Page 133 of Quicksilver
If there was a way to keep a song, I didn't know what it was, but I was willing to agree to almost anything at this point.Yes, I promise. A whole song for you to keep.
And you will forge us into a mighty blade unlike any other?
Yes. If you'll allow it.
We will accept...
Accept...
Accept...
I didn't want to push my luck here, but there was one more thing I wanted to know.And will you bestow the blade I forge with magics that the bearer might wield?
A gift revoked!the quicksilver cried.You ask for what cannot be given...
“Saeris...”
“Quiet, Carrion,” I hissed. “I’ll tell you what's going on when I'm done.” I should have left him back at the forge. Shutting him out, I tried a different angle with the quicksilver.
Is it not within your power to give it?
All is within.It sounded affronted by the implication that it wasn't capable of something.But it is undeserved. We decided long ago.
How do you know? How can you tell if a warrior doesn't deserve the gift? Have you assessed the worthiness of every warrior who wishes to wield a sword?
I was walking a very fine line. If I wasn't careful, the quicksilver was going to shut down completely and refuse to even dislodge itself from the stone. Even now, I could feel that it was irritated by my pestering. But I could also sense that it was intrigued.
All warriors are the same,it concluded after a long beat.They only wish to kill.
That isn't true. Most warriors fight because they have to. To protect and defend.
Improbable.
How can we show you otherwise?
The longest silence yet followed. Thirty seconds ticked by, and then a minute. Another three had passed by when the quicksilver finally spoke again.We will bear witness to the blood.
What...doesthatmean?
We will be forged anew. When you have upheld your end of our bargain, we will taste the blood of the one who would carry us. If they are honorable, we will consider allowing the old magics to flow through us again.
Thank you! Thank you!
Do not thank us too soon. The dye is not cast, Saeris Fane. First, you must restore us and bring us a song worthy of glory.
Oh, I'll do both. Don't you worry about that.I startled when the shard of metal I was touching trembled beneath my fingertip. My eyes flew open, and I watched, amazed, as the thin, sharp sliver of metal slowly emerged from the stone. It hoveredin the air, trembling, and then dropped into the center of my palm.
“Holyshit,” I breathed.
One at a time, the other pieces of Danya's sword started to vibrate, working free of the wall. I finally looked at Carrion, who was leaning against the map table, tossing a small black rock up into the air and catching it. “Are you seeing this, Swift?” I demanded.
“Hmm? Oh, you figured it out. Cool. Did you give it a stern talking to?” He pushed away from the table and came to watch as over five hundred pieces of deconstructed sword started to drop to the floor.
“No, I promised it something that it wanted.”
“Ahh, bribery. I should have thought of that.”
He ducked down and helped pick up the pieces of metal. We'd gathered a small amount of them when another voice spoke behind us, and I nearly fell on my ass from the shock. “If you let me, I think I can speed up that process.”
