The lock on the box was old and rusted. Caelum tried to open it with his fingers, but it would not move. He needed a tool.
He left the box on the library floor. He went to the kitchen. Elara was not there. A small fire poker, made of black iron, rested by the hearth. It was heavy, but he could lift it. He carried it back to the library.
He knelt beside the box. He pushed the sharp end of the poker into the keyhole of the lock. He pushed and twisted. The old metal groaned. He put all his small weight into it.
With a loud SNAP, the rusted lock broke.
Caelum put the poker down. He opened the heavy lid of the box.
The inside was lined with faded red velvet. On top lay a long object wrapped in oilcloth. The cloth was dark and stained with age. Underneath it was a smaller object, also wrapped in cloth.
He carefully lifted the long bundle out of the box. He placed it on the floor and began to unwrap it. The cloth was stiff and smelled of oil and old metal.
He unwrapped the final layer.
It was a sword.
The blade was long and straight. It was made of a dark, grey metal that did not shine. There were no jewels on it. The handle was wrapped in worn, black leather. At the base of the blade, where it met the handle, was a small, simple crest. It was the crest of his family, House Thorne.
This was his father's sword. The one the king had taken. His father had lied. He had hidden it.
Caelum reached out. His fingers touched the cold metal of the blade. The moment his skin made contact, a faint, silvery light pulsed from the Thorne crest. The light traveled up the length of the blade, shimmered for a second, and then faded.
Caelum stared at the sword. He felt a strange feeling from it. A feeling of… recognition. As if the sword knew him.
He looked back into the box. He reached in and took out the smaller bundle. He unwrapped it.
Inside was a single object. It was a gauntlet, a glove made for the left hand. It was crafted from the same dark metal as the sword, with black leather for the fingers. On the back of the hand was a strange, swirling sigil made of a smooth, grey stone.
Caelum looked at the sword on the floor. He looked at the gauntlet in his lap. His father had told him he was a broken man with nothing left. But these were not the possessions of a broken man.