Michael Manning - The Line of Illeniel

“I would think the fact that I am a wizard should be the strongest proof you could have of my line of descent. I would also think you might be a bit more accommodating in light of that fact, rather than making obvious threats concerning my property.” I had my hands together and made a steeple of my fingers while I stared at him, giving the appearance of a man deep in thought. “I have no intention of leaving here today without a full accounting of my wealth, a proper account book, and a sizable withdrawal.”

The fat bastard was almost shaking with rage now, “Lord Cameron, or Illeniel, or whoever the hell you think you are… you really don’t think you’re the first person to come into this place and threaten the bank do you? Do you think a few magic tricks are enough to frighten me? Right now your guard and your Anath’Meridum are outside surrounded by a rather numerous group of bank guards. If you even think of damaging this facility or harming me you’ll be dead before your pact-bearer’s head can hit the floor.”

That surprised me, I’ll admit it. It never even occurred to me that they might be prepared for a situation like this, or that they would so quickly resort to violence. Worse, while I cared nothing for the giant of a man who had come with me I wasn’t sure if I could protect Penny. A moment’s concentration and I could feel the presence of a large number of men drawing closer from several directions. There would be no easy escape for Penny and Cyhan. I doubted I could get a shield over Penny from the other side of a closed door. He had me dead to rights. But he didn’t have to know it; he’d already made one rather large assumption that was incorrect.

I laughed. I tried to emulate the laugh James Lancaster had used long ago to break the tension after I had beaten Devon Tremont at chess. I laughed long and loud, forcing the sound up from my belly. Finally I stopped, “You’ve made one rather large mistake here my friend. I don’t have an Anath’Meridum yet. I am still unbound and while it would probably annoy me even more if you harm my servants, it won’t do a damn thing to stop me from bringing this bank down around your ears. I wonder how well you could do business sitting in a pile of rubble?”

Let us shake it down!

Great the voice was back again, I thought to myself.

“Now you’re just boasting! What a farce! This building is solid stone and it has stood here for well over four hundred years. You might scorch some of the wood work or damage the furnishings but you don’t really think you could bring it down?” Flecks of spittle flew out of his mouth as he shouted. Clearly Mister Aston didn’t handle stress well.

Even as he was speaking I could feel a giant heart beating in the earth beneath me. I had planned to use my power to do something mildly showy… like breaking his lovely desk, or tossing some papers around, but the voice and that deep rhythmic beat gave me another idea. I let my mind expand; feeling the heartbeat below as if it were my own… then I directed my thoughts outward. Go ahead and shake, I thought at it.

A rumble shook the building, sending a vibration through the floor. It was deep, like a sound too low to hear, and everything began to move. Mister Aston tried to stand as astonishment flickered across his face. He promptly fell as the building gave a shudder and the floor moved underneath him. I was growing concerned myself, dust and plaster were sifting down from the ceiling and my stomach was full of butterflies as the entire building moved again. Stop! Enough! I screamed mentally, to who I’m not sure. The rumbling died down and the building grew still, but I could still feel that gigantic heartbeat pulsing far away… below the earth.

I looked at the banker; he was on all fours clutching at the carpet beneath his desk as if to anchor himself. I wasn’t sure what had happened but there was no need to let him know that, “You were saying something about how solid the bank is Mister Aston? I don’t think I caught all of it. Perhaps you’d like to repeat yourself?”

His face was blank, “Uhh…” He seemed to have lost the power of speech.

“Perhaps you’d better go get those account books so we can get down to business?” I suggested amiably.

“But I can’t…” he started.

“Can’t is an ugly word Mister Aston. Let’s keep a positive outlook. Go fetch the books so I can get out of your hair. I’m sure you have a lot of other work to do,” I gave him a reassuring smile.

The blood had drained out of his face. My smile sometimes has that effect. He got up and started to leave the room, “I think perhaps you’re right Lord Cameron. Let me get my assistant and we’ll sort things out as quickly as we can.”

“Please tell my bodyguard and maidservant to come back in on your way out.” I had to stifle a giggle at the thought of calling Penny a maidservant, but I managed to keep it in.

Penny and Cyhan came back in immediately after he left. As soon as the door shut she gave me a questioning glance, “What did you do?” She seemed to have forgotten her anger at being called a servant. Meanwhile Cyhan was glaring at me. I got the feeling I had made my situation with him worse, but I couldn’t be sure.

I tried to calm her down, “Nothing. It wasn’t me! I just heard the voice again and this time I told it to go ahead and shake things up. I had no idea that things would actually shake!”

“You’re hearing voices already?” Cyhan interrupted. He said it as if he had expected something of the sort.

“Just every now and then, but I’m not crazy. Honestly… I know the voices aren’t my own,” the more I talked the crazier I sounded. It couldn’t be helping my case with him. I wondered what would happen if he thought I had truly lost my mind. Would he try to hurry up the bonding, or just murder me in my sleep? Before we could finish our conversation Mister Aston returned with two assistants and several heavy looking ledgers. I was grateful for the interruption.

The next hour was a confusing mess of numbers and accounting. Having decided to cooperate; Mister Aston had become the very soul of courtesy and helpfulness. My father’s company had closed a few years back but they had continued operating for over ten years after he died, while paying in his share of the profits to the bank. The Count di’Cameron had also been a dutiful saver when it came to preparing for the future. Once Aston had finally summed everything up I was stunned at the total. I immediately understood why the bank had been reluctant to let me have the funds.

“Wait, could you repeat that for me?” I asked.

“Twenty six thousand four hundred and twenty three gold marks in liquid assets, plus a six percent interest in the Royal Bank of Lothion,” Aston repeated dutifully. “Then you also have to consider your land assets, the mining operations in the southern Elentir copper mines and the wool factorage in Gododdin…”

“Wool factorage?”

“A trading concern there, buying and selling wool, presumably your father invested in it due to the high prices of wool here in Lothion. A good portion of the shipping his other company handled was wool. After the government in Gododdin collapsed the factorage stopped shipping to Lothion, which caused Trigard Export to fall into a slow decline. Although the two nations are no longer trading actively his interests in the wool factorage are still there. I don’t have up to date numbers but the Bank of Gododdin should still be keeping records of his profits there, whatever they may be.”

In spite of the chaos of a civil war and rebellion the bank was still operating normally? I guess banks could care less about matters of government and religion… business goes on. My mind was still reeling from the shock of what he had told me. “What exactly does six percent interest in the Bank of Lothion mean exactly? Is that interest paid on my cash assets here?”