Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 01 Ch. 31

He nodded, "I know that. I found out I was chosen to be his champion at my wedding."

She shook her head, "You were born to do it. That is just when it was revealed."

He shrugged, "I expected as much, Corellon Larethian touched me when we did the last set of blades. I have questioned if all of my success was in part of being gifted an advantage."

Lady Amy Tryst smiled, "That is not how it works. Certain skills might be born into a candidate, but that would be true of all of them. They might have 10-12 at a time but they only choose and grant the ability to the 1 who proved their worth. I saw your conversation where Solonor told you they had it narrowed to 3 who were all at the wedding. Nothing you are allowed to discuss. Your memory might have been a gift from your mother and father. Did you ever ask them if they had that kind of memory?"

Eldar shook his head, "I was young when my mother died."

He pulled out a communication crystal and waited for it to go active, "Eldar?"

He smiled, "Yes Jarron, I had a personal question concerning my parents. You knew them both better than me. Did they have a memory like mine?"

Jarron was quiet for a minute, "I take it is important. Of course, it is important, probably tied to another vision. The answer is sort of. They could memorize large documents and hold them for an extended period of time just not as long as you do it. They both had that talent which came in handy with their work."

He sighed, "Thank you Jarron, this has more to do with a revelation than a vision but I wanted to confirm that. What about acrobatics?"

Jarron chuckled. "Until recently I would have said your mother was better at it. After hearing of some of the stunts you have pulled, I think she would be proud. You take care. Will see you tomorrow."

The crystal went dark. He nodded, "Alright, I could have enhanced abilities in those areas. To a point, from my parents. Some of the stuff I have done lately is another thing."

Amy Tryst extends her hand, "Show me." He gave her his hand. She looked up. "A 7x7 elk in the dark and a flying leap off of a horse spinning in the air and running your sword straight through an Ogre Magi's heart. Both events I sensed a visualization and magic about them.

I would guess they came from your sword's new ability that you speculated about. Hearing and changes to your sight you have not really noticed yet is probably from the deity touching you. I see why Lord Regal is interested in him now."

Eldar looked at her, "Why?"

She smiled, "Your memory for one. Some dragons spend a lifetime working at what you are doing naturally. Then there is your perception, observation, and action. You do not have the patience of a Dragon but you see things, like conspiracies and threats before others do. Add those together and you have an admirable asset out here. What you did for that human Princess was masterful and quick."

Amy looked over at Lady Silver Hair. "You really do need to keep this one informed more. He might see things we miss or catch late in the process. Something to consider. I will make that same recommendation to Lord Regal. No, I did not pry into that data, it is just your mind is just so organized that it flooded my senses. How do you like to put it, 'Like standing under a waterfall and drinking every drop?'"

He nodded, "Something like that. I get what you are saying. How much of my life did you get?"

She blushed. "Everything at least for a while I think I might enjoy this red book of yours now that I can hold this form."

Lady Silver Hair opened the red book and gasped, "Oh my! I have heard of books like this but never seen one. I will have to share this with my mate."

Eldar laughed, "Best way."

Annette looked at Eldar, "Where did this book come from?"

He smiled, "Tiger's book. I heard we shut down the Royal Scribes for days because they were making extra copies of that Red book. The Queen had to get on them to get the palace's business done."

He just finished his statement when the Queen came in with a Gold elf woman. He looked at her and she did not look happy to be there.

He walked toward her, "It is good to meet you."

He extended a hand. She grabs his hand. He had that one in a manacle and then the other before she realized what he was doing. Now she was furious, "You cannot do this to a member of the Royal family!"

He looked at her, "You are a caster I can smell the ingredients on you. Your heart is going about twice normal and you are sweating. That was before I put those on. I am Eldar Silvertree. We have a few questions for you.

If everything checks out and we can CONNECT the dots we will be through this quickly. I am authorized to make this interrogation for a reason. I thwarted an assassination attempt here and the Dwarven Kingdom. The humans failed to stop the attack there but I helped to ensure a puppet government was not installed.

In both of those two cases, someone was waiting in the wings to take over ruling the country. We are investigating what knowledge you have about this. Did you know an assassination attempt was going to be made?"

She looks like a trapped rabbit, "Not definitely. I heard some things from friends but I did not know how much of it was true."

Annette, "Push her on the who. She is being deliberately evasive."

He looked at her, "I will be blunt, was one of these friends a cousin who was banished from this Kingdom?"

Her heart rate almost tripled. She starts to answer, "When did you speak to him last, and was it in person in the city?"

She looked at Eldar, "You did not let me answer the first question."

He cut her off, "Because I did not want to hear whatever lie you were going to say. Answer the second question."

She sobbed, "He mentioned it to me a few weeks ago, but he did not give me any details. I heard the assassins here were both women!"

He looked to the Queen, "May I?"

She nodded. He looked at the niece "Wait here a moment." He flipped the switch for the passage and he went into the room and saw the gagged and shackled prisoner. He hooked up his own manacles.

Eldar removed his other restraints and walked him out twig dick and all on display. He walked him into the room and the girl gasped. He looked at the man, "Considering what he is packing in genitalia I could see how he could be confused for a woman."

The Queen could not help a cough laugh at that comment.

He looked at her, "This man with another woman. We want an answer."

Eldar, "Annette, walk back and hook her up and bring her forward."

Annette started to and Charlemagne did it instead. She has her looped in as well.

She nodded, "He visited several days in the market district. He wanted passes to the Palace district to come and see me."

Annette, "She is telling you the truth. But there is more."

He looked at her, "You know by law you were required to report making contact with him. You know by law you provided support to assassins to enter the palace district?"

She looked scared, "I didn't know he was going to do that."

Annette, "That was a lie."

He looked at her, "Is that bullshit story something you expect us to believe?"

She looked down, "I do not have anything further to say."

He looked at the Queen. "Can we use more invasive means, Your Majesty?"

Charlemagne walked in with the other assassin. The girl looked at her naked form and she looked back down."

Eldar smiled, "You recognize her. A statement, not a question. All of her naked glory. Did he take you to one of his underground sex torture chambers? I bet he did. One of those held the body of a Blade Singer, she was sexually raped and tortured and defiled after she was dead. Did you get to watch any of that?"

She looked shocked, "No I did not see any of that in the place they took me."

Annette, "She lied."

He smiled, "Well we have confirmed that you had sex with the two of them. Watched or participated in the torture of that Blade Singer. Gave them access to the palace district. As well as being aware that he had designs to kill the King and Queen. In addition to not reporting his presence. Did he have plans to kill your Mother to put you on the throne?"

She yelled, "No!"

Annette, "That is a major lie. He was going to kill her mother for free."

He looked at the Queen, "He was going to do her free. Den of Sin for her, Your Majesty?"

She nodded. He took all three of them back and the girl looks around, "What is this place?"

He looked at her, "Right now it is a holding cell for high-value prisoners. He hooked another set of control shackles and removed his. "You sure you are not going to cooperate. You will be treated just like these two. Their brains bordering on mush."

She looked at Eldar, "What did you do to them!"

He looked at Annette.

Eldar, "Annette tell her mentally what you are going to do to her mind."

The Girl faced a training dummy in the corner. The next thing they saw was the head explode off of it.

He looked at Annette, "New talent I see!"

She nodded and the girl looked scared, "Alright! I have been seeing him and his lady friend for the last 40 years. I knew they killed for a living but not who. Even the Army kills. I found out he was not packing a lot which was disappointing but his lady friend has talent. He told me someday we would rule together. I never put much stock in that promise."

He looked at her, "Lying will not work, you were counting on that promise. Did you ever see the contents of his vaults."

She nodded, "He told me he had a rich partner, Baromissed, or something like that."

He sighed, "He was in league to rule the Kingdom with you in service to this partner of his who was financing him. Lord Barimus?"

She looked at Eldar, "Yes, I think that was the name."

He looked at the Queen, "What do you want to do with her, Your Majesty?"

She glared at Eldar, "Strip her, gag her and let those three go through her mind to see if she has anything worthwhile."

He looked at Charlemagne and Annette, "Ladies I will leave her to you. I will walk outside with the Queen for the moment."

He got the Queen outside. He got her into a chair before she fell over, "I am sorry, Your Majesty. It looks like they were going to play them into wars with each other while he decided which one, he wanted to eliminate first. It did not matter because with necromancy the dead became his army. He could have had us fighting each other for a few decades and then pick us off one-by-one."

The Queen started crying and held his hand, "What am I going to tell my sister? I thank the Gods you were able to do as much as you have but how do I deal with her?"

He looked at her, "We go back together and I will tell her, Your Majesty."

He stood and took her arm and escorted her back to her Audience chamber. Again, a break in protocol. They got back to the Queen's Audience Chamber and her sister was waiting.

He got the Queen to her chair. He looked at her sister, "She is neck-deep in it. Part of their plans included killing you. Apparently, this cousin had something against you personally as well. Else he just needed you out of the way so she could rule.

Not in the book we recovered, guess he was going to kill you for free. Or they were before we captured them. While she says she did not know the specifics of the plan she has been seeing him and his lady accomplice for 40 years.

She knew they killed people and he talked of killing the King and Queen. She knew they planned to kill you somehow, likely right after killing the King and Queen so you would never take the throne. They might have faked an attack on her to throw off suspicion and then the suspicion would have gone to your son, Captain Blaze being accused and then his brother.

Regardless, she gave him the passes to get into the Palace district. She knew he worked for a certain Lord, his name is classified. She knew it and he is an enemy of the Kingdom. Responsible for assembling the horde on the southern border that I am dealing with. They are still working on gathering as much information from her as they can get.

We think we have most of it already. I can inform Captain Goldeagle when I see him. He will likely be shocked but he will hear it from me. I can do the same for Apprentice Goldeagle as well."

The Queen looked at her sister who was sobbing as she knew what it meant. "I would recommend the Queen follow my example on trimming the tree and not burning down the forest. I pruned House Silvertree back quite a bit. I think you have a bad branch if she has any children. Else you are looking at just the one, Your Majesty."

The Queen looked up, "She has two young kids in the Academy. Her husband was found dead last year. I will leave them be and seize half her assets as a fine. Half of which I am putting into your discretionary fund."

Eldar shook his head, "I would prefer the money went to testing talented people across the Kingdom. I cannot stress this enough. We are building a Second Academy, we will be able to handle more students. I will give you an example of something you have not heard. I removed a half-elf from the city who is pregnant with quadruplets. The father is elven and had a failed potion. That you have heard.

All four are Battle Mages according to divination and the mother was an untrained Arcane Mimic. Yet another set of abilities we did not have. We are working on training her. Our clerics are gearing up for all of the multiple births. When your time comes you let me know and I will have the most experienced cleric here to help with a multiple birth delivery, Your Majesty."

The Queen looked at Eldar, "Very well, I will work toward getting mandatory testing for all elf and elf-blooded in the Kingdom."

He nodded, "When things are settled with the funerals, I will work it for the southern border villages under my control. I was hoping to be wrong but given what we got from that human...you know the rest, Your Majesty."

She nodded, "Thank you Eldar. This is not an easy task for us all. I will talk to my sister. You can tell your Captain, but leave the apprentice to me to inform."

Eldar nodded, "I am going to collect my wives and head home for the evening meal. There is not much more we can do today and my father's funeral is tomorrow, Your Majesty."

She nodded. "We will be attending. He was my best diplomat and I do miss him."

He turned to leave and paused, "If you are looking for a cover story for her, you can always say she was killed due to an assassin. Leave it at that. The closer to the truth the easier it is to say, Your Majesty."

She nodded to Eldar as he left. They were dealing with so much death he went to find his wives so he could remember why he was living. He got to the room. She was stripped naked and they had all taken turns at her mind and she had pissed herself in the process as they were being invasive in their search. HE looked at them, "Learn anything new?"

Annette nodded, "She helped in the torture of Traylar'sune Goldensong. She died just over a month ago when they stopped feeding her. She sat there and laughed while he defiled her body."

He looked at Lady Amy Tryst, "Would you share with her the images of what I did to the man who ordered that assassination." She nodded and gave her that one-minute conversation and the thirty-second battle through Eldar's eyes. She screamed her head off. "If you were a Blade Singer, I would do the same to you. But you are a simple and pathetic mage. You strip her spells and all of the standard stuff?"

Annette looked over, "Yes. Let us walk Lady Silver Hair and Lady Amy Tryst back to the conference room. Guards remember these prisoners are not here and what you have seen has never occurred."

The two of them nodded. They have been in this detail since the assassination attempt. They were not expected to return to duty until they had been put in the ground.

One of them spoke, "We have been told and we are also getting some time off and promotions after we return when this is all done."

He nodded, "Not glamorous work. You are seeing the darker side of our society and what we are forced to do to protect our Kingdom. I am like you. I prefer to have my enemy in front of me and not lurking in the shadows."

They walked to the conference room. "Did his son give you any information on how in-depth they were working to screw us over?"

She nodded, "The images were very disturbing. We have some new behaviors to monitor for among our own."

He nodded. "The spell?"

She smiled, "The scroll is on your desk at House Silvertree. I had it delivered while you talked with the Queen's sister."

He nodded, "I need to add it to my book tonight before I go to bed."

Lady Silver Hair looked at Eldar with sad eyes, "I will do better to keep you informed. To be more in line with what Jarron promised you when you signed up. Lady Amy Tryst relayed that day to me. When you were dealing with the hidden codes."

He nodded, "To be brought in and see what I see from the information."

She smiled, "Yes, I will talk with Lord Regal when we get back."

He looked at Lady Amy Tryst, "My father said he was always trying to figure me out. You have seen how my mind works from this side. Do you think you have a way to describe how my mind works?"

She looked at Eldar, "Those were some funny conversations you two had. I would say you love your wives. You have the respect for those who work with you be they in the Blades, city, town, or allies. You follow a strict code of honor. Open and honest with your wives even when it might hurt.

You are coming to terms with delegating things to others but keeping a pulse on things. You care more for the elven people. Even those who shunned you your whole life. More than power or wealth. They are but a means to improve the lives of those around you.

You show that you work to be above those petty issues and the politics of court and communicate will every citizen as equals. Until they really piss you off. That vision storm and your chats with the gods was unbelievable if I had not seen it. The Knights are lucky to have you and your wives.

You have done more for this organization than anyone since the initial reformation. Some dragons fear it. Some who are isolationists on the council will get my thoughts on this matter. One of the reasons I agreed to take on your wife was to get a better understanding of your group.

You unwittingly gave it to me and it almost knocked me on my ass. I can file a report back that will win you more council support. Lord Regal will be impressed, though I know those are not your concerns.

The Elven people first, protection from another Dragon War helps to protect the Elven people. You take care of your wives they are ready to take care of you through this difficult time. You got a good start on dealing with your father's death. You need to take it to its conclusion."

The two ladies stopped off and Eldar nodded to them. Then they were gone. He grabbed his wives, "Let us go down and get Annette's horse saddled up, and then we can ride back with you hugging me. Annette can CONNECT and tell us what she has learned."

They got the horses and started heading back to House Silvertree.

Annette, "Let me finish before you all start in. I learned quite a bit. You were correct on telekinesis. Thank god for my sword on that front. Telepathy and mind-reading skills are easier to use. Telepathy has a much longer range. They helped me get that psionic crystal attuned for me. Thank you for that.

It is a true gift as I can store some energy in it on days where I do not use abilities and it is there to boost my power on long days of interrogations and the like. Psychokinetics is where I got the offensive stuff.