The Shield Liora Made — Under the west tower, Liora hammered a plain round shield until clang-clang rang against the stones. Read the full story →
Under the west tower, Liora hammered a plain round shield until clang-clang rang against the stones. She wanted it ready before moonrise, when the queen’s guard marched below the banners. The metal smelled hot and smoky. For the center, Liora had cut a simple star, but when she stepped outside to cool the shield in the horse trough, an ash-gray bird landed on the rim. “Not a star,” it whispered, scratching a feather shape in soot.
Liora followed it past the quiet armory door to the old coal shed, where red dust glimmered in a cracked jar. The dust stung her fingers, but she mixed it with polish and painted each feather by hand. At moonrise, the queen lifted the shield, and a phoenix shone where the star had been. Liora stood straighter than any banner pole. If you study the shield closely, can you keep the ash-bird’s secret too—clang-clang under the west tower?
