A Coursing Passage (A Life of Magic Book 3)

by Matthew Mitchell

  We spent the morning keeping ourselves busy in the campsite and being called over to the wagon. Thorn would have us sit, stand, even lay down so that he could measure each piece of the wagon to fit it to us better. Workers came and went, some bringing tools and materials, others rushing off with new orders and measurements. By the noon meal the driver's seat and box were changed to allow either Raven or I to use it comfortable all day, the back steps had been removed and replaced with a more versatile set of steps, and custom storage had been built onto the sides and bottom of the wagon. It now had the appearance of being a cask instead of a barrel.

  Master Thorn came over and sat by the fire pit, "We are stopping for a while. We have a few pieces that need to be made; the bed frame, the stove mount, and such. We will be back this afternoon to work some more. I think we should finish most of the major changes today, except for the stove. Once Yod has the measurements we will finish that up tomorrow. Then we will be getting into the detail work. Decide how you want the windows to open, if you want shutters, and what kind of water storage you need. I will talk to you after our meal." With that he walked out of the camp. His workers followed him.

  Ruth grinned and started handing out food, "Thorn can be odd, but he knows his wood. He is the best carpenter that I have ever met. He is a pain, but he is good."

  Tulip smiled as she took her bowl, "He knows his business. Plus he already knows what you need, he just needs you to know it."

  Stain laughed gently, "I have known a few master's like that. Great work if you can work with them."

  Tulip nodded, "Thorn is a great man. He works hard to make sure his customers get what they need."

  "So what about what he asked? The shutters, windows, and water?" Raven asked.

  Tulip thought a moment, "As far as shutters I would suggest ones that adjust and open outwards. That way you can have some privacy but still enjoy the breeze. You can also close them up in bad weather. The windows need to open inwardly and be fairly solid. This is to withstand the cold and wet. I think folding ones would work, they take up less space. One's with waxed canvas covering the hinge would be best." She thought a moment. "I have seen a few different water storage options. I do like the one where there is a large cask under the wagon. Also you need an easy way to fill it and to pull water from it." She leaned back and smiled, "Ruth, would you fetch William? I believe he might have some ideas that would be useful."

  Ruth groaned, "Do I have to do it? He is odd." She seemed like she would rather not find him.

  Tulip rolled her eyes, "You will be fine. He is just eccentric. Most brilliant people are at times. But he designs the greatest things for wagons. Many people copy his designs and never realize who came up with the original."

  Ruth stood up, "Fine. I will see if I can get him to come see you. Just remember, it takes some time to get his attention." She walked out of the campsite.

  Tulip grinned, "Some people simply can not spend time together. Ruth and William are two such people."

  Stain asked, "Are you sure he can help?"

  Tulip smiled broadly, "Oh I am positive. If he can not figure out something then none will. He comes up with the most wondrous things. Most are useful, some are a waste of time. That is why someone always helps him. To keep the useful ones around and to prevent the useless."

  "If you think he is the best then I will rely on your judgment" Stain sat back, finished with his meal. "I guess we wait for our guest then?"

  ***

  Thorn returned before Ruth did with William. He walked over to sit with us while his workers got back to work on the wagon. "So. What are your decisions?"

  Tulip grinned, "I believe they are going to go with adjustable shutters, ones that will allow wind and light through when closed or may be shut completely"

  Thorn made a few notes on his paper. "I have some already made that should work. They are made to open outwards."

  Tulip nodded, "That is what we discussed. Also a second layer of shutters on the inside that will fold up off to the side. Ones made to seal out bad weather and the cold."

  Once again he made some notations, "So wax covered small folding shutters on the inside. Those will be good."

  Tulip grinned wider, "As far as water goes, I have sent Ruth after William. I believe he has been working on an idea for storing water that we may use. It uses a large cask under the wagon as the main storage vessel."

  Thorn grimaced and then chuckled. "We can do that. The problem will be how to fill it easily and how to pull the water from it when you need it. If anyone can figure out an easy way of doing that it would be William." He stood up. "I have enough for now. We can install the water cask and leave space at the end, under the stairs for whatever solution William devises. Everything else we can do to the point of ready for paint." He headed off to the wagon and started pulling different workers aside. A few ran off after items while others started working on the various parts that still needed work.

  We sat watching, keeping ourselves busy with mending and minor chores, while the work on the wagon continued. Mid afternoon Master Yod appeared at the campsite. He brought with him a few apprentices.

  "Good afternoon!" He called out to everyone. He walked over to us and sat slowly. "I have the measurements that I needed to give to Master Thorn. I also wanted to check a few more things before we go any further." He handed a large roll of papers to his apprentice. "See that Master Thorn over there takes a look at these. If he has questions then I will address them shortly." The apprentice headed over to the wagon and entered into a conversation with Master Thorn. "The rest of you get the measurements I need to have the right vents and such. It will need to be done rightly." The other two apprentices went to the wagon and started measuring inside and out. "Now, since we are alone, so to speak. To the matter at hand." His face took on a much more serious look. "I figure that you three might be wheel handlers, since Tulip and Ruth are supporting you." His statement was met with surprised silence. He nodded and grinned gently. "That is what I thought. Will your stove need to be prepared for any spell work or to be enchanted? It is best to do so before it is installed."

  Stain grinned and shook his head, "Our friend the Salamander will be taking care of all of that. She wants to do so once it is installed."

  Yod nodded wisely, "Such is the way of ones like her. Now, I understand the exterior of your wagon shall be purple and green. What of the inside? Surely a young couple wants a different look inside?" He grinned widely at this idea.

  I smiled, "We were thinking the upper parts of the wagon painted like the sky while the lower parts would be painted like grass and plants. Flowers and herbs."

  He grinned, "That sounds pleasant. It would be a shame to put a black stove in the middle of such a canvas. I will have to do something about that. It will look wonderful but still be functional." He stood up. "I can tell that our young master woodworker needs my attention. If there is anything else please feel free to send for me." He walked slowly to where his apprentice and Master Thorn stood.

  "I do love that old fool." Tulip sighed as she took a drink. "He always was so wise and knows more than he might ever reveal."

  "What kind of spell work or enchantments do we need on our stove?" I asked Stain.

  Stain grinned, "Many times you need a much hotter fire than would be safe. While your stove will look normal, it will be able to get much hotter. Probably close to the same heat as a forge. Mere metal can not withstand that for long periods of time. Neither could the wagon. The spells protect the metal and wood while directing the heat out of the pipe and far up into the air. The enchantments that might need to be done are ones that enable the stove to stay hotter much longer, keeps the heat more stable, that kind of thing. I believe Cracklecord wants to do much of that for you. She has an excellent touch for just such a thing."

  Tulip grinned, "We have a few salamanders that occasionally help with such things. Their work is the best."

  "Of course it is. They are able to work the spells fr
om inside the heating device. This allows the spell to be in a much better position to do it's work." A dry tone interrupted A skinny man walked into the campsite, followed by Ruth. "If we had a person of tiny stature they might also be able to perform the same spells in the same manner."

  Tulip stood up and hugged the man, "William! I am glad you decided to come."

  William hugged Tulip in return, "Ruth left no other option. She threatened to stay until I came."

  Ruth grinned, "You said to fetch him. You did not say how."

  Tulip swatted Ruth gently. "Well, now that you are here let me tell you about our problem. Perhaps you can devise a solution?"

  William's eyes lit up and he sat on a stool, "A new challenge? This is a treat. What is the problem?" His hands twitched, anxious to be at work.

  Tulip sat down and described the problem. She talked about how we would need to carry a large cask full of water under the wagon and the issue of filling it and emptying it.

  William grinned, "Well your problem is fairly simple. What water sources are you wanting to use to refill the cask?"

  Raven answered, "I think that we could be using almost any water source."

  William nodded, "So, you are thinking wells, springs, city sources, pretty much anything?" We all nodded. "Well, then you need three methods of filling the cask. The first method will be for open bodies of water. I would put a large funnel leading into the cask. That way you can pour buckets into it easily. The second would be for man supplied water, like fountains. A flexible tube of canvas and wax would allow the water to flow from a spout and into the same funnel, but much quicker than using buckets. I have one such tube already. I can make another quite quickly. The final thing I would do is to make troughs along the side of the wagon. This will capture rain and channel it into the cask. That way you will always have fresh water available as long as it rains." He leaned back a moment. "Is that Thorn I see over by the wagon?"

  Tulip nodded, "He agreed to help us also."

  William smiled, "Good. He does acceptable work. I will explain a few things to him when Master Yod is done. Now onto emptying the cask. The easiest method would be a plug that simply pulls out. Of course this simply empties the water out onto the ground. Not a good idea." He looked around at us to make sure we understood. "There should be a plug for when you need to clean out the cask, however to allow you to pull out water easier I think a valve and another tube is needed. This will allow you to fill containers as you need." He made some notes to himself. "Perhaps there should be a hatch so that a bucket can be dipped into the cask as needed?"

  Stain nodded, "I think that all sounds like a good idea."

  William looked at him a moment then stated, "All of this is pretty simple. Thorn can do all of it except the tubes. I will go make them right away. Let me talk to him for a moment." He suddenly stood up and headed straight at Thorn. Workers moved out of the way as he plowed directly at Master Thorn. When he arrived they started talking about his ideas and Thorn took measurements. His apprentice took down those measurements and made notes as the two men talked.

  "That should take care of that." Tulip grinned.

  "He is a strange fellow." Stain sat and watched William a while.

  William finally finished with Thorn and headed back to the fire. "I have what I need and Thorn knows what is needed. I am done here for now. Good afternoon." With those few words William left the campsite.

  We sat there in stunned silence for a moment before Ruth commented, "That man is annoying."

  Everyone laughed and started talking about plans for the wagon and immediate future.

  ***

  "We are done for the day." Thorn stated this simply as he sat down. The sun had just set and the fire was burning well. "We have most of the main things done, however there are a good amount of little things that still need to be handled. Yod is bringing the stove over tomorrow afternoon, so to be ready for him we will need to be here early." He stood up. "I think we can make your deadline of three days. Please be available so that we do not have to stop work to check on these small things. Measurements are done, but sometimes there are things that need to be verified or checked. I will see you in the morning, have a good night." He turned tiredly and walked out of the camp.

  "That man works hard." Tulip commented, "Of course you are paying him to do so. He will have it done and done right. His pride will not allow anything different." She handed out some bread. "Everyone needs to eat and then settle in for the night. I am buttoning up the protections for the night." She turned and followed Thorn out of the camp.

  Ruth stood up, "You better wait for me." She hurried after Tulip muttering, "Crazy woman going to lock me in."

  We all chuckled a little. It had been a busy day and we were all tired. Getting a wagon together was a lot of decisions and a lot of work.

  "I think I am following her instructions and heading for sleep." Stain stood up and headed to his tent. "Ott, Raven. Please take care of banking the fire and such." He ducked into his tent. Raven smiled at me and scooted a little closer. "And do not stay up late you two!" Stain's voice came from the depths of his tent.

  We smiled and got to work setting the camp to rest for the night. Tulip wandered through a bit later and mummered a good night as she climbed into her wagon. After a while everything was set for the night, everyone else was asleep. We sat there for a while watching the flames of the fire burn down to embers. "We should go to sleep, Ott." Raven said this softly, as if it was a secret.

  I nodded and agreed. "We should. Are you tired?"

  She nodded, "It has been a long day."

  We sat there a little longer and finally Raven laughed gently. "We really have to go to sleep." She stood up and pulled me to my feet. "Go to bed Ott." She kissed me gently on the cheek and then went to her own tent.

  I stood there a moment thinking. She was an amazing woman and she was agreeing to marry me. Mophar climbed up my back. "Time for bed Ott." He then gave me a wet kiss on my cheek. I swatted at him while we both laughed. Bed was a good idea.

  ***

  The next morning we woke up and got going early. The sun was just a faint light still below the horizon. I am not a morning person.

  "Ott. You are going to burn yourself if you do not move back." Cracklecord was trying to pull some flames back from the closest log.

  I grinned tiredly and scooted backwards. "I did not sleep well last night."

  "You should sleep well tonight." Thorn was true to his word and was here before sunrise. "I think that there are going to be a lot of things going on today."

  Stain nodded, "I think today might be the busiest day."

  Thorn grinned, "Perhaps. Today we fit the stove, finish up most of the wood work, get the shutters and windows fit, and put the water cask modification in that William had designed. We are also going to have to make room for other master's to come in and do their work, which will slow us down. We will get much done today, however we will need tomorrow to finish up everything. The last part will be cleaning. That way the wagon is ready for painting." He walked over to the wagon to get his apprentices working. Within moments the campsite range with the sound of saws, hammers, and other tools being used on the wagon. By the time the sun was well into the sky there was a new hole in the roof, ready for the stove pipe, and the support structure was in place to hold the weight of the stove.

  "The stove will be the single most heavy item in your wagon. It will be solid metal and must be stable no matter what is going on with the wagon. It will be tied to the wagon in such a way that it can not move from it's spot. Otherwise it could do damage, even destroy the wagon." Thorn was showing us where the stove was going to be set. "The stove Yod picked out also is short and fat, so we had to modify the wagon to accommodate it's size. But now it will sit in the very center of the wagon, equal distance from all four wheels. This keeps it's weight from being a problem. The water cask hangs right below it, which gives your wagon a heavy, low body. It will ride very smoothly, if m
y guess is right." He sat down. "The sleeping berth is at the front, like you asked. With the way the stove sits it made a few things difficult, but we solved them by making one side a table and preparation area and the other side storage. That made it livable. I think it will work for you." He looked at us and motioned us to try it out. We opened cabinets and moved around the wagon. Everything was done really well and it seemed as if things were designed with a thought to ease of use. While it was not exactly what we had planned, it worked much better than it might seem. Thorn pointed out some features, "We already have the hooks installed for the various hammocks. Each set of hooks can serve multiple purposes and therefore can be beneficial at all times." He opened one of the windows. "This is a great set up. The outer shutters can be adjusted to let the amount of light or air you desire. Or you can close them for complete black out. The inner ones fold back into these pockets on the side of the window." He demonstrated this. "This allows for greater use of the area around the window. I think I like this set up better than most. I want to show my wife, we might change ours to this one." He closed both sets of window covers. "With both closed and secured it is sealed against drafts and water. I also put metal rods in key piece of wood to make them stronger. That way it is more secure, considering what occurred not too long ago." He seemed upset. "I hate that such a thing could happen in one of our camps." He looked around. "If I hear anything I will let your masters know right away."

  Stain nodded, "Thank you for that and the work you have done. It is excellent wood work, beyond what I would ever expect." He was sitting at the table, admiring the wood grain running through it's surface.

  "That table is one of my favorite pieces." Thorn leaned on the table. It was thin, we all expected it to break under his considerable weight. It barely moved, simply settling slightly. "It is a wood and metal layered surface. You could all stand on it and it would hold your weight. I figured that with needing a work surface you did not need to worry about breaking it." He stood back up and smiled, "You will find I have other surprises throughout the entire wagon. Extra strength, extra features, anything to make living and working with this wagon better. At least anything that I might be able to design." He grinned brilliantly, obviously taking great pride in the work they had done on the wagon.