Days 14 thru 15

Day 14:
Before dawn, we packed our things and walked Gretta to the eastern edge of town. There stood Uncle, the lady from the inn, a couple of shopkeepers, the tanner, and the constable. Gretta shrank from them a little, knowing that these people had seen her father mistreat her and was afraid they would do the same. The three of us walked away to let Gretta be sent off in traditional style. The shopkeepers provided her with a cloak, two changes of clothes, an extra pair of shoes, a bedroll, lantern, and a small skinning knife. The lady from the inn gave her some travel food and things a woman needs on the road. Uncle and the constable handed her the away money she would need. Just as the tanner started to speak, Gretta's father stumbled around a house.
"There you are, you stupid bitch! Where the hell is my breakfast? You didn't make us dinner last night and your brother cut his hand in the attempt, which would not have happened if you were in your place where you belong. Get you sorry ass back to the house, now!"
The constable stepped between him and Gretta, "She's eighteen, Van. She's been eighteen for five months now. Let her take her journey time."
"Stupid tradition! Didn't do me any good, ended up same place I started. I just saved her sorry hide from doing something stupid, like she is now. Get to the house, bitch, now!"
Vanity was vibrating so hard, I though she would pop out of the sheath. I could see Anna and Callie holding on to Sloth and Wrath as they, too, were vibrating. Gretta looked around at us, her father, the constable, and the others assembled.
She looked back at us and silently mouthed, "What do I do?"
That was all the cue our swords needed. Without us touching them, they shot out of their holders, flew through the air, and stopped inches from Gretta's father. It took a moment for his addled brain to register his predicament. He swatted at the swords, but they did not budge. He looked at the others for an explanation. Finally, his eyes found us. He started barking orders at us.
"Call off your witchery, you little whores. Any bitch who would protect her stupid hide is just as stupid and worthless as she."
I stepped forward, "Let her go on her journey and all will be well. Do not force our hands."
He went to take a step towards me, but Vanity touched her sharp point to his chest. He thought a moment then his eyes rested on Gretta's gifts.
"Pay me for her. Give me that stuff and I will let her go. I should be compensated for the loss of what little work she does around the house."
I guess Gretta finally had enough. She took the skinning knife and slashed at her father. Red stained his shirt collar from the cut near his neck. He looked at her in horror.
"There is your compensation. A small repayment of my pain from your hands, a small token of all the harm you have inflicted upon me. I am going on my journey time, with them and this stuff, and you will not stop me. Do you understand?" Gretta told him with the knife firmly in her hand and pointed at him, a bit of his blood clinging to the edge.
He put his hand to the cut, turned on his heel, and ran for his house. The swords returned to us. We walked over to Gretta and gently pulled the knife from her rigid hand. She let a single silent tear fall before returning to where her new things were lying. The tanner, who had been interrupted, stepped forward.
"I do not know what kind or size of sword you will receive. However, this should hold all but the smallest or largest of swords."
He handed her a belt with a metal ring secured to it. When she took it, he turned to Callie.
"You have nothing but a loop of old leather to hold you sword. This is more fitting."
He gave Callie a sheath and and belt for Wrath. At the open end of the sheath was a flap of leather to guard from the many points on both pommel and hilt. Wrath slid in perfectly. Callie thanked him for the gift.
A little after sunrise, the four of us girls head eastward out of town. We passed within sight of Gretta's old house, but none of us spared a glance in that direction or spoke of that place again.
We traveled easily, chatting and getting acquainted. By nightfall, we were as close as true sisters. While we camped, Gretta wondered about listening to the swords. She waffled between wanting to and not. Finally, she decided not, that she needed a little more time to get use to the idea of talking swords with minds of their own. We settled down to sleep.
Sometime in the night, Vanity woke me up.
"Act as if you are still asleep. There is someone else here."
I lay still and watched a shadow moving around the edge of camp. When it was opposite me, I rolled softly, picked up Vanity, and lay on my stomach. When the shadow came beside me, I lashed out a hand and grabbed an ankle. Whoever it was fell with a thud. I brought Vanity to bear. Apparently, the other swords awoke my sisters and all of us converged on the intruder.
"State your business if you wish to see sunrise." I said forcefully.
From under a much-too-large cloak, a girl about Anna's size peered through the hood.
"D...do not h...hurt me. I am starving. I smelled your food. I meant no harm."
It was Gretta who noticed the stone glowing through the material of Callie's shirt. Pulling it out, a line of light struck the new girl in the chest. She jerked but then realized that it was not hurting her. The rest of us just stood there in wonder at meeting another guardian out in the wilds. I let her go and we re-lit the fire. We gave her some food and asked how she came to be here.
"I have been at a convent all of my life. A week ago, raiders burned it to the ground and took off with some of the nuns and killed the rest. I was out finding berries and bark to make dyes and medicine when I saw the smoke. I found one nun not yet dead. She told me what happened and said to get to our fellow monastery down the road. When I got there, it was burning. I found this cloak and ran. I've been wandering ever since." the girl, Sarah, told us between bites.
We, in turn, explained the swords and our mission. She confirmed the pull from somewhere, but was unsure of the direction, as it felt weak.

Day 15:
Dawn broke as we talked. We broke camp and continued east. Sarah was marginally knowledgeable about medicinal plants, but knew very few for actual food. Our map showed a town not too far. Sarah confirmed that the convent and monastery were half a day's ride from a town. She had avoided it until now out of fear that the raiders were using the town as a base. Gretta's guidance took us pass both burned buildings. Sarah quietly walked by them, a flood of emotions playing across her face. We walked on and off the road as it wound around but we followed Gretta's direct path.
About an hour after mid-day, we turned south towards a thick area of forest. Gretta began the now familiar agitation as her sword was drawing closer and closer. Through the trees, we saw a structure ahead. In a clearing stood a modest cottage. The three of us with swords stopped the other two. They looked at us questioningly.
"Sloth feels magic in this area. We need to be careful," Anna informed them.
We stood outside the barrier and looked at the clearing. Sarah noticed the lack of any leaves, twigs, nuts, stones, or any other piece of debris. The whole area appeared to have been swept clean. As we observed this, someone exited the cottage. We watched this person meticulously examining the ground around the cottage. As this person got closer, we saw it was a man. He jumped when he saw us. He relaxed a bit when he realized we were outside of his barrier.
"Who are you? Why are you here? What do you want?" he quickly asked.
Gretta was the first to answer, "I have come for my sword. It called me to this place," she responded with confidence.
"Sword, sword, sword, my sword, my sword, MY SWORD!" he said rapidly and increasingly louder. He pounded his chest with each word.
"No it isn't," all five of us said in unison.
"My sword! My magic keeps it here. It's mine, mine, MINE!!" he shrieked.
He pulled out a wand and began to cast a spell.
Our swords shot out of their sheaths to point at him.
"I suggest you stop your casting," I said casually.
He looked from sword to sword, not in fear, but with a greedy look in his eyes.
"More, more, more. More swords, my swords, mine, MINE!"
He reached for them and sliced both hands in the attempt. Even with bloody hands and in obvious pain, he still grabbed for them. They moved out of reach but still kept him circled and away from us.
"Go get our brother," Vanity told us.
Grabbing the other two, the three of us headed for the cottage. Other than an unpleasant buzz, we crossed the barrier with no problem. The clean clearing was easily and quickly crossed. The door was not locked. Inside was a shock. Stuff was piled, in some places to the ceiling. Everything was sorted by type; leaves here, twigs over there, nuts along one wall, animal bones piled in a corner. A narrow path worked its way through the house. Gretta looked confused as to which way to go.
"Call to him," I said.
"He will lead you to him," Callie added.
"Trust his lead. He wants to be with you as badly as you want to be with him," Anna told her.
Nodding, she called out, "Sword! Partner! I can't find you! Show me where you are!"
Her head whipped toward our left. Winding our way through the piles of stuff, we found the sword suspended in a cage of light. Gretta nearly cried at the sight. She tried to touch him, but she burned her hands on the cage.
"How do we get him out?" she sobbed.
Even from outside, the swords gave us the knowledge to free their brother. Callie's unique sight let us find the weakest spot on the cage. Grabbing a long bone from a pile, we wedged it into that spot. Anna began a spell drawing the light into the bone. I was able to see the energy fluctuate and told Gretta when to reach for her sword. She quickly grabbed it at my instruction. She grabbed it so fast, she scratched herself on one of its many gems. I held the bloody finger to the sword. Gretta looked at me strangely until the connection clicked. She smiled so broadly that anyone else would have wondered about her sanity.
"Free! Finally, I am free! He tricked my last guardian. He claimed both she and I would be safe here. After putting me in there, he killed her. That cage kept me from sensing anything after her death. Your voice is the only sound I have heard in over fifty years."
The other swords floated in and we took them in hand. The man ran in after them, sweating heavily and hands still bleeding. He saw the empty cage and screamed. He saw Gretta holding it and lunged for her. He stopped when four swords came to bear on him. He tried to speak but could not find the words. Instructions flashed through our minds. As one, four swords touched his head. A brief light washed over him. We saw the sanity return to his eyes. He looked at his home.
"What have I done? All for a sword I killed to get and more craziness to keep it. I am sorry for what I did to your other guardian. I do not know how to make amends."
Words batted around our heads. Finally, I said, "Your years of torture, we conclude, is adequate punishment for your crime. We will take our leave now, with Greed."
"That is Greed? The Greed? No wonder I was so obsessed! Here, something I can give you," he went into another room. He returned with a sheath as gem encrusted as Greed.
"This was his former guardian's. It is only fair that you should have it, too."
Gretta slid Greed into his sheath and worked her belt into it. He rode easily on her hip.
"Thank you. That showed a lot of character. I appreciate this very much," Gretta replied.
In about an hour, we left Mattis' house with Greed, his sheath, and a bag of coins for Sarah. Mattis pointed us in the quickest way to the nearest town. He expressed his sorrow over the loss of the convent and monastery.
We made it to town before nightfall. Inns were plentiful and we chose one that sounded safe. I and Sarah separated from the others to get her some gear. With my sight, I was able to find honest shops with good supplies. One shopkeeper recognized Sarah from the convent and relayed his sympathy for that awful event. He threw in some extra for her.
We met up with the others. Callie and Gretta both appraised and approved of our purchases. Gretta was revelling in her new ability and the loving presence of Greed and the other swords. She said she was glad for waiting to be joined and felt she would have been uncomfortable hearing the swords without being connected.
Sarah said her's must still be far away as the pull was barely there. She wondered as to which was her's.
"Vanity, Sloth, Wrath, and now Greed. That leaves Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. What do you know about them?"
"Envy and Lust are female and Gluttony is the last male," Vanity informed us. We told Sarah.
"Hm, I'm worried. I do not know if I am ready for this. I am only fifteen, not ready for my journey time."
"The stone pointed to you . You have four sisters to aid you. We are here as well." Sloth assured her through Anna.
Sarah nodded and seemed a bit more relaxed. We finished our meal, got a room, and slept very well.

Days 11 thru 13

Day 11:In the morning, we were treated to a large breakfast and two unusual gifts. A local weapons smith had seen Sloth and Vanity in their make-shift slings and decided that they would not do. While I was singing, he mentally measured both swords and us and made two sheaths, a belt and a baldric to hold them. He had a good eye. Sloth and Vanity slid snugly into the sheaths while the belt fit me perfectly and Anna strapped into the baldric with little difficulty considering she had never worn such a thing before. Callie said, when we found her sword, we may have to come back to get her's fitted.
We left town heading west. Apparently, Callie's sword was still aways off as she seemed calm and did not run or get far ahead of us. We continued on the road until it turned back north. Without pausing, Callie walked off the road and continued west. Looking at the map, we saw a valley directly ahead. The road we had followed went into the valley, but it would have added a day or two to our search.
About three hours before sunset, we were standing on a hill overlooking the valley. Callie went from calm to agitated as soon as we topped the hill. Sloth commented that there was a barrier around this place that had suppressed the sword's magic and made it feel far away. We continued over the hill and into the valley. The village lay almost dead center of this area, but that was not our destination. Callie led us west of the town towards a waterfall. At sunset, we were standing at its base. Callie was so worked up, we had to hold her to keep her from blindly walking around in the dark. We built a fire and lit our lanterns. Callie was turning this way and that, trying to find her sword. I took her by the shoulders, looked right in her face, and told her it was time to call for it. It took a moment for her to register my words. Finally, she nodded. I let go and she called for it.
"Ancient sword! Power sword! I am here! Lead me to you!"
Her head snapped towards the waterfall. With care, we found a way behind the water into a cave. We gingerly stepped around and over rocks, broken objects, and a few skeletons, I think. We reached the back of the cave and saw both the sword and why it was still here.
A dragon lay sleeping but Callie's sword was stuck in its leg. With care, we eased up to it. Callie grasped the handle of the sword and slowly drew it out. Just as the tip cleared hide, the dragon awoke. Frightened, the three of us scurried to the wall of the cave. We watched the dragon inspect the place where the sword had been, lick it a few times, then turned its massive head to look at us. Seeing Callie with the sword, it directed its question to her.
"You are the guardian of that sword?" it rumbled.
"Y...yes," Callie stammered, the sword shaking in her hands.
Looking at all of us, it asked, "You are all guardians, each with a sword?"
We nodded and confirmed that was so. 
The dragon laid back down and sighed, "That sword has been an irritation for a long time. I could not remove it no matter how I tried. I suspected that, since a guardian put it there, only a guardian could remove it. The barrier you crossed was to keep any guardians from finding it, placed there by the last one's enemy. She impaled me with it to keep him from getting it, a desperate act before she died. So, may I know which one was a literal thorn in my side?"In unison, we replied, "Wrath."
The dragon nodded, "Makes sense, with it burning and shaking every so often."
"I was responding to the lives and deaths of my would-be guardians," Wrath said in our minds.
"He was reacting to his far away guardians," Callie informed the dragon.
"Even so far, still sensing those to whom he should have been paired, interesting," the dragon settled as if to return to sleep, "You can stay the night in here or return to your camp. I do not have anything to offer humans other than a secure place to sleep."
Callie looked around, "This would be better than outside, less chance of unwanted company."
Anna and I went back to get our things and put out the fire while Callie and Wrath got acquainted. Anna asked me if I was surprised.
"Not really, Callie hardly gets mad. Even when she does, it is short-lived. She has always been a very easy-going person."
Anna nodded and we returned.
While we were out, Callie had cut herself on one of Wrath's many points. We felt the click of connection even half-way in the cave. She told us she didn't do it on purpose. We all laughed at the sheer emotion of her denial, even the dragon, who introduced himself as Mars-in-Leo, but we could just call him Leo. All of us, Wrath included, assured her that it was fine. Now all three humans could clearly hear all three swords. Leo found Wrath's old sheath and belt, but they were too deteriorated to be of any use. A search among the newer items of the cave revealed a belt still in decent shape. After a bit of fumbling and cutting, it worked well enough.
Before going to sleep, Anna reminded us that her uncle wanted to see the swords. We plotted the best route to get there then went to sleep.

Day 12:We awoke to a light breeze pulling at our hair. After a moment, we realized we were not in the cave anymore. All of our stuff was with us, but we were not where we had slept. Leo stood aways from us with a strange smile on his face.
"I saw where you were headed. I cast a spell to deepen your slumber, gathered you and your things, and flew you here. The village you were going to is a mile east. Consider it repayment for freeing me of that sword."
We thanked him and watched him fly off. Gathering our gear, we made out way back to Anna's uncle.
As we made our way through town, we watched the muted effects of our swords; small squabbles over who was best that simply quit for lack of energy. We reached Anna's uncle's house and was very warmly received.
"Girls! You're back so soon! Inside, please, we have much to talk about."
He ushered us inside. Once we got settled, he began questioning us. We laid Vanity, Sloth, and Wrath on the table for him to see. He tried to move them so as to look at all sides, but they behaved as if secured to the table. He tries several times before we started laughing.
"Something amusing here?" he asked, annoyed.
"Uncle, " Anna began as she easily picked up Sloth, "these swords belong to us in more ways than you can imagine. No one else can use them. If we didn't trust you, you couldn't even touch them."
Uncle nodded his head, then asked, "Is it true about the spirits? Does each sword have an entity?"
A quick mental conversation went between the six of us. We picked up our swords an motioned for Uncle to sit with us. We closed our eyes. That's when something amazing happened. We opened our eyes and spoke.
"Hello, Uncle, I am Vanity." she said out of my mouth.
"I am Sloth," a deep male voice sounded out of Anna's small frame.
"I am Wrath," a commanding male voice spoke through Callie's cheerful face.
Uncle was taken back. At first he thought we were joking around. Once he realized we were not, he launched into a barrage of questions. Most of them were misunderstandings of their abilities and their guardian gifts. We showed him the stone we had made to find others. The conversation continued until the house started getting dark. When it was evident that night was falling, our swords returned to themselves and we to ourselves. We informed Uncle that we had heard the entire conversation.
Uncle made a quick supper and, afterward, we all went to bed.

Day 13:
We sat around the table having breakfast and wondering where to go next. Since finding a sword without a guardian would be pointless, we discussed how to go about finding another guardian. We laid the stone in the center of the table. We made a triangle around it with the swords and laid our hands where each touched the other. Sloth and Anna began a chant. The rest of us joined in after they had repeated it a few times. The stone lifted off the table to eye level. It began to spin, gaining speed. A light formed inside it. All at once, it stopped and this light shot out from it. We saw it pass through the wall. Outside, it continued arrow-straight towards the eastern edge of town. Swords and stone in hand, we followed the light to a lone house outside of the town on the east. It pointed right at the plain wood door of a poor-looking house. Before we could wonder, a girl was pushed out of the door. An older man came charging behind her.
"Get out of here, you crazy bitch! I'm tired of this 'I have a destiny' crap. Get out of my sight before I kill you!"
He stormed back inside and slammed the simple door.
The stone glowed and pulsed, brighter and harder each step we took towards her. As she sat where she had landed, I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She jumped and tried to crawl away until she looked at me.
"You! I know you!" She looked at the other two, "And you two! I've seen you in my dreams. Have... have you...?"
"Yes," I began, "we have come for you to find your sword of power. You are a guardian and our sister. Get out of the dirt so we can get this task underway."
She scrambled to her feet and dusted herself off, "My name is Gretta."
We introduced ourselves and the swords. Gretta was ecstatic. She rambled about how she always felt drawn to something, but didn't know what and how it hurt to walk in the opposite direction. We let her talk, as it seemed she needed to express all these penned up emotions. We returned to Uncle's house.
He had just started looking for us since we left all of our gear. Looking at our things, Gretta's mood fell. She almost shrank into herself.
"What's wrong, Gretta?" Callie asked in concern.
We all looked at her curiously.
"I have nothing, " she began to cry, "My father just kicked me out with no away money, no change of clothes, not even a cloak for cold weather. Compared to me, you three are rich." Her voice broke into sobs.
As Gretta cried, the three of us huddled together with Uncle. We counted out our money and asked Uncle about the cost to get Gretta marginally outfitted. He told us to keep our money for now. He had friends who would follow tradition and see that she had things for her journey time. We consoled Gretta while he went out.
Gretta poured out her life story. Her mother died when Gretta was young, leaving her to take over the woman's duties of the house. She told how her father had been mean to her all of her life, taking anything she was given for himself or her three brothers, two older and one younger. By this time, her older brothers were married and moved away. Her youngest brother spent a lot of time away from the house. This left her to face her father alone. This was not the first time he had told her to never come back. Before, she would hide in the barn or shed until he sent her brother to find her. They would reconcile, live peacefully for a while, but it would always start up again at some small infraction on her part.
Uncle was gone for most of the day. He returned with a big smile on his face.
"Gretta, tomorrow morning we will send you off in traditional fashion. I have a spare mattress for you tonight."
Gretta launched into a fresh round of weeping, but these were tears of happiness. A lady from the inn brought over a sending off meal for us that night. We ate and discussed the route to take. Gretta said she felt she was being pulled east. We let Uncle know that we would be taking the eastern road out of town. Gretta shifted in her bed, still worried that she might be kicked out in the middle of the night. We assured her that we were now together for as long as we all still lived. She sighed deeply and settled into sleep.

Day 10

Day 10:
We awoke as the sun topped the trees surrounding our stony site. We fashioned a sling for Sloth and I returned Vanity to the belt that carried her. It was almost comical seeing little Anna with a sword nearly the same height as herself and looking as if it weighed more than she did riding on her back. To anyone else, they would assume the sword was fake as there should be no way someone as small as Anna could carry such a massive thing. I knew Sloth had no weight to Anna just as Vanity weighed nothing to me. Callie ached to get going.
We went back to the road, went north for a way until we came to a western headed road. Our map showed a few villages this way and we hoped to reach one by nightfall. Callie settled into an easy stride as she went with the pull of her sword. I watched Anna's expression shift as, I guessed, Sloth was teaching her some of his ancient knowledge. Suddenly, I felt a wave of cold hatred. I called for everyone to stop.
"Something is wrong here. It feels cold but angry at the same time. I have never felt such as this. What do you think it is?" I asked everyone.
I felt Sloth and Vanity brush my mind. Vanity gave me a sort of internal hug as Sloth spoke.
"You were right to stop us. Find a place to hide off the road. You do not want what is coming to see any of us." he instructed.
We found a couple of fallen trees that provided cover. We did not have long to wait to find out the source of that cold hate. A dozen or so soldiers marched pass our hiding spot. Sloth told us to look at them carefully and closely. Doing so revealed that only one of them had any life in him. The rest were little more than animated corpses. Hate of the coldest kind was fueling them instead of a living soul.
"Remember this sight. That is a necromancer. Those with him are recent dead. He finds those who died violently and uses their hate and anger to reanimate them. They now serve him as tireless soldiers," Sloth told us.
We waited until I could no longer feel them or anything from them. We got out of our hiding place and continued west. Our hiding did not keep us from getting to the next village before night made it too dark to travel. We were able to find an inn without looking too hard. Sloth's and Vanity's presence caused an unusual mix of behaviors. People stopped working and lazily adjusted their clothes and haphazardly fixed their hair. Slothful vanity at its finest.
The inn was cheery and I saw no one who wanted to harm us. There were some who were puzzled by Anna's load, but they kept to themselves. The swords pulled their effects as inwardly as they could so as not to cause too much trouble. With two of them together and bonded, they found that was easier to do and could pull in farther than each alone. We kept to ourselves until the innkeeper announced that we were on our journey year. After a rousing cheer, we were asked if we could share something we had picked up on our travels. We looked at each other nervously. Vanity shifted to get my attention.
"Sing one of the songs from last night. I will help."
I stood up and told everyone that there was a song, lost to us until recently, that I would share. Everyone cheered and I was led to a small stage. When I got there, the whole room went silent. I cleared my throat and launched into it. It was an old tale of love, bravery, and facing overwhelming odds to achieve one's goal. About a third through it, two musicians picked up the melody, one with a drum and the other with a set of shepherd's pipes. Second time through the chorus, other voices joined in along with Anna and Callie. The last time through the chorus, the whole place had joined in; workers, people from the rooms upstairs, even a few from outside. I was cheered off the stage and back to our table. When everyone settled down again, the musicians came over with the song written on a large roll of parchment. They asked us to read over it to make sure the words were right. A correction here and there got it fixed. I heard many humming it as they left or worked. When we asked for a room, the innkeeper smiled broadly and told us to follow him. We went upstairs and all the way to the end of the hall. He opened the door with a flourish. We were shocked to see a huge bedroom. It was actually a suite. We started to protest, but he said that my "fans" had pitched in together to pay for this for the night. We went in and got ready for bed. Callie was the first to spot the bag on the sitting room table. We all stared at it. Anna bravely went and picked it up. She opened it and looked at us in shock.
"What is it?" we both asked together.
Anna dumped the contents onto the table. Coins of all sizes and types tumbled out, plus a small gem or two. We all stood there with mouths agape. Where the bag had been was a piece of paper. On it was written:
"Tradition says gifts should be repaid. The gift of your song is priceless. We simple folk give this to you to aid your journey in hopes you uncover more treasures."
We laughed at our fear and divided the contents between us. We also took a count of our remaining money. We decided to continue to be frugal as we could not always count on such generosity.

Day 9

Day 9:It would be morning before the other two spoke. They expressed their concern yet did say they were glad Vanity was able to get us out of a bad situation without too much damage done.
Anna said the pull was more easterly than northerly this morning. We looked at out map and saw there was a canyon to the northeast. We decided that it may lie there.
Leaving after breakfast, we witnessed Vanity's effect on more preening people. Even animals stood straighter, crowed louder, and groomed themselves more as we passed. Outside of town, Anna led us off the road almost directly towards the canyon. Through Vanity, I felt the presence of another sword. I could see that Anna was torn between wanting to be with the sword and afraid of it. I silently asked Vanity which one it was. She could only tell it was a "brother", not which one.
Before too long or too far off the road, Anna came to that point where its, his, presence was so overwhelming that she could not pinpoint his location. I nodded in response to her silent question of whether she should call for him. When she first tried to speak, nothing came out. She found her voice after encouragement and a few more tries.
"Sword of power, ancient spirit, hear me! I have followed your pull, but cannot locate you! Help me to find you!"
Suddenly, Anna took off like a shot towards the east. We followed her until we came to a set of monoliths. In the center one, deeply embedded in the stone, was a massive sword, nearly five foot long and a good four inches wide. Vanity would have disappeared behind such a monster.
Callie asked, "Which one is that?"
Anna and I both responded, "Sloth".
Callie nearly doubled over with laughter, "I knew it! Anna is so busy and industrious, both at her parents' inn and around us. How do we get it out?"
Anna looked closer, "He is covered in something. I think it is sap. He says the stone is the magic that is keeping him here. We should be able to chip this stuff away like any hardened sap."
While I could not hear Sloth's words, I could hear him speak. It was as if he was far away. Anna relayed Sloth's story of how he became embedded in stone.
"My guardian was praying here for guidance. A giant walked out of the canyon and saw her. Apparently these were 'his' stones and she was trespassing. Before she could explain herself, he punched us into the stones. She bounced off, but I hit hard enough to become stuck. He hit me again to embed me deeper. He smeared something on me to 'keep' me here. I was helpless to stop him from killing her and burying her under these stones. He left me here and this stuff hardened over time."
Vanity pulsed on my side. She was so emotional that she could not speak. The three of us were also upset, so much so that we worked in silence. The fire we built slowly turned the sap back into liquid. With sticks and leaves, we wiped and scraped layers of the melting sap. By mid-day, we exposed a length of the blade. Anna grabbed it and slashed her palm. Looking at the wound, she followed my lead and pressed it to the exposed metal. Her blood was absorbed into Sloth just as mine had into Vanity. All but Callie shuddered as that connection was made.
Sloth did not glow through the sap. He shook the entire monolith. The sap that was still hard cracked and fissured. Great chunks fell to the ground. Anna, hand still on the blade, caught him as he shouldered out of the rock. In the days since the three of us met, we had never seen Anna smile so big. She looked at this massive sword as if he were the most important thing in the world. Vanity found her voice.
"Sloth, can you hear me, too?"
Anna looked up at me, "Did you say something?"
"That was me, Anna. Does this mean he can hear me?"
"Yes, sister, I hear you."
"Brother, I have so longed to hear one of you again. I am so glad we are together again. "
Water began dripping from some of the small mirrors. I realized that she was crying.
Callie, being outside of this exchange, looked at us, "What is going on? Are you all talking or something? I feel really alone right now. Explain to me!"
"Sorry, Callie, Sloth and Vanity are talking. Anna and I can hear both of them."
"Great, I'm on the outside again," Callie threw up her hands and stalked away.
As we watched her, Sloth flooded a series of steps to include Callie. I ran to her and walked her back to Anna and the stones.
"Sloth says there is a way to include you. You have to do just what we tell you, alright?"
Callie started to argue, then she saw the sincerity in our faces. Looking at the ground, she shook her head. I removed Vanity from the sling she was in while Anna held out Sloth. I handed Callie a cup I had with me.
"Hold this under the point where the two swords meet, " I instructed her.
She held it under the swords with one hand. I took her other hand and pricked her finger on Vanity. I squeezed a drop of blood to flow over both Vanity and Sloth. Anna pricked her finger and I mine. We dropped the blood to follow Callie's blood. As all three blood drops mingled, Anna and I saw Callie's face show that she could hear Vanity and Sloth. The cup caught our mingled blood. To our surprise, it clinked into the cup like a stone. Putting the swords down, we looked in the cup. A small red pearl-like stone rattled in the bottom. Sloth explained.
"The stone will be a guide to your other sisters. Unbound sisters will cause this to glow. Obviously Callie should not hold it now as she is unbound. Once you have your partner, Callie, any of you can hold it."
The three of us looked at each other. Anna finally asked, "How do you know this?"
"I hold our wizard makers' magical knowledge. While I will share some with all of you, Anna will get the lion's share of that knowledge just as Kayla is the only one who will use Vanity's true seeing gift. Each sister will be the main receptor of her sword's gift."
We nodded in understanding. As it was too late to go to the next town or back to the last one, we made camp at the base of the monoliths. Sloth assured us that the giant was long dead and no other patrolled this area. Pulling loose threads from our clothes, we fashioned a pendant to hold our stone. Callie was beside herself, listening to Vanity and Sloth catch up. I tried to tune them out as I felt it was a private conversation. Anna whistled a tune as she set about heating up some of our travel food for supper. The novelty of talking swords wore off for Callie and she got up and walked around the area that the fire lit. She kept returning to the western side of the fire. I looked at her.
"Your sword is to the west, isn't it?"
Callie stopped, "Yes, that is where the pull is coming from. It still feels far away. Even though I'm in the group, I still feel outside because I am alone."
"I do understand. You will lead us now, to find your sword. We have been waiting all of our lives for this. I know it is hard, but be patient."
"We have waited nearly five hundred years to be together. We want to continue as badly, if not more so, as you to find the others."
"My siblings have been tugging at me for all that time, to give them the knowledge to free themselves. It tore at me that I could not help any of us."
We felt their heartbreak and loneliness. As we ate, Sloth told us ancient stories and both swords sang songs lost to our people. We all went to sleep feeling truly connected and mostly happy. The swords said they could watch for danger, as they don't sleep.