Thinblade Read Online Free Page B

gestured around at the tent.
    Jataan P’Tal stood passively. They had retired to a set of command tents set up on a small hill near the site of the obelisk. Phane was eating with enjoyment and gusto. He praised the food between mouthfuls. After he’d eaten his fill he took up a bottle of dark red wine and emptied it into a large flagon, patiently shaking out the last drop. He inhaled the bouquet of the wine deeply, lifted the huge cup with a shameless smile, and took a long pull.
    He set the cup down and sighed with delight. “I haven’t eaten in ages, you know,” he said with a conspiratorial wink. When Jataan didn’t react, Phane sighed. “Very well, General Commander, report.” Phane sat back with a smirk and waited.
    Jataan cocked his head, “My Prince, I command a force of intelligence assets spanning all of the Seven Isles and numbering approximately twenty thousand. I also have about fifty thousand total combat forces at my command but it will require some notice to assemble them.”
    Phane looked at him and waited silently.
    “The Reishi Protectorate controls this island within the Isle of Tyr. Our purpose for the past two thousand years has been to wait for this day. Our sworn duty is to protect the Reishi Sovereign and his line. We are currently aware of one threat to your life and we have taken measures to eliminate it.” Jataan was a general officer giving his report. He spoke matter-of-factly and without emotion.
    Phane smiled, “A threat, you say? Tell me more.” His smile took on a slight menace that even Jataan P’Tal found somewhat unsettling. Prince Phane had boyish good looks and big brown eyes that glittered with the telltale gold flecks of the Reishi line. Jataan reminded himself to be on guard.
    “The Old Rebel Mage cursed an ancient bloodline to rise on this day to oppose your claim as Sovereign of the Seven Isles. The legend says the curse will be triggered by the warning spell released when you awoke.”
    Phane held up his hand, “You refer to the magic circle that surrounded my obelisk, yes?”
    Jataan nodded.
    “What exactly did the circle do when I was released?” Phane leaned forward with intense interest.
    Jataan P’Tal frowned. “A great wave of magical force expanded outward from the circle. It knocked me from my feet and stunned many of my men. All felt it. I believe it may have been felt on all of the Seven Isles. Your arrival has been announced, My Prince.”
    Phane picked up his flagon of wine and looked intently into it for a moment. Jataan was silent. Phane very deliberately took another long pull from the oversized cup.
    “The Old Mage is a nuisance even two millennia after his death,” Phane shook his head. He stared into the cup again as if the wine might provide a solution to his troubles.
    “Tell me of the threat sent by the Old Mage.” Phane spoke deliberately.
    For the first time in a very long time, Jataan P’Tal actually felt a little flutter of nervousness. A drunken arch mage was dangerous.
    Jataan straightened and began his report anew. “The spell takes the form of a curse on the eldest son of the chosen line. He will be marked. This mark will allow him to access hidden storehouses of magic. The legend says he will defeat you with the ancient magic he will find. The story has been corroborated by two master-level prophet wizards over the past two thousand years.”
    “Does this story say what magic this brave champion will find?” Phane asked almost disinterestedly.
    “The only item mentioned is the Thinblade of the House of Ruatha,” Jataan answered.
    Phane looked up sharply and smiled, “Go on, General Commander.”
    “The Protectorate has discovered the last remnants of this ancient bloodline. They are concealed as a secondary noble house on the Isle of Ruatha under the name of Valentine. When your obelisk came to life a month ago, I dispatched an assassin to kill the eldest son of the family. My assassin is reliable,” Jataan P’Tal