Master Mage by D.W. Jackson Read Free Book Online Page A

perished in her search for him after he had been taken prisoner
after the battle at Southpass.
    “You were supposed to be dead,” Eloen
replied amusingly.
    “Sorry to disappoint,” Thad replied
jokingly. “You should know it takes more than a mountain falling on
my head to do me in.”
    “Don’t get smart with me. How dare you
send a messenger to me to casually tell me you’re alive. Do you
know what I went through when I thought you were dead, you backside
of a mule?”
    Thad suddenly felt ashamed of himself
but quickly pushed aside the feelings. “It’s not like I would
simply stroll into Abla after the reception I got during my last
visit. I only have one foot left, and I would like to keep it
attached to my body for as long as possible.”
    “You have changed, and I am not sure I
like it,” Eloen said, her voice losing its anger and becoming
slightly amused. “I think I preferred the young boy who always
seemed to wet himself whenever I yelled. OK, so you’re alive.
What’s this about the Brotherhood and Rane? Your messenger tried to
explain it, but he seems more afraid of me than you ever
were.”
    “You can be a bit overbearing at
times,” Thad replied, laughing. “The Brotherhood is an army that
has hunted down mages as well as the magical races since before the
Fae War. Some years ago, they settled in Rane. I might have made a
bit of a nuisance of myself when I visited them. On my way back to
Farlan, I picked up a large group of elves and a smattering of
other mages. Now Rane has its eyes set on whipping us out and
taking Farlan over in the process. I think that about sums it
up.”
    “Seems like you have been busy over the
past few years when you weren’t playing dead. I don’t know if you
heard, but we just got over a pretty long war ourselves, and it’s
not like we have the best relationship with Farlan.”
    “I have heard that, but Farlan needs
help … I need help,” Thad said pleadingly. “I understand that
troops might not be possible, but we need weapons. Our blacksmiths
are churning out everything they can, but we are quickly running
out of ore and time. Farlan can pay and pay well. We are not short
on coin, just time and resources.”
    “I will see what I can do, Thad. Our
people are still getting over the war, but if we were to get
certain trade tariffs lifted, I am sure it would go a long way to
increasing our cooperation.”
    “I will talk to the queen as soon as I
return to the palace. I will leave Tuck and his ring in your care
until then,” Thad said, laughing. “It was really nice to hear from
you again.”
    “It was nice to hear from you as well,”
Eloen replied, tears hanging heavily in her voice. “Once your
business in Farlan is finished, you should come over to Abla for a
visit. I promise to throw you a warm welcome. This time, no prison
cell … unless you misbehave.”
    That night, as Thad lay under the
stars, his mind ran through the events of the past few years. His
left eye and right foot had been replaced with magical items. He
had a myriad of scars running across his body, and yet here he was,
against all the odds.
    Shortly before noon the next day, Thad
reached the palace of Farlan. He had the urge to stop by his tower
and see how Roger and Marcus were faring, but he quickly pushed the
thought aside. It didn’t take long for him to locate his target.
Maria was in the throne room, meeting with a few of her nobles that
had been resisting the coming war.
    Thad waited outside, his ear pressed
firmly against the solid oak double doors. The voices were muffled,
but Thad could still hear most of what was being said. Countess
Elisee and Duchess Melanie were petitioning the queen to try and
negotiate with the Kingdom of Rane. Being the two closest land
bearers to Rane, they stood to take the brunt of the invading
force, and it sounded like they were desperately trying to avoid
that from happening.
    Sitting down on a long padded bench,
Thad waited. If it had been