Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 01 Ch. 31

I finally had to put a stop to it to get documents out. The originals are on top. The binding is close in color but those two books have faded some over the years. Thank you."

He nodded, "I will see you upstairs in an hour for Annette's return?"

She nodded, "You may go now."

She smiled as she started to wake them with kisses. They left and grabbed the books and headed upstairs.

They were early and they were setting up the table. Eldar just told them, "Continue." While they took a seat in chairs against the wall and watched. He pulled Charlemagne into his lap and she looks at him, "After this funeral is done you better plan on both of us wanting to do the wave with the ledge."

He smiled, "When it is over, I can stop focusing on that. Work to finish the changes in the house structure that he started still needs to be done. I am going to change one thing. Lead the house for only 30 years and have the council elect a new leader. Then in 70 years after the new council will do it again. The servants cleared the room and he contacted the Princess while waiting. She called out Duke Silvertree?"

He responded, "Yes, I need to speak with you and your advisers. Are you all together and secure?"

She responded, "We were just about finished with the morning meeting. I will clear the rest of the room." A few seconds went by. "Please continue now."

He cleared his voice, "I called to give you an update on the investigation. I must report that the investigation continues, but the material was found on the process to become a Lich. He was a practitioner of Necromancy involved in creating undead. The investigators are following a couple of possible leads to determine if the wizard survived in one form or another.

That is all I have for you. The threat is real. I would also recommend that all the bodies be burned so they cannot become a part of his army if he still exists. I would ensure all of your military commanders on each of your fronts follow this advice. The choice is yours. Take precautions if you elect to bury him."

The Crystal was silent and finally, she spoke, "My advisers recommend this the day they arrived. For all but my father, this will or has occurred. My father's body is at the church undergoing a ritual to preserve him and guard against necromancy. Wizards from our tower have gone through our family crypt below the Palace.

They ensured protection wards are in place on all of the previous family members who died. A new high wizard adviser was brought in by the other 3 advisers. We would have magical protection set up throughout the castle and to look for any other issues that might have been missed. The funeral is in 3 days."

Eldar sighed, "My father's funeral is tomorrow. I know you are busy and have more funerals to attend there. Please see too your people's needs first. You must show that human interests do not outweigh elven interests.

If you wish to send a representative that would be fine and within protocol but do not come yourself. I will travel to the Ambassador's office on the morning of the funeral with the delegation from our Kingdom."

She paused. "I will be sending my economic adviser so we can also deal with a few trade issues. He will be carrying a message for you concerning our military activity. That should be viewed by you, the Queen, and the head of her army. This should be done after he leaves."

Eldar looked at Charlemagne, "I will see to this Young Princess. I hope things are going well. Did the proclamation about the royal conclave help?"

She laughed, "It did and these advisers are well-respected members of the community so the transition has been smooth thus far. Thank you again for your aid in that matter. Our scholars are working diligently to get up to speed on all of the laws and procedures in that book. Do you retain everything you read?"

He smiled, "Thus far, I can recall books I read as a child over 60 years ago. When a change occurs, I will read the entire document again and I will know the past version and the current version. I can identify what changes were made, right down to punctuation changes."

She was quiet for a second, "That is an amazing gift."

He nodded, "It comes in handy, but some think I just know it all. When in fact I am more concerned that they know what they are talking about."

She laughed and he heard laughter in the background. "I will also let you know the last prisoner is still secure and we hope to have them interrogated within the next day or two. There was a delay in getting the interrogators back that could not be avoided."

She responds, "Let me know when the task is completed."

The crystal went silent. Fifteen minutes later and Lady Silver Hair, Lady Amy Tryst with her new appearance, and Annette arrived. They got up and Annette rushed into his arms and kissed him. She pulled back, "I am so sorry I was not here for you? I am so sorry about your father."

He looked at her, "What you were doing was important. The funeral is tomorrow. We have some work to start on after this meal with the Queen when this is over."

He had a lady under each arm after the sisters completed their greetings. Annette looked at him, "You have waited to talk with us together? Charlemagne just told me. You should not have carried this alone the entire time."

He nodded, "I wanted you both to hear it from me and I only have to say it once that way."

They approached the two and he looked at Lady Amy Tryst, "Things went well?"

She smiled, "You gave her a good start. We helped to expand upon that and found a few other abilities for her including some offensive capabilities. She will go over all of that with you. She knows the areas she is good at. I will visit occasionally thanks to this unique ring you gave me.

It is indeed very useful in aiding me to travel to more places. She is very talented and your son will be as well, we can sense it. Your strong memory skills combined with her school of training will serve him well."

He glared at Lady Silver Hair, "Thank you for finally returning her and seeing to her safety. Thank you for letting me tell her instead of you. Yes, that annoys me that you violated my explicit wishes. Can security matters be discussed with Lady Amy Tryst present?"

She nodded. "Please seal the room." She sealed the room. "I have already talked with Lord Regal. I know that misinformation was being passed back to me concerning this wizard. I could have had an all elven investigation team go through that area for the Princess. I was left out of it. I took your concerns into consideration.

I expect and was PROMISED you would take my concerns into consideration. Anything dealing with this wizard, even if you think it is dragon business only, I DEMAND to hear about it. The other option is we run separate investigations and do not share information. I would think that would be a bad idea."

She looked to Eldar, "As a Knight, you would be required to share that information."

He nodded, and yelled at her, "If I remain a Knight for your people! I am throwing down the gauntlet on this issue. The wizard killed my father and helped to create the monster amassing the horde we face. If another shows up and claims to be that Lord, we have lost a significant victory!

Your risk of exposure in this matter increases, AGAIN. I am open and honest with my wives. I need a more open and honest dialog with you if we are to continue. Again, on this particular issue, I am not asking for a full briefing of all Dragon business. BUT, if this wizard, lich or Draco-lich comes up I DEMAND to hear about it. Also, if there is another major theft so we will be vigilant in protecting your ASS'ETS, YET AGAIN!"

She looked at Eldar, "I can tell you are angry and very passionate about these issues. We will work to be more forthcoming on those issues. Anything concerning the leadership of this horde, or if other agents see something like a lich or Draco-lich in the area. In that regard, we have two in custody, they are being questioned."

He looked at Lady Amy Tryst, "Are those with your talents being used in this questioning?"

She nodded, "I have been busy but others have been working on that issue. With dragons, it is not as easy to break through the defenses because they all have them so it takes several of us to wear them down."

He sighed, "Thank you for that agreement. In case Lord Regal did not tell you, I was considering using the communication crystal for target practice because I found out more from Moon Bow than from you! He knew enough that you took a trove of information from the wizard's room and it was dark necromancy. Anything you can tell me about the process and where he might have gone?"

She thought for a moment, "The phylactery for a lich would have had to be within a few hundred feet from where he died. His body would reform in its new form next to it and he would be weakened for several days afterward."

He glared at her, "If he survived becoming a lich, he reappeared somewhere else in the palace?!"

She nodded. He shook his head, "I have to warn her."

He walked away and activated the crystal again. She called out "Duke Silvertree, did you have something else?"

He sighed, "You with your advisers alone?"

She sighed, "Just me and the military adviser at the moment."

He looked at the crystal, "IF the wizard became a lich his body would have reformed near the device, he built or enchanted to hold his soul, near his phylactery. He would have been in a weakened state for several days. It would have to be within a few hundred feet of where he died. Someplace secure so he could regain strength and power. I recommend a cautious approach to things until we can get there.

Stay out of any secured areas if at all possible. Switch up your quarters and your safe rooms for your protection. This is my advice as this lich killed 20 arcane agents in that crowd. From the Legend Lore done on the sword, we know he had a deal with the Baron.

I hope to know more soon. I hope to have a way to discern if he is still in the palace at the very least when we arrive. I do not know if your own wizards are capable of handling the situation."

All was silent, "We will consider making some changes for the short term until you can return. Thank you for contacting me with this update."

The crystal went quiet. He glared at Lady Silver Hair and started yelling again, "If anything had happened to her because of the delay in this information I would have blamed you! All for withholding this information after you agreed to be forthcoming! I doubt you would have said anything about this if I had not talked with Moon Bow directly. That would have been good information to know immediately!

The whole palace could have been searched. Personally, I would like to take on a weak lich over one that is fully regained his powers. I would like to request the spell you used to find a phylactery. I could travel a day early and see if one is nearby."

She looked at Eldar, "I can arrange that a scroll is made available to you so you can add it to your spellbook but ensure it is encrypted. It is a rare spell that we would not entrust to just anyone. Do not share it with those outside your own children who are casters. It is a tier 6 spell. Will that be a problem?"

He shook my head, "I am accessing tier 8 spells now successfully."

She smiled, "You have grown strong quickly. That is good and bad for most. Not for you. You have a good head on your shoulders. You know when you need to confide and find comfort with your wives."

He knew she was trying to play to his ego to calm him down. His wives both hugged him to help calm his mood. He looked back at Lady Silver Hair, "I know what you mean. If I could get that spell today, I could go the day after my father's funeral. We have that prisoner to question after this meal. I figured you both would want to be there for that."

They nodded. Lady Silver Hair responded, "Based on the information we gathered questioning this prisoner was an appropriate step in possibly learning about the wizard's whereabouts. We are curious to see what he knows."

Eldar looked at her, "Annette gets first shot at him. Then you can confirm. As this would be a lich matter and not a Draco-lich matter it is of more importance to us and I want to ensure we can get something accurate for once without having to be confrontational about it."

Lady Silver Hair nodded, "Very well, we will do it your way with your prisoner."

He looked at her, "I think we can unseal the room now unless you have additional issues you wished to discuss?"

She looked at Eldar, "Later."

She unsealed the room. Jarron, the Queen, and a few other nobles arrive once the door opened. The Queen walked up to him, "Is everything alright?"

Eldar smiled, "We will talk about it later when we visit our guest. You may attend if you wish, Your Majesty."

She nodded, "I will take the time to attend, my Grand Master."

They sat and ate and made polite conversation. Annettes, brief travel around the world to get a feel of how the people are overall through the different cultures. The cover story for where she had been. They had a general sense of that already through the Knights network.

They could feed small amounts of facts into the conversation that would not be damaging. Most of the nobles did not know the guests they were dining with and there were only four of them all Dukes or higher in the Elven court. One of the nobles, a Duchess Golden Sky, asked Annette, "How were you selected to go on this important mission?"

Annette looked at her, "Because of my human half I was the best choice. I am also a Duchess. This was not an official diplomatic meeting or scheduled event. I have experience working through all levels of society from servants to nobles. I am not a member of the Gray Blades. I had someone who could oversee my duties at the Town administrator in my absence.

I have worked to collect information for the court for quite a while now, and they have been pleased with the information I have gathered. Especially the outer villages. Fey folk we are working with that live in our area. We are doing several things to improve their lives. To protect the southern border. Which is Eldar's area of expertise."

That answer was brilliant and shut down any further questions on why she went. Eldar commented, "The blacksmith packed up his forge and the new enchanted one is in its place. The forge belongs to the town. The blacksmith is the one charged with using and overseeing it. The forge requires no fuel, wood, or any other source. It reduced the impact on the forests in the area. This pleased the neighboring villages very much.

We are also working to have enchanted ovens installed in all homes in the area. They will require no fuel. This leaves collecting of fuel, deadwood if you will, to the campsites along the trade route with no negative impact on the existing environment. Two more forges will come in. One for the fort and one for the garrison. I purchased them through our Dwarven allies and have elven enchanters working the stoves.

I also had the masterwork saddle completed and enchanted. The enchantment of the first four bows made from a Silvertree is in progress. I possess the first one but have not used it yet. I have the Master Bowmaker on consignment. One of our Gray Blades, Keyno, is working with the Master leather-worker to build the new saddles for the arcane archers to use.

I have a consignment With Sir Moon Blade that was paid for literally by Corellon Larethian's visions which earned him a trove of valuables. They will be fed over to the Elven enchanters as they become available. We are working with our allies as well as our own communities to improve the lives of those living on the southern border. Just to set the record straight before the question is asked.

Most of these improvements I have paid for out of my own holding. The keep, the protection force, and the Academy are coming from the Court. The Academy was compensation for an assassination attempt. Instead of destroying the house, it was cut back. The same thing occurred in my house. Then there is the rogue Grand Master I killed which saw a major upheaval in that house.

To provide compensation for the 21 Blade Singers that he had assassinated. I returned 1ring of the 21 rings myself. Her 'Crime' was losing to me in my final match at the Academy. For that she was tortured and murder in the most heinous ways imaginable. I knew her for the talented Blade Singer she was through several tournaments.

We received our rings at the same ceremony. She was beautiful and talented and she did not deserve that fate. Just as my father did not deserve his fate. We cannot change things that are fated to happen. The gods have told me and shown me this. I am a Duke but I am a Grand Master Blade Singer first. I live by that code."

The nobles around the table who only heard stories about him were quiet and shocked. One he did not know asked, "You have seen the gods?"

Eldar looked at him, "Corellon Larethian I have seen on 2 occasions thus far. On one he put his hand onto my shoulder. That caused the extra silver in my eyes and my perception to increase. Another time it was him and the Lady of Dreams. I was allowed to ask questions to help guide me on which items I completed successfully.

This allowed me to stop worrying about them. Some of those items affected the royal court's future which is now sound. The Lady of Dreams was the first. She handed my father a new sword. After he gave me the family Moon Blade. It disappeared upon his death. She also touched my wife Annette before marrying me to my two wives."

He looked at the group, "Your Majesty, you still have the box?" She nodded and pulled it out of her bag of holding. "I will keep these for now, as next week will be the double crescent moon. In this box..." He opened the lid so they could see them. "Four more Moon Blades. My sword has taken to calling me 'The Activator of Blades.' We had four active Moon Blades. When we are done, we will have fourteen in the hands of those willing to use them.

Speak with any of the 10 current Moon Blade Wielders or their guests. Including the Queen's nephew. They will tell you they saw and heard Corellon Larethian during the ritual. Three of these will be activated next week. The last is destined for a child not born yet. Another champion from the gods."

They looked at Eldar and Duke Golden Cloud asked, "You keep saying to expect war in 40 years yet another champion has not been born yet?"

He nodded and smiled at him, "The champion will be for Vandria Gilmadrith and will be a half-elf or the proper term now elf-blooded. Before you ask why. A champion of this God only appears at a time of war and dies off quickly after or during. An elf-blooded champion fits this role.

They mature quicker so they can be trained for battle on a shorter schedule. If they die in battle then it is fated. If not, they will not be around for centuries like a full-blooded elf. This means we will not be at war for centuries at a time as that occurred during the Dragon Wars, repeatedly."

That gave them something to ponder and the Queen just smiled at Eldar as he stored the swords away.

He looked to the Queen, "Is the meeting set for after this meal, Your Majesty?"

She nodded, "In my Audience Chamber."

With no further relevant conversation of the revelations he made known, the meal ended. He looked at his wives, "Lady Amy Tryst and Lady Silver Hair. The Queen and I have a very short meeting to attend to. We will join you with our other guest. Feel free to chat with him before we arrive, we can catch up on the conversation when we arrive."

They smiled at him as they knew where to go. He headed off with the Queen to her Audience Chamber. They arrived and had 2 members of House Silversong present. He looked at the Patron, "This is your chosen wielder?"