Chapter 2: Water Under the Bridge

“Nail it in right this time!” I shook my head.

“Geez, tense much?” Electra asked.

“This is a major operation.” I started up the ladder. Around me, the final touches were being put on the new and improved Lightning Mill. “We’re going to need the power, not the least of which if we want to get enough boats on the water.”

Electra reached down and hauled me up to the platform. “Thank god these guys knew how to make concrete though.”

“We would have had to make another water wheel.” I shook my head. “Can you imagine trying to power an entire city with that?”

Electra smirked. “Ishanti still thinks you’re making a water wheel.”

“Yeah, well, if she wanted to know, she shoulda stuck around.” I leaned over the pit we’d dug into the foundation of the new Lightning Mill. “How’s the drive shaft looking?”

“All secure!”

“Great.” I nodded to Electra. “Let’s go take a look at the dam.”

She pushed open the door. “After you, Comptess.”

“Stuff it.”

The monster stampede that Seneschal Hawkwright sent to trample over Lady’s Port had reshaped much of the jungle, including the river that ran just north of the city. Massive creatures, including something called a collosopede that Electra had apparently killed, dug out the bottom of the river. The swelling waters washed the debris out to sea, and gifted us with the start of a new lake.

A lake made reality with our new dam.

Electra and I walked along the thick concrete spar that bridged the dry riverbed. Like Electra said, the local people had a recipe for it. The volcanic ash that covered the island’s northern flats was the secret ingredient, though the people of Vecorvia thought it was the sand from beaches near the volcano, where rains deposited that built up ash along the shores.

Much like the beach that we’d landed on, over a year ago.

The dam was wide enough for two people to walk abreast. Several sluice gates dotted its curved surface. Above each one, a crank was set on the top of the dam so that people could open and close the sluices.

Really, the width of the dam was so that the copper-reinforced drive shaft could run through all of the turbines and spin the generator in the Lightning Mill. Building the generator had taken almost as long as the dam, and they both would have taken longer if I’d tried to fit the generator inside of the dam itself, instead of just running a drive shaft.

Of course, with our current technology levels, diverting the river would have taken six months all on its own, instead of the thirty days it had taken to accomplish all of this. That’s where my demons came into play.

At other end of the lake, a massive, bloated toad sat, warty back facing us. It was swallowing the river.

Not a drop made it across the lake bed.

“Won’t be sad to see that guy go.” Electra came to a stop in the middle of the dam, hands planted on her hips.

“Don’t be rude to Terry!” I replied. “He’s done a wonderful job.”

Electra cupped her hands around her mouth. “Terry the toad, time to hit the road!”

I sighed. Terry was a demon the locals called a ‘bane of rivers’ for, well, obvious reasons. But the big guy was just doing his job! In hell, they swallowed rivers of fire to keep them from spilling out into the mortal plane, so really, all I was doing was giving him a chance to cool off.

Sadly, Electra was right; it was time for Terry to get back to his day job. I didn’t share Electra’s opinions regarding The Right and Honorable Terrence, but I would enjoy having my mana back. Even with my perks, keeping such a large demon summoned took up most of my mana pool.

“Take care, buddy!” I called.

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Terry snorted, a great gout of water going up over his head. With a hop, he turned towards us, massive eyes blinking as the river started to rush past his bulk and fill up the lake basin.

“GRRRRIBIT!”

I waved. “I’ll miss you too!”

He bowed his massive head, and with a mental push, I sent him back to his home dimension. I felt my class level up for completing another successful deal a powerful demon. I really would miss Terry the Toad, such a sweetheart.

Electra and I watched as the lake began to fill. Slowly, others joined us on the dam, those from the upper floor of the Lightning Mill gathering along the hastily reconstructed palisade along the river. Soon enough, water lapped against the base of the dam. It took much longer to rise over the lowest sluice gate, because that’s how volume worked, but then we were ready.

“Wanna do the honors, Em?” Electra pointed to the crank that would open the dam.

“I did it last time,” I said. “Why don’t you do the honors?”

She rubbed her hands together. “Don’t mind if I do!” She placed both hands on the simple steel handle and started to turn. The chain running into the surface of the dam wound up slowly, bubbles of air escaping from the sluice.

Beneath our feet, I could feel the drive shaft groan as it started to turn. Water rushed out the back of the dam, slowly at first, then faster and faster, even as the river continued to fill.

I turned my eyes to Lady’s Port. In the Lightning Mill, I heard people shouting as the massive generator started to spin up. I could almost hear the hum. The street lights began to turn on for the first time in a month. Cheers and shouts went up from the crowd, and I grinned.

Electra bumped my shoulder “Not bad!”

“It’s a little less impressive the second time around,” I replied. “I’m more interested if everything else’ll run.”

“Would be a real waste of all that wire if it didn’t.” She pulled a face. “If someone cut a line after I tested all of the connections, I swear.”

“No one cut the wires.” I brushed past her, back towards the mill. “Now, come on, we’re not finished yet!”

Electra bounded after. “Look who’s excited after all!”

Rel met us on the street with a smile. “Mistress!” She wrapped me in a hug. “The saw is running! They’re already cutting logs for the next batch of ships.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good.” I allowed myself to savor the hug for few seconds before stepping back. Rel pouted at me, but I straightened my cloak. “Now, is everything else working?”

She sighed before focusing on the matter at hand as well. “I’m still waiting for a few of my runners to come back, but it looks like all the lights are working, including the homes we’ve…electrified? Is that the word.”

I grinned. “Excellent.” I tapped both my friends on the shoulder. “How about we get lunch?”

“Thought we had stuff to do,” Electra said.

“Lunch is the stuff.”

If there was one thing I’d never managed to shake, it was my daily audiences. Always over a communal meal, though that was mostly fish these days, and always full of petitioners and problems I’d have to solve. Since the Lightning Mill itself was still being rebuilt, today we ate outside, bringing up long tables, chairs from houses, and even rough lengths of wood from the sawmill.

Now that we had a real source of electricity, we could expand Lady’s Port so much more. The sawmill was just the start. I had plans to catapult my little down into a brighter future.

Of course, that was too much for me to do alone. I’d learned that lesson the hard way in my battle with Seneschal Hawkwright. So, as the first course—yet more fish—was served by our hard-working and much-loved cooks, I leaned town the table towards Dum. “Can you get everyone’s attention for a second?”

“Gottcha, Boss.” He thumped his fist on the table twice, hard enough that Electra almost tumbled out of her seat in surprise. “Listen up! Lady’s got a word.”

I nodded in thanks as I stood. “We’ve done well,” I said. “With this, we’ve recovered from the damage of the stampede, we’ve put new boats on the water, reclaimed old fields, even turned one of the most dangerous creatures of the jungle into a source of important resources.” I tapped my communications mirror. By now, every work leader had one of their own, and more were made every day.

“But my plans don’t stop merely at recovery.” I stepped up onto my chair. “I wish I could say that I would give you all the world, but that would be vanity on my part.” I paused, looking out into the faces of my town, my people on this little island. “You will give yourselves the world. With your hard work, with your relentless determination, you’ll reshape this town into a city that no one in this world has ever dreamed of.”

I smiled as a few men let out whooping cheers.

“These are not just words,” I told them. “Starting today, I will be forming a council, of the people, by the people, for the people, to advise and contribute to the growth and prosperity of Lady’s Port!” Another cheer. My smile grew. “Farmers, soldiers, sailors, traders, one representative for each profession will be chosen, but not by me. By you!”

Dee and Dum stood, hauling out crates of paper scraps and charcoal pencils from inside the lightning mill.

“Today, after we eat, each of you will have a chance to chose your own leaders. One who will represent your needs, champion your concerns, and ensure that Lady’s Port had a brighter, more perfect future.”

I was borrowing a couple lines from Jefferson, but the man knew how to write.

Dee and Dum passed out the paper, one for each person, marked on the back by profession as best as we’d been able to determine.

How fortunate I’d taken a census.

A girl jumped up onto her own chair. “What about us, boss?”

Elaine, Rel’s Mini-me stared hard at me, as if to say ‘we matter too’.

I looked around, seeing mostly shrugs, with one or two of the younger people nodding in support.

Rel leaned over my shoulder. “She has a very good head on her shoulders, Comptess.”

I clicked my tongue. On one hand, it sounded like a terrible idea. On the other, Elaine and the rest of the runners did do an important job. And in the worst case, they’d only have one vote.

I shrugged. “You know what, sure. The kids will get their representative too.” I grinned at my people. “Hopefully, they’ll keep us honest!”

With that, our future was set. All that remained was to write it.