Contents
Title Page
Preface to Book One
Chapter 1 The Golden Triangle Society
Chapter 2 Meeting Paul and Aaron
Chapter 3 Taking Lark to Havenrest
Chapter 4 Surprising Lark
Chapter 5 There's a Storm Coming
Chapter 6 The Sapphire Road
Chapter 7 Clarice Drops a Bombshell
Chapter 8 What About Brenda
Chapter 9 Planning for the Little Sisters of The Future
Chapter 10 Nymphovert
Chapter 11 Alone Time
Chapter 12 The Brenda Anomaly
Chapter 13 The Inn at Skamanus
Chapter 14 Irene is Alive
Chapter 15 Recovery Time
Chapter 16 Integrating Irene
Chapter 17 Lunch With Wendy
Chapter 18 Didn't I Love You?
Chapter 19 Are We OK With Moon Maids?
Chapter 20 My New Bedroom
Chapter 21 Brenda at New Springs Breast
Chapter 22 Resolving Brenda
Chapter 23 Pajama Night
Chapter 24 Brenda Wakes Up
Chapter 25 Brenda's First Experience
Chapter 26 Brenda's Memories
Chapter 27 Bonding and Planning
Chapter 28 Brenda Goes Out
Chapter 29 Teasing Me In The Market
Chapter 30 Grocery Delivery
Chapter 31 Baptisms
Chapter 32 Aspen In The Water
Afterword
About The Author
Other Series by The Author
The Wounded
The Nogud Legacy Book 3
Marilyn Foxworthy
Copyright © 2018 Marilyn Foxworthy
All rights reserved.
My name is Marilyn. I’ve written before about some of the remarkable men of the Jensen Family. This time, we are hearing the story of Joshua, a man with no memory. This is the first book of his story.
I call it “The Nogud Legacy, Book 3: The Wounded. That’s how it starts. It starts with Joshua wandering down a road in the early morning. He doesn’t know where he’s from or where he’s going. But he knows that he needs help. He needs a friend.
Well, ready? Our story starts on a road, early in the morning…
But first, before you turn the page, beware of several things that you’ll find on the other side of this door. I warn you now. Here’s what you should know before you decide to read the story of our hero and his wonderful life:
The story is, at times, highly sexual. At times graphically so. If that isn’t what you want to read, you better stop right now. Take the book back to the store and get your money back. There’s a lot of sex.
The story is long. It isn’t a quick read for a single afternoon. In fact, the tale is several volumes long. This is probably just one book of an epic saga. The entire series is long. If you want a short little diversion, stop now. If you get hooked on the story and spend more time than you wanted to reading, and possibly rereading, the entire adventure, maybe that’s my fault, but I make no apologies for it.
Spoiler alert: And this refers back to point 1, our hero is remarkable in many ways, but one of those is how several women may fall in love with him at the same time. And because he’s so remarkable, they generally have no jealousy between them. I’ll leave it to you to read how that plays out, but if the implications disturb you, I recommend a more traditional ‘Bodice-Ripper’ romance. OK, let’s just spell it out: there’s probably going to be some harem elements to the story. Heroes know how to satisfy. But, pay attention to the next point…about the allegory aspects of that.
Allegory alert: If you read the story correctly, many of the people, especially the women related to the primary hero in the story, will actually represent different aspects of the same person. As people, we are complex beings. You will find explanations of the ‘oneness’ of the characters, so keep in mind that what may sound polygamous, may actually be an allegory of one monogamous relationship. Or don’t. You can read it however you want to, but it was written in many respects as an allegory. That doesn’t make it any less fun. It does make it more like eroticism for philosophers though.
The story was written by me, but in the same style as my other books, as if our hero had kept journals of his adventures, and I just edited and published them. That may have been more the case in some books than others, but it’s the style I enjoy right now. I was a fan of the great pulp writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, and I think it influenced the language and style to some extent.
I’ve tried to write the story in a way that’s easy for text-to-speech reader software to make sense of. I love listening to the stories myself, and I use a text-to-speech program on my phone or computer, and while I’m exercising or driving. I find that the rereading isn’t perfect, but it’s adequate. Some of the words will be mispronounced consistently, but you can probably tell what’s being said. For example, “I wound up being wounded” won’t pronounce the two different renderings of “wound” correctly, but you’ll be able to follow the story well enough. Also, to make it clear who’s speaking, a lot of the dialog starts with “He said, …” and “She asked, …” to try to make it more listener friendly. Otherwise, it might have been written differently.
You may notice frequent references to quoted movie lines, song lyrics, and passages from other books. They may seem obscure. If you find something that one of the characters says to be a bit weird, it’s probably a movie line. You can look it up on the Internet or something if you want to. If you get it, that’s fun. If not, I hope you don’t feel like you’re missing the joke
Refer to point 1, above. Really. I’m not kidding. It gets graphic. And pay attention to points 3 and 4 as well. You have been warned. And, just so you know what to expect, there’s no sexual humiliation, violence, bondage, or anything like that presented in any erotic way. If that’s what you’re looking for, something darker, this isn’t for you. There’s a lot of sex, but it is portrayed as respectful, consensual, and loving.
Happy trolls.
Chapter 1 The Golden Triangle Society
I was in a hurry. This morning I was on the path from Paul’s place to the village square. I was moving as quickly as I could without actually running. A little while ago, just after breakfast, there was a knock at the door of Paul’s farmhouse, and after a quick exchange with the person who had come, Paul’s woman Amanda rushed to the dining table and said that two women in tunics and hoods had appeared in the village and were now sitting beside the fountain in the square. I was on my feet in an instant and out the door as quickly as I could put on my shoes.
Today was the thirteenth day since I’d arrived in the village of Bonvale. Prior to that I’d been in an induced hibernation for a little over 800 years, since the time of the cataclysm involving the eruption of the super volcano in Yellowstone and the subsequent massive earthquakes along the west coast subduction fault. The cataclysm started in the year 2070; it was now 2903, as far as we could figure, 833 years later. And today was Sunday.
Last week I’d been to my home in the haunted woods and learned some of my missing history. I still had amnesia, but I’d recovered some of my story with the help of the artificial beings, Clarice, and the nymphs, Ellie, Mandy, and Wendy.
The house, that we now called Havenrest, was still in the process of being recovered and put in order. There was not much damage on the inside, but the nymphs were hard at work getting it all ready for habitation. Everything had been very carefully and thoroughly packed and stored, the nymphs and Clarice having put themselves into a shutdown mode about five years after my own accidental injury. The guest house was livable and there was power and lights and ventilation, but the main house was still being pu
t back together. I hadn’t even seen it yet.
Today was Sunday. A few days ago, on Friday, Mandy, the little nymph, had gone into the village with me and we had purchased a quantity of food to be taken back to the house for Raven, my tiny playful bedmate who had decided to live life as a nymph herself, at least for the present. There were now a few groceries and enough to begin stocking some essential staples. That evening, I returned to Havenrest, about six miles from Paul’s farm, with Mandy and spent the night with Raven, Clarice, and the others. They were very happy to see me, especially Raven, and we all made love several times before I left the next afternoon. The trip between the farm and Havenrest only took twenty minutes or so now. The nymphs had unpacked and readied two of the autonomous passenger vehicles and the road from Havenrest to the farm had been cleared a bit by the robotic tractor, so we made good time. Raven had been working in the main house, but she and Clarice insisted that I not go in until it was more in shape and ready to be lived in.
Saturday evening, last night, I was back at Paul’s, in my apartment with Viola and Lark. We sat by the river and had a picnic with Paul’s family, bathing and swimming naked in the little cove. And then we slept peacefully in each other’s arms. This morning was a nice breakfast and a nice talk, and then a knock at the door and a hurried message about the women in the tunics and hoods.
So now I was rushing to find them. If they wore the tunics, then they were the ‘untouchable Nogud’; women that my family and Paul’s knew to be exceptional beauties, descended from my own grandparents, 900 years ago, but shunned by the people of this time and falsely believed to be hideously disfigured and sexually defective. The Nogud were doomed by society to be temporary farm workers, never to know a husband or happiness. I had vowed to find a way to make every one of them as happy as possible and to abolish the practice of treating them as untouchable. Not only were they people who deserved respect, they were my people, my family. I had made it an open secret in the village that any of them who wanted to, could come to me and I would help them. What was not known was that three of my mates, one of Paul’s, the woman Beatrice, who was the stone carver Aaron’s mate, and their daughter were all judged as Nogud and now lived happily in our houses.
These two, who were sitting next to the fountain in the town square, must have heard the rumors and must have come to find me. The Nogud didn’t travel alone, but were taken from village to village accompanied by the Merchant of Women, who cared for them and found them temporary living situations. But these two were reportedly alone and the Merchant was not expected back here again for at least another week.
As I finally approached the square, before I had turned into it, two different people had said to me that here were Nogud at the fountain and they had not spoken to anyone. It was whispered, everyone knowing that it was a secret and not knowing that everyone knew the secret the same way that they did. It worked best for me that way. Everyone knew what I wanted them to, but none of them gossiped or speculated about it. At least not openly.
And there they were. Sitting by the fountain on a bench as I approached, were two hooded women in the course tunics. The custom was for them to be covered from head to foot and even their faces shrouded by the hoods. I slowed my pace and calmed my breathing, so that I would seem at peace, and walked quietly up to stand before them.
I looked down at them, seated as they were, and said softly, “Little sisters, I am Joshua. I plan to bless you and find you happiness.”
It was a modification of the traditional saying, ‘Bless you Little Sisters, may you find happiness someday.’
The women looked up at me, but I could still not see their faces. One of them handed me a hand written note and then lowered her head again. The message was sealed with wax.
The written language had changed over the centuries, but I was getting used to it and I was able to read it with a little bit of work. It was from the Antonio, the Merchant of Women.
It said, “Joshua, your kindness toward the unfortunate ones is more than any man alive and should be made the stuff of legend. I know that I flatter you, but I do it in hope that your kindness is truly heroic. When I came to the village where I am, I found two of the Nogud, these who have my letter to you. They have no hope of a situation at this time, and would be traveling with me for a very long time if they stay with me. I know that you have taken three of these poor creatures already and you have said that somehow you have found them to be pleasant for some task that you have for them. My thought is to beg you to care for them, either in some manner that only you know, or at least until I come to Bonvale again. I know that I am asking a great deal, and if you are not able to accommodate them, I know that you will be kind to them, and when I come, I will reimburse you for their room and board. If you have work for them in your house, you’ll have them at no cost. It’s up to you. If you cannot provide for them, and I will not hold it against you, if you will give them a little bread for the journey, they will return to me. Pray that they do not faint or fall into harm on the way. I know that I’m trying to rouse you to compassion, and I do it deliberately. Somehow, I believe that I can trust you and have no need to beg you, but I do so nonetheless. May the heavens bless you and may you still call me friend when I return.”
The letter was signed, ‘Antonio, the Merchant of Women, your indebted servant and friend’.
I looked at the women and said, “Can I sit with you for a moment? Will you make room for me?”
The women looked at each other and then moved apart to make room on the bench between themselves where I indicated that I wanted to rest.
I said, “Do you know what the letter says? Did you read it, or did the merchant tell you what it said? Please, speak freely to me. It’s in my heart to help you and if you will let me, to do things for you that you might not expect. Please, answer me and speak your minds as we talk.”
The one on my right said, “Master, the merchant told us, ‘Go to Bonvale and find the man called Joshua’. He told us that you might have a situation for us and that if you took us in to do whatever you directed us to.”
The other said, “But as we entered the village, a woman ran to us and said, ‘Follow the golden road, you will find happiness in Havenrest. The wizard will find you’. We don’t know what that meant, but another woman came and said, ‘Sisters, sit by the fountain. I will send word to Sir Joshua that you have come. Wait here.’ So, we sat down and waited.”
I said, “You’ve come to the right place and Antonio is kind to you to have sent you. This will take time to explain to you and I am going to ask you to trust me.”
One said, “We will do whatever you say.”
The other said, “Your eyes say that we will trust you.”
I smiled and said, “Then come with me. We will walk outside the village and I will tell you about the Golden Road and Havenrest. Come with me if you want to.” I stood up and took a step, saying, “It’s up to you. I won’t compel you or command you, but I urge you to let me help you in ways that you will not have imagined except in your dreams.”
The women stood and waited for me to start walking.
I said, “Good, follow me. We’ll go to the edge of the village and when we’re on the road, I will explain what I have for you if you want it.”
I started to walk and the two followed a pace behind. I considered asking them to walk beside me, but because there were several people about, I thought that it would draw less attention if they followed me, as they would be expected to do. I did say something to them to that effect with the assurance that when we were outside the village that I would want them to walk beside me, not behind me.
It took just a little while to reach the edge of the village and as our feet first touched the road I stopped and said, “Now, please, there are no laws concerning the Nogud, only customs. Please, if you will do as I ask, come stand beside me, one on each side, and remove the hoods so that I can see your faces and so that the sun shines on you. You have been hidden for too long
. I know the secrets of the Nogud and I know that you are beautiful and not untouchable.”
The women slowly reached up and pulled the hoods back from their faces. I was surprised at the faces that I saw. They were indeed beautiful, but they were also mature, not young like Viola and Lark and Raven. They were older, like Beatrice and Yuki. This changed the plan.
I said brightly, “See, I was right. You are very beautiful. Let’s walk. We won’t go far before you have heard what I have to say to you.”
I had us walk about fifty yards before I started to explain.
I said, “Sisters, I’m the one they call the wizard Joshua of Bonvale. The reason that the women of Bonvale told you to wait for me is because they know a little bit of the secret of the Golden Triangle Society. Antonio doesn’t know it, but he knows that we have kindness toward the exceptional women such as yourselves. This society is myself, a man named Paul, and our dear friend Aaron. And the women of our houses.
The thing that is special about us, … but wait, first you need to understand that though I’m young, Paul and Aaron are older, like fathers to me, and their mates are older than mine as well. We three know about the secrets of the Nogud, and we know the stories that some mothers tell their daughters of having been misjudged, but finding love with a man who cared for them and of running away into the woods to become a woman and burying the tunic and hood. We know that those who are judged in this way are the daughters of women who were also judged.
We know these things because all of us have taken a wonderful woman into the woods and made her our mate and have given her a new dress and made her know that she is beautiful and worthy of happiness, even in our beds where we have great pleasure together as mates. My question for you is, has your day come to be happy and would you meet one of my friends and have him take you into the woods the way that I suspect that your mothers were taken by your fathers?”
Neither of them spoke immediately, but both started to cry softly. Finally the one on my left spoke.
The Wounded Page 1
