Hearthglen (Binding Words Book 3)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “Maybe so you could meet a friend,” Sean said and got to his feet. “If you would like to speak again, I’ll be with the smiths. I think you’d be surprised at how welcoming they can be if you tried.”

  Gracefully getting to her feet, Silvertouch bowed her head slightly. Her beautiful dress hinted at her form, but was entirely demure. “Maybe I will in the future. It is a pleasure to have met you, MacDougal.”

  “Likewise. Goodnight, Silvertouch.”

  Watching her leave, Sean felt Ryann come up next to him. “I don’t trust her,” Ryann said.

  “Reasons?”

  “I feel like she’s a snake. She’ll be what she needs to be until she has what she wants,” Ryann said.

  “Something to keep an eye on,” Sean said. “Let’s go join some real people, shall we?”

  Sean sat down with the smiths, who were curious about what had transpired at the Shaper’s table. It was unusual for them to have been there so early. Sean explained what happened and about his invitation to Silvertouch to join them.

  “Not sure how I feel about having more Shapers join us,” Avery said. “You excluded, MacDougal, they’re snakes and not to be trusted.”

  “Give her a chance,” Sean said. “Has she ever approached one of you before?”

  “Of course not,” Knox snorted. “The Ice Queen is too cold for anyone, even herself, it’s said.”

  Rolling his eyes, Sean shook his head. “Maybe, like you, she thought she’d never be given a chance.”

  “If anyone else was asking, I’d call them a fool,” Joseph said. “Since it’s you, I’ll give her a chance.”

  “Me as well,” Sam added.

  “I think it’ll end in tears, but fine, I’ll try,” Avery said.

  Everyone agreed, some quite reluctantly, to give Silvertouch a chance if she came to sit with them. Sean looked up just as Ida left the table of Shaper’s apprentices, her face a thundercloud. He stood up as Ida left the Inn, while the barmaid was headed toward the table for refills.

  “I’m going to call it a night,” Sean told the others. “I won’t be sitting with the Shapers again, so we’ll have more time to talk later.”

  “Good eve, MacDougal,” Knox said, raising his almost empty mug.

  The others all said the same, and Sean wished them a good night before he headed for the door with Ryann a few steps behind him. Sean turned for home as soon as he was outside.

  “Why the rush?” Ryann asked.

  “Ida left and she looked upset. I want to make sure she gets home safely.”

  The intermittent lamps that dotted the streets did little to actually illuminate more than a fifteen-foot sphere around them. The square had enough lamps to be decently lit, but Ida wasn’t visible to them.

  “There she is,” Ryann said, pointing to a figure ahead of them just crossing through a bit of light.

  “Let’s just trail along behind her,” Sean said. “No need for her to know we’re concerned.”

  Ryann glanced at Sean out of the corner of her eye, a small smile touching her lips. “As you say, Sean.”

  The walk back to the house was gratefully quiet, which made Sean exhale happily. You’re getting paranoid. Not that that’s a bad thing in this world, but not every incident will cause backlash.

  Climbing the stairs to the door, Ryann touched Sean’s shoulder. “You’re a good man, Sean. I’ve been waiting to see your mask slip, but I have to say, you are what you seem.”

  “I’m just me, Ryann,” Sean said, stopping just outside the doorway. “Not sure I’m a good man, but I try to be.”

  Ryann opened the door, stepping past him, “Goodnight, Sean.”

  “Night, Ryann.”

  Chapter Ten

  The darkness that engulfed him made Sean feel insignificant. The only things visible in the crushing darkness were two pinpoints of light, coming closer. When the light got close enough, Sean could make out the shape of two glowing eyes. The lights were the large orbs themselves; the irises were as dark as the surroundings and matched the pupils, making them seem like twin voids waiting to swallow him.

  “Sean, it’s been awhile,” Morrigan’s voice came from all around him. “We don’t have much time, but we do have a little, thanks to your work in converting a few souls of this world to our faith.”

  “What?”

  “Fiona and Myna have both offered up prayers in my name. It has been so long since any of us have heard voices from this world. We can’t act, but you have started making a difference.”

  “Can’t say I’m a fan of the world overall; it’s rife with strife.”

  “Strife you could fix— if you try, Sean. You are a nexus, a changer, an unraveler. The more people you bring back to us, the longer I’ll be able to speak with you. Be cautious, for others are moving. There are some who are upset that you chose as you did, and we have angered others by breaking minor Agreements. Your past and future await your choices, Sean.”

  “What do you mean, changer and unraveler?”

  “We’re out of time for now,” Morrigan sighed. “You’re far from where you could be, or from the future you’ve glimpsed. All that love waits for you in many different possible futures.”

  “Wait—”

  “Sean… Sean, wake up,” Fiona’s voice echoed in the darkness, and the eyes vanished.

  Soft lips on his brought Sean out of the dream. Sitting up once the kiss ended, Sean saw Fiona watching him with curious eyes. “Is something wrong, dear?” she asked.

  “Have you prayed to Morrigan?” Sean asked.

  Eyes going wide, Fiona slowly nodded. “Myna and I prayed to her during the blizzard, and most nights since then. How did you know?”

  “She told me,” Sean said, throwing the blankets off and getting out of bed.

  “Morrigan talked to you? When? She is barred from this world, as are all the Tuatha Dé Danann.”

  “I was just speaking with her, in some dream not-dream thing,” Sean said. “It was only a brief moment... it’s all jumbled in my mind now.”

  “Breakfast is ready. Ida and I will be leaving after that,” Fiona said, seeing him searching for a moment of normalcy.

  “Yeah, that might be for the best,” Sean said. His dream was drifting away from him, the words becoming ephemeral mist and dissipating.

  Sean greeted the others as he took his seat in the dining room. There was fruit, fresh bread, cheese, and juice. Ida looked none the worse after her late night and the incident that had caused her to storm out of the inn. Sean had asked Fiona that night to discreetly ask about it, and she had promised to do so while they were out today.

  “Master, I’ll be doing our food shopping while Fiona and Ida go to the market. I’ll need a bronze at least to stock the kitchen,” Myna requested.

  “Fiona?” Sean asked confusedly, as she had most of their money currently.

  “I wasn’t sure how you wanted to handle the coin. I meant to ask you before breakfast, but…”

  “Point. We’ll talk about it when we go clothes shopping later today,” Sean said, giving Myna the coin she requested. “Tackett is supposed to be here an hour after sunrise. You’ll be out shopping, Fiona will be at the market with Ida, then we’ll be getting clothes after you’re all back here. Is there anything else?” When no one spoke up, Sean motioned to the food. “Let’s eat.”

  After breakfast, Ryann followed Sean down to the shop, trailing him like his shadow. Sean did his best to ignore it. Fortunately, Tackett’s son, Hans, had already shown up.

  Taking the young man to the sitting room— where they already had metals and tea on hand— Sean wanted to start training Hans like he had Ida. Hans turned out to have no inner energy of his own. “Okay, Hans. This is going to be a little awkward, but just focus on remaining calm. You have no energy of your own, so I’m going to have to very slowly give you some. The first time or two I do… it’ll be weird, but it will pass quickly.”

  “So I’ve heard,” Hans said, his eyes going to Ryann, who
was seated in the corner frowning over a small bit of copper. “I’ll be fine. If your guard can learn from you, then I can, too.”

  Tapping into the connection between them, Sean did his very best to let the barest hint of energy slip from him to the young man, ready to cut it off instantly if needed.

  Hans gritted his teeth, his hands clamping down on the arms of the chair he was in. “Winter’s breasts, that stings,” Hans hissed.

  Sean severed the transfer, not expecting that reaction. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ve heard that being given energy can be painful from some of the Shaper apprentices. I didn’t realize it would feel like molten metal coursing up my arm.” Breathing deeply, Hans nodded, “I can do this.”

  Sean wondered whether he should ask Fiona about the different reactions between Ida and Hans later. Using Mage Sight, Sean could see the faintest wisp of grey smoke now floating in Hans’ outline. Dropping Mage Sight, Sean nodded. “Okay, here we go. A little more this time.”

  Hans let out a gasp of pain, his eyes rolling up into his skull as he passed out.

  “Fuck, oops,” Sean sighed as he closed the channel between them.

  “At least I’m not the only one who passed out,” Ryann muttered softly. “I wonder why it hurt him so much, but felt so…”

  Sean ignored Ryann’s soft words, knowing he wasn’t meant to hear them. “I hope he isn’t out long,” Sean sighed, getting up to make sure Hans was at least comfortable. “Looks like we’re going to have a little bit of time, Ryann. Did you want to practice your Shaping while we wait?”

  “I’d like to work on crafting some blades to match Myna’s for myself,” Ryann said. “I figure that will have to wait until tomorrow.”

  “It’ll be a bit time intensive,” Sean said. “We can get things ready now, though. Grab some more bronze from the smithy, and some wood for the hilts. You’ll want to get them wrapped, but we can do most of the work. If need be, we can Shape them while we spar tonight.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Ryann said, getting to her feet to retrieve the items Sean asked for. Sean watched her go, appreciating the happy bounce in her steps.

  Half an hour later, Hans was awake again and Sean insisted they drink some tea before continuing, to let Hans’ body get accustomed to the feeling of energy. Hans did as he was told, but Sean could see him vibrating with eagerness to continue his training.

  By the time Sean called an end for the day, Hans had been able to feel the vibration of the metal. He wasn’t able to Shape, though, because he didn’t have the energy reserve for it yet. Sean could see the glacial transfer of energy between them when he opened up his Mage Sight, and the slow building of grey energy in Hans’ outline.

  “Thank you, MacDougal... thank you,” Hans said repeatedly while Sean led him toward the exit. “I’m eager for next Eightday.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to start Shaping when we meet again. Until then, make sure to feel the metal occasionally each day. Just be careful, because it’ll still tire you.”

  “Yes, I will and I’ll be careful,” Hans said, then left for the day.

  “So eager,” Sean chuckled, watching the young man run down the street toward his family home.

  “Are we going to continue Shaping the blades while we wait for the others?” Ryann asked.

  “We can. Let’s see how far you’ve gotten,” Sean said, shutting and locking the shop door.

  Heading back to the sitting room, Sean took his chair, and Ryann took the seat across from him. Looking over the roughly Shaped blades, Sean concentrated on seeing the flaws within the metal. Running his hand over each blade, he started pulling out the major imperfections, but a gasp from Ryann made him stop.

  “What?” Sean asked.

  “You removed this...” Ryann said, holding out a small nugget of metal to him.

  Taking the piece, Sean looked at the silvery metal and chuckled. “Tin. Must not have mixed into the bronze right. That must be the biggest impurity I’ve ever removed.” Setting it aside, he turned his attention back to the twin blades.

  After a while, Ryann touched his shoulder. “Sean, Myna is back.”

  Blinking as he dropped Mage Sight, Sean looked at the two blades on his lap. Both of the weapons seemed to gleam with purity. “Huh? How long was I working?”

  “Over an hour. Your hands barely moved and your eyes were moving back and forth over them. I tried to feel the metal while you were working on them, but your energy covered them completely and stopped me from getting close.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sean said, holding the blades out to Ryann. “Here you go. You can work on them for a bit; the metal is as pure as I could get it. I’ll check in with Myna.”

  “I’ll come up with you,” Ryann said, taking both unfinished blades in one hand. “I can work them up in the main room as well as I could here.”

  “Sounds good,” Sean said, opening the door. “After you.”

  Myna was sitting in the main room sipping some tea when they joined her. “I was able to get everything we needed, Master,” Myna said with a smile. “We have enough food for a few days, at least. Oh, and I have your change.” She reached into her pouch, but Sean waved her off.

  “Keep it. We’ll be talking money with Fiona when she gets back, and we still need to hit the clothier.”

  “I think she’ll be back soon,” Myna chuckled. “I saw a few women out with clips in their hair already today, and heard a lot of talk about where they got them. We’ll need to see about getting someone to man the shop and make a concerted effort to start up production soon.”

  The door opened, causing Sean and Myna to look up. Ida came in, followed by Fiona. “It’s been a busy day,” Fiona said with a happy, but tired, smile on her lips. “We sold out of everything, which is good. I arranged for wood to be delivered tomorrow morning, so Myna and I can start Shaping in earnest. We’ll have plain ones for cheap, and custom made for more. The women in the market all wanted more; they were disappointed when I said this was a limited supply to gauge demand.”

  “Sounds like we’re going to make Denmur eat his words. Makes me happy,” Sean chuckled.

  “And the others,” Ida muttered under her breath.

  Fiona caught Sean’s eye and shook her head slightly. “We should make our way to the clothier. We can talk on the way.”

  “Works for me,” Sean said, moving to the door. “Ryann, I’ll have Fiona and Myna to guard me. Ida, get a small bar of copper and start Shaping the blanks.”

  “Understood,” Ryann said with a nod. “I’ll work on my weapons.”

  “I’ll have some ready by the time you return,” Ida said confidently.

  “Okay then, we’re heading out. Ladies?” Sean said, motioning them to the door he had open.

  Fiona told them the story once they were on the street. “What upset Ida last night wasn’t anything for you to get involved in. It seems that the other apprentices were being snidely disrespectful of your Talents. When Ida tried to defend you, they started in on her, deriding her for choosing ‘a nobody with no Talent’ instead of Denmur. They went on to belittle you personally, telling her that Klein was easily twice the man you could be. That’s what pushed her over the edge; not their attacks on her, but the personal attacks aimed at you.”

  “Huh,” Sean said.

  “Sean,” Fiona sighed, seeing him miss it, “Ida has a bit of a crush on you.”

  “What?”

  “It’s adorable, but also a little vexing,” Myna added. “You really can’t tell when a woman has her eyes on you, can you?”

  “That’s beside the point,” Sean said, not wanting to admit what Myna had said was true. “How can she have a crush on me? We’ve only just met.”

  “The same way I did, or Myna did, or…You get the idea,” Fiona said. “She isn’t going to try and join you in bed or anything, and it might pass— though I doubt that— but at the moment, it’s just a little crush. Probably because you’ve given her a chance she never woul
d have had without devaluing herself by agreeing to Denmur’s terms.”

  Frowning, Sean wondered about that. Seriously, I could barely get a woman’s attention before coming here, and now I have two loving women tied to me for life, and apparently others want me, too? James, I know you’d hate me right now...

  He suddenly remembered his question for Fiona. “Fiona? Ryann and Ida both felt pleasure when I gave them energy, but Hans felt severe pain. What the hell is up with that?”

  “I forget sometimes that you never had training,” Fiona said. “No one knows exactly why. There are a number of theories, but all of them are based on gender. Same gender equates to pain, opposite genders equates to pleasure. The more power you have, the less the sensation happens to you. That’s why Ryann passed out, and Ida nearly had an orgasm.”