* * *
“Alaric, thanks for coming over,” Tiri said to the Lich Sentinel. “You too, Chand. It was nice of you to take time out of your weekend.”
“Are you kidding? I wanted to see your new digs. This place is amazing. I love the light and dark teal accents with the black and white. It’s stunning,” Chander said.
“Thank you, we love it,” Chrysander replied. “It represents our whole family and is working out great so far.”
They found seats in the living room as Damian poured coffee for their guests; then the Imperial Duke chose an oversized chair so they could talk.
“Let’s start with you, Tiri. The Sentinel Brotherhood has kept an eye on the Sprite Grove for the last year, but nothing has changed,” Alaric stated. “They’re still in the same village, making a stockpile of weapons.”
“Are there more sprites dying?” Tiri asked. It hurt his heart each time one of his people died, and he remained shocked that it was all at the hand of his own former chieftain.
“No, he’s no longer carrying out punishments.”
“That’s a relief. Hopefully Chieftain Chesvarin won’t start up again.”
“I tried to speak with him,” Alaric revealed. “I’d like to know why they’re in the business of weapon making, but he refused an audience with me. He also ignored the notes from Elf. He did eventually send word to me through his guards. Chesvarin claims they only wish to protect themselves from the Warrior Sprites.”
Tiri’s eyes widened. “Have they attacked the village?”
“No, they haven’t. We cannot find any trace of any sprites other than the ones that belong to the Sprite Grove. The Sentinel Brotherhood has tracked no one near the village. Tiri, I don’t believe the Warrior Sprites truly exist. I think they’re simply a tool Chesvarin uses to keep the sprites under control. Your people are worked without compensation and given little food. They are deprived of even the simple pleasure of retiring in the evenings together as families. His separation of children from mothers and fathers is yet one more way he keeps the sprites from connecting to each other and obeying him. No one questions him because they live in fear from the so-called Warrior Sprites.”
Once Tiri hadn’t questioned him either. Their days were long and filled with tasks. He’d only earned one meal a day, and it was barely enough to stop his stomach from grumbling. Sleep was only allowed for a few hours, and Tiri hadn’t understood how warped his perception of the world was until the day he strode out of the Sprite Grove village with Zane at his side. Fate had saved him, and he would be forever grateful. “I understand, Alaric. I’ve come to the same conclusion. I wish there was more we could do to help them, but if they’re unwilling to leave Chieftain Chesvarin, then our hands are tied.”
“We’ll continue to keep a presence there. Perhaps in time, your people will trust us and see us as a way of setting them free instead of something to fear.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Do you have any other questions for me?”
“No, you’ve gone above my expectations,” Tiri answered. The Lich Sentinel was a wonderful man, and he was glad to have found so many caring people he could call part of his extended family.
“Elf’s turn,” Chander said.
“I’m wracking my brain trying to figure out what we need to discuss,” Ellery replied.
“Wesley was executed yesterday, but he wasn’t alone in his plot to harm you,” Alaric said. “The Sentinel Brotherhood has kept an eye on the wizard who made the potion. His full name is Oklin Mivorn. I cannot tell you much about his connections. He doesn’t leave the house often, nor does he have any visitors. His time is spent working in his lab. What are we going to do about him?”
“We couldn’t address the situation while Elf was recovering. I heard nothing from the Arch Wizard, but we can’t just let anyone poison His Majesty,” Damian stated.
“Without the Arch Wizard’s consent into an investigation or arrest, we risk putting the Council into direct conflict with the Consilium Veneficus. It is not in the best interest of anyone if we do that,” Ellery argued. Tiri could understand his friend’s argument, but to simply allow this wizard to go free without punishment made him mad. Ellery was still not cured and might not be for a long time. He was forced to endure treatments that made him violently ill due to this wizard.
“Ell, Wesley wanted you out of the way, but he couldn’t have hurt you without Mivorn.” Chrysander’s voice was calm, and Tiri could tell from the look on his face that he was going to make a case for holding Oklin accountable but would allow Ellery to have his way.
“You are my family, and I can see from the anger on your faces you think you are hiding that my point of view is not popular. But this wizard would not have harmed me if Wesley had not paid him to do so. It was not an act of vengeance from the Consilium Veneficus but a transaction between Mivorn and Wesley. We cannot jeopardize the Council. I believe we should continue to put pressure on the Arch Wizard to allow us to apprehend Mivorn, so he faces justice. Without the Arch Wizard’s consent, this could spiral out of control.”
“We have made a few forays near the mansion of the Arch Wizard,” Alaric revealed. “The man is extremely reclusive, which is doubly strange as he runs not only the wizards but the Consilium. There are wizards acting as guards everywhere. More than double the number of dukes you have in the entire Court of Draconis. It is also heavily warded by magic, not allowing us to get close as we don’t want them to know we are there. I have no way to tell if this is at the behest of the Arch Wizard or if he’s being watched, though it is the only spot on the continent with this type of spell. The entire Consilium appears to function in chaos.”
“I have no issue with us continuing to gather information about the Arch Wizard, and I would like us to keep an eye on Mivorn, so he does not take any further requests from Council members to produce potions,” Ellery replied.
“Elf, are you sure? I mean I know Wesley asked him, but he could’ve said no. He wasn’t forced into this, and you are the leader of the Council,” Zane responded. Tiri laid a hand on his mate’s thigh to help him remain calm. Zane would likely always carry a smidgen of guilt for not protecting Ellery as he seemed unable to understand there was no way he could’ve known about the potion. All Tiri could do was continue to support Zane and hopefully in a century or two, he would fully forgive himself for not being omniscient.
“He did not want to harm me in the way that I was. You know he told Wesley to only give me one drop and in a few weeks, I would have been fine again. Wesley would have been caught, and we would have moved on with life. He wished for Wesley to be found out. I do not think he is an evil man.”
“We’ll write to the Arch Wizard again today and tell him about Wesley’s execution. We can ask for him to hand over Mivorn. Let’s do this once a week. Perhaps after a few letters, he will get annoyed enough that he’ll hand over the wizard,” Chrysander suggested.
“I’ll put together a draft,” Damian stated, though he didn’t look happy about it. It was difficult for the dukes and likely Chrysander as well to simply sit back, but Ellery would never do anything to harm the Council. As always, Tiri was in awe of his best friend. He wished he was able to think of any of this situation without rage, but it would take some time for their wounds to heal. All Tiri could hope was that the Arch Wizard would get his act together and hold criminals accountable. Leaning against Zane’s shoulder, Tiri set his anger aside. He didn’t want to waste any energy; he had a hot date with a naked Zane and a giant pile of pillows. That was heaven to Tiri, and he was grateful to have the man he loved.
