The Wounded

by Marilyn Foxworthy

  He looked at me and said, “Of course. I can see that you have things that you consider to be urgent on your mind. Tell me what I can do for you.”

  I said, “First, I am told that there are no laws concerning the Nogud, only customs. Is that true?”

  He said, “It is.”

  I hurried to add, “Good. The two that you sent to me, somehow, though they wore a tunic and hood, they were not disfigured or defective in any way. I don’t know how it happened, but when it was discovered that they were beautiful and gracious women, my friends Paul, the clothier, and Aaron the stone carver, both fell immediately in love, and the women loved them, and they have declared their intentions to be mates. One for Paul and one for Aaron. Yes, I know that some grave mistake was made, but that’s how it is. No one would cheat you out of your fees, and I will pay what you ask. I will pay double what you ask if we have offended you. If you need the money now, I will give it to you. If you have no current need, come to me in Bonvale and we will settle matters when we can sit and relax.”

  Antonio stammered, “Joshua, no, um, I’m happy to hear it. I don’t know what could have happened. As far as a fee, I don’t know what to say. I expected nothing for them and if I receive nothing I have not lost anything. You have truly proved yourself to be the most unusual and kindest man that I have ever met. I have started to hear stories of you saving the village from a gang of thugs and they start to say that a wizard has come to Bonvale.”

  I smiled and said, “They say what they say. I’m happy that you’re not holding this news against me. We will settle an amount, because it is only right that my friends pay a generous fee for having such exquisite women sent to their house. I have heard that the average arrangement is for 500 coins and…”

  He said, “No. It is 100.”

  I knew that it was 100, not 500, but I wanted him to say so, not me.

  I asked, “And for a truly exceptional woman?”

  He frowned and said, “I have not made an arrangement for more than eighty in quite some time.”

  I interrupted, and said, “Good. Then we will start by paying two hundred for the both of them, if that’s acceptable.”

  Antonio tried to interrupted, but I continued, “And, I will give you another hundred, because I want you to do a favor for me. Here it is: I want you to send every Nogud little sister that you find to me, or bring them yourself. You know the Haunted Wood, downriver from Bonvale? I’m the owner of it, and I have a place where they can all live and work and find some happiness. I have the means, as you can see, so that I assure you that they will be well cared for. Because it’s in the Haunted Woods, they will not be judged, and there will be no need for them to hide their faces. There is no law, so at the haven in the woods that I’m creating, they will not wear hoods and they will have more comfortable clothing, and their lives will not be difficult and they will finally be happy to the degree that they can be. Antonio, listen to me. I’m not saying send me those who cannot find work elsewhere. I’m saying, send me every one of them. Every single one, even if there are a hundred. And if you need a fee, name your fee and it will be yours with my blessing.”

  Antonio looked shocked, but said, “Joshua, I trust you, and if you say it, then I won’t tell you that you can’t do it. Are you asking that as I travel the village loop, that I collect all of the unfortunate ones and bring them all to the Haunted Wood? The families that have them will be relieved enough to be rid of them, but this isn’t what I would have expected. Yes, you have been kind to them, taking three when I saw you in Bonvale, but this is unexpected. In truth, I don’t remember there being many now. You took three, and now two more, and I don’t think that there are more than one or two remaining. Yes, I’ll bring them to you if you have a place for them, but you must swear to let me know if you ever need help finding other arrangements someday.”

  I said quickly, “I will. You have my word. Now, one more matter, and this one impacts things more than the others. Here it is. My friends have a plan to start a new school for young women in Bonvale. They will teach food preparation, sewing, cleaning, various trades, and the older women will teach subjects important to bedmates. I’m on my way now, as soon as we’re done speaking, because I wanted to speak to you first, but I’m on my way to negotiate with the woman who runs the school today, to buy her out or whatever it takes to get her to retire and leave this burden to my friends who have it in their hearts to do it. They will hire a building, or if there are only a few at a time, they will have them on the farm, in special apartments. But, I need your agreement that you will bring the young women there, instead of to the old school. Will you do that? And if not, how can I convince you?”

  Antonio said, “Joshua, you are changing the whole world in a day. Slow down and let me respond to you. Take a breath. In reverse order, first the new school. My friend I’m thrilled at this news. You should plan on about three women each year for now. The birth rate is low. In other days, it might have been more or less, but now plan for three at a time. Yes, I will happily bring them to your new school. If the woman in Stevespont will not sell out to you and retire, don’t be concerned. If you say that there’s a new school, I will never take a girl to Stevespont again. You need not buy her out. She has no students with her now, but I expect three next time I take the loop. In fact, I have no women with me now either. But, back to the woman. She is not a pleasant person and these days insists on a higher fee each time I go to her. But, moreover, I am concerned that she is not kind to the girls that I take to her. I will be more than happy if I never take a girl there again.”

  I said, “Antonio, I am wealthy enough, and the girls will be taught at no charge to you or their parents. Have no fear on that account.”

  Antonio went on, “How does this happen in a day? So, the school is yours and I’m happy for it. Done and sealed. Second, yes, I will bring every unfortunate sister to your haven in the Haunted Wood. Like I said, most are there already. I think that the big one is still to be found, but when I find her, she will come to you as well. She is a strange one, but I won’t even ask if you are sure that you want her. You have said that you want all of them and I will help them go to you. Lastly my friend, if the two that I sent were somehow able to find men to love them, I could not be happier.”

  I said, “Antonio, thank you! I cannot thank you enough. I will hurry on to Stevespont and try to negotiate with the woman there. Will you let me hurry away and promise to come see me in Bonvale as soon as you can?”

  He said, “I will. I’ll be there in about three days or so. I have no women with me and I don’t expect any on this trip. I’ll be there in two or three days and we will visit then. But, my friend, if that hag, Irene, gives you trouble, curse her and move on. You don’t need her agreement. I’ll do what you ask and the world will be better.”

  I didn’t react to what Antonio said, except to thank him and clap him on the back and rush back to the car. I almost fainted and my heart was pounding, but I made it back to the car. That ‘hag’?

  I opened the door to the car and shut it quickly behind me and said, “Drive. Toward Stevespont. We need to get out of here!”

  I was breathing heavily and felt like I was about to pass out. I felt ill and lay back against the cushioned bench seat and tried desperately not to throw up.

  The car drove away from the inn, and Clarice stroked my hair and worried over me.

  When we were out of sight of the others, I said, “Faster, please!”

  The car sped down the road and after just another hundred yards I cried out, “Stop. Stop here!” and when the car was still, I threw open the door and vomited at the side of the road. When I was done leaning out the car door, Clarice pulled the car forward about twenty feet while she held me steady. When we were stopped again, I stepped carefully out and leaned against the side of the vehicle.

  Clarice climbed out of the car and hugged me to herself.

  She said, “Sweetie, I’m so sorry. Come back inside and relax and we will
talk. We don’t know what he meant yet.”

  Clarice pulled out the sofa bed and helped me back into the back of the car. She pulled the doors closed behind us. She didn’t start the car moving, but left it stationary at the side of the road. I crawled up onto the bed and Clarice came up beside me and turned so that her back was to the side of the interior and my head lay in her lap.

  She said, “Sweetie. I heard what happened. And, yes, it is possible. Before the cataclysm, life expectancies had skyrocketed. I think that Yuki had said that she was 140, and that isn’t old at all. I’m surprised to hear that someone may have lived for over eight hundred years, but I suppose that it is possible. It might be that this woman is simply a descendant of Irene and carries the same name, but it’s possible that it is the same woman. We know that she started the school, at least we have good evidence that she did, so it’s either her, a descendant of hers, or just a title now given to whoever runs the school at the time.”

  I recovered and said, “No. It’s her. I feel it. My feelings might be wrong, but it’s her. I just know it. It has to be. It will be. Watch and see. We’ll get there and my own dear murderous witch of a mother will still be in charge making beautiful women miserable. It wasn’t enough to make the little sisters miserable, she had to make every woman miserable. It’s her.”

  Clarice said, “My love, I’m sorry.”

  I said, “I’m not. I’m glad it’s her. It’s justice that it’s her. I’m glad that she carries her guilt and no one else. How far to Stevespont?”

  Clarice answered, “About nine and a half miles.”

  I said, “Let’s go. Don’t rush, but go as fast as makes sense. How long till we get there?’

  She answered, “Maybe twenty to thirty minutes if we don’t rush.”

  I said, “Good,” and the car started down the road again.

  We sat quietly as I thought things over. I wasn’t thinking clearly though. I had just been so upset that I threw up at the side of the road. This wasn’t going well. Not for me.

  Suddenly I said, “Clarice, I love you. Slow down the car. Now, in a minute, I am going to ask you to put me to sleep. Give me an hour. Drive into Stevespont, park in the center of the square. Just sit there until I’ve been asleep for an hour. Just sit there. Let a crowd gather if they do. Don’t open the door. If anything goes wrong, use your own judgment. Either wake me up or drive away. The goal is: one, to let me sleep and calm down; two, to draw a crowd, hopefully including ‘the evil one’. Hopefully, when I wake up, I’ll know what to do, unless you can tell me.”

  Clarice said, “No, I don’t know what to do. The plan sounds good. I’ll drive slowly into the village. You can sleep until we get there. When a crowd has gathered, I will wake you up.”

  I asked, “Does the car have a public address system? Can we talk to people outside the car to make an announcement?”

  Clarice said, “Yes. We can use the ear-piece and external speakers.”

  I said, “Good. When we get there, do me a favor and use some kind of booming voice of god sounding thing and say, ‘Bring Irene. I am Joshua’. No, say, ‘I am Joshua. Bring Irene.’ And then go silent. What do you think of that?”

  She asked, “Are you trying to scare the pants off of her?”

  I said, “More or less, yeah. Is that OK? I won’t do anything that you think is dangerous to you.”

  She said, “No. Joshua, I’m fully trained in martial arts and I’m much faster and stronger than any human. And, if you need it, I packed your bokken. Are you planning for a fight?”

  I said, “No. No fight. I meant that I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable sitting in the car with a crowd gathering outside.”

  Clarice said, “Oh, that. No, I’ll be fine. I know that you always have a plan. I’m not worried at all. I’m a little surprised that you want to do it this way though.”

  I said, “I don’t know what I want to do. I think that I want to make her angry, or afraid, or something. I want to throw her off balance, and it doesn’t matter how. Any really strong emotion that causes her to lose her cool will be fine. Hatred, fear, guilt, whatever. I’ll have a plan when I wake up. Clarice?”

  She asked, “Yes?”

  I said, “I love you, you beautiful Fairy Princess. Thank you for coming with me today. You are the best. If there’s anything that you want, tell me.”

  Clarice smiled and said, “I’m actually kind of turned on right now. I know that this isn’t the time, but I thinks its sexy when you make things happen. Ready for your nap? Night night.”

  Chapter 14 Irene is Alive

  Then I woke up. An hour later, right on schedule.

  Clarice spoke before I did saying, “Sweetie, here we are. We rolled in about ten minutes ago and when a half dozen people had gathered, I made the announcement, just like you said.”

  I took a breath and sat up and stretched. It was amazing how good sleeping like that, with Clarice’s help, made me feel. I still didn’t know quite what to do, but I was calm and confident that it would come to me. The problem was that I didn’t have enough information to make a plan. When you can’t make a plan, you can always improvise. You can’t improvise well when you’re upset or tired. Good improvisation takes a clear head. Now I knew exactly what I would do. I would clear my mind and let my instincts take over. I was ready to do nothing, but instead to let what happened happen.

  I smiled and said, “I’m ready. Clarice, I want you to come with me. Stand beside me and follow my lead. Let me get out first and hold the door for you. Really, I don’t know what’s about to happen. We set the stage; what happens now depends on her, and we don’t know enough about her to predict what she will do.”

  Clarice said, “Joshua, you know that we might not have to do this. Antonio said that he will never bring any women here ever again, so you could ignore this, or you could deal with it some other day.”

  I said, “Yes, we could. We really could. But I think we should go forward.”

  Clarice smiled and said, “Well, OK then. I’ll follow you. And then, well, we um, we can see what happens after that. Is it getting hot in here? I feel hot.”

  I smiled and said, “Are you wearing panties?”

  Clarice said, “Um, I don’t remember. You should check.”

  I said, “I will. And if you are, I’ll fix that for you, so don’t worry about it until we get back in the car. OK? Let’s go.”

  I slid over and opened the door and stepped out without looking at the people standing around the car. I took Clarice’s hand and helped her down. When she stood beside me, I left the doors open, giving the villagers an opportunity to look inside.

  Clarice and I stood side by side, hand in hand, and I looked up to see who we were facing. There were about four dozen villagers assembled, standing silent, waiting for me to speak.

  I asked, “Is this the village of the woman Irene? I am Joshua.”

  A man near the front of the small assembly said, “Joshua, we have heard of you. We want no trouble.”

  I said, “Did you hear that I cause trouble, or that I bring justice, protection, and blessing?”

  There was a momentary murmur and discussion, and the man spoke again.

  He said, “We heard that you saved the village of Bonvale from a murderous thief and that you are very generous and kind. We heard that you disabled a gang of rovers by paralyzing them with a wave of your hand.”

  Someone yelled, “And killed six of them by pointing a wand at them.”

  I smiled and said, “Some of that may be an exaggeration. But, if you heard that I am unkind, or harsh, you heard wrong.”

  I heard another yell, “He is here to free us from her tyranny.”

  Then several people said, “Quiet. She may be coming. Don’t say it.”

  I smiled, “So, you know Irene. And, she scares you. I’m not surprised. She scares me too, but not enough. Bring her here.”

  The man looked nervous and said, “Sir, we sent a messenger, but we can’t guarantee that s
he will come.”

  I said, “She will come. I will wait.”

  I nodded to Clarice and helped her back into the car. I followed her in and closed the doors behind us.

  When the doors were closed, Clarice asked, “Joshua, what are you doing?”

  I said, “I’m not quite sure. No, wait, I mean, I have a plan and it’s all going exactly as I have foreseen it.”

  Clarice smiled and said, “You have no idea? Really? That’s kind of fun.”

  I smiled and said, “Kind of unusual, huh? I’m as surprised as you are.”

  Clarice and I sat on the sofa in the back of the car and rested with our legs up. We just waited.

  I asked, “Clarice, do you wear a bra?”

  She smiled and said, “You can check if you want to.”

  It wasn’t what I had intended to do, but since she mentioned it, I smiled and reached over and felt her breast through the fabric of her blouse. Nope, no bra. She was firm and round, and fleshy and wore no bra. The nipple of her breast, which I knew could get rock hard and very large when she was aroused, was barely perceptible.

  She said, “See, no bra. My nipples are easy to deemphasize when we aren’t playing with them, so they don’t show…unless you want them to. If you want them to, that’s easy too.”

  I smiled and said, “Show me.”

  Clarice’s blouse tented very slightly and her points did show just a little.

  She said, “This blouse is too lose to really show them. Something tighter would showcase my nips to better effect. Or a lighter fabric, like the night gowns I have.”

  I said, “So, you have night gowns?”

  Clarice rolled over on to my shoulder and said, “Oh yeah. You used to shop for me all the time. Either you would buy me something cute, or you would have the nymphs make something that you designed and you would surprise me with it. You have very good taste in lingerie. I did bring something to sleep in, you know, just in case we had to stay overnight.”

  I smiled and said, “You did? Would you like that? If we stayed overnight?”