After a mile or so of trotting Jewel lets the horse slow to a more comfortable walk. She remembers the walk from the city and knows the horse will get her there faster than the stroll they had taken. Thinking about things she wonders if Tarjun had thought to ask where the Barrast's home was? She'd spent a lot more time with their father, talking about the future. She liked to plan.... She wondered if Tarjun realized how much he was like Clara?
She rides along at the slow pace for about an hour, wondering how long it would take to catch up.... Were they paddling or just floating along? Wondering she decides to send Chirp after them at her faster pace. "Find the boat Tarjun is in. If you reach the city without finding them turn around and come back."
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"Not now, Chirp!" Tarjun gestures wildly and nearly drops his oar into the water in a desperate attempt to shoo the bird away. Disappointed that it cannot perch in its favorite spot (i.e: Tarjun's hair), Chirp flies safely to the branch of a nearby tree, tilting its head curiously at the children in the boat.
"This paddling's getting annoying," the boy grumbles. "It probably would have been faster if we made a raft with a sail."
"We could just not paddle." Clara suggests and stops. "The river is running slowly, but in the right direction."
Looking around at all the trees she adds "There is no real wind here."
Chirp flies over the canoe a couple of times chirping something.
"I don't know. But as long as it doesn't rain, I don't care. We can just lay down and wait until we arrive." Clara puts the oar into the boat and tries to find a position where she can lie comfirtably and watch the sky.
"Hey chirp. Jewel can catch up soon. We're not in a hurry."
Chirp circles and chirps out "Thank you." and leaves.
When Chirp gets back Jewel listens to her chirped words and smiles. She continues along at a relatively comfortable walk for the horse. She doesn't care that horse is just a magically conjured animal. To her it is an animal, to be treated with respect. Besides, she was enjoying the ride and the quiet. And from what Chirp had said she'd catch up with Tarjun and Clara in a little over an hour.
It actually took almost two hours. Chirp had nested in Jewel's pocket and was sound asleep as she road up within sight of the canoe. "Hi guys. Are you planning on pulling over to shore at lunch time? Or just continue along and eat in the canoe? I'd rather stop, but I could continue riding while eating."
"Not sure." Clara calls back. "But my back hurts. Maybe we should stop."
Jewel shakes her head with a grin. Too tiring laying in the bottom of a canoe? "Well sit up and paddle toward the shore. There looks like a nice spot just ahead if you don't float past it. Come ashore and pull the canoe enough so it won't float away. I brought a blanket to sit on while we eat."
Once they get the crude canoe to the side she grabs a hold and pulls it a few feet up the beach and holds it steady while they disembark, then pulls it farther onto the beach.
Once the get seated she pulls out a small wrapped package. "Mom packed these in for... lunch or dinner, depending on when we'd have a chance." Opening the package there are six small tarts. "She said cherry, from Annesley. I got the feeling that they had planned things for a while. I was surprised though. I didn't think we'd be moving out for a few more years...."
"Clara? You're going to move in with your Grandmother right? How about you Tarjun? I know Mom and Dad mentioned the Barrasts to you, but I didn't hear if you accepted that. Besides, we don't know if Mrs. Jonson would be OK with you moving in too. We're not her family like Clara is."
"Drag it on land? It's not that big."
Jewel watches as the canoe floats by.... "Just paddle it straight into the shore. I'll grab the front end and pull you up."
Clara paddles to the shore with Tarjun until they land and waits for Jewel to make true on that offer to pull the boat with both on them in out of the water.
Jewel would have to do the first pull, then hold the boat steady....
It's nice to get out of the boat without getting wet feet. Clara takes a seat on the blanket and grabs a sandwich. "So far this adventure is a bit boring. But still better than at home."
Jewel holds the canoe steady while Tarjun walks forward to get out on dry land. "Looks like your canoe is holding up good. You did a good job building it. When we get to Annesley you might want to see about selling it. I don't know what it would be worth, but I'll bet Mister Barrast would know, or he would know somebody trustworthy that might know."
She moves over by Clara and opens up her bag for her own sandwich. Once Tarjun gets over she hands two cherry tarts to each of them. "Enjoy. They're sweet so they should give you plenty of energy to continue paddling. I'm not sure, but if you just float it might be dark before we reach the city."
"You should be fine with one sandwich and two cherry tarts." Jewel replies, pretending to be annoyed. Then smiles, "But I know you too well, and so does Mom." She pulls out one more for Tarjun and Clara. "And one for Clara. I'm not that hungry so I didn't take an extra for me."
Clara isn't htat hungry either. After two breakfasts and only a few hours of basically doing nothing one sandwich is fine. But she has large pockets so the wrapped extra joins her saussage collection. "Very thoughtful of your mon."
Jewel shakes her head to Tarjun as she eats one of the tarts. "No Tarjun. With the tarts I've got plenty. All I'm doing is sitting on the horse you know. It's a summoned horse so I don't have to do much other than sit and let it carry me along." She finishes her tarts and gets back up. "If you're ready? I'll push the canoe back out into the river so you can continue. I'll keep mostly at a walk so I stay with you."
"Yeah, let's get this done with." Clara helps pushing the canoe back and hops in before it gets wet.
The small river gets wider and deeper with every creek that adds to it. Eventually the two in their canoe meet real ships on their way. In Annesley there are some fisher boats along the shore on one side at wooden piers on the other side a large temple towers over the huge marketplace. Betreen the about shores 60 yards of water. On this side at the quay wall are currently no ships. There are rungs chiseled into the granite wall that would allow to climb from the canoe, but the top of the wall is currently 8 foot above the water level.
Jewel is able to get the horse to cross the creeks feeding into the river, but is at a loss for what to do about the walls when they reach the city. They had been on a sea-worthy ship, not a small canoe. "Do you want to continue along the shore line to see if you can reach a beach area? Or maybe paddle back to a creek that we passed before reaching the city? If you climb up the ladder you'll have to abandon the canoe."
"Paddle back? That's against the current!"
It would be easy to land the canoe on the other side where the fisher boats are and the river meets the shore without a wall. It's just that there is no bridge to get to the other side by foot then.
"What if you float past this spot? I'll ride down this side and see if there's a spot where the ground comes down to the water. I'll be back...."
Jewel kicks her horse into a trot, forgetting that it isn't a real horse and that she could just command it to speed up.
Beyond the quay wall houses are built directly at the river and it takes another mile downriver until there is simply a shore which is no ones backyard.
Spotting that Jewel rides back to tell Tarjun and Clara. "Just a mile and you'll be able to pull the canoe on to the shore. The area doesn't look like anyone's back yard."
After landing Clara looks at the mess. "Now we have to walk quite some distance and have the canoe that we can't leave here - or it might walk away on its own."
She ponders for a moment, then she has an idea. "Tarjun, sit in the canoe. We only have minutes before we'd have to carry the boat ourselves."
After Tarjun sits she casts longstrider on herself and levitation on the canoe. She grabs the floating boat and dashes off at a speed that rivals the horse's.
Jewel watches for a moment as Clara runs off at supernatural speed, towing the canoe through the air. She chuckles and follows along until they get to Clara's destination. "You know, if you'd cast levitation on the canoe and directed me I could have pulled both of you.... Might now have been as much fun for Tarjun though!"
People are staring as the group comes past. Clara running, with a floating canoe shouting "Out of the way, coming through!", Tarjun overexitedly enjoying tthe ride followed by Jewel on a summoned steed cantering to keep up.
Clara only stops once she has reached her granny's house.
There she needs to catch her breath first. "Not too bad. At least I and the canoe are at the right place now."
Soon enough the canoe sinks to the ground.
Tarjun finds someone who knows the family. "Their business is just down this road, then left, second crossing right and then on the left side."
Knowing the spell is close to the end Jewel dismounts and lets her horse dissipate. She slings her bag over her shoulder and moves along with Tarjun. She'd never met the Barrasts but had descriptions and the location of the home from their parents. That said, she was glad when Tarjun asked for directions and what they got was easy to follow.
As they approached the house Jewel noticed the shrine beside the home. It was small but Jewel could almost feel a presence there. She smiled and led the way to the front door and knocked.
Movement was heard inside the house and shortly a door opens. A red haired woman a little taller than Jewel, about the same age as their parents greets them. "Hello?" She scans both faces and smiles. "Tarjun? And Jewel. You are exactly as your parents described you! Come in. Come in. I've got dinner in the pot on the stove. Brett is in his workroom at the back of the house. He works too hard, but he has a job to finish for a young couple planning marriage. Your rooms are over there to the left. Yes. There are separate rooms, right beside each other. You two are too old to be sharing a room! I hardly believed it when Will said you'd been in that little room together all your lives! A boy.... Sorry, young man and young lady should have some privacy at your ages! So set your stuff in your room and come to the kitchen. We're not formal here but we all eat at the table together."
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Tarjun stays at the doorstep, suddenly feeling quite gauche. The thought of getting his own bedroom is of course very tempting, but staying in the home of people he doesn't know for quite a long time feels... Intimidating. He may not have had a lot of privacy at the Branstons', but they were family - all that he's ever known. It was weird to find himself amongst strangers.
He turns towards Clara, whom Mrs. Barrast had all but ignored. "Um... We brought someone else. This is our..." he hesitates for a second, visibly thinking for the most accurate word to define her. "Friend, I guess? This is Clara Johnson. We grew up in the same village."
Clara waves Tarjun and Jewel good bye and knocks on the door of her grannies house.
No reaction.
She knocks again, harder.
Again no reaction.
"Hrmpf." Clara climbs the fence, and checks if granny is in the garden. But she isn't there either. The back entance is locked.
Clara climbs out of the garden again and runs after Jewel and Tarjun. "Wait, I'm coming!"
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"Hi, I'm Clara. I'm going to live with my grandma. I'm just here checking who Tarjun and Jewel are stuck with."
Donna grins at Tarjun's words, followed quickly by Clara. "Tarjun! Come on now. Your parents already told us about you and your, fiancé.... We're so glad to meet her as well." She turns to wink at Clara. "And Clara! So great to meet the little lady that swept this young man off his feet. You say you will be living with your grandma? Will she be coming by too? We'll have to discuss possible future living arrangements."
"Why don't you.... three, check out the rooms and I'll go and get Brett so you can meet him as well."