Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 07

He nodded, "That is the second time I have carried one of Kora's dead children."

She looked at Charlus, "Who was the first?"

He looked at her, "The one who was to be Duke but was corrupt. Serions. I caught him over 20 years ago violating house rules. I should not have had this Moon Blade until I turned 75. He forced it. He wanted money, power, and the blade.

He refused to back down on the first two so I took him to see the Queen. Him in manacles after trying to hit me with fireballs. I stabbed him in a foot with a paralyzing sword. I put my manacles on him." He held a set out to her. "These."

He looked at her, "No command word. Each cuff is locked by a 3-tier encryption cipher and 3-tier substitution cipher. The only one who could take them off was me. He would have his hands amputated. The Queen knew I was to get the sword. I gave her a communication riddle which had a passphrase cipher to unlock.

I gave her a hint of where to find the passphrase. She found it. When I asked her to open the 80th clause to my grandfather's will to read it and say nothing, she found my hint and the passphrase inside."

Trilia looked at Charlus, "What did she say?"

He smiled, "That she believed me."

Charlus got her to laugh at that. He took her out of the falls and got into bed. She curled up in front of him and they went to sleep. He found himself at the falls and saw his sister.

He looked at her and went to hug through the air. He sighed, "I cannot even hug you."

She nodded, "I know. I thank you for being concerned about my spirit. Thank you for not killing her."

Charlus sighed, "Still too early to say on that last one."

She smiled, "I am the one who did it, she just broke my heart. I have heard her pleas for forgiveness and the fact she loved me. I like how you handled yourself with Trilia and thankful for the training dummies, they self-repair."

He nodded, "I could afford new ones."

She looked at him, "Mother was so thankful to hear that the Lady forgave me."

Charlus nodded, "You will move on from here then?"

She nodded, "Eventually, there are a few others she wants me to talk with. To keep from repeating what I did. I will move on soon enough."

He sighed, "You heard about the titan?"

She nodded, "Yes, I also heard you say it would have likely killed me."

He nodded, "Yes, it was a war-ending creature. I think that is what the dragons are waiting on right now is for a ground war to go off that we decimated already. Them staying and waiting makes no sense. Except for all the necromancy signatures. Another problem where my hands are tied."

She nodded, "No insight."

He looked at her, "No cover either."

She sighed, "I know I heard a lot about that. They are afraid you will go off mission. They were happy you got the dragons to go deal with the relic. They got it by the way. The teleport blocker was the big thing, kept the necromancers from escaping."

He nodded, "I wish she had not destroyed the crystal, maybe you could have talked with me instead."

She shook her head, "I ditched them all on the road. Threw them in the water."

Charlus looked at her, "Is this hanging around your atonement?"

She nodded, "Yes."

Charlus looked at her, "How long?"

Ginnar sighed, "I am not allowed to say."

He looked at her, "Not an answer."

She sighed, "Only one I am allowed to give."

Charlus nodded, "Not true for the Lady of Dreams. She could answer it. She knows how on edge I am already."

Charlus heard her sigh from behind him. He turned and kneeled, she looked at him, "Champions are so hard to deal with at times."

Charlus nodded, "Silvertree champions. It seems like that is all you ever have."

She nodded, "We had a few who were not. You are right we ask a lot of you and your family. Please stand. The answer is 100 years or when you die. Whichever is longer."

Charlus looked at his sister, "I will leave her alone. Did you have a will?"

She shook her head, "It will go back to the trust. I was hoping to have a wife to give it too."

He looked at her, "Did not want it going to your mother?"

She nodded, "Cannot change it now."

He smiled, "I can. I will get her a million. It will be less than I have to send to the trust myself."

She nodded, "Thank you. One less regret. You got a will?"

He smiled, "I had one to your brother remember."

She rolled her eyes. "I remember."

He looked over, "Did he pass on?"

The Lady of Dreams sighed and nodded, "He will be reborn to try and get it right. NOT to a wealthy family. He is undergoing a lifetime of retraining several hundred years as he fucked up by the numbers and ignored our champion in this matter. Both, though he knew of only one."

Charlus looked at Ginnar, "I will likely skip your funeral. I got to say my peace here."

Ginnar looked at him, "Mother might need you."

Charlus looked at her, "I am a harbinger of death. Kora has seen me carrying 2 of her dead children. They did not die under the best of circumstances. Both throwing away their lives if you will. You did it from a broken heart and him from greed and hatred. If I had been warned I would have stopped you."

She nodded, "Not the way it works."

Charlus sighed, "I remember an entry about the champion and all the blade holders being woken to protect the Queen. It works that way sometimes, only for royalty it seems. Did you have anything to add dear Lady?"

She smiled, "Looking forward to performing your wedding."

He sighed, "I have no cover to deal with the rings, now or in the future. If it becomes known or deals with the rings."

She sighed, "I have a few days to think over those dilemmas."

He looked at her, "I could leave a bowl and the rings near Silent Falls and you could have her spirit do it. Create a few ghost stories."

The lady shook her head, "Your family and their sense of humor."

Charlus nodded, "Comes from dying young and raised with no father around."

She groaned. Charlus looked at her, "You do that like it has been said before."

She sighed, "On more than one occasion. Sometimes for both parents. You better stay alive for a while. A LONG while."

He shrugged, "Never seems to work out that way for a Champion, but we will see."

She nodded, "We will see. Time to wake-up."

He awoke to an empty bed and prepared spells. He walked out and ate really quick. He went outside, "Where is Trilia?"

He looked at Charlus, "Base 1. Someone came and got her for a shift there."

Charlus looked at him, "Any activity to report? I never got the assessment on the necromancy on those bases."

He looked at Charlus, "What assessment?"

Charlus looked at him, "Where are the guys who worked yesterday?"

He looked at Charlus, "They went home for a couple of days."

Charlus looked at him. "I want you to scan every flying mountain and get me a count of necromancy auras."

Charlus pulled out a crystal, "Morning."

Charlus heard Trilia sigh, "Sorry about being gone they needed me back over here some guys wanted to go home. You needed the rest after the chaos of yesterday."

He sighed, "I want assessments on those rocks and monitor the waterways."

Charlus looked at him, "Get those men on a crystal and ask them where are those assessments."

He looked at Charlus, "They do not carry communication crystals. They do not want to be bothered at home."

Charlus groaned and went over and found the roster and knew where the two who went lived. He walked inside and mounted up "Open up." He nodded. He teleported to the city limits and road through the gate.

Charlus rode into the middle-income section of the moon-elf district and got down. He knocked on the door and found one of his culprits. He looked at him, "I never got contacted about my assessments and nobody left anything behind. You have them or do you need a lift back?"

He looked at Charlus, "I gave the information to Base 1. I thought they contacted you."

Charlus handed him a crystal, "I said to contact me, not Base 1. Here is a crystal, carry one!"

He nodded and Charlus left him. He went to see the other guy in the neighboring estate.

He rode in and the guards looked at Charlus strangely as he dismounted. He looked at them, "Looking for young Bressian Moon Bow."

He looked at Charlus, "He is not here."

Charlus nodded. Charlus looked into the stable and saw his horse. He went forward to the guard, "His horse is here. Go get him or I will get Queen Goldeagle to direct you to do it."

He went and talked to a guard inside. Varus'Nor commented, "Moon Bow Moon Blade approaching."

Charlus saw the lady that approached. He looked at her, "Tell the winking bitch I said hello."

She laughed, "What do you need my son for?"

He smiled, "He was working on an assessment task that I never received the assessment for. He refuses to carry a crystal so here I am to get it. I am on my way to talk with the Queen about it."

She sighed, "Just a moment. I will find him."

He came out with just his pants and held them up with one hand. Charlus leaned over, "Here is a crystal. There are many like it, but that one is yours. Now, where is my fucking assessment?!"

He looked at Charlus, "I left it on your bunk."

Charlus smiled, "Would that be the one at base 1, base 2, or my home in the Silvertree Estate? Why was I not contacted with the information as I asked?"

He looked at Charlus, "I tried once but it did not answer."

Charlus looked at him "Did you pick up the crystal for House Silvertree and contact them?"

He shook his head. Charlus nodded, "Something to think about. Stand there."

Charlus pulled out the crystal, "Hey bright-eyes. I have been told there is one on my bunk would you check, please."

She sighed, "As soon as this shelter attack is over with."

He sighed, "I left the crystals at base 2."

Charlus pulled out a crystal, "You using the crystal for the current attack?"

He heard, "What crystal and what attack?"

Charlus sighed and mounted up, "Open up!" He teleported to the main gate. He walked out then teleported to base two before he could say anything.

Charlus got down. "All shelters, all walls up, all security up." Charlus called over to Base 1, "Which one is being hammered?"

She sighed, "Was 3 and 6 looks like they just turned back."

Charlus called out, "Shelter 3, status?"

He heard a guy breathing heavily. "Thought they would get through then you started turning on the things that repaired."

He took the crystal, "Remember that for next time!"

He heard, "Yes commander." He took the crystals with him for now.

He pulled out the crystals he wanted, "You both back at Base 1 immediately!"

He called over, "Can you turn down the blankets?"

Trillia laughed, "Open."

She opened it for him and he went to Base 1. He set 2 crystals down. "I will be right back."

Charlus went in back and looked over the assessment and walked out. The first guy arrived on his horse.

Charlus looked at him, "Do you know what it means to give turn over?"

He looked at Charlus and shook his head.

The next guy arrived, "Do you know what it means to give turnover?"

He looked at Charlus, "let the oncoming person know what happened on the last shift and any tasks that need to be done."

Charlus nodded, "Now if she had not been here, I would not have known the shelters were being attacked and got back to base 2 to get, what did I have you write down? What did you not turn over to the oncoming shift?"

He looked at Charlus, "Instruction for the crystals."

Charlus looked at the other. "Does the person at the console have time to run back to my bunk and get a risk assessment? Especially when a shelter is under attack?"

He shook his head. Charlus sighed, "You will start recording everything that happens on a shift, all shifts will do this. All assessments are to be passed back to Base 1 AFTER they attempt to report them to me. If you cannot reach me contact House Silvertree and find out if I am there. When I tell both bases to do them, I am seeing if there are any missing holes. When did 1 turn into 31? On this one entry for example. I would think that large of a change on a single mountain that I had driven back yesterday would be important! That means 31 storm giants have those fucked up rings on them now instead of just 1 who came out to talk."

A crystal lit up, "We have another mountain inbound low on the horizon. Coming in from the southwest He pulled up the display. Charlus reached over. He pulled out a crystal to 58, "Open portal, activate security, activate walls."

He watched the display, "Activate shield!" It shot up and he clipped the back of it but it did not stop until it impacted the front wall. He called out, "WE snare it?"

He heard, "No...well not no. Two rocs with storm giants got off before you snared it."

He called out on a crystal, "Majisa can you order dragons to intercept two rocs. Try and get them to land so you can talk with them. Else their fortress will be stuck forever, Your Majesty."

Majisa sighed, "They are coming here and are hopping mad at the elves capturing storm giant fortresses."

He sighed, "On my way. I will leave my horse here. Is that acceptable."

He heard her sigh, "Yes if you can help."

He teleported to her location next to her. Charlus smiled, "I think I can."

She jumped, "Damned you scared me."

He put the crystal away. He looked at her, "An assessment of the necromancy auras. The one ship I pushed back went from 1 to 31, Your Majesty."

She nodded, "They are generally good giants this might help."

Charlus nodded, "As will returning their relic. Depending on what they want to do, Your Majesty."

She nodded, "That is also an option."

They walked out as they landed with 24 dragons and another 12-circling overhead. He waited for them to dismount which they did with a loud thud. Majisa was in dragon form and looked at them, "I am Queen of the Gold Dragons. We have an alliance with the elves. Let us find a resolution to this problem. You will note your mountain fortresses are held at bay but have not been attacked."

He looked at her, "They reported something hit my mountain after I left."

Charlus looked at him, "I am Sir Silvertree, I work communication and diplomacy for the Elven Queen. Your ship came in low, below our Lighthouse. We have dozens of the traps you encountered in place because we have been at war with the chromatic dragons since the dragon civil war and even today. Chromatic dragons are on those fortresses. We have not had any significant expansion from this land in 2,000 years."

He looked at Charlus, "I do not believe there are chromatic dragons aboard those mountains."

Charlus nodded, "Easy to confirm. Queen Majisa if we could get the 36 dragon and dragon riders that are here to go up into that area. He raises the altitude of his flying mountain. We can turn on the beam next to the ship he is near. This would put metallic dragons, elves, and your ship in the same area to board your other mountain fortress.

Check these facts for yourselves. Now that particular ship, we pushed back yesterday to open that area of sky. The one storm giant had on one of these rings."

He held out his hand with some of them and walked forward. "If you detect magic you will see they are necromancy in origin. Our champion from the Gods spoke to them about why storm giants would be here. The answer they got was one of yours was imprisoned by us and he had a relic dear to you.

That was not and is not the case. We take these rings off the dead and purify them and then destroy them. I am holding this right now because our champion died yesterday. She was my sister. If you agree to this, do detect magic on your storm giants. If you see necromancy aura get the rings off of them.

They will likely try and kill themselves to release the dragons trapped in the ring. We have encountered a variety of these rings. That one is common these days. You think the battle is over when the opponent dies. Only to find out you are now face-to-face with a dragon. The dragon riders and mages will stay back and take out any fleeing chromatics.

We will remain off of your fortress unless the fight gets prolonged. Those shields have a form of dragons' bane enchanted into them and they cannot land on those shields."

He looked at Charlus, "You have any proof of this?"

Charlus looked at Majisa, "I cannot teleport him to shelter 64 on the human lands. We also would need the Human Queen's agreement first. To ensure she has her forces stand down and not attack him. The dragons sent hundreds of half-dragons at that shelter.

They destroyed the communication crystal that would allow us to lower that shield. We are working on a plan to fix that but we have been busy with that and the Formian Titan that came with the army on the far side of the land bridge."

He looked at Charlus, "You killed a titan? How?"

Charlus pointed, "One of those shields that dropped was set in a cavern. A cavern that was directly under the staging area they used for the last several hundred years. The last 5 wars they staged in that location. They did so again. Our enchanters added thousands of stone blocks enchanted underneath the area, to float it like your mountain fortress.

Once it was high enough the shield was activated. It was taken up to 30,000 feet and then flipped end over end sending anything and everything falling from the heavens. Then it was flown down as fast as it could breaking upon the shield and burying them. That site we could take you to if the dragons could help to teleport you there."

He looked at Charlus, "I would like to see this titan. You work on getting us access to this other bunker."

Charlus stepped back "I will meet you there. I was out getting an assessment for the Queen on the damage yesterday afternoon."

He nodded. Charlus pulled out a crystal, "Your Majesty, I have an immediate diplomatic crisis for you."

Charlus teleported out to the end of the land bridge. Charlus saw the elven army gearing up for a fight, "HOLD! I have the elven Queen on the crystal. He is here to see the titan!"

She sighed, "Just a moment."

She got to a side room, "I am secure."

Charlus looked at the crystal, "We had another mountain fortress come in low on the horizon. It is trapped in one like 64. This one does not have chromatics on it that we know of. Two roc riders with storm giants made it off before it was trapped.

I have been over in Dragon lands working with Queen Majisa. He wanted to see the titan, he gave me time to have you coordinate with Queen Rosenthrawl, to get access to 64. He wanted proof there were chromatic dragons aboard his fortresses. There are guts everywhere at the bottom of 64.

He sees that then we can get a strike team in with his fortress and they can start taking these things out of the sky for us and taking them home. This is our best chance at not having those mountains come crashing down and causing more earthquakes, Your Majesty"

Charlus heard her sigh, "Just a moment."

Queen Goldeagle came back quicker than he thought. She sighed, "You have her permission. I told her that the mountain would eventually fall on her land if we did not work with them on this."

He smiled, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Charlus looked at the storm giant as he pulled the thing from the hole and set it down. The storm giant nodded, "Impressive."

Charlus looked at him, "We have permission if I may catch a ride next to our dragon here, I will explain what you are looking over."

They teleported them over toward 64. Charlus walked closer and the dragons stayed back, "Those are body parts and blood of chromatic half-dragons. They tried to breach the secure shelter to turn it off. As you can see it is more like soup. He flew up and cast a wall of force and it penetrated the shield. He stored all of the necromancy rings in a bag of holding.