The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) (22 page)

Chapter 17

The Journey Begins

Thursday morning dawned bright and clear, and within an hour of daybreak, the Tellurians were loaded and ready to go. Two horses were hitched to the front of the wagon, two spare horses were tied behind it, and Kevin was seated on the driver’s seat. Everyone else was mounted.

Kalen, Duane, Palladin, and Xantha had gathered in the yard to see them off.

“Will you be joining us at any point?”
Kevin asked Xantha mentally.

“Probably, but I’m not sure when. Duane and I are going to go home for a while when we leave here. He hasn’t seen his wife in over a month.”

Kevin nodded, turned to Kalen and said, “Thanks for your hospitality and all of your help, Kalen. And you too, Duane. And Palladin, thanks again for the weapons and this wagon.”

“All of you have really been wonderful,” Joan added. “Duane, Palladin, have a safe trip home. And you too, Xantha.”

“Thank you,” Duane replied as Palladin nodded. Xantha tossed his head and pawed the ground.

“It was the very least we could do,” Kalen said graciously, quickly pushing aside a twinge of guilt as the truth of his statement hit him. “You need to get on the road if you’re going to get to Drusilla’s in time to load the other wagon tonight. Take care and Godspeed!”

“See you in Camden,” Karl said with a mock salute as he turned his horse and headed west down the little dirt road that led away from the Gate House and into the woods. Joan and Chris fell in behind him, followed by Kevin and the wagon, with Steve and Darrell bringing up the rear.

After about five miles, they came out of the woods into a large meadow, and the road disappeared. While the others waited, Karl rode on through the thick shrubs and grasses to see if he could spot where the road continued. Finally, on the other side of the meadow, he came across a well-traveled road running north and south, but there was no sign of the little road they had been following. He turned around in his saddle and motioned for the others to join him. As they crossed the meadow, Kevin brought up the rear, carefully and slowly maneuvering the wagon through the dense underbrush. 

While they were waiting for Kevin, Darrell stood up in his stirrups and looked back across the meadow. “I can’t see any sign of the road to Kalen’s house. Hope we don’t have to try to go back there.”

“We shouldn’t,” Steve said. “You know, I bet that road is actually a driveway. The only people who used it while we were there were Palladin and Drusilla, and they’re both friends of Kalen’s. I doubt he has many other guests.”

“You’re probably right,” Chris said, looking around. “If that road was used much we’d be able to see the tracks through the meadow. Must get pretty lonely out there.”

“Or pretty private,” Karl said. “I didn’t get the impression that Kalen was one for a lot of entertaining. I imagine he enjoys the solitude.”

About that time, Kevin reached the road and stopped. “Before I pull out onto the road, which way are we going? I don’t want to have to turn this wagon around.”

“The maps and directions Kalen gave us more or less start at Drisden,” Chris said with a frown. “I thought the road we were on would take us straight into town. It’d be sort of funny if we got lost on the first day out, wouldn’t it?”

Kevin grinned. “I can almost see Kalen now, shaking his head and mumbling, ‘They’ll get it together. They have to.’ “

They all chuckled. Then Karl turned to Steve and raised his eyebrows.

Steve shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, Drisden is supposed to be on our way, and we know we’re heading south, so I vote that we head south.”

Karl looked at the others but no one else had any other suggestions, so he turned his horse toward the left and said, “South it is.”

At the end of the meadow the road entered a hardwood forest that was just beginning to come back to life after the long cold winter. Around lunchtime, the forest gave way to farmland. Long, narrow driveways led from the road to the barns and silos that were tucked away behind the small farmhouses. Smoke drifted out of most of the chimneys and the smell of wood smoke and cooking mixed with the smell of farm animals, hay, and manure. Sounds of children laughing and dogs barking mingled with the sounds of men working. Chickens roamed around the front yards while horses, cows, goats, and sheep grazed in nearby pastures.

It was mid-afternoon by the time the Tellurians rode into Drisden. The village houses had small front yards, with fruit trees and little flower gardens where tiny green stalks were beginning to poke through the dirt. The large backyards held stables, sheds, and vegetable gardens as well as large shade trees. The houses were closer together than the farmhouses were, but they weren’t as close as houses in most of the housing developments on Earth.

After the houses, the road widened to form the village square. Wide wooden boardwalks separated the buildings from the hitching posts and water troughs that lined both sides of the road. A tavern with rooms for rent upstairs, a cobbler’s shop, a blacksmith’s shop, and a stable were on the left-hand side of the square. A dry good’s store, a farmer’s market, and a relatively large building with a sign in front that had a starburst on it were on the right. Then the road narrowed again and passed between a few more houses before the village gave way to more farms.

As they rode through the town square, people stopped and stared, pointing at the wagon and talking excitedly. The Tellurians were all beginning to get a little nervous, especially Kevin.

Joan rode up beside Karl and whispered, “I don’t like this. Do you know where we’re supposed to meet Drusilla?”

“I have no idea,” Karl mumbled.

About that time, the front door of the building with the starburst sign opened and Drusilla walked out onto the large front porch. She waved to them as she stepped off the porch and headed towards the road. When she reached Karl, she said, “I’m glad you made it all right. Take your horses around back. Harald’s waiting back there to help you.”

As Karl nodded, Drusilla turned around to head back to the chapel, but before she had taken a step, she turned back to Karl and said, “By the way, park the wagon next to the back porch rather than in the barn.”

Karl raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to ask why, but before he could get the words out, Drusilla grinned and said, “Just do it. I’ll explain later.”

Karl and Joan led the others down the small drive that curved around the chapel to the backyard. A tall, skinny young man in his mid-teens was filling feed buckets with oats, but when he saw Karl, he set the oats aside, opened the corral gate, and waved them through. While the others tended to their horses, Kevin parked the wagon and he and Harald unhitched the team and the spare horses. As soon as all of the horses were in the corral, Harald closed the gate and everyone pitched in to get them watered and fed.

Karl carried the tack into Drusilla’s barn, and while he was there, he checked the supplies in Theresa’s wagon. The first couple of cabinets on the left-hand side of the wagon held kitchen equipment, and the next two held flour, sugar, coffee, and other staples. Dried fruits and vegetables were stored in the cabinets under the driver’s seat.

Theresa’s herbs were on the right-hand side of the wagon. The dried and powdered herbs were in neatly labeled containers and were packed in the cabinets closest to the driver’s seat. The cabinet closest to the back of the wagon had netting over the front instead of a door, and some of her potted herbs were stored in there, but most of the pots were in a wooden trough which had been anchored to the top of the cabinets on the right-hand side of the wagon. Bags of cloth bandages were tied to special metal rings that had been attached to the metal hoops that supported the canvas top. Their bedrolls were stacked on top of the left-hand cabinets and the tarps were piled on the driver’s seat. About half a dozen coils of rope were lying on the ground beside the front wheel. Karl nodded to himself, satisfied with their provisions.

While the others were still outside, busy with the horses, Drusilla and Theresa had set out some platters of bread, cheese, and fruit along the kitchen counter. Joan was the first one to come into the kitchen, and as soon as she washed up, she started setting the table. When Theresa brought over some silverware for Joan to set out, Joan noticed that she was wearing a pendant just like Drusilla’s. While the others were washing up, she quietly asked Theresa if she was wearing the pendant because she was a sister.

Theresa nodded and whispered, “I’ll tell you all about it, but not here, later, once we’re on our way.”

After the Tellurians had finished eating and were relaxing around the table, Drusilla ginned and said that she had a big surprise for them. “Most of the townspeople have met Theresa and know that she’s going to travel with a group of minstrels to Nandelia. I thought it might be a good idea for you to put on your first show in front of a friendly audience, so I’ve invited everyone in town to come here for a performance this evening.”

“Today?” Joan gasped.

Drusilla nodded.

“But we haven’t rehearsed with Theresa in over a week,” Darrell said.

“That’s not a problem,” Drusilla assured him. “Theresa shouldn’t sing with you tonight anyway. You’re supposed to be meeting her here for the first time, remember? She wouldn’t know your routine.”

“What time are we supposed to begin?” Karl asked.

“They’ll start drifting in after they’ve eaten dinner, so you should plan to start in about three hours.”

Steve nodded and asked, “How many songs should we do?”

“Well, the show should last anywhere between one and two hours, but if the audience starts getting restless after an hour, bring it to an end. If they’re caught up in it, sing as long as you like, but two hours is long enough. You’ll be worn out by that time.”

“But I don’t know if we can be ready in three hours!” Joan’s face had gone slightly pale. “We need to practice!”

“You’ll just have to be ready. I assure you that your audience will be,” Drusilla said matter-of-factly. “When you’re on the road, you’ll usually perform within an hour or two of your arrival, and that includes time for tending to your horses and eating dinner yourselves. It won’t take but a few minutes for you to unload your instruments, and you can sing in whatever you happen to have on, but there won’t be a lot of extra time for you to practice.”

Karl nodded again and asked, “Where are we going to perform?”

“I thought we’d use the front porch. Most of the time your stage will be a spot near the back of a tavern, but it might be the sidewalk in the town square. You won’t know what to expect until you get there, so you’ll just have to be flexible.”

“What about the people? Where do they sit?” Chris asked.

“Tonight they’ll sit on the front lawn. If you’re in a tavern, they’ll sit on chairs, sit on the floor, or stand. They’ll be fine. They know what to expect.”

Joan let out a deep sigh. “I never expected to feel this scared.”

“You aren’t the only one,” Darrell said. “I feel positively sick. I wish I hadn’t eaten.”

“Look, these people are friends of mine, and they plan to have a good time tonight. They’re not coming here to judge, only to enjoy,” Drusilla said with a smile. “I figured you’d probably be a bit nervous before your first performance. That’s why we had something light for you to snack on. You’ve got three hours to get over it before you have to go on stage. We’ll eat dinner later tonight, after it’s over.”

“Well,” Kevin said with a grin, “I have to admit I feel relieved. I was getting really spooked today when we rode through town. Now I know why they were looking at us like they were.”

“Easy for you to say,” Chris mumbled. “You don’t have to go on stage.”

“Okay,” Karl said as he stood up from the table. “The best cure for opening night jitters is to get busy. Let’s unload the instruments and run through a couple of numbers in the front room before we set up outside. That should settle us down. Now, Drusilla, where would you like for us to stack the dishes?”

“Leave them here. I’ll take care of those while you get set up,” Theresa said as she started gathering the empty plates. She took a stack of them over to the sink as the men went out back to begin unloading the wagon. Joan followed her with several of the mugs, and by the time the instruments had been unloaded and set up in the front room, the dishes were done. 

After they’d practiced for about an hour, Joan called it quits and told everyone to take an hour off and then meet back in the front room so that they could get set up on the porch.

Before the hour was up, people began arriving for the show. They came in wagons, in carriages, on horseback, and a few arrived on foot. Horses were tied to whatever happened to be handy, including other wagons. There were teenage couples, young married couples, parents with children, elderly couples, and a few adults who appeared to be single. Some brought blankets or tarps to sit on, some brought wooden crates, and a few brought chairs. One elderly couple drove up in a small wagon that had two rocking chairs loaded on the back. After they parked their wagon, they climbed in the back, sat in the chairs, and waited for the show to start. Most of the women had packed picnic baskets with snacks, and the innkeeper had moved a couple of kegs of scog out onto the sidewalk to sell to the gathering crowd. By the time the Tellurians began to set up on the front porch, the yard was filled and the road was blocked.

Steve began the show with a quick welcome. He introduced the group as the Traveling Tellurians, the same name that Chris had painted on the side of the wagon. Then he stepped to the side as Joan began to play the opening number on the harp. After a few minutes, the others joined in and the performance was underway.

The enthusiasm of the crowd was contagious, and soon the performers forgot about being nervous and started having a good time, which made the show even better. After they had been on stage for about an hour and a half, and had gone through all of the songs they had planned to do, Steve stepped forward to thank the audience and to bring the show to a close. The crowd gave them a standing ovation and asked them to perform just one more song. Steve looked around at Joan, who nodded and mouthed, “Country Roads” to everyone.