Chapter Three
It was raining when he woke, and for a moment, it was just like being back in his village, rain drumming on the roof as he stayed in bed for as long as he possibly could before he had to get up, make his bed, and get the fire built back up so his father could make breakfast—on the rare days there was any breakfast to make—before they all headed out to do whatever work they had or could find.
Back in the city, there'd always been too much other noise, even on the rainiest days, for it ever to be the soothing, sleep a little longer sound of his childhood.
In the military, rain had just made life a thousand times worse, getting inside their shitty tents to ruin everything, making the scouting and the fighting more difficult…
Sighing, he climbed out of bed, packed everything up as he'd hopefully be sleeping in a real bed that night, and set to work lighting the oven he'd spent an entire day getting back into shape. Once that was done, he got some water for tea going and went about getting dressed.
He'd just sat down to tea with honey and some leftover smoked fish when a knock came at his door. "Come in!"
Euclid stepped inside, smiling in that sunshine way of his that Dipak would never be capable of, even if his life depended on it. "Good morning! Did you sleep well? I have brought items of interest for possible trade."
Amused despite himself, Dipak motioned him to the empty chair. "You'll have to wait until I have goods for trading. I'm still trying to get this cabin in order."
"The west-side dwarves traded salt for more honey yesterday, and this morning, I exchanged some porcelain roses for a couple of shed unicorn horns."
"Where did you get the roses?"
"From a fairy who had too many of them, traded them for some vinegar I got from a witch who lives to the south."
Dipak shook his head, amused and impressed. "Is that what you do with your days? Go around the forest making trades?"
"Yes," Euclid said with that same startling solemnity he'd displayed before when talking of trade. "Fair trade keeps everyone happy and peaceful. Where fair trade is lacking, there is greed and hostility and bloodshed."
"Can't argue with that," Dipak said with a sigh.
"I was once sent to scout an enemy encampment for some stolen goods.
Found them, reported their exact location within the camp.
The next day our forces slaughtered the camp and took back the goods.
It was food, mostly. The soldiers we killed had been exhausted and starving, same as us. "
"Why were they your enemy?"
"Because rich people in fancy clothes said they were, and the rest of us were too poor and powerless to argue otherwise." And he'd been stupid enough to go and love one of those rich people—the richest of them all.
Now look where he was.
"That is quite distressing."
"It was," Dipak said, finishing his breakfast and getting up to wash the dishes. "Distressing, horrifying, traumatizing. Some days I think the dead are the lucky ones."
"I am sorry for your pain. Fighting is never pleasant, and I detest most those who find joy in causing violence and pain.
I prefer to resolve through talking and trading as much as possible.
Violence is not entirely avoidable in life—eating, birthing, growing, all these things include somebody suffering in some way—but violence for its own sake is intolerable. "
Sitting down with a fresh cup of tea, Dipak motioned to Euclid's waiting basket.
"I actually have some modicum of respect for those who admit they hurt for the thrill of hurting.
It's abhorrent, but at least they're honest. The ones I despise are those who take their own problems out on everyone else.
" His hands tightened around the mug, knuckles white, beating back memories that would haunt him his entire life.
"People so upset, they decide the only option is to go out and kill people and then themselves. Those are the people I hate."
"Yes, that is quite contemptable."
His hands were shaking, despite the clenching. Dipak took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he uncurled his fingers from the mug and pushed it aside. "What do you have to trade, my strange fellow?"
"Jams, tartberry and red peach; green tea; eggs and butter; and I bring an offer of trade for fishing supplies, including a pole complete with string and hook, and a couple of traps."
"What are you seeking?"
"Nuts and berries are always welcome, as collecting and preparing them is difficult and time-consuming and many of us around the forest have neither the skill nor the time.
The witch would gladly trade regularly with eggs, milk, and more in exchange for fresh meat.
She can do the butchering, just not the catching.
The offer of fishing supplies comes from a gremlin in the northeast who would appreciate any furs and skins as you obtain them. "
Dipak smiled faintly. Seemed like he truly was ending where he began. "Deal for all. Give me a few days to collect the nuts and berries and go hunting, as well as set up the racks and all I need for preserving the furs and skins."
"Then I will leave the basket with you. Is there anything I can bargain for on your behalf?"
"Stone, flint, obsidian, anything like that, to make arrowheads.
I can obtain the rest of what I need to make arrows while I'm out working on other things, and get the sinew from my kills, but the stone is harder to come by.
" Metal arrowheads would be better, but metal was expensive and unlikely to be found all the way out here.
He and his mother had always used flint.
His bag had several filched arrowheads, but they wouldn't last forever.
"Baskets for collecting the nuts and berries.
I can make do, but proper foraging baskets, the kind you can wear on your back, would be appreciated. "
Euclid beamed like Dipak had just paid him compliments. "I will attend it and return to you when I have news. May I visit you over dinner?"
"Would I be able to stop you?" Dipak asked dryly as they stood.
"I'll make food for two." More like six; for being such a little slip of a thing, Euclid could eat a shocking amount of food, like he was five times his size and had been starved for a week.
"I'll be around working if you need me; somehow you always manage to find me. "
"This is my forest, and I know it well," Euclid said with that strange solemnity again before bidding him farewell and departing.
As much as Dipak chafed to begin his hunt for the dragon, it wasn't something that would happen quickly or easily, and it was better to have a solid foundation to work from.
Shelter, food, even small comforts would serve well while he searched—and once he found it, hunting it would be something else entirely.
One problem at a time, and today's problem…
Well, he had planned on making a mattress, as he was already thoroughly sick of sleeping on the ground or the floor.
As it was raining, though, that wasn't possible.
Instead, he would see if he could find that well, and then he'd work on nuts and berries.
Working in the rain was not going to be pleasant, but it wasn't the worst thing he'd ever endured. Wasn't even in the top ten, really.
Leaving his cloak and most of his layers, since he didn't want to get more of his limited clothing wet than necessary, even if he would be chilly much of the time, he headed out with machete in hand.
Water nearly always came first when building homesteads, as it was by far the most important thing. So wells tended to be pretty close and easy to get to, even in foul weather.
He hacked away at the undergrowth, following it until he abruptly struck stone, grunting as the force of it jolted up his arm.
Well, seemed like he'd found the well. Rolling his eyes at himself, Dipak worked at cutting the undergrowth away more carefully, until he could see the rough shape of the well and some of the actual stone.
Once he could get in there, it all tore away rather quickly, and after he had the detritus piled up neatly to undoubtedly be spirited away by a certain mysterious trader, he folded his arms and looked the well over. Unfortunately, all the spare parts in the shed had been too rusted to salvage.
The housing was completely gone, but that would be easy enough to rebuild. More difficult was the windlass. That would require a blacksmith to make the parts. Well, for the time being he had a rope and a bucket, and he could improvise a cover before he headed out to do some berry picking.
He should probably write down everything he needed first, as the list seemed to grow by the hour.
Back inside, he dried off enough he could get his limited paper, pen, and ink out, then sat down to write out his list. Baskets, more rope, windlass parts, rain barrel, tanning and curing supplies, canning supplies, firewood, mattress, blankets, fabric for curtains…
Every time he thought he was done, he came up with ten more items, until the small journal he'd brought along had a good four pages filled.
Most of the items would probably never happen, others not for a long time, and he needed to remember he wasn't meant to be here more than six months anyway.
Less than, really, since he would need time to get back through the forest and then to the city, which would take some time traveling on foot.
Still, it always paid to remember his little quest would very likely fail, in which case it was good to know what he needed for the long term. He could always give or trade it away, if it came to that.
Leaving the journal open on the table for when he invariably thought of something else, he headed out again—and nearly slammed into Euclid.