Thos Pinney

The Old King Book Three of the Chronicles of Athan Thos Pinney

Publisher Marketing: "The Old King, King Athan, had been happy in his little kingdom, a hundred leagues north and east of the great city-states of Athens and Sparta. It was true he had stolen the kingdom of Dassaria, but it was his now, and he meant to make it a good place to live for his subjects. Even though Athan was totally untrained to be a king, he was far from inexperienced in life. A mysterious amulet he took from a sorcerer two generations ago has halted his normal processes of aging. King Athan is finding out that being a king is a lot harder and much more dangerous than he ever imagined. He and his men must face challenges ranging from the mundane to the desperate. Although a peaceful man Athan finds his little kingdom having to fight to survive against foes near and far. The mighty Archimedean Empire is interested in annexing more than the Greek city states to the south. They want to conquer whole region including Athan's little kingdom of Dassaria. Athan his hoplites have to make a stand in a narrow pass where the enemy hordes must face them man to man. Turning back the forces of the empire is just one of King Athan's problems. Dassaria is once again threatened by an upstart would-be tyrant. Athan must mobilize his little army and find a way to eliminate this menace. During the campaign King Athan unexpectedly rescues a young woman, Thais, from the wreckage of a conquered city. To everyone's surprise Thais becomes the love of the Old King's life. Together, Thais and Athan have many adventures as they work together to keep his little kingdom safe and prosperous. They survive assassination attempts and political intrigue as together they build a growing kingdom in a time of intellectual and political turmoil. Unfortunately, Athan discovers the downside of agelessness-as his old friends and lovers all grow old he does not. When Thais dies, King Athan abandons his responsibilities and, following an ambush, is forced to endure a winter alone in the wilderness and reflect on his long and eventful life. Athan is nothing if not a survivor; in the end he comes to grips with his losses and comes to understand that no matter how well you live your life, the world continues to change and even the seemingly immortal must change as well."