Amity Series: #5 - The Herd
Kris Me
Amity Series:
#5 - The Herd
By: Kris Me
Introduction:
Bull Bron Horn's story continues.
He has already experienced so much in his first nineteen years of life. He had survived being raped by his Grandfather and giving birth to a male child when only sixteen.
He has defeated his Grandfather in battle. Now, he must stand up to the challenge of being a father of six calves and the husband of three spouses while leading the Horn Herd into a brighter future.
He has also come to realise that he is only human as a shapeshifter can be, and temptation of the flesh is something he is as vulnerable to as the next Shifter, especially when he is in heat.
Bron has discovered that he is expected to get Horn City functioning again and rid Green Island of the corruption that has been allowed to take root. He also wishes to promote those capable of magic to help him.
To do this, he needs to go on his second trading adventure. His three spouses have also charged him to find another wife or two. Apparently, they wanted a bit more help satisfying the needs of a Bull, who is also a High Mage, after he had used his magic.
After all, being a Bull, he is allowed ten wives.
------
Copyright:
Copyright © 2017 Kris Me - All rights are reserved
This story is the work of Kris Me. You must contact me before you copy more than one page or ten percent of the content, as per the Copyright Act 1968, Australia.
First Published by Storiesonline World Literature Company: 13/05/2017 as the second half of the book Amity: 4. The Herds.
Last updated: 21/09/2021.
The book cover was designed in Microsoft Paint 3D using art that is my own, copyright-free or covered by creative commons license for commercial use from https://pixabay.com/
------
Declaration:
~~ Adult Themes ~~
This book is part of an erotica science fiction series. It is NOT recommended for people under the legal age to access such stories, depending on the reader's country of origin.
The books may contain what some people consider vulgar language, references to religious icons, violence, coercion, murder, and-or rape scenes.
Some scenes may describe intimate heterosexual, bisexual, gay and-or group sexual activities. If you are homophobic, you may find some scenes in this series of books distasteful. In most cases, these scenes are integral parts of the story.
Some of the books include imaginary races capable of changing their gender and form into other animals. Copulation, while the characters are in their alternate animal forms, may be described.
This book DOES NOT contain descriptions of bestiality, but it does reference coitus between shapeshifters related by blood.
------
Editing:
If you find any of my assumptions fabricated, I would like to remind you this is a fictional story, and I have probably taken liberties with reality, as you know it. The humanoids in this story are not based on anyone I know or have read about.
Australian based dictionaries were used for reference, and Grammarly was used as part of the editing suite. The story was written in Microsoft Word.
If you find grammatical or spelling errors, they are not the fault of my editor or proofreaders who did try to fix my work. However, I do tend to fiddle around after the fact, so all errors are my own.
If my Australian colloquialisms or terms need clarification, or you just wish to correspond, I'm more than happy to answer your emails. You can send them to:
kris.me2@inorbit.com
------
The Wiki:
https://keltria.fandom.com/wiki/
The Wiki contains information about the Keltrian people, wizards, magical items, colloquialisms and adapted words that have been created for this universe. Maps, character lists and other information that may relate to this book could be found.
------
This is the fifth book:
This version was the last 20 chapters of the original book - Amity: 4. The Herds as posted on storiesonline.net.
It has been modified to flow better as a book within the Amity Series.
It is best to read the books in sequence, as some references to events or information about a character place or event may not be fully explained if they were mentioned or introduced in a previous book.
Bron's people were the progeny of shapeshifters. They had left their previous home in the Keltrian universe to flee persecution due to how they wanted to live their lives.
They were predominantly a herd form of the race called Shifters. Bighorn is their dominant alternate form to human, and the nature of the herd dictated their lifestyle.
The ancestors had been in hibernation in a section of a Keltrian wheelship called Torus. She had been forced to break into her sixteen sections. Their section, along with several others, had been transported to Amity. The section housing them had crashed on Green Island two thousand years before.
The Amity Series is linked to the Keltrian Universe. Chronologically, this story starts before Delta but finishes around the same time. It can be read as a separate entity to the Delta series since it centres around a different planet and solar system.
However, there are links to events and characters who first appear in the Delta series of books. If you have read those books, you will have better foreknowledge if some information isn't repeated in this book.
------
Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to Anna Dapter, PapaKilo14, Town Car and Johnny Sinclair, who did try to decipher my dyslexic scribbles in the original postings.
Thanks to all the readers who have pointed out I make mistakes and have helped me fix them. And extra thanks go to Lazeez for his support.
I hope you enjoy the story.
Kris Me
-----------------------------------
List of books:
Amity: #1 - Storm
Amity: #2 - Coercion
Amity: #3 - Tempest
Amity: #4 - Herders
Amity: #5 - The Herd
Amity: #6 - Calamity
Amity: #7 - Cataclysm
-----------------------------------
Chapter 1
Greta greeted me when I came back into the residence after visiting Honey.
I wasn't that unhappy with my discussions concerning her. While she had taken advantage of my being in heat, I knew I wasn't blameless. Greta didn't say anything to me at first. She just wrapped me in her arms and hugged me gently.
I wrapped my arms around her, and the tears fell. I wasn't even sure why I was crying. I then felt my other wives, Bea and Cora, hug me from the sides, and they swamped me with their love and concern. It only made me cry harder.
Greta then cracked me up by saying, "Next time, we are going bush and not coming home until you are pregnant."
Bea added, "Not if I get to him first. I'll kidnap him."
Cora scoffed, "Huh! You'll have to beat me to him."
"Maybe I should just take all three of you, and who gets lucky, gets lucky," I suggested with a big grin as I wiped away my tears.
"Now that idea I can live with. The calf will just look like you anyway. We might need bigger bags of crystals, though," Greta chuckled.
"Oh! Just think of the magic we would have to do to burn off the excess and the fun we would have recharging," Cora added.
"Come on, big boy. You've had your wallow, and we forgive you. It wasn't really your fault, as you did warn everyone, and you didn't go to her. We might not be so forgiving next time, but at least you know your effect when you're in season, and we can work on ways to counter it."
"I also owe you an apology. I should have done something about Honey, and I failed as your Dame to protect you. I knew better than anyone that you had no intention of acting on your desire."
"However, I didn't take into consideration Honey's feelings or the effect you would have on her and every other Shifter you came into contact with. You are bloody potent when in heat, my love," Greta said.
Cora groaned, "You have no idea. We desperately wanted you to change to a female that second night. If you hadn't worked us over so thoroughly and locked that door, you would be pregnant now."
"I'm sorry about breaking my promise," I started, but they all waved it off.
Bea kissed my cheek and said, "You are a Bull. You have the right to pick whomever you wish. The fact you consider our feelings is admirable. Bron, we know about your weird response to people."
"If you do feel desire for another, we know that you will only act on it if you are certain. We had no objection to Honey joining us. It took us a while to work out why you were being so coy."
Cora nodded, "We trust you, Bron. You wouldn't bring someone into this family if you were not sure that we would accept them and that you loved them. You have proven that to us beyond a doubt."
The girls steered me towards the dining room as we continued our discussion. I was feeling better at every step, knowing that they loved and trusted me.
Greta added, "You may have been aware it was Honey last night, but I don't really believe you had any control over stopping her any more than she has of stopping once she touched you. The desire to breed is intense."
"You have only felt it twice in your life. With your magic, this time, it was enhanced. I can't believe the control you did exert to stop becoming pregnant. If it had been one of the Bulls, you would have been just as powerless."
"Their spouses had a vigorous night keeping them sated. You affected us all, Bron. When Bea and I realised that Greta was with you, we were amazed that you walked out in male form," Cora finished.
I smiled, "I wasn't in season anymore when Greta joined me."
I accepted a plate of steaming sausages and eggs from Harry. Her grin was huge.
"Damn, I bet you were still potent all the same. It does take a little while to wear off," Bea cussed as she accepted her plate. Harry was giggling now.
Greta grinned at her spouses, "And then some. It was just as well he let me fuck him, or I'd be feeling like I'd been on a lanky for a week. I'm still quivering."
"Oh, I bet you enjoyed every minute of that experience. Bron is wonderful to fuck. I've never come so hard while in my male form in my life. I can't wait to do it again," Bea said, making me blush.
Harry's wink and smirk didn't help me. She pinched my arse and then chuckled all the way to the kitchen as she wiggled hers. I went from pink to crimson.
"I shudder to think what he would be like," Cavil added as he joined us. "Just being kissed by him when he isn't in season is an experience."
Cora sighed dramatically, "Oh! That is an experience. He can get you to come just by kissing you no matter which form he is in."
I put my head down and shoved food into my mouth. I should be used to their banter, but I still found it a little embarrassing. It only got worse as the other Bulls joined us and entertained the new arrivals with their entertaining night with their randy spouses.
I did get the impression that they were glad that I was now back to normal. Dick commented to this effect by saying that it could have ended in an orgy in the entertainment room if I'd stayed near them much longer than I did.
Dale groused that she missed out on all the fun. Gary commented that Dale was insatiable when pregnant, and she would have been in the thick of the orgy as fast as she could get her dress off.
I looked Dale up and down and said, "Sorry, I'll try to organise it a bit better next time. We could be the heifers and get all the cock and Bulls."
That cracked up the two tables, and they decided to change topics.
------
Dale explained that they had gotten in late the evening before.
They had bunked with the family and come over this morning to find out what was planned for the day. They had all happily joined us for a late breakfast. Bulls never say no to a free meal. While I had been talking to Honey, the others had gotten them settled in the second-floor bedrooms.
The Bulls had each brought only one or two spouses. Everyone wanted to catch up with each other's projects. In most cases, the other spouses had been left behind managing the projects.
Bob had laughed that his spouses had packed him off to get his interfering fingers out of the way. He was going to have to learn to trust his people. He said he planned to be my shadow since I seemed to have it down to a fine art at my age.
I was surprised by his statement. "I don't have time to manage everything. They treat me as the ideas and fix-it, man. Once they have an idea of what I'm trying to achieve, they just run with it."
"I dare anyone to micromanage all the projects I have going. I can barely keep up with what is going on. I've created a monster. Every council department has adopted an android, or it happened the other way around; I'm not sure which."
"They use the androids to communicate with me. Rose has become a permanent member of my staff. She has gotten really good at deflecting minor problems, and half the time, the androids find a solution."
Greta interjected, "Even I have one. Crimson has become my shadow and personal organiser. I'd be swamped without her."
The little rectangle on the table beside her plate beeped to remind Greta of a meeting.
------
The androids called the devices organisers.
You could even use them to call other people. You just talked to them when you wished to make notes or make a call, and you could transfer documents to read between them and the terminals in the offices in Tower Two.
I have no idea where the androids found the devices, but they sure made life for the councillors and clerks easier. I grinned and got up. I went and opened a cupboard. I grabbed out a handful of boxes and put one in front of each of the Bulls.
"Okay. Rose said she managed to scrounge up fifty units for us. So, you each get five. You can work out who gets the others four," I told them as they opened the boxes to see what was in them.
Cavil frowned as he held up the odd box that was transparent. It was about 12cm cubed and had a large crystal in the centre and a 10.5cm long slot in the top. The organiser was 10cm wide by 14cm long and about 2mm thick. They were very light and easy to handle. Each set had a thin silver coloured strip on one short end.
I told them that the box was a charging unit, and they put the organiser in the slot with the strip down. It charged the device in half an hour. I had managed to go half a week (five days), using it continuously without recharging it.
They just had to put the charging unit where it got some sunlight or was near a heat source. I explained that they could charge the crystal at night by the fire if they were travelling. It would even charge in a saddlebag.
My girls moved around between the Bulls and their spouses, and we gave brief demonstrations on how to use the organisers. The Bulls were totally fascinated by the technology.
I couldn't blame them, as we loved using them too.
------
I had left two organisers at the homestead when I went to get the girls.
They could now contact me, and I didn't feel as if I had deserted them. My sisters, Jose and Ray, had moved back to the homestead for me. They were helping Fran run things while my spouses were with me.
I'd sent an organiser to Tara, who was one of my older sisters. She was looking after building the new village with Natali and Hal. We had worked out a rough plan and sizes for different allotments and an area for the village's growth.
We wanted a dozen homes built to house the workers first. They would then start work on the other projects, such as the dairy, tannery and butchery. We had already moved enough animals to support them.
The village wasn't going to happen overnight, but it was happening. I wanted to go visit after the elections and when the new councillors were up to speed. It was the long way home for us, but I felt I had neglected my duties as Bull for too long as it was.
The organisers also meant I shouldn't have to attend so many meetings in Horn City. Rose had given me a device I could plug into the organiser. It projected an image of the meeting room up onto a wall.
Oliva just needed to put another organiser in a holder in the meeting room, call me, and I would effectively be there for the meetings. It would also record any sessions I missed, and I could catch up when I could.
It was a little like micromanaging, but I just thought of it as keeping the new councillors honest and happy. For some reason, the current people liked me to be at the meetings.
I could also tap into any of the City's systems the organiser had access to. Rose had assured me that only I had this privilege. I was the High Mage and the Mayor, so it was my right to monitor all systems.
I had a feeling I just needed to make my presence known at random intervals, and it would remind the people to stay honest.
I had no plan to move to Horn City permanently.
-----------------------------------
Chapter 2
I had developed a reputation.
I knew a rumour saying that, 'I had tossed Councillor Higgins from the balcony', was still doing the rounds. It did cause some people to fear me. Even Vaughn, Oliva, Dan, Redge and the androids hadn't totally dispelled it.
I had become amused and a little frustrated when Irene, the museum curator, had stood up at one of the big town meetings. She told everyone present that, for the record, I had been with her rescuing the androids when Fred Higgins died. I might be a High Mage, but I wasn't that good to that I could be in two places at once!
I think the fact that she mentioned that I was a High Mage didn't really help. The rumour changed that I had spelled Higgins to jump after I had left. Someone didn't like me. I noticed a few more people started watching what they said around me, as well.
I must admit that I had managed to piss off a few people. The fact that all previous deals that had been done with the council, abruptly ended when the bulk of the councillors left town in a hurry made some people unhappy. At least I didn't get branded with killing them.
The people who then tried to establish new deals found that my current staff were not so corruptible. Their names were also put on our watch lists and passed onto the new Police Chief.
Oh, I probably forgot to mention the old Chief decided he liked the thought of Federation as a better place to live. It saved me having to put him on the ship personally. The local constabulary had also had a change of heart about what was a crime.
Apparently, when androids report a crime, they expect action, and if they don't get it, they go find out why. Garnet had caught two men who had broken into the museum and had carried them to the local police station.
When the men yelled that the android had attacked them for no reason, the officer was going to arrest her. Garnet flashed a moving picture on the wall, with the accompanying sound, of the men's actions before entering the museum and their response when she had asked them politely to leave.
She even showed the officer the dent from where one of the men had hit her with a pole. Garnet had warned Rose, and I then had to go down to the station to rescue Garnet.
I asked the officer if he knew a mage who could do a truth spell. I was sure he wouldn't trust me to do it. The new Chief and a mage turned up an hour later. I was not a happy man, but I did keep my cool.
The mage demanded an exorbitant fee to do the spell. I then made my items visible and asked him if I should remove his magical item for falsely representing a mage. He paled and then asked why I didn't do the spell.
I explained that the officer didn't know me, and he didn't understand that a mage wearing the items I wore couldn't do deliberate harm. I didn't mention that I could lie, but I didn't make a habit of it.
He spun on the officer and the Chief and told them that if I said the men lied, then they lied. Plus, androids don't lie either. They had a reputation for being brutally honest. If they didn't believe him, then ask the android what she thought of her treatment by them so far.
Garnet decided that she would answer the question and ticked off several items that she found unacceptable in how an officer who was told a citizen was reporting a crime then treated the complainant.
The two criminals were subsequently locked up.
My relationship with the constabulary took a decided turn for the better after that. I was amused when Rose told me a week later that the constables had started asking people if an android happened to witness the crime.
The new rumour going around was that the androids were working for the Police. The androids then had to explain to many business owners that they didn't do protection work. They were amused to be offered a lot of money to take these jobs.
They did continue to report crimes. The fact that if you hurt one, it was known by all the other androids, and the Mayor, also deterred people from harming them. So, some good had come out of Garnets showdown with the Police.
The honest constables loved seeing an android on their beat.
-------
Greta and I left the Bulls to their own devices.
I had a couple of meetings I had promised to attend, and the last town forum was being run that afternoon. It was the candidates' last chance to convince the locals to vote for them.
Things had been going well for the first half-hour, then a few people started asking strange questions of the clerks' that were running for election and of Anna and Nat. They wanted to know things like what spells I had put on them and how often they had to fuck me.
The questions and comments started to get more personal. The hecklers asked the candidates about having to fuck the boss to get their jobs originally. They wanted to know if they were, would they be going it to their new clerks if they got elected. They asked if the candidates would take bribes and many more nasty insinuations.
Things went quiet when seventeen androids turned up and stood behind the seated candidates. I know I was relieved as the candidates were when they did. I wasn't sure what would have happened if I lost my temper.
Rose stepped forward and shone a high-powered narrow beam onto six different people.
She then said loud enough for all to hear, "Chief Porter, the instigators have been marked. High Mage Bron, would you put an immobilising spell on them for me, please?"
I stepped up beside her, and as soon as one started to run, I dropped a spell on them. All six tried to run. The people near them moved away and let the constables arrest them. Once they had been removed, the androids stepped back but stayed.
I was surprised when Vaughn stood and stepped to the front of the stage.
"My name, as most of you should know, is Vaughn Ells. I was the senior clerk for the Councillor of Parks and Gardens. As many of you should be aware, I'm currently acting as the Assistant Treasurer and Deputy-Mayor."
"My esteemed boss had been raping me for the two years I had been her clerk. I was not aware of the extent of her use of me until Bron forced her to leave the city or face his wrath."
"It has taken me months for my mind to reconcile the memories that have come back to me of those two years. I didn't fuck my boss for the job. None of the clerks that were fucked by their bosses had done it willingly."
"Only three of the councillors didn't wear corrupt magical rings. Two are sitting here today. They stayed with their jobs to try to protect you all as best as they could."
"You may have also noticed we have a new Police Chief. The old one left for the same reasons as the councillors. We are under the protection of an uncorrupted High Mage. While he can't harm you without cause, he can make your life bloody miserable if you cause harm to others."
"If any of you are wearing tainted magical items or use magic to harm others, I suggest you go find another country to go live in. You are not welcome on this Island anymore. The androids can tell if the item you wear is tainted, so I suggest you avoid them as well."
"You may have noticed that candidates couldn't just throw their hat into the ring this year. The people you see sitting up here had to go through a rigorous process before they could stand to represent your sector."
He pointed at me and then looked back at the crowd. He gave them a wry grin.
"Would you really like to sit in front of him and tell him lies? I tried when I first met him, but he doesn't even have to put a spell on you to get you spilling your guts. He gives you this quirky little look, and you squirm and have to blurt out the truth."
"Don't let his age fool you either. He is no person's fool. He has a way of getting his idea's across so that people become excited and do as he wishes."
"I've heard many of you comment on the new laws handed down by the Bulls. I know the majority of you honest, hardworking people are delighted with these laws."
He pointed at me again, and I started to feel very self-conscious.
"He came up with those laws. This boy, as many of you think, when you look at him. Do you honestly think he became a Bull at his age if he didn't have the smarts to pull it off? Yes, he challenged his Grandfather, but he did it to protect others."
"He has all of the Bulls working together to better their people. They are all in town, and I'm sure they would be happy to answer your questions. They are even staying at his residence because they consider him the source of their new harmony."
"Many of the people up here running for this election did so because Bron had faith in them. When the councillors left, we were rudderless. He told the clerks that since they probably know the departments better than their old bosses did, then he trusted them to help him fix things."
"We haven't worked to fix things because he sits on our shoulder, directing us. His faith in us is why you can now enjoy the parks again. It is why you aren't kicking through rubbish as you walk down the street."
"His faith in us is why many of you have new jobs and affordable homes; why the buildings don't look like they are falling down. We, clerks, don't expect you to vote us in because we work with Bron. We do believe in the jobs we are doing and that we can do them."
"Many of the other candidates also have worthy reasons that you should consider. You must decide which of us represents what you expect your council to do for you and vote with your conscience. Please note, the new councillors will be receiving a very large drop in pay, and Bron will expect them to earn every cent they do get."
"Thank you for listing to me. I think I had better go sit down before I embarrass the Mayor anymore," he said with a big grin directed at me.
Greta started clapping. I had to squeeze one eye shut due to the pain in my eardrums from the raucous clapping and cheering of the crowd and the candidates. I shook my head slightly at Vaughn and gave him a wry grin.
I believe he just got himself voted in as the Deputy-Mayor. To be honest, he was my pick. The guy had thrown himself into every task I set him. He took the job bloody seriously and made sure he knew what the other departments were doing at any given time.
He didn't pry; he just asked like I did. I was beginning to suspect he had studied how I handled people and had started mirroring me. Half the time, I didn't know how I get people to do things for me.
My mother had told me to treat people how I wanted to be treated. So that was how I tried to behave. If you asked me nicely to do something, then I was just as likely to do it for you.
I'd also learnt from my Grandfather that if you stood up for what you believed in, and told it from the heart, then you might be able to convince others to believe in those things as well.
When I was younger, I'd had a lot of respect for my Grandfather until my mother died. That was when I stopped believing in him. It was when I started to see that the things my Grandfather preached; he didn't believe in anymore.
I don't know when he became self-obsessed. Edith hinted that he truly loved my mother and he felt her having me was a betrayal of his love. I think the fact that she didn't love him as a partner and truly loved my father was the real problem.
Fran had hinted that my mother did everything in her power to protect me. She knew something about my Grandfather that could have destroyed him. However, whatever she knew, she took to the grave, and it really didn't matter anymore.
My Grandfather took his revenge out on me once she couldn't protect me anymore. I still felt that I had gotten the last laugh, though. My Grandfather had unwittingly given me Sable.
It pleased me that he didn't know I had my son back. If he had known that I loved the child, he would have kept him just to keep me in line as he did to my mother. My fate would have been similar to hers. Selling me was his next big mistake.
I looked at my beloved Greta. She smiled back at me. She was delighted by Vaughn's praise of me even though I didn't believe I deserved it. Many of the things he attributed to me I could attribute to others, like the androids.
I must do something sweet for Irene. Without her asking about Silver, I wouldn't have known about the androids. I think a lot of our success wouldn't have been as easy to achieve without their help.
I looked out over the crowd. The people had decided that Vaughn's speech concluded the gathering. They had broken into groups to discuss whatever it was that had excited them.
The candidates all looked relieved that the grilling was over. They just had to turn up to their sectors polling both in the morning and then wait until counting was done.
The androids had set up screens in several booths. The voter just had to press their thumb on the screen. The system recognised them and then put up the voting card. The voter selected the picture of the candidate beside their name for each sector.
Each sector also had a different colour to identify it. The pictures allowed for those who couldn't read very well. If the voter changed their mind and pressed on another picture, the system would highlight the new image.
Once they had selected a candidate for each sector, a red button appeared near the bottom of the screen. When they were done, they pushed the red button. Then they moved off so the next person could enter the booth.
The system recorded each vote as it was entered. The voters had until the seventh hour to vote. On a screen in my entertainment room, we would see the votes as they happened.
At half-past seventh hour, a second screen on the platform we had been standing on would display the results, and the party would start. That gave us time to get down to the platform to thank the people.
I knew I had upset a few of the local businesspeople by not inviting them to my private party while we waited for the votes, but they were welcome to party with the population. We intended to do so once the result was in.
I planned to shake as many hands as I could. I wanted the people to know that I was pleased with them coming out to vote. It was their right to select their council.
I'd tried to ensure they had the best to choose from.
-----------------------------------
Chapter 3
Some may consider that I had interfered with the voter's right to choose.
However, in my opinion, the old system let just anyone put up their hand, make a shit load of promises and have no way to meet them. My system had made the people going for selection address what they would bring to the job and what issues they cared about most.
The candidates had to state how they thought it should be fixed and how they could achieve this. They had to deal with real issues and provide practical solutions. Pie-in-the-sky rhetoric was not going to cut it in my city.
The voters had picked up on this when the candidates had to answer a list of questions that Greta had prepared at their public forums. The voters ran with similar type questions, and we got some great feedback from those forums.
I got the impression that the savvy voters did too. I was probably naughty of me, but the androids have given me a lot of feedback on what the person on the street was really thinking.
It was time to head home.
------
When we all met up back at my place, I had quite a crowd.
We opened the doors to the balcony to let people spread out. They even ended up in the dining room. I noticed that many of the candidates running against my clerks in many of the seats were a bit down.
I mentioned to Vaughn a little loudly that the guy who had also campaigned with controlling spending would probably make a great clerk. He was running in Anna's sector, and to be honest, I didn't think he had a hope, but I had liked a lot of his ideas.
Vaughn frowned at me, and at seeing my cheeky grin, he grinned back. He then wandered off to find the candidate I had mentioned. I thought they would get on well together.
A few of my other clerks that thought they had a good chance of winning mulled over what I had said. I watched them go in search of people who had also shared issues that related to their department.
It sure made me smile.
------
Satisfied and preoccupied, I jumped when Phil said, "You must be the craftiest, most devious young man I have ever met."
I turned and looked at him as innocently as I could. Then we both started laughing. He shook his head at me.
"You not only hand-picked your candidates, but you also picked their damn clerks as well."
"What, you don't think the candidates won't work hard to prove themselves? I changed the elections to every five years and a maximum of three terms per candidate," I said.
"Yes, I had picked up on that fact. Did you know Leigh and I have, in fact, been in town for a week to see just what you were up to?" he asked me.
He watched me as he took a sip of his drink. I grinned and winked at him. He burst out laughing.
"Bloody androids," he said and chuckled some more.
"I have spies everywhere. You should know that by now," I said.
"Edith! I should have guessed. I'm sure you hoodwinked me into marrying her. She is the most infuriatingly wonderful woman I have ever met," he said in exasperation.
"Yeah, she is easy to love. You must remember she was more or less my mother after my mother died," I reminded him.
"Yes, and her faith in you is as immovable as a mountain. One night, she told me that she couldn't pinpoint when she knew that you would have a major impact on the island. Only that when you did, the lives of everyone here would change for the better," he told me.
"It wasn't intentional, I can assure you. I was thinking on a lot smaller scale when I decided my Grandfather had to go. Cavil forced my hand sooner than I expected it to happen, but I don't regret making that decision," I told him.
I felt an arm go around my waist. When I looked, I was surprised that it was Cavil in female form. He wasn't a bad looking broad for his age either. I hugged him to me and kissed his forehead.
"Hi, sexy," I said and grinned as he squeezed me.
"I'm going to kill you," Cavil said. "It is going to be a slow and torturous death. But I'm not going to do it until after you hold my hand during childbirth. I have two very reliable sources that you are perfect at the job."
I think both Phil and I blinked at the shocking news at the same time.
"Oh dear, two pregnant Bulls at the same time," Phil said in shock.
Cavil shook his head, "No, three." He nodded over at Dick.
It took me a moment to even recognise Dick. I'd never seen his other form. "Damn, he's a hotty. How does he manage to produce those udders?" I said in awe.
Phil and Calvin both cackled.
"You should have seen him when he was younger. He was a damn hot babe back then. Though I must admit he wears his maturity well," Phil replied as his eyes also drifted up and down Dick.
"He hates being called Dick in his female form and insists we call him, oh sorry, her, Ricky."
"We called him Tricky Ricky because he was the biggest flirt you had ever met. He comes up to you, lifts those udders up into your eyes and mesmerises you. I don't think I have ever met anyone that could say no after that."
"They didn't say no after he fucked them stupid either," Cavil added.
Phil grinned at Cavil, "You too, huh!"
"Up until recently, I don't think there was a Bull that hadn't appreciated his charms. Get a few drinks in him and," Cavil stopped and then blushed bright red.
"Now I get the reference to the orgies," I chuckled.
"Yes, well, we had better not corrupt the calves," Phil stated with a cough.
"Huh! Old man, I think that clucker has flown," Dale replied as he and Gary joined us.
Dale was looking radiant. Pregnancy suited her, and her happiness at both being pregnant and having Gary in her arms was obvious.
"So, do we know who did the deeds?" I asked.
"Beth," Cavil said, resigned. "After you left this morning, she pulled me back to our room and demanded I change for her. It wasn't until too late that I realised I had even come into season. She must have got me on the first hit."
"Gary had to try a couple of times, but we had a lot of fun trying," Dale volunteered with a chuckle.
Dick joined us. He was looking a little forlorn until he realised both Dale and Cavil were in female form.
"Crap, not you too, Cavy! Damn spouses, Helen was as randy as," he informed us.
"Afraid so, Ricky. Looks like Bron triggered us. I remembered too late that his Grandfather did it many years ago, when my father was still the Bull," Cavil replied.
"Oh shit! I had totally forgotten about that. We all came into season within days of him," Phil exclaimed in horror.
"Damn! Now you tell us. Bron, we could have had the best orgy ever if we had known," Dale retorted as if she was put out by missing out on some fun.
We all had to chuckle at her remark. Gary smacked Dale on the arse and said, "Until you pick another spouse, there is only going to be one cock between those gorgeous legs of yours."
"Spoilsport," Dale said and poked her tongue at Gary.
It was the most un-Bull like action we had ever seen. We all cracked up.
Dale looked around and indicated her nose at Vaughn, "What about him? He is a real cutie?"
I replied, "I prefer you didn't. That's my future Deputy-Mayor and Treasure you're eyeing off."
"Ooh, I like a man of power," Dale cooed and batted her eyelashes.
Gary replied, "I know the type of power you prefer. I agree he is cute, but we had better not mess up Bron's plans. Keep looking. What about her?"
I looked to see who they had picked out this time. Oliva turned and smiled at us, and she started to wander over.
"Oh, that walk is definitely a turn on," Dale said with a drool in her voice.
"I agree, my love. She is outstanding," Gary replied with desire evident in his.
I frowned and looked at my clerk, "She is related to Cavil. Her mother was a Hind."
"Oh, that is too perfect," replied Dale with a chuckle.
Cavil looked at Oliva and frowned, "Good grief! She is my full sister's girl. It has been years since I've seen her or her mother."
"I think she would make a lovely Roan," Dale said. She hadn't taken her eyes off Oliva as she walked over. Gary was just as bad.
I looked at Cavil and then at Oliva. I wondered why I hadn't really picked out the likeness. I know knew why Greta and Oliva got on so well; they were cousins. It was unusual for me to take so long to connect the dots.
"Uncle Cavil!" Oliva exclaimed.
Cavil let go of me and happily gave Oliva a hug. She turned back to us but didn't let Oliva go.
"I'm not sure I should introduce you to this lot. You're possibly safe with Bull Phil Bay as he was recently married and is under the thumb."
"Ricky here has had an unfortunate accident like me. In her other form, she is known as Bull Dick Bellows. Now, these two I'm far more dubious about. Bull Dale Roan currently only had one spouse. Gary was a Bay before they married at Bron's party."
"Gary is looking for someone to share the onerous duties of keeping up with a pregnant Bull. Unfortunately for you, they spied you from across a crowded room. They have both been salivating ever since."
Oliva looked Dale and Gary over, and I could see genuine interest in her eyes. Dale and Gary were both returning it. I could almost feel the sparks flying.
'Crap', I thought. 'I was going to need a new clerk.'
I shook my head. "You three had better go get acquainted," I sighed with resignation. "Just remember that you have to find me a new clerk before you leave," I said to Oliva.
She looked at me in surprise. Cavil shook his head at her, "Sorry, my dear. When Bron says it's a done deal, it is. No matter how hard we tried to trip him up at his party, every couple he pointed out ended up standing in front of us to get married, even this pair."
"Us? You knew that Dale and I would get married?" Gary asked with a hint of disbelief.
"Duh, you're just like your father. I guess the Bay men have a thing about long legs and sexy walks. Your eyes popped out when Dale walked up behind me when your father and I were talking."
"Admittedly, I didn't expect Sony to react quite like she did, but I wasn't unhappy about the outcome. Your father did the same thing when Edith walked towards us after he got off his lanky," I informed him.
"Now, you three, the sparks are flying. You had better go find out if it's lust or if it can be more," I told them.
"Oh please, let it be more," Dale said as he took Oliva's hand.
We all watched her shiver, and then the other Bulls just shook their heads at me. I just shrugged. I'm not sure where they went to become acquainted, but I was sure it included a large flat surface that bounced a little.
They didn't join the party for some time, and when they did, the radiance coming from them was blinding to me.
I grinned and headed up to my room.
-----------------------------------
Chapter 4
I was delighted with what I had found in my magic box.
While I was coming back from Ochre City, I'd played with the almost finished bling I had found. As I had guessed, many of the items were just missing the special magical crystal. One of the chests had held a small pouch of jeweller's tools.
I was no jeweller, but I didn't think it would be too hard to put a crystal of the right size in the items. I was delighted to find all I had to do was find or shape a crystal fit. Then gently line it up with the space and put it in position. The crystal fused itself into place.
I absently noticed the item felt different after the crystal was added. I inspected them for dark spots, but their auras were clear and pure. I'm not sure how many items I fixed. After the first couple, I just seemed to drift off in a trance. I only snapped out of it when the Captain had called me, and I put everything away.
I absently noticed I had set each item with any other item that had the same gems but was different, like a ring with a medallion and a medallion with a diadem. In some cases, I had made a complete set. They were only missing wands and spellbooks.
To idle away more time on the trip, I found myself writing little books with different sets of spells. Each time I sat down to do this, I ended up in that strange trance. I found myself putting the books with different sets of items and putting them in little drawstring bags that I had made.
Even with my formidable memory, there were some nights I don't remember when I went to bed. I hadn't thought about the items much in the last couple of months, as I had just been too busy.
I also realised that I hadn't noticed any strong auras to tweak my memory. Not until tonight that was. I collected the items I wanted and grabbed a couple of others that I now believed had homes. Very pleased with myself, I headed downstairs.
Dale and her couple were easy to spot. I also glanced around the room and smiled broadly. I went over to Dale, "I need you three to come with me, please."
I then steered them in the direction of the library. Once inside, I closed the door and spelled it against intrusion. I looked at my three victims.
"It seems we have a problem," I said in a serious voice.
They all looked guiltily at each other. The trio reeked of sex and each other's scents. They must have done a lot of getting equated with each other for me to smell them as I did.
I held the serious look and paced a couple of times, glancing at them as I did. I stopped and faced them. I placed an arm across my chest. I rested my other elbow on it and put my hand to grip my chin.
"I can't have potential novices wandering around not knowing the trouble they can get into," I told them in a stern voice.
They looked at me bewildered. I opened my satchel and pulled out a bag, then I handed it to Dale. I extracted the next and gave it to Gary. Oliva looked at me with speculation as she accepted the third bag.
"As novices, the items give you a little leeway for error. However, if you open the bag, you must accept the responsibility to serve the One People to the best of your abilities. You will be bound to this promise."
"These items will allow you to develop the innate skills you have. You will be surprised how often you use the spells you learn. Once you have practised them, they will get easier, and you will find you can learn harder spells."
I stopped as I saw the comprehension dawn on each of their faces and smiled at them with a wicked grin, "I've discovered that some people need to perform an act of love to stimulate their abilities further."
"Now, I don't know what happened when you three got familiar with each other, but something did. The choice is yours if you wish to train and use your abilities," I told them.
They looked at each other and then back at me. Oliva stepped up to me. She grabbed my face and kissed the hell out of me.
She stepped back, and with tears in her eyes, she said, "It sure was my lucky day when you walked into Higgins's office."
"Anything Bron and I mean anything. If it's within my power to help you in any way, please don't hesitate to ask it of me. You gave me back my sense of self-worth, and I can't thank you enough for these two wonderful people."
"I can see why the Bulls all think you are a matchmaker. We no sooner touched, and we just knew. It was as if we had just been waiting for each other. We have things to work out, but we all feel it is just a matter of logistics and timing."
Dale stepped up to me and kissed me next. She didn't hesitate with using her tongue any more than Oliva had. I've now kissed two Bulls. I wondered if I was going to work my way through all of them. When she released me, I had to smile at both the tonguing and the kinky thought.
"What she said," Dale told me. "I was very apprehensive when your demand for a meeting turned up. Sony went off her nut. Some perverse side of me told her point-blank that we had to comply with the laws, and we had to go to the meeting."
"I immediately divorced all my wives but her. Since they were mostly my sisters, calves, aunts and cousins, I was more than happy to do it. It felt so right to strike their names from the register book. She tried to stop me, and it must have been the first time I had ever stood up to her."
"I even yelled at her that it was the law, and I had to comply with the law, or I would be dehorned. Whatever control she had over me slipped a little that day. The trip to your homestead had been horrible. I couldn't even stand to be in the same tent as her and slept alone most nights."
"Something happened to my family, as well. When I told them where we were going and why I had divorced them, it seemed to break her hold on them. They had the power to say no to her. I couldn't say no when she did come to me, but I couldn't perform. I just turned female and let her do what she wanted."
"You were right about Gary and me. When I turned to see the desire that he had for me, it bowled me over. He didn't want to just use me. He wanted me. He didn't even know who I was, but I felt his need resonate deep inside of me."
"I felt it when you took Sony's control from me. I think it had weakened a lot by then, as I didn't feel it was any effort on your part to free my mind totally. It was just like I had been underwater, and you gently pushed me to the surface, and I could breathe again."
"I took no joy in defeating Sony. I just did what I knew I had to, for my family, for my sanity. Having Gary to hold me and wash me clean with his love were the most wonderful feelings I had ever experienced until today."
"I don't even know what it is about Oliva that is special. Just everything, I guess. She is like a piece of us that was missing. Anything, anytime, Bron, anything," she said with deep emotion.
I had to hug her. She was a decent sort, and she'd had a shittier time than I had. If I did have a hand in making her life better, then I could only consider it a good thing for all concerned.
Dale stepped back into Oliva's arms.
Gary regarded me with a look of contemplation, "You really don't manipulate people for personal gain, do you? People are just a big puzzle for you. When you see two pieces that you believe belong together, you just steer them in that direction."
"I watched you a lot at the party. I've watched you since we have been here. You look like some innocent young man who doesn't have a clue. Then I'll catch a look in your eyes."
"You have the shrewdest eyes I have ever seen. I always thought your Grandfather was calculating. But his motives and yours are poles apart. I can see why the Horn Ring never went to him."
I frowned at him, "What ring?"
"Isn't that what you are wearing?" he asked.
"No, I have a full set," I informed him and revealed my items to them. They all gasped, and I hid them again. "I found them in the old starship on Cavil's property."
"Seriously! Have you told my dad?" he asked with excitement.
"No, only Cavil, my girls, and now you three know," I answered.
"Bron, you need to talk to my dad. He has studied a lot about magic and our history. If you don't mind me asking, did you find these items in the ship?"
"Yes, but they weren't complete. Bea found some magic crystals when we were in Federation, and I was able to fit some of them into the half-finished items. I do believe they will work for you. They glowed when I thought of you three."
They all looked at each other and looked in the bags. They removed the ring first and put them on. They then removed the medallions and placed them around their necks. They all shuddered slightly and then gave me a big grin.
"Oh yeah, Bron, they work," Gary said.
"Is there a little book of spells in the bag?" I had to ask.
Dale gave me an odd look, but he removed his book. I was relieved that they were in the bag.
"If you fixed them and put them into the bags, why don't you know what's in the bag?" he asked me, perplexed.
I shrugged, "I sort of fixed them while I was in some sort of daze. I know I fixed the items and wrote the books, but I don't have a conscious recollection of what went into each bag. It was as if I didn't need to know at the time."
I looked at the items, "Dale is Nature, Oliva is Lore and Gary is Earth. Oliva is the brains of the outfit, Dale the nurturer and Gary the glue that sticks you all together," I said and chuckled at my assessment.
"Only you would come up with a description like that, Bron. I have a feeling that your assessment may not be far off the mark," Dale commented. "I think that is what Gary and I were missing. We need Oliva to keep us focused."
"Having her in bed sure focuses my attention," Gary quipped.
Dale and I chuckled, and Oliva gave Gary a glare, but it had no heat in it. Gary blew her a kiss, and she had to giggle with us.
"We will have to try to find some time after the election so I can show you some rudimentary spells that you should all be able to do. You'll find that some spells are easier for one of you but not so easy for others."
"The girls and I are self-taught, but we may be able to ease your way a bit. Between you, you have all six disciplines. The one I mentioned is your primary discipline, but the others are equally important."
"You should find that when you join forces and work together like Dale and Gary, have seen the girls and I do, you can achieve a lot more. It takes practice, and one of you has to be the primary."
"You may find the person with the discipline that you wish to use is often the best. If not, then Dale as the Bull will most likely become the primary. While Oliva has Lore, she is more likely to be the one who comes up with the information that Dale needs and then organises the plan of action."
"Gary is a doer. I'm not insulting your intelligence, but you are more like the one who ensures that the plan Oliva puts together to comply with Dales wishes is carried out. Gary, you are perfectly cable of fixing problems that come up expectantly."
"As you three become more efficient, you will mostly find that you work together like a well-oiled machine. Each part is as important as the other is. You two, just be aware that Dale's focus will always be on the needs of the family."
"His nurturing instinct and his Bull instincts are all about family. Having Psychic as his secondary reinforces this. If he can't see how an idea will help the family thrive, he is less likely to be swayed to go with it. You are more likely to influence him if your arguments are sound."
"Dale's word is law," Gary said as if he had never even thought to question it otherwise.
"As long as it is within the law," Oliva qualified.
I chuckled, "See, you don't need me to tell you about yourselves at all."
Dale smiled at me, "Actually, I liked the way you did. It gave me a clear focus on how we complement each other and that I have to remember that I can't do everything. My spouses each have special qualities to help me, and only a fool would let a good resource go to waste. Thank you, Bron."
"Good, try to find some time to look at your books. The mental exercises are the best thing to focus on first."
"We had better get back to the party," I finished up, and we happily headed back to the party.
We did get a couple of funny looks, but the way Oliva and Gary clung to Dale, it is evident to all that they were wrapped up in each other.
I was pleased with how they complemented each other.
-----------------------------------
Chapter 5
The party after the election was massive.
It may sound a bit anti-climactic, but I was happy with the outcome of the election. The clerks that I was glad to see promoted were. The candidates I felt would be voted in were, and the candidates I felt would take clerk jobs did.
Most importantly, Vaughn shoed it in. I wonder how many people noticed the ring on Vaughn's finger. Yeah, he got two promotions. I had found him after I'd dealt with Dale and his spouses. I also collected Anna, Nat, Warner and Jean Horn-Bay Junior.
I was delighted Jean won her seat, and so was her mother. Jean is also taking over her mother's department, so she has plenty of help, as her mum said she would stick around for a bit. Jean had been acting as her mother's clerk, and with a bit of urging, she'd agreed to run.
The items I handed out were a mixed bag. Most were two-gem sets that had a medallion and a ring. Vaughn actually received a three-gem set. Neither of us was surprised Nature was his primary discipline. I wasn't surprised that Lore was his second, but Energy did surprise me.
His set had the three major items, and as far as I knew, that made him the second most powerful mage on the island. This didn't bother me. His items were clean, and Vaughn's aura was healthy. Vaughn had very defined principles as to right and wrong.
He also had a compassionate nature, but he wasn't a pushover. He was a nice bloke, and we were fast friends. Handing Horn City over to Vaughn with the other new novices and the androids to help him, I felt the city was now in good hands.
The androids told me they, too, were happy with the new councillors and could work with them. I was amused that as far as the androids were concerned, they had been assigned to the Departments. I knew the new councillors were delighted that they would be keeping their androids.
I'm not sure how many of them knew that if they stepped out of line and the androids found out, then I did too. As long as they behaved, they wouldn't hear from me other than me telling them that they were doing a great job.
Back to the party, the vibe in Horn City after the election was electric. I did get to shake a lot of hands and meet a lot more of the locals, and I had a ball. I'd never needed many people around me. I've always been perfectly happy with my own company, but I liked being with happy people.
As I wandered around, I was amused to realise that I'd become a bit of an extrovert since I put the mages items on. I did notice that the girls tried to make sure I had an hour to myself in the evenings. I still needed a bit of alone time, but I think most people do.
The rest of the time, however, I seemed to be surrounded by people. Greta told me that people gravitated to me. I was already wearing the items when she and I had gotten together, so she didn't really understand how much of a loner I had been before.
When we had gotten back to Cavil's homestead after we had been herding, I had been dragged into her family. The fact that Cavil had taken a liking to me beforehand was why she didn't realise that in my home, I had been an enigma.
The trip to Federation had opened me up a lot more to dealing with people. Captain Hail and his crew had helped a lot. While they didn't crowd me, they were happy enough to talk to me and give me space when I needed it.
Cora's outgoing nature was infectious, and she became my teacher even if she never knew it. I learned a lot from her on how to deal with people. It was in Federation that I discovered I had a bit of a quirky nature and love of little jokes.
I should thank Lady Di for teaching me a lot as well. From her, I learnt how to recognise people like her and my grandfather. She also taught me how your actions deem how other people view you and treat you in turn.
Sometimes you have to see the bad to appreciate the good. As much as I've not enjoyed some of the bad things that have happened to me, each situation taught me something. I believed I was a stronger person from dealing with what life had thrown at me so far.
Dale was another good example. I had a lot of respect for Dale. He'd been through some nasty shit. To see him now with his thickening belly and his two spouses, you'd be fooled into believing his life had been all sweetness and light.
His easy-going nature hid a backbone of steel. I suspect that if he had been older before Sony got her hands on him, things at the Roan property would have turned out differently.
Yet, he has come out of his experiences stronger for them, just like I had.
------
I was standing in the middle of the park wool-gathering and just soaking up the atmosphere.
Then a woman of indeterminable age approached me. She stood in front of me and glared at me. Her hate pulsed off her like flames. I looked down and met her eyes. Fuck, they were scary eyes. I was wondering if she was insane.
Oddly, I didn't fear her. My medallion wasn't warm. I felt a sadness that she was such a twisted soul. I didn't think our encounter boded well for her.
"Can I help you?" I asked her softly.
"Help! You have buggared up everything. I worked so hard to be someone, and now I'm no one. You took everything from me. You! You're nothing but a snivelling little boy with visions of grandeur. You are barely out of nappies," she barked at me with contempt dripping from her words.
"You think that just because you're a Horn, everything should be dropped at your feet, and people should bow and scrape to do your bidding. Your grandfather was the same. He learned differently, and so will you. You will be mine to wield," she said with menace.
I felt her form the spell. I grabbed her chin and pulled her face up so that her eyes locked with mine. She blinked in surprise and met my eyes.
"No," I said softly.
She screamed in frustration and reeled away from me.
"How can you do that?" she spat at me as she held her head.
"No, no, there are no High Mages. You're just a boy. You can't gain that level of power at your age. It takes years of study," she ground out in disbelief that I had cancelled her spell so easily.
"Sorry, but I am what I am. Why didn't you leave with the councillors, Mary Blackthorn?" I asked with compassion.
"This is my home, my city. You can't drive me away. I won't let you. I had the others at my beck and call. I ruled, and I will rule again. That idiot Higgins and even your grandfather were my creatures. I had it all, and you will not take it from me," she screamed at me.
"No, Mary, this is now my city. If it was yours, why did you hide? Why did you let me take it from you so easily? Every action you have tried, I have countered. Petty, very petty actions at that. You didn't have as much control here as you deluded yourself into believing," I told her in a conversational voice.
"Those fucking droids, you can't spell an android. They are not people. I should have destroyed them after you left. I knew I should have," she bemoaned.
"So why didn't you?" I asked with interest.
"They were fixing things that would be useful to me. I wanted to control them. I just needed a bit more time, but you came back before I was ready. You fucked up everything with your charming little boy act."
"And these saps ate it up. The Wonder Boy was making things better. You just flashed that cheeky smile, and they sucked up to you like leeches. Then they bow and scrape at your big feet," she railed at me.
I had to look at my feet. I looked back up at the woman and gave her the cheeky grin that she so hated, "Your right, I do have big feet. You know what they say about big feet?"
She blinked at me in confusion. I saw her eyes drop to my crotch. She couldn't seem to help herself. Her eyes flashed back to mine in anger. She was pissed that I had distracted her so easily.
"Look, Mary, you don't have a lot of options. I will take that medallion before we finish this conversation. If you had left when you were given the option, you could have kept it. But now that I know you have it, you have lost that opportunity."
"I will put the separation anxiety spell on you, but I've been told that it won't totally dispel the loss of a magical item."
I pulled a band from my pocket. She looked at it in horror and then at me.
"Rose said that if I put this on a person who had misbehaved and lost the right to their items that it does help. Something to do with the fact it is a magical item. You won't be able to use magic anymore, but the effects of having no magic are nullified."
She started stepping back from me, shaking her head from side to side. I could see her silently mouthing the word 'no'. She turned to run.
I winced when she smashed into a metal chest. Two metal hands grabbed the tops of her arms. Rose looked down at the small woman.
"I was not happy to be locked up when I had work to do, Mary," Rose told her. "You are a bad mage. The wizards of old took the corruption of magical items seriously. Corruption of magic was what started a war that nearly decimated this world."
"We androids are spelled. The spell you tried on Garnet could not work because it both conflicted with her programming and the spell that protects us from coercion spells."
"We have known of your whereabouts, but we couldn't observe you doing wrong, so we couldn't interfere. However, you changed that directive when you tried to spell Bron. This wasn't very smart of you. We did tell you that he is a High Mage."
"A novice, even with your training, can't place a spell on one such as him. The simple fact that his aura shines so pure, you should have worked this out yourself."
Rose looked at me, "You may do your spells, Master Bron." Rose turned Mary around and held her away from herself.
"I'm sorry, Mary," I said sadly.
I dropped the cuff on her wrist and removed her medallion when it appeared after I did the spells. She whimpered and cried softly when I removed it from her. She was broken in so many ways; it saddened me further.
Her mind was not a pretty place to be. I added a spell that I wasn't happy to perform. Taking away someone's memories invaded their rights as far as I was concerned. However, Mary's memories of her early adulthood were gruesome.
She had been badly treated before she came here from Federation. An image of Lady Di flaying Mary's chest and laughing as she did it flashed up in Mary's mind. The intense anger I felt caused Mary to flinch.
I gently pulled her into my arms and smothered her in my compassion. She wept against my chest in heart-rending sobs as I rubbed her back. I wanted to cry with her.
"She will pay Mary. I vow it to you, here and now. I knew Di was evil, but I was never exposed to her true nature. When the time comes, she will pay," I told her in a hard voice.
I placed my hand on the back of Mary's head and gently pushed the bad memories into a corner of her mind, and locked a door on them. I left her a key in her mind. When she felt she could deal with them, she would be able to. If she never wished to open that door, then she didn't have to.
I felt I had to give her this option. We must all fight our demons, but sometimes the horror robs us of the ability to find a way to deal with them and retain our humanity. Mary had tried by being like her tormentor. It wasn't a happy solution as it had only extended her pain.
I left her the happy young woman who lived in another corner of her mind. They were her most precious memories and who she was before she went to work for Lady Di. I felt her relax in my arms, and she looked up at me with that woman's eyes.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
She reached up, kissed me softly on my lips and then gently removed herself from my arms.
"Now that I can think more clearly, I need to find a way to redeem myself. Thank you for not letting me forget what I have done or those whom I have hurt. I do need to deal with those demons first. They are my actions."
I smiled softly at her, "That is all I can ask of anyone, Mary."
She nodded at me and turned to push through the crowd that had formed around us.
While I was dealing with Mary, I had totally blotted them from my mind.
-----------------------------------
Chapter 6
I looked at the people around me in surprise.
One of the men said, "Now that is how a mage should behave. This is one lucky city to have a mage like you, Bron."
I blushed as others also showered me with praise. Rose and I happily settled onto the grass and talked to the people around us. We joked, and we talked about the election. We discussed what was going to happen in the future, amongst many other topics.
At some stage, Greta found me to drag me home. She wasn't really angry, just exasperated with me.
Rose chuckled at my 'Yes dear' and said that she needed to recharge and went her way. The people we had been having fun talking to, also realised it was very late and headed home.
Greta scolded me. They had been looking for me for ages. The androids had been naughty and simply said that I was happy and doing my job. They wouldn't give up my location.
She knew that it was I, who was holding court when she noticed the crowd sitting in a big circle in the park. She wasn't surprised to find Rose and me in the middle of them. Even though the androids had assured her that I was safe, she and the girls had been worried.
The others had headed back to the residence hours before, and I was surprised it was so late. Rose and I had been having a great time. The people had offered me food and given me drinks to keep me there.
Greta and I talked as we walked. I informed her that many of the people were small business owners, and I had learnt a lot about their personal issues and what plans they had. We had discussed new businesses they saw potential in developing.
The people were delighted to hear about some of the processes we had put in place to help them but that they hadn't learned about. I expected that when the council opened for business, they were going to be busy.
The people were all grateful for the reduction in rents. Many of them said they had barely been making a living trying to keep up with them. Higgins had refused to let them put up their prices, so they barely covered their costs.
That bit, I didn't know. Many of them had resorted to moving into their business because they couldn't afford to own a house. They said that the one good thing from doing that was that by living there it deterred thieves.
The other thing that had been killing them was paying protection money to the constables if they didn't live in the shop. Since the Police had undergone a cleanout and the androids had taken to patrolling at night, this had also eased their worries.
They all agreed that things, in general, had greatly improved. I was told that it was safer to walk the streets at night. The new roads, pavements and lit streets were also great for getting about.
They also thanked me for moving the school and opening two new ones. They all had their calves back in school as it freed them up to put more work into their businesses. I got the impression that they all believed that their calves should be educated.
We discussed how their calves were fairing and if they had enough facilities. I revealed we were looking at building a training school to help with covering the necessary skills that all trainees needed. Then we would specialise in some jobs.
I mentioned that we were also looking at parents being able to send their calves to this school to improve their job prospects. Rose and I were delighted by the crowd's response to this proposal.
We discussed what they considered basic things a trainee should know if they were going to hire them and specific aspects that would improve their chances. We covered some other topics like transport to the schools and times of operation of public transportation.
I informed Greta that Rose recorded the conversations, and she would put reports together to send to the appropriate departments. The conversation had also given her and the other androids ideas on how they could improve the buildings that now housed our schools.
She would also look into transport issues and several of the concerns of the town's people that her people generally looked after. Rose and I had probably learnt more about the city and its people from having this little get-together than we would have by any other means.
I mentioned to Greta that we should have more open discussions that people can attend in the future. Then the council shouldn't lose contact with the very people they were there to serve.
She agreed that I should get Vaughn to do this. She was sure he would be happy to do it. She mentioned he was still a little in shock that he had indeed been voted in.
I chuckled and replied, "He will grow into it. I liked the first time I met him."
Greta chuckled, "He was so sweet. He fussed about us like a mother clucker. He was anxious about you facing Fred."
"The good thing is that with most of the people who have been doing the work are still in a position to keep doing what we started. I'd love to head south much sooner if we can," I told Greta as we arrived back in our home.
"That would be nice. Bea and Cora want to head back to the homestead after the festival. Now I'm not feeding Bonny we have decided she and Tina can go with them. I assume Sable will be staying with us," Greta asked.
"I'll ask him. He does miss the girls. He is very protective of his sisters," I mentioned.
"He is his father's son and seems to take on responsibilities even at his age," replied Greta.
The residence was quiet as people seemed to have headed off to bed. I was grateful when Greta steered me to ours. I was surprised by how tired I suddenly felt. I stripped off and crawled into bed beside Cora. Greta soon joined me, and I cuddled into her back. I kissed her neck and mumbled goodnight.
I dropped off to sleep in moments.
------
I woke to a wonderful sensation.
Someone was licking my cunnie. I groaned as a tongue jabbed into me and spread my legs wider. I encountered another leg, and it moved over mine. It pressed down as the person lifted their hips and let out a moan.
I chuckled as it seemed Cora and had I become the cows. Greta sucked on my cunnie hard, and I had arched my hips in response to the awesome sensations she invoked in me. She didn't play long.
I guessed she was horny as she worked her way back up my body and probed for entry. I sighed in delight as she thrust her way into me. Cora grunted, and I watched as Bea filled her with a thick cock.
Watching Cora get fucked as Greta fucked me was exciting. The girls hadn't done it often when I had refused to change. Now that I was happy to receive as well as give, it was more common for two of us to be in male form.
We all liked sucking on a cunnie but enjoyed fucking much more. Greta distracted me by licking my nipple. She then thrust in hard, and I concentrated on making it as pleasurable for her as it was for me.
I'd not practised how to make my cunnie tighten on a cock or how to move my muscles to massage it, but I was getting better going by Greta's groans of pleasure. She started speeding up and really slammed me. I lost control, and my cunnie clenched hard.
It then spasmed when she smashed me again. She locked her hips into mine and grunted as she filled my quivering cunnie. I shuddered several times as she filled me, and I came with her and pulled the magic.
Cora and Bea joined us moments later, and I washed them in magical energy too. I loved my spouses. Having them curled around me after sex was one of the highlights of my days.
Another was getting us to that state in the first place. Greta had woken me not long after dawn, and we weren't in any hurry to join the others. Cora and I swapped partners so I could do Bea while she got Greta.
We did eventually make it breakfast.
------
The next week was a lot of fun.
We provided opportunities for our families to socialise. The group activities grew as the families branched out, and more locals became part of the mix. I was beginning to suspect quite a few townies would be finding themselves living in smaller villages.
Shifters didn't tend to go for long courtships. Most of us knew if someone was compatible or not. True, some were more so than others were. My family was being choosy and looking for good fits. I knew some wouldn't be love matches like mine.
Some of the family may even go home alone. They didn't seem too worried. They weren't being sold or pressured to accept someone they knew they wouldn't be happy with. So, they all just had a lot of fun, and if they did find someone, then they would go home even happier.
Love must have been in the air at that festival. Either that or it was my fault, as Phil believed. When I saw Ian Gray at the breakfast table one morning sprouting a sensational set of udders and then the smug expression on Marcy's face, I had to chuckle.