Chapter One
Fern watched as the embers from the forge turned the longsword a deep, angry orange. When it became almost too bright to look at, she pulled it from the ashes and planted it on the anvil. She took a deep breath before striking the blade with her hammer. Sparks flew all around as she pummelled the sword and flattened out the middle of the blade. She held it up and closing one eye judged the width. “It’s too wide, you’ve over done it.” Barked a guard who was watching her from the other side of the room. “Prince Lestian likes a broader blade than most. That’s why I always make him a falchion.” She shouldn’t have spoken back to him, but she had learned which guards were more human than others. Guard Tremmel, while stern, was not unnecessarily violent. “A what?” Tremmel walked over to Fern and looked at the sword. “It is a sword that is only sharp on one end of the blade. If you have the strength, it delivers a much more powerful blow. You can cleave a man clean in half with one g...