Tachartasan Seachdaineil

I would like to apologize for not showing up last week. I was on suspension at work and just didn’t feel like doing anything other than chores around the house.

On my last update, I shared the Royal Road schedule through today’s release.

In this update, I’m proud to share that I’ve scheduled the Royal Road updates for the next week. Two full chapters with no breaks. After Tuesday’s update, the chapters will go live on Fridays.

On the Patreon side of things, I have the following:

2 – Mercenary Tier posts:

One covering the introduction to the refugees

One covering the Clan of the Wolf.

2 – Draoidh/Sagart posts.

One covering Divine Magic and Death Magic.

One covering Herbal magic and Plague Magic.

I’ve currently run out of things for my Freeholder and Sheriff’s teirs, but I’m working on a few things.

If you have anything you’d like to know, send me a note. I might work on it and add it to those tiers and give you credit for the idea.

Below you will find the latest Chapter of The Draoidh’s Return.

Rhyslin awoke to the warmth of the bond and opened his eyes to find Ria tucked in under his right arm with her hand resting on his chest.

Sometime during the night, she and Flur had crawled into bed and taken their customary places at his side. A quick glance down and to the left was all it took for him to see Flur’s Golden hair billowing over his arm.

Both women were breathing softly, still asleep. Rowena was missing from the bed, but Rhyslin could feel her close by. He glanced to the right and found her curled up in a cushioned chair, her eyes open and resting on him.

{Why didn’t you join us?} He asked as he caught her attention.

The seer wore a contented smile. {We haven’t gotten around to getting a bigger bed yet. Ria and Flur beat me to choice spots.} She replied with fondness in her voice.

“Leave it to a seer to be blind,” Ria commented after a yawn. “The dryads made the bed bigger when they moved the house.”

“How is a woman to sleep with all this talking?” Flur mumbled as she stretched against Rhyslin with a purr. “Good morrow, Ore nin.”

“I’ll be –,” Rowena murmured as she took a long look at the bed. “It is bigger.” She snorted. “I could have crawled in on either side.” Then she laughed. “You won’t get away so lucky tonight, my maighstir.”

Rhyslin chuckled and gestured for Rowena to join them.

She shook her head. “I’m already up, Maighstir. I’ll go downstairs start breakfast.”

Rhyslin watched as she stretched, the light from rising sun turning her gown translucent for a moment.

Rowena flashed him a mischievous grin as she sashayed across the room and out the door.

“Hey!” Flur groused, poking Rhyslin in the side. “I’m right here.” Even though she sounded disgusted, Rhyslin could feel her amusement through the bond.

“Yes, you are,” He whispered as he pulled her close and kissed her.

Flur moaned as he deepened this kiss. “Oh, Ore nin. I’ve missed you.” She reveled in the kiss, then slowly pushed away from him. “Are you strong enough to – you know?”

Rhyslin groaned, “How I wish.”

Flur grumbled, “Me too.” She sighed softly, disentangling herself from him. “Maybe soon?”

“Yes, soon.” Rhyslin agreed.

Her golden hair danced across his skin as she rolled to the left and slipped out of bed. “Don’t take too long, my love, or I’ll eat your portion.”

Rhyslin rolled his eyes. “I’ll be along shortly.”

Flur hummed appreciatively, then followed Rowena’s path.

“What’s wrong, fae nin?” Rhyslin said as he turned his attention to the woman who had remained behind.

There was a faint blush on Ria’s cheeks as she looked up. “Nothing, melda nin.” She burrowed closer. “Do you feel strong enough to walk downstairs?” She purred as he brushed his fingers through her hair.

“I think so,” Rhyslin acknowledged, drawing a displeased hiss as he slowly sat up in the bed, dislodging Ria from the warm spot under his arm.

When he slid to the side and got to his feet, Ria’s displeasure turned to satisfaction. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited.” She sounded happy. Not only that, but he could feel her happiness through the bond as she bound from the bed and walked over to the armoire. “Do you feel like getting dressed today?”

Rhyslin nodded and cautiously walked over to her. “Yes, I also need to go to town today.”

Ria froze, turning to examine him. “Why?”

“I need to get out of the house,” he stated. “Not to mention, I need to visit the bank and get access to our coin.” He glanced at her. “How have you been paying for things?”

“With scraps of paper backed by your signature,” she admitted. “But aren’t all your coins in Oak Grove?”

Rhyslin reached past her to grab a white linen shirt, a black pair of pants and his boots. “Yes, but if there’s a bank in town, I can access my vault here.”

When he caught the concerned look on Ria’s face, he finished dressing and pulled her close. “You didn’t do anything wrong. My name carries weight, even out here on the frontier. You know we’re good for it.”

Ria rested her head against his chest and listened to the beat of his heart. “I know.” She lifted her face. “What will you do after the bank?”

The draoidh stretched both arms overhead and sighed as stiff muscles slowly loosened beneath the warmth of returning blood.

“I want to visit the shrine Flur found.”

Ria nodded, changing her nightgown for a teal dress. “Who all is going?”

“All of us,” Rhyslin said. “Including the maids. We need to go shopping.”

When Ria furrowed her brow, he continued. “Unless the fae moved the fields along with the grove, we are going to need food, fabric for clothes, equipment to plant food crops, chickens and cattle for eggs and milk.”

Ria blinked. “I hadn’t thought of that.” She adjusted the folds of her skirt. “I didn’t see fields when we drove up, nor did I see chickens, cattle, or any other animal.” She sighed. “How are we going to live?”

“One day at a time.” Rhyslin said, once again pulling her close. “Just like everyone else does.”

“Stop that,” she complained, “You’re wrinkling my dress.”

Rhyslin knew she was complaining without meaning it. “Let’s go downstairs and eat.”

༺═──────────═༻

Either Rowena or Flur must have spread the news about the trip to town because when Rhyslin and Ria made their way downstairs, there was a palpable excitement in the air.

Flur and Rowena were dressed in their best, as were the maids. Even Torval and K’Tek were present, the two in full armor which had been cleaned and polished. The only person missing was Rana.

When Rhyslin asked about her, Flur brushed her hair over her shoulder and replied. “She packed her tent and left with Sparhawk. He said they were going to scout north beyond the hills and see what’s out there.”

Rhyslin listened, one brow quirking. “She has a tent?”

Rowena nodded, “It’s a three poled tent made of rune inscribed leather.”

The draoidh nodded, “Interesting.” He turned to Ria. “How often does she go scouting with Sparhawk?”

“This is the second time,” Ria admitted. “The first was when they came out this way and found your grove.”

Rhyslin stroked his chin as he thought about Rana and the prophecies. In the end, he decided that the more experience she gained, the better it would be.

“I guess she’ll just miss going into town today.” He said as he dug into his breakfast. Between bites, he suggested that Kenna, Mira, and Lina get a list of what they’d need to restock the kitchen.

“We’ve already done that, Maighstir,” Kenna crooned, one ear turning in his direction, the other one angled toward the other two maids. “We’ve been keeping a running tally as we use it.”

Rhyslin finished his meal in silence, then stood and grabbed his staff.

The three maids took off to grab their concealed weapons, Lina and Mira retrieving the enchanted hairpins and fan from their rooms, while Kenna finished the dishes.

By the time he made it to the foyer, the three were waiting for him. They were joined by the three bannachian.

“How do you feel?” Ria asked worriedly.

“Like I’ve slept for a month,” Rhyslin admitted. “I’m a bit sore, but the more I move, the stronger I get.”

Ria kept a close eye on him as they waited for the carriage. “Before you ask,” and she knew he’d ask about it, “the carriage belongs to Sheriff Moeldr. He loaned it to us.” She took a step toward him. “We need one or two of our own. It’s been a pain to wait for the one to return to the house.”

“Once we’ve gained access to my vault, we can order two, and get the livestock as well.” Rhyslin said, leaning against his staff. “It’ll be okay, fae nin.”

As Ria watched the carriage pull up, she couldn’t help but doubt what the future held.