Jaydren
Jay left his twin and walked with Zand to
the growing house. The boxes had been repaired and filled with earth. Ash, Bran
and Val planted herbs and medicinals in several of the beds. Dragen lifted the
last of the fruit trees into a tub set along the rear wall of the spacious
structure. As he strode toward the older man, Jay inhaled the aromas of growing
plants. “What can I do?”
Dragen looked up. “Go see what needs to be
removed from the spare wagon so it will be ready for your trip. While you’re
gone, I’ll finish setting the logs in place for the loft.”
Jay hurried outside. He stopped before the
wagon and saw that little more than the sides remained. Dyna and Geni lifted
the table and carried it toward the steps. He grabbed one end. “Where is this
going?”
“The stillroom,” Dyna said. “The lower bunk
is in Dragen’s room and the upper in the doma’s.”
He guided the table down the steps. When
she joined him, they carried the table into the keep. Geni followed with one of
the benches.
“Doma Jandia said we leave in the morning
for the field where the thatching straw grows,” Dyna said.
“She told me.” Jay carried his end into the
main entrance to the single story part of the keep. Inside, he turned toward
the stillroom. “Since Ky is better, the doma is coming and wants us to hunt for
more herbs and medicinals for us or to trade.”
Inside the room where shelves lined two of
the walls, they placed the table so the benches could be set on either side.
Someone had constructed a long table from boards removed from the sides of the
wagon and placed it against the wall beneath the windows. He noticed most of
the jars and bottles were empty.
Dyna walked to the door. “I’m glad your
sister is better.”
Jay made a face. “She wants to go with us.”
Geni placed the bench behind the table.
“Her energy astounds me. She’s always on the move.”
Jay laughed. “So true, but she can’t come.
I suggest we leave early.”
Dyna nodded. “A good idea.”
They returned to the wagon and left a few
boards on the sides and ends to contain anything they might carry. The
remaining lumber was stored in the entry hall.
After a break for lunch, they followed
Dragen and the wagon to the edge of the forest where he had cut enough saplings
to finish the loft. They trimmed the branches before loading the timber on the
cart bed.
On their return to the keep, Jay, Geni and
Dyna mixed water with clay from beneath the cliff to form a slurry. They
carried the buckets to the barn where the logs for the rest of the loft were in
place. They used brushes to paint the logs. Val and Bran drew water from the
mixture while Zand used flames from his sword to dry the surface.
Jay touched the completed flooring and
discovered it felt like stone. “I wonder if this is how firebricks are made.”
“I’m sure we’ll learn,” Bran said. “Race
you to the brook. I want to be clean.”
The boys headed to the bathing place. Jay
hoped they would soon have water in the keep’s bathing rooms. Once clean, they
returned for the evening meal. Jay spoke to the doma about leaving early the
next morning and she agreed.
No comments:
Post a Comment