Chapter 8

The next week was much of the same routine each day. Wake up and spend roughly twenty-four hours cutting logs into boards, without any sleep. The boys came after the second day and began to work with me to deal with the logs. The tough weather had come through and I did my best to protect the inside of the house. With them working together on one and me working on another, we doubled the work that could be done. Violet would visit for breakfast and lunch, while Ruben would eat dinner and help me during the evenings. He and I would talk about my father and mother, how they had behaved while growing up, what kinds of trouble they would get into. I enjoyed learning about them, as I only had a handful of memories of them, but there was one I could see as bright as day. It was a memory that I wish I could not remember. The sound of mother’s screams, and the look in my father’s eyes right before he let the wolf kill him. A look of acceptance and pride, but the image that always stuck to me was the beast’s eyes. Golden, wild, and full of malice. Why it had paused to gaze at me, I do not know. So many questions filled my mind about that night, questions that I could only answer when I found that beast that killed them.

Once I had finished cutting the boards, I began the next stage in preparing the boards for use. I put the saws inside, near the back door, as I would then use them to turn the scraps into firewood and kindling. I then took the finishing tools that Ruben had given me and brought them out to where I had been working on the boards. I started with the plane, making sure every side of each of the boards was flat and even. This was a long and involved process, but I could quickly see the results. Then I would take the snake grass, which was perfect for smoothing surfaces and rubbed it along with the grain of the wood. This would remove any loose pieces of wood, and give it a soft, even finish. It took all of Saturday to finish every single one of the boards, I worked on them while I ate, and was glad to have Ruben and the boys helping me that evening. When we were done, Ruben and I made quick work of the pieces I had cut off the initial log. By the end of the job, I ended up with roughly a hundred pieces of firewood from the scraps.I also took the time to collect all the shavings from planing the wood, as it would make a good tinder.

The night after I finished my work on the wood was a good one. I got a nice long sleep, and was able to return to a normal sleeping pattern. I decided to take the day off on Sunday, and enjoy the day, visiting Ruben and his family. I also took some time to start considering items for my house: a bed, furniture, pots and other necessities. I was not ready to purchase anything yet, as the house had not been repaired yet. I even took a stroll into the woods, back to the spot where I had fought the wolves a week before. Blood was still present on the tree that I had impaled one wolf on, as well as where I had put my knife through the heart of the other. I looked up and saw the carving that Violet and I had made in our tree the day I had left. Some blood had gotten on it during the fight, staining the carving, and now making the carving a deep red color.

I returned to the village, greeting villagers as I passed, stopping to talk with others. I was starting to enjoy my new place in the village. People were slowly treating me as one of their own, and I really began to feel like I belonged here. As I passed by the edge of Patron’s small estate, I glanced up to see Brant on a balcony attached to the second floor. He had a dissatisfied and smug look on his face and it was easy to figure out that I was the target of this look. I smiled and gave a wave to him and this only served to make him angrier. He turned and stomped off back into his unnecessarily large home. I tried not to dwell on it much for one very good reason. Brant was a pompous ass, and I did not care to think about him, or anyone affiliated with him very often. The one thing that I had noticed was that his house was the only one in the whole village which had not begun to fall apart. Just another example of the injustice he had served on the village since his father died. Hopefully, I could help rectify this by doing my part to help the village.

I returned home and changed into attire that was more appropriate for visiting friends. I put on the last good pair of pants I had and I would need to wash the other set as soon as I was able. I just hoped that the blood would wash out after all this time. I went to Ruben’s for dinner, enjoying the company of the whole family before returning home to sleep and begin fixing my house the next day. Monday morning, I went to the eastern wall of the house and looked at the wood framework that was exposed. I was worried that I had missed something in my original inspection, but I was pleased to see I had been correct in my assessment. I had bought nails at the local iron seller during my outing the day before. Since I did not know how many I would use, I got enough to nail every board I had made, twenty times. I had to account for the possibility that I would damage some as I was working. I had enjoyed the ride to the market, and made sure to let the old mare be the one to haul the wagon, this time. It was a light load and would allow her to feel useful without risk of over-exertion. I had bought a hammer to put the nails in, and a piece of flat rod designed to pry the old wood off.

I first started by tearing down the boards with the flat rod that were along the entire eastern wall of the main floor. Thankfully, the framework allowed the wood planks I had made to go across without issue. I decided that I would stagger each row of boards, since the framing was every four feet. I had no issues using this method. I started with the bottom, using nine nails for each board. Three on each end, ten inches apart and starting five inches from the end. I also put three in the middle using the same method. This would insure the wood would stay on the frame even in the worst weather. I made sure to set the wood up to allow the wood to expand and contract in different weather conditions. By midday, I had about half the wall complete, since I had to take time to cut some of the boards in half for the end sections. As I stopped to take a meal, I noticed Ruben walking up to the house.

“What are you doing here, Ruben?” I asked, as I put down my cup of water. “I would have thought you would be working in your shop today?”

“I came to give you a ladder to work with,” he replied with a know it all grin. “You are tall, but you are not tall enough to reach the top of the wall. Not to mention the second floor, as I am sure that you are planning to replace all the wood, inside and out,” he replied.

I thanked him, as I had not thought of that for some reason. If he had not brought the ladder, I would have wasted time trying to figure out how to get around that problem. Once I had placed the ladder near my work area, I asked him how the day had been for him so far. We talked about the customers he had stopped by, as well as the day’s events for his family. Once we had finished catching up I shook his hand and bid him farewell as he returned to his shop. I returned to my work, using the ladder to do an entire row at a time. I still went from the bottom to the top, making sure not to have any gaps other than the intended ones. However, I was still being slowed down by having to cut boards in half for the partial areas. The ladder was a big help, allowing the work to be done much faster. I was able to place all the boards and nails I would need for the row on the steps of the ladder. I had the whole east wall of the first floor done by suppertime. Ruben had once again come to eat the evening meal and to see my progress. He stood in awe as he looked over the first-floor eastern wall.

“Remarkable, you got the whole wall done already,” he said. “I like the staggered pattern you used. However, I do not recognize the type of wood you are using.”

I nodded and replied, “You would not recognize it, and most people will not travel to where these trees grow. They are called Teaka trees by the people of Fardun. The wood is water and weather resistant, as well as a good insulator.” Ruben looked at me in wonder when I revealed the properties of the wood, then he got a peculiar look on his face.

After a few moments he asked, “Davik, would you be willing to give me some of that wood? My house is in much need of repair, and the wood you have would be most helpful.”

Thinking for a moment, I replied, “How about I come and do the repairs for you? I need to do something for the village. I could easily supply everyone in the village with the wood eventually and make a business out of it. I could also do the repairs to their homes for them. If they do not have the Drectars, then we can arrange a trade of another kind. Besides that would have fallen on you and I am sure you’re busy enough with other tasks.”

Ruben had a big smile on his face. What I suggested would make many people of the town happier, and safer. I think he was proud that I wanted to find ways to help the villagers that might not be able to afford my rates. My father had always taught me, ‘If they are good people, barter, if they are bad people, tell them to get lost’.

“Besides,” I said, “this wood, once it sits for a few days exposed to the elements, becomes very hard to cut without extremely sharp tools. Which means the beast that escaped will find it nearly impossible to break through using either its teeth or claws.”

Ruben’s eyes widened at that realization. He ran over and pulled me into one of his famous bear hugs. His strength was astounding, as he made it very difficult to breathe. When he released me, we both started laughing at the childishness of what just happened. We went into the house to start discussing the repairs he would need at his place when I was finished repairing mine.

We were deep in discussion when I heard footsteps approaching my house. I was not expecting any other guests, except Ruben. It could not be Violet or the rest of Ruben’s family, as there were more than just three people. I glanced over at Ruben, he nodded, and we both walked through the hole in the southern wall to see who had come to visit. When we got outside, we were greeted by four soldiers, garbed in their armor, and Brant.