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Ch.12

Alexander glared in irritation at the white granite walls of Thallia, the capital city of Thrace, the last time he had laid eye's upon these wall he had razed the city to the ground. That was a long time ago, a different city, with a different name but still the blasted walls stood firm. One of the last reminders of the Old Elven Empire that still stood here in the central lands. Fortunately the Kingdom of Thrace was a remote location in the scheme of things, between the lands belonging to the demon tribes lay several more kingdoms and the Graal Empire. The isolation of Thrace made it the perfect location for his plans.

For the day he had chosen a tasteful wine colored doublet with black embroidery and a pair of black leather breaches and matching riding boots, with a gentleman's cane carved from an elder dragon's thigh bone. The perfect atire for a well to do gentleman like himself, alongside him was his personal aide, a tall slim man with a thin curled mustache and combed back hair graying with age. Their goal, the Thallian Bankers Guild, an unpleasant association of greedy beady eyed men who cared for little beyond the margins of their profits, still they had their uses.

“May I be of service sir” questioned a portly rotund man dressed in flowing silks bought from the tribes of the Arachne, his choice of colors a garish mixture of gold and crimson.

Alexander regarded the man by dismissively rolling his eyes as his aide handled the man, masterfully playing the part of a man of great means and little patience for those beneath him.

“Yes, my good sir, my sire is in need of the Master's services, you understand of course that my lord is a very busy man” the aide greeted the man warmly while carefully slipping a few gold coins into the portly man's hands.

“Of course right this way my lord” the lumbering tub of lard led them from the foyer into a rather large office stocked with a tray of fruits and several choice bottles of liquor before scampering off while greedily rubbing his hands together.

“Disgusting creatures are they not Woodhouse” Alexander questioned as he poured himself a glass of brandy, stopping to savor the delicate aroma.

“Humans, sire” the seemingly elderly man questioned whilst furrowing his brow, he was never quite sure in what direction Alexander's tangents were headed.

“Bankers”he replied distastefully before taking a sip of the quality liquor before continuing “still, like all vermin they serve a purpose”.

“Indeed sire, they are creatures of greed and gluttony, our kind are but a reflection of their own worst traits, while these men actively pursue such depravity” he replied taking a pipe from his jacket pocket before stuffing it with tobacco for Alexander.

The two men sat in relative comfort for a short while, enjoying the amenities provided till the Master of the Thallian Bankers guild arrived, the man dressed in plain atire, good quality but not overly opulent in appearance. He was a man of stiff character, a man of details and numbers. The man stopped for a moment to examine the two men seated before him. One a middle aged man of strong bearing and noble birth, while the other was much like himself an man of dogged professionalism though further along in years than himself.

“Henry Steiner, at your services my Lord, how may I be of service” the man spoke with a slight bow towards the middle age man who was currently regarding him with a gaze of mild curiosity.

“His Lordship, has many matters that are in need of his attention this day thus he would prefer to keep this short, my Lord requires a manor with in the city near the Royal Mage's Academy. He has some business that has brought his personage to Thrace, however he is hoping we can have this matter settled with in the week” Woodhouse responded pulling the cover off of a small chest laden with gold. “His Lordship believes the funds should be sufficient, if they are lacking please send a missive to the Velvet Rabbit, the proprietress will be able to contact us on your behalf” he explained before sliding the chest across to the man.

“To whom should I address such a missive” Henry inquired ignoring the obvious tactic used by many nobles to gauge the trustworthiness of men such as himself.

“Alexander Draconis, it will be a pleasure doing business with you Henry Steiner, if you'll excuse me I have an appointment at the Academy” Alexander replied leaving the man inwardly confused. Normally a man of his position would not directly associate with a commoner, even one of considerable prestige and wealth, especially not a banker. The professions of banking and money exchange were seen as dirty, but nessecary for society to function, though such functions were usually handled by the one's trusted retainers.

The whole situation was a little obtuse, there was something strange about Alexander, it felt as if the man had been testing him in more ways than one. He couldn't help but shudder as he recalled those cold crimson eyes, the way they seemed to bore into his soul. Henry had the feeling that Alexander knew the exact contents of that chest and knew that it would be the more than enough to get what he desired, and that if he was single cent short there would consequences. Still he was a man of his word, as far as Henry was concerned, greed was not a good business model. A slighted customer, was a customer lost to your competitors. A fair and honest businessman might have smaller margins, but he'd have consistent margins, where as a greedy merchant might have a large windfall one year only to loose it all the next. He let our a weary sigh before personally looking through the bank's collection of writs and documentation nessecary to complete the transaction

House Draconis was long forgotten and lay in ruins, a shattered attempt to create peace between two warring races, for Alexander's plans to bear fruit the house had to be rebuilt. With that in mind Alexander currently sat across from one of the few men old enough to even recognize the sigil upon his right ring finger. A black dragon swallowing it's own tail, the symbol of a long dead and forgotten noble house, a house that once ruled these lands. A house that had married off a young naive girl to be wedded to Alexander, only to be betrayed by their allies once their attempt to broker peace had come to light.

Alexander regarded the Arch-Magus across from him, a man with a face that seemed both wizened and ageless, bearing not a wrinkle but his beard and hair had long ago turned white as snow. His steel gray eyes were world weary, one of the few traits that gave some hint to the man's age, his preservation was a side effect of long term Aether exposure. Though it was the ring upon Alexander's finger that made the man feel his age for the first time in a few centuries, his eyes following it's every movement while the two sat in silence.

Alexander cleared his throat while carefully considering his words “ I am Alexander Draconis, I don't believe we've met before. However you seem to recognize this” he said holding his hand up.

“Where did you get that” the Arch-Magus glared at the middle aged man who was teeming with power beyond his years, he supposed that was something they both had in common.

“From my wife, I am not here seeking conflict old man” he spoke with a soft firm somber tone while idly rubbing the ring.

“No, I imagine you're not, it's been three hundred years , if you are who I think you are” the old man replied with a weary sigh. “What do you want Demon, you've been more than happy to let the world believe you died fighting the heroes” he spoke with a solemn bitterness.

“I didn't die, I merely grew old, old and weary of the cycle of endless violence and bloodshed, after the death of my wife and daughter I razed the kingdom's of men to the ground and drank my fill of blood but it couldn't fill the void in my heart. So when the empire and the remaining powers summoned their heroes and marched to war I made a deal with the Heroes, I fled the continent and spent the last three hundred years in exile” Alexander explained with a weary honesty he had never expected.

“What changed, I doubt you have any love for humanity, after everything that has happened, the sins of humanity run as deep as our blood is red” the Arch-Magus's voice was thick with sympathy, he knew what it was like to lose friends and loved ones.

“My grandson, I have no desire for him take up the mantle, violence only begets more violence, I want to send him to the Academy and have him resurrect house Draconis” Alexander smiled warmly, an expression that the old man was happy to see on his face.

“I suppose you want my help in this mad endeavor” the Arch-magus mused over his thoughts before continuing. “He is gifted in magic, all of your kind are even if you don't pursue it, and if nothing else I owe my old liege this much at least” he sighed. “When should I be expecting the young man” he inquired while stroking his beard.

“In six years time, he is still a boy and needs to get his Demonic power under control, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by just how talented he is for a ten year old” Alexander smirked.

“Right, still it wont be easy, he'd be considered a disenfranchised noble, a noble by birth but with out lands or a title, roughly equivalent in nobility to a knight. We will have to take a number of situations into account, he's going to have to build a base of wealth and recognition if you are aiming for a political marriage. Otherwise he'd have to petition the king for a title, which would still require him to complete the first steps” he mused working through a myriad of possible avenues.

“All in due time, one does not build a castle upon shifting sands” he said with a smirk before leaving the Arch magus to his own thoughts.