“It will be, in time,” Fiona said. “It isn’t as old as Holden, and doesn’t serve as a hub for multiple villages, at least not yet.”
“That makes sense,” Sean said. “How goes the stitching?”
“I’ve stabbed myself a dozen times,” Fiona said with a sigh. “Luckily, your healing makes the pain fade quickly.”
That reminded Sean of something he had been meaning to talk to Myna about. “Myna, about the guards we killed,” Sean paused for a moment, then pushed on, “how did the one gut you? I know you’re a damned good fighter.”
“I let him, trusting in your healing Talent to make sure I survived,” Myna said, keeping her eyes on her work. “It hurt much more than I expected, but it worked.”
“Only because the other one left you for dead,” Fiona pointed out.
“That is a fair point,” Myna agreed. “I was hoping to turn on the other one, but the pain crippled me.”
“No more doing that unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Sean said firmly.
“As you command,” Myna said softly. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“I was pissed when I saw you down,” Sean said, the anger he had felt creeping into his voice slightly. “The Life Bond is already influencing me.”
“All of us,” Fiona added. “You offered to fight a whole village just so Myna could eat dinner in the common room. A little over a tenday ago, I would have been jealous of that, but now I’m happy that you would do that for her.”
“I was jealous of Fiona when we fled Oakwood, but I haven’t felt any jealousy since you Life Bonded with her,” Myna added.
“I take it this is all going much faster than anything you’ve heard about before?” Sean asked.
“Yes. There is no Bond I’ve ever heard of that has advanced this quickly,” Myna replied.
“The same for me,” Fiona agreed. “The fastest I’ve ever heard of took a year, for a lesser noble and the merchant’s daughter he married and Bonded. They were seen as anomalies, both for the strength of their love and for how quickly their Bond grew.”
Sean considered what Fiona was saying. It can’t just be the emotional connection, Sean thought. Maybe it has to do with the strength of the soul as well. Everything says a noble is powerful, and from what I’ve gathered, a noble who was truly in love would be rare indeed.
Fiona patted Sean’s arm, pulling him from his thoughts, and asked Sean to stop the wagon. “That fallen tree, Sean. Stop please so we can break it down and get it loaded. That will give us the materials for crafting items.”
Pulling the reins back gently, Sean slowed the wagon to a stop. “You two got it?” Sean asked as they both hopped out of the back.
“Yes,” Myna said. “Be right back.”
Chapter Twenty-one
The cloud cover above them darkened after lunch. “Sean, we might want to see about stopping soon,” Myna said with a somewhat worried glance at the clouds.
Fiona was Shaping a plate, and paused to look up as well. “We still have that canvas, maybe we should make a covered wagon.”
As if on cue, snow started to fall. Thick, fat, wet flakes melted on contact, leaving behind a sheen of moisture. Sean got into the back of the wagon to help Fiona. The two of them used logs they’d Shaped from the fallen tree earlier to make support ribs. Once they had them in place, Sean got the canvas draped over the top as Fiona Shaped clamps into the ribs to hold the canvas in place.
By the time they had finished with the covering, they were all soaked by the melting snow. “Can we get the important stuff dry?” Sean asked.
“Yes, I'll take care of it,” Fiona said, pulling some extra cloth from one of the bags in the back. “Myna, if there’s any place with some cover, we might want to stop.”
“I’m already looking,” Myna replied. “Short of going into the woods and Shaping an overhang, I doubt there’s going to be any, and the wagon wouldn’t make it into the woods. Can one of you hand me the rain cover we got in Pinebough?”
Sean handed the oiled leather coat to Myna. “If you want to change with one of us, just let us know.”
“I will,” Myna said, giving him a smile. “Can you take the reins for a moment so I can get into this?”
Once she had the overly large leather coat on, she took the reins back. “I’ll keep an eye out for a place to stop, but I think it will end up being the normal camping spot.”
“If it is, then it is,” Sean said as he went to help Fiona dry off the things they were carrying.
By the time they reached the turn out to camp for the night, the snow had slowed, but not stopped, and it had gotten colder. Sean had taken over driving the wagon from Myna when he heard her teeth chattering. She and Fiona were in the back snuggled together for warmth while he guided the wagon off the road.
“I’ll set the tent up and go get some wood, if you two can take care of the horses,” Sean said as he applied the brake on the wagon.
“We’ll take care of them,” Fiona told him as she stood up.
“Are you going to start with the tent?” Myna asked.
“Yeah, is that an issue?”
“No, but before you run off for the wood, fill the kettle with hot water so we can have something hot to drink when we finish, please.”
“Ahh, good point. I’ll make sure to do that,” Sean said, giving Fiona a quick kiss and Myna a head rub before he grabbed the tent. “I’ll try to make it quick, so you have a dry place to retreat to.”
“Thank you,” Fiona smiled. “Don’t get drenched.”
“I’ll try,” Sean said as he got out of the wagon.
The camping area had branches from the nearby trees overhanging it, but not nearly enough to shield them from the heavy snowfall. Opening up the bundle that was the tent, Sean found it not too dissimilar from what he expected from his time with the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Laying out the canvas, he found the reinforcements for the door and staked them with the wood stakes that the tent came with. Using the larger stakes, he then proceeded to get the corners set and squared to each other. Sliding the ridgepole under the canvas, Sean got the two vertical poles in place and began walking them up, alternating as he went. Once he had them in place, he fastened the interior straps over the ridgepole to help make sure it was set. He checked to make sure everything was good, and put the wall poles into place.
Outside the tent, Fiona and Myna were brushing down the horses, both of them quite wet. Sean filled the kettle with hot water, adding some leaves to it before setting it down just inside the tent, then headed into the woods for firewood.
By the time he got back with a load of branches, both horses were hobbled with blankets draped over them under the closest trees. He cleaned out the fire pit as best he could and quickly built a fire. It took a few minutes to get the kindling to catch with the constant snowfall, but he managed it.
The pot wasn’t in the wagon when he looked for it. Trudging back to the tent, he stuck his head in just as Fiona and Myna were changing into dry clothes. Mouth going dry, he stared for a moment, until they both turned to stare back at him. “Umm… I was looking for the pot,” Sean managed after a second.
Fiona pointed just to his right. “It’s right there. Are you starting dinner, or are you going to stand there for a bit?”
Blinking and blushing, he grabbed the pot and closed the flap. “Dinner,” he coughed as he headed back to the fire.
The pot already had vegetables, meat, and herbs in it, so all he needed to do was add hot water and hang it over the fire to come to a boil. Shoving the image of both attractive women from his mind, he sang the song to summon hot water to fill the pot up, then placed it over the fire. Sean sighed as he sat on the log near the fire pit.
Myna called out from the tent, “Sean, we have everything else inside. Once the soup is ready, bring it on in. Just take your boots off inside the door so we don’t have mud all over the tent.”
“Got it,” Sean said.
It did
n’t take long for the soup to boil, and the meat was already cooked. Once it was done, he pulled it off the fire and walked back to the tent, wondering if Fiona and Myna were dressed.
They were both ready and waiting for him. Fiona took the pot from him while Myna attacked the laces on his boots. “Err…”
“We have it,” Fiona giggled as she started dishing the steaming soup into bowls.
“Left foot,” Myna said, holding his boot.
Sean frowned at her, but lifted his foot. “I can take off my own boots.”
“Yes,” Myna said simply as she held his other boot, “but there is no reason to. Right foot.”
Stepping out of the right boot, Sean sighed and stripped off his raincoat, setting it next to the door. “The coat works fairly well.”
“It should,” Myna said as she got to her feet. “We have a cup of tea waiting to help warm you.”
Sean paused. “I’m not cold. That’s odd, I should be.”
“Might be because your body is far outside of the norm,” Fiona suggested.
“True, but if I don’t feel heat or cold from the weather but I do for things like a bath, it seems excessively odd.”
“He has a point,” Myna nodded. “Maybe you’re able to ignore unpleasant things?”
“Good point,” Fiona nodded. “I’m glad he doesn’t ignore the pleasant things.”
Facepalming, Sean took a seat. “Really, Fiona?”
Fiona gave him a smile that broadened when she saw his red cheeks. “It's not like she isn’t going to know, Sean.”
He had to look away when he realized he didn’t want to refute her. “Maybe, but it’s not going to be tonight.”
Myna’s eyes glittered. “But it might be soon?”
Sean looked at the soup. “I could use some food.”
The women exchanged a look at his tactless attempt at changing the topic. Fiona handed him a bowl. “I see. Did you want to share some wine with us, or would you rather have tea?”
Seeing that the amphora had already been opened, Sean shrugged. “Since you’ve opened it, I’ll try the wine.”
The soup was chicken and vegetables, while the wine was a deep red. They didn’t exactly complement each other, but they were both good. The tent was silent as they ate, the only sound that of the slowly strengthening wind.
Fiona was the first to finish, and asked him to fill the cleaning pot with water so she could do the dishes. Sean paused to do as she’d asked, then went back to his food. Myna finished hers next and picked up a chunk of wood that they’d brought inside the tent, beginning to Shape it with her hands. Sean watched her as he ate, seeing the concentration creasing her brow as she slowly molded the wood to her will.
Fiona refilled his cup with wine and took his bowl when he’d finished. Seems like I’m going to end up a drinker, he snorted internally. Should be way safer than drinking untreated water, though the water I summon seems to be fine.
“Did you wish to do anything before bed, Sean?” Fiona asked, refilling her own and Myna’s cups as well.
“I could craft something for us to sell at Holden,” Sean said.
“True,” Fiona nodded as she handed him a double handful of copper coins. “Why don’t you make something with these?”
Looking at the discs of metal, Sean wondered what he could make that they might be able to sell. After sitting there for a while and staring at the coins thoughtfully, Sean finally nodded his head and poured his energy into his hands as he began to Shape the metal. Determined to get more used to Shaping without needing to guide the material with his fingers, he willed it into the shape he desired. He could tell that it took more energy to Shape that way, but it was a mere thread being pulled from him, not the torrent it had taken to bring Myna back from the dead.
Once the metal had taken the form he envisioned, Sean smiled and held it out to Fiona. “What do you think?”
“A hair clip?” Fiona asked, taking it to examine. The clasp popped and the back swung open, startling Fiona. “I haven’t seen this type of clasp before. How does it work for hair?”
Sean scooted over to her and gathered her hair. Taking the clasp with his other hand, he clipped it to her hair. “Like that.”
Her hands went to the back of her head, fingers dancing over the hair clip. “Ah, I see. The hair gets held between those bands.” She pushed the clasp and pulled it from her hair. “This will fetch a good price, once demonstrated, and if we sell it to the right person.”
“Hopefully it’ll be worth at least the cost of the coins,” Sean shrugged.
“We can get jewelry grade metal,” Myna suggested. “It’s less pure than coins, and we’d have to find a person willing to sell it to us.”
“That isn’t likely, as most jewelers make sure to keep their supplies close to them,” Fiona added.
“If nothing else, we can use coins if the return is enough,” Sean said.
“Could you do this with wood?” Fiona asked suddenly.
“Not entirely, but I can probably make most of it from wood with a single coin to make sure the clasps work correctly. It might take two coins, but no more than that.”
“I think we have something we can sell, then,” Fiona said with a broad smile as she fastened the hair clip into Myna’s shorter hair. “That looks good on you.”
Myna touched her hair where the clip sat between her ears. “I’ll wear it for a bit, then.”
Sean made another clip, this one from wood and two copper coins instead of the dozen he’d made the first one with. By the time he finished it, both women were yawning.
“We should get some sleep,” Sean said. “I’ll take first—”
“We should all sleep. The horses will warn us if anything comes close,” Fiona said, taking his hand. “Come to bed.”
Puzzled, he slipped into the blankets she led him to. No sooner was he settled than Myna and Fiona cuddled close on either side of him. “Ladies?”
“Shhh,” Fiona said softly, kissing his cheek.
“So warm,” Myna purred, snuggling closer to him.
Giving up the fight, Sean let his arms drape over each of them. “Goodnight then, Fiona, Myna.”
“Goodnight, Sean,” the women said in near unison.
Eyes closing, Sean wondered if maybe he should just stop fighting their insistence that the relationship include them all. Taking a deep breath, he smiled. You’d shit yourself if you could see me now, James. With that last thought, sleep rose up and claimed him.
Chapter Twenty-two
Movement from his left woke Sean from a sound sleep. Fiona was turned away from him, shaking and muttering in her sleep. Sean frowned; she hadn’t had nightmares since the night at Oaklake. Carefully pulling his arm from around Myna, he shifted slowly, trying not to wake either. He’d just gotten his arms around Fiona when she jerked in his arms.
“Die!” Fiona hissed as she tried to spin on Sean.
Tightening his grip, Sean began talking, “Calm down, Fiona. You’re with Myna and me.”
“Bastard! You raped me! I don’t care what it costs—you’ll die for this!” Fiona screamed at him as she struggled to get free.
“Fiona, calm down,” Sean said gently, holding her firmly but with care.
Myna leaned over Sean’s shoulder. “Fiona?”
“Night terror,” Sean told her.
With one last jerk, Fiona stopped fighting him. “Sean?”
“There you are,” Sean said, releasing his grip just enough for her to turn. “Are you okay now?”
“I had the nightmare again,” Fiona sniffled.
“Yes, but we’re here for you,” Sean said soothingly.
Myna shifted around to the other side, her eyes worried. “Can I help?”
Fiona sniffled, “Just an old issue that’s been cropping up.”
“Hold her and tell her you care, Myna,” Sean said as he kissed Fiona’s head.
“I do care,” Myna said, staring into Fiona’s eyes. “I care more than I ever thought
I would, Fiona.” Leaning forward, Myna placed a light kiss on Fiona’s forehead. “Your pain is my pain, and Sean’s. We both care too much to let you suffer alone.”
A sob escaped Fiona. “I killed him. I knew it would cost me, but I didn’t care. I killed him.”
“He deserved so much more,” Sean said firmly, still holding her.
“You aren’t a casual killer, Fiona,” Myna said gently, putting her arms around the trembling woman. “If you killed him and Sean says he deserved it, then it is true.”
Life Bonds Page 17
