Sean blinked, not expecting the question so soon after she had Bonded for a year. “Huh?”
“Never mind,” Ryann said, standing up. “Fiona, if you would like to take your seat again?”
When the women had exchanged spots, Sean was still scratching his head over Ryann’s question. Sean leaned in to whisper to Fiona, “Has she seemed a little off to you today?”
“Not at all,” Fiona smiled. “You were going to tell us another story of your world, right? Would you do that now?”
Sean thought for a moment, then launched into a story about a Fourth of July gone wrong. He had to pause almost immediately to explain fireworks, as this world didn't have gunpowder, which Sean filed away for later. Once they got the basic idea of fancy colored explosions in the sky, he launched into the actual story. James had been a little too lax in making sure that a mortar tube was secure, and it fell over. The shell shot off into the pile of other fireworks, setting them off in a chain reaction. Sean and James had had to run for safety as the pile of fireworks started exploding behind them, flying around in all directions.
They were all laughing as he finished the story, the image of Sean and his friend running in sheer panic clear in their minds. Myna wiped a tear from her eye, then spoke up, “Master, I see the walls of Merits ahead.”
“We’ll stop for the night, then head out in the morning,” Sean told her.
“I’ll restock the travel food and feed for the horses,” Fiona said.
“We’re not selling anything here or the next stop, so it's just a stop over,” Sean reiterated.
“Are you going to pick a fight again?” Fiona asked with a straight face.
Rolling his eyes, Sean sighed, “No. I would like to at least once get through one of these places without anyone trying to hit me.”
Chapter Thirty-six
The guard posted outside the wooden gate just waved them past. Myna drove the wagon to the main square, where the inn sat. Sean was confused. The village was almost as large as Holden, but not as well built or maintained.
Myna guided the wagon into the stable yard and set the brake as the stable master came toward them. The sour-looking woman stared at Myna with twisted lips. “How long you staying?”
“Just today,” Sean replied as he got out of the wagon. “We’ll stay the night and leave on the morrow. I was wondering if you have a farrier in employ?”
“I can handle whatever it is you need,” the well-muscled stable master told him. “Both horses?”
“Yes,” Sean said. “What is the cost for everything?”
“Twenty copper.”
Pulling out two large coppers, Sean handed them over. “Thank you.”
The sour expression twisted into a semblance of smile. “Always happy to help the animals.”
He glanced back to see that Fiona, Myna, and Ryann had all gotten out of the wagon and were waiting for him. “Follow me.”
There were a few older men playing dice at a window table in the inn’s common room. Giving them a small nod as they looked his way, Sean headed for the rotund, balding man behind the bar. “Two rooms for the night, preferably one of them with a large bed,” Sean said.
Eyeing the women behind Sean, the innkeeper’s lips twitched. “I can give you the best we have, and it includes a servant’s room attached to it. It will run you a bronze.”
Sean snorted and dropped a single bronze coin onto the bar, then covering it with his hand. “I trust that covers all of our needs while we are here?”
“Outside you wanting someone to warm your bed,” the innkeeper nodded.
“Then we have a deal,” Sean said, taking his hand off the coin.
The innkeeper rang a small chime behind him, and a younger woman who looked a lot like the stable master came out of the kitchen. “Andrea, take them to the merchant room.”
Dropping a small curtsy, the woman started toward the stairs. “If you will follow me, sir.”
They trailed the maid to the room, which was on the third floor. Opening the door, she led them into the rooms. The front room was a sitting room, outfitted with several chairs, a table, and a desk. Two doors led off from the room. “The left door is the master room, sir. The right door leads to two rooms for the servants; one of them with a single bed, and the other with multiple beds.”
Ryann went and checked all of the rooms. “Everything is clear, Sean,” she reported when she returned.
“Can we have a pot of tea brought up, along with four cups?” Sean asked the maid, who was standing waiting at the door.
“Right away, sir,” the woman said, leaving.
“We’ll discuss plans once the tea arrives,” Sean told them. “Go ahead and drop off your stuff where you’re sleeping.”
Ryann went to the right, while the other two went toward his room. The maid returned shortly, setting the tea on the table. She curtsied, and left the room. Myna poured them all tea as everyone took a seat.
“Fiona, what are we looking at needing?” Sean asked before he sipped at the black tea.
“I’ll need to arrange feed for the horses and food for us… we’ll need three days’ worth, to replace what we used. As we’re not selling anything besides maybe a saddle to the stable master, it shouldn’t take long,” Fiona replied between sips.
“I can go with her,” Myna said, “I think Ryann would rather stay with you than go with Fiona to the shops.”
“Ryann?” Sean asked.
“Myna is correct, but if you’ll stay in the room, I’ll accompany Fiona,” Ryann replied.
Sean thought about being stuck in an inn room and wasn’t enthused about the prospect. Glancing at Myna, he smiled. “I’ll stay in the room, Ryann. Myna can stay with me.”
“We should make this quick, then,” Fiona said, setting aside her half empty cup. “It shouldn’t take more than an hour.”
Ryann got to her feet and drained her cup. “We’ll be back as quickly as we can.”
As the two women left the room, Sean realized that Ryann was starting to look healthier. “She’s starting to look less like a skeleton,” Sean murmured without thinking.
“Ryann?” Myna half-questioned. “Yes, she is starting to look much healthier. She has been a good addition to our group.”
“She seems to be fitting in well. The last few days, her and Fiona have been friendlier with each other.”
“They have come to terms,” Myna replied. “Master, would you be willing to try something? I don’t have the reservoir for an idea I had.”
“Sounds interesting, what did you have in mind?”
“Can you shift one of your eyes to Mage Sight while keeping the other normal?”
Lips pursing, Sean frowned. “That would let me see with both at once, if it works.”
Closing one eye, Sean shifted it to Mage Sight. It took him a minute to get it to work, as his open eye kept wanting to shift, too. Finally getting it, he opened his other eye. He found the world layered, with Mage Sight a faint background to his normal vision. His clarity was drowned out by the colors of Mage Sight, but he could see both.
“It works,” Sean said, his brow furrowing. “The downside is a loss of details, and I’m getting a headache.” He dismissed Mage Sight and the headache quickly faded. “I think my brain was having a hard time trying to process them both at the same time. It might get easier to do if I keep trying it.”
“I wish I could try it,” Myna frowned.
Sean blinked, then got up and went to the bedroom. Returning a minute later, he handed Myna the monocle he had made what seemed like a lifetime ago. “Try that, just give it some energy.”
Myna took the silver monocle slowly, slipping it over an eye. With an expression of concentration, Myna focused on it. She gasped loudly. “It works… ow,” she quickly removed the monocle, then shifted sideways. Rubbing her head, she held the monocle out to Sean. “I see what you meant by the headache.”
Sean returned the monocle to Fiona’s bag. “I made the monocle for Fion
a. Just talk to her if you want to use it again.”
“You made that… Why am I not surprised?” Myna giggled.
“I don’t know,” Sean chuckled. “You haven’t told me much about yourself, Myna. Will you tell me a happy story from your youth?”
Myna poured them more tea, then shifted over to sit beside him. “I like it when you take an interest in me, Master. I will tell you a story of my grandfather. He was an Outsider, like you.”
Putting his arm around her waist, Sean made sure their chairs were touching. “Tell me more, dear kitty.”
Myna told him the story of a man who had served as an officer during the Second World War. Her grandfather was on a small island when, while fleeing Americans, he encountered a Kitsune. Accepting an offer from the Kitsune, the officer found himself in a forest, with just his sword and uniform. Myna’s retelling included insights that her grandfather later told her about. Myna drew the story to a close just as her grandfather met the Feline Moonbound that lived in the woods.
“That was the start of his and my grandmother’s long life together,” Myna said just as the door opened.
“We’re back, Master,” Fiona said, coming into the room.
“Welcome back, ladies. Did everything go well?”
“Indeed,” Ryann replied, “no one gave us any issues.”
“I think dinner should be in an hour or two,” Fiona said after a moment. “Maybe we should see about bathing early.”
“I’ll grab my clothing,” Ryann said, heading for the servant’s room.
Myna was already moving toward the bedroom. “I’ll get clothing for us.”
Sean eyed Fiona with a raised brow. “Why do I feel like you have a sneaky plan in mind?”
Fiona gave him a brilliant smile. “Because you love me.”
Chuckling, Sean got to his feet. “Not the answer I was expecting.”
“But it was the truth,” Fiona said simply as she went to hug him. “Besides, you know I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“You can’t,” Sean said softly, “my poor, Bonded, pointy-eared lover.”
“You like the name Myna uses for me, hmm?”
“I’ll use it now and then,” Sean told her.
“I’m ready,” Ryann said, her voice catching oddly for just a second.
“I have our things,” Myna added.
Sean released Fiona. “Well then, ladies, let us go clean the stink of the road from ourselves.”
Sean was the first through the bathing room door, with the women trailing behind him. Sean summoned hot water for the washing buckets, then stripped down to wash his clothing.
Clothes in hand, he turned around to see that all three women were already washing their things. Eyes roving over them, Sean took a calming breath. He pulled his eyes from Ryann’s posterior as he dropped his clothing into the washing tub. As he cleaned them, he kept his head down and his eyes on what he was doing. He was so focused on his clothing that he failed to notice the exchange of glances by the women.
A sharp curse from Ryann brought his attention up, giving him a very clear view of her charms as she bent over to look at her foot. Eyes wide and cheeks heating, Sean looked quickly back at the tub. “You okay?”
“Stubbed my toe, I’ll be fine,” Ryann said, taking a limping step away from the wash tub after gathering her clothes from the ground.
“Good,” Sean breathed as she walked away.
Stop it, moron. You already have two women, what the fuck is wrong with you? Ever since you let them talk you into the notion that you could have both of them, you’ve been looking at Ryann. He shook that train of thought out of his head.
He hung his clothes on the drying line beside the others, and set about partially filling four tubs with boiling water. Once that was done, he went to shower. Fiona, Myna, and Ryann were all just finishing theirs.
“Thank you, Master,” Myna said as she stood up, dripping water.
Sean nodded, his eyes following a drop from her collarbone down to her navel. “No problem,” he coughed, trying not to notice that he was saluting her.
“Yes, thank you,” Fiona added, her eyes trailing down his body before meeting his. “You still need to wash.”
“Yeah,” Sean said, stepping around Myna and Fiona. The women went to the pumps, filling buckets with cold water for their tubs.
He arrived at the washing benches just in time to watch Ryann shake her blonde hair from side to side, sending water spraying out and making her chest bounce enticingly. Gritting his teeth, Sean deliberately looked away from her as he took a seat next to the unused bucket of warm water.
Sean took his time, making sure he was clean, and was the last one into a tub. Sighing as the hot water engulfed him, Sean felt a sense of peace fill him. Baths had always made him feel like everything was going to be alright with the world.
A long while later, Sean finally sat up in the tub as the water cooled. Fiona, Myna, and Ryann were all dressed and ready to leave. “Sorry ladies, give me a minute.” Sean pulled the plug and got out of his tub.
Myna offered him a towel. “A towel for you, Master.”
Sean gave her a quick kiss. “Thank you, Myna.”
She purred as she walked away from him, going back to join the others. Quickly drying off, Sean hung up the towel and discovered his clothing had been taken down. Across the room, Fiona held his new clothing out to him.
Crossing over to them, Sean became aware of Ryann appraising him, which made his steps falter for a moment. He took his clothes from Fiona and quickly got dressed. Turning around once he was ready, he found all three women standing by the door, again waiting for him.
He shook his head and followed them back up to their room so they could drop off their cleaned clothing. “Everyone ready for dinner?” Sean asked to make sure.
Ryann nodded and her stomach growled. “Yes please, Sean.”
The others all wore small smiles when Ryann’s stomach growled. “Double portions for everyone again,” Sean chuckled as he led them downstairs. “I wonder what they have for food tonight?”
Chapter Thirty-seven
The common room was only half full, which Sean thought odd until a bout of raucous laughter erupted from a large table. Eight men were drinking heavily and eating haunches of meat as if they were in Valhalla. Sean felt his lips curl in distaste, and he guided the women to a table as far from the group as they could get.
“Oh, look at that toff. He’s got three women and here we are with none. That doesn’t seem fair, now does it boys?” one of them said, earning agreement from the others.
Sean did his best to ignore the comment, even as Fiona gave him a warning look. “Leave it alone, Master,” she said softly so only those at the table could hear her.
“What can I get you four?” the same maid from earlier asked them.
“What do you have for dinner?” Sean inquired.
“We ran out of haunches, so all we have now is the fowl stew,” the maid replied as the eight men begin to bang their cups to the table and chant for more drinks.
“Four stews and wine for all of us,” Sean told her, his eye twitching at the incessant banging.
“I’ll bring them right over,” the maid said, hurrying back to the bar where the innkeeper was pouring off eight mugs of ale.
“Sean,” Ryann spoke up, “I think I’ve seen those men before. I believe they did business with Oriv.”
“Ah, so they’re likely bandits and thugs,” Sean nodded.
“You’re not going to do anything, are you?” Fiona asked him.
“I just want a nice, quiet evening,” Sean told her.
“About time, wench,” one of the men said, followed by a firm slap and a yelp from the barmaid. “How about you stay here and keep us company, eh? We’ll make it worth your time.”
“Sirs, my daughter is not an offering here,” the innkeeper said loudly, but his voice trembled.
“Why don’t we leave that decision to her?” one of the men
laughed. “Come on, cutie. You want to make some coin tonight, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. Let me go,” the woman said, the sounds of her struggling coming from behind Sean.
Both Ryann and Fiona frowned at the table, and Sean felt his hands clench. “Fiona, I’m sorry,” Sean said.
Fiona looked unhappy, but nodded grimly. “I support you in this.”
Getting to his feet, Sean turned to see the maid being held and groped by a couple of the men, and his nostrils flared. “Hey, assholes. Is the only way you can get any to force yourselves on the unwilling?”
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