Pioneering on Jord

by Allan Joyal

  “I’ve only been here once,” I admitted. “We need to find a merchant who will have what we need.”

  “I can watch left if Piemal watches right,” Corwar said. “I think we want to stay near you though.”

  I choked back a laugh and then pointed down one of the many alleys that made up the market. “Let’s start down this row then,” I said.

  The boys moved a bit away from me. They spread out and ran forward, only to stop and look back at me. I was following at a walking pace, looking at the booths as they were assembled.

  Most of the merchants were still setting up. Their goods were hidden beneath tarps or carefully kept behind the booths they were assembling. We were about halfway down the alley when I noticed a merchant setting out barrels. The barrels ranged in size from the small casks we had purchased the day before to the large ones that took two men to carry.

  The merchant noticed that I was looking at him and waved me over. “Come, come!” he shouted. “You look like a man about to go travelling. I have the perfect items for you!”

  “Every merchant claims that,” I pointed out.

  “Ah, but I have goods sent up from Port Regal. The finest of preserved food that they take on long journeys to the islands in the Kasbern Sea,” the merchant said proudly.

  I nodded. “And priced to match I’m sure. I am interested, but I have limited funds.”

  The merchant laughed. “You are too cynical for someone so young. There is no reason for you to fear the price.”

  “There is always a reason to fear the price,” I countered. “My group already knows we are going to be missing some items. The money I have left is to purchase as many goods as are available. I can’t just throw it away.”

  “But good sir!” the merchant protested. “It’s well known that strange diseases stalk the ships. But in Port Regal a learned alchemist found that he could protect them from these diseases. He salted some of the sour fruit of a local bush. The men would eat this while sailing and the worst of the wasting diseases do not appear.”

  “What size of cask do you have these salted fruits in?” I asked.

  The merchant laughed. “I can sell you one of these large ones,” he said pointing to one of the ones his assistants were setting up next to the booth.

  “Too large,” I replied. “I need something that we can carry back to our camp. Do you have any casks?” I pointed to one of the smallest barrels the man’s helpers had set up.

  The merchant frowned. “Nothing that small, but I do have two that are only slightly bigger.” He grabbed one of his helpers and whispered something.

  The helper walked over to the cart they were unloading. He climbed onto the back. As I watched he carefully moved several large barrels out of the way before finally pulling a pair of barrels. These appeared to be a bit larger than a one-gallon milk jug in both diameter and length. They were bigger than the smallest of the casks though. The helper hefted one under each arm as he climbed back off the cart and approached us.

  The merchant was smiling as his helper approached. “As you can see, I have two barrels that are a bit larger than that. These are well sealed and should hold water once you empty them.”

  “And you want extra for that?” I asked.

  The merchant laughed again. “You do not trust easy. I could allow you to have both of these for six silver coins.”

  “Now I know you planned on robbing me,” I said with my own laugh. “Two silver would pay for four barrels like that.”

  “Maybe the barrels, but these come filled with food that will prevent disease,” the merchant countered. “Five coins.”

  The negotiation ended with a payment of four coins. It was extended a bit when I pulled out a single gold coin and demanded that the merchant make change. He wanted to give me just three coins, but I had heard enough to realize that most gold coins were worth nearly twenty silver coins. In the end I got the barrels and still had sixteen silver coins.

  Corwar protested when he saw the size of the barrels. I said nothing, but he did have a point. The barrels were the same size as the young boys. I looked at Piemal. “Have you seen any boys who might help if we purchase them a meal?” I asked.

  “None I’d trust,” Corwar said. “But we can carry these. Just don’t ask us to do too much more.”

  “I understand,” I said. “But we still need to check for tools and other goods.”

  “I saw someone putting out some saws,” Piemal offered. “Do we need those?”

  “We have some, but we won’t be able to replace them if they break. And the merchant might have other tools we can use,” I said. “Let’s go look.”

  Piemal and Corwar each picked up one of the barrels. Neither boy could get his arms fully wrapped around their cargo. I moved to help. But Corwar waved me off. As I watched the boys flipped the barrels up and placed them on their right shoulders. Then Piemal began walking down between the booths. I watched Corwar begin to follow before I joined them.

  We walked past four booths before Piemal turned and halted in front of a large wooden structure. This was not just a canvas canopy. Instead it appeared like someone had taken a wagon, removed the wheels and then turned it on its side. A rather thin man stood behind the wooden wall. He was carefully polishing a knife.

  The man looked right at me as I approached. “You are no woodworker,” he said.

  “True,” I said. “But I belong to a trading consortium, and wood working and stone working tools are on my list of items to purchase.”

  “There are a lot of different tools,” the man said scornfully. “What are you looking for?”

  “Chisels, bark removers, planes,” I began. “We have the axes and saws for bringing a tree down, but only have a couple tools for fine work.”

  “Planes?” the man asked.

  “A special blade for making shallow surface cuts on a board or log,” I replied.

  “A wood knife. We do have those. I can give you two sets, but it will run ten silver coins, and I don’t negotiate. Take it or leave it,” the merchant said.

  “One set for five,” I replied. “We have more items we are looking for.”

  The merchant nodded. As I counted out five coins, he placed two chisels on the board in front of him. He waited for me to hand him the coins and then placed two strange knives next to the chisels. These knifes had handles at both ends and a thick two foot blade between the handles. I could see how this might be used to carve bark or wood.

  The merchant said no more, but turned away, looking out over the still sparse crowd in the market. I collected the tools and then turned to look at the boys. They were sitting on the barrels and watching the crowd.

  “How much do we have left?” Corwar asked.

  “Eleven silver coins,” I said. “Why?”

  Corwar pointed to a corral. “We probably could use an extra mule, and that should be enough to purchase a one with a packsaddle.”

  “You just don’t want to carry the barrel back to the dock,” I said with a smile. “Very well, onward!”

  I marched over to the corral as the two boys giggled. The lack of crowds meant that several merchants saw my approach. Two moved to intercept me before I reached the corral.

  “Sir,” one man said. “You look like you have a discerning eye for horseflesh. My horses come from the stables of Baron Gruben. He breeds the best warhorses on the plains.”

  “This man is no knight,” the other merchant protested. “Why would he want to pay for a warhorse, when he needs a good horse for travelling? Everyone knows that warhorses aren’t breed for carrying a human long distances.”

  I held up a hand. “I’m looking for a good mule and a packsaddle,” I said. “I’m afraid the horses you offer would not interest me.”

  “A mule?” the merchant with the warhorses protested. “A grown man does not ride a mule!”

  I heard Corwar and Piemal panting as they caught up to me next to the corral. I pointed to them. “As you can see, I have a need for a mu
le. I’m not planning on riding this horse.”

  The second merchant nodded. “I do have one mule. He’s a strong one. With a packsaddle I’d have to ask twelve silver though.”

  “Nine,” I answered immediately.

  The merchant signed. “Ten, but I’ll only provide a rope halter.”

  “Done,” I said. The first merchant glared at me, but turned away and stomped back towards the corrals.

  The merchant I had agreed to trade with sighed. “I’ll get the mule,” he said.

  I nodded as the man headed to another part of the corral. The boys placed the barrels at my feet and leaned against them. “Is that it?” Corwar asked.

  I nodded. “This will be it. It’s a good idea, Corwar. An extra mule will be useful in many ways.”

  The boys nodded, but then I noticed that Corwar was staring behind me. There was a worried expression on his face. “Ron? There is a guard approaching. He looks…intense.”

  I shrugged as I watched the merchant grab a mule and coax him to the side of the corral. He tied the lead rope to a post and then headed to a covered area next to the corral.

  “Carrying weapons is illegal in town,” a voice said sharply behind me.

  “Allow me to complete this one trade and we’ll be leaving town,” I replied.

  “I should arrest you,” the voice said.

  I turned to my left. The guard who had spoken to me was standing there frowning at me. I noticed that he had his empty hands out in front of him.

  “Could you give me just a moment,” I said. I pointed to the merchant who had returned to the mule and was strapping something to the animal’s back. “I’ve agreed to a trade for that mule. As soon as we complete the trade I’ll be on my way.”

  “Where will you be going?” the guard asked.

  I pointed toward the river. “My friends and I are camped across the river. We are completing a few trades and will then be travelling.”

  “Where are you headed?” the guard asked.

  “We are going to be looking for a valley we can settle,” I said. “We expect to be traveling for some time.”

  The merchant had finished strapping the packsaddle on the mule. He carefully untied him and led him to the entrance of the corral. I stepped over to him and pulled the ten coins from my pouch. “He is a good looking mule,” I said.

  “He doesn’t like to pull wagons,” the merchant admitted. “But he isn’t fighting the packsaddle. Good luck with him.”

  I nodded and took the lead rope from the merchant. I led the mule over by the boys. “Load him up,” I instructed him.

  The guard stood next to me as the boys carefully loaded the two barrels into the packsaddle. Once those were loaded, I handed the woodworking tools to Corwar. He found a strap on the back of the pack and quickly added these to the mule’s load. Once everything was balanced he looked at me. “Ready to go.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” I said. “Back to the river. Piemal, you can lead the mule.”

  I started walking to the exit of the market. The guard glared at me, but said nothing. The crowd in the market was growing rapidly. I kept the spear pointed to the sky as I led the two boys and our new mule through the mass of people entering the market.

  It took a few moments, but we entered the passage leading to the river without incident. The guard had followed us to the passage, but left us alone as we left the city.

  Piemal sighed as we turned to the left to follow the path upriver. “Why was the guard following us?”

  “No weapons,” I said. “But he left us alone. I told him we were leaving town.”

  We walked slowly along the river. The sun had risen, but it was clear that we still had some time before midday. Piemal and Corwar were talking about how to impress Gertrilla as we walked.

  We were approaching the alcove when we heard the sound of a horse galloping. We all turned to look downriver. A magnificent horse, ridden by a man in shining armor was racing after us.

  “Let’s hug the wall boys,” I said. “And give the rider some space.”

  We moved to the side. The mule started to balk as Piemal tried to get him close to the wall. Corwar joined in and helped as the horse continued to bear down on us.

  I was stepping forward to help move the mule when the rider brought the horse to a halt. “Are you part of the group that’s set up across the river?” the rider called out.

  “We are returning there now,” I admitted. “We just have a few trades to conclude, and then we’ll be leaving the city.”

  “Did you meet someone named Joel?” the man asked.

  I looked back at Corwar and Piemal. The mule had decided to give them some trouble, and they were looking away from me. “The young woman? She said she had an errand to run this morning.”

  “You know?” the man asked quietly.

  “If you know much about our group, more than half of the group is women. And now after the death of Steve, I have three women who act as the heart of the group,” I replied. “They figured it out rather quickly.”

  “How?” the man asked.

  “We are from far away. In our homeland we discovered ways to reduce the reliance on physical strength. This allowed women to become far more important and independent. I’d trust Lydia, Heather, and Victoria to handle any situation that might arise,” I said.

  “And you trust Joel? She did lie to you,” the man on the horse said.

  “Actually she didn’t,” I replied. “She just never said anything about it when she first arrived. One of the first things I did was to direct her to visit with our medic. She knew immediately. After that Joel did not pretend to be anyone other than herself.”

  “How many of your group know?” the man asked.

  “Some of the newer men haven’t noticed, or if they have they haven’t said anything,” I replied. “I can say that nothing will happen to Joel that she does not wish.”

  “So she won’t become a plaything?” the man asked.

  I laughed. “We will not have the energy to even think of that. Our plan has us travelling for more than one hundred days before we can even start to look for a valley to settle. By then I’d hope she finds someone who will love her.”

  “And if she doesn’t?” the man asked.

  “That might be a problem. Once we leave, we probably won’t see any new people for a few years. However, she’ll always have a place with us, and we’ll make sure she is happy,” I said.

  “And if I don’t believe you?” the man said firmly.

  I turned to look at Corwar and Piemal. They were standing a short distance away stroking the head of the mule. It was clear that they were paying attention to the conversation I was having with the rider. “Corwar, get to the dock. I’ll be along in a moment.”

  The boys both looked upset by my order. Piemal in particular glared at me as he tugged on the mule’s rope and began to lead him down the path. I watched the boys until they were about fifty yards away and then turned back to look at the rider.

  “If you don’t believe me I have little ability to prove that I’m honest. You could bring a wizard here if you know one, but then you’d have to believe him when he said I wasn’t lying. You can probably talk to Joel,” I said.

  “I already have,” the man said with a snort. “Her mother wondered why our daughter did not return home last night. At first we thought she was visiting Froedrin.”

  “Who is?” I asked.

  “You don’t know? I heard you were not local, but I thought the story of the region had spread. Froedrin is my younger brother. Father refused to break up the estate, so he set up in town and got involved in the river trade. When Joelia gets upset she visits him.”

  “And obviously something upset her,” I supplied.

  The man snorted loud enough to startle his horse. He quickly got the horse settled and looked at me. “How much do you know about the barons in the area?”

  “Nothing,” I replied. “I’m sure I could ask Krysbain or Borlan since the
y joined us after we set up the encampment across the river, but we plan on leaving soon and haven’t had a reason to look into it.”

  The man frowned. “I’m Baron Ruflin. I control the forested valleys just to the east of Saraloncto. There are four other barons with significant holdings near this city.”

  He paused. I remained silent.

  The Baron glared at me as if he had expected me to say something. He sighed to end the silence. “I guess that’s not all that important to you. However, the key is that Joelia is my youngest daughter, and Baron Gruben has been hinting that I should offer her hand in marriage to his eldest son.”

  I winced. “Dangerous,” I said. “If Baron Gruben isn’t honest he could try to make it so your daughter or her son inherits your lands.”

  “You’ve heard of such things happening?” Baron Ruflin said incredulously.

  “It’s happened back in my homeland. Not recently, but the stories of such incidents are common enough to make it clear that it was used quite often by nobles. Some of the cases led to wars when multiple factions tried to claim they had the right of inheritance,” I replied. “But weren’t we talking about your daughter.”

  “My daughter,” Baron Ruflin agreed with a sigh. “She doesn’t like Baron Gruben’s son, and she believes like you do that once she’s married the Baron might try to make sure she inherits.”

  “Why don’t you just refuse the match?” I asked.

  “I can’t,” Baron Ruflin said. “Baron Gruben has allies who are in positions where they can sabotage my earnings if I openly offend him.”

  “And your daughter running away won’t?” I asked.

  “It might offend his son, but if the Baron came after me, he’d offend the other Barons. They might not like me, but they’d work with me to stop him,” Baron Ruflin said. His eyes closed for a moment. “Joelia has wanted to escape for the last year, but just heading to Port Regal or the Wizard’s city would not have worked. Baron Gruben could have sent men to hunt her down.”

  “So you’d rather she head into the wilderness with strangers?” I asked.