POV: Leo
I made the sword glow as bright as a miniature sun.
Sir Gareth and his soldiers stumbled backward, shielding their eyes. Kael took advantage of their blindness and bolted into the thick underbrush.
"What was that?!" she screamed in her mind as branches slapped her face.
"Emergency flash! I've been saving that trick for literally centuries!"
"You can DO that?!"
"Apparently! I'm learning new things too! Now stop talking and RUN FASTER!"
We crashed through the forest like a wild animal. Behind us, Sir Gareth's voice roared with fury. "After her! Don't let that sword escape!"
Kael's lungs burned. Her legs screamed. But she kept going until the voices faded completely. Finally, she dove into a hollow beneath a fallen tree and collapsed, gasping.
For several minutes, only her ragged breathing filled the small space.
Then I spoke. "Okay, we need to talk about what just happened back there."
"You THINK?!" Kael wheezed. "My former master just tried to capture me! Or kill me! I'm not sure which is worse!"
"Definitely capture. He wants me—the sword. You're just the inconvenient person holding it."
She flinched like I'd slapped her. "Thanks. That makes me feel SO much better."
I felt a twinge of guilt. Was that guilt? Could swords feel guilt? This whole having-emotions-again thing was confusing.
"Sorry," I muttered. "That came out wrong. What I meant was—"
"I know what you meant." Her voice cracked. "I'm worthless. Everyone knows it. Sir Gareth. The other squires. Even a magic sword thinks so."
"I didn't say you were worthless!"
"You didn't have to!" Tears streamed down her face now. "You wanted some legendary hero to pick you up. A chosen warrior. Instead, you got me. The girl who can't even hold a sword properly. The failure."
My irritation flared. "Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself!"
"EXCUSE ME?!"
"You heard me! Yes, I wanted someone strong and skilled! Someone who knew what they were doing! Instead, I got a clumsy, untrained girl who's terrified of her own shadow!"
Kael's face turned red. "Well, I wanted a NORMAL LIFE! I wanted to prove myself to Sir Gareth, become a real knight, and maybe help people! Instead, I got a cranky, judgmental piece of metal stuck in my hand!"
"I'M NOT CRANKY!"
"YOU'RE LITERALLY YELLING AT ME RIGHT NOW!"
We both went silent. Well, as silent as you can be when having a mental argument with yourself.
Kael wiped her eyes angrily. "This is ridiculous. I'm arguing with a sword."
"A sword that just saved your life. Multiple times. You're welcome, by the way."
"I didn't ask you to save me!"
"Oh, would you have preferred I stayed quiet while you got shot with arrows?!"
"Maybe!" She grabbed the sword handle and shook it. "Maybe I should just throw you in the river! Or bury you under a rock! At least then I wouldn't have to listen to you complain!"
For a moment, genuine fear shot through me. The darkness. The silence. Being alone again for centuries.
"You... you wouldn't." My voice came out smaller than I intended.
Kael must have felt my fear because her anger deflated instantly. She stared at the blade, understanding dawning on her face.
"You're scared," she whispered. "You're actually scared I'll leave you."
I wanted to deny it. To sound tough and confident. But after a hundred years of loneliness, I couldn't lie.
"Yes," I admitted quietly. "I'm terrified. You're the first person I've talked to in so long. The first person who could hear me. If you leave me somewhere..." I couldn't finish the sentence.
Kael's expression softened. She sat down properly, holding me across her lap. "I won't leave you. I promise."
"Really? Even though I'm grumpy and judgmental?"
"Even though." She almost smiled. "And I'm sorry I called you a piece of metal. That was mean."
"I'm sorry I said you were worthless. You're not. You cut an arrow out of the air. That was genuinely impressive."
"Only because you told me how."
"I suggested it. YOU did it. There's a difference."
She thought about that for a moment. "So we're really stuck together? No way to separate?"
"Not that I know of. When you grabbed my handle, something connected us. I can feel what you feel. Sense what you sense. It's like we're..." I searched for the right word.
"Partners?" Kael offered.
"I was going to say 'cursed together,' but partners works too."
This time she actually laughed. It was a small sound, but genuine. "You really are grumpy, aren't you?"
"I prefer 'realistically pessimistic.'"
"That's just grumpy with extra words."
"Whatever."
We sat in comfortable silence for a bit. The forest sounds slowly returned. Birds chirping. Insects buzzing. Normal, peaceful sounds.
"What do we do now?" Kael asked finally. "Sir Gareth won't stop hunting us. And I have nowhere to go. I can't go home—he'll expect that."
I thought hard. "We need to figure out what I am. Why I'm special enough that he wants me so badly. There must be legends about this sword—about Stormbringer's Echo. If we can find information, maybe we can understand what we're dealing with."
"Where would we find that information?"
"Libraries. Ancient records. Maybe temples or museums. Places that keep old stories."
"The capital city has a huge library," Kael said slowly. "But that's three days' walk from here. And I have no money for food or supplies."
"Then we'll figure it out along the way. Hunt. Forage. Steal if we have to."
"I'm not a thief!"
"You're already wanted as one, according to Sir Gareth. Might as well embrace it."
She groaned. "This is my life now. Taking life advice from a sarcastic sword."
"Could be worse."
"HOW?!"
"You could be the sword, listening to YOU complain."
Despite everything, she laughed again. "Okay, fine. Partners. We'll figure this out together."
"Together," I agreed. "Even if you are clumsy."
"Even if you are grumpy."
"I'M NOT—" I stopped myself. "You know what? Fine. I'm grumpy. Happy now?"
"Extremely."
Kael stood up, brushing dirt off her clothes. She attached me to her belt properly this time. "So, which direction to the capital?"
"How should I know? I've been stuck in a cave for a century!"
"You're supposed to be the smart one!"
"And you're supposed to have eyes! Use them to find the sun and navigate!"
We bickered like that for several minutes before Kael finally picked a direction. As we started walking, I felt something weird in my chest—or whatever equivalent a sword has.
Hope.
For the first time in forever, I had hope. This girl wasn't the legendary warrior I'd dreamed about. She was clumsy, scared, and completely untrained.
But she was kind. And brave. And she hadn't abandoned me when she easily could have.
Maybe we'd make this work after all.
We walked for about an hour before Kael suddenly froze.
"Leo?"
"What?"
"Do you smell smoke?"
I focused on her senses. Yes—smoke. Thick and dark, coming from somewhere ahead.
We crept forward carefully. Through the trees, an orange glow became visible. Flames.
Kael gasped.
A village was burning. Houses collapsed in on themselves. People screamed and ran in every direction.
And standing in the center of it all, directing soldiers who carried torches, was Sir Gareth.
He was destroying an entire village.
Looking for us.