Nearly two weeks without a posting. I think this is a new record for me. But there will be a new chapter for Sunny tomorrow, and I hope to wrap up this story in a few weeks.

Chapter 68 – New conquest

After defeating Porthanolos Stone planned to spend another week before tackling the next wizard. This would give the reconstituted Kithrens a chance to readjust to their new forms. It was not only the centaurs who had changed when the wizard’s power disappeared, but over 100 mermaids who had been in the castle moat, as well as the nearby river, and several dozen Harpies, who had been Porthanolos’s eyes in the sky. These women had been transformed with a female body, including the huge breasts that the wizard seemed to instill on all his creations. But they had no arms, instead having great wings that were covered in feathers and allowed the creatures to fly, although only through the magic power the wizard fed them. Their bodies were too heavy to fly naturally. When the wizard popped out of existence the five who were in the air at the time glided rapidly to the ground on their wings, which reverted to arms the instant they landed.

Stone had not seen the creatures, although Wrk had, and it was her description, plus Stones understanding of Earth mythology that led him to understand them. All were female when returned to human form, and were prettier than the average Kithren woman, which enabled them to find mates quickly.

Stone encouraged the changelings to mate, either temporarily or permanently. He wished he had Kalo around to lead the people, who could feel the magical power in him and didn’t entirely trust the white giant not to harm them like every other wizard they had met had.

Two days later the transition was moving slowly, but with more than half of the changelings still in the area when Stone felt his magic send out an alert. He quickly drew Pate, who sang out the warning: there were over 400 Kithrens approaching, with a magician in their midst.

But a minute later she sang a happier tune. This was not an attacking force, but a surrendering one. Stone mounted Doug, and rode out to meet the next wizard, who Pate had named Whojo.

Soon Doug was in the middle of the incoming people, who were unarmed and appeared to be normal Kithrens. As they walked in, the people backed away, leaving an empty path to a man being carried on a sedan chair by four very big Kithrens. When Doug got close, a hand came out of the curtained chair and rapped twice with a wand. The big men set the chair down, and then stood back, clearly tired from their effort. A second later a rather small man climbed out and looked up at Stone, high up on Doug.

“I am Whojo,” the man said. “Are you the wizard who defeated Porthanalos?”

“I am,” Stone said.

“Then I beg to serve you,” the little man said, falling to his knees and then prostrating himself entirely. “I served Porthanalos for centuries. I have one power that he did not: the ability to send people or things to distant places with magic. Mostly I was used to send his Dolly creations to the other side of the ocean, where his customers were. His agents there would amass the money he charged, and then I would transport it back here. I offer myself, and all my slaves to you.”

At the word slaves Stone twitched. “How many of these people are your slaves?” he asked.

“Why all of them of course,” Whojo said. “They provide me with the power to transmit things. I don’t have as many as Provo, the other wizard to the east, but they are enough to meet my needs. Porthanalos often used my slaves to make his creations, but he would always ensure that Provo would send replacements.”

“You have no slaves,” Stone announced. “I free them all immediately.”

“You can’t do that,” the groveling man cried out. “With no slaves I have no magic. I an nothing. And they will kill me.”

“Can you not draw power from them if they are not slaves?”

“Why would they do that?”

“You could pay them. As servants they would do what you wish, so long as you are fair to them and provide them a living wage.”

“But that would cost so much. I have some gold, but it would be gone in weeks if I need to pay 400.”

“Do you need so many?”

The little man calculated. “I suppose I could live with 50 or 60, but that would only delay the time when I have no money. I suppose I could own a farm, but I am unused to manual labor.”

“You have another way to make money,” Stone said. “You said you could transport things. People would pay for that, to be able to magically get from one place to another, without the tedium and dangers of days on a trail.”

Whojo sat up, clearly thinking. “But only 60 slaves would not provide enough power to move anyone more than a mile or two. Even the full 400 isn’t enough to move a dolly across the ocean. Porthanalos used to provide me with more power to do that.”

“Stop thinking of them as slaves,” Stone thundered. “They are free and will only help you if you can make it worth their while. How far is it to your castle?”

“My dust heap,” Whojo corrected. “My castle turned to sand when you killed Porthanalos. But I had farms surrounding it to feed my slaves … I mean former slaves. It is about 100 miles from here, walking. I used a bit of magic to get us here sooner to meet you.”

“Send most of your people back to their tasks,” Stone ordered. “It will probably take them five days to get there. Make sure they understand they are free, and that the farms they worked at now belong to them, not you. Say that you will pay for what they produce and also that occasionally you will call on them to provide you with their magic. You will pay 10 silver to draw full power from them. I will leave you to calculate what you will need to charge people for transporting them magically, based on what power will be needed.”

“Kip, see to it,” the little man said, and a nearby man, apparently an advisor, pulled out a pencil and paper.

“No. I am going to have need of that man,” Stone said as a plan started to formulate in his head. Whojo then named another, and Kip handed the pencil and paper to that man.

“I want you to send Kip to another place, far to the west,” Stone said. “How will you know where to send him?”

“Can you draw a map?”

“Wrk!” Stone called, and the tiny fairy flew out of Rayla’s cleavage to the astonishment of all the Kithrens standing around. Stone asked her to draw a map of the western settlement, and she did so, using her foot in the dusty stones to sketch it.

Stone explained how far they had gone each day on the route here to give the man an idea of distances.

“That would take the magic of 600 slaves … or servants,” he said. “Maybe more. Do you see why I need my slaves?”

“No, I don’t. And I will provide you with the magic you need. I still hold much in reserve after slaying Porthanalos. This will be a test of your usefulness. Do it well, and more tasks will follow.” Stone then turned to Kip.

“When you get there, ask around for a man called Kalosun. Everyone there should know him. Let him know that I need him here, and that I will call for him exactly 24 hours after you arrive there. You are to stay there and take over some of Kalo’s duties.”

“What of my family?” Kip asked. “Am I to forsake them?”

“No. They will go with you. Tell Kalo that they are to have my old house. Kalo will have to tell you of his duties. Do you know of any of the old legends and tales of the people?”

Kip looked at his former master, then turned back to his new one. “It was forbidden to study such lore in the past. But I have always be curious and managed to learn from the old ones before they died. I know much.”

Stone now felt confident that he had chosen wisely. Kip ran to get his wife and two young children, both under the age of five. The young girl reminded the big man of Emily at that age, although with a darker complexion. The four huddled together and Whojo started to draw power from Stone. When the family suddenly disappeared the drain of power ended, and Stone was surprised at how little had been used. To Whojo it had been massive, but to Stone it was barely a scratch on the surface of his reserves

Whojo then went among his people and explained their freedom to them and soon most were heading back to their homeland, amazed at the idea that they were now free again. Stone sent up some energy balls to land along the way so that there would be food at the lunch and resting places along the 100-mile march. Whojo kept his former personal slaves, after explaining that they were now his servants. About 10 tested him and said they no longer wanted to work for him and left with the others. The little wizard had to produce a significant amount of gold to get the others to remain with him.

Stone was in a pensive mood as he wondered what he would tell Kalosun tomorrow when his friend was transported from the west. Kalo would be incensed to discover that thousands of his people were living as slaves under the eastern wizard. Whojo had told him that Provo, the final wizard, was much more powerful than Whojo and had many more slaves, using the magic within them to enslave them.

Suddenly, he was shaken from his reverie by the feminine sounds of giggling. He recognized several voices. There was Emily and Rayla of course, and a new familiar sound from Sissy, who now laughed often since gaining her intelligence from the fairies. There was a new voice though, nearly musical like a cascade of tiny bells. And finally, he heard many Kithren women laughing, which he found rewarding so soon after they had been captives.

He looked around to see the source of the merriment, and soon found it. Sissy had dressed Pinky, the bearer of the musical laughter, in newly made clothes. The former centauress now wore a fairly tight top that Stone thought of as a t-shirt that emphasized her large breasts, until the girl turned, and he saw that it had fastenings in the back that ran under the thick red mane that ran down her back. Sissy had cleverly come up with the ties as a way to make it look normal from the front and sides.

She also looked like she was wearing pants, with her ample hips tightly wrapped in a blue cotton that reminded Stone of denim. Again, it looked normal from the front, but at the back Sissy had left a small hole that her tail was pulled through. Said tail was now casually waving back and forth, showing that she was happy with her garments. She also had leather soled slippers on. The girl was still a bit unsteady walking on two legs, so they had no heel at all.

The chatter was from all the women admiring her in her new clothes. At least a dozen of the Kithren women had joined in for the fashion show and were enjoying themselves immensely. Then Stone noticed one no-female approach the group. It was his son Jason who was staring intently at the girl who had become his girlfriend while still a centauress.

“You look beautiful,” he finally said, not seeming to notice the large crowd around him. He felt it was as if only Pinky and he were alone. “More beautiful than even before.”

“Yes, but you cannot ride me anymore,” Pinky said in her musical voice.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Jason said, taking the slightly taller girl by the hand and leading her to one of the tents that had been set up. This caused outright laughter from the women watching.

“Don’t you people have something to do,” Stone thundered at the gigglers as they entered the tent. The Kithrens immediately became fearful and scattered. Their experience was that one did not offend a wizard. On the other hand, Emily, Sissy and Rayla merely stifled their giggles and walked away with Stone, allowing Jason and Pinky some privacy.

“Do you approve of the changes?” Stone asked Rayla.

“I do. She is a sweet girl,” the former Dolly announced. Sissy did a wonderful job on the clothes and has several days more work to come up with alternative looks.

“Dresses will be difficult,” the Sissy said with an intelligent look on her face that showed she was already thinking through designs. “The tail is a bit of a problem. I think I can handle it with a skirt though, so a dress shouldn’t be impossible.”

“I think you did a wonderful job,” Stone complimented the girl.

“And I think soon I will have another sister,” Emily noted. She already considered Sissy a natural sister.

“If it happens, it happens,” Stone said, looking at Rayla and seeing no looks indicating she would object to that. “I just wonder if any babies would have a tail?”