Charity's Diary

For Queen and Country

I saw nothing when I tried to restore Deirdre's trump connection. They were gone from the Grove. Before I could even contemplate trying to locate them, the 13th hour ended and my attention was drawn to Deirdre's power circle. The serpent had arrived.

He said that with the arrival of the Unicorn at the Tower, there would soon be some difficulties for us. Rodian would be drawn to its power. The Tower would fall unless it could be defended. An army was needed, and there was no one who could get one apart from me. So I had to abandon my friends and ride off into shadow to collect one. Before I left, the serpent rearranged the landscape to something more defensive; a chasm appeared on one side, and the tower itself rose out of the ground, on a bluff - rising ominously over the abyss. It was certainly an improvement. We might, with the right army, stand a chance.

Deirdre exerted herself and procured me a "fast horse", and having been briefed on the qualities of Elysium's shadow world, off I rode. To be a Queen. To be the head of an army. To protect the Unicorn.

It was a hard long ride, but otherwise uneventful. As I rode, I changed my appearance to match my "Impression" of the world I was to arrive in. My cheekbones protruded, my skin paled, my eyes turned pink, my hair whitened and my teeth grew pointed into a ferocious set of needle sharp teeth. All this was done at a leisurely pace, as there was little else to do. What little down time I had on my hell-ride, I spent sleeping or practising Abyss-sight and dwelling on the possibilities that lay ahead.

I still wasn't convinced on Alfred or Allaghan's competence. Allaghan seemed the most uncertain about most things. Though he was probably the weakest out of all of us, his sword skill was, well I'd like to say impressive, but he goes about the place feeling so inferior, I doubt he'd survive for long without all that armour he insists on wearing. Alfred, conversely, exudes confidence, but lacks the skills to back it up. In spite of our differences, I feel more of an affinity with Cordelia - if not for simply being the catalyst that spurs them on to action. They are at their worst when left to their own devices.

Left to my own devices, I finally reached my newly inherited Queendom which I called "Tyricha". With a rallying cry I charged into the camp, and roused my Tyrian army (which had been conveniently waiting for my return) into action. I changed into my battle armour and led my disparate army back to Elysium. Everything was going to plan. I had my Army, to which I described their "final battlefield" (Elysium) and the glory that awaited them. All I had to do was get them to Elysium.

I anticipated leaving the more detailed organisation to Allaghan, as he continually claimed that such matters were his speciality. I briefed my Generals that they should expect an "advisor" of mine to give them more detailed explanations of what was to be expected.

My monologue was interrupted by those familiar chimes of the 13th hour. To my horror, they did not stop at the first couple. The world did not go grey, and the tolling continued until all 13th strokes sounded out their fearful message that Rodian was released. Instinctively I thumbed through my trumps to "feel" Brand's. It was dead. Had he been double-crossed? Had he been subsumed into Rodian itself, and thus become so unlike Brand to make him something completely different.

This was good. And so onto part two of the plan; I asked Allaghan to step through and take control over the army and lead them back to Elysium, while I set up the backup plan and prepare Habakkuk to supply us with an army, should things go ill with "my" troops. With a farewell to my army and Allaghan, I stepped through the Trump..