Winter’s Dragons

[Mairead Harker]

Winter’s Dragons - Discovery

Excited voices filled the air on Twilight Isle as the battle with Ashene ended. For Maggie, the voices faded into the distance, save one, Zapphira’s.

Something speaks with the voice of water, Trifýlli. Can you hear it?

Maggie answered in a voice only her symbiotic companion could hear. ~It speaks with more than water’s voice. It speaks with winter’s as well.~

A third voice was heard, I am water. I am winter. I am a gift from a dragon to one held dearly by a dragon’s heart and to be worn near your own.

Maggie reverently lifted a piece of jewelry from the treasures, a pendant in the form of a sheathed sword. It reminded her of the dagger her grandmother often secreted on her person. She moved her fingers over the intricately detailed piece. Two gemstones, one of deepest purple and the other of fiery red glowed dimly like embers needing a little nudge to set them ablaze again.

Listen to it, Trifýlli. Look carefully, it’s marked with images of dragons.

Maggie carefully withdrew the small blade from its housing. It bore runes that she didn’t recognize and a pair of dragon heads formed the crossguard. ~I don’t understand. Dragons aren’t my totem.~

They’re ice dragons… winter. And your totem is the mighty winter bear!

~How do you know they’re ice dragons?~

They sing of water and winter. Is that not when water becomes ice in nature?

~Yes. What do we do next?~

Two things. Which of the stones speaks to ice?

~Beer Cooler … I mean IceDancer.~

Then find its essence.

Maggie placed the pendant around her neck. ~That might take some doing.~

Trifýlli, of all the fine smiths you know, who can bring out the metal’s sweetest song?

Maggie grinned. ~Next stop, Lemnos Craftworks.~

[Mairead Harker]

Winter’s Dragons - Song of Metal

The next morning, after doing research in her Gran’s library, Maggie made her way to her uncle’s shop in Old Market. Andred Greyblood was behind the counter when the teenager went inside. “Hey, Andred! Is Uncle Heph available?”

“He’s in the forge. Go on back. You know the rules.”

After suiting up with a heavy leather apron and covering her hair, Maggie made her way to the forge. One of the rules she’d been taught was not to interrupt the smith when a hammer and anvil were singing together. She waited until Hephaestus took a break for some water and waited for him to notice she was there.

“Clover! How are you?”

“Hey, Uncle Heph! Look what I found!” Maggie laid out the necklace on her upturned palm. “It was in the dragon’s treasure!” Maggie was as excited as if she was getting Winterfest gifts! “I need to find IceDancer bits to properly imbue it.”

“The Opal Eregor held.” Heph smiled as held out a bottle of water to her.

Taking the bottle with her free hand, Maggie nodded in thanks. “Yes! Zapphy said this,” she lifted the necklace and lowered it again, “sings of water and winter, so ... ice. I’ve worked out the magic to get the essences to stick. Can you teach me to sharpen it?”

Ever the doting uncle, Hephaestus gave Maggie a smile. There was something in his expression that asked, What’s next?

Maggie withdrew the tiny blade from its scabbard. She murmured an incantation and the blade began to take on its full size as a longsword. She braced her feet as she prepared for the difference in weight distribution. “What do you think?”

"A fine blade." The smith held out a hand in silent asking, and Maggie handed him the blade hilt-first. "Thank you." She released the longsword, and Heph lifted it up to the light, noting the straight lines of the blade and the weight of it. Taking care not to come too near his niece, he swung it about a few times. "The balance is extraordinary, and it sings as it cuts through the air, can you hear it? I daresay that as you work with it, you'll hear that song grow into a true voice." He handed the blade back to Maggie, just as she had to him. "Shall we get to it, then?"

Maggie was ready to get to the business of properly sharpening her new find.

((My thanks to the player of Hephaestus!))

[Mairead Harker]

Winter’s Dragons - Wizard’s Blessing

Over the next week or so, Maggie and Rachael worked together to collect the essences to fuse the powers of the Opals into their weapons. Maggie took the pair of IceDancer bits and eight unassigned ones to the wizards. She couldn’t help singing We’re off to see the wizard! as she went in search of Ferghalicous and his apprentices.

“Hey, now, that’s not funny!” The young wizard peered at the teenager with a mildly irritated expression that included furrowed brows. His stern expression brightened as he said, “Unless your name is Dorothy.”

Maggie laughed. “No, but I have played her on stage several times!”

“Well, that’s all right then. Let’s see what you’ve got!”

Maggie removed the pendant from her neck and laid it on her flattened palm. “You may hold it if you need to. Be aware, it might do the Alice in Wonderland Eat me, Drink me thing on you.”

“Eat me… oh!” Realization dawned as the apprentice carefully removed the miniature weapon from its sheath and examined it. Using the appropriate magic, he imbued the blade and scabbard with the essences, IceDancer was the driving force now dwelling in Winter’s Dragons.

“My thanks, sir.” Maggie reverently took the sword and murmured the words to bring the sword to its full size. The purple stone in its hilt now held an icy blue sparkle deep inside it. The blue hue was fitting given the wielder's birthstone was aquamarine. With the blade back to its normal size and in its place around her throat. She left a donation for the wizard’s favorite charity and went on her way.