Inherited Danger

by Brian Rathbone

  * * *

  "The boy has some good ideas here," Gustad said as he looked at Strom's rough sketch.

  "You replaced me with a stick?" Osbourne asked.

  "A very special stick," Gustad said. "We'll need to grind the notch smooth so it won't bind."

  "The real magic is in the strap," Strom said. "We confine it to a narrow channel as it gets wound around the shaft. Every turn, the shaft becomes larger and increases the speed of the pour."

  "That just might work," Milo said, a gleam in his eye. "How soon can you have it done?"

  The question was like a kick in the stomach, and Strom had no idea what to say. He'd been so excited about his idea, yet he really knew nothing of how to actually make it. Gustad stood mumbling over the drawing then began making his own markings.

  "Forty days," he said.

  Strom smiled, allowing himself to hope. Maybe he, too, was meant to do something special. He looked back at his friend and the monk who remained in the room before he followed Gustad to the forge.

  Osbourne watched as Milo pored over Strom's sketch and Gustad's markings. Seemingly without thinking, he moved the candle away from Milo's robes.