Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 09

The King looked over, "I want the two patrons to remain, the Guard Captain is to be held in my dungeon. Patron Golden Cloud will be a guest in my dungeon until this investigation is completed. Your house is fine 20 million for the transaction on the champion. Half of which goes to the champion.

The girl is free to go; her employer will be paying her for lost wages for a year. I will contact the bank and find out who authorized this account, when, and how bad this problem might be. Then have them brought in to answer questions. The gambling establishment is closed. The new house patron will be informed of this when they arrive.

Any debt will be forgiven and all transactions deposited into this account returned to the houses in question. As to your Uncle Ferin, he is yours to take with you. The girl can wait outside until the shop owner arrives if she prefers?"

She shook her head. Mercian looked at the scared mouse. "Leave your name with my Guard Captain and I will be sure the funds are sent to you."

Mercian walked her and his Uncle Ferin out. They stopped at the Guard Captains' desk where her hands were shaking so bad. Mercian looked at her, "Name?"

She looked at Mercian. "Willow Silver Water. Last of my house."

Mercian nodded and the guard wrote the information down. Mercian put his manacles on his Uncle Ferin and the guards took their manacles.

Mercian walked out with him. The girl walked out and looked around. Mercian sighed, "Need a ride?"

She nodded, "I have never gone from the palace before."

Mercian nodded, "I could tell it was your first time in front of the King and to be at the center of something like this."

She nodded, "Yes. You do this a lot?"

Mercian shook his head, "Two days ago was my first time in front of the King. He barely knew my name. Mispronounced it even. Where do you live?"

She looked over, "Roc District."

Mercian looked at her and sighed, "Rogue part of town."

She nodded, "Impure elves place in this kingdom."

Mercian shook his head, "The first champion was a mix like you. Maybe not exactly like you. His mother Elara Strong Oak was wood-elf and father Heliar of House Silvertree. They were never married. But he claimed him."

She nodded, "Same except mother was an elf-blooded wood-elf."

He smiled and shook his head.

He thought, "I know this is the Lady's work. Putting her into my path first thing this morning."

Mercian asked, "You live alone?"

She shook her head, "Room-mate we share."

She was quiet and he finished it for her, "Each other's bed and hearts I am sure."

She nodded, "She will not be happy I lost my job."

Mercian nodded, "We will see if we can fix that."

Mercian stopped off at his mother's shop. He looked at her, "Business still slow, mother?"

She looked at who he had with him, "Non-existent is more like it. What is going on with your Uncle Ferin being in manacles?"

Mercian set the bag down. "Close up early and you can ride home. That is what he took from the armory; using a polymorph or alter-self to incorporate aspects of the Patron, Charlus, and myself to rob my inheritance and get access to the armory. He is headed home to die."

She groaned, "That damned sword."

Mercian looked at her, "What would father have done?"

She sighed, "Beat him to death for going after your assets let alone the family assets. I am closing this down. It is not worth the expense."

Mercian nodded, "I have money coming to me not counting what Charlus left to me. I will ensure you want for nothing as you work for the house. In fact, there will be some work coming your way when we get the Alliance Overwatch back on-line. This is Willow. Willow, this is my mother Hermina.

That high-priced shop in the Palace district fired her today because I got this stuff returned. Their owner is headed to the King. Our patron is there as is the Patron of Golden Cloud. Our dear Uncle Ferin racked up gambling debt with him. That is the soon to be former Patron. We will see what happens with the patron-on-patron aspect of things. I told Willow I would drop her off and she lives in the Roc District."

Hermina sighed, "Rough part of town. I can take your Uncle Ferin and this stuff home."

Mercian shook his head, "He was released to me to die. When he is dead is when he will leave my side."

She sighed, "I can take this stuff home at least."

Mercian nodded, "Grab your horse."

She met them out front and he teleported them in front of the house.

Mercian looked at Willow, "Do you need me to take you the rest of the way in?"

She shook her head, "No. I can find my way from here. Best not to have you take me into the Roc District."

Mercian looked at her, "Why?"

She looked at him, "Because I will become a target and you could get attacked."

Mercian sighed, "Wait here. I cannot travel there with him."

Willow shook her head, "I am good...thank you."

Mercian nodded as she ran off. Hermina looked at Mercian, "You looking for a bride?"

Mercian smiled, "She has someone already." She nodded.

They rode into the house. Mercian looked at his mother, "Get his wife and family."

She nodded and rode to the next building over. He took him out to the falls. He unsaddled his horse and undid the reigns. Then brushed the blue roan stallion down. He took his Uncle Ferin upstairs to the Patron's room. His wife was surprised to see Mercian and he pointed, "New house forms."

She nodded and gave them to him. He walked him back to the dining area.

He ordered up food and walked to the door and ordered it up for the horses. He walked back over and sat down and looked at him, "How long?"

He shrugged, "Does not matter."

Mercian nodded. His wife and 6 of his children showed up. She looked at Mercian, "You are not killing him."

Mercian looked at her, "He killed himself. He was released to the house by the King to die for breaking house law."

She looked at Mercian, "What did he do?"

Mercian looked at her, "Stole from the armory, Charlus's account while it was frozen after his death, and the reason he looks like hell is that the gambling establishment he was at beat the shit out of him. The patron will be back soon. He knows what the sword requires of me and he was warned specifically what would happen.

I got those transactions reversed. I cannot just disown him. He used an alter self to assume my identity, the patron's identity, and who knows how many others. Also, to get into the armory. You want to get the house psionics to check it out for yourself. I will wait."

Uncle Ferin looked at her, "Leave it be. At least he will make it quick."

Mercian nodded, "I take no joy in this. I am angry about what you did but this is about eliminating corruption."

Mercian set a form in front of her, "Start a new house for you and your children. Do it and I will give you 5 million of what is coming in from the other patron. He was fined. All Silvertree gear remains behind."

She looked at him, "How much did he get fined?"

Mercian looked at her, "What is coming to me, 10 million. The other choice is less pleasant and that is to have the patron disown him first and walk away with nothing."

She looked at Mercian, "Why?"

Mercian looked at her, "Because there is no family trust account here for you. Those days are gone. You will lose at least one of your sons or daughters when they try to take me on, for killing their father, if not all of them. Best to take the deal as he gets one win in his life to set you up to not need anything for the rest of your life."

Uncle Ferin looked at her, "Take the money and run with it. They have friends and they will see you and our children killed. Not counting they will likely kill him for you."

Mercian nodded, "There is that and that is probably only one place he owes money too. They will look to come and collect from you. No matter what the King decrees."

She looked at her husband, "This true?!"

He nodded, "7 other places I owe money too. Almost 100 million.

Not counting the 30 million I still owed Golden Cloud."

Mercian shook his head, "I do not have that kind of money to keep them away from you or me. I can defend myself. I am giving you a chance to live. Cash it out and leave the Elven Kingdom might be your best chance."

Uncle Ferin nodded, "They will not let you rest in the kingdom. They will hunt you down, turn our daughters into whores, and kill the rest of you unless you go to work for them in whatever illegal activity they have planned.

They will probably just rape and kill you in front of them, they have threatened that too many who owe them and are married. Depending on which group finds you. I have condemned you all if you stay in the Elven Kingdom. You need to run far away."

She took up the quill and filled out the paperwork including all of the children. Mercian looked at the name she put down.

House Silver Goblet. She spat in her husband's face and her children left all house Silvertree branded gear. They went out and collected it from their other children. He had 112 in his branch including two in the academy. One son came back and looked at his father and then disintegrated the man himself.

Mercian looked at him, "Get your horse and I will take you to the bank. Tell your mother. I will file this in a couple of days. THE best I can do is give it to you in gold and let you get a head start. I did not give you or this family these enemies, he did."

He nodded and walked out. Hermina looked at Mercian, "Your sword did not alert?"

Mercian shook his head, "He was not targeting me. I was giving them an option to live when their father killed them all through his own actions. He condemned them all to death with that much debt."

Mercian pointed, "Help me carry all of this stuff away."

She nodded, and they took it back to the armory and put it back up on the mannequins. He looked at her as he pulled two medium bags of holding. Mercia looked at her, "Something to put the money into. Stay away from work for a while, until we can sort out who is going to be attacking us."

She nodded, "I will inform the guard that they are not allowed back onto the property. I can take care of myself if attacked. You know what to do if I get killed."

Mercian nodded and got his horse from the falls. He got out front and most of them had left already. He took the one son and his mother to the bank. He walked up to the teller, "I need 5 million in gold coins split between these 2 bags and a half million placed in this one. Here are my papers."

She looked at Mercian, "I have to get a manager to sign off on it."

He looked at her, "No you do not. You did a 10 million gold piece transaction without confirming it was legal from an illegal business. My account has been flagged by a manager for any large withdraws, correct?"

She nodded, "Because of that."

Mercian looked at her, "Contact the palace while you are at it as I lodge a complaint against whoever put that alert on my account."

She looked at Mercian, "Your kidding, right? It is the head of the bank."

Mercian looked at her, "I guess I know who the corrupt one is. Make the transfer, get the head of the bank here without telling him why."

She sighed and worked on the transfer and a Gold elf came down, "What is so important?"

Mercian looked at him, "Why did you flag my account to alert you?"

He looked at her and then back at Mercian, "Because of the theft previously!"

Mercian shook his head, "No that theft was from Charlus's Silvertree account which is now closed. I did not ask for an alert to go to you so someone else asked for an alert to go to you."

Mercian looked at his great aunt and cousin, "Go ahead and go."

Mercian looked at the head of the bank, "Let us go to your office and you can explain it to the King."

He looked nervous, "I will do no such thing?"

Mercian looked at him and got manacles on him before he knew what to do.

Mercian looked at him, "You can change your mind now or we will go to the palace now. I am willing to bet you are the one who set up the Gold Cloud home business account."

He turned white. Mercian looked at her, "Remove that alert from my account. Contact the city guard or royal guard. I am keeping him right here. She came back with a crystal, "It is the King."

Mercian sighed, "Your Majesty. I have the head of the bank in manacles. He set an alert on my account for any large withdraws. Not the account that was stolen from but mine. What was the limit on that alert? She looked over, "5,000 gold pieces."

Mercian heard the King Goldeagle sigh, "Bring him to me."

Mercian nodded, "On our way, Your Majesty would please inform the lady at the desk to remove the alert and any other alerts he might have set should also be written down for the amounts the alert were set for, and the names."

The King sighed, "You think it is that bad?"

Mercian looked at the man, "Before his death he said he owed nearly 100 million to 7 other gambling establishments, Your Majesty. Not counting the 30 million with Storm Cloud. I am willing to bet an alert was set on about every Silvertree account out there."

The King sighed, "How many Silvertree accounts were flagged with this alert?"

She looked, "All of them."

The King sighed, "Can you get him here alive."

Mercian thought, "Provided I can get him out of the bank alive, yes."

The King sighed, "Does he wish additional protection?"

He nodded rapidly. Mercian looked at the crystal, "I would say he was unresponsive but he nodded yes very rapidly, Your Majesty. This corruption is worse than we thought I am guessing. Do you want to send your diplomat I traveled with the other day? Else risk having the bank drop their teleportation wards."

Mercian grabbed a slip of paper, "Start writing names of who asked for those alerts. Remove all alerts from Silvertree accounts."

She sighed, "It takes a manager to remove them."

Mercian looked at him, "You set them, I am watching what you do. You remove them."

He pointed, "My office."

Mercian shook his head, "Another manager has an office nearby."

She pointed. "Right over there."

Mercian walked him over and watched him remove all of the alerts. Mercian had him finish the list. Mercian blindfolded him as he headed for the door with his hood up and the unenchanted cloak they borrowed from the office. Lucian showed and she looked at Mercian, "Just me?"

Mercian nodded. "Yes."

Mercian got to the entrance, "Deactivate."

They took two steps when Varus'Nor alerted, "Danger!"

He teleported them into the cavern and then to the palace steps, "Activate."

Lucian looked at Mercian, "Clever."

Mercian walked him back to the King's Audience Chamber. He removed his blindfold. Mercian looked at the King, "I did not want him to know how I did it. As she is already monitoring me, she knows how I did it."

Mercian handed the King the list and he shook his head. "Very prominent people. A couple of them hold titles in this court. One was out there in court."

Mercian nodded, "Then I would say your dungeon is useless."

Varus'Nor commented, "There is a dungeon in the War Room."

Mercian looked at the King, "Varus'Nor says you have one in the War room. It can take us there, Your Majesty." Mercian set the form on his desk. "Two-day head start for 112 family members. With that much debt, he essentially killed his family if they stay in the Kingdom, Royal decrees be damned, Your Majesty. Given those names and their likelihood to do things legally.

He said some of them would turn the women into whores to collect what was owed to them. There were 54 females on that list, including his wife, Your Majesty. As it is, they will come after my house and me in particular."

He nodded, "Do it. Add Lucian to the list. I started reading journals and I know about it 'being the key.'"

Mercian nodded. He teleported them to the fourth floor and walked into the war room, "Add Lucian to War Room access.

Add Lucian to dungeon access." He took her back and put him in a cell after striping him down to his short clothes. He left his gear in the center of the room. "Be glad these are not Charlus's manacles. You break those or disenchant they shrink down to two-inch circles."

He locked him in and looked at her, "I can get myself back."

She nodded. Mercian stepped out, "Deactivate." He went down. Switched forms and teleported up near his horse.

He then teleported them home. "Activate." He walked up to the door reverting to normal, "Let me in. The guards got him access and he went all the way back after securing the house. He unsaddled and brushed down Anama'Losgadh. He went to the armory as his mother still put stuff away. She looked at him, "Go smooth?"

Mercian sighed, "You mean finding out every Silvertree account was flagged for any withdraw activity over 5,000 gold pieces? All put in place by one manager who is hunted now by 8 of the most prominent people in the city including one Count and a Duke? Getting that manager to the palace without getting killed, secured, and then getting home.

Then sure, smooth as ficka silk. I do not even know if his family made it out of the City. I bought them what time I could. I left her change of house form behind. This house will be hunted now by those who hold this debt, laws be damned. Be prepared for war."

She hugged him, "Still a noble gesture to get them out of the city. I can handle myself if need be. Don't worry about me in this."

Mercian nodded, "I need to inform the Patron. They don't leave the Kingdom and they will likely die."

He looked over, "I heard you. Charlus said there would be days like this. You got that list of names?"

Mercian went out and wrote them down. He sighed, "These three are the most worrisome. Suspected of organized crime out of the Roc District."

Mercian nodded, "Avoid the Roc District."

He laughed, "They do not stay there, they just have a hidden base or bases out of there. Run street gangs of the disenfranchised."

Mercian headed for his room, "Need sleep."

He got inside and secured it this time leaving sound open. He slept uninterrupted which he found surprising.

---

The King had gone to sleep and found himself at the falls as a much younger looking Charlus approached him. Charlus smiled, "I know Correlon already talked with you about Alliance Overwatch. I expect you will still try and get it moved. You don't like listening to champions. You did not with me, and you have thus far had mixed results with Mercian.

He will challenge you. He is more 'matter of fact' about things. I advised as I was more diplomatic when it came to the royal family. I helped to train Lucian early on but she was more in line with you than with my guidance. Why you elevated her to be your Spy Master. She was one of your better choices but she, like you, needs to respect champions."

The King sighed, "I have 2 to deal with, with you in my sleep."

Charlus laughed, "No, just one. This will likely be my only visit with you. I am merely advising you again as a member of the Diplomatic Service should do. Listen to Mercian and avoid trying to trap or box him in. He is a scout and meant for being on the battlefield more so than myself.

He is rougher around the edges in diplomatic matters. He is not a part of your Diplomatic Service. Yet he will likely become one of your generals if not a field Marshal in the future. He is tactically aligned and not afraid to go to war as an army of one if needed. Even when you would prefer to keep him out of it.

You won't be able to temper him without pissing him off. When those times arise, don't hold him back. You will likely fail to do so. Be true to the blade you carry and ask it for advice a little more often would not hurt matters either. It has been around longer and is an advisor you do not listen to often enough.