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Soviet Degenday's - a supporter, joins this world a few chapters from now and helps Kae out where he is weakest.
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"Being able to speak the language would help." I sigh and get out of the bath and dress in my casual wear that smells of salt and smile again at Katelyn being embarrassed, she didn't seem like someone that was easily flustered.
The range of food was good, at least they have resources here. The more people that leave the less that will be grown, traded, etc.. I am literally the only person in this room at the only Inn that I saw in town, I've been to towns where the Inn was rowdier than the taverns. And I seriously believe this place, is both Inn and Tavern.
Sabina comes out and checks on me, "Do you have something stronger than this?" Some kind of pomegranate and blackberry drink that is good, but a bit too sweet to chug down all day.
"I can get you one, Mom says you've been out at sea for a while and two might do you in for the night.."
"I'm being mothered now?"
"I believe it is more about you being awake when she gets back," she does have a point, but my room is right here, so there are no worries about me getting into trouble, oh, Sabina is probably just as capable of answering my Saedin question as is her mother.
"Any sailors left in town that could help Saedin get the boat here? I'm assuming a town called Riverside would have docks and boats and sailors?"
"Most here know-how. I could get a few and head down there to visit Heran, wouldn't mind seeing where you landed," she smiles and turns, my eyes lift from her backside to her eyes after I notice she stopped, she shakes her head and I act as if I wasn't doing anything at all.
"I'll stop by their house in the morning on my trip around the town to see what's out there and let them know you'll be coming. Do you have maps?"
"The constable would have maps," she replies and I wonder how many years behind they are here compared to home, most things are somewhat comparable, the regional difference being in a warmer climate and the lack of people seems the only major difference, not as many magic users over time would make for some of the things I take for granted.
"Kae?" I hear Sabina and I snap out of my little daydream.
"Ha, sorry got lost there for a moment, I counted four guard-looking individuals in the Hall, is that it for the fighting types? I haven't asked anyone about this place yet to try and figure out what we have."
"Yeah."
"What is trade like?"
"It's random, but with the war and raiders it's been tough. We used to be a stop between Twin Rivers and the Ocean coastline, people fleeing would stop briefly but don't part with the items we need as they needed them also. We live off the land so it doesn't take much, Tremont and Saedin were arguing over the next crops from what mother was saying."
"I'd like to get twin rivers or other places to recognize us as a trading community."
"Us?" Katelyn says walking up behind.
"Well, I'm here so.." she surprised me, I have been saying us and we a bit.
"We have nothing to trade." Katelyn sits with us.
"What did you used to trade?"
"A place to stop and rest before the long journey along the coastline or big fish-fishing, bait, guides, the closest town to where it all happened was a big draw, but if people know there is going to be a raid, they'll wait it out, obviously. The necro war is to our east, many would come just to stand outside and have a story to tell, if we could get permission to clean it out, it could be both an attraction and a copper and tin mine."
"Permission to clear it out? What does that mean, is it dangerous?" This sounds like a tourist town in the middle of nowhere, an odd combination, table that thought for now until after the raiders.
"Ugh, okay, well I think just having ships from here going to the larger cities, buying and selling would put Riverside back on the map. Saedin could make a fair bit more on the Jaguar at an apothecary or collector from a major city."
"Kaethorn is going back in the morning to tell him I will get some to help get the boat from the shore to here."
"You? Volunteered to do something?" Katelyn smirks at her daughter.
"Hey! This is important and I would like to help Aunt Agitha."
"Speaking of important help, is there any ale in here?" I ask and both give me the look.
"What!? It's been a while."
"I'll get it," Katelyn talks as she enters the kitchen area, "Went to talk to Tremont, he is worried about you, but more worried if you aren't here."
"What was he telling them today?"
"The same thing as every week, we need to hang on, things will turn around, we still have enough people to keep going. Twin Rivers is considering sending troops down to us once things settle down."
"I was thinking more, we need to trade, learn how to fight and become self-sufficient."
"Why wouldn't you just go to Twin Rivers; or even beyond to the real cities to the north and east."
"I'm a Ranger."
"A wanderer?" Katelyn's seems to stiffen on the prospect of the word.
"Where I come from a Ranger lives in the woods, communes with animals, maintains plant life and keeps the balance between nature and humans."
"You killed the Jaguar's?"
"They were a threat to everything that lives here, once out of food and live stock, you were next, they weren't acting right, or listening." I think back to the no markings of their territory, I could understand missing their scent at the edges, but we were dead center, where everything should have smelled of them.
"You can talk to animals?" She says with the same unbelieving smile I get often.
"I can reach out and call those that are willing to come to me."
Closing my eyes and reaching out I am surprised at the increased distance. "The bigger animals are already returning to this area. There was also a score of people that stayed in their homes during the town hall meeting, along with a hybrid wolf stuck in a home at the southern edge of town."
"The Masterson's pup, you'll see him running around town. The pup was outside, so I asked her to come see me and led her way. Standing up I went over, opened the door, and sat back down.
"Do you have a bowl of water? The pup is going to come see me."
"Why not." Katelyn passes her daughter and when she returned the pup walked through the door and came over. It was small and had floppy ears and legs that were a bit short to hunt.
"Hey girl," she walked over and laid down on the floor in front of me.
"So how do you talk to her?" Katelyn asks.
"What! You can talk to her?" Sabrina asks shocked.
"That what he says, and he did say she was going to come here," Katelyn replies to her daughter and scratches the hybrid behind the ears.
"For most animals, it is more images or directions, for the smarter animals like pigs, wolves, crows, owls, you can do more, this little hybrid was thirsty."
Katelyn puts the bowl on the floor and the pup looks at me and whines.
"Go ahead."
"Wow, she is a right nightmare most of the time, the Masterson's keep her in the home when they are not there to keep an eye on her."
"She has wolf in her, but I've never seen anything like this."
"She was brought here from the east where they breed different types of pups."
"Time to go home little lady, the cats are gone, you can rest now." Pup barked and ran out the door back to her house.
"That was the coolest thing I have ever seen," Sabina says walking to the door and watching the pup run down the street home.
"Mom, can we keep him" Sabina points at me walking back in, "we'll feed him and give him ale and keep him in a room upstairs." Katelyn laughs and looks at me.
"We'll see, pups make messes inside and chew on the furniture."
"Funny."
"Okay, I appreciate everything you two are doing, and need to get up early so I'm going to head upstairs for the evening, good night, ladies."
"So, can we keep him? The others are going to want to pull him away." Sabina asks her mother.
"We?"
"You can't expect me to just sit around listening to you two every day when there's nobody worth a damn in this town."
"Hmmm, we'll see, you are correct as we cannot claim him as the others will revolt, it is up to him to make the claims."
"Should we be nicer?"
"You have been, any nicer and you would scare him away. He is not a shy boy, and definitely not one that beds every wet hole he comes across." Katelyn smiles at Sabina. "He seems to be very candid, just be yourself,." she gets an eyeroll, "seriously, the only reason you are alone is by choice, you weren't shy with the ones you turned down, don't be shy with the one that you finally decide on."
Having had one girlfriend up through right now, listening to them casually talk about me is surreal, I get the situation, but still, though it makes it easier when you know, out loud, exactly what is wanted.
'Please, the only reason you got Cin was that she took it,' Grayson says as I walk into my room.
'Katelyn did also,' Cinthia says in approval, 'Food, sex and support, men are simple. Go to sleep Kae, you have someone to meet.'
'Minerva?' a bit blurry but I know the gait of her walk towards me. My attempts to go to her don't work as I'm stuck in place so there is nothing to do but wait.
