Sean looked from Myna to Fiona, sensing that he was missing something, then shrugged to himself and headed for the stairs. “I’ll order for us,” he said.
“Don’t leave your bodyguard behind, Master,” Myna said, catching up to him and walking down the stairs with him.
“I can fend for myself,” Sean muttered.
“Yes, but as a merchant, you would have at least one guard nearby,” Myna reminded him.
“I used to be alone all the time, so this is another thing that’ll take some getting used to,” Sean said softly as they came to the common room.
The room was empty, except for the middle-aged woman from the day before. Sean smiled at her as he walked to the bar. “Going to need four breakfasts and some tea.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll have it brought over in a few minutes,” the woman replied as she turned to head into the room beside the bar.
Sean claimed one of the tables by the window and watched the town slowly start to come to life. Myna took a seat across from him. “Ryann’s Talent seems quite powerful,” Myna said softly as her eyes scanned the room. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t recall ever hearing about something like it before.”
Sean chewed his lip as he considered Myna’s words. The woman returned, placing cups and a kettle on the table, interrupting his musings. “Thank you.”
“Food will be out in a few minutes. They haven’t finished the bread yet,” the woman said apologetically, her eyes going to Myna’s wrists.
“Good help is hard to find,” Sean chuckled, seeing the woman’s look. “Sometimes you get lucky, though.”
“Indeed,” the woman said frostily as she left them.
Sean poured tea for him and Myna, looking around for Fiona and Ryann. “What is taking them so long?”
“Maybe Ryann is slow to wake,” Myna suggested as she sipped the mint tea.
Sean frowned at her. “Myna, you wouldn’t be holding out on me, would you?”
Myna didn’t meet his eyes. “No. I’m not there, so I don’t know what is going on exactly.”
“You have some idea though, don’t you?” Sean asked pointedly.
“I think Fiona is having a quick talk with Ryann,” Myna said softly. “We just want her to understand things, that’s all. Everything will be fine.”
“Understand things?” Sean asked.
Myna glanced at the stairs, a relieved look spreading on her face as they heard Fiona and Ryann coming down the stairs. Ryann looked thoughtful and Fiona wore a smile as they came into view. Fiona’s smile faltered when she caught sight of Sean’s raised eyebrow.
“Sorry for the delay, Master,” Fiona said, taking her seat. “I will take any punishment you see fit.”
“It’s my fault,” Ryann said, surprising everyone. “I delayed us.”
Sean stared at Ryann. “Your fault?”
“Yes,” Ryann said simply.
“I see,” Sean said. He looked over to the bar, where a young girl was coming out with a tray laden with food. “We’ll talk about it later.”
The young girl eyed them warily as she set the tray on the table and placed dishes before each of them. “Enjoy your meal,” the girl said, then left them.
The meal was simple porridge with a chunk of butter and a small pot of honey for them to share. Sean waited for the women to serve themselves, but they all stared at him.
Myna finally whispered, “You’re the Holder, you need to take yours first.”
Sean rolled his eyes. He grabbed the butter, cut off a chunk, and dropped it into the porridge. When he reached for the honey jar, Ryann picked up the butter. Sean almost said something, but Fiona touched his thigh. He glanced at her, then clamped his mouth shut as he dolloped out a portion of honey.
He watched as the women all took their turns getting butter and honey, and noticed that Myna was the last one to get anything. Mixing his porridge up, Sean tried to put aside his feelings on how stupid it was for the world to be the way it was.
Breakfast was fine, but bland. Even with the butter and honey, it was barely flavored. Sean made sure to eat slowly, so the others would be done before him. When he finished, he pushed the bowl away from him. “Shall we go?”
The three women were all on their feet before Sean had even started to get up. Getting to his feet, Sean headed for the door. He had gone three feet when Ryann got in front of him and the other two trailed after him.
In the stable yard, they found the old man ordering his son about. They came to a halt a few feet away. “Excuse me,” Sean said, “where is our wagon?”
The old man looked at them and motioned them to follow. Leading them around one side of the stable, he pointed to their wagon next to a couple of others. “That one is yours,” the old man said.
“Thank you,” Sean said. “Fiona, Myna, grab our things,” Sean ordered.
“Right away, Master,” they said in near perfect unison.
“At least you keep them on a tight leash,” the man nodded as the two women hurried to the wagon.
Sean shrugged. “Sometimes the whip, sometimes the praise.”
“The way it should be,” the old man nodded. “If you need anything, find me or one of my boys.”
“We will,” Sean said absently as he waited for Myna and Fiona to come back.
Fiona came back with a sack over one shoulder, while Myna carried a saddle balanced on hers. “We’re ready, Master,” Fiona said, her gaze trained on his chest.
“Let’s go then,” Sean said, starting out the open gate of the yard.
“Left,” Myna barely whispered.
Sean caught the word and only slowed for a single step before turning left out of the yard. The street was mostly empty, the sun not quite clear of the horizon. “Fiona, take the lead,” Sean said.
Fiona led them down the street until they came to a building that showed a saddle and crop on the sign. “Master, is this the shop you wished to start at?”
“Yes,” Sean said. He went up the stairs before them, only to have Ryann dart forward to open the door and guide him into the shop.
The tack shop had a couple of saddles on display, along with various odds and ends like bits and stirrups. Behind the counter, an older woman smiled at them with blackened teeth. “Early risers, eh? It's nice to see youngsters who aren’t afraid of the sun. What can I do for you?”
“We have a saddle for sale,” Sean said, motioning Myna forward. “I don’t need it any longer, but the coin it fetches would be useful.”
The old woman nodded, examining the saddle once Myna placed it and the rest of the tack onto the counter. After a long examination, the old woman eyed him keenly. “This is a worthy saddle, and I have the feeling you’d rather not haggle much. I’ll give you two silver and sixty bronze.”
Chuckling, Sean bowed his head to the old woman. “You seem to know me quite well for having just met. I accept, madam.”
A braying laugh came from the old woman as she rang the bell on the counter. A large Orc came out of the back room, his black hair shot through with grey and his Life Bond marks clear to see. “Take the saddle and bring me two and sixty.”
“Yes,” the Orc said, scooping up the saddle and bridle and retreating into the back.
“Was there anything else I can do for you?”
“No, that is the extent of our business today,” Sean said with a grin.
They left the shop with Fiona still in the lead. Sean put the money into his belt pouch, glad that they had been able to sell off another of the saddles. As they walked the streets, Sean noticed that most paid them little attention unless they were close enough to see Fiona and Myna clearly. It seemed that two Life Bonded still garnered attention, even though Myna had her ears safely covered.
The day passed without any problems as they went to the shops to sell off items they didn’t need and to arrange for the things they purchased to be delivered to the inn. Sean wondered if they should stay for a third day or just leave tomorrow, as all their sup
plies would be ready by then.
Chewing over that thought, he looked up when Fiona stopped outside a jeweler’s shop. The sign, ‘Goldson’s Jewels,’ was done in bronze with a silver inlay that gleamed in the sun. “Fiona?”
“This will be the best place to sell the metal hair clip, and possibly the others, Master,” Fiona said softly.
Sean moved closer to her. “How much do I even ask for?”
“I’m not sure, but the metal one should easily be worth a bronze. You did put a mark on them, right?”
Sean’s lips twisted into a frown as he pulled the copper hair clip from his belt pouch and held it in his hand. The simple knotwork he had crafted on the front remained unchanged, but the underside now had etched into it a small emblem composed of his initials intertwined. Opening his hand, he showed it to Fiona, then Myna, “This is the mark.”
Fiona and Myna nodded, taking the wooden backed clips and putting the same mark on them. He dropped all but the two Fiona and Ryann wore into a small bag, then they entered the shop.
Inside, Sean noticed a chandelier that held ten lamps illuminating the shop and allowing the jewelry behind the counter to shine. The stout, thickly bearded man behind the counter eyed them with a twisted expression.
“I doubt anything here is within your budget,” the deep, gravelly voice conveyed the sneer that the beard hid.
“Possibly,” Sean said as he went to the counter. “However, I have something you might be interested in.”
The stout man looked like he seemed to think Sean was an idiot. “What might that be?”
“Hair clips,” Sean said, motioning to the ones that Fiona and Ryann wore. “They work far better than hair spikes, and can be decorated as ornately or simply as one wishes, depending on who it’s for. They also stay firmly in place.” Sean looked back at Fiona. “Dance and see if you can get your clip to leave your hair.”
Fiona broke into a slow dance, letting her hair flow from side to side. The jeweler didn’t look impressed until Fiona picked up speed and was flinging her hair rapidly back and forth.
After a minute, Sean stopped her. “Enough, Fiona. Come over here, so the man can see how firmly it’s still in your hair.”
Fiona approached, keeping her eyes lowered, standing beside Sean with her back to the counter. The bearded man squinted at the clip, trying to see how it was attached.
“Can I touch it?” the man asked after a few moments of study.
“Yes, but don’t tug too hard, or you’ll yank her hair out,” Sean said.
Large, thick fingered hands reached out and gently touched the wood. Tilting the clip over, the jeweler frowned at the underside, before looking again at the front. “It’s made of wood,” he stated, as if upset about it.
“Mostly. I didn’t have much of a supply of metal that wouldn’t cost me a fortune to use,” Sean said. “I do have one made of copper.” He pulled it from his pouch, setting it on the counter.
Raising a brow, the jeweler pulled a monocle from his vest pocket. “Might I examine this in closer detail?”
“Of course,” Sean said, looking a little bored.
The man finally set the hair clip back on the counter after thoroughly examining it. “That is your mark?”
Sean nodded his head. “On all of them. It’s my design, though I’m sure a man such as yourself could replicate it without much difficulty.”
“How many of these things do you have for sale?”
“Two dozen, but only the one in all metal,” Sean shrugged.
Stroking the thick black beard, the man eyed Sean for a long moment. “Which of them Shapes for you?”
Sean laughed, “That is not for sale. Neither the information, nor the one responsible.”
Sucking at his teeth, the jeweler frowned. “All but one of them is wood and bronze?”
“Yes. I’m willing to deal with a trade other than just coin, if that will help,” Sean smiled.
“I’m listening.”
“I could use some raw metal stock.”
“Which metals?”
“Copper and bronze,” Sean replied.
With a shake of his head, the jeweler chuckled, “All of them together isn’t worth bronze stock.”
“The copper clip alone is worth a handful of bronze, and bronze stock is of less value than coin,” Sean countered. “I’ll trade them all to you for a one-pound bar of jewelry bronze.”
Both bushy eyebrows shot up at Sean’s words. “They aren’t worth that much. But I understand what you’re going for, now.” Stroking his beard again, the man countered, “I’ll give you a quarter bar of bronze and a pound bar of copper, but only if you don’t sell any of these for a couple of villages after you leave here.”
“A half and a pound,” Sean countered.
“Ha,” the bearded man laughed. “Do you have Dwarven blood in your veins?”
“Not that I know of, but metal does seem to call to me, so maybe,” Sean replied, finally getting that the man behind the counter was a Dwarf.
“Pile them up and I’ll go get the bars,” the Dwarf said, stepping down from what he had been standing on and heading into the back room.
“Take them out, ladies,” Sean said as he placed the others on the counter, peeking over to see a ramp built on the far side so that the Dwarf stood level with his customers.
The proprietor returned with two bars of metal, one smaller than the other. “Remember the deal, no selling for a few villages from here,” he reminded Sean as he placed the two bars on the counter and began to examine the clips.
“It is agreed,” Sean said, feeling a light weight settle on him. He waited for the Dwarf to examine all of them before he picked up the bars. “Pleasure doing business with you, sir.”
“Goldson, Drudan Goldson. If you make it to Southpoint, my father runs a shop there. He’ll do business with you, and I’ll be sending him a missive to keep an eye out for you…”
“Sean MacDougal,” Sean replied, shaking forearms with the Dwarf. He had a strong grip, but he seemed surprised by Sean’s strength in return.
“If you make it there, or come back this way, stop in and bargain,” Drudan smiled.
“I shall make a point of it,” Sean grinned. “Pleasant day to you, Goldson.”
“Pleasant day indeed, MacDougal,” Drudan chuckled.
Chapter Thirty-two
Sean was delighted to see that the inn was peaceful when they made their way inside. “Fiona, please let the stable master know that we’ll be getting supplies delivered tomorrow so he’s aware.”
“Of course, Master,” Fiona said, splitting off from the rest of the group.
“Myna, what would it cost to outfit Ryann in appropriate gear?” Sean asked as they walked toward the front door.
“For decent quality like mine? Near on a silver,” Myna replied. “If you went for chain, it would cost more.”
Sean nodded as he followed Ryann into the common room. “We’ll see about that when we reach a city, then.”
“I—” Ryann began, but Sean cut her off.
“No. You are in my employ, and I should provide quality equipment to you. It doesn’t count because if you end our Agreement and leave, the gear will still be mine,” Sean said, ready for her objection.
“Ahh, I see,” Ryann said, nodding slowly. “That’s fine, then.”
Sean opened the door to his room. “We’ll see you for dinner?”
“Yes,” Ryann said, nodding, “I will join you.”
“See you then,” Sean said. Myna walked into their room as Fiona was coming up the stairs. “We’ll be working on crafting until then.”
“If you need to leave before dinner for anything, let me know,” Ryann said, then stepped inside her room.
Sean followed Fiona in and closed the door behind them. “Okay, we have some metal to craft with. I’m thinking we should still make some wooden hair clips on top of what we can make with what we just got.”
“That’s a good idea,” Fiona said. �
�We still have some wood in the wagon that we can work on while we travel.”
“How many can you make from the bars we got from the merchant?” Myna asked.
“I might be able to make three or four from the bronze,” Sean said as he pulled out the half pound bar, “though I’m not sure.”
“We can work with the copper while you do that,” Fiona suggested.
“Works for me,” Sean said, handing over the one pound bar.
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