For two hours straight, Nathan worked and Sur’ath and Magnus stood silently, watching as the metal began to take shape. For the first hour, it didn’t look like much other than Nathan turning the thick foot long iron rod into a much longer, narrower rod. He worked the graphite and phosphorus flakes into the iron. Nathan once again put it into the flames. Now the extra heat from the witch oak would be essential. As the iron reacted with the graphite and phosphorus, it would turn incredibly hard. The high heat delayed the process allowing Nathan to mold the metal into something new.
As he hammered on the metal, he gave it a twist giving the rod a curl. Once the entire rod was curled he bent the rod in half and began twisting it so that the two pieces intertwined into a weave. Once he had this weaved he put it back in the heat for a moment. Next he began curving the woven rod into a circle the size of a fist with two ends crossing and extending past each other. Then he hammered the two ends together flat and began to shape the end. Finally, he put the metal into a bucket of water to cool. While the metal cooled Nathan found a leather strip. Taking the circle out of the water he strung the leather strip through the small hole and tied the ends of the strip together in a knot. He quietly walked over to Magnus and placed the newly made medallion around his neck. The medallion was of a dagger within a woven circle.
Magnus and Sur’ath had not spoken the entire time Nathan had been working. Now, as Sur’ath examined the medallion hanging the other man’s neck chest Magnus spoke. ”Well I suppose you have a little skill. I guess you got some northern blood in you after all. “
Sur’ath gave Magnus a look that suggested he thought the man a little daft, before finally speaking. “Magnus, next time you call a man a liar for saying he’s a smith, look at his hands and forearms, not his eye color. I would’ve told you this boy was a smith the second he walked into this shop.” Sur’ath turned to Nathan “That was some of the finest work I have ever seen. Anytime you want to borrow my shop, be my guest."
Nathan thanked Sur’ath for the use of his shop, offering to pay for the metal he had forged and bade him farewell. Sur'ath declined payment, thanking Nathan for a lesson, stating, “You very skilled, watching you work was a pleasure. If you ever need work I would hire you... just don't' set up a shop in competition with me.”
Nathan smiled, “Wouldn't dream of it, sir.” He had no interest in shoeing horses and making mundane things. He could and would if he had to but he took more pleasure in making beautiful objects. His father's influence had been very strong.
When they got to the Inn, Burinn and Verin were happy to see both alive and no physical marks on either man. But both were annoyed that they had been gone so long. Before walking into the Inn, Magnus had tucked the medallion inside his shirt so no one could see the piece yet. Instead of telling the story he simply said, “We are good, I am satisfied that Nathan here has more than an ample amount of northern blood in him. Now, someone bring us some food. I’m starved.”
Nathan and Magnus sat down and ate while Burinn and Verin teased Magnus. They tried to coax out of him the story of why he now believed Nathan, but the proud northerner would say nothing about their trip to the blacksmith shop, only that Nathan had proven his claim. Now that the men were sated and full, the time had come to go see the king of the north.
Chapter twenty eight
AS THEY ENTERED the Great hall, the guards stopped them at the entrance, making them wait for a steward to come to the door. When the steward reached the door Burinn addressed him. “Tell the king Burinn is here to see him.”
The steward recognized Burinn but was not going to let them in immediately. “The king is eating his dinner at this moment and does not wish to be disturbed. He will have a few moments for you later if you would like to wait.”
Burinn growled at the steward, “No! The king will see me now, or I will stick my spear right up your pompous ass. Tell the king he has waited long enough for the news I bring. And take us to him or you will regret it.”
“One moment please,” the steward gulped. He could tell that Burinn was serious so he moved hastily, almost running, to see the king and tell him Burinn’s message.
Burinn shook his head as he watched the steward leave. “Put a fancy coat on them and they start thinking they’re special. I ought to skin that pompous jackass.”
Shortly the steward returned. His back straight and head held high in a haughty expression. It seemed that the king had found time for them. “Follow me please.”
Down the hall, they went until reaching a small dining area. The king sat by himself at the table. As the men entered the room he spoke to Burinn. “There had better be a damn good reason you are interrupting my meal you old goat. I was enjoying the silence.”
Burinn had known Theron for as long as he remembered, well before the man became a king, and was immune to his insults. They hardly ever spoke to each other without an insult or two thrown in for color. Burinn went to the king's table, grabbed a chicken leg off his plate and started eating it. “Fine, if you don’t want to meet your grandson today we can come back tomorrow,” said Burinn between mouthfuls of chicken.
At this Theron looked sharply at Burinn, then at his three companions. Magnus, he had seen before and the small blonde man was obviously no kin to him. The one in question was the dark haired boy with the blue eyes. Theron studied him for a minute without saying anything. Looking him over, head to toe the way he might inspect a young colt, finally he spoke. “Sort of looks like Soron did at his age, excepting the blue eyes of course. I don’t suppose you can prove it.”
At this Magnus took a step towards the table. “Excuse me my lord, but I can be of service in this matter. I can’t say if the boy is truly Soron’s offspring or not, but I can show you speaks for itself…I met the lad last night and I called him a liar for saying that he forged the daggers that he carries now. This afternoon, Nathan and I went to Sur’ath’s smith shop and he made this in two hours.”
Magnus pulled the black steel medallion out from under his tunic and placed it on the table so all could see it. The king picked up the medallion and examined it closely. The metalwork was flawless, a full circle of braided metal with a tiny dagger in the middle. An extremely talented smith could make this out of steel. Only a northerner with giant blood heritage had the strength to forge the black steel. To do it into such a beautiful piece was the work of a true artist. Very few smiths were able to produce something like this. Soron, his son, had been one of them.
The king smiled, the medallion brought back pleasant memories. “Your father used to love making jewelry and fancy artwork when he was younger. It was a sad day when your father left for the south. I have always regretted letting him leave on bad terms. Even more I regret not taking the time to fix it.
Nathan was relieved to hear the king’s words. He had not been sure of how he would be received by his grandfather.
“When I received the letter explaining his and your mother’s deaths it was a terrible blow. When the letter mentioned that there was no news of whether you were alive or not, I realized it was the first time I had ever thought about getting to know you. I mourned the loss of a son, a daughter and a grandson I never knew. Today, I am happy beyond imagine meeting you, Nathan Stoneblood,” spoke the king, gesturing for Nathan to come sit at his table. “Now tell me about yourself.”
Nathan gave his grandfather an accounting of life in Elderwood. He spoke of his how his mother and father lived, the training they gave him; he went on to talk about the duke’s attack, and how life had changed for him since that tragic day. When Nathan became emotional at the memories, Verin continued the story, telling how he had come to Elderwood. He told how Nathan helped the village by teaching his mother’s skills then leading the excursion to find the bandits.
Theron was impressed with his grandson; his story was one of love and happiness followed by tragedy. Life in the north could be sudden, violent and filled with turmoil. Soron had struggled with that. His son had found peace and jo
y in Elderwood, even if his life had been cut short, it was comforting to know he had many years of peace. Verin’s telling of the story was more eventful and showed that his grandson was following his father’s example. The young man was a warrior but one with a kind and gentle soul.
The next day Theron took his grandson for a walk around the town. Amradin was a very interesting place to Nathan. He was learning a lot about his father’s people. One of the first things he noticed was that while some of the men were incredibly large like his father had been, not all were so. On average everyone was certainly a little taller than people on the south sides of the mountains, but he didn’t see any true giants either. He asked his grandfather about this.
Theron laughed, “I remember how those southerners talk about the north. They like to think we are all fierce, scary giants and the weather is freezing all the time and we devour children if they don’t eat their vegetables.”
Nathan smiled; this wasn’t far from the truth.
“The truth is, there barely are any giants left in this part of the world and most of our people only have a little giant’s blood in them. Occasionally you see a throwback, someone who exhibits giant traits; someone who is exceptionally big and usually as strong as an ox. But for most part, our people are not much different than those south of the mountains. Some of the bloodlines are a little stronger. Our bloodline has more giant blood than most and it is very likely you will grow to your father’s size. Even for a northern boy you are exceptionally strong for one your age. Sur’ath told me how you forged the medallion. Two hours straight without a break, and barely broke a sweat. That is strong; it is no wonder your father chose sword breakers as weapons for you.”
Theron and Nathan walked towards the stables and looked at the horses within. Even Nathan who had little to do with horses understood that these were magnificent creatures. “Beautiful aren’t they. Besides blacksmithing and fighting, raising quality horses is one of the things we do best in the north.” Past the stables towards the fenced off pasture they walked. One horse, in particular, caught Nathan’s eye. It was a large, well-muscled stallion with a deep night black coat, and thick long jet black mane and tail. It walked with a majestic pace and seemed to stare right back at Nathan. Theron watched as Nathan and the horse eyed each other up. Some of Theron’s thoughts about Nathan were now starting to make sense.
Theron decided to put his theory to the test. “Nathan, I want you to close your eyes and don’t open them until I tell you. Now picture that black stallion you were looking in your mind. Focus on the stallion and without talking call it to you. Just picture the stallion walking towards us. Keep doing it until I tell you to stop.”
Nathan was not sure what was going on but he knew there was something special about this horse. He closed his eyes and focused hard, imagining the stallion standing there looking back at him. He thought about the horse walking up to the fence and putting its head over the fence close enough to rub his nose. He could almost feel the animal in front of him now.
”Now without moving or saying anything I want you to open your eyes,” said King Theron.
Nathan continued to humor his newly found grandfather and opened his eyes only to be staring right into its eyes of the magnificent stallion. Nathan was amazed, he had never done anything like this before, but then he remembered the wolf and had a flashback to the fox dropping the rabbit.
As Theron watched, the stallion walked up to the fence. He knew that he guessed correctly. Nathan was a throwback, but not to just giant’s blood. The Stoneblood family tree did not just include giants but also members of the ingla, an ancient race from the far west. Many of the ingla had lived in the north hundreds of years ago, enjoying the company of giants. Ingla were some of the strongest users of magic ever known. But as the currian people who had already populated the southern part of the continent began to move north the ingla people began to return home to the far west.
Currians, for the most part, were a decent people. But they held a deep distrust for the supernatural and rarely reacted well when an ingla of any real power was around. Of the few ingla that stayed in the north, most had very weak powers or chose to hide them to make staying in their new home easier. Theron had heard of ingla who that had an affinity for nature. Some were simply attuned with the weather and would tell you days and weeks ahead what was coming. Other more powerful ingla would control or communicate with animals. Ingla mages were often talented with controlling fire or water. Theron did not have any of the ingla traits, but his father had shown the affinity with animals. He could not control them, but certain animals had been drawn to him and understood his wishes and thoughts. Knowing his own bloodlines were strong in giant and ingla blood it did not surprise Theron that his grandson would show the same talents.
Theron had briefly wondered if Nathan has some of the ingla abilities when Sur’ath had described the way Nathan had forged the black steel medallion. Forging black steel took giant strength but what Nathan was doing went beyond strength. Sur’ath had described the way Nathan focused on the metal as if he was in a trance. With each blow of his hammer, the metal seemed to move exactly where Nathan wanted it, as though the metal wanted to be changed. It was very uncommon for a smith to make detailed work like the medallion out of black steel. The graphite and phosphorus made the metal very hard and difficult to work with. Nathan being able to produce detailed medallion was an indicator of possible ingla powers. When Theron saw the stallion focusing on Nathan he had guessed this was another indicator of the ingla abilities. “Come, Nathan, let us go find Verin. The three of us have much to discuss.”
They found Verin with Burinn and Magnus waiting for them at the steps of the Great hall. Burinn and Magnus were getting ready to leave. Magnus tried to give back the medallion to Nathan. Nathan refused and told Magnus it was a gift to remind him that Nathan did not lie. Once Burinn and Magnus were gone the three went to the king’s private chambers and sat down around the small table.
King Theron started the conversation “Verin, what do you know of the ingla?”
Verin looked at the king then over at Nathan. “There are still a few ingla on Balta. They often possess some degree of magic. The ingla name for people with magic is a’kil. At one time, they were rather common in Solotine, but like giants in the north, few remain. Back in Mithbea the a’kil are much more common.”
“Forgive me if this is rude but were there any ingla among your family’s lines?” asked Theron.
“Actually, there were several. Several of my relatives have some sort of magical power. Nathan’s mother Velaina had the unusual ability to tell when someone was lying. It was why she hated living in Venecia and dealing with all the royal politics. Everyone lied and it would give her migraines. It was also one of the reasons she loved your Soron so much. He never lied to her.
Nathan, surprised to hear that his mother had magical powers, thought back to how she always seemed to know how he was feeling and when he was lying. This certainly made sense.
“You’ve noticed the boy has powers then.” Verin was speaking to the king but looking at Nathan. The king was also looking at Nathan while he spoke. “His metal craft had me wondering, it was a little too good, but today at the stables a stallion was attuned with him.”
Nathan was starting to be a little uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going but held his tongue. Verin saw that Nathan was getting frustrated. “Basically it comes down to this. Both of your parents families have ingla bloodlines, and you boy are going to have special abilities. The only question is how strong they will eventually be.”
Have I magic power? Nathan thought to himself. I guess that explains some of the things that I can do. “So what do I do now?” Nathan asked with earnest. Weird magical sounded terrible and yet intriguing at the same time.
Verin smiled “You can relax. These abilities are a blessing, not a curse. So far all you have shown is a rare connection with nature. Certain animals seem to respond to you and your ab
ility to work with metals seems to be enhanced. You are not going to turn into a dragon…. Well I don’t think you will.” Verin winked at his nephew.
Nathan chuckled at the thought of turning into a dragon, now that was a little absurd, but the rest seemed possible. If it was true that his mother was a’kil then it certainly wasn’t a bad thing, and he did not feel any different. Having the stallion come to him was very cool. Nathan decided being a’kil might not be so bad after all. It was time to go see his magical companion again. “Grandfather, is it okay if I take the stallion for a ride?”
Chapter twenty nine
WHEN NATHAN GOT BACK to the stable, Taneal, the stable master, was waiting for him. “The king said you would be coming. I warned him the beast of a horse isn’t rideable but he gave instructions to let you try. He seems to imagine you are just going to jump on and go for a jaunt” said the man with a small smirk.
Nathan could sense the stable master was hesitant to let him ride the stallion. “He seems gentle, what is the problem?”
Taneal gave Nathan an incredulous look, “Gentle? Are you crazy? That horse is wild. It has only been in the stables for a month and no one has been able to ride it. Three good horsemen have nearly died trying to get on that black devil. But you go ahead boy, I will not argue with the king’s grandson. He is over there in the big corral.”
Nathan walked up to the edge of the corral and hopped over the rails. He continued a gradual walk towards the magnificent black stallion. The horse was standing in the middle of the corral, as if waiting for him. It did not move as he came up to it and started rubbing its chest. Not sure how the connection between him and the horse was supposed to work Nathan thought back to earlier, when King Theron made him close his eyes and visualize the horse coming towards him. Nathan did the same now. He closed his eyes and imagined himself jumping up onto its back while the stallion stayed still.
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