by Resa Nelson
Donel rubbed his own sternum, acting like her mirror again. "Look," he whispered.
Astrid gazed down at her skin.
All her scars welded together, forming a herringbone stripe as wide as her fist, running down the center of her body, between her breasts and down her belly.
"You look like a sword," Donel said in quiet wonder. "A dragonslayer's sword."
Astrid raised a hand to her face, but it felt smooth.
Donel pointed to her jaw.
Astrid lowered her hand to her neck. She felt the raised pattern of scars on her skin.
"It begins there," he said.
She saw her own excitement reflected in Donel's eyes. "Both sides," she said. "When you twist the iron, its pattern shows through on both sides of the sword."
Astrid unstrapped the sheath, dropping it to the ground.
Turning her back to Donel, Astrid let her vest fall from her shoulders, catching it at her elbows, exposing her naked back to him.
She shivered as he murmured, "Both sides."
Astrid felt different, changed.
She felt hard but flexible. She felt the sharp edges of her mind, aware of everything around her.
She felt strong and ready.
She raised her vest to her shoulders and laced it up before facing Donel.
Donel looked at her with quiet awe. "Whenever you can, you'll teach me. I'll work with Randim, and someday I'll be the best blacksmith in Guell. Better than you, even."
Astrid laughed.
Donel's smile widened. "I'll make the finest sword you've ever seen. I think you should name it Donel, after me."
Astrid unlocked the gate. She opened it, handing the lock to Donel.
He handed Starlight, tucked in its sheath, back to Astrid.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Donel."
He locked the gate after she walked through it. "Be careful, Mistress Dragonslayer."
* * *
Astrid left town traveling the same path that had first brought her there. Now, she walked the dirt road with a sword she'd made with her own hands strapped across her back, the property of a child seller no more.
As the light of day waned, Astrid stopped short. She reached high above until her fingertips grazed the bark of an old, low-hanging branch. She remembered how she'd first seen DiStephan sitting here when she'd traveled through the forest with the child seller and Mauri.
Astrid pressed forward, anxious to get to her destination before sunset.
She couldn't help but think about what had happened at sea.
There had to be some kind of connection between DiStephan and Taddeo. After all, Taddeo had known where she could find DiStephan’s burial place.
Astrid's throat tightened when she remembered Mauri's image pressing through the red sail.
Mauri must have felt very alone in the world to believe the best way to live was to look out for herself and herself alone. It must have been terrifying for Mauri to pretend all her life, never trusting anything except Drageen's lies.
All Astrid could think of was the last time she saw Mauri, her sailcloth hands reaching down toward Astrid while the red sail flew high into the wind, disappearing forever.
Astrid ran to the beach. The horizon glowed magenta. Even from here, Astrid could make out the rocky figures of Drageen and the alchemist where the shape of the dragon's body used to be on Dragon’s Head.
They'd have to rename it.
As she made a wood fire and cooked roots she'd gathered nearby, Astrid realized she didn't feel lonely. She knew she'd be in and out of Guell during lizard season. The rest of the year, she'd work with Randim and the other blacksmiths.
If and when the southern invaders came to Guell, Astrid would dig up her own bloodstones and make herself invincible.
After she finished eating, she let herself be warmed by the memories of DiStephan and his father. This had been their camp, and now it had become hers. In this place it would be impossible to feel alone.
A sudden breeze kicked dirt into her face. Astrid coughed, rubbing the dirt from her eyes.
She remembered what she'd said on the journey from DiStephan's burial mound: "If we meet brigands, I'll say, 'Beware! I'll run you through with my sword while the Death Shadow throws dust in your eyes.'"
Astrid stood abruptly, looking around the camp.
Maybe it had been the wind.
Maybe she was thinking wishfully.
Maybe it was her imagination.
Another swift breeze threw a handful of dust at her eyes.
Laughing, Astrid spit dust from her mouth. "Hello, DiStephan."
The wind brushed her loose hair away from her face, caressing her cheek.
The breeze tugged at the lacing of her vest, pulling her forward toward the beach.
Out of habit, Astrid reached for Starlight. As safe as she felt with DiStephan, she didn't go anywhere these days without his sword.
It had become part of her just as it had once been part of him.
The wind stopped her on the sand. It lifted her arms up by her side. It pulled back gently on her hair, tilting her face up toward the night sky, dark now and full of bright stars.
Stars like the white-hot sparks, big as her fist, that flew all around the smithery every time she welded.
The breeze spun her slowly in place, and Astrid remembered.
It was what she'd seen DiStephan do all his life, beginning the first night she'd met him, here at the dragonslayer's camp. He'd tried to convince her to do it, too, but Astrid always held back, never feeling she had the right. She'd always stepped back into the shadows, watching DiStephan from a distance, secretly envying his boldness.
But now things were different. Everything was different.
Now Astrid stood as Guell's first line of defense.
Now she had a pattern of dragon scales running down her spine and between her breasts, down her belly.
She sighed with wonder, spinning slowly in place on the beach, embracing all those stars with her open arms.
Understanding, at last, who she was and how she belonged in the world.
* * *
Thank you for reading The Dragonslayer’s Sword (Book 1 in the Dragonslayer series). The next book in this series is The Iron Maiden.
To learn more about Resa Nelson’s books and where they are available (and in what formats), go to resanelson.com
Other Books in the Dragonslayer Series
(complete)
The Iron Maiden (Book 2)
The Stone of Darkness (Book 3)
The Dragon’s Egg (Book 4)
Books in the Dragonfly Series
(complete)
Dragonfly (Book 1)
Dragonfly in the Land of Ice (Book 2)
Dragonfly in the Land of Swamp Dragons (Book 3)
Dragonfly in the Land of Sleeping Giants (Book 4)
* * *
Mystery/Thrillers
Our Lady of the Absolute
All of Us Were Sophie
Resa Nelson’s Website:
http://www.resanelson.com
Amazon Author Page:
Click here to go to Resa’s author page on Amazon.
Twitter @ResaNelson