by Allan Joyal
I sighed and reached for my belt and the small pouch there. Silently, I thanked the paranoia that had me split up the twelve remaining nuggets and only carry six. I opened the pouch and held it out towards Cerlonin. "I do have more," I admitted. "I still must protest. You have not provided goods and services equal to the value of the nuggets you have already been given."
"That is for us to decide," Cerlonin snapped. He swiped the pouch from my hands with his left hand and then turned the pouch to pour the nuggets into his right hand. Sespa gazed over his shoulder, with a greedy gleam in his eye.
Cerlonin shock the pouch one time to ensure that the six nuggets that dropped onto his hand were all and then threw the empty pouch in my direction. I caught it as Sespa reached around his fellow wizard to touch one of the nuggets.
"Six more," Sespa hissed. "He was hiding them from us. We should force him to tell us if he has more."
Werlyn held a hand up. "We cannot. We gave our word that they would not be harmed while they stayed. Would you throw away our promise for a few nuggets of mithril?"
Sespa scowled at his fellow wizard, but said nothing more. Cerlonin carefully separated the nuggets into three groups. "Werlyn, Sespa, you each can take two nuggets. Then we have to go and speak with the full council. Be prepared to surrender a nugget to the others if necessary."
Cerlonin and Sespa immediately turned and marched out of the lodge. Werlyn hung behind and gazed around the room. While the other two wizards were there the activity had slowed, but now everyone was working quickly getting packs ready and bundling goods.
"You aren't staying?" Werlyn asked.
"I hate to admit this, but we don't feel welcomed by some of your colleagues," I said. "We asked and were told that the storms should be much lighter the rest of the winter."
Werlyn nodded. "The council is divided," he admitted. "And the divisions have opened up some old wounds. Ancient feuds have been reignited."
"I hope our arrival wasn't the cause," I said.
Werlyn shook his head. "No, you were not the catalyst for this. The roots of this feud go back centuries. I won't deny that your presence and the mithril you brought were used as an excuse to introduce some new motions to the council, but this would have happened soon. Can I ask when you will be leaving?"
I sighed. "It's already too late to get far today," I admitted. "But it will be very soon."
Werlyn nodded. "I'll see if I can get another delivery made. Is there anything that would help?"
"A small sled a man can pull, but which can carry goods would be nice. We are going to struggle to carry all we have. And another crossbow. Right now we don't have enough weapons to hold off a bandit party," I said firmly. "And you do realize that there are bandits in the woods to the East?"
"Supporting one of the factions on the council," Werlyn said with a sad nod. "Go south once you cross the river. I can't promise that you won't encounter any bandits, but there were no reports of large bandit parties on the road leading to Luskraze. You can probably get there in four days and camp in groves of trees every night."
"You'd better get to the council meeting," I said. "Thank you for your help."
"No," Werlyn said, "thank you for your patience and your compassion. Your smallest gestures will generate ripples which will finally bring real change to the plains."
I offered Werlyn my hand. He grabbed my forearm and shook my whole arm, putting his left hand on my wrist. "I actually owe you a great deal," he said. "Take care of Shaylin. And watch for a delivery later tonight."
Werlyn turned and vanished out of the room. I stood there for a moment looking at my hand. A hand dropped on my shoulder, and I turned to see Lydia standing there. "Did he say we should take care of Shaylin?" she asked.
"Yes," I said, staring at the closed door. "It appears that he doesn't agree with the current policy towards women as wizards."
Lydia snorted. "You and I know it's a stupid policy."
"Muscle means more here," I reminded her. "They don't have the machines to help reduce the labor in farming." I remembered something and turned towards Natalie. "Natalie, why did you ask about how the farmers planted seeds?"
Natalie stopped packing the clothing. She stood up and limped over to me. "Sorry," she muttered. "My leg is a bit stiff this morning."
"That's fine," I said. "I was asking about the questions you asked the farmers."
Natalie sighed. "I don't want this to become a long lecture. Basically one of my first classes was about the history of agriculture. It turns out that farming in Europe during the Middle Ages had two big innovations that helped increase yields. The first was the development of a better and heavier plow so they could turn over the rich soil. That is something we'll have to look into once it's spring, and we can really seek out some draft animals to pull a plow. However, the second was the development of the idea of planting in rows at a set depth and in neat lines. This made it easier to weed the fields and ensured more seeds actually sprouted."
"Wow," I said. "So you were trying to get an idea … ."
"Of how much food we can get out of the seeds we were given. We'll have to see if we can design and build the right equipment, but some estimates say that yields increased by almost nine hundred percent after seed drills became regularly available in Europe," Natalie said. "Unfortunately ... ."
"You don't know how to build one," Al said. "We can try to get an idea. Ron, we will need paper and writing instruments soon. So we can actually write down what we are thinking."
I nodded again. Just then there was another knock on the door. I walked over and opened it up. As soon as the door was open, Donrin ducked inside.
"I thought I saw a minion of the council following me," he said as he held something out in front of him. I reached out, but he shook his head. "You'll have to lift them."
I looked more closely and realized he had two sleeping puppies in his arms. I reached out and picked one up. It whimpered for a moment, but quieted once I pulled it to my chest. I looked at Donrin, who was still holding the other one.
"Our herding dog went into heat early this year," he said. "These puppies are ten weeks old. We weaned them during the storms. I can't guarantee they will be willing to help herd, but mother thought I should bring them."
"What about food for them?" I asked worriedly.
"Did you bring a preserving cask?" Shaylin asked. She walked past me and took the second puppy from her brother's arms.
"I couldn't," Donrin said. "Not with everything else I had to bring." The young man reached around his left shoulder and then swung a pack into the room. It bulged out, and I heard Aine gasp.
"What's in that?" I asked.
Donrin shrugged as he placed the pack on the floor. "Shaylin's books and clothing first, but mother added a couple items she swore our aunt would have wanted given to Shaylin. Shay, I included some extra furs and a bedroll so you can sleep warmly. I wasn't sure how it would work."
Shaylin giggled. "I'll probably be sleeping with the other unattached ladies," she said. "So can you bring a cask later?"
Donrin frowned. "Not if the council is watching the house. But I'll see if Gertrilia might be willing to sneak it by in the morning."
"It has to be very early," I said. "We will be leaving around dawn. We were warned that our safety can no longer be guaranteed."
Donrin nodded. "The tension on the council has been rising for years. I'm not surprised the wizards' peace is finally breaking down. Shay, you were right to want to leave. I'll try to meet you near the gates with a cask. Now I better go."
"Cask?" Lydia asked.
Shaylin nodded. "It works similar to the ones we provided with the seeds, but it only preserves food for about seven days. This morning I culled some of our rabbits and filled a small cask; it would be perfect for providing food for these two."
"I hope they don't mind cold and snow," I said as Shaylin took the puppy in her arms and deposited it near the fire. She returned to claim the one from my hands.
As Shaylin returned to the corner, I looked about the room. "Everyone, I need you to stop for a moment. I think we need to organize this a bit more."
Heather held a hand up as everyone gathered near the fire. "Ron is the leader; I think we all agree on that now. And he should be carrying the spear when we march out of here."
"Heather," I sighed. "I think everyone should be involved in these decisions."
Heather placed her hands on her hips and glared at me. "Do you hear any protests? Ron, if we asked who is the best at approaching the townsfolk and talking to them, we'd have to admit it must be a man. Steve could do it, but he doesn't come up with ideas like you have. Al will admit he's not the right person."
"I was a college sophomore and hadn't even figured out what I wanted to major in," Al said in agreement. "Ron, you have the experience we lack."
"I was a lousy sales representative for a company that sold mechanical bartenders," I muttered. "I stumbled into that job out of college and never left."
"But you did work," Heather said with a shrug. "And on Jord, a man needs to be the leader, so it's you."
I looked over at Steve, but he shook his head. "Fine," I said. "If we agree on that, then we can agree on the rest. Steve, I know you thought about carpentry and building. I think you and Al need to put some more effort into learning about that while we travel. Once we find a home, it will be your job to guide us in building our home. Lydia, for now, you keep the crossbow. If we get a second crossbow from the wizards, work on training someone. Al might be a good choice. Plan on hunting for us while we travel."
"I wouldn't be a good choice for using the crossbow," Al said. "I was thinking Hencktor should get the axe, he's the best with it. Steve gets the hammer, and then Kariy, Heather, Victoria, and I would start with knives. Natalie or Aine can handle a crossbow."
"Hey!" Jennifer shouted. "I'm still here. What about me?"
Al frowned. "I thought you would be helping with the sleds and the dogs. I remember you saying that your family raised show dogs."
I looked over at Jennifer, who stood there blushing. She looked down at the floor before slowly raising her head and meeting my gaze. "I didn't know it mattered. Al and I were talking about life back on Earth, and it slipped out."
"No harm," I said. "Shaylin knows magic. I know she's still learning, but I was wondering can you help defend us should there be a problem?"
Shaylin nodded. "I know a spell for that, but it's not very strong."
"We believe in you," I said with a smile. "And I'm appointing Heather as your mentor to help guide your learning. I know she doesn't know any magic, but she's got an organized mind."
Heather gasped, then crossed her arms under her breasts and scowled at me. I ignored her and continued. "Victoria, you'll be on herding duties as we find animals. Natalie, we have a great start on a farm, but keep looking into seeds and tools. You mentioned a heavy plow helped increase crops in Europe. Right now we don't even have a plow, so keep an eye out as we travel. I'd like to know what's possible."
I could see Natalie and Victoria smile. Esme gave her lover a huge hug. "I knew you were going far," she gushed.
"Esme," I continued. "You need to keep looking into medicines."
"I can help there," Shaylin said. "Or I hope I can. One of the books I'm sure my brother brought was found by my family a couple of generations ago. It was the logbook of an alchemist. We can read the words, but none of us had a talent for making the potions. If Esme is willing to try, and we get the right equipment…"
"Esme?" I asked.
I could see Esme's black curls bob as she nodded her head. "We need better medicines. I'll try to study the book once we leave here."
"Lydia, you get to play mother. Please make sure that Aine and Shaylin in particular have the support they need," I said.
"As if I have all the support I need," Lydia groaned. She had been standing in front of Hencktor. Without warning, she grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts. She giggled as she pushed against his hands and forced her breasts upward.
I could see Hencktor blush, but he left his hands in place as I looked around. At first I could not find Kariy, but then noticed her hovering just behind my right shoulder. "And the cute and wonderful Kariy will be the camp cook. I just hope she can continue to show everyone else how to cook the wonderful stews and breads she's been producing."
Kariy offered a shy smile. "We need a nice hearth for good bread. I worry about that in our new home."
"I'll see what we need to build one," Al affirmed. "Hopefully we can make you the perfect hearth."
Kariy smiled at Al. I noticed that Aine offered her own shy smile at the young man. I was about to add more when there was a knock at the door.
"Ok, that's it," Steve said. "Let's get organized. Henck, are the sleds rigged so we can pull them?"
I turned away from the conversation as Steve started asking for the status of the preparations to leave. The knock was repeated, so I reached for the door and pulled it open.
A clawed, gray hand thrust something into my hands. It retreated back outside the room, pulling the door closed as it vanished. I glanced at what I held in my hands. It was a simple roll of some thin off-white material. I could see series of faint lines patterned into the outer layer. The outside had no markings so I carefully unrolled the first inch.
I could see black ink markings, but they were not English or any other language I could recognize. I held the scroll in my hand, trying to decide what to do. Shaylin wandered over and touched my arm.
"What is it?" she asked.
I turned the scroll so she could see the writing. She gasped and reached for the scroll. As I watched she unrolled the rest. Other than the few symbols at the top, the scroll was blank. She held it so I could see it. "Hold it like this," she commanded.
I took the scroll from her hands, holding it at the top and bottom to keep it open. Then she ran her right finger across the ink marks while muttering something that sounded like "Logrithos."
The ink changed from black to a rainbow of colors. This colorful display flowed down the parchment, leaving lines in its wake as it headed to the bottom. I stared as the flow reached the bottom of the page and seemed to seep into the paper, vanishing from sight, but leaving a written message behind. I carried the scroll near the fire and set it on the stones.
"Ron," the writing began, "if you are reading this, I'm right and Shaylin was in the lodge when we came by. Outside you'll find a small sled. It is already fully loaded with food, wood and other supplies. I made sure the demons found a tent for you. It should be on the top. This tent is not magical, but the hide used is from a reptile that lives in our coldest mountains. The outside of the skin blocks cold, not allowing it inside, while the interior will keep heat from escaping. If you light a fire inside this tent at night, is will keep you and your people warm. There will be another crossbow hidden under the tent along with an axe and several long knives. I hope you never need them, but I have added them to what we have provided. In truth you have still vastly overpaid, but it's all I can provide. Thank you again, Werlyn."
"What is it?" Steve asked.
I handed the parchment to him. "Let anyone who wants to read it and then throw it in the fire," I said.
Steve took the parchment and sat next to the fire. He said nothing as I slipped back to the door and opened it long enough to look out. Up against the side of the house, hidden between the wall and the drift that now rose up over the eaves, was a sled. It appeared to be of similar construction to the ones we were still loading. I made a quick check on the cargo it held and then went back inside, leaving it where it was.
"Is it out there?" Steve asked.
"Yes, in a tunnel dug between the drift and the wall of the lodge," I said. "We can grab it as we leave."
"Do you think Aine and Shaylin will be able to keep up?" Steve asked. "The rest of us walked here so I know they can."
"Aine can," I said. "I hoped she'd get more t
ime to rest, but we can't stay. Shaylin grew up on a farm. She can probably outwork most of us."
"She can do magic?" Steve asked. "What kinds?"
"I've seen her create light in her hand, and she unlocked the scroll. At first all it had was a single word written in a language I didn't know," I said. "And she probably knows how to make the preserving casks. It sounds like making those is a sizable business."
Steve nodded. "We have the two sleds loaded. Hencktor is rigging a harness. It will fit like a backpack if one person pulls, or can be split and allow two people to pull. Who will be doing that?"
"Al for one sled, Victoria and me for a second, Jennifer and Kariy for the third," Heather said as she walked up to us. "We need you able to drop your pack and move quickly if we are attacked."
"I thought I was the leader," I said.
Heather smiled and put her arms around me. "You are," she said as she looked into my eyes. "But you would have tried to pull one along with Hencktor and Steve. We need you to have your arms free so you can protect us, so we figured out who would pull."
Steve shook his head and walked away. "You won't win that one," he said.
I sighed and put my arms around Heather. "Very well, I said. Let's plan who will watch tonight and then we can eat a meal before we sleep. We need to be awake before dawn."
Heather giggled. "Kariy has a stew almost ready to eat. She says there will be enough to feed everyone another serving in the morning. Other than that, she's already stored all the food and cooking equipment."
"How are the others doing?" I asked absently.
"We got the harnesses done," Hencktor said as he stepped out of the room where the sleds were stored. "We can probably move the sleds closer to the door after we eat."
"All the clothing is packed," Natalie said. "I've set out furs and foot wrappings for everyone. We can get going quickly in the morning. And we were able to put most of the extra furs on the sleds to save space in the packs."
"We only got a couple packs with any wood, and did not pack much," Kariy called out from the kitchen area. "We can probably go one night with what is in the packs. I suggest we watch for wood during the journey. We have enough food for fifteen days or more if we don't hunt or fish."
