Session 133
Amber, year 27, day 209 continued
I can't believe he didn't warn her! I don't care if she can take care
of herself, it's still the polite thing to do. And what about Anne-Marie?
She certainly can't defend herself against vampires, and Angelique might
not be able to save both herself and her child, if attacked. He acted
like he didn't even care about his own daughter. This from the man who,
upon learning of Shannon and Vincent's existence, said he would have to do
what he could to be involved in their lives. Sometimes I don't understand
him. I know he loves our children, and his children with Sand. Why is he
so indifferent to Anne-Marie? Is he worried that Angelique will use any
affection he feels for her against him? I could understand why he might,
but it isn't very fair to Anne-Marie. Or is it because he didn't even
know of her existence until she was eight? Maybe he just can't bond with
a child he didn't see grow up, the child of a woman he thought was dead
and didn't love. Or maybe that's the key. He didn't love Angelique. I
sometimes forget that he had other children before ours. Eight daughters,
to be specific. And the only one that I've ever seen any evidence that he
cared about is Tamaryn. Maybe he can't love the child without loving the
mother. Well, whatever his reasons, if he won't warn them, I guess I'll
have to.
That went relatively well, I think. At least faerie magic allows me
to travel with little risk of being intercepted by a vampire. Angelique
seemed surprised by the news. At least I think it was surprise. She's as
hard to read as Lucien can be, when he puts his mind to it. Which means
that even when I can read her, I can't trust that it's true. It does
serve to remind me of how much Lucien has opened up to me, compared to how
he used to be. Even if he has gotten somewhat worse since he started
working for Nicholas again.
Amber, year 27, day 210 (Tuesday, November 22, 4)
Morning
I should have known that Jack would interfere with the spell. After
all, if it works, faerie will no longer be the only source of magic
around. I just didn't think he would be able to react so quickly.
Alexandra must have told him what was going on. Or at least notified him
of the power she saw emanating from outside of town. It was rather an
exhilarating feeling, acting as a conduit for that much power.
Exhilarating and a little terrifying. If only we could be sure it worked.
I think we were caught up in the spell for half an hour, although it
didn't feel that long to me. But the spell hadn't run its course when
Jack grabbed Bartholomew, so maybe it hadn't gained the Turtle's attention
yet. Which means we'll have to cast it again, to be sure. Hopefully
using the Grove of the Unicorn will act to deter any further interference
by Jack.
I would have thought of Whimsy from the start, but I didn't know that
she had a Faerie Ward again. That should keep Jack far away from
us. Plus, she can take Bartholomew's place as the fifth point, and as a
bonus, Edwin can keep watch for any more interference. Not that this
would have stopped Jack, but he may not be the only one who doesn't want
this to work. It's odd to think of relying on Edwin for any help at all,
much less lending him my sword to do it. I have to keep reminding myself
that he's not the bastard that we all thought he was. An evil twin
brother. Gods, that still seems like something out of a bad novel.
I was righter than I knew. Caine is the one who ended things this
time, almost as soon as we'd begun. Why is he doing this? Does he think
we didn't clear our actions with Nicholas first? He could have just
asked. I wonder what Ishmael did with him, anyway? I thought it was
rather clever of me, thinking of keeping Caine distracted with Trump so
Ishmael could get to him. Even blocking Trump takes some effort, after
all. Now if only he stays gone long enough for us to finish this damn
spell!
OK, that does it! Now Eric is involved too? Why am I not surprised?
It figures that he's the one who knocked me out. I've got to work on
growing thicker armor over my skull. And I can't believe what Caine did
to Alex. He severed his spine! Admittedly, it wasn't anything Alex
couldn't have handled himself, even if I hadn't been there to help, but
still... Well, they were too late, anyway. I can feel something
answering the call we emitted, so there's no need to cast the spell again.
Not that we could, with both Whimsy and Meander missing. And Meander
wouldn't be missing if Whimsy hadn't decided to run away when Caine and
Eric attacked. I hope he's all right.
Well, the good news is that Meander seems to be fine. The bad news is
that Nicholas is not. Or doesn't appear to be. His guards are dead and
he's missing from his office, which happens to be where Alex dumped Eric.
What was he thinking? And what was Ishmael thinking, to not tell us how
badly Nicholas has been affected by the loss of the Orb? At the very
least, he should have realized that perhaps Nicholas was not in the best
frame of mind to be making decisions as significant as whether we should
re-establish contact with the Disc. Did Caine know something we didn't?
If so, why didn't he just tell us? Well, it's too late now. I just hope
we can figure out where Nicholas is, and who has him. It could be Eric,
but Vincent said Nicholas was moving through Shadow, and Eric wasn't near
him when we contacted him. Of course, Eric could have an ally, but... If
this was Eric making a move on the throne, why would he take Nicholas and
run? I would have expected him to claim the crown immediately, before
anyone else could act. It just doesn't feel right. It's sloppy. Eric's
last attempt on the throne was at least a bit more subtle. But if not
Eric, then who has Nicholas, and why? Maybe Lucien can help. If anyone
can trace Nicholas, it would be him.
It was hard to refrain from saying, "I told you so," to Whimsy,
especially after her lecture about spreading the news of Nicholas'
disappearance to unnecessary people. I knew Lucien would be able track
him. So much for involving him being "unnecessary." I just wish I could
go with him. I want to know what happened to Nicholas. But if Ishmael is
already going, he'll be of more use than me anyway, and I don't want to
slow things down. I guess I'll just go home and wait to hear something
from Lucien.
Afternoon
Thank the gods I wasn't home when that thing attacked. It was hard
enough to fight it off on the street, but to try and protect the children
at the same time... Why was that thing coming after me in the first
place? How did it get to Amber? And are there any more of them? I'd
better warn Random, in case this wasn't an isolated incident. It was
coming after me, though, I'm sure of it. It ignored everyone else, which
is fortunate for them, since I don't think even the city guards could have
done much to stop it. Even Morglyph had trouble making a dent in its
hide. I really do have to see about fixing Alastor.
OK, now I'm getting paranoid. Whimsy, Alex and Meander have been
attacked too. Could it be related to the spell we cast together? It's
looking that way. But I still can't shake the feeling that Gavin is
involved, somehow. He usually is, where demons are concerned. Well, I
directed Random his way, so maybe he'll figure out what's going on. I
suppose it could be just a coincidence that the three of us were attacked,
but I don't think so. And until I'm sure, I'm not going home. If I have
somehow become a demon magnet, the last thing I want to do is lead them to
my children. Or Ishmael's. I hope Tamaryn doesn't mind looking after all
of them, but with Lucien gone, she's the person that I trust the most
where they're concerned.
It's looking pretty definite that the demons are only after those of
us who cast the spell to summon the Turtle. Bartholomew was attacked as
well. Which means there are likely some after Ishmael, but since he's
with Lucien, he's probably safer than the rest of us. At least walking
the Pattern will remove the magical energy from the spell that the demons
are using to trace us. Or so Bartholomew assures us. I hate walking the
Pattern, but it beats fighting off demons until the energy dissipates
naturally. If it ever does. The question is, can we all finish walking
the Pattern before the demons dig their way through to us?
I should have thought to ask her. I thought Edwin still had her
Faerie Ward, but I should have made sure. Now, because I didn't, Whimsy
may be dead. She was in such obvious pain at the end of her walk, and now
she's lying so still at the center... Gods, she can't be dead. It was
bad enough watching Nimue die on the Pattern, I can't go through that
again. Not when I could have stopped it. If only I'd thought to ask
her.
She's alive. Thank the gods! The Faerie Ward is gone, though, and I
have an uneasy feeling that I know where it went. Alex does too, by the
look on his face. He would know better than anyone. When he walked the
Pattern with his Spikard, it became fused to his hand. And gave him Chaos
Cancer. I can detect no trace of that in Whimsy, at least. Not yet,
anyway.
I can't believe Ishmael lived through that. Especially given that his
sword suddenly seems to be about as useless as Alastor. I saw what one of
those demons did to Whimsy, and while Ishmael's a lot tougher than she is,
he isn't a shapeshifter. So how did he survive with only minor wounds?
Did Lucien do something to him before he rejoined us?
This is not quite what I was expecting. Whimsy appears to have
absorbed the Faerie Ward, as I thought. The energy from any spell cast
around her is immediately sucked into her. But I can find no trace of the
Ward when I examine her. In Alex's case, the Spikard was still solid
inside of him. But with Whimsy... Just how completely did she absorb it?
Maybe Lucien can find it, but it's definitely beyond my capabilities.
The two remaining demons who were not either killed or banished have
fled Amber, faster than we can follow. Damn! I would have liked to get
all of them. I hope Gavin is able to erect that warning spell, just in
case they do return to Amber.
Evening
I feel much better, now that the children are safely back, and I've
washed all of the demon ichor off of me. It's too bad you can't get rid
of that stuff just by shifting back. I suppose I could just absorb it,
the way Lucien does when he needs extra mass, but that's a rather oogie
thought. I'm not sure I want demonic remnants becoming a part of me. No,
I'm quite sure I don't want demonic remnants becoming a part of me.
It worked! It must have. My Trumps of Jackie and Looks Twice are
cold again! I can't wait to talk to Looks Twice. And I need to see if he
or Meander can recommend someone to teach me witchcraft. But that can
wait until tomorrow. I've had enough excitement for today.
Lucien is safely back, as is Nicholas. Eric didn't have him, but
Lucien won't tell me any more of what happened. He did something sneaky,
though. I just know it. He has that mischievous look that he gets when
he's done something fun and gotten away with it. And he practically
smirked when I asked him if he'd done something to Ishmael before he
joined us. He certainly didn't utter a very convincing yes. But if he
didn't shift Ishmael to make him tougher, how did Ishmael survive the
demons? Unless... No, he wouldn't... Yes, he would. But did he? Was
it him, and not Ishmael, who fought the demons? It would explain why the
demons didn't do as much damage to him as they should have, and why he
actually was friendly to Whimsy in the center of the Pattern. I thought
that seemed rather odd, given that he wouldn't say a word to her when I
brought her in to assist on the spell this morning. Not to mention the
fact that his sword was suddenly useless against the demons. I can't be
sure, though. Maybe Ishmael's sword was affected like Alastor. I'll just
have to wait and see if that's really the case. Unless I can trip Lucien
up now, get him to say or do something that confirms he was in the Pattern
room with the rest of us. Hmm, if he was there, he knows I've walked the
Pattern. Surely he wouldn't sleep with me knowing what will happen as a
result of that. Would he?
So much for that theory. He tried all right. Which means either he
didn't know, or he did know, but knew I would stop him, lest I become
pregnant again. The problem is, I let things progress far enough that now
I don't want him to stop. I suppose it was too much to hope that with the
decrease in the Pattern's power, it would have lost its effect on
fertility. No such luck. I can't undo it either, nor can Lucien. How
annoying. At least Lucien can fix things on his end so that it isn't a
problem. My being fertile doesn't matter if nothing comes along to
complete the process.
Discworld, year 27, day 211 (Wednesday, November 23, 4)
Morning
Not only is the Disc back, but the old difficulties with reaching it
via Trump seem to be gone, at least for now. Bartholomew still has a
connection to it, though. Maybe he no longer cares if people visit it?
He must not. Why else would he have helped us, yesterday? Unfortunately,
it looks like my hopes of the Disc providing some help in dealing with the
new vampire (or vampires) in Amber were in vain. Meander says there isn't
really much one can do to stop one, other than befriend him. Or her. And
while I may have been able to do this with Shard, I don't think it's a
very effective defense against most vampires. Meander did say there was a
religion here whose symbols are effective, but you have to believe in
their one god for that to work. Which would be hard enough for me
normally, but even worse, they appear to be a patriarchy, where women have
no power. How could I believe in a religion that supports everything I've
fought so hard against? They even burn witches! I was briefly tempted to
bring one of them to Amber and see if their faith protects them from
Lasker there, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. Having a conscience
is damned inconvenient, sometimes.
At least Meander thinks he can find someone to teach me witchcraft,
and it sounds like I might be able to pay a wizard to enchant Alastor so
that it regains the capabilities that it lost with conjuration. And maybe
even link my wedding ring to Lucien's, the way our serpent rings used to
be. It will not be cheap, but I have the money. Pity I can't just
conjure the gems. Of course, if I could do that, I wouldn't need the
spells at all. Gods, I really miss conjuration.
Looks Twice is the chief of his tribe now. I'm happy to see him alive
and well, but somewhat sad to learn of his new position. I remember the
previous chief, and I rather liked him. He was kind to me, once he
realized I meant his tribe no harm. It sounds like the defeat of Cedric
improved their situation quite a bit. I just hope that the negotiations
Looks Twice referred to will force the slavers to leave them alone. I
meant my offer of help to him. I would hate to see anything happen to him
or his tribe.
I had to show Looks Twice how the children have grown. Ana and Briana
remembered him somewhat from their last visit, despite their young age.
Meeting a centaur does tend to leave an impression on a child. I bet
Bryan and Grayson's children will remember this for a while. They were
all so wide-eyed when we first arrived, it was wonderful to watch. Looks
Twice has agreed to keep them with him while I go into Altair to look for
a wizard. I was hoping he would. I certainly wouldn't want to risk
bringing them into the city.
Afternoon
Finding a wizard may take longer than I thought. Not many of them do
the sort of thing I'm looking for. I've made some inquiries, but it will
take a little while for them to bear any fruit. I suppose if I can't find
anyone, I can always try to find a solution in Shadow. But that could
take weeks, and I'd rather not be gone from the children for that long, if
I can help it.
Whimsy is interested in learning witchcraft as well. Not surprising,
given that faerie magic is forever lost to her. Well, at least so long as
the Faerie Ward is a part of her. Lucien was able to find it, but it's
merged with her on a molecular level, so removing it would be both
difficult and time-consuming. Plus, Whimsy didn't appear to like the idea
of being put through a sieve, essentially. I admit, it's not the most
appealing idea, but I would do it rather than be barred from faerie magic.
Although, it would certainly have its advantages. Like rendering Jack
vulnerable in my presence, for one thing. I'll bet I could actually hurt
him. Or even kill him. Whimsy didn't think much of that idea. Even the
idea of just beating him harshly. Amazing. Apparently her hatred for him
has faded somewhat over the years. Well, mine hasn't. I'm not sure it
ever will. Not when I have Grayson as a constant reminder of what he did
to us. How can I forgive him for that?
Eral, I nearly forgot! I need to have Meander reapply the geas, now
that I've walked the Pattern. It's been so long since he cast the
original spell, that I'd almost forgotten that walking the Pattern would
dispel it. Given the recent spate of vampire activity, I doubt I'll be in
any situation with Shard that would necessitate it, but still... Better
to be safe than sorry.
"Outrageous Fortune"
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