Chapter 11
“Is Mr. Maloney aware of your visit?” The Galem peered at them suspiciously as she blocked the footbridge.
“He’d better be. He’s confirmed our appointment. I’m Poppet and this is Devon Harris. We’re here to talk to Dermot about his review of the Shamrock Ranch. Our appointment is in fifteen minutes.” Poppet’s voice was crisp.
The Galem nodded. “Please wait a moment while I confirm this.” She activated her radio. “Sir, it’s a Tamer and his pokegirl. They say they have an appointment with you.” She broke off to listen. “Yes, sir; I’ll escort them in.” The radio went back onto her belt. “Sir, if you would come with me, I’ll take you to the main house.”
Poppet’s eyes narrowed as the Galem turned and lumbered away. Devon nudged her. “You’ve been spending too much time in seclusion or on Caomh Sith. In the rest of the world, you’re a second class citizen at best; remember?”
She looked startled and then smiled slightly. “I think you may be right. So, I need to either spend more time out and about or I just quit caring and let you deal with all of this while I spend more time with my husband. Which shall I choose?” She looked thoughtful and tapped her chin with an elegant fingertip. “Decisions, decisions.”
Devon looked shocked. “I haven’t done anything to deserve that!” They chuckled together as they followed the Galem over the footbridge and onto the ranch grounds proper.
A Belle Awesome was waiting at the main building, humming tunelessly to herself. She waved dismissively at the Galem. “I have them, Tika. That will be all.” She turned to Devon. “Sir, welcome to the Harvest Moon Ranch. I’m Bell and, if you’ll come with me, I’ll take you to the library and get you some refreshments.” She eyed Poppet. “It’s normal to put your pokegirls up while here, to avoid any difficulties.”
“Tough,” Devon replied. “She stays out.”
Bell met his gaze and nodded once. “Yes, sir. Come this way, if you would. Mr. Maloney should be along in a few minutes.”
They were being served tea when Maloney showed up. He looked at them briefly. “Poppet.” His gaze turned to Devon. “I don’t know you.” He held out his hand. “Dermot Maloney. I’m the owner of the Harvest Moon Ranch and I welcome you to my home.”
“Devon Harris. I’m standing in for my father on the review board until the next election and I’ll be acting as their representative in this matter.”
“I’m sorry to hear about his death.” Maloney smiled thinly. “This will be about the Shamrock Ranch. I don’t have my final report ready yet, but I’ve still got twenty seven days to prepare it.” He smiled slightly. “It may take that long to finish.”
Devon looked at Poppet. “Would you like to explain it to him?”
She nodded. “Yes, I would. Dermot, the review board has looked over your accusation as well as your preliminary report and I’d like to ask you some questions.”
His smile turned ingratiating. “Of course, I am at your service.”
“That’s good to hear, Dermot. Why, when you made your accusations, did you decide to also use your influence so you could be the auditing ranch?”
Dermot’s smiled became fixed. “What do you mean? I’m the closest auditor and it was easiest for me to handle this.”
Devon put his hand on Poppet’s and she stopped what she was going to say. “Mr. Maloney, you know quite well that there are no intra-league inspections for a series of very good reasons, all of which are based on past experience. The rules clearly state that all inspectors must come from accredited programs and must be from a different league to prevent conflicts of interest from arising.”
“I am accredited and there wasn’t time to wait for the Blue League to arrange for a bunch of ruddy foreigners to come here for a look-see.”
Devon folded his arms. “You knowingly broke the rules. You are aware, I presume, of the possible penalties involved?”
Maloney visibly reddened. “Don’t give me attitude, young man. You’re just keeping your father’s seat warm until the election. After that, you’ll be out on your ear.”
Poppet chuckled. “Dermot, Devon will be elected to that seat. A Harris has filled that seat since the review board was instituted and I see no reason for that policy to lapse.”
Maloney’s eyes narrowed. “Times change, pokegirl.”
“No, they don’t, not really. The only things that change for me are the names.” The humor in her voice drained away. “In spite of my reservations, I agreed to let you take over the Harvest Moon Ranch because your father was desperate to have his only child continue his legacy and Tom was a decent man. So far, you’ve done a piss poor job of it. You’re more interested in profits than producing the best possible pokegirls for Tamers. You do remember that the ranches are all that stand between civilization and the ferals don’t you?”
“You? Agreed? You have no say in what happens here.”
“You can’t be that stupid.” This was from Devon. “It’s got to be an act.” He shook his head. “Mr. Maloney, Poppet is one of the driving forces behind the creation of the audit process and she is still very much involved in the day to day activities of the audits, the review board and the ranches themselves. If she says I will be elected to my father’s seat, you can count on it happening.”
Dermot stared at him in shock.
“Let me put it to you this way,” Poppet smiled sweetly. “The charges against the Shamrock Ranch are going to be erased. Not dropped, mind you, but erased as if they never existed. I have that kind of power, Dermot.”
“Nobody has that kind of power. The deficiency reports are never deleted.
“You are absolutely right. Yet, by now, they no longer exist.” Her smile grew. “I also have the power to make sure that the recordings you are making of this meeting don’t exist after we leave.”
Dermot went white. “That’s impossible.”
“Is it? Would you like another demonstration of my power? Perhaps this time it should be something a bit more personal?” She nodded to herself. “Here’s something for you to think about after we’re gone. You want your niece Cecilia to take over for the Harvest Moon Ranch when you are ready to retire. I can make sure you get your wish, or I can make it a pipe dream. Which would you prefer? Which you get may hinge on how well you hear what I have to say now.”
She leaned forward. “Let me use short words for your benefit. You will not try to get Rowan Stewart into any trouble she does not deserve. You will not try to punish her for our visit today.” Her voice hardened. “You will cease your vendetta against Nicodemus and Isabella Azrael or I will crush you. While Nicodemus isn’t my first choice for the kind of person who’d make an outstanding Ranch owner, he will be an efficient one. His pokegirls will be well trained and, right now, that’s exactly what we need.”
Devon tapped the tabletop to get Maloney’s attention. “Poppet may be retiring from a lot of her active duties in the near future, but rest assured, I will step in and fill her shoes to the best of my ability. I will also be able to call on her and,” he glanced at her and she nodded, “her husband, who is not a person you want to anger. So whatever plans you might cook up in the future had better only be on how to improve your ranch. Right now, you are not up to what I would consider an acceptable standard and I will be passing on my impressions to the rest of the board at our meeting next week.”
Poppet smiled warmly as Dermot looked stunned. “Nicely said, Devon.”
“I had a good teacher,” he murmured.
“Pokegirls can’t marry.” Dermot muttered quietly. He still looked shocky.
“I’ll let you explain that to him if he has to come here.” Devon’s smile was all teeth. “In the meantime, if I were you, I’d expect an audit team to be arriving in about six weeks. You’re right that sometimes the board is slow to respond to alleged deficiencies, but rest assured, I’m fairly sure they’ll act quickly in this case.”
Poppet looked at him. “I believe we’re done here.”
***
The cloaked figure carefully knelt next to the spring and dipped the silver chalice into the bubbling water. A low, feminine voice chanted softly as the figure rose and held the chalice at arm’s length before slowly walking to a large boulder that had been carefully flattened on top. The water was carefully decanted into a large shallow bowl fashioned from a stone so dark that it appeared to drink the light. The figure put the chalice down and picked up a tiny bottle from which it poured a single drop of oil into the bowl. Its aroma quickly spread around the clearing in which the boulder rested.
The chanting grew louder as the bottle was replaced where it belonged. For several minutes, the figure stood unmoving while it chanted a series of spells. Of its own accord, the water in the bowl began to slowly swirl as the final spell was completed.
The figure pushed back the hood of the brown cloak to reveal a feminine face. Her hair had been shorn except for a single shock of midnight black hair that was bound into a thin braid with silver wire. It ran down her skull and disappeared beneath the cloak. Emerald green eyes brightened as she leaned over the bowl and blew softly on the water. It turned cloudy for a heartbeat and then cleared.
Soft lips slowly spread in a smile. “Our prayers have been finally answered.” She rose and pulled a silk rope that hung nearby. A bell rang gently.
“Yes, mistress?” A figure appeared silently from the trees surrounding the clearing. It too was heavily cloaked, this time in forest green.
“The time is coming and our messenger will be arriving soon. Tell the others to make ready.”
“I am your servant, mistress.” The green cloaked figure bowed and faded back into the forest.
***
“Ready?”
Kay nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Nicodemus looked at the other end of the arena and focused his mind. Naomi?
The Espea nodded. I am ready.
“Kay, go.” The Ka-D-Bra set herself and a nearby pile of gravel lifted from the ground and separated into individual pieces of rock as it moved to orbit around her.
“How do you feel?”
Her voice was strained. “It is easier than last time, but it’s still hard.”
“It will be for a while. Are you ready for the next step?”
She chuckled as sweat appeared on her forehead. “I hope I don’t drop them like last time.”
“If you do, you’ll pick them up and do it again. Begin.”
The orbiting stones seemed to hesitate and one of them shot towards Naomi. It hit the ground several meters short and bounced past the Espea, who grinned and wriggled her ears and tail.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” Nicodemus said quietly.
“DAMN IT!” Kay grunted and another stone shot out. This one missed Naomi and hit a few meters past her. Sweat droplets scattered as the Ka-D-Bra trembled from the effort.
“Kay, drop half the stones.”
“I. Can. Do. This!” Rocks began to patter to the ground around her.
“Are you sure you want to continue at this level? You are not Naomi.”
Another stone shot out and narrowly missed the Espea, who looked startled. “No. I. Am. A. Kay. D. Bra. And. I. Am. Better. Than. Any. Damned. Espea.” With each word another rock shot in the general direction of Naomi.
“KAY STOP!” The Ka-D-Bra jumped at his bellow and dropped the rocks. “I did not start Naomi out learning this technique with fifty pounds of gravel and I didn’t expect to do it for you either. You insisted, and I let you to see what you could do.”
Kay’s eyes narrowed and she twisted to stare at him. Sweat trembled on her body. “That’s not what she said.”
Nicodemus sighed. “Naomi lied to you. Look and see for yourself.”
Kay’s antenna twitched. That bitch. There was a crack as a rock shot towards Naomi. The Espea made a startled sound and dodged. The rock stopped in midair and there was another crack as it shot straight at Kay. She barely managed to twist out of the way as it shot by.
“KAY! NAOMI! NO!” Both pokegirls froze. “You are not to engage each other without my specific permission.” His glare at his Espea made her flinch. “Naomi, you know better than that.”
I am sorry, sir. She surprised me and I responded without thinking.
He nodded. “Just be more careful. Kay is one of us. Kay, you’re going to need a lot more practice at fighting before you’re ready to try to take Naomi. While she hasn’t been an Espea for long, you haven’t battled in years and I’ve been working her hard since she almost got me chopped up by those Boobleaf.”
Kay nodded slowly and caught the towel he tossed at her. “I am sorry as well, sir. I want to thank you for working with me.” She sighed. “When Stardust scanned me, I was shocked at how powerful she was. I want to be like that.”
“You’ll probably have to evolve. Alaka-Wham are orders of magnitude more powerful than Ka-D-Bra are.”
“I know. I’m ready for it and so is mistress.”
“Then we’ll work on improving your proficiency now and later we’ll focus more on getting you to evolve.” He took a drink from his canteen. “First, you will listen to me when I give you an order. Now, pick up enough gravel that it’s a strain, but not so much that you have problems controlling them. First I want you to achieve control and precision. Later, we’ll work on power.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
“You have half an hour remaining.”
Nicodemus glanced up as the proctor spoke and went back to his exam. This exam was much more comprehensive than his Tamer test and a lot longer. He still didn’t have any real problems with it, but it just seemed to have no end.
Three other Tamers had come to the Kilkenny pokegirl center to take the Breeder Exam. They were already done and gone, but Nicodemus was also taking a ranch proficiency exam to test his practical knowledge of ranches.
He finally finished when only five minutes were left and spent those paging through the test to double check a few answers. When the timer sounded, his screen went blank.
Isabella was waiting for him in the pub and slid a pint at him when he sat down. “You look tired. How was it?”
“I feel kind of like I did after Ruth tamed me when we first met. I feel good, but completely wrung out and things that aren’t supposed to seem to hurt.” He smiled when she gave him a quizzical look. “My brain.”
“You’ll be fine then. If half your body stops working due to an aneurism, Brenda can probably fix you right up.” She winked at him.
“You’ll be fine then. If half your body stops working due to an aneurism, Brenda can probably fix you right up.” She winked at him.
“I thought you’d be playing darts.”
She gave him frosty look. “I was waiting for my husband.”
“Oh. When will he be along?” He chuckled when she smacked him on the shoulder.
“Is this man bothering you, miss?” Nicodemus looked up and blinked at a wall of pink. It was a huge Jigglyslut wearing an apron and she was giving him a suspicious look. She was easily six feet tall and rather stout.
Isabella smiled at the waitress. “Connie, this is Nicodemus.”
Connie looked surprised. “This is your husband? Miss, I pictured you with someone older.” Suddenly, she looked aghast. “No offense, sir.”
“Connie, you should probably know she chose me and it was a shock to me too.” He smirked slightly. “It still is from time to time.”
Isabella gave him a mock glare and Connie chuckled. “Yes, sir; I can see you detest the situation. Did you want a sandwich?”
“I’d like that very much. Whatever you think is best along with another pint.”
“Yes, sir.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
“‘Whatever you think is best?’” Isabella looked at him amusedly. “That’s likely to get you a fruit salad from a Jigglyslut.”
“She looks like a good cook. My mother always said never trust a skinny cook.”
“Was your mother skinny?”
He nodded. “And she was a terrible cook. Dad had an Ingénue who did all the cooking at home or while on an expedition.”
“What do your parents do?”
“They’re archaeologists.”
She blinked suddenly. “Dr. and Dr. Templeton are your parents?”
“Yes, they are. How do you know about them?”
“My parents financed some of their digs. They got some very nice pieces because of it.”
He snorted. “Those would have come from dad. Mother would have had a fit about giving relics to a private owner, but dad was more practical about that sort of thing.”
Isabella sighed. “I was hoping that someday we might be able to get in touch with your parents, at least, but they know mine and if mine ever finds out where I am, they’ll try to drag me home.”
“Even if you’re presenting them with grandchildren?”
Isabella made a dismissive gesture. “That won’t matter. My father and grandfather will still be angry about me successfully escaping the fate they’d planned for me. Trust me when I say that their soldiers will be on the next airship to the Blue League.”
“They won’t get a reception they’ll like, if they bother us.”
She patted his hand. “That’s sweet. Still, I’d rather we not have to slaughter some of my cousins.” A frown appeared. “Well, maybe a couple of them specifically, but those particular individuals are unlikely to put themselves in harm’s way.” She gave him another curious look when she saw his expression. “What?’
“I can probably figure out a way to contact my parents if you want and caution them not to mention you to yours before they meet you. Mother would love some grandchildren.”
“You think so? Then we’ll talk about it later. Here comes your lunch.” She blinked. “What is that?”
“Miss, that’s the house special. Roast Kattle chopped on our house bread and covered with rich gravy.” Connie favored them both with a smile before returning to the kitchen.
“It looks wonderful.” Isabella sniffed appreciatively and blinked when Nicodemus slid half the sandwich in her direction. “Thank you, dear.” She took a bite and made a happy noise. “I think we’ll have to remember this pub.”
“It is a good sandwich. We can have Kay and Naomi transport us back here from time to time.”
She nodded. “We’ve got what, another month here?”
“More or less. Rowan wants us to stay a couple of weeks after our six months is up. She’ll be getting another apprentice in three weeks and wants us to bring him up to speed before we leave.”
“She’s getting another one? Is that because of us?’
“It’s because she’s putting out better pokegirls, which is indirectly due to us. His name is Victor Byrne and he’s from Belfast. He’s around your age and is ready to retire.”
“My age? Does my age bother you?” Isabella gave him an odd look.
He shook his head. “No. Should it?”
“I hope it doesn’t.” She relaxed slightly when he kissed her cheek. “Thanks.”
“I didn’t ever expect to marry, Isabella, but I get along better with you than most.”
“I can take that as praise, right?”
***
The motorcycle roared into view and skidded to a halt outside the ranch gate before proceeding on at a more sedate pace though the open gate and onto the main grounds before it stopped next to the main building. The driver pulled off his helmet, revealing pale blue eyes framed by a mane of brown hair. He bowed to Rowan while still astride the bike. “Hello, Rowan. I’m Vick.”
Rowan smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She gestured at Nicodemus and Isabella. “This is Nicodemus and Isabella.”
“Hey, Nick.” He blinked at Isabella. “Wow. Baby, where have you been all my life?”
“Nicodemus, remember those cousins I mentioned who won’t put themselves in danger? He sounds just like them.” She gave Victor a hard look. “My name is Isabella, not Baby, and I’m married.”
“Damn. Who’s the lucky stiff?”
“I am.” Nicodemus looked amused at the shocked expression on Victor’s face. “Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be bedding down.”
Victor followed him down the hallway. “Is she really your wife?”
“Yes.”
“How did you rate someone like her?”
Nicodemus stopped and turned to face him. “Victor, I protected her and took care of her. She’s my wife and she wants to be my wife; if you try to do anything stupid, it’s going to really annoy Rowan.”
“Why is it going to annoy Rowan?” Victor looked genuinely curious.
“It’s going to annoy Rowan because she’d like to have an apprentice when Isabella and I leave.”
“Oh.” Victor blinked as Nicodemus continued down the hallway. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means exactly what it says.” He gestured at a door. “Here are your quarters. Have the rules been explained to you?”
“What the hell would happen to me?”
“I’ll take that as a no. You aren’t supposed to have a pokegirl from the ranch in your private quarters. You are not supposed to tame any of the ranch pokegirls unless the pokegirl requests it and Rowan approves. Her permission must be explicit. Failure to follow those rules will result in you being dismissed and a negative letter will be placed in your permanent file.”
“I asked you what would happen to me.”
“Only Rowan can approve an adoption or sale. Only Rowan can approve a return or a purchase. Failure to follow these rules will result in you being dismissed and a negative letter will be placed in your permanent file.”
“You aren’t going to tell me are you, kid?”
“The pokekits, pokewomen and pokegirls here at the ranch are not to be used for battling, taming, or impregnation. You can guess what will happen if you do. I am not a kid and my name is Nicodemus.”
“Are you warning me away from Isabelle?”
“Her name is Isabella and I do not give warnings.” Nicodemus shook his head slightly. “Look, if you don’t believe me, then ask her, but tell her you didn’t believe me so she doesn’t blame me for your stupidity.”
Victor drew himself up to his full height. “I don’t think I like your attitude, kid. Do you think you can take me?”
“No,” Nicodemus lied.
“That’s right. So you’d better treat me with a little respect.”
“Earn it.” Nicodemus smiled slightly. “You’ve already insulted my wife, insulted me, and probably insulted Rowan. Wakeup is at 0500 sharp.” He gestured at the door. “Your computer has already been set up to give you a basic overview of the ranch and its layout. Dinner is in an hour. It is casual dress. I’ll be back then to give you a tour of the area.”
***
“Are you ready?”
Kay nodded and the pile of gravel lifted off to form a shield around her. “Yes.”
Naomi?
The Espea nodded as her pile of rocks lifted and began to orbit her. I am ready. This will be fun.
“Begin.”
He heard the double crack as Kay launched a pebble at Naomi, who used her precognitive abilities and fired one of hers to intercept it. She then shot one at Kay, who blocked it.
The process repeated. However, this time Kay attacked with two pebbles and Naomi defended with two of her own. Then she counterattacked and Kay defended. Each pass saw yet another piece of gravel being employed until on the seventh pass Naomi missed her defense and was knocked sprawling as gravel cascaded to the ground around her. The Espea bounced back to her feet and lifted her shield into place once more before launching seven pieces of gravel at the Ka-D-Bra. Kay deflected them easily.
Naomi’s eyes narrowed and her cloud of pebbles contracted sharply, closing in around her and significantly increasing their passive protection. Kay blinked in surprised and glanced at Nicodemus. “I didn’t know she could do that.”
He smiled softly. “While you are my wife’s pokegirl, you aren’t mine; I’ve been continuing to work with Naomi.”
“Sir, what other tricks does she have?”
“I’ll let you find out.”
“With all due respect, I don’t like you anymore.”
Nicodemus laughed. “You didn’t like me when we met, either. I can live with that.”
***
Nicodemus gestured at the two Goths, who grinned at him. “This is MaryTammy and this is TammyMary.” They linked hands and bowed together.
“What’s so funny with them?” Victor gave them a curious look.
“They keep trying to confuse me by changing their names and this was the only solution I’ve found that works. Hopefully, they won’t do this to you.” Their grins widened.
“Why do you put up with their behavior?” The grins vanished.
“They’re cute.” Both pokegirls stared at Nicodemus in shock. He chuckled at their expressions. “It helps to try to keep them off balance, if you can.” Two tongues stuck out at him in unison.
“I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
Nicodemus led him in the direction of the training field. “That would be best. At a ranch, you have many different personalities to deal with and, unlike while on the road, you can’t just get rid of the ones you don’t like.”
“Any hints on how to live with them?”
“Be patient. They’ll be here after you’re gone and since Rowan has bothered to keep a lot of them permanently, she’ll listen to them when they voice their opinion of you. And, yes, she’ll ask them for that opinion before deciding whether to write a positive recommendation or not.” He stopped and leaned against a wall. “Being an apprentice is an audition in front of a hundred judges. The pokewomen are watching you and their opinion counts as much as the League’s does. Don’t cater to them; just be firm, fair and consistent. They don’t expect you to do things the same way that Rowan does, but they expect and appreciate knowing what’s going to happen when they screw up. Being consistent is very important when dealing with ranch personnel.”
“When? You make it sound like they are going to screw up deliberately, just to test me.” He blinked at Nicodemus’ expression. “They are? Crap.”
“That’s something else. Rowan knows that the pokegirls and kits listen closely to the staff, so she doesn’t want you cursing around them. If they hear you doing it, they will too.”
“There’s a lot to remember.”
“Yes, there is.” Nicodemus frowned. “Maybe I’ll write a guide someday.” He shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t be well received. Apprenticeships have their place and I’m not going to try to upset that cart.”
Victor gave him an odd look. “You know a lot. How long are you staying?”
“We’ll be here for another couple of weeks. Then we’ve got places to be.”
“Where are you going?”
“Killarney. I want to set up a ranch around there, assuming I can break the jinx.”
“What jinx?”
“I’m not sure. I keep hearing there is one and I figure I’ll find out more when I get there.” He shrugged. “Until then, I’m not going to concern myself with it overly.”
“Have you tried to find any information online about it?”
“That’s something funny. The Blue League doesn’t publish the creation of new ranches or the losses of established ones. You can’t find a listed ranch that’s younger than three years old.”
Victor stared at him. “That’s,” he looked thoughtful for a moment, “interesting.”
Nicodemus nodded. “Yes, it is. Apparently, they want to make sure you’re established before sending Tamers your way.”
“What do new ranches do in the meantime?”
“Sell pokegirls through auctions or private sale as well using an established ranch for a front.”
“What are you going to do?”
He shrugged. “Sell pokegirls through auctions, private sale and find a ranch to front for me. I’ve also got a couple of other ideas, but they’re still in the planning stages.”
“What ideas?”
“I’ll wait and see if they pan out first. I wouldn’t want to cripple my chances by having someone else try them first and get them forbidden before I can use them.”
***
Rowan gestured at the empty chair in her office. “Nicodemus, have a seat.” She leaned back in her chair. “How is Victor doing?”
“His ways aren’t mine and Isabella’s, and the girls aren’t too happy about the changes, but he’s fair, consistent and learning fast. I think he’ll do ok.”
“Isabella said almost the same thing.”
“She’s a smart woman.”
Rowan chuckled. “She is that.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a thick manila envelope.
“This is for you. It’s your certification as a breeder and your authorization to start a ranch. There’s even a land grant for the Killarney area.”
“This is for you. It’s your certification as a breeder and your authorization to start a ranch. There’s even a land grant for the Killarney area.”
“I want to thank you for helping us out with everything.”
Rowan smiled. “You’ve done an excellent job here. I think you’ll make a good rancher. I do have a suggestion.”
Nicodemus raised an eyebrow. “I’ve learned that your suggestions usually make sense. Please, tell me what it is.”
“When you get to Killarney, don’t go flashing that land grant paperwork around. Since there have been other ranches there, the village might be holding the previous land grant and may give it to you. Then you can show your new one and get more land.”
“That’s an excellent idea.” He paused. “Do you know what happened to the previous ranches? How did they fail?”
“Officially, I don’t know anything. The reports I’ve seen indicated that the ranchers gave up and left the area. However, the rumors I’ve heard say that the previous owners vanished without a trace, in several of the cases leaving their equipment and pokegirls behind.”
“I see. The rumors are slightly more troubling than the official news.” They shared a grin. “However, forewarned is forearmed. I’ll be as careful as I can.”
Rowan nodded. “I know you two are leaving at the end of the week, so I’ll warn you that there’s going to be a small going away party for you tomorrow at dinner.”
Nicodemus looked surprised. “Thank you.”
“It wasn’t my idea. It’s the girls who want to do this. I was surprised myself, but since it’ll be good for morale, I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
***
“We could put this off until the rain stops.”
Isabella peered at the gray sky and shook her head. The sun wasn’t up, but it wouldn’t have been visible even if it was. “You wouldn’t wait if I wasn’t here and I am not going to hold us up.” She swung up onto Lily’s back. “That’s right, isn’t it, Nico?”
He glanced at her as he mounted Tabitha. “Probably. I know you don’t like traveling in rain and we aren’t on a schedule.”
“I don’t want to stay here any more. The Shamrock Ranch is nice, but I want a home.” Her eyes met his. “This isn’t it.” She pulled up her hood, carefully tucking her hair inside. “It’s really too wet for Elena, Hestia or Lucretia. Do we proceed without a perimeter?”
Nicodemus released Naomi and Ruth. “No, we don’t. Ruth, Naomi, you’re our security. Take turns ranging and watching us.”
“I go first.” Ruth scampered ahead and into the downpour as she left the cover of the barn.
Naomi grinned and levitated off the ground. “Sir, Ruth says it’s ok.”
Isabella frowned. “I thought psychics can’t communicate with dark types.”
The Espea bobbed her head in a nod. “Mistress, that is true. If the dark type is willing, however, we can communicate. That is how Ruth can go into dreamtime with us.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
“Tabitha, let’s go.”
“Yes, sir. Crappy weather.”
Nicodemus nodded. “That’s true enough but we’re going home.”
Lily snorted. “It had better have a good roof.” She blinked. “Sir.”
He chuckled and broke off coughing as they entered the storm and he tried to breathe rain. “If it doesn’t now, it will by the time we’re done.”
***
Nicodemus Azrael – Coordinator
Ladyien – Lucretia
Thundrix – Elena
Umbrea – Ruth
Espea – Naomi
Whorizard – Hestia
Rapitaur – Tabitha
G-Poindexter – Brenda – Noncombatant
Rapitaur – Jenny
Isabella Maria Carmen de la Vega Azrael – Master Tamer
Ka–D–Bra – Kay
Amachamp – Ana
Rapitaur – Lily