Morrigan's Bidding

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “Thank you,” Sean said as he downed his tea. “Let’s head over to Darragh’s. He might want to speak with me before dinner.”

  “Please, go on ahead,” Fiona told him. “I want to get a few things together first, as I’m not used to company during the evening.”

  Sean paused halfway to his feet, before quickly standing. “Err… yeah, sure, no problem. See you later.” He left quickly, his cheeks heating as his mind nose-dived at her words.

  As he fled the house, Fiona watched him go, a smile coming to her and a soft giggle escaping her lips. “I didn’t mean it that way, but it was interesting to see him blush so easily. It’s been so long...” she let the murmured words fade away as her Shame came to mind again.

  Making it to Darragh’s house, Sean found all of the lumberjacks and their wives already there. Cian was chuckling as he explained Sean’s snoring. He grinned at Sean as he walked in. “There he is, the mighty sleeper.”

  Arching a brow, Sean sighed, “That’s what I get tagged as, after all that hard work today?”

  “Tell me about it. My arms are sore from all that trimming,” Eagon said.

  “Yeah, it would have been nice to have the time for a couple of naps,” Walden laughed.

  “Assholes,” Sean said, making a face at them. “Next time, you can chop down all four trees.”

  “No, no, that wouldn’t be fair. After all, that seems to be your niche,” Cian managed with a straight face.

  “You’re the worst,” Sean said as he took a seat.

  “You managed to wield it for all of the trees, alone?” Darragh asked.

  “Yeah, but the last one was going badly so I had to kick it over,” Sean replied.

  “‘Kick,’ he says,” Taavi laughed. “He would have been hard pressed to get more oomph with a maul.”

  “Is that so?” Darragh said, his sightless eyes staring at Sean. “We’ll have to talk later, so I can hear it from you.”

  “I’m going to be watching Fiona work tonight,” Sean reminded Darragh.

  “That would be pointless,” Whelan snorted as he came in, followed by the other hunters. “Ever watch grass grow? It’s about as interesting and almost as useful.”

  “So still better than talking to you. Got it,” Sean shot back before thinking.

  Nostrils flaring, Whelan stopped. “What was that, Shame lover?”

  “Enough,” Darragh stated. “You will be civil in my home, or you will leave.”

  With a soft growl, Whelan took a seat, his friends all sitting with him. Sean realized now that the seating was following the same pattern as the night before, with the lumberjacks and wives on one side, the hunters on the other. Darragh and Fiona had been between the two groups and while Darragh was the cog between them, Fiona had seemed like a forgotten wheel, wanted by neither side. Sean sat in the same place tonight as well, a shade closer to Cian’s side, without thinking about it.

  “Sorry for the delay,” Fiona said as she entered the room. The place went silent as all eyes turned to her. “I hope I haven’t caused an issue for Misa.”

  Sean, not understanding the silence, craned his neck around. His mouth dropped open as he saw Fiona. Her normal attire had been replaced by a gown of dark green that left both her arms and legs bared to the night. Unable to stop himself, Sean dragged his gaze up her body, trying to file the image away. He eventually met her uncertain gaze and a smile bloomed.

  “Beautiful,” the word slipped from Sean’s mouth with barely any sound at all.

  Fiona’s cheeks heated as her gaze dropped away from Sean’s. “I heard that the lumberjacks accomplished a feat, and thought maybe it would be cause for a celebration.”

  “Indeed,” Darragh said, pulling all eyes to him. “Today, they have done what they never have before. Four trees were felled, three for us and one for the town.”

  Whelan and most of his group seemed to silently scoff at the idea of that being a feat worthy of mention. Myna alone bowed her head to the others. She sat a little back from the rest of the hunters, so they didn’t see her acknowledge the lumberjacks. “Is that really something to praise? It’s not like the trees fight back, like our quarry. If they ever drop four of the Red-eyes in a single day, then I will have to concede praise to them.”

  Cian frowned, “Four? Interesting. I thought your best was two, and no trees ever.”

  “Why would I waste my time with wood? If our Shaper was any good, you wouldn’t even have to chop them down,” Whelan spat, his eyes full of venom.

  “Enough,” Darragh snapped, which shut everyone up. “I warned you already tonight, Whelan Spearbearer. If I have to repeat myself one more time, you will not be invited back into this home for a tenday. Do you hear my words?”

  Whelan’s jaw snapped shut and the grinding of his teeth was audible. He bowed his head to Darragh, “Yes, chief, I have heeded your words.”

  “That goes for the rest of you as well. One more uncivil word will not be tolerated,” Darragh stated the words calmly, but an almost physical force radiated off them.

  “We understand, chief,” the others murmured, Sean a step behind them.

  “Good,” Darragh said. “Misa, is dinner ready?”

  “Yesss,” Misa said from the doorway. “Fiona, help pleassse.”

  “Of course, Misa,” Fiona said as she hurried to help Misa.

  Sean watched her go, quickly suppressing his thoughts when he realized the back of the dress had a cutout at the shoulder blades and she wasn’t wearing a bra. It caused his mind to recall the firm, high handful she proudly sported. Rubbing his face, he looked around to find Cian grinning at him and Whelan sneering.

  Dinner was a simple affair, identical to yesterday except the bread was fresh. The rye bread still had a trace of warmth from the oven. He dug into the food with a passion, realizing suddenly how ravenous he was. Finishing well before the others, he took a silent breath and fought the urge to ask for more.

  “Misa,” Darragh said as Sean sat there with an empty plate. “Bring Sean another helping of meat.”

  “Yesss, massster,” Misa said, setting aside her own plate and retrieving a smaller platter with three more strips of meat on it. “Your food, MacDougal.”

  Sean took the offered plate, “My thanks, Misa and Darragh.”

  “Wielding a Soul Linked item for as long as you did would have drained your body of all easy energy,” Darragh said as the hunters all muttered under their breaths. “No one here, besides maybe myself, could even attempt such a feat.”

  “What feat?” Whelan asked, his lips still set in a snarl as he eyed the plate Sean was eating from.

  “Could you wield my axe from sunup to sundown?” Darragh asked Whelan.

  “Of course not,” Whelan said.

  “Sean did just that today,” Darragh stated simply. “His body needs the extra meat to replace what was taken from him, because of that.”

  Fixing Sean with a dark look, Whelan said tightly, “I see.”

  “What did you bring in today?” Cian asked Whelan conversationally.

  “There was no prey close by,” Whelan replied, a hint of anger coloring his words. “As we are all done, we will retire. We have a busy day before us tomorrow. Darragh, clan,” Whelan said as he got to his feet, leaving in a huff with his followers trailing after him.

  “He’s going to challenge Sean soon, Darragh,” Cian said once the hunters were gone.

  “All who are insecure in themselves challenge those they think are threats,” Darragh shrugged. “Sean, when you do engage with him, do not kill him unless he aims to do the same to you. For all of his anger, he is still the best hunter we could hope to have.”

  “I’ll do my best, Darragh,” Sean said as he set the second, smaller plate aside.

  “Fiona, before he joins you, I wish to converse with him privately for a moment,” Darragh told her.

  “As you wish, chief,” Fiona said as the others filed out. “I will wait for him at my home. I will see you soon, Sean.” With
that, she rose gracefully to her feet and walked out.

  Sean watched her go, his mind again pointing out how fit and beautiful Fiona was. A cough brought his attention back to Darragh. “I ask that you don’t hurt my people. She is like a drowning swimmer, and you are the log that is within her grasp. Don’t let her grab you, only to be too weak to keep you both above water.”

  Leaning back at the blunt statement, Sean blinked. “I wasn’t planning on seducing her.”

  “You might not, but it has been years since she last had a man pay her attention,” Darragh said before suddenly asking an unrelated question. “How old do you think she is?”

  “Late twenties?” Sean guessed.

  “Try forty-three,” Darragh stated. “Just as I’m ninety-three.”

  “Huh, what? How?”

  “Anyone who can wield magic finds their life span increased. The more powerful they are, the longer they can live. For Fiona, that is also augmented by other reasons, reasons which are her own to disclose. I would just point out she is acting like a young maiden again, and not the more mature woman she normally is, when she is near you. Do not hurt my friend and ally.”

  “Ssshe isss my friend asss well,” Misa hissed from behind Sean. “I would be mossst dissspleasssed.”

  Closing his eyes against the anger he felt at being dictated to, he also understood their reasons. I’m an outsider, who just showed up. I could be some kind of axe murderer… Sean let the thought trail off as his lips tweaked into a smile at the choice of words.

  “I understand, Darragh, Misa. I will not lead her on or do anything she doesn’t ask for. As you stated though, she is an adult and if she presses me, I won’t turn away. She is beautiful and talented. That combination intrigues me and I want to learn more.”

  “Agreed,” Darragh sighed. “I wonder if accepting you into my village might have been a mistake? It is what it is. Did you wish to learn from me before you go learn from Fiona?”

  “I would love to learn the water magic, but I think speaking with Fiona is a more pressing need, as I won’t get many chances to watch her work.”

  “Yesss,” Misa said. “I will leave the cover and pillow for you. Tomorrow, I will teach.”

  Sean stood and bowed to Misa, “Thank you, Misa. Thank you, Darragh. If you will both excuse me, I shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

  Exiting the house, he heard Misa speak softly, “Ssshe wore a dresssss. Maybe ssshe is going to try putting her passst behind her?”

  Wondering about Misa’s words, Sean headed to Fiona’s home to learn more about her and her talents.

  Chapter Eleven

  Fiona was seated outside her home, next to the logs. The chair she was sitting in was simple, but obviously well made. “I would like to hear your story before I explain my magic,” Fiona spoke softly as she looked at Sean. “I will be working while you speak. You may sit here, as I need to touch the wood.” Standing, she moved to the first log, “Begin when you are ready.”

  Taking the offered seat, Sean arranged his thoughts, briefly wondering how she would react to his story. “It started with my friend calling me to play some billiards with him,” Sean began.

  “What are billiards?” Fiona asked.

  “A game where the players use long dowels to push a white ball into colored balls on a table with pockets. The object is to sink your balls into the pockets before your opponent does.”

  “Interesting,” Fiona muttered as she knelt on her metallic leg next to the log.

  “My friend James called and asked me to meet him at a bar we had only gone to once before. It turned out to be a mistake. Or maybe fate.”

  “Wait, you said he called you. If he called, why did you meet him at the bar, instead of going together?”

  “My old world had devices for long distance communication,” Sean explained.

  “Ahh. Scrying crystals, those are expensive,” Fiona said, using her right hand to gently stroke the log. As her hand passed over the wood, the bark vanished, leaving unblemished wood behind.

  “Close enough,” Sean said, pushing on with the tale. “While I waited for him to show, another person accosted me. He claimed I was at his table and that I needed to move, which was odd as the bar was basically empty. Anyway, I objected as I dislike bullies, and he took further offense. He grabbed my shoulder and told me to move again.”

  “Sounds like Whelan,” Fiona chuckled.

  “Very much like Whelan,” Sean agreed. “When I confronted the guy and told him to stop or I would fight back, he hit me. That punch all but broke my sternum and threw me against the wall, a couple dozen feet away.”

  Fiona paused to look at Sean before nodding, “He must have been infused with magic.”

  “Little did I know at the time,” Sean said. “I used my, um, weapon to shoot him multiple times, but it did no good. It did nothing to him.”

  “Infused with magic and a shield, he would be a formidable opponent,” Fiona said as her hand went back to smoothing the log.

  “He was,” Sean said with a frown at how easily she was accepting his story. “When he got to me, he caved in my chest with his boot, which killed me.”

  “Hmph.” Fiona pursed her lips and frowned, obviously wondering how he could be there, if he was dead. Sean didn’t leave her waiting for an answer.

  “When I woke, I was in a majestic hall, with an old one-eyed man waiting for me.”

  “None of the nobles appear old, or would even be willing to take that form,” Fiona muttered as she slid her fingers around the log and a three-foot section separated from it.

  “Holy fuck,” Sean breathed as he watched her.

  “Continue, please,” Fiona said as she set the section upright and began to run her hand over it again.

  “The person waiting for me was Odin, an elder deity of the Norse pantheon,” Sean said, and Fiona’s breath caught. “You’ve heard of him.”

  “Yes. Many gods have bargained with the Queens, and had people pulled to this world for various reasons, though not many appear anymore.”

  “Well, he had a deal to offer me, since his son Thor was the one who killed me,” Sean went on, “but he wasn’t the only one. In my youth, I followed a few paths, and each of those deities came to offer me a deal. The Christian God sent one of his angels, and Lucifer came as himself.”

  “I’ve not heard of them,” Fiona said as the part she was working on started to lose mass.

  “The last one to show up was Morrigan,” Sean paused when he said the name, as he expected Fiona to react to it.

  “The Morrigan? Battle, death, and fate, the Morrigan of the Tuatha Dé Danann?” Fiona’s face was pale, her dual-colored eyes wide as she stared at him.

  “Yes,” Sean nodded. “Morrigan also offered me a deal.”

  “All of the Tuatha Dé Danann are liars and fools,” Fiona spat, her eyes full of hatred. “They are the ones that trapped our ancestors on this world, with their Agreement with the Queens.”

  “Morrigan did say something along those lines,” Sean nodded. “I took her offer, and because of that here I am.”

  Letting out an angry breath, Fiona stroked the section of wood she was working on and a leg, similar to the ones on the chair he sat in, appeared. “You’re their puppet then?”

  “No,” Sean said firmly. “I have no Agreement with them, in that regard. The Agreement was for me to be given a new body and placed here to live out the rest of my new life.”

  “Would you swear that on your soul?” Fiona asked, turning hooded eyes to him.

  “If that is what it will take to have you treat me as you did earlier, yes,” Sean said, feeling the anger and distrust that radiated off Fiona. “I swear on my soul that I have no Agreement that makes me beholden to the Tuatha Dé Danann.” A shiver ran through him, as if someone had plucked his soul like a harp string. “Gah, that was eerie as fuck.”

  Fiona let out a held breath, steadying herself against the log that she was crafting. “You so readily do things that coul
d kill you,” she muttered under her breath. “I’m sorry for accusing you, Sean. None of the Tuatha Dé Danann are thought of with kindness by those of us who descended from the ones they let the Queens take to this world.”

  “I’ll make sure to not tell people, then,” Sean replied. “That is my story. I appeared on a bluff a few miles away, and upon seeing the village I came this way, hoping to get help and information.”

  “I would urge you not to tell others that story,” Fiona told him. “You would be viewed even worse than those of us who are Shamed.”

  “Considering the two Shamed I’ve met have been honorable and friendly people, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.”

  Shaking her head, Fiona glared at him. “Be serious.”

  “I am, Fiona. Both you and Darragh have been friendly, and willing to help a person with no knowledge learn things to help him survive. For which I am entirely grateful.”

  “Fool,” Fiona sighed. “Just don’t tell others, or you will be outcast from the rest of society, even possibly hunted down and killed.”

  “I’ll follow your advice, as that’s what friends do,” Sean said. “Now, about the magic you’re doing?”

  A snort of laughter came from Fiona, “Fine. You have upheld your Agreement with me, and I forgive you.”

  “Thank you,” he bowed to her from his seat.

  “What I am doing is called Shaping. It isn’t magic, it’s a Talent, and whatever affinities a person has dictates what they can Shape, if they have it. Wood, or any plant matter, is my affinity, due to part of my heritage.”

  “Hmm. So I couldn’t learn to do it?” Sean asked as he watched Fiona Shape a second leg into existence from the log.

  “If you are human, then most likely not. It is difficult to master Shaping without a touch of Fey blood relating to the medium you are trying to Shape.”

  “If, and it’s a big if, I wanted to try, how would I?”

  Glancing at him as her hand smoothed over the next section of wood, Fiona pursed her lips. “You really wish to attempt this?”

  “Why not?” Sean asked as he slid off the chair to kneel beside her.