“Please, take a seat,” Verdan said with an expansive gesture, as he did just that, leaning his staff against the wall. “Now, what can I do for you?”

Sinead pushed back the hood of her cloak and placed the wrapped package on a side table before giving Verdan a nervous smile. “I apologise for the late-night visit, but this has to be a secret for all our good.”

Verdan arched a brow, intrigued despite himself, but simply waved for her to continue.

“What do you know of the requirements for a Kranjir to become a Keeper of their Clan?” Sinead asked intently, her nervousness fading as she leaned forward in her seat.

“Keepers are the protectors of Clan secrets, hold the Clan lord and act as administrators, but beyond that, I don’t know.”

“All of that is true, but the core duty of a Keeper is to protect and preserve the knowledge of the creation of Glaichsteel and to actually create it when possible. Bound within that is the charge to preserve the knowledge of how to make an ancestral weapon.”

“I see, and I must admit that this doesn’t exactly surprise me,” Verdan said, having come to that conclusion himself. “From what Dirk said, the only reason you aren’t a Keeper is that you lack this knowledge, correct?”

“Exactly so,” Sinead said, taking a ragged breath before speaking quickly. “Which is why I have come to offer you a bargain. I heard your conversation with Ciaran earlier. I offer to give you something to study, and in return you will teach me what you learn of both Glaichsteel and how to make ancestral weapons.”

A knock at the door stopped Verdan before he could respond and he quickly motioned for Sinead to hide her face before calling for them to enter.

To his surprise, Adrienne came into the room, wrapped up in a robe and bearing a tray with some coffee and a few leftover biscuits that Henry must have made earlier in the day.

Adrienne placed the tray next to Verdan before swiftly departing, and he took a moment to pass Sinead a cup, and give her the first choice of biscuit as he gathered his thoughts.

“This weapon that I can study,” Verdan said eventually. “How did you come by it?”

“It belongs to my Clan. It was broken during the last stand of our Clan at Blackpeak, and the survivors bore it home to honour the Chosen who fell, buying them that time.”

“I see,” Verdan said softly, remembering that the Clan Mhorgain weapons were said to inflict death with each strike, rather than the more generic force that Clan Thrain used.

“Why do you hesitate?” Sinead asked, a thread of uncertainty working into her voice. “I thought this would be everything you were looking for?”

“I’m considering the implications of doing this, both for myself and for your Clan.”

“My Clan is doomed to die without this knowledge, and no other Clan will give it to us when they can just wait and claim what remains when we eventually fail. Dirk’s rise has given us breathing room, but for the Clan to survive, we need a Keeper.”

Verdan considered it for a moment longer. It felt like a minor betrayal of the other Kranjir, but he couldn’t afford to turn her down. “Alright, we have an agreement. What I learn from this, I will teach to you.”

Sinead’s smile blossomed as she swiftly unpacked what turned out to be the broken blade and haft of a polearm. It was the same design as the ones that the Mhorgain Thearns used, with a long, heavy crescent blade.

More importantly, the whole thing was covered in Sigils, though many were no doubt fakes to distract from the real thing.

Reaching down to rest a finger on the axe, Verdan carefully supplied it with Aether, wary of whatever effect it might produce.

None of the Sigils lit up, but to Verdan’s senses, he could feel which ones became saturated with Aether and felt his heart all but skip a beat.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The Automaton in the basement was complicated, far beyond what he could explain right now, and while this weapon was far from that point, it was also more advanced than the light globes.

There were four Sigils here. One that was on all of it, and three that were just on the blade. The one that covered it all was the same one he’d just spent hours reconstructing, as well.

What really caught Verdan’s interest, though, was that the Aether he was infusing into the blade was flowing out evenly and swiftly. Not only that, but there was barely any loss as it spread throughout the blade. Whatever this metal was made from, it was better than anything Verdan had seen before at conducting Aether.

“Thank you, Sinead. This is exactly what I needed. How long can you stay for?”

“I have an hour at most before I have to return.”

Verdan nodded, sipped his coffee and hurried off to get paper and some charcoal. He’d copy the etchings from the axe directly, and then reproduce them more formally later.

Sinead watched quietly during the process, noting the Sigils he was copying, but asking no questions and not distracting him from his work.

Something Verdan was thankful for, considering how tired he was.

When he eventually sent her off with the re-wrapped weapon, Verdan took the time to store the drawings of the new Sigils before heading straight to bed.

Tomorrow, he’d figure out what they all did.

-**-

The next four days went by in a blur of hectic activity as they all strived to get as much done as was physically possible to prepare for leaving.

The watchtowers were completed through the combined efforts of all involved, and the city guard began more extensive patrols of the local area, assisted by the Steel Custodians, the Airta and the Kranjir.

Evan Osran committed his Thearns to the patrols, which was a good indication of how effective Dirk’s negotiations had been.

Through rigorous experimentation, Verdan figured out two of the three Sigils that Sinead had given him, as well as the one from both the weapon and the box.

He now had the design for what he was terming the ‘Inflict’, ‘Endure’ and ‘Necrosis’ Sigils. The first applied other Sigils it was paired with in a negative way, the second was a fairly straightforward boost to durability and the third was as lethal a weapon as Verdan had seen.

The first time he’d put the necrosis Sigil onto a piece of wood and activated it, he’d been able to watch as the Sigils slowly destroyed the object.

It had cost a lot of Aether, but watching it happen had sent a chill down Verdan’s spine. The Chosen of Clan Mhorgain must have struggled to use their weapons for very long at all.

When they could use them, though, they would have been death incarnate on the battlefield.

Verdan had never been quite so happy that these Sigils were useless to Sorcerers, and he had a fresh appreciation for why the Clans kept them so secret.

The problem he faced now was what to do with the Sigils, and with no Aethite or Glaichsteel, he was going to have to use less effective materials, which was a problem.

Without something to store the Aether for their usage, Verdan was reluctant to make anything for Dirk and Magnus. Their spells would be better in the long run, as their efficiency would grow with usage.

In the end, Verdan decided he wouldn’t make either of them a weapon or magic item, though that left one particular possibility.

Putting the Sigil work aside, Verdan instead focused on his training with the Sorcerers and his two apprentices.

This evening, he’d get to work. With some luck, it would be ready by the time they left.

-**-

The morning before they were due to leave for the mustering point, Cullan came walking into the estate accompanied by two other men while Verdan was discussing some last-minute alterations to the equipment his guards were getting.

Not that his guards didn’t already have good equipment, but he wanted them to have the best he could afford.

Shifting his attention to the newcomers, Verdan could tell that the first man was clearly Cullan’s cousin, his almost-seven foot tall frame, short red hair and green eyes giving away his nature as an Idrisyr.

The second man looked short next to the two big Idrisyr, but was actually a few inches taller than Verdan, with a medium build and loose dark hair. What was most striking thing about him, though, was his eyes.

The man’s right eye was bright blue, while his left was a pale steel-grey that gave him a striking countenance.

Cullan spotted him and raised a hand in an idle wave before heading his way.

“I think I’m needed, Captain,” Verdan said, glancing at Nikau, who nodded with a wry smile. Verdan had taken to calling Nikau by his rank in public to try to help cement his image.

Not that Nikau needed the help here, but Verdan worried it would all change once they reached the muster point.

“Not a problem. I’ll make sure we’re ready for tomorrow.” Nikau sounded confident, which was good. Hopefully, it would rub off on everyone else.

“Thank you, Captain,” Verdan said, giving him a nod before turning his full attention to the oncoming trio. “Cullan, what can I do for you?”

“Just a quick introduction, actually,” Cullan said, waving to the two next to him. “Lorcan and Bastian, they arrived late last night so I thought I’d bring them over. Bastian has around a hundred fighters with him as well.”

“Now that is definitely good news,” Verdan said, reaching out to shake hands with the two men. “Glad to meet you both. I’m Verdan Blacke.”

“The Wizard,” Bastian said with a touch of the Kranjir accent. “Good to meet you. I asked Cullan for an introduction as I wanted to discuss some matters with you, if you have a moment?”