Chapter 7

The fields of grains were the first thing that we saw of Stone Lodge and the people living there. For seven days my party and I had followed the flow of the river as it cut its way through the flat bottom of the valley, twisting and turning between the sloped face that led up to the great plains to the north and the hills and woodlands that bounded the southern bank of the river. For the most part we saw only empty lands as we travelled.

The fields were different. They appeared one morning as our group trudged around a bend in the river, pass a clump of young saplings that had taken root in the slope. We saw the fields to the south first. They looked like a patchwork quilt laid out on a bed of sun dried grass. The young plants were vibrant against the surrounding landscape. They seemed to stretch for miles. Then we saw the other fields that lay on our side of the river and the city that stood behind them, way off on the horizon and we knew that the distance was great.

As I noted above, our trip had been uneventful and I was very thankful for that. We rose early every day and ate a sparing breakfast. We then walked south-east taking our time. The way I figured it, if the assholes from the other Earth wanted to get me they would, so it really didn't matter if I hurried from one point to another. I still wanted to get to the south but I figured I had plenty of time. In the meantime, when I wasn't trying to teach Kola English, I was teaching Caitlin to use Kola's bow and Rory some more about hunting. I even took some time to give the kids a little self-defence training. Just a few tricks related to breaking holds and a lesson or two about how to move and use your attacker's size and momentum to your advantage. Logically I knew I couldn't watch over them all the time, but I felt responsible for them and I reasoned that it wouldn't hurt them to know how to protect themselves if we got into any trouble. It would also ease my worries and conscience a bit, if something ever did happen to them.

Of course I was the sparring dummy in all of this and I'll state for the record that I was very happy with my nifty chainmail and the quilted shirt that went with it. It came in handy when I encouraged Kola and the kids to come at me with a knife. There were a few times when I let their blades through just to see the looks on their faces and their reaction. The first time I did it with Caitlin she actually dropped the blade and jumped back, covering her mouth with her hands as she did. She actually thought that she'd stabbed me and she was on the verge of tears. I had to hold her and reassure her that it was okay and then I had to let her watch Kola do the same thing to me. The three of them blunted the edges of a few blades before I was done with them, but my armour stayed nice and shiny and it did its job.

We hunted twice on this leg of the trip. The first time I took Rory along with me and let him make the kill with his spear. It took a little ingenuity to get him close enough to make the kill but we succeeded. Thankfully his spear wasn't a heavy thrusting spear like the one's used by the local hunters. His was a throwing spear and it did have a little range to it. Rory brought down a young cow and he was ecstatic about it. That night at the fire he retold the story of the hunt over and over again. I was very proud of him.

On the second trip I took Caitlin. Just like Kola she had a good eye with the bow and plenty of upper body strength. As a result she had no problems using the bow against a makeshift target. After five days of practicing I decided that she needed to be blooded. I got no complaints about that from anyone. The only problem was that they all wanted to come along with us and I had to put a halt to that. There was little need for all of us to go traipsing out onto the plain and truthfully, I wanted Caitlin to have the experience without an audience looking over her shoulder. Besides if there was an audience then Caitlin wouldn't have anyone to tell the story of her first hunt to and I just couldn't let that happen. Kola understood my reasoning, but Rory was disappointed. I got the impression that the hunting was only part of the reason and subconsciously I knew what the rest of it was. For better or worse, Rory was looking at me as a father figure and an adult friend, something that he'd not had in almost five years. He just wanted to be with me. I'd realize this later on in our trek. Thankfully it was before I made any mistakes that could have ruined everything.

Caitlin and I headed out at dawn on day six, leaving Kola and Rory to continue on with the horses and our gear down the river towards our unseen destination. We promised only to hunt until midday and that we'd return then regardless of whether we'd been successful or not. In truth we really didn't need much meat. We still had supplies that we'd taken from the caravan and some of the meat Rory and I had killed two days before. It had to be eaten that day but there was plenty left for all of us with Tok included. This hunt was purely for Caitlin's education. Fortunately we didn't need to go very far. After leaving Kola and Rory, Caitlin and I jogged slowly across the flat of the river valley towards the slopes to the north that would take us up onto the plain beyond. Once we got to the slope we slowed down and started to walk. This was where we got lucky. I spotted some sign when we were about three-quarters of the way up the slope. Eagerly I pointed it out to the girl. It was a pile of deer poop and it looked and smelled quite fresh. A quick look about showed me a hoof print in the grass. It was a few feet away from the poop and that was it; Caitlin and I had a trail to follow. Patiently I let Caitlin do the tracking. The deer's tracks went along the ridge at the edge of the plain for a mile or so and then it turned towards a small wood of birch trees and leafy shrubs.

As we crossed the plain, Caitlin spotted the deer that we'd been tracking. It was standing by a thicket nibbling on leaves at the periphery of the woods. I had Caitlin pause for a moment and then I spoke to her about what she was about to do. I plucked some grass from the ground where we knelt chatting and tossed it in the air to show Caitlin what direction the wind was blowing from. Fortunately the wind was coming towards us. With that determined I let Caitlin go do her thing. I watched with my bow ready and watched her slip off towards the animal, covering her just in case. When she was within seventy-five feet, Caitlin stood up and let loose her arrow. It turned out to be as simple as that.

We ate fresh venison stew that night and listened to Caitlin tell her tale over and over again, embellishing it more and more with each telling. Later we all had a swim in the river and a wash up and then headed off to bed. Kola made certain that she put on another show for the kids. My mate had a fetish about being watched and I had to admit that my urge grew knowing that I had an audience. Of course Kola had to spice things up by whispering to me while I ploughed her depths and gave her orgasms.

"Oh my strong, virile mate," Kola would groan in a husky voice as I pushed my rampant manhood into her sopping wet sex, "imagine how nice it would be to plough Caitlin's virgin sex. I know that she would love it and you would enjoy it too. I have seen the way you have looked at her, especially when she has soaped up her breasts and the furrow between her legs. I also know that the girl is watching us right now and she would come here and lay in my place if you wanted it."

Naturally, I gave back as good as Kola gave to me.

"Yes, sweet Kola," I would murmur softly to my mate, "I would love to plough that virgin furrow and make Caitlin squeal with pleasure as she came under my tutelage. Can you imagine the pleasure it would be to take her from behind, while she kneels between your parted thighs and lapped you seed-filled pussy clean. I think you would like it just as much as me."

And Kola did like it; or at least the thought of it, for my teasing always got her off and the nights where we whispered and murmured about what we'd do to Caitlin were always the best. Of course the morning after was always interesting. Kola would return to her normal demeanour. She would be serious and practical and efficient and Caitlin would be friendly to both Kola and me, although from time to time she would blush when I caught her looking at me, although she would always smile at me before looking away and Rory would be silent until we had broken camp and started on the road again. Then he would ask to range ahead of us and I would let him. He never went out of sight and eventually he would return to us, but I got the feeling on days after Kola and I had made love were very hard on the boy. As for myself, I just took it in stride and let what happened happen. So it was Rory who saw the fields first and brought the rest of us the news that we'd reached civilization.

We ended our march early that day so that I could reconnoitre what lay before us. I certainly didn't want to just stroll into Stone Lodge and suddenly find myself in trouble; not if I could help it. While Kola and Caitlin set up our camp, Rory and I went off to investigate. I grabbed my spy glass and took it with me.

Carefully we skirted the ploughed fields of grain that lay before us and instead moved up a slope towards the plains once more. Doing so would place us above the fields of crops and I hoped that we could get a good look at the surroundings before we headed onward once more. From the top of the ridge we had a great view of everything. Before us lay fields upon fields of young grain growing tall in the summer sun. The area before us was fairly wide in comparison to what we'd encountered on our trek down along the river. Here the valley was broad and I estimated it to be two or three miles wide with the river slicing it at the two-thirds mark. On the far side of the river the fields climbed the distance hills for a bit before petering out. The tops of those hills were covered with clumps of scattered woodlands.

The city lay approximately five or six miles from our vantage point. It stood in the centre of the river on a large island that had been worked by men and made into a fortress. The island looked to be about half a mile long and a quarter mile wide. With my spy glass I could make out a stone foundation ringing the entire island upon which a tall palisade had been built. The palisade looked to have several watchtowers situated around its top and while much of what lay in the village was obscured by the towering walls, it was obvious to anyone that it was a crowded busy place. Columns of smoke could be seen rising towards the heavens suggesting fires around which people were probably gathered. More importantly I spotted on the main road leading towards the city a crowd of people, animals, and carts heading towards it. As I watched them progress I could see that they had to stop at a checkpoint before crossing a drawbridge into the confines of the city.

That sight caused me to pause and wonder if it would be better to by pass the city and move on. While maintaining a checkpoint at the city made sense and I had expected to see one, my worry for Kola and the kids was ever present in my mind. I just didn't want to be responsible for anything happening to them because of me.

The other interesting thing that I noticed while sitting and spying on the city was that there was a tower far to the back of the city that looked like a keep. The sight of it also filled me with foreboding for I instinctively knew that there was trouble waiting for me there. As for the land in between the city and where we were, the fields were criss-crossed with tracks and I was certain that we'd be able to get beyond the fields and to the city without much trouble. After that, who knew what lay ahead of us? I'd just have to warn everyone to be careful.

That night we camped out of sight of the city. Over supper I told everyone how I felt about going into the city. I even offered to go in alone so that I wouldn't put anyone at risk. My suggestion only caused a small uproar of protest that I was only able to quell by allowing them to come along with me. Still before bed I ensured that everyone understood the possible danger that we faced there. After all, this was where Barak had been headed with his caravan of slaves. That night I slept poorly as did everyone else. In the morning we packed up and moved out. Two hours later we reached the gates of the city.

Amazingly the road leading to the city was paved with stones and the surface was slightly pitched down the centre so that any rain that fell on the road would drain away into ditches on either side of it. It impressed me and told me something about the man that ran this place. It told me that either the man was from another Earth or that he employed people from other Earths. I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad, but I decided that we needed to err on the side of caution.

"Halt," one of the sentries demanded as we reached the checkpoint. The man spoke the local dialect similar to what Kola and the others spoke. He was a short, wiry man who was dressed in a dark woollen tunic, leather britches, boots, and a cloak. He was armed with a long metal tipped spear and a knife that was stuck in his belt. He was the only one at the checkpoint standing. His two companions were resting on a stump that stood to one side of the point where the drawbridge touched the bank of the river. They looked at us with interest for a second or two and then went back to chatting. Obediently we came to a halt a few feet way from the sentry.

"So," the man muttered in a guttural manner, adding a touch of disdain to his voice as he spoke to us, "what do we have here?"

"Traders," I replied without any hesitation, starring down at the man. "We've come from the north to trade here for goods that we need."

"Traders you say," the man muttered absentmindedly, glancing first at me and then at Kola and the kids, and then finally at our horses and the packs piled on their backs, "and what have you to trade here at Stone Lodge?"

"Furs," I said bluntly, "and finely worked skins."

"Furs and skins," the man repeated softly, his eyes moving in a manner that told me that he was mentally counting the bundles hung on the horses. After a second or two he stopped and turned his attention back towards me.

"Gate tax," the man said putting out his hand with his palm up. "That will be eight coppers to his lordship for the goods that you are carrying and the animals you've brought with you."

I didn't argue with the man or even react. I didn't know whether we were being fleeced or that this so called gate tax was for real. I just didn't want any trouble; not yet anyways so I gave him the eight coppers that he had demanded. From his smile and that of his two companions I figured that part of the money would be going towards buying them their next drink.