Free The Taking by Katrina Cope

these, they will never heal. And if hit in the right place, they will turn to dust.” His gnarly fingers stroke the long stick of an axe. It was gold from the stick to the blade. On the circular edge, the inner circle was decorated with triangles and markings of striking blue, making it look more like an ornament than a weapon.  
    “That’s pretty,” Cindy says. “What is it?”
    “This is an Egyptian axe,” Zacharias answers. “A very effective blade with a good swing.”
    Cindy runs her finger along the top of the blade just touching the edge. “It’s sharp too.”
    “Each of you must choose a weapon.” His eyes gaze proudly across the added space holding the armoury. “Once you have chosen this weapon, I will train you in its crafts.”
    “How are we supposed to choose a weapon that we have never used before?” Ben was running his hand over a couple of swords hanging on the wall.
    “The weapon will choose you. Your perfect weapon will pull you to it. Once you touch it, you will find it hard to leave.”
    I frown. It all sounds a little far-fetched to me, but I am not about to argue. Both Cindy and Ben’s faces are lit up with enthusiasm I do not understand.
    Zacharias’ eyes scrutinise me. “It will help if you place your hand on each of the weapons if you do not feel a pull or connection. Once you touch the one for you, there will be no hesitation and no misunderstanding. You will just know.”
    Following his advice I run my hands on the weapons laid before me. My fingers glide over the smooth metals, and it strangely feels joyful with each touch, but nothing screams out to me for a connection. I hear metal scraping and look up. Ben’s face shines brightly, as he pulls two swords out of a fancy leather pouch that the swords were tucked in, safely together. As the blade glimmers in the light, I see an engraved pattern on the side of the blade. I look closer and see the detailed work of a dragon. The thick blades look impressive and are something I have never seen before.  
    With his blue eyes gleaming Ben asks, “What are these?”  
    Zacharias gazes at his prize and says, “Butterfly swords.”
    “Butterfly swords? How can a weapon be named after something so fragile?”
    “The name comes from when the swords are in a particular position they hold the shape of a butterfly,” Zacharias answers.  
    Ben swings them around.  
    “Whoa.” Zacharias holds out his hand in a stopping motion. “Why don’t you just wait until we’re further away, and you have had some training?”  
    I watch as Ben’s face almost turns sad, but he does as instructed and slides them back into their leather cover.
    “Keep looking around, you may find more than one weapon that attracts you,” Zacharias says.  
    I continue through the weapons display. My hands have touched many weapons yet not one has beckoned me. Cindy is slightly ahead of me and turns the corner to the next stretch. Ben follows while running his hands over other armoury pieces; his eyes gleaming. Keeping a close eye on everything we touch, Zacharias follows explaining the details about any tool that we ask about. Before I manage to follow Cindy around the corner, I hear clanging of metal up ahead. When I catch up with her, she is holding golden circular pieces of metal that are hollow in the middle. It has a decorative pattern of a cog with deeper gold outline in place and a blue stone within each cog trimming.  
    “What are these?” she asks while threading one over her hand and wearing it like a bracelet. “They are very pretty for a weapon.” She looks at me, and her eyes are beaming.  
    Zacharias progresses around the corner just as I turn to look for him. He takes one look at Cindy and says, “Figures. You would choose something pretty.”
    Cindy ignores his comment. “What are they?”  
    “They are Chakram. They originate from India.”  
    I watch Cindy as she spins them around in a circle with her pointer finger, each rotation