It was amazing how things can come full circle. Once more, I'm dressed in men's clothes; this time, instead of cheap wool, it was a mixture of fine linen and silks. The tailored shirt, doublet, and pants followed the Baroness's colors, a deep Maroon red with silver embroidery. With a bit of padding in the hips and with some cloth to bind my chest, it created the illusion that I was a man.
The only thing left was my long black hair. With a sigh, I sat in front of my mirror on a stool and grabbed a bundle of my hair. Of all my physical characteristics, the length and luster of my hair I took the most pride in.
It reached the center of my back after almost three years of growing. With a sigh, I bound my hair and cut it roughly shoulder-length. My face had been slowly changing due to my maturation. Beth was right, after the baby fat in my cheeks melted away, my face took on a more angular appearance, drawing attention to my cheek and jawbone.
My eyes still lacked the warmth and passivity men found attractive in women. But now that I was posing as a man, it would instead be a mark of pride. I imagine a few women would even find the intensity in them rather fetching. While it was pleasing, I didn't actually like dressing or appearing like a man. And the clothing, while well-cut and comfortable, felt foreign.
Necessity dictated I wear this, though. Rennah, however, I couldn't trust her as far as I could throw her. The contradiction between her sweet, almost motherly countenance and her ruthless apathy was disconcerting.
My main goal was to get the energy furnace working. Once that was assured, then I would be reasonably confident in my own safety. I would be without Mar and Ashe for almost a week. They would have to maintain my territory during that time. Neither had demonstrated even the slightest hint of betrayal, so I was reasonably sure they would not be foolish enough to betray me now.
I had already informed everyone of my departure to the keep for the rest of the week.
Still, I made sure to carry my emergency escape supplies with me. I couldn't bring my full armor, but all the magical tools I had created could easily fit in a single large satchel.
A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts, "It's me, boss," shouted Ashe.
"Enter,"
Ashe came in, looked me up and down, and whistled. "Don't you look tasty, boss."
I gave her a formal bow and lowered my voice, "So, do you approve of the new look?"
Ashe laughed, "Aye, if'n I didn't know you weren't a woman under there I'd take yuh to bed."
"Well, thank you for the compliment."
I stared at the mirror, adjusted my hair, then reached for a small cask of oil and slicked it back in the current fashion. The oil made my ebony hair even more lustrous.
"What should I call you?"
"Call me Aidyn," I said.
"Alright, Aidyn, careful walkin', 'round town, or you'll have to beat the lasses off with a stick."
I chuckled as I walked over to my bag, double-checking my preparation.
"Speaking of Lasses, she came by again yesterday. Been comin' every day." Ashe said.
"Keep refusing her," I commanded.
Ashe gave a baleful gaze, "What is it?"
"You were sweet on her, not really sure how that works with two women." She pondered for a moment, then, not seeming to find the answer, kept speaking, "But do you still want me to keep 'em safe?"
I stalled my automatic response and considered everything calmly. "Yes, they're still a priority. However, if she tries to enter my home uninvited. Then..."
'I still didn't think Jenna was the type to be treacherous, but you never know.'
"And here..." I said, handing her a disc small enough to fit in her hands and a small silver ring that would sit in the center. There was a small tab forged to the ring to make it easy to remove. "One for each of you."
Ashe whistled and grinned, "So that's it, aye?"
I nodded, "With me gone, someone will surely try to make a move. Remind them who rules this territory. Just keep the fire out back burning."
"Can I test it?" She asked, grinning.
"Go over there and don't set anything on fire."
Ashe grinned, held the steel disk flat on her hand, and slotted in the silver ring. Immediately, a fire erupted from her disk, only reaching four feet in the air.
Ashe grinned and waved it back and forth.
"Remember my instructions?" I asked.
"Aye, Aye, keep it in four hundred paces of the furnace." Ashe licked her lips as she stared at the red, blue flames." I'd like to see 'em try us with these beauties."
I took one last glance at my rooms, all the magical items, strange steel furniture, and Ashe playing with the four-foot stream of spiraling fire.
'Everything is prepared and ready, now for the Baroness. I genuinely don't want more noble blood on my hands, but if push comes to shove. I will kill her and anyone else if necessary.'
~
The winter was coming early, it seemed. The air was cold, and I could see my breath in the air. Peasants were bundled in cheap cloth to fight off the wind chill. Many of them would die in the winter months. Starvation or exposure would get them in the end.
In my heavy cloak, I was rather inconspicuous. Finally, I made my way to the kingfisher, where a carriage was already waiting.
'Well, isn't she prompt?'
The guards spotted me and, surprisingly, didn't stop or check; they simply opened the carriage door, allowing me to enter.
I coordinated with Diane, and no matter how much she looked, she could find no evidence of secret treachery a foot. Still, I was cautious. Anything, even the slightest hint of danger, and I would immolate everything around me.
"A pleasure to see you again." The baroness said, sitting across from me. This time she wore a fur-lined coat over a blue dress. I pulled down my hood to reveal my face.
"Very nice, you'll be a treat at court. Let me hear the voice." She asked.
"Good day, Lady Baroness Rennah Harlock. You look positively radiant today." I shamelessly admired her dress. I didn't even have to fake my appreciation. For a woman in her middle years with a child, she was stunning.
"Good, you even have the proper eyes to appreciate a woman's body."
She reached across to my face, "May I?"
I nodded.
Trailing a hand along my jaw, she turned my head left and right. "Quite fetching, a shame you don't have the proper tools. Or I'd have you decorating my bed."
The way she said it sounded as if I wouldn't have a choice in the matter. Satisfied with her examination, she relaxed as the carriage started moving.
"Why are all your magical items now unusable?" I asked.
"There was some conflict between my grandfather and his brother. Both wanted the seat, and my grandfather thought he could win it through his magical contributions."
"Seems a simple decision, why wasn't he named Baron?" I asked.
"Great Grandfather despised magic. Thought it was unnatural, so he named the lesser son as heir. Enraged, he disabled all the magical items. And vowed never to return to Harlock."
'If that's the case, then why is she the baroness instead of one of her cousins?'
"Yet you hold the title of baroness." I started.
Rennah put on a pure, innocent smile. "Well, when a man runs out of sons, he has to choose a daughter to rule. Shame that all my male cousins kept dying, as the oldest girl, I got the seat."
'She murdered them all. Didn't she?'
Once we reached the middle quarter, she opened the window to allow fresh air. "Ah, heading to another winter." She said, smiling.
I laughed, "Most people have the opposite reaction."
"I imagine it's quite terrible for the peasants. But it's necessary."
"Necessary?" I asked.
"I suppose you wouldn't have experience with ruling. My lands are not very fertile, so I have to waste a significant amount of coin on imports of food. Grain rye wheat. The winter months are an excellent way to cull the population to a manageable size. Also prevents them from rebelling with the constant threat of winter on their backs."
"Truly?" I asked, "I thought having as high a population as possible was preferred."
She shook her head, "As I have said, there's only so much coin I'm willing to waste feeding them. Though a few of the towns are necessary and require me to keep them healthy. I actually make significantly more coin post-winter than at the height of summer."
That made no sense to me, "How?"
"It's rather simple. After winter, everyone wastes all their coin on food, regardless of the inflated prices. With my stockpile of grain, I can quadruple the price, and it still can't keep up with demand. With many land owners dead without heirs or the ability to pay taxes, ownership reverts to me. The competent one survives the winter and the rest die."
I nodded along; it made an odd, perverse sense: "You can resell land every winter. Though, would the replacement rate not be too low? Many people die in the winter."
"Not quite, births are not the only way to increase a population."
"Immigration then."
She nodded, "Aye. I offer citizenship freely to anyone, and I don't recognize crimes committed in foreign lands. The wealthy pay exorbitant prices for land. The poor work the fields, and every two years they get replaced. For all Baron Redstone's greatness. I'm as wealthy as he is."
A constant cycle of immigration and death, reselling land over and over at exorbitant prices, and gouging the citizens for the smallest amount of food. How exactly has she not been rebelled against? The answer was obvious.
"It's hard to rebel against someone whose population keeps getting recycled." I mused, then chuckled, "It's brilliant."
She nodded, pleased with my praise, "The immigrants are such a valuable resource. You can work them to the bone and just replace them when they wear out."
I leaned back as I considered her words. The beautifully cruel efficiency was something to be appreciated. The influx of coin must be enormous.
'They wouldn't react. Like the animals they were, they'll continue to fight amongst each other for the scraps, blind to those in power taking advantage of them. How many die to line her pockets every winter? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Compared to me, she's practically swimming in an ocean of blood. But who am I to judge? I'm a murderer several times over, a liar, thief, and an apostate. And I'd probably do the same.'
We passed through the upper quarter and, after a short conversation, reached the walls of her keep. They were underwhelming; even the men in armor were less disciplined, lacking the air of pride and prestige of the Baron's men.
Pass the walls, however, was a paradise. Beautiful gilded statues, elegantly decorated grass, bursting with flowers. Every servant was immaculately dressed.
The carriage stopped, and the same well-dressed brown hair servant from before opened the door. Leaving my cloak in the carriage, I stepped down, carrying my satchel.
Then the man offered the baroness a hand, and we stood in her beautiful courtyard. I marveled at its construction; marble floors carved a path to the large iron door of her entrance hall.
A dozen servants came out of nowhere. Every single one looked immaculate as they performed a synchronized bow.
"Ivor, are the rooms prepared?" Rennah asked the servant.
"Yes, My Lady." He said.
"Aidyn, come with me." Then she turned her eyes to the rest of the gathered servants. "Dismissed, the lot of you."
After the servants left, the baroness asked, "I assume you want to see the energy furnace now?"
I nodded, "Yes, once that's done, everything else can be done in private, away from prying eyes."
She nodded and looked to Ivor, "Take us."
~
We walked through the complex hall, every inch of the floor was polished and cleaned to perfection. Statues, suits of armor, everything was pristine and screamed enormous wealth. The maid staff looked like death itself was walking the halls every time they laid eyes on the baroness. Yet her eyes never looked upon them. It was as if they weren't even human, just another decoration.
'She must really be a handful to inspire such terror.'
Finally, we exited the beautiful keep, making our way to a stone building. I could see a four-foot-wide flue sticking out of the rear of the building.
I guessed the height of the furnace to be roughly 30 feet. Near twice the size of mine. But minuscule compared to the barons.
The servant used keys to open the heavy iron doors. Revealing a musty building, the dead air was a sign that it hadn't been opened in decades.
The room was filled with dried, rotted wood and coal.
It looked much like the standard design for a furnace: a wide base narrowing to a flue with tubes near the bottom providing air to feed the flames inside.
"How long will you need to get it operational?" Rennah asked.
"A few hours. After that, someone else can continually feed it fuel."
She nodded, "Very good. A guard will be stationed at the door. Feel free to request food or items from him. He is discreet. Will you join me for supper? "
"Of course, Baroness," I said, barely paying attention.
"Until then, "She said, turning on her heels and walking away.
I entered the building and pulled the door shut behind me.
I removed my doublet, shirt, and pants, throwing on some cheap overalls from my satchel. After wrapping my hair with thick cloth, I pulled the heavy iron door of the furnace open and stepped in. Then, using a magical light, I illuminated the inside, staring at the network of runes.
A massive smile blossomed across my face as I examined the runes in the flue. While I didn't yet know how it worked, one arcane circle near the bottom contained 50 source runes. Arcane circles lined the tube all the way to the top of the flue. However, they used a different arcane formula. I stared at the beautiful network of silver runes and circles. Instead of having a source rune, they all had a rune I've never seen used before, "Synd," which meant bridge, connect, or combine, depending on context, instead of a source rune.
After thinking for a moment, I guessed what everything combined meant: "Each heat Absorption source was connected, making a single gigantic arcane source. And the runes at the bottom were nodes, loads could connect to. With arcane loads modified to connect in series and my level of skill, I could passively bind 350 items to this single arcane energy furnace. "
I started laughing in appreciation of the brilliance of the design.
'With risk comes great reward, Myr. It would have taken years to develop arcane circles so complex. And once you get it working, no one in this castle can harm you.'