Haral
Braithwaite looked skeptically at the design, but shrugged and set to work. He
had to stop several times while he smithed the steel, not because the design
was overly complicated, but because it was terribly simple: a long, round piece
of steel intersected by a handle sticking out at a right angle. A small dome of
steel prevented slipping, and the handle was curved to allow it to fit
comfortably in the hand. Small lines in the steel would provide a little grip
without sacrificing strength.
I shrugged
each time he came back to the design. Haral was used to forging swords, maces,
and other weapons as well as armor, but he had never seen anything like this. A
standard issue, side handle nightstick was beyond him.
Haral
brought the night stick over in a pair of tongs, the steel still glowing orange
as he he held it close to the drawing I had made on the slate. It was perfect,
though the size was a little smaller than what I was used to. It had to be
since the stick was made out of steel instead of aluminum. I already had pieces
of leather I would stitch around it, slightly lessening the blow and making up
the size.
I better not make it too tight, or
at least have some way to get the leather off. I have to remember that I might
have to fight people in armor, some time.
Haral took
the stick back to the forge, making the steel ring on the anvil a few more
times before he quenched it. Now cooled, he took it over to the grinding wheel
and used the edge to put in the lines on the handle. He inspected it one last
time, then offered it to me.
“This what
you want?”
I took the
stick by the handle, then started some simple motions, spinning it, thrusting,
guarding, and bringing it down overhead.
Pad the short end with leather, but leave
the long. The leather will make a nice handle for me, and I can use it on
people that get unruly.
“Perfect.
Can I get another?”
Haral
shrugged, then grabbed another bar of steel stock, setting to work.
“The
Kingdom has a locksmith, right?”
Haral
nodded.
Okay, so it should be relatively easy to
disassemble my handcuffs and make copies, right? Better to do it now than wait
until they break. It’s hard enough doing my job without gun. I definitely don’t
want to try it without handcuffs.