Stormstrider
Jay turned away from Zane and started down the dark tunnel. He held out his palm, exposing the round sphere of light. "Follow me," he commanded.
The tiny light immediately left his palm and hovered directly above and to the left of his head.
Jay had created this convenient gadget several years ago while trying to make flexible lantern protectors- in hindsight, that had been a rather useless idea- out of a special refined graphite that Lord Julien had discovered. He never went anywhere without it now; the little floating light was too handy to ever not have within arms reach.
He reached the end of the tunnel and stopped. The smooth walls had led him straight to this dead end. Why?
"What am I missing?" He murmured quietly to himself. "I was sure that there was a blade down here...I felt that weird pull a minute ago..." He paused, then realized that he had allowed his mind to wander for too long. The 'weird pull' was prompting him to turn around.
"Whoops." He turned around and walked slowly back down the tunnel, yellow light floating silently above him.
A small alcove in the wall to his right, shrouded in darkness.
Jay found himself smiling excitedly as he stood on his toes and reached in. I hope there're no bugs in there, he thought with a shudder. Just because he'd grown up here in the West, didn't mean that he needed to do anything more than barely tolerate creepy crawlies.
Jay's hand grasped a small, slender object, and he pulled it out. A small dagger with a blue gem in its pommel. He quickly unclasped the leather strap and pulled the blade free of its engraved sheath. The four-inch blade glowed in the light of his gadget, giving off a gentle blue aura. He tested the edge of the knife with a careful finger, then frowned. It wasn't sharp at all; he pressed his thumb against it, but drew no blood. Duller than a bread knife.
Jay sighed. It was a pity; the weapon was pretty cool looking. How did it get down here, anyways? And where was the sword he was supposed to find? Had he passed it again?
He traced his finger up the side of the knife, starting at the dull tip, and worked his way up to the sapphire in the pommel. He touched it with his finger, marveling at the uniformity of its facets. The deep blue looked almost like a starry sky, with all the little white sparkles that seemed to come from beneath the surface of the gem.
Wait...
Jay held out his free hand. "Power down," he ordered.
The floating light descended into his palm and turned off with a silent click.
Jay pocketed the device and observed the gem. The white sparkles were coming from inside of the sapphire. As he continued to watch, the light grew to that of a bright blue moon, basking the cave in its light.
Then, Jay's feet left the floor.
Jay shouted, nearly dropping the blade. His boots were standing on invisible air several inches from the ground. What did I just do? He asked himself, staring at his feet in awe.
The gentle light from the sapphire faded, and his boots dropped onto the ground again. Basked in darkness and thoroughly flustered, he reached into his pocket for that little light again when a voice spoke in his mind.
Who are you?
This time, Jay really did drop the blade. It fell to the floor at his feet with a dull thud, like one rock hitting another. He quickly grabbed the gadget from his pocket.
How must I persuade you to tell me? The voice asked. I know a few good torture methods that-
"No," Jay said quickly. "M-my name is Jay." He pushed a button on the top of the tiny gadget and made it float above his head again.
He reached down to pick up the knife, then stopped. The blade was stuck up to the crossguard in the floor. It had fallen straight into the rocks. Was that why there hadn't been any loud clattering?
Jay shuddered. It had come within an inch of puncturing his foot. He finally grabbed the hilt and, surprisingly, pulled the knife free with little difficulty. He held it up defensively and peered into the darkness.
Jay? The voice in his head seemed ruminative. No, that's not right. I sense a lie.
Jay looked down at the blade in his hands, eyes wide. "It's you!" he whisper-shouted. "The voice is you!"
Yes, I have a voice, the blade seemed to be vibrating in his mind as it carefully said each syllable in its strange, genderless voice. Why do you sound so surprised, my dishonest master?
Jay swallowed, resisting an urge to throw the blade across the room and run away screaming. "Fine," he said. "My name is John Keith."
The blade thrummed with satisfaction. John, it said. It means 'The mercy of The Lord,' right?
"Or something," Jay said. "Do you have a name, or should I give you one? Something like Creeper or Slasher?"
The tiny knife sounded angry. Creeper? Its thrumming grew louder. You don't have much imagination. But thankfully, yes, I already have a name.
"Well, what is it?" Jay asked nervously; he did not want to agitate the blade any more than he already had.
My name, the blade said, sounding a little calmer. My name...is Stormstrider.