On SFReader.com
A swordsmith’s unappreciated apprentice puts her career, and even her life, on the line to confront a knight with a deadly secret.
Overview
My fantasy short story Forged won third place in the 2010 SFReader.com Short Story Contest and is posted on their site for your reading pleasure:
Forged.
- Jump to an excerpt.
- Jump to reviews.
- Jump to Behind the Story.
- Read it here:
Excerpt
Aki staggered as one of the water buckets on her shoulder bar jerked toward the ground. High-pitched laughter assaulted her ears.
“Leave me be.” She glared at the little gods who grinned from within her bucket. “If I don’t get the water to the smithy before Starn’s done working the sword, I’ll feel his strap for days.”
The little gods frowned and shook their heads, but at least they leapt down. In midair, they transformed into water and sank into the dirt path, leaving a muddy patch to snare the next wagon to come through.
Read the rest here:
Reviews
Tanja Cilia on MuseOnlineConference listserv: “…just so you’ll know… I had to catch the NEXT bus! And of course I HAD to look up Damascus Steel, what a good idea [cut for spoilers]…”
Note: If you’ve reviewed this story, drop me a note using the contact form so I can add a link.
Read it here:
Behind the Story
I’ve been fascinated with swords, and Damascus Steel in particular, for most of my life. When Katherine Derbyshire offered the Fun with Swords class as part of Forward Motion‘s Back to School program, I jumped on it. We were required to write a short piece that used what we’d learned about swordsmithing in the class. With those guidelines, it all came together. Now that’s not to say the story didn’t need many edits and even some complete rewrites to bring it to the current version, but that’s where the heart of Aki’s tale came into being.
Read it here:
