Chapter 15

Swords and Sorcery

The passageway leads to a large, covered courtyard with a huge water trough in the middle. On the other side – under a makeshift awning – a coal fire burns brightly, the heat prickling the skin on my cheeks. To one side sits a dark-wooden bench: scarred and worn, and on this a gigantic black anvil and a slab of moon-grey metal as big as my torso.

My scalp tingles. Our foils are stood upright in a huge, water-filled barrel next to the table.

Like a magnet drawn to the metal of my foil, I scurry across the yard and stretch out my hand.

“Wait.” Garvey’s voice is like a whip crack, and I freeze mid movement. He comes to stand between me and the table. “These are true swords now. I have tempered them to be strong.” His eyes meet mine. “Like their owners.”

I pull my shoulders back, sparks shimmering in my chest. “Can I try?”

“Soon. But first listen to me, or you may harm yourself. Danger and strength go hand in hand.” He gestures to my foil. “Pick it up.”

My fingers close tightly around the handle. A buzz travels up my arm. My foil seems more real somehow, more there. “What did you do?”

Garvey raises an eyebrow. “Added a little something, just as I did many moons ago for our friend De Silva.” He points to the huge slab of metal. “Hit it.”

My heart knocks hard against my ribs as I drop into the en-garde position, then take a deep breath to steady myself before lunging forward. Bringing my sword arm high I hack downwards. The ring of metal on metal like a distant bell hits me just before the jolt of contact does, sending a shock through my wrist and up my arm.

I frown and rub at my shoulder.

The block is intact.

“But…” I begin.

Garvey waves my words away. “Now remove the rubber safety cap, and as you attack say ‘Nexum proxi futuro est.’”

My chest tightens. “That’s what De Silva said at the Kao tree.”

“Is it Latin or something?” Alice asks.

Garvey shakes his head. “It is older than that. And De Silva’s incantation is not those words. Each is linked to its wielder.”

My heart flutters. “What does it mean?”

“Next is the future.”

Warmth floods my chest. “I like that.”

Garvey nods. “Then use it.”

I remove the red rubber safety cap and place it in my pocket.

“Go Brad,” Alice whispers behind me as I drop into en-garde once more.

I take one more breath, my eyes locked on the block of metal before lunging forwards, sword arm raised. “Nexum proxi futuro est.” I bring my foil down hard, wincing, ready for the shock of contact, but it doesn’t come. An almighty clang sends a jolt through me as the end of the metal slab shears away from the block and clatters to the floor; the cut in it is clean and smooth as butter.

Alice gasps. “Woah!”

I stand stunned, gaping at the huge chunk of metal on the floor before a grin spreads over my face.

I’ve got a magic sword.

I’ve actually got a magic sword.

Proper cool.

I stare at my foil, wide eyed, turn it over and back. It looks the same, but it’s not. Not one bit. I turn to Alice. “Reckon we can maim a troll or two with this?”

She grins, wide-eyed then turns to Garvey. “Did you do mine?”

He nods and passes her foil over. “Just remember, your sword cannot harm anyone with the safety cap on. When it is removed it is still harmless until the glyph scored into it is activated. Replacing the cap inactivates it. Do you understand?”

We both nod and I reach into my pocket and place the cap back on my foil.

Redemarrer. Reboot. It’s time things changed.

I tap my foil against what’s left of the block, and it pings off harmlessly, bounces back like it didn’t just chop through fifty centimetres of solid metal a second ago. So cool.

“What’s my incantation?” Alice asks, bouncing on the soles of her feet.

“Pro nuquam oblivis. It means ‘Advance, but never forget.’”

Alice seems to grow, to straighten. She takes the cap off her sword and both Garvey and I move to one side.

She drops into en-garde and sways for a minute. “I’ll never forget. Ever,” she whispers before bringing her foil down hard, chanting the words Garvey gave her. Her foil whips through the air and slices a fine sliver off the end of the block. The sliver curls over as it falls, making a slight crinkle like tin foil as it hits the floor.

I let out a massive whoop.

And then Garvey starts to clap, the sound echoing around us. “And now, you are ready.”

###

Back in the shop we say our goodbyes and are just about to leave when Garvey reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out a card:

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

image [https://imgur.com/a/DPgm1fr]https://imgur.com/a/DPgm1fr

“I have worn this many a year over my heart.” He smiles at Digby, “My husband gave it to me when we first met.”

“What is it?” I ask.

Alice peers at it. “Is that a knight?”

I look closer. “Why’s he falling off the tower?”

“Is that what you see?”

I look again, puzzled. “Yeah.”

“That’s what I saw at first. Turn it.”

I spin the card. The knight is now standing tall, sword raised to the sky. I grin.

Of course. Two sides of the same coin.

My heart expands in my chest.

“It’s how you look at things,” Alice says.

“Indeed,” Digby says. “You don’t spin the card; the card spins you.”

“I want to give this to them, Digs,” Garvey says. “Do you mind? I feel they need it more than me right now. Remember what you said when you gave it me?”

Digby rubs Garvey’s shoulder. “Of course, I do. What is lost, is found again.”

Garvey presses his lips together. “That hit me right here.” He thumps his chest with a fist. “Those words lit the fire in me again.”

Digby smiles. “Tough on the outside, gooey in the middle.”

I spin the card round and round, turning positive to negative and back again, taking something I thought was bad, and making it good. I’m in control. “Are you sure?” I ask Garvey. “It seems pretty special to you.”

He furrows his brow and nods. “I’m more than sure, if my better half agrees that is.”

“Better dressed half,” Digby grins. He takes a deep breath then sighs. “You’ve got a big heart, Orwin.” He turns to me. “Take it. But promise me you’ll bring it back. And our friend De Silva too.”

I square my shoulders and place a hand on my foil. “We’ll do everything we can.”

“And more,” Alice says.

Digby puts an arm around Garvey’s shoulder. “We will see you when you get back.”

I slide the card into my pocket. “Thank you. For everything.”

“That’s what friends are for.”

“Have you still got the map?” I ask Alice.

She takes it out and waves it at me.

“What’s this?” Digby says.

“A map I found in the Dragon’s Tail,” Alice says. She turns it around and stares at it. “Can you show us where Hazel lives?”

Garvey walks around and looks at the map. “You will not find Hazel’s cottage this way. You need to go to the market and see Martha, the cheese seller.”

“I love cheese,” I say. “But don’t we have more important things to be doing?”

“Wait,” Alice says breathlessly. “Remember Sir De Silva put he needed to see Martha on his list.”

I click my fingers. “Of course. So, was that how he was going to take us there?” Goosebumps prickle down my arms like a Mexican wave through a crowd of fans.

“Yes indeed,” Digby says, folding his arms. “But Darren does love cheese too.”

Garvey opens the front door. “Go to Market Place. See Martha. Good luck.”

“Which bit is her tent in?” Alice asks.

Garvey winks. “You’ll find it.”

“Thank you,” me and Alice both say as we step out into the cobbled square.

The sun is higher now, its beam sparkling through the smoky darkness of Bleeding Heart Lane. As the door closes behind us, we exchange a glance.

“I love those two,” I say. “They’re so cool. So strong.”

“De Silva has good people that care about him,” Alice says. “And while you’ve got that, there’s always hope. Remember that card Brad. When you feel bad, spin it around and make it good. Do something to change it.”

She takes her foil and removes the red rubber safety cap.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Just leaving our mark.” She turns her foil point down, places it against the stone pavement. “Pro nuqum oblivis.” She moves her foil around cutting through the stone as if she was stirring water.

As the letters form, a warmth spreads up through me. “Nice.”

Alice steps back and admires her work:

A/B

I point. “We can add a ‘D’ to that when we get back,” I say. “A.” I chop the air with my hand, making the slash. “B.” Another chop. “D.”

She replaces the red rubber safety cap, runs her hand down the blade of her foil and nods. “I feel like we’re going to do this B, we can actually do this.”

It’s the first time she’s shortened my name in the way Josh used to. It should feel weird, but it doesn’t. It feels totally right. “Come on.”

We head back up Bleeding Heart Lane, the winding path no longer odd or scary; just another path we’ve walked together before.

###

A seething mass of people swirl around us and cries from the store owners fill the air as we push our way through Market Square.

“Get your potions here!”

“Charms for all occasions.”

My eyes flick continuously over the stalls. They’re filled with magical items of all sorts. Before, I would’ve been straight over to have a look, but all I want now is to find Martha. “Do you see Martha’s tent anywhere?” I ask.

Alice taps my arm. “Not yet. Brad, this place is so cool. Promise me that when we get back, we’ll come and look around together. Properly.”

“That’d be wicked,” I say. “We can buy De Silva something to say thanks for our scabbards.”

She smiles at that. “He loves iced buns. We’ll bring him to Barnabus.”

“Well hello,” a man says, stepping around his stall into our path. “Are your parents sick of sprites eating their hard-earned food? Are they tired of being poked and prodded by pesky little people? Hmm?” He wags a finger at us. “Crawford Cawson at your service. Imps removed, contained, and reconstituted.”

“Imps?” I ask.

Alice grimaces. “Reconstituted?”

He steps aside. “Let me show you.”

“We’re a little busy right now.”

“Not for this you’re not.” Putting an arm around us he sweeps us towards his stall.

The stall is full of glass jars of various sizes and inside each are little people, dressed like garden gnomes. In the nearest, a group of four are arguing over a small twig. One grabs at the end and tries to pull it out of another’s hand. Shouting erupts and yet another jumps on the attackers back pulling his hat off. I tap the glass. They stop and stare at me for a second before making rude hand gestures. I straighten, blinking to myself. “Did they just...”

“Naughty little sprites ain’t they?” Crawford says.

Alice bends down and beams through the glass. “Well, I think they’re cute.”

“Cute they ain’t. But look at this.” He points to a huge bell jar at the other end of the table. It’s got a thick metal ring fixed to its top and from this a loop of thin wire spirals into the air and then connects again on the other side. “Crawford’s Crank Light. Gonna revolutionise the world. I just need more imps!”

“That’s great,” I say. “But we’ve got to get going.”

“Nonsense! Let me show you how it works.” Crawford taps on the glass. “Showtime little ladies and miniature men.”

There’s a lot of swearing and grumbling from the jar, muffled by the thick glass, before the wire at the top begins to glow. Crawford claps his hands. “See,” he points at it and hops from foot to foot. “That’s real magic for you!”

Alice leans in closer. “They’re on bikes,” she says. “They’re actually on bikes. Look. That one’s got a really red face!”

I count twenty little people pedalling furiously on two large ten-seater bikes with no wheels. A wire runs from the back of each bike up the inside of the glass to the ring at the top. “It’s a light bulb?” I ask, rubbing my chin.

“Who needs magic when you’re impowered.” Crawford cries. “Get it? Imp-Powered.” He chuckles to himself then leans in closer. “If you two travellers find any imps, be sure to send them my way. Even better if they’re the athletic type.”

“Speaking of which,” Alice says. “If I’m going to hunt some imps then I’ll need to take some cheese with me. Where could we find some around here?”

“Cheese?” Crawford looks disappointed. “They’re not massive fans of cheese.” He scratches his cheek. “Well, best cheese in Angelmere is from Martha. She’s just up there. Red and white tent, you can’t miss it.”

My heart skips a beat. Nice one, Alice.

“Thanks Mr Cawson,” Alice smiles sweetly. “Come on Brad, let’s go hunt some imps.” She pulls me away.

“You won’t catch ‘em with cheese!” Crawford yells as we disappear into the crowd.

As soon as we’re far enough away we break into laughter. I laugh so hard my stomach hurts. “Weird as,” I say when I can finally speak.

“We needed to get away from there. Didn’t you get the feeling that guy could talk all day? May as well tell us something useful. Look, there.”

A small red and white striped tent stands at the end of a line of trader’s tables. It looks about big enough for two people to sleep in, not very comfortably. Like the tent Dad bought for the worst camping holiday of my life, the one that made Mum swear she’d never go again.

A board is propped haphazardly outside:

Mystical Martha

Cheese sold, paths unfold

“Those two things do not go together,” I say.

Alice puts her hands on her hips. “Nope. But we do go together. Into the tent.”

“Can we even both fit in there?”

She pushes me forward. “One way to find out.”