Chapter 156: Of Blades and Better Measures
Mary let the hammer rest against the anvil and watched him as if she were reading the weather. Her eyes had that same steady humor that made apprentices either want to impress her or sneak away; most chose the latter. The forge smelled of hot metal, oil, and something faintly sweet from the tallow lamps, the familiar odor wrapping around Orion like an old cloak. Sparks fell like sparse stars as a fresh blade cooled in the trough. For a moment, the world narrowed to that ring of heat and the two of them standing under it.
