For the past two weeks, Elea, had kept mainly to herself. She did not actively try to avoid anyone nor did she seek them out. Her days and evenings were mainly spent between her studies and her work out area. Just her study of the arcane and her becoming more proficient with Gaxis. Upon occasion, she would go to the secret alcove that Be'ornhelm had shown her and would just sit and look at the staff "Thunder," mounted on the dais in front of her chair. She could almost imagine that she could feel the power emanating from the great staff. It was awe inspiring to be in the same room with so much Elven magical history and power. 'How many things must that staff have seen?' She wondered to herself as she looked and the large clear jewel that was mounted on top of the long shinny hard wood pole, cut from some unknown magical tree.
Looking just below the large jewel, Elea could see the 16 silver rings glowing in the dim light of the alcove. Each one, a representation of an undead mage that the staff terminated and, of course, the 16th ring held special significance, since it was she who played a major part in putting it there. She was so captivated by the presence of the staff, that she did not even notice the shadow that approached her from behind. She did not respond when two strong male hands came down, each on one of her shoulders. She could feel Ballarius' breath fall on the back of her head. She heard his voice as he spoke.
"Terrifyingly magnificent, isn't it?" He paused as though waiting for a reply. Then, he continued, "Your father wanted the staff mounted in this room when you were not using it, as a sign of respect for its' former owner." An identical chair materialized out of thin air next to the one Elea was occupying and Ballarius sat down next to her. He also looked at the staff as though magically transfixed on the fascinating object.
They could see a pale blue-green aura surrounding the staff of power. Ballarius began to speak and Elea could hear him, but some how she felt detached. It was not his voice, but that of Bretonius she was hearing. "Now, is the time for your final instructions on the use and handling of this staff while it is in your keeping."
Elea smiled to herself as she heard the words being spoke, 'It's not even my staff, according to the instructions. I'm just its' Guardian and I must hand it down to another female relative, just before I die'.
Ballarius went on, "At this point, little one, you can only use the staff as your powers allow. Most of the staff's power is far beyond your ability to use and if you attempted to do so, it would most certainly be fatal to you and anyone close to you at the time of your attempt. You must never let the staff be touched or used by another. That person would instantly perish. As you grow in the arcane art, the powers of the staff will be made available to you. Thunder will protect you and keep you safe. She can always be called by you, as you can now do with Gaxis. The most important thing you must remember is that you must never, never call down a final strike with this staff. The vast amount of magical energy that would be released from such an act would be catastrophic to the entire surface of the planet. Thunder does not have an ego, but she is aware. Treat her with the same respect and reverence you would treat any device of this type and magnitude."
For a long moment, Elea remained mesmerized by the presence of the staff. As though it had some magical power to keep her under its' control. As she began to come back to herself. She saw Ballarius sitting in the chair next to her. Before she could say anything, he took her right hand and said, "It is now time for you to see your father." He paused a moment and then corrected himself, "Well, you won't actually see him, you will -. It will be clear to you when you talk to him."
Giving Ballarius a confused look, Elea shrugged and allowed him to continue with the process. Ballarius squeezed Elea's hand more firmer as though he were making sure he had a solid grip. With that, Reality began to change around her. Everywhere she looked, there was nothing but gray white mist and the what appeared to be the disembodied hand of Ballarius that came out of the mist to her right. She could feel no sense of movement, but she knew that she was being taken to another dimension or level of consciousness. Elea had no idea of the magnitude of Willpower it took to achieve this spell, but she knew it was far beyond her abilities. She griped the hand of Ballarius even harder realizing that this hand and partial arm was the only thing that connected her to her world. Should she loose her grip, she would be forever lost between Realities.
After a few more moments she noticed another hand and partial arm coming out of the mist. It had in its grasp another hand, It was obviously the hand of another male although it appeared older and more frail than the hand that had held of it.
"Hello, my daughter." A familiar voice said in Elea's head.
"Father, is that you?" Elea asked, uncertain.
"Who else?" The voice replied with a smile in its tone.
"But..? Where are you? Why can't I see you?" Elea stammered.
"Ballarius is acting as a bridge between where I am and where you are. That isn't important now. What is important, is now that you have Thunder, you can begin to make plans for the eventual rescue of myself and Janort, Donnan's father. But before any of this can be accomplished, you must aid in bridging the rift between the two brothers. Heed the advise of Ballarius and Be'ornhelm. They can be of great help to you in seeking the answers you need. I can only be in this state a very short time, my daughter, I have given Ballarius a device that will allow you to contact me in the plane that I'm in. Use it in only time of need, because it has limited power and once depleted, it cannot be recharged. You will know the other brother by the red jewel. Remember the red jewel" With that last statement Bretonius' voice began to echo and fade into silence.
Elea wanted to call out to him but realized that it would do no good as he was now gone. As she began to come back to her Reality, she pondered the words Bretonius had spoken to her. Rift between the brothers? What two brothers could that be? She was left with more questions than answers.
*
Elea sat, the next morning, in Bretonius' favorite garden, feeling very disturbed. Once again, she considered her actions from a couple of weeks ago. Over and over, she played out the death of the Drugar dwarf that had attacked her in town. 'More like murder.' She thought to her self. 'I would have killed him no matter what. And I don't feel bad about it.' She sighed. "What's wrong with me? How could I be so cold-hearted? I took a life, without pity. Without remorse." She asked of a bird that was watching her. Elea contemplated this newest discovery of herself. A dark side she never knew she had.
Then, she noticed something. In the garden, something was different. It took her a minute or two to realize that there was something different about the stone that she drew Gaxis from. Rising silently, she moved to the stone and was surprised to see that there was a crack in the stone and within the crack, there was a heavy parchment. She drew it out and examined it. It seemed like important, official documents. Upon opening them, she discovered that they were written in Oeridian.
"I wonder what this is and how it got here?" Elea mused aloud and then headed off to her office for an Oeridian dictionary.
Hours later, Elea still could not make heads or tails of the document. She was quite frustrated. "Perhaps, it is old Oeridian. Maybe Donnan..." She stopped and groaned softly. Donnan was Oeridian. He could tell her exactly what this was.
"Tower, could you ask Donnan to meet me in my office at his leisure? It's not an emergency." Elea then started straightening up her mess of an office, replacing the books she had been digging through.
Within minutes, Donnan came walking through her door. "Good morning, Elea." He looked around at all the books. "And what is all this?" He smiled and had a seat across from the desk.
Elea handed him the parchment. "Could you tell me what this is?"
Donnan opened it and began to read. His eyebrows bounced in surprise.
"What is it?" She asked, curious.
"Where did you get this, Elea?" Donnan's voice was a bit more somber.
"It was stuck in the rock that once held Gaxis. I don't know how it got there."
"I see." Donnan continued to read for a moment longer. "And you have no idea what this is?"
Elea shook her head.
"It is Britage's Will."
She felt her heart stop and her stomach drop to the floor. "Oh." Was all she could manage for the moment. Hearing his name was like a stab in the heart and suddenly, she missed Britage that much more.
"Do you want to hear what it says?"
"Do you think I should?" Elea voice stuck in her throat and she had to clear it a couple of times.
Donnan smiled gently. "Let me read it first. I'll let you know." 10-15 minutes later as Elea nervously watched Donnan, trying to read his facial expressions, Donnan looked up. "I think you do need to hear this."
Elea nodded. "OK."
Donnan read through the Will. The first five pages were nothing more than an itinerary of all of Britage's possessions, land and treasures. Elea was amazed at the list. Then, on the sixth page, Donnan began to read the more personal part of the Will. The first part was to Donnan, making him heir to a small Barony called Ahlissa. Donnan was now a Vice Count. Then, the Will turned to Elea, who listened to Britage's kind words with tears in her eyes. Britage wanted Elea to be cared for, if he were not alive to care for her himself. To ensure this, he made Elea heir to his kingdom, the land called Ornwall and officially making Elea a Duchess.
Donnan told Elea that they would have to travel to Ornwall and Ahlissa to claim their titles. Apparently, a Protector, the Warden of Western March, had ruled both Ornwall and Ahlissa for Britage in his absence. The two friends looked at each other, trying to figure out what this would mean for the future.
Then, there were private letters to each. Donnan handed the envelope with her name on it to her. Then he began to read his own letter. In Elea's letter, thankfully written in common, Britage spoke of the hopes and dreams he had had for Elea, making her miss him so much. Then, he turned to Donnan, telling Elea that she needed to make sure that Donnan and his brother were reunited in friendship. Tranthor Lore was the key to saving their father, Janort. She was so surprised that she almost dropped the letter. It was Donnan's brother that Bretonius had spoken about earlier.
Donnan watched Elea. "What is it? Are you OK?"
Elea pressed the letter to her breast, trying to figure out what to do. Should she tell Donnan that he has a brother? Donnan took this as a sign of great emotion in his friend and let her be. Elea walked to the window, looking at the letter. Just as she had decided to hand the letter to Donnan, Be'ornhelm came in and told Donnan that there was someone asking to meet him in town this night. His name was Tranthor Red Eye.
Donnan, curious, accepted the invitation and set out toward Midmeadow to meet this unknown man. Elea decided that perhaps it was best that Donnan discover his brother on his own.
*
Several hours later, Donnan returned with a stranger. He stabled the horses and brought the stranger to the antechamber to wait. Then, he asked the tower to summon Elea. When Elea arrived, Donnan took her to the side to have a quiet word with her.
"I have brought someone to the tower as a guest. His name is Tranthor Lore." Donnan paused. "He is my half brother."
Elea swallowed hard and nodded. "Of course, he may stay for as long as you wish." She hoped all had gone well with his meeting. Knowing how stubborn Donnan was, she did not think she could change his mind if he and his brother did not get along.
Donnan escorted Elea to the antechamber where she met Tranthor Lore for the first time. He stood at just 6'0" with dark brown hair, light brown eyes. A lean, fit man wearing dark clothing and cloak. She saw a number of weapons on his body: a black bastard sword and a light crossbow. Elea knew from the black sword, Tranthor was a Black sword Master and member of a guild called the Black Swords. He seemed to be about thirty five years old but, knowing that he was Elven, she knew he was a lot older than that.
"Greetings Sir. You are welcome to stay in the Tower." Elea smiled.
"Thank you, milady. I appreciate your hospitality." He smiled a charming smile.
"I'll have the tower take you to your rooms." Elea lifted her voice slightly. "Tower, please take Tranthor to the blue rooms and make sure he is comfortable."
There was a pause, then the tower's voice responded. "Tranthor cannot be moved."
Donnan and Elea exchanged startled glances. "Alright. Use a mage light to show him the way, Tower." She turned to the guest. "Please follow the mage light and if you need anything, let the Tower know."
Tranthor made no comment as a small mage light appeared in front of him and began to float in the direction of the guest rooms.
Donnan turned to Elea. "That was strange."
Elea nodded. "I'm going to ask Be'ornhelm about it."
"OK. I'm going to go see Valaria. I'll see you for dinner."
Elea smiled. "OK. See if Valaria will join us for dinner."
Donnan nodded and walked off as Elea had the tower take her to Be'ornhelm's study.
*
Elea was hurriedly telling Be'ornhelm of Tranthor Lore, the tower's inability to move him and the letter that Britage had given her. As she was handing the letter to Be'ornhelm, Donnan suddenly appeared, looking very upset. Elea tried to hide the letter, but Donnan saw it.
He was already upset at something and demanded to know what was going on. Elea just gave up and handed Donnan her letter from Britage. At first, he was very angry, thinking that Elea and Be'ornhelm had been hiding things from him but after they explained the situation, he calmed down.
Then Be'ornhelm asked why Donnan had come in the first place. That set off Donnan again. Apparently he could not get into his own rooms or contact his wife. He was more than a little worried.
Be'ornhelm calmly explained that Valaria was ill and that there were clerics of her faith working to heal her. Donnan and Elea were both shocked and began to hurdle questions at the man. All of which he turned away, saying that he knew as much as they did. All anyone could do was wait. Be'ornhelm persuaded Donnan to return to the main hall to wait. He declined and stalked out. Elea decided it was time to retreat to her room for the evening.
Within minutes of her arriving at her room to relax, there was a knock at the door. Elea was surprised to see Donnan when she opened the door. Donnan stalked in like an angry feline and told her that Tranthor had been waiting outside his rooms to see Valaria. He did not trust his half brother yet and wanted the man confined to his rooms. Elea knew that Donnan was over reacting to the news that his wife was ill and assured him that she would take care of the matter. Then she urged Donnan to relax as she left.
Elea walked to Tranthor's room and knocked politely. He seemed quiet pleased to see her. She explained the situation in as few of details as possible and then politely asked Tranthor to remain in his quarters for the time being. He gallantly agreed, even offering up his sword as a sign of his pledge. Elea declined and then bid him a good evening. As soon as she left the room, she quietly commanded the Tower to alert her if the guest did leave his quarters.
*
An hour later, everyone received word that the clerics were done. Donnan summoned Elea to his quarters where he told her that Valaria had been poisoned with a special poison designed to suck all the nutrients so that the victim would starve to death on a full tummy. The poison had been ingested by Valaria somehow.
Donnan immediately began to question the Tower on the food preparations from the kitchen but to everyone's surprise and Elea's shock. The Tower was confused. It seemed hurt or broken somehow and then faded away. Elea was very worried about this but could not leave as Donnan needed her to use her special magic to discover the origin of the poison.
Elea agreed and after a false start, began her spell. Touching the vestiges of the poison, her voice wove the spell in the air and all saw an innocent looking scene unfold.
... Outside the tower, a woman in a black cloak and blond hair stood. She knocked on the door. Very soon, Valaria opened the door and accepted a silver tray of cookies from the woman. They spoke for a moment, seeming to know each other and then Valaria went back inside the Tower...
Try as she might, Elea could not see the face of the woman, though, something seemed familiar about her. Donnan thanked Elea and went back to consulting the clerics on his wife's chances of recovery. Elea slipped out, headed up to Be'ornhelm's room to see what was going on with the tower.
To her horror, she found Be'ornhelm slumped over his desk, unconscious with a huge, bloody lump on his head. She hurried to his side and gave him a healing potion, wondering what on earth was going on. She got Be'ornhelm stabilized and sitting up but still unconscious Elea saw, that for some reason, several pages of Britage's will were scattered on Be'ornhelm's desk and that a couple sheets of paper had been burned.
Elea stuck her hand in to the ashes and wove her scrying spell again, watching the scene unfold.
... A woman's hands using a small statue to hit Be'ornhelm. These hands quickly looking over the desk. They pick up the Will and then, with a bit of hesitation, they take the top two pages and burn them...
Elea tried to bring the image out so that she could see the woman.
... The view panned back, revealing a black cloak and blond hair...
Then, the image wavered as Elea was growing more and more tired. She switched her focus to the present, seeking to see where the woman was now.
... The cloaked figured was hurrying to the stables ...
Elea lost the image, shaking and sweating from exhaustion. All she wanted to do at the moment was sleep but she could not. She had to get the Tower working again. Then she remembered how Be'ornhelm had the tower recognize her as the Mistress and Owner. Elea bolted for the stairs, heading for the top of the tower and the secret alcove where the globe and her staff stood.
Once she got there, she knew exactly what was wrong. Her staff, Thunder, was leaning up against the globe. The two strong magics were shorting each other out. She called Thunder to her and instantly, the magical arcing stopped. Her staff seemed to welcome her with a friendly warmth. Elea put her staff in its proper place and then called out to the Tower. "Tower, what is your status?"
"Identify yourself." Came the disinterested, disembodied reply.
Elea thought for a moment and then remembered that she had to place her hand on the globe before asking any questions. She took a breath and placed her hand on the globe and was immediately throw fifteen feet into the wall, burning her hand a bit. It took Elea a moment to gather her scattered wits and to realize that she had forgotten the Word of Power for the Tower. Getting painfully to her feet, Elea took care to perform the proper steps and reinitialized the Tower to her. Then she spent the next five minutes calming down the confused, disoriented Tower.
Then she discovered that someone looking like her came to the tower, up to this room knocked Thunder into the globe. Elea then set up a series of security measures to ensure that sure an occurrence could never happen again.
Elea teleported back to Be'ornhelm's office, where he was still sleeping peacefully. Donnan teleported in a few minutes later, demanding to know what was happening. In as few words as possible, Elea explained it. Then, Donnan told her that Tranthor was missing.
After a few inquiries, they found Tranthor outside the Tower tracking someone. That someone was the black cloaked figure. Quickly, Donnan decided to confront the figure and have Elea explain the situation to Tranthor. Both teleported out, very happy that the tower seemed to be itself again.
Outside the tower, Elea startled Tranthor but he was able to hold his attack to see who is was. Elea explained what she could as quickly as she could. He pulled out an odd looking scrying device. They were a mile away from the cloaked figure and Donnan. Tranthor hissed under his breath and then kicked his horse into a gallop, leaving Elea behind.
When Elea finally arrived on the scene, Donnan and Tranthor were standing over the dead woman's body and Donnan was hurting from the woman's magical attacks. Elea had seen the woman flying in the air and throwing magic around as if it were nothing. She got a good look at the woman's face and suddenly remembered where she knew her from. She was one of the cooks from Lord Reynald's castle.
As she told this to Donnan and Tranthor, several realizations hit Donnan and Elea at the same time. Reynald was dying from an unknown wasting disease. This had been Morena's personal cook/servant. Reynald had spoken of his dislike of his daughter in law.
Elea and Donnan looked at each other and knew they had no time to waste.
Continue on to: 18. By Royal Decree