A Kiss of Fire (A Kiss of Magic #2)(27)

“How did you do it? What were the rules?”

“Three free acres per adult in the house. So if there was a husband and a wife, they could stake a claim for six acres. The only exception is concubines. You cannot claim acreage for concubines. That kept the wealthy from being overly greedy. And you have to live on the land for five autumns to prove up the claim. If you give up and move off the land before the five autumns has ended then the land is forfeited back to the crown.”

“Five autumns is a long time.”

“It is an easy time when there is so much room to be had. The land also has to be productive. They cannot simply sit on it and do nothing. It has to at least be able to support the family living on it in entirety and at most to produce large quantities of grain and produce for the people.”

“And what of the forested land?”

“Those belong to the crown. They may be hunted but as yet they are not to be settled in. That may come later. We are more concerned with settling the farmlands and the frontier at present.”

“And anyone may stake these claims?”

“Anyone of proper age. We put the cut off at twenty. Twenty autumns. Any younger may not stake a claim. We also cut off the opposite end of the spectrum. Anyone over sixty autumns may not stake a claim.”

“That hardly seems fair. I know of many men of sixty or more who are strong enough to work the land.”

“For five autumns? And you know as well as anyone how hard it is to work that land. No. It is a young man’s game. Or woman’s. We do not discriminate for sex. If a woman can work the land, then she is free to stake her claim.”

“We did something similar for the farmers and businessmen who were evicted from the part of the territory that became Kilt. We offered free land in the wilderness. It is hard living, but if they can survive then they are welcome to it. We do not expect them to produce, however. They can or can’t do with it what they will. They only need live on the claim for a term of three autumns and it becomes theirs.”

“Do you find you have contention between claimers? Those who claim lands already claimed by another. Those who have killed their neighbor just for their staked claim.”

“God no! There is more than enough land to go around. There is no need for such contention.”

“My people are afraid all of the land will be taken up, leaving nothing for anyone else. They act with desperation. They know what the alternatives are.”

“The alternatives? You mean the law?”

“No. It is not the law they fear…although there are now marshals presiding over the laws of a given area.”

“Then what do they fear?” she asked.

“This,” he said.

They had reached the mountains. And there, stacked one upon the other up an entire mountain path, was a collection of houses. There was no space between the houses and each house had at least three stories to it. It was clear from the outside of some of the buildings that each story had been added on over time. There wasn't an ounce of space between the houses. They shared walls with one another until the mountain pass looked as though it was bordered on each side by one long house. Some of the houses were cut into the face of the mountain, straight into the stone. As they rode onto the path and travelled up the wending roadway, she saw a thick population of people walking around the houses. There were children walking around in the snow with rags tied onto their feet for shoes. She was utterly horrified at the poverty she was looking at.

They reached the top of the path and she found they were at a mine. It was teeming with workers covered in dirt and grime, yelling and shouting instructions and information.

“The villages house the mine workers,” he told her over the noise.

“Is that why they are still living in such cramped quarters when there is so much new land up for grabs?”

“Some are afraid to gamble on becoming successful farmers. Others are just set in their ways. They can’t envision another way of living they are so used to this one. And, believe it or not, this village has been almost half emptied since we opened up the claims.”

“This is half emptied?” she asked, appalled.

What had it been like filled to the brim with Kiltians? She couldn’t imagine. Or perhaps she could. She could suddenly see the desperate circumstances that had driven the Kiltians into war.

She did not want to empathize with her enemy, but she couldn’t help it. She was not cold-hearted enough to ignore what she was seeing and dismiss it as unimportant.

He turned the horse and they headed back down the mountain pass.

“This was what you wanted to show me?” she said.

He didn’t reply. The answer was self-evident.

He headed back away from the village. ”And, that was one of the more spread out villages,” he said softly. There are others far more cramped then that.”

“And we are crossing the border of old Kilt now?” she asked as the rode out of the mountains and toward the open wilderness. There were many settlers’ cottages within sight as they went. This area had been the first to fill up. It was close enough to the mines so some family members could work the mines while others worked the lands.

“Yes,” he said. “It was like pressing your face up against the glass of a storefront window. We could see the open land, but we could not cross the border…not until the war.”