Adam’s workshop with a smelter, forge, and ample room for tinkering. As he enlarged the ground floor further, the sand shifted outside of it, showing the hollow basement below it. The tunnels connecting the area to the room with Lea’s carving had long collapsed. So, he didn’t hesitate when placing nodes. Flint left enough distance between them, so any fae helping harvest Aetherite could keep away from the iron.

The bar displaying the current essence stores shrunk by three quarters. Flint was reaching for another metal when Twylip grabbed his hand. “You might have a couple of miners. However, Adam is your only blacksmith until someone claims the [Smithing] stones. I’d advise branching out.”

“What do you suggest then?” Flint asked.

Twylip pointed at a sand square that showed a variety of mushrooms. “It’s hard to tell without colours, but the shapes suggest there are hen of the woods, ignis, and aeser caps among them. If that’s a wild mushroom farm, it won’t just give us a decent meat substitute but valuable medicinal and alchemical ingredients.”

“Hen of the woods?” Flint’s eyes narrowed as he tried to recall the familiar name.

“It’s a monstrous layered mushroom that some claim tastes like chicken,” Twylip replied. “It grows quickly and should satisfy the masses until we get a reliable meat source.”

“It’s perfect,” Winona said. “Quite a lot of fae don’t eat meat.”

Flint nodded and focused on the indicated square.

Wild Mushroom Farm

Mushroom farms can grow anywhere with shade and dampness. It feeds on essence to multiply the growth of favoured mushrooms.

It took a moment of scanning for Flint to find the perfect area for it. The flowing sand highlighted streams of flowing sand deep under the fort. It sat on the far opposite end of where Flint had placed the nodes, on the side facing the village. The stairs Flint used to enter the basement sat two levels above it. Now that he enlarged the sand sculpture, he noticed the way down had disappeared. Percy must’ve covered it up after failing to find the artifact. It would take some work to build an access route, but the location appeared perfect.

As Flint studied the area, more details propped up. He found the start of the water supply and sewer systems. “The nodes and the essence are just a bonus,” he said. “The real prize is the information and ability to study the fort’s interior.”

Neither of the two women spoke up. Instead, they watched as Flint studied the waterways connected to the stream. His scanning soon revealed where all the streams and rivers from Lea’s Slumber entered the structure. Sediment filled the water supply’s feeding point, and the sewer system was much worse. Flint placed the mushroom farm between the two points. Then, using the final sliver of the essence, he placed an ignis stone near the stream’s entrance.

“Smart!” Twylip exclaimed. “The heat and humidity should serve the mushroom farm well.”

“I used to steal from a mushroom farm when I lived on the streets. Sometimes other packs beat mine to the butcher and bakery bins. I’m not proud of it, but when starvation became a danger, thievery was the only option.” Flint chuckled. “I guess I picked up a couple of tidbits along the way.”

Winona placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be honest,” she said. “I had my doubts regarding whether you had it in you to run this place. I think you might just have a chance.”

Even though Winona’s tone and smirk suggested she was teasing, Flint had doubts regarding his ability to lead. Every decision came with doubts regarding whether they were the correct ones or not. The [City Planning Table] would prove essential to his success.