Chapter One: Forging
Niall Emayn put the last of the six crates containing finely crafted silver goblets onto the back of his friends dog cart and then covered them with a tarp. Grabbing a clean cloth from a bucket that was on the work bench, he began to wipe his hands. Out of habit, he also wiped his bald head and smoothed back the course hair on the sides. Even though the sun was shining in the late morning sky, it cast little heat and frost still clung to the ground in the shadows. The bay doors to the blacksmith shop stood wide open letting in a cold breeze. Some warmth came from the cooling forge in the far corner of building.
"There you go my friend- I hope Rethac likes them." Niall said.
The dwarf sat at a table against the wall. Resting on his elbows, he leaned forward in the chair. His long blonde beard reached past his knees.
"You know he will." Hmoyt Deepcrusher replied. "That old dwarf loves your stuff. And ever since he found that pocket of quarts in his mine, he's got nothin but money."
"Well, thanks again, Hmoyt- especially for the coal. If I don't get any work, it should get us through the winter."
"Don't ye be worrien at all, Niall." Hmoyt said. "I'll have more work for ye when I come back at Mid-winter brake."
"I still hold true to that promise I made your old man when he left us. And someones got to look after your three kids and gorgous wife."
"And I couldn't entrust them into better hands."
"It's the same with all the families around here." Niall continued. "Ever since they put the new road in between Chelust and Raven-mount, effectively cutting off the Ptarmigan valley. Now everyone is moving to the city- 'in hope of a better life'."
Niall shook his head. "We sure don't want to move back to the city."
Niall walked out of the bay doors of the shop to stand in the weak light of the sun. In the north, west clouds had begun to gather on the high peaks of the mountains. A wind storm came through the other day to remove the foliage from the over hanging deciduous trees that were scattered around the property. It covered the grounds in dry leaves and left the trees looking bent and twisted- like skeletal arms reaching out. Hmoyt's speckled horse grazed, contentedly nearby. While Laoch, Niall's five year old son, ran and jumped in the piles of dry leaves scattered around the yard. The comforting babble of the creek that flowed through the grounds was a faint constant echo.
"It'll be a good night fer travellin," Hmoyt said joining his friend outside. "As long as I stay ahead of the snow."
"Well, if anyone can handle a snow storm- it'll be a dwarf as sturdy as you."
Suddenly their attention was drawn down the path by a squirrel's warning cry. Appearing out the trees that obscured the view to the main road came a horse and rider. The grey horse moved at a slow gait. Its coat glistened as it came into the sun. The rider was sitting tall in the saddle, a cloak was pulled tight around the body and a hood covered their head so Niall and Hmoyt couldn't see the face. Niall looked down at the dwarf with a raised eyebrow and an expression of curiosity.
"I wonder what this is?" Niall said to his friend, as they walked out to meet the stranger.
"Hello." Niall called to him.
"I'm Nakal Mish'Pachah and I'm looking for Niall Emayn," the stranger relied as he approached. His voice was commanding with a heavy accent that Niall couldn't place.
"That's me," Niall returned. "What can I do for you?"
Nakal Mish'Pachah removed his hood to reveal long black hair tucked behind human ears. A gargoyle was pierced to both lobes, with the tail curling around the pinna. His slender face was clean shaven and dark brown eyes cast their gaze at Niall. Nakal Mish'Pachah's presence was dominating and it made Niall a little nervous.
"I would like to speak to you about business- in private." Nakal stated shifting his regard toward the dwarf.
"I get yer meaning." Hmoyt caught on. "I should get ready to leave anyhow. I'll just go say goodbye to Fiona and the kids." He turned and walked around the shop toward the house. Niall heard him growl and run after Laoch on his way.
"Come into my shop." Niall said as he led the way.
The stranger dismounted from his horse and left it free after removing the saddle bags. Niall watched him walk over to the work bench and gently placed the bags down. Flipping the front flap open, Nakal removed six rectangular plates of steel. Niall could see they were pure iron. Then he took out a guard of a sword, followed by a hilt made of the whitest bone and then a plain round rock. Niall was completely amazed by the art, he had never seen such high quality of craftmanship.
"I would have you make me a sword." Nakal Mish'Pachah said.
"A sword! I haven't made a sword in years." Niall responded.
Reaching into his cloak, Nakal removed a small pouch and threw it on the bench. It landed heavy.
"I will pay you three times more when its completed."
Niall stared at the money pouch contemplating the situation.
"I hope I haven't come to wrong the person." Nakal said, reaching for the bag.
"Well, no." Niall paused. "It'll just take a while."
"Take as long as you need. But I don't think it'll take as long as you think." Nakal looked at Niall with a thin smile on his lips.
"OK," Niall finally agreed. "I'll do it. I'll forge your sword."
"Good," Nakal said retrieving his saddle bags and turned to leave.
"I'll come back in time and check on your progress." He added while mounting his horse.
Pulling on the reigns to the right, Nakal Mish'Pachah turned his horse and Niall watched him quickly trot back the way he came and disappear from view.
Niall stood for a moment looking into the trees, lost in thought. He couldn't believe his forturn. He hadn't made a sword in fifteen years but that didn't matter, he still knew how- you don't forget something like that. But who was this Nakal Mish'Pachah? And where did he come from? How did he know who Niall was? All these questions were passing thoughts to him as he turned and looked at the pouch sitting on his work bench. All that money. His financial troubles could all be over. The kids could eat well and Fiona would have no worries. It seemed his circumstances had changed- instead of worrying all winter about what would happen in the spring, they could plan for thier future. He hadn't felt this good in a long time, he had to tell Fiona and Hmoyt.
Niall grabed the pouch of money and hurried through his shop. Exiting through the back door into the yard, his family came out of the house at the same time. Standing on the well worn footpath, he watch his family for a second. Fiona came down from the porch first, her long wavy auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail- little ringlets shaped her face. Her beauty never failed to astonish him. Seventeen years she had stayed married to him, and at that moment he felt like the luckiest man alive.
Niall sweld with pride as Nighean came out around her mother. Her thick brown hair was cut short at the shoulders and framed her face so that she seemed older than her fourteen years. Niall didn't like the fact she was growing up so quickly. Hmoyt came charging through the door with Keava strung over his left shoulder- growling and swinging her around as he came out. Keava couldn't stop giggling. At that moment Laoch came running out of the trees toward his father. Niall quickly bent down and scooped up his son, holding him tight in his arms.
"Got ya." Niall said.
Laoch laughed and struggled to be released.
"Go say goodbye to your uncle."
"OK" Laoch enthusiastically replied.
As soon as Niall set his son down, Laoch was off running. Hmoyt saw him coming and quickly, but gently, put Keava down. Laoch came crashing into Hmoyt and he had to take a step back to brace himself. The dwarf was only a head taller than his young nephew but twice the size. Hmoyt threw his arms around Laoch and held him in a bear hug.
"Goodbye, Uncle Hmoyt. I'm going to miss you."
"Goodbye, Nephew. I'll be back soon, I promise."
Farewells over, Laoch jumped off the porch and Keava ran after him as fast as her petite legs would
carry her. Niall came up to his family, a large grin on his face.
"Well? What was that all about?" Hmoyt asked, indicating the strange visitor.
"It's a good paying job." Niall returned.
"A job for what?" Fiona asked.
Taking Fiona's left hand in his, Niall placed the small pouch in her palm.
"He wants me to make a sword." He said looking up at Fiona.
Fiona emptied the content into her opposite hand, and looked at Niall in astonishment as it revealed gold.
"Niall- are you sure. You haven't made a sword in a long time and this is an awful lot of money." Fiona said. She was always careful when getting into different situation.
"I can make the sword. And now we don't have to worry about money. We can even buy the sorrounding land. And you can have that greenhouse you've always wanted." Niall gently took his wife's head in his hands and looked Fiona in her soft, emerald eyes. "It's going to be OK." He said and gave her a long soft kiss on her mouth.
"Where are you getting the materials?" Hmoyt asked with concern on his voice.
"He supplied everything. Come see." Niall said starting to lead the way.
Once back in Niall's blacksmith shop, Hmoyt walked over to work bench to inspect the materials that Niall indicated. A stream of light from the low laying sun came through the bay door and caught the metal. It glistened silver at shifting angles. Hmoyt reached out and moved his hand just above the unforged sword. Jerking his hand away, Hmoyt looked up at Niall between his bushy eyebrows.
"There's magic in it."
"Is there?" Niall shrugged his shoulders. "That's OK, I've made swords with magic in them before. Back when I worked for the Destaf city forge."
"Maybe. But you knew what the magic was. This- you have no idea what it is."
"Don't worry, Hmoyt. When you come back at Mid-winter we'll have a feast."
Hmoyt looked over at Fiona. "If Niall says he can do it- that's good enough for me." She said.
Nighean- standing behind her mother, listened to the family conversation intently.
"OK, then." Hmoyt relinquished. "If you think so."
Hmoyt walked out of the shop and began to hitch his horse to his two-wheeled dog cart. Making sure the load was secure, he came up too Nighean. She crouched down and gave him a hug.
"Good-bye, Uncle." Her voice was soft like her mothers.
"Good-bye, Girl. Be good."
Fiona bent at the waist as Hmoyt turned to her, and gave her a hug as well.
"We love you, Hmoyt," she said. "See you soon."
Niall had already started to shovel more coal into the furnace and work the bellow- pulling on a rope tied to a weight and pulley system. Thick, black smoke began to rise up the chimney as the ember's glow increased with every rhythmic pump of the bellows, like a heart beat.
"See you later, Niall." Hmoyt called to him. "Be careful."
"I will, Uncle," was Niall's only farewell, as he contined to heat the forge.
Hmoyt whipped the reigns to his horse and coerced it down the path. "Good-bye," he yelled back. Everybody but Niall, yelled back to him. Loach and Keava ran after the dwarf, following him to the road.