Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega 02) by Patricia Briggs

Author:Patricia Briggs [Briggs, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-01-03T07:00:00+00:00

He went down to one knee and moved the carpet and pulled up a section of hardwood flooring. Underneath was a floor safe.

He put his hand flat on the safe, and after a moment it beeped and opened in a slow, steady motion. Inside was a narrow wooden case a little more than three feet long.

He picked it up and set it on top of the display table. The case itself was beautiful, a handcrafted blend of light and dark woods.

He opened the latches that kept the case closed and took the top completely off.

And she understood why a man might think that this . . . this was Excalibur. It bore as much resemblance to her father’s cavalry sword as a jaguar to a lion—both very effective predators.

Arthur’s Excalibur was shorter and wider than her father’s blade—and it was sharp on both sides. The blade was dark down the center, where it was indented, and she could see the patterns in the steel as if it were Damascus—and perhaps it was. The edges were smooth and bright, though, running parallel to each other for most of the length of the blade. The grip was made of steel and, in comparison to all those Excaliburs of film and TV Arthur had mentioned, was very utilitarian—and short. It was a sword meant to be swung with one hand, a sword meant to kill.

“Did they have steel in the sixth century?” she asked.

“They had steel swords, in some places, at least a thousand years before that,” answered Arthur. “Toledo steel swords were mentioned by the Romans back in the first century B.C.”

“It is—” She was going to say beautiful, but that wasn’t right. Her father’s sword had been long and graceful—a weapon designed for beauty as well as function. This was different. “Powerful.”

“No gems, no gold or glittery parts.” Arthur sounded pleased.

“It doesn’t need them.” The impulse to touch it was strong, but she kept her hands behind her back.

“The sword wasn’t the only weapon that Arthur carried,” Arthur said, his voice fervid with passion. “Just the most famous.

There was the Sword in the Stone, which recognized Arthur as rightful king. That is probably also the sword known as Clarent, which was used to bestow authority—such as kingship or rank. Some of the early Welsh tales mention the dagger, Carnwennen, with which he slew the Very Black Witch.”

A buzzer sounded. Sunny let out a squeak, checked her watch, and ran out of the room ranting about timers and burnt offerings.

“Your mate is lovely,” said Charles.

“She is,” Arthur said. “She brings me joy.” He touched the handle of his sword. “Excalibur is over fifteen hundred years old, and she will be with me another fifteen hundred years. My Sunny . . .” He swallowed. “My Sunny is dying slowly every day.”

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