After saying his goodbyes to Fiona, and retrieving his affine, Edan rides the stallion (did they ever name him?) through town, then onward along the docks and out along the coast as they reach the edge of town. His intention is to ride outward, then shift shadow in a land-based trip to Xanadu, assuming they did outfit him for a trip at the castle. This gives him a chance to finish the Gate he's long-planned for himself between Amber and Xanadu.
Edan finds that Arden is closer to the city than he remembers, and that the edges seem to hold a patchwork of occupied and abandoned farms. The forest is slow, but when it moves, it's decisive.
Edan is not more than a quarter mile into the forest when he notices the first observer. The man is in a tree and [if Edan does nothing] doesn't break from cover.
Edan does slow down, and gives himself a moment to review his mental map of Amber and environs. If he stays near the coast, is it possible to skirt the edge of Arden? If not, he does remember someone saying Arden was closed, perhaps in the Family Meeting. If it appears there's no happy middle ground, he'll turn and slowly ride within earshot of his observer, hands away from his weapons, giving plenty of opportunity to talk.
When he approaches the Ranger, the man steps out. He is armed but isn't pointing a weapon at Edan. "Your Lordship, " he says, recognizing Edan. "Is there a message for the Warden?"
Edan shakes his head. "No message. I am on a mission, and this was one of the fastest ways towards Xanadu." He decides not to explain Trumps and why he didn't ask to use one at the castle. "I am mindful that the Warden has set prohibitions regarding Arden. I do not mean to cross him, and will turn back if need be, but this way would be faster." A pause. "I would accept an escort, if that matters."
The ranger nods. "My Lord, unless you are leading settlers, we have orders merely to report it if you are seen. Also to avoid contact, unless you initiate it. If you wish an escort, I can arrange for one. Or I can provide you directions to avoid the fighting, if that is your need."
Edan smiles, not unkindly. "I suppose directions would be fast..." The smile slips a bit. "Er... fighting?"
"The Arcadians. They're acting like they're Bellumites. Five tribes of mostly identical barbarians and all they want to do is slaughter each other." The man shrugs. "If you stay towards the coast-side, de'gauche of here, or towards the setting sun, you will reach a within two watch's ride. Follow it upstream, but take the left fork when it splits. The right goes directly into Arcadia. Another day's ride will take you beyond Arden, into the lands that are beyond Ranger contol."
Edan almost reflexively scratches the back of his head, listening. "Maybe things would change if they all had a common enemy they could rally against," he says. "Myself, I would prefer that day never came. I will take the way out of Arden, as quick as I can ride. Thank you, Sir...?"
The man smiles. "Ranger Piecemeal, your Lordship. I am doing my duty. There is often a Ranger output at the fork in the rivers. If it is manned, please check in there. They will be expecting you."
"Just so," Edan says. He smiles and holds up a hand by way of farewell, then turns his horse westward towards the river.
Not long after Edan leaves the Ranger, he hears a sound, well disguised. It's a drumming sound, beating on a hollow stick. It's not clear what the message is, but moments later a bird echoes the same sequence. Edan will not be unexpected further down the trail.
And there is a trail, but it's not one an inexperienced outdoorsman would find. Parts of it are natural, as if it is just a series of loosely connected animal trails.
Edan runs across neither Rangers nor warriors nor any large wildlife as he rides. Eventually he comes around a bend and spots the fork in the river. between the two forks, across the river from Edan, there is a camp in the clearing. It's larger and busier than Edan might have expected.
No point trying to avoid it - Edan rides up to the river, expecting that he'll find a ford to cross to the camp. He gives the camp a once-over, too, mostly to see where the open lanes have been established into the camp and where the (obvious) sentries stand.
There's an obvious ford on Edan's side, as well a pontoon bridge across the eastern fork that leads into the woods. The camp is oriented towards the East. Under a large tree towards the South-East corner are two larger tents, one of which seems to be some sort of nexus of activity.
The sentries are in the trees. Some are on branches, others on platforms. The positions are well-thought-out and cover the approaches to camp very well. Edan is sure that sentries have seen him.
Edan is sure that is the case. He is also sure that he is well-expected, and computes a pretty high probability that there was some kind of gambling pool on the time of his arrival. Keeping his hands away from his weapons, he will cross the ford on his side and around to the entrance of the camp (and eventually one of the larger tents, if they let him pass), or stop if challenged.
Edan is definitely watched as he enters the camp, and it's clear that he is being let to enter camp.
A ranger approaches as he reaches the middle of the encampment. "Shall I take your horse, my Lord? The Warden is waiting for you in his tent, and your horse might not get along with his."
Indeed, outside the large tent is a very large stallion, all grey, with eyes the same and hooves like iron. It could be thirty hands high at the withers. It is magnificent. And dominates the area. Edan's horse doesn't seem interested in going any further.
"I bet he wouldn't," Edan says to the ranger. He dismounts and hands the reins over, then approaches the indicated tent. He scratches politely at the entrance, by way of announcement.
"Come," a voice Edan recognizes as belonging to a leader of men, if not one he recognizes, says.
When Edan opens the flap, he finds that Julian's tent is heavy with tapestries to keep the weather out, rugs to keep the ground from being too cold, and full of well-made camp furniture designed for travel. Julian himself is sitting at a camp desk, writing some document with a quill. His famous armor is on a block next to the desk, and the place is surprisingly full of arms.
(It's almost as if he got attacked in his tent at some point.)
Julian finishes whatever he's working on after a moment. "Edan," he says, coming to his feet and turning his full attention to his nephew. "Welcome to Arden."
Edan approaches and bows low. "Uncle Julian," he says. "I am most pleased to finally meet you." When he raises up, though, there is a quirkly little smile on his lips. "It was not my plan, however. It is strange...I can tell myself in my head that I can begin shifting in Amber, but still it seems I must ride out some distance before that happens. Thus, I find myself in Arden. Perhaps my heart is harder to convince than my head."
Julian acknowledges the bow with a nod. "That is true for most people in many cases. I am not sorry you have come, through, as I am interested in news of the Capital. Did you come on Aramsham?"
Julian gestures towards a small seating area; just two chairs and a table between them. It has a pitcher of water and a vase with a single flower on it. The flower is black with a flaming red center that moves as if it is really on fire.
Edan takes the offered seat, but it's obvious that he's distracted by the flower. "Alas, no," he says. "Fiona and I trumped to Amber, and I took an Arabian back out. I was in Xanadu before that, and I would be happy to... forgive me, Uncle, is it safe to talk around this thing?"
Julian's eyebrow arches as he takes a seat. "There is no reason to believe the firelilly will understand or recall the conversation, or that it is being used as a Trump outlet to transmit information. And it is less unsafe than leaving the thing, as you call it, unguarded. Continue, if you would."
He pours a glass from the pitcher of water and offers it to Edan. It is not a ceremonial act per se, as far as Edan can tell, but Edan suspects Julian is aware of the significance of the act of giving water to a desert dweller.
Edan takes the glass in his right hand, cradles it with his left, and bows his head towards Julian for a long few seconds. "The gift of the river is the gift of life," he says, obviously some mantra from the Land of Peace. "I don't know where to begin. Paris, perhaps? You know I took on the task of the Moonriders. Father and I raided one of their camps, and may have disrupted their goals for a little time. We came back to Xanadu..." and he relates all the Family he knows was there at the time.
..."I was heading back afield, but not before I talked to Fiona. She had offered to show me how to make a bird of desire, you see. I Trumped her, and she pulled me through to help with some action she had taken against the Gheneshi. She described it as a feint, but I didn't get all the details. We came back to Amber, and now I'm heading out again."
Julian frowns. "I know little enough of the current movements of the Moonriders, so your intelligence is welcome. If they gather their forces and make bargains with the forces that trouble us in Arden, things will go ill indeed."
He pours himself a glass from the pitcher, and thinks on matters for a moment, as he takes a sip. "Have you considered what your plans are for the next little while? Do you mean to strike at the Moonriders again, or does duty call you elsewhere?"
"My main goal is to act against them, but perhaps not directly," Edan says. He puts down his glass and leans forward, hands folded on the table. "The Riders are active, and moving. It's obvious they are seeking or building a path to Tir-na Nog'th. Their Queen appeared as we were leaving. I thought they were separated, but they've found one another again, it seems. I only have to glance at a Rider, see how She's changed them, to know I don't have the strength to brazenly take them on. But if I can figure out how they're searching for a way, maybe I can thwart their efforts, buy us some time. I don't really even know why they want to go there, but if they want to this badly, I know we want to oppose it."
Julian leans backs in his chair, although he still seems poised to move quickly if needed. "They consider it their ancestral home, which we have barred them from. You may consider the Queen as their Goddess and their goal is theosis. This is not accurate, but it will do.
"I have never seen their Queen and only have heard tales of her. Tell me what you saw." His words are measured, but Edan can tell he's interested in the subject.
"I must disappoint you. Twice, I think. I had my Third Eye in play, and thus saw more of a Presence than her actual physical form..." Edan describes what he saw the afrit face off against as best he can. "I didn't, ah, 'stick around'. And theosis, that was exactly the term Father used, that it appeared they were achieving this."
"My suggestion, should you ever find yourself in a position to do the same with a dragon, is that you not." Julian smiles thinly, as if the statement has everything necessary to make a joke except the humor value. "Theosis implies becoming one with one's deity. As a matter of metaphysics, you may wish to consider the question in context with affinage, or with the domination effect of dragons, which we are much concerned with here in Arden. All are related and all are extremely dangerous, even to such as we."
Edan nods once, serious. "Jovian. And Daeon, to a lesser degree. I am sorry. I had not met either of them." He absently scratches under the chin of his dragonformed affine. "The binding with my affine, it is not as strong. There is communication, yes, and some empathy, but not that kind of overpowering domination of psyche. Perhaps someday, if Kyauta becomes stronger and grows into his own, our pact and binding will break, and he will go on his own way. But I will be mindful. I appreciate the advice. I hope that in time, Jovian can recover."
He indicates the firelilly. "Speaking of Daeon, Lilly told me the story of the rock people and the flowers. Knowing that the chaos-things still had a significant amount of his blood, I searched for these flowers beyond Ygg. I knew the Moonriders were in Chaos, you see, and thought the blood might have been used to make paths for them. I am pleased to say I found no evidence of this." Edan's head tilts slightly. "Has anyone divined the purpose of these flowers, or why they have the flames?"
"Things of Chaos need not have a purpose, save that some Lord made them that way. That is part of the nature of Chaos. Utter randomness occurs and comes together and falls apart," Julian says. He might be quoting someone. "Which is not to say that someone who finds a thing without a purpose will not use it to their own. It was a wise thought." Inclining his head, perhaps as a neck-bow, Julian indicates his approval.
"Where the firelillies find paths are not in Chaos, though. They grow in Arcadia and Arden, and they are, I think, used by the natives of Arcadia, those allied with the Green, for certain purposes. So your suspicion was right, but the use that has been made of them is by others than you imagined."
Edan nods his understanding. "Thank you. Did you know that I was part-afrit? I speak the language of fire. I would offer to attempt to find the reason these flowers have flames..." he glances around, clearly indicating the battle-readiness of the tent. "Assuming a raid is not imminent, of course."
"I did not know that," Julian says with some interest, and Edan has this sudden feeling Julian has discerned something about Bleys in the great game of brother against brother that operates primarily over the head of Edan's generation. It's not a hostile interest, either; more of a point for future notice. "And yes, I would be interested. Although you should be careful of accidentally feeding it sorcery, if it is a being of Chaos, for the obvious reasons."
"I shall." And Kyauta, watch to see that I am not feeding it sorcery without my knowledge. Warn me if I am. He reaches out to touch the fire in the center of the flower, almost a caress, then sends his awareness into it.
[To start, the sorcery here should just be a variation on the Third Eye, and I can write more complex things as we progress.]
Yes, my lord, Kyauta responds. He has lost some of his prior enthusiasm, perhaps, or he's gained some reserves of calm. In either case, he's not the being he once was.
Sorcery is a delicate art, and fire is the protean soul of it. This fire, in this place is connected. It's as if the flames were poking through from elsewhere, a single fire poking out of tubes that disguised the connections between the fire.
Edan cannot tell, but the flame feels as if it is somehow directed, or at least intentional. Not as if it were alive, but as if it it were being manipulated.
"The fire is connected, the flowers like the leaves of a tree," Edan says to Julian. If he's unhappy about the signs of Kyauta's maturing and the eventual parting of ways, he doesn't show it. "Perhaps I can look at the branches." His hand makes an odd little pass near the flower.
Julian nods. "I expected as much. We have found these flowers growing on rocks in streams, and high up in trees. They must be getting their fuel and nutrients elsewhere."
[Spell: Aetheric firewall: creates a sorcerous mental construct which provides a layer of protection between the caster's mind and whatever he's working with. In this case, it looks like an oval sand-covered arena where he can generate a floating visual map as he backtracks along the connections. If he can get away with it, Edan will make a small visible 'overlay' so that Julian can see what's going on. Power + Performance + fire present = Target (mental construct) + Duration (a watch) + Effect]
Edan casts the spell. He thinks it is effective.
Edan follows up by pulling scissors, a spool of thin wire and a tiny bell out of one of his pockets. He clips a length of wire, ties the end of it to the top of the bell, then holds the other end into the flame with his left hand. The wire turns red-hot, but that doesn't seem to affect him at all. Holding the bell between thumb and index finger of his right hand, he flicks the bell with his right ring finger. As it chimes, he whispers something soft and sibilant to the flower, watching his construct with the Third Eye as a pulse of... something... travels up the wire and into the flame and beyond.
[Spell: Ma Bell: an active sorcerous pulse that travels up the fiery connections and eventually to reveal their source, creating a sort of map in his magical construct. Prowess + Performance (1 minute) + focus items + fire present = Target (fire network) + Duration (likely a watch) + Effect]
Edan bends over the flower and listens for the return, and watches the map form. It forms slowly and Edan doesn't think his pulse reached the end of the network. It may just be too big.
Julian watches the map form as if this happens every afternoon. "It may be difficult to orient the map, since the flowers don't respect the normal rules for plantlife," he says. "Still, the Oisen may be the empty part from here to here," he adds, pointing.
He takes a map from a cubby in his desk and rotates it beneath the sky-map, after several turns, he says "I think this is aligned. It points to the center of Arden. The dragon? This is far more subtle than I would expect of her."
"Perhaps She has an ally or subordinate with more imagination?" Edan says, still concentrating on the sky-map and glancing down to the other one. "I gave the Dragon of Arden a high probability, which is partly why I created this construct- more distance from her possessive abilities."
Julian nods slowly. "Hmm. Perhaps it ate someone smarter than itself. Do not let yourself be counted in that number."
He hesitates. "Similarity is a common Principle in Sorcery. I use it often, and I am seeing it here. Like produces like, neh? These flowers sprang from Adonis's blood, her descendant. And when the attack was launched at the castle, I believe those of her blood were the most affected." Another pause, this one a little longer, as Edan thinks hard. "I have occasionally heard the term 'green' associated with the dragon. Would you explain it to me?"
Julian continues to study the map. "I wonder if there is an order to where the flowers appear, or if it overlays some weakness or stress fractures in reality." He turns to look at Edan. "It's a term the Rangers use, related to the word 'verdant'. They define 'The Green' as that part of the forest that teems with life on many levels and shows no signs of human presence. Few other than Rangers are at ease there. The 'Deep Green' is wild enough that Rangers choose not to intrude upon it.
"And sometimes 'The Green' refers to those influences found within those places, which are not all benign towards humans."
"But it doesn't refer only to the dragon or her influence," Edan says. "I understand." He gives a neck bow, also acknowledging Julian's warning. "I would not be surprised if the flowers' creation followed cracks in reality, not at all. This whole business with the dragon, it is... interesting. Complex. A creature of Chaos, trapped in reality with the creation of the Pattern. Unable to leave, she changes and warps what is around her, making it hers. She hibernates, I assume, for long periods...but when she is awake, she interacts with Amber and Arden. Family. She has children, and grandchildren. And a third generation, now. She uses the warping nature of Chaos and the power of possession. She reaches out through her blood. A powerful, eternal enemy. Yes, over all the centuries, she must know where all the weak points are in reality." He looks troubled, and makes a curving gesture with his hand that creates a bubble of radiance around the firelilly. "I don't understand. She must know by now, she must have felt it. Does something else trap her here, besides Amber? Or has she lost her ability to leave? And Paige's children, why does she want them?"
Julian shrugs. "I am not as well-versed in sorcerous matters as you are, I cannot tell you the hows of it all. My analogy is that a tree can grow around an object left in place long enough and it will become a part of that tree; both difficult to remove and unlikely to leave the tree undamaged by the attempt."
He gestures towards the flower. "At one point I had hoped that my son would be a conduit that would let us get far enough within the creature's guard to slay it. Unfortunately, she killed him before he could act.
"I now wonder if that judgement might have been premature."
Edan starts to say something, then hesitates as a slightly cynical part of him, a part of him raised by Bleys, does some mental gymnastics. Was Julian saying that was Adonis's true purpose, to be a weapon against the dragon? Was that his plan all along? And if he was willing to use his son in that way, how was Edan himself being used and manipulated right this moment?
And then Edan pushes that cynical self back into the fiery darkness that is his subconscious, choosing instead a brighter thought: to believe that Julian is saying he may have underestimated the strength of the dragon, even that he regretted Adonis following that path.
"Adonis's death was... most unfortunate," he says, choosing his words carefully. "He was in a unique position, and the dragon is far from onipotent. Under kinder circumstances, he may well have had the opportunity. But that chance never came, and I fear his... closeness... became as much a weakness as it was an advantage."
"But his position was not unique, not entirely. I am not the only one of our kindred to lie with the heirs of the dragon. If none other, Brita comes of that stock as well on her father's side, though she has taken the Pattern and should be rendered immune even if the distance in blood is insufficient to limit it.
"And Adonis, Adonis sowed his seed far and wide, as was his nature." Julian's expression could best be described as bittersweet. "His sons have also been invaded by the power of the dragon, as Adonis was. It is a concern, in that I'm no longer certain I've removed them all from the Rangers. Once a man or woman is a Ranger, we no longer ask who they were. It is a policy that has served us well in the past. Now--" he says, looking at the flower "--that may no longer be true."
"Is there something that I can do to aid you, uncle?" Edan asks. It's very unlikely, in his opinion, but he decides it's good form to ask. "I would prefer to be farther out in Shadow to take readings with this sextant, but in truth the data could be extrapolated from anywhere. Anywhere except a place with a Pattern, that is." It delays the Trump search, he thinks, but that is a secondary goal of itself.
"Not unless you have it in you to detect the taint of the Green reliably. And you have another mission. I would not delay you in the King's good work." Julian smiles, a thinly affectionate sort of thing. "My brother and I have an agreement: he gives me no orders I cannot and will not enforce, and I do him the courtesy of not interfering with this rede otherwise. So it shall be with you.
"If you were going inward, I should ask you to take messages; as you are not, you are welcome to rest and resupply before you depart."
Something more than words were exchanged between Random and Julian on that issue, Edan reckons, and he wisely decides to sidestep the mention of it. Instead, he nods. "Thank you, Uncle. As for this map, I will not push it any further. It has already proved itself useful, albeit indirectly, and going further might bring a direct confrontation. I assume you would not like that to happen in here." Unless Julian stops him, Edan gestures and lets the original spell dissolve into nothingness. "I didn't feel her presence, but if she did notice, I suppose it is possible she might send minions to see who it was that disturbed her web. Or cut her off from this one."
Julian nods. "Knowledge that you can open such a channel is useful enough, and at some point it could be critical to have the ability to threaten along another axis."
Edan will say his goodbyes, avail himself of Julian's hospitality, then head onward.
Julian informs Edan that if he keeps moving southward, he will soon find that he is traveling on the natural shadow-paths that weave through the great forest, so he should be alert to unexpected changes. The rangers give him what he needs and send him on his way.
As per the plan, once he moves onward, he'll break out the sextant and start taking readings... or check it more thoroughly with Sorcery, if simply using the thing doesn't reveal any of its secrets.
Edan is not sure how to activate it, but it seems as if it is alive to his third eye. Kyauta eyes it as well.
Do you want me to eat it, Great Lord? I can then tell you what it was.
"I already think the Riders are after this thing. If you Eat it, then they'll be after You." Edan fumes a moment. "You spotted the filmy. What do you see when you see this?"
I would digest the parts that make them want it. Kyauta doesn't seem inclined to actually do more than argue.
It does not appear talkative. I do not like it. You should unmake it.
Edan frowns, and regards the creature/thing he liberated from the Moonriders. "My affine thinks you're food," he says. "And I think you're a hindrance. If you can talk, you'd better start explaining why you shouldn't be Eaten. Otherwise, I'll get what I want that way."
The inanimate object continues not to speak or move. It may be very difficult to be a Chaosian and want to talk to everything.
It also may be very difficult to be a Chaosian when a Lord of Amber and Chaos wants your attention and you ignore them.
[OOC: I am assuming that Edan is along one of the natural shadow paths to the south of the camp, and has moved to or slightly past the borders of what most consider Arden. That was my intention, to avoid Ranger alarms; I see I hadn't mentioned it, please let me know if he hasn't moved that far]
"Very well," Edan says. "You may get your chance, Kyauta. I will try one more thing."
He clears a space, so as not to send the surrounding forest on fire. Then, he reaches into a pocket of his robes, knowing that he's going to find a few pouches of multicolored dust or powdered wood. He uses this to sprinkle circles and ovals around the periphery of his clearing; an outer circle of protection/alarm, an inner oval to help command the elements he'll be using, a further inner circle to protect his mind from the battle that will be taking place. Finally, an inscribed circle, just off- center of the clearing, to bring his spell to life. He creates a fire here, then sits cross-legged in a comfortable spot near the fire. The heat, of course, does not affect him.
Reaching into another pocket, Edan produces a small handful of marble-sized glass spheres, which he lofts towards the fire; they arrange themselves around the flame, channelling and reflecting the heat. Finally, he holds up the sextant and both hands and releases it, letting it float up and over the fire, surrounded by the spheres and the matrix of his power.
He then chants, and chants, moving his hands sinuously, his voice growing rough and hoarse, occasionally lifting a hand up to bathe the sextant with fire as like a wave of water. Physically, he causes no damage to the Moonriders' token, and that is part of the spell; the damage is all on the psyche. Mentally, he bores into what passes for the thing's mind, dominating its psyche like a general would dominate a field of battle, extracting memories and thoughts of how it functions, lashing it with pain and fire and the frustrated fury he's felt for the last few hours while assembling his spell. He gives it glimpses of the power and anger of a Lord of Amber, reflected and amplified in the mirror of the glass spheres, dwarfing that of whatever hapless Rider has been using it thus far. Edan knows that some backlash of this is being felt by his own affine, and he lets it happen, as it is a reminder of what can happen when he gets Angry.
Kayuta roars in response. It's a larger roar than a creature of Kayuta's size should make.
It may be that the token will want to speak to Edan in the midst of this mental assault, and he will listen when it does so.
Still it does not speak.
It cannot. Either it is dead, or it has great will, or it is too close to the center of fixity.
Edan turns to his affine. And if you Ate this, you could retain whatever abilities it had? It makes no sense, this not working close to the Pattern. There's no longer a Pattern here, and they're looking for Tir-na Nog'th, after all. Following an impulse, Edan takes the sextant in his hands and actually tries to take a reading with it, both with and without his Third eye.
With his Third Eye, it does interesting things. There is a line to the south, glowing white and sparking in the air. It is some distance away, perhaps a day's travel time for an army, but it definitely indicates some thing.
Edan cannot see it without the Sextant, nor is there a trace of a magical signature of it at this remove.
"I see something," Edan says, knowing Kyauta already knows. "The mystery deepens. Let us go investigate." He mounts his horse and turns towards where he saw the glowing line. "Do you Hunger? I was under the impression you Fed when we encountered the Moonriders attacking the flying ship."
Hunger is an ordered thing, Great Lord. A being of pure power can feed at any time, tempered only by hir desire to stay hirself.
Kyauta flies up and looks in the direction Edan looked.
When you look through the creature, I see the road as well. I cannot tell which way it runs, but it seems ordered, in that there seem to be two directions. A making of Chaos would perhaps have been simpler.
Edan and his horse and affine travel through the forest for some time. With his desert upbringing he marvels at the abundance of water in the air, in the plants, and in the ground.
As Edan nears the place where the line sparks in the air, he finds that he is naturally slipping into shadows, as if he is near or on a natural shadow-path.
We are on the Ordered side of things, and a purely Chaotic thing might behave...erratically. Edan allows himself a smile. Deductive reasoning. Self-control. You are Growing, my affine. I am pleased. A few more steps, and he makes a decision. Let us go where I would expect us to cross the borders of Arden again. Let us see if this is heading the general direction of Tir-na Nog'th. Did you know that I have been there?
I have never met Tir-na Nog'th, but I have heard of her power. She is The Falling One.
It doesn't take Edan more than a few steps to notice that the line is pointing in the direction of the Great Dragon of Arden, at least as he reckoned her position from Julian's camp.
Edan lets his jaw snap closed, and almost destroys the sextant-Chaos-thing then and there, but then reason takes over. What does it mean? Is this the way to Tir, and the Dragon has placed herself in the way? Could it be that this thing was made to find the Dragon in the first place? Is She an ally to the Gheneshi? Is She so Heavy that the shadow paths have merely moved themselves to Her?
It matters. No one, to Edan's recollection, knows if there is a link between Dragon and Rider. Yet, the connection is suggested. The Moonriders held this device. It points to the Dragon, if not also to points beyond. It must be known if they have encountered one another, have become allies.
Must we perform reconnaissance? Edan thinks to Kyauta, and even the thought of that fills him with dread. Is such a thing even possible?
Did we not already do so? Kyauta asks. What is it that your brother, who we just left, is doing, but performing reconnaissance?
A pause. Tell me what it means to you, Tir being the 'Falling One'. And tell me how you think you would hide from the senses of a Dragon.
I do not know the legend of the Tir-na Nog'th, just the name of the legend. I would hide from a half-awake Dragon by not being different from what it expected to see or by not being where I could be sensed. Perhaps it only goes to something that is within the Dragon's personal desmesne, not the Dragon itself. The Dragon may have something they want rather than being something they want.
Edan nods. I can accept that explanation. And...yes. The Warden and I are generally doing the same thing. I would wager, though, that he wouldn't get quite so close. Edan thinks a moment. I would have to mask my magical signature, and probably my appearance. I have done both in the past. I have Merlin's Trump for an escape route, but it would not be wise to rely merely on that. It takes me time to make it work. We need another escape route as we follow this path. This place, on a natural shadow path and outside the borders of Arden, this will do as any. Fly up and find me a clearing in the trees nearby. As close as possible to here.
Kyauta is aloft as soon as the command is issued. I see such a clearing, Lord! It is not far and it is directly along the line.
In no more than a half hour, Edan is in the clearing, and it suits his needs well. It's also closer to the dragon, but not so close that Edan sees any Firelillies.
Having had a little while to plan what is needed, and after finding various components in his pockets he decides he put there some time ago, Edan moves near the center of the clearing where he already knows an outcropping of rock has pushed up through the forest floor. He builds a small, smokeless fire upon it. Not just a fire that would be the envy of a normal woodsman avoiding detection, but a fire that actually pulls the smoke back into itself as if drawing strength from it.
The disguise should not be just something halfway normal he thinks to Kyauta. It should also be something that the Dragon's minions and the casual passerby would avoid. I have the perfect idea.
Settling back, he holds out his hands and feeds shavings of metal and rare wood chips into his flame, singing a song to the fire all the while, and drives the heat deep into the heart of the rock outcropping with his power. Then he casts the three spells that he hopes will keep them alive.
[Spell: Fire Gate: the next link to the network that started with the tree in the Blue Earth, this one is much smaller and meant to transport something no larger than a man. Power + Performance (a watch) + Fire Present + Reagents = Target (man-sized) + Duration (unknown) + Effect (across Shadow) The heat will stay in the rock, ready to burst into flame and a quick exit when Edan draws near.]
[Spell: Mask the Sorcery: Hides Edan's Sorcery, the same spell he used after the Race to Madness. This will be centered on his sword, as before. Power + Performance (a minute) + Fire Present + Focus item (sword) = Target (man sized) + Duration (about a week) + Effect]
[Spell: Nobody Likes Looking at Corruption: For all intents and purposes, Edan looks and sounds like a cockatrice that's wandered into this natural shadow path. Kyauta will be hidden in the spell as long as he's in contact with Edan. No idea what the thing smells like, and that's a chink in the illusion armor, but hopefully no one will go close enough to try and find out. Power + Performance (a minute) + Fire Present + Reagents = Target (man sized) + Duration (a week or until dispelled, to be safe) + Effect]
The spells go off. The gate forms with a great flash and Edan sees movement through it, and distant flame of the Blue Earth before it subsides. It occurs to him that he may have made a one-way gate, because it will not be active when it is the destination and arriving deep in the earth might be a problem. He may decide to fix this later, but it will may suit his purpose for now.
Edan is as disguised as he can be, both to magical and visual observers. The horse will need to be left behind. In fact Edan has to back away from his horse because it is afraid of cockatrices. It's a good test, perhaps, of his disguise.
Edan can't hide a smile as he moves away from the horse. It does work! Even if there are little mistakes, easily corrected, the overall theory is sound. And to his knowledge, he is the only afriti to do so across wide Shadow. Someday, he thinks, I will be as the spider. And my web will be as glittering fire, and it will spread across the universe. What secrets will be unlocked, then?
I do not know, My Lord. Whatever else can be said about the new Kyauta, he doesn't know what a rhetorical question is.
Not wanting to stand in uffish thought for too long, he takes a reading of the sextant within his disguise, and runs into the Dragon's demense with affine in tow.
It's easy to get into the dragon's territory. It's very easy. The compass points along a very easy path to take. It's not until Edan gets quite far into what the Rangers call 'The Deep Green' that he even sees people. There seems to be something wrong with them, but it's hard to tell what. They move funny.
Having taken Chaosi 101 and Moonrider Appreciation classes in the Amber School of Hard Knocks, Edan is very interested in seeing what specific kind of funny is affecting these people. But first, he has to decide how his illusion is going to act, and that's more of a self-study crash course. Just from memory, he knows a cockatrice looks like a magical turkey-lizard and is the legendary embodiment of corruption from seeing Trump casting. With such an ungainly body, flight is probably limited to assisted one-directional leaps and that plus the shape of the head and bill argue against a predator. It doesn't leave a constant trail of petrified items, so the stoning ability is probably defensive. Overall, Edan guesses it is an opportunistic omnivore, cold-blooded, with little fear of natural predators and a likely nasty, defensive disposition.
Thus, he follows a path that avoids large concentrations of people, confident that they in turn will avoid getting in his way, and he will take the opportunity to study any people as he goes past. He just won't stop and stare. He will avoid stopping to use the sextant to triangulate until he's sure no one is around to observe his glamoured self.
The forest is thick, and seems young and alive and multilayered. It's like a combination of Amber's temperate forest belt and a tropical jungle. Even the vest hardwood trees that must be centuries old seem new, and everything is moving, and everything is green. He would call it "trackless", except for the path that the compass obviously points along. No one but Edan travels it.
While the forest is vast and overgrown, the few people Edan sees are not bothered by it. More closely, he sees them move in ways that suggest that they are not in control of themselves; they're stiff, and their movements aren't fluid, and they don't seem to even notice if they're hit by branches or step in mud or water. Even ones who Edan thinks might have seen him do not respond.
The birds, however, seem to notice him. Especially the crows.
That is very interesting. Edan isn't sure whether this implies they're spies for the Dragon, or merely one of a cockatrice's natural enemies. In any case, he will do his best to continue moving like he thinks a cockatrice would travel, albeit following the trail he can make out with the sextant. He'll keep going this way until something stops him, in which case he'll try to move out of sight of the humans before having to defend himself.
The plant life becomes greener and more agressively verdant the further Edan follows the path. At first it is small vegetative incursion; the odd weed or overhanging branch. They become more intrusive the closer Edan gets. The plants are wet and so is the ground. By now he can only walk on top of the plants--they cover the way. The path narrows significantly and the canopy has closed overhead. Light filters through in patches, and Edan can see why the Rangers call this The Deep Green.
Up ahead Edan sees a clearing. His path is not the only one that leads into it. In the exact center is a giant hillock made of rock. Nothing is growing on it and steam comes from a crevasse on the side of it.
The most unnerving thing about this clearing, to Edan, is the crossroads aspect to this place. Outwardly, the cockatrice stops and sniffs the air, as if questing for food. But inwardly, since he's been using his Third Eye all along to use the sextant, he'll also risk a peek at the hillock, and beyond to see if the path keeps going out of the clearing.
The hillock is a blinding white. Edan has to immediately close his third eye. With his first two eyes, Edan notices that the ravens aren't anywhere near the hillock.
That's...not good at all. The cockatrice, not liking what it has smelled, decides to move into partial cover at the treeline and start moving in an arc around the clearing, avoiding the hillock. Inwardly, it only takes Edan a second to calculate the minimum number of readings he'll have to take to see a path continuing out, using the sextant at indirect angles, without staring at the hillock and blinding himself. Whenever he reaches the proper angle in his circular journey, he'll pause and glance through the sextant.
The sextant shows all the roads. When looking through this sextant, all roads lead to Dragon.
And thus, the question is answered. Glancing at Kyauta, Edan starts to back away from the hillock and the clearing, if he can. He doesn't actually project the retreat order, remembering that Clarissa could hear either his or his affine's thoughts in Uxmal. The less noise, mental and physical, the better; he's not prepared for a confrontation here.
Then again, the Dragon may have led them here all along. All he can do is move away and see if there's a reaction.
Come in, little one
The voice is nothing like Kyauta.
Realizing that his hands have involuntarily balled into fists, Edan relaxes them. He takes a deep calming breath, holds it, lets it out, and is as relaxed and centered as he can be under the circumstances. He recalls the language Kyauta once said to him regarding Clarissa.
I don't think that would be a very good idea. Besides, if I had to Eat a Dragon, I would get terrible indigestion. I would need very large Bites for you.
I am not fully awake, nor am I hungry. Come, talk. I offer a truce of convenience. I will not eat you.
"Caw!" caws a raven, directly behind him.
Edan spares a glance behind him at the raven, using all three eyes, before shutting off the Third eye in order to move forward. He hopes that Kyauta would warn him of imminent attack, but then again his affine might be the raven, for all he knows. He takes a few steps forward for decorum, then sits. He leaves at least one foot under him to spring away into a tumble if need be.
The raven is just a bird, as far as Edan can tell. Kyauta hovers nearby, but there are a number of ravens. They somehow manage to be menacing, while not doing anything.
How shall I entertain you, then? he thinks. To be honest, it was not my intention to run across you.
Hmmmm, it rumbles, deeply. The way of it was, that when two met, they exchanged tales. I have slept long, and my tales are old. What new tales can you tell me?
Edan raises an eyebrow. This, then, was the Dragon, the one that possessed Adonis's children in Amber? Either She was lying about being asleep, or She did all that in a half-dream, or this wasn't the Dragon at all. Edan is inclined to think the second possibility, but he decides to start with something neutral... and distant. Time enough to bring the conversation back to the Moonriders and their sextant afterward.
There are many tales, he thinks. A new Queen rules in... How would he call it? ... in the Kingdom of Water. A son of Amber travelled through many worlds, amassing an army to march upon the Kingdom of Water and take its long-lost Blade so that he may strive against the Knight of Amber. Edan briefly wonders if the tale is too cryptic, but decides that She would understand.
He failed in his task, but the Queen of Water fled her kingdom. Her sister's daughter defeated the son of Amber and took the Throne of Water for herself. Then she died, for she was not strong enough to hold the power within. Thus, the Queen's daughter has moved to become Queen of the Kingdom of Water. The Blade of Water, which was lost, has been found, and a new Knight installed to defend the kingdom. An Age has ended, and a new one begun, for the Kingdom of Water. May they know peace and prosperity.
Oh, the watery mirror. Do my sister's children still serve there?
There is movement in the cave. A woman steps up to the entrance, her eyes blinking as if unaccustomed to the light. She looks young and her dark curls fall down to a simple white shift. "Come, put on your human visage, it is best for conversation. We should stop frightening your affine.
"We can call it a truce. In exchange for your promise not to eat me, I shall promise to allow you to leave my realm when you wish to do so." She wraps her arms around herself, as if she is cold.
Or is laughing at him, but if she was laughing, she wasn't fighting. Edan drops the cockatrice spell, and stands tall. "Very well. I would love to hear the story of the watery mirror and your sister's children, but duty begs me to pursue another tale. I am Edan, son of Bleys, the Knight of Amber, and Julnar, the Firemaid. I have only ever heard of you referred to as 'the dragon' or sometimes 'the dragon of Arcadia.'"
She smiles and walks towards him. "Arcadia is my name, by the old ways. The Dragon is one of my forms. It is not an easy form to take, and I do not do so lightly." She frowns, briefly. Arcadia waves her hand and conjures furniture. An upholstered couch appears beside them, with a small table beside it with drinks on it. "Sit, please. My tale is simple, but not brief."
Edan only barely hesitates. "Your hospitality is like the blessing of water," he says, opting for courtesy from the Land of Peace as he sits, but he still aims for a spot at one end of the couch. He runs a finger along the upholstery, clearly admiring the intricate work that went into something conjured so quickly.
She pulls the table closer and pours two medium-size cups of some hot liquid. Edan's suspicion is that it is tea. She doesn't seem to notice that it's intensely hot. Neither does Edan.
"Prince Bleys I have heard of; you are the Brorson of my Finndo. He was a knight of Amber as well." She looks away, briefly.
"I gained and lost so much from the change, I don't know how to tell you of it. By wanting her joy to last forever the foolish unicorn ensured that all things were subject to the whims of time. I remember nothing of the time before, because it was before time. There was another being, different, protean, powerful, that was I. I am what you see before you, but so much more. So much is still asleep. I have daughters. They have children, in some ways I am a most successful Ordered being.
She turns and looks into Edan's eyes. "Why did you seek me out?"
Edan has teacup to mouth at this point, and pauses to swallow. He meets her gaze, even as his shoulders drop a little, sort of yielding a point. "It was not my intention to do so," he says. "I did not want to disturb you. I have set myself against the children of Air and Darkness, and I was tracking their movements. I thought I would find a path leading in the direction of Tir-na Nog'th. I should have expected that it would lead directly to you. It argues they have treated with you."
She nods and drinks her tea. "Or they hope to. Or they wish to attack me. Or this is the most expedient way to reach their lost lands." She looks at him and raises her eyebrows slightly. "Did you come to offer me a bargain to refuse them my aid? I am a powerful ally, if that is your goal."
Edan, nodding his acceptance of her alternate explanations of the paths, blinks in surprise. This was one of the last things he expected to hear. Of course, the Family would never accept something like that. And yet...
Alas, a masterful negotiator could take advantage of this. Where was Conner when you needed him? "I did not have such a plan," he admits. "It is difficult to believe that one such as you has need of anything, Lord Arcadia." If there are any inflections of speech or mannerisms Edan might have learned in Clarissa to properly address one of Chaos, he uses it now to remind her of her old title. "But my mother's line are legendary for their ability to grant wishes. What thing would you desire, in return for such a bond?"
"'Lady', please. I have long studied your people, and I am definitely gendered and female." She pauses. "You're too young to know Finndo, I think. He was your ancestor Benedict's brother. Do you know of him? Is he remembered?"
"Father told me of Finndo and his brother Osric," Edan says. "Benedict's older brothers. Not many details, I'm afraid, other than that they were dead." If Edan had heard any conncection with Finndo and Arcadia, he doesn't say them.
She nods. "His father did not approve of our relationship," she says, as if that explains everything.
Edan speaks slowly, as if choosing his words as he says them. "Finndo was Warden," he says. "And you say, the Knight of Amber. It is...surprising...that Grandfather would feel that way, considering that he took Clarissa as a bride himself, my grandmother. But, then, from what I have heard of him, I would not try to understand his reasoning. Or his ego." He looks up. "So, then, you had children, the Goddesses of Arcadia. You are not only the embodiment of Arcadia in the Chaotic way, but also the mother of its pantheon of gods. Was Finndo the father? Are... are you saying that Oberon was responsible for his death? That this was the reason?"
She looks down. "I am unsurprised that this is forgotten. It is not in the interest of the victors to recall the losers. Finndo's brother took up arms in the cause of their mother. In the civil war that followed, Finn refused to take either side. Their mother lost, but her sons were allowed to undertake tasks 'for the good of Amber', so that their children would not be attainted.
"This is why my grandson Adonis Adonai was suffered to live."
"Adonis, yes. He was the father of my sister's children. I had never met him; I am sorrier for it." And so they come to that particular roadblock. What was there to say? Edan deliberately leaves the manner of his cousin's passing silent, for Arcadia must know that he knows her part in it. He leaves things silent, and neutral, to allow her to continue with her thoughts.
The young woman nods. "As am I. He did not know me well, which was his mother's doing. Be careful if you ever choose to have children, Edan Ibn Bleys. They are the ones who can hurt you the most." She smiles, still looking sad. "I had hoped not to dwell on the sorrowful, Edan. My life is not without joy, but it is a isolated existence. Myself and my creations, for the most part."
Edan bows his head. "I can empathize with your circumstance," he allows. "Your lot could not have been easy to bear, if I understand your story aright. Trapped by Time and the creation of Order, opposed by a series of Wardens from Amber for more years than I can easily comprehend, and yet you have remained a Power to be respected and reckoned with. You have dealt with this adversity on your own terms. Amber may have been against you since Finndo's time, but there has always been respect."
Arcadia laughs. "A prison of infinite space populated by uncounted offspring. I wonder if this is how Dworkin thinks of his creation? A human form has certain restrictions of humanity, of course. I can't comprehend time on the order you discuss, so I don't. I am as human as you, Edan. I cannot remember being a thing my brain in this form cannot comprehend. And yet, I know there is another me, a being of another type, immortal and different, and which I may return to someday.
"I am, perhaps, the only human who knows with certainty that they have an immortal soul. I am not subject to existential doubt. My human form has human responses and human needs. I do not worry about the slumbering dragon."
"But we do," Edan says. "The Dragon, I mean. And more worrisome, if She reached out to Castle Amber whilst merely asleep." His expression falls a little. "You are truly isloated, all your children against you? You have no one on your side, only your own creations?"
She frowns, quickly and then carefully removes it from her face. "That was vexing, but was my daughter's grasping hold on her supremacy over her sisters. They are not against me, so much as for themselves and against each other. Adonis was a clever lad, and his decision to change his state, like his grandfather's was a clever twist. My daughter was quite displeased.
"The last friends I had were, in fact, Adonis' children. My daughter did not have the monopoly of their raising, luckily for all of us. I hope to see them again. They grow so fast." She says the last without hint of artifice or awareness of their age.
'Change his state' is the first thing to cross Edan's mind, and he decides that Arcadia means 'death' in relation to both Adonis and Oberon. Or, at least, he hopes she does, for the alternative is ever so more complicated. Then he endeavors to sit still as the rest of her words hit him and a coldness works its way down his back. "Which children do you mean?" he asks, allowing his brow to furrow."My sister never mentioned any contact between you and her children at all, and the word friend would indicate you spent at least some quality time together."
She laughs, bell-like. "I mean the twins, the new gods who replace Daeon and Dionne. We had years, but not as you count time. Sometimes, I still hear their thoughts, when they are close and their thoughts are aligned with their deific selves."
"I am quite surprised," Edan says, trying to be nonchalant as he drinks from his tea. "I had no idea you considered the relationship so close. The children never mentioned it in my hearing, but then we talked of other subjects when I was around them. Is this, then, the thing you would want? To see them? Or did you have something else in mind?"
She smiles at the thought. "I would be pleased to have them visit me. I taught them to talk, and to walk, and to hunt and live in the woods. They will return, perhaps when they reach puberty. I expect to see them soon."
"I would not speak for the twins when they grow older and into their own," Edan says. "Their choices would be theirs. But now... it is much to ask. Many at home would think Adonis sacrificed himself to prevent such a meeting. And I can already hear the clamor those that have opposed you these many centuries would voice against it."
She shakes her head, slightly. "You misprize the complexity of my relationships with your elders, or at least I hope you do. You may want to find out, some day, why the Grove of the Unicorn is here."
She puts down her empty teacup. "Adonis was fated to die from his birth; he was the god of fertility and the cycle is natural. The fertility god dies with the year stays dead for the winter and is renewed in the spring. The part of him that was Adonis is with me, the Godhead is waiting to be passed on to a new fertility god. Adonis' mother interfered with the cycle, keeping him alive for years beyond his reign by refusing to cede her place to her sisters. Now they war, and I do what I can to prevent them from breaking the land with their hatreds."
Edan's eyebrows climb at the mention of the Grove of the Unicorn, but he doesn't address that. Not yet. "It is a complex situation, and I do want to understand it fully if I am to pass your words on to the twins' mother, my sister. You think Brooke and Leif are the heirs to the godhead of fertility? Would this not mean that if they assume this thing, they would be fated to die as well?" He pauses. "Or, being the blood of Order, would they have the choice after their reign to become Ordered and let the godhead pass to the next heir."
She nods, ignoring all eyebrow-based communication. "Order does complicate things, although it did not hurt Daeon. Also, The dying of the year and the god is a metaphor, of course. Death to a god is no final thing, and Gods are small things compared to beings of our genesis. I would expect the children to put it aside as I would other childish things. They will be Lords of Order and Chaos, and Princes of the Living Void, if they so want.
"Daeon's mother spoiled him, I thought. His father, I had hopes for, but the boy rejected him so thoroughly when he tried to wean Daeon from his mother. Not that his father timed that well. The boy was still grieving his sister."
"Sister. Yes. I thought I heard somewhere that Daeon-Adonis had a sister." Edan frowns, trying to recall the rumors and half-snatches of conversation he had heard about his cousin since coming to Amber. "I see now how the cycle repeats itself...your other daughters, they are at war with Daeon's mother? I do not see the point, if Brooke and Leif are the most likely to succeed and the other sisters have no candidates of their own. In the end, they would have no hope of winning."
She shakes her head. "Partially true, kinsman, but only partially. They have no candidates of Daeon and Dionne's lineage, nor that of Brook and Leif. But they all have children. Or did. The Warden slew one pair."
There is motion at the edge of the clearing, but Arcadia pays no attention to it. "You seem so guarded. Am I that awful? I don't want to be so."
Edan does let his attention be distracted by what's going on at the edge of the clearing, enough to take in what's going on, before bringing it back to Arcadia. If he looks tense, he makes an effort to visibly relax, and puts his teacup down. "Your reputation does precede you, Lady Arcadia. A man would be a fool not to respect that. But you have been the perfect host to one who has unfortunately stumbled upon you, and are certainly not, ah, 'awful'." He bows his head slightly and touches his fingertips to his forehead. "Sag olun, bayan Arcadia. I am blessed by your hospitality."
There are Arcadians at the edge of the clearance; two young people. They wait at the edge of the clearance.
"I don't speak your language, Edan, but thank you. Would you visit me again?"
Edan rises and bows. "I would do so. If you would have me," he says. "And... the words were a thank you. In my language, a thank you for a thing unlooked-for."
She rises as well, and steps towards him. From Aunt Flora, it would be an invitation to a goodbye kiss.
"You are welcome and will be welcome back. You can wear your own skin on the way in, if you wish. The autumn is lovely here." It's easy to imagine that most seasons are. The deep green is amazingly verdant at this time of year and it is easy to imagine it painted in the gold-red of the fall.
"I will do so." Edan chances the kiss, but it is a polite one, just as if Aunt Flora or another of his elders were receiving it. "You have given me much to think about, Lady Arcadia. Meeting you here has turned out to be a most unexpected pleasure. Until later, then?"
She smiles at his attentions. "Au revoir, jeune chevalier. You are a charming young man."
As Edan leaves the clearing, the two Arcadians approach the dragon. The speak softly, but Edan has exceptional hearing. "Goddess, The white rider is coming," they tell her.
Really, now. That could mean many things, including a very good possibility that Julian is coming to talk to the dragon or is tracking where Edan has gone. Or, it could also mean there's a Moonrider who also goes by the 'white rider' appellation. Since staying might make things... complicated... for a number of reasons, and since the dragon is already aware of Edan's presence and thus it's nearly impossible to confirm things one way or another without being detected, Edan will just have to head out the way he came in. If someone encounters him, then so be it.
Last modified: 27 August 2013