Staring at the massive weapon that her companion held on his shoulder, and the way it left a long trailing line in the dirt behind them, Ceean grew curious about something.
"Why do ye drag yer sword, then?" Ceean asked Yintal, as they made their way through the forest. He said they were heading for the lake glimpsed through the portal in her room, the place where the human had dropped her bag of gold into the water. Ceean hoped he wasn't lying to her. She hated being tricked and mistreated.
"Cuz it's damned heavy, Ceean! Look at the size o' it," he replied, irritated that the female felt the need to chatter constantly. They'd only been away from the Grinding Wheel for three days, and she hadn't stopped talking except to eat and sleep. Even when she excused herself to have a shite in the woods, Ceean would call out to Yintal and continue her yapping.
"Yes, but it's magic, innit? I mean, when I killed those dwarves and that human in my room back at the tavern, it felt lighter than a feather. And there was a strange glow, as weel," she shot back, happy that Yintal was finally engaging in the conversation.
The Hunter shrugged the mighty blade from over his shoulder, brought his lips to the hilt, and whispered a strange word to the sword known as God's Feather.
"Dioghaltas."
As the word left his lips, the strange translucent glow returned to the sword and Yintal picked it up with one hand. "Yes, lass. 'Tis magic, indeed. But, for me at least, it's no' unlimited. It will only last for twenty minutes or so. And then she needs to recharge for about an hour. I don't use it often, as I like to keep the magic ready just in case there is danger ahead."
"I never said that word back in me room at the Grinding Wheel. How did it work for me, then?" Ceean asked warily.
"It's just like I told ye at the time, lass. Only one with the blood of the Wolves of the Bay can wield God's Feather like that. There is magic in the humans of the Wolf tribe. There has been for ages upon ages, going back to the first war with the Grendel. My guess, Ceean, is that one o' yer parents were a human. And not just any human; they were to have been a Wolf of the Bay, as I am. Though, I am not of the bloodline, as ye are. I was taken in as a child and trained by them. So I must use the magic word to activate this sword's power. You don't."
As he said this, Yintal tossed the sword into the air. It floated over to Ceean. She reached out to pluck it from the air, but before she did Yintal said another strange phrase.
"Laig anail."
The glow disappeared from God's Feather and it suddenly dropped down, gravity now affecting the full mass of the giant sword. Instinctively, and without any forethought, Ceean's hand snaked out lightning quick and grasped the hilt of the large weapon. The glow returned instantly, and she could barely feel any weight from the sword in her hand. She turned to Yintal and glowered.
"Ye could've done me harm like that, ye know," she admonished the dangerous dwarf. "Next time ye want to show me somethin' just bloody well show me without any o' yer tricks, ye understand?"
Yintal chuckled as he strolled along the underbrush in the forest. "Aye, Ceean. I swear it to ye. I will no' do that ever again." And he grinned widely at the tall and beautiful half-dwarf, half-human. It would take some great deal of time to get used to her constant talking, but Yintal the Hunter did like this female.
She returned the happy glance and then suddenly Yintal disappeared right before her eyes. She looked around wildly for him, terrified of being left alone in this forest. She had no idea where they were, where they were headed, or how to even get back to the Grinding Wheel.
"Yintal! This isn't funny! Ye better not be pullin' another trick, ye bastard!"
"Not a bloody trick, damn it all!" his voice called out, echoing from somewhere nearby. "I've fallen down a fucking hole in the ground. Bruised me arse."
YOU ARE READING
The Gods That Keep Them
FantasíaA foul-mouthed warrior with a sword almost too big to be used. A halfbreed former prostitute with a secret power flowing through her veins. A wizard who wants to harvest and use that power. A mysterious chef who has never lost a fight. An innocent m...