"Thank you so much." I spoke with great emotion. "You have done more than we could have ever anticipated."
Raven grinned, "Yes you have. Thank you so much. I know we are paying you but I wish there was something else we could do to thank you."
Thorn grinned, "Enjoy the wagon and when others ask about who did such work send them my way. That would be thanks enough."
She suddenly hugged Thorn, catching him off guard. He hugged her back and then stepped back, slightly embarrassed "I hope you two will enjoy the wagon. It was a pleasure to work on it and I will make sure everything is done before you take it on the road." He stepped out of the wagon and started talking to some of his men.
Stain looked around, "I think it is coming together nicely. Thorn has done all he said he would and has gone beyond my expectations. The next few days should end up with the wagon being almost complete." He stood up and stepped from the wagon. "Which is good, as we will be moving down the road in a week."
"A week? Where are we going?" Raven was just as surprised as I was.
Stain grinned, "Well, the in grafting ceremony is happening in a few days. With that and the wagon done there is no reason to stay on here, as we do have some prior commitments to get back to. I have been checking around and there is definitely a path that goes through the mountains, but it might not be passable. If that is the case then we might just have to take the long path around. Either way we need to get back on the road."
Tulip walked up at that moment, "I look forward to the trip."
Stain looked surprised at this comment. "I did not realize you would be traveling with us."
Tulip grinned, "Well of course I will be traveling with you. As the vine for these two I will spend the next year making sure they know how to live as one of the people. If that means I go with you into your country, so be it." She seemed very matter of fact about the whole idea.
"I plan on coming also. Otherwise she gets into some form of trouble." Ruth walked up behind Tulip. "Plus it has been a long time since I have seen fields and forest that were not families I miss that."
"I think we might need to keep you company. Otherwise you might get lost." Robert and Amelia walked up arm in arm.
Tulip objected, "You two are not married yet and your wedding date is too far off to wait for it to occur."
Robert, Amelia, and Ruth all grinned. "Well, we have a surprise." Amelia blushed. "With everything else going on Robert's parents agreed to allow us to move the date up. They even helped finish the work on the wagon. We will be married and our wagon ready to leave at the same time as the rest of you. Our wedding ceremony is going to be included in the in grafting and wedding of Ott and Raven. The elders agreed."
Tulip sat there, in shock. After a few moments she looked around and grinned. "Well that solves all that then. Two weddings and an in grafting This should be a fun party."
I looked over at Raven and grinned. I had known we would be getting married, but with everything going on it had slipped my mind. She smiled and blushed slightly.
Stain stood there a moment and then laughed, "We are going to be a regular flock. I figured it would be just me and these two. But this means we will have three wagons and two packshells."
Tulip shook her head, "We might have a few more before it is all said and done. We need to see if anyone else is needing to head that direction. It is much safer to travel in a large flock than just a few wagons." She walked off towards the main camp.
Ruth grinned after her, "Once she gets something in her mind she chases it down. I figure at least two more wagons will join our merry band." She headed off to her wagon.
Stain grinned, "Well this will be interesting. A whole group of mages or wheel handlers as we are called, traveling together through a countryside that dislikes them. At least we will have plenty of company. We should blend in better that way."
At that moment some of the other master's showed up to deliver their goods. An organized chaos suddenly occurred in our campsite. When it was all said and done there were packages and crates piled around the campsite in almost any available area. All of it was for the wagon, but until it was painted we could not put any of it into it's place.
I looked around for a few moments and frowned.
"What is wrong?" Raven asked.
"How is all of this going to fit in that wagon?" I asked. It really seemed as if there was too much stuff.
Stain grinned, "Remember there is a lot of packaging here. Crates and boxes to make it easy to move it. Also things will fit into special cubbies and certain spots. They will seem to go into the wagon and not take up any space. Also some will go on the outside, hanging or stashed away. It really will all fit."
I looked around and shook my head, I just could not see it. "If you say so, Stain. This is a whole new world to me."
Raven grinned, "Well, get used to it. We are going to be living it for the rest of our lives."
We could hear a loud commotion coming into the campsite. Yod's voice cut through the noise, "Push harder, I know it is heavy. Push I said!" A group of men entered the campsite with a small wagon. On the wagon was a squat, solid looking piece that could only be the stove. But instead of being black metal as I anticipated it was covered in a beautiful mosaic of colors. "You are almost there. Just a bit farther." Yod was walking behind his apprentices, goading them on. "Good afternoon my friends. As you see, your stove has arrived."
Raven walked over to the wagon, they had stopped pushing it for a moment. She looked closely at it. "Yod, it is amazing! I have never seen such a stove."
Yod grinned, proud and happy. "It is a true work of art. A stove that has been clad in enamel. Resistant to heat yet beautiful to look upon. With what you planned for the inside of your stove I thought this would be the only way to make it a part of the wagon without it being an ugly object. I refused to do that to such a beautiful wagon. So here we are. We will install it and make sure it is set up. You should be able to cook on it tonight, as long as Master Thorn has done his part." This last bit he spoke loudly, so that Thorn might hear him.
"If the measurements were accurate then so are our cuts. Our work is well done, it will be the measurements that are the telling factor." Thorn's voice made it clear that he was used to Yod's teasing. "Do you need help putting that beast into the wagon?"
Yod nodded, "I fear it will take most of us to get it into the wagon. It is an immense weight."
Stain smiled, "Master's, if I may have a moment?" He walked with them off to the side and talked quietly for a few moments. When they came back both master's dismissed their workers and then looked expectantly at Stain. Stain smiled broadly and motioned me forward. "Ott, I am going to work a little spell on you. While I hold the spell you will have the strength of a hundred men. Perhaps we can get this stove in place faster this way?"
I smiled and walked over to the stove, "Do we need to cover the enamel to protect it?"
Yod shook his head, "It is almost as tough as bare metal. It can break, but only with the worst neglect over time."
I nodded and looked at Stain. "This is going to be fun. Shall we begin?"
Stain grinned and I could see his magic curl out and wrap around me. I could feel an earth spell with a mixture of air settle in my body. Suddenly felt as if I could move mountains, jump great heights, almost any feat I desired. I turned to the stove and placed my hands on either side of it. I leaned backwards and picked up the stove. It lifted free of the wagon easily, feeling as light as a bowl of food.
"Master Yod. If you will show Ott where to set the stove?" Stain's genuine enjoyment shone through.
Yod had a glimmer in his eye and a broad grin on his face as he climbed ahead of me into the wagon.
I followed him into the wagon. He was standing in the bed berth with a thin rod held out. "Set it down centered on this setting. It must face the doorway and be turned just right so we can anchor it correctly." Over the next few minutes I followed his exact instructions so that the stove was positi
oned correctly. Once he was satisfied we stepped out of the wagon.
"Done?" Stain asked, the weariness showing in his voice.
Yod nodded, "Thank you for such a demonstration. I have enjoyed it immensely."
I felt the spell fade as Stain released it. Suddenly I felt very tired. I looked at Stain. He smiled.
"That spell uses both our strength." He took a deep drink of a potion and handed me one also. It was a stamina potion. I drank it down quickly, feeling better after a few moments.
Yod and Thorn went after their apprentices and went about the work of installing the stove. A matching enameled stove pipe was brought in and installed up to the roof. The cap was fashioned to look much like a bird's nest. They took great pains to put massive bolts through the stove and deep into the supports of the wagon. After a while it seemed as if Yod was done. He came out and grinned, "Well, that is a good thing done. The stove is ready to be used."
"Thank you, Master Yod." Stain nodded and stood up. "We appreciate all your work and the beauty of the work you have provided."
Yod smiled and nodded, "It has been a privilege. I enjoy challenges such as these. Plus it is nice to finally find a home for such a unique piece. I had an artist friend who made it but ended up settling down. So I took it off her hands to find it a home. They will be honored it is finally in use."
Raven hugged Yod, "Thank you sir. It is a wonderful piece."
He hugged her back and patted her back, "You are welcome young lady. I hope you are able to use it a good long time." He stepped back and motioned to his apprentices. "If you need me for anything else please let me know." He followed his apprentices out of the campsite.
"That old man is an odd man." Thorn stated this, the affection for Yod evident in his voice. "I love working with him. He always does things in such an exact yet artistic manner." He turned and went back to finishing up his work for the day.
"That was fun." Stain sat down. "I have not had a use for that spell in a long time. It does make some chores much easier." He grinned and looked around. "We are going to be busy later."
***
The next morning Amelia led a young man and women into the campsite.
"This is Molly and Mark." Amelia stated "They are my artist friends who are going to paint your wagon."
Molly was a tiny woman who seemed to be small enough to blow away in the wind. Mark was a short, round man. Resembling a large squash.
"Nice to meet you." Molly nodded. Her skin was stained all manner of colors. Not just her hands either. Her hands, arms, face, hair, almost any surface had a color that was not natural for a human. Mark on the other hand seemed to be groomed to perfection, not even a hair out of place and not a spot of color on his skin.
"Pleased to meet you. Thank you for allowing us to paint your wagon." Mark's voice was deep. "We do so enjoy custom jobs."
"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Stain motioned them to take a seat. "Did you have any questions?"
Molly landed lightly on a stool, like a feather on a branch. "Oh yes! We understand you are wanting a purple background with deep, forest green leaves and vines?"
Mark sat down, settling on his stool as if he might crush it. "And you want a sky on the inside with plants around the bottom?"
Raven nodded, "That is right."
Molly grinned, "What color purple are we talking? Deep purple, light purple, lilac? There is so many purples."
"Perhaps this will help?" Tulip handed a piece of cloth over to Molly. "Their awnings will be made from this canvas."
Molly held it up and grinned, "I can do this easily. The green I have down."
Mark leaned forward, "About the sky? Did you want a day or night sky? Cloudy or clear? Any birds in the sky? What exactly were you thinking?"
Raven looked at me, looking slightly surprised. I grinned, "I think an evening sky would be best, that way it is not too dark during the day and not to bright during the night. Some clouds would be nice. Maybe a few birds, but not too many. Maybe even a dragonette soaring somewhere." I thought a moment. "I think you can leave the sun and moon out though. Just the sky."
Mark nodded, "That gives me a good enough idea to get started. If there is a problem then I can ask you about it. What about the plants? Anything specific? Pretty flowers?"
Stain spoke up at this point. "Would it be possible to do the plants like an herbal?"
Mark's eyebrows rose slightly, "With the attention to detail? I do not think we could do it in the time we have."
Stain grinned, "Not detailed, but use a herbal as the source for the plants? That way it is not random but things that have meaning for a healer?"
Mark nodded and grinned. "I like that. Most people just want plants. Something pretty. This will be more beautiful." He looked at Molly. "Any more questions?"
She shook her head and stood up. "I am ready to get started. I even have the pigments I need, since I knew what family of color we would be working with on the outside."
Mark stood and grinned at Molly, "We should have the rough work done by the end of the day today. Tomorrow we will fill in all the rough work with details."
We sat and watched as they worked together but on separate pieces. Molly evidently was going to work on the outside of the wagon while Mark focused on the inside. Molly mixed up large tubs of liquids and powders until a nice uniform purple swirled in the largest tub. She grabbed a massive brush, almost as wide as she was, and started painting the outside of the wagon. She made quick work of it and the wagon was soon an almost solid purple. She switched to a much smaller brush and focused on the edges and details, slowly filling in all the color. Mark had a table set up full of small jars. Each jar held a different color and each had it's own brush. He first took a large bucket of white paint into the wagon and we could hear him exclaim. Thinking something was wrong I rushed to the door of the wagon and looked in. Mark was standing there staring at the stove.
"That is beautiful!" He exclaimed. "Molly! Look at this!"
She stuck her head in the window and stared at the stove. "That is amazing! Enamel?"
"It has to be." Mark stated. He shook himself. "Well, this means I need to try to match some of these colors. I love a challenge." He stepped out and grabbed a large cloth. Stepping back into the wagon he proceeded to wrap every piece of the stove and vent pipe to protect it from the paint. "I have to apply a base coat before painting the inside. The outside paint can be strong and needs no base coat. Molly mixes it up with all sorts of chemicals to protect the wood, repel the water, repel insects, and all sorts of other things. For the inside work the base coat does some of those and then the color's provide the look. Finally I will apply a clear finish that will protect all of it from use and wear." He looked over at me. "It is about to get messy. I suggest you step out for a while." He smiled and pulled a mask over his face so that only his eyes showed.
I stepped out and suddenly white paint shot out the window.
"Mark!" Molly yelled. "Warn a girl!"
I could hear Mark laugh and another small bit of paint shot out the window again. After that the work went quickly. Mark painted the entire inside of the wagon white and then had to let it dry. The outside was already drying.
"We are going to rest and let the paints set. We will be back in a bit." Mark's clothes were covered in white splatters while Molly lacked even a drop of purple on her's. They walked out of the campsite and off into the main camp.
"I love working with them!" Amelia almost giggled. "They worked on our wagon and I love how they did it."
Robert nodded, "Their work is excellent. Not all painter's take such pains to make sure their work will last. Some just throw a layer of paint up and expect that to work." His tone made it obvious he had seen too much of such work.
Stain grinned, "They are an interesting pair. A true enjoyment to watch work."
We all settled in to eat our midday meal. After that we worked on mending a few more things that simply needed to be repaired. As the day wor
e on the paint on the wagon darkened and finally looked dry. At around this time Mark and Molly showed back up.
"The paint should be dry." Mark was saying this as he walked up.
"I know that, but the clouds could have caused problems." Molly was bouncing beside him.
They went back to work and sure enough the first layer of paint was dry. Molly started using a piece of charcoal drawing stick to make outlines of leaves and vines all over the wagon. Mark carried a trayful of jars into the wagon and started working on creating the imagery of the sky and plants. They worked until the sun was setting.
"Mark! The sun is going down. I can not see enough. I know you can not either!" Molly hollered at Mark. Mark came out of the wagon, small flecks of paint in on his face.
"I was simply cleaning up. I stopped painting a while ago. I am ready for detail work tomorrow." He put away his brushes and paints, making sure everything was in the right place and clean. "We will come back in the morning, it will probably take most of the day to finish the detail work. However, I see us being done tomorrow evening. Will that work for you Master Stain?"
Stain nodded, "That is fine."
Mark and Molly followed Amelia out of the campsite.
"They are staying with Amelia and Ruth." Tulip commented at our wondering looks. "They are all old friends."
Raven started handing out food and we discussed all the things that would need to be done in the coming days.
***
Mark and Molly showed up the next morning just after breakfast. They got right to work on filling in the details of the painting. Molly started painting in the green leaves and vines. She worked quickly. Once the main green was applied she went back with various greens and some white adding details and making the vines seem to be alive and growing up the side of the wagon. Mark went into the wagon, carrying his tray of jars. He worked for long stretches of time and would come out and swap jars. They both worked most of the morning without interruption By midday they had both finished a large amount of detail. One whole side of the outside of the wagon seemed to be complete, the artwork was breathtaking. The other side lacked the final touches, yet you could see that the entire outside would be an amazing job.
A Coursing Passage (A Life of Magic Book 3) Page 13