by Allan Joyal
“You’d be unhappy if he was that way,” Shaylin said. “You need him to be strong for everyone. Now other than both of us being a bit tired, we are fine.”
“Fine?” Heather started to pout only to have Cimbra put a hand on her shoulder.
"Love," Cimbra said softly. "We want to be with Ron because he doesn't try to keep us passive, but can you really complain if he doesn't want to be passive either?"
"He sent me away and then snuck off!" Heather yelled.
"He did not sneak off!" Shaylin shouted in my defense. "Kariy knew we were leaving."
"But he left without telling me!" Heather complained.
I put my left hand. "Stop, just stop. Heather, I love you, but Verval and Natalie needed someone there who could referee their little tiff. I couldn't have done that hopping on one foot."
"But you can sneak off using Shaylin as a crutch!" Heather hissed.
"I offered," Shaylin said. "I am sick of sitting around because Esme is worried about me."
Heather inhaled, but I hopped forward. "Stop! Heather, you are just going to anger your friends. I went out because I was bored and because we needed to do more scouting. From what I could see we are only using a small fraction of the valley. I expect that there are more meadows and groves as we go westward. We already have figured out that one of the sources for our river must be a hot spring."
"A hot spring?" Cimbra asked.
"Water that is heated naturally," I replied. "Usually it means that there is a lava chamber underground. The warmed water comes to the surface either as part of a hot spring or as a geyser. Hopefully in this case it’s just a hot spring."
"Where?" Heather asked.
"I think somewhere to the north, but not too far," I said. "We only went upriver to the first fork. The stream from the south is definitely cold, but it’s deep enough to power a mill, and there is a nice flat granite surface right next to the stream. We'll have to build a raft to get the millstones up there."
"Can we?" Heather asked quietly.
I pointed at the river. "The river is deep enough, but we'll want to clear a path for a mule to pull the raft. The river is swift enough to make poling a raft difficult at best."
Cimbra walked over and reached out a hand to Shaylin. "You seem to be about to fall over. I'll give Ron the support he needs to get back to camp. Kariy has managed to produce a very hearty stew."
I gave Shaylin's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and then hopped over to put my right arm around Cimbra. Heather snorted, but said nothing as Cimbra guided me to the meadow.
When we arrived, I looked around. One of our shepherdesses was crossing the river at the ford, but the rest of the meadow was quiet. I could see that the rest of the group was gathered around the campfire that Kariy had been using to cook. It was quite far away.
I sighed. "Anyone who is hungry can run ahead. I'll limp along as fast as I can."
Heather looked directly into my eyes. "If you think I’m going to run ahead without my husband, you are a fool. Ron, I agree that your little jaunt today was probably a good thing, but I'm still upset that you didn't tell me. You've spent so much effort protecting us just getting here, and then you get hurt fighting that monster which showed up. Why can't we protect you for once?"
"I'm not against protection, but I do need to feel like I'm contributing. There is a lot of work to be done, and I hate sitting and doing nothing."
"Tomorrow I can take you out to see Al and Jeff work," Cimbra said. "They have some questions you might be able to answer."
We were making our way across the meadow. Someone near the campfire must have noticed, because Verval came running out. I mentally braced myself for another argument, but the man was smiling when he reached us.
"I get it now," he said. “I can see what Natalie is trying to do. But I don’t know how much time we have until the snows ruin any crops we plant. I’m worried that we’ll run out of time to plant.”
“Can we hold out for one week? Natalie’s efforts should increase yields enough that in just a short time we can plant all we need. Otherwise we’ll run out of food this winter before spring comes,” I asked.
Verval frowned. “I’m nervous about that. As I said, I’m not sure how much time we have. If we were back home the snow would have melted more than a fortnight ago and we’d already be at the end of the planting season. Here, it looks like the snow melted three or more fortnights ago.”
“Your little village would be north of here by quite a bit. That is going to make a difference. Also it looks like the storms start from the northwest and blow to the east, so we might have milder winters. If that is true our growing season here could be quite a bit longer,” I observed.
Verval frowned. “That’s going to be difficult to adjust to. I learned the planting timetables from my father who learned them from his father. Now you are saying that the planting season might start earlier and run longer?”
“That’s how it works,” Heather said. “I grew up in farm country as it is called. My parents didn’t farm, but I talked to many children of farmers. They talked about how the growing season changed depending on where the farm was.”
I looked over at Heather she smiled and shrugged. “I told you that I was a midwestern girl,” she said with a smirk.
“Well, let’s get back to camp. I’m tired, and we’ll have some busy days ahead,” I said.
My comment met with universal acclaim from the people around me. We headed back to the camp to enjoy dinner.
Chapter 16: More Chopping
The next morning my ankle felt considerably better. Esme proclaimed that while I needed more time to heal it was fine if I started to work. After a brief conversation with Verval and Natalie to confirm that they were in agreement with the farming, I looked at Al and Jeff.
“How goes the chopping?” I asked.
“Slow,” Al said. “We usually work on one tree and once we chop it down we start removing the branches so that we can use the wood. I was going to ask what about this wooden wall you mentioned.”
“My idea was for a simple palisade,” I said. “Any trunk more than a foot in diameter and twelve feet long we’ll want to try to add. We can start from the granite north wall of the valley and build to the south until we reach the river.”
“I’ve never built a wall,” Al said. “How would we go about it?”
Jeff nodded. “I have figured out how to chop trees, but I was an office worker. I can’t even contemplate how to build a wooden wall.”
I shook my head. “And with the exception of Piemal and Dafalia, no one lived in a city with a wooden wall. So we can’t really ask anyone how to build one. I have an idea, but I’m not sure it will work.”
“Well don’t keep us in suspense,” Heather said mock grumpily. “Speak out.”
I looked over at Cimbra. “Have you noticed that she has no patience? I fear for our children. How will she handle being a parent if she can't wait even a minute?"
Cimbra giggled. "Oh, I'm just as anxious as her to hear what the plan is. Especially since we only have so many workers if Borlan and Lawus are to help with the farming today."
"Which they are. Although I'm hoping we can have Oleiana, Corwar, and Piemal helping us today. I expect Haydee, Gertrilla, and Yveney want to watch the herds and Dafalia was going to start building enclosures for her rabbits and chickens," I said stalling for time."
Al playfully punched me on the arm. "Oh, stop teasing us all. We have work to do."
"Well, I said. "I figure we'll start at the north end like I said. Any tree trunk that is at least twelve feet long and a foot in diameter needs to be brought to there. I'll work with Corwar and Piemal to get each trunk into the ground. Hopefully, Heather can find vines. We'll use those both at the top and bottom of each trunk to tie them together. We'll also need to build up a platform that we'll mount on our side of the wall."
"Why?" Jeff asked.
"I'm hoping this wall will be about eight feet tall once we finish," I sa
id. We also need to be able to reach over it and fight if we are attacked, so we need a platform to stand on. It will also help stabilize the structure."
Al looked at me. "That makes sense!" he shouted. "So you'll be working with Corwar and Piemal to prepare each trunk and build the wall."
"We have to dig down about two feet for each trunk. We'll need to have a mule to help raise each trunk into position. I was hoping Oleiana could be the one to guide the mule," I said.
"I can do that!" Oleiana said.
"Do we have any trunks that size?" I asked Al.
"About ten so far," he said. "We've only been cutting down a tree an hour, and many were on the short side. We also started near the river, so you'll have to drag them to the site where you want to start the wall."
"That's what mules are for," I commented. "Corwar, if the trunks are ready, you need to hook them to a harness. Let's borrow one from one of the carts. You might need to get some rope from the wagon. Piemal I hope you don't mind doing a lot of digging."
"I wanted to chop the trees," Piemal whined.
"What about me?" Cimbra asked.
"My ankle is still a bit weak, so I want you to help me get around and handle the things that need to get done. Oh, bring some rope. We need to mark what is vertical so that our wall isn't tilted," I said.
Cimbra nodded. "How about I guide you to the wall? While these people get their tools and head to where they have been cutting trees."
"That's a plan," I said. "Al, I recommend that we start cutting trees near where we are building the palisade. Both to make sure we don't have any trees in the way, but also so we don't have to drag the trunks a long distance to add them to the wall."
Our group broke up. Cimbra and I walked along the north wall of the valley. Cimbra pointed out many points along the wall where there were obvious scrape marks. Most were ancient, but some were fairly recent. When I asked her what she through caused them she pointed back to the meadow. "I'm sure that monster tried to dig along the walls."
"I just hope it didn't have babies. We haven't been able to search up the valley to find out," I said.
Cimbra shivered. I put an arm around her as we continued to follow the rock wall. "I'm nervous about our child," she said. "Will the others accept a half-breed?"
"We can only hope," I said. "But I expect that they won't have too much of a problem as long as the farm works out. If there is no reason to fight over food, we'll thrive."
We reached the point where the rock wall turned to head northeast. I looked to the south and could see that most of the trees in the region were still standing. Cimbra looked more closely at the wall of the valley as I examined the land.
There was a slope away from the wall, but it was rather gentle. I figured that the platform I wanted to use for defense would have to step down every ten to twenty feet if we wanted it to be level. The larger concern was the lack of vision through the trees.
"This is going to be a bad location until we can clear the trees. And we aren't practiced at this. I expect it will take days to get the first ten feet built," I said quietly.
"Can I do anything right now to help?" Cimbra asked.
"Did you bring any rope?" I asked.
"Yes," Cimbra stated. "Why?"
"Hold one end at the base of the wall and give me the other end. I'm going to use the rope to give us our initial build plan. It will also allow us to identify trees that we need to take down first," I said.
Cimbra shrugged as she pulled a coil of rope from her belt. She carefully unwound the end before throwing the coils in my direction. Then she knelt down and put the end in her hand against the wall.
I picked up the other end and moved as far as I could to the south. The length of rope was only about sixty feet or so long, so I could easily see Cimbra. I had to move back once when I went around a tree and found that it stood close enough to the route I was considering to bend the rope. Eventually I was able to pull the rope taut as I stood almost directly south of Cimbra.
"Does that look like it heads to the river?" I asked her.
Cimbra looked passed me. "I can't tell. The trees block a clear view of the river, but it appears to be the right direction. Why are we doing this?"
"Can you use a stick or something to secure the rope where it is?" I asked in response. "I can explain after that."
Cimbra rooted around near her for a moment. The rope was tugged a couple of times. I had to move a foot closer to the wall as she did something with her end. When the tugging stopped she stood up and walked toward me.
I could see the question in her eyes, but before I could speak Heather shouted from behind me. "There you are! The trees really do block anyone from seeing more than a few feet. I can understand part of why you think they need to come down. I have Piemal with me. Oleiana and Corwar are getting the first trunk attached to the harness so the mule can pull it. Oh! I see you are using the rope to mark where the wall will be. But we don’t have enough rope for the full distance."
I started laughing, which caused Heather to huff in annoyance. "I'm not funny!" she said.
"I'm not laughing because you are funny, but because you answered a question Cimbra asked. She was wondering why I was using the rope," I said.
Cimbra giggled. "I guess you did answer. But now I have to wonder about the rest of the wall. The rope doesn't reach that far."
"We'll move it occasionally," I promised. "Meanwhile we can a trench started if Piemal is up to some digging."
"How deep?" Piemal asked as he hefted a shovel.
"Make it so if you are standing in it you are up to your knees," I said. "That should be deep enough to secure the wall. Heather, any luck on vines?"
Heather walked passed me and headed for the granite wall. She was leaving the area of the valley we were going to wall in. Piemal just looked at me as Heather headed off.
"Heather, we aren't exactly sure there are no predators," I called out.
"Krysbain said he hasn't seen anything," Heather shouted back as she vanished into the forest. "He also told me where to find some vines. I'll be back in a moment. How many?"
"Just two for now. I'm sure they'll work better if they are freshly harvested," I replied.
"What are the vines for?" Piemal asked. "And which side of the rope do I dig on? Or do I dig right where the rope is?"
"Dig on the east side of the rope. The rope is where I want the front of the palisade to be so the wall will be even for the platform. The vines will be used to tie together the top of each pole. It won't do a lot of good, but it might help enough until we can start building the platforms. The fact that we don't have large nails will make this a lot more difficult," I said.
"We have time," Piemal said with a shrug as he put the blade of the shovel against the earth and started to dig.
"Where do I put the dirt?" Piemal asked.
"Don't cover the rope, but you can pile it to the south. We'll have a number of uses for it, including filling around the log. And you can dig the hole in an oval shape to the south, eventually, it will become a trench. Just try to keep the east and west sides from getting too big. We'll want to make sure the pile is vertical or close to it," I said.
The young man worked quickly and it was only a few minutes later that he had dug out a hole over two feet deep and about eighteen inches in diameter. He was slowly expanding it to the south as Cimbra and I watched.
"Ron!" I heard Corwar shout from behind me. "We have the first trunk."
I turned around and could see Oleiana leading a mule through the trees. Corwar was following them watching as the log the mule was dragging slid along the forest floor. Oleiana stopped in confusion at the end of the rope.
"Which end is near the mule? The base or the top?" I called out
"Why does that matter?" Corwar asked. "It’s the base."
"We want the fatter part of the trunk in the ground," I replied. "So you need to bring the log around. I'd suggest heading west and then coming back so that the tree is n
ear the wall, but the mule can step over the rope. Please try not to disturb it."
Oleiana smiled and coaxed the mule to turn left and continue forward. I could see that she was watching the log carefully as the mule headed west into the trees. Once the rope was safe from the log bumping it she led the mule in a wide turn that had it pass within two feet of the hole Piemal was digging.
Piemal jumped out of the way as the mule passed. "Hey! I'm working here."
"No digging for a moment," I said. "We have to see if this will work. Corwar, release the log and then try to get it so that the end is over the hole. I'll help, but for now you get to lead the team."
"I've got this!" Corwar said as Oleiana stopped the mule. He quickly released the log and rolled it closer to the hole. Cimbra and I helped as he tried to position it perfectly.
"It doesn't have to be perfect," I admonished Corwar gently after his third attempt to center the end perfectly over the hole. "It just needs to be where we can guide it into the hole as we raise it to vertical."
"We took longer because he wanted the perfect trunk," Oleiana said quietly.
I looked at Corwar who suddenly found the ground interesting. He kicked his feet at the pile of dirt Piemal had created with his digging. "I just want to impress you."
"Right now you do that by helping us work quickly. I don't mind a little extra care if it will save time later. That's what your brother and Natalie argued over. But the sooner this wall is up the sooner we can put more effort into building shelter against the weather. I'm sure everyone will be happier if we have a real roof over our heads and a more comfortable place to sleep at night."
Corwar shook his head and looked at the log. "Now what?" he asked.
"Everyone gather by the top," I said as I moved to the end of the log farthest from the hole. Cimbra and Heather immediately joined me. I crouched down and looked at my loves.
"The goal is just to bring this vertical. If all goes well it should fall into the hole naturally, and we won't have to move it. On three, we all lift up and then walk our hands and bodies towards the hole. We don't want the base to slide so pay attention and move together," I said as Corwar and Piemal joined us. "Ready?"