Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 01 Ch. 30

Eldar sighed, "I stabilized the government for the moment. Jarron needs to be there when the advisers arrive and work with the Royal Princess to get settled. I had the Scholars scribe put together a public proclamation concerning the Royal Conclave. The fact that an elf was the only eligible one to claim the Crown. Duke Silvertree refused to accept the crown.

Instead, I used the existing laws to add a small amendment that establishes the advisers and the rules governing them. This amendment was allowed inside of a royal Conclave. In the event that an underage successor was within 4 years of being eligible until she is of eligible age.

The heir can rule with advisers if the conclave fails to find a worthy successor. Also, I am the only one who can switch them out if the need arises. I was the senior Duke at the conclave. The only Duke at the conclave.

All of the advisers are retired Knights and are known experts in their field. They are coming out of retirement to serve in this role. I made it as strong as I could and only interfered in the meeting when asked to do so. I was ready to leave with my father's body but I stayed to honor him. I was the only voting member at the conclave. Most of the houses are in disarray as all of the senior royals were killed in the slaughter.

The man I brought back is under a sentence of death which I have to carry out now that he is here. He also was the last one that witnessed the destruction of the wizard. I suspect the wizard changed into a lich the sword he used to 'stab' the wizard is in that bag. Before we go any further can I have Lady Silver Hair to identify and legend lore the blade? To see if my concerns are valid?"

Lady Silver Hair pulled out the sword, "It contains no enchantment." A long pause. "He entered into some sort of agreement with the wizard. The body fell away to ash after he cast a spell. I am not familiar with the spell and he drank a vial of some black liquid. The body decayed away and the Barron stabbed the remains as it fell to the floor."

Eldar looked at her, "Necromancy?"

She nodded. Eldar growled, "The location of the ashes is marked off the glass fragments from the vial are there as well. The room is sealed. I told the Royal Princess we would send a contingent of mages to investigate. I figured Moon Bow and a few of our friends from the surprise attack with Lady Silver Hair. Before you object.

She has barred access to the wizard's quarters so this would be no different in terms of exposure for the Dragons than going into the dungeon here. If there is any material dealing with the creation of a Draco-lich in his room I am sure you would want that secured. If he did it once he can and likely will do it again. That is a direct threat to the Council of Nine and Dragons as a whole.

Worst case your people remove a bunch of harmful wards and find nothing. If they are still up. He had to die to become a lich so I have no idea if they would have remained. I would send someone skilled at traps, Skinner comes to mind but I do not know if you have another more skilled available."

Lord Regal looked at Eldar, "Their laws were another book you have memorized?"

Eldar nodded, "Down to page and paragraph numbers. The scholars present were all apprentices as the senior scholars were killed as they were present. I reminded them that they were required to record the formal portions of the event for the record. I suspect I will be one of the dignitaries going to the mass funeral that will have to take place."

He looked at Lord Regal and Lady Silver Hair, "Can this be done or do we need to send in just eleven wizards to handle this?"

They appear to be having a private conversation and Lord Regal looks at Eldar, "As this is an investigation and has a potential impact on our society we will work with your agents. Send them in first thing tomorrow we will work to have your wife back to you at that time as well. They may need her to take a second trip."

Eldar nodded, "Once these funerals are done."

He looked to the Queen, "Can we get a messenger to House Silvertree. I want them to send a wagon and House Guard. Do not tell them why. We have Knights here to work with the House Guards."

She nodded. He turned back to Lady Silver Hair, "Back to my wife. Lady Silver Hair, could you try this magical ring? I only want to see if it will work on dragons? If so, would you pass it to Lady Amy Tryst? I got the impression she was under a timeline for a potion."

Lady Silver Hair removes one ring and puts this new ring on. The Queen was now face-to-face with the house consort spy they had taken down. She was naked. Lady Silver Hair looked at her naked form as an elf and handed the ring back."

The Queen gasped. Lord Regal smiled, "An eloquent solution if she wishes to return with your wife."

Eldar smiled, "She can, of course, wear clothing if she wishes. We took that off of a Drow spy. She got it from the wizard in question. Because of the effect, we had little use for it. But for my wife's trainer, consider it a gift." As he handed it back to her.

"From what we have seen it works when worn. It has never been picked up by a true-seeing spell to the best of my knowledge. You might want to confirm that last part. I find it hard to believe she traveled all over the Palace and nobody had a true-seeing item on them. She was here for years.

He looked to Jarron and the Queen, "I need to go and work the arrangements to bury my father and notify my brother. Can you have your people dispatch a page to my house? I will instruct the Captain of the Guard of what I need them to do when they get here."

The Queen nodded and asked, "What of the usurpers?"

Eldar sighed, "They did not know I had that document memorized. They are to be executed and stripped of all holdings. Before I forget, I know Moon Bow will not be happy with me volunteering him for this mission but as it deals with a loss for the Queen, my family, and he is a Knight in both senses of the word he would be the best choice. He falls to Jarron though as a 'special asset.'"

Jarron nodded, "Thanks for remembering that. You are right, he will not be pleased. He would do it for the Queen's sake. Let alone the impact on the Knights and Dragons. You are right this is a perfect mission for him."

Eldar nodded, "I expect a report, to brief the Royal Princess. As a Duke, I want to know if we now have a lich in play. How does it impact the southern border? The elven Kingdom? As a son, I want to ensure the creature who killed my father has been destroyed.

Please, nobody, try to tell me I do not need to know what was found. That includes if you find anything on Draco-liches because that would be another concern for the southern border. If another dragon went that way and assumed control of the horde then it will be another problem for the Council of Nine."

Lord regal nodded, "I think in this case it touches us all so we will be forthcoming. We might want to restrict what we give the Princess on anything Draco-lich related."

Eldar shook his head, "If the King put it in his journal for his successor then if we do not tell her we could lose her trust. I would limit it to necromancy and a lich. I would keep Draco-lich and dragon involvement out of what I tell her. That is something for Jarron to do at the right time if it comes up again. For now, she still needs to know if she is under a threat from that bastard."

Lord Regal looked at me, "Let us not speculate on what we could find. We will discuss it further after the report is ready."

Eldar nodded to the Queen and in another break with protocol, he gave her a hug. He grabbed Charlemagne by the shoulder and walked out with her in silence. They got to the Guard Captain's office. "I will have a dozen men with a wagon here soon. They need to be sent up to the room that you sent me. Tell them to House Silvertree."

He got to the horses and she called up, "You want to talk about it?"

He shook his head, "I want you with me when I go to see him. I want the funeral held off until Annette returns. I think I might ride back to town with my apprentices."

She shook her head, "We go back to House Silvertree and Silver Moon can take you back this evening when she goes."

He shook his head, "We do not. You cannot stop what you are doing right now. You want to spend your nights with me that is fine. But we have to continue what we are doing. We cannot stop for this."

She nodded, "Fine."

They mounted up and rode to the Academy. He looked across the training grounds and they ended up having to wait half an hour and Master Trainer Yetto came out with his brother. Eldar hopped down from his horse and met them.

Eldar walked up to them and they started with the traditional greetings and he cut them off, "I was summoned to the palace while in dwarven lands. I teleported back and with the elven Ambassador from the human lands and a contingent of my men to the human Palace.

A rogue wizard laid waste to most of the court. The ambassador escaped, father did not. I brought his body home and in an unintended homage helped to get stability back into the human royal palace. We do not have a body for the human wizard. We do not know his status. He could be dead or undead."

He sighed, "I have had a long day and our father's body is being taken to House Silvertree. I do not know the customs afforded a man of his position. I could use your help, my brother. I will leave a communication crystal at the House within our father's desk in the main study.

You can contact me or my wife and the officer can contact me as well. I am taking my apprentices back to the village and away from this chaos and inform his colleagues in my command who have worked with him.

I examined his bodies and except for communication crystals, everything's there except for his sword. Even the sheath was gone. All of his other rings and armor were in place. Just the sword from the gods disappeared. I returned the communication crystals to those who he had contact with."

They stared at Eldar. "Master Trainer Yetto, I respectfully request a slight break in his training to help with our father's funeral. I am the eldest but he was closer to him in some ways."

They nodded to Eldar and he knew his brother was hurting more than he was. Master Trainer Yetto just held his head down in silence as Eldar left. He turned to his brother, "When you want to grieve with me, we will do so. I have many things to do before I try and sleep tonight."

He knew as he rode away one chapter of his family's life had ended. Now was the time to remember not the elf he was, but the elf he became.