“You already wear down your other two broad swords?”The man joked.
“No.Thank the Great Spirit for that.”Aodh and Brantley knew that the only way a sword may be chipped or broken to the point of needing repair or replacement was during long battles and times of war.
“What I need is something lighter but no less lethal.”
“I don’t know if I could make something only sharp enough to slice fruit if I tried,” Brantley chuckled.
“Your ability is the stuff of legends.”Aodh praised the man.“I’m looking for something between an arming sword and a longsword.”
“So, something able to be wielded with one hand.”The blacksmith nodded in agreement as he looked up from the small sack and met Aodh’s gaze.“I assume you want me to keep the handle the same as always, thick and wide with your stones encrusted.”
Aodh shook his head.“Not thick.I want the handle no thicker than two fingers.”Aodh pressed his pointer and middle together and lifted his hand.
Brantley arched a brow in shock.“Are you already fashioning a practice sword for the offspring, Mckenna?”
He chuckled.“Not yet.This is for my mate.”
“Ahh.Now I understand the size.Humans’ hands are small and not as strong.”Brantley shook the bag, making the shards of obsidian clink inside.“Does she know of the honor you bestow on her by sharing your hearth-stone?”
Now that the other man was close, Aodh noted the wink from the rubies shining in the sunlight embedded in the clasps of Brantley’s apron straps, the smith’s hearth-stone.“Yes.My dragon revealed his hoard to her last night.”
Flames flicked in Brantley’s gaze as he gasped, understanding the significance of what Aodh said.“Then a new delicate sword Aguya will have.”
“Thank you.Inside, you will find a gold band, a piece important to my mate.The smallest stones add into it.”
“It’ll be done, Mckenna.”Brantly retighten the laces of the small satchel.“When my staff comes in, I’ll have them complete the table frame I started and get right on your request.”
“Much appreciated.”With that, Aodh turned and exited the roofless building, knowing he was leaving the precious things in good hands.
Once he stepped outside in the clearing, Aodh inhaled the fresh air deeply and exhaled into his dragon form.He immediately took flight.He could have walked to his next destination.Still, it would have placed him further away from his offices, and he didn’t want to be inconsiderate of Yeongi, who would be there by now working and waiting on his orders of the day, especially since Aodh had not mentioned that he would be so late this morning.
His flight only took a few minutes to drift further south down the territory.As he began his descent, his dragon changed the angle of its wings higher and higher to increase his drag against the wind and aid in gliding him to the ground before the house.
By the time his parents built this stone house to relocate when his father had stepped down as Mckenna; Aodh’d had his place for several years.This structure, before him, had never been his home.Or Liekki’s, for that matter.Their sister was the only one who resided in the space with their parents.
“Well, well.This is a pleasant surprise.”Brenna Brandr glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Aodh’s dragon from her kneeled position in the dirt.His mother loved to work in her garden early in the morning.
The Mckenna moved in measured, lumbered steps toward the female until it was close enough to nudge her gently on the back.
His mother laughed and swatted at his snout.“If you make me mess up these begonias, I will be cross with you.”Her words had little threat because of the smile on her face.
When she leaned her head down and rested it at the center of its muzzle, Aodh felt his beast’s heart melt.No person besides a Drahk’s mate or offspring ever held such an honored place in their heart.A dragon never disregarded the drahkelle who carried and nurtured them in their nest.
“Are you here to stay a while?”she asked as she sat back, set down her tool, and brushed the dirt from her hands.“Your father should return from his early flight soon, and I was about to start the morning meal.Eilidh is training on the evening shift with Comm, so I am sure she will not be up before late afternoon.”
Shifting to his male form, Aodh crouched beside her.“Not this time, Mother.I have responsibilities today I cannot put off long.”
When he first assumed the Mckenna position, he spent many mornings with them searching for advice from his father, afraid he would do something wrong.Soon, with his parents' unwavering confidence in him, allowing him to talk out loud through things on his mind and arriving at the best decision for the Thunder on his own helped bolster his confidence, and his visits lessened significantly.
“A Mckenna’s work is never done.I remember the decades your father served.”When she began to rise to her feet, Aodh assisted her.
“I am old, Aodh, not frail.”She teased but still took his hand.“I could still best half this Thunder in the ring.”
“I believe it since you trained Khuzaimah to take your place as a trainer.”Aodh chuckled.His mother was as fierce as she was lovely.She had the same dark hair as him, but her features were soft, whereas his and Liekki’s were more angular and sharp like their father's.His sister Eilidh was his mother's replica except for the heavy grey streaks in his mother's hip-length long hair.
“Don’t you forget it.”She stared at him with the same assessing gaze he gave her.“Since you have little time, I assume this visit has a specific purpose.”
“Yes, it does.”Aodh exhaled.“At week's end, I will bring Kai to the house for the evening meal.”
