Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 06

She looked up as he sealed the doors. He accessed the secured hidden compartment and put the books inside. He sealed it and unsealed the room. She looked at him as he walked down. She sighed, "What was that all about?"

He pointed at the list, "Six of these enchanters worked the shields for the city and Quatarsia. The others worked on some of the other 14 defense systems. All dead. They helped with some of the ones outside of the city. 3 out of 14 locations were compromises.

All 3 had controls smashed. One had what had to be 80-100 undead and 15 necromancers in it. That one and another we were attacked as we approached. I went to a high altitude. I had them come up to be healed as needed. That battle lasted half an hour with 4 dragons! All of those locations were on this side of the border. The Queen wants to see me first thing in the morning. All security shields are up for now but they will fail in a year. Like mother and you, she wants me caged."

Zirra sighed, "That is big news."

He nodded, "Someone named Yarian Goldleaf was of interest to Varus'Nor."

She looked at Serius, "He tried to get in here about 5 years ago. We denied him access to the library. Your mother spoke to him out front."

He nodded, "Library portal access, only open for the blade wielder. He was reported missing 10 years ago. Anyone needs into the library will have to get with me, seeing how I am caged here, they will know where to find me."

She shook her head, "He came into the enchanter's shop I worked at regularly. He ordered a lot of bizarre ingredients."

He sighed, "His family owns that shop?"

She shook her head, "No but he is or was married to one of the daughters of that shop."

Serius nodded, "I will let the Queen know. Anything else you know about him?"

She nodded, "Has a second wife with the Moon Blade Family. A third with the enchanter's daughter across the way."

Serius dropped his head on the table. "I am getting some sleep. I will be leaving early."

She nodded. Serius went to his room and laid down to sleep after getting out of his armor.

He was at the falls and he took a knee before even looking around. He looked down in the water. She sighed, "We know you did not out yourself."

Serius looked at her, "Is my mother safe?"

She nodded, "At the moment."

He looked at her, "Can you bring her here please?"

She nodded and Serius saw Brima. She looked over, "My son what is wrong?"

He looked at her, "Need you to return to the city as soon as you can. Be extra vigilant. Yarian Goldleaf, I heard you kept him out?"

She nodded, "Yes he wanted access to the draconic books."

He nodded, "I moved them and that area is sealed to all but me. They will not be found. He was reported missing 10 years ago according to the Queen. A lot is going on. The shields will fail in a year and the Queen knows who I am, the dragon champion outed me to both Queens and Duke Strong Oak."

She sighed, "How bad?"

Serius looked at her, "Necromancer bad. Secure shelters from the last war penetrated. Which means someone who had access to them. I locked them all out today and at least 15 necromancers inside of one. I shut off food but if they can create a shelter, they will survive inside of it. That will be their life."

He looked at the Lady, "Are all the Moon Blades safe?"

She nodded, "Yes."

He nodded, "That just leaves the anvil in the Moon Blade shop that I know of."

Brima looked at Serius, "For what?"

He looked at her, "To attempt to create an elven lich. Get home when you can. The Queen ordered me back to the city and caged. Apparently, her mother hormonal genes are kicking into the unreasonable zone."

She nodded, "Will be back directly. As soon as I wake up, I will return back to the city."

He nodded, "I have to be at the palace first thing in the morning."

She disappeared and he looked at her, "You said at the moment. Is she destined to die before I see her again?"

She shook her head, "No, she has significant time yet. But we are never a hundred percent certain as you know. Follow your instincts."

He chuckled, "They are telling me to run in the opposite direction if we have to deal with undead yet again."

She smiled, "Not likely as those who are plotting that do not have what they need and you have cut off a lot of their resources quickly. Being human probably helped. Why did you take the other road?"

He smiled, "He left a gaping hole between the academy and church. By moving the keep where he did. He left an opening and the other two roads are likely being spied upon."

She nodded, "The land in the area you refer to is unstable. He had little choice."

Serius shook his head, "Fly it."

She smiled, "He still could if you 'floated the idea' past him."

Serius chuckled, "Bad puns are what we have left?"

She smiled, "Sleep champion you were responsive today. It may save you time to be in this fight or delay it longer."

He awoke, prayed, studied, and dressed using his ring of readiness once his clothes were on. He switched to his violet-eyed appearance. He grabbed some fruit and ate while saddling up his horse. He looked over as his mother's horse was here. He knocked on her door. She opened it and hugged him, "Good to see you. You do not visit enough."

Serius smiled, "I made up for the lost time being held prisoner for an extra 10 years. Are you coming with me? I assume my jailers want to watch over me again."

She nodded, "I should and I do not like being called your jailer."

He went down and pulled his horse out. She looked, "Mine is still saddled. I came in 30 minutes ago."

They went outside and secured the house. He nodded at her. They deactivated the crystal and teleported to the palace district's main gate. The guard looked at them, "The Queen is not seeing anyone today."

Serius looked at him, "She spoke with me late yesterday and told me to see her first thing this morning. I am a few years out of claiming my family title as a Duke. This is my mother who has oversight of the house until that time. She is a Dutchess by marriage."

He sighed, "She is in labor."

Serius nodded, "All the more reason to go. I am a cleric to Corellon Larethian."

Serius flipped his shield off of his back and he nodded, "I will let the Palace guards decide what to do with you."

They rode forward to the palace and his skin just crawled. He did not get a danger warnings from his sword, but something was off. He looked at his mother, "We better hurry. Something is not right."

She nodded. They rode quickly to the palace and the front doors were sealed. Six guards stood out front. They dismounted and they waved them off, "The Queen is not seeing anyone."

They dismounted and walked about half-way toward them. Serius nodded, "I am a cleric for Corellon Larethian She also requested my presence first thing this morning."

He looked at Serius, "Name?"

Serius looked at him, "Serius Silvertree." He nodded turned his back and Varus'Nor alerted, "DANGER!"

He teleported them to the fourth floor.

Brima looked at Serius, "What are you doing?"

He looked at her, "Varus'Nor alerted to danger." He went to the shelter and opened it. Nobody was present. They heard footsteps outside of the room. He invited her in, "Seal the portal except to the royal family or a Moon blade holder. Ten minutes later he opened the portal and whoever came looking was gone. He went out with his sword drawn and she followed his example. They opened the outer door and they heard voices.

They walked over and the Queen was at her throne with a dozen armed men surrounding her and the King. He pointed back and she headed back toward the War Room. Serius teleported down between them, grabbed their hands, and then teleported them away to the fourth-floor conference room. Serius rushed them into the shelter. He left the portal open but activated the teleport blocker, "Mother, a wall of force." She cast one. The King took the Queen to the back bedroom.

12 men came in and looked at the wall as the first one bounced off of it, "Seal portal." They looked at Serius, "What are you going to do now kid. We will just disintegrate this force wall."

He smiled, "Not a force wall. Teleporting is blocked. Ready to die?"

He looked at Serius, "Drop the wall and we will see how fast you die." Serius called out, "Activate briefing room security." The spiked killed four quickly and wounded three others. He nodded at his mother. They both unloaded on the doorway before they could realize it was a wall of force. He thought, "Varus'Nor activate spell turning."

The two from the elf who had threatened him threw a disintegration at him. It rebounded sending him to ash.

Brima unloaded two spells as she had one quickened and Serius shot a fireball and that took care of the intruders. Serius looked back and nothing moved. "Deactivate briefing room security." Brima went up to deal with the corpses. Serius went to check on the Queen who was lying down. She looked at him, "They infiltrated my guard."

Serius nodded, "I noticed. Where are your crystals, Your Majesty?"

Queen Goldeagle sighed, "They took them, somebody was trying to lure you here."

Serius nodded, "It worked, Your Majesty."

She chuckled and she was breathing fast. Serius looked at her, "In labor?" More of a statement than a question.

She nodded. Serius picked her up and took her out to the falls, helped her out of her clothes, and set her down in the shallow end. "I am a cleric."

She nodded, "Yes, you are." Serius took off the top of his armor and his shirt. "Your Majesty please remember I have done this before and we are distantly related."

She chuckled at him. He spent two hours with her getting the child into position and she finally delivered. He took a cleaned shirt and wrapped her son up in it.

Serius handed him to the Queen and helped with the post-birth activities they do not like to talk about. He finished up and laid some healing into her and she nodded and smiled. He carried her back to the bedroom and sat her down on the bed and dried her and the child off.

Serius grabbed a blanket from another room and then some towels and made her comfortable while tending to the baby who looked perfectly healthy. He returned him to her. The other blanket was cleaned and dry as were her clothes.

He got her covered with the bigger blanket. He looked at her, "I am going to go and check those bodies for your crystals. Most of the blood should be cleaned up by now, Your Majesty."

She nodded. He went out and got his armor on again with the ring. Serius went up front to the dozen dead bodies and checked their belongings and found her crystals. He pulled the bodies into a side room and removed their heads to be safe. He took everything back to the Queen who was asleep.

He looked at the King, "Which crystals are hers, and where are her other children, Your Majesty?"

He looked at Serius, "They are in the secure shelter your father built us. Nobody can get in it."

Serius nodded, "Except me, Your Majesty."

He nodded, "I suppose so."

Serius looked at the crystals, "Which one is to Majisa, which one lowers the shield and which one is to Strong Oak, Your Majesty?"

He sighed, "They have access to the control room so no getting the shields lowered. This one goes to Majisa. I believe this one goes to Strong Oak."

He nodded and took just those two crystals. He closed the door and opened the portal. The room was empty. He opened up and stepped out. Serius activated the one to Majisa, "Your Majesty, we have a problem."

He heard her reply back, "Silvertree?"

He sighed, "Yes, it is a boy. An unknown number of men infiltrated her guard. I got into the palace and secured her. The delivery was smooth. The problem is they have control of the shields."

She sighed, "Then you will have to get others to help. He activated the other crystal, "Duke Strong Oak?"

He replied, "Where are you?"

He smiled as he knew it was not him, "Your Keep, shield control room."

He heard a voice grumbling, "You surrender yourself to us at his Keep or he is dead."

Serius sighed, "That would be problematic as I cannot teleport being a cleric. The caster I was with has left. THE best I can do is meet you just outside of the city.

Unless you wish to wait a couple of days for me to ride out there. I could teleport there with a scroll possibly, it would be risky, but that would require you shutting down all three shields for teleportation in order to do that."

Serius heard him talking, "Fine the shields are down." Serius asked, "Did you need me to bring anything?"

Serius heard voices talking as Majisa teleported in with 12 dragons. He nodded to her, "Yes, we want you to bring those draconic books with you as well."

Serius nodded, "Alright I will have to get a second scroll from my house to do it then as they are stored in a secure compartment. Only I can access it in the main house. Wait, I forgot I have the house Silvertree teleporter. With the teleporter down, I can go directly to the village. Strong Oak can show you where."

He heard him yell, "Fine, just hurry."

Serius looked at Majisa, "The control room here is open. I can take us into the inn on the fourth floor and we can watch their approach toward the village."

She nodded, "Then secure in place and we will get to the control room here."

He nodded. His uncle stepped next to him and nodded. Serius switched into an elf-blooded form. Serius teleported them to the fourth floor. There was one caster there and Serius thought, "Activate spell turning."

The guy threw a paralysis at him and it rebounded and nailed himself. Serius tied him up. He looked out the windows and there were six of them walking. Serius smiled, "Wait here."

Serius teleported into the group who did not have weapons drawn and teleported up 5,000 feet. He slowed the Duke's descent from the feather fall ability built into his full-plate. It slowed them enough as he watched them fall away. Serius then teleported the two of them into the inn. We watched them teleport away or smash into the ground.

Serius asked him, "How many are inside your Keep?"

He shrugged, "Some of those guards have been with me a few years."

He nodded, "Ready to fight?"

Both of them nodded and he signaled to him, "Your control room." He nodded and took them inside. A guy had reared back to smash the console which the Dragon Champion blocked.

Serius stabbed the guy through the heart in slow motion. He looked at Strong Oak, "Where is your sword?"

He looked at Serius, "They had me throw it into a secure shelter here. Then he sealed it."

Serius looked over as his weapon got ejected.

Serius nodded, "Must have gone to the palace, fell to their death, or been the guy I stabbed."

He chuckled and picked up his sword. He sighed, "We need a better solution."

Serius nodded, "Moon Ray. Can you get me to his home?"

He nodded. He locked things down and they went and found a guard he trusted.

They went back to the control room and he unlocked it for them. Next thing they were in a village on the other side of the Kingdom. He heard Varus'Nor, "Moon Ray Blade approaches." He looked over to him as he approached, "Hello Master Trainer. I need to speak with you in private."

He looked perplexed, "My home is over this way." They went down the nicely paved road to a middle-class home and they stepped inside. He looked over to a lady older than him.

He nodded to her, "Moon Ray's wife?"

She chuckled, "Mother."

He nodded, "You are the one I am seeking at the moment then." She looked shocked.

He sighed, "I know of your abilities. My father never gave your name to anyone but your Kingdom absolutely needs you now. The duchy, capital, and palace were all seized today. We got control of the dutchy and possibly part of the city. The Queen gave birth to a boy a short time ago, I delivered the child.

I got her to safety. My mother and I dealt with the 12 I found inside the palace but they still had access to the control room. The problem is we do not know who to trust and we are talking for the King and Queen. My father did not conscript you, but if that is what it would take, I would get Duke Strong Oak to do it. I hope you would simply volunteer to help the Queen."

She sighed and looked at her son. Then back at Serius, "We all go." He nodded.

Serius got them gathered and tried to take them into the city to no effect. Serius took them to the main gate and looked at his Uncle, "It will block you."

He nodded, "I will return to dragon lands. You did well today."

He teleported away and they walked into the city. He tried to take them to the fourth floor and got them into the room. Serius took them inside and walked back to see the Queen. She looked up with her baby in her arms and smiled at seeing DukeStrong Oak.

Serius sighed, "The city controls were still locked out. The palace district I could get into, your Majesty."

She nodded, "You brought help."

He nodded, "The duchy controls are secured. The man who had Strong Oak disarmed into a secure shelter died and the sword ejected. He is armed again. You know Master Trainer Moon Ray. This is his mother and she has agreed to help you with your guard. She is a Silvertree descendant from the Amy Silvertree line. She has psionic gifts to find out who is loyal to you, Your Majesty."

She sighed, "That would truly be helpful."

He nodded, "We are going in search of those who mean you harm. You ready Mother?"

She nodded, "The Queen and King will be fine for a few minutes while we take care of this."

They walked out and he turned to the portal. "Ensure Majisa and any Moon Blade Wielder have access and control of the security controls." They stepped out. "Seal port. Set access to the King, Queen, Moon Blade Wielders, and metallic dragons."

The portal closed. They walked out with swords drawn. They made their way to the throne room and saw nobody. They threw open the front doors and saw several royal guards with their hands up in front of Dragons. Serius looked at them, "One at a time. Send them in to be questioned so we know who to put back to work. They motioned them in and they cleared two-thirds of the guards and detained the other third.

Serius looked at them, "Regicide is an ugly business."

One of them looked at Serius, "They only wanted you!"

Serius shook his head, "Holding the King and Queen hostage will cost you and your families."

He looked at Serius, "We were told to grab you at the door. Nobody said anything about the King and Queen."

He looked at him and looked around, "AT the palace with 12 armed guards surround the King and Queen. Yet you are playing dumb? I should just say you are mentally deficient to think that defense will work."

Serius looked at them, "Who wants the first opportunity to try and work a deal with the King or Queen. Please note only one deal is going to be given and I cannot even say how good it is going to be until we know who gives us the best information on this issue."

One elf raised his manacled hand, "I know who, what, when, where, and why."

Serius sighed, "We will see."

Serius heard in his head from Moon Ray's mother, "He does."

He grabbed him and looked at the others, "Can anyone else top that?"

They were silent. Serius looked at the guards who checked out. "Take them to the dungeon."

One of the guards asked, "Under whose orders?"

Serius shrugged, "Duke Strong Oak, Dutchess Silvertree, The Elven Queen, or the Queen of the Gold Dragons standing behind you. Take your pick as I don't care."

He looked around and nodded and took the prisoners away. Serius took the 1 prisoner upstairs with everyone. He stopped the guards, "Strong Oak you want them to sweep the palace, get half of them to the city control room, the palace gate guards, and get those there and bring them back."