Journey
to Mellisondra
Sarah and I left the study and walked to the main hall of the manor
house. Standing there were a number of people, including Dara, who was
chatting with Nessarose and a man of Chanicut whom I did not recognize.
Cerridwen also stood in the hall, having apparently just entered through
the main doors. The servant taking her cloak looked up as the two of us
descended the staircase and nodded to Sarah. Cerridwen smiled at me as we
approached, and curtseyed to Sarah, as did Dara and the others. I noticed
that Momus was not present, but was not particularly surprised. He was
not a Chanicut, after all, so Sarah was hardly going to include him in
something like this. Not given the power that was at stake.
"The time grows nigh," Cerridwen began, once all of us had assembled,
"and though I hate to rush to events of great import, I fear we will soon
lose our window of opportunity if we do not leave soon. Shall we
away?"
Sarah smiled in response. "It would appear that supper will have to
wait then..." Glancing over to the Chanicut man, she remarked, "Dmitri,
summon the guards that will accompany us...we leave."
Dara and Nessarose exchanged a knowing glance at that point, although
for the life of me, I could not figure why Sarah's order should have
prompted it. There was little time to consider this, however, as we all
begin exiting the main hall almost immediately. Walking through the main
doors, I could see the Tir silhouetted against the shifting skies of
Chaos, its staircase descending to a point near the vineyards, but a
quarter of a mile away. As the we approached the stairs, a group of eight
warriors followed, armed to the teeth with steel and spells. Sarah nodded
approvingly, as did I. A little backup certainly never hurt.
Everyone was silent as they climbed the stairs and entered the Tir.
Almost as soon as we entered the Tir proper, I felt the shift...and then
only darkness surrounded us. Cerridwen stood on the ramparts and watched
the darkness intently. "There is little point in going further into the
Castle...we will be there in but a quarter of an hour." Looking to me,
she then remarked, "If you would assist me, Melanie, I could use an extra
pair of hands for a moment."
I knew quite well that she needed no assistance in piloting the Tir,
but I nodded and replied, "Of course." Obviously, she wanted to speak to
me alone about something. I was quite curious as to what that might
be.
The two of us walked into the main part of the castle, and as soon as
we went around a corner, Cerridwen turned to regard me. "The only real
problem we have here is my uncle...I need to remove him from Mellisondra,
and for that, I'll need your help. When we dock, I'm going to go to
him...and bring him here. While he and I are chatting, I want you to
pilot the Tir away from Mellisondra, so that he will be removed from his
power source. Then, you will pilot it to a Shadow that I have created for
my dear uncle...a prison Shadow that resembles Mellisondra in many ways.
Once we've deposited him there, we will be free to do as we wish with the
Magic Circle."
So that was what she wanted. The only problem was, I did not want
Meridian locked up in a Shadow somewhere. I wanted him dead. I feigned a
look of concern. "Ah, I had been wondering how you intended to deal with
him. Are you not concerned that he will find a way out of this Shadow of
yours at some later date, and come looking for revenge?"
"He will never escape...," she replied, her smile confident. "Mother
tells me that he wished nothing to do with the family or its machinations;
I will merely give him what he most wants...isolation from us for all
eternity. His new Mellisondra will keep him busy enough, and though he is
attuned to the Jewel, he cannot call upon its powers while floating in the
sea of the Abyss." She paused and looked sidelong at me as she began to
walk again. "Do you fear incurring his wrath?"
I suppressed a flash of irritation. "Not fear, no. I am merely
cautious about what enemies I may make now. A lack of such caution in the
past is what placed me in the position in which you found me."
"You make a good point, but there is another reason I do not labor to
destroy him utterly, the fact of his death curse," she replied quietly.
"I have no intention of being its target, and left alive, he can only
dwell in impotent fury."
"True, there is that to consider. Assuming he had the opportunity to
voice a death curse, of course," I said, pointing out the obvious.
"It would seem an unnecessary risk, really," she replied, much to my
disappointment. "To kill him would be to risk his death curse and later
censure by the family...which might prove bothersome in the event that my
popularity wanes." She smirked at that thought, prompting me to wonder
just how unpopular she was in Amber as she continued, "Imprisoning him
only angers dear Uncle Meridian. I'd rather risk his anger than the
entire family's. They can be strangely moral when it comes to
murder...when it suits their purposes."
"Interesting. Well, you would know better than I, and he is your
uncle. I was merely concerned." I decided to let the matter rest with
that. It was obvious I was not going to be able to convince her that it
was safer to kill Meridian, and I did not want to make my own desire for
his death too obvious, lest I give her reason to suspect me should Sarah
or I find a way to kill him.
The two of us arrived a short time later in the control room for the
Tir, and we set the castle in motion towards Mellisondra. Once we were
well underway, Cerridwen took a seat and motioned for me to do the same.
"Though I told them we have but a short time before arriving, it will in
fact take a matter of some days. For our friends, however, it will seem
as if only moments had passed. Sarah understands my duplicity in
this...and respects my need for privacy. Here is what I intend. We will
dock onto Mellisondra and I will lure my Uncle here to the Tir. We will
remain on the balcony, which will help him to feel safe and secure. I
will challenge him to a combat of spells...claiming that I would take
possession of his Circle. He is not the kind of man who could refuse me,"
she added, her grin feral. "While we battle, you will pilot the Tir back
into the Abyss...which will cut him off from his power source. At that
point, I will teleport myself here and trap him like a mouse in a rather
large maze. Then we'll shunt him off into an adjacent Shadow, and return
to Mellisondra to walk the Magic Circle. How sounds this to you?"
It was much the same as what she had outlined to me before, if a bit
more detailed. I could appreciate the desire to ensure that I was clear
on the plan, however. It would not do for a mistake to be made because of
a misunderstanding. "It sounds like an entirely workable plan. You are
confident in your ability to hold him off for the required length of time,
I take it?"
"Yes. My uncle has a great deal of raw power...but no finesse. And
while in the Tir, there's little in all reality that can harm me," she
replied with a wicked grin.
She paused a moment then, and looked pensive. "Melanie...I want us to
be friends...but at the present you are still very new to me. Forgive me
stating what is probably entirely unnecessary..." She looked at me for a
moment, her expression grim, and I knew what she would say next. "If for
some reason you decide to throw in with my uncle...to perhaps use this
moment of perceived vulnerability as an opportunity...well...there are
worse fates than petrification. But let us not linger on such
unpleasantries..."
I had to smile at that, for she had said nothing I had not been
expecting. Much of this plan hinged on my moving the Tir at the right
moment. If I did not, she could easily find herself facing her uncle in
his place of power instead of hers, and that could prove disastrous. If I
chose to turn on her, I might very well get her imprisoned, or killed. In
her position, I would be somewhat wary, as well. With that in mind, I
moved to reassure her. "I understand completely. I would be foolish,
indeed, to side with a man I have never met over one who has been so kind
to me. Besides," I grinned wickedly, "I prefer to back the winner in such
matters."
Cerridwen nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "Good...after
dealing with my uncle, I will most likely traverse the Circle
myself...before the others. I have faith in Sarah, but Dara is another
breed entirely. It wouldn't do to place myself in a position where she
might snatch that power from me..."
No, no it would not. I was glad to see that her thoughts on Dara
mirrored my own. Which brought up another matter... "Do you intend for
the two of us to take the Circle before informing the others that we have
succeeded in ridding the Shadow of your uncle?"
Cerridwen looked at me speculatively for a moment. "Yes." She
paused. "You would like to walk the Circle and keep the knowledge of that
fact hidden...?" She smiled. Apparently, the idea pleased her.
"You have my intent precisely. I take it you have no objections to
assisting me in this ruse?"
"None at all...none at all," she said quietly. "Time flies...let's
deal with that uncle of mine."
Cerridwen walked over to a full-length mirror hanging on the far wall.
As she moved in front of it, I noted that her reflection seemed somehow
odd, almost as if something were wrong with the mirror. I realized almost
immediately that though she approached from the left of the mirror, so did
her reflection, though it should have come from the right.
"This mirror reflects my image...always," Cerridwen said, catching my
curious expression. "No matter where I stand within this castle, the
mirror shows me. Watch over the mirror...you will see when he and I begin
our conflict...and then move the Tir away from Mellisondra. It will be
child's play from that point on."
She stroked the ornate wrought iron frame of the mirror and
frowned...and then tucked a stray lock of hair back into place. I raised
an eyebrow at her reaction. "Is there a problem?"
Her smile was obviously strained. "Let us focus on the matter at
hand... Remain here and I will deal with my uncle. Watch the mirror, and
as soon as I burn him...pull the Tir back from Mellisondra." She looked a
touch distracted. "I dare not delay any longer..." And then she walked
into the mirror and was gone.
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All text on this page is © 1998 by Kris Fazzari.
Last modified on December 25, 1998 by Kris Fazzari.