Epilogue #2
The next day, Malea brought her greatest treasure, in terms of her gem-cutting work, to her old Master.
Kurt accompanied her, and when she asked to see Master Goldman, the two of them were ushered into his private office.
He’d been teaching his own apprentices that morning and was still wearing his apron with all his tools in the pockets when she unwrapped the fully cut, faceted and polished dragon’s tear.
Its brilliance shone around the room, and Master Goldman’s gaze was instantly drawn. He watched with rapt attention as she held up the cut stone and then placed it on his desk, right in front of him. For a moment, he just looked at it.
“My dear, this is…” He seemed at a loss for words as he turned the slip of parchment on which the stone was resting to view it from different angles.
Then, he took his magnifying lenses out of his apron pocket and put them over his eyes, taking a much closer look. Malea held her breath as he examined her work. She reached for Kurt’s hand, and he grasped hers in reassurance as they sat side-by-side in front of the massive desk.
Master Goldman took out calipers from another pocket on his apron and made measurements. Then, he pulled the scales on his desk closer and weighed the stone against known weights and whistled low as he sat back.
“My dear, you have outdone yourself. There are no superlatives great enough to match this stone, and the cut you devised fits it perfectly. I will convene the Masters at once, and if you do not join us at the Masters’ table shortly, I will be greatly surprised.
” He looked up, winking at her as his smile beamed.
“Thank you so much, Master. I couldn’t have done it without your skilled tutelage all these years,” Malea answered politely though her insides were filled with happy butterflies at his praise.
“I take only a little credit for giving you the space to learn, my dear. It is a Master’s greatest pleasure to see his student succeed and even surpass his own skill. You have done that, Malea. Do not doubt it. And you have made me very proud.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she fought against them.
She hadn’t been made a Master yet. She would not put the cart before the horse.
There was still the need for the other gem-cutting Masters to examine the stone and render their opinion of her skill.
Master Goldman might think it was just a formality, but she wouldn’t count her chickens before the eggs hatched.
“What will you do with the stone? Have you given it any thought?” Master Goldman asked.
“For now, I will keep it. I want to find a way to show it to the dragon who gifted me with the gem. I want to believe that she will visit the city one day, and I’ll be able to gift it back to her with my thanks,” Malea replied.
“That is a generous and noble gesture, but are you sure that’s what she would want? I thought she gave it to you so that your way might be eased in life,” Master Goldman reminded her.
“She did, but if I attain Master rank with it, that is more than enough. I dare not be too greedy. She also collected all those stones for me and made my journeyman trip a success. She was more generous to me than she needed to be. I’d like to at least try to give her something back.
Even if she has no use for the cut stone herself, she could use it as a gift to King Alric or King Roland.
It might help ease the way for her kind in the world of man,” Malea explained her reasoning.
“It’s a generous thought,” Master Goldman allowed, though his expression remained skeptical.
“It’s what I want to do. So, for now, at least, it is not for sale or trade,” Malea said firmly.
Goldman nodded. “I will so advise any who ask.”
When the gem-cutting Masters met and examined the stone and cut in detail, they were universally impressed.
Malea was invited to join them at the Masters’ table in a ceremony filled with pomp and circumstance.
Kurt watched from the side of the cavernous room that was at the heart of the gem cutters’ guild hall and applauded with all the other spectators when Malea was given her Master’s robe and welcomed as an equal among them.
Quite a few of the glass cutters and apprentices had come to bear witness, as had Isolde and her General. A fair number of virkin were present as well, particularly Arch and Keera, who were both wearing their formal breastplates.
At the reception afterward, Malea was the star of the night, answering questions about her encounter with an ice dragon and how she had come by the dragon’s tear.
They’d agreed on a story long before to explain the dragon’s gesture in a way that wouldn’t divulge Malea or Kurt’s true role in stopping the enemies up north.
Instead, she spun a tale about encountering the ice dragon and helping her when she was injured.
In response to her help, the dragon gave her the tear.
A much shorter story than what had actually happened, but also a much safer story. They’d run it past Isolde and the General before using it, and they had approved. Nobody wanted word of the dragon-killing weapons to spread, or Kurt and Malea’s involvement in stopping them.
The guild hall buzzed with admiration, laughter, and the occasional clink of goblets as the reception continued late into the evening. Kurt stayed close enough to watch her, pride swelling in his chest each time someone offered their congratulations or bowed in respect.
When she finally slipped away from a knot of fellow Masters and came to stand beside him, her eyes shone as brightly as any gemstone on display.
“Well, Master Glassmaker,” she teased softly, “looks like you’re not the only Master craftsman in the family anymore.”
He chuckled, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Arch and Keera approached just then, the little virkin resplendent in their breastplates. “We will tell our kin,” Arch declared solemnly, “that we now live in the home of two human Masters of rare and shining skill.”
Malea laughed, reaching out to caress the virkin’s small head with a finger. “Thank you, my friend.”
Somewhere above, in the crystal-dome ceiling of the guild hall, reflected light shimmered like frozen fire. Kurt took her hand, squeezing gently. “We’ve come a long way, Malea. From orphans to apprentices, to Masters in our own right, and beloved partners for life.”
“And the journey’s only just begun,” she replied, her smile holding both promise and certainty.
Together, they stepped forward into the crowd again. They were two Masters, side by side and heart to heart, ready to face whatever came next.
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