Fall of the Arch Lich (D'Vaire, Book 6) Read online

  “You don’t know that it’s fake.”

  “You don’t know that it’s real,” the sentinel returned.

  “Why don’t you think there’s even a possibility this could be very real?”

  “Chand, the only reason I can even think you believed it was because you were sick and heavily medicated,” Benton said. “I think you got that in your mind and when you were better it was too late. You were already sold on the idea.”

  Chander frowned. “Thanks a lot.”

  “If it’s real, you can shove the truth right in our faces,” Drystan suggested. “But we’ll need to do an investigation to do that.”

  “This is some reverse psychology shit, right? Get me to agree to your investigation by convincing me I could be right and oh what a wonderful feeling it will be to rub everyone’s nose in it for not believing me in the first place?” Chander asked.

  “Is it working?”

  “Sadly, yes,” Chander confessed. “Do it. Run your little investigation. You will all owe me one hell of an apology when you realize it’s as real as I am.”

  “I love you, so I’m not even going to gloat when we find out it’s fake,” Baxter said.

  “Your faith in my judgment is overwhelming,” Chander retorted.

  “Thanks, Chand. We’re going to get working on this right away,” Drystan told him. “We’ll keep you posted.”

  “Fine, whatever. Now tell me where the hell Conley’s box is,” Chander demanded.

  “I wondered if you noticed that—you didn’t say anything this morning,” Benton threw in.

  “I took it,” Conley replied. “It’s being added to the fallen knights’ museum.”

  Chander wanted to scream and yell that it was his box, but it had been Conley’s body that had lain in it for over six centuries. He had no choice but to let it go. His whole purpose in keeping it had been to hopefully prevent him from making more stupid mistakes. The current state of his life was testament to what a failure that had been. “Anything else we need to discuss? I don’t want to piss Chrys off by being late.”

  “Nope, that’s it,” Drystan responded. “Talk to you later.”

  “Ready to teleport to Chrys’s condo?” Chander asked his sentinels after the Reverent Knights filed out.

  Baxter stood before teleporting. Benton motioned at Chander to get going and so he did. His second sentinel arrived a few seconds later. As usual, there was a dragon manning the desk outside the large condo. They greeted him and then the door to the Emperor’s home was opened by his twin.

  “Hey, come on in,” Imperial Duke Damian Draconis invited. The trio obeyed and Damian led them through the rich interior, done almost exclusively in black and gold, to Chrys’s office. The Emperor rose from behind his desk when he saw them. They were greeted, offered snacks, and finally got seated to get down to business.

  “Chand, I can’t tell you how sorry I am about yesterday,” Chrysander said.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about. The elders wanted me out and so did many others. I wasn’t going to humiliate myself by letting them vote me out so I resigned. I plan on enjoying unemployment,” Chander explained.

  “You gave me this Council. I know the elders began the process, but you could have backed out once you discovered what they’d done but you didn’t,” Chrysander responded. “You entrusted me to be a good leader and when you spoke to me about having the Council amend the necromancer bylaws to give you more power, I didn’t do anything to help you. I knew it would be difficult to get people on board, and I figured you could handle your own personnel issues. That was a mistake. I don’t think I ever appreciated the gravity of the situation.”

  “I appreciate you saying that but it’s okay. They say shit happens for a reason and I have to tell you, when I opened my eyes this morning and realized I didn’t have to go to work and deal with their crap, I smiled. I’m sorry I failed the necromancers, but I have no choice now but to find a way to move on. I have time to pursue what I want, and I don’t have to carry a title in little more than name only.”

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to rain on your parade.”

  “What?”

  “The elders visited us this afternoon,” his twin explained. “They aren’t done yet.”

  “Those assholes won’t ever be done,” Baxter grumbled.

  “They want me to seize your properties,” Chrysander told him. “And your bank accounts.”

  Chander literally saw red. He knew his eyes had changed to his demon counterpart when his gums began to tingle. Shaking his head, he forced his eyes to shift back to gray. “They can’t do that, can they?”

  “Your bank accounts are safe. That’s money you acquired through your salary and your own investments,” Damian said.

  “The properties are trickier,” Chrysander explained. “Many of them are within the Council Headquarters complex or very close to it. Only Council leaders can own them.”

  “Technically I still am a Council leader,” Chander replied. He had the shiny new ID Card to prove it. “I’m the mate of the Lich Sentinel.”

  “Yes, but it’s common knowledge you’re in the process of dissolving your connection to the Lich Sentinel,” Chrysander pointed out.

  “That’s my personal business. It has nothing to do with the elders.”

  “They’re arguing that once the separation papers are signed—assuming you’re giving up your title as a part of that process as is normally done—that it will put the properties in limbo. You can’t keep them because you won’t be titled and since you purchased them with the title Arch Lich, they should go back to the Order of Necromancia.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “I agree,” Chrysander said. “But they could likely tie up the properties for months or years of legal wrangling. In the end, you could lose them and not even be compensated for their loss.”

  “What the fuck am I supposed to do?” Chander asked. “We’re talking about billions of dollars in real estate here. I’m not going to just hand that over to the Order of Necromancia.”

  “I understand. If you don’t mind me asking, are you planning on giving up your title as the mate of the Lich Sentinel?”

  “The papers were drawn up separating both our titles, I suppose I will have to have them amended now that I no longer have one,” Chander conceded.

  “Are there any stumbling blocks to filing the separation papers soon?”

  “One big one,” Chander announced. “Alaric has thus far refused to sign them.”

  “Can I ask why?”

  “You can ask but I don’t have an answer to that question.”

  “Would you consider transferring your properties to the Lich Sentinel?” Chyrsander asked. “You can either ask for compensation or gift them. When we’re able to reinstate you as Arch Lich then he can return them, or you can buy them back.”

  Chander’s thoughts whirled. “What makes you think I want to be Arch Lich again?”

  “Fate chose you for the title,” Chrysander stated. “It’s rightfully yours and I intend to see it returned.”

  “What if I don’t want it?”

  “Why wouldn’t you want it?”

  “Chrys, over three thousand necromancers signed a petition to have me removed. I don’t want to rule over people who don’t feel I’ve done a fair and just job. They deserve someone they trust and can stand behind. I’m not that person. I wish I was but that’s the reality of the situation.”

  “I think your elder council is manipulative, and my office has certainly been flooded with calls from necromancers demanding you are reinstated immediately,” Chrysander replied. “We don’t even know if that list of signatures being brandished yesterday was real. They certainly weren’t filed with the petition.”

  “I’m not going to argue the point. The fact is, I’ve never been able to rule my people properly. I can easily see how they have become disillusioned with their leadership. I don’t want to go back there.”

  “Let’s
set that aside for now. We have a lot of work to do to fix the Order of Necromancia, and I’ve told the elder council that. They need to restructure their bylaws if they wish to stay in the Council. There will be one leader, not an elder council who can undermine that power. When those bylaws were ratified, this Council was a different beast altogether and I won’t stand for a race being structured in that way.”

  “The dragons intend to stay then?”

  “That decision has not yet been made. It will take time to get the opinion of all my kings and I want to hear from other shifter communities. If there’s enough of them that are also ready to leave, I’d like to set up a new government to facilitate that. There’s a lot to consider and a great deal to do if we leave. I don’t have a timetable for any of it yet.”

  “The Council won’t survive without you.”

  “Then they don’t deserve to.”

  “Good point,” Chander said.

  “Let’s get back to your properties. How do you feel about transferring your holdings to the Sentinel Brotherhood?”

  Chander leaned back in the dragonskin chair and considered it. The sentinels could use the land to build their complex, so they could get out of that compound. Of course, the Order of Necromancia was going to fight them tooth and nail to keep from summoning them, but Chander suddenly had a great deal of time on his hands. And as Fate would have it, he was demonic. Demons had the rare power to break the bonds of mates. If demons could do something that exceptional, was it possible he could finish what Alaric had begun by smashing the machine that prevented any new sentinels from being resurrected and tied to necromancers? Could he cast a spell which would free all sentinels?

  He could damn well try. It was the least he could do; he should have done more to help them over the centuries. Giving them property was another tangible way he could assist the Sentinel Brotherhood, and it didn’t hurt that it would piss off the elder council. “I’m willing to do that. They certainly deserve it. I wouldn’t want it back. I have plenty of money to rebuild my portfolio. They can use all of it, I’m sure. There’s over eight thousand of them who will need a home here on Council land. As long as the Lich Sentinel owns the stuff, it will be available to them. I don’t know how the hell to convince Alaric to sign the fucking papers though.”

  “Chand, we could talk to him,” Benton offered. “Bax or I could explain the situation. He has no love for the Order of Necromancia. I think if he realized it would mean tossing away land he could use he’d be willing to take that step.”

  “We need his cooperation. The elders can’t touch any of it if it belongs to another race. There needs to be a clear division between you and Alaric. I’m sorry if that sounds rather insensitive. I don’t mean to make light of your situation with Alaric or force you into this,” Chrysander insisted.

  “No, it’s not your fault we aren’t together. It’s actually rather ironic that our breakup can actually work in our favor here.”

  “We’ll talk to him,” Baxter promised. “We’ll convince him.”

  “Good, let me know if it doesn’t work out so we can find another solution,” Chrysander told them. “I’m not going to help the elder council benefit financially from this. The entire situation is a disgrace and I’m ashamed I must be involved at all. You will always be the Arch Lich to me.”

  Chander gave him a small smile. “You’re a good friend, Chrys. I’m sorry this got tossed onto your plate.”

  They said their good-byes and headed home. The sentinels decided to go over their strategy to convince Alaric. Chander let them debate it alone, but one thing needed to be clear. “Guys, tell Alaric we will vacate this property by morning.”

  “Where are we going to go?” Benton asked.

  “Hotel for now until we figure out where we want to live,” Chander replied. When the sentinels were free, Benton and Baxter would finally have the freedom to make their own choices. They didn’t need to devote their lives to following around an unemployed necromancer hybrid. Chander went to his bedroom and dug out the giant box that was filled with the writings of Arch Lich Faustus and Arch Lich-mate Domitia. They’d created the sentinels and if Chander could find their spell in its entirety, it would aid him to unravel it. His mouth twisted into a feral smile. He was damn well going to figure out how to release the sentinels. The only regret he had was that he wouldn’t get to see the look on that fucker Sigimund’s face when he did.

  Chapter 12

  Baxter sat in Alaric’s office and waited for him to show up. It had been three months since he’d last visited the compound, and there had been a ton of changes. After Chander had left them alone, he and Benton had discussed all the things they wanted to talk to Alaric about. Then they’d flipped a coin to see who would get to travel here and Baxter had won. After telling Chander to bring him home in fifteen minutes, he’d teleported in and had wandered the halls looking for his leader. He hadn’t found Alaric, but he’d been thrilled by the groups of sentinels hanging out in rooms together.

  For two thousand years, his people had languished in solitude, but they’d finally been allowed to intermingle. There were sentinels training together and even more of them playing games or sports. It was amazing. When he’d gathered his wits about him and used his senses to track Alaric it had led him to the conference room. The Lich Sentinel was closed in there with the men known as the Skeleton Seven.

  He didn’t want to interrupt, so he took a seat and waited. Baxter wondered how their meeting would turn out. Alaric had to be pissed after seeing that faked photo Chander had decided was proof enough to terminate their relationship. It was sad to think his anger could only work in Baxter’s favor. After all, he wanted the man to sign a document that would legally dissolve his relationship.

  “Bax, it’s been awhile,” Alaric said as he walked into his office.

  “It has.” Baxter stood and nodded at his leader. “I walked around the compound and could hardly believe my eyes. You’ve been busy. Everything looks incredible.”

  “Sit,” Alaric suggested as he dropped down into the chair behind his desk. “We have. I regret it took so long, but we’re finally improving the lives of sentinels.”

  “It certainly helps when you don’t have some awful spell forcing you to do nothing but talk to us all day.”

  “Indeed, how’s Ben?”

  “Wonderful, thanks for asking.”

  “As good as it is to see you, I’m sure you aren’t here to catch up.”

  “I’m afraid not,” Baxter said. “I’m here to talk about Chand, among other things.”

  “I’m aware of the photo. I’d like to see the culprit or culprits punished. Drystan and Conley notified me Chand agreed to the investigation.”

  “Yes, and I’m glad. I know it’s not going to be easy on him when he’s told it’s fake, but that’s the reality of the situation.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t have much sympathy for him.” Alaric’s glowing green eyes were hard. “He should never have believed it in the first place.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. But you know how he is. I don’t think he is capable of being happy.”

  “He’s the only one who can fix that.”

  Baxter couldn’t argue with that—it was the truth. “You’re right.”

  “No offense Bax, but I have a great deal to do today and discussing Chand isn’t one of my favorite pastimes.”

  Baxter understood completely, and he could sense the anger permeating the Lich Sentinel. “I won’t take up any more of your time than necessary, but the Order of Necromancia isn’t done fucking with Chand.”

  “Forcing him out of a job wasn’t enough?”

  “Apparently not,” Baxter replied. “Now they are trying to steal his wealth.”

  “Can they do that?”

  “They are certainly willing to try.”

  “I have no love for the Order of Necromancia, but Chand and I are no longer together. If he has problems, he needs to find his own solutions.”

  “It
was actually the Emperor who came up with a solution, but we need your assistance.”

  “What makes you think I would be willing to assist Chand in anything?”

  “Because the way you can help is by signing your separation papers.”

  Alaric was quiet, and Baxter wasn’t sure how to read his expression. It was several tense moments before he spoke. “Could you please explain to me what say the Emperor has in my personal issues?”

  This might be harder than Baxter had imagined. For three months Alaric hadn’t bothered to sign them, and he’d offered no explanation, hadn’t sent over additional terms. Baxter could only speculate but he knew Alaric had strong feelings for Chander. Perhaps he just wasn’t willing to take the last step that would separate them. “The elders want Chand’s money but that’s impossible. It’s his and has nothing to do with them. His properties are another story. They were all purchased while he was the Arch Lich, and most of them are in or around Council Headquarters. Those properties can only be owned by a Council leader.”

  “While he might not consider it comparable, the way I understand it, Chand still has a title,” Alaric said. “Mine.”

  “Yes, but everyone knows you two have been in the process of dissolving your union legally. The elders are going to use that to their advantage and argue it’s only a matter of time before he loses his title.”

  “I have thus far refused to sign the separation agreement. They shouldn’t assume anything.”

  “Right, but it would still be enough to tie those properties up in legalities for months or years depending on the favorability of our court system.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t follow,” Alaric said. “You want me to sign the papers so the Order of Necromancia can seize all of Chand’s properties.”

  “Chand would prefer the Sentinel Brotherhood get all his land and other properties. He would revise the separation agreement giving you ownership of everything,” Baxter explained. “Once they’re in your possession and he’s no longer the Lich Sentinel-mate, the elders can’t touch anything. It’s a ton of land. You could build the new complex for the sentinels.”