Bard's Tale 07 - Making a Home

Bard's Tale 07 Bk 03 - Making a Home

by TJSkywind

Bardic Cycle

Date: June 9, 2095

Locations: Sharaton-Charlottesville, capital of Tildor

Recap...

This takes place immediately following the previous story, Bard's Tale 06.

Tahna has broken her oath and attacked a senior priest without church sanction, but the situation is far from clear. Tia has saved Master Allyn from getting robbed and rescued the fatally injured Jo Mason. She takes Jo back to the inn; because of the holidays, rooms are at a premium. Due to her recent trauma, Tia doesn't want Jo to have to sleep elsewhere, so Jo ends up sharing their bed.

The plan is for Reison to continue his training. A disgruntled Mindal, who'd rather parade her husband around to all of her peers at the Bard College, accompanies him to keep him safe. Tahna is weak from her punishment, and Tia has her hands full.

Thanks to Stan & StoshB for lending a hand with catching errors. Any gaffs, typos, dropped words, usage errors, omissions, commissions, permissions, submissions, definitions, WTFs, and OMGs are totally my fault. Enjoy!

Book 3

* * * * *

Part 6 - The Moms

* * * * *

"Sorry, Jo, about having to get up so early," Tia muttered in apology as they got out of bed. The previous night, after a long massage and cleansing at the public bathhouse, Tia had sprung for some extravagances. Their hair had been professionally trimmed and some lavender dye eye shadow along with some henna to outline their eyes. Kohl looked better, but it was oily and easily smudged. The lavender and dark henna made their eyes stand out. Tia had also bought them both small fresh tins of lip rouge.

"It's only half an hour, Tia," Mindal said loudly. "Besides, you actually like getting up early."

"Last night wasn't enough?" the priestess grumbled.

"Listen to you!" Mindal shot back. "Just don't forget to do your magic hoodoo and extend the magic before you leave."

"I can't! I'm tapped out," Tia snapped, glaring angrily. "At my limit! When the spell expires, try not to break anything important when you hit the floor."

Reison, who'd been enjoying Mindal's fondling, sat upright. "What? Wait a minute, Mindal. Tia, what do you mean by you're tapped out?"

Tahna had had a rough night; she could sleep on her stomach, but laying on either side was out as the Lash had not only flayed her back the previous day, but also savaged her adjacent flesh as well. She rolled just the once onto her side and immediately awakened in agony. Yet even through her own pain, Tahna was fully aware that she had placed her big sister into a politically difficult situation. She hadn't meant for things to go so far, but she had lost control during her confrontation with Green. To hear that Tia had used so much of her spell energy that she'd again nearly overdone it made her sit up and focus on her older sister in a rush of guilt and shame.

The priestess put her fingers to her chin as she looked at the wall. "Hmm. Let's see. Emergency portal to go rescue Tahna, finding her in the Healing Ward on her belly and her back looking like ground meat. Oh, and being treated by Master Dorian and his flunkeys like I fucked my way to my position instead of giving literally decades of hard work and devotion to the church.

"I then spent an hour helping clear the Healing Ward because there was only one lower level priestess on duty. Which was probably Green's doing. However, it was time well spent because it helped me realize I didn't want to spent the next several months destroying Master Dorian's career. No, I wanted to be with my two loving sisters and my sweet husband. Taking custody of my injured sister, removing her from people in positions of power who apparently felt entitled to break several serious and long-standing canon laws. All that was before Mindal and our lovely husband returned.

"After that? Let's see. Going to visit the moms and bringing them up to date - and arranging for someone to stay with Tahna today because being pretty helpless and shouldn't be left alone. Then taking care of the four boys who beat up and robbed Master Allyn and ransacked their home. Healing the boy and fixing all the damage they did. It's bad enough when people steal, but stealing from those on the edge of poverty is despicable! And yet, when you, too, are hungry and haven't been given a decent moral compass, what can you expect? But I made sure Master Allyn and his family were fed. Their family is trapped in a debt contract that's growing faster than they can pay on. Oh, and this fine young woman here desperately needed my help last evening. After I saved her, she repaid my kindness with her own, helping me from slipping into spell shock. Hmm, yeah, without the required full eight hours of sleep, I can't begin my devotions to replenish any my spells! I have a ton of things to do and I'm putting you three on notice that today I'm a cranky bitch. I'm in charge of fixing our home so that it's livable, and fun stuff is lower on my list for today. Fixing the bed right now is out of the question. Deal with it."

Digging into her trunk, Tia retrieved her blouse, skirt, and wide belt in the Whisper Wind colors.

"I didn't know you could wear anything else but your priestess robes," Jo commented.

When Jo looked at her three new dresses on the hangers, Tia pointed at one and Jo quickly got dressed in the selected outfit.

Tia paused and exhaled, nodding. "I am grateful for several changes these past five months, among them that I am no longer defined solely by my vocation, Jo. I'm also Reison's First Wife, a fact that makes my heart happy even when I'm feeling less than generous to my sisters. Let's get out of here so they can have their privacy. Will you grab my daypack?"

"Yes, Mother," Jo replied, shouldering Tia's daypack. Tia opened the door for them to exit. "Is that the arms for the Whisper Wind family?"

"Mostly," Tia said. "This do-hickey at the top represents Reison, and this blue circle represents me as his First Wife."

The door closed with a solid click as the latch engaged.

Mindal growled, "Sometimes I hate her. Yesterday she had morning sex, and is it too much to ask have hot sweaty sex without a strange woman in bed, too?"

"Well, to be fair, we did have sex last night," Reison reminded her.

"That was a quickie, and besides, we were quiet!"

Tahna replied, "Well, if you woke Tia, I'd say it wasn't quiet enough."

"I can't help it if Reison is so good at making love that he drives me crazy with how good he feels when he's inside me," Mindal said, turning to the young half-elf. She tried to kiss him on the lips but got his cheek instead. "What's wrong, baby? You know I want you!"

He frowned. "You heard her. She didn't say a word about much of anything last night."

"It was after midnight when Tia and her friend returned, and Tia was clearly exhausted," Tahna said. "If she is that low on spell energy, it's akin to having run a marathon race. And it can be dangerous for her."

Reison shook his head. "She didn't sound like herself. She sounded... angry."

"Not you, too!" Mindal exclaimed. "Come on, both of you! Yes, by all accounts it sounds like she had a full day, but as she reminds me over and over, she's grown up and makes her own decisions. The quickie last night wasn't enough. Please, baby? I need to get my pussy drilled by my favorite man." She leaned in and breathed on his neck, giving him butterfly kisses, then murmured, "I started to hear strains of an intriguing and possibly new composition. Didn't you, Reison? I want to hear that song! And Tahna, you like licking him clean afterward, showing him how much you love him, don't you? He's your man, too. You can't have sex, but you can at least taste his sweet man juice. You can suck him and get him hard for me. What do you say?"

Tahna licked her lips. "I... I don't know. I want to, but I'm—"

"See, Reison? Tahna wants to suck your cock. She needs you bad, honey. Look at her. She loves you so much! Just like I do." The bard lifted up her C-cup breasts, letting them bounce in her hands. "Look at my tits! Aren't they squeezable, kissable, and absolutely suckable? And Tahna has such pouty lips made for loving your wonderful staff."

Reison was torn. He saw Tahna lick her lips again. He asked quietly, "You really like taking me into your mouth that much?"

"Yes," Tahna breathed, hand reaching out to fondle his half-full manhood.

Seeing the need in her eyes, he nodded and settled onto his back. Moving back the blanket, he exposed himself to her. Taking his hand, Tahna kissed it, then rubbed her face against the back of his hand. Letting him go, she moved down and began to lick his filling shaft.

Mindal, trying to contain her excitement, moved up the bed, pushing her breasts into Reison's face. "While you're enjoying her attention, why don't you show these babies some love and appreciation, honey."

* * * * *

"You sounded pretty angry with them, Mother. Are you?" Jo asked as they began to descend.

Tia exhaled. "Reison does his best to satisfy three very needy women. I freely admit that I am. I've gone so many years without a man to love and love me that I want him all the time. My sisters are the same way. But Mindal can get greedy and her demand that I spend spell energy for her convenience hit me the wrong way. Normally, I'd probably just do it. Truthfully? I'm exhausted. And I'm sorry we couldn't get you your own mattress last night. It is on the list of things for us to get today, though."

"It's all right, Mother," the brunette responded. "Last evening, I thought I was going to die. My new mistress healed my wounds, filled my belly without letting me overdo it, then proceeded to spoil me at the bathhouse. At the end of the day, I had a safe place to sleep. It was difficult to fall asleep because I'm not used to sharing a bed, but I understand the situation, and in a way, it helped me put away bad memories with you so close at hand. You certainly have nothing to apologize for, Mother Tia."

Tia yawned, the back of her hand covering her mouth.

"So why do they call it spell shock?" Jo asked.

"Ah. When a person is seriously injured, their body almost always go into shock. Like when you have broken bones and severe blood loss. The body reduces blood flow to your arms and legs, and your blood pressure drops..." The priestess saw Jo's puzzled look. "Hmm, much of this isn't making sense to you, is it? Symptoms of shock from injury are things like having trouble walking, speaking clearly, and having skin that is cool or clammy to the touch and feeling cold. Mmm. I'll teach you about these things as we get to know one another. Let me try another analogy. Say you have to run a long distance. When you first start your trip, you are energetic and have no trouble setting a good pace. After a few hours, however, you start to tire, but you need to keep running. Eventually, you may pass out from exhaustion. With me so far?"

"Yes, Mother."

Tia continued. "Casting spells takes a bit of your own energy. It's less so with divine magic, but the concept is the same. The more spells you cast, the more tired you get. Add to that, some spells are more powerful, and they take more effort when you cast them. When you have cast so many spells that you near your limit, it takes more out of you to cast those last few remaining spells. The higher the spell when you're at that stage, the greater the chance your body will collapse from the strain."

"You were already weakened when you healed me," Jo said in sudden realization.

"Yes," Tia confirmed. "The power of a heal takes more energy than that needed to raise the dead, if you can believe it. Casting the spell took a lot out of me. But hear this, Jo. Bringing back the dead is never a sure thing. It weakens the body of the person raised. Healing you was demanding, but it ensured you lived. I feel like shit this morning, but I would absolutely do it again. I have no regrets."

The medium-haired woman lowered her eyes. "What you did changed my life, Mother Tia. I had given up hope, and then there you were there."

Tia put her arm around Jo for a quick squeeze of affection. In the short time they'd known each other, she had found herself really enjoying her company. "Anyway, to finish my explanation. When a spellcaster is so low on energy that they are near collapse, like with a marathon, the body needs energy, so great hunger and thirst can occur. Sugar and sweet foods become important to prevent collapse. It's actually life threatening if a person collapses. They can slip into a coma for hours or days, and can die from the strain."

Jo's eyes got huge. "You risked your life to save mine? You could have died?"

"Jo, you needed my help. What else could I do? Besides, I had you there to help me." Tia spotted a place near the inn's main fireplace and guided them both towards the table.

The former sales clerk looked at the woman who had saved her life, digesting her words.

"I do want to warn you," Tia cautioned. "I feel out of sorts this morning. I will do my best to be civil, but my temper is likely to be much shorter than usual. Whatever happens, please don't take anything I say to you personally! More than once I have been accused of having a rather sharp tongue. If I happen to wound you with my words, I assure you I will deeply regret it later."

Jo grinned. "All right, Mother."

The busy waitress arrived and took their order. They were still out of chamomile tea, so Tia ordered some blackberry tea with toast. When Jo hesitated, Tia said, "Don't worry about the cost. I'm a wealthy woman even if I don't flaunt it. Get yourself a decent breakfast. You handled the soup yesterday evening and the snack we had at the bathhouse just fine. Having gone without food for several days, you have to ease back into it. Once you start to feel full, stop eating. We'll have a good meal at lunchtime."

With that decided, Jo ordered a full breakfast of two eggs, a slice of ham, hashbrown potatoes, toast with jam, and a cup of coffee.

Tia snorted. "You and my two sisters should get along fine. They both like coffee, too. Reison prefers black tea."

"You don't like coffee or black tea?"

"The caffeine does weird things to my concentration. Chamomile helps me relax. It's also good for monthly cramps, although thanks to my husband, that's not currently something I need to worry about."

"Oh? Why's... oh. Congratulations?"

"Thank you. And it was quite deliberate. Tahna and Mindal are also expecting. We're all due sometime next spring."

"What will be my duties today?"

Tia sipped her tea before answering. "Take notes when I ask you to. We actually have a lot of shopping to do. You're working for me now, Jo. You need a lot more than what we purchased last night. You need your own bedding, and I need to get beds for the young family who will be joining us tomorrow evening. You should know I've hired a widow and her four young children. She's a few years older than you, but you are my assistant. I'm hoping you both get along. Anyway, let's see. We need to get you a scribe's portable writing board, one that you can carry on your shoulder, with paper, pens, and ink. We also need to do grocery shopping, too. Tomorrow, I need to visit the architect I hired. Yesterday morning we bought a warehouse, but it needs a lot of work yet before it'll be a comfortable home and ready for us to live in."

"Hmm. Sounds like then next few days will be busy. Well, Mother Tia, I look forward to helping you accomplish all your goals."

The food arrived and while Tia nibbled on her toast, Jo tucked into her meal. Tia reminded her once to take her time eating, but after that, she let her new assistant choose her own pace. After the meal was done, Tia ordered a carafe of coffee with sides of cream and sugar, three slices of coffee cake, and three sides of bacon.

"Change your mind about eating?" Jo inquired.

"You should know that my father has five wives. I'm expecting my mom and one or two of my other mothers to be here soon. I'm also expecting young Master Allyn. He's the son of the widow I mentioned earlier. His mother's name is Janet, and she'll work as a laundress and maid for our home. If Derek and his three buddies show up, I'll feed them, too, and then put them to work."

"Derek?"

"Young Hellene boy entering his teens. He and his friends have been extorting money from other neighborhood kids to get by. Father beats his son and then steals whatever coins from Derek he can find. Derek and his buddies have been learning to pickpocket to supplement their income at the behest of the local thief and gang leader. My goal is to educate them and redirect them into honest trades."

Jo looked alarmed. "Not the Sons of Telamon, I hope."

Tia shook her head. "No. But the same man who has been abusing Janet Meadows may be involved with them. Hmm. We'll have to be sure and get you a timepiece. Normally, I can cast a spell and know the time for much of the day, but that's not an option today. Can you read a clock? All right, it's not terribly difficult to learn."

"Room for visitors?" a warm woman's voice asked.

"Mom! You're early!" Tia jumped up, moved around the table and hugged her mother, and then moved to give Mother Charmain and Mother Galamindöl hugs as well, hugs that were warmly reciprocated. "I'd like you to meet my new friend, Jo. We met last night, and she's agreed to come work for me and help me get things done."

The tall, hardened warrior woman introduced as Frínulas was several centimeters taller than her daughter. Wearing a mix of fighting leathers with a chainmail overcoat, she had a long sword tied to her back, a daypack on her hip, and a pair of dueling daggers at her waist. Her thick, rich dark-brown hair with auburn highlights was braided into a warrior's que and bound into a bob at the back of her neck. Jo saw smooth fair skin, large green eyes, and a generous mouth and thought her beautiful. Like Tia, she exuded a strong presence and confidence, of a warrior woman used to command. This was someone who could lead armies into battle! The resemblance between mother and daughter was clear.

The brunette then took in the elven archer and mage Galamindöl, thinking she looked both ethereal and terribly wise. Also armed with a long sword and chainmail, she carried two quivers and an exquisitely carved bow at her back. Her long golden locks were in a pony tail, baring her distinctly elven ears. Shorter than Tia's mother, Jo guessed she matched the elven woman's height at a hundred and sixty-seven centimeters.

The third woman, Charmain, wore mage robes; she was the same height as the elven archer. While her eyes, too, were hazel, she shared the auburn hair coloring of Frínulas, but her hair was short, in a pixie cut, and it looked good with her face. In one hand she carried a staff, while the other carried a large suitcase.

Both warrior women wore sleeveless tabards with a coat of arms displayed. In the first and fourth quarter was a field vert with a bound sheaf of wheat or - a green field with a golden cluster of bound wheat in the center. In the second and third quarters, the field was a light blue separated from a green field by a band of white on which a horse galloped. The elf woman had the same golden wheat on a field of green, but the second and third field was argent (white) depicting a tall tower flanked by two oak trees with acorns next to a river (blue and white wavy lines). The mage woman also had a fancy shield on her left breast. Like the other two women, the first and fourth quarters were the green field with a cluster of bound wheat in the center. In the second and third quarters, there were two vertical green bands separated by a gold one. The bands were not smooth lines but rather were jagged with diagnonal points. In the middle of the gold band was a black upright lion in the style known as rampant.