be a while,” Alexander said, as he touched the Sovereign Stone.
He briefed the Reishi Council thoroughly, leaving nothing out since he last spoke to them. He told them of the contents of the Wizard’s Den, the trip to Tyr, the addition of the Reishi Protectorate to his ranks, the destruction of Zuhl’s shipyards, the seven ships that managed to escape, the battle with the wraithkin and the pirates, the recovery of the Tyr Thinblade, his wound by wraithkin dagger, Anja, the loss of Mindbender, his uneasy alliance with Bragador, finding the blood of the earth, and his disturbing conversation with Siduri. Finally he told them about Isabel. He saved that information for last, not because it was the most important item on his very long list, but because it was the most painful.
When he finished, he sat back and hung his head, Isabel’s absence once again threatening to overwhelm his composure. He understood why she left, might have done the same if he were in her shoes, but none of that undid the empty feeling it left inside him.
The table was silent for several moments.
“Much has transpired,” Balthazar said.
Alexander nodded.
“Perhaps we should set aside those things about which we have no insight to offer,” Balthazar said.
Alexander nodded again.
“The destruction of Zuhl’s shipyard is a victory,” the First Sovereign said. “His escape with seven ships is a defeat. The recovery of the Tyr Thinblade, your wound, the newfound loyalty of the Reishi Protectorate, and Isabel’s decision to leave require no counsel. That leaves a long list of things we can offer you advice about.”
“May we start with Mindbender?” Constantine asked, sitting forward with interest.
“Sure, but I’m not sure there’s much to discuss,” Alexander said. “In fact, I’d add that to the defeat column.”
“I’m not so certain,” Constantine said.
“Nor am I,” Darius said. “Please describe the destruction of the sword in detail.”
Alexander told them about the battle with the pirate wielding the Thinblade, how he’d been distracted by the crossbow bolt to the shoulder at just the wrong moment, how the ancient, sentient sword had been cleaved in two, and finally, about the lights that played across the cavern walls before seemingly soaking into him.
“You say the light expanded to fill the cavern?” Dominic asked.
“And then collapsed into you?” Constantine added.
“That’s the way I remember it,” Alexander said.
They looked at each other.
“If I might,” Balthazar said. “A phrase from your conversation with Siduri caught my attention. He said ‘a link with source requires a place to reside.’ Is that correct?”
“I believe so,” Alexander said. “What are you getting at?”
Balthazar looked to his son Dominic, who nodded. Then to Constantine, who nodded as well.
“It may be that the magic of Mindbender, or more precisely, Benesh Reishi’s link with the firmament, now resides within you,” Balthazar said.
“How can that be?” Alexander asked.
“The ways of magic are not always clear,” Balthazar said. “We’re still not certain on the specifics of how Benesh created the sword in the first place.”
“One of the books we found in his tomb detailed a process for transferring a wizard’s link with the firmament to an item,” Alexander said. “The wizards said they thought an arch mage could be stripped of his link, which could then be used to create an item capable of allowing its wielder to command the firmament with the same level of power as the wizard who gave it his power.”
“If that’s how he created Mindbender, it explains why he died,” Constantine said. “Without his link, the aging process would have overtaken him relatively quickly.”
“It may also explain how the link transferred to Alexander,” Dominic said. “Under normal circumstances, a link with the firmament is bound to a specific wizard or witch. In order to transfer his link to the sword, Benesh would have had to ensure that the link didn’t dissipate the moment it was separated from him. He would have had to harden it, if you will, in order to protect it long enough to become one with the sword. How he accomplished such a thing is beyond my understanding, but it seems from your description that the link contained within the sword sought out a suitable place to reside once the sword could no longer contain it.”
“So what do I do?” Alexander asked.
“Guard that book carefully,” Balthazar said. “Its potential is difficult to ascertain, but Phane or Zuhl could probably find ways to use it.”
“It’s in the care of the Guild Mage,” Alexander said, “He’s studying it to see if we could make use