Journey of an Einherji - The Sword of Summer

A Glimpse into the Future

After we arrived at the docks, Sam lef us. Not that she wanted to, she said, but her grandparents were going to murder her, and she didn't want to be any later for that. We made plans to meet the next morning at the Public Garden.

Magnus and I made our way to Copley Square. Magnus shifted the grip on his sword from time to time, uncomfortable. On the other hand, I couldn't help myself but watch every corner and over my shoulder every few minutes. I was on edge, and with good reason considering what had happened.

"Couldn't the sword do some glamour to turn into something smaller?" - Magnus asked out of the blue - "Preferably not a chain, since it's no longer the 1990s?"

"No idea. Why don't you ask it?" - I joked.

Magnus nodded, like that was a reasonable idea, but then, he looked at the sword with wide eyes.

"Are you alright?" - I asked him concerned.

"I think the sword talked to me." - Magnus said quietly.

"What?"

"I don't know... it sort of made like, uh... a humming sound."

"Okay, that's weird. Not the weirdest thing, but a little bit. Why don't you ask it something?"

"Yeah. Why not? I'll have a conversation with a sword." - Magnus said sarcastically.

We walked in silence for a few more minutes. The streets were buzzing with vehicles, sidewalks with teenage girls taking selfies, teenage boys trying to muster up the courage to ask a girl out (that's bravery), men and women going to work or coming back from it. Old people taking a winter stroll, cats sleeping under cars, dogs barking. No one even glanced at us, no one would have thought that two immortal walked among them.

Suddenly, Magnus made the same question, but instead of asking me, he asked the sword. This time, he continued the conversation... Is it a conversation or a monologue, or maybe a soliloquy?

"I dunno. Something pocket-size and innocuous. A pen, maybe?"

"That's not a bad idea, would be cool if it could write." - I said.

"You have a better idea?" - Magnus asked the sword.

It shrank in his hand, melting into a runestone on a gold chain. The small white stone was amblazoned with a black symbol: fehu.

"The rune of Frey." - Magnus said - "I'm not really a jewelry guy, but okay."

He fastened the golden chain around his neck.

"You can't escape from the chains." - I laughed.

"Yeah, well, at least it's not a ring." - he said.

"You're right." - I shrugged.

We discovered that the stone was attached magnetically to its bail, so Magnus could easily pull it off the chain. As soon as he did, the stone grew into a sword. If he wanted it back in pendant form, all he had to do was imagine that. At least, that's what Magnus said.

"Cool." - he admitted after reattaching the pendant. He turned to me - "I'm not wearing a huge sword around my neck, right?"

"Nop. Just a runestone. Why?"

"I thought that maybe I was hallucinating."

"You aren't. Or maybe we both are."

By the time we reached Copley Square it was fully dark out. No sign of Blitzen or Hearthstone, which made us apprehensive. The library had closed for the night, Magnus stated that, if Big Boy expected him to meet him on the roof, he was going to have to wait. After that he sat at the front steps of the library, exhausted.