For a moment, I stood there, my brain trying to wrap my head around what Benjamin had just said. His father was dead. How? Why? Who sent the letter?

  Before I blurted out something, my brain turned back on, and I clamped my mouth shut. This was not the time to ask questions. Besides, the size of the letter was small, meaning it probably arrived in Vaspar via pigeon. He may not have much information. We stood there silently for a while before Benjamin apologized, excused himself, and left.

  It was dinner time, but I had lost my appetite. To keep myself busy, I asked Griff if I could speak with the people from the village of Karr who were working here.

  We found a young, broad-shouldered boy with bright red hair working on moving large stones from a field and piling them up near the fort. He looked about sixteen. He bowed deeply upon seeing me.

  "Descended, I am honored to see you," he said with a look of reverence on his face. Every time I saw these guys, they were laughing and joking around, but as soon as I approached, they became the most pious people I had ever met.

  "Young man, it is good to meet you. We found this piece of pottery in the mountains, and if I am not mistaken, I think it has the writings of your ancestors on it." I said while handing him the broken bowl.

  I took the piece and looked at it for almost a minute before frowning sadly and saying. "Forgive me, Descended. It does appear to be the writings of my people, but I had never studied the language. But henceforth, I swear that I will put all my effort into learning it so that I may not fail you again."

  I tried to hide a smile. "It is alright. The fact you were able to verify my assumptions is pleasing to me. Spending time learning your ancestor's language would be a noble pursuit, for we may come in contact with other descendants of the Karr. However, do not neglect your current duties. What you are doing is of the utmost importance."

  This brought a slight grin to the young man's face. "As you command, Descended."

  “Alright, thanks for the confirmation.” I would have to go to Karr and find someone to post with the scout party. I hope it wasn't only old people who knew the language.

  Despite all my worries, I slept soundly that night, and as I exited the small hut I had been given, I found Benjamin sitting on a stump, staring into a fire. The piece of parchment still in his hand. I sat next to him and waited to see if he had anything to say.

  As the sun's rays began to break over the mountaintop, bringing its warmth, Benjamin finally spoke. “My father is dead. They claim that a powder was found in his room. A powder that was a strong hallucinogenic. Take enough of it, and it could drive you insane or kill you.”

  I didn't say anything, but my mind filled with questions. Had they tested the soup? How? It had spilled, hadn't it? Maybe not.

  “Benjamin, I…” I didn't know what to say.

  “It's not your fault, my lord. If it weren't that, it would have been something else. They would have found a way to get rid of him. The new duke should have sent for royal investigators. But then my father would have a chance to defend himself. The primary suspects in a case where they found something in the soup should have been you, the count, and the servant who brought it. They say the servant hung himself in his room.”

  “Wait, that doesn't make sense. They accuse him of murder and then leave him in his room?” I asked.

  “The letter the agent sent wasn't detailed. There is a lot of information missing. They wanted him dead, and now he is.”

  I could see the pain he was trying to hide. “What do you need from me, Benjamin?”

  “I cannot ask-”

  “Stop, don't tell me there is nothing I can do for you. Even if it is not as a count but as a friend. There has to be something I can do for you.”

  Silence hung in the air for a long time. Then he turned and gave me a penetrating look. “As a friend. I would like you to tell me who you are. I have never pried into your past because I knew you were worried about the connection with my father. He is dead. You are all I have left. I want to know who you are. I believe you are chosen of The Endless One. Nothing else makes sense.”

  He turned and stared back into the fire. This was not the direction I expected this conversation to go. He was right, though it was well past time for this discussion.

  Looking around to make sure we were alone, I said, “I am not some Chosen One. At least, I don’t think so. I don't know how your God thinks. I didn't receive any enlightenment from your god. I came from a different world. I don't know how I got here. I died in my world and woke up here in the body of Amos Bicman.”

  “So he brought you from a whole other world?” Benjamin said in surprise.

  “I don’t know how I got here, Benjamin. I died there, and I woke up here. There wasn't even any religion that worshipped the Endless One there. This discussion is better left for a more private setting though. I promise I will explain in more detail back in my office."

  “Thank you, my lord, for your trust. There is, however, one more thing I would ask of you.” I could sense his hesitation.

  "Ask?"

  "I want to send the designs for the crossbow to the king. I think it can help save our country."

  "That is a big ask, Benjamin, but I don't think you would make the request without a reason. Please explain yourself." I said sternly.

  "My lord, We have had discussions about the rot that has permeated our kingdom. Our visit to Kimton only confirmed that fact. However I don’t know if the King has power to maintain his position. The dissension is just too great. But I don't want the council to be the ones that take control. The crossbow will help win the war, or it will help defend the Duchy of Falmore against the attacks that are bound to come."

  "You think the country will split apart and only hope that the council takes over less of the country than they want to."

  "I hope I am wrong. I would love for the king to crush the council, but he has lost too much control.”

  "You really think the crossbow will help?"

  "If the rebels get it first, it could be devastating. We cannot keep it a secret for long if we will be using it in the spring. If the kingdom had it first, it may have delayed the council long enough for us to end the war in the south. Those men were hitting the targets consistently after a month of practice. A bow takes years to learn. Also, if they are effective, I think the reward would be generous. We won't let him have it without assurances."

  "I'm not sure I am ready to marry into royalty," I said jokingly.

  "If only that were possible. No, but I do have an idea. You will need a castle in North Cove, and although we have builders, we need a master architect to build something worthy of a count. Castles are also quite expensive. If we provide the materials, we could get the King to pay for the cost of the Architect and labor to build it. No matter how much money you are bringing in right now, it will not be enough to fund such a project."

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  "Hmm, it isn't a bad idea, but I fear the architect will get more out of my plans for the castle than what the king will pay him."

  "I don't understand. What do you have in mind, my lord?" he asked.

  "I will show you the designs for the castle when I am done drawing it."

  I didn't want to blow his mind away right now. My castle will be revolutionary. Not only will it have servant passages, but I also want to build extra room in the walls for electrical wiring. I will have metal plates installed where, sometime in the future, light switches and electrical plugs will go. There will also be a cavity for elevators.

  I have to hire engineers to build an elevator system. Of course, perhaps we can get the king to provide that, too. I want my entire castle set for modernization so I won't have to renovate it once things are developed. Maybe put spiral staircases in the elevator shafts until we get working elevators.

  Would installing ductwork for central heating and air be going too far? Indoor plumbing is also a must.

  I am kind of glad I hadn't written any of these plans down yet, or I am sure someone would have already tried working on it while I was gone.

  "So what do you think the value of a castle is? I have no idea. Is it enough to exchange the crossbow for?" I asked.

  "I didn't have access to all the building projects in the duchy, my lord, but Count Tazlem bragged that his castle cost him 250,000 Gold Crowns."

  My face was drained of color. "250,000! There is no way I could ever afford such a thing."

  "Which is why we need the king to pay for the labor."

  "Do you think the Kingdom will last long enough for us to complete the project?"

  "We just need them to start the project. If war breaks out, prices will skyrocket. If the king cannot pay for it after the war starts, then we finish the project ourselves. The important part is getting the proper people here to help start building so that our people start learning how to properly build large structures."

  "I can see your point. I will never be accepted by the nobility without having a proper place to live and defend."

  This sucks. I don't even want to think about what I could do with that much gold. Wait! I want to build a university. Dang, there goes my idea of building something grandiose right off the bat.

  Just then, Draves exited the barracks. "My lord, I will prepare things for our departure. And we will be on our way."

  "Thank you, Draves. I will be ready to depart as soon as I speak with Kylie and her team."

  And so, about a quarter bell later, Benjamin had rounded up the “demolition team”. It consisted of Kylie and four guys, all in their late twenties and early thirties. After bowing, Kylie pointed to the oldest member of the group and said, "My lord, I would like to introduce Sygmond. I would like for him to take over this project for me. If you will permit it, I want to go back to working with the orphans. I…I just…"

  "Of course, Kylie. I trust you will keep this a secret."

  "Yes, my lord, I will take this to the grave."

  "Good, you will travel back with us, and we will establish a proper orphanage in Kerisi. I would say Bicman, but I want them far away from the cove when the raiders come. Go get yourself ready."

  "Thank you, my lord."

  "Of course. Those kids will be Bicman's future. I expect great things from them. Which means I expect great things from you."

  After Kylie left, I addressed the four men. "Men, What we are about to attempt may save hundreds of lives in Bicman. I will be brief, and we will communicate more information later. I need as much black powder as you can produce. We will be laying a trap for the enemy. We are going to expand this base and lay a false bottom. Under that, we will put barrels of black powder. Not only will we have black powder in them but also shards of metal."

  The man's eyes began to grow large as I continued.

  "We will put flammable liquid around the fort and have supports holding up the walls that will collapse inward when the explosion goes off. Everything will be made of wood so that if the explosion does not kill them, the flames will."

  They all looked excited about the prospect of blowing things up. Men after my own heart.

  "How many people do you think there will be?" the youngest said.

  "I hope to kill three hundred," I said seriously.

  "Three hundred people at one time," another of the men said in awe.

  Sigmund nodded. "It will require a lot of powder. Everything we had went up in flames."

  "You, let me worry about that. I will get three groups of men together who will harvest the materials. None will know what we are actually using it for. We are going to bring in the sulfur with the excuse that we are trying to create medicine. We will bring in charcoal to use in the forges and glassmaking project I have, and we will be making fertilizer out of the guano. After they drop it off at a designated location, you will be responsible for bringing it to the manufacturing site."

  "My lord, the hardest part of the project is grinding the material. We have found that the finer the grains, the larger the explosion. Could you have the teams grind the material before they drop it off?" the youngest man asked.

  I nodded, "Good idea. We also need to find a way to make a reliable fuse. That is a rope or some sort of material that will lead to the barrels. When we light it on fire, it will burn until it reaches them. We are going to build a tunnel out of the basement and to a place where we can light the fuse. The first thing I want you to try is creating a trail of black powder and lighting one end. You must find a reliable way to cause the barrels to explode from a distance."

  I didn't know if a trail of black powder would actually work. Cartoons were not the best source of information.

  "It shall be done, my lord," Sigmond said.

  "Good. I will be expecting reports frequently, Any questions or difficulties you have must be addressed in the reports. I will help where I can." I gave them a very serious look. "Men, I am counting on you."

  Each of these men was at least five years older than me, but they all nodded in deference.

  The trip home was long and boring. We stopped in Pine Ridge to check on everything one last time. The glass kiln was already under construction, and Tumlus already seemed much more relaxed. He was going to have to wait for bricks to arrive from Melnon, but for now he was preparing the stone base. People insisted bricks worked better for the structure, and I had no desire to find out why. On our trip back from Kimton, we had written down all the experiments Tumlus was to try with the glass. After I explained glassblowing he was eager to get to work.

  As we traveled back to the base, I worried about everything. A lot was riding on my idea about the black powder, and one of the biggest problems was the fuse. It would have to reach at least one hundred meters, and if it fizzled out at any point, someone was probably going to have to light it closer to the base. Or…

  My mind suddenly caught hold of a memory. In high school physics class, we had to build one of those model rockets, and each group had to launch one. We didn't use a fuse, though. We had a box like in that movie October Sky. I had no idea how to make a battery other than using a potato or saltwater, but I doubt it would reach one hundred meters. I did, however, want to try to create a magnetic field and spin it. I bought two magnetic rocks during my first visit to Vaspar. I needed more, though, preferably different sizes, to see if it created more electricity.

  Could I even make enough copper wire to reach the fort? Was that the best use of my time this winter? Maybe. I was the idea guy. I could have someone else do it. And if I could make electricity, I would change the world. Amos Bicman, the father of electricity. It had a nice ring to it.

  Jonathan of the Mitt Trading House in Carok

  I rubbed the white cotton cloth between my fingers for what must have been the thousandth time. I still remember my horror when I realized what it was. The brutes that the city called guards had just dumped it on the ground when they were looking for evidence of where Catherine had disappeared to. I had done my best to lead the guards on a wild goose chase around the city, and then, upon returning to the inn where she had been staying, I found this mess next to her cart.

  The guards took anything they thought valuable, of course, but they had no idea what they had missed. This cloth was worth a fortune, and they had just dumped it on the ground with all the filth. I immediately brought it to the fullers to see if they could remove the stains, but we lost about a fourth of the material.

  This was pure cotton and the finest weave I had ever seen. I was pretty sure not even Amos could produce such a weave. What had Cathy even been doing with it? She wasn't a trader, and yet, for some reason, she had two chests full of this amazing fabric.

  For a moment, I even toyed with the idea that the fabric came from Bicman. But when would she have gone there and why? Surely, she would have informed me if she had been planning a trip.

  I had to track her down and ask her about where this came from. Why did it have to be storm season? If it weren't, I would hop on a ship and travel there now. The rains will make road travel difficult and a waste of time. I suppose I could bring my family to meet Amos in the spring. We could sail straight into his cove.

  News had reached us that he had become a count. I still can't believe it. He became a count and then was commanded to build a city at the cove. Well, it would make for an excellent excuse to visit. I just hope he wouldn't do anything foolish like turning Catherine in. I wanted… No, I needed to know where she got that cloth from.