Flame of War (Binding Words Book 5), page 31
part #5 of Binding Words Series
Saret licked her lips, a glimmer of hope coming to her. “Very well. If need be, I can drown my sorrows afterward.”
Sean coughed, “Amedee, any more news about Truestrike’s associates?”
“No,” Mageeyes said. “Lady Sharpeyes is concerned. Her usual sources of information have stonewalled her.”
“Nothing we can do about it,” Sean sighed.
“We might be able to be there, Sean,” Joseph said. “Not in person, at least, but we all believe in you.” The other smiths and ex-smiths all agreed with him. “Not one of us doubts you.”
“Want to trade spots?” Sean asked.
“Not a chance,” Joseph chuckled. “I’m not god-touched.”
“He’s more than touched,” Saret said. “We’ve all heard, but they don’t understand. I’m not sure if you do, either, Sean.”
“Huh?”
“You are dripping in divine energy, saturated to bursting. It isn’t surprising, considering what you’ve said, but you are not just god-touched. You’re more a demigod in your own right.”
“How do you know that?” Mageeyes asked.
“Having been touched by his energy, I knew,” Saret sighed. “I’ve tasted the divine. It is the best we can get as Succubi. My daughter is luckier than she knows.”
“I don’t think that’s right,” Sean said.
“Trust me. It might be wrong, but if it is, it’s because I’m underestimating, not overestimating. Amedee, what do you think?”
“He shines brighter today than he did when I first met him. You are dampening yourself, aren’t you, Sean?”
“Yes.”
“Your power grows, as does all of ours,” Mageeyes said. “I trust Saret when it comes to her knowledge of the worlds beyond ours.”
Joseph shook his head. “In that case, I’ll go so far as to say no again.”
A rough laugh came from those around the table as each of them digested the new information they had heard. None of them could argue that they could do so much more since they met Sean.
“Does that mean our new Talents and energy will vanish if Sean dies?” Avery asked. Everyone jerked as if slapped and stared at him. “Hang on, I didn’t mean it like that! I just had the question hit me and wanted to know what you all thought.”
“No,” Mageeyes said. “There is no active Bond between us. It’s like he unlocked the potential for each of us, but that is it.”
“But I can do much more than I could after that first night,” Avery countered.
Everyone fell silent again, but Fredrick spoke up, “Doesn’t matter, does it?”
“No,” Avery said. “I was a little afraid of it going away, though.”
“If it does, then I can’t charge the runes in the bathhouse. Makes me being there a bit pointless. I was a bit afraid, too,” Knox said. “Sorry, Sean, it was selfish of us.”
“I don’t blame you,” Sean replied. “If I was you, I’d have had the same fear.” He stood and pushed in his chair. “I should be getting home. I have a lot to manage before the party.”
“See you tomorrow?” Joseph asked.
“Of course.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
Sean woke from a dreamless sleep and frowned because it was still almost completely dark in the room. Something prompted him to get up, so he eased himself out of bed. Looking back, he realized someone was missing. After getting dressed in the changing room, he made his way downstairs.
There was no sound from the kitchen and very little light coming in from outside. Everyone is still asleep, so it isn’t close to morning yet. A small sliver of light was coming from under the bathroom door. Are the cooks bathing? Curious, Sean went down the hall and opened the door to see who was inside.
Myna looked back at him, her eyes wide. “Master?”
“What are you doing up, silly kitty?”
“Bathing.”
“I can see that,” Sean laughed softly as he shut the door behind him. “I meant why.”
Myna looked away from him. “I accidentally made a mess. I had to wash up.”
Sean winced and felt like an ass for asking her. “Oh, uh, right. Sorry about that.”
“You should be asleep,” Myna muttered.
“I woke up,” Sean said. “Feel pretty good, too. When I noticed someone missing from the bed, I came looking.”
“I would have come back.”
“Well, we can go back together once you’re done.”
“Maybe you can wash me?”
“Oh? If that will make you feel better, sure.” Sean started to strip his clothes off. “Just give me a moment.”
“Of course, Master.”
“You’re never going to let that name go, are you?”
“No, Master,” Myna replied, a hint of laughter in her tone.
“Silly kitty likes poking at me, does she?”
“Yes, but I prefer you to poke at me,” Myna purred as she bent at the waist to get the soap. Pausing, she looked back at him, her tail lashing back and forth. “It’s better that way.”
Sean’s body reacted predictably, and he coughed. “Oh, so not a silly kitty, but a naughty kitty?”
“I would like to have this time alone with you... if Master is okay with that?”
Sean snorted. “Damn it. You brat. Fine, let me finish undressing and I’ll play with you. This room isn’t supposed to be used like this. Considering I think everyone will still be asleep for another hour or two, though, I’ll let you have your way. I feel bad for making you uncomfortable.”
Myna gave him a smile. “Good.”
~*~*~
Sean exhaled as he sat there, Myna perched on his lap while the hot water jets massaged his back. “Damn, you were worked up.”
“Yes,” Myna murmured as she leaned against his chest. “Thank you.”
“I should say thank you,” Sean replied. “At least no one inter—”
“Hello?” Glorina called out as she entered the bathroom. “Oh, it’s you sir, and Myna. We’ll bathe later.”
“No,” Myna said firmly. “You should bathe now. Neither of us mind.” Sean started to say something, but Myna jabbed his ribs. “Do we, Master?”
You know you’ll see and be seen by all of them eventually, Sean told himself. Clearing his throat, Sean spoke up, “It’s your choice. We can leave if you’re uncomfortable.”
“No. No, it’s fine,” Mona said, stepping in and quickly pulling off her nightgown. “We just didn’t want to bother you. It’s easier for us to clean up before work and after sparring.”
“Two baths a day?” Myna giggled. “It’s the tub, isn’t it?”
Lona blushed. “Yes. It’s the most luxurious thing we’ve ever been able to use. We can stop if—”
Sean raised his hand and cut her off. “It’s fine. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your work, you can bathe as much as you want.”
“Thank you, sir,” Glorina said, the last of the three to strip.
As the three Rabbit Moonbound stepped over to the showers, Myna whispered into Sean’s ear, “They bounce when they walk.”
Sean coughed and shifted in his seat. He had seen a bounce, as well. “I noticed.”
“I meant their gait, Master,” Myna snickered. “Oh, yes, you did notice.”
“Now someone is being a bad kitty,” Sean whispered back to her. “Stop it. I’m sure they can hear us even if we whisper, and it’s just rude.”
Myna looked at the three women. “I apologize. I just find your bouncing walk fun to watch. It looks like you might break out into a dance.”
“It’s fine,” Glorina said, her cheeks red as she tugged one of her ears.
“We try not to,” Lona said. “Many mock us for it.”
“What? Why?” Sean asked.
“Because we can’t move like everyone else,” Mona answered.
“But that helps you move swiftly when needed,” Myna said.
“Yes, but it also sets us further apart from everyone else,” Glorina said. “Learning to carry a tray of food while moving as we do takes a lot of effort.”
“I can see that,” Sean said. “You’ve all had a lot of practice at it, obviously. I haven’t noticed even a tremor when you serve us.”
“Thank you, sir,” Glorina smiled. “It is a point of pride.”
“How is your training with Ryann going?” Myna asked.
“It’s interesting,” Glorina said. “No one has ever given us such a violent Talent before you. The idea of being able to defend ourselves and others with it is… different.”
“Exciting?” Myna offered.
“Yes,” Lona agreed quickly. “When Ryann explained it to us, I…”
“We,” Mona said when Lona trailed off, “thought about how easily we could repay some of those who hadn’t been kind to us in the past.”
“But we won’t do that,” Glorina said. “It would cause trouble for the household. We are honored to be part of this family and will never do anything to harm it.”
“Yes,” Lona and Mona said together.
“That’s good,” Sean said. “Myna, if they can move fast and silently, maybe you should train them like the maids.”
Myna’s eyes sparkled. “Ooh, can I?”
“That’s up to them,” Sean said.
“Train us in what?” Glorina asked, turning her shower off and walking over toward the bath.
“Moving unseen and attacking from the darkness,” Myna said as she smiled at the Moonbound. “Assassins for the family.”
Glorina froze on the edge of the tub. “Are you serious?”
Sean had trouble keeping his eyes on her face with her being full-frontal only a foot away, but he managed. “Yes. It’s your choice. Myna doesn’t go easy on the people she trains.”
“We know,” Lona said, stepping up beside Glorina.
Myna snickered, “No, that’s easy compared to what you will go through.”
Mona swallowed as she took a spot next to Lona. “I’m interested. No one thinks of us as dangerous... we’re only Rabbits, after all.”
Sean’s lips creased into a smile, thinking of the deadly beast from Monty Python’s Holy Grail. “They have no idea how deadly a rabbit can be if it’s motivated.”
Seeing only honesty in his smile, the three cooks stood a little straighter. “We accept,” Glorina said.
Myna’s smile grew wide. “We will begin today. You will be joining the maids for this.”
“Thank you, sir,” Glorina said, bowing to him.
“Thank you, sir,” Lona and Mona echoed her in word and deed.
Sean looked away from them, his cheeks heating slightly. “No need for that. Go ahead and climb in.”
Myna shifted slightly in his lap and gave him a playful smile. Kissing his cheek, she got up and out of the tub. “I’ll get you a towel, Master.”
“Sir?” Lona asked. “We’ve been told not to call you that, but Myna does and seems to be the only one who can. Why is that?”
“We were just curious,” Mona said quickly to justify the question. “Most have us address them as ‘mistress’ or ‘master’. The nicer ones use ‘sir’ or ‘madam’.”
“I don’t care for master at all. I tolerate it from her because she lets me call her kitty, silly and otherwise,” Sean answered honestly, able to look toward them now that they were in the bubbling water. “I’d prefer if everyone just called me Sean, but I understand if that makes you uncomfortable.”
“But we can’t call you master?” Glorina asked.
Sean’s brow furrowed. “You want to?”
“We see it as a term of respect for those who are as powerful as you,” Glorina replied. “Fiona explained that for you, the word holds negative connotations that you dislike. We’ll abide by the rules of the household, but we were curious.”
“I’d really prefer to only hear it out of Myna’s mouth,” Sean said.
“That’s not true, Master,” Myna said simply as she brought a towel back to the tub for him.
“Of course it is,” Sean said.
“Do you not remember the other night?” Myna asked with an innocent expression. “When Felora and I were kneeling and beg—”
“Stop!” Sean blurted out as he stood up and held his hand out to her. “None of that.”
“As you wish, Master,” Myna said with suppressed laughter. “Would you care for your towel?” Myna had it held between her two outstretched hands, offering it like a cloak.
“Thanks,” Sean grumbled as he stepped out of the tub and let her wrap him in it. He was about to lower his voice when he remembered who it was in the room with them. “That was mean to me, but also to them.”
Myna bowed her head slightly. “I apologize if my humor offended you,” she directed behind him.
“We are fine,” Glorina said, though her own cheeks were pink.
“Fine,” Lona said with a wistful tone.
“Perfectly fine,” Mona sighed.
“They’re fine, Master.”
Sean stared into her laughter-filled eyes. “Damned brat... this just proves how cat-like you can be.”
“Thank you, Master. I love being your kitty.”
Sean sighed and began to dry off. “Why can’t I stay mad at you?”
“Because you love me,” Myna replied, “just as I love you.”
“Fair enough. I’m going to my workshop until breakfast.”
“I will clean my clothes and then see about basic exercises with the cooks, Master. Can you give them the Camouflage Talent?”
“Already done,” Sean said as he went to the bench where his clothes were.
“Excellent,” Myna grinned. “After you’re done bathing, we will begin your training.” She stared at the trio of Rabbit Moonbound. “I will be hard on you because only those worthy can be counted on to protect Sean. If you can’t do as I demand, your Talent will be removed from you and you will no longer be trained with the others.”
“Yes, Myna,” the three said in near unison.
Sean got dressed and left the bath behind. Not how I expected to start my day. I’m glad she forgave me for embarrassing her, but damned if she didn’t return that a dozen times over at the end. “Cats,” Sean snorted as he went out the backdoor into the darkness.
Chapter Thirty-eight
A knock on the workshop door got Sean to pause. “Come on in.”
“I hope I am not intruding,” Italice said.
“Not at all. I’ve got your things all ready for you,” Sean said. “Wagon outside?”
“Carriage,” Italice said. “Might I impose on you a little more?”
“What’s up?”
“My mother is here. She wishes to speak with you.”
“Is there a problem?” Sean asked.
“I don’t know,” Italice grumbled. “She just demanded I bring her along, and when we pulled in, she told me she needed to speak with you.”
“She’s dangerous, isn’t she? Like you?”
Italice blinked at him before she laughed. “I doubt both of us together are a threat to you, considering everything. To answer your question, yes. If she becomes angry, she’d be a hard fight for most.”
“Sure. Let’s get your things out of the way, just in case.”
Italice took the bag Sean handed her as he hefted the icebox onto his shoulder. “Isn’t that heavy?” Italice asked.
“To most,” Sean replied as they went around the back. The ladder there led up to the luggage rack. Climbing it one-handed, he set the icebox down carefully. He looked down at the footman and smiled. “You can lash it down, but make sure you’ve got four guys to get it down.”
“Of course,” the footman said with a snort.
“If you break it, I’m sure the family won’t be happy,” Sean said. Stepping around the side, he found Italice speaking with a woman who looked like an older version of her. “How can I help the Stoneeyes family?”
Cold, dark eyes pierced Sean as Italice’s mother clearly sized him up. “You’re MacDougal?”
“Sean MacDougal,” Sean said, inclining his head. “How can I help you?” Seeing her unimpressed stare, Sean’s jaw set. “You did want to speak, didn’t you?”
