The vibrating core inside him surged out along his arms, and the weapon seemed to become coated in the energy, wrapping a faint sheen of green around the blade. Imagining the haft lengthening and the blade slimming down to a point, he willed the weapon to change for him. A few seconds later, the axe had become a spear with a sharp tip and a thin coating of bronze covering half of the shaft.
“You are impossible,” Fiona said softly. “It took me years to reach that level of control.”
Grinning, Sean split the spear into two short blades of bronze covered wood. “This is amazing.” Chuckling, he brought the two blades together and fused them into a single blade.
“I thought you were taking me to dinner?” Fiona asked.
The axe quickly replaced the blade. “Sorry, I got distracted.”
“It happens, when men begin to play with their tools,” Fiona fought to keep a grin off her face.
“Sharper than a serpent’s tooth,” Sean chuckled, “but accurate.”
Outside, Sean waited for Fiona to shut her door before they started towards Cian’s house. The two fell into step unconsciously as they crossed the village.
“How cute, Silvershame is on a date with the Outsider,” Whelan sneered. “I guess that isn’t too surprising, it’s not like anyone who knows her would want to get close to her. I heard in the city she was as cold inside as her metal exterior. Is that true, MacDougal?”
Fiona’s steps faltered for a second. Sean’s free hand touched her elbow, steadying her. “Ignore him,” Sean said, softly enough that only Fiona would hear him. “He’ll get his in time. He wants a confrontation right now, and you don’t fight people on their terms.”
Fiona nodded as she kept walking, Sean’s hand on her elbow. “It doesn’t bother you? The idea of being on a date with me?” She also carefully pitched her voice too low for most to hear.
Turning his head a bit, he grinned at her. “Why would I object to dating a beautiful woman?”
“Just going to ignore your better, are you?” Whelan scoffed.
Raising his voice, Sean replied, “Not at all. Darragh wasn’t talking to me, though. Neither was Fiona or Cian.”
“What?” Whelan snarled as they walked away from him. “We will see who is whose better soon, MacDougal.” Whelan stalked off towards Darragh’s house, his fists clenched.
“What happened to ignoring him?” Fiona asked.
“I’m only human,” Sean chuckled.
Chapter Sixteen
Cian and Tamaya weren’t at home, so Fiona set the axes just inside their door before heading over to Darragh’s. Being the last two to enter, all eyes turned to them. All of the wives smiled at Fiona with speculative gazes. Fiona stopped just inside the door under the concentrated, inquisitive eyes. “I-I’ll go help Misa,” Fiona stammered, darting into the kitchen as soon as the words left her lips.
Sean watched her go before taking his usual seat. “Cian, I’ll be going back out with you tomorrow.”
“We’ll be glad to have you,” Cian said. “We’ll be holding off on four trees, though.”
Sean chuckled, “Oh come on, don’t you want to do it again?”
The other lumberjacks all shook their heads with various sounds of disagreement. Cian grinned, “Seems like we have a majority.”
“Fine,” Sean replied.
“You can keep him,” Whelan snorted. “He doesn’t have the skills to help us do the hard job.”
“We’ll see after tomorrow,” Sean said. “I planned on learning from Myna tomorrow afternoon, and then going out with you the day after.”
“We’ll try to keep you safe,” Whelan replied. “Myna, when we get back tomorrow, you are to train him as best you can. You will also be responsible for him when we hunt.”
“Yes,” Myna said simply.
“It is decided,” Darragh stated.
“Food,” Misa said before anyone else could add anything.
Misa and Fiona placed a soup mostly consisting of broth, a handful of diced vegetables, and a few pieces of meat before each person. Once everyone was served, Cian mumbled under his breath, “Seems someone failed getting meat for us again.”
“What was that, coward?” Whelan seethed, staring daggers at Cian.
“Nothing,” Cian said, taking a mouthful of soup.
“Not at the table,” Darragh interjected before Whelan could say more.
The broth was bland, the meat was tough, and the vegetables were mush. Sean ate without complaint, but he thought about all the ways it could have been improved. He briefly wished James was with him; James had been a cook for years, and could have turned even this meal into something amazing. Finishing his soup, Sean wondered if Misa would let him make some suggestions. He wasn’t James by any stretch of the imagination, but he might have a tip or two for her.
As soon as Fiona set her spoon down, Whelan stood and left the house, followed swiftly by the rest of the hunters, except for Myna. Myna’s brown eyes went to Sean, “Tomorrow afternoon, training.”
“I’ll come back to the village, then,” Sean told her.
“Only a half day with us? We might have to tax you a bit,” Cian chuckled.
“We’ll see what happens. I want to try something different tomorrow.”
Cian paused on the way to the door, “That sounds either wonderful, or ominous. Guess we’ll see which it is tomorrow.”
“I will see you later?” Fiona asked as she helped Misa gather the dishes.
“I’ll be along,” Sean told her.
Once everyone was gone, Darragh spoke up, “What did you wish to learn tonight?”
“Tell me about the currency of this world—what does an average laborer make in a year?”
Darragh launched into an explanation of the world’s currency; copper, bronze, silver and gold coins. The breakdown was familiar to Sean-one gold equaled 100 silver, one silver equaled 100 bronze, and one bronze equaled 100 copper. The average laborer would earn around eight bronze during the 360 days of the year. A Shaper could make over four silver a year from commissions, if they weren’t Bonded.
Thanking Darragh for the lesson and finishing the tea Misa had provided, Sean excused himself to go meet with Fiona before he turned in for the night. Fiona was kneeling next to the log, Shaping a cot. Sean slowed his steps, watching her use both of her hands to mould the tree. A smile formed as he considered her rapid change. The confidence she felt now was obvious to him, even focused on her work. Before, she was slightly hunched from trying to hide her metallic limbs, but now she didn’t seem to care.
Waiting for her to finish the cot, Sean leaned against the house and tried to see into the log, like he had before with the axes. The energy inside him responded to his intentions, but the log didn’t seem to want to respond to him. Focusing, he strained, trying to force the sight to kick in. With a rush of energy, he felt a wave of vertigo and his vision swam out of focus for a moment. When his vision steadied, he could see the flaws inside the wood and was surprised to see the vivid green energy filling Fiona and flowing gently from her fingers, changing the wood and fixing its flaws.
Straightening up, Fiona smiled broadly as she looked at the finished cot. Her mithril hand stroked the wood with the gentlest of touches, like a lover. Sean was loathe to bring himself to her attention as he watched her. She was obviously pleased with her work, which finally prompted him to speak.
“You do wonderful work,” Sean said softly, startling her.
“I didn’t see you show up,” Fiona said as she caught her breath.
“You were busy and I didn’t want to interrupt,” Sean said as he felt his energy continue to drain. “I need to try this quickly, though. It seems to be more taxing at range,” he told her as he took a knee next to her.
“What do I need to do?” Fiona asked quickly, her eagerness to learn apparent.
The drain ebbed to a trickle as he knelt closer to the log. “I’m not sure, but we’re going to try the idea I had earlier. First, close your eyes for
me, then picture your energy filling your eyes.”
Her eyes snapped shut as soon as he asked. Watching her carefully, he could see the energy in her core surge up in her, but as it reached her neck it seemed to hit a wall. “I… can’t,” Fiona murmured, seeming to strain to force her energy past the block.
“Okay, I’m going to move your hands. Don’t do anything, just let your hands rest there,” Sean said. She didn’t fight him as he positioned her hands, though she continued trying to push her energy past the block around her throat. “I’m going to put my hands on you, is that okay?”
Her energy flared wildly for a minute, before calming. “Yes.”
Placing his left hand on the back of her neck, he tried to see if he could connect his energy to hers. Slowly and gently, he tried to push his energy into her, only to be rebuffed by an unseen force. Frowning, he pushed a little harder, only to have that same force push back just as hard. Chewing his lip, he put his other hand over Fiona’s eyes, and she let out a soft gasp. “Did you want me to stop?”
“No, I just wasn’t expecting your hand over my eyes. It’s a little intimate, don’t you think?”
Blinking, Sean took stock of his body. He was only an inch away from her, with both of his hands controlling her head. “I guess it is…” Sean said, trailing off as his imagination provided other ideas of ways he could control her head intimately. Coughing, he shook the thoughts aside and focused on what he was trying to do. “I’m going to see if I can create a channel between my hands. Maybe if I can impart some of my energy into you, you can see the same way I can.”
“Ah,” the acknowledgement was soft. “I was curious why you were doing things this way.”
“I’m about to start,” Sean said as he pushed energy from his right hand towards her eyes and tried to draw energy with his left. The attempt failed utterly. After a minute, he removed his hands from her head. “It’s not working.”
“What shall we try next?” Fiona asked, keeping her eyes closed.
“I don’t know. You seem to have some kind of block right about your neck, which is stopping your energy from progressing up to your eyes.”
Fiona leaned back, pressing her back into his chest. “Hmm, so we’ve reached an impasse?”
Swallowing as her warmth seemed to heat his body, Sean stammered, “U-Uh, y-yeah… it seems.”
“You feel warm,” Fiona said softly.
“You’re the warm one,” Sean replied, afraid to move.
“Can I try something to see if it helps?” Fiona asked as she pulled away from him.
“Sure,” the word came out in a relieved, yet disappointed, exhale.
Fiona stood up and went around him, then knelt behind him. “Close your eyes. I’m going to try what you just did,” she said, her breath tickling his neck as she whispered the words.
Placing his hands on the log, Sean closed his eyes and tried to focus on what they were doing, and not Fiona behind him or her warm breath on his neck. Her slender fingers cupped the back of his neck as her other hand covered his eyes, just as he had done to her. He could still feel her energy swirling inside of her, even though he couldn’t see it. An almost unfelt pressure seemed to press in on his eyes and neck before it vanished. The pressure returned, increasing by a fraction before it stopped again.
“Wait,” Sean said, “before you try again, tell me just beforehand.”
“Okay,” her words tickled his ear.
Gulping, as his brain conjured up images of what she could do with those lips and his neck, Sean fought to maintain his focus on what they were trying to do. When she began to count down from three, he was able to ignore the distractions. As she got to one and began to try pushing energy into him, he pulled in unison. A sharp pain seared his mind.
“Ngh!” an involuntary gasp of pain escaped him.
That was enough for Fiona to immediately stop what she was doing and caused Sean to lose his concentration on seeing energy.
“Are you okay?” Fiona asked as she pulled her hands away.
“I’m fine,” Sean said as the pain vanished and a lingering discomfort took its place. Rubbing at his face, he sighed as the discomfort faded away. “Okay. Not trying that again.”
“Maybe it’s not possible to learn,” Fiona said, a hint of disappointment clear in her tone.
“Maybe,” Sean said, but he didn’t like giving up so easily. “I’ll try to think of something else.”
“That is fair,” Fiona said as she moved away from behind him and knelt by the log again. “I’m going to work, if that’s okay?”
“It is. I should be going to get some sleep as it is,” Sean replied.
“I promised to tell you about my lineage…” Fiona said uncertainly.
“Oh, right,” Sean said, shifting to kneel a little further up the log. “I’ll help you Shape while you talk.”
“Thank you,” Biting her lower lip, she took a deep breath. “My mother is half Dryad,” she began slowly. “Which, of course, means I am also part Dryad. That is the source of my Talent for Shaping wood. My father was a good man and tried his best to provide for us, but he died in an accident when I was five. Mother didn’t have much Talent for Shaping, but she did have some, which is what provided for us. When I was eight, she was Bonded by a rich merchant to Shape the goods he sold. It was a decent life. Mother was paid a fair, if not lavish, wage, and I don’t recall ever wanting for anything. When I turned twelve, I was sent to Southpoint to be tested at the Academy. When my Talent and its strength was discovered, I began to be courted by the noble families at the Academy.”
“You’re part Dryad, huh? That would explain your natural affinity for plant life,” Sean said as his hands ran over the wood, Shaping another cot.
Brow furrowing, she glanced at him. “You don’t care?”
“Why should I?” Sean snorted softly. “No one chooses their family. Besides, I think you’re pretty amazing.”
Blinking slowly, Fiona shook her head. “What Whelan said earlier, about us on a date. Would you consider actually doing so with me?”
His hands wobbled as he Shaped the wood, and he had to go back and fix the spot. Taking a minute to let her words sink in, he took a deep breath. “It’s been a long time since I went on a date, Fiona, and this village isn’t exactly the best spot for one. If I can get a reprieve from Darragh and can take a day off again, then I would love to.” He felt his cheeks heat and hoped he wasn’t making a fool of himself.
“I’ll talk with Darragh tomorrow, while you chop more supplies for me and train with Myna.” Fiona’s words were bubbly and full of happiness, “I’m sure he will agree to my request.”
“Why me?” Sean asked, still off balance.
“You treat me as if I’m more than I am. My mixed blood doesn’t bother you, my Shame doesn’t bother you, and I have seen you being a good man. The better question would be, why me? Why would you agree to date someone like me?”
“You’re gorgeous, inside and out, and you’re getting over your low self-esteem, which is crazy sexy. I think you’re smart, which I’ve always liked in women. I’ve seen you handle weapons—so I know that you can protect yourself, and others, if needed. Neither your blood nor your Shame will deter me, as they mean nothing to me.”
They stared at each other for a moment before Fiona leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Sean’s cheek. “You need to get some sleep for tomorrow, Sean. I hope you have pleasant dreams, and I look forward to seeing you in the morning.”
Absently touching his cheek, a broad smile split his face. “I’ll sleep like a babe now, Fiona. Don’t overwork yourself, and I’ll see you at breakfast.” He felt like he was floating as he walked to Darragh’s to sleep.
Fiona watched him go, her cheeks ablaze. She couldn’t believe she’d been so bold. Shaking her head, she tried to go back to work, but her mind continually strayed to the outsider who had so quickly turned her world upside down and made her heart flutter like a young girl. “Tomorrow…”
&n
bsp; Chapter Seventeen
Waking from a sound sleep filled with dreams of wandering a city and sightseeing with Fiona, Sean stretched and yawned. The only interruption during his sleep had been when Misa snuck off to Darragh’s room, and the ensuing sounds of pleasure, but he got back to sleep easily enough.
Sean went through a few exercises to limber up his back, still not used to sleeping on the floor. Nodding to Misa as she came out of Darragh’s room, Sean had to ask, “Sleep well?”
“I wasss jussst waking Darragh,” Misa replied.
“Of course,” Sean said. “Can I help with breakfast this morning?”
“Yesss,” her voice held a questioning tone as she led the way to the kitchen.
Sniffing, Sean realized that he could smell himself. “Misa, when and where does everyone bathe?”
“Once a tenday, on Oneday, we go to the river to bathe and wasssh clothing. Tomorrow isss that day,” Misa replied as she grabbed a cauldron. “Breakfassst isss porridge,” she told him, setting it next to the embers in the fireplace.
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