Read Set in Stone for Free Online

carefully gather every last grain.
    When all was gathered, he ran his hands over the smooth steel surface. Some grit remained, so he brushed a thick, orange eoin feather across the table. After shaking the feather out over the open sack, he tied it securely.
    Two workmen appeared and carried the sack to a scale near the door. They weighed it and marked the number on a tally sheet next to the weight of the original stone. Hendry joined them, confirmed the weight, and all three made their marks at the edge of the sheet. The workers then hefted the full sack and carried it out toward the barge.
    Connor fetched another heavy granite block for his father and placed it on the scale. It weighed in at almost thirteen stone, almost exactly his weight. He marked the number in the ledger and Hendry confirmed the weight. Then Connor carried the stone to his father's worktable.
    He picked up the diorite hammer and hefted its familiar weight. His family had held the prestigious vocation of Ashlar for four generations.
    Until now.
    Even as he longed to find a way to take his place as a Cutter and future Ashlar, the itching of the Curse intensified. He hid his frustration and placed the hammer on the table next to the block. He would never live the simple, honorable life of his father.
    Isolated in silence by his situation as much as by the ear protection, he wordlessly helped his father replace the mesh screen around the table. Then he stood back as his father pushed his arms through the holes and took up the hammer that Connor would never wield. His father began pounding the new block in the same slow rhythm.
    Between blows, Hendry glanced over at Connor and shouted, "Good hunt?" His voice sounded through the ear protection like he was talking underwater.
    "I killed a torc!"
    Hendry grinned as wide as Connor. "Congratulations, son. Those monsters are dangerous."
    Not as dangerous as me.
    A worker stepped into the wide central doors of the Powder House and shouted, "Ashlar, the foreman wants that block finished double-quick. This shipment can't be late."
    Hendry nodded, and after the man left, he said to Connor, "Keith is riding everyone hard today, stones take the man."
    He slammed the hammer on the block of granite. It struck off-center and shattered the entire left side where he held it steady with his free hand. He grimaced, put down the hammer, wiped his arms free of granite dust, and withdrew them.
    "What's wrong?" Connor asked.
    "Sprained my hand." Hendry carefully massaged his left hand. "Never strike in anger, son. It'll mar your work every time. I've just given myself a painful afternoon."
    His father was always trying to give him counsel like that, but Connor's mind turned back to when he Curse-punched the torc.
    Had he struck in anger, or out of a need for self-preservation?
    As Hendry grimaced again and turned back toward the table, Connor placed a hand on his arm. "Wait. Let me do it for you."
    "Connor, you know you can't."
    "Why not?" The question was so ridiculous he expected his father to laugh it away even while he desperately wanted him to say yes.
    Hendry gave him one of his long-suffering looks and said, "Son, now's not a good time to start this. I didn't touch this hammer until I'd been a Cutter for years."
    "I don't have that much time. After tomorrow . . ." He glanced around to ensure they were still alone. After tomorrow, the entire town would know he'd never be a Cutter.
    Hendry frowned. "I know, son."
    "Please, just once, let me try it. I'll never get another chance."
    Hendry glanced around as well, then nodded. "Just one try, then I have to get back to work."
    Connor tried to hide his surprise. The Sogail was a time of gifts, but he'd never imagined he'd get such an amazing one.
    Before his father could change his mind, he rolled up his sleeves and stepped up to the table. His arms did not fill the openings in the mesh screen the way his father's did, nor were they shaved, but none of that mattered.
    Connor