Page 82 of Swordheart
“The company was excellent,” she said to Sarkis. “The hedges, not so much. I like this much better.”
“As do I,” said Sarkis. He looked as if he might say something else, but then Zale began handing out pieces of toast and the moment, if there had been one, was lost.
“So you heal inside the blade,” said Zale, after they had started down the road and the ox had lumbered into what was, for it, a good pace.
“I do.”
“How much do you heal? If we cut your hand off—not that I’m proposing that!—”
“Thank the great god. I would object.”
“—but would that heal as well? Would you have a new hand or a healed stump?”
“A new hand,” said Sarkis.
“Oh. Has it happened, then?”
“Not my hand. One of my wielders liked to cut out my tongue.”
There was a brief, horrified silence. He looked up to see both Halla and Zale staring at him. Zale had brown eyes and Halla gray, but their expressions were identical.
“It grew back.”
“Sarkis…” said Halla, eyes huge with sympathy. “That’s horrible!”
“I did not enjoy it,” Sarkis admitted. It had been a great deal of wet fumbling and gouging pain, with blood and spit pouring out of his mouth, and the knowledge that he would live through it had not been much comfort in the moment.
Zale made a gesture over their chest, whether a benediction or a warding, he did not know.
Halla reached out and took Sarkis’s hand. He looked down at it, then squeezed.
And which of us is comforting the other is anyone’s guess…
“Forgive me,” said Zale. “This is indelicate, but… what happened to your tongue?”
“What?”
“The tongue that was cut out,” said Zale. “Did it cease to exist? Did it go back in the sword?”
“I have no idea. I was not exactly paying attention!”
“Completely understandable,” said the priest in soothing tones. “Who would be? But I must wonder what happened. That might be important to understanding how the blade works.”
Sarkis exhaled. “I… can see how that would be useful. But I don’t know the answer.”
“Hmmm,” said Zale. They looked at Halla. Halla chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully.
Both of them looked at Sarkis.
He groaned, recognizing twin lights of curiosity in their eyes. “Fine. Would you like to cut off my little finger to test it?”
Zale looked genuinely shocked. “Oh dear! No, no, we shouldn’t start there! What about… oh! What happens when you urinate?”
Sarkis’s mouth fell open.
“Oh, that’s a good question,” said Halla. “We could test from there, couldn’t we?”
“Test… what are you…?”
