Heldrik and Landon

[Wired*Nun]

A nice conversation with his wife and a good night's sleep finds his time back in Ember used up and he must return to Amber to possibly meet Landon.

With a goodbye kiss to Grey and a revamping of the time flow he will pull up the trump of the main hall in Castle Amber and see if he can establish a connection. If it pulls up he will pick up his closed case by the handles and step through into Amber. Assuming he finds himself where and when he intends to be he will proceed to where ever he things that breakfast will be being served, case in tow.

Depending on who is there he will determine what he does next.


Stepping through to the main hall, Heldrik looks around. Two guards present arms, then go back to their rounds. The quiet surrounding him, the echoes from the polished floor, the banked fire in the great fireplace, all feel like the middle of the night to Heldrik.

Turning around, he notes the great clock on the wall reads ten to four. The dark streaming through the windows confirms that this is a.m., not p.m.

[Thanos]

Snapping a quick solute in acknowledgement of their readiness Heldrik reflects for just a moment on the time before deciding to head to the Library. Once there he pulls up a short table to one of the comfy chairs and opens the case.

Some exercise to start the morning off seems like an excellent idea.

Pulling the Grand Design up to mind Heldrik examines the library first and then pushes himself through the Design to create a lens. A thurough examination of the weapon, inside and out, is then performed. Time passes and Heldrik doesn't head out to breakfast until dawn is well established.

[Wired*Nun]

The weapon is just that, a normal, mechanical rifle. There is nothing magical or mystical about it, nor is the ammunition enchanted in any way. It appears to contain the Amber-functional propellant, though the only way to be sure is to fire it.

Around seven, before the librarian has shown up, the door opens quietly and Fiona enters. She closes the door with her back to it, and locks it behind her own back. Seeing Heldrik and his posession, she walks deliberately over to him. She is wearing a plain red tunic over a simple skirt, practical shoes, and no makeup. Brows furrowed a bit, she gives him the once-over.

"I felt your energies, Heldrik. There must be some reason you are doing this here, rather than elsewhere. You must want to be noticed?"

[Thanos]

Heldrik looks up and gives Fiona a subdued grin. "Yes and no Auntie. I did mean to come and talk to you this morning, but I was not intending to give you a wake up call per se."

Heldrik motions to the weapon in the case. "I can find nothing special about this weapon, other than it uses the special propellant that functions in Amber. What you will find interesting is that I took it off of one of Rinaldo's elite guards in his Kashfan palace. I brought it back here to find out if it matched the rifle that was used to kill Joss. If so, then Rinaldo has yet another piece of evidence against him."

[Wired*Nun]

"Well, let's find out what we can, shall we?" Waving him with her, she turns to go back out the library door, unlocking it as they leave. Down two floors to the first basement, they soon arrive at the armory. The guards let her in, and Heldrik feels a tug on reality as she pulls a key from her pocket. Wouldn't find that key on her unconscious body, he thinks irrelevantly.

Leading Heldrik back to another door, modern steel alloy, she inserts the key and opens the door to Amber's firearms arsenal. There are a couple of hundred small arms inside, of several makes and models. Corwin's familiar FN-FALs are the most numerous, but Fiona bypasses those to open a locked gun cabinet and pull out another Dragunov. She lays them side by side on a cleaning table.

"Serial numbers are close, too - part of the same original lot. Both of these are little used. It's certainly strong circumstantial evidence." She stares at them for a long moment, as if they would reveal secrets. Running his own eyes over the two weapons, Heldrik notices that both have an identical triple gouge in the wood near the front of the handgrip, on the right side. On one weapon it would have been dismissed as some accident, or perhaps the user's own mark. However, matching them up closely shows that the two sets of marks are far too identical to be coincidence. The gouges are not new, but have absorbed skin oil and dirt from their environments.

[Thanos]

Squinting Heldrik leans over to get a closer look at each weapon's gouges, just to confirm his initial assessment.

I can just see a quickly made batch of weapons on Tormal where an assembly line design flaw would scratch all of the items made in much the same way. It is also easily concievable that all soldiers trained with the weapons used the facilities and stored their weapons in a locker. If one of the rungs was dented or cut, sooner or later all of the weapons would end up with these kinds of gouges as the soldiers cycled through weapons...

Heldrik motions, but does not touch the groves and says, "Fiona, do you think that this could or would happen during manufacture of the weapons or perhaps during some kind of uniform training? Either way it is another point of confirmation that the weapons came from the same source. Can we find out if the oil and dirt in those gouges are from the same source, specificly the dirt?"

Wether the assassin's weapon was stolen from Rinaldo or was given to him by Rinaldo is still something that I must uncover. It will also be the most difficult to find out.

[Wired*Nun]

Looking closely at the gouges Heldrik points out, Fiona hmmms.

She raises the weapon to point it at the wall, settling herself comfortably, hands in their natural firing positions. Her fingertips cover the gouges, more or less. Perhaps if the firer were a larger person, they would cover them perfectly.

"Interesting. Let's take a trip. Come to my quarters in ten minutes. Be ready to travel. Cham," she calls to the armorer guard, "We'll be taking this one." She holds it out to him one-armed while he reads off the serial number and makes a notation, then hands it to Heldrik to carry.

"Make sure you know which is which," she says as she leads him out of the basement. "For this we need some higher-tech forensics than we have here. And, since these are Earth weapons, I think we'll go visit Corwin's old stomping grounds. See you in ten." She claps him on the arm, then turns up the stairway, leaving Heldrik with a long rifle in each hand.

[Thanos]

Heldrik puts sets down the weapon they are taking and puts the other one back where it belongs. He puts the weapon they are taking into the carrying case closes it up and trots back to his rooms where you retreives parchment and pen. Upon this he writes:

Landon,
I hope that your night out was fruitful. I am off to run an errand and hope to return before you leave so that I can talk to you about the Maze. Hope to see you sooner or later.
Heldrik

He takes the note and folds it, along with the case, and briskly walks down to Landon's quarters and slides the note under the door. Another brisk walk to Fiona's quarters follows...We're off to see the Scientists the wonderful Scientists of Earth...I would rather go to Tormal, I will have to remember to visit my homelands again.

[Wired*Nun]

Fiona's door opens as he gets ready to rap, revealing her across the room fastening the belt of her slacks. Slipping on a matching coat, she is attired in a nondescript pantsuit of deep crimson with silvery edging. A raspberry beret and a designer purse completes the outfit, and he feels the stirring of the Pattern as he closes the door behind him.

She strides up to him, two inches taller than her usual five foot flat - in stylish heels, it seems. Slipping her arm under his, she says, "Here we go."

He feels the power tug at him, surround him, and snatch them out of Amber. A moment of disorientation leaves him, and he is staring out a high window at a city below. He is facing east, into the sun, which reflects off the harbor's waters below. He finds himself in different attire, though - a suit and tie, impeccably tailored, presumably appropriate to this place.

"Boston," she says as he takes in the view. "I keep this apartment. It's convenient, and private." Picking up a cell phone from a charger on the desk, she punches a number.

"Five-four-two-four. Have my car brought round, will you?" Speaking English, in the English manner, if he's not off his guess. Hanging up, she opens a wall safe behind a makeup mirror, drawing out a handgun, a black metal cylinder about the size of a soup can, and a woman's wallet. These she slips into her purse, along with the cell phone, then hands him a man's wallet.

"You are now Harold Heldrake. You have credit cards, money and an identity, along with a permit to deal in arms. Here, give me the Amber ammo, it won't work here anyway." That she slips into the safe, then draws out an identical clip and puts that into her purse. "One never knows," she says cryptically.

"We'll take my car over to a private lab, where excellent forensic analyses can be had - no questions asked - for a very stiff price. Good thing I'm rich." She grins tightly. "When we leave this place, please be ready and on your guard. I don't think anyone is out to get us, but I always assume they are. Keeps me focussed. You want a weapon other than that thing?"

[Thanos]

Heldrik reaches into his deep pocket where his weapons are and he pulls out his stun gun with its belt clip for the small of his back. A .45 magnum fully automatic pistol, never seen on earth before, is also retreaved with a special holster built to conceal it. Putting it on and replacing his jacket brings him to the point of being as ready as he is going to get.

With a smile he says, "Your right, one never knows..."

Harold goes and opens the door keeping an eye out for danger.

[OOC: 16 round clip with special ammo consisting of a teflon jacket, for kevlar like armor piercing. Inside of the jacket are a dozen depleated uranium slivers with hinges in the middle encased in lead. Put in the right place on a tank, with a lot of luck, the uranium slivers will puncture the armor and end up bouncing around on the inside killing the occupents. If it hits a normal person, even in metal bullet proof armor it makes their insides into salad. Its amazing what magic and technology can do together.]

[Wired*Nun]

"If that pistol isn't Earth-made, you need to modify it to something that is. That's the whole point to the local color - blending in. These people are getting uncommonly good at tracking down anomalies - the very reason we are here. Do it as we move." Her tone brooks no argument, telling him quite clearly that he is in her territory now.

Not that I wasn't lately - but at least in Amber we have the fiction of being all part of one big happy family.

She lets him preceed her out the door after checking the security cameras, punching in her code as she leaves, pointedly letting him see it. Down the hall shared by only three other doors to an elevator with a cardlock, they descend from the fifty-fourth floor to B2. The doors open to an elegant antechamber, with thick glass doors. On the other side waits a security guard behind a desk, and a parking valet holding the driver's side door open on a late-model Mercedes. He hesitates upon seeing two walk out the doors, waiting for the lady of the pair to go to one side or the other. Fiona makes the decision easy by walking straight into the driver's seat, leaving Heldrik to get in the other side.

The door feels massive as he closes it, and he taps on the window with a knuckle, confirming its bulletproof status.

"Only the best, my dear. But remember Joss."

He slides the cased Dragunov into the back seat, and they take off out the parking garage and into traffic with abandon. Fiona drives smoothly but very fast, and all the other cars seem to get out of her way. The lights are all green, and she takes turns without hesitation and at maximum speed, never seeming to look for interfering traffic. Heldrik can feel her manipulating the probabilities of everything within a mile or more, and marvels at the subtlety of her machinations.

Twelve minutes later on a route that would take any mortal twenty-five, and they enter the gated compound of Sen-Core Labs. The building is moderately sized, the grounds immaculately landscaped, the windows opaqued and all entrances discreetly guarded.

Entering the building, Fiona flashes some kind of ID, and they are let through without a hitch. Carrying a rifle, even - interesting.

A couple of hallways later, they arrive at the office of Dr. D. van Morget. Inside, a rumpled man with thick glasses and a ready smile fairly leaps from behind his desk to pump Fiona's hand. "Violet! How lovely to see you again. Nice to meet you, sir," he says in Heldrik's direction without letting go of Fiona's hand. "What can my decrepit old self do for you?"

"My dear friend, you can work your magic on a little question of mine, and discreetly, of course. If you get me the answers quickly, I may be able to spare some time to socialize, but until then, it's business first."

"Always with you it is business! But for what can I complain, I wouldn't dream of it." He blinks, and reluctantly drops her hand, wiping his on his sweater. "What have you, then?"

Motioning to Heldrik, she says, "This is an associate of mine. He has two rifles I would like you to look at. They bear certain resemblances, and certain differences. Please find all of them." She fills him in on everything they know about the weapons, minus their provenance, as Heldrik turns his back to make one into two.

"Oh, come come, to the lab, the lab," he says, waving the proffered items away. "Don't contaminate!" Through a different door, he leads them down a short corridor to another metal door with a window in it. Inside is a vast array of mechanical and electronic gear the use of which Heldrik has only a few guesses.

"Put them there," he says, pointing at a clean stainless steel table, and he pulls on a lab coat and latex gloves.

Five minutes later the pair has exhausted any help they might give the good doctor, and Fiona takes their leave of him. He gives an absent wave as he stares into a 3-D microscope at the scratches.

Back in the man's office, Fiona says, "Well, that's that. I expect he will have a preliminary in a couple of hours, but he does his best work late at night, so let's check back in the morning." Leaning close, she continues in a barely audible voice, "Best to leave here in any case, I suspect they monitor the building." Straightening, she leads him out into the parking lot.

Back in the security of the Mercedes, she flips a switch and says, "All right, it's safe. Jammer." The windows have opaqued, too, some kind of electro-photographic process he guesses. "Any preferences on what to do for the next twenty hours or so? Food? High-tech entertainment?" He glances at the dash, noting that it's 12:12 pm.

[Thanos]

Heldrik shifts the pistol to something more earthlike, but leaves the functionality of the ammunition alone. Answering probing questions from a shadow dweller: a few minutes. Having your Aunt give you a talking to: an hour. Killing all of the elite troops in a modern APC before they can get out and mow you down with machine guns: Priceless.

Once back in the vehicle...
AHhhh, the presence of a master of an art is truely a pleasure to indulge in.

"Hrmmm. I am thinking that some good wine, perhaps a little food, and then some dancing would suit me just fine," says Heldrik with a smile and a hint of glimmer in his eyes. "However, we could just keep things strictly business and find something or another to do for the crown."

[Wired*Nun]

Her lifted eyebrow says quite clearly, screw the Crown for a little while.

"I think we can accomodate you, though I'm the wrong princess to dance with."

I bet you dance just fine, auntie. You just don't like to.

"Good food and wine are de rigeur, though...and Boston has some of the finest. Think of it as the business of pleasure." She smiles a tight, but probably genuine smile. "Don't think you can get me drunk and take advantage of me, though," she quips as she starts the car. "I'd rather not have to fend off your wife, and I will probably have to save my energy for the good doctor, though he is ridiculously easy to please."

At Heldrik's mock-scandalized look, she snorts. "What? He's an old friend! In his youth I was quite taken with him, and he's still a very, very intelligent man. I like that."

She drives out the gate, waving at the guard, and winds out the parkway toward downtown. He can feel Fiona shifting shadow again, but somewhat differently this time.

[later - or respond, as you will]

[Thanos]

In his black and red he sat on what seemed such a small chair in my room, Finndo, dad.

“You will complete the lesson Heldrik, every gentleman must know how to dance,” were the words that seared my mind after I threw my hands up in the air. Between this and sword practice I was acutely aware of my uncoordinated feet. Only later did I learn that the two were intertwined, the application of rhythm at speed takes part of your soul.

“Yes father,” was my reply and I retook the hands of our aging stewardess Heidi. Step forward, step back, step forward, step back, step back, step forward, turn, step forward, remember to smile, step back, step forward, don’t be stiff as a board, step back, step back, step forward, and turn. Learning by rote, effective for the young, oh so effective. Is that why dad made me go through his basic and advanced training camps when I turned eighteen?

The next lesson, was more engrossing, as was the new partner. Pleats of black hair framed an olive complexion and purple eyes that were easy to get lost in. At twenty five Gwen was the stuff of my adolescent dreams and here she was serving me in a fast paced and thrilling dance where our bodies rubbed together more often than not. I always looked forward to this last section of the lessons and thinking back on it dad must have used it as a reward of sorts.


The scenery flashed by as Heldrik was lost in the memory of learning how to dance. As with Gray, perhaps now his efforts would bear some fruit. I must dismiss her reference to taking her...must, oh very much must!

"I am sure you know which of the princesses I would rather dance with."

[Wired*Nun]

"Yes, I have seen your eyes upon her. You wouldn't be male if you didn't look and lust. The fact that you can keep your mind on more important things is just one reason why I've decided to help you."

The car wends its way along unfamiliar streets, up a hill to the top, to a spot overlooking the harbor. A tower stands there, about for storeys and an hundrd feet across.

As they get out of the car, the world has turned unaccountably darker, more forbidding. The light seems more wan, the sky leached of color, the wind cold rather than crisp.

"I'm going to introduce you to another old friend, I hope you don't mind. You might find him useful to know, in your upcoming struggle." She arches her eyebrow as she gets out, leading him into a door in the tower. Waving, the door opens in front of her, and Heldrik feels a mystical tension in the walls around him.

Down the hall, they walk into the main, round room in the center. There is a fireplace to the right, and bookshelves line the walls. Some other odd artifacts are scattered about or sit in glass cases - a skull, small statues, a hand axe, a dozen pair of colored eyeglasses with chains.

The man suddenly standing beside the fireplace was not there before, Heldrik is certain of it. Trumped in, or teleported? Yet there was no movement, it was just as if I only now noticed him. He is wearing a high-collared black jacket, form-fitting and long of sleeve, fastened in the front side like a fencing tunic. Black trousers and shoes, long black nails like claws, smooth, bone-white skin, jet-black hair, eyes hidden behind orange-lensed glasses, a long chain holding them around his neck, he stands with a brandy snifter in his right hand.

"Fiona, how good to see you." he says in a low melodic tone. It is the voice of a master manipulator, an orator, a politician.

"Antonius, it is good." She walks up to him, tossing her purse casually to a sofa before standing on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. He is just a shade under six feet, and slim. He appears to be about thirty. But don't we all. He also clasps her hand for a moment before reluctantly releasing it and turning to Heldrik.

"Another of your kind, I see. Well met, sir. I am Antonius Mesmer. And you are?"

[Thanos]

In the car Heldrik says, "There is a difference Aunt. What is on the inside will give much more over time, while what is on the outside is a temporary pleasure at best. To me the inside matters so much more. Then again I am just confirming that about myself, you obviously already know it.

Later in the gloominess near the fireplace...
"I am Heldrik, a nephew."

[Wired*Nun]

He shakes Heldrik's gravely, firmly. "Any nephew of Fiona's is...well, a kindred of mine. So to speak." He graces Heldrik with a faint smile. Speaking at Fiona, he says, "Though I love your visits, I also love your underhanded nature. Is this something more than a social call?"

"Of course, Antonius. Heldrik has need of your specialized knowledge."

"Really?" He regards Heldrik from close range, cocking his head as if examining something in an exhibit. "How can I help you, Heldrik?"

[Thanos]

Heldrik seems lost in thought for a moment...

Mesmer, Mesmer, Mesmer...where have I heard that before...the Mesmerization Institute, founded by Dr. Fredrick A. Mesmer MP, in Setlea' in the Tormal shadow. Now what kind of institute was it, 60 years is a lot of memory....ermm, Oh yes a school of magical arts dealing with illusion. That doesn't help much though...but then again...I guess there is nothing to do but try and be specific and vegue at the same time.

"I witnessed an event a few months back which caused me great concern. I have the potential to possess a knowledge of that event that the rest of those involved could not. Unfortunately my minds eye was on other things before the event happened and I was thus not then concentrating on what I want to concentrate on now. If I can access peripheral sensory memories, mostly visual, from that day I might be able to identify certain precurser events leading up to the primary event."

Whew...thats as specific as I can get, while not giving anything away, I think.

[Wired*Nun]

Mesmer looks from him to Fiona, and back again.

"Well...I can easily create a copy of your visual memory, whatever exists in any case, and project it so we can re-examine it. It will require you opening your mind to me, and to your aunt if she wishes to...chaperone...are you prepared to do this? I can guarantee that, barring the unforeseen, nothing untoward should happen as a result - it is a harmless procedure that I have done many times with lesser minds."

[Thanos]

Heldrik looks to Fiona indicating his wish for her to 'chaperone' and then back to Mesmer and unless she indicates otherwise...

"Thank you that would be most helpful, please understand that the visual memory you will be pulling was aided by the Pattern, just in case that has any bearing on your preperations."

Heldrik does what is necessary to let Mesmer pull the visual memory of his viewing of the city of Amber the first time and then the images of when he searched the city and ended up seeing Joss's murder.

Hopefully Fiona can notice the killer or Luke and their previous actions in the city as I overviewed it. If the killer and Luke were ever in contact, then we can implicate him directly!

[Wired*Nun]

Fiona shoots Heldrik a shut up look, and Mesmer cocks his head again. "Pattern? What is that?"

"Just a concentration mantra, Mesmer, darling," says Fiona smoothly.

His nose twitches, and he says, "Very well. Keep your secrets. Let us begin."

Mesmer raises his hands toward Heldrik, and he feels a gentle pressure on his psyche. Fiona steps forward to place a hand on Heldrik's shoulder, and he feels her comforting presence in the face of this man's alien mind. Heldrik has the impression of great power under great control, with an undercurrent of pain and sorrow, before he yields to the pressure and his consciousness goes away for a time.

When he comes to, the clock on the wall says he has been out for twelve minutes. None of them seem to have moved from the spot, except that Mesmer now has a pendant in his hand, holding it in front of Heldrik's face. Its stone is green, and as large as the Jewel of Judgment, but in a flat setting designed to lie against the chest.

Mesmer breaks the tableau, turning away and leading them to a door across from where they entered. Behind is a room with a screen and various projectors. He switches off the lights and slides the pendant into the receptacle of an odd little device. It projects a scene, frozen, instantly on the screen.

Touching a control on the device, the scene springs to life, showing the great plaza of Amber from an overhead perspective. It floats, turns, changes view, as if from someone flying and looking around at whim. It eventually settles on the castle balcony that fateful day. The events replay themselves again, and Heldrik's gut clenches as he watches the silent bullet take Joss's life.

At the end of the first run-through, Fiona remarks, "This is quite interesting, Heldrik. You never told me you were watching from outside, and with a mystical scrying as well. Let me..." She moves over to take the controls of the projector. Running back to a moment before the shot, she points to a figure on the screen. It is Martin, standing on a balcony a quarter of the way around the square, apparently hanging out with some aristocratic friends of both genders.

There is a peculiar aura around Martin, the blurry outline of another figure underlaid on him. "You see this? Martin has a glamor on him. Or, perhaps I should say, this person has glamor on him, and looks like Martin. Whether it is him or not, we cannot be certain. And because this is a recording of your visual memory, we can't extract information that isn't there, such as what it really is. Still, it is interesting. Look at this." She points to another balcony, where Heldrik can see Raevyn standing. "This looks like Rinaldo, Kashfa's king - but he has the same aura or glamor. That doesn't make a lot of sense if he was trying to hide his appearance, because I know that Rinaldo can shapeshift, at least in a limited fashion. That implies it is someone else looking like him. And look here," she says as she rolls the picture forward to a place where Heldrik had looked briefly far to his right, in the direction from where the shot later came. She points to a figure, half-hidden, in the unglassed window of a church spire bell tower.

"That's where Benedict says the shot came from, and where he found the rifle abandoned by the shooter. This figure has the same kind of glamor. "

[Thanos]

"Mesmer, can the images be magnified so that we might get a better look at that figure in the bell tower?"

This complicates things to the Nth degree. Random's son is now also a prime suspect. What if Rinaldo and Martin are both working together...perhaps to enrage Gerard or just disaffect one of Ambers most stuanch defenders... if the investigation finds nothing Gerard will blame the throne and/or find a way to take matters into his own hands which could end up getting him killed, taking away a huge asset. If the investigation implicates Martin then there will be a rift between Random and Gerard and Amber will likely sink into another internal war with people choosing sides. Worst case would be that Martin is proven guilty and that Gerard ademand justice and then Benedict sid with Gerard. Disaster on the highest scale would ensue giving the Logrus the opening that it would need amonsts the Design's defenders......which means that if Martin is guilty Amber will need to strike first and put the Logrus on the defensive while we settle things in a quick manner.....and even worse is if somebody cast something on Martin and Rinaldo so that they would seem guilty...however I do not know if either knows sorcery...

"I guess one question would then be, do either of them know Sorcery?"

[Wired*Nun]

"Mesmer, can the images be magnified so that we might get a better look at that figure in the bell tower?"


"Of course, Mr. Heldrik. Fiona?"

Fiona works the controls agains, backing the recording up and zooming in. The figure gets larger, but not any clearer. "It's just the limits of your perception, after all." The figure could be almost anyone, caucasian with dark hair, probably male.


"I guess one question would then be, do either of them know Sorcery?"


Fiona answers this one. "Rinaldo does, of course. Considering his mother, and his relationship with Merlin, and his patronage, that is no surprise. I don't think Martin does, beyond a few tricks, but he could have learned and kept it hidden. He was quite familiar with Dara and the Helgrams for a while, about the time Corwin was making Merlin with her. But, why do you think that is important?"

[Thanos]

Thinking for a moment, "It seems that all of the facts seem to point towards Rinaldo being behind most of this...however I am beginning to see some possible things going on that amount to perhaps a rivalry or a cooperative effort, maybe both. Knowing what limited, and seemingly one sided, history that I do it would seem that brotherly strife is common in the family. Eric and Corwin are the best example of course, but each brother except perhaps Benedict, had his own tiff with one brother or another leaving the girls out for the moment. Rinaldo and Merlin became enemies due to their father's and mother's relationships. However, the became friends in the end, at least it seems so. Rinaldo has Court connections as does Martin and both were born around the same era as Merlin was, making them all contemporaries. Lets say that Martin was looking for an 'in' with Rinaldo and Merlin so that he could 'play' with his peirs at the Family's favorite game. What kind of 'in' would it take to pull Rinaldo over to Martin's side...telling him that Joss was Caine's son perhaps and helping Rinaldo take him down. Now three situations come to mind."

"First, Martin was really in on it and the both of them were watching from afar with doubles in their place seeming that both were there and a third hired gun. Then again they could both easily fit the description of male causian with dark hair, so they only needed a third there to take Rinaldo's or Martin's place. If Martin really wanted in with Rinaldo he could have shot Joss so that upon extensive questioning and memory scan, Rinaldo could truthfuly say that he did not do it or hire anybody do it. Rinaldo would have taken Martin's place and the third person was in the crowd and didn't need to act to much."

"Second, Martin was in on it and Rinaldo wanted to make sure that if he took a fall Martin would to. Thus Rinaldo put a charm of some kind onto Martin to make sure that he looked just as suspicious as he did. Rinaldo hired a gun and was just their to make sure that things went down the way they were promised."

"Lastly, Martin was not in on it at all and Rinaldo put a spell on him to redirect attention or implicate him and either hired a gun or did the deed himself in disguise."

Heldrik looks back to Fiona trying to assertain if she concurs with his line of thinking.

[Wired*Nun]

Fiona sighs. "Any of that could be true, plus about a dozen other possibilities. We need more information. That's one reason we came here. Antonius is a man of many talents." She smiles warmly at Mesmer, whose beatific expression is nearly angelic.

"Thank you for your many compliments. Do I understand you aright, that it is also for the talents in my bloodline that you came here?"

"Oh, nicely put, Antonius, dear. Heldrik, would you mind another visual pull? Specifically, what you saw at the Keep, with that unusual interloper that was described to me?"

[Thanos]

Which visit, there were two and both had most unusual people all over the place. However, let us hope it was the one she was with me for...

"If it will not be to taxing upon Antonius I suppose that it would be OK. It was rather strange."

Heldrik will review the time frame once again in his head and try to make sure that it ends before he did the transfer using Shadow Pockets so as not to tip Antonius off to much to the powers of the Design.

[Wired*Nun]

It isn't long before Heldrik again comes to with a recorded image on the projector. As before, the transition from trance to waking is instantaneous and indistinguishable.

Fiona runs the image forward. Unexpectedly, it is not of the visit they both made to retrieve Heldrik's balde, but rather, of his earlier visit, when the short but vicious battle in the inner Keep took place. She settles on a view of the dark-haired figure coming over the railing, the transition to wolf just beginning.

Running the short section forward and backward elicits an interested hmmmm from Mesmer.

"Hmm indeed," replies Fiona.

Mesmer moves closer to the screen, as if he could pierce the image with his gaze, then shakes his head in frustration. "Mere visual is so confining. I wish I could access Heldrik's deeper memories to see this fellow."

Fiona glances across at Heldrik, then shakes her head emphatically. "No, my dear Antonius, I don't think we're ready for that level of...temptation yet. But his name is Alamor, and he is a resident of a dimensionality called Doracus, wherein certain relatives of yours - of a sort - reside in large numbers. I was hoping you could tell me something about him, generally or specifically, your deductions and observations. A visit there would be quite dangerous for us, both personally and politically, and I'm not willing to do it just yet, until all other resources are exhausted." She cocks her eyebrow expectantly at him, and waits.

"So..." he muses. "You want me to go there for you? At my own risk, with plausible deniability, knowing even someone of your calibre could not crack my mental defenses to gain the information? You know what this means?"

"I know," she replies in measured tones. "I think you stand more to gain than I do, unless something goes wrong...but you're not averse to some risk." This comes out as a statement, rather than a question.

"If the rewards commensurate." He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"It's a promotion, my dear. Which piece to which, you will have to judge...but another road is another road."

He shruggs sadly, and a little ironically, strolling the three steps to her to reach one hand toward her face, pausing in mid-gesture. "But what is one road to one who has taken millions?"

"Just so," she says matter-of factly. "I have millions to give and take, and bigger prizes as well. But you know it's not a simple quid pro quo. We are building trust, here. Let's both try to refrain from power games, at least with each other, shall we?"

He drops his hand to place it in his other, behind his back, shrugging once, again. He makes a little bow, sardonic. "As you wish, my dear. I should be about it, then."

At Mesmer's air of obvious expectancy, Fiona reaches inside her jacket to pull out a Trump, which she hands to him. Heldrik catches a glimpse of the front, which seems to be nothing but a deep black rectangle. He looks at it for a moment, waiting. "It will deliver you to the cellar of a house I determined recently to have been abandoned and unoccupied for some time, in a decrepit part of the city. It is so noxious and unpleasant, no one has even looked there for some time. It should be perfect for you in a different aspect. I do not know exactly how your own powers will function there, except that I believe they should be generally effective. Let me know when you have a full report, please."

Stretching up, again, she kisses him side-on to his mouth, flicking her tongue at its corner before withdrawing. "If I am satisfied, so shall you be, when I return. Come, Heldrik."

Leading him backout the ways they came in, she holds up a hand to forestall any conversation until they are again in the car. Heldrik feels a manipulation of the Pattern as she starts it, and they drive off, slowly.

"Mystified? I'll fill you in if you ask the right questions." Another test, he thinks, sighing mentally. I guess this is what happens when you are someone's protege`.

[Thanos]

Heldrik gives her a smile of admiration along with a short chuckle before saying, "Well I am completely certain of which Princess I would rather dance with now."

Taking on a more serious aspect he seems less mystified than uncertain. I had assumed she would choose my second visit, but her curiousity seems to know no bounds. Alamar was not somebody I even thought was on her radar, so I am assuming that whomever he represents or some organization which he is part of is actually what she is after instead of him as an individual. Whatever is in this shadow is either near Chaos, controlled by Hendrake in some fashion, or in some way reacts badly with Pattern or Pattern Initiats. So the real question is....

"There is a deeper matter here than just knowing who or what Alamar might be, I would ask what it might be?"

[Wired*Nun]

Turning onto a controlled parkway, she begins shifting shadow, slowly.

"I know who Alamor is, and what he is, from research and hearsay. He is a human-demon hybrid commonly termed a 'vampire'. Vampires come in many forms, as the weaker demonic powers manifest themselves differently across different shadows. Because they are not pure forms, they are not consistent the way our Powers are - but that doesn't mean they are not dangerous, or useful. After all, I almost got rid of Brand with a simple stiletto, which is nothing but a well-shaped piece of metal. So it will be generally useful to know more about the powers of those from Doracus, to add to my library of knowledge."

She pauses just long enough for Heldrik to think she may have stopped, then goes on. "More specifically, Doracus is in the forefront of an ongoing rebellion against Chaos. It hasn't become widespread, but they dislodged Hendrake from their ancestral holdings, and that is no small accomplishment, despite Merlin's adroit damage-control. Even if the movement is largely homegrown, any anti-orthodox forces in or near Chaos must have made contacts with the Vampires of Doracus. I particularly expect the true demons to join forces with them in working against Chaos, because of their many grievances."

"The Crown has always resisted actively helping either side, and passively, we help Chaos by upholding the status quo, which we view as better than the alternatives. But we can't make good decisions without good intelligence, and I wanted a hook to get Mesmer interested in doing work I don't want to do. That was your witness."

[Thanos]

Thats good information to know regardless of it being just a tool to get more information. That demon's have grievances is another bit of information that I find interesting. The book suggested that they could be enslaved to perform tasks, Merlin was certainly the target of several in one way or another and it made his life hell. Something I do not know is how those of Chaos bind the demons against their will? Is it magic, much like one of Amber could bind someone through sorcery or is it the Logrus that gives them the power to do such things. Then again, if I wanted to I could go out and find an army of fanatical soldiers willing to die for me if I wanted to much like Corwin of Bleys did, can you use Logrus to do the same thing?

"This brings several thoughts to mind, but one of the most basic questions that I think would provide the answer to many others is exactly what can an initiate of the Logrus accomplish without sorcery? I have read the book given to Kat about Corwin and Merlin's adventures, but that seems to leave gaps and those need to be filled in."

[Wired*Nun]

"One needs two things to bind a demon - a source of Power, and training in the techniques - sorcery would do, though someone would only need know the basics of summoning and binding for a lesser one. Lesser Powers such as broken or incomplete versions of Pattern and Logrus will do. Demons themselves use their own Powers to do it to each other."

[Thanos]

...and I assume if they could do it to their own, those with power using their own power, they would do it to others in a heart beat. A revolution or the conquered becoming the conquerers. To push the Hendrakes, which Merlin's story indicates are one of the most military traditioned families in all of Chaos, out of their ancestrial home is not just an accomplishment, its a feat beyond the capability of lesser beings unless something else is amiss.

"So not only are you looking to find out about these 'Vampires' in general and in specific can do, you are also looking to discover how they are connected to the rebellion and even perhaps who might be the mastermind behind the rebellion...?"

Heldrik's voice trails off hoping that he has guessed correctly.

[Wired*Nun]

"Yes, any or all of that, or anything unexpected. One principle in gathering information is not to look too hard for what you expect - or that's all you will see. That's another advantage to sending a relatively uninvolved party like Antonius."

"I already know who the public face of the anti-Chaos, anti-slavery movement is - the demon Canthus, one of the younger Old Ones - old enough to be powerful, young enough to still have passion for his version of justice. Still, there could easily be someone pulling his strings, or using his movement and Vampire rebellion - distinct, but both fighting against Chaos' control of their surrounds - to discomfit Chaos. The most obvious answer is someone on our side, who wants Amber and the Pattern to grow in power and gain some advantage in the long cold war. That's who I'm really hoping to identify."

[Thanos]

More information, information more. Just like time, we all need more, but can't get enough. What was that about time...'Time wounds all heals'. Hrmm. Not sure, not sure where everybody fits into the equation. The Boys: Benedict, Julien, and Gerard all seem bound to their military mindset and seem fit to absence themselves so I will assume they are working together or at least have agreed to give Random a hands off approach. Aunt Flora and Fi are decidely working with Random, which includes Landon from my experiences, and if I am working with Fi then I am working on their side, mostly. Good move that on Random or perhaps Fi's part...pull me onto their side through Fi instead of giving me some damn Oath of fielty to Random.
Corwin, from the books, is now just on the Corwin side so nothing earth shaking there. Is my wife and her father in this or are they just playing nice where they are? Where does Arrotel, Rae, Roland, and Kat fall into things? The others of the Royal line of Amber...Luke, Martin, Dalt, Dunstin, Bleys, Llewella, Carol, Sand, Delwin, Josh and who am I missing, there is somebody important...but who...?

"Perhaps a fresh mind from outside of the old family could bring new facet upon the situation to look through? I would just need to know which pieces were on which side of the board. I have figured out about half, but there are a lot of them I just don't have enough information about to make any kind of educated decision."

[Wired*Nun]

"Decision on what? This is life, nephew. Get used to it. When you get near the top it's all downhill. You try to stay on top, and keep things together, and have it your way. And live well. You want aphorisms, you won't get them from me. Often." She puts on that Mona Lisa smile and shuts up.

[Thanos]

Heldrik gives her a glance at her question, but decides to wait till she is done before saying,

"Decision as to where they, meaning the players in this cosmic scale game, might stand in all of this. If my guess is correct Random has his team assembled and it includes Flora and Landon, yourself and by proxy myself as well, with perhaps Kat and Arrotel, but I would put them with the Moe-Town Three due to their connection to Benedict. Dunstin, Luke, Jasra, and Dalt are another obvious team with asperations for having Martin perhaps. Where Josh, Roland, and Rae might stand could be speculated upon with relative success, but I am much more interested in where Bleys, Llewella, Sand, Delwin, and others more experienced and powerful than myself might be playing from."

Interesting, she is either playing with me or wanting to pull what I think out without giving up much.

[Wired*Nun]

"What do you want from me, an intelligence briefing? We are a web of loyalties, and if you stick too many labels on us, you get less accurate, not more."

She sighs, seeing his persistence and intention. "All right. Bleys has always been his own man. He won't cross the Crown unless he has an exceptional change of heart. He supports Amber. He just isn't reliable to do anything that isn't in his direct self-interest or the interest of those he cares about. I like to think that includes me in some measure, as long as I don't push it. He dislikes Flora intensely, possibly because they are alike in some ways, socially anyway. He accepts Random because the Unicorn chose him, and because he has proven himself competent, but he is not personally loyal to him. He is also useful because he has some interesting and unconventional contacts around different places, as have I."

"Llewella lives for, dwells in and only cares about Rebma. She will act to preserve that realm, and Amber, if necessary, because what happens in Amber is reflected most directly in Rebma. This means she also covers anyone's ass from Rebma if she can, including those with connections like Elress and Martin."

"Delwin and Sand disappeared back after they made their appearance a few years back, in the run-up to Merlin's crowning. I tracked them, just as an exercise in information gathering, back to a land called Correlaine, well off the beaten path. We had a few spies there, just on general principles, and I scryed there regularly, but it was blocked pretty well by those two. And then it disappeared utterly just a short time ago - wiped off the map of the multiverse, shadow storms, all that. We still don't know why, but it hasn't seem to have connected to anything yet, but it could be. Right now, it's another mystery of no direct urgency, like Joss' death."

Heldrik notices they have returned to her apartment building, and they pull into her guarded underground parking garage, where she pulls up short of the exit curb. "So, now that you have the briefing, connect some dots. Think out loud. Maybe you'll see something I haven't."

[Thanos]

Heldrik thinks for more than a few moments.

"That last bit makes things even more involved. Some explination to start. We, of the blood of Dwarkin, seem to be a powerful lot with out access to Pattern and with it the ability to create armies, wealth, and power with much less effort and time than anybody else anywhere. Anyone with Pattern can thus provide a large number of deterents, counter attacks, and offenses in a broad array. To the advances of those less fortunate, such as those of Chaos, Maze, Demon's, Vampires, etc this posses a threat. What if, in general, there was an offensive against Amberites, but not necessarily against Amber."

"Following that thread of thought with each new Amberite coming of age, especially recently with half a dozen or more, the power of the 'free agents' becomes less and less keen as more and more can do what they do. Each new addition becomes yet another factor that must be taken into account. If I were an up and coming powermonger I would certainly want to reduce the competition by any easy means. If it sturs up a hornets nest that gets amost of the rest of the pawns, rooks, and bishops sidetracked then all the better."

"I think there is a much deeper game being played by either a cabal of independents and/or Nightmare in order to reduce Amber's sway on things so that they can claim or control more middle ground. If Delwin and Sand are dead or incapacitated then we have three recently dead. Who is next and who is behind it all are then what I think we need to answer? Something that bodes ill for the Amber side of things however, is that if Delwin is dead...who has his Spikard and is it as powerful as Merlin's?"

[Wired*Nun]

"A game is only deep if you can't understand it. I understand the outlines - they are obvious. The tricky part is always who is playing for whom, even when. Players change sides. The other really important thing is to identify the hidden ones, and their hidden motives. By finding those, we can learn what we need to know. Whom to kill. Things like that. Joss may have been that for the other side - an important node that we never identified. That's one reason I'd like to know why he was killed and by whom...even if it's only to make us expend energy finding out."

"And I don't believe Delwin is dead, nor do we know whether he posesses any such artifacts of particular power. I got through to him soon after the disruptions, just for a moment. I don't even think he was in distress. Sorcerous artifacts, however useful as tools, fizzle when confronted with real Power. That means even Maze power can deal with such as spikards, properly employed...that brings up an interesting thought."

"What if Maze was created as a Power precisely because of such artifacts? As a Power accessible to those not born of the blood of Chaos and Amber? A better Broken? Who would need such a thing?"

[Thanos]

"Well obviously Jazra would want such a thing. Broken has risks, while Maze does not seem to have any risks other than its avatar playing around with you. In addition, the Hendrake's may want such a thing as they are now no longer directly connected to Chaos. Those that need such a power to ward off such things as being magically bound perhaps seeing as such things fail before real power?"

"It seems very strange that it can do some Pattern things and some Logrus things, but there is only Pattern and Broken among Jasra's known allies. If it is a melding of both Pattern and Logrus abilities who helped with the Logrus side of things? One more thing to think on: the Pattern has Dwarkin, the Logrus has Suhuy, who does the Maze have as its patriarch?"

Joss may have been playing with Martin and got involved with Luke and such, then found out to much and seeing as he was about to take the Oath of Loyalty they killed him before he told anybody what was really going on.

[Wired*Nun]

Fiona looks at Heldrik as if over the top of reading glasses. "Hendrake? No, they have Logrus aplenty. Besides, their relocation weakened the Maze and was unplanned, at least by them. Your oblique point about those confronting them is well takenm however. The Chaos insurgency is largely denied the greater Powers. Maze could be their answer. In fact, it could probably provide immunity to being ensorcelled or enslaved, at least by sorcerous methods, just as we are. Immune, I mean. Domination would have to be by raw will, and that is wearing."

"And I agree, someone who created this would have to be an initiate of both Powers. Less likely is a cooperation between those with each. But we already know of at least two people with both Images contained within - Dara and Merlin. Given those examples, there are almost certainly others. Rinaldo is a good candidate in my book. If he inscribed it, or whatever one calls it, he is its living representative. If not, you are right, we do need to identify who that might be. "

[Thanos]

At the mention of Dara having the possibility of both the Logrus and the Pattern Heldrik looks over at his Aunt with a raised eyebrow.

"Erm…are we sure that Dara has essayed both. From the stories it certainly does not seem that she had both and it would seem that everything she did do was ascribed to sorcery. However, a counter theory might also explain Dara’s involvement in that with sufficient influence over the Logrus‘ actions, as she seems to have, might not she have convinced the Logrus itself to help create the Maze as a direct competitor to Corwin’s Pattern. With the Maze’s reliance on a power source, such as the Fount, it would have an easily exploited weakness. Later the Logrus could terminate or at least cripple it once it had served its purposes with relative ease or perhaps even subsume it into itself much like Merlin allowed the Pattern to do to one of the Brokens.”

"Proving that Luke is the patriarch could be relatively easy using an ensorcelled bullet fired by one of his own weapons. If he was about to die, Nightmare would be forced to protect him or loose part of herself...or so it would seem in theory. However, I do not ascribe to that theory in this case in that the Maze is not really the kind of Power that the Pattern or the Logrus are, which seem self sufficient where the Maze is not...yet."

[Wired*Nun]

"I think Dara is power-hungry enough to have done it after Merlin did, and cowardly enough to wait until he did it to make sure. That, plus some intel I have gleaned makes me think she has both...no, more than think, believe. I'm pretty sure, without proof. As for the rest...it's all theorizing. Good theorizing, but still only that. We need to proceed forward under our best assumptions, supported by the facts we know."

Ticking off on her fingers, she goes on, "First. We know that Rinaldo, Jasra and company either made the maze or were complicit in it. Second, I also believe that Corwin had a hand in it. Maybe he wanted to counterbalance his own Pattern, but I doubt he wanted a Nightmare running around. Third, without some luck or...or divine intervention on our side, Dara's cabal would have had the Fount and the Maze both, if Merlin hadn't made a very shrewd move and gotten the Hendrakes to take it over. Now, the Maze is gone, at least disconnected from its power, and the Fount is just the Fount again - useful, but not world-shattering. The Maze, however, remains a prize in the game. It leads back to - who needs another Power? Not wants - needs. Not Amberites, not Chaos. Someone else."

[Thanos]

"I do not think that it is someone else, but more like everyone else. Its an escalation between the primary powers and Order and Chaos. Everybody not on one side or the other is stuck inbetween. Logrus can destroy things with Primal Chaos. Pattern, I assume, can do something similar, but I have never tried on the high end...but making a Nuke work for a short time in a shadow where spears are the weapon of choice amounts to the same thing on a smaller scale I suppose. I guess what I am saying is that if I were a shadow dweller looking to get something even close to real in order to have a chance to fend off those with actual access to the primary powers I would certainly investigate and invest in Maze if I had a chance."

"I also had an interesting idea. What if I just walked into Kashfa asking for an Audience with King Rinaldo concerning a favor that he owes me for helping to save his mother and brother during the Hendrake take over of the Keep. Of course the favor I would ask is that he tell me everything he knows about Joss' death and who is/was behind it. You, of course, could be spying on him through any number of means using myself or something upon me as a focus."

[Wired*Nun]

"But we can't fight - or control - 'everyone else'. The game has to be rationalized to the most influential players. The key nodes must be identified. Taking - or destroying - Maze itself is only a temporary solution, albeit a necessary one. We have to do more than take away the tools. We have to get at the root of the problem, whatever imbalance is causing the pressure." She sighs.

"As for just walking in and asking Rinaldo to tell you the Truth - capital T - that's simply not going to accomplish much. Oh, you could ask, and he would tell you something, but he's still going to edit things to fit his agenda. That has to be backed up with pressure and promise. What does he value? His throne, to a certain extent, though he leaves a lot of it to his queen, which frees him to meddle and make Mazes and things like that. His mother, but he's got her back. His brother Dunstan, I believe...there's a pressure point, or a promise. He's of the Blood, we could offer him initiation on the Pattern as compensation for losing the Fount. We could extend help to look for another power source for the Maze - no, I have no intention of succeeding. What else can you think of?"

[Thanos]

"Well the imbalance seems to be that there are to many of the Blood running around on their own or being manipulated by others. If Luke, Dunstan, and Dalt all ended up dead in short order the number of unloyal and unsimpathetic Amberites would be significantly lessened. What we just might need is a culling of our own Blood before Amber starts looking like the Courts."

"As to Luke and the carrot and stick approach, that is a different story. I could systematicly remove some nobles of Kashfa that support him on the throne using his own elite guards weapon. That would give him problems at home to deal with to start with. As the problem continues without being resolved we could offer to help him, in the interests of stability in the region of course, for information leading to Joss' killer or those that conspired to kill him. Thats both stick and carrot I think. However, I do not think it will work."

Heldrik folds his arms find some object to focus on while he thinks for a few moments about all of this new information and again on the problem of finding Joss's assassin.

[Wired*Nun]

"Having an Amberite on the throne of a Golden Circle kingdom isn't a problem in itself, nor has Rinaldo made himself an enemy of Amber in the past...but he's gone too far, now. He thinks what he does is somehow not subject to Amber's sovereignty, and while in principle he might be right, in practical terms, Amber owns all the shadows it casts. I was never much for principle if it undermines the good of Amber."

Well, well, even Fiona engages in some self-righteous rationalizing and rewriting of history to make herself feel better. Still, she did back out of the whole Brand thing eventually...

"Dunstan is a bit player until he either regains the Fount or is initiated into Power. Dalt has always been clumsy, but if he sticks it out I don't mind it being chopped off. Assassinating him is a surefire way to piss off Rinaldo, being that he is both Uncle and father of his half-brother. You see, to take out an Amberite you either have to make it very untraceable, or very justifiable. Self-defense is always the best justification."


"As to Luke and the carrot and stick approach, that is a different story. I could systematicly remove some nobles of Kashfa that support him on the throne using his own elite guards weapon. That would give him problems at home to deal with to start with. As the problem continues without being resolved we could offer to help him, in the interests of stability in the region of course, for information leading to Joss' killer or those that conspired to kill him. Thats both stick and carrot I think. However, I do not think it will work."


"Why not? That's as good an idea as any. If Rinaldo is behind the assassination, it will drive him nuts to have it used against him, might make him slip up. If not, then whoever is may slip up and reveal themselves. The worst outcome would be if nothing happened. No, check that, the worst outcome would be if you were discovered and that turned Kashfa and all in it against us. So, rather than a 'systematic' campaign, how about just one assassination. Who should it be? Someone not too important to us, but important to him. If he's innocent, it might even motivate him to help find the killer, if he assumes both were killed by the same person."

[Thanos]

Heldrik looks back to Fiona and says, "It would give me an opertunity to test out an idea I have been throwing around in the back of my head. Basicly It involves layered shadow pockets giving access from one shadow, very far away, to another shadow through very small openings. Made with holes the size of a bullet it should be possible to be halfway across shadow and still be able to shoot somebody. Once the shot is made one just need to connect the shadow pocket link from the target shadow back to the shadow where the shot was made, making it a circle in upon itself and all but untraceable unless one knows where the shot was made from."

"Finding some shadow dweller to make the shot using Luke's own gun and ammunition would make things look like it was an inside job. Do you wish me to start making the preperations while you find out who the target should be?"

[Wired*Nun]

Fiona smiles a sharklike smile. "Heldrik, you're my kind of realist. Only weak link in that scenario is that they may already know the weapon is missing. It would be better if we used the weapon Benedict found after Joss' shooting, that resides in Amber's armory. I can switch the one we stole with that one, so no one in Amber is any the wiser. That way Rinaldo finds the shooter or weapon, it leads to the Joss shooter in Rinaldo's mind, and not to the recent theft of his rifle."

"As soon as we find out what comes of the forensics, you can start to set it up. I have two candidates in mind to die. One, the risky one, is Rinaldo's wife, demon lover and de facto ruler of Kashfa, Nayda. That might be going too far, though, if we want to stay covert. Rinaldo would never forgive or understand that one, even if we proved she was the Devil Incarnate. The other one is Farriq, the head of his secret police. The man is too damned efficient, and removing him will help our espionage efforts anyway."

[Thanos]

"If you can get me a picture of this Farriq then I can be about this business. I think that returning to Ember would facilitate things nicely. I could trump you when I am ready to make the move or just do it if you like? Also, what kind of time table would you like this to be accomplished on? Is there some special day it should be done?"

[Wired*Nun]

"Doesn't matter the timetable, as long as it's soon. Two days, how's that? No need to call until it's done." She takes out a piece of paper, making a pencil sketch of a skinny, balding, vulture-faced man. "This is him. Scry around the castle, you'll catch him somewhere."

Heldrik receives a Trump call.

[Thanos]

Why is it that whenever I seem to be on my way to actually doing something, I get one of these damn mental pings that means I am being trumped. Its worse than having a cell phone that you can just turn off for Unicorn's sake!

Heldrik pulls out his ACME 'Out to Lunch' sign and hangs it over his mind in an effort to tell whomever might be calling him to leave off so he can continue his conversation. Not knowing all that well exactly what he is doing, it should be completely obvious from the constipated expression on his face that he is resisting a trump call.

[Wired*Nun]

Fiona looks across her nose at Heldrik, and pauses in her dissertation.

When Heldrik is done resisting it, she says, "I think the nice security guard just glanced at us for the fourteenth time. Let's move on up to my place." Getting out of the car, she hands the keys to the hovering valet and heads for the elevators.

[Thanos]

"Ermmm, Sure. Sorry about that. I am just very uncertain about this incoming trump thing. Unlike some others, who seem to know who is calling, I do not seem to have that skill yet so I just don't answer most calls unless somebody else is willing to be reinforcements."

"Unless you were thinking of something else I will be heading for Ember when we get up to your place and I will contact you to get the other weapon before two Amber days are up."

If Fiona is OK with him leaving, he will Teleport back to Ember and increase the time flow to give him more time verses Ambertime. After a quick meal and hello to Grey he will pull out a trump of Landon and attempt to contact him, unless Grey has seen him around.

[Wired*Nun]

"What am I, chopped liver? I could have backed you up, if you'd wanted it." She says this lightly, as if just considering options, neither amused not critical.


"Unless you were thinking of something else I will be heading for Ember when we get up to your place and I will contact you to get the other weapon before two Amber days are up."


"Good. Teleport from my apartment, rather than here, though. No need to give anyone fits of wonder, and I try not to edit this shadow too much. It weakens things when one does that, and not only is Shadow Earth resistant to manipulation, it is such a useful place."

After the short ride up, Heldrik teleports to Ember and is shortly on the Trump to Landon.

[Thanos]

On the ride up to her apartment Heldrik explains that he did not want to impose and suffer the same repercusions that Rae gave him. Pulling up the Design he gives his favorite Aunt a kiss on the cheek and is off.

[Thanos]

Heldrik pulls Landon and Arthur through to Ember and offers both refreshment, which will be brought by servants.

"Well, seems that things are coming to a head in some ways and getting more muddied in others. I was hoping to pick your brain about the Maze and who its patron might be...i.e., its Dworkin...?"

[TreyKincaide]

Landon accepts a drink and looks around to get his bearings. He grins, "Well, Brother-in-Law today is your lucky day. That very reason brings me to your doorstep, or Dad's anyway. Don't be disarmed by my cheer. This is actually the first good thing that's happened in a hell of a long day."

"Ask your questions, and I have a proposition--more of a plea, really--to lay out before you for assistance in what I believe to be of vital importance to the security of Amber that may or may not coincide with this Maze business."

[Thanos]

“Well lets see. The shadows that formed around the Keep and the central Maze were designed and you were the first one through them or at least the first of us through them. You also had chance to meet Admundson first and get to know him somewhat better than all of the rest. I have recently had direct contact with Nightmare and wanted to see what you can make of it…”

Heldrik relays his conversation with Nightmare and the back scratching that was accomplished, if not exactly how it was done or who was with him at the time.

“Something that you may not know is that Luke has an elite guard in Kashfa that runs around with rifles exactly like the one Joss’ was killed with and that they also use Amber’s special gunpowder there as well.”

“The rub of it all is that I think that the Maze, Nightmare, and Joss’ death are all interlinked and I am trying to find puzzle pieces to fit together. I was hoping that you might have some further insights as to who would help create the Maze, who might be it’s Dworkin type figure, and who would want to frame Brand’s Family for Joss’ murder.”

An interesting thought though, what if Luke used Joss’ murder to get the right people to the Keep to get his mother out of a coma in order to save her from becoming a prisoner again of Hendrake…could Merlin have tipped him off early on about what the Hendrake’s were going to do? Did Luke not know about specifics but knew that without Jasra up and running 100% the Keep really didn’t have a chance of pushing back a serious attempt at take over? Did Luke have Joss killed just to save his mother and make it so obvious that he had it done that nobody would really lay blame on him because it was just a little to obvious…then again it could have been just a rush job and mistakes were made…???

Did Flora send him or is Landon off on his own crusade?

[TreyKincaide]

Landon strokes his beard listening along. His eyes flicker to the hilt of Heldrik's sword his expression neutral. He meets Heldrik's eyes as the rest of the story is relayed.

"Luke is creator of the Maze. He and it are one. I know this because I helped him move the Primal Design from the Keep when it fell to Hendrake. I had the oppurtunity to talk to him a bit afterwards, and while I think he's the creator I believe his design was perverted without his consent.

"Before we could confer further, I was forced in what I believe to be an elaborate ruse to flee on the back of the Demon that I arrived here with the other day. There is a lot going on in Kashfa and I believe a Shadow Sorceror, Farriq, to be at the heart of it. I am certain that Farriq and the entity that tortured me when I was abducted from the Maze room are one in the same leading me to think that he, like Nayda, is a demon capable of possession.

"As to whom wish Brand's Legacy maligned? Well, the same people who wish to twist his Maze to their own aims. Dalt for one. Whomever birthed this Nightmare for another. The middle ground is clamoring to knock Amber and the Courts off their high horses."

Landon pauses to pull out a crumpled pack of cigarettes. He offers one to Heldrik and lights one himself.

"Went out with Martin after you took off. Arrotel and I had a warning from Flora about him. It seems that Benedict killed Siodmak as a message to Random to get Martin in line before Benedict did it for him. After Brand stabbed him, he fell in with 'the bad crowd.'

"To cut a long story short, Martin and I found a Trump trap in the apartment of a whore who I later found out to be, at one time at least, attached to a dignitary party from Kashfa."

He slips out the cards, "Now these were stuck together with a wicked nasty Elmer's glue so that you use the top, it routes you to the bottom. Amateur job, but I'm pretty sure it was meant to be found.

"The top," he hands it across, "I found out is of Dara's ways. Martin recognized it and clammed up. The one underneath is," he passes the other, "of the Tower they, Fiona and Bleys I mean, imprisoned Bleys.

"I was hoping that you'd help scry out the Tower and lend your blade. It's a trap, but we need to know if Martin's on the level, and if not, catch him with his hand in the cookie jar."

[Wired*Nun]

Landon receives a Trump call.

[Thanos]

Heldrik takes the cig puts one end in his mouth to suck on after breaking off the filter, leaving it unlit.
"That certainly makes things clearer as to whom is doing what."

Well Fiona was crack on when she told me to take down Farriq guy...

"I guess I can do some scrying for you, but if I need to use my blade I will need to get some armor..."

Heldik stops as Landon's attention seems to be on something...

[TreyKincaide]

Landon looks at Heldrik, "Got a call. Might be Martin. Let me answer and then we can head to the armory to see if there's anything that'll suffice."

Landon opens himself up to the Trump. "Your dime."

[Wired*Nun]

From Heldrik's point of view, Landon goes catatonic, his eyes staring wildly at something he can't see.

The contact opens to the image of Saudra...and others. An impression of several faces sharing the link is all he gets before a psychic assault slams into his mind.

There are at least six of them, and they are stronger than he is, in total. He is driven to his mental knees from the surprise and shock, before he grits his mental teeth and tries to hang on.

A seventh face enters the contact, that of Farriq...and the barrel of a rifle, pointed directly at Landon.

[Thanos]

Well, if somebody was going to mind frell somebody, the look on Landon's face is about what I imagine the recipient would look like...one way or the other it doesn't look normal so I guess I will have to do something drastic.

With a roar and one swift motion Heldrik stands drawing his sword, pommel first, and slams it into his brother-in-law's head. This in an effort to knock him unconcious, much the same way that Corwin did to Benedict in the fight near the Black Road.

Hope this works and I don't have to hit him that hard again!

[Wired*Nun]

The method is arguable, but no one can fault the result. As Heldrik's blow rocks Landon's skull sideways, a bullet grazes Landon's cheek, taking with it a piece of his ear and the tip of Heldrik's little finger on his sword hand.

Blood droplets spray across their clothes, but Heldrik finds himself standing over an unconscious Landon, and after a moment, believes they are safe for now.

[Thanos]

Well hell, that has got to hurt.

Using his cloak, Heldrik stops most of the bleeding from Landon's face and ear with but a few moments of attention. He goes to his door and opens it yelling out for a guard to go get some medical supplies and to tell somebody to bring his wife and if possible Eric to him as soon as possible. Leaving the door open he resheaths his blade and uses a piece of his tunic to wrap his finger in.

When the guards arive he uses the materials they bring to do a problem job. If and when his wife and father-in-law arrive he explains what happened...

[Wired*Nun]

Landon comes around in only a moment, with a splitting headache and an insistent Trump call ringing his bell. Arthur's long tongue rasps over his face, alternating between worried whines and a repeated, "Wake up, boss! You okay?"

[Thanos]

"Sorry I had to do that Landon, it looked like you were getting mind frelled right in front of me..." The look on Heldrik's face is certainly sincere.

[TreyKincaide]

Fuck!" he says sitting on the ground holding his head in his hands. He blinks a few times rising to his feet. "Farriq, his whore, and their accomplices are all dead and if Luke stands in my way, he can join them," he spits and draws his blade.

He steadies himself on the wall with one hand and blood trails down his lip. "Thanks Heldrik. A split noggin's a hell of a lot preferable to a bullet between the eyes. You saved my life. I won't forget it."

"Insistent Bastards. They played their card, and it's the end of the game if they don't succeed so they're trying to make sure the job is done. They only managed to take me the first time, because there were 7 of em. I bet that between the two of us, we can make Farriq eat that gun. What do you say that we give them a little pay back?"

He reaches out his free hand to Heldrik, and if his cousin accepts, he'll accept the contact on his terms ready to drill into whomever's on the other side. His sword arm twitches in anticipation of running Farriq through.

[Thanos]

That is SUCH a bad idea!

"Shouldn't we wait till perhaps Gray gets here and at least make it 3 to 7? In addition, if they have guns, we should have guns and swords as well and perhaps armor. They are not going to give up for at least a little bit, let me get some stuff?"

[TreyKincaide]

He grits his teeth, "Look, I know how it sounds, but I know what we're up against, and I can't hold out much longer if they press it. You leave. They get through. I die. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense."

[Thanos]

Heldrik draws his sword, puts it and his arm behind his back out of sight, and then takes Landon's hand with his own left ready for whatever might lay ahead.

[TreyKincaide]

Landon smiles a deadly smile and nods. He accepts the call and gathers his will for a deadly assault readying his sword arm for a decidedly death thrust.

[Wired*Nun]

The contact resolves into chaos, not at all what Landon expected. Shock, pain, anger, six people and a rifle still pointed their direction are his first impressions. They do not have the singleminded focus he felt before.

[TreyKincaide]

Landon drills into Farriq with his sharpened will. He tries pulling Farriq onto his outstretched blade.

[Thanos]

Heldrik also hones in on the man holding the gun helping Landon pull him to his death while holding his own blade in reserve in order to fend off any physical weapons that could come their way.

[Wired*Nun]

The rifle falls out of Farriq's limp hands as the mental assault hits him, then he disappears from the link with a scream as he loses contact with those in it.

Saudra's face is full of fear just a moment before she turns over the card she holds, and the five disappear from the link.

Oddly, the link stays open, and there is a shadowy presence hovering in the blackness of mental space.

[Thanos]

"Who else is out there," questions Heldrik to Landon as he probes the darkness.


[guess I needed to clarify that Heldrik was speaking to Landon and not to the darkness.]

[TreyKincaide]

"No clue. The link should have faltered when Saudra flipped the card over. We have an unseen enemy or ally perhaps responsible for the pain and confusion that we experienced upon rejoining the link."


"Reveal yourself or allow us exit."

[Wired*Nun]

"Bastards," Raevyn hisses, then refocuses on her cousin(s?).

"Landon? Are you all right? I was calling for help but looks like you had your own trouble..."

[LynMars]

Rae grits her teeth in frustration 'Too much time...And sounds like the fight here's begun...Will have to keep our silent friends in mind for later, mark their scent for now, tell Landon he's got voyeurs later...C'mon, guys...'

She'll try one last time to focus on the card of Landon, to remake the connection to something resembling normal to allow them to hear her, and either way try to force through a mental message to get the point across that this little bird needs help.

"Can you hear me? I can't stay like this much longer..."

[TreyKincaide]

"Raevyn?" Landon's head swims as he takes in the scene. "I...I'll do what I can. I won't speak for Heldrik, but pull Arthur and me on through."


Landon wastes no time and brings up his Pattern sight readying himself for the fray.

[LynMars]

Rae visualizes for the both of them the brief scene at Corwin's house near Aurora, the Trump to Nightmare, and then the tense standoff in the cathedral, ending with her attempt to call for help and stumbling upon the previous instance.

"I'm not so sure what's going on now, except it seems the fight's been joined...This wasn't the best thought out plan, really."

[Thanos]

Ah hell, if Landon is going I should probably back him up...I really have to stop getting letting myself get dragged into these kinds of things.

Heldrik uses his index finger of his sword hand to lightly grasp Landon and uses his now free hand to pick up the table the drinks are on spilling them to the floor. With his impromto shield in hand he says,
"Pull us through Rae!"

[LynMars]

Raevyn starts to draw them through, relieved. "Thanks...I think we've got a bit more than we meant to...Don't hit Josh, he's the one with the tentacles, if a bit unrecognizable right now..."

[heading back to the other thread now, I think]