Amazonia-Birth of a sword

As we headed for the small gate, I asked, "Dominus, aren't you afraid Eurax will take revenge on you when he finds out, since he can't touch Lady Jhadra?"

"Why do you think I am selling the Ludus? The moment your last arena fight is over, I am heading with my wife and son for the docks, where a ship is waiting... and before you ask, no one knows her destination except the ship's captain and I. Once Eurax cools off, he will realize we put Antonius to a far better use. War is the bane of trade and commerce."

Is that a note of unease in his voice? I wouldn't be surprised, considering Eurax's reputation, yet it's not my concern. Just so Eurax's vengeance doesn't fall on the rest of us is all I ask. We reached the small gate, Amko a silent shadow behind us, the mana stones set in silver spirals she wore in her ear lobes glowing blue as the guards opened the door of rusty bars.

Lady Jhadra was waiting. "Ready?" I nodded with more confidence than I felt, and she turned towards Antonius, already kneeling on the concrete floor with his tunic off. Below his breastbone was a dark red opening, no doubt leading to his heart. Lady Jhadra bent down to whisper in Antonius's ear; his eyes went wide, and as she straightened, he stared up at her as she said, "I swear by the sacred name of the queen I serve that I have spoken the truth. Amazonia, kneel behind Lord Antonius and hold him."

I kneel down behind Antonius, sitting back on my heels, and he leaned back against my chest as he looks up. "Did Paulus explain?"

"Yes," I replied, keeping my voice impassive with everyone's eyes upon me. "For what it's worth, a certain person should be cast into the deepest depths of Hades’ realm and never released."

"He will wish he was already there by the time I am finished." At my puzzled look, Antonius shook his head. "In time you will understand. Az, please promise me you will return to Konstanopolis once the sword shatters, and claim what is rightfully yours."

"If I can," I answered with a shrug.

"You will."

Amko entered the room holding an Ironwood sword resembling the katanas used by Khitian warriors, but longer, almost the length of a great-sword. A round metal guard was set in place over the hilt, already wrapped in strips of black leather, with the dark brown blade carved to razor sharpness on the front side, and halfway down the blade on the back. Blood red runes had been drawn all along both sides of the blade. By tradition, Amko should’ve handed it to Dominus first, but instead she walked past him, reversed the sword, and handed it hilt first to Lady Jhadra. The Daemo shouldn't have accepted it, yet did so without rebuke.

Dominus frowned at Amko, who only ignored him while Lady Jhadra ignored them both. Her attention was fixed on the two of us kneeling at her feet. "Antonius, I am going to slide the tip of the blade a few inches into the channel leading to your heart." She took the sword and gently moved it towards Antonius' chest until he stiffened in my arms. "Amazonia, grip him by the shoulders." I moved my hands to the point where his shoulders met his arms, and she said, "When Lord Antonius commands you, push him onto the blade with a fast motion so the tip will pierce his heart, and hold onto him until the transformation ends."

My lips had gone completely dry. "Yes, Domina." Glancing down at Antonius' face, I was reminded of a new gladiator ready for his first fight. "Be brave."

"I will be better than brave," he replied, swaying in my arms. "I am going to be fierce." He took a deep breath. "Do it." I shoved him forward onto the blade-

-As Lady Jhadra unleashed her enchantment. Purple lightning crackled around the three of us as the blade changed from dark brown to shiny black, the runes burning themselves into the Ironwood as they began to glow red as the blood bubbling out of his chest. I couldn’t move or even blink, my gaze held by the dragon scale shining like a purple star... blazing like a purple sun... filling the earth and sky with purple fire as I was consumed...

Then it winked out. I'm falling back onto something hard while a body falls on top of me, people are yelling... why is a sword sticking up out of his chest? Faces, speaking gibberish as hands shake me... I'm being pulled away from the body...

Wait, I know this face. "Io?"

He grinned down at me, crouched at my side as my mind and memories sorted themselves out. "Az, don't scare me like that."

"What just happened was scary enough." Standing over me, Cotus held out his hand and I took it, Io standing up as he took my other one, and they hauled me to my feet. The room spun and I gripped their calloused hands until it stoped. "Are you better?"

I nod as Io said, "Antonius is dead."

They released my hands and stepped aside. Antonius laid crumpled on the concrete floor, his head flopped towards me, staring up with sightless eyes. His mouth was set in the rictus of a wild grin. Lady Jhadra held onto the sword sticking out of his chest by the hilt, her eyes on me. "If you are recovered, the time has come for you to claim your sword."

Taking a deep breath, I stepped past my two companions towards Lady Jhadra, who moved her hands to the sword's metal guard to continue supporting it, leaving the leather bound hilt free. Could I refuse to take the sword at this point? Would I dare? No, I wouldn't, and what's more, I don't want to. I want this sword. I stopped beside Lady Jhadra and grasped the hilt as she took her hand away, and then pulled the sword from Antonius' chest as if from a sheath. Blood drops fell from the blade like red rain onto the concrete as I held it up.

The black blade glimmered as if made from obsidian, the runes glowing a sinister shade of dark red from the tip down to the metal guard. The sword felt light as a feather in my hand. "Domina, I have wielded normal Artifact weapons smaller than this and carved from ordinary wood, and none of them felt as weightless in my hands as this one."

Lady Jhadra gave me a sly smile as she stepped away from the blood slowly pooling around Antonius' body. "I cannot explain my magic in a way that would make sense to you. So accept it, and take a few moments outside the chamber getting acquainted with your new sword." As I stepped away, being careful not to accidentally cut someone, she crouched down and passed a hand over the pooling blood as the scale in her forehead began to glow.

She pulled out a wooden stylus carved with more runes as the blood began glowing purple as well. "So, who wants to be the first tattooed?"