“Ethan!” Vesma cried out as she ran through the entrance with Kumi beside her.
Together, they took me under each arm. Kegohr rushed in and grabbed my new warhammer.
“Hey, be careful with that,” I said as my vision spotted with black. “That’s Choshi.”
He frowned at me. “Choshi?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said, imitating his speech pattern. “Did we win?”
“. . . demons . . . gone. . . cultists . . . none left.”
Kumi’s voice faded as I finally passed out.
Chapter Twenty-Five
When I awoke, I didn’t know how much time had passed. It was dark in the room, and when I opened the shutters. only a glimmer of starlight came in. I could hear people cheering and singing. Smells of roasting meat and incense smoke drifted in on the night wind.
I got up, feeling refreshed and completely healed. I figured Kumi must have come while I was sleeping and used her Song of the Sea.
My spirit weapons were lying next to the bed, the Sundered Heart and Depthless Dream placed neatly beside Choshi. As much as I wanted to wield a third spirit weapon, what I’d learned of honor necessitated I find another use for her.
My gaze flittered over to my other two weapons. I hadn’t forgotten my questions, but I figured they could be asked later. If Nydarth and Yono had been Elemental Cores once, then the act of stripping them away must have been traumatic. I’d have to approach the subject with some degree of tact and forethought.
I picked up the warhammer, and Choshi’s voice entered my mind.
“You have arisen, Master,” she said.
“I want to return you to the Vigorous Zone here,” I said. “The people of Hyng’ohr need you far more than I do.”
“It is not possible. I have already passed from one plane to another. I cannot be an Earth Core again.”
I felt the weight on my shoulders get heavier. “Then I’ll give you to Lord Ganyir.”
“I wish only to be wielded by the Swordslinger.” She paused, and I was about to argue otherwise when she continued. “Regardless, Hyng’ohr has no need of me. By reforging me, my purpose in this realm changed.”
“How do we create a new core?” I figured if anyone knew how, it would be someone who was once one herself.
“There is no need. An infant core has been birthed inside the Vigorous Zone. When a core passes from one plane of being to another, a new core takes its place. While inside the palace and used by those evildoers, I was lost between two planes of existence. Only by reforging me could the new core be born.”
“Then Hyng’ohr is safe from demons and drought.”
“Yes. The land will recover, but the process will be slow.”
I secured my new warhammer to the harness I used for the trident. While it wasn’t perfect, it would do for now. I wanted to show the spirit weapon to my friends as soon as I found them.
My weapons would be safe inside the room, so I headed out of the modest house. At the end of an alley, I emerged into streets crowded with people. Tables had been placed down the middle of the roads, each one piled with food and drink. The whole population of the city seemed to have come together to feast.
When people saw me, they raised their cups and cheered. Strangers ran up and hugged me or offered me cups of wine. There was such joy in the air, I couldn’t help but be drawn in by it. Soon, I was laughing out loud as I was ushered down the street toward the market square.
There, in front of the ruins of the palace, stood the grandest table of all. Raised up on a row of wagons, it had been made from trestles and doors to create something big enough for the heroes of the hour. Ganyir sat there with Tahlis on one side and Mahrai on the other. My traveling companions were at the table, Kegohr roaring and quaffing, Vesma laughing at his antics, Kumi smiling as she ate. The surviving Steadfast Horn initiates were there too, including Zedal, whose crutch leaned against the side of her chair.
As I approached, they all stood and started to applaud. The noise spread out through the square as other partygoers realized that the Immortal Swordslinger, this figure out of legend, was among them.
I made my way up onto the platform. Another chair appeared from somewhere and was placed between Ganyir and Mahrai. Kegohr heaped a plate high with food and put it down in front of me. My mouth watered at the smell.
“Speech!” someone shouted.
“Speech!” the cry continued along the table.
“Speech!” the shout went up from all around the square.
I looked down at my food and felt my stomach rumble. But then, I looked up at Tahlis and saw amusement in his eyes.
“I’m not going to get away without this, am I?” I asked.
“Not if you wait all night,” he said. “Fame and adulation are among the onerous duties of the Swordslinger.”
With a sigh, I accepted the inevitable. I raised my hands and waited as the crowd slowly fell silent.
“Thank you for your praise,” I said. “And for your generous hospitality. Today was a victory for all of us, and you should be celebrating yourselves as much as me. I did what I could with my powers, and you did what you could with yours. No one can ever ask for more than that. The time for struggle is over, but there’s hard work still ahead as we rebuild what has been destroyed.”
The crowd cheered, and I removed my warhammer and let it rest against my chair. I took a seat between Ganyir and Mahrai.
The lord’s eyes flickered to the weapon, and he suddenly dropped his fork.
“That hammer. . .” he trailed off. “Its power is familiar. And it carries
