metal than steel there.
“It’s beautifully balanced!” Kadie said and struck a fencing pose, blissfully absurd in her voluminous gown. “And light!” Gath was smirking. “Tush found it for me. I told him what I wanted, and the next night he brought it to my room. It’s almost as long as he is!”
“Tush? ” said Inos. “The gnome?”
“Course. It was down in the cellars somewhere. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t spend any money on her present, does it? I didn’t have any. I did spend a lot of time cleaning it up. I mean, it was black! “
“It’s the thought that counts,” Inos said, wondering how many times a parent had to repeat that catechism per child reared. “Obviously you have made her very happy, which is what matters. “
“I don’t care what it didn’t cost!” Kadie said ecstatically. “It’s splendoupolous!” She paused in her phantom fencing to examine the hilt. Inos and even Ylinyli moved in cautiously to see.
Gath was chuckling, pleased with himself. “Know something, Mom? She came bouncing into my room a couple of nights ago to tell me that-“
“I do not bounce! ” Kadie’s glare was as pointed as the sword. “Whatever it was, then. But I’d been working on it, and it was lying right there on my dresser-” He chortled. “And she didn’t even notice!”
His sister was not interested in her own shortcomings. “Mother! Are these rubies?”
“Garnets, I think,” Inos said. Dwarvish steel, certainly. The guard bore three leaping narwhals in silver filigree. Originally each had possessed a gannet eye, but now one was blind, the stone missing. Leaping narwhals? She had seen that insignia before somewhere. “I hope it was one of our cellars this came out of, not someone else’s?” Gnome thinking tended to be misty on the subjects of property and territorial boundaries.
“I think so,” Gath said. “Tush told me it was in among a lot of junk, so no one knew it was there-but I think it was in the castle. It was very dirty!” he added defensively. “No one knew about it, wherever it was. “
“Narwhals?” Kadie squealed. “We … I mean you, of course. You have a brooch like that, Mama!”
“So I, I mean I, do,” Inos agreed. “It belonged to Ollialo, Inisso’s wife!”
“That’s why this is short-it’s a lady’s weapon! Will you give me the brooch, to match my sword?”
“No, I won’t!”
The rapier must be a long-forgotten family heirloom. It would rank as part of the Krasnegarian crown jewels, if Krasnegar had any crown jewels. It must be far older than Gath’s book. Even without a historical provenance, a weapon that old was worth a fortune. The joke had rebounded.
“Mm! ” Inos said, watching her daughter’s renewed capering, as she massacred invisible hordes. Kadie’s curious fascination with fencing was showing no signs of diminishing, although most of her friends had tired of the sport long since. Innumerable romances like The Kidnapped Princess were her main motivation, but a juvenile crush on Corporal Isyrano was part of it. Fortunately he was an honorable man and happily married.
Meanwhile, Kadie with foils was bad enough, and Kadie with a real rapier was an unnerving thought. Armed children? Oh, the joys of motherhood!
“No, you can’t wear it at dinner,” she said, and Gath sniggered as he at last began unwrapping his book.
“Mother!” Kadie said with infinite scorn, although she must have been considering the idea. Even Kadie would not be able to reconcile a sword with a ball gown.
“Well, lay it down before you kill someone. Last inspection—what else do you need? “
All eyes went to the table.
“Pity about the wine,” Gath remarked wistfully. Kadie shrugged. “I tried.”
“No luck at all, huh?”
“Stubborn as a mule.”
“I am not deaf,” Inos said coldly. “And I resent being called a mule. Now, let’s go over the seating, shall we?”
Kadie reluctantly switched back from deadly swordswoman to
“It’s beautifully balanced!” Kadie said and struck a fencing pose, blissfully absurd in her voluminous gown. “And light!” Gath was smirking. “Tush found it for me. I told him what I wanted, and the next night he brought it to my room. It’s almost as long as he is!”
“Tush? ” said Inos. “The gnome?”
“Course. It was down in the cellars somewhere. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t spend any money on her present, does it? I didn’t have any. I did spend a lot of time cleaning it up. I mean, it was black! “
“It’s the thought that counts,” Inos said, wondering how many times a parent had to repeat that catechism per child reared. “Obviously you have made her very happy, which is what matters. “
“I don’t care what it didn’t cost!” Kadie said ecstatically. “It’s splendoupolous!” She paused in her phantom fencing to examine the hilt. Inos and even Ylinyli moved in cautiously to see.
Gath was chuckling, pleased with himself. “Know something, Mom? She came bouncing into my room a couple of nights ago to tell me that-“
“I do not bounce! ” Kadie’s glare was as pointed as the sword. “Whatever it was, then. But I’d been working on it, and it was lying right there on my dresser-” He chortled. “And she didn’t even notice!”
His sister was not interested in her own shortcomings. “Mother! Are these rubies?”
“Garnets, I think,” Inos said. Dwarvish steel, certainly. The guard bore three leaping narwhals in silver filigree. Originally each had possessed a gannet eye, but now one was blind, the stone missing. Leaping narwhals? She had seen that insignia before somewhere. “I hope it was one of our cellars this came out of, not someone else’s?” Gnome thinking tended to be misty on the subjects of property and territorial boundaries.
“I think so,” Gath said. “Tush told me it was in among a lot of junk, so no one knew it was there-but I think it was in the castle. It was very dirty!” he added defensively. “No one knew about it, wherever it was. “
“Narwhals?” Kadie squealed. “We … I mean you, of course. You have a brooch like that, Mama!”
“So I, I mean I, do,” Inos agreed. “It belonged to Ollialo, Inisso’s wife!”
“That’s why this is short-it’s a lady’s weapon! Will you give me the brooch, to match my sword?”
“No, I won’t!”
The rapier must be a long-forgotten family heirloom. It would rank as part of the Krasnegarian crown jewels, if Krasnegar had any crown jewels. It must be far older than Gath’s book. Even without a historical provenance, a weapon that old was worth a fortune. The joke had rebounded.
“Mm! ” Inos said, watching her daughter’s renewed capering, as she massacred invisible hordes. Kadie’s curious fascination with fencing was showing no signs of diminishing, although most of her friends had tired of the sport long since. Innumerable romances like The Kidnapped Princess were her main motivation, but a juvenile crush on Corporal Isyrano was part of it. Fortunately he was an honorable man and happily married.
Meanwhile, Kadie with foils was bad enough, and Kadie with a real rapier was an unnerving thought. Armed children? Oh, the joys of motherhood!
“No, you can’t wear it at dinner,” she said, and Gath sniggered as he at last began unwrapping his book.
“Mother!” Kadie said with infinite scorn, although she must have been considering the idea. Even Kadie would not be able to reconcile a sword with a ball gown.
“Well, lay it down before you kill someone. Last inspection—what else do you need? “
All eyes went to the table.
“Pity about the wine,” Gath remarked wistfully. Kadie shrugged. “I tried.”
“No luck at all, huh?”
“Stubborn as a mule.”
“I am not deaf,” Inos said coldly. “And I resent being called a mule. Now, let’s go over the seating, shall we?”
Kadie reluctantly switched back from deadly swordswoman to
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