Blood of Innocents (Book Two of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence) by Mitchell Hogan Page B
Authors: Mitchell Hogan
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sword and a dagger in addition to their bows.
Caldan grabbed his sword and made his way to a fallen log just outside the light from the fire. With their frantic pace over the days since leaving Anasoma, he hadn’t had time to wonder about it, and he didn’t want to let anyone know he had such a valuable trinket in his possession. So it stayed in the scabbard, and he made sure it never left his sight. Now, with everyone occupied, was the perfect chance to examine it, along with the bone ring, which was another mystery he hadn’t had time to think about much. It wasn’t formed from the usual unknown alloy all other trinket s were, and that possibly made it the most valuable item he’d ever seen. Far more valuable than ten of his trinket rings. It turned everything sorcerers knew about trinket s had been turned on its head. Proof his parents had kept hidden and presumably died for.
He sat and drew out a handspan of the blade, then, unable to resist, another. Such craftsmanship he’d never seen. If it weren’t a trinket sword, it would have still been a marvel of artistry. As with Caldan’s trinket ring, the metal of the blade was an unknown alloy, the formula no doubt lost in the Shattering.
Caldan accessed his well and ran his sorcerous sense over the sword. Similar to his ring, there were no linking runes to latch onto, nothing that could give the trinket its power—whatever that was. And yet something did—and without the usual well and shaping runes required. It was a puzzle, and as far as he knew one smarter sorcerers than Caldan hadn’t been able to decipher. He ran a finger over the blade’s surface; it was smooth and hard and cold. The silvery metal shone with a muted glow in the night.
Shaking his head, Caldan sheathed the blade. No wonder sorcerers spent their lives studying trinket s. Their lure was inescapable. They were marvels of smith- crafting . He turned his mind from the sword to the crafting bell in his pocket. This one was small and silver, no bigger than his thumbnail. After much back and forth, Bells pointed it out as the crafting he needed to heal Miranda but adamantly refused to give him any ideas on its functions or how to use it. He didn’t know why she’d given up this information. Perhaps she hoped he’d try to use it and damage himself?
The bell was also a masterwork of smith- crafting , one he couldn’t match, even if he had all the resources of the Sorcerers’ Guild at his disposal. He didn’t recognize the metal it was smith-crafted from, but he assumed there would be many traces of rare earths included in the alloy. The runes and glyphs inscribed on both the inside and outside surfaces were exquisite. They were far too fine to be made from a wax cast, as those on his wristband had been. He couldn’t guess how it was made, but if he could have, he was certain he could have replicated it.
He returned to Miranda’s side to check on her then wandered away from the fire, circling the camp, deep in thought.
“Caldan.” A whisper came from the wagon as he passed. “Over here.”
He shook his head and continued pacing. Once again, as he passed the wagon, Bells whispered to him.
“Little Protector, come here.”
He stopped and fingered her bell-shaped crafting s in his pocket. Earlier he had, perhaps unwisely, offered her freedom for information. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to honor his offer after her performance with the Quivers. She was a threat to the Protectors, and perhaps the empire. His desire to heal Miranda overrode many other considerations, but did he have the right to put Miranda’s welfare over that of the Protectors?
Caldan returned to his gear and fished out three of his small crafted sorcerous globes, the ones they had used in the aqueduct tunnels. He opened his well and linked to two of them, and the glass balls began to glow with a clean white light. Approaching the soldiers, he handed the two globes over with a smile.
“You might find these
Caldan grabbed his sword and made his way to a fallen log just outside the light from the fire. With their frantic pace over the days since leaving Anasoma, he hadn’t had time to wonder about it, and he didn’t want to let anyone know he had such a valuable trinket in his possession. So it stayed in the scabbard, and he made sure it never left his sight. Now, with everyone occupied, was the perfect chance to examine it, along with the bone ring, which was another mystery he hadn’t had time to think about much. It wasn’t formed from the usual unknown alloy all other trinket s were, and that possibly made it the most valuable item he’d ever seen. Far more valuable than ten of his trinket rings. It turned everything sorcerers knew about trinket s had been turned on its head. Proof his parents had kept hidden and presumably died for.
He sat and drew out a handspan of the blade, then, unable to resist, another. Such craftsmanship he’d never seen. If it weren’t a trinket sword, it would have still been a marvel of artistry. As with Caldan’s trinket ring, the metal of the blade was an unknown alloy, the formula no doubt lost in the Shattering.
Caldan accessed his well and ran his sorcerous sense over the sword. Similar to his ring, there were no linking runes to latch onto, nothing that could give the trinket its power—whatever that was. And yet something did—and without the usual well and shaping runes required. It was a puzzle, and as far as he knew one smarter sorcerers than Caldan hadn’t been able to decipher. He ran a finger over the blade’s surface; it was smooth and hard and cold. The silvery metal shone with a muted glow in the night.
Shaking his head, Caldan sheathed the blade. No wonder sorcerers spent their lives studying trinket s. Their lure was inescapable. They were marvels of smith- crafting . He turned his mind from the sword to the crafting bell in his pocket. This one was small and silver, no bigger than his thumbnail. After much back and forth, Bells pointed it out as the crafting he needed to heal Miranda but adamantly refused to give him any ideas on its functions or how to use it. He didn’t know why she’d given up this information. Perhaps she hoped he’d try to use it and damage himself?
The bell was also a masterwork of smith- crafting , one he couldn’t match, even if he had all the resources of the Sorcerers’ Guild at his disposal. He didn’t recognize the metal it was smith-crafted from, but he assumed there would be many traces of rare earths included in the alloy. The runes and glyphs inscribed on both the inside and outside surfaces were exquisite. They were far too fine to be made from a wax cast, as those on his wristband had been. He couldn’t guess how it was made, but if he could have, he was certain he could have replicated it.
He returned to Miranda’s side to check on her then wandered away from the fire, circling the camp, deep in thought.
“Caldan.” A whisper came from the wagon as he passed. “Over here.”
He shook his head and continued pacing. Once again, as he passed the wagon, Bells whispered to him.
“Little Protector, come here.”
He stopped and fingered her bell-shaped crafting s in his pocket. Earlier he had, perhaps unwisely, offered her freedom for information. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to honor his offer after her performance with the Quivers. She was a threat to the Protectors, and perhaps the empire. His desire to heal Miranda overrode many other considerations, but did he have the right to put Miranda’s welfare over that of the Protectors?
Caldan returned to his gear and fished out three of his small crafted sorcerous globes, the ones they had used in the aqueduct tunnels. He opened his well and linked to two of them, and the glass balls began to glow with a clean white light. Approaching the soldiers, he handed the two globes over with a smile.
“You might find these
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