Chapter 19

It has been nearly three weeks since we found out about Jethro and everyone has done what they could to try and help locate Violet. Edgar sent men to each town, village and inn that was along the way. I scoured the area between them, looking for signs and even using my abilities in the hopes of locating a trail. I even visited Cartha and Dru’Tirk, but no sign there. Lillian even joined me to look, but even her skills and abilities in her wolf form did not help.

After two weeks, I was resigned to checking into the various towns and villages we thought she may had gone to. There were notices left for me in every location, but each had the same result. No one could say for certain that Violet had passed through or not. There were many women around the province that fit her general description and she had not been using her name, nor the name of anyone who we knew. Worry began to set in, and I feared that she may have run into one of Brenson’s people, or worse yet, Brenson himself.

With no other leads to go on, I was forced to return home, to make plans. Things at home had been chaotic when we first learned of Jethro, but everyone stepped up.

Just before I left, I was able to meet with the two young hunters’ mother. I recognized the look she had in her eyes, as my elder mother had a similar look when my elder father had died. She asked to meet with me privately, which I was happy to oblige, but I was not expecting what happened next. She had begun to remove her clothes, but I stopped her before anything was really revealed. I explained that she would not have to provide that kind of service; my hope was to help her family have a better future. She was skeptical until I told her of my parents’ death. That reminded her that I had been through a similar situation, so I explained the various options she had and how she would make money. Celka offered to share the room that she was in, which would ensure that the girls’ room was not too crowded. She decided that she would like to learn what Trina and Liza were doing and somehow help there.

While I was away, my housemates worked together to decide how to best utilize the new land I had procured from the Patron. The lot across the path would be the primary growing area, meaning that some of the plants would need to be transplanted. Once that was done, it would give more room to the boys.

They decided to extend the stable to account for the various horses that would appear due to the shipments we would receive. The lot next to the house would be used to store the wood we would get, and they would build a larger workshop for the various projects they came up with while working on the order for Dru’Tirk.

The first wagon and boat had been completed, with it leaving for Dru’Tirk two days before I returned. They had already begun preparations for the next order but needed to wait a week for our first shipment of wood from Fardun. They had used up most of the wood making a temporary version of the expansion for the stable. Once they got the next load, they would be ready to make it more permanent.

I was surprised at the amount of progress they had made, but they had help, as they had hired three new apprentices while I was away. Their first task, however, would be to build a barracks section in the larger workshop. For now, the Patron had given the wagon drivers temporary housing near my property, at no cost. It was just another gesture of goodwill that I would need to work hard to pay back.

Clive’s hunters had accustomed themselves to how we did things rather quickly, and he had negotiated with a stall in the market to sell his catches. They were beginning to net a steady stream of catches, which were bringing them in a tidy profit. The hides were also netting them money as they negotiated with the town leatherworker for the hides of their bigger catches.

The girls had gotten the newer stall set up and had ordered glass tanks for the fish when they arrived. I was confident they would be able to follow the instructions to keep them alive for sale. Everyone had done superbly, and I was proud of the initiative they had shown.

Lillian’s trip to Dru’Tirk had gone well and had the result that I had hoped for. A young man in the town had become a journeyman and wanted to be able to run his own smithy, rather than spend his time second to the smith in Dru’Tirk. He accepted the terms of my offer rather quickly, from what Lillian told me, and did not have issues with them.

He will arrive tomorrow for our meeting, if that goes well, he will sign the contract and I will show him to his new home. Tonight, everyone will be coming with me to remove any remaining objects from when my family lived there. New furniture will be put in to replace the old or damaged things that went without care for so long.

My journal entries are now up with the current events, though my focus has been kept elsewhere. My thoughts were constantly drifting to where Violet was, if she was okay and most importantly, had Brenson found her. His message that night had been very clear, he knew that Jethro had failed, but his torture of him was what signaled that he knew about her. Even with Edgar’s help we had not ended up with any leads as to where she might have gone, even pigeon relays to Retvan, the capitol, as well as other towns and villages, had turned up nothing.

It looked as if she still had the ability to make herself unable to be found, even after all this time. I only hoped that her time away would help her get through her issues and come home.

With the search for Violet at a standstill, the consensus was to focus on the clues we had regarding Brenson. Thanks to Edgar, we had been able to confirm that someone matching his description had been coming and going from Retvan every few months. Given the information from Ruben’s journal, as well as what Celka had gotten from the ones Brenson had been depositing at the shop in Fardun, we were confident that he was housed nearby, possibly a day or two travel from Retvan.

The last time that person was seen was just over a week ago, so we should be able to go there and investigate with less chance of him showing up. The trip would take three weeks by the normal routes, with very few options for us to cut the travel time. Even if it was only me - or me and Lillian - it would still take nearly a week to get there.

However, we would be at a possible disadvantage as we have no idea how many agents he may have in that area. The problem that could arise was that we would arrive in town, less than a week before the next blood moon. This would put us in a precarious situation, especially if Brenson became aware of our presence and what we are trying to accomplish. Still, we needed to take the risk - the longer we wait, the closer we get to Brenson launching another attack, or him locating Violet.

Everyone decided to go out for our meal, as we would be starting our journey to Retvan in two days. We got a large table at The Black Sheep, and we were surprised when Jerreth joined us at the table.

“I have a cook in the back, and my increase in business has warranted getting someone to work the counter. This gives me more freedom to speak to my guests, which has helped me to better adjust my menus and my service. So, that means if I want to sit down with some friends and join them at their table, I can.”

We welcomed him and dug into the various bounty that he had brought to our table. Once our appetites had been sated, we got down to discussing the matter that was before us.

“Okay, as you all know, “I started, drawing in everyone’s attention, “the plan is to head to Retvan tomorrow morning. Celka will be coming, as will Lillian and myself. I know that most of you will be staying to oversee the various projects that we have on the go. Still, I would like to get your input and finalize the plans before I leave. I would like to thank all of you for your help in preparation for the trip. We now have two wagons to use, depending on the how many people are coming along. I know that I will be speaking with the Patron tomorrow afternoon to go over the trip, as he has stated he wants some men he trusts to accompany me. Now, what are your various groups planning to do during this trip?”

“We will all remain here,” Carl replied. “Our services are better suited here, given our various projects. As well, we can collectively protect our home far easier than we could be of use out there. We can also help your smith become used to Cartha and help him transition into our collection of friends.”

Trina spoke up. “Liza and I have talked about it, and we have decided to go with you. I know it is a bit of a surprise, but it will be a month before the tanks get here and two months before the fish begin to arrive. Esther has come a long way in learning how we tend our crops and how we handle the stall; she would be more than ready to watch over it while we are gone. She knows what she must do to handle the fish, and we have a new hire, as well, who will take care of the main duties at that part of the stall. We just feel that we need to come with you this time, that you will need our support during this endeavor.”

“I have no doubt that you mean well,” I replied with a smile, “but I worry that there will be a repeat of what happened to Liza when we were in Dru’Tirk. If things had gone a little bit differently, I would not be here, and Liza would have been raped and tortured by Brenson’s men. I do not want to have to worry about you both, I would not be able to live with myself if I lost either of you.”

“Then you do not have anything to worry about, “Jerreth stated, his deep voice quiet, but resonant. “I will be coming this time and I will make sure that they are never without my protection, you have my word.”

“I, too, have a debt to repay to Liza for what happened,” Clive stated, “so I will work with Jerreth to protect them. This time, I will make sure that both women are competent with a weapon before we reach Retvan.”

I was surprised and touched by Jerreth stating he would accompany us on our trip, though I worried about the effect it could have on his tavern. I told him that, but he just shrugged it off and laughed.

“I had heard from Liza a few days ago,” Jerreth said, “of their plan to go with you. I have spent that time preparing my staff and my stores to ensure that nothing will suffer from my absence. I am touched that you are worried about my business, but I have everything taken care of.”

Ilane had her say, “I would come, but with Celka and Lillian gone, I will have no one to run the clinic in my absence. All I ask is that if you do find Violet, bring her home!”

I nodded in reply, I would do everything in my power to make Violet see reason and return to her family who loves her. I did not care if she can never be with me again, or if she cannot be the friend to me, she had been all my life. Her brother and mother had suffered during this time, fearing for her and I would see it end.

“The second wagon will be ready by tomorrow night,” Carl told me.” We made slight adjustments to the first one, as well. We added side boxes to store the camping equipment you will need for the journey, as there will be more of you than the wagons could comfortably hold. This will add marginal weight to what the horses are pulling, but they will be able to still make their average speed. We have tested the results on the first wagon and made it heavier than it will be on your trip.”

I thanked them for their hard work over the past few months, but they assured me that they were just doing what they had to. We finished our meal and thanked Jerreth for his hospitality before returning to the house for the night.

I felt mentally drained and said my goodnights to everyone before I made my way to my room to sleep. I do not think I lasted a minute after my head rested on my pillow before I succumbed to the embrace of sleep. I was thankful to not be plagued by any memories and nightmares, but I felt the drain of their presence, nonetheless.

I woke to find Liza and Trina in my bed, but clothed. I carefully tried to free myself from their grasp without waking them, as it was still dawn. It took a few minutes, but I was able to free myself and make my way out of the room without them waking. I had to stifle a laugh when I looked back on them, as they had a visible scowl on their sleeping faces. While they may not have woken up, they were somehow aware of my now missing presence.

I made my way downstairs and went out to do my morning business. The air was cool, but not unpleasant on my skin, and I felt invigorated by it. I made my way into the house and was surprised to smell food cooking. I went into the kitchen and found the girls preparing the morning meal.

“I did not expect you to wake up this early, it is still almost dark out. I do hope that I did not wake you when I got out of the bed.”

Trina stopped what she was doing and walked over to me. She then plopped herself onto my lap, wrapped her arms around my shoulder and shook her head.

“It is okay, Davik,” Trina replied with a laugh. “While you may not have woken us up getting out, we were able to tell, none the less, and that slowly woke us. Once we saw you gone, we decided to get up and start cooking. That way, you do not have to wait for food. We will start cooking the full breakfast for the others once we have taken care of you.”

She gave me a kiss on the nose and then scampered off with a giggle, rejoining her sister.

I moved off to the study and decided to enter the events of last night into the journal while the details were still fresh in my mind. I found that the fresher the memory, the more details I would be able to recall, making the journal notes richer. I would take the journal with me to fill out along the journey, as it had been helpful in sorting my thoughts and feelings about all that had happened so far.

I had just finished when Liza came in to let me know that the food was now ready. I made my way into the dining area to enjoy the meal that they had provided, while I went over the tasks for the day. I knew that my smith was expected in the next few hours, sometime before midday meal, then I had a meeting with Edgar.

On my way back, I would coordinate with Jerreth on what time we will be leaving, so that he will be at the house and ready in time. Lillian would be going with Trina to the bank, to get money to purchase the equipment that we would need for the trip. Then everyone would meet up at my family’s house to go clean out anything that remained of when my family lived there.

I kept myself busy until about an hour and a half before midday meal, when a knock came at the door. I opened it to find a young man, only slightly older than myself, standing there. He was a few inches shorter than me and had the build typical of blacksmiths.

“Good afternoon, my name is Curt, and I was directed here by various townspeople. I am looking for Davik, he has sent for me to come and run a smithy in his stead.”

“That would be me,” I said as I extended my hand, “I am pleased to make your acquaintance. As for why you are here, that is correct. The smithy will remain in my name for now, as it is in my family’s home. If all goes well, I plan to gift you with the house and smithy for a job well done. Tonight, we will take you over and make sure that everything that remains that belongs to me is removed.

I would suggest you get yourself familiarized with the town once we are done here. Carl, who runs one of my businesses, will guide you around and introduce you to anyone you will need to meet. He and the others will be there to help you to get settled and would be happy to help if you need it. I have drawn up a contract that will cover your term with me, milestones that you will work to achieve and how the division of money will work. Do you have any questions before we begin?”

“Not really, I am just surprised that you are giving a journeyman an opportunity like this, that is all.”