As they leave Prince Martin and their cousins Vere explains their mission further to Lilly. "While the full moon was last night, and the stairway to Tir-na Nog'th should not open for another month, the Moonriders are known to be able to manipulate time. There is thus concern that they might try to take the stairway now and ..." he frowns, searching for the proper term, "...temporally shift it. I do not believe we have any intelligence indicating this is expected, but it is a possibility, and we would be foolish not to guard against it."
As he talks he leads them towards the stables, where he had ordered the Rangers to assemble.
"I am not terribly familiar with Tir-na Nog'th. My father told stories, cautionary tales really, but my experience ends there. Is there anything in particular I should look for that might indicate an impending attack? Or is it more of a general keeping eyes open for anything peculiar?"
"I have not fought them, but Edan taught me to see the ripples in Space that a Temporal disruption can create," Vere answers. "I can be on the lookout for that, while you watch for more conventional signs."
Vere and Lily arrive at the dais and find Alain there, with the Rangers gathered and ready to move. "Is there anything else you need me to do, Lord Vere?" Alain asks as the Rangers fall in, ready to march out.
Lilly continues to scout the area looking for anything out of the ordinary. She listens for Vere's answer but maintains her silence.
"Find Paige and inform her that we've taken the Rangers. She should find one of our cousins to gain more information, if she has not already heard." Vere pauses, considering what to say to Alain, and finally settles on, "There is serious business going on, as I am sure you are aware, but I am not at liberty to discuss it with you. And please try to keep everyone calm, and try to keep rumors from spreading." Vere winces slightly, knowing how difficult that instruction will prove.
He nods to the assembled Rangers. "We need to make haste. I assume all of you can ride, and we can requisition horses enough for everyone. Let us be off."
The Rangers begin to move out the back of the Dais and casually towards the stables. Vere hears bits of Cadence, quietly between the troop. "How Many Horses?" "What Type?" A ranger smiles at Vere. "My Lord, what type of horses should we acquire? Runners, Warriors, Forest-Friendly?"
"Our mission is to reach a spot as quickly as possible, take up defensive positions, and hold it against a possible attack," Vere explains as they walk. "If there is an attack and we repulse it we will not want to follow them, in case it is an attempt to lure us away. That would indicate a need for speed more than anything else." Vere frowns thoughtfully. "On the other hand, the enemy is known to prefer cavalry tactics. So as many war trained mounts as possible would be an advantage."
Vere nods slightly, "I know I am being vague about the task ahead of us. There are things I do not wish to say while there is any chance of us being overheard. I will explain further once we are on our way."
Lilly manages a sincere smile. "I would lean towards warriors if we have to choose. But fast warriors - nimble fast warriors - are better. Lean towards those my father would favor. That's what we will need tonight."
The ranger looks dubious at the idea of finding and requisitioning, on the fly as part of the trip, horses that Prince Benedict would approve of.
"We will find the horses that best match your criterion, my Lords." He bows from the neck and moves forward through the crowd. The Cadence that comes out says 'fast, light, and now'."
When Vere and Lilly reach the stables, the mounts are almost all saddled, and the Rangers are efficiently. A worried little man sees Vere and immediately comes over to him. "I ... We are most pleased to supply the Royal Expedition. I can send an invoice to the castle, my Lord?"
"Send the invoice to the Mayor," Vere replies, as he chooses a mount and gets to know it. "He will make the arrangements for payment." He murmurs quietly to the horse for a moment, stroking its neck, then turns back to the stablemaster. "Do I recall you from my days on the Regency Council of Amber?" he inquires, eyes narrowing slightly.
"The Lord Mayor, yes, My Lord. I was a farrier in Amber. I once shod Prince Jerod's steed when he threw a shoe in the city, but I was not well-known or rich."
Vere nods and clasps the man's shoulder. "You seem to be doing better here," he says with a smile. "My thanks for your service this night."
The Rangers have all the good horses and are ready to leave.
Vere mounts and with a nod to Lilly he leads everyone out, and sets out as quickly as is safe through the city streets.
People are startled by the approaching troop through the city, but there is little that slows them. The troop takes the path up to the castle, taking advantage of obvious and not-so-obvious shortcuts in the long switchback trail. It still takes just under an hour to reach the level of the castle. From here, another half-hour's ride to the top and then to the Ranger's camp and the stair beyond it.
Once they leave the city Vere will slow enough to explain to the Rangers that there is a possibility, not a certainty or even a probability, but a possibility, that there may be an attempt by the Moonriders to take the stairs to Tir, and that their job is to guard it. Anyone who has any experience with the Moonriders is encouraged to share it now, so that plans can be made as to how best to carry out their duty.
The older Rangers turn and the senior-most falls back. "I have not, my lords, but I have heard the stories from old Rangers when I was young. As these have, but I spoke to the ones who fought. They have a mystic power, it is said, over time. You can fire an arrow at them and they suddenly were never where your arrow lands, as if they can step backwards. A true attack on them needs surprise, or no possibility of escape.
"Worse, it's said they can throw a man into the past. There were rangers who were decades older than they should've been, right after the war. They'd been sent back."
Vere nods, "That matches what I have heard. I know they are moving in the Shadows, now. My cousin Edan has met with them." He looks at Lilly. "Did your father ever speak of tactics to use against them?"
Lilly is thoughtful for a long moment. "He had shared much wisdom over the years. But the Moonriders... the Moonriders seem to hold a special place of esteem. He does not like to speak of them. And that is the thing I find most worrisome."
Vere nods. "I certainly understand that worry, and I share it." He shakes his head. "Ideally, I think one would want to hold a well defended position with limited access points, a large killing field that continues over a long time period, and ideally a mental attack or knockout gas of some kind that renders them instantly insensible and unable to use their abilities. None of those are going to be available to us."
"Sorcery." Lilly nods. "Definitely not my area of expertise. We need to look at possible points of entry and the most defensible areas. We also need to assess our men in order to decide on a plan." She manages a smile and her tone softens a bit. "Then we need to throw all of that out and come up with something much less predictable and a backup or two for when that falls apart. That's when things get to be fun."
"Indeed," Vere replies drily. "Allow me to express my fervent hope that our particular part of this plan proves totally unnecessary, and we end up spending time guarding something that is not, in fact, a target."
Lilly chuckles quietly. "Well now that you've said that aloud it shall never come to pass." After a thoughtful pause, she adds, "It is definitely plausible that it will not come as a large scale attack. Marching an army in would be difficult. I expect multiple attacks in multiple places to keep us all busy and distracted. I think the Island outside of my father's realm is evidence of that. We need to try to determine there is an actual goal or if the plan is simply full on family annihilation."
Vere nods. "We have an unfortunate lack of information about the aims of our enemies," he agrees.
Vere and Lilly ride into visual range of the stair and see a single ranger on guard. He doesn't move like a moonrider. He is alert, because it's hard to keep a dozen or more horses quiet, even if you're good.
As they approach Vere does a quick visual scan of the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. After that he will carefully open his Third Eye and examine the area again, being especially watchful for any of that subtle warping of Space he noticed when Edan deomnstrated time manipulation.
Lilly stills herself, takes a deep breath, and listens. Eyesight can fail at this time of the night. Better to rely upon instincts and her other senses.
Vere scans the area with his third eye. The three steps are a bright white blob to his third eye, like looking at the pattern in the pattern chamber. The grass sward around it seems oddly manicured, and there are not even the expected signs of life, like animal trails or droppings.
From behind Vere there's a syncopated clapping sound, answered by the step-guard in Ranger whistles. Approaching friendly forces. Rangers with royal children.
Lilly listens, hearing the Rangers, Vere, their horses, the wind, and the distant sea. The guard holds his position, but Lilly is aware that he's communicated with their Rangers.
"We'll secure the forest verge and see what kind of perimeter can be etablished, unless you have other needs," a senior Ranger says to Vere.
Vere nods. "Do it," he says. He dismounts and hands the reins to a Ranger, the turns to Lilly. "I am going to call Merlin now."
He takes Merlin's trump and concentrates on it.
The woman nods. She takes up a watch position near Vere knowing he may be distracted for a few moments. Her hand rests upon the hilt of her sword, ready for action if needed.
Celina heads to the manor and scrapes the door loudly. "Hullo there!" she calls loudly.
There are guards at the door and one says, "Who goes there?" It's not paranoid but they are definitely aware and paying attention. "Does Prince Martin send a message with you, Lady?"
"Prince Martin sends us with a message. Lord Ash may wish it in private from me, please convey to him Queen Celina would like to whisper in his ear....small musical commentary." Celina smiles at the guard.
Silhouette remains behind her, dutifully silent. She holds herself with the assurance of an assistant... or bodyguard, ever-present, yet easily forgotten.
The door opens from the inside, "Your Majesty, Lady Silhouette, my name is Viper, assistant to the Lord Mayor. He will be here directly, please do come in." Viper smiles at Silhouette, who he recognizes from her Basilisk adventures.
Viper doesn't look like anyone's assistant, unless they need assistance with mayhem.
He says something to the guards on the door, and they seem more intent on guarding than they did a moment ago.
Celina smiles at Sil. "Of course. There isn't a problem, Sil?"
At the name, Silhouette's cheeks actually flush. Embarrassment doesn't sit well on her stony features. She straightens up, "No, my Queen. Indeed, I believe Mr. Viper assisted me following an impromptu bare-knuckle brawl. Unfortunately, I was unconscious at the time."
She bows her head to Viper, "Thank you, sir. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. You are very well spoken of." She allows herself a sly grin, recalling her evening with Robin.
He smiles. "It is a pleasure and a challenge to serve a royal family with such widely talented and interesting members, My Lady."
Silhouette unconsciously touches her ear, "Hopefully, our current and future business will be less of a challenge."
"I serve at the pleasure of the King," say Viper, clearly not concerned if it is challenging or not.
"Ah, Viper, always the diplomat," says a new voice, coming from the stairs. "Forgive me, your highness, I have only just returned from my duties elsewhere. I am Ash, the Lord Mayor. How may the City of Xanadu aid the Queen of Rebma?"
"I have urgent business in Rebma, so sadly I must leave here as soon as possible. Lady Valeria must travel with me, so I need assistance in locating her quickly." Celina adds smoothly, "Prince Martin asked for you to extend the King's Grace to me. He did add something about 'tuning on the tenor still sucks'. I'm not quite sure I know what that means, but he was sure it would confirm my urgency." Celina sets her expression to complete innocence.
Ash smiles. "And you may tell the Prince that I will consider his advice as I would any advice from a bass player, and he will know I have received his message." He turns to Viper.
"Viper, if you and your men will find and bring the Lady Valeria of Rebma here with all due haste, I will keep our guests entertained in your hopefully brief absence."
Viper bows. "Is there a word to give the Lady to assure her cooperation, or shall we assume that she will be... uncooperative?"
"Yes, tell her the Queen said it was urgent she cooperate. There is no mocking involved." Celina says.
Celina quickly examines the room, the exits, and the faces around her again. She speaks directly to Viper, "I appreciate your discretion in all this."
Viper nods. "Discretion shall be our watchword, Your Highness." He quickly goes out the back, by the door that Ash entered from.
"We'll have to give him at least a few minutes before we accuse him of inefficiency, Your Highness. May I get you anything while you wait?"
"I'll ask for water," Celina smiles. "And a silver hat pin if you have one."
Silhouette shakes her head, "Nothing for me, but thank you." She begins moving around the room, politely examining its aesthetic.
It's eclectic. There are a mix of furnishings; some which look like antiques, like a large mirror with a patina of gold beneath it or the elaborate sideboard with the carvings of animal scenes along the back. Some is more modern, looks like it will be antique in a few generations. Most interesting of all is the hand-painted wallpaper, which shows scenes from a river-port town that looks unlike anything Xanadu could ever become. No scene on the paper is repeated anywhere else in the house, and the style seemed to match that of some of the portraits.
Ash himself goes over to the bar and pours Celina a glass of water, then calls for a servant to ask her for a hatpin.
Celina listens to the rhythms of the house, to get the sound tapestry, and to understand if it changes suddenly. She catches Silhouette's body language and thanks her host when he brings the water.
It is a large house, by Xanadu.s standards, and clearly has two rhythms. The front is the business portion, while the back is living quarters.
Silhouette seems particularly interested in the golden patina - lightly touching it. "The distressing technique utilized here is most skillful. My compliments to the craftswoman."
"I'm sure they'll be here shortly. My wives worked on that together. It's a simple technique--you let a diluted acid eat through the silvering on the back side of the glass, and as long as you didn't do too much, you get a nice effect that, we think, reflects light well but interferes with mirror magic."
"That's right," says the first of two women coming in from the back. "It's supposedly protective." They come up and stand on either side of Ash.
"Good evening, your highness," says the older of the pair. "I am Haven, and this is Tjaden. Welcome to Xanadu."
Celina inclines her head to her hostesses, "Thank you for the welcome into your lovely home. The acid etch is a practical defense. My compliments. Silhouette and I are here to gather up a Rebman who needs to leave with us. We appreciate you giving us a place to shelter."
Silhouette returns to the Queen's side, bows politely to the ladies. "Thank you for your kindness in our time of need."
Haven curtseys, and Tjaden bows somewhat stiffly. "This is the King's House, and while he used to warn us that we wouldn't want to meet his relatives, we've been reasonably happy to do so, almost every time. I am particularly happy that I can now say I've met his granddaughter and that he is therefore defined as 'old'."
Ash laughs. "We love all of his majesty's relatives as if they were our own kin," says Ash. Is there anything you need to take other than your kinswoman? I'm afraid I don't have troops, but if you need a bodyguard, I have someone I can send."
Celina responds, "I expect to leave with Family assistance from Rebma. However, it might be prudent to have a small boat ready to exit your harbor. I can imagine being safer a thousand meters out and away before I try any quick exit. Is that any trouble?" She doesn't say anything about the bodyguard offer. He'll just assume she has it covered somehow. She pointed doesn't wink at Silhouette, but it looks like she might.
Silhouette's brow rises mildly, as if missing something.
"A boat can be arranged. However, are we discussing a boat with a Xanadhavian crew that goes a kilometer out to sea and then returns with tales of the disappearing queen, or are we discussing a boat which departs our port and never returns? Either is fine, but I need to know which explanation to obfuscate."
Celina nods once, "You're very kind to ask, and so this is the tale of the disappearing queen, and the monster that carried her off while the crew tightly shut their eyes and faced Xanadu. She promised to return one day, and would know if they tried to peer at the monster for they would be turned to salt. Hence the double dozen seas are very salty."
"Would such a narrative even be believable?" Silhouette asks.
"urely a sailor's legend, never believed and soon forgotten. In any case the portmaster can arrange things however she wishes." The door opens and Viper holds the door for Valeria . She enters, looking first annoyed then concerned when she sees Celina. She drops a perfect court curtsy and holds it.
"Lady Valeria," Celina's voice is warm and calm, "events in Rebma draw me back there before I can enjoy any of the delights of Castle Xanadu. Would you be willing to leave now, instead of later? Please rise."
Silhouette falls in behind the Queen, examining the new arrival with a discerning stare.
Valeria rises. "I serve at the pleasure of the Queen," says Valeria. Ash and his wives smile at this. "May I send a message to my household, such as it is? I will, of course, bring any assistance that I can muster to bear, if there are dangers in our homeland."
Celina looks at Lord Ash for a moment, then answers Valeria, "You can leave a message with Lord Ash. He'll see that your household knows you have left and how they might find defense or exit from Xanadu. I think they should sit tight until they hear from you again. We may be back tomorrow if fortune finds it so, I will be pleased." Her voice doesn't sound so likely on that last. "My part here is done for today, and I have pledged to leave. I want you with us."
Valeria leaves a message and Ash's men duly agree to deliver it as directed, and will offer aid as needed to any of her people.
With all the details arranged, Valeria, Silhouette, and Celina are escorted to a vessel in the harbor named "The Happenstance" and sail away. When Celina is ready to depart, she takes her leave of the the Captain, and sends her party through to the city under the sea.
Brita and Vialle make their way back to the royal suite, which is not presently guarded. That seems unusual to Brita, as there should be pages there to help deliver messages even if there is no armed guard present. The door is closed.
Brita says softly, "No One is Here. Perhaps the King has Left," although she will rap gently on the door and listen for a response.
Well before she arrives at the Royal Suite, Folly knows she is already too late. With each step, she mutters under her breath, barely audible even to herself: "I'm sorry, Syd. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. F***. F***. F***."
She's approaching the last turn when she... hears? Senses? ...footsteps and voices ahead. She stops. Listens. Hears Brita's voice.
She stops a few yards short of the corner, out of view of whomever is in the hall outside the suite, and calls out, "Brita?" Calm, casual, friendly: she masters her voice, even if her face, damp with hot tears, would surely betray her.
Vialle turns at once on hearing the voice. "Folly?" she says.
At almost the same time, Brita says, "I am Here, Cousin Folly. With Her Majesty Vialle."
"Oh, good," Folly replies cheerfully. She wipes at her cheeks with the heel of her hand, then steps around the corner. "A page said I might find you headed this way. I just ran into Edan, and he's trying to figure out where Hannah is. Do you know? We thought you'd come back up here with her, Brita." She pulls a small pad of paper out of her pocket and flips it to a blank page, perhaps to jot down directions.
"The door to Hannah's chamber is broken," Vialle says. "Ember and Allie, Kyril's cousin, are trying to open it. Brita was kind enough to walk me back to our suite. Is something wrong, Folly? How can I help you?" To both Brita and Folly, the question seems perfectly sincere.
"Well..." Folly responds slowly, like she's trying to piece some things together, "we were under the impression she'd set up a birthing room somewhere besides her own quarters, but neither of us actually knew where it was supposed to be...?" She looks intently at Brita.
"It was Not," Brita agrees to the first part of Folly's statement. "It was in the Exit Stage Left Wing, but None are There now. Her Majesty and I were Waiting on those Attending to Clean Up Before seeing Cousin Hannah and the New Babe when the door Broke. Cousin Robin said they Would go Around the Servant's Way and Meet Later."
Brita waves a hand at the Royal Suite door. "None appear Here now Either. I would Not want to Leave Her Majesty Alone and Unattended."
Folly has been nodding and scribbling something in her notebook as Brita speaks. "Is this the room you're talking about?" she asks as she hands the pad to Brita.
In urgent scrawl, it says:
Vialle &/or pregnancy possessed by QoAaD ^^^ Affecting others @ her -- def King, maybe yr mom? DONT GO ALONE
Brita raises an eyebrow but nods, "Yes, That Is the Path."
Vialle's expression, to those who can see her, is confused and concerned. She can tell there's something really wrong but not what it is. Her blind face isn't made--has never been made--to successfully hide her emotions. "There should be someone here to attend on Random and Fiona. Why aren't the guards here?"
She's afraid.
Folly looks at Brita, then looks at Vialle, and asks, "Do you have the key?" Without waiting for an answer, she tries the door to see if it's unlocked.
The door opens at her touch. It sticks a bit, as if the humidity has made it swell, but it is no match for Folly's efforts.
"Random?" calls Vialle.
"Yes, my dear?" responds the King. He stands. "What's wrong? Where are your ladies?"
Fiona also stands. She looks at Brita and Folly, and has a worried expression on her face.
"I went to visit Hannah in her birthing-room, but the door broke. Brita brought me back here and we ran into Folly."
"Hello, Folly," Random says, almost as if he's seeing her for the first time. Or perhaps almost as if he's seeing Vere for the first time. He's warm, but not familiar.
"Brita," says Fiona, "do you think you could go to my quarters and fetch my magnifying loupe? I seem to have forgotten it." She turns to Brita and draws a rectangle with her fingers, and mimes lifting it towards her face.
Brita raises another eyebrow at Folly and says, "Certainly, Mother. There are No Pages about, Are There? Where is It in Your Room?"
Fiona smiles brightly. "Oh, I think it's on my worktable. Or in the cabinet beside it. Just pop in and have a look, would you, dear?" She makes the card gesture and nods her head towards the door again. "It will help me examine the King."
Vialle looks up. "I'm sure his majesty must be tired, with all the guests and excitement and travel today. Are you sure you don't want to let him rest and continue your investigations later?"
Fiona raises her eyebrows. "No, your majesty, this spell is powerful, but slow. I need to observe the King for some time to get a diagnosis. Brita will be a help to me and won't disturb you or the King."
Random, uncharacteristically, doesn't say anything. He just looks from speaker to speaker.
"Why don't I help you look?" Folly offers brightly to Brita. "Four eyes are better than two, regardless of what the boys at my school used to say" -- she flashes a lopsided grin at Random, more as an excuse to scrutinize his demeanor than because she particularly expects a response -- "so we can help that much quicker." She turns her smile on Fiona, and gives her a little nod; she's got far less of a baseline for comparison there, but she's alert for any additional clues.
Then she turns back to Brita. "Shall we?"
Random is still looking pretty blank.
"I shall retire to my chamber, then," says Vialle. "I shall be fine with the Princess Fiona outside, but please do send Ember to me."
"Certainly, Your Majesty, as Soon as I See her," Brita replies reflexively as she nods to her Mother and leads Folly out of the suite.
Once outside and well down the hall on the way to her mother's rooms, Brita turns to Folly and states the obvious, "That was Weird. The Queen Seemed Genuinely Frightened at the Oddness of No Attendants. The King was... Lacking."
Folly nods and says in a hushed voice, "Here's the short version of what we know: Vere took a trip up the stairs and encountered the ghost of our recently-departed spooky cousin, who told him that she had journeyed up the stairs with Vialle but was held frozen by the Queen Above while Vialle Walked The Pattern" -- she pauses just a moment to let the weight of that, and her own belief in the wrongness of it, sink in -- "and then fell to her death when the sun rose. Vere just reported this to Bleys and all the redheaded cousins who weren't with Hannah, and I know he's told Robin, too. Bleys knew from Fiona that the king has of late lost interest in anything besides Vialle and her pregnancy, and seems obsessed with getting everyone to swear fealty to the unborn child. I'm theorizing that the Queen Above is somehow using the pregnancy to recorporealize. Pattern is no defense against whatever is going on, for obvious reasons."
She looks at Brita. "You've been with Vialle this last little bit -- did you notice anything strange?"
As they near the door to Fiona's chambers, Folly adds, "And did you get the sense your mom was asking you to call her?"
"The Lady Seemed Normal in My Company although her Attendants Seemed Stressed. Odd that Yet Again she Had Sight - Enough to Walk."
They come to Fiona's room and Brita enters. "She was Either Asking Me to Call or Bring her Cards." When she finds the loupe where Fiona said it was, she holds it up as she uses the other hand to draw out her deck. "I am Thinking it Was the Former."
She pulls forth Fiona's card, staring into the green eyes that hers reflect and thinks, "Mother?"
Fiona answers her without speaking. The focus of the Trump is very tight. _The King is under a complex and difficult enchantment. Warn the rest of the youngsters. Find your brother and your uncle. Do not tell me where you are going lest the worst befall._
_Understood, Mother. Stay Safe._ Brita thinks back.
Brita nods down the hall "Incoming Cousins," she notes to Folly. "I Need to Find a Page to Take This to My Mother," she holds up the Loupe.
Folly's lips press into a thin line. "What did she say? Did she seem herself? Does she know the source of the problem is probably Vialle?"
Ossian, Raven and Regenlief come down the corridor. When they get close Ossian says with a low voice. "You were quicker getting here, Folly. Is everything well? Brita?"
"Not well, but probably no worse than it was an hour ago," Folly says. She still seems quite agitated. She looks at Brita to fill in additional details.
"My Mother Works on the Complex Enchantment on Our Uncle," Brita notes. "I Believe She Understands the Danger - She Wished to Protect Us." Brita also searches out a page and gives the child the loupe to take to her mother and says, "Tell her I have Been Detained by My Cousins and Need to Meet with My Brother."
The page takes the loupe and disappears.
"Plan seems to be that everybody's meeting," Raven offers when the page is out of earshot. "Midnight, at whatever's the local Grove of the Unicorn. And no wandering around alone, on Prince Martin's orders, which is why we were looking for you, Brita. Not that you were alone and all, but... well."
Folly looks up at the mention of Martin and puts her hand on her hip; Ossian can see the outline of her trump case through the fabric of her dress. "He's here? Did he have some sort of package with him? Maybe about like...." She holds her hands out and makes a round-ish shape, about the size of a chicken.
Ossian nods. "I guess you haven't met... Cousins... This is my mother, Regenlief." He turns to his mother. "Cousins Brita and Folly."
"Regenlief is from Asgard, Brita."
Folly extends a hand in greeting. "Well-met, Regenlief, and welcome to Xanadu. I'd offer the full tour, but... maybe not under the current circumstances."
"I think the--" Regenlief hesitates and settles on "--Lady Folly and I have met in passing, but it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She turns to Brita and smiles. "Goddess," she says, "to see one such as you after the end of the world pleases me well. I had not thought so many survived Ragnarok."
Brita smiles gently at Regenlief. "There are Not Many Who Survived, But They are There -- My Father was One. You may Call Me Brita Here, Valkyrie Regenlief." She offers her arm for warrior's clasp.
Brita turns to Raven, "It will be Good for Us to Meet. There Appears to be Much to Discuss."
"Aye, the list ain't getting shorter," Raven agrees. "I didn't get a good look at it," she adds, turning to Folly, "but I know Jerod and Prince Garret were sent off this way with some kind of package."
Ossian raises an eyebrow, and waits for Folly to react.
"Unfortunately, that package was intended for Fiona," Folly says, "who already has her hands full at the moment." She sighs.
"The package is the head of a zombie; Martin has been encountering them across shadow and was hoping Fiona could determine something about their origin, and how to combat them, from a... fresh biological sample. It has the potential to infect anyone who's not one of us, so we don't want it getting out."
Folly looks around at the assembled group. "I'm inclined to call Garrett and let him know to hold onto the package, and then call Martin, who -- depending on how much of a head start he's gotten -- might be able to get us over the mountain the quick way. But..." She looks at Brita. "Do you think we should give Fiona a quick call to let her know? Or save this for later, when we've got a better overall plan?"
"Is Fiona with the Queen? I think Trumping would be dangerous, if Fiona is overpowered" Ossian says. "I should make the call if we decide that it needs to be done. Several reasons."
"Martin was still in the square when we left," Raven offers.
Regenlief says, "If there are undead, we should all be armed. Not just with blades, but with boar spears we can use to keep them away from us. Where can we find such in the castle?" The question is directed at all of them, but Regenlief is focused on Raven, whom she apparently thinks is likeliest to have an answer to this question.
(Perhaps, Brita may intuit, because Brita is a goddess who needs no weapons, but of the other three Raven seems the likeliest hero.)
Folly cocks her head. "I think the armory isn't as... armor-y... as you might want for boar-hunting, but there are other sorts of blades. And sturdy long-handled implements that aren't actually weapons, but could be used as such in a pinch, out in the storage near the stables. Or maybe Jerod will let us borrow his giant fish-spear-thing." She flashes a grin, then adds more seriously, "As long as we keep the specimen contained, I think -- I hope -- we won't have to worry about undead contamination anytime soon. The places we'd been traveling were pretty far out from here. But better safe than sorry, I suppose."
She has pulled out her trump case as she speaks and has Garrett's card in hand, but she looks again at Brita for her thoughts on calling Fiona.
Brita has been thinking, staring off into space. She turns to Folly, "Mother Was able to Take My earlier Call. I Can Relay the Information when Needed, but Not Now."
Ossian nods. "Let's go to the armory anyway. Besides. Do we know if anyone has contacted Paige or Hannah yet?"
"Aye," Raven agrees. "Few more weapons won't hurt any of us, but we probably don't want to be walking armories ourselves if we don't want to get everyone worried. Got enough attention on what's going on by the way we all left the party at once."
"Well, if we're headed up the mountain there won't be nearly as many people to notice us," Folly offers. She looks back over her shoulder, presses her palm to the wall, and closes her eyes for a moment. She looks like she might be whispering something.
When she opens her eyes again, she gives quick directions on how to get to the armory, for those who aren't yet familiar with the castle and its layout. She finishes with, "I'm just gonna give Garrett a quick call as we walk, so he knows what's going on here," and makes a broad 'lead on' gesture to the group as she drops her gaze to focus on the card.
Brita pulls out her Trumps and notes, "I shall Call My Brother. He Needs to Know." What he needs to know, she doesn't say. She begins to concentrate on the card as they move.
Last modified: 8 April 2018