After so many days spent recuperating in Elysium it feels strangely familiar to be back doing something again. Whilst I'm not fully recovered I feel I'm now sufficiently recovered to assist in the preparations for the upcoming defense of Ygg.
I now understand how Sorcha felt when we were forced to leave her in Elysium due to her pregnancy, and should the opportunity present itself I will try and get her something useful to do - she could do with a short break from child rearing before her brain turns to mush. I'm sure that between them Deirdre and Jexz can manage a short spell of Baby sitting.
Whilst the Inn itself hasn't changed since I was last here, the area in its immediate vicinity has. Where it once stood in a smallish clearing along a simple drovers road, it now stands on the edge of a small shanty town, as tents and semi-permanent structures have been erected to act as command posts, resteraunts, medical facilities, and warehousing for supplies for the army that has been gathered.
You also can't Trump into here without being challenged, although the guards seem to recognize Charity by sight now and accept her word for those traveling with her. What did surprise me though was their reaction to my presence - I was immediately assigned a personal assistant, although I think the correct term is batman - does this apply to female assistants as well?
Once I'd sorted a room out, and arranged to have a few additional items delivered - my pack contains necessities not luxuries. I decided to go and explore the local area. This immediately gained me an escort of 4 knights. I rode for about an hour, Prescior, my batman (batwoman?), guiding me as the where various parts of the army had been arrayed, before we encountered my father.
It wasn't the ideal place or situation for a reunion and both of us were definitely ill at ease. We did little more than exchange pleasantries and arrange to meet back at the Inn. I rode on for about another half an hour but my mind wasn't on the job and eventually we turned and headed back to the Inn.
Having a batman, very much reminded me of how things work both in Amber and Carnelian, and I suspect will eventually work in Elysium. As a member of the household there is very little that you need to do unless you specifically want to. Thus when we arrived back at the stables my horse was taken off me and I was accompanied inside where a bath was arranged for me and my choice of clean clothes was laid out and the dirty ones removed. When Prescior asked me if there was anything else I needed I was tempted to say "well you could find me a couple of good looking young studs" but I had no desires in that direction and I prefer to pick my own bed partners.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon in restless meditation until sometime around 7 there was a knock on my door. I didn't recognize the figure, but he announced himself as "Major Thirikit" and requested that I should accompany him to so he could take me to dinner. I was about to make an excuse when he interrupted suggesting that my current attire was perfectly suitable and that he doubted my father would mind.
To be honest I wasn't looking forward to dinner. When I'd met my father earlier it had been easy not to say anything and arrange to meet later with the distinct possibility it would never happen. But now as we walked along the corridor to where my father suite was I became extremely tense. The Major opened the door and ushered me inside. My father turned from the window as I entered.. Momentarily we stood there like shop dummies, neither of us able to move. Then he started forward. As he approached I thought he was going to offer me his hand but instead he reached for my shoulder and then place a light kiss on my cheek. "Cordelia. I'm glad you could come. Would you like a drink? Dinner will be a short while yet. I thought it best. We have a lot to talk about."
There was a tear in his eye. To hell with any protocol I thought and just hugged him. It was several minutes before either of us let go. As we parted he remarked "You've certainly grown since I last saw you", "No I haven't I replied - if you remember we met in the Keep of the Four Winds" "I'm not counting that, we barely had chance to say more than hello-goodbye. Now did you want a drink - I think I need one", ""Saki if you've got any, otherwise a Vodka". He looked at me "I'm 31 now not a 14 year old teenager, I've been drunk more times than I care to remember and have slept with more than a few men." He laughed, picked out a bottle and poured me a glass of Saki.. I downed it and held it out for a refill. He half filled it, I raised an eyebrow and he filled it to the top. I walked over to the table, placed the glass upon it and sat down. He poured a whiskey and joined me. "So what exactly dragged you away from my 14th Birthday party?"
Its has certainly been a most interesting first day back in the saddle. I'm not sure who has been the most surprised, the rest of the gang , my father, or myself.
It all started normally enough with a communal breakfast, Allagahn being his usual irritating self, and Alfred, well just being Alfred - although he was looking a little strained. Allagahn then wanted to talk about what he calls Pattern Tendrils, a technique where by a filament of the pattern is extruded from it and used to perform some function. His particular interest was their use with and against magic although as he knows nothing about the latter it proved a little difficult. I did cast a couple of spells and give him some pointers but he's going to have to learn a great deal more before he can use either. As usual he's trying to run before he can crawl.
The interesting point in all this was near the end of our discussion when he spoke about "Brand's ???". It seems that this prompted, for the first time in a while one of my waking dreams, where I appear to be experiencing some happening as if I'm actually there. This was the first of four occasions this was to happen to me today.
The next order of the day was to start modifying the guns so that they would work here. Now this is something I'd never have considered doing, and whilst the technique does not allow the fluid adaptation to different Shadows that shape shifting objects have it does allow an object to work in a shadow where it otherwise wouldn't - I suspect that this doesn't apply to shadows close to either Carnelian or Amber or a Pattern Based Primal Shadow. Given the way he tackled the problem I suspect he has done this several times before and in places what he was doing was difficult to follow. Anyway he completed the modification of one of the Sentry Guns in a little over 3 and a half hours. He then surprised me by stating that we needed to find an operator to fire it. He's always given the impression he's some sort of big-wig mercenary general, yet he can't fire standard weapons his unit uses. The weapon itself is a standard rail gun, with an AI inferior to the Kittani one found on their K1-Spider. It wasn't too difficult to program to test fire against a few bottles garnered from the base canteen, but he was most surprised that I was able to do it.
Having been instructed in how to make the modifications, the test was whether I could do it on my own, so after lunch I took a second gun and began work. It's one thing to watch somebody else doing something, and something else to do it yourself. I did actually manage it but it took me nearly twice as long as we'd spent this morning doing it.
By the time I'd finished everybody had gathered for dinner. Conversation ranged over numerous subject all connected with the upcoming defense of Ygg. A some point somebody mentioned the Keep of the Thirteenth Hour, and I had another of my vision episodes. I don't think anybody noticed but by the time it'd finished the conversation had moved on considerably - the only reason I know it happened. Anyway the conversation remained on the subject of the Keep and then Charity mentioned a pile of Ash in the Gate room, at which point I dropped out again - I know this because I can still clearly remember the vision.
I am standing on the marble floor, Rodian a little way from me, demanding I hand him the Jewels and then kneel in subservience before him. I refuse claiming to be his equal but he just laughs, calling me a foolish puppet. He raises his hand, and it is all I can do to prevent the Jewels from leaving my grasp. In desperation I invoke the power of the Jewels but I find my control limited. This is definitely not going according to plan. Rodian is visibly angry now and raises his other hand, sending me spinning across the room. I manage to hold onto the Jewels and the spikards flare in defense. As I come to my knees he is virtually on top of me. Barely in time I erect a barrier and his claws slam into it. I realize now how I've been played - my trump powers fail me here so I have only the Jewels and their power appears limited against this foe. He stands back and offers me my life in return for the Jewels. Again I refuse. He stands in silence for perhaps a minute then remarks "Your immunity to time freezing will not save you. All eventually age and die, even you". The world now shimmers, and I can feel time passing at an accelerating rate. Even with the Jewels I can only slow it. I feel myself begin to age and try to find a way out but I am confined to and area about 7feet in diameter. Time continues to accelerate and even now I can feel the power of the Jewels waning. Perhaps I am going about this all wrong. Trump has saved me before and must be able to again. I alter the Jewels function, drawing their power and invoking the trump within me. My body crumples away from me, but still Rodian persists, then I sense it, the faintest source of trump,. Gathering the last of the power of the Jewels I attempt to gate to the source. At this point the vision ends.
When I came too everybody was watching me, as if I was about to give them all AIDS. They asked me what was wrong and I said nothing, then fobbed them off with a very shortened version of the vision that left out 90% of the detail. They continued talking, Charity describing how she'd entered the corridor and moved along it to the gate room, how the pattern on the floor was different. I think at that point my vision took over again. Again when I came too they were watching me again almost as if they thought me possessed. Things got a little serious at this point with Charity asking lots of questions, most of which I managed to half answer. Eventually her questions made me think of the incident the night Rodian was released, and I recounted a very simplistic version of events. As I told the story I made the connection between the trump surge, and the change to Brand's trump in my deck. Carefully I sowed the idea of me looking for his card and they took it. I wasn't expecting what happened next.
As I touched the card, I felt a familiar connection, the voice that had prompted me to wake from my coma, but now I knew what the source was. It was coming from my sword. It congratulated me on my deduction and told me that the time for the final chapter in this little play was drawing near. The contact deepened and I could now feel power eminating from Brand's trump although it wasn't trump. I've only seen something akin to this power by its echo, left in Coral's Mansion and her severed head. This was power from one or more of the Jewels. And I now found myself watching another vision. There is a figure closing on me, one that I've been waiting for, one who has caused all this to happen. This is my final task before I set in motion events to return me to mortality. The figure doesn't see me intent only on making it to the trump power source possesed by the vessel I inhabit. She is oblivious to the danger thinking herself safe from the figure in the Thirteenth Hour, only it won't be striking this night. I step forward placing myself between Brand and the source. He tries to use the power of the Jewels but they are spent. He summons power from his spikards but it is a simple matter to deflect this back at him stripping his ego and rendering it child like. I catch the Jewels as they fall and they flare into life. The energy makes it easy to create a pocket dimension for them keyed to the card she holds in her hand. In the light of the Jewels the ego has changed born again in the cycle of life. It is no longer what it once was. I choose not to extinguish it but place it within the receptical it first sort. It will take time to adjust to its new home. The wash of energy reaches my vessel and she is shocked to the core. I have barely time to alter the card so that it may be recognised as the key before her failing consciousness sceens me from the world once more.
This time when I came too I could sense my father hovering over me, concentrating on the card in my hand. Charity also had a pattern up, and Allagahn was lying in a heap across the room. Most of the others had withdrawn a few paces from the table, fear clearly drawn on their faces. Charity suggests I put the card down. I don't see what the problem is , but when my father also suggests the same, I reluctantly comply. Once the card is on the table they all seem to relax a little. Charity explains that I went further this time and when Allagahn tried to remove the card he was hurled across the room.
Charity and Allagahn now produce their trump decks and withdraw their trumps of Brand. To my eye the differences are obvious as soon as the cards are laid on the table, but it takes them a little longer to notice. The background has been subtly altered and Brand wears three new rings, one red, one blue, and one clear.
Behind me I feel the surge of trump energy and turn to see my father pulling Fiona through a gate. She sets about gathering information from all witnesses before turning to me. I know what is coming and resisting would only give me a substantial headache for several days, so choose not to. I watch her as she replays my memories although some are blocked to her,why I cannot explain. She leads me through various events and sections of my psyche before satisfying herself that I'm not some form of Goald harbouring Brand's Psyche.
She then turns her attention to my trump of Brand, sitting inert on the table. Satisfied it's not an immediate threat she picks it up, but I can tell that it doesn't activate. She then offeres the card to me. As soon as I touch it to take it from her it goes cold. I know now what the card is keyed to. I sense Fiona searching, trying to identify the power behind the card, but it appears it is hidden from her
I let go of the card and it reverts to its inert state. She gives it to my father. Delivering her verdict - its a big mystery but there is nothing imecible there she draws a trump from her own deck and is gone. My father hands me back the card and I place it back in my deck.
And so concludes the days events. After that everybody complained of needing rest or having things to do in preporation for going back to the Keep in a day or so's time. We've a few things to sort out first to try and improve our chances of success.
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| Supporting Cast - Cordelia | The Keep of the Thirteenth Hour |