The king closes the connection and Llewella and Robin fade from sight.
He stays balanced and standing. "Going to get dark soon. We should get back, so you lads can make your climb. Sorry to keep you so late the night before the big school dance, Edan, but it's hard to argue with Caine. And honestly, I'd like to know how the city above fares, and if we should consider re-opening it. People are starting to think there are secrets up there..."
Edan smiles and points to the red stripes on Random's flotation ring. "Not to worry. It gave me time to mentally review my routine for tomorrow. And watch you play Red Row Vere."
Vere smiles back. "Thank you again, Cousin, for agreeing to aid me. Your majesty, can the trump of me be detached from its place and used for this task?"
Random holds out a finger at Edan, but turns to Vere. "Short answer is 'yes'. Longer version is 'take the whole board' Now, excuse me, I have to exorcise the worst pun of the day."
The King springs into the air, gaining an impressive height for someone jumping off an air-filled rubber tube. He does a brief jackknife and hits the water with barely a splash.
The King surfaces, pushing up the back of Edan's tube, lifting it high above him.
Edan gets almost a whole second to ponder the problem. Is it considered lese majesty to not participate in a pun exorcism? He's pretty sure drowning the king is considered bad form, too. Then he's out of time and does the diplomatic thing: he chooses to be surprised and dumped with a squawk. But Vere and Random can both see the dumping is more of an acrobatic flip, and not a drop of his bottle's contents are spilled.
Presently, after his head breaks the surface, he adds, "Now I'm disappointed. I thought there would be a gold star for that, or something."
Vere settles down onto his tube, judging it politic to observe and admire the king's wit. He watches Random's actions with a slight smile on his lips.
Random barks out a laugh. "Your gold star sunk, like your pun. You should dive after it!" The king puts his hands on Edan's shoulders and shoves down, while kicking up. Given that he is a small king, mostly he pushes himself out of the water with this maneuver.
Edan's a dancer, not a wrestler, and he decides grappling is probably not to his advantage. Add to that he didn't get a very good breath before being pushed under, so that's not good, either. Maybe an abject apology at the beginning might have been a better idea? Hah, too late now.
To play to his strengths, he drops a shoulder and does an odd little twisting pirouette (albeit in water, and no support for his leg) that he discovered in practice some months ago, something the king probably has not seen him do yet. The purpose, of course, is to get out from under, kick out for some distance, and hopefully get his head back above water for more air.
Since the king isn't actually interested in drowning Edan, he easily kicks free and gets more air. Edan's birthright allows him to go longer than a normal mortal without air in any case, but he takes in enough for some time.
Random treads water, waiting to see what Edan does.
Vere quietly paddles his tube a little farther away from the royal action.
Vere is safely out of the action. For now.
Vere likes that position when the king is in a playful mood. He paddles just a little bit further away.
Edan, for his part, shakes some of the water off his head and then holds up his hands, palm outward. "On second thought, that was a pretty bad pun, neh? One might even tender an apology, if it's not too late."
Random treads water, honoring the momentary peace. The surface of the water barely moves. "You're letting a perfectly good gold star go to waste at the bottom of the lagoon..."
Edan raises an eyebrow as he stares at the king; then, he tilts his head, giving Random a sideways look as if he's pondering that last statement at a different angle. Then, with a deep breath, he does a jackknife surface dive towards the bottom.
Vere raises an eyebrow and leans over the side of his tube, staring down into the depths of the lagoon.
Edan swims downward, his dancing skills providing an economy of motion that quickly bring him to the bottom of the lagoon. Embedded by one point in the muck is a large golden star. It's shining brightly, and Edan could see it before the water even became dark. He can probably get his arms around it, he thinks.
He's just not sure how he's going to raise it to the surface.
Edan tries anyway. He gets his arms around the thing and tries to lift, just to get a good idea of the star's weight. For all he knows, it could be full of chocolate...
If Edan were to guess, he'd guess it was made of gold. It may weigh half a ton. Edan can, by dint of his heritage, lift it. He can't swim with it.
Vere glances over at the king. "A star, your majesty?"
Random turns towards him, giving the young man in the tube his full attention. "A star. He said he deserved one for that pun, which wasn't the worst one ever told to me. Sometimes, when you are in a position to do anything for anyone, you have to be careful about what you do and for whom, if you see what I mean. It doesn't matter, to some people, that I paid for Edan's new army, or that I let my best friend hold a party for him, or that I granted him an order of knighthood.
"Some people need to see something shiny, like a star."
"I see." Vere tilts his head to one side. "In fact, politically, he public perception of a royal gift may be far more important than the gift itself, correct?"
Random nods. "Depends on the gift though. Combination Mind Control Gun/Death Ray goes a long way."
Edan surfaces at this point, sputtering. "A real gold star! Thank you, your Majesty. I'd love to hear the story about how it got there. Er, if that was somehow an application of Pattern, of course."
"It's for you and your boys... if you can get it out! Otherwise, you may need to start holding meetings under the lagoon..."
"'Your boys'?" Vere asks. "This would be the order of knights that the king mentioned to me, I take it?"
Edan grins. "The fledgling Order of the Lamp makes its debut tomorrow in the city. I love the idea of this star, it should be a fine challenge for the engineers of the company."
"But before or after the ball? Either has its advantages." Random flips back into his tube. "On more a more serious note, we are out of beer, and it's getting cold. Shall we adjourn to warmer locales? Or shall I so adjourn while you two plan your assault on heaven?"
"I would like to be ready to make the trip up the stairs as soon as they appear," Vere answers. "Sooner begun, sooner finished." He pauses slightly, then adds, "Your Majesty, did my father give you my report on the Paresh on Asir Island, and the cultist on the mountain there?"
Edan nods his agreement with Vere, and the nod answers the other question: get the star after the ball.
"What fortuitous timing," he says. "Before your arrival, we were discussing the Dey of Longtides and his assertion that they are Klybesians. If the Turcopolier is not there, they may have a good idea of where he's gone."
Random paddles to the shore. "Why don't you give us your report, and then Edan can add his information and we can all be on the same page. I've never quite understood that metaphor, because if we were on the same page, we'd be flat, and couldn't necessarily see anything. It would be better if we were above the same page, wouldn't it?"
The King climbs out of the water and wraps a towel around his neck, looking much more like an teenager at camp rather than the King of everything.
Vere nods, ignoring the king's presumably rhetorical question. "Elder Germaine still rules the Paresh. Some of the locals have joined them, others regard them with a great deal of fear. The harbor appears to be locked behind a permanent storm front of some kind, apparently due to something that Solange and Lucas did. There is also some sort of cult on the mountain that calls themselves the Questioners of the Oracle. Apparently led by a woman, according to Elder Germaine, but I have no independent confirmation of that. I considered investigating further, but decided it would not be wise to do so alone." He pauses, tilting his head to one side as he considers, then adds, "Bellum apparently sends occasional raids, angry because their ambassador was killed in the aftermath of Huon's destruction of the capital city of Asir. I confess to not fully understanding the details of Huon's dealings with Asir and Bellum."
Edan nods through Vere's account. "The Dey of Longtides - you may remember mention of him at the Family meeting. He has lived in the Land of Peace, but had to leave as the magic of that land is leaving. He left an arcane message. 'I know not where I will end up, but tell the King and Prince Bleys that I have found that the Asir are a sect of the Klybesians, and that they have plans in motion that I have not been able to discover, but that they involve Amber.' He said he would be heading to Atlantis, which I should have known is a real place, but I assume tracking him down to ask for details would be far out of our way." He pauses. "But he did say Father could reach him there."
Random looks over at Vere, as he towels off his shock of hair. "Best guess is Huey went to Asir to bury the evidence, as it were. I hear it was a massive avalanche that drove most of the town into the sea. I suspect he might have been angry for something they did or didn't do to help his plots.
"It's also a message to Celina and to me that he does have the family power and any time he spends in jail is strictly voluntary.
"And to add another facet to it, he knows they're enemies of Amber, so he was doing the family a favor by wrecking their government so that we don't have to deal with them and someone else at the same time.
"So, all in all, it was a pretty densely packed message-in-an-avalanche. Not my style, but not without a certain panache."
Vere listens as Edan and Random talk, and nods his understanding.
Random looks to see if either of the others needs a towel. "Shall we walk or climb?"
Vere accepts a towel and dries off his head and hands. It doesn't do much for his soaked clothing. He looks up at the cliff face and smiles. "Whatever your majesty prefers, of course," he says. "Walking would probably be quicker, if not as interesting."
Edan takes a towel, too. "I like to climb, as you know." He looks up the waterfall and cliff and does a little mental math in his head. "But I don't want to risk missing the moonrise, either. I'm sure you will want as much time as we can spare in Tir, Vere. If we're agreed we won't miss the bus, a quick climb would teach us each other's reaction times and reflexes."
"Ok. If you lose your grip, push out from the wall, but don't worry too much. Since it's a bit overhanging, you'll fall clear and then it's just cliff-diving and getting a good angle of entry in the lagoon." Random smiles and carefully towels off his hands and his feet. "Martin and I did it in, like, 45 minutes tops, but he was trying to prove something to his old man. This can be much easier than our climb was, until the last 100 feet or so. If you do slip, take a horse back up or we'll trump you from the top." Random looks at the sky over the sea. "It's going to be a clear night, so you'll have plenty of time for your errand. But don't get cocky -— Tir can make you forget how close the sunrise is, and that would be that."
Random grabs two handholds on the cliff face and starts climbing. He turns to his nephews. "Someday, when I've got the time, I'm gonna try this behind the falls."
Vere slips off his shoes and stockings and slips them into pockets. "Robin would enjoy this," he observes as he begins to climb.
Edan takes a support position behind Vere - not all that unlike the situation they'll be in when Vere goes to Tir. The Rebman trunks means he has bare hands and feet, and he looks like he's climbed more than a few cliffs before this. He whistles at the waterfall. "That would be... wet. How far does the water fall away from the cliff?"
Random looks back down. "Pretty far. You can sail behind it, if your boat isn't too big. So, there's more of a negative incline, and the last bit would be through the falls. It's all slick as hell back there." The king is setting a good pace, but he's also doing a great job of identifying good routes and handholds.
Random reaches on of the places where the incline is negative and he just grabs the handholds and makes it across on his arms alone. "Careful there!” he calls out. The King's upper arm strength and control is impressive.
There is still a long way to climb.
Vere follows Random silently, not always using the same handholds as the king. He's matching the king's pace but paying close attention to the climb, doublechecking every hold before trusting it with his weight.
Edan just shakes his head, and puts the thought out of his mind; this is not the place to be distracted by thoughts of a later climb. He keeps up with the others, and relies on his arms to get across the negative incline.
The king leads on, and the task becomes almost routine. He avoids some of the obvious shortcuts but not all of them. Random likes chimneys, for instance. That's helpful in terms of using the legs and arms differently, which is restful at this stage of the climb.
The King has a certain rhythm to his climb, and if you listen carefully, he seems to be singing, in time to the winds blowing against the rocks.
After a serious climb of an hour and a half, Random stops perhaps 40 feet from the top. "If you are in a hurry, this is the most direct route, but the slope is nasty. I'm going to the left around this rock, which ends up on my balcony. Probably adds 10 minutes total to the climb, but there should be a bucket of cold beers waiting..."
[OOC: Follow the King or chart your own course?]
Vere pauses for a few moments, dreadfully tempted to try the more difficult path. But then his intelligence gets the better of his adventurousness, and he follows the king on the easier course.
Edan takes a moment to stretch out on his arms and fingertips to look at the direct route, but when Vere moves off to the side he follows in the same support position.
"If I am in town when you try under the waterfall, you will let me know, yes?" he calls up to the king. "I think I would like to try it."
"Sure! If your troops try it, start them on the easier slopes. It's a long fall if they're not experienced mountaineers. Come to think of it, it's probably good training for a mountain unit."
Random cracks open a bottle that is conveniently at the top of the cliff by his balcony. As each of his nephews climbs over the wall, he gestures towards the bucket.
"It was a pleasure, gentlemen. You are now within the first ten to climb up, none of whom have been assassins! You're welcome to sit and catch your breath, but I think you may need to get on with your plans..."
There's a motion from the direction of the castle and Vialle steps carefully towards Random's position. A lady in waiting leans over and says something to her. The Queen has on her professional smile. "Hello nephews, I hope my husband has not over-tired you."
Vere laughs quietly and answers, "It was an invigorating climb, Aunt." He gets a bottle from the bucket for himself and looks to Edan to see if his cousin wants one.
Edan takes a bottle from Vere with a nod and a smile, then makes a deep bow to Vialle. "Your Majesty," he says. "I remember we've met formally once or twice, but I've not had the opportunity to praise your sculpture. It is most impressive."
Vialle smiles. "'Aunt Vialle' is fine when we're alone, Edan. I'm pleased you like my work. It's so hard to explain to others that I often don't try, but it's how I see people."
Random steps over to the Queen, and kisses her on the cheek. "Don't sell yourself short, dear. It's good art, with the lights on or off. The boys are off to look into something for Caine, which sounds more mysterious than I hope it turns out to be."
Vialle looks slightly annoyed at the mention of Caine. She's good at hiding her emotions, but not from family.
"We must leave soon," Vere says, putting a note of regret in his voice, "But I did want to let you know, Aunt Vialle, that Castor's lessons to Robin are paying off. She is developing courtly graces that shall greatly surprise those who underestimate her."
Edan smiles at that. "Anyone who can administer courtly graces while simultaneously juggling excitable flying lizards has my respect."
"It is a talent she may be unique in posessing," Random agrees. Random takes Vialle's arm, and she seems momentarily surprised. "We'll go in, and let the lads be off on their night's skulduggery. Just send me a copy of whatever report you give to Caine."
"Indeed, Your Majesty," Vere replies with a nod of his head. In a warmer tone he adds, "Aunt Vialle, a pleasure, as always."
"I hope to see you again soon," Edan adds, and bows. "Perhaps tomorrow."
Vialle says, "At the dance? We look forward to it."
Random laughs. "I'm bringing a drum. I don't know if that's a warning or something for you to look forward to. If Caine clears your friends, Vere, bring 'em to the party."
Vere bows as their majesties depart.
[OOC: is there in fact a trump of Vere in the 'Trump Booth' that can be removed and carried away? The king implied that, but didn't actually say so. Other than that Vere just wants to make a quick change into dry clothes and grab a few handfuls of cold meat, cheese and bread that can be eaten on the way to the stair to Tir]
It's attached to a large wooden board, but there is one. It's rather the equivalent of taking a portrait of Vere with them. The guards, who were once told no one could remove anything from this room, are apparently under new orders tonight.
Edan heads off to his own rooms for a change of clothing and a bite to eat, then to meet with Vere at the Trump Booth.
Meat and cheese are readily available, although the cheese is harder than it ought to be.
The moon rises just as Vere and Edan reach the small glen the holds the steps. A ranger is stationed here, taking night duty on the promontory. He bows to the princes and offers to take their horses. He's not very old, and it occurs to Vere that he probably never served under Julian.
Like the cheese, the moonlight is harder than it should be. The path is open, but fraught with danger. Unlike the stair that ascends the north face of Kolvir, the stair to Tir does not hug a mountain, and does not offer any hope of safety from a mis-step. And at the top is the city that killed Cambina.
"Here we are, then," Vere says, looking up at the ghostly city. "I have never been to Tir before, you know. This shall be most interesting." He looks at Edan. "I believe protocol is for you to contact me through the trump, and keep the contact open throughout my experience. In theory you can pull me out if the city should suddenly vanish and I begin to fall." He smiles very slightly. "Or if anything else untoward should occur."
Edan agrees with that assessment, sits comfortably cross-legged on the promontory overlooking the sea, and stares at the board until he makes mental contact with his cousin.
He indicates that he is ready to proceed.
Vere gives Edan a nod once the contact is made, then steps onto the stair and begins the ascent to Tir.
The stair is cold and unforgiving, and the wind has no mercy either. Each step is an effort of will, a tiny pattern-walk, albeit without visions. It is a long climb, as is the mirror of these stairs next to Kolvir.
After Vere masters the steps and the pattern of the winds and learns how to walk upwards without falling down to the uncaring sea below, he finds that walking up a long, long stair, even a dangerous one, eventually becomes boring.
When Vere has reached the halfway point, or perhaps the point that he hopes is halfway, he starts to see what might be land, away from the stair. The stair cuts through and up to courtyard outside the castle. It's still a long way up.
As Vere ascends the stairway he focuses on the Ladies and their Champions, running over his every interaction with them, going over everything they have told him about themselves, bringing his sense of their inner selves to the forefront of his mind. As he enters Tir-na Nog-th he wants them to be filling his thoughts, so that the visions the city brings will center upon them.
There is a moment of distraction on the stair; through the link, there are emotions that come from Edan. Surprise and recognition as the castle comes into view. A distancing, as memories are accessed. Pain, then, and the memory of effort, and the taproot of grief that transfixes his heart.
The emotions are suddenly, ruthlessly quashed; the link between them remains, however, strong as ever.
Vere pulls onward up the stair, up the winding way so many have walked before him, Cambina most recently. He comes to the courtyard outside the castle, the place where in Amber Random has painted a target on the ground, to remind people that they are under the eyes of a guard who are not unaware of Trump.
The swath is neatly rolled and mowed, as if someone has cared for it every day for three thousand years. Someone has, almost certainly to the consernation of the groundskeepers, painted a grid inside an octagon on the lawn. There are four raised chairs along the diagonal sides, and people are moving along the board. Morgne and Ophiuchus sit opposite each other as do Ywain and Laudine. In the middle of the grid, there is a tower with a knotted piece of rope in it.
They don't notice Vere’s approach.
"Interesting," Vere says aloud. "Just in case I am not able to make my report, Cousin, I am watching what appears to be the Ladies and their Champions playing a game of some sort, using human playing pieces. A classic image, of course."
He draws closer, watching the play on the grid, endeavoring to analyze the game and determine what he can about the players from their style of play.
"The Champions aren't pieces themselves? They are players?" Edan asks. "If it is like chess, that is the kind of game that can get muddled very quickly."
Without knowing the scope of the moves available to the players, it's hard to tell who is being conservative and who is taking more risks.
Still there's some things he can tell. It's clear the partners are still partnering, two-and-two. In each case, the knights seem to have a defensive role and the women are taking the offense. The two forces are in the process of a pivot, as each side is attacking on its own left flank and retreating on its right.
"They are playing as partners," Vere replies to Edan. "I do not recognize the game." He begins walking around the octagon, keeping an eye on both players and pieces, and examining the players closely as he passes them, comparing the ways they are dressed and their facial expressions and body language with the people he has recently met.
Edan glances up at the position of the moon in his sky, knowing that it might look completely different to Vere where he's standing, and passes that information along.
The moon is still rising. Vere has more than half a night left. Perhaps not much more, given that it rose over the sea, but still, there's a long time before the moon shadow becomes a problem.
Morgne and Ophiuchus are dressed in what are clearly heraldic colors. He in gold and green, she in green and red. Ywain is wearing armor, and has a lion natural on a blue field. Laudine has a lion on a green field on her arms.
The men seem more at ease with the game than the women. It appears that when pieces are removed from the board, they are replaced unless quite a bit of territory is taken.
Vere watches them for a few minutes more, then says, "Cousin, I think I shall venture on. The lesson here appears to be that they were strategists of a deeper level than I had supposed, not merely lost guardians of an ancient pact. The question, of course, being whether our supposed rescue of them released them from the game, or whether they are still playing it and attempting to use the Royal Family as their pieces in their game. An answer to that should be found, or Uncle Caine is liable to take action when he hears of this."
With a last lingering glance at the players and the game Vere passes them by, and proceeds deeper into the ghostly city.
"Very well. I'm here," Edan says. "I don't suppose you have any kind of expertise with Trumps, do you? I see I've gotten spoiled talking to our elders. They seem to open the view however they want, and so far I've been staring at your face and about two feet behind your head." Amused, he adds, "Maybe that is a good thing, when you think about it."
"Indeed," Vere replies. "Knowing someone is watching my aft is reassuring." He smiles very slightly, then continues, "As for Trump expertise, I am sadly lacking. I know nothing about how to change what you are seeing."
The castle is -- odd. Certain perspectives on it look like Versailles, others looks like Xanadu, others look like no castle Vere has seen. The most familiar parts look like Amber or Rebma. Parts of it seem abandoned, parts seem to be on war footing, and parts are just the operations of a large house. That figure there is either grinding meal for bread or sharpening spearheads, it changes as Vere approaches.
The castle flies the colors of the four games-players, but not all at the same time. And not from major flagpoles. They seem to be minor nobility, if the size and positioning of their banners are meaningful.
In all the perspectives on the place, it appears there is a feast approaching in the main hall.
Vere describes what he sees to Edan as he walks through the castle. "Does it sound as much like a dream as it looks?" he asks. He accepts what the visions seem to be suggesting to him, and heads for the main hall.
"It does," Edan says. "Maybe it's your perspective on the thing affecting what you see, but those two women and their knights seem to be much more important than they first appeared. How did they get tied up with one another? When and how were they associated with Family?"
Vere talks as he continues to walk deeper into Tir. "They are Ancients, possibly with fae blood of some kind, from powerful realms that appear to closely mirror Paris and Rebma. They mention names as contemporaries that Benedict knows as legends, so that gives some idea of their age. Their realms were locked in an ancient cycle of war, and they were set as guardians of a border as a part of a negotiated peace. They guarded that border for ages upon ages, and their realms long ago moved far apart and were lost to them. But the geas upon them remained, until Robin severed the knot of Shadow that bound their border, and set them free. Robin and I now seek to find a place for them to find rest after their long service." He smiles thinly. "But Caine, being suspicious, sent me here to seek visions of them, to be certain that there is not more here than there seems."
"I understand now." Edan pauses a moment. "That explains the knot above the game board, I was going to ask about that. I share Uncle Caine's sentiment. Sentry duty for thousands of years? And now they are free? We are like eyeblinks to them. Tools, pawns. Well, more skilled pieces, perhaps."
"We younger ones, perhaps," Vere answers as he walks. "But I think our elders would give them more pause."
Vere stands in the Main Entryway. The Grand Stairs lead up to the Throne Room and the Ball Room and various Royal Functionaries have offices near the Entry. Gone are Caine's young, earnest naval officers, their places seem to be filled with proper court officials. There is a chamber music coming from the ballroom and it sounds as if there are people in the throne room as well.
Vere continues to describe everything to Edan. "Ballroom or Throne Room," he muses aloud. "If all goes well, I will have a chance to see both. But, odd as it seems, things do not always go well. So, then, to prioritize. The Throne Room seems the logical first choice, as it might reveal allegiance and rank. But one seldom sees truth in a Throne Room, as political necessity so often outweighs it. In the Ballroom one might see the social currents that reveal more of what is really going on. So I don't believe that would be my choice here."
Vere's eyes flick down to the card he holds and meet Edan's. "Your thoughts on this decision, Cousin?"
"I would start at the top down," Edan says with confidence. "The Throne Room to see the major players and message, then the Ballroom to add the color commentary." He pauses. "The enchantment of the place draws from you- if there's something important you think you need to see, even from your subconscious, you should see it."
Vere nods, returns his attention to his surroundings, and heads for the ballroom.
A masked ball is in progress, with a raised orchestra at one end and doors open to the balconies at the other. Vere sees a number of figures he recognizes, all wearing some costume in shades of white and black. Reid is dancing with Deirdre, Demond Harga'rel is escorting Khela, Aisling is talking to Adonis. One table is being mobbed by bright young women with dazzling smiles, another is empty except for a dozen glasses turned on their sides. In a small, unremarkable side passage a woman Vere has never seen smiles at him over her partially removed mask. She puts it back on, and looks over her shoulder at him, as if daring him to follow her. The mask is leonine.
"Should she be able to see me...?" Vere murmurs quietly. Then, in explanation to Edan, he adds, "A masked ball, everyone I do recognize is dead in reality, and someone I do not know appears to see me. This awareness of my presence goes against what I know of Tir. I wonder if Cambina experienced something similar? How can I resist investigating?"
Vere follows the young woman, remaining aware of his surroundings as he walks.
"No one noticed me until I reached the Pattern. And then I think it was part of my own Walk," Edan says. Getting a glimpse of the woman as Vere looks around, Edan chuckles. "In the Land of Peace, there are many variations of the story of a man who chases the lioness."
Vere goes after the woman, through the ballroom, and into the small service hall. To the left is what in Amber is a family dining room. Here it looks like a servant's hall. Vere turns a corner and the woman is not in sight, but a door is open, with steps spiraling down into darkness. He hears a footfall from below.
"I am being led," Vere says quietly, "Into darkness. Dangerous, but the chase is almost irresistible." He moves to the head of the steps and stares down them, judging whether the darkness is total or whether there might be enough light for the Trump to continue to function.
"This is where I remind you that Tir-na Nog'th is technically the demense of the Queen of Air and Darkness. She, or a designee, might be watching what you're doing right now. Or maybe even interacting with you," Edan says.
There is sufficient light from the stars above and the faintly glowing forms of things in Tir for Vere to keep an eye on things. Since Edan has the Trump, the light on his end of things (which is fine) is of more concern, but even as Vere moves into the darkness, Edan has no trouble keeping Vere in view through the card. It's almost as if the darkness is ahead and behind and all around but not exactly where Vere is: perhaps a function of the place.
The stairs lead downward into where the mountain would be. If Vere goes this way, there will come a point where he'll have to rely on Edan for his escape; there won't be time for him to ascend the spiral again and make it back down to the cliff where Edan is standing.
Ahead of him, Vere can still hear her tread on the stairs, growing more distant by the moment. He'll need to hurry to catch up with her.
"If I die doing this," Vere says to Edan and he speeds up his descent, "And Robin says you should have told me not to, feel free to tell her that I said there was no way she would have resisted doing the same."
"If you die doing this," Edan says, "your indefatigable ranger will drag me back up into the clouds to explain just exactly what happened. Not to mention you'll make my shiny new order of knights look bad on the eve of their debut. Let's try to be extra careful instead, neh?"
Down Vere descends into the depth of the castle of Tir, past familiar stairs and into a chamber that looked very different when they broke through the rubble to get into it in Amber proper. (Assuming that it is parallel to the old Castle Amber basement, which is not entirely certain.) She has made her way into the side passage, and Vere can still hear her footsteps ahead, then the opening of a heavy door.
"She is heading for the Pattern chamber," Vere tells Edan as he follows. "Which raises several interesting possibilities for her identity."
"I walked the Pattern here," Edan says. A moment later he adds, "I doubt it will look the same as it did to me, then. The woman, she is supposed to be from long ago, yes?"
"The women and men I was seeking information about were of ancient times," Vere corrects him. "This one, I do not know. The dead whom I saw in the ballroom were of the recent past. This woman could as easily be the Chaos Lord Dara, our cousin Saeth, or even the Queen of this City come again."
But when he passes into the Pattern Chamber, the woman standing before the Pattern is none of those. It's quite recognizably his cousin Cambina. "Vere," she says. "Thank the Unicorn. I've been waiting for you to come."
Vere comes to a stop and blinks once. "Cambina," he says a moment later.
There is another, longer, moment before Edan adds, "If it is her."
Cambina may be preternaturally oriented, but even she can't hear Edan's suspicions. Translucent like the Tir ghosts, she moves toward Vere; behind her, he can see sparks shooting up from the Pattern. "Listen, we don't have much time. If the Queen figures out you're here, you could be in trouble. I think she's preoccupied now, since Vialle walked the Pattern here, but we can't count on that."
Vere blinks at this, but doesn't comment on her statement. "Tell me what I need to know," he says.
Not hearing Cambina either, Edan remains silent and attentive, watching out for whatever threat he can considering the circumstances.
There is nothing happening that Edan can sense as a threat through the connection. Of course, he cannot see or hear Cambina, if it is her. (Nor is he really in a position to judge.)
"Vialle asked me to take her up to Tir. It was something I had foreseen, so I led her up the stairs. The Queen was there, in a form like--like this." Cambina holds up her own slightly translucent arm. "Vialle went to walk the Pattern, and I tried to stop her, since I thought it would kill her. But the Queen held me with her magic, and I couldn't overcome it. Vialle walked the Pattern and ended her walk as the sun came up. I didn't see what happened after that because I fell." She doesn't say and I died but the import is clear.
"Now I'm trapped here and I don't know that I can get out. But someone had to know and I hoped you'd come. I'm not sure I could talk to anyone else."
"I attempted to speak with your spirit after your fall," Vere says. "But you were far away, and I could not learn much. Your brother and leman were most displeased that I had made the attempt, and ordered that I never try again." He frowns slightly. "What was the relationship between the Queen and Vialle?"
Edan stays quiet and keeps listening, so he doesn't interfere.
Cambina seems impatiently annoyed with the rigmarole surrounding her death. "Tell Jerod and Brennan you didn't try this. I came to you. And I don't know what the Queen did to Vialle. Beforehand, I mean. Vialle just said she had to come up here, that it was important. With hindsight, it looks like she was calling Vialle, but I don't know when or how she did that. I would guess it had something to do with her nightmares."
Vere nods. "Understood," he says. "As we do not know how long we have to speak before we might be interrupted, tell me what information you have. Most important points first, if you please."
Cambina sounds like nothing so much as herself as she snaps back at him, "Vere, I've told you most of what there is to tell. Vialle wanted to come up, I followed, she came down here and walked the Pattern, and the Queen held me here until I fell. I don't know what happened after I died."
Vere smiles slightly. "I apologize. Do you remember exactly what Vialle said in saying she wanted to come? And how did she convince you to come to the Pattern chamber? You must have known that would take a dangerously long amount of time."
Knowing that they were at the crux of an important line of questioning, Edan keeps silent and watchful.
Cambina scowls. "She said she had to come to Tir and that she was going alone if I didn't go with her. I knew it was a risk, but I didn't count on being ambushed by the Queen. And I didn't think Random would forgive me if I let her go alone. My only other option was to disable her and I didn't think that would go over well either."
Vere nods, "I understand. Did you see or hear anything that might reveal why the Queen was interested in allowing this to happen?"
"I don't know." And that, as always, bothers Cambina. "But my guess was that it was tied up with why she inspected Solange."
"That mislikes me greatly," Vere says. "Thank you for this information, Cousin, it is valuable indeed. Have you seen or experienced anything else of import here in Tir since then?"
Hearing this, Edan adds to Vere, "It would be good to know just how involved the Queen is in this place. If she's staying here, that's much different than just visiting or leaving an avatar."
"Nothing significant, but any significance would involve someone living, or the Queen, and I know I don't want to come to her attention again. I'm dead and disposed of in her mind, and I'd like to stay that way." Cambina makes a face at the idea of coming to the notice of the Queen again.
It has been a long night, or so it seems to Edan, and there is a gleam of light in the east now.
"Have you seen the Queen here since then?" Vere asks. "In the flesh or in an ephemeral state?" He frowns slightly. "And do you want me to bend my efforts to trying to find a way to free you from here? I do not know what would happen to you if I succeeded."
This elicits a frown from Edan, though he stays quiet.
"I haven't seen her. I've been hiding from her," Cambina says, and there's no shame in that admission. "And ... I don't know what you could do. But be sure Brennan and Jerod find out from you, don't let them think I didn't tell you to tell them. And don't let them come up here casually. It's dangerous."
To Edan, the speck of light in the east is definitely growing.
"The sun is coming," Edan says immediately to Vere. He holds forth a hand for whenever his cousin is ready to take it.
"Damn," Vere says. "Dawn is coming and I must depart." He reaches for Edan's hand, saying, "Have you any words for Brennan and Jerod, Cousin?"
"I'd say to tell them not to come for me, but that's useless where they're concerned. So tell them to be careful."
The light is brightening in Vere's vision, as well, and Cambina seems to be able to see it too. "Go," she tells him. "You need to go."
"Bring me through," Vere says to Edan, grasping his hand.
Edan nods and takes Vere's hand to bring him back through.
"Thank you, Cousin," Vere says to Edan. He turns his head and looks back up at the fading city for a moment, then turns back to Edan. "I believed that I went into that experience with few preconceptions about what I would see, and yet I was taken completely off guard by what occurred."
"You are most welcome." Edan frowns as he releases Vere's hand. "I didn't hear anything she said. Do you think that was really Cambina?"
"It was certainly not the usual Tir phantom," Vere answers. "Cambina did die there and..." he pauses. "Did you hear anything of my ill-advised effort to speak with her ghost after her death?" he asks.
"I did not, but I recall I was walking in the Shadows prior to her funeral," Edan says. " 'Ill-advised' sounds as if the effort did not work."
"There was..." Vere pauses a moment, considering, then continues, "... a misunderstanding regarding permission to make the attempt to speak with her spirit. Jerod and Brennan were not pleased. This led to them ignoring my opinion that her spirit might have been trapped somewhere. It now appears to me that this is the case." He smiles thinly. "Of course, it is also possible that this is an elaborate ruse by a third party to make me think this, with the aim of sowing dissension among us. Because of this possibility, I would ask that you not speak of this matter to anyone right now."
Edan's eyes are a wide, bright gold. "I won't go running off to tell anyone, but I won't lie if someone asks me. Fair enough? I will refer questioners to you. You were right there, after all."
After a moment he adds, "You do know, if a third party were to go to that much trouble to trick you, they would have to know your situation. Which would make them One of Us. But let us set that aside for a moment. May I know what she said to you?"
Vere is quiet for a moment, then says, "I would rather that you accompany me to report this conversation to the king, and hear then what was said. The matter involves him. And please, say nothing to anyone," he repeats with emphasis, "Anyone - regarding this until we are alone with his majesty."
"Done and done." Edan glances over towards the rising sun. "When are you going? If you're planning for later, it would be best if I had a few hours' sleep. There is much to do this evening."
Vere considers. "As far as I know I was the first to go to Tir since Cambina's death," he says. "One might expect that would lead the king to a certain amount of interest in what I found. Let us see if he is still awake."
Edan nods. "I am agreeable to this. I would not bet against him being awake. Still awake, not newly awake."
"Aye," Vere replies with a smile. "Exactly what I expect."
And he will mount up and ride back to the palace. If Edan has further questions he will be happy to converse. If not he will ride in thoughtful silence.
They make it a few hundred yards before Edan asks, "How strong is your ability to speak to spirits? Can you summon one just where you're sitting? I don't understand how you were able to talk to Cambina by just..." he broke off, then, "Oh, I see. This was before the funeral. You had her body as a focus."
"Indeed," Vere answers. "I can often speak with the departed over their bodies or at their gravesites. Occasionally at the place where they died." He shrugs slightly. "It is more often the case that they come to me unsought than that I call them up, save in matters of grave import."
Last modified: 4 December 2016