Eric walked beside Silver toward the blacksmith's corner, a part of the academy grounds he'd never seen. The air grew hotter with each step, smelling of coal, smoke, and hot metal. A rhythmic clang… clang… clang… grew louder, a sound so steady it felt like a heartbeat.
The workshop was a large, open-sided shed built against a stone wall. A giant furnace glowed orange at the back, and a huge man stood before an anvil, hammer in hand. He was shirtless, his back and arms a landscape of thick muscle and old scars. Sweat shone on his skin. He didn't look up as they approached, just brought his hammer down on a glowing piece of metal with a final, deafening CLANG that made Eric flinch.
The man plunged the metal into a barrel of water. It hissed violently, sending up a cloud of steam. Only then did he turn, wiping his face with a sooty rag. He had a broad, stern face, a shaved head, and a thick black beard streaked with grey. His eyes, a dark, flinty grey, swept over them.
