Bakkian Chronicles, Book I - The Prophecy (61 page)

One of Maelnar’s daughters approached,
gently
tugging her arm, indicating she was to
follow
.

“
Guess I’m changing,” Sarah
told her husband,
as she was herded out of the room. “Be right back!”

While the soldiers all admired their new
armor
, master Kharus smiled mischievously. He had yet to present his finest gifts to their intended recipients. Pulling out his final wrapped bundle, he took his time removing the fabric coverings, making a show of exposing as little of the
concealed
item as possible until he was ready. The chamber suddenly hushed as all eyes turned to look at the newcomer. Steve sucked in his breath.

Sarah had reentered the room, wearing her new “armor”, although it appeared to everyone else that she was now decked out in her finest apparel, meshing nicely with the finely attired dwarves. The gown was a perfect fit, extending all the way down so that it gently brushed the floor. There was the slightest rustling of fabric as Sarah joined her husband at the front of the procession, delighting the dwarves with an elegant
curtsy
. In unison, the Council of dwarves bowed in return.

“
You look beautiful! Just like a princess!”

Sarah beamed at her husband. “Thank you. I’m not comfortable being the center of attention like this.”

“
Better get used to it when you look like that.”

Doing her best not to blush, Sarah smiled.

Still smiling at Sarah, Maelnar turned to
Kharus
. “Are ye ready?”

“
Aye.”

Quizzically, Steve and Sarah returned their attention to the blacksmith, who was busy unwrapping the last package. Finally removing enough coverings to pull a smaller bundle free, every human present gasped as the final piece of fabric was removed, revealing a magnificent two-handed broadsword. But what caught everyone’s attention was the blade itself. It was blue! Sidling a bit closer, Steve gazed admiringly at the magnificent masterpiece. The sword
measured
close to four feet in length, from
pommel
to sword tip, with ancient dwarven runes etched into the colored blade on both sides. The grip was wrapped tightly in black leather, with a griffin on each end of the golden guard. Brilliant sapphires were set into the hilt in various places. Steve whistled in admiration.

Holding the sword up high so that everyone could admire the unique weapon, Kharus
presented
it to the human captain.

“
In honor of yer bravery and courage, brother, we are honored to present ye with this token of our appreciation.” The dwarf held the hilt out to the captain, who stood there in shock. Seeing no move to take his gift, Kharus placed the sword into his hands. Turning back to retrieve the second bundle, Rhenyon could only stare at the exquisite work of art now in his possession.

“
Breslin, step forth.”

Surprised, the dwarf moved next to Rhenyon. Casting a quick, admiring glance down at the sword his friend was holding, the dwarf turned to see what the skilled blacksmith was unwrapping next. His eyes widened as the cloth on the double-bladed ax fell away. As with the sword, the first thing Breslin noted was the color. The blades were a striking red, also with the ancient runes etched into both sides. The same griffin was carved into both sides of the ax head, with a large ruby set into each side of the ax. Mouth open in shock, Breslin took the weapon Kharus presented him.

Sliding the coverings off the final weapon, Kharus presented Steve a twin to Rhenyon’s sword, only this time the blade was forest green, with emeralds adorning the hilt instead of sapphires. Steve stared at his sword, admiring the detail of the carved griffins and the ancient symbols on the blade.

“
Behold the Mythra triad, crafted solely for the three of ye. Sir Rhenyon, ye be holding Mythron, of the blue blade. Breslin, ye have Mythryd, with its double red blades. Finally, sir Steve, ye be holding Mythrin, of the green blade.” Smiling profusely, Kharus surveyed the recipients of his gifts. “Each blade will forever hold its edge,” the dwarf explained, “while
simultaneously
being able to slice through
practically
any material. Use these weapons well.”

The two humans were unable to speak, still staring incredulously at their gifts from the dwarves. Breslin, testing the sharpness of his ax blades for the fourth time, bowed in appreciation to master Kharus, who bowed in return.

“
I will treasure this always. I thank ye.”

“
That goes for me, too,” Rhenyon finally
managed
to say.

“
Same goes,” Steve murmured.

****

Returning to their quarters to collect their
belongings
, the departing guests decided to honor their hosts by remaining attired in their new armor, with Steve and Rhenyon both displaying their new swords. For Steve, however, it was a little more difficult. Wanting to display both of his new weapons, the avid sword collector
decided
to wear both on his back, each handle over a shoulder. As they left the chamber that they had thought of as home for the last two weeks, Sarah snorted, stifling a chuckle.

“
What is it?”

Sarah glanced at her husband, eyeing the two swords strapped across his back.

“
I feel like I’m following a walking map.”

“
What?”

“
You have a big ‘X’ on your back. ‘X’ marks the spot!”

“
Zip it.”

“
What are you going to do with two swords?”

“
Well,” Steve admitted, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a smile, “actually its three swords and an axe. Rhenyon gave me his old sword and Breslin gave me his axe.”

“
What in the world for?”

“
Are you kidding me? Authentic Lentarian weapons. I’ll put ‘em on the wall in my office back home! How cool will that be?”

Sarah shook her head. “Men.”

Arriving at the plaza where they had previously partied all night, Steve and Sarah bowed to the dwarves, who reciprocated the gesture. Rhenyon and his men arrived moments later, each carrying their belongings in a type of duffel bag slung across one shoulder. Saying their final goodbyes to their new friends, the small group assembled in front of the teleporter.

Sarah chuckled, shaking her head.

“
Guys, guys, this will never work. We can’t have you gentlemen arriving back at the castle decked out in that fine armor, with your dirty clothes slung across your back.”

The soldiers all grinned at her, inspecting their own appearance and that of
their companions.

“
Drop your bags in front of you,” Sarah
ordered
.

Without waiting for their captain’s approval, three bags plopped unceremoniously onto the ground. A moment later, they all vanished,
having
been transported back to the castle.
Smiling
, Sarah looked at Rhenyon, who
sheepishly
held out his own pack. It vanished moments later, joining the others back in the throne room of castle R’Tal.

“
I’ve charged several more crystals,” Steve informed her, automatically patting several of the pouches along one strap of the nohrstaf harness. “I have plenty in case you need to use them for this jump.”

“
Thanks, I’m pretty certain that I will.” Sarah turned to the men, who were now trying to suck in their stomachs. “Okay, who’s first?”

“
I will be the first,” Rhenyon declared, stepping forward.

Taking Rhenyon’s arm, they vanished. One by one they were teleported back to the castle, taking only enough time for Sarah to recharge her jhorun between each teleportation.

With Sarah gripping his arm tightly, Steve materialized in the Great Hall, being the last to make the journey. Both thrones were currently occupied, and the entire hall was filled with the castle’s nobility, all wearing their finest. Either they had just interrupted some
important function, or –

The room erupted into cheers as everyone started clapping and whistling, hailing the
famous
Nohrin and their brave companions. When the exuberant applause finally died down, Kri’Entu stood.

“
Made some new friends, did ye?”

Grinning sheepishly, Steve nodded, while
Sarah
smiled at the queen.

Directing his gaze over to his captain of the guard, the king grinned.

“
Looking good, captain.”

“
Thank you, sire.”

“
May I see… what was it called again?
Mythron
? May I see Mythron?”

Shocked, Rhenyon unsheathed his prized sword and presented it to the king. “How did ye learn of this? We only received them no less than an hour ago.”

“
I make it a point to stay informed, especially when denizens of this castle are guests in another city.”

“
Someone told you what was going on?” Steve asked, shocked. “Who? I thought it was supposed to be an unknown city!”

Enigmatically, the king smiled at Steve.
Returning
his gaze to the magnificent blue sword, he sighed. This was truly a masterpiece, the king thought. They could not have selected a more deserving person to give this to.

“
Would his majesty care to see Mythrin?” Steve reached over his right shoulder and started pulling the sword free of its scabbard.

“
Other shoulder, sweetie.”

His hand freezing in mid pull, Steve sighed. Naturally. He had had a fifty-fifty shot of
executing
a move he’d only seen in movies, where the hero gracefully reaches over his
shoulder
and pulls out his sword. Returning the sword he’d had helped create back into its scabbard, he reached behind his other shoulder to unsheathe his gift from the Kla Guur clan. P
resenting
it hilt-first to the king, Steve gave a small bow.

Returning Mythron to its owner, the king
admired
its green twin.

“
These are truly magnificent. Yer other sword, is that the sword that ye had a hand in
fashioning
?”

Steve pulled the dragon sword free, electing to hold it himself rather than tie up both of the king’s hands. “This sword was the result of sheer curiosity.”

“
Oh? Please explain.”

“
We were exploring the city and decided to check out one of the numerous workshops. It turns out that the place we stopped was the workshop of master Kharus, who apprenticed under Maelnar himself. I wanted to see what it was like to be a blacksmith, so he had me strike a few blows on a shield he was just starting to create. Liked what he saw, so I was
drafted
into service.”

Ny’Callé stifled a chuckle. “Ye would make a good bard, sir Steve.” Smiling at Sarah, the queen leaned forward. “I do like yer gown,
Sarah
. A gift from the dwarves?”