Dragons Are Demanding (Book 1)Complete

10.) On the Road Again

Spruce had driven wagons down this trail more times than he cared to remember.

One time while he was on a search trip, his group came across a moose and they had to abandon the wagons and hide. A little while later the moose left, but the wagons had been overturned and the supplies were a mess.

On another occasion two bandits had tried to follow them out of town to steal their wagons and supplies. Spruces and his sons confronted the attackers then killed them. The supply run went smoothly afterwards.

And, on yet another occasion he had gone with his younger sister Maple to buy some pottery as a ten year anniversary gift for her wife Lin and in an unfortunate incident, nearly every piece she bought had broken half a day from home. Then Maple was a snotty, crying mess the rest of the way back.

He would have been happy to relive any of those events rather than to have to continue making this excursion.

It was the constant bickering.

None of these kids could act their age.

Spruce had told the three that they weren't going to stop again until they reach the usual camping area. It had natural cover, was near a water source, and had access to plenty of wood.

Ceder had heard what his older brother said about not stopping, but being unable to wait any longer dropped his breeches and peed off the side of the second wagon. Laurel who had been sitting in the back of the first wagon saw this and immediately took offense.

Spruce did his best to ignore their exchange but they just kept getting louder. They were on day two of the trip but it felt like a life time.

The day before,

they had argued because Ceder had mistakenly eaten snacks that Laurel had prepared as return home snacks for her future husband. Ceder had thought they were for everyone. Then Laurel cried about it saying he ruined everything. It was tense the rest of the day.

He was sure that Senai could sense his displeasure through there bond. She was probably talking about it with his mother. He decided that he might as well check in with her. He let his eyes unfocuse, and took deep even breaths.

Through his marital bond, he looked through Senai's eyes, and saw that right now she was in his brother Hawthorns house. His sister in law was currently in labor. He didnt want to stick around for that.

He felt his mind refocus and once again saw the world using his own eyes.

"Nilla is in labor!" he yelled to his siblings behind him.

" Oh no, I'm missing it!" Laurel whinned. "I thought i would definitely be back in time for the birth!"

"You were already there for the first two, I'm sure nothing's changed since then." Ceder remarked. Which started another round of bickering.

"How does it feel when you do that?" Oak asked Spruce.

Laurel and Ceder stopped bickering to look at Spruce.

"What... Blink, We've been together for a very long time.
our bond is stronger and easier to manage than when we first started. It was pretty disorienting at first. "

"Yea but how does it FEEL?" Oak reiterated.

Spruced paused to gather his thoughts.

"At first when we started blinking it was like falling asleep, it would happen before I knew it and when I came out I could hardly remember what we had seen. I would find myself being excited or frustrated and not understand why I felt that way" Spruce explained,

"Now it's easier to distinguish between what are my feelings and what feelings are Senai's. Now we can blink at will, for me i just have to relax into it."

"How long did it take you to get to that point?" Laurel asked. "You know, where you felt in control."

"Everyones different, you shouldn't use me as the model to set whether your doing well or not. Just breathe and let things happen at their own pace." Spruce advised.

Laurel nodded but still seemed displeased with the answer she recieved. Spruce thought it was better not to tell her it had taken several years before he felt in control, she was already stressed out. He didnt want to add to her plate.
....

After what felt like the longest ride in the history of rides, they made it to town.

The town looked small from the mountain but was actually large and disorienting. Especially to those who didnt come to town often. Over Spruces life time the Greenview had gotten bigger, places he used to frequent when he was in town would move, or close down.

Not that he would allow himself to visit anyway. His appearance made it difficult to build connections. New buildings were added each time he visited and old ones would disappear. The town became more like a maze every year.

Two story houses made from wood were common. The stone streets were more narrow in places than he remembered.

"Everyone remembers the rules right?" Spruce asked.

The three nodded.

"Were going to sell of the the items in the market district, then we will find an inn that has a stable in the residential district. First thing in the morning the three of you will take turns searching." He explained.

"Great then let's see if I remember how to get there."

"I know how to get there." Ceder said. " I came down last year to sell supplies."

"Alright! Lead the way." Spruce commanded.

...

The market district was busier than the entrance to town. The closest town entrance was in a residential area. People were all out working or shopping at this time of day.

Whereas the market was crowded. Shops lined the street and merchant carts had their own area in the town square.

Merchant stalls had to be gone by night fall and could only come back at sun rise. The town council had put this rule into place to allow an even selling field where no one person was guaranteed the best spot is what they told people.

Mostly it was to keep out those they deemed uncouth.

Merchant carts could move and sell anywhere in the city as long as they weren't in the city at night.

Merchant cart owners had a tendency to fight and sabotage eachother. Keeping them outside the city during non peak selling hours made it "not the council's problem" When a disturbance occurred.

Spruce who was aware of this, used the hatred between merchant cart owners to get the best selling price for his goods.

He used phrases like, "These are rare items that no other merchant had right now." Or "if you cant give me a better price I'll go to another cart."

Rugs, blankets, towels, clothing items, giant sweet potatoes and raw wool are all things that the village produced. Some of the men hunt small bears and sell the fur, teeth, and claws. Keeping the meat for themselves unless they were hunted near town.

"I gotta go take a piss." Ceder said to Spruce as he was haggling with two merchants.

"You are supposed to stay in my line of sight at all times." Spruce replied not looking back at Ceder.

"I cant hold it and If I'm in your line of sight that means I'm also in Laurels line of sight. Shes already thrown a fit once this trip because I pissed infront of her." Ceder elaborated.

Remembering that incident, Spruce nodded. "Dont go far come right back."

Ceder had already started making his way towards an alley.

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