Chapter 2 Van
Pelt’s Quandary
Reginald Von Pelt c was
still sitting in his office at Ars
Magika~ L'istituto di Potere Antico deeply immersed in the Tome of Blood Wards and
Runic Barriers that he’d found in the Rutherford Vaults. He had been amazed
when he’d found it during his last exploration through the vault, he hadn’t
realized that the Rutherford line dated back to the time of the Elders, but
this tome was written by Gwendolyn Wyvernum and Aselon Robert Rutherford. It
turns out that Aselon Rutherford had been one of Lady-Mage Wyvernum’s teachers,
in fact master to her apprentice. This book and the two others he’d found on ancient
wards both offensive and defensive would be instrumental in the rewarding of Ars
Magika and his other acquired properties.
He
called for a gnolf or domovoy to the educated to bring him a midnight snack;
Tulip was setting out the hot chocolate and cookies when suddenly things
started disappearing with loud pops from all over the office… starting with the
book that Van Pelt was deeply scrutinizing.
Van Pelt
quickly checked the domovoy to make sure it was one of the schools; then
checked his dark magic detectors, only to find half of them missing. With no
other obvious options he pulls in his magic and checks the wards on the school
to find them intact. He quickly calls the professors that are still Ars Magika
to alert them to the disappearing artifacts and use of unknown magic in the
thievery.
Professors
Stevens and McDonald enter the Headmasters office to see Van Pelt in a rage
scrambling around the office naming off random items for no apparent reason.
Snidely
and a bit put out for being awakened at midnight Stevens inquires, “Headmaster
what is the meaning of this? Why have I been summoned from sleep on one of the
few nights I am actually able to get some?”
Voice
full of anger and sarcasm twinkle gone from his eye Van Pelt replies to Stevens,
“Good Saxon, I don’t know if it is or not. I just thought you might want to
check your precious potions lab to see if it’s intact because about 20
different artifacts just disappeared from my office in less than 5 minutes.”
Hera
McDonald asks sternly, “Reginald what items have disappeared?”
Reginald
Van Pelt answers almost absently in his irrepressible anger, “Several tomes
from the Rutherford vaults, the dark detectors and monitors that I retrieved to
use on Kaspian, a few other magical items including that extra invisibility
cloak from the Rutherford vaults, not to forget the Sword of Wyvernum.”
Saxon
Stevens barely listening registers the one thing they all seemed to have in common
and smarmily inquires, “Did you get Mr. Rutherford’s permission before removing
those items from his vaults?”
At that
moment with a loud pop a scarlet parchment with gold lettering and the official
Vermögens seal
appears in the center of the Headmasters desk…
Van Pelt
picks it up opening it carefully and reads aloud,
Mr. Reginald
Van Pelt
Please
note that all items removed from the Rutherford Ancestral Vaults since the
death of Keldrick and Dahlia Rutherford have been returned to their proper
home. All unauthorized withdrawals have been totaled and returned with 15%
interest. All properties that you have occupied will now no longer be
accessible; if there happens to have been something left behind by the packers
please alert Steelclaw who will locate said items. Your account has been charged with replacing anything lost or
broken permanently as you set yourself up as Mage Lord Rutherford’s magical
guardian and were therefore the only one with access to said property. The
burden of this responsibility has since been removed from your shoulders. You
have been removed from the list of those permitted access to these vaults at
the request of Mage Lord Rutherford. Please return all keys to Vermögens by no
later than 9am tomorrow or the cost of changing the vault locks and wards will
be charged to your own ancestral account.
Sincerely
Grimtooth
Vermögens President
Reginald
Van Pelt screamed in frustration cursing the Prophecy child in three languages
while breaking everything within his reach.
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Saxon
Stevens was astounded at the amount of information produced by Veritas Paternas
potion. He’d used his own family as the control to verify the veracity of the
information; amazingly enough the potion had produced names past those that he
was familiar with… more than 10 generations.
With
that to back him up he performed the test again with the blood supplied by the
unknown woman and again with blood from the Heru~Gurtha; with astonishing results.
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“My
lord,” Saxon intones carefully, “It’s true. I’ve tested the potion and the
blood several times. I also tested the blood using some of my own methods and
used my own blood as a control. You are indeed related to this young woman.
Well if the blood in the vial was hers anyhow. I performed the standard Familial Relationship test and it’s
positive, you are related; but as you know it does not tell you what that
relationship is. Then I brewed my own Relationship
Determiner potion and the Ancestry
potion used by the Bureau; they both show that you are her Great Grandfather.”
“Following
the dates listed for birth I’ve discerned that in 1945 you had a relationship
with Meredith Kincaide which produced a daughter Samarra
With a
slightly inquisitive expression Kiran Ryder asks, “If Rutherford and McCrey had
a Pentiad bond… why would they go through any form of a traditional wedding?
They couldn’t be bonded again without a severance and divorce so it’s nothing
more than a piece of paper tying them together.”
Saxon answered
thoughtfully, “As I recall sir… it was through Van Pelt’s meddling that they
were forced into a civil union outside their bond. I don’t remember everything
that happened when he found out they’d formed one but I remember his anger; he
tore his office apart breaking everything insight then made it his mission to
break them apart. He contacted their parents and filled their ears with a lot
of controversial information about Pentiad bonds, how they were evil, even
though traditionally they were considered more than blessed, how men having
children were an abomination. He convinced them that modern sorcerers frowned
on anything so unusual and that they’d be shunned in magical society. The Rutherford’s
and McCrey’s have always been overly image conscious; they believed everything Van
Pelt said hook line and sinker. They demanded their heirs break away from their
bonded and form a typical Mundanei type marriage or lose everything. Pentiad
Bonds are soul bonds though: they can’t be broken, death is the only way to
sever the relationship. This forced them into the civil ceremonies that they
performed. They were barely legal the way it was done, and it makes inheritance
rather confusing. Van Pelt was fooled into thinking that the bond had been
broken when in fact it hadn’t and their parents were happy.”
“So my
Granddaughter has 2 half brothers… this could make things very interesting.
Please send a note to Kaspian Rutherford… make it very polite Saxon and
informative. Include the relationship potions that you used today and her own…
and some of her blood. Let him see for himself that they are indeed related. I
do not war on my own flesh and blood and by blood he is related to my great
granddaughter that makes him family; unless Mr. Rutherford pushes it he is no
longer a target. That will be all Saxon.”
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After
watching the Elvin healer and Goblin health-master work for 6 solid hours
assisted by Stevens; Heru~Gurtha
demands in exasperation, “You have questions Devid? Ask them now.”
Devid tentatively
responds not wanting to anger Heru~Gurtha, “uh… Who is she My Lord?”
“She’s
my Great Granddaughter Devid, but not only that; she is your missing daughter.”
In
complete shock and confusion Devid replies, “My daughter sir… I don’t have a
daughter. Hippolota hasn’t been able to conceive since we had Devlin.”
Heru~Gurtha’s
eyes sparkle in understanding as he inquires, “Do you remember having a
relationship with Keldrick Rutherford and Caleb Kinkaide?”
“I’d
never sir. They are blood traitors the both of them; Turning their backs on the
Magical world to support all those damn Mundaneis.”
“But you
did Devid, you not only had a relationship you had a Pentiad soul bond. I
believe your memories have been tampered with.”
Heru~Gurtha
turns quickly to Saxon and demands, “When they can do without your services Saxon
you are to brew a Memoriam Restorium
draught for yourself and Devid.”
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