In the strange illumination, her eyes were round and dark.She possessed the eerie pallor of a specter.He looked at his hands.The blue white glow had turned him ghostly as well.
“There.”She pointed at the break he’d made in the wall.“It’s coming from that hole.”
He drew his dagger and edged closer, taking care to place himself between whatever that was and Jessa.“Stay back.It could be one of Morrigan’s tricks.”
“Then leave it alone.I don’t want you hurt any more than you want me hurt.”
“I have to see what it is, lass.It also could be something to help us.”
“Like what?Bionic glowworms or something?”
He refused to grace that with an answer, especially since he wasn’t quite sure about what she had said.At least, she appeared to be a great deal more awake.“Keep to the side of the cage in case something springs out.Away from the edge closest to the abyss.”
As he drew closer, a soft humming filled the air.The strange light appeared to have its own song.
“Holy crap.It’s a bomb.”Jessa reached through the bars, snagged hold of his shirt, and tried to pull him back.“Get back.It sounds like it’s going to go off.”
“What?”
“It could be a bomb.Explosion.Rocks flying.A powerful force blows everything to bits.Little pieces of us flying through the air.”
“And ye think my scooting an arm’s length away will deter that?”
“Don’t be an ass about it.”
Lore a’mighty, he loved this woman.“Sit there and pray for my protection while I dig.”
Her only response was an unintelligible grumble that made him laugh.
The more shale he broke away with his blade, the brighter the light and the louder the humming.Whatever was buried was ready to come out.He shielded his eyes and kept digging.Metal hit metal, and the blade of his dagger curled to one side as if soft as newly churned butter.
“What the devil?”He leaned in close and brushed the debris away from what appeared to be the haft of an ancient longsword.When he slid it free of its tomb, the steel rang out, and its powerful whitish blue light beat back the darkness of the great ravine.“Caladbolg,” he whispered.Never in all his life would he have expected this.He had always believed the ancient sword to be a myth.
“It’s like a lightsaber.”Jessa stared at the amazing blade.
“I never believed it to be real.”He stood and reverently ran his fingers down the shimmering blade, covered in markings he was far too human to read.“It is the sword of Leite from the elf mounds.Its name is Caladbolg.”
“A few days ago, I never would’ve believed in glowing Elven swords, but after all I’ve been through…” She shrugged and shook her head.“Is it a good sword or a bad sword?”
“Weapons are not good or bad, lass.The intent within the hearts of those who wield them decides that.”He tested the sharpness of the blade, impressed with the feel of it against his thumb.
“Well, at least if Morrigan comes back, maybe she’ll be more afraid of a glowing sword than a regular one.”Jessa slumped back to the ground and leaned against the bars while holding her head in her hands.
“Jessa?”
“What?”She spoke as though it took more strength than she possessed.Her burst of energy that had given him hope had left her.She didn’t lift her head, just curled into a tighter ball and clutched at the folds of his plaid with trembling hands.She was dying, freezing to death.
He resettled both his hands on the exquisitely crafted haft of the sword.“Shield yer face, love.”
When she didn’t even question why, he knew he had to make haste.
Moving to the edge of the path overlooking the abyss, Grant extended the sword and swept its light back and forth, trying to see what lay below.The action proved useless.The void beyond the ledge appeared bottomless.It was just as well.As soon as he freed Jessa, he’d carry her back to the stairs.
He swung the long blade, testing its balance and weight.If the legends were true, the mighty Caladbolg had once lopped the caps off mountains.Known for its hardness and strength, the sword was said to be indestructible and able to sever anything.Grant prayed the legend was as true as the steel’s ability to shine like a star from the heavens.He touched it to the prison’s bars on the side closest to the bottomless abyss.If he sliced low, cut them away like felling a mighty tree, the roof of the cage should slide off into the darkness without causing Jessa harm.
“Shield yer eyes, m’love,” he told Jessa, praying she had the strength to do so.Then he drew back the heavy blade and swung it.It cut through the base of the bars as though they were butter.He hurried to cut them again, making a low wedge on that side that would cause the section next to the abyss to collapse.With a deafening crash, the roof slid that way, but then it cracked in the middle and rocked toward the inside of the cage toward Jessa.
“No!”He dove under the stone, slicing through the rest of the bars and shielding Jessa with his body.The slab hit and settled its weight on his shoulders, but he locked his legs and braced himself, refusing to give way.The sword glowed brighter, and its hum grew deafening as he reversed the blade and shoved it under his arm, thrusting it deep into the thick shale trying to crush him.A thunderous boom rattled him as the slice of rock shattered into a cloud of shards.
