Thinblade

by David A. Wells

  The crowd had grown quiet in rapt attention.

  “I have instructed the Regent to begin assembling an army. Before this is over, we will need every soldier we can get to fight this war. Do not think you will be able to leave the sacrifice to others. Everyone in the Seven Isles will become entangled in this conflict before the future is decided. If we do not stand together, then the future is lost.”

  Alexander paused again and surveyed the crowd. They were as silent as a graveyard. He had just pronounced a sentence on their lives. The trepidation and uncertainty was palpable.

  “I give you this pledge: I will give everything that I have and everything that I am to protect you and yours.” He waved to the crowd, then turned away from the railing, walked back into the sitting room and handed Mage Gamaliel his ring.

  Jack nodded thoughtfully. “Not bad. You sowed the seeds of a call to action that I can definitely work with.”

  Alexander was three steps into the plush sitting room when the crowd erupted in a roar. The sound was deafening. It swelled up from the square below and washed into the room and over Alexander like a force of nature. He could feel the reverberations of thousands of voices raised to their peak in unison, every one of them proclaiming solidarity with his cause and purpose. He remembered Jack’s words: A mass of people united in a common purpose was more powerful than magic. He hadn’t quite understood that before now. He turned to look over his shoulder at the bard. Jack gave him a knowing wink and a nod as he stood in the wake of the fading roar, soaking it in and reveling in the unrestrained power of it. He had an odd, wistful smile on his lips as if something long hoped for and much dreamed about had come to pass.

  He walked past Alexander and gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder, whistling as he went. “I’ll be with my bards.” There was a renewed spring in his step.

  Chapter 48

  “I agree with Master Colton, Lord Alexander,” Regent Cery said. “Your speech was well done. The people now have hope and direction. It’s what they need for the moment. Since Phane awoke, the fear and uncertainty in the streets has been palpable. Your words have gone a long way to turn their feelings into resolve and determination. I suspect Master Colton will use your words as a basis for his songs and stories. Within a few days all will know what you have said here today.”

  Alexander didn’t react at first. He felt the burden weigh even heavier now that he had thousands of people entrusting their future to him. “If I gave them what they needed today, then I am glad for that, but my words won’t win this war. There will come a time, all too soon I fear, when their enthusiasm will be dampened by blood.” He slumped down onto a comfortable couch with the sound of the crowd far below murmuring in the background as they discussed the momentous events of the day.

  “Regent, if there’s nothing else too pressing, I’d like a chance to speak with the Mage. Please make the necessary arrangements for Anatoly and Abigail to see your military.”

  Regent Cery bowed slightly, “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  There was that title again. It always felt like he should look over his shoulder for someone wearing a crown when he heard it. What cruel tricks the world could play.

  Mage Gamaliel took a big chair opposite the couch. Isabel sat next to Alexander while Lucky closed the doors to the balcony to shut out the noise of the people outside.

  Isabel looked at him for just a moment before she kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “You did a good thing for the family of that guard who tried to kill you. I’m proud of you.”

  He gave her a smile in return and took her hand as Lucky settled comfortably into the chair next to the Guild Mage.

  “Lord Alexander,” Mage Gamaliel began, but Alexander cut him off with an upraised hand.

  “Just Alexander, please. Titles are useful for getting nobles to do as they should, but little else.”

  Mage Gamaliel paused for a moment before a broad smile spread across his face and then he laughed from his belly. “Very good, I’m Kelvin,” he said. “Since we’ve met, you’ve used your magic twice. The first time you saw that I was looking at you with the power of my amulet of seeing.” From inside his shirt, he withdrew the beautifully crafted amulet made of gold and platinum wrought in the likeness of a human eye and held it out for Alexander to see. “The second time you saw a threat before it could be seen. Yet I did not see you cast a spell in either instance.”

  Alexander had waited for this moment for a long time. He had so many questions that he didn’t know where to start, so he decided to start at the beginning. “Since I was a child, I’ve been able to see the living aura of people, animals, even plants. Before the mana fast, I had to concentrate to make it happen. Now it’s just a part of my vision. Magic also produces an aura that I can see. When you entered the throne room, I saw the aura of your enchanted items, and when you looked at me with your amulet, its aura pulsed with power.”

  Kelvin leaned forward with interest. “You say your ability to see a living aura is constant?”

  Alexander nodded.

  “You didn’t cast a spell to bring the effect about?” Kelvin asked.

  Alexander shook his head. “In fact, that’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I can’t seem to cast even the simplest spells. I worked with Mason Kallentera and with my parents but I was unable to even establish a connection to the firmament in the way they instructed me.”

  This was the crux of the matter. If he was to have any chance against Phane, he needed to understand his calling. He needed to be able to wield magic.

  “Yet you’re able to sustain a constant aura-reading spell.” Kelvin mused as he sat back in his chair looking up in thought.

  Alexander sat forward expectantly but didn’t interrupt the Mage. He had to remind himself to breathe.

  “I have never encountered a wizard such as you. You took the mana fast recently, yes?” Kelvin asked.

  “At Glen Morillian. Mage Cedric left Wizard’s Dust for me in the Bloodvault,” Alexander replied.

  Kelvin looked a bit startled but recovered quickly. “We’ll come back to the Bloodvault later. Did you feel a connection to the firmament at the completion of the fast?”

  “I suppose so. It was like my awareness and the firmament became one and the same for just a moment and then I was back in my body again.”

  “That’s odd. Most wizards describe the moment when they first look into the firmament as a vast void of limitless, unformed possibility that is distinctly separate from their consciousness. I’ve never heard anyone describe his initial connection to the firmament the way you have. Aside from the aura reading, have you experienced any other manifestations of magic?”

  “Yes. I’ve had two instances of clairvoyance. Twice, I’ve seen a few moments into the future, and I can also see anywhere nearby me with my mind’s eye,” he said matter-of-factly and without embellishment.

  Isabel’s hand tightened on his. The Mage looked astonished and Lucky sat forward at hearing the news. The room fell silent for a moment before Lucky spoke.

  “You’ve seen into the future? When did these instances happen? What did you see?” Lucky asked.

  “The first time was in the woods when Truss attacked. I had the sensation that I was floating beneath the firmament, watching reality unfold. Then time sped up and I saw what was going to happen. I saw Truss and his men come around the thicket and attack with a volley of crossbow bolts. We were caught in the open. The battle didn’t go well for us in my vision. When I snapped back to the present, I called out for everyone to take cover and we avoided the crossbow volley.”

  “I wondered how you knew the enemy was upon us, but I didn’t think to ask at the time. The ramifications of your vision into the future are a thing to ponder. You say it happened a second time?” Lucky asked.

  The Mage was sitting on the edge of his seat again.

  “The second time was in the throne room. That was when the all around sight first manifested. I found that I c
ould send my vision to any place nearby and see true detail clearly in my mind’s eye. I discovered that when I relax this new vision I can see all around me as if my peripheral vision was impossibly extended. It was with this new vision that I first saw the guard on the balcony.

  “Before I could react, I slipped beneath the firmament and watched the coming moments unfold. I could see the outcome of his attack. It’s like time doesn’t pass there and I can control the flow of things, so I played out the next few moments a number of times. I tried to dodge the bolt and saw it kill Abby. I held my ground, and it killed me. I tried to deflect it, and it killed me again. Over and over I played out the coming attack in my mind until I found the course of action that I took. That’s how I knew the arrow wouldn’t penetrate Kelvin’s armor. It was like imagining the future, only with a terrifying sense of certainty that I was seeing the actual flow of events rather than just the product of my imagination.”

  Again the room fell deadly silent. Lucky and the Mage stared at Alexander with awe and disbelief.

  “I…” Kelvin began and stopped. He looked out the window for a moment before taking a deep breath. “I’m not often rendered speechless.” He shook his head. “Alexander, I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Kelvin said when he found his voice. “I don’t doubt you, but I’m not sure I can help you either.” He closed his eyes as if trying to assimilate his new understanding of reality and finding it difficult to reconcile with all he’d known his whole life.

  “Let me begin by restating the facts. You’ve been able to read a living aura since you were a child but it required concentration. Once you survived the mana fast, the ability became a constant part of your vision. You’ve had two clairvoyant experiences. You’ve had two precognitive experiences, and you can see your surroundings in your mind’s eye at will.” He looked to Alexander for confirmation.

  Alexander nodded. It reminded him of how his father always started solving a problem by stating the facts.

  “What did you see with your clairvoyance?” Kelvin asked.

  “The first time, I saw Phane in the council chamber of the Reishi Army Regency in Karth. The second time, I saw the road through the forest at the point of an ambush set for me by the Reishi.”

  Again Kelvin was speechless, but only for a moment. “How can you know it was Phane you saw? And how do you know it was Karth?”

  “I described the crests on the breastplates of the eight military leaders in the room to Wizard Kallentera and he said it was the crest of the Reishi Army Regency. As for knowing it was Phane,” Alexander shrugged, “he saw me there. He said he could see that the nether wolves he’d sent to kill me had failed, but what he sent next would succeed. That’s when I came back.”

  Mage Gamaliel looked alarmed. “Did he say anything else? Anything at all?”

  “He said, ‘You don’t even know what you are, but I do,’ and then he laughed,” Alexander replied.

  Kelvin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “When you touch the firmament, do you feel a sense of boundless rapture and infinite possibility?”

  Alexander shook his head. “I don’t feel rapture. I don’t feel like I’m going to get lost in it like I’ve been told I’m supposed to feel. When I’m there, I’m in complete control, like the firmament is just an extension of my mind and consciousness.”

  Kelvin sat back and closed his eyes again. When he opened them, Alexander could see he was at a loss.

  “Other wizards have created spells that would let them see a living aura, see at a distance and even see into the future, but they were all very accomplished wizards who’d spent their lives in pursuit of knowledge and mastery of the firmament. The sheer distance of Karth is beyond any clairvoyance spell I’ve ever heard of, and a precognition spell is virtually worthless because it takes a great deal of time to cast in exchange for a glimpse of only moments into the future. Most wizards don’t even bother learning such a thing. All around sight is a known spell as well, but it also takes several minutes to cast and only lasts for a few minutes at best. It seems you have power like nothing else I’ve ever heard of and yet you can’t consciously make contact with the firmament or cast even the simplest novice spells.” He shook his head. “I will assign every scholar in my guild to research every book in the library for any hint or mention of one such as you. If Phane knows of your calling, then others may as well. There’s bound to be some mention in the old records.”

  Alexander felt deflated and tired. He had hoped that the Mage would be able to reveal how his calling worked and how he could put his magic to use, but it was just as much of a mystery to him as it was to Alexander.

  “Thank you, Kelvin. Anything you learn on the subject would be of interest to me.”

  Kelvin frowned. “Be cautious. Your calling has not manifested in a way that I’m familiar with, but there can be no question that the power at your disposal is great. Practice those capabilities you are aware of with deliberate intention. Keep a journal of your progress. Any time you experience something new, go slowly. Record everything you can recall about the experience: your mindset at the time, the circumstances surrounding you at the moment, your mood and feelings, everything. Details are important. Pay special attention to your feelings. Control of emotion is one of the things a wizard must spend a great deal of time mastering in order to withstand the allure of the firmament. People are motivated by emotion and that is where the firmament becomes so dangerous. It can flood our senses with such intense feeling that we lose our grasp on reason. Just because you haven’t had this kind of connection to the firmament doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t.”

  That was a possibility that Alexander hadn’t considered. It hit him like a slap in the face. He was so worried that his calling was different from other wizards and now, suddenly, he was afraid that the firmament might represent the danger he’d always been warned about. Alexander felt doubt and confusion swirl through him. He needed the magic desperately, yet it was just out of reach in the murkiness of the unknown. For one terrifying, fleeting moment, he felt all certainty slip away and leave him with nothing but doubt and ambiguity. He nodded numbly, only dimly aware that he was doing so as he groped for something of substance, something solid and real that he could be sure of. Isabel squeezed his hand and leaned forward in concern at the glazed look in his eyes.

  He snapped back to the present, leaving those things he could not be certain of in the dark recesses of his mind and filling his consciousness with things he knew to be real. Isabel was real. The look of loving concern in her piercing, crystal-clear green eyes was real. His duty, although unasked for, was real as well. Magic or not, he had to find a way to protect the future from Phane.

  He gave Isabel’s hand a gentle squeeze in return and offered a slightly forced smile for her concern. With grim resolve he accepted the facts of reality. He had to deal with the truth of the situation and make do with that. His magic was unreliable and there was no one who could teach him how to make it useful, except himself. No amount of wishing for the world to be different would cause it to miraculously change. He had to deal in what is.

  Alexander stood and walked to the balcony doors to stare out at the charcoal-black silhouette of Blackstone Keep in the distance. He hadn’t found everything he was looking for in New Ruatha but he’d done well enough for now. He reminded himself that this was just a stop on the way to his real goal—the dark and foreboding fortress mountain looming over the horizon.

  “We’ll be leaving tomorrow,” he said when he turned back to face his silent observers.

  Kelvin nodded thoughtfully. “Many wizards have tried to enter Blackstone Keep. None have returned, but then none of them had Mage Cedric’s ring, either. Was that also in the Bloodvault?”

  “Yes, along with a skillbook of the blade and a letter telling me that Blackstone Keep is mine.” Alexander paused, considering how much to tell the Mage. “I believe there’s another Bloodvault in Blackstone Keep and I believe it contains the Thinblade. I need
that sword if I’m going to have any chance of uniting Ruatha.”

  “What makes you so sure the Thinblade is there?” Kelvin asked. “It’s been lost for thousands of years. Some legends say it was destroyed during the Reishi War.”

  “The skillbook contained a section on fighting with the Thinblade,” Alexander answered. “Mage Cedric wouldn’t have included that if he didn’t intend for me to have the Thinblade as well. The fact that it’s been lost for so long makes sense. If Cedric did mean for me to have it, then he would have placed it beyond the reach of anyone looking for it. What better place than his Keep?”

  “Your reasoning is sound,” Kelvin said. “A skillbook with a chapter on the sword of kings, that is an astonishing find. I never knew such a book existed. May I see it?”

  “I left it with Mason and Hanlon. They’re going to use the blade techniques in the book as the basis for training the Ranger army that they’re building.”

  Kelvin smiled and nodded his approval. “Good, I’m sure I’ll have a chance to study the book another time. Mason will know I’d like to see it and will bring it when he comes with the main force of the Rangers. I have long searched for the secret to enchanting a skillbook; perhaps I can learn something from this one. Have you had a chance to test your new skills?”

  “Unfortunately, I have,” Alexander said somberly. “I’m very confident in my ability with a blade.”

  Isabel had been quiet during the entire conversation, but she offered her confirmation. “Alexander saved me from Truss and his battle wizard. I saw him fight and I can say with certainty that there isn’t a Ranger alive who could best him in single combat.”

  “You faced off against a battle wizard? With a blade?” Kelvin looked incredulous, then he shook his head. “You do have a lot to learn about magic. One lesson you almost learned the hard way is never, ever fight a battle wizard on his terms. They’re just too fast. How is it that you survived the fight anyway?”