Swords with Souls
A Medieval Fantasy Fiction Story
(Adult Content)
By Dan Watt
(Author of BARD series)
(Author of the Plagueborn series)
The Sword Maker’s Shop
caedar-writig-artwork.com
“The bells,” she says. She waits until Haashir stands beside the cast closest to the fuller of the sword inside. Next, Jedrick stands behind Haashir with larger bells. Haashir begins to tap his bells first, followed by Jedrick.
Inhaling in once again to calm herself, she pulls out a pouch from the leather bag that hangs at her side. She leans forward and places the mouth of the pouch as close to the fuller as she dares and as she squeezes the contents whispers Undefeated. She’s shocked how the word echoes off the fuller until it seems to fade into it. As she stands up straight, she can hear Haashir and Jedrick tapping their bells harder and faster before abruptly stopping. Tensing her body to stop her hand from shaking, she takes a vial out of her leather bag and coats blood all along the fuller. “The sword must stay bare to the sky until moonlight covers it. Do you have another sword prepared?”
“I do,” she hears the Sword Maker answer with a questioning expression.
“It needs to have two fullers,” she says with trembling lips.
“That will weaken the sword,” the Sword Maker says.
Two of the books Haashir gave her grandparents when her grandfather portrayed a giant for the carnival came in a small treasure chest worn with age and soft from resting underwater. When her grandfather first opened it, her grandfather and grandmother went ashen at the grey powder inside. Her grandfather took the long tongs by the fireplace and used them to gently poke inside what were believed to be someone’s ashes. Eventually, he drew out two books that her grandmother brushed off with a worn shirt so the ashes went back inside the box. She then diligently placed the rag inside the box and closed the lid. ‘Never open this again,’ her grandfather had said with a mix of sternness and trepidation. Later, he buried the chest somewhere in the basement. Afterwards, she saw him carry down numerous flat edged stones, a bucket of clay, and a silver coin.
Both books were thick. One of the books was well worn and had the faded title Osgood’s Lessons in Physics. The other looked brand new, as if never used. Its skin cover was so dark it was hard to know if it was midnight blue or true black. In gold cursive it translated to Eternal. To see who the author was her grandfather had opened the book. Inside were a list of authors and imbedded into the book was an amulet that caused her to gasp. Surrounded by numerous types of gemstones incased in gold was a bloodstone with something blue within that moved as if alive. This was the book that gave her sister Gwen the instructions to add souls to swords.
“No, it won’t,” she assures him.
People I Follow
(Author of Who Fears Death and more)
Caedar Writing & Artwork 