But Altaïr lifted a hand in a thoughtful gesture. "There are ways to treat wood to harden it, almost to the point of becoming a blade itself. Done well, the crossguard would refuse to shatter, though the same may not be said of the haft. The process of hardening is too time consuming to do to an entire haft, however, and I am as yet uncertain if we have the correct treatments."

With his eyes narrowed, he went through what he could remember from his studies of the Apple. Some of what he knew, he knew from what they'd done at Maysaf. The rest came from Juno, and what he was considering now was a mix of both. "We would need stone, certain other minerals, a fire, a measure of water, a container, and leather that can be wound around and shrunk to hold the spear head in place."