Chapter 226: Be here

“It’s done?” Moxie asked. She shook the last of the confusion from her trance off. “When? I swear we just made a few pieces, not the whole thing.”

“I handled the rest of the instrument’s creation while you rested.” Arnold rolled his neck and gathered the scrap wood remaining on the table into a pile, bringing it over to one of his shelves to set aside. “I already had some of the materials for the remaining steps prepared. Parts of a project from long ago that I suspected I would never finish.”

“Then yes, I’d like to see the violin. Where is it?”

Arnold stepped past Moxie and walked out the open door into the dirty main room of the shop – the wall splitting them had been opened at some point while Moxie had been distracted. She followed after him and Arnold waved a hand, closing the wall behind her with a thud.

He must have some form of Imbuements in the shop that let him control that. That’s an effective way to get around missing hands.

Moxie’s eyes caught on a plain, lacquered wooden box that sat on the top of Arnold’s table. It was a dark, smooth wood with rounded corners and a slide-off top. Even though it wasn’t decorated in any way, it possessed a silent opulence.

“My work,” Arnold said, approaching the box and resting a hand gently on top of it. “The box, that is. I’ll include it in your bill.”

Moxie swallowed and nodded. The box was beautiful, but it wasn’t the box that she was interested in – it was what the box held. Arnold’s lips curled into a confident grin and he slid the top of the box back.

Soft, blue velvet pillows padded the box’s interior. Nestled within them was a violin made of wood as dark as obsidian. Thin trimmings of gold ran along its edges and swirled across its face like dancing lights, glittering in the faint light.

The head of the violin was carved to resemble a flowing wave, and seven glistening golden strings ran along its face. Even the knobs at the top of the violin’s head were trimmed and accented with gold.

It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful musical instrument that Moxie had ever seen. That was slightly less of a compliment than it should have been as Moxie hadn’t seen all that many in her life, but she was certain that, even if she had, it would have been the greatest. It looked like it belonged behind a plane of glass – only to be looked at, and never to be played.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Arnold said, resting a hand on the side of the box. “You asked for a violin that was durable.”

“The thought did cross my mind. You did incredible work, but I’m not sure this would survive very long in a fight. I’d be scared to play it in fear of a scratch, much less take it anywhere.”

Arnold nodded. He reached into his pocket, pulling free a large knife. To Moxie’s horror, he brought it down, point first, right into the center of the violin’s face. It connected with a sickening thud. Arnold raised the blade, holding it point up. It had bent.

The violin was completely unmarred.

“Charred Hexwood,” Arnold proclaimed. “Treated with Flamespitter blood. Incredibly durable and resistant to almost all forms of bludgeoning. I couldn’t damage this if I wanted to – not after the treatment. Hexwood is incredibly absorbent, and adding Flamespitter blood to it will make it as resilient as diamond without damaging any of the sound it can create.”

Before Moxie could say anything, Arnold pressed the knife to the strings and ripped it across them as hard as he could. A loud screech echoed through his shop. Once again, the violin was completely undamaged.

“Goldensilk for the strings. As melodic as an angel, but some of the most indestructible material on the market. The only reason it’s within budget is because the damn stuff is impossible to work into clothes properly, so it has very limited use.”

Moxie approached the violin, squinting at it. There wasn’t a single imperfection anywhere. Just to drive the point home, Arnold stabbed the violin a few more times, ripping and scratching it as best as he could. By the end, the knife had been chipped, dulled, and ruined. The violin looked exactly as it had when the box had been opened.

“What about magic?” Moxie asked.

“That’s where the next part comes in. Your energy wasn’t used for no reason. I’ve got a few Imbuements on this piece. The most important one still isn’t completed. It’s awaiting bonding. There’s a circle on the back of this beauty. When you give it to your guy, have him press his palm to it. That’ll connect them.”

“Connect how?”

“Trade secret.” Arnold flashed a grin at Moxie, clearly proud of his work. “But it’ll make sure the violin stays with him as long as he lives. This isn’t any ordinary Imbuement. Once he does that, the other Imbuements will have a place to draw power from.”

“And what do those do?”

“I’m not entirely sure.”

Moxie blinked. “What?”

“I told you that you helped more than I’d been expecting. More of your personality and power entered the violin than I had planned. I’ve got an Imbuement that will allow your guy to amplify or deafen the sound of the violin, but the others are complete mysteries to me. They’re all worked into the wood, completely disguised. There’s no way to find out what their purpose is until they reveal themselves.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Moxie sent a worried glance at the violin. “I’m not looking to give him an explosive violin.”

“Depends. Do you want to hurt him?”

“No, of course not. Why would I be doing this if I wanted to hurt him?”

“Then the violin won’t either. The Imbuements came from you. They’ll do what you wanted at the time you made the violin.” Arnold’s words brooked no room for any more conversation.

He reached down, hooking his finger into a small latch at the side of the box and pulling it open. It slid out to reveal a long, beautifully carved bow. The threads running along it were made of the same material as the ones on the violin.

“Everything is the same on this,” Arnold said. “Just warn him to be careful. These are wicked sharp. They’re Imbued to ensure that they never snap, but the bow doesn’t have a will like the violin does. It’ll cut right through his fingers.”

Moxie started to nod, then paused. “A will?”

“Just like Evergreen’s staff. You don’t make Imbued items of this quality without putting a part of yourself into them. The violin won’t let its owner injure itself, but the bow is different. It’s a tool. Just make sure he doesn’t end up like me.” Arnold raised one of his hands, letting out a dry laugh. “Though it would certainly be ironic.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Arnold slid the latch closed and returned the lid to the top of the box. He pushed it across the table to Moxie. She stared at it, almost scared to pick up the box even with all she’d learned about the violin’s durability.

“Is two thousand gold even enough for this? I feel like I didn’t pay for anything of this degree.”

“Did you have more?”

“Not much. Some.”

“Then I’ll be honest,” Arnold said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. “I am a craftsman. To make an instrument like the one before you is the reason I live. I need the money, but I saw how much you wanted this. I felt it. The coin will come eventually. A few thousand gold isn’t going to make that much of a difference. And, to be honest, you never could have truly afforded a piece from me. Your ears would bleed if you knew how much Evergreen paid me for that staff.”

“But I thought you only needed ten thousand–”

“Ten thousand more. Do you really think a man of my talent wouldn’t have been able to find someone that would pay him ten thousand gold in exchange for a few custom pieces?” Arnold let out a bark of laughter. “I’ve paid more than I care to remember fixing all the damage your family did. The last few thousand gold will take me little effort to acquire. You got lucky that I was still in the city. I’ve already taken down the rest of my workshops. In a month or two, my hands will be returned and I’ll be gone. That violin was an opportunity to make something that I wanted to make, not something I needed to make.”

Moxie looked from Arnold to the violin, then slowly nodded. “I see. Thank you. I know the person that you made this for will cherish it greatly. And, even though it wasn’t my fault, I’m sorry that my family did this to you.”

“I didn’t make it,” Arnold corrected. “We did. And your condolences are appreciated, even if they’re close to an apology. If you want to properly thank me, then all you have to do is deliver this violin to its fated owner.”

“I will.”

“Good.” Arnold clapped Moxie on the shoulder. “Now take the box and get out of my shop. And don’t come back – I won’t be here.”