Who knew one terrible mistake could trigger a war so quickly. It hadn't even been a few months, and news of the Kinsmen of the Dark gaining grounds constantly reached their ears. Every able body was requested by the Council of Thirds to join the fro...
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"This does, indeed, look as if it was cut with a knife," the old saddle maker commented, letting go of the severed strap in favor of turning to look at the small group: Professor Fai, Professor Ximor, Nagan, and Carthadeus. The professors were nearing the end of questioning the boys — Carthadeus telling his story of when he was inspecting the saddle and Nagan confirming that the other didn't cut the strap himself, no matter how many times Carthadeus took the blame — when the saddle maker and his team arrived to inspect the torn strap. "A particularly sharp and thin one, might I add. One that's made to cut specially cured leather."
Professor Fai's lips tightened into a thin line before asking, "Is there any chance it was an accident?"
"Unless you have something so sharp lying around in your tack room," the saddle maker said, pausing with a sigh, "there really is no other explanation for this than foul play."
Nagan's blood boiled at the thought of someone doing this intentionally. Milora could have been killed! If this was some sick prank someone was trying to pull, they obviously didn't think of the disastrous consequences. Did Milora have any enemies? It was hard to imagine, but he knew what jealousy could drive people to. His breath caught in his throat as the image of his mother's lifeless body flashed through his mind, and he shook his head quickly. This caught the eye of Carthadeus who stood beside him with his arms tightly crossed — both boys kept out of the way near the edge of the room — raising an eyebrow at his sudden actions in question.
"Could the cut have been done by a kitchen knife or a dagger? A sword with a thin edge?" Nagan asked instead, ignoring Carthadeus' gaze.
"No," the saddle maker replied shortly, patting the saddle behind them. Even though the reason why they were here was grim, he could see the curiosity in the two boys' eyes as they both stepped forward to get a closer look at the saddle. "You see, there's a special process us dragon saddle makers use to make the leather sturdy enough to be used in the first place. A process that includes soaking the leather in a specially alchemized solution that makes the leather more durable and heat resistant — or cold or water-resistant, depending on the dragon. Another couple of layers are applied to the side that will be rubbing against the dragon before we start constructing the saddle. Because of this, a normal knife would be able to cut it eventually, but the cut would be jagged, and the blade would dull too quickly to be efficient. The cut on this saddle is clean, which could only mean whoever did this used the exact knife, or a knife similar to it, that we saddle makers use." He pulled out what looked to be a paintbrush at first, but the end instead held a dark blade that refracted a yellow-orange color. "The blade is forged by another alchemically made metal. It's more durable and can be sharpened more finely."
"I didn't realize alchemy was such a big part of saddle making," Carthadeus commented, his expression thoughtful. Nagan silently agreed.
The saddle maker gave the boys an amused smile. "Alchemy is often viewed as only to create your magic crystals and a few other devices, when in reality, its applications are very widespread. I'm sure your alchemy teacher could give you the full list if you asked."
