A Coursing Passage (A Life of Magic Book 3) (17 page)

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 my 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.

"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?"