The Sword Cuts Deep: A Dark Tale of Fantasy Read online

  ****

  Fiona Emayn looked out the kitchen window. The early morning was dark and overcast in shadow. Thick black smoke slowly rose from the chimney of Niall's blacksmith shop, and the yard was covered in deep, cold snow that had been falling since the previous night. Her husbands hammering had begun again. The faint ding, ding, ding of hammer on anvil could be perceived just on the peripheries of her hearing. The cadence had been echoing inside her head for the last day and two nights. Niall had worked all that time without stopping. He often immersed himself in his work, but she had expected him to come home last night. The dreams she had still disturbed her, even though she couldn't remember them. She had kept waking up to the hypnotic ding-ding-ding of metal on metal.

  Keavah was still sleeping after waking up sceaming in the middle of the night. Laoch sat at the kitchen table, quiet and sombre, playing with a wooden toy. His breakfast of scrabbled eggs was getting cold, he hadn't taken a single bite. Nighean came in from the living room, opened the door to the stove and grabbed a small piece of split wood that was stored in a cupboard next to it. Throwing the log into the stove she began to stoke the fire.

  "Sorry, Dear." Fiona said apprehensively. "I didn't realize the fire was getting low."

  Nighean shrugged. "I was just getting cold, that's all."

  Standing beside her mother she asked, "Would you like me to bring Dad his breakfast?"

  Fiona gave her daughter a hug and a reassuring smile. "No, that's OK. I think I'll tell him to come in- he needs a break. Just keep an eye on the kids."

  Fiona put on her heavy winter cloak and slipped on her high boots. Looking at Laoch for a moment she sighed and opened the door. Holding her cloak with one hand, she quickly pulled the door shut behind her as a front of cold air took her by surpise. Icy wind whipped at her hair and cloak, freezing her cheeks. Stepping down off the porch, fresh powdered snow came to the top of her tall boots. Snow flew all around as she trudged down the hidden path. Cold silence rang in her head when the hammering stopped for a moment, the ding-ding-ding echoed through the heavily laden trees.

  Reaching the door to the shop, she discovered it was locked. Niall never locked the door when he was working. On the tips of her toes, Fiona felt along the door frame with her fingers for the spare key. She quickly found it and unlocked the door. The door swung inward as she stepped inside and closed it behind her.

  The room was hot as the furnace blazed with an incredible heat. The only illumination came from the forge and Fiona had to wait for her eyes to adjust. Niall was pumping the bellows with his left arm, and held a pair of tongs with the other. Black smoke curled its way up the flue, and a long thick piece of metal was glowing with an internal crimson red light within the bed of coals. Niall grabbed it with the tongs, moved to the anvil and set down the white hot material. Quickly retreaving his hammer and chisel, he placed the chisel on the middle of the molten steel and made a deep horizantal cut in the soft metal. Then he put down the chisel and fetched his tongs. Taking one end of the metal with the tong, he began to fold the metal on itself and the ding-ding-ding- began again. Sparks exploded with every strike.

  Niall was stripped to the waist and was covered in coal dust. Sweat trickeled down in little rivers along his body and his bald head glistened in the red light. The hair around his ears stood straight out, giving Niall a primordial look.

  "Niall." Fiona said.

  Niall didn't answer her.

  "Niall, why don't you take a break and come eat."

  "I'm not hungry." He sounded irritated as he kept up his relentless pounding.

  "You haven't eaten in almost two days now, Niall."

  "Leave me alone." Niall sceamed at Fiona. "Get out!"

  Fiona hesitated, she wasn't accustomed to Niall speaking to her like that. His words hurt like the downward stroke of his hammer hitting the anvil. Ding-ding-ding. She couldn't think with the ringing in her head. Feeling hurt and despondent, she turned to leave.

  "OK, Niall. If that's what you want."

  She looked back at Niall. The ding-ding-ding- of his persistent pounding reveberated in her head. Opening the door, she quickly walked out and closed it behind her. The brightness of the outside hurt her eyes. She heard a click as the door was locked behind her.

  ****