Lost on Jord

by Allan Joyal

  "What about the miners?" Heather asked. She was glancing at Hencktor's feet and I turned around to look. He seemed confused as we looked at his bare and hairy feet.

  "What?" he asked.

  "Just another difference from our home to this town," I said. "Nothing we can change right now."

  The man shrugged. "Well, I can't help there, but what else can I help with?"

  I looked over at Kariy. "We could use a couple of large packs. Four or so pouches that can be worn on a belt. Three or so canteens. Dried and smoked foods for a week for fifteen people. Fishing gear if you have any. A couple of large knives. Bandages. A second spear. A bow or crossbow...."

  I paused to think of what else we might need. The man took the pause as a stop and started walking through the store pulling items from various piles and depositing them on a previously empty table next to us. Kariy's eyes widened as the pile grew.

  "Oh don't worry," Heather said. "I'll carry some of it, and I'm sure we can convince Henck to pull his weight as well."

  Kariy turned to look at me, and I nodded. "You aren't joining us as a servant or slave," I said. "We might ask you to act a bit like one until we leave town, but you'll be a full member of the group. Our ancestors fought against the owning of people as slaves generations ago."

  "Speak for yourself!" Heather said. Her voice took on a strong southern accent. "My great to the something grand pappy was a proud son of Ole Virginny and served with Longstreet."

  "Okay, make that some of our group had ancestors that fought to end slavery," I said quietly.

  Heather laughed and threw her arms around me. "Oh, give it up. I'm no more for slavery than any of the others. Heck, you should hear my grandma talk about it. Family lore says my grand pappy didn't own a slave and was against it himself, but he was even more against the "Northern Aggression." I have three great-uncles who fought under Patton during his drive to Germany."

  Kariy was now looking up. She appeared even more confused than before. I knelt down and put a hand on her chin, holding her head up and meeting her eye to eye. "Kariy, please trust us. We'll never force you to do anything you don't want to do."

  She shivered. "What if I don't want to leave the village?" she whispered.

  Both of the other men in the room groaned. "Don't say that!" Smolyth muttered.

  I glanced at the man to see a storm of fury cross his face. He reached down to grab Kariy under her right arm and effortlessly pulled her into the air. He shook her furiously as her legs kicked the air before setting her down and staring into her eyes. "Everyone in the village knows how Galmin and Versil cheated you out of your rightful inheritance. Hencktor and Wessera at least feel bad about it, but not one villager lifted a finger to stop it from happening. And when you were forced into servitude, I was the only one in the village to speak out against it. Why would you want to stay here?"

  Kariy sobbed. "My life is here."

  Smolyth had dropped Kariy and she was now standing on the ground, but Hencktor spun her around and slapped her. Kariy's knees buckled and she slumped to the ground.

  "What life?" Hencktor bellowed. "The one where you are a slave to Galmin, working all day and night in that smoky cave he calls a kitchen? You might get outside two times in a week. Everyone knows he set out a pile of old clothes for you to sleep in back there. The only thing he hasn't done is make you lay with men, but if you don't leave the village soon, you'll be pregnant before the snow flies."

  Kariy looked indignant. "That might be in just a few days. It can never happen!"

  Hencktor snorted, but Smolyth slowly knelt down to look at Kariy. "The only reason is hasn't happened before is that a few of the miners made it clear that they hated the idea and would protect you. But Galmin and Versil have been working on getting them to change their mind for over a year. They are close to trying again. This time they will likely succeed. And you'll be spending your nights with men who pay Galmin for the pleasure."

  "That's illegal!" Kariy hissed.

  "Isn't Versil the mayor and effectively the law in this town?" I asked. "Kariy, do you really think he's going to care about protecting you? From what everyone has said, he was one of the people who bent the rules and made you an indentured servant to begin with. If that's true, I doubt he'll lose any sleep over you being turned into a slave by Galmin."

  Kariy looked at the ground. Tears dropped from her eyes and moistened the ground at her feet. It was clear she was terrified. Hesitantly, I reached towards her, only to be pushed out of the way as Heather dashed forward to envelop the young lady with a hug.

  "Be strong," I heard Heather whisper. "You won't be alone. And you will be protected. It might take a while, but you will find happiness with us."

  Kariy threw her arms around Heather. Her arms squeezed tight, forcing a gasp from the blond girl before relaxing. "Can you really free me?" she asked.

  Smolyth laughed. "Like Galmin is going to annoy these people. He'll try to get more money, but I've heard of the coin you've shown. It can pay for everything you want, except a new crossbow and spear. I'm afraid I don't have any in stock at the moment."

  Hencktor nodded. "And I have to say you are asking for the right things. I might add some rope, a lantern or two for use at night along with some lamp oil, and maybe some entertainments."

  Heather shook her head. "That's probably going to be the hardest for most of us. I doubt you have the same kinds of entertainments as we are used to."

  Smolyth walked away from us. He turned to a small curve in the wall of the chamber and began pulling some items. As we watched in confusion, a small pile of assorted junk was pulled into the aisleway. The shopkeeper said nothing to us, but continued to dig through items until he straightened up and turned back to us. In his hands was a battered pack.

  The man remained silent as he walked back over to us. Once he was next to Hencktor, he placed the pack on a corner of the table containing the rest of the items he had gathered. "Now, you mentioned entertainment and I remembered this old pack. It was found on some wanderer's corpse several years ago. The pack ended up here because no one knew what to do with the contents. I remember what's in here, and if the items aren't too damaged, they might be what you are looking for."

  "What are they?" Heather asked eagerly.

  Smolyth smiled. With deliberate slowness, he untied the knots keeping the top flap of the pack closed. Heather was bouncing back and forth in eagerness to see what was inside as the shopkeeper pulled the last knot free.

  Heather then hissed in protest as Smolyth turned the pack around, preventing her from sneaking a peek. He lifted the flap enough to slide his hand inside. The pack bulged as his hand sought a specific package. He smiled at Henck and me, as we stood silently. "She lacks patience. Perhaps this won't contain the right items after all."

  I wanted to demand that the man reveal the items, but with the flair of a carnival showman he pulled out a pouch made of gaudy yellow velvet. He waited a moment to see if anyone spoke. When all he received in response was silence, he sulkily opened the pouch and poured the contents onto the table. To my surprise, nearly a dozen small white cubes dropped and danced on the wooden surface. .

  Heather found her voice before I did, "Dice?"

  I thought for a moment. "I guess it makes sense. They are small, portable and I'm sure that many games can be played with just dice. Think of Yahtzee or Craps."

  "What are those?" Hencktor asked looking at the dice. "As for dice, there are games, but I doubt anyone in town knows them. The miners don't particularly have time or money for gambling, and we don't get enough travelers to play much."

  Heather shrugged. "Still, dice games do exist and can be fun. It's not the best entertainment, but it will do for a start."

  "And it's just a start," Smolyth stated, pouring the dice back into the pouch before placing it on the table. The wanderer also had a target dart set." He reached into the pack and pulled out a long rectangular box that, when opened, revealed six darts with real feathers fo
r fletching, and what looked like a small archery target. He smiled again. "It was nearly new when we found it, and I've kept vermin away so the darts are in great condition. It's perfect for a relaxing evening, although there is some weight to the box."

  I nodded and Smolyth closed the box up and placed it down on the table next to the pouch of dice. Heather snorted. "Gambling games. I guess those work."

  Smolyth smiled. "Are there any other kinds of games?"

  Heather snapped her mouth closed. A thoughtful look crossed her face and finally she shook her head. Smolyth was not paying attention though as he pulled a succession of brightly colored outfits from the pouch. I was about to speak when he smiled and pulled out one final object, quickly dropping it into my hands.

  The object felt solid and as I looked down I found that I was holding a strange eight-sided box. The top and bottom of the box had three rows of five pegs, and the palm of my right hand pressed the ones on the bottom in. I tightened my fingers around the bottom and turned the box on its side. Immediately I noticed that the two halves of the box were actually connected by some kind of compressed fiber. At the moment a metal hook kept them together, but I released the hook. The top started to sag to the floor as a mournful note was projected from the piece held in my hand.

  "What?" Heather said with a gasp.

  I reached down to catch the part that had sagged nearly to the floor. Between the two pieces the fiber had spread out much like a bellows. With my left index finger pressing one of the pegs, I pushed the two pieces together. Once again the device sang out a long note of music. I looked down at the device I now held in both hands. Experimentally I moved the two pieces apart and back together, pressing different pegs in. The tones often faded out when I pulled the device too slowly, but it was clear that the device made music. I played with it for several minutes.

  With the others all staring at me, I pushed the two pieces together and then reengaged the hook to maintain the box form we found it in. As I held it out to Smolyth, the man shook his head. "So that's what it was. I never thought to try that."

  "I don't know any songs though," I admitted with a shrug. "And I'm not a good enough poet to come up with lyrics."

  "Don't look at me to do that," Heather replied. "I was thinking of going into bio-chem. or physics for a major. I'm not even going to try."

  "Someone will come up with a song or two I expect," I said as Smolyth added the device to the pile on the table. "Until then, music will still be a way to end a long day."

  Hencktor was looking back and forth at us again. "Do you need more?"

  Heather nodded. "Better clothing would be nice, especially if we can get something to protect against more animal attacks. But beyond that, I think we've found all we will."

  Smolyth looked at the table. "Let's see, food and drink that can travel as well as the packaging. Packs to carry everything. My best bedrolls. You now have some entertainments in the pile, and a few tools like lanterns, rope and a flint kit. I brought up a medical kit, but it doesn't have potions, I'm afraid I don't have any to spare. The salve should be good though. I also don't have any range weapons. No one in the village feels safe wandering the forest, so we don't have many hunters. If we need a new bow, I end up ordering one from The Glen."

  "The Glen?" I asked.

  Hencktor smiled. "It's a major city about four weeks travel from here. It lies next to a rather large forest, so there is plenty of good wood for bows and lots of hunting. I believe it's the second largest city in the Kingdom of Seschewa."

  "It was, it's now the third largest in Coldren," Smolyth said. "Seschewa had to surrender it after a battle two years ago."

  "There is fighting once we are out of the mountains?" I asked.

  The shopkeeper nodded sadly. "Lots of it. Once you leave the mountains, the land becomes rather flat, just rolling hills and occasional groves. Last I heard, there were seven different kingdoms and another dozen or so smaller provinces claiming all or part of the great flatness. They usually start fighting just after the harvest is in, and will continue to fight for two or three fortnights. The fighting will stop once the winter storms blow in and disease starts to stalk the camps. You'll be heading down right about the end of harvest too."

  "Joy," Heather said quietly.

  "Agreed. We'll need to avoid that as much as possible," I said quietly. "Meanwhile, let's get everything back to the inn and see how things are. Sir, how much do we owe you?"

  The man used his good hand to scratch at the stub of his missing arm. "You're taking Kariy away with you?"

  I nodded as Heather put her arms around the girl who was kneeling on the floor refusing to look at any of us. Heather held her and looked up at the shopkeeper. "Not only are we going to take her with us, I promise that I'll teach her to protect herself and gain some confidence. Who knows, she might even find a man who can love her."

  "Why?" Kariy asked. "I have nothing to offer a man in marriage. Galmin made sure that everything that would be part of my dowry disappeared into his coffers ages ago."

  Heather's arms tightened, and I could see the muscles flex as she pulled Kariy into her chest. "Not all men demand that a woman purchase her husband. At least that isn't true where we are from."

  "Oh? I can think of many men back on Earth who happily allow their wives to do all the work," I chirped. "There are more than a few useless lumps out there."

  Heather glared at me. She picked the dice pouch off the table and tossed it at me. "Beast," she whispered without fire before pulling Kariy to her feet. "Ignore him, he's just teasing both of us. You'll be fine with us."

  I was about to say more when Smolyth coughed. We all turned to look at him and he smiled. "As I was saying, you are going to take Kariy out of the village and give her a chance at a life filled with happiness." He immediately put up his hand. "No, don't answer that, it's already been answered. I can tell that you are going to do that. That's why there will be no charges for anything today."

  "But!" I sputtered. Henck let out a gasp, but Smolyth again held up his hand.

  "No! You don't get to argue with me about this. I've decided and it is done," Smolyth said with a slight smirk. "Now pack up your goods and get out of here. The fish are hungry and I want to catch my dinner."

  With that, the man turned and walked off, disappearing around a bend in the walls. Henck and I stood there, watching him vanish. I wanted to call out and thank him when something fell to the floor with a metallic clank. I turned around to find Kariy and Heather dividing the items on the table into three piles and filling the new packs we had just been given.

  Henck joined in, leaving me to stand and watch as pouches and packages were swept into the packs and secured. I noticed that if there were multiples of an item, it was put into more than one pack. Kariy was doing the most work, tirelessly moving parts to each pile and checking the weight of the packs. Finally she tied the flap of one pack closed and proceeded to secure two of the bedrolls to it. She added more bedrolls to the other packs before sliding her arms through the straps of one pack and standing up.

  Heather whistled. "She makes it look easy, doesn't she? Galmin isn't going to be happy to lose her."

  Hencktor smiled as he gathered up one pack on his back and then wrapped his arms around the third one. "Galmin is seldom happy. And we should get back to the inn. Who knows what's happened since you left."

  Heather looked at the man. "I see we have a new mule," she tittered. "Let's go then. We should talk about what we've found out with the others."

  We exited the cavern through the same opening, stopping to watch the cliff seal behind us, concealing any sign of the door. Heather appeared puzzled as the cavern closed. "Henck? How could you stand it in there? I thought you didn't like caverns after your uncle died.

  Hencktor's face took on a pensive look. "I never thought about this place being a cavern," he admitted. "It's always so well-lit. I just think of it as a house with no windows I guess."

  Heather looked over at me
and shrugged as we turned away from the now solid appearing cliff-face. Then we walked through the village. Kariy was almost bouncing despite the weight of the pack she wore. Her eyes were still on the ground, but her shoulders and back were upright and she strode boldly across the village green to the entrance of the tavern. We were about to enter when Elizabeth appeared in the doorway.

  "Wait one moment," she requested. "I'm going to bring Galmin out here to talk to him. Kariy, you want to be here for this."

  I nodded to Henck and Heather. "Go inside and take the packs to the room the women will be in for the night. Also warn Lydia and Steve about what's going on out here. Hopefully this will be quick."

  Heather looked at Elizabeth for a moment. "If your skills as a lawyer are equal to the ego you've shown for the last two days, heck if they are half that, Galmin won't know what hit him."

  Elizabeth scowled, but then pulled Heather in for a hug as Hencktor entered the tavern. "I'd like to think I'm that good," she admitted. "And I'd like to say that I'm sorry for the harm I did the last two days."

  Heather walked away slowly, stopping to turn and stare at Elizabeth before entering the tavern. Once she was inside, Kariy allowed the pack to slide to the ground and then sat on it. Elizabeth looked concerned, but said nothing.

  "What was the hug and apology about?" I asked.

  Elizabeth let out a tremendous sigh and looked at me. "Look, I doubt any of the group except maybe Little will ever trust me fully. I really butchered things the first day we were here, and my complaining this morning only made it worse. Here I am, a former Oxford scholar and a graduate from the Georgetown Law School and I forgot the first rules about persuading and leading others. If that had been a court case, I would have lost the case no matter how good my arguments and facts were."

  "But that doesn't mean you have to apologize."

  "No it doesn't. But I found out a few things while wandering the village. This is a harsh land. Most people work jobs requiring a lot of physical strength and labor. My skills as a lawyer will be nearly useless here. You might admit to not knowing much, but you were willing to strike out and attempt things outside your comfort zone. I tried to force everything to match mine."