Sean gave her a reassuring squeeze, but kept silent and waited for her to continue. He had a pretty good idea of what was going to come next.
“He had me crafting simple, but ornately-made items at first. After a couple of months, he was having me craft things to be used at his parties. Some of them made my stomach clench to think about. The entire time, he kept inviting me to his parties, trying to wear me down.” A look of revulsion crossed her features as she shivered. “The last straw was a set of stocks, evil in their design. A person locked into them would never have a moment of peace. I could barely force myself to do it, I kept thinking of how many other women he must have coerced into his parties. I told him it was over, and that I wouldn’t be continuing past that week. His simple acknowledgement and seeming sadness at my leaving should have warned me, but I didn’t see it.”
“Sounds like I wouldn’t have gotten along with this freak,” Sean said.
“You two are very different people, for which I’m grateful,” Fiona said, placing her hand on his arm around her waist. “A couple of days later, as I was finishing the project, he invited me to tea to discuss the ending of my Agreement. It was the morning of one of his parties, but that didn’t register on me at the time. It turned out that the tea was drugged,” her face went cold as she continued, “I should have known he wouldn’t let me go so easily. When I woke up, I was chained to a bed, one that I had Shaped months before. The sounds of the party were oddly amplified, like they were being funneled into the room somehow.”
“He made a room that he could indulge in, while still feeling like he was with his guests?” Sean asked, not quite understanding.
“The other rooms of the manor had decent soundproofing, so yes. The sounds of women being pleasured and tortured filled the room, along with the music from the main hall, like the most perverted symphony ever played. The worst part was that he was nude and between my legs, his hands groping my body while his, thing,” she spat the word, “rubbed against me, not penetrating, but teasing at the entrance.” She stopped walking as a shudder overtook her.
Sean stopped with her, holding her as he chewed his lip. “Fiona…”
“No! No, I will say it. Don’t stop me,” Fiona said. Taking a deep breath, she started walking again. “He mocked me when I woke, telling me that he was willing to accept whatever punishment was meted out, but that it wouldn’t change anything. He laughed at how easily I had fallen for his trap. The chains that held me to the bed were adamantine, and enchanted to make my limbs heavier than normal. He made an error, though; my hands could reach the posts that held the chains.” Her voice was cold and full of hatred, “I Shaped the posts, freeing my chains from them and pulling a dagger to my hand. I can still see his eyes going wide as he realized what my intent was. I knew the Winter Queen wouldn’t accept it, but I didn’t care. I plunged the dagger into his chest over and over, screaming at him the entire time. I don’t know how many times I stabbed him. I was only pulled from my rage when the Winter Queen’s guards pulled me off him.”
Sean stopped them and pulled her to him. Holding her, he could feel her crying into his chest as old memories engulfed her. Rubbing her back, he held her and wished he could have been there instead. Raping bastards had no right to life. He was upset she had to endure the trauma, but part of him was glad she had killed the fucker.
“I was brought before her, still nude, and forced to my knees in front of the Court while her guards explained what they had walked in on.” Sobbing into his chest, she continued in a rush, determined to finish the story. “She had a Truthsayer come in, then she had me wait until the court was cleared before I told my tale. When I finished, and the Truthsayer verified my account, she told me that she had to Shame me. She would have trouble with her other nobles if a commoner, even a talented one, were to kill a noble and go unpunished. I can still recall her cold voice, like the heart of winter. But I would swear to this day that, for a moment, the ice was not as thick when she apologized to me for not acting sooner against him. That moment passed quickly, though, and her voice returned to its normal, imperious tone. It was then that she changed me. My Shame caused to lose half my body to metal, which took half my Talent away with it. It hurt me, and also clearly marked me for my crime. The pain of having my body changed caused me to black out. When I came to again, I was in my mother’s home, in my old room, being cared for by my mother. She looked like she had aged years in the few months since I’d last seen her.”
Continuing to rub her back, Sean kissed the top of her bowed head. He didn’t agree with the Winter Queen’s decision. She’d known about Lord Caligula and done nothing about it, but still punished Fiona for doing what needed to be done.
“The Shame I bore was too much for my mother. All her friends stopped speaking to her and we were shunned by everyone we’d known. We fled Southpoint after a month and moved from town to town, trying to find a place where I could live. During the year we moved about, mother grew ill. I never found out what the sickness was, but she died within a week of catching it. Alone, I finally settled in a town about the same size as Oaklake and accepted my new life as an outcast. I had no friends, no love, and no happiness for decades. Then Darragh suddenly appeared on my doorstep to ask for my help. That is my story, Sean. Do you still think—”
Cutting her off, he tilted her head up and kissed her. It was a soft, reassuring kiss that made no demands. Pulling back after a moment, he met her tear-filled eyes. “I still feel the same, my beautiful friend. You did exactly what needed to be done.”
More tears spilled from her eyes as she clung to him, falling into his love and acceptance and hoping she would never be free of it. The two stood in the middle of the road until Fiona was able to control herself again.
“We’re going to be late,” Fiona finally sniffled.
“I’ll tell Darragh it was my fault. I did ask for your story, after all,” Sean said, kissing her once more and putting an arm around her waist, starting them moving again.
“You’re too good for me,” Fiona sniffled.
“I was thinking the same of you,” Sean smiled.
Chapter Twenty-eight
They walked along in silence for hours, each comfortable and happy with the other. Both of them were wondering if this kind of thing really happened in life, meeting a stranger and falling madly in love in less than a week—both of them would have considered it fantasy just a few weeks ago. Sean knew that, at least in theory, it was possible; James had met the love of his life via an online chatroom and loved her for ten years before she died of a blood clot in her brain. Shaking his head as he recalled how devastated James had been for well over a year, he wondered how he would feel if the same happened to Fiona.
Sean’s hand tightened on her waist and Fiona looked at him with questioning eyes. “Something wrong?”
“Thinking of my one real friend, back on the other world. He told me how quickly he fell in love. I didn’t believe him at the time, but if I ever see him again, I’m going to have to apologize.”
Fiona’s light laughter filled the air for a moment, “I’d have to, as well. I didn’t think it was possible, either. I never thought I would get the chance, after…”
Giving her another squeeze as she trailed off, Sean kissed her cheek. “Yet here we are,” the words were soft but filled with love.
“Today is the best day of my life,” Fiona said as she returned his kiss.
“It’s a damn good day,” Sean agreed. A weight seemed to lift from him with those words and his smile grew broader.
The light was waning by the time they made it back to the village. In high spirits, they were laughing when they realized that something was amiss. No new logs were by Fiona’s home, but the lumberjacks should have been back by now. The normal small sounds of people were absent, an eerie hush clinging to the small village.
Fiona stated the obvious a moment later, “Something is wrong.”
Finally taking in the small clues that his brain had b
een trying to nudge him about, Sean froze. Bloodstains were soaking into the ground, a furry ear was pinned to a wall, and a single finger with a three-inch claw lay by Darragh’s front door. “Moonbound?”
Fiona turned to look at him as five doors burst open. They spun back to back, both bringing their walking sticks up before them. Whelan and his hunters stood in the open door, and they released held breaths. “Whelan, what happened here?” Fiona asked, as none of the five said anything or moved for a long moment.
“The Moonbound attacked the village earlier today,” Whelan’s voice was glacial. “It seems someone broke the Agreement with them, and they came to collect our heads. Myna is missing. We’re about to go hunt her down. We thought she’d gone to town to join her blood cousins.”
“Myna? No!” Fiona gasped, her eyes wide.
Sean frowned. Whelan’s words, and the way he stood, didn’t seem to add up with the scene in the village. All five hunters appeared to be unwounded. “Where is everyone else?”
Whelan’s lip curled into a sneer. “Outsider, why does it matter to you? You’re not part of this village.”
“I have an Agreement with Darragh. Where is he?”
“Didn’t you feel the Agreement dissolve?” Whelan chuckled darkly. “The weight of it should have left you feeling lighter. Darragh died to the claws of the beasts.”
“No,” Fiona’s whisper was pained. “I didn’t realize. That’s why I felt so light earlier.”
Sean Shaped the wood in his hand into a spear. “You all seem strangely uninjured,” he finally gave voice to his issue with the scene before him.
Whelan’s laughter was wild and full of madness. “That’s what happens when you kill the unwary. I’m sure the Moonbound will be really upset when they find the one we killed to paint this picture. Myna tried to get back here to warn Darragh, but she didn’t make it back before us. We’ll be hunting her down shortly, but first, we’ll deal with you. I promised her that I would leave no one alive behind us.”
Fiona went still, her words freezing as they left her mouth, “You killed them all?”
“Of course. That was the deal with the Lord’s servant. Darragh never suspected my blade, he just stared at me when I tore it from his body. The fool, he thought he actually had a chance to make this place grow,” broken laughter came from Whelan, the other hunters all chuckling as well.
“And Misa?” Sean asked as his hands tightened on the haft of the spear.
“She got away, but we’ll soon be tracking her down, as well. Not that we need to, with Darragh dead,” Whelan replied, his laughter stopping. “Any last words before we end you?”
“Fiona, do you trust me?” Sean asked, puzzling the hunters.
“Yes,” Fiona said without hesitation.
“Bond with me for a single day, with everything you can give me, and we’ll get through this,” Sean asked her, keeping his eyes on Whelan.
“Agreed,” Fiona said. With that word, Sean felt a rush of energy from Fiona, along with a basic understanding of Shaping. In return, he gave her back everything she gave him, plus everything he knew he could do. “Goodness,” Fiona gasped, as the power she had given him came flooding back threefold, along with the access to his Talents.
Whelan was laughing the entire time. Drawing the sword from his waist, he asked, “Do you think a bit of Shaping will get you through what we’re going to do to you?”
“No,” Sean grinned like a wolf. “I think what I can do, given to her, will be enough.”
Fiona Shaped her walking stick into a beautifully crafted scimitar, “I’ll hold the others at bay, you deal with him?”
“Gladly,” Sean said, stepping away from Fiona and toward Whelan, “Time to pay the piper for your crimes.”
“That’s enough of this idiocy,” Whelan snarled as he came at Sean in a rush. “Kill her, I’ve got him.”
Sean lunged forward with all the speed he had, but Whelan parried the spear away, his sword coming back to cut across Sean’s chest. Going with the blow, Sean staggered. The cut wasn’t deep, but blood steadily soaked his shirt from the wound. Sean felt at a loss. He wasn’t faster than Whelan, as he had been against every other opponent. No, that’s not it. He’s more skilled, so he read the attack, Sean growled in his mind as Whelan smirked at him.
“Fool, your minor tricks can’t stop me from gutting you like a fish,” Whelan laughed, the madness creeping back into his tone.
“It’s true—I’m not the fighter you are,” Sean agreed, glancing quickly at the cut across his chest. “I might surprise you, though.”
Whelan came forward in a rush, and Sean barely managed to push the slash away. Backing up, Sean found himself completely on the defensive, pushed back by Whelan’s onslaught. Numerous small cuts began to accumulate on Sean’s arms and legs. Whelan was content to continue taking the attacks he could land easily, slowly carving Sean into ribbons.
Backing up to give Sean a moment to realize how doomed he was, Whelan grinned evilly, “Like a child trying to stop his father from beating him. So sad. Goodbye, Outsider.”
“Sean!” Fiona cried out. Looking over, he saw two of the hunters were down, but the other two held Fiona by the arms. “I’m sorry.”
Feeling his heart clench as he saw the despair in her eyes, he tried to find a way to save her. Before he could even formulate a plan, Whelan spun and a dagger flew from his hand, sinking into Fiona’s chest. Her cry of pain, along with Sean’s shout of rage, mingled with Whelan’s maniacal laugh.
“Your broken bitch is dead now,” Whelan sneered back at Sean.
Blood becoming ice in his veins, Sean’s expression reflected the rage he felt. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
Whelan began laughing again, but stopped when Sean rushed him, his sword coming around to parry the spear away again. He hadn’t expected the spear to split and shift into two short blades. Using the left sword, Sean slashed Whelan’s arm as he drove the right blade into Whelan’s gut. He twisted the blade as he drew it out, Whelan’s sword falling from his fingers as he dropped to his knees, using both hands to try to hold his intestines in. Stepping back, Sean drove his boot into Whelan’s face. The sickening crunch of bone was clear as Whelan was flung ten feet away from Sean. He turned to the remaining hunters, who dropped Fiona to face him.
“You’ll be joining him,” Sean hissed as the blades transitioned into a single spear again.
“Sorry…” Fiona whimpered from the ground, her eyes closed.
That word only fueled Sean’s rage, and before the hunters realized he was coming, he was on top of them. The spear punched right through Zaire’s chest and back, a shower of gore painting the ground. Duggan’s sword dug into Sean’s hip, the strike a little lower than Duggan had aimed for. With a hiss of pain, the spear vanished from Zaire’s body and Sean held two daggers, which he slammed into Duggan’s neck hard enough to rip his throat out, showering Sean in blood.
As Duggan collapsed to the ground, Sean dropped the wooden daggers and went to his knees next to Fiona. Grabbing her gently, he cradled her in his arms, tears falling from his eyes as he looked down at her barely rising chest. Her shirt was soaked in blood from the dagger embedded just to the side of her mithril skin. “I’m sorry, Fiona,” Sean whispered as he held her.
“I failed...,” Fiona whispered, her eyes fluttering open as she looked up at him.
“I’m covered in cuts,” Sean told her, “I won’t be long behind you.” Fiona’s hand grazed his arm, but there was no pain from her touch. Sean was surprised to see unblemished skin under her hand. “Wait, what?” His mind went back to the gifts the Tuatha Dé Danann had given him, recalling his fast healing.
Looking down at Fiona, he could see the wound in her chest was barely trickling blood, and her skin seemed to have closed around the dagger. “This is going to hurt,” he told her softly, kissing her before pulling the blade from her chest.
Her gasp broke the kiss. Eyes wide, she looked up at him, not understanding why he’d
removed the blade so quickly. “Why?”
Eyes full of happiness as he watched the wound closing, his tears fell faster. “You’re not dying on me today, Fiona.”
The pain from the hole in her chest was fading. Fiona couldn’t understand why Sean seemed so happy until she looked at her chest and watched in awe as the muscle knitted together, the blood now only a thin trickle. “How?”
Taking her arm, he kissed her blood splattered fingers. “I gave you access to everything I can do, including the gift of fast healing from the Tuatha Dé Danann.” Pushing as much of his energy into her as he could, he watched the wound close up exponentially faster. Fiona bucked in his arms, feeling like she was about to burst.
“Stop,” she managed to gasp, and Sean quickly withdrew most of his energy from her. “How much energy do you have?” She recalled seeing him glowing with it when she’d worn the monocle. “You break all the rules I know of,” she said as her hand cupped his cheek. “You’re more than even you know.”
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