Session
22
Amber, year one, day 135 (Tuesday, December 7, 2987)
Morning
I finally got to sleep late last night. Between Jasra's labor and
Rinaldo's crying, it was a difficult task. The pain in my chest did not
help matters, either. I managed to make it down to breakfast, with Arn's
help. I needed to talk to Driscoll, and it seemed likely that if he was
in the Castle, I would find him at breakfast. I am glad I decided not to
eat in the infirmary, for then I would have missed the news which Mandor
brought. Swayvill is dead. Rygat rules Chaos. And, worst of all,
Gérard and Flora are her prisoners. Felix was understandably upset
by this, and almost hit Shard with a piece of fruit, after Shard made a
thoughtless remark. It seems to have been a morning for such remarks.
Alex made one about parentage which both Ahab and I took offense to.
The one piece of good news is that Eric thinks he can remove the
second quarrel from Fiona this afternoon. Hopefully they will be able to
free Dworkin soon. I wonder, if Ahab had not shot Fiona, and she had been
able to work immediately on freeing Dworkin, would Rygat still have been
able to defeat Swayvill? I imagine that Dworkin will be very angry with
her when he is released, and I expect Rygat would be preoccupied with
defending herself if he came after her. Well, there is no point thinking
about what might have been.
I wish I knew why Rygat dislikes Amber so. No one at breakfast
would admit to any understanding of her motivations. I suspect Benedict
knows, but he has not been seen since he went to Chaos looking for her.
We could certainly use his assistance now.
Ahab left breakfast early, followed quickly by Heather. She certainly
does seem to be making an effort to stay on his good side. Random, Bleys,
Mandor and a stranger spent most of breakfast talking quietly among
themselves. Whatever they were discussing, they did not feel obligated to
share it with the rest of us. No doubt it had to do with the current
situation. I dislike being kept in the dark, but there is not much I can
do about it at the moment. It is frustrating to know that Amber will soon
be battling for its existence, and I am too injured to help. At least I
was able to aid Mirelle.
Driscoll was indeed at breakfast and agreed to talk with me
afterwards. Martin insisted on remaining in the dining hall after
breakfast, so I had to tell Driscoll that the matter needed to be
discussed in private. Martin was disappointed, but Mirelle had insisted
that I not mention her in Amber. Driscoll had not spoken with Mirelle
recently, so I thought it likely that she was unaware of the recent
developments in Amber. Driscoll felt Mirelle would have ways of blocking
a Trump contact, but I borrowed his Trump of her and tried anyway. It is
fortunate that I did. Mirelle was in the middle of a sword fight when I
reached her and she immediately asked to come through. The odd thing is,
she was struck several times in the process of joining us, but appeared
unharmed. She had some trouble recognizing me, and was not happy to be in
Amber. I think much more time has passed for her in Shadow than has for
me since I left her new Shadow. She also has obviously been completely
out of touch since then. She did not even know about our defeat of Chaos
during Patternfall. I gave her a quick summary of the important events.
I do not think she was happy about Heather's role in them. Of course, she
hates Brand so much that she hates all of his offspring as well. She
actually suggested killing Rinaldo, who is barely a day old! I can
understand her dislike for Brand and Heather. After all, their actions,
especially Brand's, have affected her personally, and Amber as well. But
Rinaldo is just a baby. I just hope his mater does not eat him alive.
Mirelle quickly left for the showers, after asking that we not tell anyone
of her presence. We both agreed, but I do not see how she can remain
undiscovered here for long.
Driscoll helped me back up to the infirmary, since I was feeling
rather tired and sore. As we entered the room, we were both surprised to
see Brand standing there holding a Trump, with an arc of light passing
from it to him. After a few moments, the light disappeared, and he said
that Gérard is alive but his Trump has some sort of trap on it.
Felix was obviously relieved to hear that his pater still lives. Before
he left, Brand asked Felix to make sure Heather watches Rinaldo. It seems
he has no faith in Jasra either. Heather arrived shortly afterward, and I
managed to be civil with her (mostly by not talking to her). It remains
to be seen if my resolve can hold should we engage in conversation.
The sounds of battle continue. I have not heard from anyone since
Driscoll left to investigate the initial commotion. I had Randal fetch my
sword and armor. I may not be fit for battle right now, but should our
enemies make their way to the Castle, I intend to sell my life at a very
dear price.
Afternoon
Dworkin is dead and Ariadne barely clings to life. I suspected
Dworkin was free when I felt the return of the Pattern, but I never
expected to see him defeated so quickly. He died of a gun shot to his
head. Shard brought him in, but there was nothing I could do. It seems
so impossible. He had so much power. He created the Pattern! It is
sobering to realize that he could be brought down so easily. I dislike
these guns. With a sword, or even a crossbow, it takes skill to use them
effectively. With a gun, it is far too easy. I had hoped that when
Dworkin was freed he would be able to defeat Rygat. I fear that only he
possessed the power to do so. Perhaps if we joined together we could
overcome her, but with Fiona still recovering, I am not sure we would
succeed. At least the Pattern is restored to us. Now we should be able
to gather our own armies from Shadow to bolster our forces.
Still, I am saddened by Dworkin's death for more reasons than his
usefulness in the current situation. I rather enjoyed most of the
occasions that I talked to him. Except for the time that he forbade me to
sleep with Ahab or Martin. But even then, he was right to be concerned,
and he was open to reason. It was he who told me who my pater was, and he
might have known of my mater as well. Now I will never have the chance to
find out. Nor will I be able to learn more about the power words he spoke
of. Who knows what else he might have taught me? Despite how my
relatives may feel about him, I, at least, will miss him.
"Outrageous Fortune"
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All text on this page is © 1993-1994 by Kris Fazzari.
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