Journey Across Jord

by Allan Joyal

  "How many are in your party?" Relway asked.

  Lydia giggled. "Ron here, Steve, Al, Henck the Hunk, Kariy, Heather, Esme, Natalie, Jennifer and me. Nine people right now."

  "Only nine?" Relway asked. "That's not going to be enough if you want your new home to prosper. You'll barely have enough to feed yourselves."

  "That is our first concern," I said. "We need to find out what farmers use and what crops they grow. Then we need to carry the seeds for the crops we hope to grow once we find our home. From what you are saying, that will be a major part of the process."

  Relway shrugged. "I don't deal much in seeds. The farmers usually save seeds from the previous year's harvest and plant in the spring, but I know the merchants and blacksmiths they visit. For the right price I can seek out the information you need. Things slow down during the winter, and I might even be able to convince a farmer to visit you. Where are you staying?"

  "I guess the wizards keep a house for visiting nobles," I said. "They have given us the use of the house for the winter."

  "Smart of them," the merchant replied as he rubbed his bare chin. "With the place occupied, it will be kept cleaner for the winter, and they won't have anyone trying to sneak in and use it as shelter. Saves them the expense of having to watch it and the bad relations with everyone caused by the way they go about evicting people. Their methods tend to be bloody."

  Lydia hissed as I nodded. "Nothing comes free," I said. "Now do you sell any kind of sledge or sled that can be used to drag goods through the snow? We are debating leaving before all the snow melts."

  Relway looked closely at me. I felt like he was measuring me as he stared. Before I could say anything, he nodded. "You might be wiser than you look. You'll need warmer clothing than that thin mess you are wearing. And if you are all going to walk for a long period, more boots would be wise. But I might know of someone looking to sell a small sledge. You know it won't work once the mud dries."

  I nodded. With my right hand I reached down to my belt. After my last experience in a town, I had realized that using my pockets was not wise, so I had taken to attaching a pouch to my belt. I reached into the pouch and pulled out one of the silver coins. It flashed brightly in the light as I held it up.

  "I know your time will be valuable," I said. "This is very important to us, and we don't have a lot of resources. Can I trust that this coin will purchase your services to help us meet with and talk to the people with the goods and experience we need?"

  Relway held his hand out. "For that, I can do a bit more. Why don't you grab one of the hammers that interested you as well as a broom?"

  "For that coin, we should get your help, the hammer, broom, a good coil of rope and some salted meat," I countered.

  Relway laughed. "You know how to negotiate. That will serve you well. One package of meat, but no rope."

  "Two packages of meat," I countered.

  "Done, my daughter will bring you the meat. Now how will I contact you?" he asked.

  Lydia had been looking around. "Will there be another storm tonight?" she asked.

  Relway shrugged. "Usually is. The first three storms come in fast and hard. At most we have three days between storms and about ten days of storms before the first break in the clouds. Why?"

  Lydia smiled. "Well, after another three days stuck in the house where we are staying, we'll want to get out. How about we stop by then and we can talk."

  "Done!" the man said. "Well thought out. You should keep this one," he said in an aside to me. "Behind every truly successful merchant is a wife keeping the books and reminding him of important tasks."

  Lydia scowled as I laughed at the merchant's comment. He stood up and then bent down to pick up the chair. "You might consider a couple of these," he told us. "They are light and can be used just about anywhere. Don't last as long as a good wooden chair though."

  I nodded. "And I'm sure the price reflects their utility. Let us first find out how far our funds will stretch and how big the sledge is. We have to carry everything we take with us."

  Relway turned and walked off into the shadows at the back of his store. Lydia was still basking in the warmth of the fire, but I stood up to head over to the hammers.

  I picked up the first hammer and took a closer look at it. The handle was made of rough wood. I worried a bit about splinters as I brought it up for a closer look. As I did, I noticed that the head was a single piece of iron shoved onto the end of the handle. Both heads were identical square shapes under two inches on a side. Even with the small size, the hammer had a solid weight to it. I put the hammer under my arm and continued over to the brooms.

  The brooms were a much bigger disappointment. Unlike a modern broom that is spread out in a fan, these brooms were made by bundling the straw in a circle around the handle. They looked like they would work, but the effort required would be higher than with a newer broom. I lifted a couple, checking the length of the handle and the amount of straw before finally selecting one with a four-foot handle and a large bundle of straw. I hoped that Kariy would be happy to see it.

  I was turning back to look at Lydia when I heard her speak. "Why thank you," she said. "It is quite kind of you to bring this to us."

  The same girl who had brought out the logs for the fire was walking out of the room when I completed my turn. Lydia looked up and over at me holding two large bundles to her chest. "It's a lot of meat," she said.

  "Hopefully it will last a while," I said. "We should go and join the others before heading home."

  Lydia nodded. "Let's go." She turned and headed to the door. I weaved my way through the various racks and tables. Lydia arrived at the door first and pushed it open. "Steve said they would be checking a place across the street."

  Chapter 4 – Discoveries of Politics

  Lydia had only taken a few steps out of the store before she came to a halt. I ran into her, knocking her forward.

  "Ron," she grumbled as her feet made new divots in the snow. "Watch where you are going."

  "Sorry," I said as I turned around to close the door. "I thought we were going to the tavern where Steve is."

  "Steve isn't there anymore," I heard Steve call out as I pushed the door closed. "It turns out that the tavern was closing. The barkeep expects another storm shortly."

  "The bard wouldn't talk to me," Lisa grumbled from behind Steve. "Said that he wouldn't work with a woman."

  "I'm sorry," I said again. I turned back to look at the group and found them making their way towards Lisa. Jennifer and Al were holding each other as they stepped through the snow.

  Lisa shrugged as they got closer. "The barkeep suggested that we come back after the first three storms. Said there is a bard resting here for the winter that will probably talk to me."

  I nodded as Steve moved around Lydia and then turned to head towards our temporary home. "It's too cold to stay out," he said, "and we really need to get out of our wet clothing."

  "Lead on MacDuff!" I cried.

  Lydia and Jennifer giggled at that. Lisa paused long enough to wrap me up in a hug that crushed her breasts against my chest. I put my arms around her in surprise. "What is this?" I asked.

  "I'm going to get a chance to live a dream," Lisa said. "I sang for the barkeep, and he said it was the best human voice he'd heard in years. He's sure the bard he knows will work with me."

  "But isn't being here a nightmare for you?" I asked as I pushed her away. I joined the group following Steve. Lisa walked alongside me with her arms still around me.

  "The death and the fights do bother me, but I think every woman had a dream of being a fantasy princess. I'm no princess, but this world is magical," Lisa said breathlessly. "And if I don't start thinking happy thoughts ... ."

  "You'll never get to Neverland?" I quipped.

  Lisa released me and punched me on the shoulder. I glanced over and she had an annoyed look on her face. I held up a hand before she punched me again. "No, I was just joking," I said. "I understand the theory. You are
thinking that if you concentrate on the good parts, you'll become happy. It's the right way to deal with the situation."

  Lisa put her arms back around me as we continued to walk. I found that I was supporting her, as we often had to push cold legs through snow that was turning into ice. If you did pick up your feet to step over the snow, your feet quickly sank to the knees in the shifting snow. My pants seemed to grow heavier with every step, and I watched as the skirts Jennifer and Lisa were wearing began to pull down against their hips. It was a huge relief to turn down the alley to our house.

  Steve led us up to the gate. As he reached out to touch it, the gate swung open with a groan. He jumped back to avoid being hit by it.

  As soon as it was open Steve started forward, stepped across the threshold, and led us up to the door to the house. I noticed that here, the path through the ice no longer had snow covering the ground. We were walking on bare dirt for the last fifty feet or so until we came to an open door.

  We walked through the door. Jennifer, Lisa, and Lydia immediately moved over by the fire and held up their skirts to bring them closer to the heat. I glanced around and noticed that we had a visitor. Werlyn was standing over by Heather and watching as the former co-ed cooked a stew under Kariy's direction. As I stood there, the wizard turned and held up a wooden bowl.

  "I hope you don't mind, but I invited myself to dinner," he told me as I set the broom again the wall. The hammer I had been carrying under my arm tumbled to the stone floor. It rattled around for a moment as I looked at the wizard.

  "Kariy is an excellent cook," I said. "However, Heather is just learning how to cook over an open flame. I can't promise a satisfying meal."

  Werlyn smiled. "If you've ever had a meal cooked by a demon, you know what a truly unsatisfying meal can be. The spices they use would poison an unprotected man."

  I just stared at the man for a moment. I felt a chill run up my spine and shook my head. "I won't ask how or why you discovered that," I said. "However, might I ask why you invited yourself to dinner?"

  Werlyn looked directly at me. "I'm guessing you are the one who tried to speak to the messenger earlier."

  Steve took a step away from me. All conversation in the room halted as I stood there. I just held my body upright and returned the stare of the wizard. "I did. It did not seem right to fail to acknowledge the efforts of the messengers. They are helping keep us fed and warm."

  Werlyn continued to look at me. I noticed that he was holding something in his right hand. It glowed a faint purple in the dim light thrown by the two fires. He clenched his fist over the bauble, blocking out the glow. "Interesting, you spoke the truth. Perhaps not the full truth, but there was no lie in your statement. I will warn you, my brother wizards will not look kindly on any attempt to converse with their messengers. Fortunately, the one you approached was one I deal with, and it knew to come to me."

  I sighed and moved over towards the fire. My wet pants were becoming quite uncomfortable, and I wanted the fire to warm me back up. As I did, Lydia stood up. "What does that mean? Are we in trouble?"

  Werlyn shook his head slightly. He gazed around the room and then walked over near the fire. "No," he said as he sat on a bedroll that had not been put away. He crossed his legs in front of him and held his hands out to the fire. "I only wanted to tell you that if one of the other wizards finds out, there could be problems."

  "They don't want us here," I observed.

  Werlyn looked at me and then allowed his gaze to wander around the room. "You have six women here; Cerlonin and Sespa don't like females. You are also foreigners without the innate deference to wizards, which both of those pompous fools notice. They need the mithril and are honest enough to return fair value for it."

  "Or the dwarves might refuse to provide more," Heather called out from the corner where she was cooking. "Oh, the stew is ready, and Kariy has managed to bake up a number of rolls you can use as bowls if you'd like."

  Everyone turned to look at Werlyn. The wizard lifted a hand and waved it negligently. "Go ahead and get food," he told us. "I only brought the bowl as an excuse to visit. Cerlonin is a suspicious man."

  "We have plenty," Heather said. "Your deliveries have been quite generous."

  Werlyn nodded. "I know, and as long as you make sure to let me know what you need, I'll make sure they continue to be generous. I have daughters your age and hope that they can be as independent and confident as you are. That can only happen if people like you are free."

  I went over to the cook pot and accepted a roll from Kariy. She placed it in my hand, but then grabbed my right wrist, holding my arm in place. As I watched, she used a knife to cut a circle in the top of the roll. The cuts were made at a steep angle and she was able to pull the top of the roll off. Taking a spoon, she hollowed out the center of the roll creating a bowl. The operation was performed with the ease of long practice.

  "Nice," I said.

  "The stew is better this way," she told me. "But it's hard to bake bread without a hearth." Kariy then turned to the cook pot and ladled out a serving.

  Heather slid a spoon into the bowl and then bumped me with her hip. "More people are hungry," she reminded me. "Move the line."

  Lisa and Victoria started to giggle as I walked back over by our main fire. I noticed that Werlyn had gotten into line with everyone else, so I sat down with my back against the stones of our main fireplace. The warmth from the stones helped revive me from the earlier trek through the snow.

  Henck and Victoria were the next two to return to our open area. Henck sat near the wall, while Victoria claimed a spot a short distance to my right. "What did we find out?" she asked.

  I shrugged. "I think most of the merchants didn't even bother to open their stores today. The man we did talk to expects another long storm tonight, and that there will be at least one more after that one passes. After all that is over, we might have an opportunity to talk to some of the local farmers."

  "Why farmers?" Werlyn asked as he walked back over and sat down on the floor. He had his wooden bowl and had produced a delicate appearing bone spoon from somewhere.

  Victoria sighed. "We talked a bit even before we visited the academy. Part of the talk was where we might fit in."

  "Nowhere," Werlyn said with a snort. "I love my wife and daughters, but few men will allow a woman to be as outspoken as you are."

  Victoria blushed. "We know, that's the problem. None of us is exactly willing to lose that."

  "Not even me," Lisa said with a whisper as she joined us. "I'm probably not going to continue traveling with them, but I'm going to look for someone who can accept that I learned to be independent."

  "But the rest of you will stay together and do what?" Werlyn asked. "Farm I'm guessing if you want to talk to a farmer. You do realize that the plains here would not be safe for such a small group."

  "We had a member of our group killed by bandits," I said, remembering the death of Elizabeth. "Or at least we believe it was a bandit army she approached. No, if we do establish a new home, it won't be on the plains."

  Werlyn looked at me. "Interesting. It sounds like a challenge. So you hope to get some guidance from the farmers. Based on what little I can see, that is probably wise. None of you have the look of farmers. Not even the quiet one against the wall, who I'm guessing you met on Jord."

  "Hey!" Lydia called out as she walked over to sit by Hencktor. "That's my husband you are talking about."

  I watched as Hencktor choked briefly on the stew. His turned his head to gaze at Lydia who was looking up at him with an angelic smile on her face. Steve and Al both smothered laughs when Lydia reached up and pulled Hencktor's head down for a brief kiss.

  Werlyn said nothing, but kept watching me. "Good stew," he muttered. "Now I do have to have some information to bring back to Cerlonin. So I have questions for all of you."

  "Go ahead," I replied.

  "First, are you going to talk about what you learned here about the spell that brought you to Jor
d?" Werlyn asked.

  "Nope, not gonna happen," I said. "We're going to have enough trouble getting people to talk to us because we aren't local. If they have an inkling of how far from our original homes we are, they could quickly turn hostile."

  "What?" Jennifer asked. She was walking up with Kariy and Heather. Heather stepped around everyone to sit by me, pressing her left shoulder into my side for a moment.

  "He's saying that there are people on Jord who'd kill us without a thought, because we don't have family who might try to avenge us. We make great victims," Steve said.

  "But …" Jennifer babbled. "Even the wizards here might do that!"

  "Not if they want more mithril," I replied. "They fear that the dwarves might stop providing mithril if they harm us. Am I not right, Werlyn?"

  The wizard's face was hard to read due to his thick beard, but his eyes darkened for a moment. "You are entirely too insightful," he informed me. "And on this case you are correct. Cerlonin is afraid that your disappearance after arriving here will anger the dwarves, and he's pretty sure the earth spirits that help keep the walls strong will have informed them of your arrival."

  It was my turn to nod. "I didn't count on the earth spirits, but I remembered meeting the dwarves of Clan Skyve. They appeared to distrust most humans. However, I don't want to count on their protection, or on Cerlonin's patience."

  "He seemed like some of the lawyers I knew," Lisa said. "Or like William. I get a feeling that Cerlonin would sell us out if he thought he could get away with it."

  Werlyn's eyes darkened a second time. "Well," he said gruffly, "I guess I should ask the second question. Do you plan on trying to find the others who arrived with you?"

  "Not a chance," Lydia snapped. "The only other organized group would try to kill Ron, Steve, and Al and then enslave the rest of us. We're better off avoiding them."

  Henck set his bowl down and hugged Lydia. She collapsed against his chest. Steve sighed.

  "I'm afraid that you touched on a delicate subject," Steve said. "While I'm sure some of the others who arrived with us are nice people, there is a group of more than twenty that is led by an unscrupulous man."