Where Is Everyone?
Breann awoke from her nap and tried to Trump Theseus: no dice. She found Julian and Vaughn working out in the salle. Julian showed no signs of his recent injuries. Vaughn said he was having problems with his mother Flora: she had seen his tattoo, and she also wasn't happy about his newfound independence. Breann invited him to stay in Ander's rooms, as Ander should be gone for some time. Ander, she felt, would understand and sympathize with mother-troubles.
Julian agreed to start Breann on Power Words. They decided on Trump Disrupt--easy to test-- to start and Vaughn as a guinea pig. Julian gave Breann a careful and complete lecture on Power Word theory and practice. Breann heard the first sentence or two, then just watched Julian's lips move. She rejected Julian's suggestion of what word to use to trigger the effect and settled on NO-TEDDY as suitable for focusing her desire to 'block-the-image' (seeing Deirdre in a silk teddy had scared Breann) -- she succeeded -- strongly -- on the first try. Julian was amazed. Normally it took days or even weeks to get the first one right, and Breann was not (ahem) a mental giant or magician.
They tried Magic Negation next, with similar results. Worked the first time and put Julian's glowball effect out. Breann used a mental image of hitting Quinn upside of the head as a focus.
Julian told Breann to stay there, and left, returning shortly with Fiona in tow, who snapped her fingers to make a post glow brightly and commanded Breann: "Show me!" Breann nearly put it out. Surprise. "Have you been practicing this? You should not have been able to do that at this point." Fiona examined Breann closely (read: with a Pattern Lens): "Dear, what have you been doing?"
"I walked the Air Pattern. Don't tell Mom."
"All right. Not for a while." Fiona scanned Breann minutely. "Our natures resist magical energies," she announced to the group at large, "So we have to train for things such has sorcery, magick of any kind... For some reason, Breann is much more transparent to these energies now. She merely focuses and directs the energies." Then to Breann, "You might want to pick up some sorcery. You have acquired a knack."
"So Quinn's probably really good at that now."
??
"He didn't tell you? Quinn walked the Tir Pattern."
Pause.
"Osric, too."
"Good to know," Fiona said, not looking as though the part about Osric was at all good to know.
Breann felt a weak incoming Trump call and felt through her cards: Theseus. He was on his way to the celebration and wanted her there. Breann said she needed five minutes. Breann begged off talking to Fiona and still got a quick technical lecture on the advantages of magick that went right over Breann's head. Vaughn helped Breann solidify the Trump contact. She stepped through to Theseus just as she heard Deirdre call out to her.
Breann gazed around the place where she had trumped to, and turned to Theseus, "You know what I like most about this place? My Mom can't find me here."
Theseus did not comment.
Quinn, in preparing for the celebration by hanging spells, noticed that they came together too quickly. No time to investigate. He joined Artanis in her swan-like flying boat and made stately progress to the designated site, a field, peninsula on the outer edge of Osric's city sector.
Breann quickly found Quinn once they had both disembarked and relayed Fiona's information concerning magick, Tir, and initiates of its Pattern. Artanis expanded upon it after apologizing for not mentioning it before.
Breann set off to talk to Osric, the host of the gathering, about her horse. Quinn followed. Osric invited them to the table. They declined. Breann voiced the hope that the festivities would not include any child sacrifices. Quinn was polite and formal, on his best elf-prince-on-display manners. They left Osric's table and split up.
Breann encountered Brigid, who was condenscendingly affable, and Breann immediately asked her how she liked being Osric's lap dog. The conversation went downhill from there and ended with Brigid telling Breann to watch her mouth if she ever intended to leave the City and its protective truce. Brigid asked after "Benny" and left. Breann stood for a moment wondering what had set her off.
Breann rejoined Theseus. "Go well?" Breann told him the gist of the conversation. Theseus choked on his wine and stared at her for a while. "I'm trying to remember how we decided that you being on my side is a good thing. You stir up as much trouble as you are counteract."
"I was just trying to make Brigid reconsider her opinions."
"She's three thousand years old! Do you think that giving her a few words at a party will change her mind?" Sigh. "So where did you go before?"
"Amber."
"Really. And how is everyone?" Theseus launched an attempt to find out what, or who, Fiona was doing. Breann claimed she had not seen her aunt.
Quinn arrived in the middle of the verbal fencing.
"So," asked Theseus, "what's the plan?"
"I've thought about it. Were I Osric, I'd take you out first and have Anax impersonate you. Then I'd go after Mom -- Artanis."
"Very comforting."
"Probably too direct. And I'm sure my own demise is scheduled in there somewhere."
Breann decided to add to the general happiness. "I talked to Brigid."
Quinn winced. "What about?"
Breann relayed the particulars, including Brigid's mention of Benedict. Quinn asked Theseus about detector-Trumps. Theseus thought he might be able to make such things, but his attempts to make a Trump of Osric had failed. Osric was blocking it somehow. Quinn borrowed the Theseus' Dworkin-made Trump of Osric.
A long, trailing scream from the edge of the cloud interrupted them. Quinn blew his escape teleport to take himself fifty feet beyond the edge of the clouds, and skydived, looking for a falling body. Night, sliver of a a moon, clouds, no flight spells hung, no illumination spell, roughly forty seconds to impact. Irritating.
Breann and Theseus charged through the crowds and found Garvin at the edge, surrounded by a bunch of shocked elves, saying "Oh my God," over and over. Breann broke up the incipient fight.
Quinn cast his Fireclaw spell at maximum range: it provided some light and he could grab the guy with it. Burns heal. No sight of him. He calculated the time remaining and teleported to below the other guy--probably. Flailing around with the Fireclaw revealed more clouds. No time left--Quinn teleported again, straight up several miles. His ears popped. He flipped over and pulled out his Trump case, located Artanis'. She answered immediately, taking in the howling winds.
"Yes-- what are you doing?"
"Falling. Does going through a Trump contact eliminate relative velocity?"
Artanis blinked. "Yes... I see your point." She pulled him through.
Quinn kissed her hand. "Thank you, mother. I neglected to hang a flight spell. Never again."
Meanwhile, the Master of Ceremonies had arrived and got the story from the ranking elf witness. Garvin had been bumped into the elf Caralon, who shoved back. Garvin grabbed Caralon and hit him-- and Caralon fell over the edge.
Garvin, still in shock, babbled "I didn't, I... wanted to teach him some manners. I didn't think he'd go so far."
Theseus refrained from screaming, or crying.
The Master of Ceremonies took over the official investigation.
Quinn and Breann tested Garvin's strength. He was indeed strong enough to punch Caralon that far. And no trace of compulsions on him.
Where is everyone?
Where Is Everyone?
Quinn informed Queen Artanis that he needed to visit Amber, to brief his paternal kin and to gather some facts. Would she care to send along an unofficial envoy? Yes. She selected her grandson (and Quinn's nephew) Elrohir. Quinn popped to Theseus' palace and offered to deliver messages. Theseus gave him a small novel for Fiona and a short scribbled note for the Regent. Quinn urged him to keep her presence in Tir a secret, then remembered Deirdre could not get to her there and asked him to rub that fact in. Back to the Noldor palace, where made sure Elrohir had a Trumpstone (Noldor find Trump cards terribly gauche) of Ygg and briefed him on the Amber royals. Quinn zapped (magickal teleport- through-the-Lens) them (and Elrohir's horse) to Ygg, then from there to the Amber stables.
It was evening in Amber. Benedict was grooming his tigerstriped horse. Quinn performed introductions and Benedict directed them to the dining room and the tail end of dinner. They entered a tension filled room, just as Gerard banged his fist on the table. Deirdre was presiding as Fiona, Julian, Gerard and Florimel bickered. Fiona greeted Quinn and his guest in tones that both invited him to join the fray and announced to her siblings the presence of an outsider.
Elrohir was introduced around as an officially unofficial envoy of a Queen of Tir-na Nog'th, and Quinn's (centuries-older) nephew. Elrohir turned on the royal charm and piqued Flora's interest by showing warm appreciation rather than a tendency to drool. Quinn changed tension into interest by announcing that Theseus was now a King there, that Osric was also a King, that Mom was a Queen and Brigid one as well. Deirdre invited them to dine. Quinn sat by Julian, Elrohir by Deirdre.
Quinn beamed at everyone, saying, "It's so relaxing, being a universe away from Uncle Osric," and fell to eating.
Elrohir kept up the thousand-watt diplomatic charm as he and Quinn answered questions about Tir. Fiona visibly abandoned her Poison Sweet Little Girl routine and engaged Quinn in a technical discussion on Tir magick and Pattern.
Breann cared for her returned wonder-horse and practiced flying on it. She practiced knife throwing with her new dagger. She started decorating her rooms, shopping in the city and playing note tag with Theseus.
That afternoon Breann attended a meeting at the Magistracy to hear the Master of Ceremonies' report. The principals of all the factions were there. After a time the Master levitated over the dais.
This caused widespread murmuring. The Master of Ceremonies' investigations had never failed to succeed within a day.
The Master spoke slowly now, clearly in unfamilial territory, "Further investigation will commence. This will include interrogationa of all involved parties. Interrogations will commence immediately. Notifications will be delivered." The Sindar and Mori were irate. Caralon had been one of them, though unpopular.
Breann offered to help Artanis in any way. Artanis was puzzled by the notion she might need help from non-kin. Garvin received an immediate summons to interrogation. Theseus and Breann were scheduled for two days later.
After dinner, Flora gave Elrohir a tour of the castle while Quinn talked with Julian on the parapets. Julian said that he had seen Brigid during the Moonrider invasion; Benedict had said that she was his equal. Quinn groused that Artanis was slow to react to the threat of Osric and company. Julian told him that he had seen that the Eldar take the long view to an extent alien even to Amberites, but that once convinced she would act decisively. Julian wondered why Osric would make Anax --apparently Brand's son --his choice to walk the Air Pattern. He urged Quinn to carefully examine all his assumptions and rely only on facts.
Loaded down with packages, Breann opened the door to her rooms and backed into a (the?) Hall of Mirrors. She laid her purchases on the floor and cautiously walked down the hall, examining the mirrors.
A door opened out of sight in the cartomancer's room. A male voice shouted desperately, the woman looked around and Breann could hear someone being clubbed in the head and falling. The mirror darkened as a shadow fell across the fortune teller's face.
Quinn briefed Deirdre on the Tir situation in more detail. Deirdre asked after Breann, so he had to tell her that Breann had managed to insult Brigid and insisted on needling Osric. She seemed to be a little sad that Quinn intended to leave in a day. Quinn could see why: he was cooperative, useful, convenient, uninterested in bickering and easy on the eyes. His wants were simple: occasional access to the Jewel of Judgement, in the use of which he had saved her months of trial and error experimentation. He lusted after her. (Sure she knew.) She might not want to do anything about that, but it was nice to be appreciated. Quinn libido resistance weakened: dangerous was a relative term, after all; compared to Brigid, Deirdre was a bunny rabbit. Business first; he still had to talk to Fiona and Benedict.
Fiona was in her rooms, going over Theseus' opus. "Thank you so much for bringing this to me," she said waving at the four pound mass of paper.
"What can I say, o sensei? You make a big impression."
Fiona smiled. "So did Theseus. I shouldn't complain. There is a lot of esoteric information about modern Tir mixed in with the poetry. It does mean I'll have to read it all."
"Any reply?"
"Ah, tell him I was off somewhere doing research... say the Golden Circle."
"OK. He's morose enough already. I don't want to make him suicidal."
"Yes. Maybe it was the angst. I haven't had that in a long time."
Fiona groused about Bleys, annoyed that his behavior was starting to reflect on her. And no wonder, since she was the only thing keeping Gerard or Julian from killing him. She needed, she said to find some way to kick him in the ass and out of his funk. Quinn suggested making him ambassador to King Finndo, which scored a chuckle.
Quinn phrased his questions to Benedict very carefully. Benedict was sharpening a blade at the time.. Brigid was Quinn's second cousin, apparently, and he wanted to do everything he could to drive a wedge between her and Osric. What could Benedict tell him of her character and capabilities? Brigid was the most dangerous person he knew. She was completely mercenary, as were her people. One could outbid her employer, but she gave that person an opportunity to beat the offer. She always anticipated treachery but remained loyal until she saw signs of impending betrayal. She was callous and had no conventional morals.
So much for the Benedict is Brigid's lover theory.
Breann and Theseus were to be interrogated in his palace. When they reached tha room where the Master of Ceremonies was waiting, they found his corpse.
Theseus was stoic. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck..."
Breann examined the big knife driven up through the Master's throat and into his brain. "You know, I think he found out what was going on." There was no sign of a struggle.
"I do not even want to find out what the penalty is for having the Master of Ceremonies killed in your own fucking living room."
The guards, of course, saw nothing.
Where is everyone?
Where Is Everyone?
Quinn got Gerard to open up the armory so he could pick up a few .50 calibre machine gun rounds. He intended to have some rifles made up for big game hunting --Osric and Anax. Gerard accepted Quinn's offer to have a pistol made for him, using the same ammo.
Quinn went riding with Deirdre later that morning. Julian met them in Arden and recommended against riding there. Arden had grown dangerous during his convalescence. Deirdre decided to ride along the coast instead.
Breann went to Artanis' palace and was granted an audience without an appointment, much to the surprise of the gate-guards. They discussed the murder of the M:aster of Ceremonies. Breann implicated Osric, but Artanis said she couldn't see how he would benefit. Or anyone else. There was already a new Master and Osric would have been unable to influence his acsension.
Larik, estranged son of Julian, was slowly working his way through Arden towards Amber, selling his services as a mage. He arrived in a village of tense and tired people. they were exhausted from strengthening the village defenses against attacks from bandits or monsters. Several other settlements had been destroyed or damaged in a pattern pointing straight at their district. Thus, Larik's entertainments yielded less coin than usual. He went to sleep early after sending a letter to his mother via a conjured bird.
Larik awoke to shouting and wailing outsite his window. A dozen outlying cottages had been emptied of their owners in the night. He investigated and found that the doors had still been barred from the inside. He got psychic impressions of quick fear and surprise.
More hubbub: houses five miles away had been smashed flat and something had sifted the rubble for bodies to eat. Manticoras were suspected, vile bus-sized beasts.
Larik offered his services to the village headman, who accepted gratefully. They managed to scare up ten untrained louts armed with pikes and farm implements to deal with the house smashers.
Larik and his peasants waited near a likely house with a good view of the valley. He was prepared with a manticora enslavement spell, on top of his usual assortment. Crash! --from a distance away. Larik activated a Flight spell to arrive quickly and a spell of illumination when he arrived. Smashed house, manticora (15' at the shoulder, lightly enchanted) leashed by a chain (heavily enchanted) to a man (auraed with some sort of defensive spell) in yellow and black robes. Looking straight at Larik, unfortunately, and drawing a HEAVILY enchanted longsword. Larik hit the chain with a lightning bolt. Manticora and man convulsed and fell. The man snapped back up, though, and pointed his sword at Larik, loosing a frostbolt in his direction. It hit. It HURT despite Larik's defenses. Larik decided his monster-or-bandit spell load was not suitable for duelling with another wizard; he flew away, then Trumped home.
Quinn and Deirdre had lunch at Sander's manse, then went windsurfing. Deirdre was much, much better than Quinn at windsurfing and at dunking. He bore his slaughter for a while, then provided a mild challenge for Deirdre by cheating with teleports. Then Deirdre took a Trump call and departed, leaving Quinn to return their gear and mounts to the Castle. Irritated.
At Castle Amber, Quinn found his father, mussed by combat, reporting that several of his outposts had been taken at once by Brigid's shadowhopping troops. Quinn borrowed the Jewel of Judgement and started scanning the area with Julian's directions. He had hoped to make the process interesting for Julian but had forgotten just how hard to find the shadowhoppers were. He eventually MADE a Brigidite hop out in front of his Lens and got a good scan of the power signature. He altered the laws of magick in the shadows Brigid was likeliest to attack, so that emerging from shadowhops produced big, painful, bright, noisy sparks. Then, in a ring of shadows surrounding the sparky area, he enspelled the areas around the outposts to glow softly and uniformly for two days. Then he redid most of it because his technique had improved. And finally, he contacted his automated plant in Aretia and CADed the pistol, carbines and sniper rifles he wanted, and initialized production. By the time it was done, it was after midnight. Quinn was dead tired but happy, pleased to have stuck it to Brigid in even a small way.
The new, young and vigorous Master of Ceremonies interrogated -- via Compulsions --Theseus and Breann. He was very interested in the Hall of Mirrors, and disgruntled that another alien phenomenon had invaded Tir-na Nog'th. He extracted every detail of Breann's adventure in the Hall. Afterwards, Breann informed Theseus that duty called her to Amber. Theseus was relieved.
Where is everyone?
Where Is Everyone?
Once up and about, Quinn teleported his new firearms in from Aretia. Very nice. He checked in with Artanis by Trump; she reported no emergencies. Down to breakfast then, trailed by servants carrying the rifles. Gerard and Caine were eating. Quinn gave Gerard the promised pistol, something like an oversized Luger, and Gerard called the armorer to take charge of the three rifles.
Quinn Lensed around to find Elrohir, who Flora was giving her standard VIP tour. He found them in the vinyards and made mental contact with Elrohir via Lens-touch. boring Elrohir was bored half to death and the FISH HATCHERIES were next. Quinn let his nephew know that Miriel, Quinn's daughter (he hadn't lied to his Amber kin, she really was also his great-great-great-great- grandniece), Elrohir's cousin (and g-g-g-grandniece) was in the Castle. They 'spoke' a while as Flora droned on.
Quinn talked to Miriel, told her about Elrohir and recent events in the Tir. She asked him about the strange hunchbacked dwarf who kept coming around and giving her art and Trump tips. Quinn's heart skipped a couple of beats. So Great Grandfather WAS alive. He told her a little about Dworkin, then took her to his room and showed her the softball Trump. Miriel wandered off in a haze of concentration, rethinking everything the old man had said to her.
Quinn found Fiona in her cavern lab, with a freeze-framed cigar smoking imp on a table. She knew virtually nothing about the 'Twilight', the Eldar shadehopping power. She agreed to give Elrohir one of her Trumps, and to be nice to him.
Just outside Fiona's apparently shielded door, Quinn felt a Trump contact. He held it off while he sorted through his modest deck: Artanis. Crystal-clear contact, with no noticible strain, magickal backup, or attunement to Amber's Pattern: very nice. He was wanted in the Tir. Quinn asked her to contact him again in an hour.
Gerard --in charge in Deirdre's absence-- was in the armory trying out his new pistol. He was rubbing his wrists, but seemed to be pleased. Quinn tried out one of the carbines. As expected, he had to lean forward into the recoil as he shot, and bruised his arm. A mortal's arm might have been ripped off. Quinn told Gerard he'd been called away and would return when he could.
Quinn rolled his four rifles up in a rug, belted on his pistol, and waited.
Breann rode and flew to Ygg in response to her mother's message. She made camp and waited. A few hours later, Deirdre rode in, dismounted and sat at the fire.
"What?" Deirdre asked.
"You called me here."
Both leaped to their feet. Breann yelled, "We should go!" They were mounted in seconds, but already they heard the sound of heavy cavalry charging them from all directions.
Where is everyone?
Where Is Everyone?
Artanis Trumped Quinn, passed his security check and pulled him through. She raised an eyebrow at the guns. Quinn explained that they were for hunting Dear Uncle Osric, gave her one for her security chief and stowed the others in his room.
Breann tried to shadowshift away, then to Trump, as the horsemen thundered closer. Big men on big horses with big wardogs. All armed with high tech double crossbows. When their leader held up his hand to signal for a parley, Breann shot that hand with her wrist rocket, it hit him, not without some discomfort, in the palm -- he glared at Breann.
"We are asking your surrender. Come with us. We are taking you in for internment."
"And we're going to surrender because...?"
The enemy leader pulled off his glove, reached behind his back and pulled out Davin, blindfolded and subdued. "Surrender your weapons."
"Which ones?"
He named them all. "Disarm and shut up or I'm going to start hurting your nephew."
Deirdre looked murder at the man, a look Breann had never before seen directed at anyone but herself. Both handed over their weapons.
"Fine, go ahead, put me someplace safe. I can use the vacation. But don't put me in a room with THAT woman."
"You aren't giving any orders."
Deirdre spoke up. "I second her request." Then, to Breann, "I swear the eight year old with the sack over his head is more mature than you are."
Their captors shackled Breann's and Deirdre's ankles under their horses, triple handcuffed them and put snug bags over their heads. Breann was hit --hard-- up the side of the head.
"That's for the little greeting you gave me, Princess."
"Spend your bounty soon." Inside her hood, Breann was smiling.
Artanis briefed Quinn on the murder of the Master of Ceremonies and its impact. Only two other attempts had ever been made on MCs, who were mages of some sort and psychically very strong. Theseus was generally considered cleared, since no one would have done the murder in their own house. Plus the new MC had interrogated and cleared both him and Breann. The MC was concerned that Breann had encountered the, or a, Hall of Mirrors in Theseus' castle. The Hall was an Amber phenonemon, never before seen in the Tir-na Nog'th. Quinn told her about his own uncomfortable experience with the Hall, stressing that some people seemed to be able to manipulate it.
During their twelve hour plus ride Breann thought about Words of Power that might help them escape. She held muttered conversations with Deirdre until they got caught and injected with some kind of tranq.
The drug made Breann more talkative. "I WAS TELLING HER THE GOOD CHILD GOT HER IN TROUBLE. SHE WAS TELLING ME TO DROP DEAD."
Artanis told Quinn he was scheduled to be interrogated in two days. He asked questions and speculated on why the old MC had been killed. Who guarded the Jewel? How did those attuned to it get access? The MC's lieutenant was the Jewel's guardian. Use was remote, which was much easier at greater range than with the Jewel of Judgement. Quinn suggested that the new Jewel keeper might have been suborned or substituted. Physical contact with a Jewel should enable one to override the wishes of other users. They exchanged impressions of the two Jewels. Quinn tried to reach out to the Tir-na Nog'th Jewel, the silmaril, but couldn't touch it. He asked Artanis if the three-dimensional Pattern in the silmaril was the same as the one in the JoJ. Artanis had never seen a 3-D Pattern in the silmaril. On the other hand, she had never had the time and access to play with it, either. Quinn showed her his memories of the strobing alternaties he had glimpsed in the 3-D Pattern.
Quinn told Artanis he wanted to register a personal realm in Shadow. No, not Aretia: Amber. And claim all his relatives there as his personal household, under Noldor and Tir-na Nog'th law. That way, should anyone attack his, ah, dependants, Quinn could legally kill in their defense, order trespassers away, and so on.
Breann and Deirdre were stripped and chained to opposite walls of the same cell, rough smocks thrown at their feet. Their guards did not look like their captors: low tech, possibly not human. Breann's chains were well beyond her strength to break, as were Deirdre's much heavier ones. Breann worked out a Word to weaken structures: DAMMIT. They had got most of the way free after half an hour when they were caught by too many crossbowmen to fight and re-bound with bigger chains.
These chains were too strong to break, but the stone anchoring the bolts was not. Three hours later they were free of the wall but not the chains. The door was too tough to break and shadowshifting did not work. Their meal, shoved through the slot to tease prisoners who could not reach it, stank.
Quinn tried to Trump Breann to find out what she had seen in the Hall of Mirrors. Local visions? Visions of Amber? Could Sand or her confederate, probably Brand, command the Hall in Tir-na Nog'th? No contact. OK, she was probably in Amber. He tried to Trump Fiona and was blocked. Probably in her lab. Miriel next -- contact. Breann was not in the Castle. Quinn had Miriel ask Gerard to Trump Breann. Gerard couldn't get contact. Deirdre was absent as well. She had gone to Ygg to meet Breann --something about word of Ander's whereabouts.
Suspicious, thought Quinn. Breann seeking out her mother voluntarily? He found a comfortable chair in the library, ordered some fruit and juice and sent the Lens out towards Ygg. The shadows around Ygg had been changed to block Trump and magickal teleports. Two had been changed back to normal and the rest would revert in a few days. They had been changed with Amber Pattern. Most Pattern initiates could have, technically, managed the effect but most would not think to try. Two faint shadow-shifting wakes led into the trap, one each from Amberside and Tir-na Nog'thside. A Path led out to a shadow with very strong residual Trump energies. Quinn decided it had been a Trump Gate, a big one, left open for days. Quite an impressive amount of power. What now? He could run the Lens through an open Trump contact but couldnt normally trace them, let alone dead ones. Such a lot of power ... He brought the Lens up to Editing strength and worked on the shadow, aligning it more and more with the power of Trump. After two hours of this the Gate half-activated, and started bleeding excess power through it. This Quinn could trace.
The exit Gate was deep in Chaos in an extremely strong or real world. Desert, like the shadows around it. With a structure like a termite mound for giants, surrounded by the strongest, most complicated system of wards Quinn had ever seen. He studied the wards and the shadow closely. Most powers were suppressed here, Editing would be difficult though the Lens was little affected. The place was a prison for people like himself, or Deirdre and Breann. Possibly Ander and his family as well, considering the bait that had brought D and B in.
Quinn powered down, tired again, and went to find his mother. He asked her to try to move up his interrogation appointment, since his aunt and cousin were imprisoned in Chaos. He showed her the image of the place. Artanis said she had heard of it but never seen it.
Where is everyone?
Where Is Everyone?
Quinn attended that evening's formal Eldar banquet with the prominent Noldor, Sindar and Moriquendi. (That is: Quinn's clan, their subjects, and Brigid's folk.) At the appropriate time Queen Artanis announced that her son Quentin was claiming a domains and a household in Shadow. The names, she said escaped her, so Quinn supplied them.
"Amber. Arden. Aretia. The lands of the Shadow Railroad from Endor to Aretia. Plus my household, blood kin on my father's side: Benedict, Deirdre, Caine, Fiona, Bleys, Florimel, Julian, Gerard, Ander, Lora, Davin, Miriel, Vaughn, and Lysander."
He looked around the hall with an expression of brotherly concern. "Please take care while traveling in these areas. There have been some raids by unknown forces recently. The measures that I or my kin take against the raiders may be extreme, or even catastrophic."
Dead silence. Brigid's eyes burned into Quinn with acid hate and just a touch of respect for his gall. Brigid and all her people rose up and left the banquet without a word.
"Was it something I said?" Quinn was elated at having scored a point on Brigid, something only a Dead Man Walking could properly appreciate.
Artanis looked pleased. "She'll get over it."
Free of the chains after many hours of work, Breann and Deirdre watched the world go by from the entrance to their cell. No one bothered them, deterred, perhaps, by the strength of the chains piled behind them. Breann teased some while waiting for a friendly human face to pass by. None did. She questioned one man at random and managed to annoy both him and herself.
Breann took off walking upslope until stopped by two eight foot tall semihuman goons with pickaxes. She tried (not very hard) to talk her way past them and was thrown twenty feet downslope for her trouble. So she happily broke their knees, knocked one out and interrogated the other. Breann learned that the only way out was up at the top and that mages there spelled those leaving to prevent them from exploding. The thug worked for a low ranking member of the prisoner syndicate that ran the place and was appropriately ignorant. He thought she might be able to fight her way up. Maybe.
Artanis took Quinn on a quick jaunt through the Twilight Other Side. It was deadly there because the place (seemingly an ethereal forest bathed in soft golden light) reflected one's fears and hates multiplied a hundred-fold. Even she could only stay there a short time, on safer routes. Adepts --Artanis, Brigid and very few others-- could skate the interface between to travel through Shadow, never truly entering the Other Side. Ordinary initiates spent only seconds there while zipping from shade to shade. Quinn started hardening his heart to the notion of stranding, and killing nastily, large numbers of Morir by Editing entire shadows so that everything glowed.
Breann continued upslope with the oversized hafts of the oversized pickaxes. The next set of crossing guards looked like ten foot tall Ogre Buddhas with heavy staves. She magnanimously decided to let her mother in on the fun and went to fetch her. She saw one of her victims crawling grimly upslope and patted him on the head as she passed.
Quinn met with the Master of Ceremonies. The Master first found out about Quinn's kinship ties to Osric, Theseus and Breann. The murders, he said, could have been the work of any of the factions, aimed at incriminating another. The protective spells that edged the Tir had been taken down by a Pattern user. Quinn told the Master of his worry that the murder of the former Master had been aimed somehow at gaining access to the Jewel. The Master was disturbed at how Osric had come into the scene in Tir. Osric's legitimacy was based on his relationship with Lushaira, the only surviving member of the Echilich faction. She had tested positive as Echilich royalty and had survived the demise of her winged kin probably by virtue of her mixed ancestry. The Master was beginning to question some of his predecessor's judgements. The Master left abruptly, before Quinn could bring up his claims to Amber, Arden and all.
Breann found Deirdre moving from group to group, talking quietly. Breann announced that she had found the way out. Magical spells. Deirdre was nonplussed. Deirdre had found someone who had seen Victor taken to Isolation, up near the top. Victor was Up, the exit was Up: they went Up.
Breann and Deirdre passed the unconscious victim.
Breann blew him a kiss. "How's it going, Happy? Love you. Mean it."
"Nice."
Breann shrugged, "He touched me."
The Ogre Buddhas occupied them for several seconds, though they were much better than the two goons Breann had dealt with. More guards, each set better than the last. They picked up better weapons and some clothes. Deirdre kept them moving, not bothering with interrogations. Isolation (with Victor and word of Ander, Lora and Davin) and the way out were Up. All else was immaterial.
Five loops around the prison with no guards led them to a huge- headed guy maybe two and a half feet tall. Melonhead nearly nailed them with a wall of fire. Deirdre threw her wrecking bar at him as Breann Negated his magick shields. It almost worked; Melonhead managed to erect a frantic last ditch defense and stop the bar inches from his skull. Breann Negated the fire wall for a second and jumped through with Deirdre. Melonhead hit Breann with an ice spell and Deirdre hesitated, looking to see if Breann was seriously hurt. Deirdre rushed Melonhead and was stopped by a wall of force. She dug in and pushed forward. Breann, shivering and shedding ice, crawled forward. Deirdre ground to a halt two feet from her foe, shuddering with exertion, while Melonhead moaned and drooled with effort. Breann threw her bar at the big head. Melonhead split his attention for half a second. Breann's bar and Deirdre's fist hit at once. Breann staggered to the body and beat it into pulp. They rested a while before setting out again.
Before he left, Quinn asked Artanis if she had ever destroyed a world. She had not and was horrified by the question. Quinn told her he had thought he would never do such a thing but now had to contemplate the possibility.
Quinn couldn't get throug to Fiona. He went through to Miriel, who was riding in Garnath with Elrohir. He asked Miriel to think about walking the Pattern or learning to use the Twilight. No rush, but it would be a good thing. He took his leave and teleported to the Castle.
Quinn told Gerard he thought that Deirdre, Breann and possibly Ander and his family had been captured and were being held in Chaos. He ended up having to explain about the five-lobed structure of reality to his uncle. Evidently Fiona had not kept the family up to date. Gerard agreed to call a family council and that Quinn could get the Jewel out though Deirdre had not told him where it was hidden. Quinn could FEEL it, all the time, so that presented no problem.
Quinn found Benedict in the gardens, told him about Deirdre, and braced him on his intention to urge several of the family to attune to the Jewel. Benedict in particular. Benedict could follow someone else and attune to the changed Pattern of Amber, then attune to the Jewel. Benedict reluctantly agreed. He wanted to leave Deirdre as much choice in the matters as possible. He had never seen a world blown up, either, and was not happy that Fiona had taught Quinn such a thing.
Quinn found that Fiona's cavern workroom was heavily warded, but it let him in anyway. It was empty of everything, all the equipment, all the furniture. Nothing but a note tacked to the door. SHORT TRIP. I'LL BE BACK. Quinn started rearranging his plans around No Sorcerous or Pattern Master Backup. (Quinn's player contemplated the perfidy of GMs.) He was not happy.
The family meeting consisted of Quinn, Gerard, Benedict, Flora and Vaughn. Nobody informed Bleys. Julian and Caine attended remotely via Trump. that Julian was haggard with exhaustion. He told Quinn that his opponents seemed practically to read his mind. Quinn made a mental note to scan Julian's lieutenants.
Benedict told them that the prison's masters did not negotiate. They had powerful backing and full out eradication might embroil Amber in a war they could little afford at present, if ever. If, however, they managed to rescue Deirdre and company in a quick raid and kept quiet about it, the prison's masters would probably pretend it had never happened. Also, it was the captors, not the jailers, who truly deserved Amber's wrath. He said that Finndo and Kethos would have more current information about the prison. They agreed that Quinn should visit Finndo and request help, then practice creating shadow storms with minimum catastrophe.
Quinn brought up his opinion that having only one person, himself, attuned to the Jewel was poor policy, especially since he spent half his time in Osric's neighborhood. He thought that having enough people attuned to rain down storm and disaster on their enemies twenty four hours a day, for several days at a time would be wise. Also, everyone attuned to it could find it, should it go missing. Caine was all for attuning to the Jewel and volunteered to go first. Benedict would go with him, to conserve Quinn's endurance. Then Quinn would show them both how to use it.
Ten circuits of the prison took Breann and Deirdre to near the top of the prisoner area and to their next set of opponents. These were three tall, well armed and clothed humanoids with the beast heads: two panthers and a tiger.
Deirdre muttered "Rakshasa. Fighters and mages. Be careful."
The tiger spoke as the two came near, "None may pass. State your business."
"We seek passage to the top," answered Deirdre.
"Passage required fees you cannot pay. Go back to your cell."
"What is the fee?"
"You do not have it."
"Then we will just have to take the fee out of your hide."
The rakshasas growled. Just before combat erupted a man spoke up from behind the rakshasas. "Excuse me."
The catmen stiffened half to attention but kept their eyes on Deirdre and Breann. "My lord."
"They came all this way? Hmm. Are they new?"
"Yes, my lord. They came in five days ago."
"Well, we should talk to them first before we take their heads off." He came around the tigerman, patting its head in passing. He was a nondescript blond man of medium height in excellent clothes. He looked them over.
Deirdre said, "Oh shit."
"Well! I didn't think I'd see you again in this lifetime. Would you like to sit down? You're looking a little flushed."
"Since you are inviting us." Deirdre gestured to Breann and said formally, "This is my DAUGHTER Breann."
He looked delighted. "Oh, good. You had another child. You were such a good mother."
"Breann, this is your uncle Delwin."
Where is everyone?
Where Is Everyone?
Quinn and Flora watched Caine and Benedict walk the Pattern. Even though blind Benedict had to hold onto his brother's belt they moved thrugh it smoothly. Once in the center, Caine attuned to the Jewel of Judgement (Quinn could feel it happening), then passed it to Benedict. Dworkin appeared behind Benedict the moment the Jewel had changed hands and teleported the two of them away. Caine, Quinn and Flora were frozen in shock. Caine shrugged expressively.
Flora asked, "Wasn't that ..?"
"Looked like Dworkin to me," Quinn answered. Flora walked slowly away. Quinn tried to feel out the Jewel's location without success. It seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once. "Uncle," he called out, "Please stay there and I'll join you in a bit." He walked to the center at full Pattern Master speed.
Quinn and Caine quickly discussed Dworkin and dodging blame while Quinn caught his breath.
"Which do you think," asked Quinn, "The Jewel, Ben or Dworkin?"
"Dworkin. We don't want to end up inside the Jewel."
Quinn though about it. "That could happen. Dworkin it is."
Quinn and Caine fixed their minds on Dworkin and vanished. They appeared in what looked like the site of Dworkin's "Primal Pattern", with starry blackness replacing the sea-sky, and a pool of stars, or reflecting stars, they couldn't tell which, where the Pattern had been. Wixer the purple griffin was still there, but now he glowed. Dworkin and Fiona were near the pool, surrounded by the entire contents of Fiona's laboratory, tending Benedict who lay still on a surgical table. Dworkin was finishing up implanting the Jewel in Benedict's left eye socket with Fiona's dreamy assistance. Benedict was completely unconscious. Quinn and Caine discovered new levels of shock.
Dworkin finished and started hobbling away.
Quinn stepped a little closer and called out, "Why?"
Dworkin stopped and looked at Quinn. "Why what?"
"Why THIS?" Quinn pointed at Benedict.
"You'll figure it out," Dworkin replied, and went into his cave.
Fiona jumped and looked wildly around, focusing on Benedict, as Quinn and Caine reached her. "I had the oddest dre-- Oh, my." She studied Benedict and the Jewel through her Lens. "He came to my room two days ago and told me to gather my equipment. Apparently he meant all of it. He said that Benedict would be walking the Pattern."
Quinn spoke up, "I thought it was my idea -- no, not THIS," as Fiona gave him a look, "...Benedict walking the Pattern and attuning to the Jewel. Deirdre is missing. Captured and imprisoned."
"Attune to the Jewel? Why not me?"
"I couldn't find you."
Caine picked Benedict up and looked at them impatiently. Quinn took the hint. "Right: I'll take us to the infirmary. Are you coming?" Fiona nodded. Quinn found he had so much ambient power available he could easily send Fiona's equipment to her lab at the same time. Caine settled Benedict on a bed and went to inform Gerard.
Quinn brought Fiona up to date on current events, then got her to explain the techniques of creating, focusing and directing shadow- storms. She agreed to try to be available for advice when he blasted the prison.
Gerard came in to see Benedict and managed to not tear his hair out. He groused at Quinn that he always announced new troubles in groups. Quinn complained about the family's excessive weirdness. Then he relayed to Gerard (as usual, the last to know) that Miriel was his daughter; also that he had claimed Amber as his personal fiefdom under Eldar and Tir law.
Breann and Deirdre had dinner --a great dinner, all things considered-- with Delwin in his prison palace. Breann didn't know much about Delwin or his full sister Sand. She knew little more than: the rest of the family disliked them, but not why.
Delwin made an effort to be a good host. Aside from the wonderful food, they talked. Revenge came up first, then how they happened to be in Utumno. Delwin revealed that he had had himself incarcerated in order to evade his legion of enemies. Very few assassins were willing to persue him into an inescapable prison, and those who had were dealt with successfully. Utumno's administrators were more lenient with client-prisoners, and as a client Delwin could designate his own level of comfort. And, of course, he had risen very high in the prisoners internal power structure.
Delwin eventually offered to help them try to escape, so long as it did not interfere with his own deal with the authorities. He said it would be interesting to see. No one else had ever succeeded. Was this a rush of familial feeling after a long separation? A desire to see a good show? Him testing the strength of the bounds that protected him?
Regardless, Breann and Deirdre accepted his help. He gave them rough plans of the special prison areas --Isolation, Torture, Interrogation, etc. He equipped them with good swords, let them stay the night and said he would get them past the main guard post, one they would not likely pass unhurt on their own.
Quinn Lensed his route carefully, so far as he could, and set out for Finndo's realm. He teleported to Ygg, shadow walked for two hours to the heavily guarded border of Forge lands (where they recognized him -- Quinn supposed that, knowing Finndo, the list of those allowed to pass was small enough that the guards had to memorize all of their faces), then teleported to the City of the Forge.
This time there really was a city there, brightly lit in the night and looking something like sparkling lava, flowing down the sides of the volcano that held Castle Forge in its caldera. Finndo had done away with the initial desolation in record time. Quinn was admitted quickly, though he noticed wards against shapeshifters and several magical scans of other sorts. They let him keep his pistol. Quinn joined Finndo and Kethos at dinner with several people he learned were Chaosians in Finndo's service. Dinner was good but formal in the sense that everyone was on their best behavior in Finndo's intimidating presence. When Quinn mentioned he had Family business to discuss, Finndo dismissed the others with a word and was obeyed with military precision.
Finndo smiled very slightly. "The survivors have become accustomed to my way of doing things."
Once again, Quinn was glad that Finndo had not become King of Amber.
He briefed them on the imprisonments and his intention to break them out. Finndo and Kethos told him about the prison, naming it Utumno, a name out of Eldar myth. Neither wanted it destroyed, especially Kethos, who had worked for a long time as a bounty hunter delivering captives to Utumno. Neither knew of anyone inside they wanted out. Kethos had a long list of people he definitely wanted to stay in.
Kethos volunteered to come along (just as Quinn had hoped) and bring a dozen scouts. He answered more of Quinn's questions with a brief description of the political structure of the Courts of Chaos, its twenty-three major Houses and innumerable minor ones. Finndo's new vassals were chosen from the clanless rogues and eccentrics on the fringe of Chaosian society. Quinn asked about the Power used by Chaosians; he knew they had something, but no more. Kethos told him what he knew of the Logrus, which was enough to make Quinn unhappy.
Then Quinn briefed them on the situation in Tir-na Nog'th, his own status there, and what he knew of Osric's activities. He told them Anax was still working for Osric but showed signs of wavering, and that Osric had a winged daughter who seemed to be more of a captive than an ally. He also showed them his Trump of Artanis (Kethos said "Oh, an elf." This may have been the least ga-ga reaction to an image of Artanis that Quinn had ever seen. Kethos was truly cosmopolitan... or he didn't like elves.) just in case they should somehow meet her, and offered to set up contact with the Noldor should Finndo wish it.
Delwin put illusions on Breann and Deirdre to make them look, sound and smell like rakshasa. Breann was jealous that Deirdre got to be the black panther, but judging by the reactions of the real rakshasa, she was a pretty attractive cougar. He took them along with three real rakshasa with him on his way to see his administrator. Mother and daughter split off once in the Special area and ninja'd their way towards Isolation. They captured two guards along the way and questioned them unpleasantly.
Kethos Trumped the expedition (him, Quinn, twelve scouts let by a captain Cordemarre) to the border. They took equipment packs for Deirdre, Ander and Beann--weapons, armor, first aid packs, food-- in case they didn't want to Trump out immediately -- if there were people to rescue, for example, or (knowing Breann or Deirdre) people to kill.
They stopped at Ygg while Quinn Trumped Fiona to tell her it was showtime. Fiona's arm was in a sling and she looked frazzled. Benedict had developed a fever and the weather went hot or cold as he did. Worse, he was still unconscious but occasionally thrashed about. Hence, her arm. Several of the guardsmen were out of action, and only Gerard could really contain Benedict. Caine was out rounding up ships cast from shadow to shadow by Benedict's fits. Quinn asked Fiona to try to be available anyway.
Quinn took them to near his chosen target shadow and warned them that they were in for hours of boredom as he nurtured and channelled his shadow-storm. He began. After an hour he had to draw back for a while to see what it was inclined to do naturally, so that he could effeciently channel it. Kethos tapped him on the shoulder and Quinn realized this had been going on for some time.
Kethos pointed at a flying speck. "Did you invite anyone else to this party?"
"No." Quinn took a close look with the Lens: Lushaira, looking tired, bedraggled and still wholly edible. He examined her closely enough to be sure she didn't have two Patterns in her (that is, wasn't Osric or Anax), then told Kethos who it was. Kethos relaxed. Quinn touched her lightly with the Lens, "Hello. It's Quinn."
"I know. I've been looking for you." Lushaira swooped in to a landing and came close, very close, to Quinn. "I was in my father's castle when a messenger came for him," she said breathlessly, looking straight into Quinn's eyes. "He --father-- was out in Shadow, so Anax received him. One of Brigid's people. We haven't seen them in the castle for a while, so I hid and listened. Your aunt and the others had been set up and kidnapped. As planned, you found out about it and came here to get them out, so that Father could come and finish you. Anax went to find Father--he doesn't allow Trumps of himself. I came to warn you. I think I can probably get through Shadow faster than they can."
Quinn thought that highly unlikely.
Lushaira was looking at Quinn VERY warmly, but Quinn went into Survival Overdrive Mode at the mention of Osric coming. Kethos' face had the wild look Quinn had seen before at the prospect of confronting Osric.
"Kethos. Kethos! I don't think we can take him. I can probably avoid him and finish up what we're doing if we lighten the load. What say you Trump the men to the border, then I'll pop us around and we can complete the mission?" Kethos growled, but told Cordemarre to call in the scouts. Kethos scanned the horizon with his smoking, sizzling sword naked in his hand.
Quinn sent the Lens to the infirmary in Castle Amber and stopped it two feet from Fiona's face. She was busy, working healing magick on Benedict, but glanced up. "What?"
"An emergency. Osric is coming. I want to send someone through..." Quinn stopped as he saw the first returning scout strike Cordemarre with an organic stinger -- Cordemarr careened into Kethos, who fell over stiffly, immobilized by some magick. Quinn grabbed Lushaira's wrist and activated the Escape Teleport he had hung, which would have taken them through the Lens to Amber. Lushaira resisted and a stinger took Quinn under the shoulder. He felt his muscles instantly stiffening. Quinn's psychic receptivity was cranked high to keep in contact with Fiona and Lushaira: the scout was Anax, and seemingly concerned for Quinn, in a 'quit fighting me, yah dumb son of a bitch' kind of way. Sure.
Quinn sent through the Lens (and the links --shutting them out would have taken time and energy) "Help me burn him!" and blasted Anax with everything he had left...
...Lushaira cried, "Don't fight him!"
...Fiona grabbed Quinn's Lens with her hand and used Quinn like a power cable. He saw Anax' stinger tentacle vaporize and passed out.
Quinn's hunger woke him up. He remembered Anax and struggled to rise. Blinding pain put him back down, feeling like every inch of his skin was on fire. His head hurt, but not as much as his memory said it should have. How did he get burned? Oh, yeah, "HELP ME BURN HIM!" Apparently, Fiona had taken it literally in that split second she'd had to in which to act. Shit.
He opened his eyes. He was in a nice cell, clean and orderly, with the door open and no guards. On a cot with soft sheets -- agonizingly rough, to him. Kethos was opposite him, working his right hand out of a manacle by leaving skin and bits of meat behind.
Later, after Kethos bandaged his hand and Quinn got over the dry heaves, Kethos complained about Quinn's "Honey". SHE had locked Kethos' muscles when Anax attacked. He hadn't resisted the psychic contact because Quinn had described her as Osric's victim and had allowed her to get close to him. Quinn had been unconscious for two days.
Kethos growled, "Heal fast. I want to beat the crap out of you."
"Please wait until after I kill those two. Or we do."
Kethos looked surprised. "Kill 'em? Your Honey was trying to save you."
"Sure they were. And she's not my 'Honey'. I talked to her for an hour or two.. later I felt for her, stuck with that monster Osric."
Kethos, per normal, shrugged, "well, she said it was Anax's idea. They thought you would never trust him enough to cooperate. She was almost hysterical thinking you might die -- hardly seemed like a relative."
Quinn thought about it. It seemed unlikely. On the other hand, they were alive and the cell did not look at all like Osric's taste in guest accomodations.
"So why are we here? Where are we, anyway?"
"Utumno. This was the backup plan. With Anax dead, or almost dead, damned shape-shifters are hard to kill, she forced Cordemarre's men to bring us here and paid for our keep."
"Damn. First time I ever made such an impression on a woman, so fast." There was a long silence as Quinn weighed the pain of moving against his hunger. "Kethos."
"Yeah."
"Do me a favor. I'll owe you a big one."
"What?"
"Feed me. Moving hurts. A lot.
Growled: "Alright. But don't ever tell anybody."
"Who would believe it?"
Kethos looked down the hallway to be sure no one was coming, then gave Quinn some water.
Where is everyone?