The Keep of the Thirteenth Hour

The Journal of Archibald Fortesque


36th Marvich PF 5

Day 2

Today I spent cleaning up much of the mess caused by yesterday's events. Llewella is off somewhere tracking Isla, her Trump where she left it on the table inside. Cordelia is still unconscious in a room on the other side of the corridor. She looks so peaceful lying there barely covered by the sheets. I had initially refused to help Llewella cut her clothes off her and clean the burns but Llewella had insisted stating the longer it took her to deal with Cordelia the harder her job would be in locating Isla.

Day 3

Today, with nothing better to do I have explored the local area. There is a small town a short distance away, which provides the villa with supplies, a housekeeper when necessary, and a handyman come groom who looks after the pair of chestnuts stabled in the yard below the bathing pool. I even managed a short swim in the pool, which does serve to relieve the worst of the afternoon heat. 

Cordelia has not yet regained consciousness, and I have been forced to change her sheets. Her burns are substantially healed so Llewella's spell has obviously achieved its desired effects.It is noticeable that the skin tone of the healed areas is much lighter than on the rest of her body. I have left some fresh juice on her table, as if Llewella's predictions are correct she should be waking some time in the next 10 hours.

Day 4

Tonight we are back in our rooms in Rebma, having returned late this afternoon Amber time.

The day started peacefully enough. Cordelia had not woken by the time I arose, so I changed the jug of juice for a fresh one. She stirred as I did so but did not waken.

It was a couple of hours later when she finally appeared. She'd not bothered to put on the robe Llewella had left for her and seemed not in the least bothered about not wearing it. I was in 2 minds over watching her, she is after all fairly attractive but in the end my cultural upbringing won out and I averted my gaze as was polite. She asked how long she'd been unconscious for and was clearly taken aback when I said 40 hours. She was even more stunned when I explained, as Llewella had explained to me, exactly what had happened after she'd grabbed Isla to stop her fidgeting with Llewella's Trump. 

She asked where it was and whether I'd bothered calling her. I admitted I hadn't as I disliked using them because of the consequences. Unconsciously I'd turned to face her again as would be expected when conversing with some one. She smiled at me. "Are you going to put some clothes on? It's positively indecent walking around like that." She'd walked across to the table and picked up the trump.

"No. I'm going to call Llewella, then I might go for a run or a swim. Then I'll probably do some Tai Chi, you should find that very enlightening if you want to watch, then I'll have a think about it and see what I can find."

I went back to reading the book I'd found in Llewella's library. Several minutes passed before she made some remark about Llewella finding Isla and disappeared onto the terrace.

The book held my attention for most of the next couple of hours, but in the end the subject matter was just a little to turgid for me to grasp without being able to experiment, and I wasn't in the right environment to do that For a start this was Llewella's villa not mine. I got up and moved towards the terrace. Cordelia was performing what looked like a series of dance moves, and obviously ones that she was well versed in. The rythum and flow were kind of hypnotic and I completely forgot that she was naked, that is until she changed the rythum to emphasise the point. I turned away in disgust and went to fix myself something to eat. When I returned to the terrace she was lying on one of the reclining chairs. I moved one so I could look out across the bathing pool without having to look at her and ate my lunch.

I must have fallen asleep for I was woken by a loud splash, and looked down to see Cordelia on her back skulling away from me in the pool. As she turned round I felt the feint tingle of power as the air shimmered a few feet away and a rainbow doorway formed. Cordelia must have felt it too for she quickened her pace. As she climbed out of the pool Isla stepped through the doorway followed by Llewella. Both scowled at Cordelia who dived back into the pool. Isla then scowled at me causing me to blush. Embarrassed I followed her into the interior, as Llewella stalked past us, the robe she had left for Cordelia in her hands.

Whilst Llewella lectured Cordelia, Isla and I tried to talk. It was difficult neither of us truely wanted to admit what happened but in many ways we need somebody to talk to about it.

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