Chapter 6
After settling with Baron Slotfir, things settled down in Landkur. Fithian took care of the two other demons, and Vostich did some heavy spells, that would make it almost impossible for demons to set foot on Landkur soil.
Vivian had the list of supplies we were low on or out of completely. I read it over, and added a few items. I was going to make a trip back to earth, and I would be gone for a few weeks (local time). I wanted to hire some more people to come back with me.
I also stopped at the foundry, and looked over the main product we were producing. We had orders backlogged, and we could have used another foundry, easily. The 'Franklin' stoves I had introduced, were a hit.
I had wanted something useful, and easy to make. The Franklin stove was relatively unchanged since it was first designed. Franklin had hit upon a simple design that was hard to improve on. My hat was off to him.
I discussed future projects with the foundry manager, and came to the conclusion that unless we could figure out how to produce units faster, we were going to be doing nothing but Franklin stoves for the next couple years, just to fill existing orders.
Over the next few days, I got caught up on as many things as I could. I was getting ready for an extended absence, and I wanted things to run as smoothly as possible. Mirwanna was already giving me hell about leaving, but was also asking if I could get her some items while I was there. I said sure, and I was presented with a rather huge shopping list of items.
The bad part was I was going to have to leave Mariel behind. While she wanted to go, we could not afford to have both the Duke and Duchess De Landkur gone at the same time for any extended time. Vostich and Mirwanna both put their foot down over this issue.
Finally, we were ready. I had already changed into earth clothes as had Vivian. I double-checked that we had everything we needed and opened the gate. I will never get used to the feeling of losing the connections to this world, and establishing weaker and fewer connections on earth.
I went through, and had a quick moment of disorientation as new connections were formed. These were much fewer, but at least they gave me control. I looked with relief at the connection that went off into the other land, my connection to it, and my only one. This had happened before, but it was still unnerving.
This was much better! Since Svedra had shown me how to aim a gate, I no longer had to cross the country after coming through. I anchored, closed, and warded the gate. It stood solidly invisible, between two tall firs. We came out close to my house, in a little wooded area I knew of, that was not used at all by anyone. We walked down, and I looked my house over. It was in good shape. The lawn had been cut recently, and it seemed my instructions had been followed. I was pleased.
Vivian looked at me then the house. "Sight seeing?" She asked.
I sighed. "This has been my home for years. I want it in good condition. I wanted to see it is all, ok?" I asked, a bit pissed at her.
She looked at me levelly."Paul, don't take that tone with me. What if I had your power? Would you be pissy with me if I had brought us out at my house? I was raised in that house from the time I was a little girl you know," she finished with that no nonsense tone she had gotten down so well.
"Sorry, Viv. I'm not trying to take anything out on you. I am just feeling unsettled right now. Every time I move from world to world, I lose connections, and it is almost a painful thing," I said by way of apology.
I teleported us to a place in Los Angeles I remembered from my last trip here. We then walked a short distance to a hotel. I signed us in, and yes, I paid with my credit card. If the government was still after me, I was in the mood to 'give 'em hell'.
We had adjoining rooms. We decided to eat dinner, relax, and get an early start tomorrow. I phoned the local paper, the L.A. Times, and placed an ad in the help wanted section. It would be interesting to see what showed up. It was too late to go in for tomorrow's paper, but would appear day after. I told them to run the ad for 5 days.
The next morning I saw Vivian off in a cab. I had given her a blank check. Hey, I trusted her. If she wanted a little extra for something, I could live with it. I called my lawyer, and I also called my bank, and asked both if there was anything that needed my immediate attention.
My lawyer had a few papers he needed me to sign, but most things were running smoothly. I blinked at what I had in my bank accounts. Wow. Talk about stepping into a fortune. Well, maybe not a fortune, but more than enough to live comfortably on for decades if I wanted to. I would not have to work if I didn't want to.
I told my lawyer I would be in later and sign what was needed. I went to a bank close by, and opened an account. Then I transferred $200,000.00 dollars into it from my own bank. They didn't even bat an eye. Well, this is California, after all.
Vivian returned later that afternoon having bought most, not all, of what we wanted. She still had more shopping to do in the morning. I also had things to buy, for Mirwanna, and I wanted to get something special for Mariel.
After several hours of shopping for Mirwanna, and Mariel, I then teleported to a place close to my lawyer's office. Thirty minutes later I had all the papers signed. I then teleported back to my hotel room in LA.
Tomorrow morning my ad would be in the L.A. Times, and I wanted to be ready. I reserved a conference room for the day the ad appeared, and throughout the rest of the week.
I opened the paper first thing in the morning, and looked for my ad. There it was.
OPENINGS FOR FOLLOWING POSITIONS:
Are you willing to work to develop an undeveloped Country in need of modernization? Positions in the following fields needed: civil engineering, city planners, banking and finance, elementary school teachers. Must be willing to relocate for 1-year minimum. All travel expenses paid. Full medical coverage. Salary will be...
This was followed by a contact line of whom to contact, namely me. I started fielding phone calls and setting appointments almost right away. I got so tired answering phone calls, that I hired a temp, as Vivian was still busy getting everything for the return trip.
Finally it was evening, and Vivian had all our supplies gathered in one location, and I was going to open a gate back to Morwan and send it all through. While I had never tried, I was going to open a gate big enough to send through a tractor-trailer truck. If it worked, they would drive through, drop their trailers, turn around and come back.
Ok, it might seem a lot, but I wanted some additional supplies, too. I was surprised when one trailer would not hold everything. So that is how I wound up buying three 40-foot trailers. I just needed three tractors to drive em through. If they worked that is. I was prepared to do some magic to get everything done, but it went off without a hitch.
Now I had to start worrying about interviews. I knew what I wanted. I would be cagey with the first interviewee's. After I whittled them down, I would eventually have to get them prepared for the transfer through the gate.
I have been lucky so far. All the people who have come have been content to either stay, or have promised not to say anything. I paid those who returned to earth a good final pay. Besides, what could they say? I was in an alternate reality? They would be hospitalized for mental care very quickly.
I felt a tentative thrust into my locality, and I was instantly on guard. Someone was trying a location spell, and it was coming from Morwan. I raised a shield and got ready to do battle. A gate opened into my room, and Mariel stepped through. She smiled at me, and looked back over her shoulder and told someone she was through and was with her husband. The gate disappeared.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her.
"I missed you. Besides, I will not be missed if I spend just a day with you," she answered.
"Mariel, the problem with that is the time difference. While it would be one day here, it is three days, there. There is a three to one difference," I told her gently.
She frowned prettily. My heart went out to her, and I moved to hug her.
"While it is a pleasant surprise that you came, you will have to leave soon. I'm sorry hon," I said regretfully.
First thing would be to get her proper clothes. While LA was used to a lot of things, someone dressed like my wife would not last long. She was positively dripping in gold trim, and jewels. Mugger heaven is what she was. Of course, the mugger might be surprised, as my wife was quite dangerous with her magic.
Forty minutes later, I turned over interviewing to Vivian, and I took my wife to the hotel restaurant and bought her a very good meal. She had missed my being there with her. She had missed me in bed with her.
I looked at her and sighed. She was so young. Everything was hitting her for the very first time. This is where being alive for over a hundred years gave one perspective.
After dinner, I walked my wife back up to my room, and opened the gate to home. I stepped through it, with her, into our bedroom. I felt the connections re-establish as soon as I went though the gate. I was starting to get used to it I guessed, because I didn't feel the disorientation I usually did.
I will just say I had a nice two-hour interlude with my wife and leave it at that. She needed reassurance that I still loved her. She was unused to being by herself, and my leaving her alone was making her nervous.
I had just come back to my room and dismissed the gate when there was a pounding on the door. I went over and opened it. There was a uniformed police officer and a plainclothes officer. As soon as I opened the door the detective tried to do a rush inside. I blocked him.
"Yes?" I asked unconcerned.
"Paul Lindsy? We have information that you have an underage girl in your room. I need to check to see that she is alright and that you have not engaged in illegal activities with her," the plainclothes detective told me.
"Really? Well, I have no one in my room, and as far as I know, the law does not give you the right to see if I am doing anything illegal in my room without a warrant," I responded.
"I can have a warrant here in an hour. If you want to do this the hard way, it will go harder on you. Why don't you just let us question the girl and see for ourselves that she is alright?" The detective said in a threatening tone of voice.
"What was your name again, detective?" I asked mildly.
"Detective Lawson. Now are you going to cooperate? Or do we do this the hard way," he said brusquely.
I sighed. I opened the door and showed them my empty room.
"Golly officer, you got me. I was about to have sex with the pillow. Perhaps the pillow is less than what? 17? Perhaps you can get me for conspiracy to commit pillow rape? Carnal knowledge with minor pillow?" I started laughing. I couldn't help it.
"Do you mind if I come in and look around?" Detective Lawson said.
I waved him through, and he had the burly uniform stand outside the door, in a position to block my escape if that proved necessary. While he searched, I tried to think who would have called in a complaint.
I wondered if this was a residule thing with the NSA. After all my mentor of so long had blocked and harassed me for some time, as did his daughter. The officer left with an apology and I closed the door behind me. This little episode gave me pause to think about who might be at the interviews tomorrow. Spies?
Edited By TeNderLoin