Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 12

Septa 10th 11576

He returned to the ship to find Ziinae dead on his ship. He contacted the house, "Looks like Ziinae lied to me. I found her dead on the ship."

The Patron sighed, "I know."

Brycen looked at the crystal, "What do you mean you know?!"

Brycen heard a sigh, "She visited a few hours ago with the new enchanter in tow. She left a note for you."

Brycen picked her up, He took the portal down to the house and carried her inside. Brycen walked up to the Patron and put her into his arms.

"Brycen,

Please find it in your heart to forgive us. We did not have access to the spell. The spell just appeared in memory when it was time. There will be another second enchanter found here, but that will be the last one until you find our people a new home. You do your part now as we have done ours and will watch over you.

Helinna & Ziinae"

He looked over, "Ensure their ashes are set to be taken to the new world. I am sure they both went with wizard funerals. I know Hellina did. You can have all who pass boxed and brought across once the gate is active."

The Patron nodded, "Including mine when the time comes. You are taking a few hundred with you as it is."

Brycen nodded, "They did not make that request. Hellina said she wanted them buried with Ziinae. You have them both. They deserve to be buried in the new world for their sacrifice in all of this."

The Patron smiled, "Thanks for forgiving them."

Brycen nodded, "I had a suspicion she would follow. It just made sense as to why neither objected. Because they were both coming on this journey."

Brycen was met by his youngest daughter as he came out. "Kinna, you should be in the fort."

She shook her head.

Brycen hung his head, "The new Master Enchanter?"

She nodded, "They gave me their journals. They had my name in it from before I was born. The entry was added the day you were born. They had been visited by the Lady of Dreams. They knew you would be the champion but were forbade from telling you this directly.

She told them that when they would know what to do with it when it occurred but like other Master Enchanters before them this spell was fatal. They knew I would replace them. It also said another will come at some point to aid me in protecting the people while you are gone. I have a name and they are not yet an adult. Another 4 years."

Brycen nodded, "Very well. Far be it from me to talk with you about destiny."

She hugged him, "I just came back from telling both mothers. Vittra asked that I stay safe and find love."

Brycen nodded, "Good advice. A larger pool of males to choose from as well."

She hugged him again and went to run inside but he grabbed her hand and stopped her, "Take 10 of them. The Patron has another 10. That is 50 million in your hands. Do not break them open unless the bank has been closed. Bank sealed and counted."

She nodded. He gave her his account number. "I will contact the King and make sure you get that. A gold elf named Gold Coin will want the portable hole. Do not give them to him. Make him pay through the bloody nose for them. I packed up our library in a bunch of them to take it forward. I left the armory and the patron access to all shelters.

All Silvertree families in actuality, but the list for the Armory is kept to 12 and adjustable by the Patron on who those 12 will be. Just in case. You will have to use the Academy library for your research, one of the reasons I sent you there to learn as well as you were going back and forth on going or wanting to help back here. I love you, my daughter."

She hugged him again, "I love you father, anything happens I will have my remains set to go across as well. We are at war. We never know when our time will come."

He pulled the crystal, "Your Majesty, I have news."

Brycen heard the King as he chuckled, "Something good I hope?"

He sighed, "No. Ziinae is dead. She followed the last Master Enchanter and she Soul sealed the upper shield. My youngest is staying as she is the new Master Enchanter. There will be one more following her in another 4 years. Then that will be the last of them. Get your shields working. You got Gods' Eyes. Take that location or Alliance Overwatch to get to house Silvertree if needed when the time comes.

I set access to the shelter for you. Did the dwarven King ever get back with you?"

King Goldeagle laughed, "No, he does not answer my crystal. I shut down his bank accounts and his economic advisor wanted answers. I told him when the King starts talking again, we will look to open his accounts again.

He talked about leaving our alliance. He needs to address several logistical issues with that. Including feeding his people I need answers from the King and not his advisor, else it will remain that way."

Brycen nodded, "Let him know I am going with who he gave me unless I hear otherwise in the next hour. Get my youngest access to my account at the bank, your Majesty"

Brycen heard him sigh, "Good luck, my cousin and friend."

Brycen called out, "Portal."

The portal arrived and he was on top of the base. He looked around, "We are down 1 cleric to the Lady of Dreams who is also an enchanter. The Master Enchanter followed the last one into the afterlife and she became the new Master Enchanter remaining behind. That takes us to 840 lives. Council members, is everyone on board?"

He saw 8 nodding heads with the human and dwarven representatives on the Council. He sighed, "Everyone to your rooms, those who are working in the Command Center stay. As this is our first jump through interdimensional space, I have no idea what to expect. Horses lower stable, please." He gave them 30 minutes as they flew south toward the current conflict.

Brycen had promised the King that he would launch over the enemy side of the war. They passed over the volcano and the poison alarm went off as planned, he wanted to double-check those. He grabbed his seat.

Brycen's crystal buzzed, "Yes, Your Majesty?"

He sighed, "The dwarven King saw you flying over and wished to add the Paragon and 443 others."

Brycen laughed, "That would be almost as many dwarves as elves on this thing. If he wants to send the Paragon fine but only his immediate family."

Brycen heard King Goldeagle sighed, "According to their King that is his immediate family."

Brycen laughed, "No that is 20% percent of his population. He would have to be a prolific fucker and a lot of them infertile out there for that to occur. We do not have time to divine fertility on all of them. Or relationships. Tell him by a family we mean his wife and children and their wives and children. Not cousins, brothers, great aunts, or any of that. We are looking at a number closer to 12."

The King groaned, "He said that going down just like that is against their way. He could drop as low as a 120."

Brycen groaned, "Contact me back in 5 minutes."

Brycen went down to the dwarven rooms and knocked on their leader's door.

Brycen looked at him, "You in communication with your King?"

He shook his head but Brycen doubted him for some reason. "I remember telling you I could search for anything, any place, and anyone on this ship. You care to revise your answer?"

He looked around, "He contacted me half an hour ago and wanted to know when you were leaving. I told him soon. He said he was getting more dwarves on board before then. Several hundred had volunteered."

Brycen looked at him, "Your Paragon married?"

He sighed, "Widowed, one son, married to 1 and has 2 children."

Brycen held out his hand, "Crystal."

He walked over and pulled one out and handed it to Brycen, "Your Majesty, the number is 5 now."

The dwarven King yelled, "What are doing with that crystal, it belongs to."

Brycen pulled the crystal to King Goldeagle as he slammed the other on the floor. "Your Majesty, he attempted a last-minute farce to add hundreds of unvetted dwarves into my Fortress. He can have 5 unless he can justify on an individual basis more. The Paragon is a widower with one married son and 2 children."

Brycen looked at the dwarven leader on the ship, "Anything else I should know?" He shook his head. Again, Brycen felt if something was left unsaid.

The King responded, "He wants you to pay for destroying that crystal. He will go lower to 50 but that is it."

Brycen nodded, "Then please inform the dwarven King we will be adding nobody at this time without justification."

The King groaned, "I wish you two could get along."

The King started yelling, Brycen asked, "What is it?"

He sighed, "The Dwarven King said it is 444 if you wish to get the forge operational. Said he sent you his worst student." Brycen looked at the dwarf in front of him.

Brycen shrugged, "Then your Majesty, we have no hope of getting that forge operational unless our master smith teaches one of the others before we encounter the dragons. A remote possibility but it is something that could happen."

The King chuckled and relayed the message.

Brycen looked at the dwarf in front of him, "The next time you lie to me there will be one less as I drop you into a volcano."

He looked startled but nodded. The King responded back finally. "He says he wants to swap out the 62 onboard."

Brycen laughed, "We need them fertile and talented. We would be checking every single one and for every one that fails that is one more dwarf left behind." The King relayed the message.

King Goldeagle contacted Brycen, "He said he would take the 12 additional."

Brycen sighed, "What skill sets do they bring because anyone who cannot do their job will be fed to a volcano."

The King chuckled and relayed the message.

He came back, "The Paragon and his 4, 3of his best apprentices with wives and 1 child."

Brycen nodded, "The Paragon needs to know that away from the forge he has no authority. Any communication crystals will be destroyed. All communication goes through me. Unless designed for interdimensional communication they will not work once we leave. Unless they have gained a level of enchanting skill that I am not aware of, then I want to know how? Also, what skills does his son possess?"

King Goldeagle relayed again. Brycen contacted the control room, "Head back to dwarven lands."

He sighed, "The Paragon does not like having another dwarf over him who is not a King. The Son is an artificer."

Brycen nodded, "Then I will make the one over him a King. If he wanted in on this from the beginning, he should have been here 54 years ago when the dwarven contingent arrived and we sent 38 back for infertility. Artificer is a skill set we do not have and would be welcomed."

Brycen heard the King laughing and then he relayed the joke, "The dwarven King was saying no way in the world would you be selecting a Dwarven King. I reminded him you are leaving the world."

Brycen chuckled at that. "The Paragon relented on following you but not another dwarf."

Brycen laughed, "That is not relenting. Only one dwarven representative on the Council and they are already selected. They at least know when to give up before I drop them in a volcano. If he wants special treatment then he has to up the stakes. A dwarven forge capable of making weapons worthy of enchantment."

The King chuckled and relayed the request knowing Brycen would hit a nerve with that request. Brycen heard yelling and King Goldeagle had to have moved across to the other side of the room.

The King came back chuckling, "He said the Paragon would have to deal with following someone else."

Brycen nodded and walked away from the dwarves, "Your Majesty, I resisted efforts for you to add to this crew but as I will be delayed a day at least confirming fertility I will let you bring on board 38 who are fertile couples, at least two clerics of the Lady of Dreams and one more for Corellon Larethian We know dwarven clerics will be weak fighters on another world unless dwarves are already present."

Brycen felt them rocking side to side and went to the Control Room, "What happened?"

One of the humans looked up at him, "Think a giant just hit us with a boulder."

Brycen nodded, "Put us right over dwarven lands." he went back down and knocked on Moon Blades door.

He looked at Brycen, "Did we jump?"

Brycen shook his head, "No but we have a contingency we have not planned for yet. We got hit by a boulder; best guess. We need to be able to secure people into bunks and horses into stalls. Ensure furniture is fastened to floors. The control room has to do it for the chairs and they need to be fastened to the floor of the ship as well. Start with only occupied spaces. We have some shelters not in use yet for expansion, we can work them later."

He nodded, "We need armed barstools from the furniture store; the ones with the rotating seats."

Brycen smiled, "Better make it 36 and we will have to add stairs to a few for the dwarves using them or shorten them."

He chuckled, "I will see what I can get."

Brycen called out, "Lower teleport."

He took off. Brycen grabbed his crystal to him, "Pick up extra leather and chains while you are at it. We will have to secure the horses as best we can. Let me know what I owe you."

Brycen heard him chuckling. They teleported down to the surface with four other clerics and they checked them over the 12 and he tossed 4 communication crystals over to the guards.

Brycen checked and pulled the bag of holding off of the Paragon, "Empty it. No bags of holding aboard the Fortress. Too many portable holes."

He sighed and dumped it out to show more crystals, clothes, and tools. Brycen opened a small portable hole that still had gold in it. "You can borrow this leave the fucking crystals." Brycen checked everyone's gear and got rid of two more bags of holding. He looked at them, "One more test. Everyone needs to get into the portable hole.

You get sucked to the astral plane and I will know you hid another bag of holding. We will have diverted a disaster on the fort. Your sacrifice will not have gone unnoticed or unremembered as we will document your sacrifice in saving us problems on the journey."

He had three more bags of holding with another four crystals between them. Nothing else in the bag. He tossed them to the side and finger waved them over after each left the portable hole. He picked up one crystal and took it with him. "Tell your King I kept this one. I will prove it is useless after launch. As to paying for the one I destroyed...I gave him that back 10 times over. He owes me now."

Brycen teleported them up to the ship. The Council was waiting and he looked at them, "12 last-minute additions. Which one is the artificer?"

He raised a hand. Brycen nodded to him, "We will talk after the first jump tomorrow. Please do not build anything of your own until we have had a chance to talk. Get with Moon Blade when he returns to help with his projects. Those are time-sensitive."

He nodded.

He pointed over, "The dwarven representative you sent me 50 years ago is the dwarven representative on the Council. Away from a forge Paragon, you have no standing. Each race has an 8-hour shift at the forge when we need things built.

Not before! As the price for ore was ludicrous after your King was informed of what we were doing with all of the ore we were buying. Apparently, gold is more important to him than your people's survival. I will take steps to make sure that is not the case in the new world we find.

For those that do not know, I brought the eternal forge aboard ship 2 weeks ago. Under heavy protests and casting hold person on your 'King!' That way I did not have to disintegrate him. I am rethinking that decision today."

He got a few chuckles, even a couple of the dwarves. The Paragon was not amused. "Your council member will get you into quarters."

They left and he contacted the King, "Any you consider must be made aware they will be searched for bags of holding by jumping into a portable hole. A one-way trip to the astral plane."

The King sighed, "I have 37 and a single fertile female cleric to the Lady of Dreams."

Brycen nodded, "House?"

He called out, "Silver Rain; 1 of 8. The youngest and just turned adult."

Brycen nodded, "Let her know she will find love sooner rather than later as we try to keep pace with the humans and dwarves aboard ship in reproduction."

He chuckled, "All fertile, including her. She accepted your terms when she was told where you would be exploring."

Brycen smiled, "Will be down with the portal and the portable hole. In front of the Palace."

That went smoother and Moon Blade called for the portal with 30 chairs. He commented, "I picked up a few steel bars from my shop to make connectors out of them. I got a spool of chain and a few hundred leather hides we can turn into straps. That will work all of the beds as well. At least for rooms in use."

Brycen nodded, "Who is on shift?" He sighed, "The dwarves at this hour."

Brycen sighed, "Let them know what you want and why. Use all forges. Get the rangers working on the straps and beds. Don't forget the infants! Put the artificer to work with the horses with one of the rangers."

Brycen looked over at a lone cleric. He waved her over and took her to the vessels, "To allow us to have our spells and magical abilities. the Gods stored a part of their essence into these vessels. That one is for the Lady of Dreams and that one on top is for Corellon Larethian. The Grand Clerics had to cast the transference spell for their respective deity."

She nodded. Brycen had her follow him to his quarters, "Until you find a mate you are safe in here unless my wives talk you out of your clothes and into our bed. Our room is at the end. Side rooms are empty, have my adult children, or there young. Only one so far but a few more on the way."

She smiled at him and nodded. Brycen pointed to Vittra, "One of my two surviving wives. I lost one in childbirth and one to age as she was elf-blooded."

She spoke to him finally, "You had 4 wives?"

Brycen nodded, "Two couples who liked to play together and wanted children. The cock just came with the deal."

She turned crimson. Brycen pointed toward the ladies again. She walked over.

Brycen went and found Silver Moon, "I need you and the other rangers to help out in making belts to secure people to the beds or chairs on the deck. Also, help with the horses.

After that boulder earlier, we identified another problem if gravity does not cooperate."

He nodded, "Right on that. That was the swaying earlier. My wife asked about that and if it was normal."

Brycen laughed, "Hard to say what is normal. We haven't left yet. We are delayed at least half a day at least. Get as many hands as you need to help out."

He smiled and chuckled at him. Brycen went back to the control room for a few hours while they worked. He went and got sleep and came up several hours later. He prayed then studied his spells. Moon Blade walked over, "Thought you should know the Paragon said what I wanted 'was not worthy of his skills.'"

Brycen nodded, "Get him."

Brycen looked at them, "We ready?" He got a bunch of nodding heads. He watched as the two walked in, "Take us over the volcano, stop, and display below us and in front of us."

Brycen looked at the Paragon, "This is the last time I want to have this discussion. You will work like the others bringing your talents to bear on a sword, ax, plow, or nail as needed. Else the next time I will see how well you swim in that.

There will be other worlds with volcanos. Now go back to your quarters and strap yourself down. Gravity may not cooperate and if you don't want to die you will have to forgo your dwarven stubbornness."

Brycen pressed a crystal, "We will try a silent night departure. Ahead at half speed." He turned on the scrying and sound blockers." he pointed. "100 feet up. Test their aim and our shields."