Hearthglen

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “I was wondering, since you already have your two Life Bonded,” Ryann said, taking another sip of her drink.

  “Two is more than enough,” Sean replied, drinking his ale. “Now we wait and see if they’re receptive to my opening offer.”

  The barmaid was back after a couple of minutes, carrying a loaded tray to the pleasantly surprised smiths. Sean listened to the questions from the crafters and the explanations from the barmaid, looking toward the table with a smile as he felt their eyes on him. He raised his mug in a friendly gesture.

  Joseph raised his mug in reply and waved Sean over to the table. “Since you bought us a round, stranger, you might as well join us.”

  “Thank you for the invitation,” Sean said, taking his mug and chair with him to join the dozen people sitting at the table. Joseph and Sam moved aside so he could sit between them.

  “Why the drinks?” one of the smiths asked with a hard look at Sean.

  “A friend of mine always said that free beer makes things easier. Trying to join you without a gift would probably have not gone as well,” Sean chuckled.

  “He has you there, Heingerd,” Joseph laughed.

  “I’ve never seen you before,” Sam said, taking a deep pull from her mug. “New to Hearthglen?”

  “Arrived today. It’s been a long trip,” Sean replied. “Now the hard part begins: trying to find a place in a city that has all the crafters it probably needs.”

  “You a smith?” Heingerd asked with narrow eyes.

  “I’ve worked with metal for most of my life,” Sean answered honestly, though he doubted they would accept automobiles as smithing.

  “You look a bit young to be striking out for yourself,” another smith chuckled, earning laughter from a few others.

  “Now, now, Avery, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt for the moment,” Joseph grinned. “What’s your name, person who brings beers for us?”

  “Sean MacDougal. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

  The smiths went around the table introducing themselves, the range of warm and cold reactions staggering to Sean. Once that was done, Heingerd’s eyes turned to Ryann. “Who’s the woman you left behind?”

  “Ryann. She’s my protector and assistant,” Sean smiled.

  Sam’s lips thinned slightly, “Protector? You think you need a guard?”

  “It’s hard to say,” Sean hedged. “I have a new item that I’ll be selling soon. It’s already been sought after by the few who’ve seen it. I feel it’s best to be ahead of the game on that score, especially when I’m behind in so many other areas.”

  “What could you possibly have that people would want it already?” Heingerd sneered.

  Sean pulled the bronze hair clip from his purse and handed it to Sam. “A new way for women to contain their hair. It works best for medium to long hair, but even those with shorter styles can use this.”

  Sam glanced at Sean, then to the hair clip in her hands. Deftly looking it over, her lips thinned, but a gleam came to her eyes as she worked the catch. “Oh… clever.” Closing the clasp, she passed it to her right. “Where did you come up with that idea?”

  “Inspiration,” Sean lied. “Have you ever had an innovation spring itself on you?”

  “This wasn’t smithed,” the second person said, handing it to Heingerd.

  “That is true. I have never put hammer to anvil,” Sean agreed with a small shrug. “From my interactions with smiths and Shapers, though, I’ve always felt more comfortable with people who use their hands.”

  All eyes narrowed as they stared at Sean. The silence grew at the table as the hair clip went around. A few people were now staring at Sean with open hostility, while some others were more curious. Once Joseph finished looking at the clip and gave it back to Sean, he spoke slowly.

  “We didn’t expect a Shaper to sit with us,” Joseph said. “What is it you want from us?”

  “Honestly, I’m looking for a place to set up shop. I’m not well off, like most Shapers. I just started on this path. I meant it when I said I’d rather be here than with those peacocks.” Sean motioned to the richly dressed men and women at a table toward the middle of the room.

  “You’re one of them,” Heingerd spat. “Leave us working men alone.”

  “You can Shape metal?” Sam asked.

  “I can,” Sean pulled a couple of copper coins from his pouch, and began to Shape them. “It’s a new Talent; I’ve been told I’m the latest bloomer anyone has seen.” The figurine was done by the time Sean stopped talking. “It does seem to be a decent Talent.” Setting the figure in front of Sam, he smiled.

  Sam looked at the figure Sean had made of a female smith with an anvil, hammering a sword into shape. With a snort, she pushed it back to Sean. “Seeking to win my favor?”

  “I’m thinking it takes a strong and talented person to sit at this table. I pegged you and Joseph as the ones who might help me the most.”

  “Fuck this tosser,” Heingerd spat as he got to his feet and stomped off.

  “Heingerd is right. He’s not one of us,” another smith grumbled as he went after Heingerd.

  A couple more men left, leaving Joseph, Sam, and four others at the table with Sean. “You didn’t do us any favors by saying that,” Joseph sighed. “They’ve had it tough over the last year, and their pride has been taking a beating as more and more of their customers have gone with one of us, instead.”

  “Call it what it is, Joseph,” Sam shrugged. “This was coming at some point. They’ll either get over it or our nights will get a lot quieter.”

  “She’s right,” another smith said. “I know of a place—”

  “We all know of places. The question is, what is he looking for?” Sam cut the other smith off, then looked at Sean expectantly.

  “Frankly, I just need a place that I can use as a home and shop that is serviceable. I’ll be needing regular supplies of metal and wood, so it would need to be in your general areas.”

  “The best place is going to be Weinrik’s,” Sam said.

  “Hang on, he should take my father’s old shop into account,” the fellow who had been cut off said.

  “Knox, that old shack is in serious need of work,” another man sighed. “I don’t blame you for wanting in on the deal, but fair is fair.”

  Sean looked around at the six others at the table. “You all want to make deals if you can, that’s obvious. I also need friends, so I’m sure we can work something out one way or another. First though, is a place to call my own, even if just for a bit.”

  “Sam has the best idea with Weinrik’s,” Joseph said. “You’ll not need the smithy in back, but the shop floor and the home above it are in good condition.”

  “They are,” Sam smiled. “I’ll let you look at the place before we discuss a deal.”

  “I have a feeling your demands are going to be something I can work with,” Sean grinned. “For the rest of you, I’ll be more than happy to make some kind of deal with each of you.”

  A couple of the smiths still at the table looked at him with skepticism, but Joseph chuckled. “If you’re the man you seem to be, Sean, I think we’ll all be in a better place for having given you a chance.”

  “Did you need more?” the barmaid asked, stopping by the table.

  “A round for everyone, and another for my friend back at my table,” Sean said, pulling another bronze from his pouch and flipping it to the barmaid.

  Giving him a saucy smile, the maid slipped away after gathering the empty mugs. The people at the table all looked at him with varied expressions, but Joseph was the first to speak, “We normally rotate who buys the round.”

  “You can have the next round then, Joseph,” Sean chuckled.

  “Your friend should join us,” Sam said. Turning her head, she met Ryann’s eyes, “Come on over.”

  Joseph slid a bit to the side, allowing Ryann to sit beside Sean. “Maybe you can tell us more about our new friend here?”

  “I can tell you sma
ll things only,” Ryann said, the band on her wrist plainly visible to those at the table.

  “Ah, you’re under Bond. I can understand that,” Joseph said, his eyes twinkling. “If you can’t tell us much about Sean, maybe you can tell us more about yourself. Ryann, was it?”

  “If I give you a story, then you should give one in return,” Ryann replied, her smile dimming slightly.

  “I would like to know more about Sean, too. What you can tell, of course,” Sam said. “I don’t mind trading tales.”

  The others chuckled, and Knox spoke up, “Sam has some of the best stories about idiots who underestimated her.”

  “Here you are,” the barmaid said, setting the refilled mugs down on the table.

  Chapter Three

  The absence of warmth from his sides was what woke Sean. Sitting up, he saw both Fiona and Myna were getting dressed. “Morning, ladies.”

  “How are you feeling today, Sean?” Fiona asked, coming over to give him a kiss.

  “Fine,” Sean said. “Apparently I’m immune to getting drunk, and I don’t have a hangover. I never would have had all that ale before coming to this world, but it’s good to know I’m not going to get drunk at all.”

  “I’ll go check on Ryann,” Myna said, slipping out of the room.

  Sean winced, recalling having to help Ryann up the stairs last night. “Whatever it is that lets me avoid getting drunk apparently didn’t extend to Ryann. I hope she’s okay.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine. We still have a couple of hours until we go look at the building, I’m sure Ryann will be fine by then. I should summon the maid for breakfast.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Sean agreed, getting out of bed and pulling Fiona into an embrace.

  Resting her head on his shoulder, Fiona smiled. “I could stay like this for years and be content.”

  “We’d have to make room for Myna,” Sean murmured.

  “Gladly,” Fiona replied. “Sorry we weren’t there to help you with Ryann…” Fiona trailed off.

  “Well, you were a little busy at the time,” Sean chuckled. “I’m not complaining, considering the welcome you gave me.”

  “We just wanted to explore a little.”

  “It was very educational,” Myna said, having snuck back into the room.

  “Seeing you two together was a little surprising, but I wasn’t upset by it at all,” Sean said as they brought Myna into the hug.

  “Why would you have been?” Fiona asked.

  “Sharing your partner is not a common thing from my old world,” Sean told her. “Kind of like the whole having more than one lover is not normal.”

  “I’m glad it wasn’t a problem. We’d never want to hurt you, Master.”

  “I know, Myna. How’s Ryann doing?”

  “She is getting dressed. She’s fine, no ill effects, although she’s a little confused that she isn’t sick this morning.”

  “Maybe the self-healing works on countering those effects? I wonder, would she have gotten drunk if she had been drinking slower?” Sean gave them both a squeeze before letting go of his lovers. “Let’s get some food. After we visit our potential new house with Ryann, we’ll be going to each of the other smith’s places to see what deals we can make with them.”

  Ryann joined them in the front room as Fiona was closing the door, having asked Tabitha to bring breakfast. Taking a seat at the table, Ryann was studiously avoiding Sean’s gaze. “About last night…”

  “We all make mistakes,” Sean said. “The hard cider here is obviously potent.”

  Ryann sighed, “Yes. That doesn’t excuse me failing to do my job.”

  “Luckily, you didn’t need to protect me from anything,” Sean smiled softly, “which means we can use it as a learning moment and move past it. Maybe set a limit on your imbibement while working.”

  “I will not make that mistake again,” Ryann said, finally looking at him. “I should be reprimanded for my actions last night.”

  Fiona coughed gently, stopping Sean’s reply. “Sean, if I may?” Once Sean nodded, Fiona smiled, then turned to Ryann. “Ryann, we’ll discuss your reprimand later. If Sean permits it, I’ll handle it so he doesn’t need to.”

  Ryann’s lips thinned, but she bowed her head fractionally. “I see you were right. I will abide your decision.”

  Brow furrowing, Sean watched the byplay and wondered what Ryann was referring to. Myna whispered from beside him, too softly for Ryann to hear her, “Fiona knows you’d have difficulty handling your Bonded. She is trying to be your hand in these matters. I suggest you let her, Sean.”

  Myna’s uncharacteristic use of his name and her tone made Sean seriously consider what she was asking. They aren’t wrong. You’re not cut out for some of what should be done. Fiona will handle it correctly, and if need be, you can intervene if things go too far. I’m sure James would already be handling her reprimand… Sean chuckled internally as he considered again what his old friend’s reaction would be to this world.

  “Fiona, I’m going to have you handle all disciplinary actions that need to be taken concerning my Bonded. You will submit to Myna if you require disciplining.” Sean watched the two women exchange surprised looks. “I will intervene if I think you go too far, but for now, we’ll do it this way, as I’m still trying to come to terms with this world.”

  “Just as she said would happen, back in Holden,” Ryann mused. “It’s not unheard of for those with a lot of Bonded under them, but I wasn’t sure if it would happen with just us three.”

  A knock on the door cut off the conversation. Myna answered it, allowing Tabitha and a younger girl carrying a second tray into the room. Once they had the food arranged on the table, the two servants left the room.

  Sean looked at the assortment of fresh bread, honey, preserves, and butter, accompanied with cheeses and some sliced fruit. A pitcher of juice and a kettle of tea also came with their breakfast. After loading up a plate for himself, Sean poured some juice. Fiona, busy fixing her plate, declined Sean’s offer of juice, but Ryann took some. Myna poured tea for Fiona and herself.

  Once they all had food and were eating, Sean began to think about what they would need to do for the day. First, we need to see about the building. If that goes well, make a deal with Sam. At the very least, get a year long lease. After that, we’ll go see Joseph… see about getting some metal stock from him, and maybe learning some actual smithing. I think knowing the process would be helpful besides just for Shaping. Visit the other four smiths after that and see about deals for some of their stock, as well. That should take most of the morning and afternoon... Fiona thinks I should call on the other Shapers, so they know I’m new and not seeking to take their customers. Pave the way for a smooth relationship… not sure it will work, but she knows more about this shit than I do.

  Sean blinked, surprised to see his plate and mug were empty. “Huh, guess I was lost in thought.”

  “You did appear to be,” Myna said, putting more bread and cheese on his plate and refilling his mug. “Have a little more, Master.”

  Sean chuckled. “Want me to be well cared for, hmm?”

  “Your health is of the utmost importance to us all,” Myna said. “The stronger you are, the stronger we all are.”

  “We have a bit of time before we need to meet up with Sam,” Ryann said. “I understand it’s not a pleasant subject, but I’d like to hear more about Darragh’s village and the massacre.”

  “That is a very sore subject, but if you’re with us for any length of time, it’s something you should know,” Sean sighed. “I’ve told you I’m an Outsider. The first place I found when I came to this world was a small village just starting out called Oakwood...”

  Sean told the story of his arrival in the village, Whelan’s betrayal, and their subsequent flight from the area. The pitcher and kettles were empty and all the food was gone by the time he finished. He had skipped over the part about bringing Myna back from the dead, instead only saying that she had been
gravely wounded.

  Ryann was pale when the story ended. “You’re going to find these people and challenge them someday?”

  “Vengeance shall be ours,” Sean replied, getting agreement from both Fiona and Myna.

  “If I’m still in your employ, Sean, I would call it an honor to help you,” Ryann said. “It strikes a chord close to how my father was taken from me by the machinations of another.”

  “We’ll welcome your aid when the time comes,” Myna said. “We’ll be far stronger with you, Ryann.”

  Blinking back tears, Ryann’s lips turned up at the corners. “Thank you, Myna. Coming from you, that’s a compliment. Are we going to continue with me learning blades, once we have a home?”