From Kris.Fazzari@um.cc.umich.edu Mon Jan 3 17:00:29 1994 Date: Mon, 3 Jan 94 13:02:58 EST From: Kris.Fazzari@um.cc.umich.edu To: thari@umich.edu Subject: Kris' Campaign Log Chapter Twenty-six Alex and Vialle discuss what to do with the information that Kimdyl has provided them with. The most troubling news is the fact that Martin is really a Chaos shapeshifter, sent to spy for Rygat. Apparently the switch took place sometime during Patternfall. Which leaves them wondering, where is the real Martin? Heather is talking to Merlin when she gets a Trump call. The call is from Vialle, who asks to meet with Heather at her earliest convenience. Heather says she can join them within the hour. Ahab thanks Gramble for his help. Gramble indicates he may call in his marker at a future date. Ahab asks a nurse where Eric is, but she doesn't know. Ariana lends Ahab her Trump of Eric. Ahab tells Eric he's in need of another Trump deck, since Rygat took his when she captured him. Eric says that Vialle has the key to the drawer where the spare decks are kept. Ahab thanks him and goes to see Vialle. Having nothing better to do, Ariana tags along. Ariana lets Ahab use her ears. He asks the guards for permission to see Vialle, which is soon granted. As they enter the room, Kimdyl straightens up and says now would be an appropriate time. Alex disagrees. Ahab bows shallowly to Kimdyl. She bows deeply and remains in that position. Ahab isn't sure why she's doing this. Ariana tells him psychically that Kimdyl's probably waiting for his permission to rise. Ahab tells Kimdyl that if she is holding that disagreeable position because of him, she can stop. She rises and says she gives herself over to his mercy. Ahab says she's taking the fun out of it and releases her from whatever obligation she feels towards him. Ariana asks why Kimdyl changed her mind. Kimdyl responds that she was forced to view impartially certain aspects of her training. Ahab asks Vialle for a Trump deck. Vialle gives him the key to the drawer. Ahab thanks her and goes to the library. Ariana offers her assistance to Vialle, should it be needed, and then follows Ahab. Felix Trumps Corwin. He asks for a humongous favor, which makes Corwin suspicious. Felix says he wants to go to Tir-na Nog'th, and he's been told that a Pattern sword is the only way to get the spirits to talk to him. Corwin asks who told him this. Felix says Gerard did. Corwin tells him that now is not the best time, and suggests asking in quieter times. Felix thanks him and Trumps Brand. Brand is out riding on horseback when he gets the call. He asks what Felix wants. When Felix tells him, Brand says Corwin must have said no. He admits that asking him took balls, so he agrees. He gives Felix a key to his room and says Werewindle's on his dresser. Felix is having trouble believing Brand actually agreed. He says Jasra will kill him if she sees him. Brand assures Felix that Jasra should still be in the infirmary, but advises him to run if she's not. He says to say hello to Benedict and breaks the contact. Felix goes to Brand's room and knocks. When no one answers, he unlocks the door and enters. Werewindle is indeed lying on the dresser. Felix belts it on and sneaks up the stairs, heading for his room. On the way, he encounters Ahab and Ariana as they walk towards the library. They both stare at him in surprise. Ahab says he assumes Brand knows that Felix has Werewindle. Felix says he wouldn't have it any other way. They asks why he needs Werewindle. Felix lies and says he needs it to defend himself. Neither of them believe him. Heather sends Merlin to bed and goes to her appointment with Vialle. As she enters, she interrupts a rather charged conversation between Alex and Kimdyl. Alex feels Kimdyl was foolish to put her life in Ahab's hands. Alex tells Heather that Kimdyl had some useful information, but in order to use it effectively, they need someone to interfere with any probing minds. The door opens again and Mandor, Despil, Gramble and Suhey enter. Alex stands and bows, Heather curtsies. Alex tells the assembled group that there appears to be an opportunity for victory. He says that they have discovered a spy in Amber, impersonating one of the King's sons. Heather says she assumes he refers to Martin. Mandor asks if Ariana should be warned. Alex says that some family members might over-react and kill Martin, when he could still be of use to Amber. Alex suggests feeding the spy false information and setting up a ruse to cover a rescue attempt of Benedict. Heather says she is willing to lead such an effort. She asks for a small task force, consisting of a guide through Chaos, someone powerful enough to protect them, and an advanced shaper to help them recover from any injuries they might receive. Gramble asks if she plans to go back into Chaos. Heather says she needs to in order to break through the barrier Rygat has established. Gramble volunteers his assistance, saying he is in the mood to participate in the snatching of a toy from Rygat. Vialle observes that Heather has a guide and a shaper, and asks who else she requires. Mandor looks like he'd really like to be included in the rescue party. Heather says Gramble should be sufficient, unless Merlin holds her to her end of the bargain. Mandor frowns upon hearing this, but Despil smiles. Vialle asks who will be the guardian. Despil offers his assistance in that regard. Satisfied with the makeup of her rescue party, Heather says they will leave in the morning. Ahab gets another Trump deck from the library and returns the key to Vialle. Ariana asks Ahab if it is possible to keep a Trump contact open without looking at the card. It seems she would like to visit Tir-na Nog'th, to learn more about her parentage, but no one has a Trump of her to use to establish contact in case she falls. If the initiator of the contact can maintain it without viewing the card, then she would be able to Trump her ally on the ground and keep the contact open while she looks around. Ahab isn't sure if it can be done, but offers to help Ariana find out. He starts down the stairs to the Pattern room. Ariana Trumps Ahab and tries her experiment, but finds herself unable to maintain the contact when she looks away. She re-establishes contact and asks what Ahab's planning. He says that would be telling, but it won't involve any bodily harm. He thinks. Ariana asks if she can watch, so Ahab pulls her through. They continue down the stairs Alex pulls Mandor aside. He asks what the true identity of the spy might be. He also asks if Mandor can arrange things so that whoever might be the spy will be imprisoned in Amber. Mandor says he can prepare a list of suspects, but it will take a few hours. Mandor gives Heather a questioning look as he leaves. Ahab and Ariana reach the Pattern room, only to find the door is locked. They knock, but get no answer. The smell of food drifts out from the room. They call out, but hear no response. They look under the door and see a pair of women's shoes. Ahab Trumps Fiona and tells her about it. Fiona says she'll check. She calls back a little while later and says that whoever's in there is blocking her, and she's too busy to deal with it. Ahab Trumps Julian and asks if he wants to help. Julian doesn't think he'd be able to do much. He does point out that even Felix can initially block Fiona. Ahab asks if Julian can pass Morglyph through, which he does. Ahab thanks him and Trumps Felix. After explaining the situation to Felix, Felix decides that Deirdre would be sad if Ahab died so he comes through. Ahab starts hacking away at the door hinges. Ariana and Felix draw their blades. The door starts to fall towards them, so Felix catches it. Ahab tells Felix to push it the other way. They enter and find an empty pair of shoes, a picnic table with a red checkered table cloth, pizza and a glass of wine. Ahab and Ariana check out the shadows while Felix guards the door. When they get half-way around the room, Felix hears a shhh from above him, looks up and sees Mirelle. She indicates that he should let her sneak out. Felix asks why she was there. She said she didn't think anyone would be using it. Felix lets her go. Ariana and Ahab find nothing, so Ahab heads for the beginning of the Pattern. Ariana asks if Felix saw anything they missed. Felix says he saw the shoes. Felix's device gives him a warning. He grabs Ahab's shoulder and tells him not to walk the Pattern. Ahab asks why. Felix psychically tells him about his device's warning. Felix thinks of walking the Pattern himself and doesn't get the same feeling. Ahab orients himself in shadow, and realizes that he can't see Dworkin's Pattern. He can, however, see Corwin's. Guards arrive, investigating the noise made in breaking down the door. Felix tells them what happened and asks that some guards be stationed by the entrance. He heads upstairs. Ahab Trumps Deirdre and goes through to her. Ariana tries some of the pizza, since she's never had anything like it before. Liking the taste, she stays and finishes it off. Ahab tells Deirdre about the break-in and says that the Pattern is rejecting him. He mentions that he ran into Corwin and asks if she thinks he knows that he's Ahab's father. She says she doubts it, and would be most unhappy if he did. Ahab asks if he's affecting her recovery. She asks if he came there to torture her. He tells her he'd like to change their relationship, from that of master and dog, to that of two people who care about each other. She glares at him, says she's had enough for now, and rolls over. He asks if he's still invited back. She tells him he is, for now, but she's angry with him and needs time to calm down. He leaves and Trumps Fiona. She doesn't answer. He tells a page that he'd like to see Fiona at her earliest convenience. Since it's getting late, Felix leaves for Kolvir. After he reaches the stone stairs, first Ahab and then Ariana Trump him and have him pull them through. The stairs appear on schedule. Neither Ariana or Felix have ever visited Tir-na Nog'th, so they are not sure when it's safe to start the ascent. Ariana goes first, being very careful not to look down. Felix quickly follows. Ahab establish Trump contact with Felix. In Arden, Shard spots two figures on the stairs and investigates. He finds Ahab sitting at the foot of the stairs, staring at a Trump. He looks up and sees the city in the sky. Ahab notices Shard and tells Felix they have company. Alex covertly watches Martin, disguised as a Castle guard. He observes Martin stagger into the Main Hall, appearing quite drunk. When Martin goes to the dining hall, Alex changes back to his human form and follows him. He engages Martin in some idle chatter. Ariana notices that Tir-na Nog'th seems much like Amber, only ghostly. She clears her mind of all thoughts but the questions she has about who her parents were and why she was left in shadow. She sees Oberon, dressed in a Hellenic style, chatting with a dark haired woman, dressed the same way. The conversation seems rather animated, with the woman enjoying Oberon's favor. A closer look reveals she has dark brown, curly hair, and green eyes. Ariana assumes this is her mother, Helen. Felix wonders why the Pattern was rejecting Ahab, and sees an image of Corwin walking with Deirdre. Deirdre appears upset, while Corwin is simply confused. Felix draws Werewindle and points it at the scene. The closer the sword gets to it, the more real it seems. He points the sword at Corwin, just in time to hear Deirdre say "You would never understand". Ahab, watching through the contact, is not happy with this line of thought. Realizing that Werewindle allows one to interact with the visions in Tir-na Nog'th, Ariana asks if she can borrow it for a little while. Felix doesn't want to let it out of his possession, since he promised Brand he'd take care of it. She tries touching the sword, while Felix is holding it, and focusing again. But her thoughts and Felix's conflict, causing the images they both see to blur by too quickly. She stops and asks him to tell her when he's done. Felix asks why Mirelle was hiding in the Pattern room. An image of an 8-year old girl appears. She is crying. He points Werewindle at her and asks what's wrong. She says that Brand ripped the head off of her doll, and Mommy's not around to fix it anymore. She adds that Daddy yelled at Mommy and she killed herself. Felix asks who her mother is. She tells him her name was Paulette. She also says that Random won't play with her anymore and that she doesn't want to live here. She asks Felix to take her away. Not knowing what to say, he points the sword away, dispelling the scene. Bored with watching Ahab, unable to determine what's happening in Tir-na Nog'th, but unwilling to leave, Shard falls asleep. Felix focuses on his next question: why did Rygat trap Gerard and Felix? The scene that appears consists of a younger version of Dworkin and Rygat arguing with each other. Rygat is upset that Dworkin didn't stop Oberon from killing Osric and Finndo. Dworkin responds that she slept with Oberon to make him jealous, so why should he care if her sons by Oberon were killed? Ariana, Ahab and Felix are all quite shocked to learn that Dworkin and Rygat had been lovers. As the two begin a sorcerous duel, Felix decides that things are getting too dangerous and lets the scene go. His next question is why did Brand let him have Werewindle and why is it necessary to keep it safe? Nothing appears, since the event in question didn't occur in Amber. Felix asks what will happen if Rygat is successful. The scene shifts to the Throne Room, with Merlin sitting on the throne. Benedict and Dara are by his side. Felix points Werewindle at the scene. Benedict draws his sword when Felix appears. Felix tells him that's not necessary. Benedict spots Ariana standing next to Felix and asks who she is. Felix says that Benedict's already met cousin Ariana, but Benedict disagrees. Felix asks if he's been gone for a while. Benedict says that he has. He adds that he understood Felix was not to return, by mutual agreement. He begins to advance on Felix, sword at the ready. Felix wisely opts to dispel the scene. Ahab warns them that there is only an hour or so before sunrise. Felix has no more questions, so it's Ariana's turn. She focuses on her questions. She and Felix see a much earlier Amber, with Oberon leading a small child down a Castle hallway. Ariana recognizes the child as herself. Felix points Werewindle at Oberon. Oberon sees Felix and asks who he is and why he's appeared in his hall. Felix says he's the Ghost of Christmas past, and points Werewindle away. Ariana is very upset with him for doing this. They try again and the scene is of the conference where Ariana first met Oberon, shortly after he returned to Amber. She watches his reaction closely as the scene plays out, and is able to tell that he recognized her when she walked in. Felix waits until everyone else has left the room, and then points Werewindle towards Oberon, with the point towards the ground this time. Ariana asks Oberon why he left her in shadow. He asks why she thinks he's her father. She tells him she learned of it from Dworkin. Oberon says that Dworkin might have been lying, but Ariana doesn't think so. She repeats her question. Oberon says it's a long story. Ahab tells them that they're running out of time. Oberon asks what Felix is doing there, since he'd rather discuss this privately. Felix wants to go through to Ahab, but Ariana wants him to wait until the last moment. Since there is no time for her first question, she asks Oberon why he didn't tell her the truth when she met him. He said it was for the best, especially given what was going to happen to him. Ariana asks if he was going to let her wonder for the rest of her life. Oberon says it would have been for the best. Ariana disagrees. The sun peeks over the horizon and Oberon starts to fade. They Trump through to Ahab. Shard wakes up as Ariana stumbles over him. She asks if Shard still has the Trump sketch Heather did of her. Shard looks suspicious but admits that he does. She asks if she can borrow it for a while. When he wants to know why, she explains that she'll need it to visit Tir-na Nog'th and keep in contact with someone on the ground. He reluctantly gives it to her. Ahab psychically asks Ariana if she'll check his mind for changes. Ariana asks if Ahab wants to go back to the Castle or do it here. Shard misinterprets her meaning and decides that he should be leaving. Felix asks to be told when they go to see Vialle with their news and Trumps back to Amber. Ariana examines Ahab's mind and finds no changes. Felix puts the sword back in Brand's room and locks the door. He Trumps Brand but doesn't get an answer. Realizing it's about time for breakfast, he decides to get something to eat. Ariana and Ahab decide to tell Vialle the news before breakfast. They Trump Felix and ask if he wants to come along. He does, so they pull him through. They ask the guards outside Random's quarters for an audience with Vialle, saying it's important. When they are allowed in, they tell her they have discovered the source of Rygat's grudge. She says they should tell Random, since he's awake. They are taken to him and explain what they observed in Tir-na Nog'th. Random says that Ahab can break the news to Benedict, when he returns. Ahab looks disgusted and asks if there's a sign on him that says "available for shit-jobs", but agrees anyway. They leave Random to consider the implications of their information. Felix and Ariana discuss her next trip to Tir-na Nog'th. It seems obvious that she will have to convince either Brand or Corwin to lend her their sword, or find a workable substitute. Felix feels bad about not letting her have Werewindle while they were in Tir-na Nog'th. She assures him that it's all right, since he learned some important information. They go down to breakfast, finding only Gerard, Ahab, Alex and Ariadne there. Heather wakes Merlin up and tells him to get ready to join her party. He is somewhat confused, since she didn't bother to tell him he was going. He dresses hurriedly and joins them. After concentrating a while he says he has something and uses the Logrus to pull them to a shadow. In it, they find a sparkly rectangle, which Heather recognizes as a Trump trap. As she works to diffuse it, she realizes that whoever designed the trap is not as good a Trump artist as she is. After a while, the sparkle fades and Flora emerges. Her hair has been completely cut off, she is bruised and emaciated and she is clothed in a burlap sack. None of the rescuers are happy about what Rygat's done to her. Flora greets Heather and asks if it's over. Heather says partially, but she offers to return her to Amber if she wishes. Flora looks rather paranoid and opts to stay with her rescuers. Heather looks at Merlin and says "Next?", so he starts searching with the Logrus again. Gramble offers Flora a hooded cloak. She gratefully accepts it and pulls it tightly around her. Merlin says he doesn't like the looks of this, right before his eyes widen and he starts moving rapidly forward. Gramble casts a spell that stops his forward movement, but he remains suspended in mid-air. Gramble casts another spell that releases him, and Merlin falls to the ground. Gramble asks if he at least got the location, which he did. Merlin suggests walking there. After twenty minutes pass, the Chaosites start to look agitated. Gramble and Merlin cast some spells and Despil draws his sword. Heather grabs Merlin's arm. He says now is not a good time, and asks her to let go. Heather asks what's going on. Merlin says they're being attacked and tells her to stand still. Energy starts to fly through the air. Merlin is knocked back about six feet. Despil lets out a war cry and slices a creature in half as it appears right next to Heather and Flora. Gramble looks annoyed and puts quite a bit of force into his next spell. Things quiet down. Gramble motions for Heather to continue on, saying the way is clear. As they enter the next valley, they see another sparkly rectangle. It is no more complex than the first one, so Heather is able to diffuse it faster. Benedict emerges from it, sword in mid-stroke. Fortunately for Heather, his blade ricochets off of her protective armor, although the force of the blow knocks her off her feet. Surprised that she is still alive, and somewhat embarrassed by his mistake, Benedict helps Heather up and apologizes. Gramble hands her a Trump of the main hall. Heather concentrates on it and they arrive back in Amber. Heather asks for some assistance in reaching the infirmary. Gramble and Despil allow her to support herself on their shoulders, and they walk to the infirmary with Merlin hobbling along behind. Ahab glances up from breakfast and thinks he sees Benedict. He gets up and rushes out. Ariana follows. Felix says to tell him if it's anything worth missing breakfast over and continues eating. As Ahab reaches the hallway he sees Benedict heading for the stairs. Realizing that his deafness will make regular conversation difficult, he Trumps Benedict. When Benedict answers, he says he has learned the source of Rygat's grudge. Benedict says they should discuss it in private. Ariana wishes Ahab luck and goes back to the dining room. She tells Felix that Benedict has returned. Ahab asks if Benedict could leave his sword behind. Benedict asks if Ahab thinks he'll be using it on him. Ahab says the news will make him quite angry. Benedict promises to limit himself to inanimate objects. Ahab tells him about Rygat and Dworkin. Benedict is quite angry, but manages to control his temper. He leaves. As Ahab makes his way back to the dining hall, he catches a glimpse of a cloaked figure, so he pursues it. Flora runs into a sitting room and slams the door. Ahab tries to open the door, but she is holding the door shut. He yells that she can't hold the door shut forever, and says she'll have to show herself, since he's deaf. She opens the door slightly at this. Ahab recognizes her and offers to escort her back to her room. She gratefully accepts.