Accidental Crossroads
Chapter 16

Copyright© 2015 by Old Man with a Pen

"My ... that is ... pungent," said John.

"Yes," said Seven, "I've smelled better skunks."

There was something odd about the town ... until the town guard came marching by. They stopped.

"Any weapons?" asked the leader. We'll call him the Sergeant of the Guard. "Weapons must be turned in at the Armory."

"Nope," said John. He did notice that the Guard was armed to the teeth. Swords, belt knives, boot knives, two had crossbows and two wore knuckle-dusters ... brass ... not iron.

"You need to report to the nearest armory to be searched," the Sergeant said. "Infractions will be seriously dealt with."

"We're new ... where is the nearest armory?"

"At the city gates," said the Sergeant.

"Nobody said anything when we came through," John lied.

"You must have been unarmed then," said the Sergeant.

"Still are," John lied again. He had his staff.

"Keep the peace," said the Sergeant.

"Yes, sir," said John.

"You here for the burning Friday week?" asked the Sergeant.

"Yes ... could you direct us to the city administration?"

"That's the third time you've used the plural in your speech." The Sergeant looked at John closely. "Are there more of you?"

John realized that the Powers that Be were invisible. Ah hah, he thought. Another rule breaker. Physics does not rule the Universe.

"We have that tendency," John said.

"Tendency?" asked the Sergeant.

"Yes," said John. This makes one furiously to think. "We're looking for work. Any idea?"

"You look like a soldier," said the Sergeant.

"We have been, didn't like it," explained John. "We've done many things in our time."

"Most of the stables ... or the smithy." The Sergeant slapped a meaty paw on John's shoulder. "You're well set up ... shod a horse?"

"Aye, we have done ... and forged swords, spearheads, daggers and knives."

"Go see Smith, the smith, two streets, left and look for the smoke." said the Sergeant.

"Or listen for the hammer on the anvil," said John.

"That, too," said the Sergeant.

Smith, the smith, was two streets and left. Didn't need the smoke, John could hear the hammer. The street outside was overfull of horses ... and some cattle.

Going in, John saw three forges and only one smith.

"I'm busy as all get out. What do you need?" asked Smith, the smith.

"I can shoe, forge, and temper. Looking for work."

"Fire either one of the forges and get to it," Smith, the smith, said. "A shell and three pinches a horse. I charge a pinch for the forge."

There was all manner of scrap iron in a pile, charcoal for the forge and a set of beat up tools. The Seven took over the pile.

John asked, "The oxen? They here for shoes, too?"

"Yar, that they are," Smith, the smith, said. "They'll stand until they get tired and lie down. I shoe them then. Oncet they're down I tie their feet to that there tripod and shoe."

The fire in the forge was lit, John took a bellows and started fooling with it. Pretty soon he had the bellows set up to blow the tuyer directly by an extension on the handle. Instead of having to stop working the metal to work the bellows by hand, he had it setup to pump it by foot.

"I never seen anything like that," said Smith. "I see what you did ... it works. Can I try it?"

Smith worked the bellows while John laid some iron rods in the fire.

"Where did ye get the rods?"

"From the scrap," said John.

"I never seed no rods in the pile," said Smith.

John pulled out several more rods.

"I never," said Smith.

The Seven had found that their Engineering (Magic) worked on Chaos like it worked on Earth. They were making the rods from the scrap.

I need some flats too ... look up ox shoeing, He thought at the Seven.

"Kin you make me a bellows like this?" Smith nodded his head at his forge.

"I can ... do you want me to?"

"Wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't," said Smith, the smith, "I'll pay."

The day went by quickly. Smith shoed and John made 'improvements' to the shop. The next three days, John came early, stayed late and did his ideas to the equipment. By the Friday a week before the "Burning," Smith was gaining a reputation as the best smith in town. John had built an Ox sling for shoeing oxen, mounted the sharpening stone on a crank so the turning stone did the work and the smith did the skill, and improved the temper on the town guard's swords ... and he taught Smith, the smith, how to do it all. John even built a foot powered lathe. Smith thought the lathe was foolish until John set up a thread making jig and made twelve bolts with the same thread. He made and tempered a rig for threading nuts ... and made a wrench that fit the nuts.

"This here," John shook the bolt and nut at the smith, "Will clamp two or more boards together better than pegging them"

Smith brought the best wagon maker in town to see how it worked.

"Ya mean I don't have to peg my wagons together?" asked Wagoner, the wagon maker.

"Nope ... make your holes like you always do," said Smith.

"Burn 'em in with a red hot rod?"

"There's a better way, but I don't have time," John said.

"Well, what would give you the time?" asked Smith and Wagoner like twins.

"I need you ... and Smith to go see the town leaders," said John.

Wagoner said, "I'm on the council ... so is Smith. The rest of them are the two leading Merchants and the Captain of the Guard."

"Here's the deal, you let me talk to the council tomorrow."

"Council don't meet on sixth day," said Smith.

"We only meet if there's something important, like the witch. That woman is stubborn ... she won't have none of us."

"You know she's a cock burner?"

"No!" said Smith.

"You don't say!" said Wagoner.

"That pretty thing?" said the Sergeant of the guard.

"Captain?" said Wagoner. "You spooked me. Where's your squad?"

"Sorry," said the Captain, "I been listening. They're making the rounds." He turned to John, "You're one of them legendary Heroes, ain't you?"

John blushed bright red.

"You here to rescue her?" the Captain asked.

John looked at the sky, looked down at his feet and over at his Bo staff ... it was just out of reach. He shrugged the You got me shrug.

"He is ... he is ... look at that. Guilty ... if I ever saw one," crowed the Captain.

John inched towards the Bo.

"You want us to let her go?" said Wagoner. "There's all these people in town just for the burning ... and a few for the hangings. We hang the outlaws and thieves twicet a year. Them thieves and robbers are right glad to go ... they've been in cells since caught."

John inched closer. Nobody noticed.

Smith, the smith, said, "We can't just let her go. Business is as good as it's ever been."

"Well there's a lot more I could teach ... help make the town better ... and the council richer if I could get her free. They need her back home."

 
There is more of this chapter...
The source of this story is Storiesonline

To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account (Why register?)

Get No-Registration Temporary Access*

* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.

Close
 

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...

Storiesonline is for adult entertainment only. By accessing this site you declare that you are of legal age and that you agree with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.