The gray blade grew heavier each day.
William noticed it on the walk back to Veridias. The sword pulled at his hip, not with hunger like the black blade, but with weight. The Rust inside it was dense, concentrated, alive. Each step was a small battle.
Kaelen walked beside him. Her people had stayed behind in the village, working to cleanse the well and tend the sick children. But she had chosen to accompany William.
"The sword is changing," she said.
"It's filling up."
"How much more can it hold?"
"I don't know."
---
They reached the eastern gate on the fifth day.
Finn the guard was on duty again. His eyes went to the gray blade at William's hip.
"That's new."
"It's old. Very old."
Finn didn't ask more questions. He had learned that William's answers were rarely simple.
---
E
