Page 104 of First Light
The beast let out an awesome roar before he sprayed a column of fire into the air, circled once more, then came to rest in the meadow near the forge, his massive wings stretched out and his throat glowing with fire.
The air around them churned as he beat his wings in the air, rearing up to bare his green body and the iridescent shimmering skin beneath his wings.
“I’m not forging iron, Carys.” Duncan stared at Cadell. “I’m forging steel.Dragonsteel.”
Angus approached the beast, dragging a large wooden barrel and a spear the length of a tall man.
Carys rushed toward Cadell, but Duncan caught her by the shoulder.
Hold, Nêrys.Cadell’s voice came to her mind.I give this willingly.
She froze, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“Iron doesn’t bother Angus. He doesn’t love it, but it doesn’t burn him. I suppose that should have been the primary clue that he’s not really fae like Cadell said.” Duncan watched carefully as Cadell leaned to the side and lifted his wing. “You may not want to watch this.”
“I’ll watch.”
Cadell roared as the spear punctured his thick skin, and the rising fire in his throat glowed brighter than the forge.
Angus shouted something as he pulled the spear from Cadell’s side and angled the barrel toward him. Dark red blood spurted from thewound, and Carys felt the ache in her side as Cadell’s blood poured into the barrel.
“Carys?”
She bent over, nausea and pain sweeping through her as spots flashed behind her closed eyes.
Nêrys?
“I’m okay.” She held her hand out as Duncan grabbed her to hold her up. “I can take it if he can.”
Seren never felt it.Cadell sounded upset.She said she never felt it.
“Then she lied because it was important.” She looked up at Duncan with tears in her eyes. “It’s important, right?”
Duncan’s face was a mask of anger. “Humans here have no defenses. No weapons that work against them.”
The fae can never know.Cadell’s voice was softer.They must never know how this blade was forged. They must never know what we can do.
“Enough!” Angus shouted. He pushed a heavy blanket into Cadell’s wound. “Stay still, dragon.”
A surge of power hit Carys’s side, and the pain ceased immediately. A wave of soothing heat washed over her, then a growing burst of energy as the wound in Cadell’s side knit together. Within minutes, Carys felt as if nothing had happened, and Angus was dragging the massive steaming barrel of dragon blood toward the forge.
“I’ll bring the crucible,” he muttered. “You feed the fire.”
“How many times has he done that?” Carys asked. “Seren knew?”
Duncan walked to the woodpile. “It was her and Cadell’s idea. Angus and I were forging the sword for Seren. When she died, Cadell and I decided to continue.”
“So she could fight the fae?” Carys straightened herself. “Why would she need to do that?”
“I don’t know, and I didn’t ask.” He started feeding more wood into the fire. “She knew I was a blacksmith and asked for my help.”
“And you didn’t think to mention this before?” Carys stared at the steaming barrel of blood. “This could be why she was killed, Duncan.”
He shook his head. “The fae wouldn’t kill with poison. When theykill, they want humans to know it was their doing. They don’t know anything about this.”
Angus walked over, carrying a large clay crucible. “I’ll refine it like the rest.” He eyed Carys. “She felt it?”
“Yes.”