Chapter 6 #2
I pointed at the worst of the infection, sighing over how much pain the poor baby surely suffered through.
“Bumblefoot this advanced usually leads to death, and I’ll have this one euthanized once the vet gets here so it’s painless.
At best, the whole leg would have to be amputated.
The other leg has a high probability of needing to be amputated as well, and a chicken with no legs simply cannot lead a happy life. ”
For a being lacking a head, his invisible stare held significant weight.
“I questioned why my brother requested, polite for him, mind you, to come help me teleport a horse quite capable of handling his graceless ways. I see. He wished for someone to attend to the innocent, as these birds have done nothing to earn their state. Very well. It is but a minor matter for me but a strenuous one on the vet who would surely be displeased losing even one. You have no intention of butchering them young for their meat when it is at their best.”
He held his hands out for the sick bird, which I gave to him, careful to keep from touching its feet.
A golden glow infused the bird, which perked up in his hold.
Where the abscesses had once been was healing flesh.
Michael adjusted his hold and petted the pullet.
“There. This little boy will be an excellent and protective rooster for you down the road, and you will be able to grow your flock as needed.”
I smiled, and mindful of the archangel’s comment on the reason I kept chickens, I said, “I really don’t intend on butchering them young.
I don’t mind meat from older birds, and while I will butcher a chicken to spare a neighbor from starving, I won’t unless it’s necessary.
It’s nothing some spice and some marinade can’t handle, and most of them will lay eggs.
” I spotted the frizzle, who would test my sanity soon enough.
I reached into the box and captured the little girl, who would be utterly useless but beloved.
“I’ve been warned about this one. She’s going to cost me my sanity, I’m sure.
She won’t lay many eggs, and because I’ll appreciate her looks, for she’ll be a pretty chicken I keep for company.
She’s not great for meat, either. Then I’ll get her a rooster because I lack sense sometimes. ”
Michael returned the pullet to the box, and rather than pick up another chicken, he waved his hand, and golden light surrounded all my new birds and soaked into them.
“You were willing to sacrifice to give these birds a chance at a good life, and you were willing to inconvenience yourself for a foal for no reason other than you could. This rebalances the scales sufficiently. I could even state that by having all of them survive, you will sacrifice even more than merely money, for this many chickens will be enough to drive most humans to madness, especially when gathering their eggs in the morning.”
I sighed at the thought of having to wrangle close to a hundred birds and distribute the eggs so they wouldn’t go to waste. “Magic will help with some of it, and elbow grease will handle the rest. It’ll be fine. Thank you for helping. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to repay you?”
The archangel waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.
“You do good work here bringing prosperity to those blessed to know you. It does not hurt that I like chickens. They are delightful little creatures. Try to be patient with my brother. He is an excitable being, and he tends to go overboard more often than not. It is his nature. He could have done this working himself, but I could do their healing without having to bring the true power of holy fire to life. They merely required some warmth to push them along. It helps they are as young as they are, barely classifying as pullets. Really, these are closer to chicks than pullets, only old enough to be certain of their sex.”
I eyed the sky and the clouds rolling in.
As the last thing I needed was my pullets becoming chilled, I began the process of moving them into the garage until I could get their new accommodations set up.
“Well, I appreciate it. Thank you. Once the weather sours, I’m going to go make some tea and feel sorry for myself. ”
Lucifer laughed. “You could ask Yuless to help groom your grain guzzlers on your trip, you know. You’ll have to teach him how to saddle your horse before the race, but honestly, I’ll show up and make sure your tack is in good shape anyway.
It would annoy me to lose a minion to an equipment malfunction. ”
For a being without a head, Michael could heave sighs with the best of them. “I will verify you are not interfering with her races, then. I do enjoy racing, and if I am present and there is an accident, I can attend to the horse and jockey. This sort of benevolence pleases me.”
I considered the archangel with interest before hauling the first of the boxes to the garage.
Lucifer snagged a box, as did Michael, making certain we could get them all inside before the skies opened.
Once I had them placed on the concrete floor, I concentrated, wove my magic into a protective barrier around them, and regulated the temperature and humidity so they would be comfortable until in their new coops.
The coops would receive similar treatment, minimizing their odds of becoming ill again.
In the twenty minutes it took for me to convince the Devil and his brother I could handle a pair of coops and a bunch of rowdy pullets alone, thunder boomed and the rain fell, and I hoped Zenzi possessed the common sense to follow the other horses to their shelter.
While I waited for the weather to clear, I went to work assembling what I could of their new coops so I could get on with the rest of my day.
* * *
In retrospect, I should have conned the Devil and his brother into doing the handiwork for me.
I managed to finish the job to my satisfaction, lay the magical groundwork to keep the coops safe and healthy for the birds, constructed three small coops for my three males with spare materials, used even more magic to make sure the birds would get along rather than fight each other, and otherwise confirmed I was a pushover.
Roosters would complicate my life, but I wouldn’t get rid of them despite the inconveniences.
The frizzle proved to be rather problematic; where I went, she wanted to follow.
She vocalized her displeasure when I let myself out of her coop and locked her in.
After making the mistake of looking the brat in the eyes, I permitted her to tail me as I went on my chores, picking her up when I wanted to hurry along.
The cows cooperated when it came time to herd them to the paddock closer to the barn, and I took the time to pet each one, as I wanted them tame when calving season came.
If the cows liked me, tagging their babies wouldn’t cost me my life in addition to my sanity.
In truth, I’d recruit Isaac to help weigh and tag the calves, and I might attempt to impose on Lucifer if it turned out I needed three pairs of hands rather than two.
With the pullet in tow, I tended to the horses, settling Zenzi and the colt in the largest of my stalls, leaving the gate to their additional paddock open.
As the other horses would complain if the newcomer got special treatment, I made certain everyone could go outside if they wanted.
Only when I finished all my chores, I returned the frizzle to her coop, ignoring her complaints and heading back inside so I could have my dinner and get some rest.
I finished washing my hands when my cell rang, and I considered flinging the damned thing into the trash. Rather than throw away the device, I checked the screen to discover the Queen of Hell wished to speak with me.
“Why me?” I wailed before swiping my finger across the glass to accept the call. “Crystal speaking.”
“Hello. My name is Darlene, and after stealing my husband’s phone, I acquired your number. He wanted to talk to you, but he’s bothered you enough today, so after I beat on him a bit, I opted to handle his business on his behalf. He’s in the corner until he decides to behave himself for a change.”
I stopped, my eyes widening at the thought of someone being able to put the Devil in the corner with the expectation of him staying there. “I see. How can I help you, Darlene?”
“Aren’t you just a polite little thing,” the woman purred. “He has some minor work tasks for you, but he hasn’t set you up with an email account yet. I need an email so I can send you the list in the meantime.”
Some problems were easier to solve than others, and I told her my email address, taking care to spell it at a stately pace. “I haven’t had a chance to set up the laptop he gave me,” I confessed. “It’s been a little busy today.”
“It sounds like it, judging from what that lout said. You rescued how many chickens?”
“Fifty-two, and apparently, I made an archangel heal them. I’m still confused about how that happened.”
“You’ll get used to them showing up and doing what they want, so try not to worry about it.
Angels can’t handle imperiled innocents, and helping chickens doesn’t really hurt the balance any.
He doesn’t mind when His angels get uppity now and then.
Anyway, Lucy wants you to do some research into some business opportunities in Florida for him, as he would like to have a portfolio prepared when your new neighbor comes calling.
As far as dragons go, yours isn’t bad. He can be taught. That’s better than the rest of them.”
“Dragons is plural,” I noted, and for the first time since the Devil had come calling, I worried. “I won’t have to deal with two dragons, will I?”