Lost on Jord

by Allan Joyal

  I froze for a moment, stunned by the energy and enthusiasm of the welcome. "Well, we need room for sixteen people for five days. Food and drink as well. And we could use some information and advice. We have had a few setbacks and find that we need to rest and then to make our way to the Wizard's Academy."

  The man's smile wavered. "This is a bad time to try for the Wizard's Academy," he said. "Trouble is brewing in the lowlands between here and the Academy. King Hislek marches within the fortnight, hoping to capture the Aqula River and the rich farmland around it. You could be heading directly into that war."

  I nodded. "We understand, but that is why I'm asking for information as well. However, today, I'd be happy with an inexpensive room and food for my friends and me."

  The man frowned. "Do you want separate rooms, or can you tolerate one large room for everyone?"

  "One room will work. I would ask for a bed in the room. One member of our group was injured a couple days ago. Our medic says that a couple of days of rest will assist the recovery," I commented.

  "Medic?" the man asked, the word clearly confusing to him.

  Before I could respond, a young lady exited the door. She appeared to be about sixteen. There was a strong familial resemblance between her and the innkeeper. The girl was carrying a pail in her left hand. Her right arm was bound against her stomach. She was limping slightly as she came out.

  "Father," the girl said. "The front room has been cleaned out. Cook says she needs some fresh carrots. I sent Erngit to fetch some from the market. What do you want me to do?"

  The man turned to look at his daughter. I spun around to face the rest of the group. Pointing at Esme, I waved a summons.

  Esme came up as the innkeeper turned back to me. He had taken the pail from the girl. "My daughter Melande," he said. "She can show you to your room."

  Esme was looking closely at the girl. "How did you hurt your arm? Or is it your shoulder."

  "Shoulder," the girl replied. "I fell."

  "Don't keep using that line," the innkeeper shouted. "That no good Cordy did it. He snuck back in here after I threw him out and pushed you down the stairs."

  "Father!" the girl cried, spinning to face the man. The motion pulled her elbow forward and she dropped to the ground with a scream of pain.

  Esme immediately knelt and started looking at the girl's shoulder. "Dislocation," she reported absently. "I've seen these before in my training."

  "Can you help her?" I asked.

  Esme nodded. "If she can take a little pain, we can try to pop the shoulder back into the socket. She'll still want to rest the shoulder for a couple of days, but the pain will go away and she'll be far more comfortable."

  "You've done this?" I asked.

  "I wanted to do trauma and emergency nursing. Dislocated shoulders happen often enough that I got to see a couple when I was interning. I was only a helper though. I've never been the primary care giver. And I can't do all that a surgeon would. All I'm suggesting is trying to pop the shoulder back in to stop the pain and allow the shoulder to heal. I just hope moving the arm to put it in the sling didn't make it worse."

  "I haven't moved my arm much since I fell," the girl whimpered. "It hurts too much."

  The innkeeper was looking at us. His mouth was open, but before he could say anything, Esme got the girl's attention.

  "Miss? I think I can help you. It's going to hurt when I treat the arm though. Do you want my help?" she asked.

  "Yes," the girl said. "Please."

  Esme started removing the sling holding the girl's arm to her body. "Ron," she told me, "I need you to hold the girl's arm. I'm going to try to use pressure to push the shoulder back into the socket. Miss, this is going to hurt."

  The girl merely nodded as I carefully took a firm grip on her arm to steady it. Esme was behind the girl. She put her right hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to hiss in pain. I could see the innkeeper about to protest when Esme brought her left arm forward and pushed on the girl's collarbone. The arm I held jumped backwards in my hands, but I could hear a very faint click as the girl screamed in pain and fell forward in a faint.

  "I must protest!" the innkeeper shouted, grabbing Esme. "How could you do that to my daughter! She's been abused enough by the drunks who populate my tavern every night. But you! She has an injured arm and you couldn't just let it heal."

  "Heal!" Esme shouted back. "Dislocations don't just heal! If her arm stayed out of the socket too long it might never have healed properly. And they keep hurting until they are put right. She had to have been in pain all morning, if that's truly when she got hurt."

  "You! I can't believe you. You lie about that!" the innkeeper started.

  "Father..." the girl whispered. She stirred and put her left hand on the ground. She pushed against the ground, rolling over onto her back. "Father!" she shouted louder, noticing that her father was not paying attention."

  "What!" the man said. He appeared to realize that his daughter was talking and looked down.

  Melande was sitting up and carefully manipulating her wrist. She had a very slight grimace of pain on her face as she slowly stood up to look at Esme. "How? It doesn't hurt," she said.

  "Your fall dislocated your shoulder," Esme said. "I can't really explain the whole mechanics of it. All I did was push back the parts that had been misaligned. It should heal now, but don't use it much for a couple of days. Your shoulder still needs to finish healing."

  Melande threw her left arm around Esme and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be careful. I should go, there is much to do."

  The girl dashed to the door before turning back and looking at the innkeeper. "Father, which room will these travelers be staying in?"

  "Um, let's use the big one at the end of the hall," the man said absently. "And have Lerv bring in a bed."

  "A bed?" Melande asked.

  "Yes," Esme said. "It doesn't have to be big, but one of our members needs to lie down and allow an injured leg to heal. And don't let me hear you helped move that bed. I don't want to find out that your shoulder got hurt again."

  Melande giggled and left the courtyard. The innkeeper was looking at Esme and then me. "Will she really recover?" the man asked.

  Esme gave me a nudge. I looked at her, and she nodded her head and then glanced over at the innkeeper. "She should," I said. "If you want, Esme can look at it again tonight. She's our medic and has some knowledge of healing. Your daughter does need to rest the arm though."

  The innkeeper nodded and looked over our group. "How long do you need the room again?"

  "Natalie needs two days to heal, but I was hoping to rest for about four. We need to talk to some people and replace some lost equipment."

  The innkeeper smiled. "I can give you the room for no more than six. We have a caravan due in then. Can you pay a drachma for the six days? We'll be able to feed you two meals a day, and I'll allow up to three mugs of ale or wine each for that price."

  "That seems rather low," I admitted.

  The man shrugged. "You helped my daughter. And just by having you here, I'll see a full taproom for the next two days. Strange traders always attract attention."

  He turned and headed to the door. "Your room is down the hall behind the last door. You can drop your packs in there. The door can be bolted if someone is inside. You're responsible for protecting your valuables."

  He vanished into the inn. I turned back to find the others gathering up packs and smiling.

  "He wasn't exactly quiet," Steve said with a smile. The rest of the group laughed as we followed the innkeeper's path from the courtyard.

  Chapter 12 – The Gilded Bass

  The hallway in the inn proved to be wide and well lit. Sunlight streamed through large windows. The innkeeper had told us to enter and turn left, and we did, walking down the hall to the last door.

  The door stood open, and we could hear Melande inside. "You don't throw it around Lerv. Now move the bed so that it's against the wall, under the window. I'm sure ou
r guests would love a bit of sunlight during the day."

  I pushed open the door and found Melande standing in the center of the room. In the far corner, a large humanoid with reddish skin was lifting and moving a wooden bed around. He was turning it so that it was directly under a window.

  Someone behind me gasped as I stepped through the doorway, causing Melande and her worker to look. The man's face was vaguely doglike, with a pronounced nose and jaw. I realized that the red skin was really a coat of fur. He bared his teeth and then turned back to finish moving the bed.

  "Sorry," Melande said apologetically. "I wanted this done right away and didn't think to warn you. That's Lerv. Don't worry, he's been in the inn since before I was born and he's very gentle. Once he has the bed set right, we'll go."

  "Everyone, how about we put our packs in the one corner across from the door," I stated and stepped through. The others filed in and began setting the packs in the corner. I walked to the last open corner and leaned the spear against the wall.

  Lerv had completed pushing the bed and turned to leave the room. I saw the others scramble out of the way as the eight foot behemoth bent down and stepped through the doorway. Melande smiled as he left. "We mostly use him in the taproom at nights to scare the drunks. People tend to avoid fights because they think he might throw them out. Meanwhile, you have some time before dinner is ready. There's a chamberpot behind the door, or you can use the privies at the far end of the hall."

  She smiled at Esme and then left the room. The door was still closing when Natalie collapsed to the floor with a groan.

  "Nat!" Esme shouted. "Why aren't you letting the men help you?"

  Al and Hencktor were already moving. They lifted Natalie and quickly moved to set her down on the bed. Esme permitted them to put Natalie's head and shoulders down, but proceeded to remove Natalie's skirt before stepping back. Once Natalie was fully lying on the bed, she knelt down and began examining the injured leg.

  "It's swelling. Nat, you have to pay more attention. The military might have that stupid saying about pain being weakness leaving the body, but you don't have to live that way. Pain is nature's way of telling us that we are hurt and need to rest and heal," Esme lectured.

  "Will she recover?" I asked.

  "Of course she will. She won't be dancing tonight, but she will recover, I promise that," Esme said. She was continuing to probe the leg and was actually smiling slightly. "Actually, it's clear that this is mostly muscle strain. The repaired muscles haven't finished growing back. Tired muscles strain easier. Natalie needs a day or two of rest and some stretching exercises. We will have that time won't we?"

  "I'm planning for four days," I said. "We need to try turning in this token and getting boots for everyone, which might take a couple days. I'm thinking we should see if we can visit the representative for the dwarves, if there is one in town. We need to see if we can look at some maps. And we really need to relax for a day or two."

  Elizabeth smiled. "Ron, can I have one coin? I want to do some investigating and coin will help."

  "Me too!" Eddie added.

  I reached into my pocket to remove the coin pouch. Less than a dozen coins remained, but I fished out two silver ones, handing one each to Elizabeth and Eddie. The duo dashed out of the room.

  "I'm not sure that was a good idea," Lydia said. "They could cause trouble."

  "Knowing Eddie, he'll definitely cause problems," I replied. "But for now he's out of our hair, and we can do some serious planning."

  Al looked dubious. "I thought we were warned that unmarried women were looked down on unless they had a chaperone."

  "Elizabeth will probably figure out a way around that," Steve said. "But she's not going to be happy about it."

  Everyone quickly found a spot to sit on a pack. The only exception was Esme, who had a knife out and was carefully cutting the stitches she had used to hold Natalie's wounds closed.

  "The way I see it," I began, "we still have a slight chance of getting help from the wizards to send us home. So for now the goal is to rest and prepare to travel to the Academy to ask for help. Henck, do you know how far away it is?"

  Hencktor shrugged. "When we sent messages from the village they'd take up to three moon cycles to respond."

  "A moon cycle taking about thirty days?" I asked.

  Hencktor nodded. Al gasped. "So it's another forty days of hiking?"

  "It might not be," I said. "That's why we need to see some maps. The message might take that long, but was it carried directly there, or was it handed to a passing caravan that did not travel directly to the Academy?"

  "Galmin and Versil complained about that. They discovered that the messages were being routed to the Hellmouth and then upriver to Glenford before finally making their way to the Academy," Kariy said.

  "Right, so we know that we can probably get there faster. Meanwhile, other than boots, does anyone have any immediate needs?"

  "A nicer blouse would be nice," Lydia said. "An extra skirt for each of us would be wonderful. I know that extra clothing is probably a luxury, but I'm used to changing into clean clothes each morning."

  Steve coughed at this. I could see Al studying the ceiling and covering his mouth. "Right. Well, that can be all for today. I recommend that we rest for a while and then visit the tavern for dinner."

  "Won't you go out today?" Lisa asked me.

  "No," I replied. "I'm tired and not at my best. I'd rather go tomorrow morning when I'm feeling a bit more rested."

  There was a chorus of agreement, and bedrolls were pulled from packs and passed around. Soon the floor of the room was a checkerboard of unrolled furs and blankets. Lisa and Dusty immediately curled up on the blankets and tried to go to sleep. Esme finished her work on Natalie's leg and then searched the packs for the dice. She coaxed Al, Steve, Kariy, and me into playing Yahtzee. It took a bit of effort to explain the rules to Kariy, and we had no paper to record scores, but we tried to remember the scoring.

  The game proved to be a lot of fun, especially for Kariy, who had good luck with the dice. Henck watched, shaking his head as we worked through four games.

  The sunlight through the window was fading as we finished the fourth game. Kariy had clearly won the last two, and was demanding that the rest of us pay a forfeit to her. Lydia and Esme quickly joined in on her side. We reached an agreement to allow her to make some reasonable requests later, and then decided to head to the tavern for dinner.

  Eddie and Elizabeth were still out as we started to get ready for dinner. Natalie wanted to get up and join us, but Esme immediately demanded that she remain in bed. When Natalie tried to struggle to sit up, Esme jumped on the bed and sat down on Natalie's stomach.

  "Ron or one of the others can bring some food back," Esme said. "In fact, they can bring food for two. You need to rest that leg for another day. The muscles need time to stabilize."

  "I'll bring food back," Kariy said in her quiet voice. "I don't need to see another tavern."

  "Oh my god!" Lydia screeched. "I never thought. Oh girl, will you be comfortable here? How could I have missed that!"

  Kariy stepped in front of Lydia and silenced her with a hug. "I'll be fine. I have new parents who love me."

  "Parents?" Al asked.

  Kariy nodded and walked over to me. "Isn't that right, Father?" she said before putting her arms around me and kissing me on the cheek.

  Shock kept my tongue and arms motionless for a moment. I could feel Kariy start to pull away and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tight against my chest. "Yes, daughter of my heart; I will always protect you."

  "Ron!" I heard Steve protest. Kariy was sobbing quietly into my chest. Her arms were relaxed, but she still crushed her body against mine. Absently I rubbed her back.

  The others stood silent, but Heather appeared to comprehend the situation because she started to quietly push people out of the room. It took several minutes for her to clear the room, by which time Kariy had stopped crying.

  "Y
ou happy?" I asked needlessly.

  "I've never felt this hopeful before," Kariy said. "Father, if you do return to your home, can you take me with you?"

  "I'll never leave you," I vowed.

  Kariy giggled at my lack of answer to the question. Just then we heard a gurgle behind me and turned. Esme had her hands over her stomach. "I'm hungry."

  "Dinner will be served soon," I replied pompously. "Come, let's go and see what poisons the kitchen is brewing today."

  "Ron!" Esme and Natalie chorused as Kariy punched my arm. They were all giggling as I released Kariy and dashed out of the room.

  Once I was in the hallway, a singer could be heard in the distance. I followed the sound back to the courtyard entrance and looked to the left. A door stood ajar down a short hallway. The sound seemed to be coming from within so I crept up to the door.

  "Don't worry, it's just the main room," a man said behind me as I reached out to open the door. I whirled to find the innkeeper standing there.

  "I remembered that no one talked to you about where things are," he said with a shrug. "Your friends are already inside, but I noticed a few are not here."

  "Esme, the lady who helped your daughter, and Natalie, who is injured, are staying in the room. If we can bring food to the room, I'd like to do that. Two others have decided to explore the city," I said.

  "Can they make deals for your trade organization?" the innkeeper asked.

  Kariy giggled. "No. I've only been with the group three days, and it's very clear that Ron here has the final say on all deals."

  "Which reminds me," I said reaching into my pocket and removing a coin. "We owe you for the room."

  The man took the coin with a strange expression on his face. "I feel bad about taking this. You realize that my Melande is walking around without pain tonight? That young lady with you performed a miracle. We do have healers in the city, but they charge more than I can pay. Thank you for allowing her to help my daughter."

  I nodded, but said no more as the innkeeper turned and walked away. Kariy was tugging my arm so we entered the dining area of the inn for dinner.