“Do you mind?” Doc asked Blackbeard.
“Go ahead. It’s yours.”
Doc holstered the pistol and faced away from the street. Taking a deep breath, he brushed his jacket back behind the grip and just waited a second. As fast as he could, he drew, cocked, and dry-fired. The motion was fluid and Doc grinned at his reflexes. Making sure to lower his aim to the floor, he tried fanning the hammer and nodded.
“Damn good pistol.”
“Glad you like them,” Blackbeard said, standing a handful of rounds on the counter. “For the pistol. No reason to open a box if you’re just loading it right now.”
“Thank you,” Doc said as he loaded his new weapon. “I was curious, and please pardon me for asking if it’s impolite, but how is the engraving done?”
Blackbeard gave Doc a hard look for a second. “You don’t know? Hmm. It’s a technique that has to be trained. Few are willing to teach it to others, as it means someone could take the work from them.”
“So just knowing the pattern isn’t enough?” Doc asked.
“No. Anyone can engrave the pattern, but there’s more to it than just that.”
“Figured it might be that way,” Doc sighed. “Explains why the cost of engraving is high.”
“Indeed. Much like enchanting, in that regard,” Blackbeard said, “though they like to charge more for the most part.”
“Because they can?”
“Not exactly. Most enchanting is done by people who’ve had training as a mage. A lot of enchanters failed to make it all the way. I think they’re bitter twits.”
Doc laughed. “Good to know.”
“Though,” Blackbeard said slowly, “legend says that shamans used to enchant items, too.”
“Huh... I’ll have to see if there’s anything I can learn about that,” Doc said, curious if he could.
“Might just be legend,” Blackbeard said, “but if that’s true, Shaman, you’ll have even greater value to the clans.”
“I imagine few dwarves are allowed in or graduate from the colleges?”
“Very few, indeed, and all from fallen clans. More half-dwarves get in, but again, most of them are from those same clans.”
“Good to know,” Doc said. “Thanks for the firearms.”
“Thanks for paying for them,” Blackbeard laughed. “Fortune smiled on me when I ordered those two guns.”
“Lucky for me that you did.”
“Touché, Doc.”
“I’m sure I’ll… wait,” Doc stopped and pulled his derringer. Cracking it open, he pocketed the rounds. “Can you engrave this, too?”
Blackbeard took the pistol and frowned at it. Bringing it close to his face, he sniffed at it, squinted at it, and even licked it.
“Hey, now, no licking things to claim them as your own,” Doc laughed.
Shaking his head, Blackbeard frowned. “I wasn’t. I was trying to place the metal. It looks like steel, but it seems off to me. It doesn’t have the right scent or taste of steel. Where did you get this?”
Doc paused a moment before he answered truthfully, “Luck gave it to me.”
Blackbeard’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh… I can try, but are you sure? I would hate to ruin a gift from a goddess.”
“I trust you can do it, but if you need to verify,” Doc pulled a dollar coin out. “Heads, yes, and tails, no.” He snapped the coin up, grabbed it, and slapped it onto the counter. Pulling his hand away, he grinned. “Yes, it is.”
Blackbeard nodded reverently. “I’ll do my best.”
“I know. How much?”
“Nothing, Shaman. To work on a gift from your deity is payment enough. Once word of you spreads, the other clans will ask me to engrave for them, too, as I’ll have done this.”
“Okay,” Doc said, not arguing the point. “See you in a couple of days?”
“Yes,” Blackbeard said and set the small gun under the counter. “I’ll have it done no longer than three days from today.”
“Sounds good,” Doc said as he picked up his rifle.
“Oh, almost forgot,” Blackbeard said before he pulled a rifle bag from under the counter. “Fur-lined, and the leather cover is oiled to keep the rain off.”
“More extras?”
“No. It came with the guns, like the belt.”
“Okay.” Doc had the rifle in the carry case and the ammo stuffed into his jacket pockets. “See you in a few days.”
“Indeed.”
~*~*~
Making it back to the Lily, Doc stowed his new rifle in his room. Lips pursing, he wondered if he should have the women learn how to shoot, as well. Not that they’ll likely need it, but wouldn’t it be better for them to know how to handle them than not? I’ll ask Lia when I see her. Once he put the gun and ammo away, he went back downstairs to find Posy.
Posy was in the dining room with a book in front of her. Lips moving slightly, her finger slowly traversed the page she was on. Doc watched her for a second before he entered the room.
“Hey, Posy. You look to be hard at work.”
Posy’s head jerked up and she looked at him, smiling. “Doc! You made it.”
“Told you I would,” Doc grinned, taking the seat beside her. “What’re you working on?”
“Reading,” Posy said, “but I was just finishing it.”
“Part of a page left?” Doc asked, based on where her finger had been before he startled her.
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to read it out loud to me?”
Posy shook her head. “No... I’m not good at that.”
“You mean you read a little slow and are uncertain about some of the words?”
Posy blushed and looked at the book. “Yes...” Her voice was barely audible.
“I understand. I was the same as a kid,” Doc said, “but the best way to get better is by doing.”
“Okay,” Posy said, biting her lip. “No laughing?”
Doc made a production of crossing his heart. “I promise.”
“Okay.”
Posy cleared her throat, clearly looking for where she’d stopped. Finger touching the book, she took a deep breath. “Fido looked at the house from beyond the fence. ‘Will he still love me? It’s been forever and I was a bad boy.’ With uncertain steps, Fido approached the house, his heart beating fast. His long journey was finally coming to an end.”
Doc smiled. “See? You did just fine.”
“Thank you,” Posy said, looking at the book with a worried frown. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“Fido?” Doc asked to clarify.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know, Posy. That’s something for you to think about, though. It’s part of critical thinking. From what you read earlier, did the owner love him? Why did Fido leave? Why did he go back? If you look at those questions and compare them to what you’ve read, the answer should be clear. Not every book has a happy ending, unfortunately. Life is like that, too.”
Posy nodded slowly as she closed the book. “It might be sad.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll find out tomorrow.”
“What’s next?” Doc asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Math. I’ve been getting better at it.”
“Oh? Shall we see how far you’ve gotten?”
“Yes,” Posy nodded.
~*~*~
Posy was laughing when a knock on the door interrupted them.
“Excuse me, Shaman, but I have need of your wisdom,” a dwarf said from the doorway.
Doc gave the dwarf a nod. “I’ll do my best.” He looked at Posy. “Time for you to go back to work.”
“Thank you for learning with me,” Posy said as she got up, collected her workbooks, and left the room.
The dwarf stood aside as Posy left, closing the door behind her as she went. “I didn’t mean to intrude, Shaman.”
“Her break for learning was over,” Doc said. “Have a seat and tell me what the problem is.”
Taking a seat acros
s from Doc, the dwarf looked uncertain. “I’m Vled Oresmelter, Shaman. I need your guidance on what to do about Gretchen.” When Doc didn’t comment, the dwarf cleared his throat and continued, “She’s a willful girl, Shaman. I keep telling her smelting isn’t a job she can do, but she’s started to dig in. How do I get her to understand?”
“Gretchen is your daughter?” Doc asked to clarify.
“Yes. She’s going to be an adult soon, and she’s determined to follow in my footsteps. Ever since her mother died, she’s been set on doing what I do. I tried to find a female who could help guide her to something else, but…” He trailed off with the sigh of a father at his wit’s end.
“I’m not rehearsed in smelting, so please bear with me. Why is it wrong for her to want to follow in your footsteps?”
Vled’s brow furrowed. “She’s a woman! The work is too hard for her.”
Doc’s lips thinned. “She can’t physically do the job?”
Vled’s brow contracted further. “She’s a dwarf. She can easily do the job better than the hum—”
“Humans,” Doc finished for him. “Heavy lifting and dealing with the heat? She’d likely have an edge in both those categories.”
“Uh... yes, but—”
“Is it because women shouldn’t be doing the dirty, filthy work? Or the fact that she’d be constantly harassed by the other men?”
“...Yes,” Vled said, agreeing to both.
“Can I speak with her?”
Vled nodded. “I have her waiting. Thank you, Shaman.”
Doc stood up as Vled did. “Wait,” Doc said to stop him from leaving. “I’ll talk with her, but what if I decide that she should try?”
Vled looked down. “A shaman’s word is what the gods will. While I might think it foolish, I won’t go against it. But please, try to stop her? She should have a good life being loved and cared for, not breathing in the stink of the furnaces and dealing with them.”
Doc watched the father go and wondered if he should be the one to guide people’s lives. He was still pondering it when a dwarven female knocked on the door.
“Shaman?”
“Come in, please. Have a seat.”
Doc gave her a good lookover as she moved to take her seat, and “brickhouse” was the first word that came to mind. Gretchen was a well-built woman. Doc would have bet she could handle any man who tried to accost her.
“Gretchen, do you know why you’re here?”
“My father is asking you to stop me from following in his footsteps,” Gretchen said levelly, but Doc could see the stubborn resolve in her eyes.
“Do you know why?”
Gretchen snorted through her nose and raised a hand. Her fingers were curled but she raised each as she spoke, “It’s too dirty for a girl. The men are too coarse for a girl. You don’t have the strength to do the job. No daughter of mine will lower herself to being muscle labor.”
Doc nodded. “Yes, that does sound like what I just heard. Why don’t you tell me why? Why are you so set on it?”
Gretchen hesitated, clearly wondering if it was a trap. “All I’ve known since I was a child, after Mother died, was Father and his work. I grew up with the heat and smell of the furnaces. I’m not smart like others, nor am I beautiful, but I am strong. I can do the job, and a damned sight better than… others,” she finished lamely.
“Humans,” Doc grinned, and Gretchen nodded. “Fair. You’re not wrong in that assessment. Dwarven resilience to heat and your stronger frame does mean that you’d likely exceed some of the humans. That’ll also make it much harder on you.”
“Because they’ll hate me for being a dwarf and a woman,” Gretchen said flatly. “Yes, they will. They’ll be coarse, crass, and might even try to force me out.” Her hands clenched on the table. “I can handle myself.”
Doc held up a hand to calm her. “Easy. What will you do if I side with your father?”
Gretchen stared at Doc for a long moment before bowing her head. “A shaman’s word is law. I will try to find a different path.”
“What if your fears prove true?” Doc asked. “What if the others do continuously attack you verbally and physically?”
Gretchen’s jaw set. “They’ll find out what going up against a dwarven woman means.”
Doc laughed and Gretchen glared at him. “No, no, I know what it means. I just lost my battle, you might recall.”
Gretchen’s lips twitched. “Sonya was always a stubborn one. To force a shaman to bend knee to her… not unexpected.”
Doc laughed harder, wiping at his eyes. “Matches me in the least, and might surpass me at times,” Doc admitted. His humor faded and he met Gretchen’s eyes. “Why fight your father so hard? He only wants you to have a good life.”
“Because… this way, I can still be there,” Gretchen said softly. “He’s always done everything he could for me. I don’t want to leave.”
“I see,” Doc said. “Did you consider that just finding a man to love you and care for you is all he wants?”
Gretchen sniffed, clearly holding her emotions in check. “Yes, but I want to stay longer.”
“Watching your child leave or leaving your parents is supposed to be one of the hardest things we do in life,” Doc said. “Wait here, please?” He got up and stepped into the hall. “Posy?” he called out.
“Sir?” Posy replied, poking her head out of the kitchen.
“Can you find the dwarf from earlier and ask him to come see me, please?”
“Yes, sir,” Posy said before she bounced toward the main room.
Doc went back into the dining room and took his seat. “It’ll be just a moment.”
Gretchen’s hands curled into fists and she stared at the table, just nodding.
Vled came back into the room. When he saw Gretchen’s somber mood, he looked hopeful. “Shaman, you called for me?”
“Please, sit?”
Vled took a seat one removed from his daughter, giving her a worried glance.
“Vled, you asked me to forbid your daughter from following in your footsteps. Gretchen has asked me to allow her to do so. You’ve both explained the reasons to me, but I have a feeling, Vled, that you never listened to her reasons.”
Vled’s brow furrowed. “Of course I listened.”
“Really?” Doc asked, staring the larger man in the eye. “You listened and fully heard her?”
Vled sat back, as Doc’s stare was intense. “I’m sure I have.”
“Gretchen, this is your chance,” Doc said.
“Father,” Gretchen started, her voice wavering with emotion, “I do not want to find a man to pamper me. I just want to stay beside you and help. I know you want me to have a happy life, but my happiness is to be beside you. Any man who would love me would have to accept that you are as important to me as he would be.”
Vled swallowed, looking away from her. “Your life should be yours, not tied to me, child.”
“But she’s chosen,” Doc said. “Each of us has to pick our paths. Sometimes, it haunts us for the rest of our lives, but those choices are what define who we become. You’ve both agreed to abide by my decision, and I have come to one.”
Both of them looked to him with a mixture of hope and fear.
“Gretchen, you can follow in your father’s footsteps,” Doc said, seeing her smile bloom and Vled’s eyes close, “but you will also try to find a husband who will love you the same way your father loved your mother. No knee jerk reactions to stop anyone from getting close.”
Vled opened his eyes, a faint hope in them, and Gretchen nodded.
“That’s my decision. It might not be the best, but I hope it gives you both a taste of what you’ve asked for.”
“Thank you, Shaman,” Vled said, getting to his feet.
“Thank you, Shaman,” Gretchen echoed. “I’m honored to have heard your words, and I will give the men who approach me a chance.”
“Good. Now, go home and celebrate the fact you love each other so much, you wan
t only the best for each other.”
Cashing In (Luck's Voice Book 2) Page 30
