The Copper Sign by Katia Fox & Lee Chadeayne

Author:Katia Fox & Lee Chadeayne [Fox, Katia & Chadeayne, Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: medieval
ISBN: 9781611090345
Google: t4RKXwAACAAJ
Amazon: 1611090342
Publisher: AmazonEncore
Published: 2009-01-01T13:00:00+00:00

The next two evenings she watched the boy more closely at work. He was diligent, willing to learn, and skillful. He would certainly make his way in life. Sadly, Ellen thought back to the day when she had first gone to see Llewyn. How long ago that was! She had been a little younger than Jean. If he spent more time in the smithy and if she explained more things to him, why shouldn’t he be lucky someday, too?

After Ellen had folded the iron for the last time, she marked two pieces of equal size without cutting them off.

“Are you going to fold it again after all?” Jean asked with surprise.

“Just hold on and watch, then you’ll see what I am doing.” Ellen cut a groove first in one half, and then in the other.

Jean didn’t dare ask again and just looked on silently.

Ellen took the square point she had made first, placed it in the notch, and checked the depth. Then she deepened the groove a bit and tested the other half as well. When she was satisfied, she turned one side down, as with the folding earlier, without completely closing the billet, however. “Take a pair of tongs to hold the stack, and in the other hand take the chisel.”

“Why do I have to pick up the tongs again?

“Because now I am going to remove the rod.”

“But didn’t we just attach it?” Jean looked at her, confused.

“We only needed it for the folding, and now we have to cut it off again.”

“But that takes a lot of time. Couldn’t we have just continued using the tongs?” Jean was puzzled.

“The longer you help me, the more you will understand why some steps take so much time at first but in the end save time and energy,” Ellen replied gruffly. When the handle had been removed, she placed the square point in the notch and laid the other half of the billet over it. Now the front part had disappeared in the two grooves.

“The square point is made of softer iron, and that’s why I chose it for the core of the blade.” Ellen pointed to the two halves. “The billet is of much harder iron and is thus well suited for the jacket. In just a moment we shall have to weld it again. You’re not afraid of that anymore, are you?”

Jean grinned and shook his head. “I’ve gotten used to it.”

“The square point is sticking out far enough so we can use it as a holding rod, do you see?”

Jean nodded and put the billet in the fire, turning it from time to time, but when it was all glowing evenly he just stood there as in a trance staring into the flickering flames.

“Can’t you see that the iron is burning?” Ellen scolded and came running over. The billet was already spitting white sparks. Jean grabbed it and quickly took it out of the fire.

“Burned iron is worthless for making swords,” Ellen emphasized. She had paid a lot

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