The Ransom Knight Read Online Free PDF

Atalia. “So when she wakes up, we’ll have a nice little talk and she’ll tell us everything she knows.”
    “And if she doesn’t want to talk?” said Gerald.
    “I’m very persuasive,” said Mazael. 
    “What do you think is happening?” said Gerald.
    “If I had to guess,” said Mazael, looking at the white tower of Castle Highstone, “that’s a ruin of the Dark Elderborn. There must have been something buried inside it, some relic or artifact of dark magic. Trocend knew about it, but was never able to find it. After Trocend cast Atalia out, she came here in hope of finding it to regain her teacher’s favor.”
    “Or in hope of claiming the dark power for herself,” said Gerald.
    “That, too,” said Mazael. “Instead she came here and found that Sir Traeger had claimed the power for himself. She’s been here ever since, trying to separate him from the dark magic.”
    “In order to warn Trocend?” said Gerald.
    “Maybe,” said Mazael. “Or, as you said, she wanted to claim the dark magic for herself.” 
    “What if she did?” said Gerald.
    Mazael shrugged. “Then I’ll kill her.”
    Gerald swallowed and said nothing further, and they waited in silence. 
    At last Atalia groaned and started to stir as the sun dipped below the hills to the west. 
    Mazael loosened his sword in its scabbard and waited.
    Atalia sat up, blinked, and looked around. 
    “We’re still alive, then?” she said at last, rubbing her head. 
    “For the moment,” said Mazael. “I rather doubt the afterlife looks like a forest in the Stormvales.” 
    She looked at his sword. “Are you going to kill me?” 
    “That would depend,” said Mazael, “on what you tell me next.” 
    “You want to know what is going on,” said Atalia.
    “That,” said Mazael, “and a few other things.” He tapped his sword hilt. “My guess is that you actually woke up some time ago and have been listening to us.” Her face went blank. “A useful trick for a former thief. How much did I get right?”
    Atalia sighed. “Do you just pretend to be a thuggish, unlettered knight, or are you really as clever as you seem to be?”
    “Maybe both,” said Mazael with a shrug, “and you’re deflecting the question.”
    “Very well,” said Atalia. “You were mostly right. I was a thief in Knightport, until my power manifested and a wizard took me to Alborg. I…did not get on well there. I have a problem with rules.”
    “Well,” said Gerald, “you and Sir Mazael have something in common, then.” 
    “After I was expelled, I made my way as a mercenary,” said Atalia, “selling my spells to the highest bidder.” Her mouth twisted. “My mother sold her body, so I suppose I’m not so different from her, am I?” 
    “Don’t care,” said Mazael, “and it’s not relevant to the army of phantoms in Castle Highstone, is it? You’re deflecting again.”
    “Most men fall for that,” said Atalia. “Anyway. Trocend took me in. Thought I might make a useful spy. During one of our journeys, we went past Castle Highstone. Trocend told me that it was an ancient ruin of the Dark Elderborn, that there was a hidden source of dark magic within it.”
    “He wanted to claim it?” said Mazael. 
    “He wanted to destroy it,” said Atalia. “He feared some troublemaker would find it, but he could never find the damned thing. It was too well concealed. Later…Trocend gave me a task in Knightport with Lord Randerly. I followed Trocend’s instructions exactly, but it still went wrong. So he blamed me and cast me out.” Her hand curled into a fist. “It was peculiar, but I enjoyed Lord Malden’s service. It was nice to have a purpose in life beyond simple money. I decided to go to Castle Highstone, find the relic of dark magic, and present it to Trocend in hopes that he would take me back.”
    “What happened then?” said Mazael.
    Atalia scowled. “Someone else got to it first. Traeger is just a simple bandit, but he took up