Allagahn's Diary

Chapter 3 - Curiouser and Curiouser

Following a long and drawn out process, we managed to get inside castle Carnelian by walking in shadow. The place was full of soldiers preparing to defend the castle walls. I hope the supplies we have brought prove useful to them. Following a strange journey we have met another Amberite who seems to be in charge of the castle. We were told that in the morning we would walk the pattern.

Following some food and a good nights' sleep, that's exactly what we did. The pattern was a very unusual sight, a swirling spiral that we were to traverse through the centre. All we were told was to remember our rooms and try not to die.
Very encouraging!

Alfred went first his body shifting as he walked through the spiral until he actually resembled a small man rather than a dwarf. Upon reaching the centre he disappeared.
Then it was my turn. I have never experience anything quite like it, it is difficult to explain, colours sharpened senses sharpened, in fact it was as if experiencing these sensations for the first time. I continued to concentrate on my desired destination and as I approached the centre, I blacked out.

When I awoke I was back in my bed and I was ravenous. The sensations I had experienced in the pattern had not subsided all my senses were heightened. I made my way back to the pattern room and found the woman in charge of the castle. Like every other Amberite I have met, she was completely vague and unhelpful, so I went to visit the war room where I whiled away a few hours discussing strategy and tactics with the General.

During the time I was asleep, something had happed to Cordelia in the pattern. No one seemed to know what was wrong with her, so we had no option but to leave her behind along with the queen. Our new destination is Amber to search for the book of Selheim. We made our preparations, acquired some good horses and left the castle by the same route by which we arrived. Close to the castle, it seems very difficult to walk in shadow; we had to travel a few miles before this was possible. I am told it is a similar situation in Amber and reflects the fact that these areas are well grounded in reality.

I have been practising my new found skills on the journey, attempting to shape reality, it is tiring and difficult and I have made the odd mistake. In my opinion it is the quickest way to learn, as Charity is very vague on the topic; actually, she's very vague on every topic! One upshot of these new skills is that Alfred and I now seem able to converse, he seems a very reasonable and helpful man and is as displeased with the current situation as myself. He was also very displeased with his new shape and went through some considerable mental effort to return to dwarf size.

If only he was useful in a fight. As it had before, the world froze. Surprisingly this also seemed to affect Charity leaving Alfred and I to fight three demonic looking creatures that seemed to come out of nowhere. I am glad my father forced me to learn a variety of warfare skills, including sword fighting. They were not to difficult to fend off, however I am afraid we can be attacked like this at any time and we may not always be so lucky.