Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick

On the fifth day after the coronation (or the sixth, if the GMs decide so)...

[You can write it on day 5, and you'll have your answer when you get back from the dinner meeting.]

...Ossian finds a pen and composes a note to Valeria. After scrapping several versions of the note - Hm. Maybe I shouldn't start with praising her looks? Eh. Well. Not that she doesn't look good, but she might not like it. Let's try another one. - he finally arrives at this one:

Duchess Valeria,
without doubt you have many questions regarding your father and the terrible deed that led to his death. Likewise we are very interested in what you have to say in the matter. A meeting as soon as possible would therefore be beneficial for both you and us.

As I suspect you have only seen the city on your stay here, and since the countryside around the city have a splendour you really shouldn't miss, I suggest we take a walk outside the city (or a ride if you know how to ride a horse) while we have our discussion. I could meet you at the Rebman embassy tomorrow at noon. If the time or place doesn't suit you, feel free to suggest something else.

If nothing else, the beauty of nature might soften your sorrow.

Yours sincerely
Ossian

Lord Ossian,

Thank you for your kind words. Please meet me at the Rebman Embassy tomorrow at noon and we shall ride. The Embassy has horses.

V.

Ossian arrives at the Rebman embassy exactly at noon, dressesd in simple (but nice-looking) clothes fit for riding. Today Ossian is armed with a rapier and a dagger. He seems to be in a good mood and greets Valeria with courtesy. Unless Valeria brings the subject up Ossian won't talk about the murder of her father until they are out of town.

Ossian will lead them on a scenic off-road route that gives the most beautyful view of the city and the bay below, given the weather. What mood does Valeria seem to be in?

Valeria is a diplomat and a courtier. She is quite capable of engaging in meaningless pleasantries for quite a while, but Ossian thinks her heart isn't in it. It's quite clear that she is distracted and thinking about other matters than the scenery.

Then Ossian will cease the smalltalk as soon as they are out of town. He rides quiet for a little while, and then asks:

"So, about your father. Do you know why he left Rebma?"

Valeria turns to look at Ossian. She jerks the horse's reins a little in doing so and it makes a whuff of protest and stops. She knees it gently and it picks up the pace again.

"Why don't you tell me your theory about that?" she says.

Ossian meets her gaze with steady blue eyes, but furrows his brow.

"I think he had learnt something that was dangerous for him to know. Something someone in Rebma would kill him for knowing." Ossian looks a bit sad saying this

"Although I haven't the slightest clue what he knew about."

"It's only a theory, of course."

"And where does your cousin Conner fit into all this, I wonder?" Valeria asks Ossian.

"I don't know. He knows more about your father than most of us, and could probably give us a few clues, if he was here. He could very well be in some conspiracy with your father, dating back to their Rebma days. Do you think he is responsible for the murder?" Ossian sounds very matter-of-factly; there is no accusation in his voice whatsoever.

Valeria looks at her companion. "He has motive, and with his access to his mother's sorcery, means and opportunity. He may not be the only suspect, but you must admit that he is one. And his departure-- while it speaks well of him that he tries to rescue his sister, the timing is all very convenient. Have you heard anything from Conner or any of the others who went with him since they left, Lord Ossian?"

Ossian shakes his head "Haven't heard from them, but that's quite natural. But of course he is a suspect, even if he was on the dance floor during Dara's attack." Ossian smiles slightly "It would help to know what his motive would be. Could you tell me?"

"Conner and Thalia were apparently in a smuggling ring with my father." Valeria scowls, as if the prospect offends her somehow. "Dry goods for wet. Gateway to Amber to Rebma and back. Our investigation also suggests Thalia was my father's lover. Honor among thieves apparently isn't enough among drylanders to cover sexual infidelity in their women."

Ossian's mouth twitches, for a second it almost looks like he grins.

She purses her lips and adds, "My brother thinks it can't be the money because Conner is the son of one of the Princesses. He thinks money isn't an issue. What do you think, Lord Ossian?"

"I agree with your brother. Money wouldn't be an issue for Conner, although he could maybe kill someone out of jealousy. But if that's the cause behind the murder I wonder why he waited until the masquerade. Unless he learned about it there, of course.

"What about Thalia? Couldn't she have a motive, or even several?"

The slightest hint of a smile livens Valeria's face. "I'm not asking you about her." The tone is not that of a rebuke, but one of telling a student he's run ahead of his classmates.

Ossian looks puzzled: "Obviously. I wanted to hear your opinion, as you probably have seen other sides of her than I have. I assume you know she too has left Amber."

The corners of Valeria's mouth curl downward slightly, and her brow creases. Ossian feels certain he would not like to be on the business end of that look, rather than only sideswiped as he right now. "We had thought as much, but had not confirmed it. How is it that the crown of Amber let her go?"

Ossian shivers. "Because..." Ossian starts, then changes his mind. "No. There is no 'because'. She didn't exactly ask for permission to leave, but we didn't put her in detention either. Maybe we should have.

"If we really work on it, I guess we can find her, even if she's hiding. But before anyone puts in that amount of work we need to have a more well founded suspicion."

"And fleeing Amber's jurisdiction doesn't bring more suspicion on her?" Valeria asks. Ossian senses that, while his answer has not mollified her completely, he's done better than she expected.

"Of course it does. But not enough for us to hunt her." Ossian says "Unless you know something more incriminating."

[The sentences below is optional. If Valeria has more to say about Thalia, then Ossian will wait with his mentioning of the Rebmans.]

"What about the people that came with you from Rebma? Could anyone of them be involved? Or do you trust them all?"

"Anything is possible, but we deal in probabilities here. Do you have evidence that suggests one of my women is involved?" Valeria sounds serene, as if she can't imagine that he has anything that would hold up.

"No." Ossian says "Still, my gut feeling is that the murder at least was triggered by your arrival. Let's presume Conner did it. Why didn't he do it earlier? He had a year to do it, after all. Unless he learned something from your women that suddenly made your father more dangerous. Same goes for Thalia."

"Or my presence meant his crimes would be investigated, and proven, in Amber," Valeria says. "Rebma is not entirely without power, and my brother is the son of a king of Amber, just as Conner's mother is the daughter of one. There's a limit to the immunity of the blood, even in Amber."

The horses are picking their way slowly along.

"Of course" Ossian says, smiling slightly. "If Conner is found guilty of murder we won't be easy on him. However, I find it unlikely that he thought he was safe in Amber. If he needed to kill your father to escape justice he could have done it earlier.

"Now, as you know, Conner claims that he was framed for the smuggling." Ossian continues, while the horses aim for a ridge on the slopes of Kolvir. "What if someone knew he is Fiona's and used him to try to create a rift between Amber and Rebma?"

Valeria frowns. "It's possible, of course. Anything is possible, but we deal in probabilities most of the time. Why would anyone need to create a rift between my grandmother and your king when he's responsible for her daughter's death?"

She looks to see Ossian's response to that blunt statement.

Ossian looks poleaxed for about half a second, then he relaxes.

Valeria looks vaguely smug.

If Ossian notes that it doesn't show.

"Not between your grandmother and Random, no. Also in this scenario your father was killed because of what he knew. Back when Conner was accused of smuggling no one knew Random would be king, did they?"

"No," Valeria says. "And, frankly, none of us would have believed that Random had it in him. He went to kill Eric, you know, and failed at that too. It bodes ill for the future of Amber."

She lets her horse have its head and it gets a little ahead. When Ossian catches up with her, she says, "Then in this scenario of yours, there's a wedge between my grandmother and ... whom? Eric? Or perhaps Fiona?"

"Corwin? Fiona? Oberon or even Brand? I don't know." Ossian says. "Well. We are getting nowhere with this.

"And don't think I will try to confuse things if Conner is guilty." he continues "I just think it's unlikely."

"I can see why you'd feel that way. And, of course, you can see why I don't."

She looks up ahead to the ridge again. "Last one there is a Triton's uncle!" And she spurs her horse onward, up towards it.

Ossian grins and urges his horse after Valeria. (Ossian's riding style is very smooth, with subtle signals to the horse. He can get the horse into a gallop without spurring it.)

As (If?) he begins to catch up he changes his mind, and decides to let Valeria "win" with a few meters.

He grins madly when they reach the top of the ridge. "Well, I'm obviously a Triton's uncle. How bad is that?"

Valeria dismounts, returning Ossian's grin. "Oh, not so bad. It's what girls say when they race in Rebma. Traditionally, the loser owes the winner some sort of forfeit."

Ossian dismounts gracefully, but his horse takes a sideways step as he does so, and Ossian ends up standing very close to Valeria. He takes her left hand into both of his. Ossian smiles as his sad eyes meet hers.

"Then I am at your mercy. Say, what forfeit do I owe you then?" his voice has an edge of playfullness.

Valeria slides her arms around Ossian's neck and kisses him full on the mouth. It is not the kiss one gives to a brother or a friend.

Ossian hears a faint voice of reason way back in his head (sounding suspiciously like cousin Reid), telling him that this isn't the smartest thing he has done. Ossian blissfully ignores the voice, and returns the kiss with all his passion. His hands gently caress her...

***fade to black to keep things fit for all audiences***

Much later, Valeria and Ossian ride back to the city.

Brennan, contrary to his not-a-morning-person tendencies, shows up before the appointed hour, by a comfortable margin. Having warned the staff ahead of time, he finds the beginnings of breakfast laid out-- fruit, a little cheese, some bread, and coffee. Later, when the others arrive, more substantial fare will follow them.

He idles his time catching up on some of the reports he's been getting-- with Vere and Jerod both out of town, any conceivable issues flowing out of the general population's re-absorption of the army are his to worry about.

[GMs, is all going well on that front?]

At the same time, he's watching the progress of the skeleton army he's keeping ready, considering how all of that is going to mesh with the existing Ranger structure (at some point, Brennan really should talk to Robin, Brita, or both about that) and wondering idly how disappointed Random is going to be that he hadn't kept a tighter rein on his Knights.

When the first of his brother Knights comes in, he puts the paperwork definitively to one side and concentrates on the breakfast.

I've determined it's Marius simply because I've had the opportunity to respond first. He's definitely losing any claim he might have had to being a mid-morning sloth. "Breakfast!" he says, accentuating the exclamation point. "That is one thing about Amber; we'll allow for two meals a day even for our prisoners."

He'll move to a seat next to Brennan and begin preparing a plate.

With the precision of a Royal Marine turning the glass on the flagship, Jovian's arrival makes it two bells of forenoon. One might think he had a dozen each of claret-colored shirts and honey-brown leather pants in his armoire; his clothing is identical to yesterday's but impeccably clean and neat.

"Good morning, brothers," he says, a bit solemn but not heavy with sleep, as he reaches for the pot that he knows will contain klah, regardless of what the kitchen intended. "How has the week treated you?"

Brennan shrugs in the process of ladening down his own plate with the required daily maximum requirements of protein and starch. "I think you heard most of our excitement," he says. He runs down a few other developments-- the impending trip to Clarissa to get Brita back, and the like-- then gets to the point.

"So. Aisling, or your flight?"

"Yes," Jovian responds, deadpan. "But I promised Marius, so the flight first."

Then [Brennan] looks around a moment, "Hey, wait, is Lilly coming?"

[Jovian]
"Good question. I figured she'd twig when I said 'Red Room'; a bit less of a slap at the Regency cousins than crying out 'Rubies, to me!'"

With an arched brow and questing look, the dragonman forwards Brennan's query to Marius.

Marius shakes his head. "I spoke with her last night, but did not think to clarify the invitation." He's actually rather amused at the thought of Jovian calling, "Rubies! To me!"

Unless Marius has definite information that she's not coming, Brennan will send a page to find her and invite her to breakfast.

[Assume the page is sent... It will take a bit for her to physically get there so please feel free to converse and add Lilly's entrance in when appropriate.]

Marius will reapply his attention to breakfast, awaiting an answer. In the meantime, he asks casually, "Do either of you feel you've had more than your fair share of unusual dreams of late?"

Jovian lifts a Julianic brow over the rim of his mug. "I've slept only four nights in Amber, Marius. But in those nights, nothing unusual."

Brennan shrugs, "Not since we got to Amber, for me. I think we all had odds drems while we were out there, though."

The dragonrider nods. "We were discussing that a couple nights before Coronation. Did you get yours late?" he asks Marius.

"Oh, I've always had dreams," Marius says, somewhat disingenuously. "It has become more of a topic of conversation as we weave together information I'd like to use in my quests." He shrugs and looks up at where Lilly has arrived.

There is a quickness to her step and a flush to her face when Lilly makes her way into the room. As was becoming her custom, this morning found her again in black trousers. Rather then a formal jacket though, she was wearing a simple off white shirt that crossed across the front and tied at her side. Her sword hung at her waist and she was carrying the katana Reid had gifted her with as well. From her demeanor and dress is could be guessed that she had come from sparring. However, she looked impeccable.

"Good morning gentleman," she says calmly. "You had need of me?"

Brennan blinks, twice.

"Your company and your counsel, anyway," he responds. "We were going to talk about our two favorite topics-- Daeon and Aisling. Maybe not in that order, we're not sure."

Lilly nods. Favorite topics indeed, she thinks to herself but decides it's better not to comment.

"Lilly," Jovian says, rising. "Please pardon my not naming you last night. I thought when I said 'Red Room,' that would show there was Order business on my mind open the invitation to you, without antagonizing our cousins with showy exclusivity. I am undone by my own subtlety." He bows from the neck.

She accepts the explanation with a neck bow of her own. "No need to apologize cousin. I perhaps need to learn to be less unassuming."

"Have you eaten?" he adds, gesturing to the breakfast laid out for them.

"No, not really," Lilly replies. "I had a small piece of fruit and an oat muffin before setting off for sparring this morning. Now that I am done with that, I could use a real meal."

Before Lilly has a chance to move from her spot near the doorway a boy, of perhaps twelve years, comes rushing in. Upon seeing Lilly he stops abruptly and bows. "I came as soon as I received word of your need sir," he says to her.

"There was no need to rush Tad. Patience is a skill we all must learn, myself included." She says to him calmly.

With a quick nod, Tad replies,"Yes sir."

"Fine. Now take my katana back to my rooms and see that it is properly returned to it's place of honor. I shall be inspecting it when I return."

The boys eyes go wide. Though he makes a valiant effort to do so, he simply can not hid his pleasure at being given what he perceives to be such an important task. "Yes, sir. Of course sir. I will do my best."

"Good," Lilly responds simply.

Her fellow knights soon note that Lilly does not simply hand a sword over. There is a bit of ceremony involved. Once the exchange is complete the boy turns on his heels and exits the room at a brisk pace. As Lilly turns from him, the ghost of a smile is still haunting her features. Deftly she moves towards the table where the food has been laid out. Now she really was ready to eat.

Marius smiles at Lilly, and raises a piece of fruit bread to her as if in a mock toast.

"Marius has developed an interest in dreams as well, though I don't know whether our...disturbances in the floating valley are connected or not," Jovian fills in, nibbling thoughtfully. "But it may be a good idea to hold that for after. Let me fill you in on what I've found first."

He gets up again, taking his mug with and sipping as he collects his thoughts. "Freeday night at middle watch, Canareth and I went between to Heather Vale. The firelilly trail was distinct. One end of it was in the Vale, it only went one direction from there. The Vale, by the way, seems not to be in true Arden anymore. The foreign growth has taken firm hold, the stream appears to be dammed at one end...other changes. I'll get to the most significant one shortly.

"We followed the trail by air for 107 minutes - that's slaloming over it for ease of observation, not direct flight. A quarter to a third of that on a straight course, at a guess. It didn't quite end, but had a point of high concentration on and around a large tree, then petered out until I couldn't follow it anymore after. I landed at the tree for closer observation - that's where I picked these up." He pulls a rock out of his flight helmet, to which cling three firelillies - apparently rootless, springing from an ugly brown stain very much like dried blood. "Note the lack of roots. I found them in the water of a pond nearby, and all over the tree. My best guess is that Daeon climbed the tree to rest and bind his wounds." He sips more klah, looking around the room for reactions.

"It's not the only interpretation, but it's a good enough one that I won't bother playing Devil's Advocate for others. I'm assuming you didn't see Daeon himself in your travels. After the lillies trickled out, were there other signs of his passage? Or of Julian's? If I have this right, he left here, made it to the tree, stopped to bind his wounds, continued on his way, and at some point got intercepted by your father and strapped to the back of Morganstern and returned rather briefly to Amber," Brennan says.

"Which is where Artemis comes back into the picture. Any sign of her?"

"You mean apart from the changes to the Vale?" he asks in the tone one might use to ask Julius Caesar how his business went in the Senate.

"I was able to tell approximately what direction Daeon started on from the tree, but the trail petered out. A better tracker might have had better luck, in daylight. But at any rate, we know the damned flowers aren't blazing a trail for Chaos," he nods to Brennan, with decided if grim approval for that state of affairs. "No, I'm more concerned about the dysfunctional family squabbles spilling out of Arcadia - I didn't meet Artemis, but she's got sisters. And she's pissed them off."

Lilly nods. "Pissed off dysfunctional family members are, in my observations, never a good thing."

After a moments thought she continues on, "Do we know anything of Artemis and the mythologies associated with her and Daeon? Will the children Paige bears be enough of a reason for them to bring their war from Arden to out doorstep? And if they are, how can we stop them preferably before they arrive."

Marius shrugs, after looking a moment concerned at the mention of children and Paige. "One thing at a time," he suggests. "Are the firelilies a separate issue from Artemis, or part of her war? Do they mark her territory? I made maps..." he pauses. "But I wouldn't know. I don't understand the changes. I know we were hurried out of the Vale, but what was the real cause? Whose war is it?" He laughs. "Would anyone know besides Julian and/or Robin? Are the rangers in danger, or can they hold this violence back?" He shakes his head. "I know so little..." he admits.

Brennan tries to answer some of that. "I don't think we know if the firelilies are a separate issue from Artemis and her war. Or at least, I don't. I think if they turn out to make travel from Arcadia to Amber easier than it was without them, they can't help but be connected-- if it's true, then they're a new part of the geography. I'd hate to send a non-Initiate out on a trip like that just as an experiment. Lilly's the only non-Initiate I'd trust not to get killed, anyway."

Brennan gives Lilly a look, then evidently stores up something to say for later.

Lilly gives him a thoughtful look in return, "The fire lillies were created by Daeon and I. They were born of the union of blade and flesh. They are in essence our children. I truly believe any connection the flowers have to Artemis and her war is purely coincidental."

Marius absorbs this with a deep breath. "I do not know enough about this kind of magic, but I know a little bit about power. Power is directed with the force of Will. Lilly, what was your Will? Do we know enough about Daeon-the-Many-Named to guess at his?"

The question causes Lilly to take pause. What was her will? She had never thought of that. At that moment she wished only to get away from there and to safely return. On a lesser note she was trying not to severely injure Daeon. The latter certainly did not seem to work. What, if anything, did that mean?

Not being able to satisfactorily come up with an answer to the question Marius had posed, Lilly simply shrugged. She would have to think on that and get back to him later.

Marius notes Lilly's shrug in response to his question on Will, and nods in response.

[Marius] looks at Jovian and Brennan. "Jovian, do you know if your naughty brother was an Initiate?"

Brennan lets all of that pass without comment, but by expression it's clear that he agrees with Lilly's general take on the subject.

"My asshole brother was not an Initiate," Jovian says conclusively as he refills his cup. "I suspect he thought it would disturb his godly aspects or something."

"With any luck, the girls will think so as well," Marius says, but it's obvious he doesn't believe in that sort of luck.

[Brennan]
"Jove, were you able to tell if someone could follow that trail without using the Pattern? Not to mention the rest of Marius' questions. Educate your fellow Knights?"

Jovian opens his mouth to speak and pauses, considering where to start. After half a moment, he starts ticking off points. "Following the trail. I didn't make an effort to use the Pattern, and it didn't take any special effort to follow it as long as I could see it. But that's inconclusive, of course."

Tick. "The firelillies. First seen away on the weird side of Ygg, in the amphitheater Lilly described. Artemis is tough and dangerously effective, but she hasn't walked a Pattern. Yet." He gestures to ward off reactions, making his fellow Knights wait for it if they haven't guessed.

Yet. Lilly mentally filed that word choice but kept her expression neutral.

Marius goes a bit more alert, but listens closely.

Tick. "Paige's kids. Definitely part of the mythos and we may have to tie them down before it's over."

Marius looks about to say something about this, but doesn't. His smile fades a little, and he looks more determined than anything else.

[Jovian]
"Part and parcel of why--" Tick. "Leaving Daeon in Arcadia is not an option."

Marius has a wild thought about luring him out with a string of virgins like doggy treats, but he doesn't mention it in front of a lady.

[Jovian]
"If it all goes according to Artemis and Calliste's plan, Paige's twins and Calliste's twins will be slugging it out in a race to see who can kill Daeon and take his place first. Either way is bad for the balance of power in Arcadia because--" Tick. "The reinforcement of Amberite influence in the Arcadian gene pool has got to have consequences."

The neutral expression slips into genuine concern. Lilly's eyes focus intensely in Jovian for a moment. None of this was good news. Someone needed to warn Paige and keep an eye on those twins.

"Calliste?" Marius tries to remember if he heard that name before. "Is that another name for Artemis like Daeon and his others?"

[Jovian] pauses a moment to look at his left hand, disgruntled that it doesn't have any more fingers. He considers putting his klah mug down, but drains it first.

"All of which is as much of a mess as it is because fscking Finndo couldn't keep his dick dry when he had Arden," the wingleader concludes with a bitter edge, then realizes what he just said aloud in front of Lilly and briefly glances a silent apology her way.

His word choice seemed to have no effect on her what so ever. Indeed she was rather accustomed to men speaking freely around her. Meeting Jovian's eyes Lilly spoke, "I will be honest, this situation is well beyond anything I have experience with. My knowledge of the histories and mythologies associated with all of this is limited at best. It's days like these when I wish my father were here to call upon for council." She sighed heavily. Honesty such as this was often difficult for Lilly.

Her posture straightened, resolve became apparent in her features, "Jovian, whatever you need me to do, I will do. I wish to stop this war as much as you do. All I ask is that we try to find some way to warn Paige of the potential for trouble. I want her twins protected."

"I find it hard to imagine," Marius says, a little hesitantly, "that there is anyone with many more protectors. Perhaps Paige has some information on her own? She seemed..." he bites his bottom lip, "resourceful, and I would have her permission before pledging myself to her children's protection."

"Paige's children will not be unwilling pawns in Arcadia's theopoetic structure," Brennan says. "And neither will Daeon. If he wants to throw his life away, fine. It's his to lay down. But if Artemis thinks she's got some divine license, here.... No. I don't think so. If Paige doesn't know, I'll tell her."

"It's not just her," Jovian almost snarls. "It's her sister too, Calliste. Whichever of their kids drops my brother wins control of Arcadia."

"And they're trying to turn Arden into Arcadia?" Marius asks, to be sure he's got this right.

"Arcadia's definitely spreading, consciously or no. Heather Vale's crossed over." Jovian is patently Not Pleased about this.

"I still remember what Artemis did when she came and swiped Daeon back. She brought Arcadia with her. I hope no one objects too strenuously," Brennan says, "if I assume someone is consciously directing this spread, until proven otherwise."

"Someone besides Artemis?" Marius asks, quietly.

Not that objections are likely to change his mind, unless they're reasoned ones.

No objections come forth from Lilly. She wholeheartedly agrees.

[Lilly]
"Understand Marius that while Paige is indeed resourceful she tends to be rather reactionary."

Marius' expression changes slightly from a general smile to something more genuine. "Reactionary," he murmurs, approvingly.

"That can be a good thing at times but it can also mean that she can be a bit irrational every now and again. Her own natural predisposition towards irrationality coupled with childbirth could be a potent combination. She's going to need help. I can all but guarantee that." Lilly looks at him for a moment longer before turning her attention to Brennan.

"You should tell her Brennan. I suspect she will listen to you. And if at all possible, I think she should be encouraged to stay away from Amber for the time being. I do not wish to make things any easier for those of Arcadia than they already are."

"The presence of Order?" Marius expresses as a possibility for contradiction.

"Absence of a working Pattern," Jovian opines. "I'd say Paris, depending on what Random has up his sleeve."

"There's always Court Clarissa," Brennan says. It's not an enthusiastic endorsement. It's not an endorsement at all, really, just a possibility. "I defy Artemis to go nose to nose with Grandmother in the heart of her power. Actually, I defy her to even get there."

There is another nod of agreement from Lilly. It might not be the best solution but it still seemed far better then Paige giving birth here in Amber.

Marius shrugs at this: I don't think he's ever even seen a birth.

[Brennan]
Reaching back toward the earlier part of Jovian's statement, "I take it as pretty conclusive that you didn't need to consciously shift Shadow to follow it. It's about what I expected. There's now a road from Arcadia to Amber, when we're nudging toward war. How do you think your father would feel about aerial reconaissance along that route? For that matter, how do you feel about it? Is that within the ability of your people?"

Jovian shakes his head, once. "My people are not available this month. And if they were, I wouldn't let them do it. Did you notice how long I was gone? Three hours and change, my subjective time."

Finally, Brennan addresses the other Family matter: "Finndo. Why is it always kin that cause the biggest headaches? And do we know that Artemis hasn't walked a Pattern? Or just an inference? Nice lineage Paige's children have, too: Back to Oberon through Finndo, Benedict, Bleys, and Julian. Probably find out that Artemis' mother was a long lost aunt before this is all over. Do we have a name on her, by the way?"

"No name," the wingleader admits. "But we've got a species. A territorial species, which is why my people aren't going in." In this, his tone is adamant. "Finndo had five daughters. By a Dragon. That's the bad news. The good news is..."

This sentence elicits a chuckle from Marius.

"...they don't all want this war. Each of them had a place and function in Arcadia, before Artemis whelped. She used her twins to shut them out. Calliste wants it all for herself, but the others don't, necessarily."

"They certainly don't want it all for Calliste, I assume." Marius leans back and rubs his eyes. He leans forward again and sighs. "Alright. So the firelilies may or may not still relate to Daeon-whoever-he-is-this-minute, but they may or may not also relate to Lilly. They may or may not be holding open a path from Amber to Arden to Arcadia or somewhere inbetween. We have additional Family members who want to hold a specific territory, and plenty of other Family members who wish to prevent it, but they're going to fight over... Paige's... children. Otherwise, sounds like business as usual. In the meantime, who gets to update the family tree: are we going to put it in charcoal on a big parchment in the Throne Room so we can keep up with it?"

"They're not going to be fighting over Paige's children - they're going to be getting Paige's children to fight for them," the dragonrider clarifies, plainly disgusted at the notion.

"No, they're going to be fighting over Daeon's body," Brennan says, "by proxy."

"Daeon's body as a realm? That would make an interesting connection to the firelilies," Marius notes.

Returning to a slightly previous topic, "All right, if the time differential is that wild, patrolling without you at the wing is a bad idea. I'd meant over the Amber-Arden section of it, but if it's that wild...." Brennan shakes his head.

"I still don't like it."

For the moment Lilly remains silent. Until they had more information, she felt that there was little more she could add to this discussion.

"The one comfort in this," Jovian answers with just a whiff of irony, "is that with the Vale shifted, there is no Amber-Arden section of it. Heather Vale is the terminus. It may be wise to check on that periodically, but that need not be a daily detail - maybe not weekly either."

[Marius]
"Are you best set to take that on, or should we assign another to it?

"The question I have, is...can we change it? Is anyone strong enough to hold back Arcadia?" Marius asks.

"All of which," says Brennan, "brings us to the other topic: Aisling, and all the fallout that's going to come from it, when and if it gets public. So, three broad questions: What do we do about Aisling, herself? What do we tell the rest of the Knights, in the mean time? What do we tell the rest of Amber, should they come asking?

"For the first, there's little we can do unless we stumble across her, or she gets brought back. If this happens, we need some unified policy.

"For the second, we damn well have to tell them something. We didn't choose them out because they're idiots. They're going to notice she's not around. And CloudEater is a separate case. And the third... can probably wait until we figure out the answer to the second one."

Brennan looks around to see if any of the others has anything to add or ask before he continues.

Lilly looks to Jovian, "I am interested in your thoughts on this matter, cousin. Your friendship with Aisling seems to have been stronger in some ways then the rest of ours. The facts in this case are rather inconclusive at the moment. Your gut instincts might point us to something we may otherwise miss."

Jovian hesitates for a long moment, obviously having some difficulty in formulating an answer. His emotions are extremely difficult to read, and no doubt that is by design.

Marius is quiet for a long minute, and then he shrugs. "One, kill it. Two, kill it on sight. Three, we'll kill it when we see it." It's said in a flippant way, but his tone is not flippant. "We have enough Family troubles, and I don't want it on any Pattern."

Brennan's mouth is open and he's looking none too amused, but he doesn't quite have the chance to speak before....

Jovian's cup crashes loudly against the far wall of the room, leaving an ugly, dripping klah stain two feet to the right of the fireplace. For a long, dead silent moment his knuckles are white on the grip of his belt knife, and his eyes are burning holes in the sailor.

Lilly jumps slightly. She had not been anticipating that sort of reaction. Strong words or physical reactions aimed towards Marius, she would have expected. Taking frustrations out on an innocent coffee cup, she had not. Still it was probably better for him to kill a cup than Marius.

[Jovian] turns, and his boots are loud on the polished floor as he stalks out. The door slams behind him hard enough for a deep crack to form, going upward from the knob.

There is a mighty roar from the upslope side of the castle.

Brennan lets the clatter, the crash and roar just about die out while he stares at Marius, then, "Are you done? Are you done now!? Lilly's voice is still hanging in the air about Jovian's and Aisling's friendship while you look him in the face and suggest murdering her? Suggest ordering the Dragonriders he made Knights to murder her?! Did you not notice that he cares for Aisling? Did you just not give a damn? Or didn't you bother to think before opening your mouth?

"Did you think he didn't have enough on his mind already, with his brother getting shoved into the sacrifical role in Arcadia's god game? With his brother's mother trying to sacrifice him? Oh, wait, let's call him back here. You can offer to kill Daeon, too, to prevent Artemis or Calliste from rising ascendant!"

For the briefest of moments this struck Lilly as a not-so-bad idea. Quickly she dismissed it though. He was a cousin afterall.

[Brennan]
"There was a chance-- just a chance, Marius-- that we could have left this room all singing the same song, if maybe not in the same key. Thanks for blowing that to Hell. It's a good thing we didn't know each other before the war, with teamwork like this."

Brennan turns to Lilly, and takes himself off of boil, a bit. "Lilly, when-- not if-- the Gatewegians hear that Aisling is missing, they're going to get the bright idea that they're important enough that Dara's raid was all a cover for Aisling to murder Harga'rel. Make the Knights understand they need to keep a low, quiet profile, and stick together." He scowls. "That probably means explaining why they're keeping their heads down. I trust your judgement. Stop by later if you want to brainstorm it."

She nods. No words were necessary right now. Anything she might say would probably only add fuel to the fire. Let everyone calm down before making suggestions they were likely not going to like.

He turns back to Marius: "And you. You just stay out of Jovian's sight for a few days. And don't ever let me hear you wonder about who's human and who's not.

"We're done here."

And Brennan's gone.