Those Who Bleed Violet

Chapter One

Elisa

〜

The heat from the furnace scorches my face with a pleasant singe. I swipe a hand over my brow to remove the sweat and bring the hammer down once more. The set of daggers is nearly perfect. The blades are crafted from some of the finest metal known to man and will be sold for a hefty price. For the last week, I've done nothing but piece the daggers together. Considering how badly I need the money, they must be flawless.

Using the metal tongs, I pick the blades up and dunk them into the bucket of ice cold water. Steam hisses, rising to the air. A few seconds later I remove the daggers and place them on the table beside me. The blades have been folded exactly six times to infuse them with luck. The lord who commissioned me should be very pleased.

I lean back with a grin and place my hands on my hips. In a few hours I'll stitch the sheath together, then deliver the weapons myself. Taking the leather band from my hair, I step outside. The forge is placed in the center of Raynump, my little slice of nowhere in the middle of nothing.

Narrowing my eyes at the riders who race their horses far too quickly down the cobblestone streets, I shake out my hands. Power thrums through every one of my cells and down to my fingertips. Controlling the temperature of the furnace for hours isn't nearly as taxing as it used to be. After seventeen years of working at the forge, I hardly feel the effects.

The scent of the ocean floats by on the wind, and I inhale deeply. The only good thing about Raynump is how close it is to the sea. As a fire fairy, I should hate the water, but for some reason I find peace in the roaring crash of the waves. My wings flutter uselessly behind me, and the smile drops from my face.

"Elisa!" a familiar voice snaps.

I jerk from the wall, hastily scraping my hair back into the ponytail. "Yes, Jack?"

"Did I release you for a break?"

"No, Jack."

"Then get your ass back in here and finish that order of swords."

I grit my teeth to block the retort that wants to escape my lips, and reply with, "Of course."

My words, apparently, aren't good enough for the head blacksmith. Jack's heavy footsteps surround me as he stomps his way to my side. Jack is a very small giant and yet he still towers over me, standing at least seven feet tall. I'm unsure how old he truly is, but the hard lines around his eyes show more than one century of life. With his sour attitude, I'd bet he's even more ancient.

Jack shakes his head with disapproval, running a hand over his short beard. "One would think I didn't raise you from the ground up with this kind of behavior."

Raise is a strong word for what Jack did for me. Was I dropped off at his forge twenty years ago? Yes. Did he take me in? Also yes. However, the giant was never a father. He saw me more as free employment than anything else. I will never be a daughter to him. He places a massive hand on my shoulder and steers me back into the forge.

I trip over my feet from the force of his push and grab onto the table for stability. He scoffs. My wings flare out behind me in outrage. I force them closer to my back, lest he see the reaction.

"The swords, Elisa. Now."

"I finished that order, Jack," I say.

"The second order."

"That was also completed yesterday. I just wrapped the grip handle with the leather from Mrs. Jen's most recent shipment."

"Then why are they still sitting in my workshop?"