Home of Consequence

by Archibald Bradford

  It was the third time that Lucinda had refilled the platter.

  Between them, Jan, Lilly and Kala had finished an entire tureen of soup and two plates of sandwiches, much to Lucinda’s delight.

  The motherly frog loved to feed people.

  “As I was saying Lucy, we’re here on an official capacity, so if you could-”

  “Lilly dear, elbows off the table!” The frog ordered the muscular Wolfen primly.

  The pack-leader had confused guilt written on her face as she slipped her elbows off the table and swallowed the two sandwich quarters she had just stuffed in her mouth.

  Lucinda’s selective enforcement of proper table manners had the poor wolf struggling to keep up, while Jan and Kala both put their mouths to their soup bowls, slurping loudly to hide their own laughter.

  “And sit up straight Jezebel, we have company!”

  “Mooom!”

  But despite her vocal protests Jez sat up slightly as she disconsolately swirled her spoon through her soup.

  Lucy turned back to Miranda

  “Sorry, yes you were saying, someone in town with big boobies?”

  The Aegis operator sighed.

  “I wish we had more to go on, it’s probably the thinnest lead I’ve ever chased down, but-”

  “Not at all! Why, aside from myself, there aren’t that many chesty women around here!”

  Lilly’s brow furrowed and she couldn’t help but examine the older Gripau’s breasts, which, though pleasingly shaped, were very much on the small side.

  “Let’s see now… oh Jan! Do be careful, that’s an antique!”

  Having finished eating Jan was in the process of wiping her mouth with the provided napkin, though she paused and raised her eyebrow at the green cloth shaped like a lily-pad.

  “This is an antique?”

  “Yes, it was my grandmother’s! Whenever she had a cold she used that very napkin… or was it this one?”

  A few of the diners were now examining their own identical napkins to see if they were the unlucky ones, all the while struggling valiantly to keep the looks of distaste off of their faces.

  Jez brought her fist down on the table with a little thump.

  “Mom, stop being mean! There is no way any of these are antiques!”

  Lucinda looked guilty for a moment, but then she grinned evilly.

  “Yes, but the look on their faces was priceless!”

  Miranda held her fist to her mouth and coughed to suppress her laughter, of all the women she knew, Lucinda never failed to make her smile.

  “One of the advantages to everyone thinking you’re eccentric sweetheart, you get to play silly jokes from time to time. Now then, Miranda, it sounds like this is a matter of some urgency so I will do up a list for you.”

  “If it helps, focus on women between the ages of twenty-five and forty-five, no way would someone younger than that be in this business. And anyone too old and that dipshit in the wilds wouldn’t have anything kind to say about her tits.”

  With the bulb of her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth, Lucinda nodded as she wrote quickly on the notepad Miranda had just handed her.

  Chapter 9:

  Sudsy Nostalgia

  Despite how busy he kept himself, Nameless had again been awake long into the night, restless still as he wrestled with the memory of Kar, Grace and Mishka.

  This time when morning came and the girls sent him back to bed, he only slept a fitful two hours before throwing off the covers. He wanted to talk to Paul about the fence again, specifically what they could do before the wood arrived to get things started.

  Milly and Erica had brought the milk to market, and Nina all but threw him out of her work space when he poked his head around the corner to see how she was doing.

  Volka and Ophelia were nowhere to be found, he had sensed something between them the other day, but gave them their privacy.

  As he stepped off the porch he heard the laughter of the Amazons from their camp near the pond and was overcome by a sudden wave of guilt.

  The previous night he had gone for another walk while grappling with his own emotions and had to bring an extra blanket with him to ward off the chill in the air.

  The thought of the Amazons in their simple lean-tos outside in the cold was another worry on his mind so he went to speak with them.

  Myrina and most of the warriors were away, no doubt looking after Milly and Erica or chasing after innocent people, but Escrya and the few who remained welcomed him with a chorus of hellos as he quickly got to the point.

  “Girls, you shouldn’t have to stay out her like this! It’ll be winter soon and you should be back home with your people.”

  They fell silent as they absorbed the young man’s earnest words with many a shared look.

  He had wanted to talk with Ophelia and the others, to get their help with this conversation, but the sight of the scantily clad Amazons in the brisk air had spurred him into action.

  Helena spoke first.

  “Valkyrja-datta, we appreciate your concern, but we are strong! A little cold in the night will do little to bother us, and will do much to harden us for the struggles yet to come.”

  “But it’s-”

  Escrya stood and cut him off as she moved to his side and lay one hand on his shoulder.

  “I think that you perhaps misunderstand our motivations. You know how we feel about you, and how we feel about Volka. Together you two are the most important thing that has happened in a thousand years, to our people, yes, but to the world as well!”

  She shook her head at him as she smiled.

  “I am a teller, my duty is to pass on the important events of my time to the children that come after. Being here with you and your family is not sacrifice, it is selfishness. Other Amazons would fight for the chance to be here to safeguard you, so believe me when I say that we do not jest when we call you ours.”

  He opened his mouth, turning to take in the serene expression on each of their faces.

  “There isn’t anything I can say to persuade you to go home, is there?”

  The girls hesitated, once again sharing a look before Escrya spoke with great reluctance.

  “You are ours… but we are also yours, even if you do not accept the gift of our hearts. If you command us to leave, to return to our village, then we will go.”

  The warriors looked nervous as he blinked at the revelation, but inevitably he put his face in his palm.

  “I have no right to give anybody orders. I can’t make decisions for you, I just can’t.”

  The relief from the Amazons was palpable.

  “Do not fret Valkyrja-datta. If it will give you some comfort, I am told that Goodman Fletcher has offered us the use of his ‘barn’… should the nights get too cold.” Escrya said.

  Nameless didn’t bother to hide a little snort of amusement at the girls’ use of everyday words as if they had only just learned them.

  “Kaylee said we likewise have a standing invitation into the Blomma’s ‘green house’. And Paul also offered us his bedroom, though that was mostly directed at Helena.” One of the others remarked with a smirk.

  They shared a laugh at the odd flirtation that seemed to be happening between the old man and the young Amazon.

  “Well, likewise, if it gets too cold I’m sure the girls wouldn’t mind if you crammed into the front room of the cottage, it would be really crowded but…”

  They were snickering before he finished speaking.

  “What? Why are you laughing?”

  “Oh nothing, have you… lain with Volka as of yet?”

  His ears heated at the rather personal question.

  “No-oo why?” His tone was worried and caused him to stretch out the ‘o’ sound.

  Once again they giggled.

  “Dear sweet man, it would be improper for us to say too much. Suffice to say, that the thought of so many eyes in such close proximity to your bed would be very… pleasurable, to the Lightbringer.”


  Even as she spoke the Valkyrie in question came out of nowhere to land beside him, the wind from her wings stirring the feathers in the Amazons’ hair.

  “She means I like to be watched. It’s my thing, everybody knows it.” Volka feigned nonchalance as she adjusted the shoulder strap of her disheveled armour.

  Nameless’s jaw dropped even as Ophelia landed on the other side of him, her own gentle wings barely stirring his hair.

  “I can confirm that. You bonded with a very naughty angel, dear.” She spoke breathlessly before leaning in to kiss his cheek.

  Both girls’ hair was tussled, and Nameless blinked as he took in Ophelia’s uncharacteristically unkempt appearance.

  He leaned in to discreetly whisper in her ear.

  “Ophelia… your dress is on inside out.”

  The Amazons pretended not to hear as they hid their own smiles.

  “Oh dear, how very embarrassing.”

  But the way she said it made him think that embarrassed was the last thing she was.

  In fact, she looked more like the Katje who got the cream, her eyes hooded as she bit her lip and gave Volka a sultry look.

  The Valkyrie reached over and slipped her finger under the shoulder of Ophelia’s dress, running the digit in a caress over the smooth skin of her upper arm.

  “A mystery, now where is that pesky Katje? I find myself… invigorated, and eager for another training session.”

  “Right, um, last I saw she and Milly went to the market with the milk.”

  __________

  A few hours later Paul was wrapping the string around the last of the marker sticks he and Nameless had driven into the ground.

  “This really isn’t the best time of year to be doing this you know?” The old man observed with a kick at the cold dirt for emphasis.

  While not frozen, it was certainly unyielding and hammering the markers home had taken the pair a fair amount of effort.

  “Yeah, but I’m sure between Milly and Nina we can get the holes dug.”

  The farmer snorted derisively.

  “So I saw.”

  They had a bit of an awkward moment earlier when the two of them stood at the edge of Nina’s training crater. She hadn’t used it since setting to work in her forge on her mystery project, but it was large enough that it would be around for a good long while.

  Fortunately Paul quickly deduced that Nameless couldn’t have done a damned thing to keep Nina from making it, and it was on the young man’s side of the fence anyways.

  “I placed the order with the mill in Wayfelt this morning, their season is winding down so we should have the boards in no time.”

  “Great. I’ll grab Milly once we’re done here and see about getting the holes dug for the posts.”

  Paul took out his second favorite pipe again, then sighed and put it back in his pocket.

  “It won’t work forever boy.”

  “What’s that?”

  The old man looked into the trees on the other side of the fence line.

  “You can shove your head in the dirt, focus on work, or drown yourself in sex and booze. But eventually it’ll find you. Alone at night, or in the lulls of a conversation with one of the girls. It’ll always find you.”

  Nameless knew exactly what he meant, and indeed it had found him every night since he had been back.

  Grief was funny that way.

  He heaved a sigh.

  “I know. But I’ve felt so useless since Garland, keeping busy just helps me… not.”

  In the distance he could hear Milly and the Amazons training again, and he and Paul stood in silence for a time, listening to their distant battle-cries.

  “When my Mary died, I was the same, probably made more money in that one year than I had in the decade prior! And I had a hole in my gut for years afterwards. You never quit missing someone what was close to you. But we both know that you’re way better off than I was after my girl passed!”

  The young man’s brow furrowed as he puzzled through his words, finally he looked to his mentor and simply asked, too tired to try to figure out his meaning.

  “How so?”

  “Are you serious?”

  Nameless shrugged helplessly and Paul brought his fist down knuckles first on top of the shorter man’s head.

  “Five bond-mates you clod!” He shook his head in exasperation while the kid wiped at sudden tears of pain; “Hopeless, utterly hopeless! But at least you do as you’re told! So listen up!”

  Rubbing at his scalp, Nameless watched him warily as the old man continued.

  “You hold your girls close, you treat them like you oughta, and together you’ll get through this. And don’t you dare forget that they’re hurting too!”

  The orphan scowled in indignation from the sudden knock to his noggin and the follow up lecture.

  “I can’t forget Paul! I’m an Empath remember? Which means I feel what they do. The pain they feel, the joy, if it’s strong enough it can overwhelm me!”

  There was a pause between them, and Nameless saw a sheepish look take over the old farmer’s face when he realized his error.

  “Oh, right. I’ll admit I sorta forgot about that. Sorry.”

  He held one hand behind his head to rub at his neck.

  “It’s alright, and you’re not wrong. I’ve been kind of wrapped up in my own head since Erica brought that letter home. I’ll start in on the holes later, for now I’m going to go check in with the girls.”

  “You do that.” Paul mumbled, still a bit embarrassed; “Just… being an Empath doesn’t mean you know when to let people in, you know?”

  At this the young man had to concede the point.

  Milly had long since returned from the market and was sparring with Helena, though it looked like they were winding down.

  The sight of her becoming more and more adept with Kar’s black-tipped spear still made him uneasy.

  “Hello Master!”

  Her brow was sweaty from her exertions but her greeting was as warm as ever and he couldn’t help but smile at her.

  “Hey sweetie. I was just heading inside to wash up. Care to join me for a bath?”

  But before she could answer, Kaylee chimed in.

  “That sounds great, thank you. I think we all need a bath. Come on, you can wash my front!”

  She was grinning from ear to ear while Milly giggled and Nameless blushed a bit.

  Fortunately Myrina spoke up in his defense, sort of.

  “Don’t be foolish Kaylee… he was obviously talking to me!”

  While the Amazons took turns debating who he was speaking to and catcalling after him he and Milly fled into the cottage.

  She set Kar’s spear in the corner of the bedroom, and then unbuttoned her sweaty overalls, the jean fabric all that covered her assets. He noticed that it had become her go-to outfit for training.

  “Come on Master, you can certainly wash my front!”

  He chuckled as he stripped off his clothes and followed her into the bathroom.

  After a quick shower with minimal shenanigans, the two were soaking together in a warm bath, the suds concealing their nakedness from view while they snuggled under the water.

  Nameless stroked Milly’s tail, his eyes miles away as he pulled the tasseled end to his face, brushing the soft wet hairs over his lips.

  “Master?”

  He gave his head an absent shake before turning to take in her beautiful blue eyes.

  “Sorry, what?”

  Milly shifted in the water and placed her hand over his on her tail.

  “I was just saying that you’re really quiet.” Her voice was soft.

  “Paul and I were speaking earlier and I just have a lot to think about, I guess.”

  The softness of her breasts pressed tight to his side as she leaned in to lick his cheek.

  “Like what?”

  He sighed.

  “Like you for one.”

  “M-me?”

  He hastened to respond at th
e worry in her voice.

  “Nothing bad! It’s just that, before, when we were looking for Volka and you and Erica decided you wanted to learn how to fight. It was different then, you know?”

  At the confusion on her face he elaborated.

  “Before, even when things got really bad, I never doubted for a second that you were stronger than anything out there. But now… with her-” He swallowed, still afraid to even speak Evadne’s name; “Even Yana and, and K-Kar, weren’t able to beat her. And now Myrina is teaching you how to fight with Kar’s spear and I’m afraid for you Milly.”

  Some of his unspoken feelings came out in a rush as the tumultuous and painful memories of that horrible day crashed through his mind.

  Milly lowed softly, then leaned in and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, one horn pressed against the side of his head.

  “I’m scared too, Master. But nowhere near as scared as I was when we almost lost you, and… when Kar died.” She grit her teeth as tears mounted in her eyes; “Whatever happens, I won’t let anything like that happen to you again!”

  They held each other in the warm water for a few minutes, until Nameless broke the silence again.

  “You don’t deserve to live a life of violence Milly, you girls all deserve so much better than that.”

  His voice cracked with emotion, but she shook her head, her horn rubbing against his temple.

  “So do you, but it isn’t about what any of us deserves. Like Volka said about my ancestors, it’s about standing up and doing what needs to be done. During the war they understood that, and now so do I.”

  She pulled away from him, his face in her hands as she wiped his tears away with her thumbs.

  “So I will practice. I will train. And if I have to, I will fight. I will use everything that Kar and all of the others have taught me to keep my family safe.”

  The determination written on her face was enough to settle the matter for him and he nodded in silence.

  Milly sat up in the bath, pulling her soapy breasts out of the water of the deep tub.

  “Master, you haven’t washed my front yet.”

  Her face was set in a seductive pout as she handed him the cloth.