Life Bonds Read online

  Binding Words

  Book Two:

  Life Bonds

  Daniel Schinhofen

  Copyright © 2018 Daniel J. Schinhofen

  No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without the written permission from the publisher.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2018 Daniel J. Schinhofen

  All rights reserved.

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter Forty-two

  Chapter Forty-three

  Chapter One

  Sean’s eyes flicked between the women in front of him as they walked through the woods. It had been a long day of travel already, and it was barely past noon. Myna and Fiona had been remarkably civil to each other so far, but Sean was still leery of how things would go between them in the longer term.

  “Sean,” Myna said as she looked back at him, “we should pause for a bit and rest. I can make a quick meal for us.”

  Fiona agreed, “I think Myna is right. We didn’t get much sleep, so a brief respite is a good idea.”

  Sean nodded. “Okay. Myna, I don’t even know what’s in this pack, so take your time to figure it out.” He handed the heavily laden pack over. “Do you have anything in yours that might help with a meal?” Sean asked Fiona, who had just set her bag aside.

  “I have a little bit of jerky, but I have mostly tea leaves,” Fiona said. “I didn’t keep food in my home.”

  “Only Darragh kept food inside his home, which is why we all went there for meals,” Myna said as she began unpacking the bag. “A kettle. If we were near the stream, we could have some tea,” Myna sighed, setting it aside.

  Sean gave her a smile, remembering that she hadn’t seen his water summoning yet. “Fiona, dig out some leaves, please. I’ll make us some tea.”

  “Let me get a fire together,” Myna said, starting to rise.

  Sean waved her back down, “Don’t need one for tea.” Taking the leaves from Fiona with an appreciative smile, he crumbled them into the kettle and set it down. He took a moment, trying to activate the magic without the song or hand motions, but nothing happened. “Fine,” Sean muttered as he adopted the correct position. “I’m a little teapot…” He went through the song, Myna watching with a bemused expression. Sean was grateful when the magic did as he intended and the kettle filled with steaming water. Cutting it off, he put the lid back and looked at Myna, who was now staring in astonishment. “Food?”

  “Right, sorry,” Myna said, digging back into the bag.

  Fiona giggled, “I reacted similarly when I saw him do that the first time. To think that he can summon boiling water with that song.”

  Myna blinked, looking up for a moment. “I thought maybe I was seeing things when I saw the steam.”

  “No, this is just another thing he does differently.”

  Sean took a seat as the women talked about him like he wasn’t there. James, how much would you have given to be here? The thought brought a sad smile to Sean’s lips. He knew James would have given at least a left nut to be where he was now. They’d both been fans of Isekai stories, and had whiled away many hours talking about just exactly this sort of situation. If you could only see me now, James.

  “Food will be simple. We have bread, cheese, and jerky,” Myna said, beginning to repack the bag. “Whoever packed this bag has damned near everything in it: rope, pitons, a couple of blankets, even a few antivenom potions,” Myna’s eyes flickered over to Sean as she tried to get the bag closed. “I’ve sorted it, so I can get to anything you need quickly.”

  “Thank you, Myna,” Sean said, pulled from his thoughts by her words. “The tea should be ready by now.”

  “I thought it might be.” Myna set three cups aside from the bag and poured for them, then handed bread and cheese around. “There are a few other cups in the bag. Someone must have thought there would be more survivors,” she said sadly.

  “Darragh packed the bag,” Sean said softly. “Misa said he knew what was coming. I find it hard to understand why he didn’t save any of the others.”

  “Maybe he was warned that something worse would happen if he did so?” Fiona suggested.

  “I don’t know if I could have stood by and done nothing if I had known,” Sean said as he began to eat the makeshift meal.

  “Sean, now that I feel confident we aren’t being tracked, I was thinking I should hunt as we travel,” Myna suggested.

  “We should learn from you,” Fiona said. “Sean has given us all equal access to each other’s Talents.”

  Myna nodded, “A good point, but trying to hunt with those packs will be difficult. If we stop early for the night, one person can set camp while the other two hunt.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Sean said. “It’s not like we have a timeline, outside of getting there before we run out of supplies. I’ll set camp tonight.”

  “I will lead Fiona on a hunt,” Myna said. “If she is to be at your side, she will need to learn everything she can.”

  Eyes sharpening at the implied words, Fiona gave Myna a nod. “I will show you how well I can learn. I will likely be your equal by the time we reach Pinebough.”

  Myna’s face became blank. “Oh? Would you care to wager on that?”

  Fiona leaned back slightly. “Noooo.”

  “As I thought,” Myna snorted.

  “Finish your food,” Sean sighed, popping the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. The two women went back to eating, letting silence fall again. Sipping at his tea, Sean eyed them as they ate. Fiona focused on her food, while Myna kept her attention on their surroundings.

  When they finally finished, Myna took the cups and tied them to the outside of the bag, before helping Sean get it settled onto his back again. “If this bag gets lighter, I can take turns helping you carry it,” Myna told him.

  “It’s fine, it doesn’t bother me,” Sean said. He felt odd saying that, as the bag was easily the same as the old ruck that his dad used to take on camping trips, possibly even heavier. It was hard for him to gauge since he wasn’t exactly sure what his body could do. I still really need to test my limits. Maybe before we reach Pinebough, I can take the time to find out.

  “Fiona, hand me your bag,” Sean said. “I’ll carry it so
you can trail Myna easier and learn some before tonight.”

  Fiona gave him a smile, handing her bag over. “Are you sure?”

  Sean slipped it over his left shoulder, the weight a negligible addition to what he was already carrying. “I got it, go on,” he gave her a quick kiss.

  “Okay,” Fiona smiled broadly at the kiss. “Ready, Myna?”

  Myna’s expression was blank as she turned to go, “Follow me if you can.”

  “Myna,” Sean called out, getting her to pause, “stay safe. You’re responsible for her while she learns from you.”

  “Yes, Master,” Myna said as she started walking.

  Sean was about to correct her for calling him Master, but let it go. “I’ll be heading as straight west as I can. If you deviate, let me know.”

  “We will,” Fiona said, giving him a smile as she followed Myna into the forest.

  Trailing along behind them, Sean found himself wondering if this back and forth was going to be common between Fiona and Myna. That led him to reflecting on his recent past, and how he’d ended up here and now, following two beautiful women through a forest.

  Shaking his head at the absurdity of it all, Sean kept putting one foot in front of the other. He invoked his Mage Sight and followed the two sets of footprints, the residual energy in them making it easier to follow both women.

  Fiona and Myna, Sean sighed internally, what am I going to do about them? I can’t even believe my feelings for Fiona are this deep already, I’ve only known her for a week. If it wasn’t for the connection with Fiona, I would have probably gone after Myna. Catgirls, even without the tail, have always been a weakness of mine. Fiona tells me that in time, I’ll love Myna regardless because of the Bond and that she’ll understand, but how can that be true? How can anyone be okay with the person they love, loving others? Damn it James, I could use some of your advice on this subject, you perverted bastard.

  Sean’s pace slowed as he became aware that the normal animal noises in the woods had stopped. He was mildly grateful that the voices of the women ahead of him had grown silent, but it also made him worry. He hadn’t been able to hear their exact words, but knew they had been arguing about something. If they had gone silent as well, it didn’t bode well.

  Pulling his energy around himself and straining to keep his Mage Sight going, Sean tried to walk as softly as he could. He let go of the Mage Sight after a minute, stealth seeming like the better option.

  Waffling on the idea of calling out or not, Sean crept forward in the silence. A cry of surprise from Fiona ahead of him made Sean start running before he consciously knew what he was doing.

  Breaking into the clearing, he found Fiona on her butt, unhurt, but clearly unhappy. His rush through the undergrowth brought her attention to his general location, but her eyes didn’t focus on him until he dropped the Camo.

  “Are you okay?” Sean asked, going to her side.

  “Yes. A Shadowlope sprang out of the undergrowth next to me, Myna chased after it,” Fiona said, standing up with his help and dusting herself off. “It was embarrassing.”

  “If Myna didn’t know it was there, then I would say that your embarrassment is equal to hers,” Sean said. “I was worried something had happened. The forest got all quiet and you two stopped talking, just before you cried out.”

  “It was just my pride,” Fiona said, touching his face softly. “Thank you for coming to help.”

  “I always will,” Sean said, pulling her into a hug. “Will Myna be okay chasing the creature?”

  “The Shadowlope? Yeah, she’ll be fine. The question is, can she catch it?”

  “What’s a Shadowlope?” Sean asked, following the path Myna had left behind her in her haste to chase the beast.

  “I forget sometimes that you’re an outsider,” Fiona said. “A Shadowlope is an animal about this big,” she held her hands out not quite shoulder width apart to show the size of the creature. “It has large feet and ears, moves with a jumping run, and has small horns that can be extremely sharp, which it uses to bring down prey or to defend itself. The real trick to the animal is its ability to jump between shadows, which is where its name comes from.”

  Sean bit back his laughter as she described a rabbit with small horns that could teleport through shadows. “So it’s not dangerous, then?”

  “If it feels cornered, it can do damage with its horns, but Myna shouldn’t have any issues with it if she can catch it. From what I recall, they can only use their Talent a few times a day.”

  “The trick is running them down?”

  “Yes. The older the Shadowlope, the further they can jump using shadows,” Fiona said. “At least, that’s what I recall having heard at the academy.”

  “And in my old world, they say education is a waste,” Sean snickered. “It seems you recall some of your training well enough.”

  “Oh, that wasn’t my training. I heard it from others who had martial Talents,” Fiona said. “I had some training in that area, but we didn’t fight animals or beasts.”

  “I did,” Myna said, appearing next to them with a deep frown on her face.

  “Got away, did it?”

  “It was a big one,” Myna scowled. “It would have fed us for a few days if I’d caught it.”

  “You’ll get it next time,” Sean said, patting her shoulder. “I’m sure you will.”

  “Thank you, Sean,” Myna said, her scowl slipping. “I’m thinking we should make camp in an hour or two. To make sure we have time for hunting before it becomes night.”

  “Sounds good,” Sean said. “You two go ahead and take the lead again.”

  “I need to learn more,” Fiona said, snagging Myna’s arm.

  Myna glanced once more at Sean before she went with Fiona, “I’ll do my best to teach you.”

  Once they were out of easy sight, Sean brought his Mage Sight back. He paused a moment, his lips pursing slightly, as he didn’t recall any vertigo when he released it last time. “Maybe I’m already used to it?” Sean muttered as he trailed after the women.

  Chapter Two

  Once they stopped for the evening, Sean went about digging a small fire pit and gathering wood. He got the fire going with a fire-starter from Fiona and filled the kettle with water, testing the spell again. Sean had hoped, but he still could not cut corners, and had to say the words and use the motions. Pulling a pot out of the large rucksack, he filled it with water and seasonings, before setting it aside for whatever the women brought back.

  With everything prepared for their return, Sean found himself at a loss for what else to do. They didn’t have a tent, and he wasn’t sure that sleeping on the ground was the best idea, either. Looking at the tree limbs overhead, he wondered if he could Shape hammocks into them.

  “Might as well test out some of my limits, too,” Sean muttered. Finding a spot where no branches were above him for a good forty feet, he flexed his knees and sprang upwards, reaching out.

  Sprawling backwards as he landed, Sean stared at his hand. He had just grazed the branches so far above him with his fingertips. “What the fuck, I have a forty-foot vertical!?” The surprise of having touched the limbs had thrown off his concentration, resulting in the bad landing. As he got to his feet, he was surprised that he didn’t feel any pain.

  “Okay, note to self, getting onto roofs will be easy,” Sean chuckled. “Should I try making beds first, or maybe try out something else?”

  After pondering for a minute, he walked over to the closest tree. Leaping up, he snagged a branch ten feet overhead and climbed onto it. Putting his back to the tree, he focused on the branch. “Hello mister tree. Would you mind letting me modify you a little?” Sean chuckled as he focused on what he wanted to do with the tree.

  Frowning at how easily he was able to Shape the wood, Sean wondered why it had been different when he’d Shaped the tree he cut down. Shaking his head, he filed the question away to ask Fiona when she got back. It took him awhile, but he had a small, gently sloped hammock
fashioned in the tree, reinforcing the branch with the wood he had Shaped away. He Shaped two more hammocks from nearby branches before dropping out of the tree.

  Looking up, he realized that the women wouldn’t have an easy time getting up and down. Pulling out some rope, he fashioned two climbing ropes and placed them securely. “That should work,” Sean smiled as he admired his handiwork.

  “Why do you have ropes tied to the trees?” Fiona asked from behind him.

  “I made beds in the tree. I figured it was better than sleeping on the ground,” Sean told her. “Though I’m curious; this tree was much easier to Shape compared to the one I tried at…” Letting the sentence trail off, his mind went back to the dead.

  Fiona hugged him from behind, burying her face into him. “I understand,” she murmured, holding him. Releasing him after a couple of minutes, she tried to answer his question. “It really depends on what you’re trying to do with the tree, and how alive it is.”