"Your Highness, I am Fego, Lord Kel"s stable master," a man said stepping forward and bowing, interrupting my enjoyment of the view. "I"ve been speaking with your staff about the animals Thom kept here."These three adults and the two smaller foals were owned by him," he explained as he motioned to his staff who quickly opened a side pen. He seemed concerned about something as he finished his explanation by pointing to three horses with collars and two smaller foals that were obviously part of a family unit.
"The Keep has agreed to provide you with mounts for your guards and Va.s.sals. They are being saddled now. When you arrive at Duke A"Daoine"s estate someone will take over their care and see that they are returned."
Fego was an interesting man. Short, barely taller than three feet, but he was perfectly formed, not afflicted with dwarfism, or the a.s.sociated physical characteristics that usually accompanied that mutation. "What race is he, Caraid?" I asked.
[Brownie,] he answered.
[Brownies have a special affinity for animals and crafting, most n.o.bles will have one employed to manage their stables and aviaries.]
Strolling over to the animals, I began running my hands along their necks, grabbing halters so I could examine their eyes and teeth. I really had no clue what I was doing, or what I was looking at, but I remembered seeing these actions used on television shows I"d enjoyed.
The teeth finally clued me into what I was seeing. These weren"t the teeth of grazing animals; these animals were meat-eaters. "Caraid," I began, "what kind of animal are these?"
[They aren"t animals, Teigh. These are Kelpies, shackled with silver and magic, they have been enslaved to obey any who command them through their collars.]
"Kelpies? Slaves?" I spit out not caring that I did so aloud and not silently to Caraid. "You would have me become a slaver? And what of the foals? Kelpie children?"
"Your Highness?" Fego stuttered in confusion as fear crossed his face, the reason for his uncertainty and unease now obvious. "These animals belonged to Sir Thom. He decided to begin breeding them. He did so with the knowledge and approval of Lady Patricia."
Turning to Leian, fire and ice flashing in my eyes, I demanded, "And Lord Kel? Was he aware his son was keeping slaves?"
Leian turned pale as my anger blazed, "I don"t know, Your highness. I don"t see why he wouldn"t have been aware. There is no law against owning Kelpies. They aren"t Seelie, they are barely more than animals. Most highly Ranked that are landed keep a Kelpie herd."
"Well if there isn"t a law against enslaving them," I hissed, "there should be."
"How do I remove these collars and free these people?"
"You just need to channel intent and will into the silver collars," Fego answered, hope replacing fear from his face. Maybe I wasn"t the only one that considered Kelpie people and these actions reprehensible.
"And the foals?"
"They are bonded to their parents. Free the parents and the foals will be freed too."
Reaching out to grab the nearest collar, I was shocked when my hands began burning. The pain from simply touching that vile construct almost bringing me to my knees. And these beings had to endure that pain every moment of the day.
Gritting my teeth, I began to channel intent. Setting my will against the pain, I probed and searched, a.n.a.lyzing how the collar was held together, what spells reinforced this evil. It was a good thing I took the time to examine the spells that had been etched into containing the Kelpie, there was a spell of backlash that would kill the Kelpie and the person who removed the collar if certain conditions weren"t met. One of the conditions that had been set required Thom to remove a spell lock or the collar would explode.
The pain was excruciating, and I could smell of burnt flesh as my hands reacted to the silver and enchantments, but I refused to surrender to that pain. I was a Prince with the blood of G.o.ds flowing through my veins, and I would not be denied.
Twisting my energy into the now-familiar Mobius strip, I spun my energies until they surrounded and buffered the collar. Activating Belenos Aura, I expanded the effect to cover all five Kelpies, and then I pulled. Pulled the energy from the spells powering the enchantment, pulled the molecules that made up the interwoven links of silver and metal, and pulled the blast that erupted when I broke the enchantment.
Moving from Kelpie to Kelpie, I replicated my destruction until the collars were nothing but metal slag littering the ground.
"I, Prince Teigh Mac De Belenos y Cyronax, declare these beings free. Slave"s no more. Further, I bestow upon each of them the sum of 100 gold so that they can start a new life. The same amount Lord Kel allowed Thom when he banished him."
***
[Quest [Hidden]: Free the Kelpie
You have begun to right the wrongs that will change the lives of all Sidhe. Although in Sleep, the pain of her children has intruded into her dreams, the G.o.ddess Danu is grateful and rewards you with 100,000 experience for each person freed from slavery.
Quest Repeatable]
***
Magic began coalescing around the Kelpies as soon as I received the hidden quest as System responded to those completion notifications. Continuing to pulsate Belenos Aura in healing waves, I confirmed that any damage they may have taken was healed or healing.
Once the energy from the aura seemed to be done doing whatever it was meant too, and in an explosion of light and sound, five horses were replaced with a man, a woman, a teenage boy, a young girl, and a preschool boy.
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"People not animals", I thought in fury.