Page 71 of Beer & Broomsticks
“Ya see the abuse I suffer here? It’s a wonder I stay.”
“Stop whinging on,” Bridget scolded as she stood on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips.
“It looks like a real hardship,” Knox said dryly. Taking his time, he turned in a circle, his eyes missing nothing of the room. Glowing pentagram, the altar with the temperamental spellbook, torches on the walls, and tapestry map ofÉire.“I can also see you have a ceremony started, though why you left a protective circle in the middle of a spell is beyond me. You’ll need to rework it.”
“We hadn’t gotten that far.” Roisin pointed to four of the five lit candles. “We were about to step things up a bit.”
His expression turned grim. “No time. Things are pretty serious up there. Tell me what you need, and I’ll conjure it.”
“Ruairí suggested rebar or some type of metal to shape a sword.” Bridget looked at the others and shrugged. “Why risk getting hurt when he can conjure what we need?”
“Why, indeed,” Knox replied. “How long?”
“Roughly eighty centimeters in length, and the weight should be about nine-hundred grams.” When Knox gave Ruairí a blank look, he laughed and said, “About thirty-one inches long and weighing two pounds.”
“Thanks for the conversion. I’ll remember to install an app on my phone for next time. What about color?”
“Have you ever seen a two-handed sword? This would be steel, silver in color, with a black metal handle. Engraved on the handle there is a Celtic knot, similar to the pattern on Bridget’s amulet with jewels encrusted in the design.”
Knox chuckled. “That’s pretty specific.”
“It’s an unforgettable sword, to be sure.”
“Do you have it with you? I’d like to see and weigh it to conjure a duplicate.”
Bridget retrieved the weapon, handing it over to Knox. “Can you do it?”
“I believe so,” he said at length as he closely studied the Sword of Goibhniu from every angle. “Have you thought to summon the god who made this and ask for a duplicate?”
Cian shook his head. “We wouldn’t dare insult him. Two hundred and fifty years is a long time for a god like Goibhniu to be patient over the loss of one of his prized weapons.”
“I’m a metal elemental and can manipulate all forms, but I need something to work with. Might I use one of the rods holding the torches?”
“Aye.”
Stepping up to the wall, Knox jerked one of the torches down with an effortless display of strength, turned it sideways, and ran his hand down the entire length of the handle. The flame followed the path of his hand, molding and shaping the metal until it began to resemble a sword.
“Deflammo.”
The fire went out completely without a single sputter, and Bridget made a mental note to remember the word for the next time someone decided to blow up her home or business.
In another two minutes, the replica sword was ready with the exception of the jewels.
“What do we use to create them?” she asked.
“It’s not my area of expertise, but I imagine if we can get glass, I can make a passable stone.”
“I’m on it.” She gave Ruairí a kiss for luck and jogged up the stairs, careful to listen for sounds of activity before inching open what remained of the hidden bookcase. Making short work of her glass-finding mission, she grabbed a large vase off the floor where it had fallen and darted back down the stairs. With a triumphant grin, she handed it off to Knox.
CHAPTER29
It didn’t take Knox long to break the glass and reshape the pieces into the four stones he needed—a ten-carat diamond and three fifteen-carat emeralds. By the time he was done, the swords were identical.
“How are we ever going to be able to tell them apart?” Carrick examined one, then the other, and shook his head. “It’s feckin’ unbelievable, it is.”
“Does yours hold magic?” Ruairí asked. “Do we need to worry about Loman getting his hands on it?”
“Not at all. The magic was in the making.” Knox grinned, and Ruairí found himself liking the guy. “All Loman will get is metal and glass with a dull-edged blade.”
