The Final Gift - The Return of the Wolf of Marrallang
19 Aug 2020Aeryn Airstryder
Ao and August crept silently along the corridor towards August's cabin, encountering no resistance.With a few quick taps on the lock the door hissed open, and the two slipped inside.
The room was lavishly decorated with paintings, gold trimmings and a large four poster, mounted on the wall above a beautifully crafted mahogany desk was a black hard case, about a meter long, emblazoned with the Arquette family crest.
August reached up and took the case down, holding it so the crest and sterling sliver latch faced Ao.
"She had this ordered specially for you, it took nearly six months to make...she never got to see it finished..."
With trembling hands, Ao undid the latch, and opened the box...
Inside on a crushed velvet lining lay a magnificent Katana, The sky blue saya was polished to such a sheen, Ao could see his own scarred face looking back at him, but buttcap and tsuba were a brilliant gold, polished to the same standard with a dark blue ito, gold inlay between the braids.
Below the Katana lay another, shorter version of the sword in the same style called a Tanto, about the size of a large dagger.
Gently, with both hands Ao lifted the Katana from the case, drew the blade and held it above him to admire it in the light.
The blade seemed to shimmer with a faint blue hue, as Ao turned the blade, a bead of light ran along the edge like a shooting star and he noticed something engraved into the blade near the hilt.
He looked closer, the inscription read;
'I am the fangs of the Wolf of Marrallang'
Ao lowered the blade;
"It's been a very long time since I heard that name..."
He sheathed the sword and attached it to his right, the Tanto to the back of his belt, grip also to his right...
"It's time to go...if we don't help the young doctor, she's going to run straight into that squad I sent looking for them"
Ao looked at August and nodded;
"Lead the way"