Lost on Jord

by Allan Joyal

  Dinner was simple, but filling. Slices of roasted meat were laid on large bread rolls and doused with a generous helping of thick gravy. The room was crowded with people happily eating and often calling for more beverages. Melande was working at a counter filling the beverage containers and putting finishing touches on trays of food. I could see Lerv standing near a door that appeared to lead outside. He was leaning on a large wooden club. More than once someone would start to get rowdy only to fall silent when Lerv lifted the club from the floor.

  Kariy and I sat down to eat. Melande was at our table in a flash. She placed two wooden trays in front of us. The platters were piled high. "Let me know if you need anything," Melande said.

  "Esme and Natalie are in the room," I said. "Could you have food delivered to them? Esme doesn't want Natalie walking until tomorrow."

  "Esme is the one who fixed my shoulder?" Melande asked.

  I nodded and the girl smiled. "I'll deliver it in a moment. My father had a quick errand to run. When he comes back, I'll be able to run over to the room. I want to thank the woman who fixed my shoulder."

  She retreated from the table, and another girl passed by, placing a pitcher between Kariy and me. I looked around for a glass. Kariy giggled and held up two of the wooden mugs we had purchased only a few days ago. "I brought yours. I knew you'd forget it, Father."

  Steve snorted. "Well, Ron, what do you tell your parents about this one?"

  "Mom, dad?" I parroted. "Guess what, it's a beautiful girl!"

  The table burst into laughter. Kariy was one of the ones laughing the loudest. She cheerfully dug into the meal, even stealing a cut from the meat on my platter.

  Heather, Lisa, Lydia, and Al had a lively conversation going at the table. I tried to listen in, but the subject of the conversation kept changing and I finally gave up on following it. Instead, I turned my attention to the rest of the tavern.

  The chamber was larger than I expected, but several solid stone columns rose from the floor. They met a wooden frame holding up a sloped roof. Massive beams ran from column to column. Each column also hosted a trio of fitfully burning lanterns that threw light and shadow across the crowded room.

  The people appeared to be rather prosperous compared to the miners of the first village. The clothes were worn and often stained, but there were no rips in the fabric. The women all wore heavy corsets around their waist. These devices rose up under their breasts, pushing them up. I often caught Al and Henck staring at the women. It became a silent game of mine to see which women would attract the longest stares.

  Our group did attract quite a bit of attention from the citizens. The men often looked over in surprise before turning away with a confused expression on their faces. The women were more circumspect with the initial viewing, but I caught more than one staring at Lisa, obviously wondering how she obtained her own impressive cleavage without a corset. I ended up leaning to Steve after the third time I caught a woman offering a speculative look to Lisa. "We need to come up with a story about why we can't provide bras. These women are going to want to have what Lisa has without those corsets," I whispered.

  "At least no one is asking the girls their price," Steve whispered back.

  "They won't do that," Hencktor said. "You don't have the right token."

  "What?" I asked.

  "That's part of what the road guard talked about. The token he gave you established a goods trader. What you are talking about requires a special token. You'd have it displayed if you had that token. I remember from the one time one of those traders came to town," Hencktor said.

  "I wondered what the guard meant by the fact that we weren't authorized for certain trade. Now we know," Steve replied.

  "Not that I'd engage in that trade anyways," I whispered back.

  We finished our meals and spent some time just watching the other tavern patrons. Surprisingly, other than offering a multitude of questioning glances, the patrons left us alone at the table. The rest of our group did not stay long after finishing their food, and after about ninety minutes, Steve, Dusty and I were the only ones left at the table.

  I was about to suggest leaving when Dusty saw Melande entering the common room and waved her over. The girl scanned the room and then, with a confused shake of her head, walked over.

  "Do you need more to drink?" she asked Dusty.

  "No," Dusty said. She cast a rather frightened look my way and sat silently for a moment. Then taking a deep breath she continued. "I noticed that you appear to have too few people to serve meals and drinks quickly."

  "We had two girls decide that they could find a better life elsewhere," Melande admitted. "I believe Ingelicia is married to a farmer now; I have no idea where Jesamine went."

  Dusty nodded. Her right hand came up and she nibbled the fingernail for just a moment. "What does a job like that pay?"

  Melande shrugged. "Even I admit we don't pay much. A copper kopek a week is the base pay, but father doesn't demand a share of any tips. He provides two outfits every one hundred forty days or so, although he usually gives one every seventy days, just to ensure that one outfit is relatively new. We also provide a sleeping chamber and meals. The sleeping room is shared, and father doesn't allow the girls to bring guests to the room."

  "Dusty?" Steve asked quietly. I was watching her and Dusty was clearly showing more than casual interest.

  "Are you asking Melande if she'll hire you?" I asked Dusty.

  Melande gasped. Dusty turned to glare at me, but then smiled shyly. "I always knew you were a quick thinker."

  "You'd want to work here?" Melande gasped. "Why? You are part of a trade group. You get to travel the lands and see things. You'd be giving all that up if you took a job here."

  Dusty looked at Melande. "Sister, I grew up in one of my land's biggest cities. The last four days I've walked through forests of a type I've never seen. It doesn't feel right to me. I want to be with crowds of people, and in a bustling city. I watched tonight. The girls working this room definitely had to flirt a lot more than I did when I worked in a restaurant, but flirting I can do. If you'll have me, I'd like to work here."

  Steve grabbed my arm. "Ron, she's leaving the group. Can't you stop her or something? She might be stranded on Jord forever."

  I put my hand over Steve's. "I have said several times that I won't force someone to remain with the group when they wanted to leave. This is a lot more abrupt than I expected, but if Dusty is sure staying is what she wants. I'll stand aside and allow her to make the choice."

  Reaching out, I touched Dusty's arm to get her attention. She turned and smiled. "Ron, I can't keep travelling like this. I couldn't bear to see one of you die in a fight. And you can't imagine the terror I had of being raped yesterday when we ran into those caravan guards. Here with Lerv as the door guard, I will feel safe."

  "We might be able to return home," I offered cautiously.

  "You don't really believe that," Dusty said. "We all know that the wizard who summoned us to this land died. I imagine that our arrival was part of a wild spell unleashed just as he died. If that is true, the Academy might not have the power to send us all back. There is no one back there to remember me."

  "Your parents," Steve said, "boyfriend, roommate?"

  Dusty smiled sadly. "My parents disowned me when I choose to go to an out of state college. I haven't spoken to them in two years. My boyfriend dumped me two weeks ago. There is no one to miss me."

  "I can't believe any parents still disown daughters. Were we living in the Stone Age?" Steve ranted.

  "No. My parents kept claiming to be enlightened liberals. But they weren't liberal enough to tolerate their daughter dating the starting defensive back on the football team and even less happy when she chose to go to the same college he did."

  "Ouch," I blurted out. "Well Dusty, when we reach the Academy, if they can help I'll try to get a message to you so you'll be able to change your mind."

  "You are going to allow her to stay?" Melande asked.<
br />
  "It's her life," I responded. "She's an adult and can make her own decisions, right or wrong."

  Melande got up and dashed out of the room, leaving Steve, Dusty and me sitting there in silent shock. She returned quickly leading her father. She pointed at Dusty. "This one wants to work here!"

  "Really?" the man said. He looked at Dusty with a puzzled expression. "Few ladies of quality and virtue want to work in a tavern."

  Dusty giggled. "I'm no lady of quality. And I'm afraid I lost my claim to virtue years ago. I'll admit this place appears a bit crude and uncontrolled, but I've worked in restaurants before and this one looks to be a good place."

  "Restaurants? What are those?" the innkeeper asked.

  "They are similar to your common room here. A place for people to come and eat. They offer a selection of foods to order, and tend to sell a lot less beer. They are quite common in the lands we are from," I informed the man.

  The innkeeper started rubbing his chin. "Well, I guess we could try her out for a couple days. See if she'll be able to handle the work. Do you want to sleep with my other two serving girls or with your friends?"

  Dusty shook her head. "I haven't known Ron and the others very long. I met Martha and Jennifer seven days ago when I travelled to Daytona. Esme, Natalie and Heather I met in Daytona 'cause we shared a room at the hotel to save money. Ron and the rest I met five days ago when we ended up on Jord," she said absently. "I won't mind starting sleeping with new girls tonight."

  The innkeeper looked at me, and I saw a faint shadow in his eyes. I held up my hand. "No charge," I snapped. "She is free to do what she wants, and I'd be a cad to try to take away her happiness. Just take good care of my young friend."

  The innkeeper turned and started for the kitchen, giving Dusty a wave to follow him. She jumped up with alacrity and briskly followed him into the darkened kitchen.

  "We'll take good care of her," Melande said before standing up and dashing off.

  I got up to leave the table, but Steve grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. "You're letting her go just like that!"

  "Yes," I responded with a shrug. "Steve, I will protect everyone as much as I can, but you heard her. She doesn't want to continue travelling and thinks she can make a go of it here. Personally, I believe she's made her decision too fast, but we have four days during which she might change her mind. So I'm going to allow her to make the choice."

  "Everyone might scatter!" Steve complained as I wrenched my arm from his grip and started to walk away.

  "I seriously doubt that," I said. "It's not like we have a place we can run to, or people here who are friends."

  Steve frowned as we left the main room. "It just feels wrong to leave her," he admitted.

  "It does to me as well, but would forcing her to stay with us really help her or us? This allows her to pursue her own happiness."

  Steve nodded and looked back as we walked down the hall to our room. "May she find it," he whispered as we returned to the room to sleep.

  The next morning, I was once again the first member of our group to wake. I found myself wrapped in the arms of Kariy and Heather again. Quietly extracting my body from their clutches proved to be simple and I was able to slip out of the room without causing a problem.

  I went to the common room, where I found Dusty watching the counter. She rushed over a pitcher of watered ale and a tray containing a selection of breads and cheeses. "Gastelion just lit the fire in the kitchen. I can have some warm soup for you in a few if you want to wait."

  "I'm good," I said. I scanned the room and was surprised to find it empty.

  "Lerv is awake, but Gastelion sent him with an empty cart to bring back wood for the kitchen fires," Dusty said, noticing my activity. "Melande is still sleeping. The other girls are cleaning some of the rooms right now."

  "And you're left to mind the counter and the custom," I said. "Dusty, you can be honest with me, is this what you want?"

  Dusty offered an uncertain shrug. "I don't want to continue walking through the wilderness with no certainty of getting home. Melande and I talked a bit during the night. It's not exactly as I remember, but I can do this."

  "What about your studies?"

  "I was so undecided I was going to be one of those fifth year sophomore clichés you find in the bad college movies," Dusty said with a snort. "I think I was really majoring in finding someone to take care of me. It might have been Devon, but he dumped me."

  I nodded as Heather and Lydia entered the room and joined me at the table. Dusty immediately dashed off to prepare another tray. Heather looked a bit surprised.

  "Who's watching the room for the innkeeper?" she asked.

  "Dusty is," I replied. "She asked last night if they needed someone, and she's working for them for the next few days on a trial basis. If it works out, she'll stay when we leave."

  Heather stared at me for a second, her eyes wide with shock. She brought her right hand up to her lips. There was a moment of silence, then her eyes relaxed and she seemed to look past the back wall of the tavern. "Maybe it's the right move for her," she said. "I couldn't do it, but I understand the reason, I guess." The last two words were said with a distinct lack of conviction.

  Lydia was more pragmatic and shrugged. "It's her decision. I couldn't stay here. The smell isn't bad in this part of town, but it's still a filthy place to live."

  "We won't find perfectly clean streets and houses anywhere on Jord," I said. "These people are definitely a bit behind on many technologies."

  "But there has to be someplace cleaner than this," Lydia said.

  "Well, let's not argue about that," Heather said. "What's the plan for the day, Big Leader?"

  "Big Leader?" I choked out.

  "Bossman didn't feel right," Heather said. "Anyways, that answer avoided my question. What is the plan for today?"

  "A visit to Montferlyn's to see about boots and other travel necessities. Also, I'm thinking we should visit the dwarf embassy with that crossbow."

  "My crossbow?" Lydia asked in surprise. "It's been useful more than once."

  "It has, but it's slow to load which makes it less useful. I was hoping we might be able to trade it to the dwarves for a crossbow that can shoot a bit faster. We should also tell them about the armor they lost."

  "That scumsucker Roy," Lydia said. She paused for a moment. "Speaking of scum, neither Eddie nor Elizabeth returned last night."

  I shrugged. "Not a huge surprise with Eddie. I expect he's found a lonely widow and was charming enough to get invited for the night. Elizabeth is a bit of a worry since she could wind up in jail if she's not careful."

  "If they have one here," Lydia scoffed. "But you're right; we should take the crossbow back. How about you take Heather with you and go this morning."

  "I can go there before visiting Montferlyn's," I said.

  Dusty brought out food for the girls, accepting a hug from Heather as she placed the tray on the table. We ate in silence as one-by-one the rest of the group wandered into the dining area. Martha mentioned to Dusty that Esme was asking for food to be brought to the room for Natalie again.

  Heather and I finished our food at the same time and stood up. We left the table and headed to the room to grab the crossbow. Inside, we found Esme checking Natalie's leg.

  "How is she doing?" Heather asked before I could.

  "Much better," Esme said. "Once we eat, I'm going to try some of the stretching exercises and massages I remember from the physical therapy I assisted in. I do want her to stay off the leg today if possible, but we can probably head out tomorrow if we have to. A couple more days of rest would be best, but if we have to leave, she'll be able to make it."

  "I feel like I could walk today," Natalie said cheerfully. "But Mistress de Sade here seems to feel I need a few more pokes and prods before I put weight on the leg."

  Esme retaliated for the comment by lightly punching Natalie in the arm. "Pay no attention to the girl under the blanket," she proclaimed. "She's
just angry because I defeated her at craps earlier."

  Natalie giggled and started tickling Esme. Soon both girls tumbled out of the bed, landing on the ground with a faint grunt. They continued to laugh and giggle as I found the crossbow and left the room.

  Chapter 13: Meeting Dwarves

  I retreated from the room, heading to the courtyard. There I found the innkeeper filling a pitcher from a fountain that I had not noticed the day before. He looked up and waved. "Out to do some trading?"

  "I plan to," I admitted. "First though I thought I'd visit the embassy the dwarves have in town."

  "Embassy? What is an embassy?" the innkeeper said. "If you want the dwarves, you just need to visit their trading house. It's on the outer road. If you know the way to Montferlyn's just head to there, but continue past his warehouse. The dwarves are a bit further. Their banner is a large hammer striking a rock wall."

  "All grey?" I asked.

  "The rock wall should be gem encrusted, but if enough dust has been kicked up the gems can be hard to see. Don't worry, it isn't that hard to find."

  I nodded and walked across the courtyard heading to the exit. As I opened the door, Heather dashed up. "I said I'd come with you," she huffed as I stepped through the door.

  "And so you are," I replied after she had followed me through the door. The door slowly swung closed as I scanned the street. Much like the day before, there were no people about, although I could hear cries from the marketplace. Heather noticed my gaze and sighed.

  Neither of us said anything, but we started walking towards the market. We had covered half the distance when the trio from the day before emerged from the shadows. The leader nodded, but said nothing.

  "We'll be back later today," I offered. "Some of the others might come out to explore the market, but that will be later."

  "The one woman with you has been by. She's got a mouth on her," one of the trio said.

  I shook my head as Heather giggled. "How much trouble has she caused?" I asked.

  The man shrugged. "If she doesn't learn to keep her temper no one is going to listen to her. Other than that, I don't see any problem. She's just an uppity wench. Why don't you take her in hand?"