He suspected that if he had been a couple of Tiers lower, this would have been quite damaging, both to his body and mind. Now, though, it merely caused strain, which, in reality, did more to help train and toughen his body. Still, like a tough workout, the pain was ever-present and constantly trying to force him to stop.
It wasn’t until he nearly made it to the center of the large camp, that Arbor finally got his first hit. As he was passing one of the dozens of smaller fires, he felt a flash of something from a smallish male gremlin with uncommonly pale skin for one of his kind.
Arbor stopped at the group under the pretense of asking how they were, and used the opportunity to examine the gremlin closer. Sure enough, when he focused on the pale gremlin, Arbor could feel it. There was a small, still sphere of pale yellow in his left knee. He had no idea what type of magic it could be, but he noted the gremlin down in his mind before moving on.
“The pale one has magic,” Arbor said in an undertone as they headed toward the next camp.
Grak made a note on her pad, marking the insignia and rank number down from the gremlin’s uniform. The plan was for her to submit this list to Grab, who would then covertly send those few gremlins to Arbor once they reached his manor.
“I’m surprised that he’s only the first we’ve found,” Grak commented as they moved on to the next group.
“Mages are very rare,” Arbor said. “I’m surprised we even found a single one.”
“I know,” Grak replied. “But I’d assumed the number of suppressed or sleeping Origins would be much higher.”
Truthfully, Arbor had as well. For some reason, he’d thought that the number of unknown Mages would be staggering in comparison to the awakened ones, but it seemed he’d been mistaken.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Arbor said. “Remember, we’ve still got a huge number of gremlins and humans to check on once they arrive. Not to mention all the people living within Ryevine.”
“There’s that,” Grak said, trying to force a smile.
It was clear she was troubled, and Arbor couldn’t blame her. They needed Mages, and desperately so. Powerful as he was, he could only be in one place at a time, and just by becoming part of the nobility, he’d already made some enemies. Having a few extra Mages around would never be a bad thing.
By the end of their walkthrough, Arbor and Grak had not located a single other Mage, which was a bit disheartening. Even so, an extra Mage was an extra Mage.
“I’ll get this report over to Grab,” Grak said as Arbor headed for his coach.
“You’re not going to eat with me?” Arbor asked, disappointed.
Hord was busy working, and so was Frunk, which left only Grak available. Arbor found eating alone to be a little depressing, so he was disappointed that everyone he usually dined with was busy.
“Sorry,” Grak said with an apologetic look. “I have some things to take care of first, but I can be there to tuck you in and read you a goodnight story if you want.”
“Oh, ha ha,” Arbor said, rolling his eyes.
“See you in the morning, my lord,” Grak said with a mischievous wink, before heading off toward the main tent.
Arbor let out a sigh and turned back to his coach. It would be a depressingly lonely dinner, but he’d had them before. The main problems he’d face would be in keeping his mind off Karria or worrying about Ramona. The latter woman was being transported on another wagon, guarded night and day by gremlins who’d been warned of her illusions. In fact, two of them were chained to her at all times as a precaution just in case she woke up.
Worrying was something that Arbor did a lot of now. He’d never wanted to be a noble. He had never wanted to be a leader. He never wanted anything other than a quiet life with the woman he loved. Despite all those wishes, here he was now, a Viscount on his way to lead a massive parcel of land, four other Barons, and well over fifty-thousand people. Arbor let out another long sigh as he swung open the door of the empty coach. He briefly debated grabbing his glaive and going off to do some practice, but after a few minutes of contemplation, he decided he just wasn’t in the mood.
A lackluster dinner of chicken and stringy vegetables further soured his mood, and by the time a servant came in to set up the bed, Arbor was well and truly ready for the day to be over.
“There it is. The Ryevine estate,” Frunk said as Arbor looked out at the absolutely monstrous castle sprawling before them.
They had actually been inside Arbor’s new lands for several hours by now, but they had purposely taken a route that avoided any settlements, towns, or farms.
“So, what do you think?” Grak asked as Arbor all but gawked at the massive manor.
“Can I live somewhere else, like maybe a small cabin in the forest?” Arbor asked as more of the massive house was revealed to him.
It wasn’t just the castle that was huge, but the estate grounds as well. An intricate wrought iron fence spanned the entire length of the grounds, marking the personal territory of the Viscount in charge. A cobbled path led up to the front gates, which were, as of now, unmanned, and a sprawling garden lay beyond. It was clearly in need of some tending, but it was beautiful, nonetheless. Arbor counted at least two fountains, several brooks, and over half a dozen gazebos — and this was just the front of the property.
The manor itself really stood out clearly. Shining a brilliant white and made entirely of marble, Arbor had to wonder how no one more important hadn’t wanted to lay claim to this place. Unlike the older palaces in Fivora and the other cities, the Ryevine manor had only been completed some six or seven years ago. The Ryevine family had wanted a remodel and had supposedly spent about twenty years gathering the materials needed. It was a shame that they’d upset the king to the point where they had been wiped out to a man, because all that time now seemed to have been wasted.
The house, because it looked more like a huge house than a castle, sprawled for thousands of feet, standing some forty feet tall. Instead of spires and towers, it contained triangular edges, raising into many peaked roofs and giving it a feeling of symmetry, each displaying glass panes, open to the rooms beyond. Gargoyles carved of black marble dotted the corners, standing out amidst all the white.
Tall, arching windows lined the bottom floors, allowing light to spill into the corridors, and a massive cherry-colored set of doors stood open beyond the gates. All in all, Arbor was completely appalled that he’d have to live here, which was why his first reaction had been to ask about a small cabin in the woods.
“You can sure as shit try, lad,” Hord said with a chuckle. “But somehow, I don’t think that butler of yours would allow it.”
“And neither,” Grak said, shooting him a dirty look, “would you or I.”
“Of course.” Hord immediately agreed, though it was clear he was only complying because of the threat of his wife being called in.
“I’m sure it will not be as bad as it appears, sir,” Frunk said, looking up from a blueprint of the manor. “From what I can see, the living area is well and truly sectioned off from the rest of the manor, so you should have at least some privacy.”
“Just tell me what I’m in for,” Arbor said as they stopped, allowing Sebastian to ride out in front, along with a contingent of servants to open the gates and allow them in.