The thin, high-pitched whine of the saw rose to a shrill squeal as the blade cut into the ancient bonds.
Dane was so excited that he could scarcely hear it. A tingling sensation ran up his back and down his arms as the moment drew near. He watched as Sowell worked his way down one side, then around the end, and back up the other side. When only one end of the box remained, he felt Kaylin grasp his forearm in both hands and squeeze.
The professor completed the last cut, put down his saw, and knelt to inspect his work. He used a brush and a small vacuum tube to clean away the loose bits of metal from around the cut. Then he probed the cut with a thin bladed knife.
“Should we just come back tomorrow?” Bones asked, a touch of annoyance in his voice. “I mean, if you’re gonna be a while…”
“I was asked to do a job,” Sowell replied, not looking up from his work. “It’s going to be done properly.”
“Sorry,” Bones said. “We’ve been through a lot to get this thing.”
Sowell finished his inspection and nodded as if satisfied. He stood up and addressed the group.
“Everyone put on masks and rubber gloves, please.” He pointed to a table against the far wall.
“Why?” Willis asked.
“We don’t know what’s in there. There could be some sort of mold spore that might be harmful if inhaled. And frankly, even if whatever is in there isn’t potentially harmful, I don’t want you sneezing on it.” He turned to Bones. “Since you’re so eager, how about you give me a hand with this lid?”
Bones donned a mask and a pair of gloves, and positioned himself at one end of the table. He and Dr. Sowell each took hold of one end of the lid.
“Okay, lift,” Sowell instructed. Each lifted his end of the lid. It did not budge.
Bones tried to jiggle the lid, to no avail.
“Don’t try to force it,” Sowell ordered. He took a small hammer and chisel and began working at the corners of the box, carefully tapping the tool's fine point between the two halves. When he was satisfied, he nodded to Bones, and the two of them pulled up on the lid. With a little persuasion, it came free.
Dane’s mouth dropped open in slack-jawed disbelief. The box was filled with moldy burlap. He wanted to curse. Just as quickly as the thought had entered his mind, it fled. The burlap was obviously packing material to protect whatever was inside. He chuckled at his own foolishness. Kaylin glanced at him, a look of curiosity in her eyes. He shook his head.
Sowell carefully lifted the bundle out of the box and laid it on the table. Slowly, delicately, he unrolled the burlap from around the object. Dane held his breath. Around him, the others gasped as the last layer of cloth fell away.
It was a huge broadsword. The pommel was broad, the handle wrapped in dry, aged leather. The scabbard was simple, without ornamentation. When Sowell drew the blade, however, even Dane sucked in his breath with surprise.
The sword was unlike any he had ever seen, and not only in terms of its size. One side of the blade was perfectly straight, and obviously razor sharp. The other side, apparently equally sharp, was oddly shaped, with irregular waves and indentations along the length of the blade, some of them nearly an inch deep.
“It looks like a big key,” Bones observed.
Dane was too mesmerized by the magnificence of the sword to comment.
“It’s so shiny,” Kaylin marveled. “It looks brand new.”
“Is it steel?” Dane asked. The sword should not have been in such pristine condition, especially not a three thousand year-old sword.
“No, it isn’t,” Sowell answered slowly. “It’s surprisingly light.” He hefted the sword with one hand, and cut a figure eight in the air. “It feels almost like titanium.” His puzzled voice was a match for his frown.
“May I hold it?” Kaylin asked.
Sowell nodded, and held it out across his upturned palms, as if making a formal presentation. It glistened in the artificial light.
Considering that this was the fulfillment of her father’s dream, Dane agreed that a bit of ceremony was not out of order. He laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Congratulations,” he said softly.
Bones began clapping. The others quickly joined in, whistling and applauding with enthusiasm. Kaylin turned toward them, and held the sword aloft. The tears streamed down her cheeks, framing her brilliant smile.
“Thank you all,” she said, lowering the sword, and gazing at it with a mixture of wonderment and adoration. “You all worked so hard, and put yourself in such danger to help me finish Dad’s work. I can’t tell you how much…” She broke into sobs.
Everyone surged forward to hug her or pat her on the back. Dane held back. He did not know why, but he felt as if he should not be a part of this moment.
Kaylin quickly regained her composure. She scrubbed her tears away with the back of a sleeve, and smiled anew.
“Who wants to hold it?” she asked, looking around at the others.
“Let Dane hold it first,” Bones said. “You guys found it. I mean, all we did was get beat up.”
“No, you go ahead,” Dane declined, laughing. “This was a team effort, and you guys certainly paid your dues.”
Bones took the sword from Kaylin, and held it aloft, letting the light play off the keen edges of the blade. Despite what Sowell had said, his face registered surprise.
“Man, this thing is light. And there’s not a scratch on it. The edge of the blade is perfect.” He gazed at it for a moment before passing it around the circle.
First Corey, then Matt, then Willis took a turn holding the sword. To a man, their faces registered bewilderment at the weight and condition of the ancient blade.
”No way this could be the real thing,” Willis said as he passed it to Dane. “I’m sorry to be the stick in the mud, man, but they didn’t have metals like this back then.”
Dane grasped the hilt of the sword. Light though it might be, it was perfectly balanced.
“You’re right, Willis,” he said. “They didn’t have this kind of metal back then. But there’s another problem.” He waited to see if anyone was following his train of thought. When no one spoke up, he continued. “We know that, at the very least, this sword is nearly two hundred years old. It’s been in the ground almost that long.”
“I hear you,” Willis said, a sly smile spread across his face.
“I get it,” Bones said, pounding his fist into his palm. “Whatever kind of alloy or whatever this is would have been almost as much out of the question in 1825 as it was way back when. It’s an anachronism regardless.”
“Ms. Maxwell, will you allow me to analyze the blade?” Sowell asked. “I have some tests I can run that will not damage the blade. Perhaps I can shed some light on this puzzle.”
“Please,” Kaylin said, obviously confused by this revelation. “I thought that finding the sword would be the end of the mystery, but it seems that it’s just the beginning.”
“Let’s assume that Rienzi is correct, and this is truly the sword that belonged to Goliath,” Corey said, scratching his head. “How was this thing made?”
“Maybe it was a miracle,” Kaylin said. She blushed a little as everyone looked at her. “Why not?” she asked with a touch of defiance in her voice. “David was God’s chosen warrior. Maybe when he used the sword to cut Goliath’s head off, God did something to it.”
“Back to reality,” Dane muttered. Religion of any sort was not his favorite topic.
“What’s the matter Maddock, don’t you believe in God?” Kaylin rounded on him, hands on hips and a look of challenge in her eyes. “Don’t you?”
Dane did not reply. He focused his attention on the sword, and tried to ignore the heat that was rising up the back of his neck.
“Sure he does,” Bones said after an uncomfortable silence. “They’re just taking a little time apart right now.”