Jack Whyte The Singing Sword

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hard, testing the grip. "I have no idea what it is," I said. "But I want to
know."
"What does it feel like in your hand? Think hard."
I concentrated on what I felt, fighting the temptation to look down and see
what it was. "It feels unlike anything I've ever felt before. It's not leather
too rough for that. It's not metal, not bone, not wood. It feels like..." I
squeezed my grip again, feeling the texture against my palm. "Like leather
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covered with fine sand."
"You're nowhere close, and you never would be if you tried all day. Look at
it."
I looked. The hilt was covered with a material that was neither black, nor
grey, nor silver, but a mixture of all of them. The texture was as rough as a
file. This thing would never slip from a sweaty or a bloody palm. Whatever it
was, it had been wrapped tightly around the hilt and then bound there with
tightly crisscrossed metal wire.
"I give up. What is it?"
"It's fish skin."
"It's what?"
"Fish skin."
I remembered his teasing about the joys of trout fishing earlier in the day
and I looked closely at him to see if he was joking with me, but his face was
serious. I returned my gaze to the young trooper, Pecula.
"What kind of fish skin?"
The young man shrugged, his open face apologetic. "I don't know, sir. I won it
in a dice game. The man
I won it from said it was fish skin. Said his father made it. Told me his
father was a fisherman."
"Who was this man?"
"Don't know, sir. Just one of the garrison soldiers in Londinium."
"How long ago since you got this?"
"About a month ago, sir."
"Have you seen the man since then? Would you know him again?"
"Yes, sir, I'd know him, but I haven't seen him since that night."
I looked more closely at the hilt of this sword and I knew that I was looking
at a thing of great value.
This was a milestone discovery. I looked again at Picus, and then back at the
soldier.
"I have never seen anything to equal this, and I am a collector of weapons.
Would you be willing to part with it? For a good price? And a new sword?"
His eyes flickered to his general and back to me. "Well, sir, I don't know. I
didn't know it was valuable."
"It's not, lad, except to me. The blade is a poor thing, nothing out of the
ordinary. It's the fish skin that's valuable, but only if we can find out what
kind of fish it is and whether or not we can get it here in Britain.
How much is it worth to you
?"
He was looking uncomfortable, knowing he could name his own price, but
hesitant to offend his general by appearing to take advantage of the general's
friend. I decided to help him out.
"I'll give you two months' wages and the pick of my own swords in exchange for
this."
His eyes flew wide in shock. "Done, sir."
"Good man! Go to the house there and ask for Gallo. He's my major-domo. Tell
him Commander
Varrus would be pleased if he would show you to the weapons room. You'll find
enough of these there to make your day. Take your pick of them. I made all of
them with my own hands, so you should find something there to suit you."
Picus spoke up at this point, unsheathing his own sword. "Commander Varrus is
one of the finest sword-makers in the Empire, Pecula. He made this one for me,
when I first joined the legions. Go, now, and see if you can find one better.
But I don't want to see you flashing a sword that looks as though it should
belong to an Emperor. Pick a plain one."
"Yes, General!" Pecula snapped a salute and began to turn away, and then he
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hesitated. "Commander
Varrus? You want the sheath as well?"
I smiled. "Yes, Pecula, you'd better leave that with me, too. Your new sword
will have a sheath of its own."
He fumbled excitedly at his belt and handed me the scabbard. It was a plain,
old scabbard, but well kept.
"Thank you," I said as I took it from him. "By the way, Gallo will also give
you your two months' wages, so don't forget to ask him for them."
"Yes, Commander!" He saluted again, turned, and marched away, followed by the
envious eyes of his three friends.
I slipped the sword into its scabbard. "General Picus, I'd like a word with
you. Will you walk with me?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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