We sat upstairs around the dining table where Ma had prepared venison stew for lunch. Knut and Pa shared a mug of ale, while Ma, Eryn, Nabeeh, and I stayed with tea. Lysander had begged his leave, heading to the Hollow Hearth for a rest, promising to return later and start working on the second bow.

  Eryn stared at her bowl of stew, stirring at it with a spoon. I knew she was thinking of Stormstrider where it lay in the forge, crackling with lightning and just being a nasty piece of work even in death.

  "I feel like it's mocking me," Eryn said, not having to specify what ‘it’ was. "All that work, all that hope..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And it bites like a rabid Shardfang. Maybe Arclight cursed us in death? ‘You may get my carcass, but you will never have me’, or something."

  Nabeeh flicked a bread crust across the table, completely missing Eryn and wincing as Ma glared at her for littering.

  "Eat,” the fire mage said. “Pouting won't make the bow any less temperamental." Her tone softened slightly. "Besides, Lysander said he'd make you another. We saw what he and Pa are capable of, right? It will be just as good."

  Eryn shook her head.

  “It won't be like this one, I know it."

  “And good that is! You deserve better! Tell her, Ash. Arclight?” Roq scoffed. “I don’t know what you were thinking trying to make a weapon from that fleabag.”

  Knut put his tankard down with enough force to make our bowls shift.

  "Good weapon fights back," he declared. “Conquer it, Eryn. Like Ash did.”

  "Hey—" I protested through a mouthful of stew and Pa chuckled, reaching for the roll of bread, but Ma smacked his hand.

  "Thomas Tharen, you've already had three. Leave some for the youngsters, will you?” she said, giving him a mock glare.

  Pa growled and lifted the basket instead.

  “Anyone?”

  We all waved our surrender.

  “See?” Pa said, and grabbed the roll with a grin, stuffing half into his mouth and standing before Ma could get a word in. “Ash, need help with something,” he said, his words muffled by the food.

  "With what?" I asked.

  "Don't talk back to your elders," Pa growled, though there was no real heat in his words.

  I sighed and stood.

  "Fine. Coming, Pa."

  I took Eryn’s hand and gave it a squeeze, but her fingers remained limp in my grasp.

  "If this is about destroying that bow to show Eryn how she’s not missing out on anything, then count me in!” Roq said as I followed Pa downstairs and into the smithy.

  Pa closed the door behind us, and took a deep breath. I was about to ask what was wrong when he swiped a gem from his spatial storage.

  “Class cursed monster balls," I hissed under my breath. “And you only tell me now?”

  The gem resting in his calloused palm was unlike any other gem I’d seen before. No, that wasn’t true. I’d seen one like it in this very smithy.

  “Bloody liver brains," Roq spat in my mind. “A soul gem. A SOUL GEM! And from Arclight? No. Ash. I refuse to believe it. Tell him to throw it into the fire!”

  Electric blue light swirled with ribbons of golden yellow inside the gem, matching the crackling energy of Arclight's fur. Deep within, miniature lightning bolts danced and forked, creating patterns like veins of those seen in monster brains. I put my face as close as I dared, looking at the tiny storm clouds in its center.

  Pa rotated the gem carefully, showing me the different sides.

  "Found it wrapped in sinew near Arclight’s heart," he said, his voice low. "Like the damn thing was hiding it from us even in death."

  “Actually, I retract my previous comments. This is great!” Roq said. "Touch it to me, right now! Maybe this’ll get me my breakthrough!"

  “Hold on. We can’t just take it.”

  "What about Lysander?" I asked.

  “What!? Who cares about the bowyer! Touch it to me NOW! I demand it!”

  “I mean if he knows, Roq.”

  Pa's mouth quirked into a half-smile.

  "Managed to swipe it into spatial storage before Old Willow saw anything. Think I covered myself quite well with the gallbladder reveal." He shrugged one shoulder. "Lysander has no claim to the gem, so there's no point in letting him see it." He extended his hand, offering me the gem. “Here son. Your party killed Arclight, so you get to make the choice.”

  "Thank you, Pa,” I said, accepting the king’s ransom.

  “What will you do?" he asked, and I could see the eagerness on his face. He was dying to know.

  I stared down at the gem, thinking back on the first time I’d seen one like it, and been faced with the choice of power or wealth.

  "Touch it to me now before you do something as stupid as telling the others we found a soul gem!" Roq insisted. "Think about it—I could become twice as powerful! We could be unstoppable! Don't you want that? Don't you want ME to have that power?"

  I couldn't help but chuckle.

  "What’s so funny?" Pa asked.

  "Roq wants to keep it a secret and for me to use it to try and get him his breakthrough.”

  Pa raised an eyebrow at that.

  "And what do you think?"

  "Well, if Roq talks of keeping it secret, then the right thing is definitely to tell them,” I said and smiled.

  "That is a GROSS mischaracterization of my position!" Roq yelled. "I merely insist we prioritize our partnership, no, our friendship, before making rash decisions about sharing priceless treasures of immeasurable power!"

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  “Will you?” Pa asked.

  Eryn was family now. We’d bled for each other and if things went my way, I’d spend the rest of my life with her at my side. And Knut had become my brother in all but blood. Though, brothers had slit throats over far less wealth than a soul gem.

  "We can't keep this for ourselves," I said, finally. "Firstly, it would be wrong. Secondly, I’d have to drop Knut and Eryn from my party, because we wouldn’t be able to keep this a secret." I shook my head firmly. "No. We're not keeping it for ourselves. Eryn and Knut fought Arclight with me, and I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t helped me kill it.”

  “And me! Don’t forget I fought that fleabag as well. I have as strong a claim as…no, stronger claim than any! Remember when you promised I would have a share of the spoils? This is my share!”“Knut and Eryn deserve equal say in what to do with this,” I said. “Though I have an idea of what we should be doing.”

  “And the fire mage?” Pa asked.

  “I already planned to tell Nabeeh about Roq today. What's one more soul gem, right?"

  Pa chuckled.

  “Nabeeh’s a full member of the party now,” I muttered. “Though she has no claim to this soul gem, she gets to be in the room when we talk. I want to show that she’s one of us and that we trust her."

  Pa studied me for a long moment, seemingly weighing my words.

  “That's spoken like a leader. I'm proud of you, son. Hell, I would have gone along with anything, but some decisions are better and more right than others."

  “Be that as it may. I am HIGHLY disappointed in you!" Roq said. "You should take the gem for yourself and use it to upgrade me! Think of the possibilities! The power! The glory!”

  Roq kept trying to convince me as we returned to the others, the gem safely stored in my spatial storage, but he silenced as I set him on Ma's dining table with a solid thunk.

  "Nabeeh,” I said. “There's something you should know.”

  Nabeeh sipped her tea, utterly unimpressed.

  "That your hammer's a soul weapon named Roq?"

  Silence fell over the room like an anvil. Knut's tankard slipped from his fingers, ale spilling on the table and soaking his trousers. Eryn's spoon clattered into her bowl, and Ma's eyebrows vanished into her hairline.

  “She knew?!" Roq said. "All this time, she— Ash, I demand reparations in pie! This is betrayal! Humiliation! I…” he trailed off, sputtering some other nonsense that I couldn’t even understand.

  I choked on a gasp of air and cleared my throat.

  "How long have you known?”

  Nabeeh grinned.

  "Quite a while. Really, you all are terrible at subtlety. I mean, don’t get me wrong as I love you all like family, but I wouldn’t want any of you hiding any huge secrets of mine. You three are…just bad at lying." She continued, ticking off her fingers. “Firstly, when I mentioned my gem-sniffing uncle, Knut asked what weapon he used. Got me thinking." She pointed two fingers at Roq. “Second, this thing hits like a falling mountain. Three..." She smirked then. "You look at it, frequently, like it's insulted Ma or something. Which, frankly, it probably has, based on how you glare at it."

  "I would NEVER insult Ma!" Roq protested, his mental voice loud enough to make my eye twitch. "Tell her, quick! And inform this lying sand-snipe she's risking my pie rations!"

  Nabeeh leaned in, conspiratorial.

  "See? That right there. You treat it like a misbehaving cat." Her hand darted toward Roq—I intercepted, my eyes going wide, but it was a feint.

  She laughed.

  "Relax. I won’t touch it. But yeah, I’ve known for a while, and I've kept quiet. Figured it was your secret to share when, you know, it was time."

  I sighed and turned to Ma.

  "Roq says he'd never insult you."

  Ma regained her composure and patted Roq's haft.

  "Good boy. I will make you a new pie tonight."

  “Thanks, Ash,” Nabeeh said.

  “For what?”

  “For trusting me now.”

  "So you're not... upset?" Eryn asked.

  Nabeeh waved a hand.

  "Please. I fled a kingdom because I burned my fiancé at the altar after he tried taking over the kingdom. You think keeping a chatty soul weapon as a secret flusters me?"

  "Chatty hammer killing better than most adventurers," Knut corrected, raising his refilled tankard. “But surprised I am. Must remember not to play cards with you.”

  I sighed in relief and then just laughed, shaking my head.

  "Guess that settles it,” I said. “Nabeeh's officially one of us."

  Nabeeh toasted with her tea.

  "Took you long enough to get there."

  "Do we truly have to share the soul gem?" Roq asked. "Next you'll suggest splitting my kills."

  "Yes, we need to," I answered him, out loud. Then I stood and moved to pull up the stairs to the shop.

  "What are you doing?" Eryn asked, frowning.

  "Wait," I said, closing the shutters on the windows, plunging the room into darkness. It took a minute for our eyes to adjust.

  I returned to the table and sat down, meeting their eyes one by one.

  “Now you all know about my first soul gem,” I said.

  “Yes?” Nabeeh said, frowning.

  “But what about the second soul gem?” I said, swiping Arclight’s gem out of my storage.

  The reaction was immediate and they all let out a unilateral gasp and Knut started cursing in his native tongue.

  Eryn's eyes widened to perfect circles in the light thrown off by the gem, her hand flying to her mouth.

  Knut shook his head mid-sip, the ale forgotten. Nabeeh leaned forward, her usual composure cracking as she stared at the pulsing blue-gold gem.

  "Is that...?" Eryn whispered.

  “Improbable," Knut muttered, but his eyes never left the gem.

  Nabeeh laughed and clapped her hands together.

  “A second one? Now this is a party!”

  Ma showed no surprise. She caught my questioning glance and gave a small shrug. No secrets between her and Pa.

  Pa crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

  "Found it wrapped in Arclight's sinew near its heart. Like the damn thing was hiding it. Lysander didn't see. Swiped it into storage before he could lay eyes on it."

  “Touch it to me, before they get any ideas. I’ll absorb it. I promise! I’ll break through. Maybe they can get the next one?”

  I ignored him, watching the others. Knut licked his lips as he put down his tankard and buried his hands in his armpits, as if clamping down on them to keep them from doing anything stupid.

  Nabeeh leaned back and raised her arms.

  "Before anyone asks, yeah, we all know I have no claim. I wasn't a member yet for your Arclight fight, though I desperately wish I had been."

  I nodded at her, grateful she wouldn't make a fuss.

  "It's beautiful," Eryn whispered, leaning closer but not touching. “I can’t believe I’m looking at an actual soul gem.”

  Knut cleared his throat.

  “Big power. Dangerous in wrong hands. Like Domitius."

  “We have a decision to make," I said, placing the gem in front of me on the table, close enough that I’d be able to snap it up, just in case.

  “Wait,” Knut said. “First. Thank you. Being honest and sharing? Few good people in world. You? Best I have met. How many would share such treasure?”

  Eryn nodded and slowly reached out to squeeze my hand, making no move for the gem.

  "He's right. Most would have kept it for themselves.”

  "That said, what we do? What you have in mind?" Knut asked.

  “I see three options," I said. “First is to sell it and use the money to pay down the smithy, take care of your brother and his family, and get us enough mind gems and class gems to hit level forty or so. But, that's trading long-term power for short-term gain."

  Eryn nodded.

  "None of those things are out of reach even now given enough time. Look how far we’ve come with just Roq in such a short time. Imagine what we’d do with two soul weapons."

  "That's correct," I said.

  “Ash. Listen,” Roq said, his voice strangely calm. “Please ask them to consider giving up their claims and let me use it for my breakthrough. Think of how amazing I am now. What if I become twice as amazing with another soul gem? We know there are other people with soul weapons out there. They are a danger to you and your—our family. But how many have a soul weapon with TWO soul gems in it? Eh? Sell the gem and you can pay House Domitius back, but upgrade me and we’ll be so powerful no-one will never be able to threaten us ever again.”

  I sighed and relayed Roq's suggestion to the others.

  Knut and Eryn exchanged glances, and to my surprise, nodded.

  "Roq speaks true,” Knut said, “Hurts to say, but is so. Maybe better to have one super strong weapon?”

  "Are you serious?" I asked.

  "Roq is party member," Knut said. "If he can use, he gets say too. Remember promise of sharing share loot with him.”

  "An excellent observation!" Roq said. "I always said the big oaf was highly intelligent and I stand by it even more now!"

  “I agree with Knut," Eryn said. “It's not half the things we've been able to do that is thanks to Roq—it's most of it. Without him, we'd still be scavengers. If using the soul gem on Roq will improve his power, then it might be the right use for it."

  I shook my head.

  “I hadn’t looked at it like that. I thought the third option would be more realistic, which is to make a soul weapon for either of you considering I already have Roq.”

  “Well. Fortunately your team members have been bonked less on the head. Listen to them.”

  Knut and Eryn looked at each other and then shrugged.

  "Yeah, of course we would like that," Eryn admitted, Bbut we shouldn't be greedy. We're here because of you and Roq."

  I struggled to accept their reasoning as it couldn’t just be about me and Roq. No matter how powerful, one person alone could never conquer the rift, but a group of equally strong people could. "Shut up and accept their gracious brilliance, you stupid biped! Why are you doing this to me? We made a deal, and you choose not to abide!”

  "Fine," I said. "Hold your horses, Roq. Let’s try." Before anyone could object, I took the gem and touched it to Roq.