Chapter 295: Millie Is Recovering
The Blink Cat hopped up on the stable stall beside Dominic, close enough that he could include the twenty kilo animal in the love fest, while Jasmine made her great escape.
Millie, the garden Witch, came in with her usual dreamy smile and waved at Dominic.
"Oh, kitty likes you too. I came to make sure that the new goat was doing well." She announced.
The cat clearly rolled its eyes at her, the little goat was feeding now, and the older goats had come to greet Dominic.
"How has your head been?" Dominic asked as the Elf crouched to hug one of the animals.
"Much better. The Princess and her men have cast spells to heal me that are better than my own, and the headaches are nearly gone. My mind is a little more clear, too."
"Oh, that is excellent news. It’s much easier to spend time in the garden when your head doesn’t hurt." Dominic replied.
She smiled and nodded in agreement. "I’ve got a new chair made at the corner of the garden, so I can just sit in the shade under the big tree. Planting the second garden was a good idea. It’s got a much better view of the sunset."
Dominic chuckled. "How is that second garden coming along?"
"Excellent. It’s smaller than the other garden, so it’s got all the things we don’t need much of. The radishes, pumpkins, and raspberries mostly. I snuck some Dragonberry bushes in there as well, but Tena says I’m not supposed to tell you."
Dominic smiled at the proud and utterly innocent minded Elf. "Good work. The other Witches have been making medicine with them."
"For fever? They’re good for that, and they help you sleep as the illness fades. One berry, sliced and steeped in a pot of tea, will treat a whole house full."
Dominic didn’t know that. But then they also ate the berries in pie, and he was never really sick as a child.
While they talked, the kitchen staff was hard at work, getting a larger than usual pot of soup ready, and baking a fresh batch of flatbread.
If the prisoners hadn’t been fed much, then giving them a heavy meal could make them very sick. But soup and bread would be easy on the stomach, as well as filling enough that they could sleep well.
Every family in town had a similar story, and while they didn’t know the specifics yet, as the veiled maids hadn’t seen the need to share the sordid details, it didn’t take a genius to know that Alexis was going to gain more faithful followers after today.
Probably not as house staff, they already had more than enough of those. But perhaps workers for the new factory if they had the magic, or even moved out to one of the farms.
As dinner approached, the maids started to set up folding tables and benches in the main hall, as there were too many guests expected to fit at the one table tonight.
First, there were the rescues, but they were also expecting to see the Sheriff and members of both Barons’ estates.
They had concerns about the attacks, and the risk to their people, as they were further from the estate, and didn’t have a standing guard.
Or really any other need for one.
The first to arrive was Baron Keith, who came with his wife and one of his older sons.
The road to their Barony was clearly visible from the yard, where Dominic was chatting with Millie, so he went to greet their guests at the gate.
Only, Alexis got to them first, as she was on her way back with the new arrivals. They were clean, and properly dressed now, though everything looked like it was secondhand.
But they weren’t looking quite as traumatized as they had been a few hours ago, and Dominic took that as a good sign that they might recover from their ordeal.
He could sense that most of them had strong magical affinity, and that was most likely the reason that they were taken.
The mages who were holding them would have needed more bodies for ritual spells, and prisoners would serve as a perfectly good conduit. Trolls would as well, but an unwilling troll was much harder to control than a terrified human villager who had never been in a fight in their lives.
"Welcome back, Baron. Welcome to Wistover Manor, everyone." Dominic greeted them as they reached the gate.
"Duke Wistover, it’s good to see you again. Baron William informed me of the situation." Baron William explained.
"Of course, come in and make yourself comfortable. This must be your wife and son. It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Sheriff Nate should be here soon, along with a few others."
Surprisingly, Dominic saw many more people coming to the Manor tonight. Sheriff Nate was expected, but General Alator, Captain Brass, and Omar Khalil were also on their way over. They must be representing the town guard, as they were all ranking officers before they arrived here.
But Betty, the most human of the Witches, was coming to see them as well. She was sipping tea as she stumbled down the path to her house, still trying to wake up for the night.
The last to arrive would be Billy Bob, and the Baron was already visible with one other man. Most likely his Castellan or advisor, as the Baron had mostly come with a makeshift group of settlers and no family.
The Architects and male mages were on their way back as well, as their day was finished.
It would be crowded in the dining room.
As the rescued group passed, Dominic noticed that more than one had the same tattoo on their shoulder. He would have to ask about that. If it wasn’t a mark of membership in a group, it might be a curse, or magical array.
If it was, it wasn’t currently active, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t trigger in the future.
Maybe he should have gone with them to get answers.