Gronbach hesitated.
“If you’d rather, Suri can tell the dragon to lay waste to Caric.”
Gronbach wasn’t moved by this and continued to stare at her. Persephone held his glare, refusing to blink, to shift, to show any weakness. This was a battle of wills. Buying from the Dherg traders in Vernes was always a battle of offers and demands, but this time the stakes were beyond high.
“Well?” she asked after several moments had passed.
“Assuming there is indeed a dragon, I will agree on one condition.” He looked back at Brin. “You must hand over the tablets you stole.”
“What? No!” Brin said.
“They’re from our mountain. They belong to us.”
“But…but,” Brin began in disbelief, “you can’t even understand them. What good are they to—”
“Those tablets are part of our heritage. They belong here. There’s no deal without them.”
“Fine,” Persephone said.
“Seph!” Brin shouted.
“I said fine!”
“You’re an evil little dwarf,” Brin seethed.
“They are our treasure, not yours. And I’m a Belgriclungreian, not a dwarf, nor a Dherg, and no more evil than anyone else.”
“Yes you are,” Brin said, “and I’ll make certain everyone knows it.”
Gronbach looked puzzled.
“I’m the Keeper of Dahl Rhen, and your treachery will be passed down to all the Keepers and everyone who comes after me. You’ll be reviled throughout the world by future generations as the very face of evil.”
At that, Gronbach laughed. “Little girl, the history of the Belgriclungreians is long, longer than the existence of the Rhunes, and will continue well after the Rhunes are wiped out by the Fhrey. No one will remember what you say about me or anyone else.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Brin said. “I’m going to write it down.”
—
“What are you doing, Seph?” Moya asked the moment they were alone.
They had been escorted to the room where Arion lay on one of three beds. Then Roan and Brin were taken to the smiths to make the sword. Roan appeared more puzzled than frightened, and Brin promised to explain things to her. After the two left, Moya and Persephone were sealed in. She had no idea where Frost, Flood, and Rain were. That didn’t bother her too much. Gronbach wouldn’t kill them, but he would want to question them in private—probe for holes. She just hoped they didn’t say anything stupid.
“Seph, Brin and Roan don’t know how to forge a magic sword!”
“Keep your voice down.” Persephone pulled Moya away from the door. “They don’t need to know.”
Moya’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“Look, I want Roan in there when the dwarfs make the sword, so she can see how it’s done. Brin will mark down all the details. The smiths won’t even know what she’s doing. They’ll think it’s magic or something, just like Flood did…part of the sword’s enchantment.”
“But Seph, you promised to destroy Minna.”
“It’s not Minna, and you know it.”
“I do, sure, but I’m not the one you have to convince, am I?”
Persephone sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “One thing at a time, Moya. One thing at a time, okay? For the love of the Grand Mother, I’m doing my best to keep us alive!”
Persephone fell onto one of the vacant beds. “I hate that little bearded bastard! I’d like to strangle him with his own whiskers! We nearly died down there!”
Her voice took on a mocking impersonation, “What swords are you speaking of?” She punched a pillow across the room, where it landed on the spare bed. “Miserable little son of the Tetlin Witch!”
Moya stood with brows high and an amused smile on her lips as she stared at the pillow. “I like this side of you. Let’s see more of it in the future.”
“If there is one.”
Moya looked confused.
“A future,” Persephone clarified, then she turned her thoughts to next steps. After a while, she said, “In the morning, I’ll need you to stay behind with Arion.”
“Me? But I’m your Shield. I have to go with you.”
“I’ll need Roan and Brin to mark the sword, and I can’t risk leaving Arion alone…not here. It will be your responsibility to make sure everyone is on the ship and ready to sail by the time we get back. I’m counting on you for this. Don’t let me down.”
Moya nodded. “I won’t, but who will…you know…kill it?”
“I guess I’ll have to.” Persephone gathered the blanket from the bed and hugged it on her lap. She looked at the door and then over at Arion as she lay so very still. “Moya, I’m scared.”
“I know.”
“Are you scared?”
“I’m too stupid to be scared.”
“You’re not stupid, Moya.”
“I’m not smart.” She sat beside Persephone. Then Moya took one of Persephone’s hands and held it in both of hers. “I could never have done what you just did in there. If left to me, we’d be at the bottom of the sea right now.”
“All I did was lie.”
“But you did it so well! That was impressive. Even I believed you.” Moya laid her head on Persephone’s shoulder. “You’re the best chieftain Rhen has ever had.”
“If this doesn’t work, I might be the last.”
—
The next morning was clear and hot as Persephone, Roan, and Brin walked under escort up the long sloped road to Neith. Gronbach went with them this time, still dressed in armor. Persephone didn’t try to fight the guilty pleasure of watching Gronbach sweat under the blistering heat. By the time they reached the entrance, the Master Crafter was soaked.
He stopped at the gate, as did the escorts. None of the dwarfs were willing to enter with the dragon slayers, which was more than fine by Persephone.
As she, Brin, and Roan entered the cool interior of Neith, Persephone took further pleasure in knowing Gronbach would bake until she decided to return. No one rushed.
“Any trouble making the sword last night?” Persephone asked as soon as they were beyond the decorated wall and out of Gronbach’s hearing. For reasons known only to Roan, she had wrapped the weapon in a blanket, as if it were sacred. Perhaps it was.
Brin shook her head. “They asked what we wanted them to do. So I found the part I’d already figured out on the tablet and said a few things about heating iron in a charcoal furnace to melt out impurities that would settle to the bottom. The smiths already knew that, I guess. Then later on, I prattled on about folding layers of carbon and iron. I had no idea what it even meant, but they did. I don’t think I told them anything they didn’t already know. They had this system and just worked through it. After a while, they ignored us. I’d nod and say, ‘That’s right’ or ‘Good’ every once in a while. Don’t know if they even heard me.”
“It was amazing,” Roan muttered.
“Were you able to see everything, Roan?”
She nodded.