A Matter of Power

Upon my return to Sarah's manor house in Skeltland, I was informed by a servant that Sarah had been looking for me. I also received a note from Momus, indicating that he would like to visit with me, now that I was returned to the Courts...at my convenience, of course. I tucked the note away in my reticule and went in search of Sarah. A servant soon ushered me in to Sarah's study, where Sarah sat studying over an old book of some kind. She smiled as I entered and offered me a seat.

"Strange times, Melanie...you've been away too long. I think your time would best be spent here for the next few months..."

A suggestion, or a politely worded order? Either way, it was what I had intended to do anyway. I inclined my head in acknowledgment as I sat. "Indeed, I think that would be wise. I have much to catch up on."

"The Magic Circle is gone, I'm afraid," Sarah said with a slight frown. "It was loosed from Skeltland by something Abyssal and is now beyond our reach... And Lord Shaenan has offered me the right to assay the Logrus."

I frowned in response to both pieces of news. The first was downright irritating. I had gone to a great deal of trouble to attach Mellisondra to Skeltland, and I was rather irked that someone had seen fit to remove it. As for the other news... "Has anyone else assayed this new Logrus yet, besides Shaenan?"

"No...though Despil will this evening," Sarah replied, closing her book. "I don't know that I have much choice in the matter, Melanie. I must be strong if Chanicut is to remain a major house. Without magic, I have little true power left to me."

Her tone was mild, surprisingly so. I almost wondered if she was hiding a certain bitterness there. I could not blame her if she was. To have spent so long building up your power, only to have it snatched away from you by some snot-nosed Amberite... I would be bitter too, had I not been able to walk the Circle. Still, I was uneasy about the idea of Sarah resorting to such an untested power as a replacement.

"True enough," I finally responded, acknowledging her dilemma. "But are you certain that the Circle is the only means of restoring magic to its former glory? There may be a means of circumventing it. I am somewhat reluctant to entrust the leader of our house to an untried and unknown power. The old Logrus drove people mad. Who can say what this will do?"

"It is impossible to know. Shaenan is too strange to gauge its results. Who can say what is madness and what is sanity in him? The Circle is a thing of Pattern...and the knowledge of the destruction of such things is long lost to us. Brand knew for a time...having gained it from the Helgrams...but they have no reason to loose their stranglehold on magic. They are, after all, riddled with the blood of Amber. I feel I must take this risk...and prepare for the consequences. I may have to be removed as Head of House if things go badly."

I frowned again at that idea, and she looked at me steadily. "I don't know that you would replace me, Melanie...but certainly your power would be crucial to the support of my replacement."

I nodded, having expected no less. "I do not think any of us could truly replace you, but I will support whomever you designate, within reason. I do not expect it to be me, in all honesty. I have been away for too long." I paused and allowed some of my concern to show on my face. "I do not suppose I can persuade you to wait until the affects of the Logrus on Despil are known? If he is to walk it tonight, it should not be all that long a wait."

"Even if he is badly affected, that will tell us nothing," she responded, "though I will wait that long. He is an initiate of that Pattern...and his mindset is entirely different from mine. He could survive it unscathed, only for me to perish...or vice versa. There is no rule to this...no rhyme or reason."

"I do not imagine we have a sacrificial lamb that we can afford to spare as a test? Pity, that."

Sarah chuckled at that. "Mayhap all will turn out well, and we will find our concerns were frivolous." She did not sound any surer of this than I felt, however. Neither of us was naive enough to be certain that fate would be so kind.

"Damn Meridian to hell for bringing me to this impasse," Sarah raged, "and damn Gawain as well. I have spent aeons carefully acquiring power...only to have my situation ruined by their rash actions. Regardless of what else happens, I make it my goal to chastise them for their idiocy."

I smiled a rather cat-like smile at those words. "It may please you to know that Meridian doubtless finds his current existence rather hellish, indeed. Cerridwen chose to remove the obstacle he presented by making him into a wraith."

"'Tis some consolation, yes," she replied. "But I need to do some research. Shaenan has been kind enough to pass on to me copies of Suhuy's notes on the Logrus. I will not go unprepared. Take some time today to relax, Melanie. You may not get another chance for some time."

I quirked an eyebrow at that. "There is more going on here than just you taking the Logrus, it would seem."

"You could say that, yes," she replied distractedly. "I've begun work on a few pet projects. Maybe one of them will bear a rare fruit. But we can talk more on this later."

And with that she turned toward the window looking out over the gardens. Recognizing a dismissal when I saw one, I nodded and got to my feet. "Of course." I curtsied and withdrew, making my way to my quarters. It was little changed from my last, brief stay there, save for the correspondence that had come in during my absence. There was not much, only two letters in all, my presence in the Courts not being all that widely known yet. The first letter was from an old Chanicut tutor of mine, writing that it was good to have me home again, and that I had been missed. I recalled the woman fondly, and penned a quick letter in response to hers. The second was a brief note from Dara, thanking me for helping her son find his way to the Courts. Not that I had done all that much, other than help Cerridwen with the Tir, but if Dara wished to think I had done her some small assistance, I certainly was not going to correct her.

I then retrieved Momus' note, and considered my response to it. I had to admit that I had rather enjoyed speaking with him when I had been on the Tir. It was so difficult to find someone of such refinement, even in the Courts, especially one who had such a fine grasp of art. I decided that I would invite him to tea the following afternoon, and dispatched an invitation to that effect.

With my correspondence taken care of, I spent some time going over the knowledge I had gained from my various walks of the Magic Circle, trying to think of a way that Sarah could walk it too, or a way that she could circumvent it. I even considered the possibility of giving her a transfusion of Amber blood, but discarded the idea when I recalled hearing rumors that the Helgrams had attempted something along those lines some time back, and that those attempts had failed. All in all, it was rather frustrating. I could not shake the feeling that Sarah should not take the Logrus, and yet I could offer her no alternative.

After several hours had passed with no progress whatsoever, I tried Father's Trump again, on the off-chance that conditions had changed. Unfortunately, the card continued to remain non-functional. Thinking of Father did remind me of another matter I had been meaning to investigate, however. I latched the door and double-checked my wards, ensuring that no one could spy on me. Then I removed Werewindle from my back, dispelled the illusion concealing its presence, and slowly drew the blade from the scabbard. Father had often worn Werewindle in my presence, but I had never seen the blade out of its sheath close-up. Well, except for the occasion when Momus came to my aid, but I was hardly in a state of mind to examine the sword closely then, and my attentions had been focused elsewhere since I had received it. But now I had some time to myself, with no other projects demanding my attention...at least no projects where I was not at an impasse.

Werewindle's blade was a golden color, and it was easy to see where the Pattern was inscribed on its blade. I could detect without difficulty the protective quality with which I knew it was imbued, and something else besides. To my surprise, I detected Trump energy on the blade as well. How intriguing. I quickly traced the energy to its source, a Trump image worked into the sword's hilt. I checked it very carefully for traps, but found nothing. The image was highly abstract, and very strange. There was a keep on a cliff, surrounded by a barren landscape, with just the suggestion of clouds in the sky. I did not recognize the place as any that Father had shown me. A sanctuary of his, perhaps?

Curious to know more, I cautiously activated the Trump, being careful not to go so far as to actually go through it. The image of the keep resolved, and with it came a strangely familiar sense of realness. I spent a few moments trying to pinpoint what was so familiar about it, and then it came to me quite suddenly. It reminded me of Amber. Now my interest in the place was really piqued. I would simply have to investigate. But now was not the time. Not with Father's future so uncertain. Perhaps later, once I knew if he had managed to survive his attackers in Amber. It would not do to have him flee to his sanctuary, only to find me there. It might look...suspicious. And that was a situation I always took great pains to avoid where he was concerned.

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Last modified on June 15, 1999 by Kris Fazzari.