The wanderer, p.29
The Wanderer, page 29
part #1 of The Nogud Legacy Series
I said, “Is it possible to leave them a natural wood color, but have the spot painted with blue paint?”
He said, “Not with blue paint. But, I can find a good bluish stone that isn’t precious and use that. What do you say?”
I said, “That will be perfect. I like that a lot. Now, Mr Blacksmith, I need the same, but in metal. About the size of my hand. Picture it as a marker that would be nailed to a tree. The spot doesn’t need to be colored. In fact, perhaps it should just be a hole, not an inlay.”
He said, “Easy enough. How many do you need? I’ll make one and show it to you before I make more.”
I said, “Thank you. I might need five or so. We will decide later. Now, for the stone…”
The stone carver said, “You want path markers. A stone set into the ground to mark a path. Is that right?”
I said, “Exactly. Again, I picture them about the size of my hand, but heavy so that…”
He broke in, “So that they can be buried in the ground, but the marker will be visible above ground. I would make a stone about six inches tall, twelve inches square, with the crest raised above the top by two inches.”
I said, “That sounds perfect!”
He asked, “Do you want six to start with? I think six is the right number.”
I smiled and said, “You make it very easy for me. Yes, I hadn’t thought it through, but I think six to start with is good.”
The stone carver got a strange look on his face and cocked his head and said, “You say that your name is Joshua?”
I said, “It is.”
He said, “And you’re going to make a home here and set out markers to follow?”
I said, “Well, yes.”
He asked, “Have you spoken to the man yet? Does he know that you’re here?”
I said, “What man? Who wants to know that I’m here?”
He asked, “And what’s your last name?”
I said, “My name is Jensen. Do you know me?”
He said, “No. But the man does. I suppose he does. He comes here at times and he’s an acquaintance of mine and he says, ‘My friend, has Joshua been here?’ He’s done this since I’ve known him. He’s done it for at least thirty years or more. He comes and visits me and asks about a man named Joshua. He doesn’t say a last name, but it could be you.”
I said, “My name is Joshua Jensen. What does he want?”
He said, “He wants you to take what’s yours. He owns the haunted woods, but he says that when he finds Joshua that he will be free of it. I don’t know his story, only that he asks for Joshua and that he wants you to take the haunted woods so that he can stop looking for you.”
Paul whistled and said, “Nothing should surprise me anymore.”
The stone carver said, “I’ll make your markers. When he comes again, I’ll tell him where to find you. I think that he’ll be very relieved of some great burden. So, if I take it right, you are going to your home in the haunted woods and we make sign posts for you for those who would visit you there? The signs are the size of your hand so that only those who know to look for the sign will notice them, is that right? If so, I think that half the size is better.”
I was a bit wide-eyed now and said, “If you think that’s what’s best, I agree. I think that I need to find this man.”
The stone carver said to the others, “Men, we should work together so that the crest is uniform. In gold, wood, metal, and stone. One for his door and several for the path and the posts and the trees. What do you say?”
Grayson said, “That’s a good thought. Men, I know Joshua a little better than you. He’s a man to be trusted and even the strangest things that he does are a blessing to those around him. I tell you now, you will count yourselves fortunate to be part of this work. I don’t know what it is, but we know enough to see that strange things are afoot. And, I’m excited about them and not frightened by them.”
I said, “Men, you are very kind and very gracious and…”
The stone carver, his name was Aaron, broke in again and said, “And we’ll keep our work for you a secret for now, won’t we?”
They all agreed and he continued, “Go and rest. I have never had to do what you did today, but I imagine that if I had, I would need to have time to recover myself. Go, and we’ll work together. Come to any one of us when you’re ready to see our progress. Um, but wait. We won’t tell anyone what we’re doing, but it seems to me that you will want everyone to recognize your crest, if it’s a sign of…whatever it is. Should we make it known that this is the crest of Joshua the Wizard?”
I said, “I suppose so. That will be helpful in the long run. I mean that it is that it’s my crest, not the wizard part. Why do you say that I’m a wizard?”
He said, “It’s what people say. Yesterday you stopped the thief with a touch and then you put him to sleep with a whisper. We know that you aren’t a sorcerer, but it’s fun way to think of you that way. Everyone is happy to live in a village known for its wizard. The other villages will want to hear the gossip, and you will be the topic for some time. If you want people to know your crest, they will know it very soon and far away.”
I said, “I’m very glad to have you men as my friends.”
Aaron said, “Joshua, can I speak to you for a moment in private? Um, to you and to your woman? Will you come to my shop when you leave the village for a moment? If not today, then soon? I have a very important matter to discuss.”
I shook his hand and assured him that I would stop by on our way back to Paul’s farm. We said our goodbyes to the rest of them and Aaron hurried off to his shop. Paul, Viola, and I started toward Paul’s clothing stalls.
When we’d gone a short way, I asked, “Paul, what was that about? A man has been asking for me, or at least for someone named Joshua, for at least thirty years, because he needs to give me the haunted woods that borders your property? What can that mean?”
Paul smiled and said, “You are the Wizard of Bonvale, that’s the name of the village by the way. I’m the one who asks you what’s happening. You are the story teller, not me. It is strange though. You asked me if you could buy it and now we hear that perhaps it already belongs to you.”
I said, “It could be a different Joshua.”
Paul laughed and said, “Perhaps. And perhaps the other Joshua is away mountain climbing! Joshua, we know that it must be you that he’s looking for. What’s more likely? That you arrive and ask about a property that no one wants and find that it’s already yours? Or that there’s another man with the same name who has never appeared and it’s he, not you that the man is looking for after so many years? It has to be you.”
I said, “You must be right. We should find him soon.”
Paul said, “The only question is, what kind of treasure are you going to find when you search the haunted woods?”
It gave me something to think about. Maybe the man knew who I was and where I was from. He must. I would have to find him as soon as I could.
After a little while more, Paul left us, after telling us where to find the stone cutter, and Viola and I went on alone.
When we approached Aaron’s shop, he was sitting at a bench and stood up quickly and rushed to greet us.
He said, “Thank you for coming. I, well, what I want to talk to you about, well, I’m not sure how to go about it. I mentioned, when you were in the square yesterday, well I mentioned that I have a daughter, and that she comes of age soon...”
I said, “Aaron, there are many young men in the village and…”
He held up his hand and stopped me and yelled, “Daughter, come here!”
A girl came from somewhere in the shop and stood beside her father and brushed off her clothes and then looked up at me.
I looked at the girl to see what made Aaron so nervous and insistent that I meet his daughter. She was lovely. Perhaps a few years younger than Raven and perhaps a few inches taller. But she was built the same as Raven and the other women in my house and…I gasped. If this girl went to the school, she’d be judged a Nogud for sure.
I collected myself and said, “Aaron, you have a very lovely daughter. I think that she must be somewhat exceptional. Viola, do you see it.”
Viola said, “She is certainly exceptional. Sir, we will help you.”
I said, “Viola, will you take this pretty girl and get to know her while I speak to her father?”
Viola said, “Of course. Come on, let’s go talk. You are very lovely,” and the two of them walked away to leave Aaron and I alone.
I put my arm around Aaron’s shoulder and said, “Aaron, where is her mother?”
He said, “She’s at home, keeping our house.”
I said, “And, she’s the same as your daughter? She has the same figure and way about her?”
Aaron nodded.
I said, “And, Aaron, when you met her mother, she was special and you loved her? And, you took her into the woods the way that her father had taken her mother?”
Aaron looked up at me and nodded.
He said, “So you do know! When I saw you with your women, I thought that maybe you were the same as me and that you knew the secret. Joshua, my daughter comes of age in a month! If she goes to the school I will never see her again and she will be cursed. But, Joshua, she’s a lovely girl and her mother is a wonderful woman! My mate says that a mistake was made with her, but I think that it’s a crime, not a mistake. I’m certain that my daughter will be judged. But, you have three fine women and they obviously love you. You won’t betray us, will you? I come to you for help and beg for your mercy!”
I said, “Aaron, I’ll do everything that I can to protect you. You are my friend. I know even more than you do about this secret and I hate it even more as well. I swear to you, if it’s what’s necessary, I will take your daughter to my house and she will wear my crest and she will never be judged. She will be as happy as is possible for any human to be. For now, we won’t talk much about it. Do you know the saying, ‘a wizard always has a plan’? Trust me for a while and know that I have made you a promise. Keep your daughter with you and do not send her to the school or with the Merchant of Women. Aaron, does she know about the judgment and the school and the Nogud?”
He said quietly, “I think that she does. My wife has told her what happened to her and how we found each other. She is very intelligent and I think that she knows what will happen.”
I said, “Ah, but it won’t happen. We’ll see to it. Do you want me to take her as one of my women if it comes to that?”
Aaron said, “I do. I hoped for it yesterday when I saw you in the square with the thief. I wasn’t joking when I offered her to you. But now, now that I’ve seen your other women, I know that you are more kind than any man alive.”
I said, “For now, we will keep talking in code. Neither of us will say what we both know, even to each other. Perhaps your daughter will be the first…well, for now we will keep secrets even from each other.”
He said, “Joshua, somehow I know what you want and why. I think that I know the purpose of your crest and your markers and the path and what they will lead to. I won’t say what I know, but I will help you. I will give everything that I have to help you with what I hope you’re going to do. I don’t know how you’ll do it, but I immediately understood the markers. Tell me your secrets or don’t, but I will help you even if you try to prevent me. I swear it.”
I smiled and said, “Aaron, I’m glad to have you with me. We can talk more openly very soon. In a few days, you and your daughter and her mother will come to lunch or supper at Paul’s farm and we will talk more. For now, be at peace. Your daughter will find happiness very soon. I think that I should go. I’ll see you again in just a few days, perhaps less. We are partners now. Trust me.”
Aaron threw his arms around me and hugged me and I could see that he was crying a little. I assured him again that we would make certain that his daughter was happy and that she wouldn’t be cursed as she had been destined to be. I didn’t explain my plans to him, but I did tell him that I would promise to help him and that we would discuss the details soon.
I called for Viola and she and the girl appeared a moment later. I said goodbye and would have left, except that the girl grabbed my arm and held on to me.
When I looked at her, she said quietly, “I am the name you give me. I am already yours in my heart,” and then she turned and hurried back into the shop.
I was somewhat astounded and as Viola and I walked away, we held hands and I said, “Viola, she can never go to the school or with the Merchant of Women.”
Viola smiled and said, “No, she is exceptional and the Wizard Joshua has promised that she will be happy. It makes me very happy. She is lovely and the thought of her being cursed is unbearable. Lark says that in the baptism, we become one, even with the ones that we don’t see yet. She is one with us. It makes me happy.”
I said, “Tell me, why are there more women than men? And at what age to girls go to the school and to the merchant?”
Viola held me tightly by the arm and skipped happily beside me as we walked.
She answered me, saying, “Girls are sent to the school when they are 23 years old. They spend half a year before the examination, and if they aren’t rejected, they stay another half a year. As for why there are more women, I never thought about it. Most children are girls. Maybe one in five is a boy. That’s how it is. Is it different in other places?”
I decided not to pursue it and told her, “Well, truthfully, I don’t know.”
She said, “It is a good number. I want at least six in our bed. Six girls. One master and husband. Now we have four. She has to wait a month or so, according to the customs, and then she would be sent to the school and it would be a year before a man was found for her, but she’s old enough and mature enough and very intelligent and pretty and she could come tonight if you want her to. She’s going to look so good in the night dress! Wait until you see her. I think that she’s a little taller than Raven, but just a little shorter than me. She confided in me that when her father told her that perhaps he had found a man for her, that she knew that you were the one because her nipples stiffened and she had to run to her room because, as she said, something strange was happening between her legs. The poor thing thought that she was suddenly ill. I told her that she’s fine and that she should talk to me whenever she wants to and I’ll teach her about loving a man. She’s a very wonderful girl. It’s like how Susan loves me. I’m the first mate and I love her and she must be with us and we will teach her to be a woman, and when she sees your cock, she’ll be very excited and she will love fucking as much as we all do! I’m so happy for her and for you and for all of us. And you won’t even have to wait, because you’ll be with her tonight in Lark! It’s wonderful.”
Viola was clearly thrilled by this. I was glad. I hadn’t been sure how I should feel about it, but Viola’s enthusiasm was infectious. But wait…
I asked, “Viola, what do you mean, I will be with her tonight in Lark?”
Viola grinned happily and said “That is strange, isn’t it? You know what I mean. Lark is not always Lark. Sometimes Lark is someone else. Tonight, Lark will know that there is another for our bed and she will bring her to you in her body and you will make love to her. Don’t ask me how. I’m too happy to care. Lark has always been that way, well since I’ve known her. Haven’t you seen it?”
I said, “Well, I have seen it, but I didn’t know what I was seeing. It was like a different person was talking to me. And, last night in the evening ritual, she told me that you were all inside her.”
Viola said, “It’s wonderful, isn’t it? You said that we all have magic. Lark has ritual magic and she has a special ‘be us for you’ magic! It’s wonderful. If I need you, and you aren’t here, Lark can be you for me. I don’t know how. I don’t care how. But tonight, and every night if you want, she can be…Joshua, what’s her name?”
I thought for a moment. What was her name? If she was truly one of us, then I knew her name. I just had to find it.
I said, “She is Aspen.”
Viola squealed in delight, “Aspen! She will love it! We won’t tell her until her first experience. Aspen! What does it mean?”
I said, “You are Viola, my first flower. Lark and Raven are my little birds. Aspen is a beautiful tree.”
Viola said, “Oh, I’m so excited that I could explode in orgasm! Let’s go swimming when we get home! Or go to bed all together and make love! Oh, I’m so happy!”
Chapter 29 Walking With Yuki
When we got to the farm, Viola dragged me straight to the apartment. She was too excited to relax and she didn’t quite know what to do with herself. I thought that it was sweet, but I saw that she was in no mood for a relaxing nap. I also saw that she wasn’t really going to be able to help me wind down, no matter what she wanted to do for me.
I said, “Viola, I think that I need some time to myself. Do you want to go help the others with dinner, or whatever they are doing?”
She answered excitedly, “I could stay with you. I could massage you or something! Or if you want to make love or go swimming. Anything that you want. If you want me to, I can go and learn more about taking care of a house or something, if you want me to. I’m just too happy to sit still.”
I laughed and said, “You go be with the others for a while. Maybe I need to talk to Yuki if she isn’t busy. Let’s go see.”
We left the apartment and Viola literally ran to the front of the house to see what she could do.
When I caught up to her and the others, I said, “Yuki, if you have time today, I have a few more questions and if you could come and help me understand, it would help me to relax from what I just did in the village.”
Yuki wiped her hands on her apron and smiled and said, “Of course my fine wizard of a son. Let me take off my apron and we’ll walk for a bit.”
She laid aside her apron and took my arm and led me out the back door to the garden behind the house. We walked in silence all the way to the river’s edge and when we reached it, Yuki headed along the path, downstream.
