Journey Across Jord

by Allan Joyal

  "You traveled alone?" Verval asked.

  "No," Aine replied. "I had a friend, but she couldn't accept that we would never return to our homes and killed herself shortly after we were reunited with Ron's group."

  "What is your plan?" Verval asked.

  "We won't fit in well on the plains," Heather said. "We are used to men and women being equal. We also don't want to have to fight to protect our home from bandits. We've asked around and someone suggested that we travel past the Elfwall River and find a valley to set up as a new village."

  "No human has tried that since the empire fell," Verval said reverently. "But legends say that some of the valleys had soil that was magical. Great crops of the finest grain were grown. It's ambitious, but I can see it succeeding."

  "We hope it does," Steve said. "And Ron has done all he can to make it happen. We are well stocked with seeds."

  "What kinds?" Verval asked. "I heard you had casks of something and that you indicated that the casks contained seeds, but no one I asked knew more than that."

  "Wheat, rice, flax, some fruit trees and bushes," Natalie listed. "We should probably find some kind of legume and tuber before we leave human territory, but we only had a limited amount of time to gather seeds. I also want to get the parts for some farming tools I haven't seen yet."

  "Wait," Verval snapped. "What do you mean you want parts for a tool you haven't seen."

  Natalie sighed. "Ron and some of the others understand a bit. Verval, where we come from, we have methods of farming that have allowed us to greatly reduce the number of farmers. In your village I bet that everyone helps in the farming, and you have no more than two people who never farm."

  "One," Corwar called out. "Old Mathesin is the smith. He's got a crippled leg and can't move quickly in the field, so when he's not smithing he repairs the leather harnesses and other gear."

  "And I'd like to point out that it sounds like his work was all about supporting the farming," Natalie said. "Verval, it might surprise you, but none of us has ever worked on a farm. Nor did we do work that directly supported farmers. In your village, you needed everyone farming to feed the village. Back at our home, one farmer could produce enough food to feed hundreds of people."

  "Not quite," I amended. "The farmer usually only produced the raw food. There are others that transport it and distribute it. The farmer also has to work with people who repair his tools and provide assistance when necessary."

  Natalie stuck her tongue out at me. "Fine, require perfect accuracy. But for our purposes, what I said is valid. I'm guessing that Verval's village was like most and the vast majority of people are involved in farming. I know of tools that should allow us to get better yields with less labor."

  "I'd love to never have to farm," Corwar said. "It's boring."

  "I can believe that," Al said. "I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but we most likely won't have a lot of choice. And farming can provide most of the food we eat and the clothes we will wear."

  Verval nodded. "What about trade? Even our village trades for some goods."

  "That's something I'm still working on," I admitted. "We'll have to find trading partners once we determine where we are going to settle."

  "At least we have a decent shelter," Heather said as she snuggled into my arms. "It's small and doesn't have any privacy, but it's warm even during a storm."

  Verval just shook his head. He looked over at his younger brother, who was wrapped up in a fur. "I guess I should ask about that …" he mused.

  "About what?" Lydia asked. I looked over and she winked at me.

  Verval blushed. He stammered for a moment and I held up a hand. "Verval, you told me that the girl who promised to be your wife was taken away. I tried to explain then. Lydia, Heather, and Aine are promised. The others are not, but you need to allow them to get to know you. If they are interested, they will let you know."

  "Am I interested?" Jennifer asked playfully. "Let's see, Ron is untouchable. Hencktor is devoted to Lydia. I lost Al to Aine. I guess I have no one. So I might be persuaded."

  "Hussy!" Victoria said with a laugh. "Careful of this one. She'll play with you for only a few days and then toss you aside."

  Verval was staring at Jennifer. His mouth gaped. I twisted in Heather's arms so I could lean in close to him. "They are teasing you," I whispered. "It means they find you attractive. Just be patient and get to know them."

  "What about her?" he asked me pointing at Esme.

  Before I could respond Natalie got up and moved to sit in Esme's lap. They sat facing each other, with Natalie's legs wrapped around Esme. I watched as Natalie tilted her head and gave Esme a loving kiss.

  Verval froze for a minute. I thought he might stand up, but Heather reached over and put a hand on his arm. "Please," she whispered. "Don't. We've told you that we are far from home. Esme and Natalie both lost family and friends when we were dragged to Jord. They found comfort and love. And they might not be against allowing you to be a friend."

  Verval looked at me. I offered him a shrug, but then reached out to put my hand on his shoulder. "It's more of the culture we came from. We had alchemists discover a way to ensure that a woman could control her fertility and prevent pregnancies. It opened up the opportunity for women to explore sex. I know both Esme and Natalie have been with men before and they definitely want to again. But the man has to understand that they have a special relationship."

  Corwar walked over and sat next to his brother. The young man looked uncomfortable with the fur wrapped around his body, and pulled it tight as he sat. "Those two are like Crisilly and Valiane," he said to Verval.

  "Who?" Heather asked.

  "Our father's sister, Crisilly," Corwar began. "She married Notarn. One morning, Verval and I were sent to Notarn's house to get some seeds. We found Crisilly and Valiane in bed, kissing."

  "Was anyone hurt?" I asked.

  "No," Corwar said. "I only saw it the one time, but gossip suggested they got together whenever they could sneak in from the fields. Both had several babies and were hard workers, so no one bothered them."

  Verval nodded. "I know father was a bit embarrassed when we told him, but he said that Crisilly and Valiane had been friends since before both were married. I just never expected anyone to be so open."

  "Not like we have a lot of choice," Heather reminded him. "We can't exactly sneak out into the snow." My love paused and looked pensive. "Actually we could, but I expect it would be a very bad idea."

  Kariy was coming around and collecting empty stew bowls. I looked down and realized that during the conversation I had finished off a full bowl of stew. Our friend smiled as I held up the bowl. "Everyone ate quickly," she said. "Hencktor is going to bring in some steaks from the deer. I'll grill them up for those still hungry."

  "Go for it," I said. "We are definitely still hungry."

  Kariy smiled and headed over to the door of the tent. She ducked out for a moment. When she returned, two of the bowls were filled with fresh snow. She brought the bowls over by the fire. Using a small piece of hide, she scoured each bowl, using some melted snow to help rinse the bowls down.

  Gertrilla had joined Kariy. She happily helped stack the clean bowls in a corner of the tent before bringing over the grill and setting it up over the fire. Kariy just smiled and searched a pack for some spices.

  I leaned back, enjoying the closeness of everyone. Verval wandered over to sit between Victoria and Jennifer. The two women teased our newest member as we waited for the steaks to cook. Heather concentrated on holding me, offering me some extra body warmth.

  We could hear the wind continue to pick up. Kariy had finished cooking the first steaks when we first heard the hiss of snow falling on the tent. It fell against only half of the roof, but the whole structure shook as the wind increased in force again.

  Everyone began to find bedrolls. I noticed that people paired off. The tent remained warm, but the fury of the storm seemed to chill the air. Heather was huddled against my che
st. "I'm scared," she whispered.

  I held her close. Kariy had found a fur and was holding it tightly around her body as she grilled up some deer steaks. Above the grill, she had set up the tripod with another cauldron. She tossed several cubes of meat into the cauldron and added several handfuls of snow. Gertrilla asked why. I heard Kariy explain that she was preparing a stew for the morning.

  Conversation died out. We all seemed to huddle under our furs and bedrolls and listened to the howls of the storm. The tent shook at times as fierce gusts struck the roof, but the hide structure stayed on the ground, giving us shelter from the storm's fury.

  Kariy continued to grill the steaks. When she had the first two cooked, she placed them in a clean bowl and brought them over to Heather and me. Heather handed one bowl to me, but then placed the other back in Kariy's hands. "I'll cook for a while," she said. "Warm up a bit."

  "I am warm," Kariy protested feebly as Heather rolled out of my arms and moved to tend the fire. I held up the furs, offering the spot to Kariy, but the young woman shook her head.

  "That spot belongs to Heather," Kariy said confidently. "I like you. But you are like an older brother. I can't share you with Heather."

  "He didn't ask you to," Heather called out. "He just offered you a spot to lie in while you warm up."

  I smiled and shrugged. "I'm still struggling with the idea that Heather wants me. I don't need another woman. But I did think it's cold, and realized we don't talk much."

  Kariy shrugged and then slid down to lay next to me. She spread a fur between us as she moved under the bedroll. "You stay busy with trying to plan our next moves. I stay busy with the cooking. I'm not entirely surprised we don't have much time to talk."

  "I don't want you to think I neglect you," I said.

  Kariy laughed. "Ron, I'd never think that," she said. "You care. It's so obvious that you care about all of us. But that means you tend to concentrate on the people who need attention the most. One thing you, Lydia, Heather, and the others have taught me is that I can be strong. I love having your attention, but I no longer need it all the time."

  "That seems unfair," I said.

  "No," Kariy said. "What's unfair is that you don't get much time for yourself. You spend so much time worrying about everyone else."

  "Someone needs to," I said with a shrug.

  "It can't be you all the time," Kariy said. "You and Heather really need some time with just the two of you."

  "That can't be helped," I said. I started looking around for Verval. The man had been quiet, and I was puzzled as to what happened. I finally found him lying between Jennifer and Victoria. He was flat on his back, and it looked like the man had fallen asleep between the two women.

  "Oh, don't worry about him," Kariy said. "Jennifer and Victoria know what they are doing."

  "We shouldn't raise his hopes too much," I said.

  "They won't be," Kariy said. "And you made sure Verval knows that those two get to decide what happens. He'll be happy."

  "What about you? Don't you want a husband?" I asked.

  "Someday," Kariy confirmed. "But Steve is the only man here I could see myself with, and he's not ready. That sorceress really turned his head."

  "She was beautiful," I said softly. "But I think Heather is better looking."

  Kariy giggled. "Tell her that! Now I see that Heather has finished cooking the next steaks. I'm going to go lay with Steve and Heather can return to your arms."

  "What about the cooking?" I asked. Heather was carrying two steaks over to the bundle of furs where Victoria, Jennifer, and Verval lay. Jennifer claimed one steak, but Victoria headed toward the fire and pointed Heather in my direction as Kariy slipped away.

  Heather rejoined me. She lay down beside me and placed her steak in the still untouched bowl that Kariy had brought over to me. With a cheerful smile, she began feeding me one steak while nibbling on the other as we cuddled under a warm bedroll and listened to the rage of the storm.

  Chapter 17: Surprise Invitation Opens a New Path

  Verval's prediction on the length of the storm proved to be correct. We slept that night only to find the storm still raging in the morning. Dry wood was running low, but we conserved what we had and huddled closer through the day. Finally, in what we thought was late afternoon, the snow stopped. The winds died down soon afterward. Hencktor, Corwar, and Verval headed out to find some wood to help keep the fire going while the rest of us checked on the sleds.

  We found the sleds covered by a thin layer of snow. The thicket had shielded them from the worst of the storm, and under the snow everything appeared intact. Steve was happy to see that the harnesses were supple and soft despite the exposure to cold. We brushed the snow off before returning to the tent.

  When we returned to the tent, we saw that the girls were making sure that clothing was dry. They also had a second cauldron warming over the remaining coals from the fire. This one was half full with clear water, and Jennifer informed me that they expected everyone to use the hot water and a cloth to at least wipe down our bodies and remove some of the sweat and dirt.

  It was clear that the ladies planned on remaining in the tent for an additional day. I worried about the delay, but Steve quietly pointed out that the storm left us little time to travel, and it made little sense to take everything down when we'd have to set up a new camp only a short distance away. I accepted that argument, and we all settled in for a second night in the sheltered valley.

  Everyone seemed a bit down due to the storm. Lydia was worried that we would become lost. Hencktor was not as worried, but did check with Verval. The former villager confirmed that we would find some villages to the south.

  I slept in Heather's arms that night. The others also bedded down early as we waited for the morning so we could continue our journey.

  The next morning, Steve was the first to wake. Or at least he woke me at a time that no others were awake. I slipped from Heather's sleeping embrace and followed him to the doorway. He made sure we were facing the doorway and spoke. "Do we know what route to take?" he asked.

  "No," I admitted. "But we never really knew what route we were taking. The goal is just to arrive at Saraloncto on the last major river as early in the spring as we can, so we have the maximum time to get to the far side of the continent."

  Steve nodded. "It's going to be difficult to do if we don't know where we are."

  "We can check once we find a village," I said. "We were a long distance from Saraloncto when we left the Wizard's City. And we aren't traveling very quickly. I bet that you could get to Verval's village from the Wizard's city in two days without all the snow."

  "Probably," Steve admitted. "Well, we won't talk about it too much. Instead, we should get everyone organized and start moving."

  We turned back to the center of the tent. Kariy was sitting by the fire and stoking the coals. I could see Heather had dressed and was rolling up bedrolls, while waking the rest of our group. I went to help her while Steve took a moment to throw on some clothes.

  Kariy served us lukewarm stew for breakfast. She apologized, but we had run out of firewood and had only a meager and weak pile of coals to use. Everyone realized that we needed to look for firewood during the day once we broke camp.

  We broke camp quietly. Verval volunteered to assist Jennifer in dragging one of the sleds during the morning session. Hencktor was a bit worried about the trail, so Al took the solo sled while Heather and Victoria pulled the other tandem sled.

  The initial path was not difficult to find. No trees grew near the vertical cliff face on the right side of our path. We had descended into the sheltered valley where we had remained, but the path we followed to leave the valley was flat as we headed south.

  Our path stayed near the cliff. Hencktor continued to worry that we were lost. He would break off and disappear, traveling far ahead of us only to return a short time later with a frown on his face. Lydia kept trying to convince him to relax. I was considering alerting him to what Stev
e and I had talked about, when he left the group again, charging ahead and vanishing into the snow.

  I was about to call him back when a snowdrift resting against the cliff face collapsed. A hot hissing sound followed as a cloud billowed up around the collapsing snow. Everyone behind me slowed down as we stared at the strange phenomenon.

  Cautiously, I approached the area. I could see a trickle of water vanishing into a black hole in the cliff face. When the water flow slowed, a dozen glowing rocks flew out of the hole and landed in the snow. Steam immediately started to billow from around the stones as the glow faded.

  "What's happening?" Lydia asked as she put her hand on my shoulder.

  I gripped the spear carefully. "Something is sending hot rocks into the snow," I said. "It's melting the snow."

  We watched in silence. At first we could not see much, but over time we could tell that there were a number of people inside the cave and coordinating the outflow of hot rocks. The snow had almost completely melted away to reveal the full side of the hole when Hencktor returned.

  "Why aren't you moving?" he asked.

  I pointed to the cave opening. "Something is happening."

  Hencktor gazed over at the cave. He stood there jaw agape as the steam faded. This time no rocks appeared. Once again I tightened my grip on the spear. We could see a light gleaming in the tunnel. It grew brighter and was finally revealed to be coming from a lantern held aloft by a short man with a long beard.

  "Greetings to Daytona Trade," the man said gruffly. "The clan elders informed us that you had sheltered near here and would pass by. They say we owe a debt of honor to you and can repay by easing your journey to the east."

  "You know our plans?" I asked.

  "The elders say you wish to travel outside the lands currently claimed by humans," the dwarf said. "I can understand wanting to get away from the dishonorable refuse that inhabits the cities and castles."

  I nodded. "I thank you for the offer, but how will you ease our journey?"

  The dwarf stepped completely out of the cave. He continued forward as more than a dozen additional dwarves followed him. "We have been instructed to invite you to visit the local clan outpost. From there we can guide you through some tunnels that will allow you to avoid the snow."