Chapter 2

Bob was driving his old truck home from Demming where he had purchased a load of supplies. Most of the supplies were for their little farm but he also had a few items, mostly coffee, salt, sugar and some new pans and cooking utensils for the cafe. He had 500 baby chickens, feed and the years garden seed in the truck as well. He was driving under the new interstate highway bypass, slowing for a stoplight in front of him for the entrance and exit ramps, when there was a fleeting glimpse of the dark underside of a large truck in front of him. He just had time to feel fear in the pit of his stomach and hit the brakes when there was a huge jolt, a bright flash of light and instant silence. Darkness descended on Bob’s mind before he could see more.

After an indeterminate time, Bob opened his eyes. He quickly closed them again and rubbed them before opening them slowly in the bright light of the sun shining in his face. He had a splitting headache as if he’d been straining his magical faculties on a super heavy task. He looked around and was confused, very confused. His old truck was sitting with the front bumper against a large, large hell, an effing HUGE fucking oak tree. He looked around in the bright sunlight in confusion. Where the HELL was the road? He was in the middle of a first growth forest by the looks of things, right on the edge of a small meadow or clearing.

He could hear a large number of birds singing and see them flitting around in the trees. There were also several squirrels in sight but no road, no sight of civilization at all. He got out of the truck and staggered slightly when his head began throbbing once again.

Bob wandered around the small clearing but found nothing that would give him an indication of where he was or how he got there. Well, that wasn’t quite true. He was pretty sure he’d teleported to wherever he was much the same way he assumed he moved away from the burning vehicle in Afghanistan. The question was why he did it, or more accurately, why he ended up here and, of course, where the hell he was. He had faint memories of the image of a semi truck in front of him in the air as if it was falling from the overpass and an afterimage of a bright flash of light much like the IED explosion so he assumed he’d been in danger again and removed himself from it.

FRONT PAGE HEADLINE FROM THE DEMMING DAILY NEWS (Excerpt):

Semi truck carrying explosives runs off Interstate and explodes. Local man missing and presumed dead. Robert (Bob) Throckmorton (SFC, US Army, Retired) was returning home to Strickland from a shopping trip in Demming when the accident occurred near the intersection of Interstate 49 and US 60. The semi ran off the road just before the overpass and landed just in front of Throckmorton’s truck before exploding. Neither the driver of the truck nor SFC Throckmorton’s body were found in the wreckage. Only the rear bumper with license plate attached from Throckmorton’s truck was found amid the wreckage. It is assumed the violent explosion vaporized the remainder of the vehicle and Throckmorton. There was a crater nearly 50 feet in depth at the site of the accident resulting in an indefinite closure of I-49 and US 60.

Bob spent almost 30 minutes by his watch checking out his surroundings but found nothing of interest. As far as he could tell, he was completely alone in the middle of the forest. He stopped at a fairly large brook and washed his face with the cool water then took a deep, satisfying drink of the best tasting water he’d found in years.

When he got back to his truck, he checked on the young chickens. They were loudly peeping and most of them seemed to be alive and well. He had no idea what he was going to do with them now but he needed to decide quickly. They needed feed and water badly. Thankfully he had some chicken wire in the load of supplies in the truck because they were going to need to expand the pen for this new batch of birds.

Well, first things first. Bob unloaded the bed of the truck, piling his supplies either in the cab or beside the truck. He then released the young chickens in the bed of the truck and put out feed and water for them in the boxes and pans he had. He covered the bed with some of the wire to keep possible predators away from the young birds then set out to find something for himself to eat. Thankfully, he always carried a pistol for defense. He wasn’t sure just how much ammunition he had but thought he had most of a case of pistol rounds. He liked to keep his hand in and he ALWAYS carried for protection so he kept a large inventory on hand in the truck and his home.

Bob was about a half mile from his truck when he came across something out of a history book. He came upon a small log cabin. There was a woman in a long dress trying to get a mule to pull a plow in a small cleared spot near the front of the cabin.

Bob was walking toward her when she heard him and turned to face him. She seemed scared and looked toward the cabin, then started to move toward it before her body seemed to slump and she just stood watching him as he approached. Bob said, “Hello. I had a little accident back in the woods and I’m afraid I’m lost. Can you tell me where we are? Oh, I’m sorry, I’m Bob Throckmorton.”

“Molly Kilpatrickk be my name sir. And we be just outside of Norton about a days travel.”

“OOOOOKAAAAAAY. And just where is Norton if I may ask?”

“Why ‘tis in the Colony of Georgia sirrah. My, you speak as strangely as you dress if I may say so. And just where did you come from that thou knowest not that simple fact?”

“Uh, oh, hell, there’s no way you’d know that. Let’s just say I come from a great distance and leave it at that.”

“If you insist. Now, if there’s nothing further I must get back to my task. I promised my man I would have this field plowed ere he returns from his trip.”

“I’m sorry I bothered you ma’am. If you could please direct me toward the nearest town I’ll leave you to your labors.”

“My you are lost are you not? “Tis almost directly east of here my good sir. As I said, a fair day’s travel it is.”

“Thank you for your time,” Bob said as he turned to return to his truck. He still didn’t know much more than he did before but he decided he wouldn’t get much more from the woman. He didn’t know if she was mentally slow or uneducated or if she was even representative of the population as a whole. He did know it appeared he was far in the past of both his previous time frames. This time, at least, he had some idea how he came to be here and, thankfully, he wasn’t injured like last time he “world walked”.

On his way back to the truck, Bob shot a half grown deer to eat. He quickly field dressed it and made his way back to the truck where he built a fire and began cooking the meat. While the deer cooked, Bob sorted through his possessions trying to decide what to take with him and what could be left in the truck. He had no idea what to do about the chickens. There was no way he wanted to just walk off and leave them to starve in the truck and he hated to release them for the wild animals to kill. Finally, he decided to ask the woman if she and her husband would care for them if he gave them half the birds to do so.

After he made that decision, he made up a pack of items he thought he would need for his trip to Norton. Early the next morning, Bob shouldered his pack and headed back to Molly’s farm. He hoped to find her husband with her so he could make his deal for the care of the birds.

Bob walked into the farmyard just as dawn was breaking. A pair of large dogs immediately began barking. A rough looking man came out of the house carrying what appeared to be an old flintlock musket. He glared at Bob and said, “That be far enough stranger. What do ye here?”

Bob was about to speak when Molly came up behind her husband and said, “This be the man I told you about Zeke. He claims he be from far away and knows not about things hereabouts.”

Zeke mouthed something then spit what appeared to be tobacco juice before he said, “That be so stranger? What are ye doing hereabouts?”

“Yes Mr. Kilpatrick. I’ve recently came to these parts from some distance away. I’ve camped off that way about a half mile until I decide where I want to put down roots. I’ve come this morning to offer you a business proposition if I may.”

“Humm. And that be?”

“Well sir, I have my belongings all at my camp and I’m afraid my, uh, my wagon can go no farther. I must go to Norton for a while and I have no way to care for my livestock while I’m gone. I have about 500 young chickens that need care. I wondered if you and your missus would consent to care for them in exchange for half the flock?”

“You have 500 chickens? And just how, pray tell, did you get 500 young chickens all in one spot?”

“Well, I, uh, I brought them with me from my other home. It took a lot of work to gather them as you might imagine and I do not want to lose the whole flock. I see this, sir, as a winning situation for all of us if you would do me this favor.”

“Well, let us go see this large flock of chickens you say you have.” He looked at Molly and said, “We’ll be off to see just what this feller has. You keep on with the work we have laid out.”

When they approached his truck, Zeke stopped and said, “Glory be! What in tarnation is that thing?”

Bob, ready for a question of this type said, “That, Mr. Kilpatrick, is my inoperable chariot. The chickens are in the back of it if you care to approach and see.”

“Well, I sure never seen nothin’ like that afore.” They were close enough to hear the chickens peeping. When they got to where they could see into the truck bed, Zeke said, “Glory be. I ain’t never seed that many young chickens to onct afore. We shore ‘nuff will take care of them for half. Ye got a deal there friend.”

They talked for a moment about how they were to care for the birds and move them to the Kilpatrick farmstead. Zeke was preparing to leave when a bobcat came slinking into the clearing, heading for the truck. Without thinking, Bob turned and walked toward it while Zeke backed away trying to get a clear shot at it.

Bob held his hands out and said “Stop,” as he projected the request to the ‘cat with his mind. The cat stopped and looked at Bob, then at Zeke. It sat and licked its chops as it continued to stare at Bob. Bob opened his pack and walked up to the cat slowly. He handed it a couple pieces of the venison from the night before.

The cat ate the offering and moved to lay in the sun near the truck. It began bathing while while Bob returned to Zeke’s side. Zeke said, “You just told that cat to stop and it did, then you fed it like it was some kind of pet. I never seen the like.” He stopped talking, his face turned white and he began to shake in fear as he looked sharply at Bob before continuing, “You’re a Wizard are you not? That explains your strange dress, the chariot, and way of speaking also. Oh, woe is me. What have I done? I have allowed a Wizard to seduce me into a deal.”

“Zeke, Mr. Kilpatrick, I’m just a man, a man much like you, just with a limited ability and some skills many don’t have. I didn’t seduce you into anything. We made a bargain that should be good for both of us, nothing more. You keep your word and I’ll keep mine. We may be neighbors, we may not, but we can be friends and business associates no matter what.”

Zeke looked at Bob with apprehension and, turning to leave, said, “That remains to be seen Sir Wizard. We made a deal and only a fool would welsh on a deal with a wizard, but I worry, sir, about unseen consequences. I go now to prepare a place to safeguard your flock. Until the morrow, Sir Wizard.”

Bob and his guest, the bobcat, finished the small deer he had cooked then spent a comfortable night beside his old truck. The cat showed no desire to leave. Bob was somewhat apprehensive about having it around on one hand but, on another, he welcomed it. Not only was it nice to have a companion but he was pretty sure nothing or no one could sneak up on him with it around.

The next morning Bob was having a lot of trouble trying to catch the chickens and put them back in the shipping boxes. The cat, who Bob decided to call Roberta after he discovered it was a female, lay on the cab of the truck watching and, Bob swore, laughing at him. Finally, he had a brilliant idea. He used his magic to gather and pick up several chickens at a time before depositing them back in their shipping boxes.

Finally, he’d caught all the little peepers and was preparing to leave for the Kilpatrick’s. The boxes were too bulky to carry but Bob hit on the perfect way to transport them. He lifted them with his magic and merely told them to follow him as he walked off. The cat jumped back and watched for a moment then moved off into the underbrush. From time to time, Bob saw the cat as it moved along with him.

When they got to the Kilpatrick’s farm, Bob found them working diligently preparing a small room in their lean to barn for use as a chicken coop. Bob gently lowered the chickens to the ground and dropped a roll of the chicken wire he carried beside them. He explained the wire to Zeke and told him to use it for a fence around the run for the birds.

After a short discussion about the birds Bob left, headed for Norton. He walked rapidly all day, stopping a time or two for a short rest and once, a little longer for his lunch. Roberta showed up with a rabbit she’d caught and dined with him.

Late in the evening they found and entered the town of Norton. It had a half dozen business buildings of one type or another, one pub, and an inn with a common room and pub. There were maybe 30 small houses and a few shacks and lean to’s also.

Bob was just inside the town, near the pub when three men staggered out of it. They each had a knife in a belt sheath. The one in the lead had a staff and the other two carried cudgels. The one in the lead said, “Well, well, what have we here? What do you have in the pack stranger?”

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business my good man. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m tired and need to find a room for the night.”

The man laughed and said, “My, my, he’s a prissy one is he not boys?” He stepped closer to Bob and said, “Well, we’re making it our business. Now, hand it over and we’ll leave you be. We have need of a good pack and some new belongings.”

Bob was tired, hungry and out of sorts. Without thinking, when the man raised his staff into a guard position, he gestured with his right hand. The man flew backward and landed in the dusty street. His two companions looked scared and shifted, looking away, then back toward Bob.

The leader stood and moved toward Bob once more, saying, “Well, looks like we have us a wizard. Get him boys.” They all three moved apart and started for Bob once more, the two sidekicks somewhat slowly as if they really weren’t too happy about what they’d gotten into.

“Fuck,” Bob said. This time, he gave a hard gesture. The leader flew back and slammed against the wall of the pub. He hit almost head first and everyone heard a crack as his neck broke. The two other men moved in toward Bob and began to swing their cudgels. Bob gestured at the nearest one just as he heard Roberta snarl. The other attacker let out a scream that quickly turned into a gurgle. After verifying the second man was no longer a threat, Bob turned toward where he thought the third one was only to see him laying in the street, blood bubbling out of his neck where Roberta had sliced his jugular and throat.

Roberta was sitting licking her paws and washing her face to get the blood off while gazing occasionally at the small crowd that had come out to watch when they heard the commotion. Bob heard several mumbling, one voice in particular said, “Damn me. Don’t that beat all. Them three idjits done tried to roll a wizard. Well, come on boys, looks like the fun’s over.” The crowd mostly turned and returned to the pub.

Bob and Roberta checked the men that had attacked them to be sure they were dead. After that, Bob searched them, taking what few coins they had and anything else of value. After Roberta was sure the men were no longer a threat, she sat and watched Bob until he headed on up the street to the Inn.

When Bob reached the Inn, he entered and quickly stepped to the side of the door so he wouldn’t be silhouetted against the light. Roberta quickly followed him inside before the door closed and stood beside him as they surveyed the room. After being sure there was no immediate threat, they walked to a table in the rear corner and sat down. Bob on a chair in the corner facing out into the room, Roberta curled up under the table where she continued with the bath that she hadn’t finished after the altercation.

Upon seeing Bob enter the Inn the noise level dropped precipitously because they didn’t see many strangers. The noise picked up somewhat in shock and fear when the men saw Roberta follow Bob inside. The innkeeper blustered and started toward Bob saying, “Here now, you can’t bring that cat in here.”

Bob was tired, as stated before and now in an even worse mood than before they were attacked. He gestured and the innkeeper’s diatribe stopped in mid sentence. His face showed anger then immediate fear as he realized he’d accosted a Wizard. About the time that happened a somewhat unkempt man came barging into the Inn and immediately shouted, “You missed all the fun. Some wizard came walking into town with a bobcat familiar. He done kilt Tiny and his sons when they decided to have some fun with him. He done...” About that time, the man saw Bob and blanched. He turned and ran from the Inn without saying another word.

Bob shrugged and turned back to the Innkeeper before saying, “As I was getting ready to say, I didn’t bring a cat in here. She’s my friend and she just followed me inside. If you don’t want her inside, you tell her and put her out. As for me, I like her and don’t have a problem with her being here. Now, I need something to drink and some food if you have anything that won’t make me sick. After that, we need a room for the night.”

He gestured once again and the Innkeeper took a deep breath before he said, “At once sir. I have some excellent wine or some pretty good ale. We even have some fresh pig and potatoes. I’ll have the girl bring it right out. What will you to drink?”

“The ale if you’re sure its good.”

After he finished his meal Bob sat and drank another flagon of a not too bad ale while he listened to the conversation going on around him. He learned a little about the town but more about some of the characters in it. When his ale was gone, he yelled to the Innkeeper, “Now about that room?”

“At once sir. If you will, please follow me. I have given you the best room we have.”

When he saw the room, Bob decided he didn’t want to see one of the average rooms or a poor one if that one was the best in the house. He turned back the blanket on the bed and found several bedbugs and some lice scurrying around. He sighed and opened the window. He gestured from the bed toward the window. A cloud of bugs and dirt puffed up off the bed and floated out the window.

After he blocked the door to help secure the room Bob lay in the bed and dropped off to a deep sleep. Roberta completed her inspection of the room and joined him, curling up near his head. Bob woke once to use the thunder mug (Chamber pot) then returned to sleep, waking just as dawn was breaking.

Breakfast consisted of left over pig and, surprisingly a couple eggs and bread, a really good bread. After their meal, Bob and Roberta went outside to see the town. Bob, to assess possibilities for making a living, Roberta because Bob went. Like many medieval towns, this one had a lot of poverty, beggars, and dirt as well as its share of dandies and criminals. Twice he felt someone try to pick his pocket. He gestured and they went flying. Apparently the rumor mill worked well because after the second one the disreputable appearing characters avoided him and other people, if they greeted him at all, did so with respect and deference.

He was on his way back to the Inn when he came upon a man trying to get a heavy crate off a wagon and into a building. He heard him trying to hire a couple of men to help and they laughed and refused before walking away. Bob walked up to him and said, “I heard you offer to pay those two men a silver to help you move that crate. Did I hear you correctly? Would you pay me that amount?”

The man laughed after looking at Bob and said, “Just you? There’s no way just one man can move that load. If you think you’re man enough to move it I would pay two silvers just to see it.”

Bob shrugged and said, “Deal. Perhaps you should go inside and show me where you want it placed?”

The man laughed again and walked into the building. Bob gestured at the crate and it rose slowly before following him into the building. The man stopped laughing immediately when he saw Bob enter with the crate bobbing along behind him. Bob looked at him a moment before he said, “Well, where do you want it?”

The man’s mouth opened and his eyes bugged out. No sound came from him. Finally, he gestured toward a spot near the rear of the room. Bob moved aside, gestured and the crate floated to the spot. He lowered his hand, palm down, toward the floor and the crate settled.

There was a crowd of men standing just inside the door watching. Bob turned to the man and said, “Now, sir, my pay if you please?”

The man looked at Bob and still without a sound took out a purse, opened it and dug around until he found a coin. He reached out and handed it to Bob before he turned toward the crate. Bob looked at the coin and said, “Sir I think you’ve made a mistake. Your final offer was for two silver to move the crate and you only gave me one.” He stood, holding his hand out waiting on the other coin.

The man turned red and began to bluster. He said, “I offered ONE silver to move the crate.”

“Yes, I heard that but when I told you I could and would move it by myself, you said you would pay TWO silver to see that.” He turned to the men and said, “I ask you gentlemen. Did he not say he would pay two to see me move the crate myself?”

There was a murmur of assent from the gathered men. Bob turned back to the man and said, “There. The witnesses all agreed the offer was raised to two silver. Now, if you please?”

“Oh all right. Here,” he said. “Now off with you. Had I known you were a wizard I would not have made that second offer. You took me sir. You had unfair advantage.”

Bob smiled and walked out with his pay. The two silver were enough, considering what he paid for the room and two meals, to keep him for almost a week even if he stayed at the Inn and took all his meals there.

By the time he made it back to the Inn, he had several people following him. Most of them were children hoping to see more magic but there were a few men and even one woman who followed him into the Inn. After he took his chair at the table he claimed as his, the men and woman following moved close so they could speak. All of them had something they thought he, as a wizard, could do for them. If he thought he could perform the task, he negotiated a price and set a time and location for him to do so.

Warren was busy from the time he finished his morning meal until late at night for the next week. Some jobs he couldn’t do or refused to do if he thought they would hurt someone, be illegal, or unethical. Others he didn’t do exactly what the employer thought they wanted for one reason or another. He wasn’t sure if he was pricing his services fairly but he was making money hand over fist so decided to let well enough alone. He always had the potential employer make the first offer then he made his counter offer, negotiating until they usually arrived at some value between the two extremes, except for the rare occasion when he thought the employer’s offer was fair.

After five days of living in town, Roberta disappeared. To his surprise, Bob found he really missed her but understood she hadn’t been happy living in the small town. He knew most of the inhabitants were scared of her and only refrained from killing her because she was known as his familiar.

Occasionally, if he thought a potential employer couldn’t afford more he took a smaller offer and did the job. Many of the poor people didn’t have cash money to pay with and asked if he would barter. If he could use the item or thought he could sell it for a fair price he agreed. In this way, he got a lot of food, some clothes, shoes and even some manufactured items much of which he then sold for what he could get.

Bob was a normal horny man and many of the women offered him pussy for his magic. At first he refused to accept that method of payment but as he became more horny he finally gave in and bedded any of the single ones who offered. Since he was sure he would never see Tara again, he got over the guilt of “cheating” on her and began seeking out lovers. Some he paid, usually those working in the Inn, some he got for free but love them he did.

Finally, business slowed down and he began searching for a more permanent place to live before he went back to his truck and gathered his few belongings. He found an empty store building two buildings down from the Inn that had living quarters above and to the rear. It was abandoned and more or less free for the taking. He had to pay a nominal fee to the city council and it became his building. He spent three days cleaning and preparing it for his office and home before he left, headed out to the Kilpatrick’s small farm and, ultimately, his truck.

Bob was glad to get out of town. The air was much cleaner here in the country and there was no one constantly either watching him or bothering him wanting something. He left town late in the morning so didn’t make it to the Kilpatrick’s on the first day. He found a nice place to camp and settled down for the night, eating from food he carried with him.

The next morning he built a small fire so he could have coffee with his dry biscuit, meat and cheese from his pack. He was getting ready to pour the first cup of coffee when a young woman staggered into his camp and fell beside the fire. Her buckskin dress was torn and ragged, her hair was matted and she had scrapes and bruises over most of the body he could see.

Bob was in the process of cleaning her up when three men came into the clearing from the same path she used. They saw Bob working on the woman and two of them moved toward him while the third turned toward the woman. One of the men coming toward Bob had a tomahawk, the other pulled a knife after dropping a bow. The man with a tomahawk and the one approaching the woman each said something in a language Bob didn’t understand.

Bob jumped back and said, “Stop,” while ducking the first swing of the tomahawk. This, of course, pissed him off and he went into combat mode. He made his signature gesture toward each man as quickly as he could change targets. He didn’t pull his punch either and each of the men flew back. The one with the tomahawk slammed up against a tree and was impaled by a broken branch sticking out, leaving him hanging and kicking as his life drained out.

The man with the knife slammed against a boulder and Bob heard his back break. The third man had just turned away from the woman to move toward Bob when he felt himself thrust back. He caught his right leg in the fork of a limb on a downed tree. He fell to the side, breaking his leg and the arm he put out to stop his fall.

Bob walked up to the downed man who stared up at him defiantly and muttered, “Shaman”. Bob pulled his knife and started to finish him off when the woman struggled to her feet and grabbed his hand. He looked at her and she shook her head “no,” as she pushed his hand lower trying to sheathe his knife.

Bob frowned, sighed, and allowed her to help guide his knife back into its scabbard. The woman searched the bodies and found some buckskin thongs she handed Bob, indicating he should tie the injured man up. He just finished tying him when another group of Indians came into the clearing carrying clubs and bows. They, too, reached for their weapons but the woman spoke to them sharply and they relaxed. They then began a rapid conversation after which, the leader and one other man walked to the injured one and pulled him, none too gently, away from the tree and tied him to another one.

Bob shrugged and returned to his fire where he poured a second cup of coffee since he had spilled the first one. He offered the woman some and some of his breakfast. She refused to eat or drink the coffee so Bob had his meal while the Indians stood or sat and watched him. After he finished, they tried to talk to him but he didn’t understand. He did get the gist of the conversation but that was all. The woman had been stolen and got away from her captors who had tried to take her back from Bob. The other men were her rescue party, the leader being her husband, Bob thought.

After his meal, Bob repacked his belongings and prepared to leave. He was worried about this, not knowing how the Indians would take his attempt to leave, but all they did was watch expressionlessly as he walked into the woods headed for the Kilpatrick’s.