Journey Across Jord

by Allan Joyal

  I looked over at the cloth and stick contraption we believed was the roof. Reaching out, I took Victoria's hand and placed it on the pole I had set into the ground. "Hold this."

  She accepted it, and I walked over to the ‘roof'. I waved Al and Jennifer over to me as I looked at the poles in this assembly. Each one had a tongue that appeared to match the grooves on the wall stakes.

  "What do you need?" Al asked.

  "I have a thought," I said. "But I'll need you to help me lift and control this. I don't need all the poles flailing around and endangering people."

  Al and Jennifer helped me lift all eight poles of the roof into the air. As we did, a pair of loose panels dropped down. The pieces were just over five feet long and connected to the rest of the hide between two poles. I selected the pole to the right of this assembly and led everyone over to the pole Victoria was holding.

  "What are you doing?" she asked as I brought everyone to the pole and directed them to lift the roof assembly up higher. Once it was above the wall pole, I guided the pole I was holding until the tongue lined up with the groove.

  "Lower everything carefully, but stop when I say," I instructed. Jennifer and Al began relaxing their arms. I had a moment where the tongue caught on the side of the groove, but everything slipped in. "Stop," I said when the two poles were firmly connected.

  Al had ducked under the roof and was gazing at the connection between the two pieces. "Of course," he said. "The roof will set on the stakes and help balance the whole assembly. But what about the gap at the ground?"

  Lydia stepped up to us. She was holding a roll of hide. "I think this must connect to the bottom and form a skirt of some kind," she said. "But you need to get the walls and roof up first."

  The discovery of how the pieces assembled allowed us to start putting everything together. We soon found out that it was not safe to walk away from a pole until the two adjacent poles were in place and had the roof on, and then we had to raise the entire roof until it was just barely on the wall stakes before we could get the last tongue to engage properly. It took us nearly an hour to assemble the tent before we were sure it would not collapse. Everyone got involved before we finished.

  Kariy examined the finished and assembled tent with a wary eye. Shaylin and Gertrilla had cleared a small circle of land directly under the center of the roof where a small vent would allow smoke to escape, but hopefully keep warmth in. Under Kariy's direction, they began assembling a fire pit and laying the wood they had found into a pile.

  I watched Lydia and Heather bring in the bedrolls and begin to arrange them as Kariy started a fire. Hencktor came over with the grill and set it next to the fire.

  "How long until dinner?" Jennifer asked. "I could eat a horse I'm so hungry."

  "The fire has to burn down a bit," Kariy said. "Once we have a solid layer of coals, I'll put the grill over the fire and start the meat cooking. You could get some of the hard cheese though. I think everyone would appreciate a wedge."

  "I carved up the deer," Hencktor said. "I have everything wrapped up in the hide and cooling in the snow just outside."

  I nodded. Heather walked over and pointed at a bedroll. "I want a massage," she demanded. "Some evil man made me play draft horse and pull a sled all day."

  "All day?" Steve scoffed. "We were walking for no more than six hours."

  "It felt like all day," Heather said as she dragged me toward the bedroll.

  "I'll come along," I told Heather as I pulled my arm away. "However, why don't Henck, Steve, and Al come over as well? We need to talk about the pulling of the sleds."

  Heather huffed in annoyance as she continued to walk to the bedroll. I hurried to catch up to her and sat down first. She glared at me until I pulled her down to sit on my lap. I brought my hands to her shoulders and started kneading the muscles there as Steve and Al came over and sat down.

  Al looked around. "What about Henck?"

  "Give him a minute," Lydia called out. "I need him for something."

  I glanced over to see that Lydia and Hencktor were talking with Aine, Shaylin, and Gertrilla. It was clear that Lydia was directing the conversation. The topic did not worry me so I turned back to Steve and Al. "Well, we can start without him. I'm sure Al will agree with me when I say that pulling the sleds is going to slow us down."

  Al just nodded. "If you are not in front, it's not terrible, but even so you start to hurt. In front, it's really tough to keep moving."

  Steve nodded. "And right now, Natalie can't help due to her leg. I'd also keep Aine away from the harnesses for now. She's still recovering from her ordeal. Lydia could help, but she's the best shot we have with a crossbow."

  I shrugged as I continued to massage Heather's shoulders. My lover purred and leaned against me as I looked around. "I know, but we are going to need her to help pull. I suggest she take her turn in the morning so she can hunt as we watch for a campsite."

  Al smiled. "I like that. It's going to be a nice change to have fresh meat. We were living on dried stuff in stew. Kariy cooks some great stews, but I wanted a steak."

  "Just for saying that, I'll make sure that Kariy gives you one that's been dropped in the fire," Victoria called out.

  Al winced as everyone in the tent laughed. I shook my head and reached out, but the man smiled sheepishly. "I deserved that," he admitted. "We all know that we'd be starving without Kariy's wonderful cooking. I should probably try to learn, but when would I have time? And what do I do?"

  "For now, we all travel," I said. "Once we find a good valley, I expect we'll be doing many things. Learn all you can so you can contribute."

  "I'm willing to try to pull a sled for longer," Al said. I noticed he was looking over at Aine. The woman was sitting near Esme and Natalie as the trio talked.

  "Interested in someone?" Steve asked, throwing an elbow into Al's side.

  Al swatted at the elbow and nodded slowly. "She's cute. She's brave. I can't even begin to understand how she keeps going. But she fears men. I want to impress her; maybe she'll approach me someday."

  Heather sighed. "That's the right philosophy," she mused as she pressed her back against my chest. "And I don't think Aine will take too long before she approaches you. She might be a bit upset about what happened to her, but she's stronger than she thinks."

  "Shooting the bandit today couldn't have hurt," I muttered.

  Steve looked right at me. "Ron, do you think that will come back to haunt us? After all they belonged to a group of bandits. Someone might pursue us."

  "The problem is that it depends on which side won the fight over control of the academy," I replied. "If Werlyn and his friends and allies won, I expect they'll destroy the bandits, or at least hurt them so badly they won't be interested in pursuing. If Werlyn's side loses, they might pursue, but they might also still be trying to control the city."

  Al nodded. "And there isn't much we can do except keep moving and hope that the trail is hard to find."

  "Food is ready," Kariy called out, breaking up our conversation.

  I stood up, but pushed Heather down when she attempted to rise. "I'll bring you some food," I promised. "You rest, and after we both eat I'll massage your legs."

  Heather reached up and grabbed my left arm. She pulled me down until my ear was right in front of her. "I'll be taking off my skirt before you start that massage, and you won't say a thing," she hissed quietly.

  She released me. I staggered over to the fire. My face felt like it was on fire as I got in line next to Lydia. Lydia glanced at my face and then looked past me to where Heather was sitting.

  "She told you that you were going to be open about your relationship or else," Lydia observed. "We all wondered when she would."

  "We?" I asked.

  Lydia laughed. "Victoria, Kariy, Steve, Hencktor, Jennifer, and me. Al probably wonders as well. Esme and Natalie don't appear to worry about it."

  "I don't want to cause any friction," I said.

  Victoria slapped me on the b
ack. "So? How will two people in love cause friction? Just keep the action under a fur. We're adults here and we understand."

  I glanced at Steve as he joined the line. "It's not like separate rooms are available," he said. "And we all have figured out that you do love Heather, even if you try to hide it."

  "She's a bit young for me," I said. "And it's not a great example to set."

  "To who?" Lydia asked. "Al and Steve are the only unattached men."

  "And I haven't found a woman who I really desired other than Elmori," Steve said.

  "She is a very beautiful woman," I replied. Steve closed his eyes. I could see a tear or two leak out as he remembered the one night he spent with her.

  "And Al is looking to find one woman to settle with," Victoria said. "Sadly it won't be me."

  "Not Jennifer either," Lydia said. "He doesn't mind cuddling with either of you, but he wants a woman he can feel protective of. Both of you are rather independent."

  "Which explains his interest in Aine," I said. "She appears fragile, and Al can feel like he's helping her out. And by the time he realizes that she's probably the strongest of us emotionally, he'll be caught in her web forever."

  Kariy handed me two bowls. Each bowl contained a large slab of grilled meat. Steam was rising from the slabs as I accepted the plate. "And what about me?" she asked. "When will I find the right man who can make me happy?" she asked.

  Lydia reached out and put a finger on Kariy's nose. "You are the opposite of what Al wants. You need a man you can respect, but who will never try to control you again."

  "Ron?" Kariy asked, looking at me.

  "We'll find you that man," I promised. "I'm sure we can stumble on another man who is a lot like Hencktor there. Be patient though."

  I turned and walked back to Heather. She had removed her skirt and was sitting with her fur cloak draped over her legs. The skirt hung from one of the crossbars that held up the roof.

  "What?" I asked as I gazed up at the skirt.

  "It was soaked," Heather said. "I figured it would be better if I took it off so it could dry. I seem to remember hearing that on a cold day getting out of wet clothes quickly is important."

  I heard a hand smacking flesh. I turned to see that Hencktor had his palm against his forehead. "Fuck I'm stupid," he muttered. "Heather is right. We should all get out of any wet clothing."

  "Keep the cloaks on and use them to cover up," I suggested. "And get under the furs once you are done eating."

  "But I was looking forward to the floor show," Natalie quipped. Everyone laughed at her comment, but it did break the mood. I concentrated on eating my steak as the others also turned to eating.

  The steak proved to be cooked to perfection. It was just past medium rare, but had a fine sear on the surface that held in the juices. A surprisingly nutty flavor made the steak unique. I was licking at my fingers to get the last of the juices when I realized how hungry I had been.

  Heather grabbed me before I could stand up and look for more. "You had enough," she said.

  "Perhaps," I said. "But I do need to make sure we are ready for tomorrow."

  "Not much to do," Steve said. "We took very little off of the sleds. Tomorrow we can probably pack up and be out of here very quickly."

  "I'll be smoking some of the meat tonight," Kariy said. "We can eat it tomorrow while we walk."

  "Esme?" I asked. "Will anyone suffer if we don't rest a day?"

  "I'll be fine," Natalie snapped. "I won't slow you down."

  "He wasn't asking just about you," Esme said. "I'm sure he's also worried about everyone who pulled a sled. Ron, we should all be fine, but Kariy and Heather can't do another full day on the sled without some rest."

  "They won't," Steve commented. "We have a plan."

  "And on that note," I whispered to Heather. "Why don't you cover us with a fur, and I'll give you a bit of a massage."

  "Get out of your clothes first," Heather giggled.

  I sighed and complied as Heather fluffed out the bedroll and selected a couple of furs to cover us. The tent was warm enough that the furs weren't necessary, but I wanted the comfort of something covering our bodies.

  The warmth of the fire and the exertions of the day caught up with me after we had lain down together. I fought to keep my eyes open and cuddle with Heather, but after only a few moments realized that she had fallen asleep. I wrapped her up in my arms and closed my arms, joining her in slumber.

  Chapter 13: Meeting the Hillbilly Villagers

  The next morning I awoke with Heather in my arms. She slumbered on as I gently kissed her forehead and then slid from the furs to get dressed. The fire had burned down during the night, but the tent was still warm and comfortable. I checked everyone and found them still asleep.

  Once I was dressed and warm, I crept to the door of the tent and slipped outside. The sleds rested apparently undisturbed among the trees as I looked around the clearing. Dawn was just about upon the land, and what light reaching the forest was casting long shadows across the clearing. I could see my breath on the air and slipped back inside the tent.

  My brief exit from the tent must have awakened the others, because the tent was full of activity when I pushed the flap aside and entered. Kariy was kneeling over the fire adding a couple of pieces of wood and encouraging the coals. She had a small cauldron sitting on the grill. The others were dressed or dressing, and I could hear Jennifer telling Shaylin and Gertrilla to help roll up the bedrolls.

  Everyone worked together, and before we could see sunlight direct on the ground in the clearing, we were back at the sleds. I turned to the group and spoke. "For the first part of the day, Victoria and me on one sled. Jennifer and Kariy on the second, Al, you will start in the back, but take the same sled as yesterday, that harness is designed for a single person. After we switch it will be Steve solo, Heather and Lydia on one, Esme and Aine on the third."

  "I'll take Lydia's spot," Hencktor said. "We'll need her to scout and hunt."

  Al looked at Aine. ‘If you need help, let me know, I'll be there for you."

  Aine smiled. It was a brilliant smile that brought light to her green eyes. "I'll remember that, but I'm not going to need your help. Not yet."

  I got into my harness as Heather hovered nearby. "Why didn't you select me?" she asked.

  "I thought it would be wise to walk with everyone," I said. "I really don't know anyone here as well as I'd like. This should give me a little time to talk to Victoria."

  Victoria laughed. "We'll be straining too much to talk, but I like the fact that you are willing to try. Heather, he's thinking about everyone, but remember whose arms you woke up in."

  Heather giggled and then gave me a hug. She kissed my cheek. "Fine, I can't be mad when you make sense."

  "Go and help Lydia with the girls," I said. "We need to get started."

  Hencktor was ahead of us and to the right. I waved, and he nodded and turned to start making his way through the trees and back to the road. Victoria and I set off after him, dragging the sled through the snow.

  This started a pattern for the next three days. Each day I would start out paired with one of the ladies in the group as we pulled the lead sled through the snow. We would rotate through the positions while the sun still rose in the sky and then switch with others after a quick meal break. During the afternoon I would watch over our two preteen girls as they played along the sleds.

  Each evening, we halted once we found a large enough grove of trees to provide some protection. The group would set up the tent as Lydia hunted within the grove, seeking some fresh meat for our fire. On two nights she succeeded, providing some welcome protein to fill out our diets.

  The weather remained clear and cold during the three days. One evening, we could hear wind howling over the trees we had used for shelter. Hencktor actually smiled the next morning when he reported that the winds had obliterated our trail completely.

  It was the afternoon of the fourth day since we had left the academy. I was
walking point with Lydia. We had been discussing the budding relationship between Al and Aine. The young Irish girl could barely tolerate being touched by the young college student, but both of us noticed that she was placing her bedroll next to his.

  "She tries to keep him in sight if she can," Lydia said. "It's nice, but I wish she'd admit she lusts for him."

  I noticed some movement in the distance. Holding my hand above my eyes to shield them from some of the glare we were getting from the afternoon sun, I gazed in the direction of the movement. The walls and roofs of some buildings appeared to be standing out in the snow. "We have buildings ahead," I told Lydia. "Better prepare."

  Lydia nodded and stopped walking. I could see her set the crossbow against her instep as she began the process of stringing and loading the weapon. Meanwhile, I turned back to the sleds and jogged past the first one to find Natalie.

  The young coed shook her head as I approached. After the first day we discovered that her injured leg muscles would tighten up in the cold. She had been forced to walk directly behind a sled, using the bars at the back for occasional support. I had also been allowing her to carry the spear. She used it as a walking stick to offer more support to her damaged leg as she struggled to keep up. The young woman had yet to complain, even as her grimaces of pain increased with every step.

  "We appear to have reached a village," I said. "So, sadly, I need the spear."

  Natalie giggled. "Esme thought it would happen eventually. Fortunately, I found a crutch." Natalie turned to her right and shouted. "Come here, crutch. I need you."

  I walked alongside her as Gertrilla ran up. The young girl giggled as she put her arms around Natalie and slipped under her right shoulder. "I won't let you fall," she said.

  Natalie giggled and looked at me. "Go," she said. "If you can see the village in this snow, we can't be too far away."

  I rushed back to the front of our little caravan. Lydia had loaded her crossbow, but aimed it towards the ground as we navigated around a tall drift. We could hear some people talking in the distance.

  "They don't seem alarmed," Lydia said. "You should run ahead and see."