Jez:I was short and kind of a filler chapter. No, I don't think his ego ever will. Besides, he couldn't have pulled off some of those cool tricks, and good jokes without it.
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"What the hell is that?" Kim asked, pointing to a shape in the sky. Oblong, and around six hundred feet wide, a wooden ship sailed smoothly over head, passing slowly through the sky, accelerating slowly.
"The Arekan." Adam replied, lowering a pair of binoculars. "She's House Marcae. A tradeship, six hundred feet wide, twelve hundred long, and Creighton class. That means she's very lightly armed. Can't imagine where she's going, that she doesn't have protection. Fighters, or at least a cruiser." He shook his head. Shego's hands flashed to life, as a trio of aircraft, each only large enough for the man aboard to stand, swooped down from above, each one holding a bow and arrow, aimed at them.
"Who trespasses on House Marcae lands?" One of them, appearently the leader, asked.
"High Lord Adam Marcae, Master of south gate, and a Knight of the Soverign code." Adam replied.
"Oh, it's you. Shall we tell them you're coming?" The man asked, waving the other two up.
"Yes." Adam replied, crest fallen that he hadn't impressed the man.
"Send a boat?" Adam shook his head.
"No thank's, we'll walk. Where was the Arekan going?" He asked curiously.
"The capital." The man replied, rising. He turned and was followed by the other two. Adam sighed.
"Don't worry, we were terribly impressed." Shego comforted him. He gave a short laugh, but said nothing about it.
"Here, time to arm yourselves." He pulled the long case from his back, and settled it to the ground, opening it. Inside, lay his sword, sheathed, along with Kim and Shego's blades, also sheathed. There was also an empty one. He handed it to Ron. "Wear the Lotus Blade as a sword, it won't be considered conspicous. Not being armed would be."
"Why?" Kim asked.
"Instead of taking advantage of all the technology around, the empire voted to remain medieval. We use some higher tech, electricity, and it's related devices, but for combat, bows and arrows are the norm, with firearms relegated to hunting, or defensive. Bringing guns to a battle field outside of the Imperial army, is considered a treasonous act." He shrugged.
"And the air craft?" Shego wondered.
"Held up with crystals that grow naturally in one of the worlds we trade with. An electrical current run through allows the adjustment of the height at which they float. The smaller fighters are propelled as well as lifted, while bigger stuff, like the Arekan, uses sails for power. She's also got solar powered steam engines for propulsion but the winds near here are strong enough that they're more efficient than the steam engines." He shrugged again, leading them in to the forest. There was a winding trail that led them on ahead. Kim noted that the animals around them didn't seem overly concerned that they were there. Even a bear that crossed the path, seemed not to care. She questioned that. "This is the east wood. There's no hunting here, and the animals are used to the mages that come through here, both for the gate, and to just sit, and relax, and let the stress of controlling the powers that abound melt away. They're so used to people, that they don't see a reason to run. There's no hunting allowed here, and a spell of good will, that's webbed over the place. No death, that doesn't come of natural causes, is allowed here."
"Those three looked as if they were going to kill us." Ron pointed out.
"They were just threatening us. They're all good shots enough, to have put us down with out killing us." He replied. The trail broke out onto a flat plain, leading to a set of massive stairs, leading up a hill, into which two defensive embrasures had been cut into the rock, as well as a trail leading down from behind a set of rocks, to a shelf, on which weapons could be set up. On the left side, a stone tower on which a catapult sat. It was wrapped in criss-crossing iron bands, probably for increased stability.
"Wow." Kim pointed up the hill. Sitting at the top of the stairs, seemingly at the crest of everything, was a castle. There was a river between the castle and stairs, crossed by a short bridge. A single massive pair of iron gates sat in the front of the stone structure braced with massive stone pillars, and a stone arch over the top. Arrow slits along the top of the front wall, including on the four towers along the wall, proved that it was defensible. Along the left side of the castle, a tower was actively under construction. Further back from the front gate, in a direct line, sat a second pair of iron gates, either set higher, or that were taller than the forward gates. A second wall, with inverted archs along the tops between huge stone pillars, stretched to the sides from the gate, without arrow slits it seemed, though it was possible they were not visible below the line of the first wall. Further back, and off to the right side, sat a much more massive gate, also iron, though this one was bound in further strips of iron. Tall windows on the upper stories showed it was habitated, as did curtains visible, even from the mile or so away they were.
"I present to you, the mighty, and imposing castle Marcae!" Adam swept his arm out, intoning formally.
"What the hell happened?" Kim asked.
"What do you mean?" He inquired, starting ahead. They followed.
"It looks like a fortress." She pointed out.
"It is, and every generation continues to add on. It's also being dug further into the mountain, so we move the blocks from down there, up here, and paste them to the rest of the castle." He shrugged.
"I mean, I imagined an airy, light castle, something less..." She stopped talking, unsure of how to continue.
"Imposing?" Ron supplied.
"Yeah that." She replied.
"Oh, it is." He replied. "It's lighter on the inside, if only on the insistence of the leaders of the house."
"The leaders?" Shego asked.
"Most of the time, there's a Father, in command of the house. On balance, the other three Lords, are women. At the moment, there's only one female high lady eligible, or we'd have two of those. As it is we've got two High Lords on the council. A pity you two aren't of the blood, I could use my rank to throw my idiot sister off the council." Adam shrugged. "Ah well." They ascended the stairs in silence, simply because there was no other way. There were so many of them, that it wasn't possible to keep one's breath. Reaching the top of the stairs there was a man waiting for them. Tall, and red haired, the man was wearing a dark blue shirt, and jeans, along with a saber on his hip.
"Hail, and well met my brother." The man called, offering Adam a hand. He took it, and they pulled each other into a hug.
"Well met Andrew." Adam replied, a bit tearfully.
"Has it really been that long?" Shego asked.
"No, he tried to crush me." Adam replied, rubbing his chest.
"You started it." The other man replied. "Well, don't just stand there gaping like the idiot you are. Introduce me!" He waved to Kim, Shego, and Ron.
"Silly me. Kim, Shego, Ron? This is my brother, High Lord Andrew Marcae. He's one of two sitting High Lords, along with Robert Marcae, my other brother, or one of them." Adam smiled. Andrew bowed low to each of them.
"I'm pleased to meet two such beautiful ladies, and I heartily apologize for my idiot brother here, and all the stupid things he's undoubtedly done since meeting you. And you good sir, a great pleasure to meet someone else who manages to put up with his attitude." He smiled cheerily.
"It's no big." Kim smiled.
"He's apologised himself. Several times." Shego smiled, remembering.
"I don't mind a few of his quirks. Otherwise he's a weirdo." Ron grinned. Adam gave an offended gasp, and laughed.
"In any case, the castle has prepared your rooms, and if you'll all follow me..." Andrew turned, and the gates opened noiselessly for him. They strode out onto a massive stone bridge. Almost seven hundred feet long, spanning a massive chasm. Adam stopped, and looked over the edge.
"You built it?" Adam asked. "Finally? After seven thousand years of bugging, you finally built it?" Andrew nodded.
"Built what?" Kim asked. Andrew pointed over the edge. Looking down the chasm was almost twenty three stories deep, with docks along the sides for massive airships. At least one of the same class as the Arekan was slowly sliding into place below them. A honey comb along one side of the chasm proved it's purpose, as a fighter, similar to those they'd seen when they arrived, landed inside one of them. The chasm, only seven hundred feet wide at the bridge, widened to at least twice that at the other end, and was almost a mile long. "What is it?"
"An airship dock." Andrew replied. "We used to have to ship everything to the other side of the mountain, to our docking facilities there. We have underground tunnels that we use for the purpose, with rails running through them, but now we can ship bigger stuff out here. The main dock on the farside is unassailable by a ground force, and is protected by our fleet from air attack. We still ship smaller stuff from it, and it holds most of our large ship production facilities. The various and sundry Adam's have been pushing us to build an air dock over here. As well as part of the military forces we keep. The Black Light mercenaries in particular." He shrugged. "This way."
He led them across the bridge, ignoring a laughing Adam. A second set of smaller gates, opened, into an area filled with Blacksmith shops, and other tradecraft buildings. There was however, not that thick pallor in the air, normally associated with a blacksmith shop. "Electrical arc's to heat the steel, and premade charcoal to carbonize the steel. A row over, we make carbon fiber, steel edged blades. A row further, vibro blades." Andrew answered, when Shego asked him about it. They moved through the massive second gates, they were taller than the front gates.
This section contained houses. Not apartments, but not condo's either. Real stone work buildings, several stories high, which accounted for the height of the rear wall. Andrew pointed out, that while each was owned by House Marcae, the freedom to decorate, was entirely up to the occupants. These were mostly those that didn't have a residence in the house, or those few that refused to live with the family. Adam pointed out that considering the family, that wasn't a surprise.
"We aren't all assholes like you." Andrew retorted.
"Just most of us." Adam snickered. Andrew hit him. It degenerated into a fight from that point. After ten minutes, Andrew drew Adam's elbows together, with his arms sticking up behind his head, and the other conceeded.
"Why didn't you just nail him with your magic?" Ron asked.
"My magic doesn't work against other blood members of the house." Adam shrugged. "Just like his doesn't work on me."
"He's got magic?" Kim asked.
"A bit, the power in the line varies fairly widely." Andrew replied. "His is consistent, the rest of us, might be magical gods, or almost completely incapable of doing more than charging amulets."
"How is Robin doing?" Adam asked. A blade flashed out of nowhere, as they crossed a courtyard, in which dozens of people, men and women, were training. From five-year olds, with little more than practice blades, to ten year olds with short swords, and older people with different weapons, they filled it with a rythmic noise as blades clashed. The one that came from out of nowhere, slashed at Shego. She ducked back, and blasted the man wielding it with her powers, knocking him on his ass. He rolled and came back at her, slashing with his sword. She twisted sideways, his own lunge carrying him too far. He rolled, and came to his feet again.
"He want's you to use your sword. Don't kill him." Andrew called. The other man lunged again. Shego twisted, drew her blade, and sheared through his sword, in a single stroke. Her knee came up, to catch his ribcage, as her blade stopped an inch or so from his throat. "Robin, you leave your guard open. It's a fatal mistake. I'm not sure how she cut through your blade, but she could have killed you if I hadn't asked her not to." Andrew told the man. Shego pushed off, and sheathed her sword as she landed.
"Well, well, well brother mine. Still haven't perfected the sneak attack, eh?" Adam asked, snickering.
"Works well enough against you dipwad." The other man, shorter than either of the other two, with a head of dark blue hair answered.
"Six laps, for simple stupidity." Andrew snapped. Robin glared at him, but headed for the gates, destroyed blade still in his hands.
"Only six laps?" Kim asked, as they continued.
"Around the edges of the nine thousand acre estate." Andrew replied. "I expect him to be a month or so. If he's jogging." He shrugged. The other three stared, as the two brothers continued ahead, poking fun at each other.