Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 14: The Real Power

Bowing perfunctorily, Lord Kel walked towards the door. "The guards have been informed that whatever you want or do with the items in this room has my permission." Stopping before exiting the room, he turned to address me directly. "One of the staff will show you to your new quarters once you are finished. I've moved you to the Ambassador's Residence, where Duke A'Daoine guests when he visits."

"It may take you some time to adjust to the intricacies of your new rank," he said. "I suggest you find a protocol mentor and spend some time becoming familiar with any new skills and abilities you may have gained from the ascension before traveling to the capital."

"The King and Queen are going to be sure to test you. Be prepared, politics and subterfuge in the capital require intelligence, strength, and luck. Whatever you decide to do, your highness, know that Demesnes Kel is honored to host you." Lord Kel left me there to ponder his meaning.

I decided I'd think about what he meant later and turned to get to work.

Looking around the room in dismay, I wasn't sure where to start. There was so much clutter that there could be something valuable hidden anywhere.

Shrugging in resignation, I decided to just get started. Lord Kel had pointed out a few bags of holding, so I thought to start there. If they were empty, they would give me a place to store what I decided to keep.

I should have felt bad looting gear and items because of another's misfortune. But I didn't, I considered it the least Thom owed Caraid for his murder.

I did sigh in frustration at the mountain of items that surrounded me. It really looked like a Television Episode of Hoarders had exploded in the room. I thought, self-deprecatingly, that a Prince on Earth wouldn't be expected to sort through this mess. Borrowing a theme from an old classic, 'Best begun is half done,' I started humming 'A Spoon Full of Sugar Makes the Medicine Go Down.'

Opening a bag and checking the contents elicited an instant reaction from Caraid. He was angry, furious after I examined the contents of the bag.

I should have predicted that sorting and identifying Thom's items were not going to be simple. Caraid's outrage when I discovered a bag with nothing but some dried herb, the herb looked like dried oregano but it smelled off. Somewhat like dead fish and ocean brine. The smell allowed him to make easy identification.

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[Elfshot!] he snarled. [What a vile, contemptible person! I should have known he was the kind of person that would use this.]

His immediate anger meant I wasn't done dealing with Thom's atrocities. I wasn't sure what Elfshot was or how it was used, but based on Caraid's reaction, I doubted it was going to be something harmless.

[Elfshot is a drug that removes the will of any Sidhe that drinks or eats it. It turns someone into a virtual slave, allowing anyone to do anything to them they please until the effects wear off! It removes free will, removes the memory, and damages the soul. It has been banned for a millennium because it is so dangerous.]

[It becomes addictive. And if ingested long enough, the user must imbibe or die. There is no cure for Elfshot addiction, and no way to wean a user off once they have succumbed.]

[Who knows where he got this, or what he's done with it, but you are going to have to report this to Lord Kel. If he has it, there must be someone supplying it to him. Someone else is making use of it.]

"Should we stop and go see him now, or give this to one of the guards to deliver?" I asked concerned.

[Best not get anyone else involved. Since we don't know who might be involved in this, it's best not to trust anyone else. Lord Kel will most certainly have a banquet to honor you tonight, store this for now, and ask to speak with him after dinner. You can give him the bag of holding then.]

[Plus, there is no way of knowing what else we may find as we go through this crap. And I'm not so sure he would allow us to continue to sort through these things if we turned this in. There is no way to know who or what the person he might assign to search may do to hide or obfuscate any other evidence.]

Agreeing, I placed the drugs my ring and continued my search. Sorting more carefully than I had planned as I now not only needed to decide what to keep, but if I could discover anything else that might shed light on the Elfshot.

Things that I would never find a use for; old armor sets, clothing, weapons I had no training for, I quickly discarded as useless. Those items might have sold for a decent amount, but I didn't think I'd be around long enough to worry about that.

I did find three more bags of holding. One quite powerful with a 90% reduction in weight. I swapped that one out for the one I'd found in Cariad's room and started shifting items over. Thom had a surprising amount of excellent quality gems and magic strength crystals. A few potions, mostly health but a couple of elixirs to increase stats were tucked away too.

"Why would he have health potions?" I asked Caraid. "With the Sidhe ability to heal, and spells, what is the point?"

[Not all Sidhe have the ability to heal quickly or have healing spells or auras. Some have even sacrificed their restorative healing abilities to augment some other body mechanic.]

[Thom was one of those. He sacrificed some of his natural healing energies to increase his speed and agility.]

[And of course, the potions come in handy for those that haven't Ascended yet. I made use of them countless times after my Sword Master spent an afternoon training.]

Eventually, I managed to clear the main room. When I went to open the wardrobe, a cascade of crap came tumbling out. Deciding to ignore that mess, for now, I turned my attention to the tapestry that Lord Kel mentioned.

There was what could be considered nothing less than a 'treasure' room behind the tapestry. This room was where the rare and expensive items were placed. And they were even stored in a manner to make quick identification and retrieval possible.

Enchanted rings, necklaces, and weapons were everywhere. I realized I couldn't use them all, but I decided I would take them and sell them or gift them when I got to the capital. Who knew when they might come in handy?

I did find a ring of magic strength that added +20 to spell power and a necklace of vitality that added +2 to all stats that I equipped.

The armor and weapons that were enchanted, although excellent quality would probably be sold as I found or commissioned gear specifically suited for me. Thom was a more two-handed sword or mace fighter, focusing on heavy armor.

I thought I might go rapier or long sword, with my fire shield wearing light armor or chain mail should be appropriate. I wanted to be able to move freely, I thought speed combined with power, but I would need to experiment to find what best suited me. I thought quick and light would meld well with my spells.

I managed to find another 600 gold before I decided I had collected all I was going to be able to use. I was just about to leave the hidden room when I heard voices. A woman at first, someone I hadn't met, but the voice that answered was one I did.

"What did you expect me to? Kill him?" Lord Kel demanded.

"I expected you to protect our son," the woman replied angrily.

[Lady Patricia A'Kel. Some have said she is the real power of Kel Fief.]

'I don't think the Lady will celebrate our Ascension,' I suggested to Caraid.

[I wouldn't worry about her happiness, I'd worry about your back. Rumors suggest those that cross Lady Patricia don't live long afterward.]