Page 26 of Swords and Curses

"Another time perhaps, Rhosyn. This night is about you, not about a bitter old magician."

"At least you still have your looks," she teased, and to her surprise, he laughed.

"You really are a brat," he squeezed her hand. "Come on."

A fire had been built on the lakeside, and Eli, Saul, and Balthasar stood around it solemnly as they approached. They were all dressed for battle, Eli in full Unseelie form and even more frightening wrapped in silver embossed leather, the silver star and wolf gleaming brightly on his chest. Saul's sign was a bear, Balthasar's a stag. They were all so serious that Rosaswallowed the cheeky comments that were threatening to bubble out of her. Balthasar looked her over, and though his face didn't change, his eyes burned so hot that she almost lost her nerve.

"Come to me, Rosa," Bleddyn instructed, and she shuffled to his side. He handed a long sword to Eldon. It was crafted of polished golden tinted steel that hummed with magic. Ryn's sword. She hadn't seen it since Pearl had torn her throat out.

"When the world of the Aos Si was completed, two tears were wept by the Creator God. One tear was golden dawn, and one tear was black night. From these tears, the people of the Aos Si crafted two swords to signify the sovereignty of Seelie and Unseelie, and the power and promise of the land flowed through them," Bleddyn recounted as he pulledWidow's Furyfrom the sheath at his side and held it up to the flames. "It has been thousands of years since these swords have been together. The Aos Si is broken, but hopefully, in time, it will right itself once more. The Autumn Queen's power is fading, and the sword of the Seelie is now yours, Rosamund Wylt. Do you accept it?"

"I do," she managed.

Eldon stepped forward and held the naked blade up to her.

"Grip this steel. Claim it as your own, and swear to any god that you owe fealty to that you are strong enough to be worthy of it," Eldon commanded.

Rosa took a deep breath and gripped the cold blade tightly in her bare hand. Hot blood trickled from the cuts it made in her palm, and the blade thrummed in her hand. Eldon let it go and quickly stepped back.

With her other hand, Rosa gripped the hilt. As she did, the stylized grip of golden leaves shimmered and shifted under her hand. Now there was a pattern of cold silver roses and stars, the gold in the blade vanishing until it was a shard of polished starlight.

As Rosa let the blade go, the blood on it shuddered, and the steel absorbed it. It trembled, shifting and shimmering, its long heavy weight changing, altering and shortening to tailor to her height, her strength, her reach. Magic, old and deep, ran along her arms, magnifying her own power until it was spilling out of her in a haze of pink and golden light.

"What is its name, Rosa?" Eldon asked.

She twisted the new blade in her hand, admiring its shape, remembering how she came to hold it. A name reached out to her, brushing against her mind. When her voice came out of her, it was deeper, a hum of metallic power mixed with her timbre. "Its name shall beGaeaf Storom, the Winter Storm, and the end of the eternal autumn."

Balthasar stepped forward, belted a sword belt around her waist, and held a scabbard to her. As she slid in the sword, it shrank until it was a perfect fit. With smiling eyes, he buckled the sword to her belt. His own magic drifted out of his palm, a curl of midnight blue, and purred against her as he took her hand.

Eldon took her other hand, his magic the same golden yellow as his eyes. Saul took Balthasar's hand in a burst of pale green. Finally, Bleddyn joined the circle and took Eldon and Saul's hands. Curling silver light emanated from him and shot around the circle in a weave, pulling and combining the light of their power in an intricate knotwork that was so beautiful tears flowed from Rosa's eyes.

"Always remember that we are connected," Bleddyn said. "We are one, and we will always be strongest when we are together. This pattern is us, the Gwaed Teulu, bound for eternity through the bonds of magic and the Seren Du bloodline."

The beautiful moment was shattered as the Faerie Stones flared to life by the water. The family's magic pulled out of the weave and back inside of them.

"What the hell is happening?" Saul asked.

A figure burst through the portal, red cloak flying as they ran, and five mounted Seelie and a raiding party followed on foot.

"Get ready to engage," Bleddyn commanded, and Rosa pulledGaeaf Storomfrom its scabbard. The others had swords in their hands, and as one, they ran toward the Seelie party. Blood roared in Rosa's ears as they moved like streaks of shadow in the darkness. She didn't have to look for Balthasar to know that he flanked her right side. She wouldn't have to hide from the fight, not this time.

They slowed and fell into formation as the Seelie raced along the shoreline in pursuit. "Help me!" the figure in the cloak screamed. "Help!"

Without waiting for direction, Rosa raced forward and pulled the frightened figure behind her. The sword in her hand hummed, and she launched herself with a violent rage towards a Seelie on top of a grey stallion.Gaeaf Storomcut through its armor, plowing hard into its chest and they toppled to the ground together. Rosa pulled her sword free and turned on the next.

Eldon was beside Bleddyn, the two of them moving as one in a bloody dance of magic and steel, cutting down whoever moved into their path. Balthasar and Saul had pulled off the other riders.

There was a sharp scream, and Rosa swung towards the sound. The figure in the cloak had been knocked to the ground. Rosa ran to their aid and met the raider blow for blow beforeGaeaf Storomclaimed limb and life.

A horn blast echoed through the forest, and the Seelie began their retreat. Rosa joined Balthasar and Saul as they went after them, cutting them down, dodging their sharp arrows as their Unseelie blood sung for violence and vengeance.

Two riders made the portal, swallowing them in a haze of light. The rest were cut down as Rosa and the Vanes cleared the forest. When it was over, Rosa made her way back to the sobbing figure on the ground.

"You're okay now. They are gone," Rosa said.

"Step back, Rhosyn. You don't know what kind of trap this is," Eldon began.

The figure on the ground was up in a moment, throwing arms around him.

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