AISLIN | I

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

MR. DAYHOLT turned back to his work and let his wife take over.

"This is also for you." She said, handing me a sword. It was long, double-bladed and lighter than any sword I had ever held.

"It will hold up." She said, noting my skepticism. "I found a way to heat the steel that allows me to pound it thinner without compromising the integrity. It's the perfect example of 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.'"

I examined the weapon in my hands. The handle was a wooden grip textured with a creeping vine pattern, but varnished and smooth. The Amulet crest was carved into the hilt where the blade met the handle. My name was engraved in ornate cursive down the middle of the blade. It took almost the whole length of the sword. I handed the weapon to Leland to examine, leaving the accompanying sheath on the counter.

"This one is for your archer." Mrs. Dayhold continued moving to the next pile. "I've been led to understand that he already possesses a very fine bow, so I stuck to arrows. This is a specialized quiver that has two different sections. The right side contains your typical steel-tipped arrows. These on the left have a bit of a twist. I've strung a spool of steel wire into the shaft. The end of the wire gets left behind on the bow string when the arrow is fired and only lets out line until the arrow stops moving. Each arrow is equipped with 200 yards of wire capable of supporting 500 pounds. This key will rewind the spools." She put the key in a pocket on the back of the quiver.

The quiver itself was quite simple. It had a pair of straps that looped snugly over the shoulders and around the arm, and an adjustable leather strap ran across the chest. The cap of the quiver was hinged onto the top and was meant to flip away from the archer's back so it didn't block access to the arrows.

"This is for your viking." She continued, moving on to a coiled whip and belt. "It's a fairly standard bullwhip, but the handle is designed to be strapped to the wrist if the user desires. This essentially makes the weapon and extension of the owner's arm. The handle also detaches and can be used as a short-distance blow-gun. The darts are stored in the grips on the handle."

She quickly demonstrated the removal and loading of the blow-gun feature and placed the whip back on the counter. Beside it sat a dark tan belt with a strap that buttoned around the whip.

"This is for the Japanese soldier. I'm sorry to be so general, but I wasn't given names for these orders." she continued in a very professional manner. "This is a Daisho. I'm sure I don't need to explain this to you, but I'm going to anyway. The long one is a Katana and the short one is a Wakizashi. Both come in bamboo scabbards that can be worn around the hips, behind the back, or over the shoulder; whatever the owner's preference may be."

"These were fun to make." She giggled, moving on to the next pile. Before her sat a squared leather case, snapped shut. I opened it to reveal a stack of three-pointed throwing stars. Blakely-Rose would go nuts when she got her hands on this. "I've made sure they're all balanced so they throw correctly." Mrs. Dayholt assured me. The belt the case was attached to was strung with small leather loops, each containing a diamond shaped throwing blade with a looped handle on the handling end. The sunshine filtering through the windows caught on the razor-sharp blades.

Leland had become distracted by the object sitting at the very end of the counter.

"What is this?" He asked in confusion. "It looks like a combination of a yoyo and a plumb line."