"...those mysteries, which Heaven will not have the Earth
know."
-- Coriolanus, Act 4, Scene 2 (Wm. Shakespeare)
You make plans, but does it do you any good? Of course it does. But sometimes...
Miriel is doing fine, though she says the family is 'spooky'. Damn straight. Fiona has given her some tips and help, but is having trouble not using the Pattern for everything. I don't suppose I can criticize Fi's inflexibility until I break a habit I've had for millennia. Miriel gave me a completed Trump of Breann.
Bleys didn't know anything useful. He was surrounded by wonderful food; apparently, the staff are trying to make up to him. He says he hasn't talked to Fi yet. Be nice if she'd put her foot up his ass. Maybe Dad will just kill him. Shouldn't bee too hard, since the jerk is still drunk or passed out most of the time. Doubt that Dad is practical enough for that. Besides, Fi would be upset.
It looked like a good time to go find more gunpowder. I had Gerard let me into the armory rather than teleport in: courtesy. We shot up a suit of armor as a test. Damn, the stuff still works, post-Reconfiguration. I took some shells apart and studied the pink powder. I thought I should be able to find/make a shadow with plenty more, and maybe find Corwin's supply source.
Breann Trumped me just before I could Trump her. She was a little high, and I could feel Theseus backing her up, but the contact was so clear that Theseus had to be using one of his Specials. Because they were in Tir-na Nog'th. How in hell did Breann get there? She said something confused about a drug trip and Shadow walking. Dad had warned me against that; I'd done a little while drunk--bad enough. She said she and Dad had been wounded and drugged in Arden, that Morgenstern should be bringing him in any time. Osric was in Tir-na Nog'th and had trapped her, but she had escaped him. Alright Breann! She wanted me to go to her and help out.
I thought about it. Scouting the situation out was important, and since Mom was probably there I should be able to gather a lot of info. I wanted to see the place anyway, and walk the Pattern there... On the other hand Osric was there and had already walked the Air Pattern. Anax had to be around, too. Brand...?
What the hell. I wrote Gerard a quick note, passing on Breann's information, and gave it to the guards. I grabbed a 9mm pistol and three clips. It might work, and if it did then Osric's guns would work as well. Best to know. Breann pulled me through: it felt very strange and seemed to take far too long, but I arrived in one piece.
Theseus, still carrying Greyswandir, briefed me on the odd political situation, including the annoying fact that the 'elves' were split between Brigid's and Artanis' factions, and Brigid was still working with or for Osric. I gave Theseus an accurate account of the Cosmic Reconfiguration, as I understood it. Theseus said that Artanis had arranged for him to secretly attune to the Air Jewel (aha! Mom was attuned. Good.) for reasons she had not shared with him. I told them Artanis was my mother. Worth it just to see the expressions on their faces. I discussed disguises. Breann was eager--rabid--to see me wear a dress.
I Trumped Mom. Brigid is a great-aunt of some kind to me. Her branch of the Noldor have been separate for a long, long time. Mom said she was fully competent with the Air Pattern, mildly offended that I would ask. I had assumed that anything I could do (once I walked the thing), she could do better, but I hadn't KNOWN. She was charmed with the idea of me walking the Air Pattern--it pays to be useful. I let her know that, very likely, Osric wanted me dead, and why. And why we wanted him dead. We cut the contact to plot.
I remembered the pistol and pulled it out. Breann immediately wanted it for herself. I piled up three fat pillows, shoved the barrel into the top one and pulled the trigger...
Well, Corwin's pistol works just fine. Breann was very happy when I gave it to her. She seems to think I'm a complete idiot with weapons. Later on, just to get a rise out of her, I showed her all the movie gun tricks I knew: fancy draws and reholstering, trick shots, all that stuff.
So where did all this come from? Theseus' section and the people? People with their own traditions? Held in the mind of the local Totem, their Unicorn equivalent, for several thousand years? Spread over Shadow in the old universe?
I hadn't really seen Mom and my maternal kin deal with a new problem before. They are slow to believe. I begin to see how Dworkin and the Unicorn got away with reordering things back in the dim and misty. Mom suspects I might think of Tir as a adjunct of Amber and warned me not to. Didn't want to. She does NOT want Fiona coming here. I think that they would either be fast friends or instant rivals.
Breann HATED Mom's Majestic Aura. After. I suspect Mom can do several different ones. Men have to make valiant efforts not to drool, sans aura. Yep, full-on folktale elfqueen Instant Infatuation.
Mom went along with gifting Breann with armor. I'm sure she can see where my thoughts are going: Plan A, Breann with Greyswandir, me and Theseus with a psychic attack.
Sis and her boys--all centuries senior to me-- ribbed me about the pointed ears. Full-elf wannabe. Just Hiding In Plain Sight. Silverstep says she's staying out in Shadow, just in town for the ceremony.
Lusharra is very attractive, charming, intelligent and, I think, interested. Or, at least, was. And not in on arranging an encounter between me and Anax, else Osric would not have been so surprised. She may well have been tasked to finesse a meeting between the unknown elf candidate and Anax.
Mixed feelings. Yes, I was thinking about sleeping with her. A cousin? Doesn't seem to bother me. Hell, I've been lusting after my aunt for a while. The idea of making love with a shapeshifter bothers me. Too many grotesque and bloody possibilities. Safe sex: "Just a little mind probe, my dear, it won't hurt a bit. Oh, shit, you're not Lusharra! Hi, Uncle..." No, thanks. She may be a fine person, despite Osric. Oberon was, by all accounts, a jerk, who fathered both Osric and Gerard. Polar opposites. For that matter, I think Anax can be, hm, 'redeemed'. He hasn't done that much. Yet. Glad I got to talk to him. He seemed like a stand-up guy when we first met.
I liked the teleportal touch. It cost me, and Brigid knew it, but I think she appreciated the style. Now I need to talk to her... I'll zap over to Amber and quiz Benedict about his relationship with her, if any. See if there are any good gambits there. Brigid is quite arttractive herself--down, boy! Sizzling with power after a Pattern walk makes one horny, and it has been a while, but damn-- getting the hots for really dangerous women is not my ususal thing.
It does add a certain extra something, though.
Interesting, this enhanced control of magick with the Air Pattern initiation. Glad I didn't know about it before, as I was even more vulnerable than I had thought. Mom forgot to tell me... well, I've never caught her in a lie. Further, the Tirians do not seem to use spells much, or someone else would have been able to help Caralon. How in Hell can people live in Magick Central and not take advantage of it? Note: keep the Lens up whenever possible and always hang a Flight spell or two.
Breann has virtually no control over her mouth. She means well, mostly, but she is downright dangerous to everyone in her vicinity. Poor Theseus. Poor Deirdre. Poor Breann unless she's the luckiest person in existance.
Too many possibilities on the Garvin-Caralon incident. I tend to automatically assume Osric and Anax are involved; it is not necessarily so. Brigid, or any of her subordinates, could have had a reason, personal or political, to rub Caralon out. Maybe even one of his own relatives. Perhaps Garvin really does think with his fists. We'll see what the Master of Ceremonies comes up with.
Nice to be right about Trumps. Think I managed to surprise Mom, too.
Elrohir and I met Benedict in the stables, them went in to dinner where everyone looked ready to strangle one another. What is this crap? The kids take off for a while and the Amberites all end up at each other's throats? That is pretty much what Dad had told me in explaining why he wanted me to avoid Amber, but the crisis must have put them on their best behavior for a while. Except for Bleys. Maybe the frustrated desire to blow Bleys' head off while he lies in a drunken stupor is causing tensions to rise.
Quinn and Elrohir were welcome distractions, with tales of strange lands and gossip of Dearest Uncle Osric. Elrohir went over well, no surprise. Flora looked particularly appreciative. He may have a busy time.
I'd never before seen that Nasty Darling schtick Fi was doing. Not that she would have used it on a student. Ugh.
Dad is probably right: I should check out Lushaira and Anax as thoroughly as possible. I need every weapon I can get.
Got some warmish signals from Deirdre. More than just relaxing with Quinn the Convenient? Damn, this is DISTRACTING. Why am I obsessed with sex the last few days? One: I've been back among the unearthly beauty of my Noldor kin after a long break. Two: every time I see Osric and come away alive, I want to throw a party. Ah. No, it's Three: Eat, Drink And Be Merry, For Tomorrow I Die. I do not truly expect to survive vendetta with Osric, Brand and Brigid.
Shit.
I'll just have to do everything I can to beat the odds.
I really should have made the time to acquire a mistress, a courtesan, in Amber. And if I go looking for one now, after making eyes at Dee... no.
Fi is getting heat for Bleys' boorishness. Understandable; if not for her, Dad or Gerard would probably just kill the jerk. Hope she can do something with the Osric Trump.
Ben says Brigid is a complete mercenary. WHAT IS HER PRICE? Finding a good gift for Mom (or me, for that matter) is no easy task. What in Hell could you tempt her with?
I woke up in Amber and found the note inviting me to go riding with Dee at 10. OK, could be fun. I had a light breakfast, then got Gerard to open the armory up again. I absconded with another of the scarce pistols for me, plus some .50 cal HMG ammo. I told Gerard I was going to make up some Osric guns and offered to make him a pistol only he could use. He liked the idea.
We ended up riding along the coast, as Arden was dangerous with Brigid's folk and sundry monsters. Lunch at Sander's place after Dee talked my ear off about the shortcomings of her siblings. My Noldor training in courtesy, etiquette and controlling my expression and body language constantly comes in handy. She did not jump me. We windsurfed after lunch. Dee showed me up. Then she initiated a dunking contest. She kicked my ass until I started cheating (teleporting), which made it a bit more equal. Then she got a Trump call and vanished, leaving me to gather and return the gear and mounts. While I did so, I thought things through. I really don't have time for a relationship to, maybe, develop. I don't even have time for enjoying a proper seduction.
Back at the Castle, Dad reported that Brigid's folk had hit several of his outposts at once. I borrowed the Jewel and hunted them down my way, boring the socks off him and Dee in the process. Those shadehopping buggers were hard to find, at least until I MADE one hop out in front of the Lens and studied the phenomenon closely. I imposed the hopper shocker effect in the area likeliest to be attacked next (I asked Dad), and the universal surface glow on the outposts surrounding it. A nice job, and likely to annoy the hell out of Brigid.
Note: find a way to mine Shade-space. And monsters that can live in it, and some way to tether them --don't want them eating Mom's people, just Brigid's. Dear Cousin Brigid has no idea what she is in for.
I designed the guns remotely, while I had the Jewel. An oversized stainless steel Luger-like pistol with five or ten round clips for Gerard, with his ship symbol on the grip. Six carbines, two with built in silencers, and one of those spiffied up for Noldor tastes, starsilver and niobium and gold in an elegant Art Deco motif. Two sniper rifles. My shoulder hurt just thinking about it.
I woke up feeling focused and almost liberated. Expecting to die, I have more freedom to do ... ANYTHING. I am much more dangerous in this state of mind.
I took care of some business and learned one surprising thing: Flora is boring. El was NOT charmed. Vinyards? FISH HATCHERIES?
Then a much bigger surprise. Dworkin is alive, and taking an interest in Miriel. I let her know he is dangerous, mad, and a master of Trump and other powers. Listen carefully and try to sort out the drivel.
Mom called. Something is up.
Goodbye vacation.
Mother was a bit surprised at the guns. She thinks I'm overreacting --or maybe not. She is not above subtly manipulating me to take the point on the Osric situation. Or simply count on me to watch out for her/our/Noldor interests, as a dutiful son should. I am and I do.
My automatic take on the M of C's murder is to look at the Jewel, the silmaril. And to look out for shapeshifters. Mom DID pay attention to that. She urged me to NOT insult the M of C with the suggestion that one of his Order could be suborned or swapped out. Say it just shows up as a worry during my interrogation...
Mom has surprisingly little direct experience with the silmaril. Still, I think she sould have noticed a 3-D Pattern in it. Perhaps it is masked somehow. She was intrigued by the glimpses of alternate realities through the JoJ. So am I. If Osric and Brigid weren't such pressing problems it would be at the top of my list.
Or maybe the Hall of Mirrors. Getting shot while there piqued my curiosity.
The idea of registering Amber and my relatives there as my domain and household under the laws of the Noldor and Tir-na Nog'th seems to have favorably impressed the Queen my mother, upon reflection. At least her comment, "Devious," was said with warmth and approval. She had despaired for some time of my ever developing any skill at courtly intrigue. Hopefully this will not bring on another round of trying to curb my eccentricities -- living off in a weird, high tech shadow among mortals, making quick decisions, flitting about, neglecting my mastery of the Ten Thousand Songs and the more elaborate rites...
Wondering what Breann had seen in the Hall of Mirrors led me to find that both she and Deirdre were missing, lured away by impersonators capable of overcoming the Trump Identification skill. Hopefully not Brand. So I gave my Tir Pattern mastery its first real workout and found them with a particularly clever trick. Damn, I'm good. Of course, the opposition was sloppy, but still.
I can probably use the Jewel of Judgement to blow the Chaos Prison's wards away with shadow storms. Ripping up nearby shadows should do the trick. (Never anticipated I'd actually destroy a world, let alone a number of them. Forturnately, the shadows there are deserts.) Need to consult Fiona on nuking worlds. Need to get Fiona attuned to the Jewel. She'll like that. She should have been attuned weeks ago, but that was a matter between her and Deirdre and I know when to keep my distance. Fi will also love the opportunity to even the score with Dee; Dee helped rescue her, now she can return the favor.
Right now, nobody in Amber can use the Jewel. I wonder: could I walk Benedict through the Pattern? Could he project his awareness into it without sight?
Benedict should know something of this prison. Finndo and Kethos may know even more. King Finndo may be willing to help and I'm sure Kethos would be. If Ander is also a prisoner, then Davin may be, too. And Finndo was taken with Davin. Moreover, this is a Family thing, subject to Family arrogance. (Something I have in abundance from both sides.) NOBODY DOES THIS TO MY FAMILY. Emphasis on the MY.
The Prison's masters may have been lied to. They may not know that they have declared war on Amber. They might be reasonable (terrified) and release them --and give up their lying clients. If they are not reasonable, I anticipate that we must make an example of them. Especially when we are weaker than ever before.
Considering that weakness, I think several of them should attune to the Jewel. Fiona, Dad, Benedict if possible, Caine, Flora, eventually Gerard. Bleys, if he gets himself together. Anyone who stole it would know that the others could always find it, and them. We could throw storms at our enemies for day after day if necessary, without letup. Dee might be pissed, but we need a primary and a backup around all the time.
A thought: Eric had to walk the Pattern to attune to the Jewel, but I can walk the Pattern (more or less) in my head. I am expert with the Jewel. Could I attune another without a Pattern walk? Benedict? Gerard the Regent-second?
Artanis got the interrogation appointment moved up, citing a family crisis. Maybe we can announce my personal claims on Amber at dinner.
Meanwhile, I'll consider the possible technique of attuning another to the Jewel.
What fun, the announcement. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE there knew that my claiming Amber and Arden was pure legalistic bullshit, a political move. But a very slick and gutsy one. Even Brigid had a little admiration mixed in with her hateful glare. I find I like her just a little bit. I still want her skull for a paperweight, but I cannot despise her. She and the rest of the Moriquendi must be feeling ill-used. They sheltered the Noldor and Sindar during the dark times when Tir went virtual. Taught them to use the Twilight. And now they get no support in their little war. Ingrates, the lot of us.
The jaunt through Twilight was instructive. I hadn't done that ... hm, ever. Mom always skimmed me (and everyone else) along the interface. I feel sorry for the Mori if I use the Nightlight effect on them. That is one ugly way to die. Better them than Dad.
The Master of Ceremonies is interesting. Deeply conservative. Still, he'll probably go for some form of diplomatic relations. A change, but one rooted in Law. Hope he took the hint and is checking out all his subordinates and setting up anti- shapeshifter defenses. Suspicious, the extinction of these Echilich 'angels'. Poor Lushaira. Rescuing her (if she wants it) would really stick it to old Uncle Osric. Definately on the To Do list.
Miriel is reluctant to walk the Pattern and I don't blame her. Hell, I don't want her to until Fiona certifies she has the requisite mental and physical strengths. I have no way to judge save for my estimate of my own endurance and psychic strength when I first walked it.
Gerard had little idea of current cosmology. Fi and Dee have been remiss. Maybe I should make a map.
Must get Benedict attuned and scrying. Dad is decisively outclassed fighting Brigid. Benedict won't like being an armchair general but he will like the strategic advantage the Jewel gives.
I wonder: would basing a regenerative spell on the Jewel enable it to work on one of us?
More research.
Caine is certainly eager to be attuned to the Jewel. I'd say 'too eager' but his attitude is exactly like mine. How much does Caine know of the more esoteric Pattern skills and Magick? Backup, I want backup!
Will Finndo help? Probably. I wonder: does he or Kethos have anyone they want sprung from that prison?
Plan A:
Yep, looks like a cluster-fuck in the making to me. But if we take the time to do it right, Osric or Brigid will catch wind of it and interfere. Full speed ahead, then, and anything that gets in our way, dies.
Everything was going fine. They'd taken my advice and Caine walked the Pattern leading blind Benedict. It went fine. Once they reached the center Caine attuned to the Jewel of Judgement. Benedict would be next. With Benedict scrying out our enemies' movements and hitting them with the odd natural disaster we would soon be winning. Dad --Julian-- should survive. Brigid would be toast. Sure, I'd lose my easy access to the Jewel, but it was worth it. I was filled with the warm, premature glow of triumph.
Caine finished and handed the Jewel to Benedict. Dworkin appeared out of nowhere and vanished instantly with Benedict and the Jewel.
Caine, Flora and I all froze in shock. When I could think again I tried to sense where the Jewel was. I could feel it but got no idea of a direction. It seemed to be close, sort of.
I joined Caine in the center of the Pattern. Dworkin had been seen around in widely disparate places but had shown no new tendencies towards purposeful behavior. We wished ourselves to him and found ourselves near Dworkin's cave lair, newly redecorated with a stars motif. Dworkin was there with Fiona and her entire lab, working on Benedict, who lay on a surgical table. Fiona was Compelled and out of it. Dworkin completed installation of the Jewel in Benedict's left eye socket and hobbled away. I asked him why he'd done this. He said we'd figure it out.
I really wanted to jump the little maniac and strangle him.
Fiona quickly came to her senses and was horrified. Also afraid and hiding it well. Me too. Mad Dworkin puttering about and providing local color was one thing. Mad Dworkin casually doing weird, invasive, momentous things to his decendants was terrifying.
I teleported us (and Fiona's equipment --there was so much easily usable power available in that place I directed it to her lab with little more than a thought) to the infirmary and we settled Benedict in. Caine went to inform Gerard. I briefed Fiona on current events and elicited details on the care and feeding of shadow storms. Benedict showed no signs of waking.
I collect all the relevant Trumps I could --Dee, Brea, Ander and Lora-- and left for the Forge. I was amazed: Finndo already has a city up and running in place of the desolation of mere weeks ago. His security sent me in to join him, Kethos and some new vassals of Chaosian origin for dinner. Very obedient vassals. When Finndo says "Jump!", you don't ask 'how high'. Either you know how high, or you jump as high as you can. I can see why Kethos keeps his distance most of the time.
I briefed them on everything but Benedict. I spend far too much of my time giving briefings these days. Kethos offered to help, as expected. They had no one they wanted out of Utumno (that's the prison's name; sounds curiously Eldarin) but a lot of people they wanted to stay there. Kethos used to be a bounty hunter and delivered many contracts there.
Kethos told me more of Chaos, which is a horribly complicated place I must visit sometime. And of the Logrus, their native Power. I must learn its signature to deal with it properly.
I contacted Fiona, looking for backup and found that she was very busy. Ben had a fever and the weather reflected it. Ben was thrashing around and extremely hard to control. She had an arm in a sling.
So we went off to Chaos and I nurtured a shadow storm. During a break Kethos pointed
out an approaching flyer. It was Lushaira. (I checked) She looked tired, disheveled and
extremely desirable, and acted very friendly indeed. She told me a story about this being
a set up and Osric being due any minute. Osric's name frosted my blood and sped my
thoughts.
1- Trump the men to Finndo's border.
2- Send Lushaira to Fiona. Auntie could clear her and it would score one, a nice big one,
on Osric.
3- Teleport around with Kethos and finish the mission. It takes considerable time to seek
people out, so I thought we had a good shot at it. Plus, I'd see if Fi could lend me some
juice at crucial moments.
Kethos started working on 1). I sent the Lens to Fiona (not touching -- she let me make that mistake with quarter-power wards, once) and told her I had an emergency. Then Kethos keeled over with frozen muscles, and Anax (disguised as one of Kethos' scouts) ran a stinger into me --FAST paralytic poison. Lushaira resisted my try to teleport us through the Lens (panicking, I thought at the time), so I asked Fi to help and hit Anax mind-to-mind with everything I had, followed by Fi's attack run through me. I saw Anax' stinger vaporize and blacked out.
I came to in Utumno, in a nice, open cell with third degree sunburn all over. That's right, I'd told Fi to HELP ME BURN HIM. Kethos worked his way out of a manacle. He told me Anax was badly hurt and Lushaira --"your Honey", he called her-- had made his men bring us here. She claimed, when there was no reason to lie, that they had meant to save me from Osric, who had been informed by the Mori of my location. Anax had delayed his receipt of the message and recruited Lushaira. And she, according to Kethos, acted like she was at least half in love with me.
After a while my anger fell away. Lushaira had probably told the truth as she knew it, and if Anax had been setting us up then Osric would have us, and our quarters would not be nearly as pleasant. Their plan would have worked flawlessly if I hadn't been in contact with Fi at the crucial moment. I had been negligent setting up wards, trusting to speed, daring and the enemy's ignorance to see me through.
Too bad about Anax. They should have tried talking more. The level of opposition is too high for me to hesitate or to strike with anything less than everything I've got.
So, Lushaira is interested in me. That's the strongest impression I've ever made in an hour. She certainly has courage to go with her looks and charm. She's a sorceress --that's something in common. And her chance of survival is roughly equal to mine. I wonder if she thinks, as I do, that Osric killed all her people.
Later. First, getting out of here. There seems to be no barrier to magick inside, so I'll be of some use. I'd half worked out how to alter the wards from the outside. Doing it from inside might work if I can scare up some help.