Preserving Hope Read Online Free PDF Page B

a resident here for mere hours, and you’ve pledged to remain here for the rest of your life. You’ll come to understand what I mean soon enough.”
    They walked down the main pathway of the village, passing several nondescript buildings as they did so. “What are those buildings?” Will asked.
    “We call them the Stores,” Arthur replied. “Our craftsmen use them to store finished goods that will eventually be carried to the various towns and villages visited by our Traders. The Shops are on the other side, where they work creating their goods. We also have spots for our bakers and cooks to make food for the community. Everyone pays them a copper a day for their food; they buy some of the raw grains, nuts, berries, livestock, and woodland creatures our farmers and foragers produce to make the daily meals for our community, and we store the rest in the silos to live off during the winter months. You can buy from the craftsmen here if you need such items as blankets and clothing. Since you’re to be a Trader, you can also buy those items in other towns if you’d like. Blankets and cloaks are very important here; we’ve found it does get quite cold in the winter.”
    Each of the Stores was labeled with a sign indicating the type of wares inside. Fabrics, earthenware dishes, furniture, woolen fabrics dyed multiple colors, and blade weapons of various sizes and styles filled the interiors. “The Stores are nearly full, which means that Eva will need to commence a Trading mission soon,” Arthur observed.
    The Shops used to produce goods stretched out behind the Stores, and Will watched as a potter molded clay into the shape of a bowl, while another stoked a fire in a kiln. Further down the “street,” he could hear clanging sounds as smiths beat metal into swords, and hammering as carpenters assembled furniture.
    “Many of our wares are larger in size. Our carpenters build wagons our horses can pull, and we load the wagons with as much as we can. We get the most out of each trip because each Trader drives a separate wagon to the remote town or city. Since we didn’t know you’d join us, you’ll need to ride along with someone else. Our Traders will typically return with supplies that consume much less space, so they’ll sell one or two of the wagons on each trip as well.”
    They reached the end of the street and turned to the right. “This community is well-planned,” Will observed. “You have a wall and a gate, houses lining the wall as a second barrier, and your most valuable resources — the goods produced by the craftsmen, the grain in the silos, the well — those are all in the middle in the most secure positions. I’m impressed. Most towns aren’t built with that degree of foresight and organization.”
    Arthur nodded. “Like I said, we need to protect our interests, and we built ourselves up with that in mind from the start, trying to anticipate how we might get attacked. We built our village in a forest, for example. That’s secure because, with good roads and two rivers nearby, people have no need to enter the forest. We have to keep our numbers down because too much expansion means extending the walls.” He paused in front of a house just before the current “street” ended, which bore a small slat of wood with the name Eva painted on it. “And this is Eva’s room. She’s the head Trader here, so I’ll introduce you to her.” Arthur knocked on the simple door.
    A woman with platinum blond hair opened the door, revealing what looked to Will to represent the medieval English equivalent of a dorm room. One wall featured a small bed, more of a cot, and a trunk for personal possessions. The other wall featured a simple table with a wooden stool, and a stone basin, presumably used for washing. A single window framed the door. Several candles were located on the table. The floor was dirt, and he could see embers from the small fires lit there for warmth. A small opening in the ceiling