I pushed away the thought as I reached for the scabbard.I’d expected the sword to be cemented in place like the ring, but with a determined wiggle, it came free.Unfortunately, it was too big to fit in my belt and far too heavy for me to wield one-handed.Heck, it was hard to lift the thing even with both.Even if the guards miraculously ignored the fact that I was dragging a massive sword along behind me, I doubted I would get in more than a single swing before one of them put a spear through my belly.
Moonlight shifted and I glanced up at the hole in the high ceiling.Maybe I could fit through that shaft—if I somehow sprouted wings.So close, yet so far.Still, it did give me hope that maybe there was another way out of these caves after all—one that the orcs didn’t know about because they couldn’t navigate the tight passages.If I did find an exit, I’d prefer to have something other than my bedroom skills to trade.
Maybe I could still salvage the ring.
Anyone with a lick of sense wouldn’t dream of using a fine blade to hack at a petrified corpse, but if that was the only use I had for the sword, so be it.
I managed to raise the sword.It was a lot heavier than I’d thought.I didn’t swing at the stony finger, so much as simply allow the ponderous blade to fall.I’d expected a loud clang.The chipping of metal.Maybe even sparks.What I didn’t anticipate was the sword falling straight through, as if the stony man was made of fresh meringue.
A huge hunk sheared off and crumbled to the floor.I hadn’t just severed the petrified finger—I’d shattered the ring, and taken off part of the bier while I was at it.Never in my life had I seen a blade so sharp—and when I inspected it to see how much damage I’d foolishly done to the edge, there wasn’t a nick to be seen.
Screw the ring.This sword was my ticket out of here—not to fight my way out, but to sell it once I snuck off into the night.
While the sword was easily the most valuable thing I’d ever encountered, I wasn’t about to leave the ring behind.Even in pieces—and even if it was silver, not gold—I could trade it for something.And it would be a heck of a lot easier to hide.
Going by touch, I sifted through the grit and rubble, doing my best not to imagine the stone I’d just fondled was actually a finger.I was about to cut my losses when I glanced up at the stone corpse and saw the gleam of metal where his hand (and a hunk of the bier) had been cut away.
The dead guy’s hand had been covering aknife.The big ol’ sword had nicked the pommel, but the rest of it might be intact.There was a sheath, meticulously hand-sewn from black leather and edged with lengths of rawhide stitches, built into the guy’s vest.It was just large enough to carry a bone-handled knife and nothing else.
I worked the blade free.It was long as my hand, and curved like a fang, with a satin edge that seemed to call for blood.I had no idea if it was made for battle or for cleaning the dirt from under its owner’s fingernails, but I knew one thing: between the sword and the knife, I had something far more valuable than some old ring.
I had a chance.
My loose linen pants could easily hide the dagger.I cut a strip of cloth from the hem to strap the blade to my thigh, then resumed my search for whatever was left of the ring.I was scanning the rubble with my lantern opened wider when my fingers closed on something small and hard.I brought it closer to the light, my breath catching as I saw a deep blue gemstone, about the size of my thumbnail.I’m no jeweler, so I couldn’t tell what I was looking at—but I knew for sure it was one big stone.I quickly pocketed my ticket to a whole new life.Assuming I could get out of this cave alive, of course.
As I straightened up, ready to make my exit, I noticed a discolored bit of parchment sticking out from beneath the bier.
A scroll.
The path lies unread until seen with knowing eyes.
Well, damn.I’d been looking for a literal path.But obviously, I should’ve had my eyes peeled for a map!
With bated breath, I teased it out from under the bier.It had been there for some time.The edges were frayed and stained with mildew, and simply looking at it made me dizzy with anticipation.Droko would be so thrilled when he saw it.
Not that Icared, of course, since I wouldn’t be sticking around.I had a solid plan.The gemstone would be enough to grab a ride on the next caravan I came across, the dagger would protect me, and the sword could set me up for life in one of the border settlements…maybe even in The Fortifications themselves.
Still, I couldn’t help but be curious.
I brought the scroll over to the lantern and carefully unfurled the parchment.
It was no map.Just a bunch of weird markings.
So much for my “knowing” eyes.
I pondered the marks, feeling stupid.I'm not as good with letters as I am with figures, so I wasn’t even sure whether I was looking at words or some kind of random tally.If it was writing, it hadn’t been done in any script I knew.Maybe this was how orcs wrote things down—different from the common letters I'd learned in the pleasure houses.Either way, it wouldn't help me impress Droko.Just another dead end.
No matter.I wasn’t planning to stay long enough to bask in the strapping young shaman’s appreciation, anyway.Maybe I couldn’t reach the air shaft.But now that I knew I could shove myself through tiny gaps like a goblin, no doubt I’d soon find another.One I could actually get to.
The narrow passage back didn’t seem quite so daunting on my return trip, even dragging the heavy sword in one hand and hefting the lantern in the other.The comfort was in knowing that the tight squeeze didn’t go on forever.Before the crack opened out into a broader tunnel, I used the precious sword to carve a ledge into the living rock of the cave.The niche was both well away from prying eyes and easy to grab, in a gap that I could get to without skinning myself alive, but where a burly orc could never hope to follow.
I was shocked when even without the momentum of a clumsy swing, the sword pushed through the rock like the cave walls were made of stale bread.
Maybe the sword could be good for more than just barter.
The shaft overhead in the burial chamber had seemed impossibly out of reach earlier.But now, with this incredible sword in hand, I saw a new possibility.I didn't need a pair of wings or another exit.I could cut stairs into the wall andcarvemy way out of this place for good.I simply needed to gather a few supplies, first.
Oh, who was I kidding?I couldn’t leave without seeing the look on Droko’s face when I showed him that scroll.
