Item from The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
One of the three Swords of the Cross — a cavalry saber wielded by Sanya, a Russian former Denarian who found hope after surrendering a Fallen Angel's coin and now fights with cheerful determination.
Esperacchius is the Sword of Hope — a cavalry saber with a swept hilt, elegant and functional, wielded by a man who knows exactly what hopelessness feels like because he lived it. Sanya is a tall, powerfully built Russian man who was once a host for one of the Denarian coins — a Fallen Angel whispered in his head and offered him power, and for a time he took it. Then he gave the coin up voluntarily, which almost never happens, and picked up Esperacchius instead. Sanya describes himself as agnostic. He's not sure God exists. He's not sure the Swords are holy in the way theologians mean. He carries Esperacchius and fights alongside the other Knights because he has seen what the Denarians do, and he knows the world needs people willing to stand against them. That's hope — not certainty, not faith in a specific outcome, but the stubborn refusal to let darkness win unopposed. The Sword accepts that. It shines for him as brightly as it would for a saint. Sanya is the most active Knight currently in the field. Michael is retired (injured). Butters is relatively new. Sanya travels the world, going where the Swords are needed, fighting Denarians and other supernatural threats with a combination of physical prowess, practical combat training, and the particular confidence of a man who has already survived the worst thing that could happen to him. He's also genuinely fun to be around — warm, direct, and possessed of a dry humor that cuts through the grimness of his work.
A cavalry saber with a curved blade. Functional, well-balanced, nothing flashy. The Nail is set into the pommel. Sanya treats it like any other weapon — cleans it, sharpens it, carries it in a practical scabbard.
Also known as: Esperacchius, the Sword of Hope, Sanya's sword