Retiring to his private chambers, he relaxed and with a huge exasperated sigh, looked at his guests.
“I know there is something you either can’t tell me or won’t tell me about just how you knew, but I thank you. Victor what I want to know from you is why in the hells you did nothing, even once the assassin was unmasked you stood there like a procyvid eying up a tasty morsel." He turned his gaze to Victor. "YOU are supposed to be our line of defence against magical attacks. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were somehow involved or at least complicit. When our guests react quicker it shows me that you are in dire need of more training. Unfortunately, you cannot be trained. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Your majesty, they have some technique to which I am unaware.," he gulped. "If I had stayed with Sergei longer, I may have learned this. Maybe Sergei would be willing to take me on while he is travelling." His gaze turning to Sergei, eyes pleading. "This way I may have a chance to learn,” replied Victor.
Sergei neither confirmed nor denied the possibility. Daividh watched as he glanced in Eldrick's direction with a contemplative expression. Eldrick looked confused by this turn of events.
Sebastian sat quietly listening to the conversation intently. Daividh could tell he was listening for nuances denoting possible problems and untruths. He looked worried about the travels ahead.
Daividh, easygoing most of the time until the assassination attempt was brought up. The guards brought in the captive still bound to the chair since to move him in any other way would not have been easy with his shattered limbs. Daividh's face darkened when he saw the assassin. The glower was off-putting.
“Leave us! I will deal with this myself,” declared Daividh.
“Yes, my King!” The guards bowed, departing.
“Now, Sergei is there anything you can do to loosen the tongue of this fool? I would prefer not to spend all night trying to get the information of who hired him. He is no amateur, and he had to have had help since he was not visible so someone cast a spell for him or gave him an enchanted item to allow him to approach unseen,” pontificated Daividh.
“I will do my best, Your Majesty. However, I am not sure there is anything I can do.”
“I may be able to do something though,” suggested Sebastian. “I am going to need more space. In the middle of the room if it pleases you, Your Majesty.”
With a look, Daividh made sure Victor knew it was his responsibility to make the appropriate space. Victor rising, began moving the furniture to the edges of the room, clearing the entire center.
Daividh was unsure as to what it may be that Sebastian could do to cause the assassin to spill his guts.
Once the room was cleared Sebastian calmly walked to the center of the room turned to look at the bound man and with an evil grin, shifted to his natural form. The assassin seeing the majestic dragon standing in the center of the room looking directly at him while licking his lips proceeded to soil himself.
Without a word spoken by anyone in the room, he began spilling everything he knew about the contract. Naming the person who hired him, where he originally came from, who supplied the magical protections. As he finished his tale he perished. The shock of his wounds and the fright of seeing a dragon were more than his body could handle.
Eldrick with a remarkable sense of insight had snagged a quill, inkpot and parchment with which he made detailed notes on the assassin’s story. He was hired three months ago in Swamatra, the person who hired him did so via correspondence and the return address was in the city of Varito, and was to go through master Vincent. The spell which tendered him invisible to the eye was also cast by master Vincent upon his entrance to the city. The description did not match anyone known to the king. He was middling height, about twenty-five stone, fat over muscle, scraggly blond hair, deep penetrating blue eyes, and either a severe sunburn or rash.
Daividh calling in the guards, "Dispose of this corpse. And search the city for this Master Vincent. I want the city gates sealed until this culprit was apprehended." He turned to look at Sergei, “I am sorry, but it looks like you may be here longer than anticipated. If we cannot apprehend this miscreant quickly, there will be a house-to-house search.”
“Well Your Majesty, you may wish to talk to the pages as well since they see more than people give them credit for and are usually overlooked as non-entities since they are considered less than the serving staff.”
“You know you may be right about that. I hadn’t considered those unobtrusive young men. I will also talk to the serving staff as they too are often overlooked as well.”
With that, he grabbed the bell from the desk and gave it a shake. A few moments later there was a knock at the door and three individuals entered. The first was a rather portly looking man, sweat dripping off his forehead which he mopped up with a kerchief he pulled from his sleeve, his uniform showed perspiration stains beginning in the armpits, bowing deeply to the king he stepped aside to allow others to also enter. The second, a middle-aged woman, wearing the livery of the housekeeping staff, with a reverential curtsey both prim and proper, she too stepped aside for the last to present themselves. The final entrant, a young man with close-cropped hair and beard in perfect array, wearing livery similar to that of the pages but with more ornamentation, bowed respectfully to his liege lord. All three stood erect in perfect imitation of military drill. Daividh looked them over carefully before speaking.
“I have called the three of you here to discuss vital matters pertaining to the function of the kingdom. What I need from you, is that you talk with the members of your staff to ascertain whether they have seen a man matching this description,” handing each a copy of the notes Eldrick had taken down, “whether in the castle or on the grounds. He has been implicated in the assassination attempt on our life. We must find him or anyone he has spoken to as quickly as possible. You have your tasks. Now see that they are accomplished with all due haste. We thank you.”
Clutching the description in their hands they bowed themselves out of his royal presence, and hurriedly left to complete the task. Unsure of how long it would take to speak with all the staff Daividh sat heavily into his chair. Looking over the room he realized there was still one more person to appoint the same task.
“Victor, what are you still doing here? Do you not have a staff of your own to question? Now get out of my sight and do what I commanded” Daividh roared as he glowered at his vizier.
Rising swiftly, Victor bowed himself out and left. With the only people left in the room being Daividh, Sergei, Eldrick and Sebastian, an unnatural hush fell over the group. Eldrick rose and began returning the furniture to their original placings, with a few modifications which allowed for a more comfortable setting. Leaving the seats of those who were using them until last he apologized profusely when asking them to move so he could adjust the seating. Daividh watched this with amazement. His private chambers had never seemed as cozy or welcoming, he decided to have a word with his head housekeeper to see whether there was anything to be done for other rooms in the castle to achieve a similar feeling through their décor.
They spent several hours in pleasant conversation about little of importance until a knock at the door interrupted them. Though the hour was late, it was the time that most of the housekeeping staff worked. Charlene the head housekeeper entered and curtsied.
“Your Majesty, some of the housekeepers have seen the man described entering the vizier’s chambers on occasion this past month.”
“What?” bellowed Daividh in a rage. “Victor knew who it was and said nothing? I’ll have his intestines for garter straps. "GUARDS!” he screamed. His face turning crimson, his fists balled as he slammed both onto the top of the table, shattering it with a resounding crash. With the bellow and the sound of smashing furniture, the guards entered quickly and on high alert. “I want Victor arrested and thrown in the dungeon,” He continued to snarl. “Search his room and everything in it brought to the council chamber. Take as many men as you think you need and do it fast before he learns I am on to him. That sneaky little snake.” Turning on Sergei he continued his rant. “You are responsible for this. You trained him to start with. You offered him up in your stead. I trusted you and look what has become of that trust. I dare not make any moves against you or your entire order will be down on me and my kingdom like the fist of Servalin. But I can banish you from this kingdom, and so I shall.”
“Your Majesty, may I interject something?” inquired Sebastian.
“You, I will listen to. Your kind has never done anything to cause me concern, however, if you are going to defend this miscreant, I warn you!”
“To be completely honest Your Majesty, I have only known Sergei and Eldrick for a short amount of time compared to you. You have known Sergei most of your life if I am correct. And until this incident, you had no reason to doubt him. How long has Victor been your vizier? How old was he when he came to the post? How long did he train with Sergei? And finally, how much free rein did you allow him in his post as vizier? I believe all these questions have merit. Even someone unaccustomed to having power may be seduced once they tasted the pleasures of what power can avail them. You were raised to the position you bear; taught everything it entails and likely given power over long periods of time to become accustomed to the vagaries and understand the responsibility required to wield it effectively without malice, cruelty or greed.”
Daividh, taken aback at the speech received from the youth, realizing that Sebastian spoke with wisdom and integrity. Not once did he try to defend Sergei nor deflect the king’s anger, but by asking a few simple questions, the answers would reveal the truth. This was not Sergei’s fault. Nor was it entirely his own. Victor was a man of many appetites, avarice being the primary one. Victor was known to covet items belonging to others and find ways to acquire them, usually through his office, under the guise of the betterment of the kingdom. The only thing he couldn’t gain through that manner was the crown itself. Meaning, he would need to try to snatch it from the rightful king in another way, explaining the assassination attempt. Oh, how he was going to enjoy watching the worm squirm once he got his hands on him.
“Sergei, Sebastian speaks with uncanny wisdom. I truly never would have considered his points even if they had come from you. I have known you far longer, but at that moment in my anger, I was not ready to listen. How is it that you surround yourself with such intelligent people?" his face turning a pale pink. "As long as I have known you, your companions have always been the brightest you could find. Victor was not always a power-hungry fool. I fear I gave him too much freedom before he was ready. He has become a threat to everything I hold dear. He may even come after you. I plan on making sure he cannot. Come we should head over to the council chamber so that we may examine whatever it is the guards found in his rooms.”
Quickly gathering themselves, they left to egress to the council chambers. Reaching the doors, they were amazed to see the piles of tomes, with more being brought in. Sergei appeared to be enthralled, looking over the titles. Daividh could tell there were a few he had never seen before. Starting a new pile of what should be considered contraband material. Daividh watched all this with interest.
After about an hour of going through the accumulation of items, "I am astounded by the number of dark magic items he found. Where could he have gotten them? Some of these I have heard about, however, never studied. The dark nature of these spells is frightening." Sergei grimaced looking at the pile.
“Your Majesty," the guard bowed, "Victor is nowhere to be found in the castle. Someone said they saw him leaving by the servants’ entrance earlier this evening. The command to close the gates had just been issued to the men. If this is true, he may have already fled the Capital. I am sorry Your Majesty,” he said.
“Chuck, for goodness sake, he made fools of us all. If and when he is found, we shall deal with him at that point. Until that happens, inform the guards and let the military forces know he is stripped of his rank and is a wanted felon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will see the word is spread. Also, when we reached his rooms we noticed gaps in his bookshelves, where items had recently been removed.”
“Thank you, Chuck. Please alert everyone that he is extremely dangerous. I no longer know what he is capable of.”
A quiet clearing of the throat from behind made them turn. Standing patiently in the doorway was the young man in a page’s uniform. The wringing of his hands showing the only signs of his nervousness.
“My King, from what I have learned from the pages is disheartening. Victor has apparently been teaching a large group of individuals the arcane arts over the past ten years. The eldest of our pages, who has been in the page position for a decade and is about to age out and return to his father’s estate soon, has seen well over a hundred different people training with Victor. It appears he was creating his own private army of loyal mages. I cannot fathom the reason why, other than he was planning something big, bigger even than usurping your throne.”
“It seems to me,” interjected Sergei, “Victor is attempting to build an empire for himself. Quite a few of these items are of a dark design, meant for control or destruction. I believe he was going to send some of his people to gather them up for him since he couldn’t take them all with him. Those books over there are connected with the items. I believe we should destroy them as soon as possible," he mopped his brow with his sleeve. "What I fear is that the magical backlash of doing so could cause irreparable damage to the area, and anyone who tries. I am willing to take the chance... if my companions would be willing to assist me in doing so. We would need a large area away from the populace where any escaping energies could be deflected harmlessly away.”
Daividh and Sergei glancing over at the other two in hopes of ascertaining what opinions they may have. Sebastian wore a worried look, while Eldrick looked panicked. Both gave nods of ascent despite their apparent concerns. The thought of Sergei, attempting to destroy them on his own was too daunting a consideration. If anything happened to him there would be dire consequences for the two young men. Daividh tried to conceal his own sense of apprehension, understanding that if anything were to happen to Sergei, his kingdom would be without a druid, a disastrous consequence in any event.
“I believe the fallow fields to the east might be the best place. I will send a squad of guardsmen to accompany you, ensuring privacy and the safety of the citizenry.”
“I appreciate that. We will begin gathering and transferring the items to our wagon in the morning. It is late and we all need rest before attempting to eliminate these dark artifacts.”
“Chuck, see to it these rooms are guarded. No one enters them without leave of myself or our esteemed druid. Also, one of us must be present at the time.”
“As you command, Your Majesty,” Chuck replied with a smart snap to attention and salute.
