Blademage Adept (The Blademage Saga Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

already fusing the slate and granite with short, powerful bursts of Earth magic, stabilizing the structure further.
    “Can we go back in?” Rhysabeth-Dane struggled with the horse she was holding away from the action, and coughed as she inhaled ash when she spoke.
     

Chapter 5
     
    Sparks flew from the impact. Kevon moved the glowing steel half an inch, and struck again. Another movement across the anvil, another shower of sparks. A last tap near where the glow of the metal dimmed, and Kevon tossed the blade back into the furnace.
    “When did you learn to do this?” Kevon asked Kylgren-Wode. He turned over the guard the dwarf had crafted while he’d been resting earlier, and nodded. The twisted layers of re-forged scrap gave the piece a distinct look, and would be particularly eye-catching once the final polish was done. The way the crosspiece curved down around the front fingers and rejoined the handle at the base was strange, but functional. The three rivets that sat near the anvil looked at least as good as Kevon could have done himself.
    “Things no one else wanted te bother with used te be my specialty,” the ambassador chuckled. “I’ll have yer grip carved as soon as we find some decent wood.”
    “I’ll have to draw some metal up from the tang to match this, but I’ve always tended to be heavier there than most,” Kevon commented, poking at the glowing blade a few times with his tongs before fishing it out of the coals.
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    “When will this ash end?” Alanna grouched, peering toward where the mountain should be.
    “There has been no new eruption in two days,” Mirsa commented, moving to a safe distance from the sparks, beside the assassin. “With luck, the skies should clear by tomorrow.”
    “Not that seeing the boys all sweaty with their shirts off has been bad ,” Alanna quipped, throwing Mirsa a sidelong glance. “I just wish they’d be a little quieter about it.”
    “Outside in the ash, or inside in the heat, stuck in the corner wrapped in a blanket to shield myself from iron bits… still in the ash.” Mirsa fixed her gaze on Alanna’s good eye. “I, for one, will not miss any of this.”
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    “Trust me,” Kylgren-Wode laughed, applying the last of the thick clay to the precariously balanced blade. “I’ve done this more than once.” The dwarf wiped a bit of clay from one of the edges of the blade, and turned it over to inspect the other side. “It’s ready. Now I’ll work the bellows…”
    “We’re hardening it, I get that,” Kevon snapped, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
    “Something about the different temperatures…” Kylgren-Wode shrugged. “The way I’ve always seen it done. If you didn’t like Dwarven craftsmanship…”
    “No, it makes sense…” Kevon placed the blade in the glowing coals, and set the tongs aside while the metal heated.
    “There?” Kylgren-Wode peered over the bellows-handle at the glowing iron.
    “Not quite…” Kevon watched as the light golden glow on the sword edges began to take on a rosier hue. “Now.” He picked the blade up with the tongs, and dipped it point-first, into the water barrel near the open end of the smithy. He swished it around until the water stopped hissing, then eased the end with the tang in slower, taking care not to agitate it as much as with the blade end.
    “What are you smiling at?” Kevon asked, shaking his head at the dwarf.
    “Just happy yer blade didn’t shatter,” he chuckled. “It’s going te be a good one.”
    “Temper with this stuff still on it?” Kevon asked, deferring to the dwarf’s judgment.
    “Te light straw,” Kylgren-Wode nodded, leaning into the bellows, pumping the handle at a smoother, measured pace.
    Kevon placed the blade back into the coals, and scowled at the ash-muted light that still streamed into the room. “This part would be easier in a cave.”
    The bellows continued their even motion, even as the dwarf’s moustache twitched with