At some point during the time when Vere was taking lessons and exercising his magics, it seems that Weyland Smith has left Castle Madoc. Vere's search for him is fruitless. But word comes to him through the affines that Saeth is still in Madoc. Vere doubts that she is permitted to leave.
Saeth can be found wandering the battlements of Castle Madoc, as if she is restless and seeks to be elsewhere. Her form is still disturbingly similar to Aisling's. Perhaps she was trying to appear more human the first time he saw her, because now she bears streamers similar to the ones Aisling once bore. She goes robed, and if there are other variations from human norm in her current body besides her coloration and the streamers, they are not obvious to Vere.
"Cousin Saeth," Vere calls out to her from a distance. He approaches to a more comfortable conversational distance and says, "I hope I am not disturbing you."
Saeth looks confused for a moment. "Whenever two sentients come into proximity, they interact, each disturbing the choices and actions which define the other by their presence. If you wish to interact with me, you should hope to disturb me." She pauses.
"Or else I have misunderstood your Orderish dialect of Thari."
"You have misunderstood my intent," Vere agrees with a smile, "But I believe the fault is in my choice of word. In the Ordered realm words can have different meanings dependent on whether one is using them to refer to a nonliving or living subject. I did not take into account the fact that there is less distinction between these states in Chaos. While one uses the word 'disturb' to refer to any change caused to a nonlinving object or system, there is an implication that the change is unwelcome when the word is used in reference to a living one. So, my intent was to ask whether an interaction with you would be welcome or unwelcome at this time. If unwelcome, I will of course withdraw. But it is my hope that an interaction will be welcomed."
Saeth thinks on this. When it seems to be almost overlong, she finally responds. "I am used to disruptions, and one of the indicators of higher beinghood is adaptability. Being that are less capable do not respond well to unxpected stimuli. Most do not respond at all. So I suppose that the correct answer would be to suggest that I welcome all interaction, because that projects the strength of my personhood." She smiles. It seems a learned gesture. "I am yet young and have only inherited preferences, but I do indeed welcome interaction with you. You remind me of someone that I think my ancestor liked very much."
Vere inclines his head slightly. "I greatly enjoyed my conversations with Aisling." He regards Saeth for a second, then says, "I am not aware of the proprieties of discussing the disruption of the personality of your progenitor. In Order, we would express condolences. But that seems inappropriate, since you would not exist in your current state if she still existed."
She nods. "We have more causality here than many places do. The custom is to pretend that there is no connection moment to moment except in ways that facilitate the creation of the ever-changing present. This is, I believe, a social lie and beings who are truly powerful here have both memory and desire. This Chaos is not one of true detachment, but what is expressed by some here as the ideal seems very wrong to me.
"Is it wrong for me to wish to visit Order, Vere?"
"I do not think it wrong for you to wish that, Saeth. I cannot say whether it would be wise for you to do so, however." Vere pauses, then continues, "Does Lord Madoc counsel against such a visit?"
"Lord Madoc believes I will become ensnared in Amberite plots, or else those of Clarissa or Dara, and thus be unavailable to be ensnared in his.
She turns towards the wall and makes a few gestures. "That will not prevent him for long. In Chaos one exists at the pleasure of the Lord, or one stakes out a solitary lordship and begins creating affines for company. I wish for freedom, and cannot have it in Chaos. I would leave here, but only to freedom. Freedom without isolation is the great gift of Order, and I would have it." Her tone is still slow, lilting and calm. She seems no more excited than if she were discussing quilting.
"Freedom is a difficult thing to achieve," Vere says seriously. "And Lord Madoc is quite correct that others will seek to use you to their own ends. You need to gather knowledge and power before you can make a bid for freedom. Otherwise, you will gain a temporary freedom, followed by a long period of enslavement or death." He considers her for a moment before continuing, "I support freedom for all who can seize and hold it, but I am myself not in a position to be able to assist you currently. I am young myself, and still seeking out the power that will grant me freedom in the future."
Saeth nods. "So you seek freedom as well. You have convinced me. Temporary Freedom is worth the risk of death. I will not hold your unwillingness to help against you, it is exactly what I would expect from a sentient of Chaos. We will see each other again, Gerardson." Whatever magics she was practicing, she drops and starts to walk towards a wall.
"Indeed?" Vere says in a questioning tone. "I had thought I was advising something quite different."
"You did. But as you do not posess some of the facts that I do not wish to disclose, I do not take offense at your advice. It is the best you could do with the information you possess. Please carry my greetings to Prince Merlin. He, too was kind to me."
Saeth walks through a wall.
Vere stares at the wall for several long seconds, frowning, then shakes his head and walks away.
Vere wants to go find Merlin. He'll walk through Madoc with finding Merlin on his mind, but deliberately doing his best not to use the Pattern to affect probability, and see if that works.
It takes Vere some long period of time--difficult to measure here, but Vere feels like he's been walking for a while--before he comes across Merlin, who seems to be doing something that involves juggling what looks like metal balls without touching them (presumably by Sorcery). He stops what he's doing and hastily retrieves the objects with his hands when Vere enters the room.
"Vere," he says, blinking, "I was not expecting you." It isn't a criticism of the unwarned-for approach so much as an expression of surprise.
Vere tilts his head while he considers this statement. "Did you have some reason to expect not to encounter me at this time?" he asks.
"I had no reason to expect you. Normally I am apprised by some affine of Madoc's that you are on your way to me. That I was not warned of your coming is unusual, and reflects some change of circumstance on your part, on mine, or on that of the affines," Merlin explains. "Do you know what could have caused such a change?"
Vere shrugs. "I did not announce my intention to seek you out," he says. "Perhaps they did not realize that I was doing so?"
"Perhaps," Merlin says, but it is clear that he mislikes the idea and is still chewing it over.
He shoves the things he was juggling in his pockets, which must be spatially altered because there are no visible lumps in his clothes when he's done. Either that or he's shapeshifting to accommodate the balls, which is not out of the question for Merlin. "Are you seeking to pass the time, or was there some particular reason you were looking for me? Some lesson I can aid you with?"
"I have learned a great deal of manipulating Space," Vere answers, "And of my limitations in doing so. But I am unsure of where to go from here in learning how it can be used in healing. I thought to ask Saeth, but..." Vere pauses and shakes his head. "She seemed to have her own concerns, and did not stay to listen to my questions."
"I found that to be true of Saeth's parent as well," Merlin says, a touch of sourness creeping into his voice. "It went badly, then?"
Vere tilts his head slightly to one side, considering the question. "Not badly, exactly," he says. "More disappointing, I would say. I had hoped to get to know Saeth, but she was tightly focused upon her own desires, and seemed prepared to hear only what she wished to hear. Once she decided she had heard it, she lost interest in our conversation." He shakes his head. "I have had the experience before, of speaking to someone and realizing that they are hearing something other than what you are saying. But it is always disconcerting, and makes one wonder whether one was unclear."
"It is not simply you. I had difficulty making myself understood to Aisling in a similar manner, and one might think that our common heritage would render our difficulties less. One would be mistaken." Merlin cannot quite be said to snap at Vere, but his tone is sharp. "What did she wish for you to say, that she listened until she heard something approximating her wishes?"
Vere considers the question. "It is difficult to be certain," he says finally, "But I believe that she was seeking support for her desire to travel to the other side of Ygg. I had the impression that Madoc was opposed to this desire, and suggested that she defer any such plans until she had more wisdom and power."
"And she did not listen." Merlin considers this for a few moments, his expression shifting from something sulky and angry to thoughtful to disconcerted as he straightens and looks about the room. "Vere, have you considered that it may be a good time to absent ourselves from the felicity of Madoc?"
Vere frowns slightly. "I had not considered such a thing," he says in response to Merlin. "Do I take it that you think that Lord Madoc will be unhappy with the results of Saeth's conversation with me?"
For all that he is very young, Merlin's eyes can seem very old when he looks at Vere. "I do not think you understand the way a Lord determines cause and effect, which is not always the same as the Ordered fashion. And even if it were, do you think Madoc will prefer to believe his granddaughter is travelling beyond Ygg willfully or that she was inspired to do so by a son of Order?"
Vere frowns. "Is this another example of Truth being malleable in Chaos, Cousin? You are suggesting that Madoc will not wish to believe what I tell him, but will instead seek a scapegoat?" His frown grows deeper. "And do you advise that we flee his realm, rather than discuss the matter with him? I confess to disliking that idea. It seems certain to foster even more misunderstanding, and risk making a powerful Lord of Chaos, and one who is closer to comprehensibility that most, an enemy." He nods his head slightly, and the frown leave his face, which becomes still and emotionless. "But you are wiser than I in the ways of Chaos, Cousin. Please advise me."
Merlin shakes his head. "We may take our leave formally, to be sure. But you do not understand the implications of an angry Lord of Chaos. He is this place. If he is angry at you, the entire castle will be angry with you. I have seen this in my grandfather's demesne. I would not have that anger turned on my cousin or my student."
"Ah," Vere says. "I think I see. In a way, it could be compared to having to live in the dream of someone who is unhappy with you. While their anger might be unjustified - and they might even be aware that there was no justification and not consciously wish you ill - they would not necessarily be able to control their unconscious mind. Is that a valid analogy?"
"This is a valid analogy," Merlin agrees. "But if your conversation with her is the last one she has before doing something rash, or demanding to leave, it is not entirely irrational for him to feel something that you said may have sparked her folly. Do you think our uncles are rational on the subject of their sons and daughters? Was our grandfather so?"
"Then we should go to him immediately," Vere says, "And let him know what has happened."
"Indeed we should." Merlin moves to take Vere's hand, as if there's some concern about them being separated in the castle.
Vere tilts his head to one side, and an inquisitive look appears fleetingly on his face. He schools his expression then, and allows Merlin to take him by the hand.
With Vere's hand in his, Merlin takes the lead and brings them through various parts of the castle, seeking Madoc. Their journey is short, as Merlin seems to have a real instinct for where Madoc must be--or perhaps he is being led. When they walk into Madoc's library, they realize that they are standing on the ceiling, and for a moment Vere's perception of gravity is wrong and his inner ear and stomach rebel a little. Merlin responds coolly by walking along the ceiling and down the wall until they are on the same floor as Madoc, who is seated in a wing chair that would be at home in Amber except for the way that its clawed feet flex and move.
Vere blinks when his sense of proper positioning is momentarily outraged, but once again he controls himself without more than a momentary flicker, and follows Merlin's lead.
Madoc's horns are twitching a little. "You wished to see me, kinsmen?"
Merlin is going to leave this one to Vere to field, it seems.
Vere bows, then straightens. "My lord," he says. "Might I ask if you know where Saeth is?"
Madoc's horns spread wider. "That seems an ominous opening question. Let me check." The Count stands and closes his eyes briefly. He takes a step, frowns, and closes his eyes again.
"I do not, and I would were she within my demesnes." Vere notes the candles and fireplace are suddenly more active than before. "Tell me, cousin, why you ask." It's technically a request.
Merlin remains silent for the moment. He seems tense, as if he's waiting for some signal to act.
"I am concerned about her, my lord. We just spoke, and she mentioned a desire to travel to the other side of the Tree." Vere frowns. "While I advised her that I thought it would be wise for her to wait until she had gained more knowledge and power before attempting such a journey, her parting words to me led me to believe that she was lacking in patience." He shrugs very slightly. "I may be misreading her, my lord, and I apologize if I am causing concern for no good purpose."
"As she is absent, I find your concern to be relevant. She has so much of Aisling in her, and I have been loathe to resorb it. I find myself needing one of two things. Either I must seek her myself, in which case I will need to ask you to leave, or I will need an agent to chase down my wayward daughter."
His look makes it clear who he has in mind.
Vere frowns slightly. "My lord, it is unfortunate that I am so ignorant of Chaosian customs and lives. Could it be that Saeth fears such an absorption, and that her fear is a part of her reason for leaving? I ask, because knowing what she fears, and whether such fears are well or ill founded, must be considered before I decide how to properly act in this situation."
Madoc's horns visibly curl in towards each other and he turns his attention more fully on Vere. The furniture in the room also seems to be paying close attention. "Her very concern is childish. Are not children subject to the discipline of parents in Amber?"
Merlin lays his hand on Vere's shoulder, but does not speak.
"They are, my lord," Vere replies. "Both in Amber, the home of my father, and in The Isles, where my mother ruled and where I was raised. And I do not debate the right of a parent to enact discipline."
He glances briefly at Merlin, then back at Madoc. "But there are realms where the rights of a parent are absolute, and a parent may slay a child for any cause. And I have been led to believe that some Lords of Chaos are such parents. Forgive me, my lord, but I do not know you well enough to know whether you are such a parent or not. So in my ignorance I do not know if Saeth is a stubborn child who seeks adventures that she is not yet ready to brave, or a possible victim seeking to flee a terrifying fate."
Before Madoc can say anything, or before those twitchy horns can translate into some sort of action, Merlin interposes. "But of course you do not know our kinsman as well as I do even now. Uncle Madoc would not do such a thing to Aisling, even if he could." It's hard for even Vere to tell whether this is a prescriptive or a descriptive answer to his implicit question.
Vere nods. "That being the case, I am certain that Uncle Madoc will appreciate the concern I have expressed over my uncertainty of her fate upon her return. With your assurance that my concern is without basis, Cousin, I can now consider my concern over the dangers that Cousin Saeth faces by her ill-considered flight." Vere frowns thoughtfully before continuing. "I am not skilled at travelling through Chaos, and I do not know whether I would be able to track her through these realms. Is my offer of aid even of any use to you in this matter, Uncle? If it is, then you have it."
Madoc looks less grumpy and the furniture seems less hostile. Perhaps he is chalking it up to Vere's taint of Order. "It may be. I expect you are more likely to find her at one of your courts than to cross her path as she travels. I can give you a way of sending me a message when you see her. Hold out your arm and I will give you my token."
Vere holds his left arm out to Madoc without hesitation. "Are you requesting me to return to the Ordered side of Ygg immediately to search for her?" he asks. "Or are you requesting that I seek her in the Ordered Courts once I have finished my business here in Chaos? The former request would have an impact upon Prince Merlin, who has a claim to my assistance with his own affairs."
"I do not. I assume that you will hear news of her from your kinsmen. When you have a message for me, think on it and tap this mark." Madoc takes Vere's wrist and touches it. He draws a quick, stylized picture of a bird, and it stays on Vere's wrist. It is blood red and looks like a birthmark.
Merlin watches this process intently.
"You may go now," says Madoc.
Vere knows a dismissal when he hears one. He bows to Madoc, and takes a step backwards away from him, then stops and looks at Merlin for cues on whether they should walk back up the wall or take a different exit from the room.
Merlin moves back the way they came for the moment, not waiting for Vere to follow him.
[Assuming Vere comes with.]
When they exit the library, they find themselves in a different room. "Unstable symmetries," Merlin says by way of explanation as he walks down the wall to the floor again. "Have you any possessions here you wish to keep, cousin, other than those on your person?"
"Your father's horses," Vere answers immediately. "Other than that, I have kept everything important upon my person since we passed the tree. I take it an immediate departure is called for?"
"You are correct, and wise to have done so." Merlin moves purposefully off in a particular direction, clearly expecting Vere to follow. He quickly finds his way to the stables and checks on the horses, which seem to pass his inspection. "Let us leave now and head directly Yggward," he suggests.
Vere follows, remaining silent as they saddle the horses and pack the saddle bags. He simply watches as Merlin summons a filmy, and follows his directions as they lead the horses onto it and leave Madoc.
Ambrose Parts the Veil to Ygg and ushers Brita and Signy through it. Behind them the disruption in Bleys' scheme of rocks is becoming more prominent, and his nieces can hear him cursing.
On the far side of the Parted Veil is an ancient, gnarled tree. Signy and Brita step through, apparently partway up a hill, or down a valley, depending on how you look at such things. The sky changes color here from time to time, with colored streaks that look like they were fingerpainted in. The valley below is covered in multicolored fog. Brita has been here before, with Ambrose.
Behind them, Ambrose steps through and reality seals itself closed after him. "I can't do the lab in one Parting; I have to stop here. I'm sorry. Bleys thinks I can do it if I set my will to it, but I'm not convinced I have the mastery yet."
As she steps through, Signy's eyes are drawn like a magnet to Ygg, and she opens her Third Eye to look at the tree more fully. "So this is the tree that Bleys was telling me to check out," she murmurs.
She pulls herself from her reverie to give a glance at Ambrose before turning her gaze back on Ygg. "Why couldn't you go through in just one Parting?"
Brita's gaze on the tree is somewhat longing and almost reverent. She bows slightly in its direction. "The World Tree," she states.
Straightening, she notes to Ambrose, "I Would Try Parting the Veil from Here to My Mother's Lab."
If he agrees, she will position herself facing away from Ygg after another slight bow of parting and slice open a gateway to her mother's demesne. After they are all through, she ensures it is properly sealed.
When Signy starts talking about Bleys' suggesting Signy visit Ygg, Ambrose shakes his head slightly: _not yet_. "Most sorcerers can't make a direct transit across Ygg without stopping here. Bleys can and so can Fiona, and so could my father. But I'm not as strong as they are, and I can't, even though Bleys thinks I should be able to." He flushes slightly at the admission. "You shouldn't have any trouble getting back to the lab from here," he says to Brita. "It's just the inflection point problem." He turns back to Signy. "What did Bleys think you could learn here?"
Signy continues her scrutiny of the tree. "I'm not entirely sure, but I have a feeling that it may be a bit of a test. I was asking about how I could learn more about things, and he talked about studying it. I have a feeling that I'll be getting quizzed at some point about what I observe."
Brita pauses in parting the veil and turns back to the tree, waiting respectfully while Signy makes its acquaintance.
"What Grandmother asked me about was how I got here," Ambrose says by way of reply. "I think that's part of the lesson. Much simpler to come with someone the first time and come back later, once you've marked the spot."
Trees are normally visible to the Third Eye, in the way that things that are alive or permanent are. Signy sees two differences with her third eye between this tree and any other tree. The tree is more 'real' than any other tree she has ever observed. It also doesn't seem to end where the actual branches and leaves on it end.
It's definitely not a tree, or at least "not just a tree."
Signy looks at the Tree for a moment longer, absorbing as much as she can before broadening her Third Eye to take in the surroundings, committing as much as possible to memory.
She sighs, and drops her Sorcerous sight as she turns back towards Brita and Ambrose. "Well, I should be able to make my way back here, I hope," she notes. "Once we get back to the lab, if there's nothing pressing going on I may take Tomat and Red Fox Claws back this way before heading back to, well, wherever."
"You can do it by sorcery. The question I wonder whether Bleys was trying to address was whether you could do it by Pattern. But there's no accounting for his meaning. He makes Grandmother look direct sometimes." Ambrose makes a face, but his tone is more affectionate, if mildly so, than the words might have indicated. "If you're ready..."
Brita opens the way to her Mother's lab and, after all are through, makes sure it is well sealed behind them. She wants none tracking a way to the Lab from the World Tree.
Signy steps through the opening back into the lab without further comment.
Ambrose follows Signy through and waits for Brita to seal the breach, watching her ensure that nothing follows them through from Ygg. "I have to see to the code wheels, but after that, I'm free. What are your plans?" he asks Brita and Signy.
Red Fox Claws and Brother Tomat are not in the room the three cousins arrive in (the same one they left from), but they weren't in the same place when the Amberites left, either.
"I Think I shall Go and Visit My Brother in Watery Rebma," Brita notes. Her tone does not betray her concern, but the 'to check on him' still comes through.
Ambrose frowns slightly, his lower lip sliding along his face as if he means to chew on it worriedly. "I didn't know redheads were welcome in Rebma, but I suppose that must have changed with the change of regime. Signy, what do you mean to do next? Can you and your men get back to Xanadu from here, or will you go elsewhere? I mean to report to King Random, and then--" he glances at Brita again "--unless he has other duties, I'll be at loose ends for a time."
Brita glances at Signy, but squeezes in before she can speak, "Come With Me. You can Go to Reality Xanadu from Watery Rebma Afterwards."
It takes him a moment to think about it. "I'll do that. Let's make sure everything is secure first, and leave anything we don't want to get wet, and we'll go." He waves to Signy by way of farewell and they move off together.
Signy shakes her head, still thinking about the Tree.
"No, I think I'll check in, and if it's OK with the King maybe head back by way of the Tree, to at least see if I can pass that test."
Brita calls out as Signy starts to leave, "Let the King Know Where we have Gone."
As Ambrose and Brita start to prepare for their trip Signy pulls the Trump of Random she got from her brother and starts to focus on the image of the King, taking a couple of slow, shuffling steps towards the room where her companions were left waiting.
"Your Majesty?"
Random's image resolves quickly, first into his normal clothes and current location, then popping into a dimensionality, as if he were there, or Signy was with him. "What about my Majesty? Is it showing? I knew I needed a longer tunic..." The king is wearing a loose-fitting white shirt with no sleeves and behind him Signy can see a number of musical instruments.
In her distracted state of still thinking about the Tree and what it is that she should expect to find from it, Random's words trigger the start of a reply out of her days in the Band.
"Well, I've certainly never seen on....."
Her reply cuts off mid-sentence and her face reddens as she realizes who she's bantering with in this fashion.
"I, uh, meant that I wanted to give you an update on the Chain. Your Majesty."
Random grins at her embarrassment. "Kids today. When I was your age, all the girls had seen one." He plays a quick rimshot on the drums in front of him in and waits for the cymbal crash to fade. "Alright, give me your chain update. Let me guess, I have to pass it on to three other people or I'll have bad luck, right?"
Signy's eyes blink rapidly a couple of times, the only outward sign of her confusion over his reply.
Deciding that the best course of action is to just move ahead instead of dig the conversational hole any deeper, she switches back to the main point for her Trump.
"We activated the Chain, and brought back Sit Firumbas, a knight from Tir from before the Moonriders. He went with Prince Garrett back to Paris, a little unsettled at how much time has passed."
She quickly takes another breath before charging on with the rest of her update. "Prince Bleys left on another mission, Brita and Ambrose went to Rebma, and I'm back at Princess Fiona's. I had hoped to return by way of the Tree, unless you have something else you would have me do instead?"
The tone of her voice raises slightly at the end, hopeful that she'll be able to take her side trip before any other objectives the King might have for her.
Random shakes his head, slightly. "I don't have anything in mind that has to be done this second, but when you're back, I'll have a thing for you. Tell me, did you figure out whose chain you've been yanking? Are there more old knights in there?"
Signy shakes her head in the negative.
"We're not sure. We pulled Sir Firumbas out, and after talking with him for a bit Prince Bleys thought it was best if we left because he thought something was coming."
She takes a breath before continuing. "Brita should have the chain, and I think we know how to activate it now, though."
Random makes a mental note to ask Bleys about this later. "So, if I need someone to disappear for a few hundred years, you know how to make them gone? Or if I need an ancient Knight on short notice, you know where to pull them from? OK, I'll keep it in mind. Anything else?"
"No, Sire."
Signy pauses, giving the King the opportunity to get in the last word before breaking the contact.
With appropriate (or perhaps inappropriate) pleasantries, the King dismisses her and then dismisses the trump.
After finishing her conversation with the King, Signy's pace picks up and she quickly arrives where her two companions wait. Collecting them, she starts heading back towards the stables, noting abstractedly that they'd be going back to Xanadu by way of a Tree. Or The Tree. She seems slightly uncertain about its status, referring to it both ways. Of the rest of their recent trip she remains quiet.
Once they're mounted, they ride out from her Aunt's lab, travelling for a couple of miles before she slows and Parts the Veil to allow the group to travel back to The Tree that she'd just departed. She takes a look around, to see if whatever caused the disturbance that alarmed her Uncle and cousin may have tracked them that far, before turning her attention to the Tree itself.
"Have you ever seen such a thing as this," she asks her companions quietly.
There is no sign to Signy's sight that they have been chased back by whatever was happening at the tower with the flying stones.
Red Fox Claws shakes his head in the negative.
"I have not seen it until now, but I have heard of it," Tomat says. "It is the border between Order and Chaos."
Signy acknowledges Red Fox Claws. "Keep an eye out, I don't know who or what we can expect here."
She turns to look at the Tree, letting her eyes take in its physicality for a moment, and ignoring her other Sight.
"What does your Order say about this," she asks Tomat.
Tomat pauses to remember, then recites: "It is the place where Order ends and different rules apply. Beyond it, survival is in the gift of the Lords of Chaos, unless one is a sorcerer of great power or a master of the gifts of Amber." Another pause, then a different voice: "It is said that the tree is sentient, and may speak to those who merit it." Apparently his memory of at least some of the things said to him goes down to the level of the voice that spoke it.
Signy elects not to comment on the different voices.
"Speaks, huh?" she notes, as she steps forward. Placing her hand on the trunk of the Tree, she pauses only a moment longer, feeling the rough bark beneath her fingertips before she opens up her Third Eye to continue Looking.
[OOC: What kind of tree is it? I kinda assume it's an oak tree, but that might not be correct.]
The tree is of no species or genus known to Signy. It doesn't resemble any other tree she's ever seen either. To the sight of her Third Eye, the tree is bright with power with both an Orderly and a Chaotic feel to it. It takes a moment for the outline of a face to emerge from the bark to her sight; it looks at her for a moment and then the lines of the face recede back into the gnarled twists of the tree's wood.
Signy shakes her head slightly before stepping slightly closer to the trunk. She extends her perceptions towards the Tree, the feel of the bark on her fingertips providing a textural counterpoint to her Senses as they swoop down the ever increasing valleys and crevices, to plunge into the knots and whorls of the wood underneath.
She marvels at the sheer chaos of it all, so unlike the precise, ordered rows of the metal she works with at the forge, assembled into nice, compact rows waiting for shaping.
After a time, Red Fox Claws approaches Signy. "Lady?" he asks, tentatively, perhaps not wanting to disturb her if she's working some magic. "Lady, there are two beings coming, from the Chaos side."
Tomat's voice comes from that direction as well. "It looks like two men, human men, mounted." He must have enhanced his sight.
Merlin and Vere soon come into sight, riding upwards out of the fog, and Vere raises a hand and calls out, "Well met, Cousin Signy."
Signy swiftly pulls her sense back into herself, and steps away from the tree. As she moves towards where the riders approach, Tomat hears her quietly murmur "There was a face."
As the riders come closer and hail Signy and her two companions, she flashes a quick nod at Red Fox Claws that they are not an immediate threat.
"Cousin...Vere?" Faces and names still unfamiliar turn her greeting into almost a question. "And...Merlin?" She pauses, thinking. "You were there when Marius came back. When I met Celina." As she thinks back, their faces solidify in her memory.
Merlin says, "We met in my father's court in Paris, after the funerals, yes," nodding his agreement. He continues, "Are you travelling Chaoswards? We will tell you what we know of travel conditions and safety the way we came, if you are."
"While we did not speak, we saw each other in the great Family gathering after the funerals," Vere explains in greater detail. He glances at Ygg and smiles, then looks back at Signy. "It is also a great family tradition to trade information on the current doings of Family when we meet in Shadow, and I for one would be quite agreeable to honour that tradition."
"I should also find it agreeable," Merlin adds. He looks to Vere for any additional insights he may have to offer about the family custom; it is just possible that Vere has seniority here among the three of them, depending on how one counts these things.
Signy nods, and manages to refrain from looking back to see if the face has decided to reappear in the Tree while her back is turned.
"I'm taking a longer road back to Xanadu so I can stop here and see the Tree. Several of us went to Aunt Fiona's labs, and from there out into Shadow to investigate the chain that was brought back when we rescued the Queen from a Shadow near Tir." She pauses briefly to draw breath, before continuing. "We ended up bringing back a knight from Tir that had been imprisoned long before the Moonriders, apparently. He went back to Paris with Prince Garrett, while Brita and Ambrose headed to Rebma and Uncle Bleys went...." she pauses, realizing she's not too sure on where her Uncle went, before finishing somewhat lamely, "somewhere."
Vere dismounts while Signy is speaking, and pats his steed's neck soothingly. He whispers into the horse's ears in a soft, comforting voice, but continues watching Signy so that she knows he is paying close attention to her words.
Merlin also dismounts to see to his horse, although he doesn't seem as concerned about speaking to his steed.
She blinks suddenly, then continues. "My two companions I've known from before I even knew that I belonged to the Family." She points to each in turn. "This is Red Fox Claws, and this is Brother Tomat."
Vere nods a greeting to each of the men. "Vere Gerardsson," he identifies himself to them.
Merlin adds, "Merlin of Paris. My father Corwin is full brother to Signy's mother." He specifies the relationship no further.
Red Fox Claws nods by way of acknowledgement, and Tomat gives a neck-bow.
Introductions done, she looks at her two relatives curiously. "What brings the two of you out this way?" she asks in a companionable tone.
"Prince Merlin kindly offered to be my guide to the realm of Chaos, to further my education," Vere explains. "We are just now returning from the realm of the Chaos Lord Madoc. We met Weyland Smith while we were there, and he asked after you. I was merely able to tell him that you had been in Amber, and had met your brother."
Tomat's attention focuses in eagerly on the idea of travelling in Chaos.
Merlin nods his agreement with Vere's account. "And in due time it became right for us to leave and return to the Ordered side of the universe. If you are travelling to Xanadu, or Paris, perhaps we could travel with you if your business here is done? I am most curious to hear about this warrior and the chain, and we have stories of our own."
At the mention of her father, Signy stiffens slightly, and her eyes harden.
"Well. I should have guessed that he would have run to Madoc." Her voice turns harder. "I hope you did find him well, since it sounds like he had to leave the Tower in a hurry."
She pauses, swallowing hard and wrestling her emotions back under control.
Vere politely pretends not to notice her reaction.
So does Merlin.
She nods her head at the Tree. "We could certainly head back with you. I think that the Tree isn't going to be speaking to me just yet."
Vere turns to look directly at the Tree. "It did not speak to me when I passed it going the other way," he says. "I suppose I am not yet sufficiently interesting for it. It must have seen many things in its existence, if all who travel between Chaos and Order must pass it." He walks a little closer to it.
It's a tree. It's the same funny little tree it was before. It doesn't show faces or talk or do anything other than sit there. "My father said Ygg talked to him once, but he is an unusual man," Merlin muses. "Perhaps if you ask him, Signy, he will speak to you of it."
Vere has a brief internal debate over the wisdom of using the Sorcerous Sight on such a powerful being, but there's never any real chance that curiosity won't triumph over caution. He opens his Third Eye and observes Ygg.
Signy walks over to stand closer to Vere, opening her Third Eye back up to look at the Tree again.
"There was a face, but it turned away pretty quickly. I think it looked at me and thought I wasn't interesting." The tone of mock indignation seems a striking contrast to her earlier anger.
"Maybe it will find you more interesting, or that there's two of us?" Her initial willingness to travel back to Order seems to have vanished almost as quickly as her earlier mood.
The tree is of no species or genus known to Vere, whose knowledge base is different to Signy's. It doesn't resemble any other tree he's seen in his shadow travels, or in any of the Pattern realms, either. What it does resemble is the tree in the basement of Notre Dame. The tree is bright with power with both an Orderly and a Chaotic feel to it when Vere looks at it with his Third Eye.
"My father was a very unusual case," Merlin says. "I would not plan on speaking with it. Or, to be precise, I would not plan on getting a response if I spoke to it."
"Indeed," Vere says. He regards the tree for a few more seconds, then bows to it and turns to Signy. "If you saw a face then you have received more attention from it than I did. Perhaps in a few centuries." He shrugs very slightly. "I am young yet."
He looks around the valley, considering it. "I wonder if it was planted to force this place into existence? Perhaps before that one could slide from Chaos to Order and back again across an infinity of Shadows? But having a single point of entrance gives one a natural choke point. Much easier to defend."
Signy drops her Sight as she shrugs.
"That implies that there's something about the Tree that prevents any other pathways from forming, like The Black Road, yes?"
"I believe that to be the case, but my mathematics are not sufficient to prove it," Merlin answers her. "Nor are they sufficient to extrapolate what happened with the Black Road. I know the basic elements of the story but not how they would have manifested here. Also, I was on that side of Ygg--" he gestures Chaosward "--for most of the war. I only ventured across a few times and then came by way of Ygg or by Trump."
"Another in the endless series of questions to ask our elders when we get the opportunity," Vere says with a slight smile. "Cousin Signy, did you have more business to conduct here, or shall we depart for a shadow where we can find food, drink, and a comfortable place to consume both while we talk?"
Signy shakes her head in the negative, and signals Tomat and Red Fox Claws that it's time to mount up.
"No, I don't think that I'll see that face again, at least not right now."
She glances at Merlin. "Though I've started to study more advanced maths, I'd be interested in knowing what sorts of things to start looking at. All I've gotten so far are vague hints that it's 'complicated and avanced'. Whatever it is."
Tomat and Red Fox Claws ready themselves to mount up. Tomat is still very interested in their conversation.
"Bleys and Fiona are the advanced mathematicians in the family. I am a sorcerer first and foremost, and my biases come from that education. I think I do not have the, how shall we say, mathematical mindset," Merlin says.
Vere remounts, saying as he does so, "Mathematics again. I still maintain that once one sets out down that path, there is no return." He looks at Signy. "Should we seek a comfortable inn, where we can be waited upon, Cousin? Or would you prefer a quick hunt and a dinner over a fire in the wild?"
Phantom aches start to stiffen in her lower back, distant echoes of time spent on the road with the Band.
"An inn sounds like it wouldn't be a bad idea," she observes as she swings up into her saddle.
"Excellent well," Vere answers. He touches boot heels to his mount and leads them out of Ygg's valley at a walk.
Last modified: 7 March 2012