Sean chuckled, “I have a feeling you have this job just for this reason.”
Gertihs chuckled as well. “You do have some sense about you, it seems. Sell equal rights to the patent to my family, and we’ll pay you ten gold.”
Sean sat back, staring at Gertihs with an appraising glance. “You must have a high opinion of the clips to offer that.”
“Being associated with Gertihs Smiths will open numerous doors for you,” Gertihs said.
“I’ll consider it,” Sean said. “I’m sure I can amend the patent later, right?”
The smile vanished, and Gertihs nodded. “Yes.”
Placing a large silver on the desk, Sean smiled. “Please register the patent— exclusive to me— for one year.”
Gertihs frowned, but took Sean’s coin and focused on the clip after setting it on the open page of the book. A few minutes later, he slid the clip back to Sean. “All done. If you change your mind, you can find my family’s business three doors south of the square.”
Sean put the clip away and shook hands with Gertihs, exchanging farewells before he led Myna out of the building. The sun was setting as the two crossed the street for the inn. Sean noticed an increase in people and traffic on the streets, all heading in various directions. Pausing for an ornate carriage, Sean brought up his Mage Sight for a moment as he looked at it in passing. A small squeak had caught his attention when the carriage rolled by, and he could see the stress point in the front axle.
Dismissing the Sight, Sean called out to the driver, “I think your front wheel is off balance.”
The driver glanced at him, then away with a sneer. Shrugging, Sean crossed behind it with Myna beside him, her hat on her head. “I didn’t see anything wrong with the wheel,” Myna said softly.
“You heard the high-pitched squeak?” Sean asked.
“Yes.”
“The front axle has a crack in it, and the squeak was it under stress. It’ll break in time.”
“Oh, you looked at it?”
“Yes. The noise bothered me,” Sean said as they finally got to the inn. “Time for dinner.”
“As you command, Master.”
Shaking his head, Sean preceded Myna into the taproom. He thought about the ornate carriage again. Besides the clips, I could set up shop to fix and improve carriages… but would there even be a market for it?
Sean couldn’t help but notice the taproom décor— black oak, accented with silver lamps and chandeliers. The room held a handful of people scattered at various tables, all of them watching the pair as they crossed to the bar.
The painfully thin man behind the bar gave them a professional smile. “How might I help you?”
“My Bonded should have arranged a room for me,” Sean said.
“Ah, you must be the new crafter. Welcome to the Oaken Glen. I’m one of the tenders, Allonen. Your Bonded are settling your room. Would you like to be shown the way?”
“Please.”
An overly-buxom blonde emerged from the doorway beside the bar in response to the innkeeper snapping his fingers. “Tabitha, show our new guest to his room. He’s the Holder of the Bonded that just came in.”
“If it pleases you, sir, follow me,” Tabitha said politely, gracefully crossing the room toward a set of stairs in the corner.
Sean followed her, finding it difficult to not watch her swaying hips. Pulling his eyes up, he concentrated on the intricate filigree on one of the lamps they passed. Obviously Shaped... if that’s the skill level of those in the city, I’m not going to stand out too much, thankfully.
The stairway opened directly onto a hallway that ran the length of the floor to another set of stairs leading down. Sean realized it must connect to the second set of stairs he’d seen in the taproom. The hallway had two branches; Tabitha turned down the first one, going to the second door and knocking politely.
Fiona opened the door with a smile in place, “May I hel… Master, the room is ready.”
Sean nodded at their guide. “Thank you, Tabitha. I take it the baths are down the hall?”
“Yes, sir.”
Giving her a smile, Sean thanked her again before entering the room. Ryann was coming out of a doorway off the right side of the sitting room when the door closed behind them. “Is everything good?” Sean asked.
“The servant’s room is small, but the bed is comfortable,” Ryann replied.
“The master bedroom is as expected: it will fit all three of us,” Fiona added.
“Good. The mark is registered and the hair clip is patented. The guy in charge of the patents tried to convince me to open it up to others, and then tried to buy the rights off me,” Sean said, sitting down in a padded chair.
“Not surprising,” Fiona said as she took a seat next to him. “We need to find a place to set up shop, and then lay in supplies to get work started. Crafters should start getting to the taproom in about an hour, just before dinner is served. Those with families will show up in two or three hours, after having dinner at home.”
“I take it you’ve done this before,” Sean chuckled.
“Yes. Not here, but yes. Most of the crafters are laborers; they have to make their items by force. The Shapers will be at their own table talking. A few of the better regarded non-Shapers will be with them, trying to get one of their children apprenticed to a Shaper. If they can get even a trace of ability, it will improve the quality of their goods.”
“Things to learn,” Sean nodded. “What…” He trailed off as a knock sounded at the door.
Myna answered it while Fiona got to her feet and stood behind Sean. Myna waited by the door as Tabitha came into the room and set a tea tray on the room’s table. Sean’s lips turned down slightly when he saw one porcelain cup and three glazed wooden cups on the tray.
“If there is anything else you need,” Tabitha smiled at Sean and pointed to a thin rope near the window, “just ring for me.”
“Thank you,” Sean replied, hanging a polite smile on his face. “I will do so.”
Once Tabitha left, Myna secured the door while Fiona poured tea for them. Ryann took her seat to the right of Sean, with Fiona to his left, and Myna sitting across from him. “I suggest we take our bath early,” Fiona suggested. “Most wait until after dinner, so it would be ideal to go soon. It will also get the travel grime off and make you a bit more presentable. Ryann will accompany you; she can act as your assistant.”
“You’re not coming down?” Sean frowned.
“It would best for me not to be seen,” Fiona said softly. “While it is doubtful that I’ll be known on sight by the crafters here, it’ll be best to minimize my visibility until we’re settled in, at least.”
“Why Ryann and not Myna?” Sean asked.
“I’m a Moonbound and Life Bonded,” Myna said. “Your best foot forward will be to have Ryann or Fiona with you instead of me.”
“Do you not want me with you, Sean?” Ryann asked.
“It’s not that, Ryann,” Sean sighed. “You are more than welcome beside me. I’m just trying to understand why things are done certain ways.”
“I’ll do my best to assist,” Ryann said, sipping her tea.
“I should approach the Shapers, but should I go to the other crafters first to see about a place for us?”
“That is tricky,” Fiona said, putting her cup aside. “If you approach the crafters, they might know of a place, but might very well want one of their children to Bond, as I was saying before.”
“Which is obviously a no-go for us,” Sean murmured. “I think I’ll just watch the room for a bit. It’ll be easier to make a move if I can get any sort of read on the people.”
“That might be for the best,” Fiona nodded.
Setting her empty cup aside, Myna looked toward the window. “If we’re going to bathe before dinner, we should go now.”
“Yeah,” Sean said, draining his cup.
Chapter Two
They bathed without running into anyone else, and got ready for din
ner. As they were returning to their room, a small group was heading the other way to go downstairs. Exchanging pleasant smiles, they passed each other without any comments. Once they were back in their room, Fiona let out a deep breath.
“Sooner or later, my identity is going to become known,” she said, answering Sean’s questioning look. “I doubt it will mean much to most, but whoever was behind the massacre of Oakwood will likely cause trouble for us somehow.”
“We’ll burn that bridge after we cross it,” Sean told her.
“If they do, we could find out who it was and exact our revenge,” Myna added.
“There is that,” Fiona replied, her lips wavering between sadness and a smile.
“The only concern is what the Queen might or might not do,” Sean said. “We don’t know what caused her anger, but she’s been upset ever since we started on this path.”
Fiona and Myna lapsed into silence as they considered his words. Ryann looked at each of them with a bit of concern. “What massacre?”
The three of them looked at Ryann blankly for a moment, realizing that she still had no idea what had started them on the path that had led them to her.
“She’s Bonded to you in secrecy,” Myna reminded Sean, turning to Ryann. “We used to be part of Oakwood, a new village starting up south of Oaklake. Darragh Axehand led us as chief. The village was betrayed by one of our own and his cronies working for an unknown benefactor. They killed everyone else, including Darragh. Sean and Fiona killed the betrayers, saved me, and we fled to make sure that whoever started the massacre would think we died as well.”
Ryann blinked at Myna as if she had grown a second head. “Darragh Axehand is dead?”
Sean wondered how Ryann knew the name and why she seemed so shocked by the news. “Everyone but us three, including him and his Life Bonded partner, Misa.”
“My father was a follower of Darragh’s early career in the arena. He even got to see Darragh fight in person a few times. From what my father said, no one was more able with an axe than Darragh.”
Fiona nodded sadly, “Before his Shame, he was indeed a force to be reckoned with.”
“Can I hear more about what happened later?” Ryann asked.
“It’s painful, but since you are Bonded to secrecy, I will tell you. It will help keep the flame burning in my heart,” Myna replied, her voice full of anger. “Sean promised me revenge against those responsible. I know that one day, the day will come and I will quench my anger with their blood.”
Eyebrows shooting up, Sean looked at Myna with wide eyes. The fun, loving woman he knew was nowhere to be seen; in her place, a feral hunting cat waited patiently for a chance to bring down its prey. “Myna?”
“Yes, Master?” Myna asked, her demeanor shifting back to her normal self.
“We’ll make them pay,” Sean said, pulling her into a hug. “Don’t let the anger consume you, please. I want my silly kitty around long after they’re dealt with.”
A contented purr came from her as she hugged him back. “I will never let you go, Sean. My anger is kept in check by your love and promise.”
“You should go,” Fiona said softly, touching Sean’s shoulder. “Crafters should be showing up now. Myna and I will get everything organized up here. We’ll go over our supplies and evaluate what we’ll need in the short and long term.”
“Okay.” Giving Myna another squeeze, he let go of her to give Fiona a hug. “We’ll be back once we have some information.”
“Be safe, Master.”
“We’ll see you soon, Sean,” Fiona murmured, reluctantly letting him go.
Ryann stood a few feet away waiting for him, opening the door for him when Fiona stepped away. “I’ll keep him safe, do not worry.”
“We know,” Fiona smiled.
When Sean and Ryann reached the taproom, Sean paused at the base of the stairs. The previously empty room was now lively. Most of the tables had people seated at them already. Two bartenders were working to keep the drinks flowing, and a bevy of attentive barmaids worked the room.
One small table off to the side remained empty, and Sean claimed it. A few seconds after he and Ryann sat down, one of the barmaids was there to take their order. Ryann requested a hot hard cider and Sean asked about dark ales.
“We have almost a dozen dark ales, sir. Did you have a preference?”
“That’s a tough one,” Sean said. “Pick one for me, to start. I’ll probably sample a few of them.”
“Very well, I’ll be right back with the cider and ale. That’ll be a large copper.”
Sean held back his surprise at the price, handing the coin to the barmaid. She headed off toward the bar, pausing to get refill orders for a couple other tables. Heavily muscled men, and one woman, sat around a larger table near Sean and Ryann. They were mostly Humans but there were also a couple of Dwarves. Sean spotted a bit of soot behind the ear of one of the men.
Smiths, most likely, Sean guessed as he tried to pick up the conversation at the table.
“I’m telling you Joseph, Denmur won’t take on your boy,” one of the men was telling another. “He’s turned us all down. Even Sam’s daughter was refused, and we know she’ll be a mighty fine smith if she takes after her mom.”
“He would have taken her if I’d have considered marrying her to his youngest,” Sam replied, wiping a bit of beer foam from her upper lip. “Ida was adamant that she didn’t want to, though, and I don’t blame her; there’s something wrong with that boy. I’ll find a metal Shaper that’ll take her on eventually. If she can learn even just a touch of Talent, she’ll surpass us all.”
The men at the table nodded. A couple of them frowned at their mugs. The man addressed as Joseph spoke after a moment of silence. “Did you hear about Weinrik?”
“Yeah, he’s the first of us to be touched,” another man muttered. “We’re not glamorous, so how did a smith end up catching Sharpeye’s ire?”
“I heard Denmur got into an argument with him a tenday ago,” another person chimed in. “Denmur was upset that one of his customers was switching to Weinrik instead. Who can blame the customer? We produce quality work for under half of what a Shaper costs. It just takes us a bit longer and isn’t as fancy looking.”
“Denmur has Sharpeye’s ear?” another smith asked, obviously uneasy at the news.
“Klein is in good with Sharpeye’s brat, Evan,” the previous man said. “They’ve been seen over at the Den most nights.”
“How can Klein… Evan must be footing the bill,” Sam started, then answered her own question. “I wonder how Klein’s keeping the attention of that monster?”
“Who knows what goes through the heads of those with Talent?” one of the others finally said with a shrug. “If any of us had been born with their gifts, who knows how different we would be.”
“What’s Weinrik going to do?” someone else asked.
“He’s sold me his place, since it’s next to mine,” Sam said, setting her now empty mug on the table. “Told me he’s leaving. He heard that Darragh Axehand was starting up a settlement south of Oaklake. He’s going to go see about joining that community.”
Sean was distracted from the conversation by the barmaid dropping their drinks off. Ryann picked up the steaming mug and inhaled the scent of apples, cinnamon, and rum. Sean took a drink of his dark ale, setting the mug down slowly as the flavors permeated his mouth. Ripe pears, a bit of yeast, nutmeg, toffee, and caramel mixed with the malt in pleasant harmony.
The barmaid smiled, “Is that one to your liking?”
“This is very good. What’s it called?”
“‘Dark Delight.’ It’s made by brewmaster Darkfoam, who resides in the city,” the maid smiled. “Just let me know when you want another.”
“Actually, bring a round for the smiths, on me,” Sean said, placing a bronze on the table.
Picking up the coin, she looked over at the table full of smiths. “They aren’t the most approachable crafters…”
“Fr
ee beer always makes things easier,” Ryann commented.
Putting her smile back in place, the maid shook her head. “I’ll be back with their drinks. I didn’t take you for a smith, sir.”
“I’m a man of many talents,” Sean chuckled.
One eyebrow quirking up, the barmaid’s smile shifted to a smirk. “I’ve heard plenty of lines, but that’s one of the better ones I’ve heard in some time.” When she walked away, the barmaid’s hips had a touch more sway to them.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Sean sighed, pulling his eyes from the maid’s back.
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