Chapter 149: Blooding, Part 3

Telmé hastily replaced the false panel and all the books, then stood and turned. His eyes fell on Tunç's bed, where, of all things, Tunç's sword lay, hard looking against the soft, pale quilt that covered the bed. Why hadn't Tunç been wearing his sword when he'd died? He almost never removed his sword; he was more likely to go without boots than his sword. Had someone else removed it before taking his body away to prepare for burning? No, if that had been the case they would have given the sword to Waldemar to keep until it could be given to the next Commander. So Tunç hadn't been wearing it and nobody had noticed.

Slowly approaching the bed, Telmé reached out and lightly touched the sword. The leather sheath was warm beneath his fingers, the magic in it making them tingle briefly. He hesitated a moment longer, then finally picked up the sword. The scabbard was old, but well-cared for, stamped with runes that were faded and scuffed and scratched but still thrummed with power.