Momus
My first night's sleep in over a century passed uneventfully, and I awoke feeling rather refreshed, if a bit hungry. Breakfast was obviously in order, but the prospect of spending another meal listening to Anyssa whine was not one I greeted with a great deal of enthusiasm. I decided to skip the experience, and wrote Cerridwen a note saying I intended to sleep in this morning. Much to my surprise, no sooner did I think of summoning a servant to deliver my message, then one knocked upon my door. The first servant I had actually seen in the castle, he was a quiet young man, barely 25, dressed in gray livery. He took my note to Cerridwen, then returned with the food I requested, tidying the place a bit before leaving me to eat my breakfast in peace. After breakfast, I reacquainted myself with the current state of magical energy in the castle, then decided to indulge in a bit of snooping while Cerridwen was occupied with entertaining Anyssa. I spent the bulk of the morning looking around, and found a few disturbing facts. The halls and rooms of the castle seemed to shift based upon my desires. Whenever I looked for my room, it was right around the corner. Whenever I sought a dining room, lavatory, or library, it soon came into view. It was very strange at first, but after some practice, I began to get the hang of it.
It was while I was testing the bounds of this interesting little discovery that I discovered another guest in the castle. I was walking down one of the many hallways, when I just barely heard a man's voice coming from one of the rooms. The door was ajar ever so slightly and I could catch the words, "...red on black, how droll." I paused outside of the door, which was conveniently ajar enough that I could catch a glimpse of a man inside, standing before an open armoire. He appeared to be rummaging through there in search of something. Given the rather ratty state of his clothing, I assumed he was seeking a change of attire. He was of medium height and clean-shaven, with very short dark hair with a pronounced widow's peak, and a rather haughty expression. I decided it was not an unpleasant face, by any means. As I watched, I heard him remark, "Dresses for dinner...gowns for tea...for walking, riding, and no doubt one for poisoning one's husband." He growled slightly. "I'd give my kingdom for one simple doublet...something clean...maybe a nice crimson..." He began to rummage a little deeper into the armoire.
A truly wicked idea flitted through my mind at those words. It would mean giving my presence away, but the opportunity was just too irresistible to pass up. I concentrated for a moment, creating a simple doublet in crimson out of the air just above his arms, then pushed the door open far enough to be visible to him. "A kingdom, was it?" I smiled slightly.
He emitted a small but very satisfying sounding shriek as the doublet draped itself across his arms, then paused a moment, regarding me. At first his glance seemed fearful, but then it reverted to a sort of critical analysis, as if I were some sort of fine painting and he was trying to gauge the painter. I merely lifted my chin a bit higher and calmly waited for him to finish, confident that my dress and manner were impeccable. It did not take him long to reach the same conclusion, at which point he remarked quietly, "You have me at a loss, dear lady, for I'm afraid my offer was not entirely sincere, though the doublet certainly would merit at least a duchy. I am Momus of Jesby. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"
Momus of Jesby... The name seemed familiar to me, but I could not quite place its significance. I extended my hand to him politely and introduced myself. "I am Melanie of Chanicut. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Standing this close to him, I was able to note the reason for the ratty appearance of his garments. They appeared to be torn in many places...almost as if he were thrown through a window or some such. Perhaps the first victim that Cerridwen freed from stone was not as lost as she thought. I would have to introduce the two of them at some point, and see what Cerridwen's reaction was.
Momus bowed low and kissed the back of my gloved hand very delicately. "The pleasure is all mine, my lady. Forgive my impertinence, but my attire is most unseemly. I have found breeches and shirt, and you have provided me with this perfect doublet. Would you give me but a moment's privacy to change? I feel most uncomfortable appearing in such ragamuffin garb before a noblewoman such as yourself."
There was something in the clipped and clear tones of his voice that made it very clear to me that he was of noble birth as well. Which meant that this doubtless was rather embarrassing for him. I nodded my agreement to his request. "Of course. I would not have intruded at all, save that I thought I might be of some assistance."
He moved off to another room, and I heard the sounds of him changing and some splashing of water. He returned in roughly ten minutes, wearing black breeches, a white shirt, and the crimson doublet. He had also combed his hair back a bit and was smiling somewhat now. All in all, he looked quite refreshed and surprisingly immaculate, given the short time that he had been gone. "I feel almost my old self again," he said as he walked back into the room. He brushed the doublet with one hand, dislodging a tiny bit of lint. "My compliments on your Art; the sizing is perfect."
I smiled in acknowledgment of the compliment and gave him the same appraising look that he had given me earlier. "You are too kind. I merely followed your specifications. It is you who have put together such an impressive ensemble, especially given the rather limited options available."
"I have always had a knack for making the best of a given situation," he replied with a slight smirk, then ran his fingers over a dusty end table, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the dirt. "Even when the situation is less than impressive." He pulled a handkerchief out of his breast pocket and brushed the dust off, then paused a moment and got a determined look on his face. "Where am I, precisely? I don't recognize this castle at all...and I don't usually forget these kinds of things."
I delayed answering directly for a moment, while I decided how much to tell him. "Hmm, I take it you have not chatted with our charming hostess yet?"
"No...I haven't. Things were a bit confusing for me...I suspect I've been under some kind of disorientation spell or some such," he replied casually. "I recall being escorted from Court...and then waking up here. Is this one of Swayvill's prison Shadows? Certainly a woman of your obvious nobility cannot be my jailer..."
I smiled again at the compliment. Whoever he was, he had the art of flattery down to a fine art. I decided to let him know where we were, figuring that Cerridwen would doubtless tell him if I did not, and I should be able to judge by his reaction to the name as to whether he had spent any time in Amber. "No, I am afraid that Swayvill had no particular fondness for me, which is how I wound up here," I answered. "Unfortunately, I am not certain how I came to be here, either. What I do know is that I was imprisoned in stone by Swayvill, and sometime between that time and now, my 'statue' wound up in this place. Our hostess found several such statues when she came into possession of this place, and attempted to revert them to normal, with varying degrees of success. As for where we are, have you ever heard of a place called Tir-na Nog'th?"
"I can't say that I have...is that somewhere in Gwynedd, perchance? I've never been terribly familiar with the Ways of Helgram..."
I saw no reason to reveal that my knowledge of the Tir was much greater than his appeared to be. "I do not believe so. It seems to be some sort of castle capable of moving between Shadow. Is that not bizarre? Our hostess is its Queen. Perhaps I should introduce you to her."
He sighed. "I suppose it's inevitable that I do so." He offered his arm in a gallant fashion, and with a bland smile, asked, "Shall we journey anon, milady?"
I took his arm gracefully and nodded. "As you wish, milord." I began walking with the intent of finding Cerridwen.
Finding people in the castle turned out to be just as easy as finding places, and we came across Cerridwen quickly enough. She appeared very surprised at my guest, but no more surprised than he seemed to see her. "Milady...I seem to recall you...but am not certain from where...," he began.
She smiled slightly. "And I recall you leaping from my window in a blind panic. Certainly a strange reaction to my rescuing you from stone imprisonment..."
Momus paused and pondered a bit. "I was under an enchantment when I was imprisoned...something to keep me disoriented so that I wouldn't resist my punishment...it must have lingered. All I recall is a sense of panic...and then I awoke in your castle."
Cerridwen seemed to want to contradict him, but said nothing. Instead, she glanced at me a moment, and smirked. "In my castle for less than a week's time and already you've a handsome nobleman on your arm. Indeed, Melanie, you are most resourceful."
There was a teasing glint to her eyes...and perhaps a touch of jealousy. Intriguing, that. Was she so alone in her castle that any man who entered automatically became a valuable commodity? I smiled slightly. "You mean there are not more such handsome gentlemen roaming your castle halls? Then I am fortunate indeed. But I am being remiss. Cerridwen, this is Momus of Jesby. Momus, this is Cerridwen, Queen of Tir-na Nog'th and Duchess of the Eastern Marches."
Momus bowed deeply. Cerridwen curtseyed but barely and smiled warmly. "I don't believe that this castle has had so many guests in quite some time...shall we adjourn to chat?"
Momus and I both agreed, and we passed an agreeable time in small talk. I kept an eye on Cerridwen, but observed no more signs of jealousy. Perhaps I had imagined it. Perhaps.
As the midday hour approached, Cerridwen invited us to have lunch with her, but Momus declined, pleading fatigue. A pity, that. It would have been nice to have another person at lunch to act as a buffer with Anyssa. After dropping Momus off at his new rooms, Cerridwen and I proceeded to the dining room, where I was somewhat surprised to note that Anyssa was not present. After we both were seated, Cerridwen cleared her throat and began to speak. "I'm afraid that Anyssa is still healing from her recent ordeal. Though she protests and claims to feel quite healthy, I fear that she is overtaxing herself, so I ensorceled her to sleep for a week's time. She won't be aware of the passage of time, and her body will have time to recuperate. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't mention this to her. I don't want to be accused of being high-handed, but she really is not in the best condition."
I nodded my agreement and tried to hide my delight at her news. She had come up with the perfect way for us not to be subjected to Anyssa for a time, without Anyssa even being aware of it. Obviously, her claims about Anyssa being in poor health were merely to cover her true intentions. Momus and I had both been turned to stone as well, and neither of us required a week's rest to recuperate. It was masterfully done, and I regarded Cerridwen with a newfound respect.
After pausing a moment and considering her next words, Cerridwen continued, "I would ask your assistance on something, Melanie. I have need to journey to Shadow Earth and pick up a young man by the name of Ryan, who is staying in the company of Evelyn Flaumel, a relative of mine. This Ryan is Dara's son, and I am to take him to the Courts to his mother's estate. I would like to teach you a bit of how to pilot the Tir, so that you can manage it while I'm helping guide him here. Is that acceptable to you?"
I nodded, trying to conceal my excitement. Acceptable? Learning how to pilot the Tir? Acceptable did not even begin to describe the opportunity. "I would be happy to assist you in this," I assured her. "When would you like to begin?"
"No time like the present," she replied.
And so began a rather fascinating week. Cerridwen showed me the control room of the Tir, a kind of map room containing a large table on which was an odd sort of landscape etched with carvings. To move the Tir, I merely moved the miniature of the Tir to the location I wished to visit. There were countless labels etched into the table with the names of many places. After a while, I realized that the table seemed to change periodically...or perhaps the table was not there at all, and that it was just a metaphor for something infinitely more complex but strangely intuitive. Regardless of what it actually was, I understood how it worked now, and it obeyed my commands, which was all that really mattered. Besides access to the control room, Cerridwen also gave me free access to the castle. Rooms that would normally have hidden from me were now visible to me and reachable. Cerridwen asked, however, that I not enter her personal quarters, or check out the lower levels, where were kept all manner of nasty things which haunted the Tir. I assured her that I would obey her wishes, making a mental note to investigate the lower levels at some later time, when she was sufficiently distracted with some matter or other. I also learned that the castle servants were ghosts that would respond to my unconscious desires. Only a few could take solid form, though, like the young man who had brought me my breakfast that first morning. Part of me briefly wondered if Cerridwen put him to other uses, but I quickly banished that unsavory thought from my mind.
Momus remained in the castle, a guest much as I was, although Cerridwen did not share any of the Tir's secrets with him. We shared many a pleasant meal together, and I found it good to talk to someone who had such a fine grasp on the behavior of a proper gentlemen. Ryan could have learned much from him. But I get ahead of myself...
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All text on this page is © 1998 by Kris Fazzari.
Last modified on October 13, 1998 by Kris Fazzari.