Chapter
Twenty-five
Wednesday, December 8, 2987
Deirdre visits Ahab in the infirmary. They talk psychically for a
while. Deirdre comes out on the winning side of the conversation.
Alex brings Ariadne down to the infirmary. He asks her to get rid
of her armor. She moans and it disappears, leaving her naked in his arms.
He says this hurts him more than it hurts her, so she punches him in the
face.
Ariana asks Felix to carry Driscoll up to the infirmary, so she
can remove the bullet from his shoulder. Eric picks up Gérard and
follows. Shard and Merlin reach the battlements after the fight is over,
so they head back downstairs. They pass the infirmary group on their way
down. Ariana tells Shard that Julian is awake and asking to see the
Captain of his men. Shard and Merlin follow the group to the infirmary,
although Merlin does not enter.
Ariadne asks for some morphine. Alex gets some, but doesn't know
what to do with it. Ahab tells him to get a syringe and fill about a
quarter of it with the morphine. As Alex advances on Ariadne with the
syringe, her eyes turn red and she starts growling. Alex puts the syringe
away and tries to make psychic contact with her. Ahab stands up and walks
over to a chair near Ariadne, distracting Alex. Eric, carrying
Gérard, Felix, carrying Driscoll, Ariana and Shard all arrive.
Ariana and Felix are incredulous that Alex is trying to give Ariadne
morphine, when he has no medical training. Ariana realizes that Alex does
have the right dosage, so she doesn't interfere. Alex makes psychic
contact with Ariadne and explains to her that the morphine will help. She
begins to whimper. Ahab grabs her hand and tries to soothe her. He
realizes she is in more pain than he was at the height of Rygat's attack.
Alex manages to give the morphine to Ariadne.
Left alone with the sorceress, Heather imprints several suggestions in
her mind. These suggestions prevent her from killing Amberites, allowing
Amberites to come to harm, killing herself, or escaping. Heather
estimates it will be four to five hours before the sorceress wakes up and
can be questioned. She arranged for some guards to carry the Chaosite up
to the infirmary.
Driscoll starts shaping up to be a difficult patient. Ahab looks
at him and says, "You're lucky, this could be you." This gives Driscoll
pause long enough for Ariana to put him under. Felix tells Ahab that he's
too sick to be out of bed. Ariana points out that Ahab's deaf, providing
a last bit of amusement for Driscoll before the drug takes affect. With
Driscoll taken care of, Felix walks over to talk with Gérard.
Deirdre sends some nurses over to put Ahab back to bed. Ahab glares
at them. Deirdre glares at him. Felix touches Ahab and tells him to go
to bed. Ahab doesn't want to. After some arguing, Eric interrupts and
says that if Ahab is that ornery, let him sit there. Ahab is left
alone.
Heather brings the sorceress into the infirmary. Alex recognizes
her as Kimdyl, someone he went to school with. She is of noble birth from
a minor house. Alex remembers her as being adept with sorcery and Logrus.
He does not share this information with anyone else. Heather leaves, and
notices Merlin standing by the doorway. She asks if he knows how to draw,
and says she may have something of interest to teach him. She leaves and
starts examining a Trump.
Shard approaches Julian, who is sitting on one of the infirmary window
sills. Julian says Shard should be in control of the forces in Arden and
asks what he's doing here. Shard says he's checking on Julian's health.
Julian says he's fine, and tells Shard to see to the forces in Arden.
Shard nods and leaves.
Ahab gets the attention of one of the nurses and motions her over.
He offers to go back to his bed if she gets rid of his catheter. The
nurse nods and asks if he's ready to go back to bed now. He agrees, and
she helps him back to bed. The nurse removes the catheter and tells him
that if he's caught walking around, it goes back in. Ahab reluctantly
agrees.
Eric gives the medical staff instructions on the care of the patients.
As he leaves, Ariana points out that he could use some medical attention.
Eric says he'll be fine. Ariana tells him he's as stubborn as Ahab.
Eric replies that it runs in the family and leaves.
Felix asks Gérard what's going on between Driscoll and Eric.
Gérard points out that he's been gone for a while, so he has no
idea. He suggests Felix go after Eric and bring him back to get his
wounds tended to.
Ariana sets Ariadne up with an IV and does what she can for her
burns.
Felix walks up to Alex. He says that Alex is the only Chaosite
they can trust, and asks if he recognized any of the attackers. Alex says
he'll check the ones in the courtyard and walks over to Kimdyl. He makes
psychic contact with her, to see if she's stable. He finds that she's
been brainwashed twice, with the first brainwashing being much more
elaborate and subtle than the second, more recent one. Felix walks over
and examines Kimdyl, finding that she has a strong concussion. Alex
breaks the contact and frowns. Felix asks what's wrong. Alex says that
Kimdyl was brainwashed and not responsible for her actions. Felix and
Alex go down to the courtyard to identify the dead Chaosites. Alex
recognizes them as young lords that he knew. One of them was a rival for
Kimdyl's affections. Alex kicks him. Felix points out that he's already
dead, so kicking him won't accomplish anything.
They both hear hoof beats on the cobblestones. Felix picks up one
of the guns and aims it at the gate. Mandor, Gramble, Despil and a
stranger with white hair ride in. Alex recognizes the stranger as Suhuy.
Felix explains to Mandor about the battle and their one prisoner. Mandor
asks to speak to the King. Felix explains that Random and Driscoll are
both injured, and suggests talking to Vialle or Eric. He summons a page
and sends him to arrange an audience for Mandor with Vialle. Then he bows
and introduces himself to Suhuy. He says he hopes Suhuy has a better stay
than those who came before him. Alex looks disgusted by this, but Suhuy
is amused. Felix asks if he said something wrong. Suhuy says he wasn't
offended, but he points out that what Felix said might be
misinterpreted.
Shard heads out to Arden, where he finds Corwin in charge of the
men. Shard isn't real keen on telling Corwin that he's in charge.
Instead, he tells Corwin that he needs to speak privately with him.
Corwin motions Shard into his tent. He says that Shard looks troubled and
asks what's wrong. Shard tells him that Julian is awake. Corwin says
he's sorry. Shard says that Julian wants to know the condition of things
in Arden. He asks Corwin if he knows about recent events in the Castle.
Corwin does, since he's been in contact with Gérard briefly. Shard
explains he was unable to participate in most of the recent fight since he
was preventing Heather from committing messy suicide. Corwin asks if
there's any other reason that Shard came to see him. Shard suggests
sitting down. Corwin gets some of Julian's wine and offers it to him.
Shard explains that Julian would like to speak with Corwin about the
defense of Arden and the disposition of his forces. Corwin says to tell
Julian that things are under control. Shard insists that Julian was
rather persistent about wanting to talk to Corwin. Corwin points out that
if he leaves, there will be no one to lead the troops. Shard replies that
he'll be there. Corwin says he'll Trump Julian and asks Shard to leave
him in private. Shard walks out of the tent and waits. Several hours
pass.
Ariana goes to sleep in a chair by the door. Ahab wakes up. He
tries testing his hearing by tapping his ear with his finger. Hearing
nothing, he concludes he is still deaf. He tries to recall if any of his
relatives have ever been deafened, but none have. After half an hour, he
notices the sorceress stir. A nurse notices that he is awake and asks if
he needs anything. Ahab indicates that he'd like writing utensils. He
writes that he'd like some food and a Trump deck. The nurse touches him
and says she'll have to run that by his personal physician (meaning
Deirdre). Ahab asks where Deirdre is. Not wanting to give that away
through their psychic contact, the nurse removes her hand and shakes her
head no. Ariadne wakes up and sits up. Ahab makes psychic contact with
her and asks if she's feeling any better. Ariadne breaks the contact to
pull the covers up over her chest, since she's still naked. The nurses
notice her moving around, but she growls at them, causing them to back
off. Ariana hears this and wakes up. She asks if Ariadne needs anything.
Ariadne is thirsty, so the nurses get some water. Not wanting to
approach Ariadne themselves, they give it to Ariana. Ariana gives the
water to Ariadne and gets a hospital gown for her. Ariadne proceeds to
put it on backwards. She sits on the edge of the cot for a while, staring
at her toes. Eventually, she tries to walk. Ariana stays close to
Ariadne, in case she falls. Ariadne quickly begins to lean heavily on
Ariana, but she doesn't want to go back to bed. After a while, she stops
walking and stares at her toes some more.
Felix talks with Isabeux. He mentions that he didn't stop by the
night before because Gérard looked like he needed to "talk" to her.
Isabeux flushes slightly the implication. Felix tells her that
Gérard is not being a very good patient. Isabeux says she'll have
to drop by later and remind him of the consequences of misbehaving.
Heather has just figured out how to get past the block on the
Trump when there is a knock at the door. It's one of the infirmary staff,
telling her that Kimdyl is awake. She goes to the infirmary. As she
enters, Ariadne lifts up one of her feet and starts examining her toes
more closely. Ariana asks Heather if she can help her. Heather says
she's attending to private business. Alex walks in, so Ariana gives
Ariadne to him and follows Heather. Ariadne says she is surprised that
she has toes, which startles Ariana and Alex. Alex decides he'd like to
see what Heather's business is with Kimdyl as well, which means he winds
up carrying Ariadne. Ariadne asks if she knows Alex and wants to know if
they're lovers. Alex says not as yet. He asks if she's hungry. She says
she is, so Alex puts her down by Ahab, who starts feeding her some of his
stew. Ahab makes psychic contact with Ariadne and uses her ears to hear
what's going on.
Heather makes psychic contact with Kimdyl and talks to her. Ariana
enters the contact as well, which causes Heather to break it off and glare
at Ariana. She asks Ariana why she keeps sticking her nose into other
people's business. Ariana replies that she's just following Heather's
example. Heather orders Ariana to leave. Ariana refuses. Kimdyl
suggests they flip a coin over who will torture her. Ahab yells, "Dibs!"
Heather touches Kimdyl and Trumps them to Finch manor. Ariana goes to
Random's quarters and asks to talk to Vialle or Eric. The guards say they
will try to arrange an audience.
Heather tries to convince Kimdyl that she has been brainwashed.
Kimdyl is convinced that Heather is going to torture her and doesn't
believe what Heather is saying. She is confused when Heather fetches food
and clothing for her, but she remains uncooperative. She asks to be
returned to the infirmary, saying this feels like an escape. She asks if
Heather has been through a war before, since she's not playing by the
rules. Heather replies that she dislikes the rules. Kimdyl asks what
Heather wishes of her. Heather responds that she'd like to help Kimdyl
regain her mind. Kimdyl says that her mind was not changed until
recently. Heather explains that she found evidence of subtle changes in
Kimdyl's mind when she was implanting her suggestions. Kimdyl asks how
she knows this isn't a trick. Heather says she doesn't, but points out
that if she wanted information she could have obtained it already. And if
she wanted to torture Kimdyl, she could come up with far more interesting
ways. Kimdyl says she's always valued her freedom and asks Heather to
show her what was done to her mind.
Ariana is brought in to see Vialle. She asks if Heather was given
any orders regarding to the prisoner. Vialle is unaware that there was a
prisoner. Ariana explains what happened. Vialle suggests that maybe
Heather left because she wanted some privacy. Ariana says that the
Chaosite is a prisoner of Amber, not Heather's private plaything. Vialle
suggests asking Eric or Driscoll. Ariana says she will, when Driscoll
wakes up. She updates Vialle on Driscoll's condition and thanks her for
her time.
Alex tries to latch onto Kimdyl with the Logrus, but the closest
he can get is the guardian to Heather's Shadow. After a bit of trouble,
Alex gets the man's attention. Eventually, he communicates that he'd like
to go through. The man gives him a stack of paperwork to fill out. He
uses the Logrus to fill it out quickly and turns it in. The man throws
the papers away and asks if he has anything to declare. Alex replies that
he has nothing to declare. The man writes something down and goes back to
his work. After a minute or two, Alex gets the man's attention again and
says he'd like to go through. He is given another stack of paperwork.
Alex pulls the old stack out of the garbage, fills out the new stack and
turns it in. He is asked again if he has anything to declare. This time
he declares himself. No dice. This pattern continues, with Alex
continually retrieving the pages he had turned in from the garbage and
handing them in again. Eventually he declares that Ahab is an idiot, and
the man allows him to pass.
Corwin comes out his tent and says he's done talking with Julian.
Shard can either stay in Arden or go back to the Castle. Shard says he
thinks he'd be more useful at the Castle, which surprises Corwin. Shard
changes his mind and decides to stay in Arden.
Ahab and Ariadne talk about their childhood. Ariadne seems to
think that Deirdre is a lot like a Hellmaid. Ariadne wants to leave, but
Ahab asks her not to.
Alex arrives at the gate to Finch Manor and asks to see Heather.
He is told to wait in the parlor. The maid announces him to Heather, who
is shocked that he's gotten past her guardian. She agrees to see him.
When Alex is brought in, he notices Kimdyl is also in the room, although
she is staring blankly ahead. Alex asks if everything is all right with
Kimdyl. Heather thinks Kimdyl is coming to grips with what she has
learned. Alex says Heather has an interesting "lock" on the "door".
Heather says it's hard to pick. Alex compliments her on the design and
says he imagines that Ahab was quite frustrated over it. They have a
chuckle or two at Ahab's expense.
Felix brings some food to the infirmary for Gérard. After
he delivers the food, he walks over to Ahab and Ariadne. Felix notices
that Ahab is speaking in a normal tone, as opposed to the shouting he's
been doing since he was deafened. He snaps his fingers by Ahab's ears to
see if Ahab can hear again. Ahab says he's borrowing Ariadne's ears. The
three of them talk. Ariadne mentions that her death was staged a thousand
years ago. She can't remember why, but she does remember not liking where
she wound up. She doesn't remember how she escaped, either. Ahab asks
her if Hellmaids are born that way, or trained. She tells him they aren't
usually born. Apparently, she was the first. Ahab asks her how long it
takes to create a Hellmaid. Depending on the level of the sorcerer, she
says it takes between two days and two months. Felix notices that Kimdyl
is gone and asks what happened to her. Ariadne explains that Ariana
annoyed Heather, who left with Kimdyl. Felix observes that it's not hard
for Ariana and Heather to annoy each other. Ahab says he's learned that
the trick to not annoying Heather is to not step on her toes, which extend
eight miles. Ariadne takes him literally at first, causing a bit of
confusion.
Back at Finch Manor, Kimdyl blinks and says she'd feel better if
she was being tortured. She feels badly about what she's done, despite
the fact that Heather says there's nothing she could have done. Kimdyl
wants to offer herself to the one who hates her the most (meaning Ahab),
and give him the choice on whether to kill her or not. She also says she
has some information of use to offer, since she no longer believes Amber
should be destroyed. Heather Trumps Vialle and says she has someone who
wants to talk to her. Vialle asks if it's the sorceress. Heather says it
is, and asks for protection. Since Heather feels it's necessary, Vialle
agrees. Heather tells Kimdyl that she has the Queen's protection and
Trumps the three of them to Vialle's quarters. Vialle offers Kimdyl a
seat and makes her comfortable. Heather leaves but Alex decides to stay
and hear what Kimdyl has to say.
Ariana gives a page a message for Vialle, asking for a Trump deck.
She is taken to the library and given one. She goes back to the
infirmary and enters just as a nurse is telling Ahab that the itching
indicates his stitches are ready to come out. Felix mentions that Gramble
has returned. Ahab asks to speak to him, so Ariadne goes to find him.
Ariana makes psychic contact with Ahab and asks who Gramble is. Ahab
explains that Gramble can shapeshift other people's bodies back to their
normal healthy state, but he needs to take control of their mind to do
that. He wants to ask Gramble to heal him, especially his hearing. He
asks Ariana to check out his mind, so if Gramble changes anything she'll
know. Gramble is brought in and agrees to try and help, but will not
allow anyone to psychically observe the process. Ahab's stitches are
removed and Gramble sets to work. He heals most of the damage but
recommends allowing the ears to heal on their own, since they are so
delicate. Gramble thinks they will take a year or so to heal. Ahab
doesn't want to wait that long. He asks if Gramble can at least help
things along, so this ears will heal faster. Gramble agrees to try.