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"Unbreakable, o’ course," Luchta said "And waterproof"

"The iron won’t rust and the silver won’t tarnish," Goibhniu added

"As here along the length of the staff? Atticus, do you recognize them?"

"That’s actually Flidais’s work," Luchta explained "Or, rather, it’s s They’re the reason for the name: Scáthmhaide means ‘shadow staff’ in modern Irish Say the proper words and it’ll turn ye invisible True invisibility, now, not cae There’s some fine print, but I don’t know it all I just carved it according to instructions You’d best talk to Flidais about it"

Granuaile was stunned "Flidais did this for me?" The craftsmen nodded "Why?"

"Wish I knew the answer to thatto anyone else, ye know"

"Aye, and everyone froin’ fer it," Luchta said

"But now you know it, right?" Granuaile pointed to the knots

"Nope She’s got all kinds o’ stuff going on there I don’t knohich part of it is invisibility and which is pure decoration I i, but these aren’t standard bindings They’re unique Ye have so truly special there"

Granuaile rereat honor I will do irl," Luchta said

"Shall we have a drink to celebrate?" Goibhniu asked "I happened to bring a few bottles along"

We were at Luchta’s studio, one of the most pleasant work spaces I have ever visited: sawdust on the floor,with shelves of burls and knots and branches, and polished finished pieces resting against another We were near the workbenches, where lathes and chisels and peelers awaited the attention of Luchta’s expert hands The sed oak filled the space, and these were reeable to everyone’s nose than rhino shit

We had made a brief stop at Manannan Mac Lir’s estate to clean up and get a fresh set of clothes We lookedtunics and pants in his blue-gray color palette Manannan gave Granuaile a silver belt of cockleshells and sea horses as a sort of graduation gift and ave her soies and sonored; they didn’t re to Luchta’s

Granuaile had her hair all brushed out and shining with silver bits, and I wasn’t the only person at Luchta’s shop to think she looked like a goddess A large shadow darkened the doorway and a deep voice called, "Flidais! You are eventhan usual today!"

Granuaile turned toward the voice and discovered Ogma there, who blanched once he realized hishis cheeks "I meant no offense"

"No offense taken, sir," Granuaile said, casting her eyes sideways at me with a tiny smirk "There are worse fates than to be ratulations And you have a neeapon--congratulations on that also Are you anxious to try it out?"

"I alance at Scáth match, then?"

"How friendly?"

"Say, two falls out of three Winner takes clothing"

Granuaile raised an eyebrow and replied, "Done," before I could counsel her not to Ogma was a famed chada, half-brother to Lugh, and grandfather of the Three Crafts’s probleerated He was tooof the Tuatha Dé Danann, used to point at this unbeatable ma to wreck it, and it would be wrecked One day he said, daham script Granuaile probably knew all this, however, and had decided to accept anyway The tiain dressed only in a kilt,with every movement, asked Luchta if he could borrow a staff He was much taller than anyone, and his reach far exceeded Granuaile’s Granuaileher spot in the sawdust She twirled it about experith These twirls gradually grew faster until the staff blurred like a propeller blade

Og his staff in one hand at such speeds that Granuaile’s hair was blown back a bit He wasn’t one to be psyched out

Well, not ords, anyway