Tamora Pierce owns the entire universe of this story, all the characters,
the world they live on and the very air they use to sustain life. Only the
vague plot and dialog I have attributed to TP's characters in this tale
belongs to me. I freely give my permission for Tamora Pierce to use any or
all of the plot/story/dialog/concept if she so desires in any way she
desires.
Blame all lousy spelling and grammar on the California Education System. Thank the Lord for spell checkers.
Chapter 22
As the walked to the stables Galow asked, "Could we take a large wagon? If we find what I think we will find there might be something to bring back."
"How big? Two horsepower or four horsepower?"
"Two should be big enough."
Harnessing a mismatched pair of horses they led the team to a wagon asking Revird to drive, Revird and Briar hitched the team to the wagon and Daja threw some cushions into the back and climbed up into it. Briar brought a ladder over to the wagon and held it while Tris climbed up into the back while all the muttering "Steps, I hate steps." Galow and Wizer used the ladder to get up into the high wagon. Briar handed up the ladder and climb up to sit beside Revird.
Revird picked up the reins and said, "On Dasher, On Dancer." and the expedition started.
Traveling down the road toward the winery Briar laughed out loud, Daja sitting on a cushion in the back asked him, "What's so funny."
"I was just thinking of the three new members of the nobility out for a ride in the country in their ornate carriage with matched horses and all the trappings."
Laughter came from the back of the wagon.
From behind came the sound of horses rapidly approaching, looking behind they could see six guards catching up with the wagon. Leading the guards was Sergeant Gij Oe
When the guards reached the wagon the pulled up and rode along.
"What's going on Sergeant Oe?"
"Captain Kuster has sent us to be your bodyguards Baron."
"What?"
"Yes sir, Corporal Jak Sun and I are assigned to you, Sergeant Alana Trebol and Corporal Mer Rike are assigned to Baroness Chandler and Sergeant Dom Inaton and Corporal Onua Chamtong are assigned to Baroness Kisubo."
"Sandry!" Briar yelled through the telepathic bond, Tris and Daja joined in and they asked, "Who's Idea is the bodyguards?"
Sandry mentally laughed, "I wondered when I would be hearing from you."
"Well here we are, what about the bodyguards?"
"Actually it was the Empress's idea."
"What! Who's? The Empress?"
"Yep, she was concerned that with the way you were ennobled that there could be some resentment."
"Oh, well I guess we will have to live with it, for a while anyway."
"Yep, what are you all doing? I know you're in a wagon."
"We are headed out to the winery on a buried treasure hunt."
"Treasure hunt?"
Briar explained Galow's findings and his request.
"We will let you know what we find."
"Ok, talk later, bye."
Bud Wizer and Juleo Galow fell into a quite conversation and the guards talked among themselves.
Daja noticed that Tris was sitting on her cushion with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Copper for you thoughts." Said Daja.
"I'm making up a poem."
"Lets hear it."
"It's not quite perfected yet, but here's what I have so far."
"Goddess you support all who dares."
"But I look up and my anger flares."
"I look around with an angry glare."
"With sparks of lighting in my hair."
"While wild beasts cower in their lairs."
"Because the whole world has your cares."
"To you my Goddess I send my prayers."
"Goddess of the Moon I hate stairs."
"It's now said, the world's a sphere."
"A prayer I send, by all that I hold dear."
"I beg of you by the Goddess's Cat."
"Do us all a favor, make the world flat."
Daja sagged on her cushion laughing, "Why would you want a flat world?"
"Think about it, if the world is round then every direction from where I stand is UP."
"Well, only if you're on the bottom of it, but it is relative, if you're on the top every direction would be down."
"Nope, not with my luck, it is UP!"
The sun was just reaching its zenith when they arrived at the winery.
The building showed signs of neglect.
As Tris was helped down the ladder Briar asked, "Is it going to take a great deal to get the winery up and running?"
"Not a lot, most of the equipment is still here and was carefully stored when the place was closed down." Answered Galow, "of course we will need grapes, yeast and some other things to get into production."
"Yeast? I thought you used yeast to bake bread."
"You do Baron, but the yeast you use in making bread will ruin wine, if you try to use it."
"Bread yeast will ruin beer too." Said Bud Wizer.
"Yes," said Galow, "we have to be very careful with the yeast, there are hundreds of types of yeast in the world but only a limited number of yeasts are used in the fermentation of wines. Then we distill brandy from the wine. Each strain of yeast has its own characteristics, imparting its special properties to the wine and what is distilled from the wine."
Bud Wizer spoke up, "A few pure strains of yeast are used for fermentation of grain mashes for beer production. The strains used in the fermentation of grain mashes are also used for rum and tequila production."
"That is why the winery and brewery are out here away from the manor, you don't take a chance of the yeast being contaminated."
As Galow unlocked the door to the winery Briar asked Revird, "Do you want to come in with us?"
"No Baron, I'll stay with the horses." He replied as he eased some straps on the harness and slipped the bits from the horse's mouths so they could eat from the nosebags he put on them. He grabbed a bucket from the wagon and headed to the well.
Throwing the doors wide Galow and Wizer entered follow by two of the bodyguards scanning the area, Briar, Tris and Daja followed them, the other four bodyguards trailing behind, alertly checking everything.
The winery was a huge building filled with large vats and other equipment used in the making of wine.
Tris wandered over to a long lab bench along the wall and started picking up and examining the utensils used in making and testing the wine.
Briar laughed, she turned, "What?"
"You look like a mad Sorceress at her insane experiments."
She glared at him over the top of her lenses and said, "I prefer to be called 'Evil Genius'"
"This way Baron, Baroness's."
Unlocking another huge door Galow pushed the double doors open, exposing a large tunnel dug deep into the hillside.
Bud Wizer walked over to a small wagon loaded with torches, handing one to Galow he pulled out his fire starter.
Tris said, "I'll do that," she stroked her hand down one of the small braids that framed her face and held out a hand with lighting arcing between thumb and index finger. Clenching her fist with the index finger pointing she struck the torch with lighting and the torch burst into flame.
"Thank you Baroness."
He lit a second torch and handed one to Galow, "We placed new torches in the sconces along the tunnel when we explored."
As they started down the tunnel the last two bodyguards picked up torches. Daja looked at them with a raised eyebrow. "Just in case." Onua said. Daja nodded.
As they walked down the tunnel, echoes reverberated up and down the tunnel. Every hundred yards there was tunnels branching off at right angles. At each intersection there was a vertical shaft, standing under one of the grates blocking the shaft Tris could see light far above.
"There is a constant air flow from the rear of the tunnel." Tris commented.
"Yes Baroness, these tunnels started as a natural cave formation that was discovered by a goat herder, when he informed the owners it was explored and found to be ideal for storage, all manor of things were stored here, when the estate started to produce wine the owners built the winery in front of the entrance and used the natural cave for wine storage. As the estates wealth grew the cave was enlarged and the walls faced with stone and the arched stone ceilings put in."
"And the maps show a missing tunnel?" asked Daja.
"When I placed the tunnel map over the cavern map I found a section of the original cave not on the tunnel map. So we came down and found a wall where the entrance to the caves should have been. The wall at that point looks the same but feels different than the other ones."
The guard following had fallen into step as trained men will do, the rest had without thinking about it had gradually fell into the rhythm of the steps. Tris started humming softly, and then Briar was saying hup, hup, hup, hup and Tris sang softly "Your mother was there when you left," and the guards chorused "Your Right!"
Tris jumped in surprise and everyone laughed softly.
"Here we are." Piles of building stone and framing were placed along the wall, the tunnel ended twenty yards further at a locked metal grate.
"The maps show a entrance here." pointing at the wall across from the construction materials.
Tris, Daja and Briar turned to face the wall, Tris removed her lenses in order to see magic better.
Looking closely Tris could see the magic symbols on the wall.
"There is magic here. I see a illusion spell and a barrier spell."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
A/N
Sorry about the delay in updating but I received a bunch of novels written by my favorite authors and I had to read them before the ink dried.
Lois McMaster Bujold - Paladin of Souls
J. D. Robb/Nora Roberts - Remember When
J. D. Robb - Imitation in death.
Tamora Pierce - Tricksters Choice
Blame all lousy spelling and grammar on the California Education System. Thank the Lord for spell checkers.
Chapter 22
As the walked to the stables Galow asked, "Could we take a large wagon? If we find what I think we will find there might be something to bring back."
"How big? Two horsepower or four horsepower?"
"Two should be big enough."
Harnessing a mismatched pair of horses they led the team to a wagon asking Revird to drive, Revird and Briar hitched the team to the wagon and Daja threw some cushions into the back and climbed up into it. Briar brought a ladder over to the wagon and held it while Tris climbed up into the back while all the muttering "Steps, I hate steps." Galow and Wizer used the ladder to get up into the high wagon. Briar handed up the ladder and climb up to sit beside Revird.
Revird picked up the reins and said, "On Dasher, On Dancer." and the expedition started.
Traveling down the road toward the winery Briar laughed out loud, Daja sitting on a cushion in the back asked him, "What's so funny."
"I was just thinking of the three new members of the nobility out for a ride in the country in their ornate carriage with matched horses and all the trappings."
Laughter came from the back of the wagon.
From behind came the sound of horses rapidly approaching, looking behind they could see six guards catching up with the wagon. Leading the guards was Sergeant Gij Oe
When the guards reached the wagon the pulled up and rode along.
"What's going on Sergeant Oe?"
"Captain Kuster has sent us to be your bodyguards Baron."
"What?"
"Yes sir, Corporal Jak Sun and I are assigned to you, Sergeant Alana Trebol and Corporal Mer Rike are assigned to Baroness Chandler and Sergeant Dom Inaton and Corporal Onua Chamtong are assigned to Baroness Kisubo."
"Sandry!" Briar yelled through the telepathic bond, Tris and Daja joined in and they asked, "Who's Idea is the bodyguards?"
Sandry mentally laughed, "I wondered when I would be hearing from you."
"Well here we are, what about the bodyguards?"
"Actually it was the Empress's idea."
"What! Who's? The Empress?"
"Yep, she was concerned that with the way you were ennobled that there could be some resentment."
"Oh, well I guess we will have to live with it, for a while anyway."
"Yep, what are you all doing? I know you're in a wagon."
"We are headed out to the winery on a buried treasure hunt."
"Treasure hunt?"
Briar explained Galow's findings and his request.
"We will let you know what we find."
"Ok, talk later, bye."
Bud Wizer and Juleo Galow fell into a quite conversation and the guards talked among themselves.
Daja noticed that Tris was sitting on her cushion with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Copper for you thoughts." Said Daja.
"I'm making up a poem."
"Lets hear it."
"It's not quite perfected yet, but here's what I have so far."
"Goddess you support all who dares."
"But I look up and my anger flares."
"I look around with an angry glare."
"With sparks of lighting in my hair."
"While wild beasts cower in their lairs."
"Because the whole world has your cares."
"To you my Goddess I send my prayers."
"Goddess of the Moon I hate stairs."
"It's now said, the world's a sphere."
"A prayer I send, by all that I hold dear."
"I beg of you by the Goddess's Cat."
"Do us all a favor, make the world flat."
Daja sagged on her cushion laughing, "Why would you want a flat world?"
"Think about it, if the world is round then every direction from where I stand is UP."
"Well, only if you're on the bottom of it, but it is relative, if you're on the top every direction would be down."
"Nope, not with my luck, it is UP!"
The sun was just reaching its zenith when they arrived at the winery.
The building showed signs of neglect.
As Tris was helped down the ladder Briar asked, "Is it going to take a great deal to get the winery up and running?"
"Not a lot, most of the equipment is still here and was carefully stored when the place was closed down." Answered Galow, "of course we will need grapes, yeast and some other things to get into production."
"Yeast? I thought you used yeast to bake bread."
"You do Baron, but the yeast you use in making bread will ruin wine, if you try to use it."
"Bread yeast will ruin beer too." Said Bud Wizer.
"Yes," said Galow, "we have to be very careful with the yeast, there are hundreds of types of yeast in the world but only a limited number of yeasts are used in the fermentation of wines. Then we distill brandy from the wine. Each strain of yeast has its own characteristics, imparting its special properties to the wine and what is distilled from the wine."
Bud Wizer spoke up, "A few pure strains of yeast are used for fermentation of grain mashes for beer production. The strains used in the fermentation of grain mashes are also used for rum and tequila production."
"That is why the winery and brewery are out here away from the manor, you don't take a chance of the yeast being contaminated."
As Galow unlocked the door to the winery Briar asked Revird, "Do you want to come in with us?"
"No Baron, I'll stay with the horses." He replied as he eased some straps on the harness and slipped the bits from the horse's mouths so they could eat from the nosebags he put on them. He grabbed a bucket from the wagon and headed to the well.
Throwing the doors wide Galow and Wizer entered follow by two of the bodyguards scanning the area, Briar, Tris and Daja followed them, the other four bodyguards trailing behind, alertly checking everything.
The winery was a huge building filled with large vats and other equipment used in the making of wine.
Tris wandered over to a long lab bench along the wall and started picking up and examining the utensils used in making and testing the wine.
Briar laughed, she turned, "What?"
"You look like a mad Sorceress at her insane experiments."
She glared at him over the top of her lenses and said, "I prefer to be called 'Evil Genius'"
"This way Baron, Baroness's."
Unlocking another huge door Galow pushed the double doors open, exposing a large tunnel dug deep into the hillside.
Bud Wizer walked over to a small wagon loaded with torches, handing one to Galow he pulled out his fire starter.
Tris said, "I'll do that," she stroked her hand down one of the small braids that framed her face and held out a hand with lighting arcing between thumb and index finger. Clenching her fist with the index finger pointing she struck the torch with lighting and the torch burst into flame.
"Thank you Baroness."
He lit a second torch and handed one to Galow, "We placed new torches in the sconces along the tunnel when we explored."
As they started down the tunnel the last two bodyguards picked up torches. Daja looked at them with a raised eyebrow. "Just in case." Onua said. Daja nodded.
As they walked down the tunnel, echoes reverberated up and down the tunnel. Every hundred yards there was tunnels branching off at right angles. At each intersection there was a vertical shaft, standing under one of the grates blocking the shaft Tris could see light far above.
"There is a constant air flow from the rear of the tunnel." Tris commented.
"Yes Baroness, these tunnels started as a natural cave formation that was discovered by a goat herder, when he informed the owners it was explored and found to be ideal for storage, all manor of things were stored here, when the estate started to produce wine the owners built the winery in front of the entrance and used the natural cave for wine storage. As the estates wealth grew the cave was enlarged and the walls faced with stone and the arched stone ceilings put in."
"And the maps show a missing tunnel?" asked Daja.
"When I placed the tunnel map over the cavern map I found a section of the original cave not on the tunnel map. So we came down and found a wall where the entrance to the caves should have been. The wall at that point looks the same but feels different than the other ones."
The guard following had fallen into step as trained men will do, the rest had without thinking about it had gradually fell into the rhythm of the steps. Tris started humming softly, and then Briar was saying hup, hup, hup, hup and Tris sang softly "Your mother was there when you left," and the guards chorused "Your Right!"
Tris jumped in surprise and everyone laughed softly.
"Here we are." Piles of building stone and framing were placed along the wall, the tunnel ended twenty yards further at a locked metal grate.
"The maps show a entrance here." pointing at the wall across from the construction materials.
Tris, Daja and Briar turned to face the wall, Tris removed her lenses in order to see magic better.
Looking closely Tris could see the magic symbols on the wall.
"There is magic here. I see a illusion spell and a barrier spell."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
A/N
Sorry about the delay in updating but I received a bunch of novels written by my favorite authors and I had to read them before the ink dried.
Lois McMaster Bujold - Paladin of Souls
J. D. Robb/Nora Roberts - Remember When
J. D. Robb - Imitation in death.
Tamora Pierce - Tricksters Choice