This one is out quicker. It is also very short, but I saw the rest of what I wanted to get in taking up too much space (and time): Dawn.

Stone

Chapter 28 – Ready for the Road

That night while Stone lay on the floor of the caravan and told his fairy tales to the children, Jason held his six-month old dog, Steel on his lap. Rayla was sitting on the sofa, and Daisy, the mother of the litter, had her head on her lap. Technically Daisy was Emily’s dog, but the bitch knew who fed her, and was attracted more to Rayla. Rayla loved the pet, which reminded her of the mutt back in Cleveland who gave her (then him) more love than he received from any other source.

After the stories were over, the kids were sent to bed, although not without complaints. The two dogs nestled in a box under Emily’s lower bunk, while her brother was in the top one. Stone pulled out the lever that changed the settee into a bed, and his and Rayla climbed in. It was small, but the big man and his small wife enjoyed the enforced coziness.

“How will we work it when the second caravan is finished,” Rayla said. “Girls in one and boys the other, or adults and kids.”

“I wouldn’t be afraid of the kids being alone if they had the dogs,” Stone said. “I know I want my wife with me.”

“When will we go south again? And do we have to go?”

“Unfortunately we need to go,” Stone replied. “I don’t think that we need to do much with Greenwood and Greenford: like Greenstone they seem to be running well alone. But I worry a bit about Golden, and our mine. That seems to be a bit of a lawless place. It is the only one that didn’t form a police force from the soldiers we sent there. And I really need to get to Westport again, hopefully with a whack of gold from Golden. I want to buy a ship.”

“A ship!” Rayla exclaimed. “First a mine, and then a ship. Are you going to corner all the trade in this duchy?”

“No, the ship will be for when we finally start our long-delayed mission. In the fall Emily will be five, and Jason will be eight. Does missing school hurt them?”

“No,” Rayla said. “Both of them are at least two years ahead of where they should be. Teaching them on the wagons, one-on-one, has them ahead in reading, writing, and math. And they are way ahead in geography and natural sciences. Jason’s teacher had been having him teach the students in geography, drawing a big map on the chalkboard and then explaining all the other towns.”

Stone puffed up with pride at what the boy was doing. Jason hadn’t mentioned it in their morning walks to the bakery. “Imagine how much more they will learn and experience if we go after the three towers.”

“Do you think they are real?” she said softly. “What if it is just a myth or fable? I mean centaurs, unicorns, mermaids and werewolves. Sounds too fantastic to believe.”

“I believe there is magic in this land,” Stone said. “Magic brought us here. I have a magic sword, and a magic horse. You have a magic familiar, a magic quiver, and a magic body.” At this point he caressed her huge breasts beneath her nightshirt.

Rayla giggled: “Don’t get carried away, or we will wake the children.”

“Just something else for them to learn,” Stone said.

As Stone cuddled his wife, he saw Daisy crawl out of her box, ears erect as she stared at the door. Steel followed, and then yipped. That started Daisy off, and soon both dogs were barking furiously.

Stone stood, stark naked, and went to the door. Opening it, he saw something, or more correctly, someone running away. The person looked back, and Stone could only see the whites of his eyes and his teeth: all else was black.

The dogs tore past him, and Rayla moved beside him, wrapping a sheet around his waist. “Daisy, come back,” she called and the older dog stopped, and then came back, looking over her shoulder as she did. Steel was younger, and less well trained, and kept running. Then Jason was at Stone’s side, and he called “Steel, stop.” The young pup paused its chase, and when Jason called “Steel, come.” He started trotting back to the caravan to his young master.

“What is it? Why are the dogs barking?” little Emily said.

“It’s okay. They thought they heard something,” Rayla said, scooping the little girl up. They are back now, and everything is okay. You need to go back to sleep.”

“Okay,” a tired voice said as Rayla led her back into her bed. Jason climbed up to the top bunk without being told. Soon the sounds of sleeping children were heard from the bunks as Rayla sat on their bed and combed her hands through the dogs fur, giving them a rub down as she did. She found a few thistles on Daisy’s leg, while Steel just enjoyed the contact.

“Why did you stop them?” Stone asked. “They would have run down the man in another few minutes.”

“Was it a man? I didn’t know. But man or beast they could be in danger, from fangs or a knife,” Rayla said. “I couldn’t bear to lose either of them. Did you recognize him?”

“No. I know most of the people in the town, but with so many coming in all the time, I can’t be sure,” Stone said. “I do know that he had covered his faces with soot and ashes or something. His face was as black as Jason’s.”

“Well, we know we won’t have to worry about him for long. We will be going south in a few weeks, won’t we?”

“As soon as the second caravan is finished, and I find a driver for it. O’Breyne is good, but he can’t drive two teams at once.”

“I wonder if he saw anything?” Rayla said.

“Not likely. He is sleeping in his room in the barn, and that is the opposite direction from where the man ran to.”

The next morning Stone went to the barn and spoke to the driver, who admitted to being a bit drunk and had not even heard the dogs. The man only went on benders when he was paid after a trip, and was getting near the end of his current supply.

When he got back to the house, Stone met an incensed Jason, who thought he had been left out of the morning trip they always made. He was mollified when Stone said he was just checking on the wagoneer.

They made their trip to the bakery, and then a second trip to the man building the caravan. Jason got a chance to check out the insides. This one only had the bunk for the kids, and a much larger kitchen taking up the space from the other bed. The bunk in the current caravan would become storage, so that more of the household goods and supplies could be carried in the caravans instead of the wagons.

Stone then went to the stables, and booked 12 wagons for the trip, with drivers and teams, and four spare horses. He also purchased four horses for the new caravan. He heard a neigh, from across the stables, and knew what Doug was saying without actually touching him. “All mares, please. The largest you have.”

When they got back to the caravan, Jason presented Rayla with the dozen meat pies that they had purchased, along with three pastries. They were slightly banged up from the bouncing around Jason had done in the new caravan, which he described to the girls as they all ate their sticky pastries.

“So when will it be ready?” Rayla asked her husband.

“Less than two weeks. Do you have much to do?”

“Of course. I want a new dress, and outfits for each of the kids. And you need another pair of buckskins or so, or your naughty bits will start poking out the holes you keep making in them.”

“What are naughty bits, Mommy?” Emily said.

“Come on Jason, time for us to go check out the woods,” Stone said with a laugh as he left Rayla to talk with her daughter.