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Conclusion, Celebration, Epilogue
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2022-02-12 11:05:28It took time to clear the rubble and bury the humans of the Blue Guard who died when the balcony collapsed. Not surprisingly, none of the gnome guards (except those who had been struck down by the sword) were anywhere to be found in the palace. Gandr explained that they had probably escaped into the ground, leaving the human traitors to face their punishment.
They searched long and hard for Cafer, but he was among the missing when it was all said and done. Without that final sense of closure, they moved on and turned to a time of celebration.
——————
The whole city of Valiant was decorated with blue and white, and the palace was no exception. The banquet hall was filled with a feast that could rival any in the world. Aurora and Devrim sat at the head of a long u-shaped table. While a more stately meal with Valiant's nobility had occurred the day before, this celebration was far more intimate.
The eleven councilmen,
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Looking around at his vast store of treasure, Cafer was still unhappy. He had had all the power of the world within his grasp, and it slipped through his fingers all because of one useless human. Worse than that: a little girl. He would have his revenge. It had been nearly a decade since the final battle with Her Majesty, Empress Aurora, and her Consort, Devrim, but the wound was still fresh in Cafer's mind. Gnomes had long memories, and his was longer than most. He rested against the large golden chair inside his lair below the earth, grumbling quietly.Cafer lifted the gilded mirror that sat on the table next to him. There was no message waiting for him in the glass. Prince Alaron had not sent him anything in several days. This was unusual. Perhaps the boy, now nearly sixteen, had found other interests to occupy his time. Cafer did not like thinking about that. He needed to keep his hooks in the young prince in order to exact his sweet revenge on the boy's mother and regain
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"I will defeat you!" Alaron yelled with fury. He sliced his sword through the air at his opponent."Over my dead body!" Devrim responded, his mouth set in a determined line. The Consort deflected the prince's blow."That can be arranged, old man," Alaron taunted. He took a step back and then burst forth in a fit of motion. Each stroke was more vigorous than the last. Yet, Devrim was able to keep pace and even force the boy to retreat."You will not get very far with all that backing up, unless your goal is to end up against a wall." And just like that Devrim had the prince between his sword and the outer palace wall, fighting with all his might. Alaron made two upward strikes in sequence that nearly disarmed the Emperor, but the seasoned warrior was just a hair too quick. With a skillful blow, Devrim knocked the weapon from Alaron's hand and hit the padding on the boy's chest with the broad side of his sword. Hitting the wall with his back, the prince slid to th
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Brinn continued calmly, "We initially believed that these sailors were just a low level operation trying to avoid taxes. Upon further observation, it turns out they are actually highly organized. They never stay anywhere more than a week or two. First they take the mayor of a small town and his family prisoner. Then they terrorize the townspeople and take anything that isn't nailed down. The people generally suffer through the invasion as they want to escape with their lives. After a week or two, about the time the army can arrive, they poof without a trace into the sea.""Impressive, if only they weren't so evil." Devrim stroked his chin.Brinn went on, "I also have reason to believe they are trafficking weapons to Her Majesty's enemies." She looked at Gandr."They were willing to sell me all sorts of stolen weapons for half price if I planned to use them against the Empress. I bought up all they had on hand to deplete their supply. Speaking of which, I will ne
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The prince and princess joined the Council's meeting the next day. Anna was also among the company, having returned from her family visit. She and Ezer stood together, ready to present their tale."Councilman Ezer and I went on the world tour in the place of Her Majesty when she went on her quest to find the Fates." This was not news to anyone; they had all been a privy to that scheme to hide the Empress's absence. Anna continued, "It was on this tour that I came into contact with Xander.""It was not Anna's fault, what happened. She did her best given the circumstances. We both did." Ezer defended his wife admirably."Xander attacked us on our journey without knowing who we were. That part was a bit of luck because he merely robbed us, although he took your original wedding ring, Your Majesty." Anna said with a look of deep remorse."As I have said before, do not worry about such trinkets. Your life is worth far more than silver and gold." Aurora comfort
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Cafer was impatient to reach the palace and traveled mostly underground to reach his destination. With his ground-crimping magic, he was able to arrive at the palace in less than a week, but he was utterly exhausted and drained of his power. He decided to find an inn for the night and regroup.The gnome laid down in the fluffy bed and felt much of the angst leave his body. The other gnomes made fun of Cafer for his love of soft linen, but he had experienced perfection, and nothing else could compare. The others of his kind made their beds among the rocks. It was less than ideal.Cafer pulled the mirror from his belt and checked to see if it was glowing. It was just as well that it was not. The prince and he had already made arrangements to meet the following evening. For now he would rest; tomorrow he would find the entrance to the Storehouse.———————-"You have been under a lot of stress. Have dinner with me toni
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"It is good to see you, my son," Cafer said as the boy entered the tunnel."Uncle Cafer!" Alaron embraced his mentor."Quick, close the entrance." The gnome pulled the door shut before the boy could react."But it is dark. How will we see?" The boy was worried until the light was shut out and his eyes adjusted to the glowstone. "Wow, that is amazing! Who built these tunnels, and how do they glow?"Cafer touched the wall gently. "The Fates built these walls and imbued them with magic stone."Alaron rolled his eyes upward. "Not you too! Mother mentions magic in hushed tones, but I know it isn't real. Don't treat me like a child and use fairy tales to explain things to me."Cafer was caught off guard. They had never had a discussion on magic, which now seemed strange. "You do know I am a gnome. I have told you such. I come from the land of magic. That is where I have been hiding these last many years. It is the reason your mother has not been a
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Cafer and Alaron returned to the glowstone, and the entrance to the Storehouse disappeared."Do you know the way back to your mother's room?" Cafer asked."Yes, I can find it. What will you do?" Alaron was surprised to find the gnome would not make the return trip with him."I have some things to take care of. I will contact you with the mirror soon. It has been wonderful to see you in person after so long." Cafer patted Alaron on the shoulder."Good to see you too, Uncle Cafer. I wish you well."They parted ways. Cafer scurried quickly to check on the Royal couple. Having viewed the dinner preparations earlier in the evening, the gnome wanted to see if he could glean any new information by eavesdropping. Silently he approached the one-way window. From his vantage point, the couple seemed happy enough. The gnome fought the urge to open the wall and kill them both.But after his last murder attempt on the balcony, a visit from the Fates warne
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Devrim and Aurora rushed down the hall with their growing entourage, taking turns giving orders."Call out the guard. We have reason to believe that Cafer has infiltrated the palace. Bring me a map and I can tell you some places to look." Devrim said."Find Anna, she has my necklace. I need it." Aurora ordered."Junayd, check my room and secure it." The Emperor called."Someone get Nurlan. He is packing to leave, but I need him now." The Empress was in a full out run. "Has anyone seen Alaron?""No, Your Majesty," a servant answered. They came to the boy's chamber, and Aurora burst into the room. It was empty."Alaron! Alaron!" Aurora frantically searched. Having been summoned, Lady Anna pushed through the knot of people to get to her mistress."Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!" Anna fell to her knees and held out a copper chain."What is this?" Aurora was too worried about her son to comprehend what she was
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