“Desert Winds company? No, sorry. Never heard of you guys.” “Really? I can’t believe it. We trade worldwide!” The two Navahoans had come across a stroke of luck. Before leaving the laboratory they had filled their pouches with aurum and argin, and since they couldn’t carry it all had buried the crate underneath the floorboards. Makatai was secretly most pleased with the weapon his father had left behind, hoping to thank him for it once they met. Upon leaving the grove they had come across a merchant taking one of the large winding roads in the direction of Avalon, and after flagging him down and confirming his destination had climbed aboard his elk-drawn carriage.

That was how the situation now stood, with Ahanu and the hooded merchant chatting away jovially and Makatai with his feet propped up on a crate of his merchandise, spinning his short spear slowly in his hand, clockwise and counter-clockwise. “Now, I truly can’t believe it! I must assure you we only sell the finest quality wares all over Pangea, with prices that run the risk of pulling the shirts from our backs!” “Hey, I believe you!” After some consideration the two had decided that the best place to look for information (and have the dagger repaired) was New Camelot, the capital city of Avalon. “So you’re looking for a blacksmith?” Ahanu confirmed with a curt nod. “Then I must recommend none other than the Mouth of Flame steelworks. I think you’re most likely to be served with discretion there, especially considering your unique needs.” He nodded to the dagger from beneath his hood. “Yeah, we’ve heard… Hey, trader. Don’t suppose you have any messaging ravens, do you?” “But of course! Desert Winds merchants such as myself have all manner of skills unrelated to trade. It comes with our all-encompassing client satisfaction guarantee!” The hooded gentleman flashed a toothy grin from beneath the cowl.

“Convenient. Alright then, my friend! Would you be so kind as to send a message for me?” Upon hearing this, Makatai leant forward. It was his turn to flash a wry smile. “You really just can’t help yourself when it comes to that girl, can you?” Sighing contentedly, Ahanu sat back against the wood of the carriage and closed his eyes, raising his head to the sun. “I’d love to say it wasn’t so, brother, but I’d be lying.”

“Ha! I truly never thought you’d let a girl get you under her thumb so completely.”

“Me neither! Imagine that. A hunter like me, pinned down by a tiger?” Ahanu opened his eyes again and turned to look at his friend. “I’ve been with a lot of girls in my life. But not one of them, not one single one of them, has made me feel like she does. When we’re together my heart roars with flame, and when we’re apart all the more so.” Makatai listened intently. It was very rare for Ahanu to talk seriously about anything like this. “So… Makatai. Listen carefully. Did your mother teach you the soul-sewing rite before… all this?”

When Makatai heard this his eyes widened and he sat straight, a mixture of shock and joy flooding his system. “Are you serious?” Before he had even finished the question he knew the answer. Ahanu’s resolve was palpable. “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.” “You know you don’t need the ritual? I- I do know it, she taught me before-” A pang rose in his chest, but he ignored it. “But it doesn’t actually do anything! It’s a rite in name only. And you’re both only twenty!”

“Come on, Makatai. You know how much it means to any pair. And who better than you? We’ve been friends all our lives. I’d settle for nobody else.” As he said that he finished writing and turned to the merchant who still sat beside him, grinning silently at what he heard. Ahanu gave the destination and off it went, disappearing over the horizon. “That’s that. I’ve invited them all to New Camelot, to give them the news in person.” Makatai’s face slowly broke out into a smirk, then a smile and finally a grin as he leapt to his feet and clapped his hands down on Ahanu’s shoulders, beginning to laugh. Hanging his head in mock embarrassment for a moment before beginning to do the same, Ahanu spun and the two dear friends shared a tight embrace. “Coming from you, how could I say no?” The merchant next to them grinned too, the joy in the air infectious as the carriage rumbled on its course, carrying the three men closer to their destination.

The titanic walls of New Camelot came into sight over the horizon about half an hour later, marking the end of the road as close. The only thing that rose higher than the twenty meter high bulwark were the multiplicitous thick columns of steam and smoke rising into the sky and being carried off into the distance by the wind. They drew to a stop at one of the overwhelmingly large gates, and two armoured guards strode up from either side to check the contents of the carriage. “Business in Avalon?” One of them asked gruffly, directing the question at all three. Makatai could make out a pair of cold eyes staring back from beneath the helmet. “Relax, my friend.” The merchant spoke up for the trio before either one of the others could say anything, fishing around in his cloak’s pocket and pulling out a large bronze token before showing it to the guard. He seemed to recognise the symbol emblazoned upon it, an Hourglass floating above a desert in a horizontal orientation. “My mistake. May I be so bold as to ask what you’re carrying?” “Your desperately-needed leviathan bone. As one of the few companies with supply lines that still evade the Helios pirate factions, I’d advise caution about who you pick on in future.” His tone bore a razor-sharp edge, warning the guardsmen against any further interference. The one who had addressed them shifted uncomfortably, his armor rattling slightly as he did so. “My apologies, and thank you for your service.” With that he turned, raising his head to a platform high above. “Open the gate!”

A rattle of chains and groaning of hinges sounded, and the two vast doors of the south gate swung open to reveal the heaving steam yard of New Camelot. People bustled left and right, weaving between the carriages that crawled down the cobbled streets. Makatai had never seen anything like it in his life. Chatter and the sound of pounding metal filled his ears, coming from within walled-off courtyards and tall brick houses. Wooden signs hung from every shop, depicting everything from hammers and anvils to tankards of ale. The two boys couldn’t help but grin at the sight.

“Alright, my friends!” The trader shouted, talking over the hubbub of the busy district. “This is it for now!” The three men shook hands and the two Navahoans jumped off, turning to thank the driver. “You can find the Mouth of Flame a little further into the steam yard, just beyond there!” he pointed down a thin alleyway. “And one more thing! Here!” He put his hand into another of the many pockets of his cloak and pulled out two tokens, handing one to each of the boys. Upon first glance they looked identical to the one he had shown the guard, but upon closer inspection the hourglasses were vertical rather than horizontal and a thin band surrounded it. “This represents your membership with the Desert Winds company. Show these to any of our representatives, and you’ll be guaranteed an even higher level of service than our ordinary customers. And that’s a promise!” The two thanked their new companion heartily, and with a smile and a wave he cracked the reins and the elk carried on along the cobbles.

The young men pushed on down the alley the merchant had indicated, until eventually it opened up into a courtyard, enclosed on all sides bar the side they had come and a shade of orange in the dying light. A large smithy lay in the far corner of the courtyard with a huge, almost guillotine-like machine sitting outside, except rather than a blade as its head there was a slab of steel, with steam blasting out of the top of the metal monstrosity as the head slammed down over and over. A young man who looked to be about the same age as Makatai sat at the machine with his back to them, focusing intently on his hands. Fire spat from the plate at which the youth worked. Looking up, Makatai inspected the sign which read “Mouth of Flame steelworks”, and knew they had come to the right place. “Hello! Excuse me?” Ahanu stepped forward, speaking in Traders tongue, and waved at him despite his back being turned. The machine ground to a halt, and finally the young man turned to acknowledge their presence.

He had close-cut choppy blonde hair, and as he pulled the goggles from his face the pair could make out cold blue eyes looking back at them. The muscles in his arms and shoulders were clearly detailed, exposed in the heat by the leather vest that he wore. He stood to approach them and was only an inch or so shorter than Ahanu at his full height. “Hello, Navahoans. What can I do for you today?” “Hi there! We’re looking for a blacksmith.” “Surely not.” Came the dry reply. “Well, luckily for you I’m the best around. Name’s Rycher Forgeborn. Come in and let's see what I can do for you.” He turned and waved them along behind him lazily. They caught up, and together all went inside.

Rycher drew a chair and sat down on the far side of a desk, throwing his heavy boots up on top of it and putting his hands behind his head. “Alright. What can I do for you two fine gentlemen?” A hint of dry sarcasm was present in his tone, not intentionally unfriendly but not exactly inviting either. “Yes, well.” Makatai leant forward on his chair. “Are you the owner of this place?” “The very same. Impressive, right? I know.” Makatai couldn’t help but agree. An impressive array of weaponry and armour hung from the walls, prices varying from pocket change to a fortune.

“We were told by a Desert Winds merchant you could help us discreetly?” He pulled a bundle of cloth from his bag and passed it to the young man sitting across from him. “Desert Winds?” he said, accepting the bundle. “Never heard of them. Must be associates of my fathers.” As soon as Rycher saw the spirit-glass pommel, his face turned white as a sheet and he stuffed it under the table. “Shit!” He whispered, clearly aggravated. “You wanna get us all executed?” He looked out through the windows nearby, out into the darkness. Not a soul lingered in the moonlight, and yet a look of terror was plastered on his face as though he looked at death itself. “Come with me.” clutching the cloth tightly he opened a door and waved them through, before following them down a flight of steps and into a shadowed basement.

Lighting the lanterns that hung from the ceiling, their new acquaintance felt a little more at ease. “Sit.” He gestured to a round table with various chairs dotted around it. The two Navahoans did as instructed, and he followed suit after closing and locking the door they had come through. “Alright. You’re gonna need to answer me a few questions. First of all, am I the first person you’ve tried with this?” The other two nodded in answer. “Ok, alright. Thank the spirits for that.” He gave a long exhale, his face visibly slackening with relief. “To answer your request, yes. I can fix your dagger. In fact I can do so right now. Do you have the broken part with you?” He laid the bundle out onto the table, revealing the dagger hidden within. “No, sorry. We didn’t think we’d need it.” Came the response from Makatai, a little sheepishly in the face of a clear professional.

“Ok, that’s alright. Although I hope you have the money to pay for it. And on top of that, I want a favour.” The shaman looked at the blacksmith quizzically. “And what might that be?” “Hold on. I can’t stand looking at an obviously finely-crafted piece of work in such a state.” Rycher turned and rummaged around in a drawer, before pulling out a singular metal ingot. “It’s leviathan steel, I presume? Of course, for a shaman it would have to be… One moment.” He walked over to the table and sat back down, placing the ingot next to the dagger and then taking the ingot in one hand and the dagger in the other. He closed his eyes, and Makatai could sense the young man gathering his spiritual energy into either hand. And then, as though the ingot were molten, Rycher Forgeborn pushed the knife deep into the chunk of metal and held it there. Ahanu and Makatai sat there, eyes wide, as the Avalonian pulled the blade back out with a shower of sparks and held it out in front of him.