Frankie yelled back through the cab window, "And my brother specializes in discarded things."

Barry snort-laughed and quickly apologized, "Sorry. Aunt Frankie gets me sometimes."  

Peter continued, "Either way, the blacksmith was able to treat it as normal iron. He softened it in fire, hammering our impurities while imbuing it with just the right amount of carbon to turn it, unknowingly, into strong and durable steel. George had a special request of him: to quench the weapon in a barrel of holy water, blessed by Pope Felix himself."

"So he made a holy sword?" Paz said.

"A lance," said Peter. "Sir George called it Ascalon, after the town it was made in."

The truck's brakes screeched and the heavy vehicle lurched to a s...

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