Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 02 Pt. 01

The air was humming with electricity from his body and Jarron feared for his own safety at the moment. He stepped away and got on the crystal with the Silver Queen, "You don't bring that prisoner back with John here and there may not be a base or the people in it for much longer. Brannar has a lightning field emanating from him right now and he is pissed off. I contact our Queen and she will terminate support for the Knight over this."

She sighed and looked at the guards. She got to the interrogation room with the prisoner. "On our way. "

She pulled one for Amy Tryst, "Get John to Jarron's office right away."

The Gold King looked over, "You are disobeying me!"

She looked at him, "The Knights are my call. I need Jarron and that base. I need the elves' support. Jarron made a promise and he is about to suffer for it because of your demand. That is not happening. You can take it up with the council later."

Jarron looked alarmed and nodded at Brannar, "They will be here within five minutes."

Brannar looked at him, "With my prisoner and my brother!"

He nodded, "Yes they are all coming."

Brannar looked at him, "Not Regal! Not in the mood I am in!"

He sighed. He got back on the crystal to relay the request, "Brannar does not want Lord Regal near him if he comes, he better work to stay quiet around him I don't know what he will do." Lord Regal looked over, "I'm coming and he can try to stop me if he wishes to die."

---

Branar looked at Silver Moon, "You got a teleport left?"

She nodded. He tapped her with the staff, "You got fly. Get back to your people, I will be along shortly."

She teleported back, "I hit her with a fly to account for drift over the ocean."

---

A few seconds later they had his prisoner. It looked like a couple of guards, Lady Silver Hair, and Lord Regal with two others who he did not know or care to know.

Jarron looked over, "Lord Regal, for everyone's safety please stay quiet until Brannar is gone."

The Gold King looked at the Magic and lightning arching off of Brannar. Brannar radiating extreme power ready to be unleashed. He might not be a champion but he had significant magical power building within him. He did not want to light that fuse as Jarron did not exaggerate. He simply nodded. He decided to play it safe and back off for now.

Brannar looked at his brother, and calmed down enough to hug him, "You heard about father?"

He looked around, "What about father?"

Brannar gritted his teeth as magic in the air surged again, "Leave it to them to keep you from the fact our father is dead."

Brannar showed him the blade. "You know we have 6 siblings missing?"

He shook his head, "First I have heard of it."

Brannar glared, "What have they been asking you to pull out of this half-dragon shit?"

Brannar looked at John, "Nothing yet, I just got here?"

Brannar looked at Lady Silver Hair, "Who has been questioning him since his capture?"

She looked at Brannar, "I have."

Brannar looked at her, "What have you learned?'

She sighed, "Nothing yet, you interrupted us."

Brannar shook his head, "I was promised the first crack at him with my brother. You were not interrupted, you were forced to bring him back! Scared I would level this place and everyone in it."

Brannar looked at his brother, "I need to know if he has seen our siblings, and if so where they are? Has he been working for a Lich? Is he aware of any dragons working to be perverted into Draco-liches."

He got into the creature's head and came back, "Two are dead all 6 were taken to a large Island along the bone reef. They called them that for all the ships lost there. The storms in that area whip up and slam them into the rocks." John looked at him. "Yes, on the Draco-liches. They are going to try 3 in about 4 months, maybe 6. He is not in the loop of all of that he is a collector of resources. They are using elven blood in the ritual but it did not work so they are going to try elven hearts when the stuff is ready."

Brannar looked at Lady Silver Hair, "You knew about elven blood and hearts being involved in this?!"

She looked at Brannar, "Nothing definitive. An obscure reference in one of the books we recovered from the Lich's library."

Brannar looked at them, "Was that information shared with my father, the Queen, or anyone of importance enough that has elven blood?!"

She shook her head.

Brannar glared, "FUCK! What in the hell is wrong with you?! The information does not get fed back to us! Misinformation flows one way from the fucking dragons. I thought you were supposed to be good-aligned and allies through this group. I'm not fucking seeing it!

I have a ship that probably has a trove of information on it! I will go through it myself and determine what is relevant to you! I am not buying that 'the reference was obscure' for a moment because you knew it off the top of your fucking lying head!"

Brannar looked at Jarron, "My sister can get a hold of me. As soon as I get this ship into a port and we affect repairs on it I will get a crew together. I will decide if any Knights are a part of this and which ones."

Brannar looked at his brother, "You coming?"

He stood, "I am no good in a fight."

Brannar looked at him, "You get the names of these dragons, be sure to give them to them so they might actually do something. I doubt it, but a miracle might happen. Then get home and pay your respects. Father deserved that much!

Jarron, you don't get that information to the Queen I will. Fuck these Dragons and their treaty! They refuse to live up to it and I will shout it to the fucking world! As soon as we are docked, I will get repairs going first then I will see her myself!"

Brannar looked at Lord Regal, "Add another 14 non-dragon bodies to that count of things you could give a shit about. Including 2 dead Silvertree members, You FUCK!"

Brannar cast a fly from the staff and teleported out.

Jarron looked over, "Queen Goldeagle is going to throw a fit over this. I'm fucking pissed now because you never told me of this threat to the elven people. John, go see your family. Now."

John glared. He had more information but knew the dragons would not take action on it. Not after his brother's tirade. He knew enough that his brother would find answers on that ship. That was as far as he had gotten.

John nodded and lied, "He does not have names. I checked."

John stabbed the creature through the heart.

He looked at the Dragon who brought him here, "For the death of my family members by this creature. You will just have to trust what I said was as true as what you have been feeding our people. Right now, that would be nothing apparently."

The Silver Queen was in shock at John's actions. He had always been supportive of them; it was a part of his training. His faith in the dragons she sensed was broken at the moment.

She closed her eyes and avoided going into his mind for answers. He would sense it and it would just be more turmoil, "Guard take him back to collect his belongings and take him home to pay his respects."

One of the guards left with John.

Lord Regal looked over, "Brannar is going to destroy the Knights."

Jarron shook his head, "Right now I am not even sure they are worth saving. My entire life's work is a cover for the failures in the Dragon War Treaties, the ones you have refused to deal with yourself as Eldar said. He finds damaging information on that ship and you can expect this group to disappear. I think it would be best if you all left."

Jarron collapsed into a chair and held his head as the others finally teleported away.

---

Lady Silver Hair looked at Lord Regal and glared hard, "Remember what Bahamut said. He said it was your bed to make, you have made it. Now you will have to lay upon it for what is to come. I would say that it is coming soon."

She left the room in a hurry sending black onyx rocks flying everywhere in her departure.

---

Brannar flew down to the ship and he found that they were just getting the ships tied together. He landed, "I want a minimum crew. I do not want to deprive you of key people. We get to the harbor we can teleport crew as we need them from one ship to the other."

Brannar looked at Silver Moon and took her to the side, "You have a Crystal to the Queen?"

She nodded, "Why?"

Brannar looked at her, "I need to speak with her and you need to hear this. Else I will travel there and you can hear about it after the fact."

He switched languages, "Please hold on bringing anyone aboard until we have had a chance to check for wards."

They nodded. He checked the door headed to the Captain's Quarters. There was another door and it was warded 7 ways to the 9 hells.

Brannar looked at her, "Heavy wards. I see 7. 4 I can remove easily, the other 3 will take time. You getting the Queen on that thing?"

She looked at Brannar, "I do not like doing this blind."

Brannar nodded, "For once trust me."

She activates the crystal, "Your Majesty, this is Sir Silvertree are you in a secure place?"

She paused, "Just a moment. It is late here. What is going on?"

He sighed, "We captured a ship captained by a blue-half dragon and an undead crew. We have learned they were involved in my missing siblings. All 6 were taken to a large Island off a reef called the bone reef, named for the broken bones of the ships along the reef.

The Lich is there, he is looking at creating 3 more Draco-liches in the next 4-6 months. He is using elven blood and hearts for the ritual. The dragons knew of this from the records they recovered from the wizard's quarters at the human Palace. That 'Dragon Business' deals with the killing and defiling of our people.

Apparently, that is not our business! They say the reference was obscure. They knew it! If it is so obscure then turn it over to us to study. As a Knight Protector, I am recommending that you threaten to pull your support to the Knights and to the Council of Nine. Until such time as they are willing to be forthcoming in information to protect our people. I am going to tell my sister the same DAMNED thing, Your Majesty."

The Queen was quiet, "Who got this information?"

He sighed, "My brother John, who was not made aware of my father's death or that he had 6 missing siblings. I guess those facts do not matter to them either. Before you ask Lady Silver Hair, Lord Prick Regal, and Jarron were all present with a few others."

She growled, actually growled, "I will be in touch with Jarron shortly. Silver Moon! You are not to report back to them! All communication comes through me. Until further notice."

Brannar breathed hard, "Your Majesty, you know I did not come on this trip as a Knight for them. They took my prisoner and I literally came close to threatening Jarron's life to get him back after I received assurances the prisoner would be ours to question first, John and I!

I came in service to you and my family. If this is becoming a mission for you, I will continue to serve. We are going to get repairs done to this ship. I have denied them access to any intelligence we find unless we determine it is something they need to know."

She laughed, "Good! I am sick of this. Your father had some issues back in the days before the war. It seems they are getting bogged down in their own crap. I want you two running this together for the Crown. I will see what Jarron has to say and get them here as soon as possible."

Brannar looked at her, "Well?"

Silver Moon looked at him, "I do not like how we are doing this or the timing but I agree something needs to change."

Brannar stuck out his hand and she shook it, "I want you to learn the helm controls and teach the others. I cannot do it if I am filling the sails when needed."

---

Brannar paused for a moment and reflected on the letter from his father. He had lighting arcing off of him and had at least presented a threatening front to Jarron. What his father had envisioned. Yet he did not kill Jarron or attack any of the dragons in the room. He had more control than his father gave him credit for. He showed he was right about the vision. But it also showed his father did not know him near as well as he thought he did as he did not stop to think about that letter until now.

---

The Lady of Dreams watched this play out and she had Eldar watching with him. She had him hearing everything Brannar thought during that reflection. She looked at Eldar, "He is right, you do not know him because you ignored him. You have no idea as to what he is capable of doing. Jarron lives and the Queen is going to force what Jarron failed to get done. All with Brannar's help. I don't know what all is on that ship, but from what I got from John, it will be enough to end Dragon Wars Treaty and force them to create something new or cut them out completely. The goal you wanted him to achieve for the Knights."

Eldar looked at her, "Why did you not show me that part of the vision when I was still alive?"

She shook her head, "Because, like a champion, it was unset. He could have killed Jarron. It was his own moral compass, the one he has set for himself based upon his own ideas and the concerns you put in that journal. He sees more than you did and he is working to effect change. Like you did.

He is not a champion and his actions through all of those decision points are in a constant state of flux. This is something the elves need to do for themselves, with little interference from us.

He has a chance to succeed in what he is doing, but those decisions are his alone. You once complained about your father's parenting from a distance. You promised you would never do that to that to your children, yet here we are with Brannar.

Only worse because your father worked to help you and give you indirect guidance, while you worked to keep your distance from him instead because you feared him. The magic within him turned him into a Storm Born and made him immune to the electrical damage.

He had been destined to be a dragon blooded sorcerer, Bronze dragon blooded from his mother's side and that would have made him immune to the lightning as well. That is what saved him and what changed him. He absorbed additional energy and magic from that blow from the storm and from the two who died with him.

It infused him with more magic than he even realizes he could unleash. He is cautious about what he can do because everyone else feared him. He did not need that from you. He needed love from you. You did fail him, and like your father who failed you, in your eyes, he is setting his own path because you pushed him away from you."

Astra appeared and hugged Eldar and whispered to him, "Don't shoulder this alone. This is his challenge and his determination to succeed he also got from you. Like you did from your father. The Lady of Dreams failed to mention that to you as well. Yes, you could have done better for him, but that is the past that you cannot change.

Watch over him while he takes on this challenge. Come to respect him. When he passes on, then you can try and spend an eternity working to learn to love him as you did the other children and your wives." They disappeared and the Lady of Dreams sighed as she knew Corellon had sent Astra to remind him and her of that fact.

---

They stepped out and Brannar called over, "I would like your quartermaster, someone who can fix the lines we cut. A good person to help direct things over here until I am up to speed.

The Captains Quarters is warded. It will take me a few days to break through them all. I will do a walk around on the deck and as soon as we can get underway the better."

He went and pulled the banner off the back of the ship. He rolled it up. "I assume there is some kind of reward for the capture of this ship and killing the crew and Captain?"

The Captain nodded, "There is a hefty one."

Brannar nodded, "We will split between us for the loss of life we both suffered while we capture this ship. Ensure some goes to the families of the lost sailors. I want the quartermaster to figure out what we are missing and what we have on board of any value."

The Captain nodded, "Very well."

Brannar got his gear together and they only had to borrow a handful of sailors to get things set. He sent 6 men up into the rigging and took care of the ropes. They then worked on pulling up the anchor.

Silver Moon looked at him, "How many days are we out?"

The Captain looked at his chart. "Safe estimate is 6 days, maybe 5 but I doubt that."

Brannar nodded, "The sooner we get repairs done the better. I want it back out to sea within 14 days of docking."

The Captain looked at him, "You will not get a lot done in 14 days."

Brannar nodded, "Unless I throw gold at it."

Brannar went back over to his ship, "I am going to pack up my belongings, Lieutenants! I would like you to get all of your people moved over as soon as possible. Silver Moon and I will be talking with you about changes in our mission parameters."

He got his stuff and checked all of the cargo hold doors and found no wards on the ship except the Captain's quarters.

Brannar looked at Lieutenant Sutter, "Can you get two of your men to help the Quartermaster."

He stopped in his tracks, "Those 6 saddles will need to go to my quarters. They are my siblings."

Brannar went to his quarters and contacted his sister, "You alone?"

She groaned out, "Yes, for once."

He sighed, "We captured a blue-half dragon and our brother John interrogated it. The Queen's directive to us is all Knight business is sent through her."

She groaned, "What are we supposed to do?"

He yelled at her, "Get guidance from the Queen! She said she wanted all Knights communication funneled through her. You are a Duchess. We are Knights to the Elven Court! We have to comply."

She groaned, "You are right, I hope this gets resolved quickly I will get with Tranosa now. Together we will contact Jarron and let him know of the Queen's directive if he has not already heard of it."

Brannar chuckled, "Leave Jarron out of it, he may be recalled. I do not know if he holds a title or not but the Queen actually growled at me after I told her what was going on! We found the saddles for all 6 of our siblings' horses on this captured ship."

It went quiet, "Get those back when you can."

He thought for a second, "As soon as we are docked, I will come back to leave Zea'Trans as well. Unless we have accommodations with our brother Valita."

She chuckled, "Cannot escape this place?"

Brannar groaned, "Our brother John knew NOTHING of father or the 6 missing siblings. The dragons are not communicating this to our other siblings in the Knights. Think about that. I got to go. I have work to do."

Brannar thought, "Karti'Ros set my lightning immunity to the blade in place of Giant Bane. We don't fight enough giants really but if we are going to be hounded by dragons and casters another immunity to elemental damages is something unique to add that would come into play more often."

Kari'Ros commented, "It reflects who you are Storm Wraith, a protector of your people. The choice is set."

---

The Elven Queen paced back and forth as she waited in her chambers. She had sent a short message to Jarron, "Palace, my audience chamber. Now." Before she slammed it into a wall.

Jaron walked in and she nodded to the guards who left and she sealed the room, "What in the nine hells is going on? I want your side of things?"

Jarron sighed and gave her the rundown of Brannar's activity and John's execution of the prisoner who had killed members of his family.

The Queen looked over, "I want all Silvertree agents in the Knight contacted and recalled to come home and pay their respects to their father. The Dragons had no right to keep them from knowing that. Fuck their missions. Do it."