Life Bonds

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Agitated, she stood and began to pace, her eyes focused on the past, her stride that of a predator. “We were led into the woods by Helmbraid and told to stay in our starting places until we heard the bell. I’m not sure they did, and they were working as a team, something else that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  “I found out from the first two that came close to me that Zachary had made a deal with a lower noble to gain access to one of the Talents of my bloodline, Feline Moonbound Camouflage. I don’t know what he gave in return. I took the first two before they knew I was there, crippling both and setting the stones on them to mark them as out.”

  Sean finished his tea in silence, watching her get more agitated as she recalled the memories. He considered stepping in, but again followed his instinct and stayed quiet.

  “I found them in twos and threes over the next few hours and dealt with all of them—all but Zachary, who I found no sign of. I was hurting by the time I’d found everyone else, and that was when he made his move. He came at me from above, something he’d never attempted before. He got the tendon in my left arm, leaving that arm useless. He should have activated a marking stone then, as I was eliminated, but instead he sneered at me. Taunted me, and told me how he was going to teach a feral animal what her place in life should be.”

  Her breath came faster as she reached the climax of her story. “I pulled out a marking stone, but he came at me. I threw it at him instead, so I could pull my blade back out. The battle was bad—my left arm was useless, and he was trying to kill me. He cut me numerous times, and I only managed a few in return. Without my second blade, he had me outclassed. When I went down, he came for me slowly, clearly thinking he’d taken my other arm out when I dropped my sword. He put his own sword away and drew his dagger, kneeling next to me with a sadistic smile. He started telling me about how he would cry about the ‘accident’ when Helmbraid came for us. He was so intent on tormenting me that he missed me pulling my food knife from my belt. As he brought the dagger closer, I slammed my knife into his chest. I missed his heart, barely, hitting his lung instead. He fell back and stared at me, then dug a marker stone from his belt. He activated it and tried to toss it at me, but I rolled away. My hand came down on the stone I had thrown at him. I activated it and tossed it at him. He swatted at it, and it stuck to his hand.”

  Her pacing came to a sudden stop. “Helmbraid showed up then with one of the healers. They took care of Zachary first, as his injury was life-threatening. Once he was stable, the healer put him to sleep and they healed me. I was declared the winner of that event, but there were already rumors spreading that I had cheated somehow. I wasn’t approached with an offer by any of the lesser nobles afterward, so I went home. Shortly after I got back, mother sent me to Darragh. You’ve heard most of that story already.”

  Sean got up and went to her. Putting his arms around her, he held her close. “I think you’re a better person than me. I would have gutted the fucker.”

  Myna leaned into the hug. “I wanted to, but that would have been bad. He had made a deal with a noble, and that noble would have demanded something from me for killing Zachary.”

  “Those two years taught me what my life would be like, unless someone of strength and standing would lower themselves so far as to want me,” Myna said. “Do you now understand some of why I feel what I do for you?”

  Sean stroked her ears slowly, “I’m starting to understand more, Myna. Fiona is right in her way, I do care for you. If she’s right, that means in time I’ll end up loving you as much as I do her. It's just going to take me a little time to accept that.”

  “I will wait, Sean,” Myna murmured into his chest. “I shall be with you until the end.”

  He held her, wanting to make her feel better. It felt right to him. Sean wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the knock at the door separated them. Myna smoothed her clothing as she went to answer it, and Sean took his seat.

  Fiona entered the room carrying a tray. “I have brought your dinner, Master.”

  Sean smiled at her. “How did the work with Johnson go?”

  “I fixed four of their boats better than new,” Fiona said. Another knock announced the maid.

  “Bring that in here,” Sean said when Myna opened the door, not giving them a chance to leave.

  “As you say, sir,” the maid said as she hesitantly entered.

  Myna took the tray from her. “I’ll take it from here.”

  “Thank you,” the maid said softly, thinking Sean wouldn’t hear her, and left as quickly as she dared.

  When the door closed, Sean sighed and frowned, “I’ll be glad when I’m not a noble anymore.”

  “You’ll always be noble to us,” Fiona said with a smile.

  Sean shook his head, then looked to the food Fiona was laying out for him. A green salad tossed with a vinegar dressing, a filet of some white fish seared with herbs, and a bottle of white wine.

  “I’ll be glad to have meat again,” Sean said.

  “I will as well,” Fiona said, her eyes twinkling.

  “I shall look forward to it,” Myna added. The light dusting of pink on her cheeks gave away the double entendre.

  “We set to leave tomorrow?” Sean asked between bites. He was rather surprised at the meal. The fish had a pleasantly sweet flavor that was enhanced by the savory herbs it had been cooked with. The wine was well paired, and helped accentuate the sweet flavor. The salad was fresh field greens, dressed with a light balsamic vinegar that neither hindered, nor helped, the meal.

  Fiona and Myna had the same meal, though their portions were smaller. They also had green tea instead of wine. Sean frowned at their plates. “Have they given you both smaller meals this entire time?”

  “It is more that you’ve gotten bigger meals,” Fiona corrected him.

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense,” Sean said as he thought about the size of the meals he’d been served here compared to what he’d seen at Oakwood.

  “I have assurances from the stable that the wagon and horses will be ready at daybreak, and the shops have promised to have our goods ready an hour after sunup. We can leave once we’ve picked up the supplies,” Fiona told him.

  “Is there anything I should know?” Sean asked.

  “You should wait here until we come back for you,” Myna said. “We’ll have food before we head out, so once we pull up to the inn with the wagon, we can leave.”

  “Sounds like we have a plan,” Sean said. “To the open road tomorrow?” He held out his glass to them.

  The women tapped their glasses lightly to his, then spoke in unison, “As you wish, Master.”

  Sean winced and they both giggled at him. “You set that up?” he asked, surprised.

  Fiona nodded. “Yes.”

  Myna smiled at him. “You need to accept that word from us. Once we leave here, it will become commonplace.”

  Sighing, Sean nodded. “I understand. I just don’t like it. Now stop being brats.”

  “As you wish, Master,” the women giggled again.

  Shaking his head, Sean felt a warmth in his chest and could only smile at them. They finished the meal in high spirits, ready for the next day and the freedom that awaited them.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Fiona separating herself from him woke Sean. “Hmm?”

  “I’m going to see about getting things ready,” Fiona whispered. “Go back to sleep until you’re ready to wake.”

  Snagging her arm, Sean pulled her back for a kiss before curling back up. “See you soon,” he mumbled sleepily.

  A light kiss on his lips woke him again. “Time?”

  “I just wanted to say good morning before leaving with Fiona to get our things ready,” Myna whispered, stroking his hair. “Go back to sleep, Master.”

  “Silly kitty,” Sean mumbled as he fell back to sleep.

  “Did he call you a ‘silly kitty?’” Fiona asked as she shut the door.

  “Yes, but since it was him, I don’t mind at all,�
�� Myna replied.

  The sun coming through the window woke Sean from an erotic dream of Fiona and Myna covering him with soft kisses. “Morning wood,” Sean grumbled as he got out of bed and began to stretch, more to distract himself from how right the dream felt than for any other reason.

  Once he was calm, he used the basin to give himself a quick wipe down, then dressed and headed downstairs. The bartender was the only person in the common room, something Sean was grateful for.

  “Breakfast,” Sean said, taking a seat at the table closest to the window so he could keep an eye out for the wagon.

  “Right away, sir,” the bartender said and hurried into the back.

  A couple of minutes later, he brought out a heavily loaded platter. Sean blinked, surprised at what he saw. It wasn’t the simple soup and bread of yesterday, but a full breakfast of eggs, bread, meat, cheese, fruits, and a kettle of berry tea.

  “This is correct, isn’t it, sir? Your Bonded specifically said that this is what you wished for breakfast,” the bartender said quickly, seeing Sean’s surprise.

  “Yes. I was just surprised that everything seems to be in order,” Sean sniffed.

  “If you need anything else, I’ll be behind the bar, sir,” the bartender said, retreating from the table.

  Sean made a mental note to thank Fiona and Myna when he saw them next as he pulled his cutlery from the pouch at his waist. Digging into his meal, Sean was happy to find it was all cooked right. The meat was closer to ham than bacon, which was fine with him. He didn’t know what the soft white cheese was, but shrugged and ate it anyway. It was tasty, but unlike any other cheese he had eaten in his life.

  Not long after he finished eating, a wagon rolled up to the front of the inn. Myna jumped down from the driver’s bench as it came to a stop, leaving Fiona with the reins. Myna came into the inn as Sean was standing up from the table.

  “It will be just one more minute, Master,” Myna said with a quick curtsy as she headed for the stairs.

  “That’s fine, I’ll meet you outside,” Sean said as he headed for the privy.

  By the time he made it outside, Myna had retrieved the bags and gotten them situated in the wagon. Both ladies sat on the driver’s bench when he came out the front door. “Are we ready?”

  “We are, Master,” Fiona said with a smile.

  Myna quickly added, “Your place is ready for you in the back.”

  Sean went to the wagon and found that a section near the front had been partitioned off. There was a seat built into it, with cushions and blankets spread out. “Very good,” Sean nodded as he used the step next to the driver’s bench to boost himself up and into the back. “Let us leave.”

  “As you command,” Myna replied, lightly flicking the reins to get the horses moving.

  Sean watched the village as their wagon slowly made its way toward the gate. People were coming out of their houses to start the day, and they all paused to watch as the wagon went by. He caught brief snippets of voices.

  “Good riddance, bloody nobles…”

  “Be glad to see the back side of them…”

  “I never got to see if he was interested in…”

  The last line came from a plain, sturdily built redhead that met his gaze with a sad smile. Sean gave her a slight nod of his head, which caused her to go crimson.

  “He heard me?”

  Sean’s lips twisted into a smirk as he watched the woman start excitedly talking to her friend. She doesn’t even know anything about me, but was going to offer herself in some way. This world is just weird, Sean thought.

  Myna was forced to stop when they reached the gate. A lone guard blocked the way, visibly nervous but appearing resolute. “We’re leaving, why are you delaying us?” Myna asked.

  “Orders,” the guard said, his voice fearful. “Just following orders.”

  “What orders, and from whom?” Sean asked as he stood up in the back to see the guard.

  The guard, who was the same poor sod that had been the first to speak to them, seemed to huddle into himself. “The elder asked me to delay you until he could speak with you again.”

  “Move, or I’ll move you,” Sean said simply.

  “If I move…” the guard trailed off as Sean jumped out of the wagon. “Assaulting a guard is a crime…”

  Sean walked toward the guard slowly, and the man backed away and drew his sword. “If I assault you, you would be correct,” Sean said coldly.

  Myna snapped the reins and the wagon rolled through the gate. “However, it looks like we will be leaving now,” Myna remarked as she handed the reins to Fiona.

  Sean gave the guard a sharp grin. “Have a good day.” Turning, he headed for the back of the wagon.

  “Stop! Stop by order of the Pinebough Elder,” the guard said from behind them.

  Sean flipped him off and kept walking. “Not under his jurisdiction. Let him know it's in his best interest to forget about me.”

  “Stop?” the guard asked pathetically.

  “Sorry, junior,” Sean said, clearly unrepentant. He grabbed the tailgate and bounded into the back of the wagon. “I hope you don’t get too much shit.”

  The guard stood there, looking lost. “He’s going to be upset…”

  Sean shook his head as he took his seat, then spoke quietly so only Myna and Fiona heard. “Maybe we’re not quite done with this village yet after all?”

  “I doubt the elder will do anything,” Fiona said softly. “Without knowing who’s backing you, it would be a great risk for him. You did the right thing. Completely disregarding him points to having a high noble, or maybe even a Queen, behind you.”

  “Please tell me we have multiple options where to go from here, so we can maybe hide our trail?” Sean said after a minute.

  “This path comes to a fork. One side goes along the river. The other turns west and goes into the forest,” Myna replied. “Both take us to slightly larger villages.”

  “I’m thinking we should stay close to the woods, considering that we can all Shape plants,” Fiona suggested.

  “Does either path lead to a greater diversity of roads?” Sean asked.

  “Pinehaven has roads that go to some small towns,” Myna said, “while Riverrun goes to more villages, if I recall the map I saw correctly.”

  Sean gave Old man Johnson a nod as they went past his home. The older man looked up and waved as they rolled by. “Let’s follow the woods. Something about them feels right to me,” Sean said.

  “As you wish, Master,” Fiona said with a hint of laughter.

  “Drop it,” Sean sighed.

  “Understood, Sean,” Myna giggled.

  “Life is never going to be easy with you two, is it?” Sean asked them.

  “It will be as easy as you would like it to be,” Myna said. “But easy in one way will make it difficult in others. Life has no easy roads to walk.”

  “Even in this world, that is the same,” Sean said sadly.

  “Without difficulties, how can we grow?” Fiona asked.

  “Fair point,” Sean conceded. “Can one of you come back here and keep me company, or show me how to drive the wagon? I felt a little too isolated over the last couple of days.”

  “I’ll show you how to drive later,” Fiona said. “Myna, why don’t you break out the dice and play some with him?”

  “Okay,” Myna said as she came into the back with a smile.

  Sean kept his eyes open, but nobody came after them. Myna played the same game with him that he’d seen in Oaklake, and soundly trounced him repeatedly. Afterward, he took a turn up front with Fiona, and she showed him the basics of how to properly steer the wagon—not that it was hard to do when the horses were calm.

  They did pause for lunch, but that was more to give the horses a break. Their meal was simple, but Sean was pleased to learn that they did have something like a very sharp mustard to go with sandwiches.

  When they got moving again, Sean took the reins with Myna beside him while Fiona loung
ed in the back. After a couple of hours, Sean went into the back with Fiona.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Sean asked, as Fiona looked pensive.

  “Why would my thoughts cost a copper?” Fiona asked, puzzled, distracted from her reverie.

  “It’s a saying from my old world,” Sean said slowly, surprised that his comment hadn’t translated as well as he thought it would.