Chapter 9
MEET THE PARENTS
“Pip!” Abbot said with a raised voice. “I hope you’re not trying to offer this young man your services.”
Pip huffed and detached herself from Finn’s side. She looked both guilty and disappointed. “No, sir. Just being friendly.”
“Good,” Abbot replied. “Now, haven’t you got somewhere to be?”
“Spose.” She grumbled. Then, with another huff and a sidelong look at Finn, the goblinette shuffled away, her head down and her sashay a thing of the past.
Abbot turned to Finn with a grin. “You see. Friendly creatures, the goblins.”
Finn’s mind was instantly ringing with Gypsy’s hoots of laughter. “Well, well, well. What a fascinating place to be,” Gypsy said, the humour rolling off her thoughts. “The first woman you meet happens to be a lady of tradable affection.”
“I’m sorry, a what now?” Finn thought back, confused.
“Nope! Not telling. It’s too funny,” Gypsy howled.
Finn looked at Abbot, “What’s a lady of tradable affection?”
The old monk just shook his head and laughed softly. “Oh Finn! You badly need a mentor. You have so much to learn. I’ll remind Ember to stop by tomorrow. You can ask her any questions then.”
“Great!” Finn huffed. “How am I meant to learn anything if no one will tell me?”
Abbot kept smiling. “Ask the right people, and you’ll learn soon enough,” he said, then looked behind him to see two dwarves standing there looking slightly nervous. He grinned and stepped swiftly aside.
The female dwarf launched forward, and Finn staggered back a little as a lightning-fast blur of brown clothing hit him full-on. The dwarfess then pushed the side of her head into his chest and wrapped him in the most rib-crunching bear hug he’d ever experienced.
“Ah! Good!” Abbot said with a gushing tone. “Finn, I’d like you to meet Hamish and Agnetha Smith.”
“Aww! Finn, my lovely boy. It is so good to meet you at last.” The woman said with a slight accent. The dwarven lady looked happily up at Finn, looking down at her. He was only five feet, five inches tall, but she was no more than four feet ten. She had a heart-shaped, motherly face, a stubby nose and large blue, friendly eyes that were just showing signs of laughter lines. Her hair was a rich russet colour, and while it was obviously long, as her chest-length bangs proved, she also had the most complicated braid he’d ever seen. Agnetha was curvy but not overly so, and her favourite colour was likely brown if the intricate outfit of cloth and leather she wore was any evidence.
“Oh, Aggy, let him go.” A relaxed, dulcet-toned male voice reverberated out. “The lad can barely breathe, yer huggin' him so tightly,” Hamish said with a thick accent.
Finn looked up from his clingy new mother to see the broad, ginger-clad smile of a highly muscular dwarf. He had a bald pate, a bushy ginger beard, and a moustache to match. Finn wondered if all the dwarf’s head hair had simply migrated south. His arms were like tree trunks, each bulging muscle standing proud. The rest of him was almost as muscle-bound, making his five-foot body look rock solid. The dwarf could probably stop a rampaging bull in its tracks. He looked that strong. His clothing was all leather, consisting of a sleeveless green jerkin, a wide belt that held up his knee-length shorts and the sturdiest hobnail boots Finn had ever seen. He stepped toward Finn and held his right arm out with a wink.
Finn grabbed the proffered hand and shook it firmly, returning the dwarf’s smile while Agnetha disentangled herself. He felt warm inside as he looked at the two beaming dwarves.
“I think we’ll get along fine with these two,” Gypsy thought. “They seem nice. Are you going to introduce us?”
“Ahem! Sir, ma’am, it is my pleasure to meet you,” Finn said, speaking with his best diplomatic, carefully enunciated voice. He wriggled a little out of nervousness and an acute need to rearrange his squashed ribs. “Abbot has told me almost nothing about you, but that means it’ll be fun finding out. First, allow me to introduce you to my bonded partner and best friend. Hamish, Agnetha, please meet Gypsy,” he finished, sweeping his hand back towards the vast vessel towering above them all.
As the two dwarves gawped at Gypsy, Finn looked around and noticed that Abbot had disappeared. What made him look again was a translucent image of Liss standing in Abbot’s place with a soppy grin on her face. When she saw Finn spot her, she waved her hand, and golden light enveloped Finn, Gypsy and the two dwarves.
“Welcome to your new, true family, youngling. Be happy. Their love is now as genuine as any could ever be,” Liss thought to him.
Finn felt the warmth of Liss’s love penetrate his mind. The feeling of divine mana sent a shiver down his spine as his thoughts rearranged. He started to feel like he was among his true family and that his progenitors were just strangers from a different world. Everything that had recently seemed odd now felt perfectly natural and right.
Hamish whooped loudly, and Agnetha’s grin broadened, drawing Finn’s attention back to his new goddess-blessed parents. These two dwarves really did feel like they’d been his parents forever. When he glanced at Liss again, intending to thank her, she’d already gone.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Gypsy,” Agnetha happily shouted toward the cockpit.
Hamish looked joyful and excited, with a wide grin on his face. “She’s a mighty fine boat, lad. Having such a wonderful machine closely linked to ye must be strange.” He took several steps toward the gangplank and then turned. “I want ye to show me everything. Fer a start, how do ye communicate with a huge thing like tha?”
“Woah there, Hamish!” Agnetha admonished, stepping up and placing a firm hand on the shoulder of the dwarven tree trunk. She smiled at Finn. “My husband, Goddess bless him, has agreed to be patient and wait until there is time for such things. Haven’t you, dear heart?” Agnetha added with a warm laugh and an adoring look at her sheepish husband.
Hamish stared at the floor and nodded. “Yes, dear.”
Finn grinned at the hen-pecked wall of muscle. “We communicate using telepathy, sir,” Finn answered.
Hamish’s head whipped up. “None of this sir and ma’am nonsense, lad. You’ll call me Hamish, and my lovely lady likes to go by Aggy, but Ma and Da’ll also do just fine.”
Aggy nodded to him, still smiling. “I’d like it if you called me Ma. I assume we call you Finn? Although Mish will probably call you lad most of the time. It’s just his way.”
Finn nodded. “Finn is the only name I’ve ever known, although Gypsy calls me dear sometimes.” He blushed as that last part had just slipped out, the familiarity with these two dwarves lowering his guard.
“Then I shall call you dear too. Much nicer and less formal,” Aggy laughed.
“This behemoth can talk? Properly talk?” Hamish asked, his voice full of wonder and his happy face scanning every inch of Gypsy’s hull.
Finn thought for a moment. “If you permit me, I can take you somewhere she can answer that question herself.”
“You can? Oo! Aggy, please. Just for a few minutes,” Hamish pleaded to his wife. “Yer sister is bound to be late. She’s always late. We’ve got a little time yet, surely.”
Aggy gave Hamish an indulgent look, then nodded with another grin. She looked at Finn. “Alright, dear. Let’s humour him for a short while.”
Finn returned her grin, reached out with his mana and teleported his new parents to the war room.
As they appeared, Aggy yelped, then calmed herself, while Hamish guffawed.
“Ahhaha! Woo! I can get used ta tha. That’s bloody incredible!” Hamish raved.
“Maybe a tad more warning next time, dear?” Aggy said with a slight waver to her voice.
“Gypsy, I’d like you to meet our parents,” Finn said out loud. He felt a little guilty for teleporting them without explaining his intentions first, but he’d been caught up in the moment.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Aggy. You too, Hamish. As Finn said, I’m Gypsy and as sentient as he is. Often more so.” Gypsy was using her sweetest, most professional voice over the tannoy.
“Oh! Sweet Liss’ milk,” Hamish uttered breathlessly. “You truly are alive. My, Uhm, I mean— Oh hell’s teeth! I dinnae think I’d ever see such a thing in me lifetime. Gypsy, it is me utter honour to meet ya. I hope you can tolerate this ol’ dwarf as an inquisitive friend.”
Aggy watched Hamish lovingly. “Aww! Bless his heart. He’s smitten. He adores his machines, and you’ve delivered the most stunning machine this world will likely ever see, right to our doorstep.”
Finn looked at Hamish; sure enough, he had a dreamy grin as he gazed around the richly furnished room. “Yes, sorry about that.”
“Nonsense, dear. Gypsy will keep him occupied for many months to come, and it’ll be you that needs to chaperone him. I’ll be glad of the peace,” Aggy replied with a wicked smile.
“Ah! Let me just show him the space where I drive Gypsy. Then he can leave here having seen something technical. Not just a lounge for officers. Would you like to join us? It’ll be a squeeze, but you’d be welcome.”
Aggy shook her head. “Run along and play, dear. Don’t take too long, though. My sister Neeve should be here soon. She’s extremely keen to meet you.”
Finn was amazed at how quickly the four of them had settled into the parent-child relationship.
“It’s almost as if it was preordained and influenced by some goddess or another,” Gypsy thought cynically. She knew what had just occurred as she’d been affected by the goddess’s charm, too.
Finn’s mana grabbed Hamish, and he teleported them both up to the cockpit. Hamish was startled and looked around in shock. “Where are we now? Oo! Look at all those buttons. Wha da they all do?”
“Please, don’t touch anything until I have taught you their functions,” Finn said, quickly realising the potential trouble of letting another inquisitive engineer loose with something new.
“Finn, my lad, today is a glorious day. Thank ye for showin' this wonder to me. But, I did promise Aggy I’d be waitin' a wee while, and I’d soon’a cut off me own leg than betray my word to her,” Hamish said, his meaty hands clutched in front of him like a naughty schoolkid. “Just tell me one thing. How in Liss’ name do ye jus’ flash from one place ta’ another?”
“Ah! Yes, that’s a technical question with a very long answer. The short answer is magic. Spatial aspected magic and lots of it,” Finn replied, desperate to go into more detail but respecting Aggy’s wishes.
Hamish looked up at Finn with wide, tearful eyes. He sighed. “So, ya do have the gift then. Liss told us ya would bless Shanty with its wonder, but this ol’ dwarf has grown sceptical after all ma years in this ramshackle town. I must confess, I dinnae believe her when she told us.” The dwarf paused and rubbed his beard thoughtfully. Then he shook his head and sighed again. “You’ll shine brighter than the midsummer sun in this ol’ place, son. Promise me you’ll be careful when ya choose yer friends. Me an Aggy knew the goddess had big plans for you, yet we signed up anyway. We’re ready for whatever happens, and we’ll be right there beside ya.”
Finn was lost for words, tears stinging his eyes as the intensity of the situation affected him deeply. Unable to think of adequate words, he just bowed, hoping that would say enough. Hamish grabbed him and pulled him into a fierce hug.
“You’ll do us proud, son. I know ye will,” Hamish said, his dulcet tones fraught with emotion.
“Hamish,” Gypsy said. “I have been chatting with your lovely wife, and we both think you boys have been hidden away for long enough. I will say goodbye for now and welcome you back at any time in the future. You are both authorised to come and go as you please. Just stand near me and ask to come aboard, and I’ll bring you in.”
There was a flash of silver light, and the three found themselves back on the pier.
“I think we’ve found two good friends, dear,” Gypsy thought to Finn. “It makes coming here worthwhile.”
“I’m happy you think so, too,” Finn replied.
*****-*****
When Finn materialised on the pier the next morning, it was raining. The sky looked angry and thick with busy thunderclouds that looked like they’d be there all day. He shivered at the chill from the northerly wind which whipped around the surrounding buildings. Finn felt entirely underdressed for the weather. The wind flapped at his thin trousers as the rain cast dark, wet blotches on their light grey cotton. His shirt, sporting the Skyfleet logo, fared no better, offering him no protection from the wind’s bite. Finn had decided to wear his Skyfleet summer greys this morning. It wasn’t as if he had a vast choice of clothes, just two uniforms for each season and his dress uniform. A brief look down at himself told him he would need to go shopping for better clothes soon.
“I’m glad we don’t have to fly through this weather,” Gypsy thought to him.
“I agree. Some days I wish I could sleep like normal people,” Finn thought in reply. “At least then I could stay in bed on mornings like this.”
“Some days, I’m happy to simply sit in the dock and watch the world pass by. Today, I’ve got a whole new world to entertain me.”
Finn snorted. “Good luck with that.”
“Go and spend time with our new family. They seem interesting.”
Tired of getting wet, Finn walked down the pier, along the wall of the Smith’s large stone house and rounded the corner. There in front of him was the broad blue door leading to the hallowed Smith’s kitchen. In there, the clan met to break their fast each morning and celebrate the end of the day in the evening. It was a big room with high beams of thick timber, stone flagstones for the floor and whitewashed walls. It was an atmospheric room full of members of the Smith clan and always blessed with delicious smells and chatter.
The Smith clan consisted mainly of dwarves, but a few other races were included either by marriage or simple association. The Smiths ran the mine, the forge, and several businesses outside the forge complex. People constantly came and went, treating the kitchen as a drop-in centre, and food was served when there were people there to eat it. While Aggy ruled the kitchen, she usually had help with the cooking.
Last night, at his welcome home feast, Hamish told Finn how they’d needed to extend their house just to create enough kitchen space for everyone to share. It was now fully established as the hub of the Smith’s extensive family and virtually the entire dwarven district.
He nervously pushed open the door, anxious about facing so many new people. Last night had become a blur after so many people had hugged him and welcomed him into the family. He’d returned to Gypsy with aching ribs and soggy cheeks from all the attention he’d received. It had been an overwhelming experience. This morning, however, he was ready for it.
“Here ee is!” A loud yet already familiar dwarven voice bellowed.
“Good morning, Da,” Finn replied with his most winning smile. He hoped the smile might disguise his nerves. The room was quieter than usual, with no more than fifteen dwarves and a few non-dwarven individuals sitting at the table.
Hamish beamed when Finn called him Da, so the young fae decided to stick with that. If it made his new parents happy, he’d call them whatever they wanted.
Aggy bustled over and kissed his cheek. “Good morning, dear. Come and have a seat next to Hamish. You’ll be spending the day with him today.”
Hamish jumped up and pulled out the seat next to him on his right. He constantly grinned as Finn wove his way to the top of the table, carefully avoiding dwarfesses laden with vast plates of breakfast fare. Finn wondered if the seat he was being offered had significance, as dwarves sat all around, yet no one else had claimed it.
“So, ye ready for yer first day at the fires, lad?” Hamish asked once Finn had reached his place.
“I’ll try my hardest. I’ve been looking forward to it,” Finn replied as Hamish started heaping his waiting plate with food.
“Ye’ll do fine. I gotta feeling ye’ll make us all proud,” Hamish said, still grinning.
Hamish reverently placed a small fruit-filled bread roll on Finn’s side plate. “That’s Dwarven Bread, son. Go easy eating that stuff, as it fills ya up right quick. I’d wager it’s one of the best things you’ll ever taste. My Ma always said that if I was lucky enough to find a girl who can bake good Dwarven bread and biscuits, then marry her right quick. ‘Ye’ll never go hungry again’, she used to say. “Bond with her forever if she can also make good Chew.”
“Uh, Chew?” Finn was at a loss.
“It’s a very spicy dwarven jerky, lad. The best there is. It’ll stay good for months an last you hours. Bread, biscuits an Chew. Mmm!” Hamish sighed happily, “The finest travel rations a dwarf could ever hope for.”
Finn would have to try it one day, but he looked around the table at the other diners in the meantime.
“Ah yeah! Let me put some names to all these faces, lad. You’ll start to remember ‘em as ye go on. Firstly, that one next to you is me brother, Dougal. He’s a miner but also makes the best ale and wines you’ll find in Shanty. The five across the way are Duggen, Trent, Kirrin, Buddy and Carl. Them’s me fellow smiths, who you’ll be sharing our hall with.” The dwarves nodded in turn as Hamish mentioned them by name. None of them looked terribly pleased to see him.
A stunningly attractive woman with skin the colour of honey and a thick black braid down to her navel sat a few chairs down with five other dwarves. She had an ample yet well-toned figure, but Finn’s attention was grabbed by the sumptuous cat ears on top of her head. She towered over the others, eyeing Finn expectantly with her rich, amber-coloured eyes.
Hamish caught Finn looking and chuckled. “Ye noticed her, did ye,” he whispered sotto voce. “Thought ye might. Ye’ve a good eye, son. That there is Suzette. Her da leads the hunters who bring in the game for the communal cookfires. Suzette is part catkin and a damn fine huntress; her brothers too, but her gitbag siblings don’t want their lil sister hunting wi ‘em. That’s why we have the pleasure of her mining skills. A sad waste of a good ranger, but a bonus for us, eh Suzette?”
Suzette gave Finn a warm smile and even treated him to a flick of her luxuriant braid. “Welcome to our clan, Finn. Hamish speaks true. My brothers hate that I’m a much better hunter, so they played the dick card, and I’m left to swing a pickaxe all day.”
Aggy bustled over from the kitchen area behind the long counter that divided the two sections. She sat on Hamish’s left at the top of the table. Finn smiled. They looked like a queen and her scruffy king sitting there surrounded by their short-statured subjects. Well, short apart from the beautiful Suzette, who Finn found himself very taken with.
“You’ll be busy with Hamish all day, Finn, dear,” Aggy said, “but tomorrow afternoon, you’re with me.”
“Okay, Ma. I promised Gypsy I’d spend the night sorting through our library, but that won’t change any plans for the daytime.” Finn said.
Aggy looked at him as she processed what he’d said. A frown crept across her face. “You really don’t need sleep?”
“I meditate sometimes and can sleep if I want to, but I don’t need to,” Finn replied. “I felt I needed to after we’d safely crossed the Stonetalons in the dark, but that was an exception.”
Everyone stared at him in wonder.
“One day, you can explain what that meant, dear,” Aggy said. “I think that’s a story for another time, though. Maybe you could tell it tonight. Neeve is coming over again for dinner. She’s certainly keen to see you again.”
“As long as she dinnae bring more o that unholy mead she makes,” Hamish said, clutching his belly and wincing. “Damn stuff is still repeatin' on me.”