“Can we try something different this morning?” Sean asked.
“What?”
“Can I get some of the berry tea? I want to use it as the base liquid for the porridge.”
“It doesssn’t work well,” Misa said. “I’ve tried it before.”
“Damn,” Sean said, “ah well, it was worth a try. Do the hunters at least forage while they’re out?”
“No,” Misa’s voice was flat and disapproving, “Whelan thinksss it beneath them. Idiot, he doesssn’t underssstand how much better thingsss could be if he ssstopped being obssstinate.”
“He seems to be a big problem. Why does Darragh put up with it?”
“Commanded to ssshepherd him,” Misa said as she put the grainy porridge mixture into the cauldron. “Sssummon hot water, pleassse,” Misa asked him.
Nodding, he moved to the pot and tried to summon water without the words or motions, but after a minute he gave up. “Not yet, it seems,” he muttered.
“It takesss a long time,” Misa told him.
“Never hurts to try,” Sean shrugged. “I’m a little teapot...” Sean began to sing and formed himself into the teapot. At the end of the song he poured hot water from his hand into the cauldron. He could feel his core draining as the water poured from him. Once he had the cauldron filled to the point Misa wanted, he stopped and took a seat. “That was a big pot.”
“Yesss,” Misa said as she stirred the mixture, “not many could fill their sssecond time working water magic.”
“I’m a freak,” Sean chuckled.
“But a good one, who calls me friend,” Fiona said from the doorway. “Morning Misa, morning Sean. I see that I’m not needed this morning.”
“He asssked to help,” Misa said. “He isss the only one in the village besidesss you who treatsss me asss an equal.”
“All of us Shamed, Life Bonded, and Outcasts need to stick together,” Fiona said. “Besides, you are a thousand times better a person than Whelan.”
“That’sss like sssaying the sssun isss hotter than a torch. It’sss not hard,” Misa hissed in laughter.
“Too true,” Sean chuckled along with her.
“Did your guest leave, Darragh?” Whelan’s voice carried easily from main room.
“No, I’m just being useful and trying to learn from your example, Whelan,” Sean said from the kitchen doorway.
Eyes narrowing, Whelan’s lips flattened out, “Ahh, I see. You shall need to be a quick learner when Myna trains you.”
“I’m sure I’ll be okay,” Sean chuckled. “But thanks for thinking of me.”
“Whelan is thinking of you?” Cian asked as he entered. “Color me surprised, here I always thought he only thought of himself.”
“Wood lover,” Whelan snapped.
“Enough,” Darragh sighed. “Take your places, food will be served soon.”
The hunters and lumberjacks all took their seats at Darragh’s words. Misa came out of the kitchen with Fiona and Sean, all of them bearing bowls which they set before the people waiting. The meal followed the same pattern as those before—limited, if any, conversation, and as soon as the meal was done, Whelan and his hunters all left the room. Except for Myna, who stayed behind.
“Not going with them?” Sean asked Myna.
“Training you,” Myna stated. “I will go with you to the stream, wait for high sun, then train you. This is what Whelan told me this morning.”
“Works for me,” Sean said. “Cian, you okay with that?”
Grim faced, Cian nodded. “It will help. Today is the last of the tenday, so we’ll be attacked on the way to the water. Make sure to have an axe in hand.”
“Will do,” Sean said.
“Sean,” Fiona called out as they all got ready to leave, “can I have a moment?”
“I’ll be right there,” he told the others, and waited to speak with Fiona. “What’s up?”
“It has been the Red-eyes every time they’ve been attacked before. They are feral beasts that are relentless when angered. Unless you strike hard, your blows will likely not penetrate their hides. Be careful, okay? You promised me a date.”
Her concern filled Sean’s chest with warmth. “I’ll do my very best, but the date isn’t guaranteed unless Darragh agrees to it. Which you’re going to be asking him about soon, I believe.” Smiling, he met her dual-colored eyes and could see the hope in them. “I earnestly hope he says yes. I need to go, though. I’ll see you later today, Fiona Mithrilsoul.”
Her cheeks flushed as he used that name, but she nodded. “Of course, Sean MacDougal. Stay safe.”
Hurrying off to catch up with the others, he could feel her eyes on him. “Sorry guys,” he said when he found them waiting by the path. He took an axe from Cian and frowned slightly, “If we know we’re going to be attacked, why don’t we have spears?”
“We don’t have any,” Cian muttered. “We’re just starting to build up a bankroll in Oaklake. We might be able to afford more from town in the next tenday or two.”
Myna stepped off the path and, in short order, seemed to vanish into the trees. “That is amazing,” Sean said.
“It’s a Talent,” Byrne told him. “That is what really sets them apart from us. You’re going to be hard pressed to keep up with them.”
Thinking of his many gifts from the gods, Sean shrugged. “We’ll see,” his smile was enigmatic, “I think I’ll be okay.”
“Keep your eyes open,” Cian said firmly. “They will come for us soon.”
Dropping to the back of the line, Sean focused on the axe and shifted it into a bronze tipped spear, hardening the bronze, sharpening the edges, and making the wood denser to keep it from cracking.
A hellish yip came from their left, and all eyes turned to see Myna standing over a wolf-like body. “There are more,” she said, stepping behind a tree.
Not two seconds later, a mournful howl came from the right, making Sean’s hair stand on end. Spinning, the lumberjacks stared aghast at the three Red-eyes barreling towards them, froth coating their mouths.
“They are enraged,” Cian said, stepping back and getting ready to swing.
Sean could feel the hatred radiating off the beasts as they neared. Stepping past the others, he angled out to the Red-eye on the right side, his spear held low and ready to attack.
“Sean, get back here,” Cian snapped.
“Be right there,” Sean said absently. He could almost see himself stepping forward and lunging at the Red-eye. Following that instinct, his lunge was almost textbook perfect in its execution. It was also much faster than the creature had expected, so the spear punched clean into its chest and sliced through its heart.
Yanking the spear out in a shower of blood, he pivoted, finding that the next closest Red-eye had turned to come after him as well. Time seemed to slow as Sean brought the haft of the spear up to club the attacking Red-eye as it passed.
“Sean!” Cian yelled out a second later as the third Red-Eye ignored Sean and attacked the woodsmen. Sean kept his attention on the Red-Eye he’d clubbed, which had leapt away and turned to face him.
The beast’s brightly glowing red eyes focused on Sean as it growled. Settling on his back leg, Sean waited for it to attack, but the creature lowered its body and waited as if thinking about what to do next.
Screams and yells behind him made Sean twitchy. He wanted to go help the others, but couldn’t, until he dealt with the creature before him. “Come on, puppy, let’s play,” Sean growled.
With another howl, the creature came forward, fast and low. Something made Sean pull back instead of lunging forward. That proved to be the right idea, the Red-eye twisting its body to dodge the aborted attack. As it contorted, Sean jabbed down, pinning the beast through the neck and stopping it just short of his leg.
“Tricky fucker,” Sean exhaled as he yanked the spear from the dead beast. Turning, he ran for the others and found them surrounding the beast, harrying it like a pack of wolves. Cian and Byrne bled from several wou
nds as they worked to keep the beast spinning between them all.
As he ran to join them, he Shaped the spear back into its original axe form. “Cian, go left,” Sean called out as he ran up behind the wounded man.
Sidestepping on reflex at Sean’s command, Cian was surprised when Sean went past him and sank his axe into the beast. He cleaved cleanly through it, the axe burying itself in the ground as the two halves toppled.
“Nice strike,” Walden said with wide eyes.
“Why did you leave us?” Cian asked as he spun, looking for the other two Red-eyes, then seeing their dead bodies. “Did you do that?”
“Yeah, and it was the right thing to do,” Sean replied. “Sorry I didn’t warn you, but I just felt the moment was right to strike and followed through on it.
The others all looked at the dead Red-eyes with shocked expressions, staring from the corpses to Sean and back. After a minute of that, Sean frowned. “What?”
“We’ve only been attacked by one or two of them before today, and even then, we’d have taken wounds dealing with them,” Cian said as he pulled a bandage from his belt pouch and began wrapping it around a deep bite on his arm. “You killed all of them, two of them without any help. But you stand here without a single scratch to show for it.”
“It’s not natural,” Byrne said as he wrapped his leg.
“Just what are you?” Eagon asked.
“Unique,” Sean sighed. “Look, I have a Talent or two, and I don’t want them exactly known. I’ll share one with you while we do the job. Are you two going to be able to work?”
Cian nodded, “Darragh gave us these bandages. They stop the bleeding immediately, and close up the wounds in a few hours. We won’t go spilling your secrets, Sean, though it does feel like you don’t trust us right now.”
Looking around, Sean raised a brow pointedly and locked gazes with Cian. “It’s not you.”
Cian looked at the woods then nodded slowly, “Ah, I see. That makes me feel a little better. We need to get on with the day, but we also need to take the bodies back to the village. Whelan will be beside himself when he sees the haul we have.”
“I will take one,” Myna said, appearing behind Cian.
Spinning, Cian let out a strangled gasp. “Myna, please don’t do that again.”
Bowing her head, Myna picked up the halves of the bisected wolf. “I will gut this one first.”
“I’ll get the other three,” Sean told the others. “I’ll catch up as soon as I can.”
“But—” Eagon began, but Cian clapped a hand on his shoulder, interrupting him.
“That will be fine,” Cian said. “At least the trip will be safe now.”
“I hope so,” Sean said as he went to collect the other dead bodies.
Tossing one over each shoulder, he carried the third under his arm and started for the village. Myna fell into step beside him, but was having difficulty carrying the halves of the fourth Red-eye.
“Will you switch with me?” Myna asked.
Dropping the one corpse from under his arm, Sean held out his hands for the bisected halves. “Sure thing,” he said, taking each half by the neck and starting off again.
With a grunt, Myna slung the Red-eye corpse across her shoulders, and staggered after him. “How do you carry them so easily?” Myna asked as she trailed him.
“They aren’t heavy to me,” Sean said, stopping himself from shrugging. “How do you vanish so easily among the trees?”
“It is a Talent I have,” Myna managed to say as she staggered under the weight of the body.
“I take it you don’t normally carry the dead?” Sean asked with a raised brow.
“Yes, but normally we lash them to a pole and carry them back to the village two to a corpse. We’ve never encountered more than two Red-eyes before, either. Normally we find the Fawntin, which are much less dense than these.”
“Fawntin?” Sean asked, slowing to match her pace.
“You don’t know what the Fawntin are?” Myna asked as she staggered again, almost dropping the body.
Stopping, Sean sighed. “No, I don’t. I’ll carry that one, too, if you’ll answer my questions about the creatures near the village.”
“Agreement accepted,” Myna said.
Rolling his eyes, Sean knelt next to her, allowing her to stack the body on one of the others across his shoulders. “Keep them steady while I get up,” Sean told her. At her nod, he got back to his feet. “Okay, so about these Fawntin?” He started walking, not seeing the blank look of astonishment on her face before she wiped it off and fell into step beside him.
“Fawntin are four legged beasts with hooves. The males have massive antlers that they use to fight with. The antlers are much prized by bowyers skilled enough to Shape them. They are herbivores, but can outdistance most predators with unmatched grace.”
“Deer,” Sean chuckled softly. “What about these Red-eyes?”
Lips pursed, Myna gazed at him for a moment before answering. “Red-eyes are woodland predators. They have keen senses, and once they’re on your trail, they can always track you. They are ferocious fighters, and take killing blows to put down. The older ones have patterns in their fur that helps them blend into the forest. They normally work in pairs to bring down their prey.”
“How did you manage to kill the first one so quickly? I didn’t see you with anything other than those two blades on your back.”
“I cut its throat before it knew what was happening, then pierced its heart to make sure it was dead. One can never be too careful with Red-eyes.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sean said.
“I will keep your secret as well,” Myna said after a moment. “I know what it is to be wanted just for your Talent. Whelan dislikes me because I’m not a proper hunter in his eyes. My Talent to Vanish is unmatched by the others, though, so he uses me to scout for our prey.”
Sean nodded as he listened, realizing that her soft tone fit her like a glove. “And that’s why you got saddled with me. He hopes that I won’t learn, which will get me injured or killed, and all the blame will fall to you.”
“Yes,” Myna agreed. “Is Fiona your type?” she said after a pause, catching Sean off guard.
Blinking, Sean’s mouth hung open for a moment. “Left field much?” Snorting, he considered Myna’s question. “I think she is. She’s beautiful, smart, funny, and now that she’s starting to value herself again, she has the self-confidence I like.”
“And she is a Shaper, like you,” Myna said.
“Her Talent has nothing to do with it. I like her for her.”
“Even with her Shame?” Myna pressed, her head turning so she could focus her eyes on him.
“I couldn’t give a fuck less about her Shame. If anything, her Shame has made her stronger than before,” Sean smiled. “She is a friend who intrigues me.”
“You seem to treat Misa like a person, as well,” Myna pointed out.
“She is,” Sean shrugged, shifting the double stacked Red-eyes and dropping them off his shoulder. “Fuck me,” he sighed.
“Kneel, I will stack,” Myna told him.
“Glad I can be a pack mule, at least,” Sean snorted, but did as he was asked.
Myna quickly had the bodies back on his shoulder, and they continued on towards the village. “You aren’t from here, are you?” Myna asked as they reached the outskirts.
Sean didn’t get the feeling she was trying to fuck him over, but she was in Whelan’s group, so he hesitated. After a moment, he went with his gut. “No, I’m not.”
“My grandfather wasn’t either,” Myna said softly, eyes darting around to make sure that nobody was close by. “Outsiders are viewed with suspicion, and he had a hard life because of it.”
“Good to know. Thank you Myna,” Sean said as she led him to Darragh’s house.
“I’ll get Misa. Wait, please.” With that, Myna darted into the home.
Chapter Eighteen
Misa followed Myna out of the
home, her eyes growing large when she saw the bodies Sean was carrying. “I owe you an extra portion of meat tonight,” Misa said to Myna after a moment. Turning back to Sean, she beckoned him to follow her, “Around back isss the area I need them taken to.”
Sean followed her around to an area with tables set up for butchering. The area also held several racks for curing hides. Of the four, only one had a hide stretched on it. “So this is where the hunters bring their meat?” Sean asked as he placed the wolves on one of the tables.
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