Chapter Fifteen #3
“Nope,” I said and popped the ‘p’ for emphasis as I hopped out of the greenhouse. “Everything in here will be grown without magic.”
“Ahhh, you miss when it wasn’t easy, huh?” the orc teased.
“Something like that.” I chuckled. “I don’t want to lose my touch. And I can’t rely on the shard if its presence isn’t guaranteed forever.”
“Smart,” my farmhand said with a slow nod. “How will you keep them warm during the winter, though?”
“The answer lies in that pasture over there, Brom,” I said as I pointed to the Emberhorn Goats. “That milk never goes cold. In fact, you guys should take a few bottles home tonight since we have a surplus. It’ll keep your houses warm without the need of a fire.”
“That’s very generous of you,” Brom said as his brown eyes widened.
“You guys are in need of a bonus with everything you do for me,” I said with a casual wave of my hand. “We have plenty of goat milk, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to stop producing any time soon.”
“Then I’ll let the others know once we’ve finished up here,” the lead farmhand said. “For now, though, let’s go fetch those racks.”
Brom and I jumped in my side-by-side and made our way to the other barn. I found the racks easily enough, and the two of us made quick work of loading them into the Gator, along with the trays the crops would sit in.
Once they were secured, we drove back to the greenhouse and started lining the sides with the racks. The trays slotted into place easily, and it wasn’t long before the greenhouse was filled with nine racks ready to be filled with crops.
Getting the soil was easy enough. Brom and I shoveled it in from one of the vacant fields, but because of the frigid temperature, it would need time to warm inside the greenhouse alongside the goat’s milk.
So, once we’d filled the trays on the racks, we brought in a crate of the goat’s milk that had been freshly bottled from today’s milking.
As soon as we placed the crate down, the warmth from the milk flooded the greenhouse, and with the vine door sealed shut behind us, it was forced to swim around the enclosed space.
My forehead had already started sweating, and Brom let out a ragged breath as he wiped his eyebrows with the back of his hand.
“Yeah, I don’t think the crops are going to struggle to grow in this heat,” the green-skinned orc said. “What are you going to do about watering them?”
“Until I can hook up a sprinkler system in here, it’ll have to be hand-watered,” I said. “I can do that myself, or if I’m too busy, one of the other farmhands can give them a quick drink.”
“Sounds good to me.” Brom nodded. “So, we’re finished here?”
“Yeah, all in a day’s work, right?” I grinned and clapped a hand on the orc’s shoulder. “Thanks for your help, Brom.”
“Anytime, boss,” the tall farmhand said as he stepped through the unfurling door. “You’ve done well.”
“We did well,” I corrected him. “This wasn’t just me and the shard.”
The shard pulsed and flew around Brom like it was showing off. Its little display made us both laugh, and I shook my head at its antics.
“I think someone’s just happy they got to leave the barn,” I teased. “You know you’ll have to go back in eventually, right?”
The shard let out a low resonating hum and floated a little closer to the ground, but I knew it would go wherever I asked it to when the time came.
“Enjoy the air for a few more minutes,” I said. “Then it’s time to go back to the hay bale.”
The purple crystal shot up in glee and whizzed around us a few more times before it drifted toward my front door.
“Finish up for the day and then head home with the goats’ milk,” I said to Brom. “You guys have done more than enough.”
“Appreciate it, boss,” Brom said with a salute before he jogged over to the barn where the other farmhands were still working.
I took a moment to relish today’s accomplishment. Even though I was exhausted and drained, I’d built the greenhouse I’d been wanting to set up, as well as giving Alaek what he needed to get started on the schematics.
And that was all after dodging an assassination attempt this morning.
The reminder of the intruders made a shudder run down my spine, and I thought back to the cave in the Mist Woods. Its purpose remained unknown to me, and I didn’t have the manpower to guard it.
One thing I did know was that Shaar’s business with that cave wasn’t good, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread when I thought about his use for it.
As I stood there and racked my brain about what to do about the cave, I heard the gallop of hooves approaching my farm. They were fast and hurried, and even without being able to see who was getting closer to my property, I felt my heart drop to my ass.
Not many people ventured out to my farm, and certainly not in such a large number.
“Noah Dawson, this is Hand Commander Nuro!” the King’s leading man called out to announce his presence. “Open the gate. We wish to enter your farm.”
My fears were proven right in one damning second.
The King’s men wanted to enter my farm.
And I had to hide the shard before they did just that.