Homesteading on Jord

by Allan Joyal

  By the time I reached the pool everyone was undressed. Heather and Lydia were the only ones who were out in the deeper sections of the pool, but Esme and Natalie were helping Corwar and Piemal learn to float in the shallower section of the pool. Mary was lying in the water. At first I thought she was floating. She pulled her feet in and pushed her knees into the air, revealing that she had found a ridge in the granite that made up the bottom of the pond.

  I set the spear down and undressed slowly. Cimbra joined me. We carefully folded our clothing and set it away from the pond. When I turned to look at the water Cimbra put a hand on my shoulder. "Will you show me?" she pleaded.

  "Sure," I said. "Let's go get wet."

  I charged into the water. My rush through the shallow section sent a huge splash toward Natalie and Esme. They playfully protested as I launched into a shallow dive and swam across the pond.

  The water was surprisingly warm. I touched the granite wall of the valley and then turned back towards the shore. Cimbra was standing thigh deep in the water and staring at me.

  "How?" the dark elf woman asked. "Where did you learn that?"

  "Swimming is a popular relaxation activity where we come from," Natalie called out.

  "Why?" Gerit asked. I looked and could see him and Amalya sitting near Mary. "Wouldn't getting wet be unhealthy?"

  "Actually it’s good exercise," Esme replied. "Not that any of us need extra exercise when you consider how much we all labor. It's also natural. The human body floats rather well, the rest is just knowing a few tricks and understanding that you need to stop when you grow tired."

  I nodded as I swam back to Cimbra. "I'll show you how," I said softly as I took her hand.

  Cimbra said nothing as I led her deeper into the water. We walked until the water was just below her neck and then I stopped.

  "Why did you stop?" Cimbra asked me.

  "I'm trying to remember how I was taught to swim. One thing I remember hearing is that for an adult you want to get them used to the water and how to breathe while swimming. This is deep enough to do both," I said.

  Cimbra nodded. "So what next?"

  I was about to speak. The joyous sounds of the children splashing by the short stopped and a high-pitched scream of fear rang out. "Ron!"

  Cimbra's jaw dropped and I noticed she sank down so that the water came up to her chin. I spun around to look at the shore. Everyone was staring to the west. Lydia and Mary both dove into the water and swam toward the far wall.

  I could see two dwarves standing about ten feet away from the shore. They held axes in their hands. Carefully I waded towards the shore, holding my hands up to show I was not prepared to fight. "Shay? Did you ever take the time to learn a language spell?" I asked.

  One of the dwarves looked at me. He babbled something. I shook my head and the two dwarves looked at each other. They seemed curious rather than hostile.

  "I never had time to practice it," Shaylin said. "We never needed it, but one of my books did have one that they claimed was simple. It won't last very long."

  "How long?" I asked.

  "All the notes said was that it would last a fraction of a day," Shaylin said. "And I might make a mistake."

  I was about to ask her to cast when the first dwarf stepped forward. "When arrive you," he said carefully. It sounded very off to me.

  I looked around and noticed that the natives were all shaking their heads. "It's Imperial," Cimbra said. "Or at least it’s close to it, but it just sounds wrong."

  "Two thousand years of drift," I said. "On our world there are examples of how much a word can change in less than one hundred years. I shouldn't be surprised that the language we learned isn't quite the same."

  I turned to look at the dwarf. "We arrived seven days ago," I said carefully trying to remember the language used by the natives. Everyone had become used to English. Surprisingly I remembered the words.

  "What happen poultrion?" the dwarf asked.

  "Poultrion?" Heather asked.

  "Poultry Lion? They must be talking about that monster we killed," Lydia shouted from the safety of the deep water of the pool.

  "We killed it," I said to the dwarf.

  I heard Shaylin speak a word I couldn't recognize. A strange warmth descended on my ears and throat. The two dwarves were talking to each other, and I could suddenly understand them.

  "They say they killed it," the dwarf who had been speaking Imperial said to the other.

  "Them?" the other said scornfully. "They must be invaders, seeking to find our caves and to steal our treasure."

  The first dwarf looked over at our herds. The cattle were grazing peacefully in the meadow. "They appear to be setting up to stay," the first dwarf said. "We could use a village to trade with."

  "But why would they come here?" the second dwarf asked.

  The one dwarf looked at me. "Why you come?"

  "We were stolen from our home and brought to Jord by magic," I said. "The human cities were not welcoming, so we decided to move away from them to create our own home."

  The two dwarves looked at me. Their eyes were wide with shock.

  "Ron! You used the same language they had been using between each other," Lydia hissed.

  I nodded. "Sorry, one of our members is an enchantress and she cast a spell to allow me to understand your language," I said to the dwarves. "My name is Ron."

  "He's a spy!" the second dwarf roared, as he raised his axe.

  "On the honor of Clan Skyve I am no spy! I have been a friend to every dwarf I have met!" I countered.

  Both dwarves froze. The one holding the axe up slowly lowered it. "Clan Skyve? They still exist?"

  "We had the honor of performing a service for that clan when we first arrived on Jord. They have helped us in return. In truth, I believe we owe them. Without their help we would never have been able to arrive here with the goods we have," I said.

  The dwarves looked at the cattle and then at the cultivated fields that took up a quarter of the meadow. "You are growing grain?" one of the dwarves asked.

  "We are," I said. "But we planted late this year so we aren't sure we'll get a good harvest. If winter's chill comes too soon the crop could be ruined."

  "Can you grow more?" the dwarves asked.

  "Probably not this year," Verval said. "I do hope we can plant some more grain in about fifty days. It would hibernate while there is snow on the ground, but we could harvest it about this time of year. But with the seeds we have and the requirements to feed so many people, I doubt we'll have much of a surplus. Any we do get we'll probably have to save so we can plant it next spring."

  The dwarves looked at me. I realized that Verval probably spoke too quickly for them to understand.

  "He's saying that because of how late we planted it’s unlikely we'll have a surplus this year, but that we might have some about this time next year. It depends on how the crops do," I said.

  I noticed that the dwarves had both tilted their heads. "There are more animals in the valley," one told the other. "These must be on the other side of the river."

  "You probably hear our sheep," I said. "We separated them from the cattle so they didn't compete for grass."

  "Sheep?" the same dwarf asked.

  "They are an animal that we keep. You can eat the meat, but the other thing they provide is wool. The coats they have are made of a fine hair that can be turned into thread and then made into cloth," I said.

  I noticed a glint in the eye of the dwarves. "Cloth? Will this be available for trade? What is it like?"

  I looked over at Victoria. "Victoria, is there any wool clothing I could show to these dwarves?"

  "Any of the skirts on the shore should be wool," Victoria shouted. "It is the most common cloth we found."

  "What about linen from flax? I remember we picked up flax seeds," I called back.

  "Most of the blouses are linen," Victoria called back. "I don't know about you, but wool feels scratchy, and I'd hate having that against my nippl
es."

  I heard some gasps from the other girls in the group as I shook my head. I noticed that the two dwarves were looking back and forth between the various members of our group as I turned to face them.

  "Sorry," I said noticing that the language I was speaking immediately switched to the native language the dwarves had been using. "I had to ask others who are more aware of what cloth we have. Any of the women's skirts on the shore would be made out of wool. The blouses are a cloth we call linen. Right now we don't have the means to make linen, but it’s a plant fiber, and we do have seeds."

  "Why can't you make any?" one of the dwarves asked.

  "We'd have to plant the seeds and allow them to grow," I replied. "And it’s too late in the year for us to plant."

  One of the dwarves frowned. "Won't the seeds go bad? I understood that the seeds will fail if they aren't planted."

  "Natalie," I called out. "Or Verval. The dwarves are asking if the seeds will go bad if we don't plant them this year."

  "Some will," Verval replied. "But the majority will be good if we plant them in the spring. And I was looking over the seeds while we planted the fields. We appear to be in a milder climate than where I farmed. We should be able to plant some seeds in the fall and the plants will survive the winter."

  I shrugged and looked at the dwarves. "I'm told that the seeds will still be good in the spring. If all goes as planned, we'll have more land set up for farming."

  "You'll be able to plant more?" the dwarves asked at the same time.

  "That's the hope. We have some food, and we did get a few acres planted, so if all goes well, we should have food until next year. Meanwhile we need to build homes and a wall to close off the entrance to the valley," I said.

  "How far up the valley do you plan to expand?" one dwarf asked.

  "We'll definitely be farming the next meadow," I said pointing to the west. "And there is a granite shelf there that we'll build a mill on to grind grain. Moving further will depend on how much we get done and how harsh the winter is. If it's mild we might expand more. Right now though, we're mostly working at the mouth of the valley. Our first task is cutting the trees and building the wall."

  The dwarves looked at each other. One stared at me for a moment. They turned and walked a short distance away from the pool. I looked around at the group. "Well?" I asked.

  "You keep talking," Heather said. "They seem to be calming down. But what are you talking about? None of us can understand you."

  "They were asking about cloth and then about how much we'll be planting in the spring," I said. "I'm just telling them that we are busy trying to create a permanent settlement."

  "Is that wise?" Krysbain asked. He was sitting on a rock at the edge of the water. Other than Hencktor, who had been dragged into the water by Lydia none of the men from Jord had tried swimming.

  "It's obvious that they live nearby," I said. "They could be good neighbors to have. It would solve the problem of getting iron and other metals worked."

  "See if they can make a plow for us," Verval suggested. "The one we have isn't really big enough for our needs. A larger one would make the planting go faster."

  "They need to speak to me again first," I said pointing at the two dwarves. They had walked over by the ford upriver and were gazing out over the meadow.

  The conversation appeared to have grown heated. I decided to cool off a bit and turned to dive back into the water. When I resurfaced I looked around for Cimbra.

  I found Cimbra floating on her back in the water. Heather was next to her helping keep Cimbra calm. Heather smiled as I swam up. "I thought we'd get to work," my blond lover told me.

  "I can't disagree, and it’s nice to see Cimbra is trying. I notice that many of the others haven't tried yet," I said waving a hand toward the shore where more than half our group remained.

  "They will," Esme told me as she guided Shaylin into deeper water. The young girl was holding onto Esme's hand and carefully kicking her feet. It was clear she was not confident in her ability to stay afloat.

  "We'll have many opportunities," I said. "It will be some time before we really have any other forms of recreation set up."

  Heather blushed. "There's always."

  I sighed. "Yes, but practice made pregnant," I said as I pointed at my blond lover.

  "Sir," one of the dwarves called out as he walked over to stand on the shore. "Do you have a name?"

  "I am called Ron by my friends," I replied carefully.

  The dwarf nodded. "I am Guldrim, son of Galurd of Clan Valir."

  "Well met," I said.

  "Indeed," Guldrim said. "We came into the valley because the poultrion was no longer assaulting the entrance to our mines. It has kept us trapped underground for more than one dwarf lifetime.

  "Just the one?" I asked.

  "It was a magic creation. One of the wizards from the empire created it during the fall. He demanded that we give him some of the ore we had mined and when we refused sent that monster to punish us," Guldrim said.

  "And with the protection that creature had, it would be extremely difficult to attack it from the entrance to your mines. It was big enough to avoid any spear you could use and would easily kill a dwarf who left the shelter of the rocks. Why did you not dig a new tunnel?" I asked.

  "We tried, but it detected the digging and would be waiting when we emerged," Guldrim said. "We even tried to emerge from our main entrance at the same time we attacked from a new tunnel, but it was fast enough to kill many dwarves."

  "And it kept your people trapped. I wish we could claim that it was intentional, but I was protecting the people you see here. We had no idea you were up in the mountains above the valley," I said.

  Guldrim nodded. "Still you did help us, and trade would be welcome. We have some leather from the creatures that thrive in our caves, but soft cloth is rare. Grain is even rarer. We would be interested in trading with you once you have a harvest."

  It was my turn to nod. "We do have a need for quality smithed metal. Our master farmer has said that our current plow is not large enough for our needs."

  "A plow?" the other dwarf said. "Our smiths have not had the opportunity to make one of those since the empire fell. I'm sure you would find no end of interest in trading one to you."

  "It might be a new type of plow. We want one that has three or four blades so it cuts multiple rows of land at the same time," I said.

  The dwarf looked at me. "I've never heard of such a device. How would that be better?"

  I looked at Shaylin. "Shay, can you cast the same spell on Natalie? I need her to help explain why we'd want a better plow."

  Shaylin halted her feet and allowed her body to sink in the water. She clung to Esme as she floated in the water. "I can, but not from here," she said. "And it will be the last time I can cast that spell today. It's tiring."

  Esme looked at Shaylin. "You told me you felt fine!" the coed snapped.

  "I do," Shaylin said tiredly. "But after casting this spell I'm going to want to nap for hours. My body won't feel tired, but I'll definitely have a headache."

  "Let us know," I admonished Shaylin quietly. "We don't want you to overextend."

  "I won't!" Shaylin said with a pout. "Now let me get to the shore so I can cast the spell."

  Shaylin pushed away from Esme and clumsily started to dog paddle towards the shore. I turned back to the dwarf. "Sorry, but I realized I'm not the best to describe why we want a different plow or how it will look. I'm asking our enchantress to cast the spell she used on me on our expert in farming technology from our home world."

  "What do you mean?" Guldrim asked.

  "Some of my group came from another world. We had no magic, but our artisans had found other ways to harness and use power. Some of what they learned was used to greatly enhance farming. If you were to travel to Saraloncto or any of the human cities left by the fall of the Empire you'd find that in most cases there are nine people farming for every ten people living in the city. Wh
ere I come from it only took two or three people farming to feed one hundred," I said. "We can't get that ratio, but we are hoping to make it so that only half of us have to farm full time."

  The dwarves seemed shocked. They stood there staring at me. I wondered what to say until Natalie put a hand on my shoulder. "I can do the explaining," she said. "But who do I talk to?"

  "I would be the one to explain the idea to our crafters," the second dwarf said. "I am Roldulm, son of Randrel, of Clan Ashder. Who might you be?"

  "I am Natalie, I guess of the village of Daytona." She looked over at me. "That is the name we all accepted right?"

  "Works for me," I replied. "Why don't you move a bit upriver so that you can have a private chat? I'll see if we can arrange something with Guldrim."

  Guldrim looked at me. "There does not seem to be much to arrange right now."

  "Perhaps," I said. "Let me ask our herders something."

  I turned back to the group. "Haydee? I never asked, but should we be shearing the sheep soon?"

  "I don't know," Haydee said. "Um… does anyone know?"

  "We could do it now," Gertrilla called out. "In fact it might be best since the temperature suggests that summer is about to start. They don't need the thick coats. Why?"

  "Next, how prepared are we to make thread and clothing? And how much do you think we'll get?" I asked.

  "Three dozen sheep?" Gertrilla said. "Probably enough wool for about thirty skirts. But not all of the sheep will produce good wool. I think we have eight or so that were breed for their meat rather than their wool. And we still have to spin the wool and knit it or make a loom to weave it."

  I turned to the dwarves. "We might have some wool soon, but if you want us to make cloth it would not be available for some time. We still have to build a loom."

  Guldrim frowned. "You don't seem prepared to stay. I keep hearing that you are building things."

  "We've only been here six days," I replied. "And we could not bring everything we might have wanted, especially since we decided to bring mill stones so that we could build a mill. We always understood that this first summer would be spent building many of the tools we need for the future."