Chapter 4 – Showdown
It’s
precisely 9am when Van Pelt walks through the front door of Vermögens with
one mission on his mind… keeping Kaspian Rutherford under his control. He
stomps over to the first Dwarf he sees, not caring really if it was the proper
one for the situation and demands in an unrelenting very condescending tone,
“Get me Gravelmouth right now. I don’t have all day to wait on you.”
The Dwarf
at the counter glances up at him and states in a Dwarves most disrespectful
tone, “Ahhh Mr. Van Pelt just the man we were expecting. Mythrlclaw will be
with you momentarily, please wait in chairs.” He turns to the next in line and
states, “Next in line; how may I help you today?”
Not
believing that the Dwarf just dismissed him like he was a common nobody, Van
Pelt decided to take a seat then make a complaint to the Dwarf in charge.
A very
young kobold steps into the waiting area and requests, “Van Pelt, Reginald… Og’
Talmraz Mythrlclaw will see you now; this way please.”
He’s led
back deep into the labyrinth of offices to one that has a sign outside of that
states in large ornate gold lettering:
Og’ Talmraz Mythrlclaw
The Ancient House of Myrrlyn,
The Exalted and Ancient House of Windemere
The Noble and Ancient House of Kinkaide,
The Righteous and Ancient House of Rutherford (with
Nar’ sinhg Steelclaw)
Van Pelt
is puzzled as to why this Mythrlclaw was suddenly handling the Rutherford and Kinkaide
accounts but figured he’d discover the reason soon enough; especially as he was
the one with magical guardianship to the only heir of the Rutherford line and
he hadn’t authorized this change. He’d chosen Gravelmouth as the Manager
because he was easy to handle and wasn’t so stuck on rules like all the dwarves
were but most importantly he wasn’t above taking a gratuity to see things his
way
Mythrlclaw
entered the room followed by two very well armed warrior dwarves... He went
around the desk and sat in his throne like chair where he proceeded to pull out
a thick file of papers.
He
finally couldn’t take being ignore any longer Van Pelt demanded, “What is this
about Mythrlclaw and where is Gravelmouth. He is the Kobold (diminutive cousin's to the Dwarves that often work for and with them) that is in charge
of the Rutherford account.”
Mythrlclaw
looks over the top of the papers he was reviewing then starts speaking, his
voice low and gravely, “Mr. Van Pelt I don’t think you really want to advertise
your association with that sramstriz
Gravelmouth. He was put to death last evening for crimes against Dwarven law
and embezzling funds and property from some of Vermögens most prestigious clients. Of course you should
know that he implicated you in some of his thefts and that those allegations
are being investigated; all findings will be sent directly to the Bureau’s
Department of Law Enforcement.”
Being
quick on his feet Van Pelt quickly responds, “What! I’ve never! Why would I
need to steal? Do you realize who I am? I am Mage~Lord Reginald Van Pelt, Head
of the Noble and Illustrious House of Van Pelt. I do not need to steal!”
“Mr. Van
Pelt, your brother Quentin Vallis Mayer Van Pelt the third of that name is the
Lord and Head of the House of Van Pelt. He allows you to act in his stead with
the Mage~Court and the House of Lords. That is his choice but it does not in
any way make you the Lord. I also did not accuse you of any crimes I just
informed you as to what occurred last evening and assured you that all steps
are being taken to discover the truth and get justice for the victims of these
crimes.”
“I
demand to know who put you in charge of the Rutherford account. I am Mr. Rutherford’s
guardian and…”
“Mage~Lord
Rutherford was granted emancipation by his God-father and the Bureau of Magical
Affairs therefore you no longer have any say about his accounts or business.
His first step in assessing his assets was reclaiming all property and money
illegally removed from his homes and accounts; this was done at midnight last
night. All that were in possession of said property were notified by Vermögens as to
the retrieval. As for who appointed me to this position: it was Mage~Lord
Rutherford’s own agent Nar’ sinhg Steelclaw. He understood that while he was
Mr. Rutherford’s choice he still has much to learn petitioned for my
assistance. I do not assist anyone; so with this being understood and his own
thirst for knowledge and experience I’ve gained a very intelligent and able
apprentice.”
“Kinkaide
could not have petitioned for emancipation of Kasper; he was a wanted criminal,
they’d have never listened to him.”
“That is
a circumstantial misunderstanding that had to be overcome. Mage~Lord Kinkaide
was able to verify his claims of 1. Not being the secret keeper to the Rutherford’s
and 2. Not killing those Mundaneis and Mr. Murphy. He was cleared of all
charges but did not wish it known as he was sure that the one plotting against
his God-Son would have either or both of them killed. I believe that he
succeeded in his aim of freeing his ward by sending witnesses to testify as to
his treatment in home and school, and his obvious lack of knowledge in regards
to the Magical World and his own position in said society. The Board for the
Welfare and Safety of Underage Sorcerers voted unanimously for his Emancipation.”
Van Pelt,
fearing the loss of his weapon… that carefully trained tool, demands, “How
could he prove that he didn’t kill Murphy? There was no body. The only thing
left of him was his finger.”
Looking
surprised that Van Pelt himself hasn’t figured it out already Mythrlclaw simply
states, “Why he asked us of course. Mage~Lord Kinkaide knew that he like Keldrick
Rutherford and Seath
Draugaran were all mentioned in Mr. Neal Murphy’s will. He inquired as to what
had happened at the will reading and was wonderfully pleased to learn that it
had never been activated. You do know Mr. Van Pelt that each person’s last will
and testament automatically activates upon the death of its owner. We simply
shared this information with the Bureau’s Department of Law Enforcement.”
With a
very satisfied goblin smile, “Now Mr. Van Pelt I believe you have some keys for
me.”
Van Pelt
not wanting to be suspected for inappropriate behavior hands over a ring that
contains 5 keys, “Here you go. These are the keys to the Rutherford vaults.”
“Mr. Van Pelt you know as well as I that there are
9 vaults in the Rutherford estate: 2 for avatiir, 1 for rukab, 1 for penit, 1 for gems, 1 for weapons
and armor, 1 for jewelry and clothing, and 2 for furniture and other
possessions. You’ve only given my 5 keys therefore you account is being charged
for changing all the locks and wards on the Rutherford Vaults. We take the
protection of our client’s property and interests very seriously. You will find
as will any of your agents that come to try and get access to any of the Rutherford
holdings which does include the inheritance vault will no longer have access
and will be arrested. This is your only warning: IF you attempt to violate Vermögens law
again you will find your own account emptied and all Van Pelt’s expelled from Vermögens
clientele for your crimes.
Van Pelt
paled to a very pale almost pasty white and leaves Vermögens quite
shaken. He headed out into Avalon Circus trying to figure out what steps to
take next; somehow his pawn had gotten the dwarves on his side, with allies
like that he could become a very big problem. He finally hits the teleportation
point and heads back to Ars Magika with a whole lot of thinking to do.
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Saxon opens
the note that ‘Sidian brought him and was pleasantly surprised by what he
found:
Professor
Stevens,
I’ve
recently discovered the duplicity of the WBB and have taken several steps to
let him know that I am not to be played with. I am willing to discuss this and
other matters with you and your leader if you both take an oath of secrecy that
will prevent you from sharing information that we discuss with anyone else
without all of our permission. (The majority will not rule here… it’s all or
nothing. We all agree or disagree or the information can’t be shared.) IF you
and your boss are willing to take this step do so and the rest of the message
will appear. If you choose not to then I thank you for the information that
you’ve shared with me and be assured that I will act upon it.
In Truth
Kaspian
Rutherford
After
reading it through a second time he carries it to Heru~Gurtha after
letting him read it he asks quietly, “What do you wish to do my lord?”
Heru~Gurtha smiles
(in many ways it’s even more terrifying than his old half reptilian appearance
because his followers just didn’t know what to make of it),”It’s quite simple
really Saxon, we give him his oath. He is only trying to protect himself from
both sides in this war before he makes a decision to which side he belongs.
“I
<insert each individuals name> vow to keep private all information shared
between Kiran Ryder also known as Heru~Gurtha, Saxon
Stevens and Kaspian Rutherford will until permission is given by all to release
or share it with others, will be kept secret and private. We are free to
discuss it among the three of us but will keep it private to all others not
even truth spells or totalistruth serum
will pull it out of us… This I swear in truth and honesty. Take my magic from
me if I lie!”
After taking the vow the rest of Rutherford’s
letter appears:
Thank you
for your trust in me. I am quite glad actually and would like to learn more
about my sister and what you wanted to speak with my parents about. Professor Stevens
if you could arrange a meeting between us I would greatly appreciate it. As you
know the WBB is keeping me a prisoner at my oh so wonderful relatives; perhaps
you could arrange for the Durward’s to be away and visit with me here. We all
know that bull crap excuse of blood wards is nothing but crap. Kiran used my
blood to come back and in so doing nullified any effect those wards had and he
can get through the other wards just by not intending me any harm. By the way I
will not be staying here a lot longer. I have an appointment with my banker
this week and will be moving to an unidentified residence soon after, without
informing the WBB so you may want to prepare for the panic that will ensue. I
hope that it can be ready by my meeting but I will not hold my breath; Van Pelt’s
has been mismanaging my accounts and estate since my parent’s death. I have
little hope that any of the properties are immediately habitable.
Till I see you,
Kaspian Rutherford
Heru~Gurtha exclaims, “This is wonderful news Saxon, arrange
for a three day all expenses paid trip to that place where they wear those
mouse-ear hats for the Durward’s. That will get them away from their residence
for the weekend giving us plenty of time to talk with Mr. Rutherford. You will
have to find out the schedule of his jailers for that weekend so that we can
work around them. Write Mr. Rutherford back and tell him his guardians should
be away for the entire weekend. We will visit on Saturday.”
Kaspian opens the note that ‘Sidian had brought
him:
Kaspian,
(I hope that you don’t mind)
We have
arranged a three day trip to Euro Disney for your guardians and plan to visit
you on Saturday. Frankleon starts his time at 8 a.m., and is suppose to finish
up at 6p.m. to be replaced by Draugaran from 6
p.m. until midnight. We will visit during this time period. Frankleon can be
led a stray by the possibility of a lucrative but not so legal venture; I will
speak to Draugaran myself so
he is aware of what’s occurring. I will assure him as best I can of your safety
and that this was indeed your suggestion.
Saxon
Stevens
I hope you know what you are doing Professor. Fang
can be a bit over protective of me, but I do hope he sees things our way. He’s
the only family I have left and I definitely want him on my side; not Van Pelt’s.
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