Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 03 Pt. 02

He chuckled, "Yes I want you at the Palace! You can have rooms here for your whole team."

He sighed, "I would need you to recall the ambassador and Magister from the Far East location. I sent them back after the big battle, your Majesty. Could you also get my wives and Aunt there because I know something is up? Always something with you, Your Majesty."

King Goldeagle laughed, "We will make the calls."

The crystal went dead. Travious looked at his cousin, "Instructor Silvertree, can you get there without using a scroll?"

She nodded, "I have been before."

He got everyone together and contacted his Aunt, "Palace and my wives with you."

He turned off the crystal. "Goodbye Captain, you take care of the Silver Rose, she has some history to her with you as captain now."

He smiled and nodded. They were on the front lawn. He looked at the horses and removed the barding and saddles and brushed him down.

"Shi, Drakon, take them to the stables my friend and ficka away."

He heard chuckling in his head. The horses left. He looked at the groom, "They learned a new trick. Do we have a place to store our tack?" He shrugged he walked in and saw a guard. "A place to store our tack?"

The guard looked at Travious, "That would be in the stable."

Travious smiled, "I am not walking all the back to watch my stallion ficka every mare out there. Point me to an empty room. It is just for the day.

He sighed and took Travious to the captain's office and they stored the gear as Melia arrived, "Majisa wishes she could be here."

He nodded, "I know. But I need to sleep today."

She giggled, "Then tonight."

He smiled, "After we get home so we can include her."

Melia nodded, "We can do that."

His cousin handed him a slip of paper, "The bearing."

He nodded, "Thank you."

The King entered and everyone bowed. He looked over, "Step forward Knight Paladin. Bring your team with you!"

He looked over as the Ambassador and Magister arrived. They all stepped up on the line. The King looked at the court, "This small team found dragons that infiltrated 4 of my ships. Chromatic dragons. We have a treaty with the metallics. The Knight Paladin helped to negotiate an expansion of this treaty.

These ships were there with a group of metallic dragons, and dwarven sappers and have recovered the Eternal Forge. The Silver Queen who was not in her homeland when this occurred has agreed to help up to reactivate the forge.

Once it is in place. This could take several months because we did not expect to get it this soon. The idea to use the sappers came from our Knight Paladin. The dwarven King is working recognition for those 4 who worked underwater with explosives to free the forge. Everyone, take a knee except my Knight Paladin. Introduce your team to us first."

Travious looked over, "I stole the Elven Ambassador, New Moon, to our Far East. He was dying for a bit of action.

I took Magister Silverbar from the Academy from the Far East, Instructor Goldbar from that Academy, Instructor Silvertree from that Academy and a cousin of mine, Bree Storm, and last but not least Gia Silvertree, one of my wives.

The last 2 being a part of the group who worked the orc Valley with me. I would also add Shi'Drakon and the other elven warhorse we used to fly onto the ships with, Your Majesty. We suffered no losses. I ensured this Magister came back alive."

He chuckled, "That was unfortunate. For those that have not heard. We have control of the valley and the champion for Gruumsh was killed. 17 were lost in that last battle with a slew of Ogre Magi's including his sister and great Uncle. I also received word that the unit your brother was fighting the drow were overrun but with some timely intelligence his body was recovered."

Travious nodded, "You know where his body will go, Your Majesty."

He nodded, "Yes I do. He also instigated an expansion of the Gray Blades. To look to expand the town for the additional farm, housing and to try and add another 300 troops to the Gray Blades. They now control that valley thanks to the Knight Paladin's ideas and initiative. Stand there for a moment."

He went down the line and gave them awards for heroism and knighted them if they were not already in the court. He looked at Travious, "Take a knee. I cannot give you another title and I cannot add 'dragon slayer' to your paperwork.

But I have set it up so you can pick a group of 100 to work with you on your missions. You can pick them up from just about anywhere. I am also giving you another commendation for heroism and excellence in leadership. Please rise, everyone."

There was applause all the way around. He looked at Travious, "I would like a few minutes alone with my Knight-Paladin to go over some items."

Travious waited for him to leave. He followed him and his mother to her Audience chamber.

The King looked at him, "How bad is this infiltration of dragons?"

Travious looked at him, "We need The Countess and Staria. I can show you the rings I have collected and she might be able to identify them individually. I do not know if she has an idea as to how many chromatic dragons are out there. We need those glasses on the ship Captains and I would not be surprised if they infiltrated your ranks on the drow campaign."

He sighed, "Any place else?"

He looked at him, "The heads of the academies and the command level of the Gray Blades. We know two factions exist with a Draco-lich and hybrid dragon leading them. They are impediments we will encounter I am sure."

King Goldeagle sighed and activated a crystal, "Countess bring Staria and Majisa to the conference room."

Travious looked at him, "I would also like to include Dame Storm in this discussion. Along with my other wives of course as they are sworn to the paladin's code by marriage, Your Majesty."

He chuckled, "Very well I believe I remember hearing stories about open and honest relations with Silvertree spouses. It caused an uproar with the dragons."

Travious chuckled, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Queen Mother looked at him, "Your parents would be proud of you for ensuring it was recovered."

He nodded, "I also ensured it was brought aboard the Silver Rose."

Travious looked at the Queen Mother, "Do you have anything here written in a cipher that is not a personal matter."

She nodded and walked over to her desk, "I have a few I have not gotten to yet."

He looked at her, "May I?"

She handed him one and they watched the ink move across the page. He gave her the letter. She looked at him, "When did you find this ability?"

He looked at her, "The King of Red Dragons had an encrypted note. Then the boy who went to the Academy is elf-blooded. He is of house Golden Song. He gave me an encrypted note."

She handed him the other two and he put one in each hand and they decrypted for her. He handed them back to her. She looked at him, "I have never heard of this ability."

He looked at the King, "While I may not be allowed on the front line if they captured any encrypted communications and brought them here, I could probably aid on the Drow side of the conflict, Your Majesty."

The King nodded, "I will find what they have not decrypted. I will have it brought in. Let us go."

Travious nodded. They headed upstairs to the conference room grabbing Gia and Bree along the way. His Aunt the Dutchess smacked him on the ass and shook her head with a smile.

She headed for home. Travious asked her, "Did you get the name from the prisoner?"

She nodded, "Brizzanna a female drow."

Travious nodded to her, "Follow me. You just got invited to this meeting."

She sighed and followed him to the conference room. Once entered it was sealed. He looked at Staria, "Would you cast up home in here, please?"

She nodded and the portal opened. They walked in and the King looked at it, "Speak plainly it is your home. This is what you live in out of your inn?"

He nodded, "Yes. I am being targeted by someone named Brizzanna, a female drow."

He pointed to his Aunt, "The last group of human assassins was hired by her. My Brother John extracted the information."

He looked at Bree, "Bree I will hand you a ring and you will put it on and the Countess can identify if they are of importance and if they would align with the lich or this hybrid."

The Countess nodded and he threw the 11 rings he had on the table and handed her one, "Melia here is some parchment and ink. Would you write down any information she provides and put it with the ring? When it dries, we can roll it up and put it in the ring." She nodded and had a seat. The first ring with the Blue Queen, followed by a few she did not recognize. The other red she looked at Travious, "That is the younger brother of the one they say became a lich."

He showed her the green and one of the blacks and she told us, "They were imprisoned on the same level as Matroxxxa. That confirms he is free. They were followers of his."

Travious sighed, "What I feared."

She looked at Travious, "What?"

He looked at her, "Where we find one, we will likely find the other. They were mixed and on the same set of four ships where the forge was. Representatives for both. We got a bearing." He walked over to the map section which was not damaged. "This is the direction the white was fleeing from the ships.

He never turned back or gave a defensive move. That leads me to believe his destination would be somewhere right along this flight path. Right at the edge of making it."

She looked at the markers He pointed out. She looked across and sighed, "The griffon riders are on that path."

He looked at her, "If they breed with her people, they will have more half-dragons than us. It will kill off the female population quickly. The males will be food right after the griffons. If any are still left. How many chromatic dragons are we talking about still being out there and active? Best guess."

She looked at me, "Around a 100. Maybe 200. A large section of the area they lived in did not go and I cannot say if the records were accurate or what has been born or become adults since then. The neutrals did not activate that. Lord Regal would have had to activate it. It was a fail-safe. To start over if things went bad.

To let us try and do what we are doing, except our staying behind was not a part of the original plan so neither were the half-dragons originally. That came later when we came to seek you out. He could have done it under duress but I seriously doubt it. Only the metallic senior royals would be briefed about its existence."

Travious looked at her, "At any time during your history since this was created and when it was activated was there a dragon who was a 'senior royal' who went rogue? If so then your secret could be out there for any he talked with or they talked with."

She sighed, "There were two that I know of. It is rare. They were executed for their crimes. There were a few chromatics who went rogue or crossed the line."

He looked at her, "Like whoever created Matroxxxa."

She looked at Travious, "There was draconic magic involved in that and his lifespan appears to be at least three times our own."

Travious sighed, "So he is ageless?"

She shrugged, "I was not given a detailed brief on him. That is what I know. He was caged and I was looking for the exterior threats. Any half-dragons that interbreed across species will be born as one or the other. We can divine that status. It takes serious draconic magic to form a true hybrid or hybrid-half-dragon. They are always born infertile when that occurs."

Travious looked at them, "A few necromancers left with a Draco-lich. They might be the source of abundant rings. They could have trained others as they aged. Given what happened to the first Draco-lich I am fairly certain they would not want a lich being created unless they held that Lich's phylactery, which is not something a Lich would want to give up.

The Lady of Dreams says it destroys the soul or spirit of the wearer. One of those was my uncle the bard. He was not the mind behind the mass orgy that he was listed as having been killed. One of the children created from his form was one of the students at the Academy in the Far East. I told the Lady of Dreams it was still my uncle's seed and he should be recognized."

The Queen nodded, "He did not stick around and have a hand in raising the child?"

Travious nodded, "He was drow and out getting killed by a warlord. Speaking of warlords, the one in the Sang Ti province is a slave trader and holds over 200 elven females in his personal stable. The data is 4 years old and is from Trilarna Golden Sun. Then there is the security of the forge. How many sets of these glasses do they have?

With all of these rings turning up it would make sense that they have agents on the lookout for this forge. I would make the following recommendation. Set up a shelter like this one. Take Staria there. Set it so it will only open for a metallic dragon of royal blood. Majisa and the Countess.

They take it down to where they want to install it and set that up. Move it inside and leave it until they are ready to put it in place. Buys us time to sweep for any chromatics using these fucked-up rings. If you cannot get the glasses then get me the spell and I will get it in every arcane casters' hands."

The Queen Mother looked at him, "That house is important to me for personal reasons. If you can find her. As to the spell, your father said he was putting a copy away in a safe place."

Travious looked at his Aunt Zaria, "Get a couple of your casters out to our old home. Have them search for any warded areas in the house. Move furniture if they have too. Then his old room in the keep and the room in the inn. He would not have left it in his library and my sister got his spellbooks.

Bring whatever they find to the Palace and then this conference room. We need to have our local ambassador make inquiries on this slaver Warlord. Bring in the drow intelligence. We look at all three sets of data and then the King can decide which way he wants to point the sword."

The Countess nodded, "The risk posed by these rings has exceeded any benefit, release the spell. I would like a copy of that as well."

The King looked at him, "I will make that call with my mother to the Queen of the Griffon Riders. Try to figure out where we stand. That and getting the Drow intelligence brought to the Palace. You get some rest here in your home. I will have all of this brought to this conference room. I will have our Palace Wizards start copying the spell from our enchanter's book. "

He looked at the King, "Please contact the Dwarven King as well. Let him know as soon as I am done here, I will be paying a visit and his men are not to attack me for any reason. Tell him I will be hunting chromatic dragons when I arrive. Aunt, I am stealing the casters if they find grandfather's spell. Also, my sisters spell books."

Bree looked at him, "I still have her personal belongings."

He looked at her, "Pull the spellbooks she had and see if there is a true seeing spell encrypted in one of them. Aunt, search the home just in case. But I will have those casters for this."

Dutchess Zaria nodded, "I am going to get going if you would unseal the room. At least with you back here I might get a few hours of sleep!"

The King chuckled, "He woke me up a few times. He left me enough hints that he was in trouble with the forge that he needed the Silver dragons. Speaking of which. Countess. Give him a communication crystal so I do not have to deliver the messages."

She handed him a pink pearl and giggled. He smiled, "Lovely color."

She took it back and gave him a green one instead. He nodded, "More Elven."

She chuckled. Travious looked at the King, "We determine that I am to go after the slavers then I found my next 30 recruits. All of the officers of your navy in that ocean." The King laughed, "We will talk about that if that is the case."

Travious nodded, "At least it was not a no."

Everyone laughed. Bree looked at him, "Found it but the encryption is insane."

He placed his hand on the page and the ink moved and the spell was revealed. "Lady Staria, Countess, and Bree. You have a new spell to add to your books."

He looked at the King, "I need 12 top-line casters that graduated from each of the academies and within the army. Mages, not sorcerers. 12 from each location for this unit of a hundred. Then 6 sorcerers from both locations.

12 Arcane Archers that are proficient in riding from the Gray Blades. They have to have the bow and riding skills for some of the high-end maneuvers. I also want 80 items of feather falling as this unit will be aerial combat-oriented. The Blades will need a backfill for those Archers from the City Academy so they can get trained up."

The King sighed, "I will get those sent over to the appropriate people. I will have them out front in the morning. No fighters?"

Travious looked at him, "Until we have dragon lances in hand, not yet. Blade Singers work best on foot. When the other Paladin finishes training he is assigned to me. I want him in my unit. I also want to keep the two instructors who went with me on the ship from our third academy. I will see the heads of both churches and get 6-12 clerics from each of them. Or you could send a message to both of them. Half battle and half healing who knows how to ride. Aunt!

Please see the enchanters and tell them to run another 70 of the Knight-Paladins cloak design with medium enchantment. They have my account number."

She chuckled, "You get some sleep you are about to fall over. He nodded and his wives took him back to the bedroom. Melia looked at him, "You do not have to do it all in one night."

Travious looked at her, "I had to get them to see all of the moving pieces the King is being just as challenged as the rest of us. He has to decide my priorities but the thing they want is me away from is the Drow, for now. I am betting it is another champion."

They got to the bed and got him out of his armor and clothes and they boxed him in and he was soon asleep."

He dreamed of the falls again. He stood there and looked at the falls. She approached from behind. "Remain standing Knight Champion. We had not foreseen you getting the dwarves into the water.

That task is months ahead of schedule. Your measures and concerns for them will be beneficial. You are correct there is another champion. She is much older than you. You are not ready for her yet. But they fear you. As they should. You see what you need to see. You can give those glasses away tomorrow.

Your eyes will reveal it and even adjust for the glare. You are the revealer of the hidden. Of plots, concerns, and that which likes to remain hidden. Like the text. You have to touch the pages to make it visible to others. But now you can see these rings. You have that true seeing now."

He nodded, "There is a potential conflict in the code. Part of our treaty with the humans in the Far East is not to instigate a war. Yet I have to go against a warlord. Will I be able to reveal a lie being told to me?"

She walked in front of him, "Only from an enemy of the Gods."

He nodded, "I do not want to align with a slaver to take down a slaver. I would have to destroy them both. I want the navy to intercept every slave ship, free the slaves, and kill the slavers. The Griffon riders. The longer that festers the bigger the challenge. That is where the Blade wielders will die.

I know it in my gut. The metallics are too few and our dragon riders are 30-40 years out before they will be sizable enough to strike. Draco-lich is another problem. The more of these dragons we takedown using the rings, the better.

We can help to ensure the bodies are unavailable. Tomorrow morning, I am going to lay out a bunch of snakes. You do not know which way the King will send me based on those snakes. You are testing him."