Session
13
Amber, year one, day 132 continued
Afternoon
I feel much better now that I have had some sleep. Went down late to
breakfast. I think Felix was late as well. He seemed to have just
started eating when I arrived. Ahab was sitting at the head table,
kissing up to Benedict no doubt. Ahab seems to idolize Benedict and
Julian to the point of hero worship. I have yet to see the reason for it.
All of the redheads decided to sit at their own table, which suited me
just fine.
I spend a pleasant meal chatting with Alex about the Logrus. Felix
and I were both interested in what we could drag out of Alex about its
nature. Martin, on the other hand, seemed quite bored with the whole
thing. To hear Alex tell it, the Logrus has no regular shape, but rather
changes its appearance constantly. He also send that the initiation test
is quite hazardous, often driving people mad. All in all, it does not
sound very pleasant.
After Alex left, we learned from Martin that Orkuz and his family had
left. Since no commotion was raised, I assume Ariadne was able to fool
Coral's family successfully. Of course Felix nearly gave everything away,
by looking shocked and asking if Coral had left with her family. The
expression on his face would have told even Gérard that something
was wrong. Well, maybe not Gérard... Martin picked up on it
immediately, and asked why Felix was so surprised. I tried to cover up
for Felix, saying that he had wanted to say goodbye to Coral, but Felix
was completely unconvincing. Martin left soon after that. I wanted to
tell him, but the less people know about the substitution, the less likely
it is that the information will slip into the wrong hands.
Ahab thinks that both the Pattern and the Logrus are sentient. His
basis for this conclusion? Dworkin said so. At least he said that the
Logrus was. Ahab concluded that the Pattern was sentient because he
walked it and stood at the center of it asking questions and it emitted
some sparks. Very convincing. He also claims he saw the Unicorn. Too
bad he could not get her to give us any advice. Ahab wants me to help him
rescue Coral. I guess he wants to show Random that he can do a good job.
I am willing to help, mostly because I know what it feels like to be held
prisoner by Chaos, while none of your relatives even bothers to look for
you. Unfortunately, Ariadne is the one who knows the most about Coral's
abductors, and she is no longer in the Castle. I wonder if Driscoll still
has a Trump of her.
I guess abandoning Amberites in need is something of a family
tradition. It seems that Julian never bothered to try and rescue Eric, so
he got out on his own. Felix let slip that no one had organized a rescue
party for Eric, which did not please him at all. Not that I can blame
him. We were hoping that Eric could tell us something about his captors,
but they apparently killed themselves rather than be questioned. I wonder
if Corwin and Deirdre have been captured as well? Not that anyone seems
concerned around here. Given this attitude, it seems to me that the best
way to take Amber is person by person, since by the time anyone around
here bothers to investigate the disappearances, it would be too late. I
love this family.
Heather managed to piss Felix off by implying that he was stupid. Now
I must admit that at times I agree with her (this morning, for instance),
but I do not say so to Felix's face. I would rather not get him angry.
Then again, Heather has never been the most rational of people.
Shard joined us as well, just as we were leaving to find Driscoll. He
had Battlestar with him. Sometimes I think Battlestar has more brains
than his master. Maybe that is why Julian gave him to Shard. Felix and
Shard are very much alike in this respect. Neither one of them are
morons, they are just rather slow at times. Usually the most inopportune
times.
Driscoll did still have a Trump of Ariadne, so we borrowed it. Ahab
Trumped her, but said she was busy. We decided to find Heather next,
since she had been planning to draw a Trump of Coral. Battlestar helped
us track her down, in Bleys' room of all things. I wonder if Dworkin gave
Bleys and Heather the same lecture he gave me and Ahab? Heather was her
usual bitchy self. She gave us the Trump, and had apparently tried using
it herself, but refused to say what she had learned. Felix left at this
point. I suppose it was that or he punched her into one of Bleys' walls.
Personally, I would have found the latter choice more satisfying. I let
Ahab talk to her, since she brings out he worst in me as well. He finally
got the information out of her and learned that Coral was too drugged to
respond to the Trump. So he immediately tried the Trump himself to verify
this. It would seem that he trusts Heather as much as I do. At least
Coral does not appear to be comatose the way Ariadne was when we found
her. Now all we have to do is find her. As soon as we find Felix.
Somewhere in Shadow
I find myself in somewhat of a dilemma. You see, we followed Coral's
trail through Shadow, until we wound up in a twisted Shadow of Amber
itself. The trail led up to a large hole in the ground, which is
inhabited by a creature with a rather nasty disposition. He emerged from
the hold and started advancing on Martin (I managed to persuade him to
accompany us). Heather decided that she would see what was in the hole
while its owner was busy with the rest of us. What surprises me is that
she trusted me to belay the rope for her. I should have just said no.
The thing was not happy with me either, for as soon as it saw me lowering
Heather down the hole, it left Martin and charged me instead. My options
were to hold my ground (and the rope), and hope it did not knock me
backwards into the hole (not likely). Or try and evade it. Which met
dropping the rope. At least I warned her before I did so. I almost made
it, but not quite. That thing's claws can cut right through our armor.
While our crossbow bolts have no effect on its armor. At least Ahab's
sword and Shard's whip seem to be able to affect the thing. They were
able to chip away some of its armor, giving Felix and I something to shoot
at. We must have started to hurt it, for it retreated back into its
hole.
Which brings us to my dilemma. When I dropped Heather, Alex flew down
into the hole to help her. Neither of them came back out. Which means
that they are still down in the hole. Along with the creature. So the
question is, do we try to aid them? We had enough trouble fighting that
thing above ground, where we had light and room. If we follow it down, it
will have much more of an advantage. The logical thing would be to get
reinforcements, or find a way to lure the thing back out of the hold and
trap it. Of course, by the time we do that, Alex and Heather may be dead.
To be perfectly honest, I have no interest whatsoever in dying to save
Heather's life. Or Alex's for that matter. However, there is a part of
me that dislikes standing idly by while people are killed. And Random
would probably be unhappy if the Chaos ambassador died. But, then again,
Heather is the one who brought him here. What am I going to do?
"Outrageous Fortune"
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All text on this page is © 1993-1994 by Kris Fazzari.
Last modified on August 5, 1994 by Kris Fazzari.