"I'm such an idiot. Really." Dominic leaned against a haystack, clutching his crutch with a look of utter despair as he watched the tenant farmers and craftsmen bustle back and forth. "I knew driving a carriage would be a little difficult. I just didn't think things would get this bad."
"Mr. Kraft must be furious. I guess we'll be planting crops here until we die. Hopefully he'll remember us one day and think of some way to put us to use."
Feld didn't dare say a word. He popped a wild berry into his mouth. This long-untouched wasteland was scattered with little surprises, courtesy of nature. Its plump, orange-red skin held warm, sweet juice with just a hint of tartness. Perfect.
Though he had his own thoughts about their current arrangement, it was best to keep a low profile while his companion was still fuming.
After the accident, the two of them had been swiftly dispatched down the mountain to oversee the tenant farmers and craftsmen as they rebuilt the monastery's estate.
Brother Raymond, who had delivered the assignment, had described it as "an arduous undertaking, one that will lay the foundation for the Knight Order's future." They needed to plan carefully and prepare supplies of staple and supplementary foods, medicinal herbs, a stable, workshops, and other areas before the next planting season, arranging them upstream or downstream according to their water needs and the pollution they produced.
The draft plan alone ran to several pages. It also included several blank areas that Kraft had specifically marked off and ordered kept away from running water and places where people lived or worked, without giving any further explanation.
At first glance, it really did seem like a weighty responsibility. But once they took over, they realized that wasn't the case at