Chapter 17

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

After Isabella had released him from the clinic. Finn spent the rest of the night reading the book Miris had given him. Later, he put that book down and started studying the text on avatar creation, much to Gypsy’s satisfaction. The section on avatars was very particular, and some details worried him. One part that did seem easy was obtaining mana-rich clay to sculpt the initial form of Gypsy’s facsimile. He knew where he could get plenty of that now. The most worrying part was the need for a sacrifice to provide an empty soul vessel for the animation ritual.

“I know this is a fascinating subject,” Gypsy thought to him, “but dawn has already come and gone, lover.”

Finn instantly panicked. Breakfast must already be underway. Immediately, his mana wrapped him, and Finn was gone, leaving the enormous tome to slap back onto the library table. Materialising in the kitchen, he wasn’t surprised to find Ember and Pixie sitting in the kitchen waiting for him, along with others just enjoying their morning repast. Finn loved this place. It was always so full of wonderful smells and activity.

“Here’s ma fabulous boy!” Hamish shouted from the head of the table. He grinned from ear to ear and gestured for Finn to join him. “Our clan’s hero. Come sit, lad. You need a breakfast fit fer a champion.”

Aggy brought a stacked breakfast plate as soon as Finn sat, while Ember and Pixie got theirs soon afterwards. She brushed her hand proudly through his scruffy hair and gazed at him, her face radiating pride. “Good morning, dear. Thank you for what you did yesterday. You really are our clan’s hero.”

Hamish stole a rasher of bacon from Finn’s plate as he always did. He winked at Finn. “Don’t mind me, lad. I’ve already eaten mine.”

“Hamish Smith, leave that poor boy’s food alone,” Aggy scolded. “He’s too thin as it is.”

Finn hadn’t admitted it to anyone, but he’d used far too much mana at the clinic last night. For a Manaborn, mana was life. It was what they were made from. Finn had needed to convert a little too much of his mass to mana during an intense night of healing while working alongside Isabella. It was excellent practice for him. By working his core and mana channels hard, they would grow in size and strength as any muscle would. Finn planned to return to the clinic regularly to help and stretch his magic to its limits.

Isabella guided him to patient after patient while they chatted openly. Finn was confident he’d found an excellent friend in Isabella. She was a kindred spirit. However, to compensate for his loss of mass, he hoped a huge breakfast would quickly put things back to rights.

Aggy bustled back to the table and put a large plate of bacon in the middle. “Help yourselves.”

Like Finn, Ember and Pixie ate like they’d been starved. Ember went red when she saw Finn watching her with amusement. She shrugged, “Missed dinner,” she said as she stuffed more bacon into her mouth.

“And lunch,” Pixie added, with her mouth full of fried potato.

Hamish gave Finn a sidelong glance. “Your mentors?”

“Yes, sorry. Excuse my manners. Hamish, Aggy, this is Ember and Pixie. My current mentors. You should have met them days ago, but they’ve only just found the time to join us,” Finn said, shooting an accusatory look at Pixie, whom he blamed for Ember's recent unreliability. Pixie wasn’t paying any attention. Her focus resolutely on her breakfast. “Abbot seems to want them to be, so I suppose they’re my mentors for now,” Finn shrugged dismissively, not keen to accept the fact just yet. He’d managed so far, and this whole mentor scheme of Abbot’s had been nothing but trouble.

Ember gave Finn a worried look. “We both intend to make up for our recent issues, Finn. Have some faith.”

Aggy came over to the table with a plate of fruit and then sat next to Finn. “We’re both so very proud of you. So are the clan. Many of them have asked if we could have a party to celebrate what you did yesterday. Would you mind if we organised one for tonight?”

“Uh! Yes, that should be fun. Can Ember and Pixie come? They’ll be staying on board Gypsy from today. I’m not sure how long, but they’ll be there for the next few days at least.”

Ember beamed at Finn. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Finn,” Ember said excitedly, elbowing Pixie in the ribs.

“Ow! What was that for?” Pixie grumbled, then caught Ember’s look. “Oh yeah! Cheers, Finn.”

Ember rolled her eyes and then went hungrily back to her breakfast.

Aggy grinned at Finn and placed a thick stack of paper in front of him. “I had an interesting chat with Abbot yesterday evening, and his words concerned me greatly. You know you can always come to me with any worries or concerns, right? Or your Da. We’re both here for you. To cheer you up, I thought you might like to look through these, dear. You need to move on from my sister’s attention. I hope this will help a little.”

Finn pushed his empty plate away and patted his stuffed midriff happily. He could already feel new mana and mass flooding his system. “Great breakfast, Ma. Thanks. What are these?” He asked, picking up the papers.

“Those are the ladies who have asked for permission to court you,” Aggy said, giving Finn a sad smile. “There were Seventeen, but I had another very promising request yesterday morning, so now there are eighteen.”

“All of these are from women who want to what? What is courting?” Finn asked incredulously. He felt he could guess the basics but needed to know for sure. “That sounds like some sort of romantic thing. Is it?”

“As your mentor, I think I should answer that, if that’s okay, Aggy?” Ember said.

Finn snorted.

Aggy nodded but watched Ember like a hawk watched its soon-to-be prey.

Ember smiled despite the doubt she could feel radiating from the Smiths. “Our traditional courting rituals occur when someone wants to begin a tentative relationship with someone else, regardless of gender. Their hope is that if the other agrees, their time courting together will eventually lead to falling in love and getting married. As well as some other local traditions, our customs demand five gestures of devotion. A gift of affection should be given at the start as a mark of intent, a nest for the babies should be made, and the hungry wolf must be banished from the woods,” she said, looking at the ceiling as she quoted the tradition back to Finn. “That’s how our folklore states it. Nowadays, that translates to exchanging gifts or tokens of affection at the start of the courting, setting up a home together before the wedding is announced and paying a dowry to the matriarch as a mark of respect.”

Aggy gave Finn a smug smile. “Luckily for you, dear boy, your matriarch would be me. I’m the matriarch of our clan. Your clan.”

“Who pays the dowry? The one who asked for the courtship or the one being courted? Both, maybe?” Finn asked. He was glad to finally be learning something about Shanty’s customs.

“Good question,” Pixie joined in, then looked at Ember questioningly.

Ember huffed. “You don’t know either? At least Finn has an excuse. The one who requested the courting must pay their intended’s matriarch.”

Pixie grinned and snuggled into Ember’s shoulder while batting her large eyelashes.

Ember sighed and started stroking Pixie’s hair absentmindedly. “Where was I? Ah, yes, the matriarch. If the matriarch chooses, she can demand a task be accomplished instead of a dowry, which is the subject of many bard songs, as you can imagine.”

“Okay! So, five gestures. You’ve mentioned three.” Finn said, counting them off on his fingers.

Ember frowned. “I’m getting to the other two. Patience,” she said, then took a deep breath. “If the couple agrees to marry, the matriarch takes over. Her word is law when it comes to wedding arrangements. The ceremony of binding takes place during the wedding, and after the binding, soul bracelets woven by their lover and ceremonial rings of devotion are exchanged. There are many additional traditions to uphold, such as the bride’s feet not touching the threshold on the wedding night and the bundling, but I’ll explain those another time.”

Finn thought about his binding ceremony with Gypsy and the mind-crippling pain that had wrecked him when it occurred. That wasn’t a romantic experience at all.

“Yes, I hadn’t been awakened for long, lover,” Gypsy thought sadly to Finn. “I remember seeing your face for the first time. You were spasming with agony as our souls entwined. You went through that for me. I’ve loved you so much ever since then.”

Finn sent Gypsy back his own love for her. How could he ever feel alone when Gypsy was such a large part of his soul? “I started loving you when I regained consciousness and found you inside my mind. It was an awe-inspiring sensation.”

“Does the binding ceremony for marriage hurt?” Finn asked, very much hoping the answer would be no.

Aggy and Ember gave Finn a puzzled look while Pixie just enjoyed being stroked.

“Why would it hurt?” Aggy asked worriedly.

“When I went through the binding ceremony with Gypsy. They took part of my soul and swapped it with part of Gypsy’s. I promise you, that hurt an awful lot.”

“Goddess, that’s barbaric,” Ember said in horror. “No, our binding ceremony is supposed to be pleasurable.”

Finn smiled. “The way I look at it, the ceremony was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced, but now I’m soul melded with the most wonderful skyship the fae have ever created. It’s not all bad.”

Aggy shook her head sadly. “My poor boy,” she sighed, cupping his cheek. “Anyway, let’s move along to happier thoughts. Read each of those carefully. Put the want-to-court ladies on the left and go-away-and-leave-me-alone ladies on the right. When you’ve done that, I’ll tell you which ones I chose.” Then she grinned as she noisily bit into an apple.

Finn started reading the top sheet as Ember and Pixie sidled behind him to read over his shoulder.

“Did I hear you say there’d be a party tonight, Mrs Smith?” Pixie asked.

“Oh goodness! You must call me Aggy. No one calls me Mrs Smith these days.” Aggy replied, giving Pixie an appraising look. “So, you’re one of the mentors Abbot chose?”

Pixie nodded, trying to split her concentration between the courting profiles and what Aggy was saying.

“Look at me when I am speaking to you, young lady.”

Finn’s head swivelled as he heard Aggy use her drill sergeant voice.

Pixie snapped around and stood straight while Ember looked at her in amazement.

“You have to teach me how to do that, Aggy,” Ember giggled.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Aggy raised her eyebrows at Pixie. “Well?”

“Yes, ma’am. We started this morning,” Pixie replied with a level, focused voice.

“And you’ll ensure he is safe and well looked after?” Aggy pressed.

Pixie nodded. “Your son has been very generous to us. We’ll do our very best for him, ma’am.” Although she fidgeted as she said it.

Finn looked at her suspiciously when he noticed her fingers crossed behind her back. That was an antispell gesture in his old world. He wondered if Pixie secretly had magical knowledge.

“Good,” Aggy said with a brilliant smile. She patted Pixie’s arm. “That wasn’t so difficult now, was it?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Ember, you and your lovely young lady here are welcome to join my son for our clan meals. You are also invited to the clan celebration tonight.”

“Thanks so much, Aggy. We’ll look after Finn, I promise,” Ember replied with a grateful smile. One day, she’d beg Aggy to teach her how she commanded such obedience with her voice.

Finn was a supremely fast reader and had already finished the task his mother had given him. “Ma, would you tell me which ones you chose? I dislike all of them except this last one,” Finn said, looking confused. “Trouble is I saved her life yesterday, and I’m worried she only wants to court me out of gratitude.”

“That’s nonsense, dear. Suzette asked about courting you yesterday after breakfast. That form was completed before she went near the mine,” Aggy corrected. “That was hours before you rescued her. Mind you, she became very insistent afterwards,” she finished with a wide grin.

Aggy looked at the two piles Finn had made. “You’ve done exactly what I did. Now explain to Ember why you chose just one.”

Finn looked startled at being tested on his judgement. “I think the others want to use me to get at Gypsy. There are even a few noble daughters from Market Haven in this pile. I’ve never been there. They couldn’t possibly know anything about me. How did they even know I was here?”

Ember sighed. “Sometimes parents arrange the courting the same way they’ve already arranged the marriage. Often, in those cases, the married couple becomes bonded in a loveless relationship. It’s so sad.”

Aggy nodded. “I completely agree with your judgement on each of those ladies, dear,” she said, brushing his cheek. “You wouldn’t be happy with any of them, except—” She reached over and put Suzette’s profile in his waiting hands. “That one. I have an excellent feeling about her as a match for you.”

Pixie jumped up and down and clapped her hands. “How romantic. Congratulations, Finn.” Then, she looked beseechingly at Ember. “Could we start courting, Bunny?”

“Aww! You call Ember Bunny? That’s adorable,” Aggy chuckled.

Ember had already blushed hard and looked pleadingly at Finn as if to ask him to save her.

Finn grinned back at her and rubbed her arm. “You really should court her, Bunny. I can copy your moves then. That’s if Suzette doesn’t change her mind first.”

Ember play-slapped Finn’s arm. “Not for you, fae boy. Only Pixie gets to call me that,” she laughed. “You may have accidentally had a good idea, though.”

Finn snorted.

“Suzette will be at the party tonight, dear,” Aggy said. “I expect you’ll have plenty to talk about. Maybe she’ll want to go straight to the bundling,” she winked.

Finn was about to ask about bundling when Ember spoke up.

“Suzette Bowyer, as in the hunting team, Bowyers? That’s the woman Finn saved yesterday?” Ember asked with interest.

Aggy nodded. “Yes, indeed. Her brothers wouldn’t let her join their hunting team because she’s female and shamed their abilities. At least, that’s the way she tells it. So, she ended up working the mine instead.”

Ember looked at Finn. “The trial you haven’t discovered yet is called Forest Craft. Initially, you’ll be tested on your tracking, hunting and archery skills.” She paused to make sure Finn was still paying attention. “The second part will be a one-on-one tracking contest, with the loser being eliminated and the winner going on to the next round. You will have a coloured flag tucked in your belt. Your opponent must take it and return it to the adjudicator’s desk before you return with theirs or take yours back. You’ll be allowed your armour and magic for that trial.”

Finn nodded. “Hmm! Hopefully, Neeve will have finished my armour before then. She promised to have it done before the trials.” He’d need to practice his bow work as he hadn’t done any archery since Master Wrathbone’s training at the academy. His scanning prowess and teleport ability would be impossible to match. That was a given. Additionally, Finn had powerful shadow magic and his shadow cat form to assist him. The Forest Craft trial sounded like fun.

“Suzette would be perfect for helping you practice your Forest Craft, Finn,” Pixie suggested.

“She really would,” Ember agreed.

Aggy smiled. “You should ask her tonight, dear,” she suggested. “I’ll pack you a picnic, and you can go hunting in Limwood with your new belle tomorrow.”

“My what?” Finn asked. Refusing to let the new expression go unquestioned.

“Belle,” Pixie replied. “It’s usually the term used for the lady you’re courting. It’s someone you’re sweet on. The lady will probably call you her beau.”

“Will you call Ember Beau instead of Bunny, then? Belle, maybe?” Finn laughed and received another slap from Ember for his troubles.

“I’ll tell Suzette you’ve agreed to court her then,” Aggy said, her voice failing to conceal her excitement. “I know she’ll be delighted to hear the news.”

“How much will the dowry be, Ma?” Finn asked. “Suzette told me she doesn’t have much money, but that’s not a problem. I’ll pay it.”

“Hush, with that talk, dear,” Aggy said with a motherly smile. “If she can help you pass that trial, then I will treat that as payment enough. Don’t you worry.”

*****-*****

Eventually, Aggy excused them, and Finn teleported them on board Gypsy. As Finn showed them their room, Pixie was full of wonder and questions. Finally, as he showed them around, she seemed to run out of steam, so they sat around a table in the officer’s mess, sipping coffee.

“Finn, I know it’s a huge favour to ask of you, but you already know we’re in a bad situation. Our landlord has kept all our things and says he plans to sell them. He’s got most of our clothes, some pieces of armour and a few of our other weapons.”

“And my alchemy equipment,” Pixie interjected loudly.

“Yes, Pixie’s mother gave it to her. It means a lot to her.”

“Could you and Gypsy help us get it all back from our landlord?” Pixie asked in a fake pleading voice as she ran her fingers up and down Finn’s arm.

Finn watched Pixie’s fingers suspiciously. He still refused to trust anyone with a natural pixie heritage. They were a globally despised race in the lands of the fae. “Abbot said I’d end up inheriting your domestic issues. Looks like he got that right,” Finn thought for a few seconds. “Okay, so what are the risks?” he asked.

Ember’s face went from sad to snarl in an instant. “The landlord has a few thugs he keeps nearby should he need to collect rent or evict tenants to give his latest whore somewhere to live,” she spat vehemently.

Finn picked up Pixie’s hand and gently removed it, then growled at her. “No touchy, touchy. Apparently, I have a belle now. You will, too, soon.”

Ember laughed at them. “Don’t be mean. We can share.”

Finn froze and went a rich shade of red. It took him a while to purge the images Ember had conjured into his mind. “You don’t play fair, Ember.”

“You’re right, I don’t. Well spotted,” Ember replied, sounding more like the warrior he met in Arcathia that fateful day. Then her face fell again. “Would you help us? Please?”

“A few thugs and a thieving landlord? Doesn’t sound too hard,” Gypsy thought to Finn. “If things go badly, I could teleport them into the brig and give them to Bernard later.”

“Yes, you need a trip out, too,” Finn replied. “The view of the pier must be getting old by now.”

“It isn’t too bad. Now we know that making me an avatar is possible, I’ve got something to occupy my thoughts,” Gypsy said. “By the way, you must secure some of that clay you cleared yesterday. It’s supremely rich with mana after you sank most of yours into it. It’ll be perfect for making the model before we turn it into my mana-based avatar.”

“Rats! I meant to ask Hamish about it at breakfast. I’ll do it tonight at the party. Then we need to find a good sculptor for your facsimile. Plus, we’ve got two guests and a mission today, and then Darcy will be joining us tomorrow morning,” Finn replied. “How did we get so busy so quickly?”

“With people on board, I’ll have plenty to stop me from getting fed up,” Gypsy admitted happily.

Ember cocked her head and watched Finn closely. “Finn? You’ve gone silent on me. If you don’t want to help, just say. It was probably wrong of me to ask after everything else.”

Finn momentarily looked confused, then realised he’d ignored Ember to chat with Gypsy. “I often speak to Gypsy about things, but it’s all telepathic. Don’t worry. We’ll help. Do you want to do it now?”

Ember still looked worried, but there was a little relief on her face. “Yes, please. The bastard has probably already sold some of it. Hopefully, we’re not too late to salvage the rest.”

Finn heard the main engines firing up, then felt the clunk of four anchor spikes being withdrawn from the lake bed and the directional thrusters deploying. “Hey! Wait up!”

“We’re on a mission. Not my fault you’re too busy yapping,” Gypsy laughed through the tannoy.

“Excuse me, please. She’s been bored, and this will be good for both of us. Staying in one place for too long makes us itchy,” Finn apologised to Ember and Pixie.

“What? Is the ship driving itself? How?” Pixie asked incredulously.

Finn shot a pleading look at Ember, who giggled. “Go on and do your pilot thing. I’ll try and explain,” she said.

Gratefully, Finn flashed away, appearing in his pilot’s chair the next moment. It was only then that he realised he’d missed sitting here. He felt at home here with just Gypsy to talk to. Liss would just have to accept this seat as his church. During his epiphany, Finn realised that neither he nor Gypsy actually knew where they were supposed to go.

“Bugger!” Finn had been trying to look important but had made the same rookie mistake Star and Tully had made in Aggy’s shop. He’d run off without the one thing he needed.

Rather than skulk back with head hung as the two shop assistants had, he teleported Ember and Pixie to the back of the cockpit. “Firstly, please touch nothing. Secondly, show me where we’re going.”

“This ship is awesome, and I get to live here. Thanks, Finn!” Pixie enthused loudly.

Finn felt her arms snake around his chair and embrace him. “Uhm! Pixie. By touch nothing, I also meant the pilot,” he laughed. “I’ll have a hug later if you’re still offering.”

“Oh!” the petite girl giggled. “Sorry. Later then.”

“We need to cross the lake to the Tother side, then dock at one of the larger piers halfway up,” Ember said.

The ladies watched, transfixed, as Gypsy backed away from the forge pier and spun around to head up the lake.

“Why do you call Gypsy a Skyship when she floats on the water?” Ember asked.

“Because floating isn’t the only way we can travel,” Finn replied. “Today, we keep to just floating, though. We’ve probably already attracted too much attention.”

“No way! Gypsy can fly?” Pixie asked with a thrill in her voice.

“And travel under the water, yes,” Finn answered nonchalantly.

“No ship can do that,” Pixie said with disbelief.

“I expect Gypsy can do much more than that, lover,” Ember said. Her voice was calm and patient with her excitable partner.

Finn slid the levers for the main thrusters forward, and the gentle thump of the ignition was followed by the rising whine of the engines as they gained power. They were far enough from the bank of the lake and the monastic island to avoid any damage and obtain a little speed without hurting anyone. He could put on a small show, even if he’d refrain from showing off too much. Their rate increased, and they sped through the water toward Tother.

“Such a child in front of the pretty ladies,” Gypsy goaded. “You don’t need to prove anything to me, dearest. I already love you.”

“I love you too. It isn’t because they’re pretty, but because I’m so proud of you. I’m showing you off.”

“Bullshit! I live in your mind, idiot,” Gypsy teased. “You think they’re pretty, Ember, more than Pixie, and you’re not wrong. It’s okay. I’m not judging you. I’m just happy to be moving. To think you and I dreamt about peace and quiet a few days ago.”

“You’re chatting with Gypsy, aren’t you,” Ember said. “You get that faraway look in your eyes when you talk to her. It’s cute. You really are a bonded pair, aren’t you.”

Finn blushed hard, but he wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t ashamed about belonging to Gypsy or that they had developed a husband-and-wife relationship over the years. She was his big sister, best friend and wife, all rolled into one enormous skyship.

Gypsy laughed in his thoughts. “And that makes you my little brother, best friend and husband, I suppose. Never thought of it that way. If I’m to be one of your proper wives, then I’d better get that marriage I want and the consummation afterwards. Or before, I don’t mind which. Both, perhaps?”

Finn spluttered, causing Ember and Pixie to stare at him as if he’d gone mad.

“Would you let us hear your conversation,” Pixie asked. “It’s odd knowing you’re talking to someone yet not hearing anything.”

“I was just saying that when I get my avatar, he’d better treat me to a nice wedding, and I want it consummated, too,” Gypsy said, happily betraying their confidence and causing Finn to curl his toes in embarrassment. “I think he spluttered because I said one of his wives, though.”

“I spluttered because of the consummation comment. I hadn’t thought about the wives plural part,” Finn replied.

“Oo! I love weddings,” Pixie squeaked excitedly. “When are you getting married, Finn? Can I come?”

Ember looked at Finn thoughtfully. “Do you plan to have more than one partner then? I wish I could afford that. I badly need help with Pixie.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault you act like an old lady sometimes,” Pixie smirked.

Ember snorted and opted to just shake her head.

Pixie pointed forward towards the swiftly approaching lake’s edge. “That fat pier there is free. The fishing boat that normally stays there will be out until dark.”

“Oh crap! Too fast,” Finn thought to Gypsy.

“I wonder why.” Gypsy chided back as Finn whipped the directional thrusters around and started pushing back against their forward motion. He’d already cut the main engines completely.

“Hold on, this will be quick,” Finn barked as Gypsy slowed abruptly.

Finn chanced a self-satisfied smile as he angled them perfectly, drifting to a halt directly in front of the pier. He fired the anchors and sighed when the chains pulled tight and locked them in place. “And we have arrived.”