Sword and Corridor

This story was written for Trifecta’s weekly prompt, and continues the saga of the Third Little Pig. I was also a bit inspired by a particular passage in The Fellowship of the Ring, which I’ve been re-listening to on audiobook. You’ll know it when you see it.

The little mouse had lived its whole life in the castle corridors, and it had never had a day’s trouble. Now, all of a sudden, everything was madness. A man came running down the corridor with a drawn sword, while a pig had come running the opposite way. Yet a third person had come in exclaiming something about a giant snake, and sure enough, right behind the pig an extremely outsized snake came barreling. The mouse was so distressed it resolved to leave the castle at once and flee to the countryside, which it promptly did. It met another mouse in a meadow just outside the castle, started a large family, and spent the rest of its days in happy mousey fulfillment.

Meanwhile, back in the corridor, Evinrude was wondering when the sword’s powers were supposed to kick in. The pond lady had been somewhat unclear on that point before she’d tossed the thing at him. He cast a hasty glance over it, hoping for some inscription that might give a clue about its magical properties. The sword had exactly one rune, glimmering silver on its blade, a shining brand left by its long-vanished makers. Evinrude had neglected his runic studies, or he might have been able to recognize exactly which Dwarven smith the mark represented. He then could have identified the smith’s Dwarf-clan and dialect, and from there deduced several possible magic phrases that could help. But even if he had paid attention to his studies, he wouldn’t have had time to do that anyway. The Third Little Pig flew past, and the snake was practically upon him.

Then it froze. Evinrude was about to seize the moment and strike, when he paused too. In that silent instant, an ominous sound came to his ears. The low wailing cry grew steadily louder. Only the lady Eulalie from the distant islands had heard that sound, and she trembled. “Bagpipes,” she whispered shakily. “Bagpipes in the deep. They are coming.”