Free The Bonding (The Song and the Rhythm) by Brian C. Hager Page A

thing.
    Thorne broke the silence by leaning over the fire with his hands outstretched to where the youth sat directly across from him. “Let me see that.” Vaun handed him the sword, and the dwarf took it delicately into his hands and studied it.
    Thorne inspected the sword’s edge closely. “Stones! He knows how to sharpen it, and I’ve no had a chance to teach him yet. And he’s right; it could have a better edge. But then only if you’re really picky or intend to shave with it.”
    They all turned to Vaun expectantly, the same question written on each of their faces. To their knowledge, the youth had never even owned a metal sword, much less cared for one as if to use it.
    “Well, I…. I’ve read books on the care of swords, and I’ve imagined how it’s done. It’s really not all that difficult. But I’m planning to shave with something a little smaller.”
    The dwarf snorted. “Sharpenin’ this sword ’tis very difficult. How’d you figure it out?”
    “It’s just like any other curved sword.” Vaun shrugged.
    “Nay. ’Tis not.”
    “What’s so different about it?”
    “You no remember what I told you of its forgin’?” Thorne seemed almost offended.
    Vaun nodded. “Of course. But how does that affect how it’s sharpened?”
    “’Tis the forgin’ of the first Vaulka that determined how all are to be sharpened. As I told you, dwarves are born resistant to fire and heat, and all elves be hatched with their own special gift. Every now and then, one breaks out o’ his shell with this same gift. And it is these gifts which allow a Vaulka to be made.”
    Rush and Dart looked ready to protest Thorne’s gibe, but the twinkle in the dwarf’s eye convinced them he was merely making sport.
    “Dwarven ’n elven steels be lighter and stronger than that of humans, and be mined in places known only to the two races who use them. The different colors depend on which metals the smith uses to make his alloy of steel. ’Gainst all reasonin’, the two metals will no blend together as an alloy, so they must be joined by ’nother means, ’n the method the first Vaulka swordsmiths invented is what is called Weaving. To do this, they had to heat the steel so much that, if you were to go into the forge while they were doin’ it, your skin’d melt before you took two steps.
    “The smiths then played cards to see who would be the Weaver and who would be the Watcher. The Weaver would weave the steel, and the Watcher would preserve the shape of the sword made from the two opposin’ metals. While doin’ this, he sang ancient songs of joinin’ and strength. It is believed these songs are magical, and that they aided in the forgin’ of the first of these fantastic swords.
    “Once this’d been done, they hammered the new blade flat, and each took a different side. They both sang words of unity and might while hammerin’, and it was these words that finally joined the two different steels. But they were far from bein’ done. They had to finish shapin’ the blade, and a great argument resulted as to whether ’twould be curved or straight. Elves prefer curved blades, while dwarves rightly choose straight ones. After the elf cheated at dice, they made it curved. This curve they protected durin’ the Weavin’ and forgin’, and ’twas the shape of the first Vaulka, which is a combination of a dwarven and elven word that means one weapon from two blades .
    “They shaped and worked the weapon ’til it was finished. Then they sharpened it to perfection and polished it so that it shone. It was here they discovered the effect their Weaving technique had on the care of the Vaulka, for they almost ruined it. I’m no swordsmith, so I can’t say for sure, but somethin’ ’bout the weave of the two steels makes it impossible to sharpen up the blade, as you can with any other sword. It usually no matters which direction you sharpen, but the Vaulka must only be sharpened down the blade, with the stone rotated