The Dagger: An Asaria (Jeweled Woods) Vignette

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This story features Shareis and Lilly, featured in the Sign of Alchemy series.

Sunlight glinted off Shareis’s new dagger. “I love the grooves in it, Mom.”

“Magic flows deep within that steel, Shareis.”

Shareis held it straight in front of her and smiled. “It’s shiny.”

Lilly stared out over the snow-covered Laharan plains. Occasional flurries, seemingly from nowhere as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, floated on the cold breeze. “It is customary for a Proctor receive her blade when she turns seven.”

“But I am eight today.”

“It took longer than I thought to find a blacksmith in Lahara to make it.” She pursed her lips as she considered her words carefully. “This may be a refuge, but prejudice runs deeper than the lines in that blade.”

Shareis put the dagger in her scabbard and looked up at her. Lilly extended her hand—a gesture she was not especially comfortable performing. Her daughter eagerly reached for it. They walked to their spot and sat on the rocks that barely showed through the snow. For their effort, an excellent view of the city of Lahara and the northern sea was laid out before them. They spent a lot of time there—especially on her days off work. Lilly adored the quiet, far away from the nosey ears of the big city.

Shareis took the dagger and plunged it toward the snow. She grabbed her arm, stopping it just before it hit the ground.

“Our daggers are not just any blade, Shareis. We do not cut food, wood, linen, or use it as a tool. And we most certainly do not dig with them.”

Shareis frowned. “I am sorry.”

She shook her head. “No, Shareis, do not be sorry. But you must learn our blades channel our magic and let us find balance in this world. They are for ritual, and if necessary, defense.”

Shareis took a close look at her new dagger. “Since some people hate us, will I have to use this on someone when I am older?”

Some of the worst images in her memory from the Proctor Wars lingered for an uncomfortably long moment in her mind. She did her best to maintain an even voice. “I hope not.”

“Why do people hate us?” Shareis asked.

“Most humans do not hate us. But there are many who do not like us.”

“Why?”

“To be honest, we are not particularly likeable.” She hesitated, her fingers brushing past a scar under her cloak she received from combat. “We do not make friends the way the humans or Skilla do.”

“You are my friend, though,” Shareis insisted.

“No. You are my daughter. And I am your mother. We are not friends.”

“But I love you.”

Lilly swore she could hear a hint of Shareis’s other parent—a full human—in her voice. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then turned to face her daughter.

“We have discussed this before, Shareis. Proctors do not love in the same way.” Shareis’s cheek twitched as she spoke this uncomfortable truth to her daughter. “Humans feel more strongly than we do.”

Shareis put her hand to her heart. “But I feel.”

She clasped her hand over hers. “You are half-human. It is to be expected.” She held some of the charms on her necklace. “Proctors show affection for our ancestry through our jewelry and our blades. The magic of our kin runs through them.”

“I want to learn to be a Proctor,” Shareis said.

“You are a Proctor.” She sighed. “And a human. I know this.” Her chest ached as a swirl of emotions she had no name for struggled to surface. “But I do not feel things the same way as you. I get so caught up in showing you how to be a Proctor…” She hung her head. “I have no idea how to teach you to be a human.”

She saw her daughter’s intelligent mind mulling her awkward attempt at explaining her shortcomings. “I think I understand.” Shareis looked up at her with eyes clearly seeking approval. “You have a pretty smile, Mom.”

“But Proctors do not—”

Shareis’s lips slowly curled to a smile, and that young human spirit drew one from Lilly in return.

“Maybe we can help each other learn new things.”

She noticed the first and brightest star of the Sign of Alchemy constellation pierce the sky as the evening descend upon them. 

She put her hand on Shareis’s shoulder. “I would like that.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE: To read more about Shareis and Lilly, read the Sign of Alchemy series on Amazon.