Forged Bonds (Binding Words Book 4)

  Binding Words

  Book Four:

  Forged Bonds

  Daniel Schinhofen

  Copyright © 2020 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 © 2020 Daniel J. Schinhofen

  All rights reserved.

  Contents

  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 One

  “Winter’s tits!” came a shout from behind Sean when the guards finally reached the scene of the attack. “Put down your weapons!”

  Sean placed Dark Cutter on the ground after altering it to its normal sword shape, his other hand still holding Ryann’s. “Myna, do as they say,” he told her.

  “As you wish, Master,” Myna said from where she knelt behind him, setting her blades beside her.

  The sounds of whistles screeching and the tramp of running feet were coming closer while the first few guards checked the dead men behind them. The bravest of them approached Sean’s group, “What happened here?” It was more of a command than a question.

  “We were on our way home from the Oaken Glen when we were ambushed,” Sean replied, fighting to keep his voice as calm as he could.

  “These eight ambushed you, and yet none of you are dead while all of them are?” the guard asked incredulously.

  “We were in the middle of them,” Myna replied levelly. “The four behind had crossbows, the four ahead had swords. If we hadn’t heard them as they came out of the alleyways, it would have been worse for us.”

  The guard paused when more of his comrades arrived. “Wait here,” he told them and headed for the man with the Sergeant’s insignia on his armor.

  “Stop healing,” Sean whispered, “we need to be wounded. This almost feels like a second ambush. I’m going to open your wounds just enough to bleed a little, Ry, and I need you to focus on not healing it until we get home.”

  “Yes, Sean,” Ryann replied, her voice still hoarse. “Ida is okay?”

  “Her spine was severed. I fixed that, but she still has a bolt lodged in her hip,” Sean whispered. “Myna, did you take any wounds?”

  “No, they weren’t ready for me and didn’t have time to draw their weapons.”

  “Fine. I’ll give myself a few wounds,” Sean grimaced, forcing small cuts to appear on his arms and torso and cutting his clothing in the same spots. When he was finished, he was panting and slumped sideways, overcome with dizziness.

  “Master!” Myna said loudly, grabbing him.

  “What happened?” the Sergeant asked after he hurried over.

  “His wounds,” Myna said.

  The older guard looked over their wounds and grimaced. “Wilson, get these four to the nearest healer and make sure they’re stable.”

  “Can’t pay,” Sean murmured as he forced himself to sit up.

  “The guard will cover it, at least until we verify what happened here,” the Sergeant said. He turned to one of the guards, “Bring a wagon. Get them to a healer and stabilized, then bring them to the magistrate.”

  The wagon took a couple of minutes to arrive. Ida was still unconscious when they loaded her and the others into it. Two guards sat in the back with them, half to keep them there and half to make sure they were not attacked again.

  Sean reached out and touched Ida’s hand, pulling energy from her to stop her body fixing the damage to her hip. Sorry, Ida. I’ll make it up to you, he thought. He used that energy to make the hip wound a little worse and open a new wound in her back, just missing her spine.

  “Master,” Myna whimpered, catching Sean when he almost passed out again. “Please stop.”

  “Driver, a little whip, please,” one of the guards said when Sean went pale and fell into Myna’s arms.

  Ryann was pale and sweating, holding a bit of cloth pressed to her neck where the fresh wound oozed blood. Her eyes kept darting between Sean and her wrist, which now bore a thick black band. The wagon picked up speed and made her sway forward, and Myna caught her with her other arm. “Sorry.”

  “Shh... you are one of us now, Ry,” Myna soothed her. “We all take care of each other. Just hold on a bit longer for us.”

  When the wagon finally came to a halt, the guards jumped down. One guard headed for the door while the other motioned them from the wagon. Myna got out, helping Ryann and Sean, then picked Ida up and carried her carefully toward the door.

  “Sorry, it’s an emergency— Sergeant Carmady ordered them to be stabilized,” the guard was explaining to an older woman inside.

  “I see,” the woman sighed, fixing her robe. “Bring them into the main room.”

  Sean could not help breathing heavily. He had never felt empty like this before, not even when he brought Myna back from the dead. One of the guards helped guide him to a chair when he staggered. “Thank you,” Sean murmured.

  “Don’t thank me,” the guard said. “If you’re guilty, this won’t be a mercy.”

  “Innocent, ambushed,” Sean repeated.

  “All the guilty claim to be innocent,” the guard rebuffed. “Just wait. We’ll get you to a magistrate and you’ll get a chance to speak.”

  “This one is fine, no wounds,” the old woman said after giving Myna a quick look. “Blood loss and a neck wound on this one,” she added, checking Ryann. “Hold still,” she added, using just enough energy to close the wound. “She’ll be tired and woozy, but she’ll live.”

  “Thank you,” Myna told the healer.

  The old woman ignored her and moved to Sean. “Hold still,” she told him firmly, grabbing his hand. “Hmm, small wounds, some blood loss, but nothing to cause your condition… What do you do for a living?”

  “Shaper,” Sean replied dully.

  “Energy depletion,” she nodded. “What did you Shape?”

  “Weapon... defense.”

  “Foolish. Wasteful to try Shaping in combat,” the old woman tsked at him. “He’ll be fine with rest and food. His wounds are minor and have stopped bleeding. Keep him from exerting himself or they will start again.”


  “Understood. What about that one?” the guardsman asked, motioning to Ida with his chin.

  “I left her for last; that back wound looks bad,” the healer replied. “If I healed her first, I might not have been able to help the others.” Kneeling next to Ida, she placed a hand on the unconscious woman’s head. “The bolt in her hip is lodged there... that’s going to be an issue.” With a frown, the old woman pulled the bolt from Ida’s side. Ida shifted and whimpered, but did not wake. Tsking, the healer focused on the bleeding wound. “There, that’s taken care of. Her back wound just missed her spine, fortunately for her. Blood loss, not as much as the other one, so she passed out due to overload from pain.” Pushing herself back to her feet slowly, the old woman sighed, “They are stable. This one shouldn’t put weight on her hip until she gets more healing, or else she’ll limp for life.”

  “Thank you,” the guard said. “You, Moonbound, carry her back to the wagon.”

  Myna nodded as she gently lifted Ida into her arms. “Of course, sir.”

  “Tell your Sergeant my bill will be along at a reasonable hour,” the healer sniffed.

  “Thank you,” Sean murmured and got to his feet slowly. “Owe you.”

  “Then bring me something to balance the scales if you aren’t guilty,” the healer snorted. “Get them out of my home. They’ve bled enough on my floor.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the other guard said, ushering Ryann and Sean from the building.

  “Sean, are you okay?” Ryann whispered as they helped each other toward the wagon.

  “Head is fuzzy,” Sean replied. “Sleep.”

  “You can sleep when we get you to the magistrate,” the guard said, then climbed into the wagon behind them.

  “Driver, you can go,” the other guard said.

  The driver snapped his whip, and the wagon lurched into motion. Myna tended to Ida, making sure the unconscious woman stayed still. Sean leaned back, closing his eyes as the swaying movement helped lull him to sleep.

  ~*~*~

  “Out! Come on you, move!” the guard snapped, waking Sean from his dreamless sleep.

  Jerking upright, Sean looked around, trying to get his bearings. It was still dark, the night illuminated by a pair of lanterns outside the magistrate building. “Huh? What?”

  “Get out,” the guard growled, “or I’ll pull you out.”

  Sean got out of the wagon, his head feeling light and off balance. “Myna?”

  “I’m here, Sean,” Myna said, carefully lifting Ida out of the wagon.

  Ryann stepped out, keeping a hand on the wagon to steady herself. “Sean,” Ryann said, “are you feeling better?”

  “Empty, but not as fuzzy,” Sean told her. “You okay?”

  “The healer stopped the bleeding. I feel weak,” Ryann replied.

  Sean put an arm around her waist, “I have you.”

  “Yes,” Ryann murmured and leaned against him.

  “Follow me,” the guard said gruffly.

  The second guard fell in behind them, carrying Ryann’s swords. Sean touched his waist, grimacing that Dark Cutter’s scabbard was empty, but kept his mouth shut and followed the guard.

  The few people in the entrance hall stared at them as they walked through. Whispers followed as they passed, redoubling when they were led down a flight of stairs.

  The stairs opened into a room, staffed by a trio of elderly guards. “We have four for the magistrates. There is a suspicion of murder.”

  “Oh, that’s them, is it?” one of the older men asked, twisting the end of a waxed mustache. “We have their weapons here already.”

  “Add these, please,” the second guard said, handing over Ryann’s short swords.

  “I’ll take them from here,” another of the older men said, getting up. “Are any of you going to give us problems?” he asked Sean and the women.

  “No problems,” Sean replied. “Did my sword make it here?”

  “The adamantine blade?”

  “Yes. Please take the scabbard for it,” Sean got the sheath off his waist and handed it over.

  “We have it. Haven’t seen a blade of that metal in years.” the guard chuckled as he took the plain-looking sheath. “Hiding its worth, eh? Not that it matters. It’ll fetch a damned good price if you’re guilty.”

  “We were ambushed,” Sean sighed.

  “Aren’t they all?” the third older guard snorted. “Hand over your pouches— they go into evidence, as well.”

  The three handed over their items, along with Ida’s. The guard looked pensive when he saw the hair clips, but he put them with the rest of their possessions without any comment.

  “Follow me. Be warned: if you arse up, we’ll be stopping you hard,” the second one said matter-of-factly, opening the thick banded door opposite the stairs.

  “We will abide by the rules, sir,” Sean said. “The unconscious lady has a badly damaged hip that needs more healing before she can walk.”

  “We can provide a wheeled chair when you go before the magistrate,” the guard replied. “This way.”

  The hall they went into was lined with small cells on both sides. At the first empty cell they came to, the guard unlocked the door and motioned them inside. The ten by ten room held a small cot and an empty chamber pot, but was otherwise bare.

  “Sir, might we get a little water in case our wounded friend wakes?” Sean asked politely.

  “Worried about her when you’re facing murder charges?”

  “We are innocent, and she is my apprentice. It is my duty to care for her,” Sean replied.

  “I’ll have some water brought in.”

  “Thank you,” Sean said, echoed by Myna and Ryann.

  Sean heard the door close behind him, but his attention was on Myna as she laid Ida on the cot. Ida groaned in her sleep and shifted on the pathetic excuse for bedding.

  “What are we going to do, Master?” Myna asked, kneeling next to the cot and gently stroking Ida’s hair.

  “Wait for the magistrate,” Sean sighed, sitting on the floor beside Myna. “Nothing else we can do.”

  “Fiona will be getting anxious,” Myna murmured. “She’ll be able to follow the Bond to us, but she doesn’t know what happened.”

  A soft sniffle caught Sean’s attention, “Ry?”

  “I…” Ryann began, but shook her head, letting the sentence die.

  Sean was overcome with a deep sense of regret. “Ry, I’m sorry.”

  “What? Why?” Ryann said, turning around. Sean saw the tears falling from her eyes, “I was the one who failed. I only got two of them, and then—” She cut off abruptly, hiding her face in her hands and turning away.

  Sean got to his feet, approaching her slowly, like he might a feral animal he was afraid of scaring off. “Ry, that was not your fault. We got hit with an ambush planned and carried out by professionals. You couldn’t have done anything about the crossbows behind us. Your quick actions helped keep us all alive. None of what happened tonight is your fault.”

  “I died... died failing to do what I’m supposed to do! I’m supposed to protect you!” Ryann shouted.

  “Shut up,” someone yelled from down the cell block. “People are trying to sleep, you fucking drunk.”

  “Ry, calm down,” Sean said softly as he came to a stop at arm’s length from her. “You’re alive, that is what matters. We’re all alive after a premeditated attack.”

  “They weren’t aiming for Sean,” Myna spoke up. “They aimed for Ida and Ryann. One of them caught my armor with a glancing blow because I was in the way… I think that’s why Ryann’s throat was hit. It was the one that had to step around me.”

  Ryann shook her head, “No, Myna. It was my fault... I was busy trying to admit what I wanted and not paying attention. If I had—”

  Sean stepped forward and embraced her, his voice soft but firm, “Stop. Please... stop. I didn’t help you. I could have, should have, extended my hand to you first, and I didn’t. Myna, who is the best at spotting ambushes, b
arely had a moment’s warning before it happened. The attack, the ambush... there is no fault for you. If you have any blame, then so do I, and so does Myna, and even Ida. Do you fault any of us?”

  Ryann shook her head as her arms came up to hold him, her whole body shaking. “No… I can’t blame any of you. But I’m supposed to be your shield... you even said so when you brought me back!”

  “Even the best shield can be circumvented, Ry. No defense is impenetrable, especially when a sneak attack is aimed directly at you. Take a moment and think back to the moment the attackers came out of the alley: you didn’t hesitate. You knew what was happening and threw your best two knives, taking them both in the throat. That is entirely your Talent, the Talent that reduced the attackers we faced by half. If that bolt had only grazed you, you would have drawn your blades and engaged them, right?”