by Allan Joyal
Victoria giggled. "I forgot that Lydia was calling him that at first. He really isn't much, once you get to know him."
No more was said as we followed the gully as it cut a long gash in the plains. We found our path descending slightly, but the ground started to slope toward the gully, the angle becoming steeper the longer we tried to stay close. Finally, I nudged Victoria to adjust our course and climb one of the gently rolling hills that stood near the gully.
The climb was easy after more than a week spent marching across Jord. The slope was gentle and smooth. Several small mammals dashed out of our path as we crested the hill and paused to look over the landscape.
Long shadows covered a series of rolling hills of decreasing height. Waist high grasses grew on the nearest hills, and the color that was visible in the dying light hinted that the waist high grass ran for miles. Far in the distance light flashed, signaling the presence of a large lake.
"Wow, the sun is going down," Lydia said.
I glanced over and found she was pointing off into the distance. Following her guide, I found the sun already touching the horizon, the sky around it turning orange.
Hurriedly I looked around. The plains had no large stands of trees. As I considered what to do Kariy pointed to a spot on the ground. "Clear around here," she said.
Al and Heather walked to the spot and started cutting down the grass with their knives. They cleared a circle about eight feet in diameter before Kariy came over and nodded. Before I could say a word, Hencktor came up and deposited a bundle of wood in the cleared area.
"What?" Steve asked.
"Once we left the gully, I realized wood might be hard to come by," Kariy said as she pulled several sticks of wood and stacked them. "Henck gathered this for me while we walked. You do want a hot meal, don't you?"
Steve looked a bit surprised as I laughed. "Kariy, you are a treasure. But shouldn't others do part of the work?"
"Oh, but we do," Natalie chirped. "It's just that Kariy actually knows how to do all of this. So far, we just try to learn from her. Jennifer has come along the most."
I glanced over at the young lady who had taken her pack off and was carefully going through the contents. She appeared to notice the attention because she paused and smiled at me. "My mother almost never cooked from scratch. I'm having fun learning, and I can use this skill once we get back to Earth."
"True," I heard Al whisper as Kariy coaxed a flame from the wood. With the wood just starting to burn, she checked the grass in the area, making sure it was cut back away from the flames. She used handfuls of the cut grass to help fuel the infant fire. Then she began mixing some of the dried foods Jennifer was bringing out in a small cauldron. By the time the fire was merrily blazing, Kariy was watching over Jennifer as she attempted to fill and mix a second cauldron.
Dinner looked like it would be cooking for several minutes. With time available, I started a slow scan of the area in the dying light. Rustling in the grass made it clear that many small animals were out feeding in the twilight. I heard no large predators moving.
"Is that a light in the distance?" I heard Lisa ask. She was pointing off in the direction of the lake. I tried to find where she was pointing and noticed a faint flickering white spot against the growing darkness. As I tried to identify it, three more flickered to life.
"It might be a village," I said. "A lake that size probably supports fishing and it would mean plenty of fresh water."
"How far is it?" Steve asked, joining Lisa and me as we stared into the darkness.
The distance was difficult to gauge. Only a sliver of the sun remained above the horizon and the long shadows distorted the landscape. Twice I tried to estimate the distance, but finally I shrugged. "I can't say. I expect we can get there by tomorrow night walking. But I can't guess the exact time."
"Why can't you guess?" Eddie said. "After all, you can see the lights, so it can't be too far."
Steve sighed and turned towards our former boss. "Eddie, you really are an idiot sometimes. Back home, the fact that we can see the lights would mean that the village had to be close, but that's because normally there would be thousands of other lights and anything far away would be hidden. Here, those appear to be the only lights anywhere. Do you see any other lights on the horizon? How about the glow a city from Earth throws?"
Eddie turned his head, looking out into the darkness. Kariy had a small fire burning brightly, but the last vestiges of sunlight were fading, and beyond the firelight darkness had descended. As we watched Eddie slowly turned in a full circle before turning to look at Steve. "I never..."
Lydia giggled. "Wow, he admits there's something he didn't do."
Eddie whirled to glare at Lydia, but I silenced him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Eddie, we're all tired. It's been a long day, and Elizabeth's death has everyone a bit on edge. Kariy has dinner ready, let's eat and sleep and tomorrow we'll get to the village."
The man glared, but Kariy held a bowl of stew out for him. Grudgingly he accepted the bowl, producing utensils from a pouch on his belt. He moved to the edge of the firelight and began to eat as Kariy continued to hand out food. With the argument over, everyone concentrated on my last order, eating quickly and then spreading bedrolls and going to sleep.
Chapter 18: Another Village
I woke the next morning sandwiched between Natalie and Heather as we cuddled under a bedroll. Once the sun had vanished from the sky, the air turned cold. Kariy had encouraged our small fire as much as she dared, but building it large enough to warm everyone had burned through the small bundle of wood quickly. In the end, bedrolls were combined for warmth to combat the freezing nighttime air.
Wriggling to extract myself from the dual embrace, I ended up rolling so that I lay on top of Heather, who opened her eyes as she wrapped her arms around me.
"Sorry," I stammered as I tried to push myself away, only to find Heather's embrace tightening as she held her body close to mine.
"I'm not," she mumbled into my shoulder as she molded her body to mine.
"Heather!" I hissed. "What do you think you're doing?"
The response was a quiet giggle. "Seducing you, silly," she said as she turned her head and started licking my neck. "I'm going to make you mine."
"What about the others?" I asked as I felt my arms weaken. Her caresses were turning me on. Frantically I tried to divert my body by counting up prime numbers as she playfully nipped at my ear.
She paused for a moment. "Lydia has fallen for Hencktor, but you already know that. Lisa and Martha are intimidated by you and will most likely chase Al. Jennifer has been looking at Steve. Victoria appears to be mourning a man she left behind; she's got no interest in any of you right now."
"You left out Natalie and Esme," I whispered, kissing Heather high on the cheek.
"No she didn't," Natalie whispered, joining the conversation, "although I'm surprised she figured it out."
"Figured what out?" I asked.
Natalie sat up with a sigh, pushing the bedroll off of us. She glanced over at the rest of the camp before turning back to Heather and me. "You know how Esme was very attentive at first. Right after I got hurt," she started.
"I remember you resented the attention and even tried to drive her away more than once," I muttered.
Natalie blushed. "Well, I wasn't comfortable. I've done the usual experimentation with girls at slumber parties. Esme was acting a bit like I did back then rather than acting like an emotionless nurse or doctor."
"I tried," a voice said behind me. I turned to see Esme kneeling and looking down on us. "I've never found a woman attractive before. The feelings frightened me."
I glanced at Natalie and could see a surprising tenderness in her eyes. She sat up and held her arms out. Silently Esme leaned over me to give her a hug.
"So do we plan a big ceremony, or will this end once we get back to Earth?" I asked. "I do have to compliment both of you on your fine taste in women."
"Ron!" all three gir
ls shouted before they dove on me. Their fingers sought my ticklish spots. I was squirming to avoid their tickling until several loud moans revealed that the others had started to wake. Esme immediately moved back to her bedroll as Heather stood up.
"By that I'm guessing you are keeping it private," I whispered to Natalie as I sat back up.
Natalie nodded. "We haven't done anything more than hug and hold hands. But we have talked, and it feels right for now."
I gave her another hug. "If it makes you happy, I'll support both of you. We're in this together."
"Thanks," Natalie whispered in my ear. She held me close for a moment longer, then released me and started gathering up the bedroll.
I stood and shook my arms, trying to get my blood flowing in the chilly morning air. The sun was still just below the horizon, and only a faint false dawn brightened the sky. I scanned around, looking for any signs of predators. All was quiet. I was considering this when I felt a light touch on my left shoulder.
Somehow I did not jump out of my skin. I turned and found Kariy there holding a wooden bowl filled with some liquid. She offered a shy smile. "It's cold soup. We ran out of wood for the fire during the night. It should be good though."
Nodding, I retrieved my spoon from the pouch I carried it in and started eating. The lack of warmth actually brought out the flavors in some of the spices, and I happily finished the bowl quickly. I was holding the bowl to my lips and drinking the last of the broth when Jennifer snatched it away and poured some sand into the bottom before using a scrap from a blanket to wipe it out.
"The health inspector would throw a fit, but it's the only way we have to clean a bowl," Jennifer said as she rushed over to the tripods and refilled the bowl. She took the filled bowl to Victoria and then began visibly counting the group.
Food and drink for everyone appeared to be taken care of, so I rolled up and secured my bedroll. I was swinging the bundle onto my back when I heard Steve call out. "Ron, we're ready to get moving."
"It's too fucking early for this," Eddie moaned quietly. I ignored his comment and pointed in the direction of the lake we had seen the night before.
I brought the spear down to my shoulder and started forward. Behind me there was a giggle, and Lydia called out. "Forward march!"
Steve boomed out several laughs as I started down the hill. I could hear the coeds and others giggling. The dim pre-dawn light made the ground a bit treacherous, so I refrained from responding as I tried to find the best route forward.
Dew dotted the grass, and we soon discovered that the tall grasses were slippery. I actually had to catch Lisa before she slid all the way down the hill during the first descent. After that we slowed further, and it was nearly an hour before we were travelling at speed across one of the depressions between the rolling hills.
The rest of the morning passed quietly. We spotted an occasional small mammal running through the grass, and a couple of times Martha pointed out large birds circling in the sky above, but there were no signs of human intrusion into this portion of the lands. I was starting to worry about this until the canyon we were following turned to the left and dumped us onto a wide beach on the shore of the lake we had been travelling to.
Seeing the beach, I halted. Four small boats had been dragged onto the beach and a group of men were sitting in a circle. They were clearly eating. Behind me the rest of the group bunched up as they realized what was in front of me.
One of the men on the beach stood up and took a step towards us, his hand dropping to his waist. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he bellowed.
I held the spear out to my right. Heather quickly grabbed it. Reaching into the pocket of my pants I pulled out the trade token and strode forward.
"My name is Ron Dawkins. My group and I are representatives of Daytona Trade. We are trying to arrive at the Wizard's Academy before the coming winter closes the roads. Unfortunately a battle on our path forced us to detour," I called out.
"And where was this battle? Do you know the armies involved?" the man questioned.
I pointed over my shoulder, trying to align my arm in the direction of the battlefield. "It was more than a day's walk in that direction," I reported. "As for who was fighting, I cannot say. One army had several units with red armor that was fairly uniform, but I did not recognize their banners. The other army fought under no banner."
The man looked over my shoulder. His eyes narrowed. "Mirgan," he hissed and spat at the ground. "Sounds like he hasn't given up yet."
He shouted something back at his friends, who were gathering up the remnants of the meal and walking towards the boats.
"Wait!" I called out. "I know I'm asking a lot, but can you help us? We really do need to get to the Wizard's Academy, and we're quite lost."
"You're about five days travel from the Academy," the man said. "Three if you were in our village."
"Can we get a ride to the fishing village?" I asked. "Your boats could save us quite a bit of walking."
"None of our boats could carry all of you," the man said. "And we still have a bit more fishing we can get in before the sunlight sends the fishes too deep to net easily."
"We can help, or at least try," I said.
"You?" the man spat. "I see a bunch of merchants and women. Fishing is hard work."
"I can do it," Natalie said. I turned to look as she slowly limped up to stand by me. "I don't care if it's smelly. I don't care if you want to stay out on the lake for hours. I can help you and your friends catch fish."
"You can barely walk!" the man spat again.
Natalie smiled. "Do you know where Linktrum is?"
The man nodded. "River port city. Yeah, I know of it, but I've never visited. The caravans tell us it's an eleven day haul to take goods to there from Lakverd."
"We got here in five," Natalie said in a silky sweet voice. "And I walked here. Now do you really want to say I'm not tough enough to help catch a few fish?"
The man's jaw dropped. He looked at Natalie, who stood there proudly. I noticed a slight tremble in her hands as she returned his stare. Finally the man looked away.
"Fine! We could use a few extra hands. Mirgan stole more than a few children from the village to build up his army. Three of you can ride with Bolskam and Cristral. Jalipo and I can handle four. You, wench, will help on my boat. I want to see how a girl who walked that far in five days catches fish."
I turned back. "Henck, take Lydia and Martha with you, Al, take Lisa and Jennifer. Steve, you get Eddie, Victoria and Heather. If Eddie tries to argue, use the hammer on him. Why do you have it anyways?"
Steve grabbed Eddie and pushed him towards the boats. "Henck was trying to show me how to use an axe. I'm just a bit too wild, so he took it, and I have the hammer."
Everyone started to head to the different boats, the girls following as I directed. The man who had first approached us walked up to Natalie and offered her his arm for the final walk across the beach. I followed quietly behind until Esme caught up and was walking beside me.
"Watch Natalie," I whispered to her. "I know she's been getting better, but if she's hurting don't be afraid to tell her to stop."
Esme giggled. "That limp was horrible acting. She can't run, but walking hasn't hurt her all day until she decided to join you."
I looked up to see Natalie glancing over her shoulder. She stuck her tongue out at me before turning away. I shook my head to prevent laughter as we reached the boats.
The leader of the fishermen looked down at the skirts the ladies were wearing. "We need to push the boats off the beach and then jump in," he told us. "The ladies' skirts and your boots will get wet."
"We can dry them tonight," I said. "I'm guessing your village has an inn, and we can pay for a room."
"It does," the man said. "Well if you aren't worried, we can go." He turned to look at his men. There were seven for each boat, and they stood near the beached bow. "Put your shoulders into it! Let's get these hulls back out and finish today's fishing."
The man jumped to obey the command. There were three on each side of each ship. They started to push the boat away from the beach. Each ship's captain stood so he was pressing on the prow. No direction was given to the rest of us, but we found spots between the rest of the sailors, and the boats were soon sliding off the sand and into the water.
Only about ten feet of sand had separated the boats from the water. They slid across this easily, and only moments after we started to push, the first sailors were scrambling up the sides of the boats and grabbing poles. Shouted commands from the captains told the rest of us to start boarding.
Esme and I grabbed Natalie and threw her abroad. She screamed out in protest as we picked her up and lifted her out of the water. Kariy then surprised me by climbing up my back and jumping into the boat. Her wet skirts showered me with water as she made the short leap.
The rest of the crew was already aboard. I cupped my hands together and held them just below waist high. Esme quickly had her left foot in my hands, and I thrust her upward. The momentum made it easy for her to step lightly onto the deck.
I had a bit of a struggle to get aboard the boat, but Esme and Natalie grabbed my shoulders and helped pull me aboard. As I lay on the deck catching my breath, a few of the crew offered a few taunts about my needing help, but I merely smiled.
Kariy noticed the smile as I sat up and removed my pack. "What?" she asked me.
I risked a look at the captain. He had a questioning look on his face, and I sighed. "I was thinking about how most of those men would have loved to have two beautiful women like Natalie and Esme holding onto them."
The muffled curse from behind me had all three girls giggling while I removed the pack and carefully placed it near the boat's small mast. I suddenly realized I didn't have the spear and looked around.
"You left it with Heather," Esme said, pointing to one of the other boats. I looked up to see Heather waving it. I waved back, and she set it down somewhere on the deck of the ship, I was a bit too far to see exactly where.