There Will Be Dragons tcw-1

by John Ringo

  “What?” Earnon growled. “That’s it? A couple of meals?”

  “Meal chits are now the de facto currency of Raven’s Mill,” Phil replied with a sniff. “They can, for example, be used to purchase a bath at the new bathhouse,” he again gestured at the new buildings along the base of the hill. “They do not cost a full chit and there you can get change for whatever funds you are given.”

  “Change?” someone at the back of the crowd asked.

  “Funds that do not equal a full meal chit,” Sevetson replied. “You’ll get used to the system after a bit; it is, after all, ancient and venerable. Questions?”

  “Where do we sleep?”

  “Many of the temporary shelters are still available. Be warned that there has been some robbery of materials and money. It is wise to remain at least in pairs.”

  “Can men and women sleep together now?” Earnon asked, sniggering.

  “Not in the communal shelters,” the supervisor replied, wrinkling his nose and sniffing again. “There are other places that can be rented and you can walk a short distance out of town and sleep in relative comfort in the woods.”

  “Great, we’re right back where we started,” Earnon grumbled.

  “You are now familiarized with the tasks of woodcutting,” Sevetson corrected. “This is one of the basic tasks of this level of technology. It is a skill that can earn you money, more if you parlay it into skill in charcoal making. Next week you will be familiarized with other skills. Eventually you will be complete and if you have performed well enough at one of the skills, the supervisors may consider taking you on as an apprentice. You are not ‘right back where you started.’ ”

  Earnon’s only answer was a glare, so the supervisor shrugged.

  “If there are no more questions, go down to the apprentice hall, draw your chits and then you are free to spend your time as you wish.”

  With that he strode off in the general direction of the apprentice hall and the rest followed.

  In front of the hall under a wooden awning tables had been set up. Inside the hall, which was more of an elaborate log cabin, Herzer could see Jody, bandage on one hand, doggedly arguing with someone.

  Earnon, Nergui and a few others from the other groups had pushed their way to the front so Herzer, Mike and Courtney hung back. When Earnon got his chits and counted them he let out a howl.

  “I only got one chit for my work! I worked my tail off!”

  The young woman parceling out the pay referred to her list again and shrugged.

  “That’s what it says,” she replied.

  “How much did Herzer get?” Nergui asked, nastily.

  “I can’t tell you how much others get. Next.”

  “Wait! I demand to see—”

  “Me,” Sevetson said, walking over to the argument. “You demand to see me.” The man picked up the list then motioned Earnon to wait and walked into the room. He returned with a sheaf of paper bound together with string and opened it up.

  “It says here, Earnon, that on the first day you caused an altercation, is that true?”

  “No, it was Herzer that caused it, lying about me slacking off!”

  “According to Mr. Dorsett, you were slacking off. Furthermore, you continued to contribute less than your fair share the entire week. As I said, you get, at most, one additional chit unless you get a bonus. Mr. Dorsett’s recommendation was that you be given no additional chits because ‘He’s a loud-mouthed slacker who thinks the world owes him a living.’ I can neither confirm nor deny the slacker portion but I did override his recommendation and ensure that you had at least some spending money. He further reports that you encouraged others in sloth. There is no place in this program for a person unwilling to work, Earnon. If you wish to earn more than this I would suggest that you apply yourself in the next phase of your training. Good day, Earnon. That is all.”

  Sevetson continued to stand by as others came up to receive their pay. On two more occasions there were disputes, one from Nergui who felt that she should have gotten a “bonus” and one from another camp who, like Earnon, had earned only a single additional chit. In both cases, Sevetson returned with their respective files and gave them a precise and unpleasant dressing down.

  Herzer wasn’t sure what he would get when it was his turn and when the girl handed him the chits, small pieces of a reddish metal stamped on one side with a raven and the other with a sheaf of grain, he just nodded his thanks and stepped away to wait for Mike and Courtney.

  “How much did you get?” Courtney asked, counting hers. “I got five. Full pay anyway.”

  “Four, five… six,” Herzer said, frowning.

  “Me, too,” Mike said, counting his. “I think we got a bonus.”

  “Why?” Herzer said, counting them again. “I got in a fight that first day.”

  “Hah! You have to ask?” Courtney said, taking both their arms. “You guys both worked your tail off. I was afraid I’d get docked for when I was out with the cramps. I guess they took pity on us womenfolk.”

  “Not on Nergui, apparently,” Herzer replied, still frowning. “I didn’t do more than my share.”

  “Yes, you did,” Jody said, after walking up silently behind them. “You, Mike, Cruz, Emory, Karalyn and Deann all got bonuses. Karalyn and Deann didn’t get as much done as you guys, but they worked like demons. Harder than you and Shilan, sorry Courtney.”

  “That’s okay,” she replied. “I don’t think woodcutting is my niche!” she added with a smile.

  “But you will find it,” Jody said. “What are you guys doing now?”

  “I don’t know,” Herzer replied, dropping the coins in his pocket.

  “I was talking with some of the others,” Jody said. “Some of the apprentice people who have been in town. There’s already a mini crime wave going on. Keep a close hold on your money and watch for people trying to cheat you out of it. If you want a suggestion, head up to the bathhouse and get cleaned up. Dinner won’t be for an hour or so yet.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Mike said gruffly.

  “Well, we do need a bath,” Courtney chuckled.

  “Let’s go then,” Herzer agreed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The bathhouse was all the way across the encampment from the apprentice hall and it afforded them a look at the growing town. More buildings had gone up, mostly of logs but a few of cut planks with tile roofs. Most of the permanent structures seemed to have something to do with the burgeoning industries that had formed only in the last week. They displayed signs indicating potters and smiths, coopers and weavers. Most of them were only half finished and they allowed the three to see the people inside, hard at work.

  “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Herzer muttered.

  “What?” Mike asked.

  “They say that Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Herzer repeated. “But it looks like they’re trying.”

  “Where’d all these crafts come from?” Courtney asked.

  “Oh, the reenactors do all this stuff. It was their hobby before. Now, I suppose, it’s more than a hobby.”

  “I guess these are going to be the people we’ll be working with,” the girl said. “I hope I’m better at this than woodcutting.”

  “I want a farm,” Mike said. “I don’t want to work in a shop all day.”

  “We’ll get one,” Courtney replied, soothingly.

  “But which one?” Herzer asked. “I mean, do you just wander out and start one? Where do you get the tools you need?”

  “I don’t know,” Courtney replied. “I’m not even sure what sort of tools you have to have. Or how you plant and all the other stuff you have to do. Where do you get livestock?”

  Mike didn’t say anything, just grunted.

  “Well, we’ll find out in time,” Herzer said. “I wonder if they’ve got a guard force?”

  “Is that what you want to do?” Courtney asked.

  “Something like it, yes,” Herzer replied. He gestured with his chin at a pers
on who was apparently a guard, standing by the entrance to a rather sturdy building. The man had on a surcoat with an embroidered Raven and carried a spear, but he was slouched under the awning of the building, apparently trying to keep out of the late afternoon sun. “But not like that. That’s not a soldier, if you know what I mean.”

  “Are we going to need soldiers?” Courtney said. “Why?”

  “Bandits,” Herzer replied. “Eventually other towns will be causing us trouble, too. And then there’s the war.”

  “Not much of a war,” Mike said. “We haven’t been attacked.”

  “Not yet,” Herzer admitted. “But if we’re going to oppose Paul, eventually we’ll either be attacked or have to attack him.”

  “How can you attack a council member?” Courtney said, angrily. “They still have power!”

  “So does Sheida and her group,” Herzer replied with a shrug. “From here it looks like a stalemate. And I don’t think Paul will let it stay that way even if Sheida is willing to.”

  This talk carried them through the encampment and up to the bathhouse where some people were hanging around the entrance.

  “Wash your clothes for you, sir, ma’am?” a boy who looked as if he very much needed to use the bathhouse asked.

  “Clothes?” Herzer asked, remembering Jody’s advice. But the clothes did need work, not just washing but with a needle and thread. And he realized that they were the only thing, besides the basket and blanket Bast had left behind, that he now owned. No, he had a cloak that didn’t fit, but he wasn’t about to ask Daneh for it back.

  “Oh, aye,” the boy replied. “I’ll take them and wash them when you’re in getting your bath and bring them back for you.”

  “Dry?” Courtney asked.

  “Well, I can’t be promising that,” the boy replied. “But dryish, yes.”

  “Errr,” Herzer said. “I think I’ll try to figure something else out. Thanks just the same.”

  “Only a tenth chit, sir,” the boy said earnestly, tugging at his sleeve. “And I know a lady that can mend them up for you, too.”

  “How do we know we’ll get them back?” Courtney asked, pulling at her shirt which was, admittedly, filthy.

  “Well, I’m here all the time, miss,” the boy answered with a smile. “If I went stealing my customers’ clothes, I wouldn’t have many customers, would I?”

  “Is that rapscallion digging at you?” a woman said, coming up behind them. “Darius, when are you going to get a real job?” she added with a smile.

  “Ah, Mistress Lasker, I have a job,” he said with a smile. “Would you be needing your clothes washed today?”

  “Not today,” the woman replied with another smile. “How is your mother?”

  “Fine ma’am, thank you for asking.”

  “He’s safe enough,” the woman said. “I’m June Lasker. I’m sort of the town secretary. It’s his mother who does the washing and mending.”

  “Is there a way to get some more clothes?” Herzer asked, pulling at his torn shirt. “These are getting raggedy. And I don’t really want to be wandering around in wet clothes.”

  “There’s a few clothes sellers,” the woman said with a sigh. “But with no way to fab them they’re terribly dear. Hardly anyone brought anything besides what was on their backs. They’ll be fairly dry; there’s a hot room that he can hang them in to dry out. It depends how long you’re in there. If you wait an hour or so they’ll be dry enough.”

  “All right, Darius is it?” Herzer asked.

  “Darius Garsys,” the boy said, touching his forelock.

  “How do we pay you?”

  “It’s a tenth chit for a bath,” the boy replied. “When they give you your change and you get a sheet, just come out with your clothes. You can pay me when they’re done.”

  “Works for me,” Herzer said. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

  “I’ll show you how this works,” June said, stepping up into the first room of the bathhouse. There was a desk by the door and behind the desk were bundles of clothing and other gear. On the other side of the room were baskets with bundles of cloth and bricks of yellowish soap.

  “Hello, Nick,” June said to the man behind the desk.

  “Hello, June,” he replied looking them over. “Brought me some newbies have you?”

  “And they’ve already been waylaid by Darius,” she said with a smile. “I don’t know you young people…” she temporized.

  “I’m sorry,” Courtney said. “How rude of me. I’m Courtney and this is Herzer and Mike. We’re in apprentice group…”

  “A-5,” Herzer said.

  “Been out in the woods have you?” Nick replied. “Okay, take off your clothes and put everything you’re leaving in a bundle. Then I’ll give you a receipt for it and when you’re done come back and pick it up.”

  “Undress right here?” Courtney asked, wide-eyed.

  “Unfortunately, dearie,” June replied, suiting action to words. “You can use one of the sheets for modesty if you wish, but the baths are co-ed. They’re working on another bathhouse that will have separate sections, but everyone’s getting so used to bathing together I don’t know why they bother.”

  Herzer hesitantly undressed then bundled his dirty clothes up. He quickly grabbed a bath sheet and wrapped it around himself. It was a thin piece of smooth material and he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be very good for drying.

  “I’ve got this basket…” he said, holding it up. “And what about our money.”

  “Well, I’m the one that sits on it all to make sure it stays where you left it,” Nick said. He took the bundle and wrapped a strip of ribbon around it, tying it to a wooden marker. He handed a similar marker on a cord to Herzer.

  “Put the bundle over by the others,” he said. “Stuff your money well down in it so nobody can get it out without digging. I’ll make sure it stays there.”

  “Okay,” Herzer replied, doubtfully.

  “Before you do, the cost of a bath is a tenth chit,” the man said, holding out his hand. “That’s for the soap, the water and the sheet. If you want anything more it’s extra.”

  “What else is there?” Courtney asked digging out her money.

  “Well, there’s wine and snacks and body oils,” June replied for him. “But, again, it’s terribly expensive. I think once things get more established the costs will go down. But it’s a full chit for a cup of wine and a few cuts of meat. Most people don’t get it.”

  “It’s not much more than my cost,” Nick said defensively. “There’s not much wine to be had. Nor the good meat that I serve. I have to buy it from McGibbon out of what he doesn’t sell to the town. Prime wild boar isn’t cheap.”

  “I know, Nick,” she said with a shrug. “I’m just telling them the truth.”

  “Well, Nick, we’ll pass for now,” Herzer said. “We’re not making much as apprentices.” He handed over one of his chits then watched, fascinated, as the bath manager made change. The money he gave back was a mixture of small coins made of various types of metal and a few out of wood.

  “This is a tenth piece,” Nick said, holding up a small piece of what looked like steel. “The cost is a tenth and so I owe you nine tenths. But this is a half,” he continued, holding up a small bit of the reddish metal. “It’s made of copper like the chits but it’s smaller and it’s got a half inscribed on it. Another way of thinking of it is fifty hundredths. And this,” he said, holding one of the pieces of wood, “is a hundredth. They’re going to start making them of something else, but for now it’s wood. The wood’s no good, though, cause it cracks and you get in a fight and you end up with a pocket full of useless splinters. So that’s nine tenths. I’d pay that rascal outside in the wood if I were you. Please pee before getting in the bath, not after.”

  Herzer took his clothes outside and dubiously handed them over to Darius then went back in and followed Nick’s directions up the steps and into the first room. The walls were wood logs and the floor was made of sanded
wood, logs that had been spit with their flat sides up. There were openings between the logs, apparently to let water through, and the surface was covered with a thin pattern of sand. On the left were pegs to hang their bath sheets and on the right there was a trough set well above head height. There were holes cut in the bottom of the trough, and steady streams of water flowed out of them. Under one of the streams June Lasker was already turning in place and rubbing a piece of the yellow soap between her hands.

  “Don’t rub the soap on your body,” she said, stepping out from under the stream. “It will strip your skin right off.”

  Herzer noted in passing that her skin hadn’t started to get the dry look that many older women’s skin had and that she was pretty well set up. The thought triggered a memory of Bast bathing and he quickly turned away and willed himself to think about something, anything, else.

  “This is one of the reasons that it’s almost more embarrassing for men to take these communal showers than women,” June noted with a chuckle. “That’s what’s called an involuntary vascular reaction.”

  “Well, Herzer’s got nothing to be embarrassed about,” Courtney said with a chuckle.

  “Neither does Mike,” June replied.

  “Hey!” Mike growled.

  “Mine,” Courtney said, giving him a pat on the rump and getting under the water. “Yow! This is cold!”

  “I can tell,” Herzer replied, maliciously. Like Bast, Courtney had pink nipples but they were about twice the size. Or at least it appeared they normally would be; they currently were drawn up tight.

  “Mine,” Mike chuckled, but there was an edge to it.

  “I’m putting my eyes back in my head,” Herzer said. He stepped across the room and under one of the streams of water and gasped. It was as cold as any of the streams he and Bast had bathed in and after the warm afternoon it felt even more frigid.

  “Well that took care of his involuntary vascular reaction.” Courtney chuckled, picked up the soap and rubbed it in her hands. “Ow!”