Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 06

Guards, please escort The Baroness of House Gold Sword. Take her to her home and place the home under house arrest. I will take care of House Silvertree after going through the belonging of the patron. Follow me, Knight Champion."

They went up the stairs as Brima came in and Serius waved her up. They got to the fourth floor and he got her in a chair in the War Room. Serius looked at her, "I am left with 3 options. One is to kill you, another is for you to establish your own house, and the last is to have you terminate that pregnancy before we leave here."

Serius set the paperwork down, "The patron was infertile according to his wife."

She turned green and then ran to the back bedroom to get sick before he could say anything else.

Serius looked at the Queen as he set his gear out, "You have some arcane talent. This is the book he had."

She saw the large volume and flipped through the pages. "Your father mentioned a reference book on necromancy to me. I see what was done now. No this would be useless to an arcane but extremely valuable to a cleric."

Serius nodded. "I will bring the other two volumes to you if you like."

She shook her head, "No need."

She stepped out and got the cleric as Brima returned.

She cried her eyes out. Serius held her for a few minutes. He sighed, "I did not want this for you. I did not know who you were seeing. I have always been honest with you, even when you acted as my jailer."

The cleric came in and put a hand over her stomach and quickly pulled away. He looked at the Queen, "As feared but half demonic or devilish. Hard to tell, but some kind of fiend. But I cannot do what you ask."

Serius nodded, "But I can."

He looked at Serius and nodded, "Yes Corellon Larethian would allow it given the circumstances."

Serius looked at Brima and she nodded. He took her to the back bedroom and had her strip down under the covers. Serius came back ten minutes later with the Queen and the other cleric. He folded the blanket down and Cut across her lower stomach with his dagger. She screamed her head off. He sat the blade aside.

Serius reached inside and brought the embryo out. Serius reached inside and found the end of the umbilical cord. He cast a scorching ray between his fingers. Serius cut through it while he kept it pinched off. Serius took the remains back to the shower area.

He thought, "Only a month or two along. If I had to guess. If only she had listened to me. I hope the gods will head my warning for the future about setting children as champions."

Serius hit it with disintegration and destroyed what was left and let the self-cleaning bowl deal with the ash.

Serius thought, "Will she have any more children? Did the Solar know? Did you?"

He heard back from the Lady of Dreams, "No this rendered her infertile. We did not know. It was blocked to us. She is not infertile due to your efforts but from the fiend being implanted."

Serius walked out and the other cleric had already healed her up.

He looked at her, "No more children. I asked the Lady who answered me. They did not know Caused by the implantation, not by terminating the pregnancy. They wanted me to know it was not my action that caused infertility."

She nodded, "Thank you for finding out."

He looked over at the other cleric, "What happened here can never be known. A demonic presence in the capital would set off a panic."

The Queen nodded, "True. Royal secret."

Serius looked at her, "I used the scorching ray to keep it as clean as possible. Hopeful for you."

She held his hand, "You did what you could. It could have killed me when it was born."

He shook his head, "Would have killed you. You need to step away from the road and spend time with the children in the home for a while. You need to learn when I tell you something, I am being honest with you. I have no nefarious reason to hurt you. Only protect you without smothering you."

He walked out and left her with the other two ladies. He summoned his sword and thought, "Sorry Varus'Nor. I had my promise to keep to you. I did not wish to threaten her, but I could not disown her without disowning myself."

Serius heard Varus'Nor, "You did what you could for her. Give her a hug for your father. He would have wanted you to."

He thought, "She is not in trouble with Corellon Larethian dear Lady? Even you did not know."

He heard back, "No. She is not to blame. It was better to find out now."

Serius thought, "Some misguided attempt to get the sword, access to the shelters, the family trust and or the draconic books?"

He heard back, "Probably the last two. Possibly the sword but doubtful. The sword would not knowingly work for it."

Serius thought, "But all the shelters the sword-bearer could give access to..."

He heard back, "The sword would have gone dormant. They would not have necessarily known that, so it is a possibility."

He thought, "So much has been shielded from you. How would the sword be any different?"

The Lady of Dreams responded, "That is a fair question and relevant. Direct contact with one of our relics would have alerted us to the attempt, the success of the failure. If they had succeeded, we could then take action on the relic by destroying it in the worst of cases. That has happened twice in history and accounts for 2 of the destroyed blades. Not to be discussed because of the nature of that weakness."

They came out and he looked at Brima, "Did his wife know about you two?"

She nodded, "She was looking forward to the wedding."

The Queen looked as Serius stormed toward the portal. She yelled, "Stop!"

Serius looked back, "You have dead royal guards right now. They live in this district. They will come after the palace and my house. Also, the bank!"

She sighed and ran up to him, "You go home. I will get others to deal with her."

She opened a crystal, "Suspend access to all Gold Sword accounts immediately."

He nodded, "Unless they show up at my home then all bets are off. My sword would require no less, Your Majesty."

She nodded. He took Brima with him and teleported them out front. Then to the place district entrance. That was when they heard spells going off.

He took her through to house Silvertree. He looked at the man, "Recall all of the guards back to the barracks! Open the door!"

He opened the door and Serius looked at the guard, "Get all of the guards into their barracks. I do mean all of them!"

Brima rode inside Serius looked at her, "Get all of the horses and family and go to the training wing. I am sealing you in there."

She sighed and nodded. Serius took his horseback. Once everyone was in, he stepped out, "Seal portal for three days to the training area."

He walked out and the guards got inside. Serius looked at them, "I am locking you in for your own protection. Seal portal for three days."

Serius heard the sound of horses out front and he looked. Tieflings. He went through the portal and hit the teleport controller. "Security wall up. Portal open. He went and opened all of the doors upstairs and down. 12 came in. "Seal portal" They looked at Serius and tried to teleport in, "Activate entryway security."

They stood there screaming but not for long. "Deactivate entry security and open the outer portal." He saw two walking around outside and he activated his sword. They teleported into the entryway. "Seal portal. Activate entryway security." Serius waited for those 2 to be dead. "Deactivate entryway security and Open wall."

Serius pulled the table out of the corner and stacked bodies over in a side room. Minus heads. "Security wall up. Open the outer portal."

Serius thought, "I hope your Solar is engaged right now."

He heard back, "She is on a bigger target."

He sighed after giving it a minute, "Security wall down. He went outside. Security wall up. Secure portal for seven days. He looked around and they came in on normal horses. Serius grabbed one. There were 14 of them, so he got them all. He took off for the place district on one of them, He blew through the gate with no security. The Solar was facing off with some kind of fiend on the Palace front walkway.

Serius rode forward with sword and shield in hand. He used the dimension door from a wand in his bracer. He appeared well above it and behind the creature. Channeled disintegration into his sword and watched the slow-motion as he shoved it into the creature's spine. It howled in pain. That distracted it enough that the Solar took the creature's heads off. They came crashing down and he rolled away and summoned his sword. She looked over at him and nodded. He walked over and placed a heal on her. Then he walked away and teleported up to the fourth floor.

Serius opened the War Room and it was empty. He went out of the door and looked into the palace and it was quiet. Serius went downstairs and walked over and thought, "Teleport me up to her secure shelter."

He was outside her shelter with four of her guards around. Serius sheathed his sword and stuck his hand forward and it opened. They backed off. He looked across, "Your Majesty, I kept my word! When they attacked my house, all bets were off. I shortened the battle on the front lawn."

She walked over to the security wall and sighed. Serius called out, "Deactivate security wall." She waved him inside and sealed the portal, "What happened at your house?"

Serius looked at her, "Fourteen Tieflings. I counted the horses before I rode out on one of them. No guards coming into the palace district. The Solar was battling a 15-foot tall fiend of some type on the front lawn. Saw no guards or bodies in the throne room.

The war room was empty. I stabbed the creature in the back from about 10feet up. With a disintegration channeled into the sword. The Solar took off his fucking head. I cast a heal into her and then went searching for you, Your Majesty."

She nodded at him and he went to the War Table. "I do not know where the Solar is now. The Lady of Dreams told me the Solar was fighting something bigger, Your Majesty."

She sighed, "Never fucking dull with a Silvertree around. Especially a champion. Your family is safe?"

Serius nodded, "Secured them in the training wing and used the main house entranceway to draw the Tieflings in. The teleport blocker kept them on the other side of the wall." She nodded, "My guards brought me here instead of the War Room."

Serius turned around and opened the portal, "Which one of you is in charge?"

One guy raised his hand. Serius nodded, "I do not know where any guards are but the throne room was clear. You might want to contact your people."

He looked at the Queen. Serius sighed, "I can go search around."

She yelled, "No! Captain, send a man to find out where we stand."

Serius looked at him, "You see a Silver skinned human-looking woman with pale blue topaz eyes, three sets of wings, and about 9 feet tall do not piss her off. She is on our side."

He chuckled and nodded. Serius smiled, "No joke." He went quiet. Serius moved back and let the Queen seal them in.

She sighed, "How did you get past the lower guards?"

Serius looked at her, "I did not stop to see them. I teleported straight up. The sword knew the way."

Queen Goldeagle sighed, "That sword is something I am going to have to come to grips with."

Serius smiled, "Not really, your Majesty. It is tied to the creation of the shelters, in the hands of a champion or hero of my house. It will do nothing to harm the royal family, always in the service of Corellon Larethian, and can always be used to give the new royal access if something happens to you."

She sighed and nodded, "True. That has always been the case."

Serius looked over, "Lower security wall."

He walked forward. "Raise the security wall and open outer portal. Serius stepped out and there were no guards. Serius sighed. Serius opened the portal, "Your Majesty I am sealing you inside. Keep your teleport blocker on. Seal portal for eight hours."

Serius teleported into the throne room. He soon had 15 Royal guards come running at him.

Serius looked at them, "I just left the Queen to find out where her guards outside her shelter went!"

Serius extended his tube to the guard. He nodded, "We just got here."

Serius nodded, "To her secure shelter then."

Serius went forward and he swapped out a wand into his bracer. He looked and Serius sighed, "Don't ask."

They got to a hall and heard a caster battle in progress. Serius held up a hand and looked around. There were 21 from house Gold Sword had the royal guards pinned down.

Serius launched acid explosion into them then cast one and quicken cast another. The Royal guards came around the corner to help clean up the mess. Serius looked at bodies. No Tieflings. Serius looked at one of the survivors, "Problem today?"

He looked at Serius, "We were told our house patron was killed and the Queen authorized it!"

Serius looked at her, "Your house patron cast a disintegration spell toward me and it was turned back on him. Your elder was working with that fiend outside and then there are the 14 Tieflings I killed who came to my house. She ordered both houses arrested as a patron-on-patron attack under investigation. You are under arrest for attempted regicide and treason."

She looked white, "She told us it was something you unleashed!"

Serius sighed, "Where the fuck is she?"

She sighed, "She went to the bank."

Serius nodded, "Yeah, send you off to die while she gets money to flee. You are definitely not the sharpest swords in the armory. All your house accounts were frozen by the Queen. The first thing she did. Our house assets are in a trust we cannot access."

He looked at the guards, "Let the Queen know I went to the bank."

They nodded. He went back outside and found that horse. He mounted up with another 20 guards coming in. The Fiend was gone. Serius rode forward and held up a hand. "I need four men to come with me. We have a house attempting to take down the Royal Family. The wife of the patron went to the bank. The other house members are dead, dying, or captured."

Serius handed him the tube.

He looked at, "Sir Silvertree, "Will four be enough?"

He shrugged, "Do not know. We will see."

Serius took off and 6 followed him. This horse was getting tired. He saw her riding toward them when she saw them and turned. Serius hit her with an acid explosion then another from the wand. That killed her horse and pinned her. She rolled away and turned toward them. Serius dimension door behind her. She had her arm back to cast.

Serius thought, "Varus, Nor, left hand, Moon fire on!"

Serius took his sword and cut off that arm at the elbow.

She screamed in pain. Serius grabbed her other hand and broke it at the wrist. Serius looked at her, "The Queen would like to have a word with you. I think she is ready to rule on the patron-on-patron attack."

Serius looked at the guards, "Check the bank."

Two of them went to the bank and came out puking their guts up."

Serius sighed, "Murder and bank robbery as well."

Serius grabbed her bags and the guards grabbed her.

Serius looked over, "Two should ride back with me. Four of you should guard the doors to the bank. I secured the shelter so even the Queen cannot open it. I will have to get back there before there is too much of a panic."

He put his sword away. He grabbed her arm and got back up on that horse. They rode slowly. The guards asked, "Should we not hurry?"

He shook his head, "No need to kill this horse. Not one of mine but it is a concern as I rode him hard today."

He nodded, "Where did you get him?"

Serius smiled, "Off one of the 14 who came to my house and died horribly; like most of her house members in the palace." She looked pissed. "They were all about turning you in. How do you think we found you?"

She looked white for a second. There were 12 at the entrance to the district and the two guards with him got them through. He teleported them to the front of the palace. He moved away and teleported up to the Secure shelter.

There were a dozen guards who freaked out and Serius yelled, "Stop! My family created these shelters. I sealed her in for a few hours to find out what was going on for her safety."

Serius opened the portal. "Disable portal lockout."

The Queen looked over and pointed to a crystal. Serius waved her guards forward who talked with her. She lowered the wall. Serius bowed to her, "The wife of the house laid waste to most of the bank and employees if the guards' reaction were any indication. I have her bags. She is downstairs minus this arm, Your Majesty."

She looked at Serius, "Why did you not put that in the bags?"

Serius smiled, "I do not know if it would have overfilled the bag and destroyed one of them. I have not opened them, Your Majesty."

She nodded and took the bags. They went downstairs to the throne room. The surviving members of her house were present and shackled. She looked at them, "What hit them?" Serius looked over and ejected a wand and handed it to her, "She looked at, "Acid explosion?"

Serius nodded, "Like fireball but with acid. Family spell, Your Majesty, you can keep that one I have over 100 of them."

She shook her head, looked around, and sighed, "Strip them down, keep manacles on them. I find them all guilty of the murder of royal guards and attempted regicide. The sentence is death. Take them to the dungeon for now. The guards stripped them naked on the spot.

Serius picked up all of the gear and took it up to the fourth floor and laid it all out. The Queen came up with a group of 6 guards. He looked at her, "Those members must have been home. They thought I unleashed the creature. That is what their mother told them. I do not buy into their statement as they did not engage the creature.

Just your guards. Before you go trying to give any money to House Silvertree please note I would rather it went to those guards and bank employees' families instead, Your Majesty."

She nodded, "What of the fiend?"

Serius sighed, "The Solar and fiend were both gone when I came out. I know the fiend went down minus his head. I would assume the Solar got rid of the body or it went back to its own plane. I could not make out if it was a devil or a demon. Could have been some perverted hybrid, Your Majesty. Can we resume this tomorrow?

I have guards to release and a house to take out of lockdown. I will let them know I am not at liberty to give out details, Your Majesty. I just do not know how you explain all of the death or the 15-foot tall fiendish creature to any who saw it. What happened to the rest of your court, Your Majesty?"

She sighed, "Ran I assume. You may tell the mothers the truth of the matter. Leave your guards in the dark."

Serius nodded, "Only Zirra and Brima live there these days. Olivana remarried 25 years ago and helps to watch over her nephew's family in a village north of the city with her children. Mirama spends her days and nights at the church since my father's death.

Mirama returned the money for retiring from the field when she went back to the church. With the shortage of clerics, she felt more useful there and she provided some instruction to me early on. I see her every now and then, Your Majesty. Zirra took over watching the other children when she, Olivana, got married again."

He bowed and left. He went out front and teleported to the gate leaving the one horse behind. He stepped through and teleported to house Silvertree.

He unsealed the guards first, "We have 13 horses out here that need to be stabled and fed then put into the pasture. Their riders are dead."

They came out and searched the house and grounds.