Hearthglen

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Silvertouch’s laughter died, and she gave him an appraising stare for a long moment. “That will keep you from meeting those who can afford such things.”

  “That is the hope,” Sean admitted. “I just want a simple life. Mixing with the upper classes doesn’t seem simple.”

  “There is truth to that,” Silvertouch admitted. “They’ll still come to you for gold or mithril.”

  “I’m planning on making Gertihs a deal,” Sean shrugged. “He’ll get the other precious metals.”

  “I see,” Silvertouch said, toying with her cup for a moment. “You want to make solid alliances, since Denmur and his ilk are likely to move against you.”

  “Only partially. The other part is that you treated Myna like a person, and that makes me want to thank you.”

  “You really do dote on her,” Silvertouch laughed lightly. “Fine, MacDougal, we have a deal if you reduce your cut down to fifteen percent, and quantify how much silver you want.”

  “As much as you think the deal is worth,” Sean countered.

  “Ah, that will be prohibitive,” Silvertouch sighed. “How about... one and a half ounces for every clip I sell, delivered every two tendays, along with your percentage?”

  “Deal,” Sean agreed, the weight of the Agreement settling over him. “I’ll let the guild know on my way home.”

  “Once I have confirmation, I shall send over the silver and let my supplier know that you wish to meet with them.”

  “Works.”

  “Indeed it does,” Watercaller said as he exited the bathing room with Stoneeyes. “The impurities were gone by the sixth rune, which is even better than I had hoped for. It will not add any extra strain to the reservoir.”

  “I can’t wait to tell Lord Sharpeyes,” Stoneeyes said. “If he’ll approve us to upgrade the older channels, it will free us up to do other things in less than a year.”

  “If we can get the pipes made,” Watercaller reminded her before looking a bit uncomfortable. “MacDougal, what did you do to the runes when you sank the pipes?”

  “Nothing, why?”

  “I can easily feel and charge the entire length of the pipe. Normally, we’d have to lift the broken rune out, fix it, then re-sink it.”

  “Maybe because they’re part of a whole and not separate?” Sean suggested.

  “Hmm. That’s an interesting thought,” Watercaller mused. “We’ll need to rest for a day or two, but we can do yours on Tenday at the latest.”

  “Ryann, give him the gold,” Sean said. Ryann did as he bade her and returned to his side. “There’s the payment, up front. Don’t rush, though. We all know we need to recover first.”

  “We’ll see you at the Oaken Glen,” Stoneeyes said tiredly. “It has been an experience working with you, MacDougal.”

  “Tonight,” Sean nodded as the two Shapers left.

  “It seems you will have allies of your own,” Silvertouch commented. “Like the barmaids, they seem to have become quite loyal to you over the last few days. I wonder if Carver will dare come back? He had that second drink spilled on him last night while making a comment about Moonbound.”

  Sean chuckled as he recalled Carver’s face. “Couldn’t happen to a more deserving asshole.”

  “Are you going to speak with Gertihs tonight?”

  “Yeah, once we leave here,” Sean said as he got to his feet with a deep exhale. “You can try out your new bath.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Silvertouch said. “Let me show you out.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Sean took his seat across from Gertihs, with Ida and Ryann on either side of him. “I didn’t expect you to come by, MacDougal. What can I do for you?”

  Sean had been impressed by the size of the building and at the number of people working in the workroom they had passed through. Gertihs’ family did more than just Shaping, from the brief view he had.

  “Business. Your brother wanted to be allowed the use of my hair clip patent when I registered it at the guild hall. Since I’ve gotten to know you and can trust you, if not your brother, I’d like to come to an Agreement.”

  Gertihs leaned back in his chair. “I see. This is completely unexpected.”

  There was a soft knock, then the door opened and a Moonbound entered the room, her two long ears curling under the door frame as she did. Sean’s eyebrow rose at the sight of a rabbit Moonbound in a fetching maid outfit. She was not a pureblood, as she had pale skin instead of fur.

  “Thank you, Roberta,” Gertihs said when the maid set the wine and glasses on the table. “As you can see, some in my family are as forward thinking as yourself.”

  Roberta poured the wine, then bowed and withdrew. Sean watched her go as he picked up the glass. “You must be tired of Carver’s snide comments as well, then.”

  “Indeed. The cooks at the Oaken Glen happen to be related to Roberta, and get along well with the rest of the staff there. That probably explains the ‘accidents’ that Carver keeps having.”

  “Huh,” Sean said, sipping at the wine. “This is very good.”

  “It’s a good vintage. We ship it down from Westpoint. Darkfoam just doesn’t make the best wines, though his ales and hard liquors are hard to beat outside of the Quaditals. But that’s well off the point. You came here for business.”

  “I’ll let you know that I’ve already struck a deal with Silvertouch,” Sean said. “She has my permission to make them out of silver. I deliberately kept it to that singular metal so we could talk.”

  “She could use the exposure,” Gertihs said. “She’s a wonderful Shaper and silversmith, though she doesn’t like to talk about that part. It’s sad, but she’s been pushed into the background by Denmur and others.”

  Sean thought he caught a faint wistfulness to Gertihs’ tone, but he let it be. “She’ll get a chance to shine soon. I need to stop by the guild hall and let them know about the Agreement. Since I was going to do that, it seemed like a good idea to see if you also wanted the rights to use the patent.”

  “My brother had been eager for it, but since you fell out with Denmur, he’s been trying to get me to distance myself from you.” Gertihs chuckled. “Oh, he will not know what to do with himself if we can come to an Agreement. What did you have in mind?”

  “Thirty percent of profits for each clip, and three ounces of metal dependent on clip sold to be delivered every two tendays. The deal will last for one full year, with the chance to extend if we both agree.”

  Gertihs almost spit his wine out, coughing roughly as he tried to catch his breath. “Goodness, no, that would beggar this family.”

  “It’s the opening offer. I’m willing to listen to the counter.”

  After a bit more coughing, Gertihs wiped at his eyes and mouth. “Damn near killed me with that. Ten percent, and one ounce of metal depending on the clip sold.”

  Sean grinned, “Twenty, and two ounces. I’ll also not sell any clips of gold or other precious metals, which will make you their only source, since Silvertouch will be the one who handles silver.”

  Gertihs pursed his lips. “If you would go to one ounce, I’ll go to fifteen percent.”

  “Agreed,” Sean said, tipping his wine glass in salute to the Dwarf across from him.

  “Agreed,” Gertihs smiled as the weight fell over him. “I’ll be pulling a copy of the patent tomorrow, if you’ve gotten it approved by the guild by then. Lady Sharpeyes has been asking around about the new hair clips. Why are you handing me this when you could use it to garner her attention yourself?”

  “I would rather not deal with her or anyone in her range,” Sean admitted. “Dame Mageeyes was enough for me.”

  “With all I’ve seen and heard of you so far, you might not get the chance to avoid their gazes forever.”

  “I’ll take avoiding them for as long as I can.”

  “You are an odd man, MacDougal. You openly admit that one of your wives is a Moonbound, and even bring her out with you. You make deals with smiths as
if they are the same as Shapers. And now, you trade away that which would get you attention and coin from the highest levels.”

  Sean shrugged, “I’d rather be odd than someone like Carver or Denmur.”

  Deep rolling laughter erupted from Gertihs’ belly. “Goodness, you don’t hold back, do you? I think I like you, MacDougal. Your complete disregard for idiots and assholes makes me wish I could do the same. Sadly, I have to protect my entire family. Still, I will be having words with my brother about his continued association with Denmur. It might be time for us to flex our long dormant prestige.”

  “I’ll see you tonight?” Sean asked as he set his empty glass aside.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t miss it. The other Shapers are likely to be quite vexed. I’ll send my brother a message asking him to keep your change of the patents to himself until tomorrow. I want to announce it at the inn myself.”

  Chuckling, Sean got to his feet, “See you tonight, Gertihs.”

  “Call me Fredrick. I have a feeling we’ll be quite good friends,” Gertihs said, getting up to walk them out.

  “If you’ll call me Sean,” Sean replied.

  “That will be fine, Sean.”

  Walking to the guild hall, Ida looked to Sean. “Sean, were those deals the best you could get?”

  “Probably not,” he said, “but they firmly establish us as friends. It’ll still bring in a lot of money, and a supply of precious metals which I want to experiment with.”

  “Ah, so it’s not just money you want,” Ida nodded. “I didn’t learn anything by watching the other two Shapers,” she admitted with a sigh.

  “I did,” Sean said softly, watching Ida’s eyes expand to the size of saucers. “Later, when we’re home,” he said, cutting off any budding questions.

  Ida and Ryann kept glancing at him, making him feel a little uncomfortable. They reached the guild hall in short order, and both ladies went back to acting normal. Approaching the receptionist, Sean gave her a polite smile. “Miss Agatha, I need to alter my patent.”

  Looking up, Agatha looked at him blankly for a minute before a smile crept onto her face. “Oh, MacDougal? Certainly.” Standing up, she idly touched the wooden hair clip she had in her hair. “You’ll need to speak with Gertihs. Please, follow me.”

  “We’ll wait here for you, Sean,” Ryann said, leading Ida off to the side.

  “Okay,” Sean said, though his puzzlement was clear as he followed Agatha.

  “Sir, would you be selling any of the other hair clips?” Agatha asked as they walked down the hall.

  “Copper and bronze,” Sean replied, “at our shop, which is Weinrik’s old smithy.”

  “I’ll make it a point to stop by on Tenday,” the receptionist said with a real smile. “These hair clips are your patent, right?”

  Something about her question made Sean pause before answering her. She can doubtlessly find out on her own, so why is she asking me? Sean wondered. “Yes,” he answered simply.

  Stopping next to the right door, she knocked before opening it when told to enter. Following Sean inside, Agatha gave Gertihs a professional smile. “MacDougal wishes to update his patent, Gertihs.”

  Eyes narrowing for a moment, Gertihs gave the receptionist a nod. “Thank you, Agatha.” When she left, Jackson Gertihs gave Sean an even look. “What did you need to update?”

  “I’m letting two people have access to the patent for a single year, with the option to extend past that,” Sean replied.

  Brow furrowed, Gertihs grabbed the tome that Sean had seen him use before. Opening it to the correct page, Gertihs nodded and placed the tome before Sean. “Put your hand on the page and speak the Agreements.”

  Sean did as he said, and when he mentioned Silvertouch, Jackson’s face scrunched in displeasure. When Sean went on to name Fredrick Gertihs, Jackson’s jaw dropped, and more so when he heard the deal.

  “You made that deal with my brother?”

  “About an hour ago,” Sean smiled.

  A blur of silver appeared on the desk, revealing a Messenger Fairy. “Sir Jackson, your brother wished me to convey a message.”

  “Go ahead,” Jackson told the Fairy.

  “Keep the details of MacDougal’s patent extensions to yourself until tomorrow.”

  Looking perturbed, Jackson nodded slowly, “Tell him I have received the message.”

  The Fairy shot into the air with a nod and vanished in a silver blur heading right at the door. Sean watched the tiny creature leave, then turned back to Jackson. “That’s all I needed. Have a good day.”

  “MacDougal…” Jackson said as Sean stood up, clearly trying to find the right words. “Why?”

  “Because I like your brother and Silvertouch, while people like Denmur make me want to puke. I just want to have a nice, quiet life, but the way Denmur and his friends are going, I’m going to end up in conflict in some way. Since that’s the case, I’d rather elevate people to stand beside me. No man should be an island unto themselves.”

  Jackson stared at Sean for a long moment before sighing, “It seems my brother has decided which direction the family is going in. I shall abide by his decision. Have a good night, MacDougal.”

  Collecting Ryann and Ida as he made it back to the lobby, he gave Agatha a parting nod when she called out that she would be by on Tenday. “Let’s go home, ladies. We have some sparring to do.”

  When they got home, they all headed out back. Ida grabbed her hammer when they reached the yard.

  “Sean, what did you mean about learning from Stoneeyes and Watercaller?” Ida asked.

  “I know how both of them do what they do now,” Sean said. “I’m fairly certain I can build a bathhouse on my own, but since we’ve contracted with them already, it’ll be best to let them handle it.”

  Fiona shook her head, “You’ve added Earth and Water Manipulation to your Talents?”

  “It’s not Earth Shaping?” Sean asked.

  “Technically it could be viewed as such, but it’s not the established name,” Fiona said. “Can you, is the question?”

  “Why don’t you try?” Sean smiled.

  Fiona’s smile grew wider as she closed her eyes and focused on the challenge given to her. Myna, Ryann, and Ida all copied her; four startled gasps came one after the other as they each connected to the earth.

  “Looks like you all can. Don’t let it go too far, or—” Sean didn’t get to finish as Ryann fell to her knees, followed by Ida. “Or you’ll sap yourself.”

  Myna wobbled, but stayed standing, “I... see.”

  Fiona nodded with a deep exhale, “It’s so different from regular Shaping. Maybe because the ground is connected to everything? I felt like I could keep going out and see more, if I let it.”

  “Stoneeyes felt me when I connected, so don’t go doing that often. Luckily, she didn’t trace it to me specifically.” Sean explained as he pushed energy back into Ryann and Ida. “You’re not getting out of sparring that easily, you two.”

  “What about Watercaller’s Talent?” Myna asked

  “I know how to Shape the rune to purify water and to empower it. That’s all he did near me, so that was all I could learn easily.”

  “Even then, dear husband, what you do goes against everything we know. It should take years of practicing under a skilled teacher to learn to harness a Talent on your own. You watch people work for a few hours and you can do what they do. The Tuatha Dé Danann surely intend for you to break the conventions of this world.”

  Ryann, Ida, and Chastity stared at her, then Sean. He sighed, “That’s another secret. We’ll explain it over dinner. Right now, we have some training to do.”

  Sean could sense the barely restrained questions from the three women. He was happy that Myna and Fiona kept talking about what they all needed to work on and was glad for the respite, but he knew it wouldn't last.

  Taking their seats at the table, Ryann finally broached the subject, “Fiona said the Tuatha Dé Danann sent you here, but that can’t be. T
hose gods abandoned humanity to the Queens.”

  “They made a very bad Agreement,” Sean said. “I’ve been told that the truth about the Agreement can be found somewhere on this world. The world I come from no longer believes the gods or Queens are real beings. They’re all considered fictional.”

  “None of the gods?” Chastity asked.

  “Most of that world professes to believe in a single god, though most people give only lip service to religion,” Sean shrugged.