Chapter 7: Chapter 7 – Of Haven and Of Imera

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"Several bands of raiders have been eliminated. Only a few slaves were found, no women." Hannah said as she read the report.

"Any wealth recovered?" Lena asked.

"Some. Lots of equipment, materials, some precious metals they extracted from the mountains behind the temple, and lots of grain they plundered." Hannah said and watched Lena carefully.

"Are there any silver coins?" She asked quietly. Hannah frowned.

"Of course." Hannah said, but Lena nodded after a few minutes. She had an idea as to why they had silver when most of the silver in the town was taken as taxes.

"Use the wealth to acquire bonded servants to work the farmlands. Build modest houses to keep them warm. Provide supplies, and enough equipment to get them going. Those farms will provide food for the town in the future." Lena pursed her lips.

"Shall we inform the local lord about the extermination of their pests?" Hannah asked.

"Let the steward know." She thought for a moment. "Shadow." Another familiar shadow appeared. "Have the steward and the lord watched, and take note of their reactions. I want to know what they do, and how they react." She waved her hand lightly, and the shadow disappeared back into her place, while sending a message to her sisters.

"Once that has been reported, sell some equipment in the local shops, but most of it in our shop. If the taxes do not get reduced, we'll have additional information from the shadows to fill in the gaps." Lena said firmly.

"Understood." Hannah said. Lena held out her hand to stop her from leaving.

"Hannah, inquire of Nikki. Have her ask around if there are some woodlands that are properly harvested, and examine them. Buy an area close enough to the temple that we can provide wood products and charcoal." Lena pursed her lips. "We need to make sure goods are produced locally, and wealth flows into the town. That will encourage people to move into the area." Hannah smiled.

"I see. I only saw the surface, and your personal wealth expanding. I didn't think on a broader scale." Hannah said.

"By having goods flow, the people flow in. The people pay taxes. Taxes maintain the roads, and the guards, as well as the walls. We can build a village from a single farm, and a well fed village will grow into a town. The village encourages more farms to start, which feeds a town, and in turn supports that town to continue to grow."

"What else do we need to watch out for?" Hannah asked.

"Water, hygiene, and sanitation is next. After that, something unique to our area. A local product. Food. Or even fish and salt from the sea." Lena said. Hannah looked excited.

"Salt! The temple is located next to a place called the Undying Cliffs! The goddess once broke those mountains apart and made a path that goes from the plains around the temple, right out to the coast. We can put in a wharf, and start fishing!" Hannah said excitedly.

"Get a map of the coast, and highlight the path, along with the mountains. If there is only a small rocky area, it might be difficult to have a wharf there. Or even a salt reclamation area." Hannah nodded, but moved to a shelf, and pulled down a basket. She pulled out a plate of freshly cut fruit.

"Empress, the goddess has reminded me that you need to eat fruit from Haven now. Her power is inside you, and helps to protect your body." Hannah said, but she knew that it wasn't only that reason she needed to eat food from Haven. Lena nodded and started to eat.

Kata looked away as Lena's teeth were bared as she wrapped her lips around the fruit. She looked quite ferocious as she did so. Hannah closed her eyes and sighed inside.

They had forgotten to feed her the food from Haven these last few days, and now her power was ravenous. If she didn't eat properly, she could take a bite from one of them later, but Kyrie was insistent that it should not happen yet.

Something about balancing her growth, and waiting until she matured. Hannah didn't really understand it, as when she was reborn on Haven, she didn't eat any food from Imera. She was already of Haven.

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Lena was of Haven, and of Imera, so she needed food from both sources.

Without both, she would become unbalanced, or damaged.

 

* * *

 

Three local guards entered the door, which made the shopkeeper lift his eyes. He tapped the counter, and stepped back, while a young looking woman stepped forward and lowered her eyes to the book on the counter.

"We're here to collect your taxes." The lead guard said with a snarl.

"Oh?" The woman lifted her eyes, but kept her lashes low. "As far as I'm aware, we've already paid the tax for this season. Not only that, the bandits have already been eliminated." She said.

"Where did you hear that? The lord said that everyone has to pay, as those raiders and bandits are still there!" He said angrily.

"My Empress was sure there were people who came from the bandit camps and worked for the guard force. Now I know she was correct." Nikki lifted her eyes and smiled with her sharp teeth showing.

"You were given a chance to walk away, after knowing that your fellow bandits were dead." Nikki said with a grin.

"Dead? Impossible! There are over two hundred people in the temple!" He said angrily.

"There were just over a hundred. The rest were spread out over the Empress's farms and mountains. A total of two hundred, and forty three. According to the records the leader kept, that meant twenty bandits work in the town." She had a wider grin. "That means the two at your back are also bandits as regular guards wouldn't shake down the shopkeepers at every opportunity!"

"We're not bandits!" The other two said quickly.

"Oh really? My Empress was rather specific. A true guard for the town would not do this. They would protect shopkeepers as these shops provide the only supplies the town gets. That means no more salt, grain, or anything brought in from elsewhere." Nikki snapped her fingers.

A dozen people in black robes, with their heads covered, appeared from thin air.

"Search and destroy, sisters. Find the names on this list and eliminate. Then go to the lord's mansion, and execute. The steward will take over the responsibilities the bandit lord decided he was no longer fit for." Nikki smiled.

More than half the guard force were bandits, raiders, murderers, or worse. The goddess was clear. This town now belongs to the Empress, and it must be cleansed.

 

Nothing must get near Lena that could sully her. They failed the first time. They wouldn't fail again.

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