Our People (the Third Book of the Her Weakness series)

Chapter 143

Lexa's POV

Raven must get bored watching me at the forge because she leaves, yelling "be back soon!" over her shoulder.

I briefly wonder what has gotten her so excited that she is practically running away. Deciding it might have something to do with Octavia, and that is something I definitely do not want to know, I stop wondering and get back to work.

I take another long drink of water and leave the mask off so I can see this next part better. I put the ring between the jaws of a small clamp. I turn the handle slowly, keeping a close eye on how close the movable part is getting to the ring. I just need it to hold it in place, not smash it. When I am satisfied and the ring does not move when I gently poke it, I stand back up.

I grab the hand drill that I picked out earlier and make sure the drill bit is screwed in tightly. One wrong move or the wiggle of a bit that is not screwed in properly, and I might have to start all over again. Which I would not particularly mind doing because this is for Clarke, but I do not want to do all of this work more than I have to.

I study the ring's curved surface and take the forge master's charcoal thin-tipped pencil. I make tiny three marks on the ring's surface, trying to make them equidistant from each other.

I take the hand drill again and carefully maneuver the bit so it is over the first dot. I delicately crank the handle, ending up pulling the bit out of the small hole it has created in the ring so I can see how deep it is going. When I am pleased with it, I move onto the next hole and meticulously repeat the process.

Raven comes back while I am in the midst of doing the second hole. She seems to be able to tell that I am focusing hard, for she does not greet me, just sits back in her chair. I appreciate it, but do not speak to her until I am done with the third and final hole.

"Hello Raven."

"Hey. What are you doing?" She asks curiously, taking a step forward and then hesitating. "Is it okay for me to come close?"

"Sha (yes). Thank you for asking." I answer, stepping aside so she can see the ring. Since it is still in the clamp, she can only see the outer part.

"Are the holes for the jewels?" She asks.

"Yes, they are."

"How are you going to get them to stay in there? Do you have glue or something?" Raven questions, still examining the ring.

"Glue? No, the forge master has something much better than that, much stronger. It is an adhesive that not everyone is allowed to use because of how strong it is."

Raven steps back to let me continue working, asking a few other questions about forging.

"Maybe I should learn how to make stuff like this, then I wouldn't have to rely on someone who might not know what I mean when I want them to make a specific part." Raven muses.

"We are spending a bit of time in the next Sankru city. You could ask a forge master to teach you there. Sankru is renowned throughout the clans for having some of the best forges and blacksmiths."

"I might just do that," Raven says.

I turn back to the ring, letting her think. I gently blow the small pieces of metal that has come out in the drilling off of it. I cup my hand below where the ring is and cautiously turn the handle again until the ring falls into my hand.

"What's the scoring in the middle for?" Raven asks.

"Clarke and I, we both move around a lot. So wearing a ring has the inherent danger of falling off of our fingers. The scoring should help keep them on. Of course, the edges are still sharp. I am going to have the blacksmith sand them down." I explain.

"Smart," Raven remarks.

I set the ring down on the side of the table I am not using that also has the jewels.

"Wait, are you not putting in the gems yet?" Raven asks.

"No, I am going to see which of the rings I make is better and that one will be Clarke's."

Raven puts a hand over her heart dramatically. "That's so sweet."

I shake my head at her, smiling affectionately. I put the mask back on and get back to work. I do everything all over again and it goes more quickly this time since I know exactly what I want to do. Raven leaves halfway through and comes back with lunch, having to practically drag me away from the forge and force me to eat.

Just as I had suspected, the second ring turns out slightly better than the first. At the moment, other than a couple slight inconsistencies, they are virtually identical.

I decide to finish mine first and take  the three sapphires and the first ring. I take off the mask again and pick up the small bottle of the adhesive. I carefully squirt out a minuscule drop into each hole, inserting each gem as precisely as I can. I grin at the almost finished ring, proud of my work.

I do Clarke's ring next with the emeralds and it looks better than I expected. The jewels stick out slightly in both, but it is barely noticeable unless you are looking for it. I did not mean to do that, but I can work with it. It will be good if we are going to punch someone.

The blacksmith comes back almost right after I am done. I am putting his things away when he returns.

"Heda," he greets. I stand up and turn around to acknowledge him. "Have you finished your rings?"

"Sha (yes), I have finished everything I am going to do. But I would like you to complete them. Will you do it?" I pause for a moment to let him process what I have said.

He seems surprised, but answers gratefully. "Yes, of course. What do you need me to do?"

"The inside is scored and is sharp, I would like you to sand them down. I would also like you to polish them and anything else you see fit."

"Alright," he nods. "I can have this done by tomorrow afternoon."

I smile and reach out my hand. "Mochof (thank you)."

"Pro (you're welcome)." He answers, grasping my forearm.

Well, this was like 100 words longer than usual... I had to research a lot more than usual with this chapter too! Because I don't really know much about tools and stuff. Next chapter is from Clarke's point of view again! Thank you all for reading and for your amazing comments! Stay awesome!