Thinblade by David Wells Read Free Book Online Page B

with a start and sat up on the side of the bed. When I looked up, he was standing right there.”
    “Back up a moment. The ghost actually touched you, twice?” Lucky was still chewing.
    Alexander nodded.
    “Only the most powerful ghosts can actually manifest physically,” Lucky said as he motioned for Alexander to continue, while taking another big bite of biscuit smothered in jam.
    “When I looked up and saw him beside my bed, he told me his name was Nicolai Atherton. He called me by name and said he wouldn’t hurt me. Then he faded out of sight, came back suddenly, and said, ‘You are in great danger,’ then he flickered out again. The room started to get much colder and I heard him yell from very far away, ‘Find the Thinblade’ and then he was gone.”
    Lucky’s frown deepened.
    They both ate in silence for a moment while Lucky digested what he’d just heard. “I believe I’ve heard of Nicolai Atherton but I don’t remember where. Perhaps we can find some reference in the library at Glen Morillian.” He stood and took two more biscuits along with a big dollop of butter and a couple of heaping spoonfuls of jam.
    “As far as the Thinblade goes …” Lucky’s voice trailed off in thought as he slathered butter on a biscuit.
    Alexander waited a moment before he couldn’t help himself any longer. “What about the Thinblade?”
    Lucky looked up and smiled. “Ah yes … well … the seven Thinblades were created by the First Reishi Sovereign and given as gifts to the seven Island Kings. Each is a longsword said to be the length of a man’s arm, the width of a man’s thumb and black as onyx. It gets its name from the thickness … or rather thinness … of the blade. When you turn it sideways it’s so thin you can’t even see it. Each Thinblade is bound by Reishi magic and cannot be broken. It’s said that a Thinblade can cut through anything with almost no resistance. Most have been lost since the end of the Reishi War.”
    “Maybe the ghost knows where it is?” Alexander mused.
    Lucky grunted his agreement as he cleaned off the breakfast table. He was making a plate for his assistant when Abigail came in carrying all of her gear and wearing her armor, a sight that always made Alexander a bit nervous.
    “Ah … my dear, you’re just in time for breakfast,” he said, holding up the plate of biscuits with butter and jam that he’d just prepared for his assistant. Abigail smiled.
    “I can always count on you, Lucky.” She dropped her gear by the door and strode to the table, touching Alexander on the shoulder in greeting as she sat down next to him. She started in on the plate of biscuits. Abigail was thin but she didn’t eat like it.
    Alexander watched her for a moment until she’d taken a few bites, then casually said, “So … I saw a ghost last night.”
    She stopped chewing. “What do you mean you saw a ghost?” She covered her mouth as she spoke.
    Alexander recounted his two encounters with the ghost while Abigail ate her breakfast. She listened carefully as always. When he finished, she considered what he’d said for a moment before launching into a litany of questions. “Who’s Nicolai Atherton? Why is he a ghost? Why is he bothering you? How does he know your name? What does the legend of the Thinblade have to do with any of this?”
    Alexander held up his hands to slow her down. He wasn’t even fazed by her string of questions; inquisitiveness was in her nature. “All good questions and I can’t answer a single one. We’re hoping we can find more information in Glen Morillian. If we can’t find what we need there, I think we’ll have to go to the Wizards Guild in New Ruatha.”
    Lucky nodded his agreement.
    Alexander looked out the window. There was just the faintest hint of light on the horizon. Dawn wasn’t too far off. He could hear people going about their chores in the yard. The day was about to begin. Abigail resumed eating while Lucky made up another plate for his