Yes, I know it's been a while since I've written anything in my journal, but things have been conspiring against me. At least now I have a little time to bring it up to date, and thankfully it's not at some stupid hour in the early morning.
To start I need to return to the morning of the 3rd, the morning the waifs walked the Pattern. Isocrates had arrived before me and was standing under Drasil nervously eying the Pattern. He wanted to get into the in's, out's and wherefores of the Pattern but I wasn't going to go over the same stuff twice, so told him he'd have to wait until the others arrived, and I'd deal with it all then.
They were slightly later than I'd requested but that didn't really matter. Fane was with them, which struck me as a little curious given he professed to not knowing who his parents were, and from what I'd already observed from his aura knew him to be a shapeshifter and therefore most likely from the courts, and therefore wasn't going to walk the Pattern. Having been through the obligatory lecture and demonstration I asked who was going to go first. Kohaku said she would.
Once she passed the First Veil, Allanon set off. I had hoped that once he reached the same point Isocrates would follow, but he dithered. Kohaku reached the center and vanished, Fane later informing me that she did indeed teleport as requested to her room. Allanon reached the center and vanished and Isocrates continued to dither. I must admit to getting very short with him at this point. After what seemed an age he reached the center an vanished, returning to his room as Allanon had.
With the Pattern clear I set off to talk to Fiona.
Now my
Fathers pattern has a completely different feel to the pattern in
Amber, its somehow more welcoming, but may be that's me.
Anyway I had settled into the rhythm of the Pattern and had just
reached
the first veil, when my father, well actually his Pattern Ghost,
appeared next to me causing me to stumble. it's not the first time he's
appeared by in the past he's always appeared in front of me and either
walked towards me or waited for me to get to him.
We discussed the current situation as I perceived it for a while and as I reached the second veil he apologized to me for what was about to happen next. When I asked what, all he said was that is was necessary. He then drew his sword and proceeded to attack me.
Fighting the Pattern itself is bad enough but having to deal with a Pattern Ghost as well is virtually impossible. I knew only that I must get to and pass the third veil at all costs.
Now I look back on what happened, my father's initial intent was not to kill me but to sap me most of my strength. Each stroke of his sword inflicted a small cut, sapping my strength in a like amount. By the time I neared the third veil each step was a mountain of agony and a torment of will. I was covered in hundreds of bleeding cuts yet no blood dripped upon the pattern. The third veil appeared, and my father forged on ahead before turning and waiting sword in hand.
I calculated, and with the last of my will dived for the veil, attempting to roll past him, but he had anticipated this. Too late I saw the blade as it swung lethally towards my neck.
It's strange to be dead or at least think you are. I remember this vast plain, black and not yet black, shimmering yet not shimmering, existing yet not existing, as if reality was bent like a Mobius strip. How long I hung above this plain before I saw the figure I do not know. Once I thought I felt the presence of Fane for an instant, but that faded and ceased to be.
The figure took its time approaching, flying here and there before it too noticed me. As it drew closer I recognized it. It was a phoenix, the symbol not only on my personal banner but also the symbol on the signet ring on my right hand. The difference is it was huge, standing at least twenty feet tall and with a wing span of easily two hundred feet. It's head was plumed in a fine array of multicoloured feathers, and it had wickedly taloned feet. It's wing and body feathers shimmered as if there were on fire, and its tail, I doubt if I will ever see a more beautiful sight. It folded its vast wings, coming to rest and regarded me.
"Ghost of my ring, what brings you to my realm? I see the still shimmering spark of reality about you, so your time has not yet come."
"I don't understand, you said my time has not yet come."
"That is correct, but don't try my patience."
"So where am I?"
"You are in my realm"
"And which realm is that?"
"I believe you would refer to it as the realm of the dead, some you've encountered call it the Hunting Grounds, others as the underworld."
"So I'm dead?"
"As you understand it you are not dead and you are not alive. The best description is that you exist. At this point in your existence you exist in my realm, yet you should not be here. You say your father killed you, then were this true the taint of reality that surrounds you would be gone. Since this is not the case you are not, as you perceive it, dead."
"So as I'm not dead, according to your perceptions, then how did I get here and how do I get back.?"
"I cannot answer either of those questions for I do not know the answers."
"Don't you know anything? What about the ring?"
"The ring was once mine, I lost. Perhaps that is why you are here."
"Do you want it back?"
"I have no use for it currently. You should keep it."
"Is there anything else?"
"Well, once another came before his time. He also left but I do not know how. Then he did something and I was born again in Quatzoquatl's realm. Perhaps one day I shall return there."
"What's Quatzoquatl's realm?"
"Ah, you do not know him by that name, do you not know the Serpents true name?"
"No I don't, but don't names give power?"
"Not always."
"Can't you think of anything that may help me return?"
"Well the one before I gave a feather. Here take this one. If you are successful then perhaps we shall meet again.
He reached behind himself and plucked a feather from his tail, spread his wings and was gone, the single feather drifting in the blackness just beyond my reach.
Catching that feather has been the most annoying thing I have tried to do, perhaps even the hardest. It was certainly more frustrating than trying to walk the pattern 6 days ago. What happened to it I do not know for as I grasped it I woke up.
That was the morning of the 7th and I found myself in the Infirmary, Luke having apparently taken me there after I collapsed. The nursing staff then proved to be exceptionally belligerent and wouldn't let me out of bed until I'd properly rested and recovered, and had been seen by the doctor. I didn't need any rest .. I'd been asleep for 4 bloody days.
The situation improved an hour later, although my temper didn't, when Fane, Isocrates, and Allanon arrived. I asked them about the situation with the siege and what they'd been doing. Apparently Fane had been galavanting about the locale observing the besieging forces, he obviously wasn't aware it was far easier to work out what they were doing using the Pattern. Allanon was over ordinarily that he'd been able to mind walk the pattern in an hour after a days practice, due to the fact he'd slept for 2 days after walking the pattern. I told him he need to try harder. He should be able to mind walk it in under 10 minutes and I expected him to be able to do it by the end of the day.. 2 days sleeping my foot, what are these waifs made of?
Isocrates muttered something then left, followed by Allanon. Fane then asked about trump, and then about a trump of Kohaku who apparently had gone missing after re-walking the Pattern. I said I could create a sketch for him, then remembered she'd walked the Pattern since I'd read her aura, making the image I had redundant. He then admitted he'd read all their auras whilst they were unconscious after walking the Pattern in order to help him with is shapeshifting studies. I wonder if that is all there is too it .. it strikes me a just a little too convenient a story. He then, and I really can't think why he did after the incident in my bunker, allowed me to read him mind. I'll have to sift through most of the material later but I did get the updated imprint I needed to create the trump. I sent him to get the art materials from my pack.
He returned about 15 minutes later and I set about creating the sketch.
Sketch created we left the Infirmary, I'd more than had enough and was going to leave irrespective of what the doctors had to say on the matter, and headed for the command center. As we passed the pattern I noted Isocrates was nearing the center, a tray in hand. He was obviously going see Fiona.
We entered the command center to find the place in something of a turmoil, caused by Isocrates in-opportune arrival about 30 seconds before we got there. I wasn't interested in him however, and set to getting an update on the current status of the castle and the seige.
Briefeing over, I felt in need of a coffee and muffin, and headed for the mess. Isocrates and Fane tagged along until I said I was going to talk to Fiona, which of course meant walking the Pattern.
Like the first time I'd walked my fathers pattern he appeared after I'd take half a dozen steps or so, and rushed towards me. He appeared to be crying.
"I take it you've not come to behead me this time"
"No.. No... I don't know why I attacked you .. it's what I was told to do.. after you collapsed I was afraid you wouldn't wake again."
"And you do everything you're told to do."
"No of course not.. this was more of a compulsion.. I just can't explain it,. Both Isocrates and Kohaku asked me exactly the same question. I couldn't answer them either. It's really damned annoying."
"Hmmm..."
"Is that all you're going to say on the subject?"
"Don't know.. depends upon how much you want to know what happened.. given that I survived your unexplained compulsion."
"Look Cordie, I said I was sorry, and if you can shed any light on it then yes I'd be interested in knowing, especially since your aura has changed since the last time you were here."
"What do you mean changed?"
"argh.. yes well.. it's not always easy to see changes in your own aura, especially if you're not looking for them, but others often can, and as I've explained before when you walk the pattern you leave a ghost of yourself behind, and as it's my pattern I can see and do things others can't, so since the last time you walked this pattern, you've gained a new mark in your aura.. sort of looks a bit like a feather"
I stumbled at that point.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes.. you sort of caught me off guard... I spent 4 bloody frustrating days tring to catch that fucking feather and when I did I woke up."
"Apart from the swearing which doesn't become you, you've lost me, why don't you start at the beginning."
So that's what I did, and we went over the story piecemeal, and about the same time came to the same conclusion. The only reason he could have done what he did was that the Serpent had somehow compelled him to which didn't make sense. The Serpent had always been linked in legend to the Logrus and the Courts, why would it want to send anyone to get a feather from another mythical creature, and what had the phoenix meant by the fact that one had come before and he'd been reborn in the Serpents realm, which if we assumed correctly was the one we perceived as real.
This was all starting to ring alarm bells against the half baked story the waifs had uttered on that first night, and against elements of which they had quizzed my father when they walked the pattern. What I desperately needed to do was talk to whatever entity was posing as Deirdre, which my father believed was where Kohaku had gone. I asked why we couldn't ask her. He reminded me of an earlier conversation we'd had on exactly the same subject where I'd chose not to answer his questions. I laughed, and said "touchee..but there's no harm in trying if you can summon her pattern ghost."
It took a minute or so for Kohaku to appear, a little bemused as to where she was. Having corrected her as to the falicy of her initial assumptions we asked her about what happened in the tower. Her recollection was a little sparse to say the least and it took a little probing to get any sort of detail. Thankfully she agreed to allow me to read her memory of the night in question which has clarifiedd a few things in my own mind and as a result raised a few more questions.
If Brand is beind all the current problems why has he waited until now to act. If as the entity calling itself Deirdre claims, it was searching out Amberites unknown to Brand, how does this cross reference against both myself and Coral, especially in regard to Trump in my case and the Jewel of Judgement in Coral's. Why did the entity only attempt to grab us during these strange incursions? Are they significant in relation to Brand? What's this supposed book of prophecies and why has Dworkin got it.. or more to the point where is Dworkin and it? Who suffered at Brands hand to damage the Pattern and create the black road and exactly how bad is the damage?
Apart from the questions I do now have a location in Shadow as to where this Tower is, as it's what Kohaku imaged before she had the Pattern take her there so I can go there, which given they are all, well apart from Fane, there is where I shall go next, but I get ahead of myself in relation to how events transpired.
Having gained all that we thought we were able glean from Kohaku we thanked her, and my father dismissed her. With his instructions to "Take care, and if you run into the real me tell me to come and talk to myself " I turned and stepped onto the segement known as the 3rd veil. It was much harder to start moving again than I had expected and I had to use all of my strength to make that first step, but thankfully I was only half a dozen steps from the center, and the relief of making it was palpable.
I think my own relief at making the center was nothing to the relief Fiona felt as I cautiously made contact. She looked really tired and drawn and her mind was definately not the sharp instrument I was used to dealing with.
"I take it you're able to take a spell here so I can get some rest"
"Yes. you look like you could do with it."
"I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't welcome it, but there are a few things we need to sort out first. Can you construct an image of the Pattern and look at and around me with it."
As the image formed I could see lines radiating out and up and surrounding the castle as if with a cage. Two lines were unusual, one seemed to extend from the pattern into Fiona and the other from her to the crown of the dome.
"You see the lines, one from the pattern to me, and the other from me to the crown?"
"Yes"
"They are the control lines. I want you to look closely at the junctions with me. You will see two subsidiary nodes, one at each junction. I want you to use your mind and plug into those nodes. Connect to the crown line first."
Doing as she asked was extremely difficult for it required a very fine focus, but eventually I managed it. The power swell as I made the second connection was orgasmic - literally.
Now you've got over that, I want you to hold the reins. It'll be harder than you think, especially if my brother tries anything. If he does you'll need to open the power feeds wider. Let the pattern do the work but don't let it run out of control and don't let him in, and don't shut the power off I wish you'd had more time to learn but I need to get some rest. I shall return as soon as I've recovered some of my strength."
That was approximately two and a half days ago although my time holding the reins was not completely without incident, although not from the quarters I had imagined.
Allanon was the first to disturb my meditative state later that afternoon. He was surprised to see me on the Pattern and enquired as to Fiona's where abouts. I told him she was resting. He had at least reacted to my challenge and was proud of the fact that he could now summon the sign in 8 minutes. I wasn't inclined to point out that wasn't quick enough to save his life but at least he was making progress. He then teleported off somewhere, which given he returned the following morning must have been within the confines of the castle.
Isocrates next to disturb my meditative state the following morning. He said something about going to Deirdre's tower. Having to maintain the Pattern field meant I was a little slow on the uptake and before I could warn him about the likely consequence he had teleported out. I wished him luck as he went.
It was about two hours later when Allanon showed up. I'd managed to juggle things a little better by this point and was at least able to warn him not to try teleporting directly into the tower. Wether he'll thank me later I have no idea for he then teleported out.
With the 3 of them at the Tower it is my obvious priority for obtaining answers and as soon as I have completed this I shall use the Pattern to go there. That does leave me in a predicament as to what to do about Fane, as he can neither walk the Pattern nor shadow walk. I could, I suppose, create a trump sketch of him which would enable me to take him with me, or I could send him with Mikato into Shadow towards Amber. I think I will leave that decision until after I've spoken to Luke which is first on my agenda prior to walking the Pattern.
| Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supporting Cast - Cordelia | The Keep of the Thirteenth Hour |