The First Spell

Blood of the Ancestors

Two days after clearing the remnants of the triumphant feast, Kirsthan secretly summoned Sirthen and Marollon early in the morning. The closed doors of his chamber were guarded by four heavily armed guards, ready to deter intruders. When the prince did not show up for breakfast, his friends merely shrugged. The prince's fondness for long slumbers was well known throughout the castle. However, when he was also absent at lunch, the concerned officers questioned the servants. To their surprise, they learned that the prince had both breakfast and lunch in his own chamber in the company of two elves. When an impatient Sagoth tried to enter the prince's chamber, he met a polite but firm refusal from his subordinates. Sagoth, truly angered, was about to give the guards a stern reprimand, rolling up his sleeves, when the door opened and the head of the shorter elven prince appeared.

„Prince Kirsthan calls for a war council in the guest hall," he announced with a weary voice.

Sagoth merely shook his fist at the unmoved guards and strode off to secure the best seat. The prince appeared a quarter of an hour later, accompanied by Sirthen, who carried a stack of documents under his arm.

„Please, be seated, noble gentlemen. I have gathered you here on an urgent matter. Namely, we have the chance to take control of the entire southern region of Marloth."

„But we were supposed to wait until we grew stronger, my lord," protested Colonel Greth Saenter, the new patron of Dalen.

„New, important circumstances have arisen," Kirsth replied. „A servant cleaning my chamber discovered Zariathan documents under the bed."

„Unfortunately, this won't help us, prince," condescendingly observed General Valmont, the former commander of the Takkary garrison. „No human can read that language..."

„A human cannot," Kirsth agreed with a sly smile. „But Prince Sirthen is not a human, and he has dealt with this language three hundred years ago under the command of Shizar the White himself!"

„Wonderful news, my lord," rejoiced Captain De'Orkies, the officer training Patrick. „What is in those documents?"

„A list of Zariathan units occupying southern Mithland, subordinate to Apharel the Redhand, a census of the population, and mention of a planned attack on the legendary Deimar, which Redhand and Prince Sirthen told me about."

„A list of troops?" Sagoth came to life. „So we can precisely plan individual strikes!"

„Calm down, colonel, we're not attacking yet," Valmont cooled his enthusiasm, rubbing the scar on his face. „Prince, could you give an approximate number of the southern population?"

Sirthen rummaged through the papers he had brought and replied:

„Even quite accurate. About forty thousand people live in the mining towns, and over eighty thousand in the plain villages. Cotira is inhabited by twenty thousand, Esthor by eighteen thousand, and Infraad by sixteen thousand. There are numerous fishing villages along the coast, with the main ports nearly the size of Esthor. In the mountains on the Yastrick side, several thousand shepherds live. In total, over half a million people live in the south of Marloth and Yastrick."

"And how many on the side of Marloth?" Valmont inquired.

"Hmm, it seems to be about three hundred thousand."

The general smiled approvingly.

"So we won't be short of recruits!"

"You must remember, however, general, that this number also includes women, children, and the elderly." De'Orkies pointed out. "Besides, we need to train them first, and we have a formidable enemy."