It was a sword. It did not look important. Three feet long and slightly curved, the blade looked tarnished. The metal"s dark color suggested it was simply brass. The edge was sharp and without a nick. The haft was pewter-colored, contoured for the human hand, and unremarkable—except for the single ruby set in the pommel.
Despite its modest appearance, the sword was skillfully constructed. The blade itself had been made from microscopic sheets of a chromium-antimony alloy layered one atop the other. The painstaking process made the blade very flexible and the edge very sharp. Even the best swordsmiths found the alloy difficult to work, however, making reproduction improbable.
In addition to its precise construction, the sword was ancient. Forged more than nine thousand years before, the s
