Page 60 of Foxes of Legend

Dove

The four of us explored the large campus temple with so many twists and turns, examining weapons of every type.

All the weapons flickered orange with the fire, except for the Shadow weapons, which absorbed the light, like Seven’s. Some were metal hilts, used to bend the element into place like Enko’s.

“Does anything stand out to you?” Kairos asked.

“What about this one?” Seven held up a dark metal rapier made of iron.

“You’re not supposed to touch!” I whisper-yelled, scurrying over to him and gently placing the weapon back onto its stand, looking around to see if any of the Holy Foxes had seen. They had eyes everywhere in temples.

Seven, Kairos, and Enko shared a laugh. “You touched our weapons yesterday.”

“Well, yeah, but these aresacred. Only high-ranking foxes are allowed to touch them.”

Seven rolled his eyes and leaned against a shadowy column in the corner.

Under a narrow glass case, a glint of light called to me. The katana gleamed hello as I approached, sparkling like it was thefirst time it had been noticed in a while. I wiped away the dust with my sleeve.

“A katana,” I said in finality.

“Hope you’re ready for a long week, Fated. Forging a katana isn’t easy,” Kairos grunted as we entered the Forge.

Nobody was there at this time of day, but the Holy Foxes must have called the Elder because he arrived shortly after us.

“Ah, good morning! What can I do for you?”

Kairos stepped forward. “We’re helping Dove craft her first weapon.”

Elder Peter glanced at me skeptically. “Already? You’ve only taken a single class.”

“And she has the three of us to help her. Besides, crafting weapons is the best way to get better,” Enko grumbled.

Seven snorted, crossing his arms. “And Kairos is a Forge Master.”

Elder Peter bowed to the men—a great sign of respect, showing that my mates outranked him—and unlocked a room beside the Forge.

Inside, piles of metals filled the edges of the room. None were labeled, but I identified each as I passed by. Fiery sconces hung behind the most expensive metals, illuminating their beautiful shine.

I examined and touched the surfaces, trying to feel a connection with one of them as the books said I should. A zing of power from my foxfire, or maybe a breeze from the magical connection.

And then I touched it and it took my breath away. Under the light, it looked white. Platinum. Its price, however, was more than I wanted to make Kairos spend for my first try at a weapon.

For nearly fifteen minutes, I hopped between copper and titanium as the men grew impatient, my eyes always going back to the platinum.

“Just get the platinum, we can hear your thoughts,” Kairos informed me, causing a slight blush to rise, and not from being close to the Forgefire.

“You can hear my thoughts too?” I asked.

“Only snippets,” Enko assured me quietly.

I selected the platinum and Kairos paid the Elder in gold coins for the metal. “Platinum, a timeless metal. Pure and enduring.”

“I figured you would have picked a darker metal, given your style.” Seven commented.

We processed the metal in the Forge, my Fated mates instructing me as we hammered out the basic shape.

Elder Peter watched over each of us, offering several tips along the way, though my Fated merely scowled instead of thanking him, forcing me to do the honors.

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