Roland, Heldrik, Katarzyna (ex Raevyn)

[LynMars]

Raevyn leaves the main hall, wandering the corridors idly, pondering.

'All right. I need a plan, a course of action--I need a clue. Maybe I should try Elress again, alone. It's a starting point, anyway. Then maybe talk to Luke and his family again, see how they are. Even though I feel like I'm going in circles on this by now. There's something else I'm missing...And I'm fairly certain Martin has something to do with it all; something else I need to ask Elress. Maybe. I don't know if I'm cut out for dealing with conspiracies and cabals and the like.'

Thoughts wandering now, her feet take a more decided course toward her chambers to create a sketch of the tavern in Rebma to more quickly reach it on her own.

[Wired*Nun]

Soon the sketch is done. It will be easy to step through. She wonders if she should leave the sketch because it will be destroyed by the water when she goes.

[LynMars]

Raevyn considers the sketch, then opts to leave it, ifshe can. She concentrates on the image of the watery scene, until it solidifies enough for her to step through to the street by the Pink Coral. With a look around--and a moment to adjust to the sudden change--Rae makes her way back toward Elress' house, wondering what exactly she was going to say.

Barring anything occuring between transfer and arriving at Elress', she'll go through the gate and knock on the door.

[Wired*Nun]

After the second knock, the door opens slowly. A falcon hovers, surreal, in the water in front of her. It opens its beak, giving an odd shriek, and turns to go back inside, leaving the door open in front of her.

Taking that as an invitation, she follows the bird inside, closing the door behind her. It floats dreamlike into the kitchen, where it perches on the back of a chair. In the chair next to it sits Elress, slicing off pieces of something vaguely oceanic and fruitlike, and eating them disconsolately. Her head is still wrapped in the bandages as before, and Elress fixes her one eye balefully on Raevyn.

"Back to torment me some more, cousin?"

[LynMars]

Raevyn clasps her hands behind her back, meeting Elress' gaze, trying not to sway a little. "I suppose I ought to apologize for before; Arrotel tends to speak before he thinks, and he doesn't seem all that up on social mores sometimes. He means well, I think, just has no sense of proper application.

"I really did want to see how you were, and apologize for it. And, maybe, ask about it all. Curiosity, partially, as to how we ended up in the situation we did."

[Wired*Nun]

"We ended up there because I'm a fool and a tool and a pawn. Gods, I need a cigarrette. You know I have to spend half an hour to hang one fucking spell to have one cigarrette here in Rebma? Whatever possessed Dworkin to cause this place, anyway? Too many cheap fantasy paperbacks?" She puts another piece of the whatever in her mouth and keeps chewing.

"And before you ask why I don't go, somwehere else, I'm under house arrest, indefinitely it seems. So it's either here or Amber, with this - " she holds up her wrist to show a blue bracelet twin to Raevyn's own " - to keep track of me. Hey, you've got one too...what the hell?"

[LynMars]

"Sorry, I'm not a sorceror, nor do I smoke, so I can't help you with that part, sadly."

When Elress calls attention to the bracelet, Rae frowns and toys with her own. "I got mine at the Keep, for other reasons. I guess it would also effectively work to keep track of me, if I were important enough for it, which I'm not."

She shrugs, clasping her hands behind her back, rocking on her feet slightly--as Elress hasn't offered a chair or anything, unsurprisingly.

"I guess it may have helped when I was captured, brief as it was. I must admit to curiosity about that, too, as it was the fellow with you and Siodmak who sent me there. Something about that guy..." She allows the thought to trail off.

'Not that I think you'll give up your cronies that easily--or would you, for maybe a little less jail time? Is believability all that stops you from doing it already, if it's who I suspect? If it is...Not good, in any way.'

[Wired*Nun]

Elress kicks a chair over to Raevyn with a jerk of her head, sit. She snorts, expels, "Don't underestimate yourself. You wouldn't have that on if one of them didn't want to keep track of you. And you don't have to play kittycat with me. I already told them everything I know. The problem is, they don;t know what to believe. They value my opinion as much as they do any other wild speculation from some unreliable source. That's me, Old Unreliable."

"But what the hell, I'll tell you. Maybe you will get to put in a word when it counts."

"The guy in black in the Maze chamber was Prince Martin...I see you already knew that, or thought you did. Though I was surprised to see Luke trying to interfere...it appears their cozy little cabal was showing a few cracks...or the two top dogs finally decided to fight it out, but got distracted when Big Brother showed up."

[LynMars]

Rae smiles sheepishly as she takes a seat. "I'm not that good with the games the others play, huh? It's just not my thing, I guess." She considers.

"Yes, I realized earlier that it may have been him. Luke was there because of Jasra, to deal with the Maze...You mean then that Luke and Martin have been working together for some time now?"

'I guess it'd make a kind of sense; Luke's not the most popular guy in the family, and if Martin's being rebellious for whatever reason...'

[Wired*Nun]

"Working together may have been too strong a term...coordinating some actions that benefitted both of them, warily of course. Sharing the new Power Luke and his mother cobbled together out of this and that. They are all just following each other in a big game of ring-around-the-rosy-dick-measuring one-upmanship. Everyone wanna be King of something, Dworkin of something, you know? Each of them envying the others their toys. Merlin's got uber-mom and a Throne and a Construct, so Luke's gotta have his, so Martin's gotta have them too, and Siodmak..." Here she gives a little sniff, and a toss of her head.

"I kinda liked him, too. I always like the losers. Anyway, Martin fucked up, somehow. Still not sure how, but...he has a lot of connections, a lot of chips to call in, a lot of acquaintances, if not really friends..." Elress reaches up with the paring knife to stroke her own cheek with its point, speculatively.

"I see I connected a few dots for you...so connect some for me. How bad does your father want the guy who killed your brother? How bad do you want him?"

[LynMars]

Raevyn traces patterns on the table top with one short fingernail as she considers Elress' question. "Badly enough. I don't like to think how far Dad may go, but knowing him...Badly enough. He feels, I think, that his siblings are hiding things from him, out of concern of what he may do in a temper, and that may be right.

"As for me...I met Joss at the Keep, and we didn't exactly have a lot of time to get to know one another. I was glad to find him and to introduce him to our father, and I was shocked and confused by his sudden murder. But in the end he was a stranger, albeit an almost familiar one."

She looks up at Elress again, and shrugs. "I'm not doing this for myself--I'm doing it because I said I would, because I was asked to. I want it, so I can fulfill a promise made, and maybe some of my own curiosity. After all, there's not much one can really do for the dead; they don't care about things like vengeance."

[Wired*Nun]

"Yeah, well, if I was him, I'd want the son of a bitch that done it's balls in my left front pocket, just for shits and giggles. I don't think it's out of concern for what he might do, though, from what I've heard. It's about upsetting someone, or something. Some kind of don't-rock-the-boat stuff. Which means finding the truth is being sacrificed to political expediency. Big surprise there."

After all, there's not much one can really do for the dead; they don't care about things like vengeance."

"Damn, girl! You sure you're from Amber? Or is that sweet an' innocent just a great cover?" She grins a sallow but genuine grin, and goes on, "Either way, it's a nice change from my usual convies, hey? But vengeance is for the living. Vengeance is to satisfy yourself, and to teach people not to fuck with you next time. When the state does it, it's called justice, and execution. Only thing is, what if you're the King? What is it then?"

[LynMars]

Raevyn shrugs one shoulder. "I was making a true observation, as too many times someone will take vengeance in the name of the dead, rather than admit, as you say, that it's for themselves--an attempt to salve a wound in a way they know how, which in our family often equates to more violence.

"Although I do get the feeling that I was rather effectively sheltered from a lot of the...Family routine, as it were.

"I would say, as the King, it's stability, if that's what this is about. Security. Despite the Unicorn's blessing and the public showing of support from his siblings...Well, he's still the new guy. People thought Oberon was immortal, as much a part of Amber as the Pattern, and could never be removed. But he's gone now, and now we know we must worry about the machinations of Chaos, and others besides. Can't be easy. Especially if his own son is part of the problem.

"So, who are they that worried about rocking that much then?"

[Wired*Nun]

"So, who are they that worried about rocking that much then?"

Elress shrugs. "Anyone that is too much trouble to confront directly. Like, Amber has too many enemies right now, so you gotta pick one at a time to take down. So, let's say that Rinaldo did it. I'm not saying he did, but for example. It's pretty damn direct. Random can't just take some territory, get some trade concessions, and call it even. It calls out for blood. But what if it's too risky to go head to head with Kashfa right now? He plays along nice-nice until its time. Or, he works in the black and in the open both, to find out who did it for sure and then cuts their balls off. If there's one thing Amber has, it's some good individual agents."

"Or, let's say it was from Chaos, even led back to Merlin. Merlin's the best friend Amber has in Chaos, and both sides know it. So Random won't do anything to shake Merlin's position, even if he has to overlook a family death to do it."

"Or, what if it was purely personal, and Random knew it? He can make a big show of investigation and eventually go to Gerard privately and present his findings, after things have cooled down."

She scratches one shoulder, contemplatively. "Or it could be an act of terrorism, to make Amber look weak. Martin and company aren't above that, to a certain extent. Just pissing into the soup. Their main goal seemed to be to carve out some power for themselves, though. Martin's got the typical gotta-prove-myself-to-the-old-man problem. I mean, when an Amberite parent is hundreds of years older than you are...how can you ever equal that? Normals can count on their parents aging to let them catch up. Not us. We'll always be inferior, unless somene dies. Maybe Martin wants to help that process along...but that doesn't lead to Joss."

[Wired*Nun]

Seeing Raevyn lost in thought, or perhaps confusion, Elress gets up to pull out a bottle of something. "Brandy," she says. She pours, and it seems to end up in the glass just fine. She passes a glass across, and takes a drink from hers. "I can never get over feeling just a tiny bit cold, here, no matter what I do."

[LynMars]

"Hrm? Oh, thank you. Sorry, just..." She sighs, swirling the brandy in the glass, watching the liquid and how it reacts to the water surrounding everything.

"I think I just feel like...there're a couple different roads to go down. They seem almost like dead ends, but that's really not it--more like I haven't got anything with which to pay the toll. I don't know which questions to really ask, or to whom, and everything I do find...leads off in another direction. Just...feeling kinda scattered, and helpless. As usual."

She drinks the brandy, contemplates the glass again. "Not bad. I understand the cold part. So why have a house here then? Or someone just stick you here?"

She hestitates, and smiles sheepishly. "And, um, sorry for the rant, there. I'm just...frustrated, I think. I even snapped at Heldrik for someone rather trivial, really--even if I still think he's silly for it...Anyway; you've got enough to deal with, without listening to me whine on top of it."

[Wired*Nun]

"I live here because there are some compensations, I have some friends here, and I can't stand Amber, not with all that...family around. You know, not the kind you want there, the kind you don't. Stifling. And I've tried setting myself up in shadow, but I just seem to screw it up. Martin says I'm terminally unwise, which is just a nice way of saying stupid. Random says I'm self-destructive, and he doesn't want me messing shit up around the Castle or town. They all just wish I'd go away, but now I'm under house arrest, which means here or there, and I don't want to be there. Hey, maybe you can get me released into your custody? I promise not to be trouble, I just want out of here. Maybe I can help you...I don't know, find some answers?" She looks at Raevyn hopefully.

[LynMars]

Raevyn blinks; she wasn't really expecting that. "I...huh. I don't know. Possibly. I don't know who I'd have to check with to get that arranged--well, who's the primary 'jailer' as it were? I guess I can ask, at least, and try. If you really wanna wander around with the person who shot you, anyway." She grins sheepishly.

[Wired*Nun]

"I'm under a Royal order, so you'd have to ask Random, or ask one of our aunts to ask him for you. I don't hold it against you. I was just along for the ride when Martin thought he could use Siodmak to do some dirty deeds even he wouldn't do. You were just defending yourself, I got in the way. Forgive and forget, live and let live," she says arily. "Come on, what do you say?"

[LynMars]

'This seems kinda sudden. Hrm. Is she sincere, or up to something again already, and thinks I'm an easy way out for it--and a convenient place to lay blame if she acts up again? Or am I just getting jaded like everyone else?'

Rae smiles, encouragingly. "We'll see what I can do. I don't know how much Random'd listen to me, I really haven't that much leverage in court, so far as I know, anyway. But we'll see."

She plays with her glass a little, then looks up at her cousin again. "What do you mean, when you say Martin wanted to use Siodmak for dirty work, exactly, if you don't mind my prying more?"

[Wired*Nun]

A sly smile plays across Elress' face for an instant, the vanishes before Raevyn is even certain it's there. "They already interrogated me about that, and I'm not supposed to talk about it without permission...but who knows, I might be persuaded it's in my interest if I was THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

This last is said with good nature and dramatic, if manic, flourish. "But I won't promise anything, especially as they might be bugging this place, despite my best efforts."

[Wired*Nun]

Raevyn receives a Trump call from Roland.

[LynMars]

"I've said I'll see what I can do, and if you can't promise anything, then I really can't either, you know. We'll see how it works out..."

She head tilts slightly as she feels the Trump contact. "Excuse me a moment, please, I'm getting paged. If I happen to leave suddenly, I have actually enjoyed this--I'm glad to see you seem to be doing better."

She turns her attention to the call finally. "Yes?"

[Shutter]

"Hey Raevyn." He seems somewhat distracted, like something worrisome just caught his attention. "Do you...Oh, you seem to be underwater. I was hoping you could spare some time to talk with me in private. If you're busy though I can catch up with you again in, say, a few hours?"

[LynMars]

"I think we were about done here, actually; anything further I would have to do from Amber anyway, if that's where you are now, and it's that urgent."

There does seem to be a sense of wanting to leave there, allowed to come through their contact.

[Shutter]

Roland extends his hand.

"Right this way then..."

[LynMars]

If Elress has nothing else to say on the matter, Rae spares her a friendly and apologetic smile before taking Roland's hand and stepping through, dripping, to his location.

"Hello; thanks. I was talking to Elress. It was going all right, much better than before, but..." She frowns, shakes her head a little, sending water droplets flying. "She's very...contradictory. And a little...off, I guess. One moment, things were all right, and the next, I was very uncomfortable. She..."

Rae stops herself. "Nevermind. I'll get to that in a moment. What did you need, Roland?" She smiles up at her cousin.

[Shutter]

Okay...If I'm being watched by Flora, or anyone else, the jammer would probably be noted...but I don't want to have to lie to Raevyn even temporarily...damned intrigue and shadiness.

"I haven't actualy come up with anything new, per se, but I think I've got a good line on something new and useful. Are you up for a small trip?" He asks. Elress? Wonder if she learned anything new...

[LynMars]

"Where to? I'm sure I could...You know, I should really go dry off instead of drip on your carpet. Would you mind holding that thought for say, half an hour, so I can get changed. Meet me at my room, tell me what's going on then?"

'And it's kinda chilly in here...'

[Shutter]

Roland blinks. Bah, idiot.

"Yeah, of course. Here, let me grab you a towel real quick." He ducks in to the washroom, returning with a nice dry towel.

"It'll keep you from dripping too much on the way to your room." He says with a weak smile. "I'll see you in half an hour."

"Thanks Rae."

[Wired*Nun]

[Barring unforeseen circumstances, they soon meet at Raevyn's quarters, where she is warm, dry and dressed. I presume.]

[LynMars]

Rae takes the towel with a thankful smiles, and makes her way to her room, where she does indeed get warm, dry, and redressed. She also has hot tea brought up, ready for when Roland arrives.

"Have a seat, and some tea, if you'd like. What did you need to discuss?"

[Shutter]

"Thanks for the tea." He sips politely, but isn't really in the mood for hot tea. "Well..." He looks around at the walls briefly...Trump spying...physical spying...

"I gotta say I'm paranoid about spying right now. Would you be willing to come with me while I get ahold of Josh and then I can spell it out for you both somewhere private? I liked the way he described his home as properly warded against eavesdropping."

[LynMars]

"Oh. I don't mind, no. If necessary, I have a Trump of his home, though I'm not quite sure where he is now--actually, for all I know, he could be here. If that's how you'd rather do it. I need to get a hold of Random too, at some point...But I think that can wait a little bit really..." She contemplates a moment, then nods to herself.

[Shutter]

"Well, let's start by seeing if he's up for a visit eh?" Roland reaches to his belt and shuffles out Josh's Trump. "Unless you want to do the honors..." Unless Raevyn is just itching to make the call herself, he focuses on the Trump, extending for contact.

[LynMars]

"No, you go ahead." She sips some tea and waits, watching.

[Wired*Nun]

Contact comes immediately. Roland almost gets the impression Josh was waiting for the call - or at least a call.

Josh is sitting in what appears to be his studio back in Jorden, the signs and appurtenances of painting scattered about.

"Roland! Hows things?" he says brightly.

[Shutter]

"Things are good cousin. Are you up for two visitors, a brief story, and then a trip?" He replies with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

[Wired*Nun]

"Absolutely. Coming here, I presume? It's more secure," he says unneccessarily.

If they come through, they will soon retire to the kitchen table to talk, with a pot of tea and whatever else may be dsired, and the servants shooed away.

[Shutter]

Roland looks over to Raevyn, "Ready to go?" If she is, he'll gather her in to the connection and pass through.

[Shutter]

In the kitchen Roland waits a bit while everyone gets comfortable. When the time is more or less ripe he starts talking.

"Well, I guess I'll just sum up the last few of my hours and you'll see how it applies to you pretty rapidly. We're safe from eavesdropping here right Josh?" Assuming that's still the case...

"I was down at the pattern, drawing a fortune, meditating, more or less asking the Pattern for a bit of guidance. I didn't expect it to do anything, maybe shape the fortune a bit, that's all. Dworkin heard me though, through the Pattern, as they're somewhat the same. He chided me for laying myself so open to such powerful influences. Fair enough."

"We drank some coffee and chatted a bit about the world at large, the things going on. Specificaly the destabilizing influence of the Maze, and it's avatar Nightmare. It dawned on me that I still had Asmundson's Trump of her in my bag. Dworkin was pleased and gave me a...task, mission, quest, job...asked me to do something. Take the Trump to Corwin, advise him as to what it is. He said that Corwin would need the Jewel of Judgment, and that the three of us would be needed to help out. To neutralize the Nightmare. He also told me to inform Julian and Gerard. No one else, certainly not the king." Would he have had me tell Caine?...

"So, here we are, I told Julian and Gerard, I think I did so relatively secretly, and now I'm telling you both. That's the story that applies here, and I was hoping you'd both agree to come with me, to help." He pauses and lets his giving a speech posture fall away. "Thoughts? I might have missed something tremendously important I guess, but I don't think I did."

[Wired*Nun]

Josh looks thoughtful, then replies. "There are a lot of details left out of that tale, I'd guess, and a lot of questions. And the old man wants us to back up Corwin in attempt to do something? Neutralize? What does that mean? Is Corwin going to kill it? Imprison it? What are its powers? Can it cast a a blood curse? Wow, to put it mildly. On the other hand...he knows a lot, and if he says we're needed...and if you two are going...I guess I'm in."

He puts out a hand to pat Raevyn's arm, somewhat hesitantly.

[LynMars]

Rae follows Roland through, smiling to Josh as they step through. She sits at the table, sipping on a new cup of tea provided. As she listens to Roland's spiel, her eyes widen a little, and then she frowns and considers.

"That's...quite the story. Not quite what I was expecting, really. If it needs done, then I guess I'll do what I can to help...although I don't know why he suggested me along in this. I'm neither a warrior or a sorceror."

As Josh reaches over to pat her arm, Rae smiles at him again, somewhat shyly, and briefly puts her own hand over his. Then she glances Roland's way, and almost blushing, removes it again, self-consciously.

[Shutter]

Roland shakes his head slowly at Josh's questions.

"I don't know Josh. I'd assume kill. An imprisoned or neutralized demi-god strikes me as a dangerous thing. No idea about the blood curse. Huh, for that matter can Chaosites do that? Or just our family?" Did Caine get a chance to get his off I wonder?...

"You're right though. There are a lot of unknowns. I'm going with it basicaly on the weight of the principals involved. Dworkin and Corwin I like, but the Nightmare...I find the argument that it needs to go persuasive."

A smile starts to creep on to his face when Rae and Josh begin playing elbows. He turns to a window to hide it and give the two room to flirt in peace.

[Wired*Nun]

"Maybe it's not...ummm....maybe it's your mental strength, or your Trump expertise, or...I don't know. You did get Jasra out of imprisonment, that the Nightmare put her in. That shows you have something going for us that the others don't, maybe. Some kind of sensitivity...or something." He stops, awkward once again, looking absentmindedly contemplative, staring at a point on the wall...

"Yeah, kill it. I guess. Is it really a demigod? Is it some kind of a synthesis? Is it even physical? A construct? Maybe that's why Corwin needs the Jewel, to find out what it is..."

[Shutter]

Roland nods along while Josh rattles off Raevyn's utility on a task like this. Obvious to anyone who's been in Trump contact with her. Hell, if anyone doesn't belong here it's clearly me.

"Once again Josh, questions I can't answer. It aspires to be something like the Unicorn I think. Or at least it's design aspires in that direction."

[LynMars]

"Well, then, I guess the next thing to do would be to contact Corwin, wouldn't it? If we're all in agreement on this, anyway." Rae still looks a little uncertain, but if the other two are going, she will too.

"Um, where is the Jewel these days, anyway?"

[Shutter]

"Last I heard it was stuck in Corals head...If we are all agreed and ready I can make the call then." Roland turns back to Josh and Raevynn, shuffling out the Trump of Corwin.

[Wired*Nun]

"Yeah, all right be me. But are we ready to go? Let me get a few things first, and do you guys need anything? Supplies, blades, horses?" Josh stands up, energetically, ready to dash off and get whatever is needed.

[Shutter]

Roland grins at Josh. Good man, jump to action.

"I'm sufficiently armed I think. But then, I set out this morning on a general mission of unknown destination and danger...Totaly unrelated to this though. More than fair if you need some time to prepare."

[LynMars]

Rae nods. "I should probably make sure my usual art supplies are refreshed, anyway, if Josh doesn't mind my commandeering his materials. Otherwise...I don't really need much, I don't think. Besides, if we go to see Corwin, he'll maybe have a good idea of what we'll need to prepare for...whatever we end up doing, I think, assuming he goes along with it as well. Other than that, he'd probably at least show hospitality for a little while."

[Shutter]

Roland nods. "Sounds good. Shall we meet back, here in say, 30 minutes? That assumes that you don't mind us running around your home for half an hour Josh. I'll be good of course. But Raevyn...well, you never know with her." He manages to hold off the teasing smile for a couple of seconds.

[Wired*Nun]

"Umm yeah, right, she's such a hellion. Not like she's been hanging around with Elress or anything. Let's go up to the studio, get whatever you need, Rae." Josh leads the way up to get materials, stuffing a wooden box into a traveling bag, saying, "Take what you need. Meet you back in the kitchen." He dashes off.

Raevyn feels something warm and wet against her ankle, and starts, whirling around to see Lester looking up at her with big black puppy eyes put on. He shrugs at her look.

[Shutter]

The little list in Roland's brain that adds up ways in which Josh is sketchy and worrisome ticks up by one. Elress? Coincidence?... He lets it pass without mention, or even a glance. Sketchy or not, I like the kid.

[LynMars]

"Hey now..." Rae replies, pouting at the two men though she doesn't really mean it. She jumps when Lester comes up to her, then giggles.

"You little sneak." She bends down and scoops up the large rodent. "How're you doing, Lester?" She scritches him a little, carrying him with her as she gets ready.

[Wired*Nun]

Lester eats up the attention, rolling over on his back and begging to be tummyrubbed. "Oooooo kaaaayyy," he squeaks enthusiastically.

As she gathers up paints and things, he hops down suddenly and, looking around with an exaggeratedly covert manner, runs over to open a small drawer after unlocking it with one retractable claw. Reaching in, he pulls out a small bottle of what appears to be gold paint, then relocks the drawer and scurries back to her to hold up the prize in one paw.

[LynMars]

Rae frowns, bending down to take and examine the liquid. "What's this, why was it locked away, and do you really think Josh'd want me to take it, if it's something particular?" She distractedly scratches the rat while looking at the bottle.

[Shutter]

Roland just raises an eyebrow and watches Raevyn ask a fairly complicated series of questions of a rat. Albeit a very smart rat, a rat who has stood in battle at Roland's side. But still a rat.

[Wired*Nun]

Lester screws up his face and whiskers, as if unhappy he can't articulate what he wants to say. Then, he runs over to a pad of paper, grabbing a charcoal pencil and rapidly sketching something.

After a moment, he turns the pad to show a picture - rather well drawn - of a unicorn. A paintbrush hangs, oversized, next to the unicorn, as if an unseen hand is painting with it.

Pushing the drawing into her hands, Lester puts up one finger before his lips and hisses, "Shhhhhhhhh!"

[Shutter]

What in the...

[LynMars]

Raevyn blinks. She looks at the painting, at Lester, up at Roland. 'I wasn't really expecting that. Ask a rhetorical question...'

Without really thinking about it, she puts the vial in her case, still looking at the paper.

"We...should probably get going..."

[Shutter]

Roland gives Raevyn the verbal nudge to get moving again. "Got everything you need?" He sounds a little far off and puzzled.

Ok self, you've got maybe half an hour to figure out what just happened before they get back, loaded up with new paint.

Once everyone arrives and pronounces themselves ready, Roland will get out Corwin's Trump and try to make contact.

[LynMars]

Rae nods, pondering, and finishes getting together whatever she needs. Then she meets with the other two, sticking Lester on her shoulder so long as he doesn't grab her hair.

"Troublemaker as always here. I'm ready, I think. Sorry if I took too long."

[Wired*Nun]

Roland gets back first, then Raevyn with Lester. The rat hops off and rummages in the cupboard, coming up with a box of crackers almost as large as he is, and begins stuffing them in his mouth.

Josh strides back in after a few moments, dressed in tough black trousers, burgundy long sleeved shirt, and black leather vest over it. In the back of the vest they can see several knives in integrated sheaths. Over this he tosses a lightweight leather jacket, and shoulders a brown leather backpack. He has a Trump case on his belt, and two gold rings on his hands.

"All right, I'm ready. How are we going?"

[LynMars]

"It's Roland's show right at the moment, I believe. Up to him, but I think he's got a Trump there to start with, anyway."

[Shutter]

"Trump is the plan." Roland continues to stare at Corwin's Trump searching for contact.

[Wired*Nun]

"Ahhh...right. Well, best to let me know these things aforehand, as this shadow defaults to blocking everything not addressed to or from me without my express permission."

Josh closes his eyes and makes a motion with his hand, and the lack of contact suddenly abates, with the feeling of a melting wall of ice. That sensation transforms into a sense of distance, of reaching, speeding into a vast open space then narrowing to find its chosen target.

Contact.

Corwin reins in his horse, a stretch of grumbling night sky visible behind him. He is dressed Western fashion, in a slicker and leather trousers, even a dilapidated hat to shield him from the impending rain.

"Roland," he states in expectant acknowledgement as he overlaps his hands and rests them on the saddle-horn, rolling one shoulder as if in fatigue or stiffness.

[Shutter]

"Hello again Uncle." Roland says with a smile. "Could I, Raevyn, and Josh come through to talk?" If he agrees, Roland nods at the others, and goes along when they all step through.

[Wired*Nun]

Corwin looks backwards at the angry sky, then at Roland. "You're not mounted. I wouldn't advise it right now. I'm trying to outrun a storm. In fact, I wouldn't mind coming to you. Find a place that will take my mount."

Josh says to Roland, "Come on down to the courtyard." Without waiting for a reply, he takes Raevyn's hand and rushes them downstairs, and out into the courtyard in front of the stables.

Assuming Roland follows, Corwin reaches for Roland's hand as soon as they are there. "Good timing," he says. "I was starting to consider Trumping out myself. Josh, Raevyn."

[LynMars]

Raevyn nods to Corwin, staying near Josh and keeping quiet, though inwardly wondering where Corwin was that was so bad he wasn't able to shift Shadows away. For now, though, she listens, and waits for Roland to explain the situation to their uncle, idly wondering how her cousin intends to present it to him.

[Wired*Nun]

Josh obliquely asks the question Raevyn was wondering about.

"Task or trouble, Uncle?" he says as he shakes Corwin's hand.

"Both, in a way. There is a lot of disruption on the edges, where the shadows of Amber, Aurora and - sometimes or - Chaos meet. Things had started to stabilize a while back. Then the Maze got moved, and I think, something else ugly happened as well nearer Amber. I was trying to suppress some of it. Smooth it over. Easier to do when there. Some kind of backlash was coming, something I wasn't sure I could have managed."

[Shutter]

Interesting. How much trouble will ensue if we succeed?

"Glad we could help a bit then." Roland starts to point Corwin at the refreshments, but checks himself when he remembers this isn't his home. Who knows what rules of quest right Josh might hold to...

"Want to catch your breath for a moment? Or would you prefer to cut directly to business?"

[Wired*Nun]

Corwin looks around, as if testing the weather, flapping his duster twice to air it out, incidentally revealing Greyswandir strapped to his side. He shakes his head.

"Much as I'd like to clean up, I've already been gone for too long. I need to go home...keep my eye on things. Sometimes Aurora is like a child...with the ability to wipe out whole worlds. Kind of like Ghostwheel was with Merlin for a while there, I guess. Why don't you come along, and tell me the business there?"

Shuffling out a Trump, he looks over at Josh for permission. "It's all right," says Josh.

Grunting acknowledgment, Corwin holds out his right hand while concentrating on the Trump in his left.

[Shutter]

Roland nods and makes ready to follow along, grasping part of Corwin's hand, leaving room on it for everyone else.

[Wired*Nun]

[presumably, for now] Raevyn and Josh join hands with them, making Roland think for a moment of the cover of The Three Musketeers that resides in his father's library.

One Trump step and they arrive about an hundred yards from the back of Corwin's small house near Aurora. They walk through thick wildflowers under light orchard cover, Corwin's horse snatching an apple from a tree limb in passing. As if in agreement, Corwin puts away the Trump and reaches up to grab one himself, gesturing with soon-full mouth that they might do the same. Anyone who does will find the apples sweet and crisp, as good as any they have tasted.

Leaving the horse to graze in the yard while pulling off the saddle and tack, they enter the house through the back door. Corwin calls, "Coral! We have guests."

"Just a minute!" comes the faint reply from the front yard. Looking out the front window, they can see her standing up from working in the garden. A moment later she enters. "Coral, Raevyn, Roland, Josh, in case anyone hasn't met anyone else. Let's make some lemonade."

Not much longer, and they are sitting at the picnic table in the back yard, umbrella shade up, iced lemonade in their glasses. Corwin pours a splash of Jacky Danniels Ouldest out of the smoked brown bottle into his glass, offering it to the rest. Coral sits down, close beside Corwin, seeming to draw strength from him in a family sort of way. Her eyes are clear, but a little weary and sad.

After a long cool drink, Corwin asks, "So, maybe you can explain why you are here -- Roland?"

[LynMars]

Rae follows along through the Trump, eyeing the orchard and the house, smiling at the pictureque setting as she takes one of the apples.

She nods and smiles to Coral as she enters, and joins the others at the picnic table. She forgoes the alcohol for now, content with the lemonade alone, waiting, letting Roland explain to Corwin and Coral, especially as he'd been addressed first.

[Shutter]

Roland takes an apple, greets Corral with a deep bow Two eyes? Interesting..., and passes on the whiskey for now. Eventualy he is called upon to speak. 3rd time I'll have told this story today...

"A few hours ago by my time I found myself on the side of Kolvir having a cup of coffee with Dworkin. While we were talking I suddenly remembered that in my satchel I had a Trump painting of Nightmare, made for me by one of her fanatics. Since we'd been talking in part about the destabilizing and violent influence of the Maze and Nightmare on...well on reality, I mentioned it to him. And...I think I can quote him here:" Roland casts his voice in a poor but respectful Dworkin impression.

"Take this Trump to Corwin. Tell him that this is his competition, and that he will need to use the Jewel. He will need you, too, and Raevyn, and Josh, so gather them up before you go." His voice returns to its normal tone. "He also bid me tell Julian and Gerard, but to tell no one else, certainly not Random. I agreed with what I took to be his purpose, so I told them, and unless I was spied upon rather well I told no one else."

"And now here we are." Have I just been the tool of an insultingly obvious manipulation, or is Corwin going to be pleased by this?... He takes a drink of lemonade trying to stay clear calm and focused.

[Wired*Nun]

Corwin and Coral both sit back, brows furrowed, in uncannily similar attitudes. They glance at one another, then laugh, breaking the tension.

"After you, my dear," says Corwin.

"All right, dear brother. Well, the most obvious issue, on which all others depend, is, we don't have the Jewel...do we, Roland?" She looks at him with a strange expression on her face, which in another setting he would have interpreted as...lust? Hunger? Mixed with a dose of fear and loathing indeed...what in seven hells does this mean?

Corwin concurs, "Yes, Roland...none of it makes any sense unless Dworkin was giving us back the Jewel...even for this one use. Did he give you something? Anything?"

Josh grips Raevyn's hand under the table, harder than a friendly or even loving caress, almost as if warning her of something. He is looking intently at the tableau. She notices a flash of grey near Josh's leg, as if Lester just slipped off somewhere.

[Shutter]

Roland's reflexes want to flirt back to such a look, but the context derails them and instead he just blinks back at Coral at first. Then the questions sink in and he shakes his head slowly.

"No, to my knowledge he gave me nothing. I guess he could have put it on me without me noticing." He sounds doubtful but pushes back from the table and begins a quick but reasonably thorough search of himself and his satchel.

"If this fails perhaps I should Trump him?" He asks while he pats himself down.

[Wired*Nun]

All eyes fix on Roland as his hand falls on the chain of a pendant in the bottom of his satchel, somehow unnoticed until now. He draws it forth.

On the end, half-expected, redly dangles possibly the most powerful artifact in existence.

Coral looks at it and begins to shiver, like an addict in the throes of withdrawal...or anticipation. My Precioussss...echoes through Roland's thoughts, unbidden. Josh sits back, somehow smugly satisfied at something.

Corwin stands abruptly, catching Coral by the shoulder and spinning her around, shaking her. "Fight it! You're better than this! We knew this day would come, so hang on. We'll help you. Right now, go see Aurora. I'm sure she already knows it is here. Go, talk to her." He pushes her gently off into the house, where she stumbles, crying.

Corwin turns back to the others. "Raevyn, maybe...can you see to her? I'm not the right one for that, even if I didn't have to deal with this."

[Shutter]

Roland gazes at the Jewel in awe. Well I'll be.... Coral's reaction takes him off guard, but then makes sense. Ah, that's what the look was about. She could sense it... With the Jewel and Coral to see, Josh's expression is completely missed.

"Will she be alright?" He asks Corwin. His eyes keep going back to the pendant, the chain wrapped around his fingers, the depth that just begs to be stared at. Don't want to look too closely, who knows... He holds the Jewel out to Corwin.

[Wired*Nun]

Corwin takes the Jewel of Judgment gently in his left hand, cupping it, allowing Roland to drop the chain into his palm. Wonderingly, offers, "That explains a couple of things, like how you were able to reach me easily even when I was having trouble myself, and why I sensed its presence, but not from your mind, when you called me. It also reminds me yet again that Dworkin is still a hell of a lot farther ahead of me in this whole Grand Old Wizard shtick, even if I do have my own Pattern to tend."

He slides it into the pocket of his pants, sitting back down and taking a long drink off his lemonade. In a more normal tone, he goes on. "Let's see this Trump painting of yours."

[Shutter]

Roland pulls out the painting, somewhat worried that Corwin dodged his question. He's probably distracted... He passes the painting, face down, into Corwin's hands.

[LynMars]

Raevyn looks at Josh when he grips her hand, glancing worriedly at Coral, especially after Roland reveals the Jewel and Corwin admonishes Coral.

When Corwin asks her to see to her aunt, Rae blinks, then nods. "I'll see what I can do...If you need me, call of course..." She heads to the house, idly wondering what Lester's up to now even as she tries to see where Coral went to.

[Wired*Nun]

Raevyn finds Coral inside, aimlessly wandering, gardening gloves in her hands. Seeing Raevyn, she stops, wiping her face and smiling. "I'm really better than this, you know. I just lived with that thing in my head for so long, that now that it's gone, it's like I lost a limb."

[Wired*Nun]

Corwin takes the small painting, looking at it briefly before turning it back down. "So. If it works, it will either call or provide direct access to some kind of...creature. We have to assume it is powerful, but we have no idea what it can do. Was it weakened when the Maze was unplugged? I have acquired abilities, but how should I use them? The avatars of the Logrus and Pattern blew a chunk out of Castle Amber, and that didn't seem to hurt either one of them. My instincts are probably wrong. Since Dworkin sent the Jewel to me through you, I have to assume you have some insight, some role. Maybe I'm too close to the subject." He rubs his chin and mouth with one hand, then idly scratches at a flaw in the table as he thinks.

[Shutter]

"I'm just a blade. Magic and the higher mysteries aren't my forte. Josh and Raevyn know more in that line than I do. When Dworkin described the task I assumed that they were the useful ingredients, and I got to tag along because I had the painting. I'll happily rack my brain, but I'll tell you now, I don't expect a lot of information on the Nightmare to be forthcoming." He looks over to Josh questioningly. Damn I wish Raevyn were still here...

[Wired*Nun]

Josh looks from one to the other, then says cautiously, "I don't...ummm... I don't think Dworkin thinks in terms of technique any more. He's strategizing. Unless you think he picked you on a whim...maybe he trusts you. You're steady." Josh looks a bit discomfited by this line of conversation, but plows on. "I'm not...steady, I mean. Raevyn is, but she's not confrontational. P....umm, Corwin is...well, maybe he's the centerpiece, but he can't be...do...everything. Obviously Coral isn't completely...stable, sorry, Uncle, no offense. Maybe you're...you're like Frodo, and Aragorn, in one." He shrugs again, and lapses into a bleak silence and sits back, as if this line of thought has exhausted him.

"Roland," remarks Corwin, turning to him directly, "Before Patternfall, I didn't know a tenth of what I do now - but I took the throne, created a new Pattern, caused the old one to be repaired, caused the death of my brother I now regret, lost a sister and another brother, and sired the King of Chaos...in no particular order, and you'll have to judge the rightness of my causes yourself. But I changed the course of...of everything. Me and my free choices. You can, too."

Corwin pours a slug of bourbon on his now-lonely ice cubes in the lemonade glass, sipping thoughtfully. "I'm sure your role will occur. I may not trust Dworkin's intentions...but I trust his foresight."

[Shutter]

Roland sits there thinking. Nightmare....Nightmare...she has wacked out followers. He smiles at the line about Frodo and Aragorn. When Corwin starts the smile turns a bit strained.

"Thanks for the kind words, both of you. I know I have merit and all that, just at the moment when the topic is What do we know about the Nightmare, well, there we're a bit past my knowledge."

Never would have thought this family would take self-deprecation so seriously. I need to cut that out.

[Wired*Nun]

Corwin thumps a hand on the table, tossing off his drink, and standing up. He draws forth the Jewel, draping the heavy chain around his neck, its redness gleaming like a crystal heart upon his chest.

Seeming suddenly certain, he states with arch cockiness, "I haven't gone charging off blindly to do anything foolish in a while. I guess I'm about due. Let's go see Aurora, then we can plan it, and then do it. I'm sick of tinkering around the edges. I'm sick of pushing pieces. Gentlemen, let's get the ladies and get onto the board."

The change come over him is startling, a presence and vitality that radiates like heat. It's like every user of the Jewel gives up a piece of himself to it, only to be regained when it is worn...I wonder what that says about Random...or Coral...

[Shutter]

Roland pushes back from the table and stands at the ready. Gods...That thing works quickly on it's old masters. Course...Corwin didn't really have it all that long did he? I wonder what it does over a couple hours in a backpack?...probably nothing.

[LynMars]

Raevyn smiles, walking closer to give Coral a squeeze on the arm if she allows. "It's all right; I can't imagine it's easy. A thing like the Jewel...It must be a worse rush than any drug, in it's own way. But Corwin's right; you're tougher than that, and you'll get past it. We'll help you do so."

She draws back a bit, arms almost hugging herself now, and she looks back outside, frowning a little. "At the same time, though, you likely have insights about the Jewel and how it is that no one else--maybe not even Dworkin--does." She looks at Coral again and smiles.

"When Amberites actually manage to work together on something--well, there isn't really much that can stop us, it seems. Just have to lend a small measure of trust to those around you. That's really the hardest part, I think. But often worth it.

"If you think you need a bit more time, that's okay. But really, at least one of us should go check on the boys before they get themselves into trouble." She grins.

[Wired*Nun]

Coral impulsively hugs Raevyn for a moment, trembling, then puts her at arms lengths. "I used to be tough. I'm trained to fight, with my hands, blades...but that thing just...ate a big chunk out of me. Not that it didn;t give a lot back. You're right. I'm untrained in sorcery or any of those other mystical things...but I lived with the Jewel and I know its ways. I danced with it..."

She wanders off in her head for a moment, then shakes free of the reverie. "Yes, we will work together. Corwin and I have accomplished a lot ourselves, here...so many things. Now we will do more, with your help."

About that moment, Corwin comes in the back door, painting in his hand and Jewel jucked into his shirt, with Roland and Josh behind him. He has a determined look in his eye.

"We're getting started. I've been lost in thought too long, dear sister. So have you. Now it's time to do, and be done. Let's go see Aurora."

[LynMars]

Rae is hugged, and hugs back. She nods in response to Coral, taking her aunt's hand for a reassuring squeeze as Corwin comes in with his pronouncement.

"Things could get a lot more interesting very quickly."

[Shutter]

Roland tries to catch Raevyn's eye and raise an eyebrow in an is she alright? sense.

[Wired*Nun]

Leading the way out the front door, Corwin rapidly shifts the little way to the Primal plane. A few moments later, they stand before the flat, crimson glowing platform that contains the sister Pattern Aurora. The red '57 Chevy convertible stands under the tree branches of Yggdrasil's seed, now grown larger with age and holding its clutch of ravens in its branches.

"What do you think?" he asks to no one in particular.

[LynMars]

Rae returns Roland's gaze, half-shrugging one slim shoulder in response. She follows the others, taking in the tree, the birds, the car, the Pattern itself, studying it all with an artist's eye for the details.

"Picturesque is the word that comes to mind. Peaceful, too, though it seems we aim to change that soon."

[Shutter]

"It's beautiful." Roland murmurs. Never a talkative appreciator, all you'd have to do is look at his face to see he's moved by the scene.

[Wired*Nun]

"Each Pattern represents order." Corwin looks around, as if contemplating the scene for future memory. "It's always peaceful within perfect order. But you know what?" Corwin turns to Roland. "That isn't my life. Aurora can stand on her own, and Coral can play big sister. The universe can take care of itself. You hear that, Aurora?"

The Pattern pulses redly, yesss.

"We're going to take care of one big problem for you. In return, you will settle for less. You will act wisely. You will minimize disruptions. You will not impose order by force. Remember your weakness, and your vulnerabilities. I made you, and I and my seed can unmake you."

Yesss.

"You will also allow things now in this place that you might not otherwise. It will not be easy to destroy the child of two gods."

Agreed.

A blaze of outrage from Corwin, unexpected, as he steps to the edge of his creation, drawing Greyswandir. "Do not presume to play the peer. Respect your elders." He places the tip of the blade at the edge of the polished stone, and a wailing ascends from the Pattern. The contact point smokes and sparks as Corwin traces a complex sigil on its surface.

"I am a Prince of the Blood of Amber, and I will have your obedience!"

Yesss, I obeyyy. The sound is mournful, and contrite.

Lifting the blade, turning back to the others, Corwin says, "The time for secrets is past. Joshuwan, I need your peculiar ability, now. Commence. Coral, prepare yourself. Roland, stand to. There may be others with the godling. Raevyn...I am sorry, but you will be at first risk."

Corwin hands the painting to Raevyn, and says, "You will have to call it to us. You will have to get it to come here. Josh, I need her proper bait. Aurora, mask yourself."

At this admonition, the Pattern fades from view, leaving a meadow in its place. The feeling of power is also gone, as if Aurora had really departed.

Josh speaks several words, and Raevyn is covered by a glamor, which solidifies into the appearance of John Asmundson, shadow mage and devotee of Nightmare.

[Shutter]

Roland draws his blade and stands ready, a few feet to one side of Raevyn. He quiets his mind's questions, trying to prepare himself for whatever is about to follow.

You do know this isn't the kind of thing one can really be prepared for right? Shh...calming...

[LynMars]

Rae can't help a frown at Corwin and Aurora's 'discussion'. 'Although perhaps he's so firm, because he doesn't wish for her to become like the other two Powers...Or...Later. Joshuwan? Again, later, Raevyn, time to work now...'

Rae nods in compliance to Corwin's orders, though she blinks a little at the glamour cast on her, examining the changes. "I understand..." 'Asmundson' replies, taking the Trump.

First composing her mind, she comes up with what she hopes are proper feelings and thoughts; compliance, worship, adoration...and some fear and panic thrown in, as if something is dreadfully wrong. She focuses on the Trump, keeping that whirl of emotion in mind, as she tries to draw out the Nightmare.

[Wired*Nun]

Raevyn senses Corwin and Coral to one side and the other as she reaches. Feeling her way through the unfamiliar Trump, she tries not to be distracted by a technical appraisal of its style and construction. It functions the same, although using some unfamiliar principles...

Roland sees Corwin, blocked somewhat from Coral's view by Raevyn's slight form, reach his left hand inside his jacket, presumably to grasp the Jewel sheltered there.

The continuum around him comes into sudden sharp focus, and he can see dust motes and seed fluff drifting in the air as he breathes. Speed rachets downward, as if someone slowed the hands of time's clock, giving him ample time, all the time in the world.

A shadows falls, and Roland looks up to see a large figure, perhaps eight feet in height, with clawed hands and twin tentacles proceeding from its shoulder blades. The jaunty figure of Lester on its shoulder clues Roland in to the fact that somehow, this is Josh. His skin has become the consistency of cooled lava, black and sharp, all broken edges and abrasives. Seeing his gaze, Josh nods, then turns back at look at Raevyn/Asmundson.

Raevyn feels the Trump painting growing cold, then hot, deepening into reality. Contact brings her vision to vision with the thing from the painting, a feeling of power, love and hatred, awe and salvation. It stands on an outcropping of multihued rock, against a background of blue and orange, gas and flame. Perspective is skewed, and other outcroppings seem to be moving slowly in three dimensions.

Raevyn feels its gaze turn toward her, its attention growing, desiring, calling.

[Shutter]

Ah, the Jewel...This...This is amazing. Roland twists and pivots slowly, getting a feel for how the altered time effects his muscles, his judgement, and his interaction with the ground. Good good...I can certainly fight like this. Reckon I can fight damned well.

Roland had just begun to ponder on Corwin's relationship with his Pattern when Josh looms into view. What in the... Catching sight of Lester he smiles and nods to both, a nice slow nod, hoping it looks normal to them. Facsinating... And that's all the distraction he allows himself, seeing Raevyn now turning to the painting, he settles down and waits.

[LynMars]

Easy enough to allow impressions of awe and wonder through the connection, as well as respect. Raevyn also tries to project worry, concern, maybe fear through as well. Recalling Asmundson's mannerisms and speech, she begins.

"Forgive the intrusion, and my impertinence at creating a portrait for you, but I believe it to be necessary. There are those who wish to disrupt your great work, and despite all you've so graciously given me, I fear it's not enough, and there's danger to the Maze..."

[Wired*Nun]

Raevyn feels herself drawn forward irresistably, through the Trump painting she is looking at. A grunt from beside her, and she gets the impression of a duel of powers, which surprisingly, her side loses. A shout, cut off, and she is struck from behind by something, which pitches her forward for a moment, to regain her footing on the swirling blue-orange rock of the Nightmare's abode.

From Roland's viewpoint, she begins to waver and blur. A faint red tracery emanates from Corwin and the Jewel, but too slow, and the Trump door slams shut as Raevyn is sucked into nowhere. Before it closes, though, Lester leaps from Josh's shoulder to impact in the small of Raevyn's back.

Raevyn feels Lester crawl into her satchel, lickety-split. She sees the Nightmare, who drifts forward to touch down on the rock where she stands, perhaps twenty feet away. Its snakelike head weaves lazily back and forth, considering her from one side, then the other, but she feels the Trump connection to it has been severed, thankfully. She is freed of the need to keep up a mental disguise, and she sees that the Asmundson glamor still holds.

Abruptly, the Nightmare wheels around, galloping away from her and fading from view in the mist, as if another mission calls it. Looking around more intently, she sees cavern walls beind her and feels a latent heat, but the walls are composed not only of the red and blue veined rock, but also of a deep blackness which crawls and swirls slowly across - or inside - its surface. In front of her there is only mist, so she cannot see how far the cavern extends.

Back at the meadow, Corwin curses, and Josh moves forward to the spot where Raevyn vanished, to cast about. A deep rumbling snarl comes from his altered form.

Roland feels the Jewel's time-dilation effect vanish with Corwin's curse. "Do either you have a Trump of her?" he asks them urgently.

Lester pops out of Raevyn's satchel and emerges in bizarre fashion from the surface of the Asmundson glamor, holding the vial of golden paint in his paw, a brush from her stores in the other. He hands her the items, then scrambles to tug at her Trump case, his nimble fingers working at the closure, but unable to open it without her permission. Thwarted, he pops it off the strap and hands it to her too, gesturing frantically for her to open it.

"Hurrrryyyyyy," he eeks out.

[LynMars]

"Yeah, that worked well. I knew I should have argued, but no...This is just brilliant. Where am I?" Raevyn grumbles, trying to regain a sense of balance--not terribly easy in the swirling, pitching space she finds herself in.

Lester's frantic actions catch her attention again pretty quickly, and she takes the case, flipping it open to draw her cards. "What? What am I doing with this now...?"

'Am I painting something new, or using the paint on something old, and where am I and what if she comes back mad, and the others can't be taking this well as I doubt this was in the plan, and...'

Rae fights panic, considering her Trumps, the rat, and her limited options.

[Wired*Nun]

Lester climbs up to see, then whips out her Trump of Josh, pointing at the two gold rings on Josh's hands in the picture. He points at the brush, then the rings, making painting motions, back and forth at the rings and the brush. "Gooollllddd" he squeals.

[Shutter]

Wait...what the?...No!

As Raevynn begins to waver Roland lunges forward to grab hold of her and hold her in place. His fist closes on air.

"Shit!" He quickly reaches to his belt getting out Raevynn's Trump. Gah, if someone's going to pull her back I'm the least likely to succeed....Arrgh..Damnit! He flicks his glance between Corwin, Coral and Josh. Lester?...must have made it through...

"All I can think to do is Trump her, alternatives?" Come on you wizardy types, be usefull. When he has the Trump out he holds it up, pausing a beat to look to the others for input, if they produce nothing of value in a matter of seconds he focuses on it with all his might.

[LynMars]

'I have no idea. Which means, try everything, I suppose.'

The first thing Rae tries is just focusing on Josh's Trump, trying to gain a contact. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best, and she found it easy enough to call the Nightmare here...

If that doesn't work--and especially if Lester's frantic act continues--she'll drop to a cross-legged position on the ground and open the paint. "Yes, I see, gold. But that doesn't help much...is the paint made from the rings...or are the rings made from the paint?"

Rae will try sitting there, Josh's Trump on her lap, a blank one on the other leg, holding the vial in one hand, while she dips a brush into it, drawing it back out again, eyeing it, and seeing what reaction she gets this time.

[Wired*Nun]

Seeing both Roland and Josh get out Trumps of Raevyn, he grabs Roland's sleeve, dragging him over next to Josh, doing the same to Coral. "Everyone try," he orders, still holding the Jewel and reaching over to touch Roland's card.

Roland feels the power of the Jewel like a rush of electricity, pouring into the Trump. It begins to vibrate, and a tone like a bell sounds in his mind.

Raevyn for her part feels immediately that Josh's Trump isn't even cold, a sure sign that this Trump is cut off from the undershadow resonance that relates to Trump functioning. At least, that's what Caine had said.

Abandoning this approach, and sitting down with her Trumps, Lester crawls into her lap. Seeing her confusion, he grabs the paint bottle, opening it and dipping one needle claw. He then carefully deposits a tiny bit of paint onto the Trump of Josh, onto the depiction of one of his gold rings. "Paaainnttt" says Lester frantically.

Roland feels the Jewel-powered Trump, and the minds of the three people with him in the link - Corwin's driving determination, Coral's fragile desire, Josh's desperate affection...infatuation? He feels the Trump reaching, winging across the Shadows far, toward a place on the left hand of Chaos.

Without warning, the reaching is halted, thwarted, short of its goal.

[LynMars]

Raevyn tries copying Lester's action, placing a tiny amount of paint on the card, on the other ring. "This what you mean?"

She concentrates on the cards for now. If whatever this is doesn't work, she figures she's also got a bracelet she may be able to try. Possibly.

[Shutter]

Should have tied a rope to her, held her safe...Should've been closer, faster, better...damnit damnit damnit...

Lips drawn tight he turns to look at the others. "Anything?" He sheathes his sword, disgusted with its impotence. Useless steel.

[Wired*Nun]

As she places the paint on the second ring in Trump technique, she feels a sudden shift, an enhancement of sorts. The Trump grows cold, and she can feel it burrowing through the ether, searching outward for its identity goal, sorting and discarding probabilities. She has never felt quite this insight in any particular Trump cast, though it seems familiar in a deja vu sort of way. What is this stuff...

"Get your blade back out, man," says Corwin through gritted teeth. "I don't know what we're going to find on the other end if we get through."

Through the Link Roland can feel Josh reaching down into...something, not exactly the ground, but...some kind of Trump manipulation. "Help me, Roland, you have some Talent," come Josh's ghostly mental words. "The Jewel is just trying to bull its way forward. If we can't get through, we need to go Around. I'm trying to reach her tragolith bracelet. Visualize!"

[LynMars]

Rae latches onto the Trump sensation, shoving the rest away for now, and focusing again on the painting. Questions will have to wait until later, as will analysis. Like when she's not in the Nightmare's home turf, if that's what this place is.

'Josh...'

[Wired*Nun]

The Trump contact slices through the possibilities, finding, sorting, arrowing through the endless web of ways, until it links up on the other end with



Josh.

The concern and affection almost overwhelm her, then she recoils as the image forms in her mind...a large, stone-skinned demonform confronts her, with heavy claws and tenatcles growing from its shoulders. Still, she is unmistakeably in contact with Josh.

Reaching out with a tentacle, lightning-quick, Josh touches her hand, howling, "Bring us through!"

"Dammit!" curses Corwin from beside him, as Josh takes the step forward into the link.

[Shutter]

"Get your blade back out, man," says Corwin through gritted teeth. "I don't know what we're going to find on the other end if we get through."

Through the Link Roland can feel Josh reaching down into...something, not exactly the ground, but...some kind of Trump manipulation. "Help me, Roland, you have some Talent," come Josh's ghostly mental words. "The Jewel is just trying to bull its way forward. If we can't get through, we need to go Around. I'm trying to reach her tragolith bracelet. Visualize!"

Roland draws his blade again immediately. Gods, they're still getting through! Just me who was cut off so thoroughly.

At Josh's words his focus swings back to the Trump, to Raevyn, and that tragolith bracelet of hers. He tries to understand what Josh is doing, to follow him around the blockage...What is this?

When Josh latches a tentacle on to Raevyn, Roland latches a hand on to Josh, striving to pull them back out. If it works they'll all tumble out by Corwin's Pattern. If it fails, Josh and Raevyn should have company in the Nightmare's realm. "Back to me! Both of you!" Shit, Josh wouldn't hesitate to dive in to the abyss after her...

[Wired*Nun]

"He's right," shouts Corwin to Roland. "If we bring her back we lose our chance! We have to take this thing on its home ground." Corwin releases the Jewel to grab on to Josh, then Roland, pulling him along. Combined with Corwin, the weight of Josh's form creates an inexorable pull. Short of using a wrist break to get Corwin to release him, Roland is coming with.

[Shutter]

This is what I get for trying to interpret what people mean by Damnit.

Roland nods and goes with his instinct, to dive in after Raevyn and Josh.

[Wired*Nun]

The whole lot of them step through, to stand on the colored rock in the mist. A moment later, the mist is blasted backward by a stiff breeze out of nowhere, to reveal the rest of the cavern and a gigantic door at the end. With the mist gone, the chamber looks suprisingly similar to the Pattern cavern, except the swirls on the floor seem to be random, and run into the walls, as if natural.

"Well, here we are," says Coral. "Wherever 'here' is."

Corwin just grunts, and look around. "Let's find out."

Setting off for the door, he leads the rest to a stop in front of it. The Jewel pulses once, and an audible click preceeds Corwin's hand shooting forward to pull it open.

Behind the door lies an unexpected scene.

The group debouches onto the dais of a vast cathedral, from the back. They are standing behind the altar or nave, looking out over the pews from whence the congregation would view...something right about where they are.

Looking around, they see depictions of Nightmare...and others. One dominative motif glorifies a Madonna-like Mother and Child...only the mother has a familiar face...

Dierdre.

The child is stranger still, depicted in some pictures as fully human, in some as a baby Nightmare, and in others as some kind of cross.

"What the HELL!" expels Corwin. "I never saw such twisted shit in all my life."

[LynMars]

Rae's instinct at the visual of the demonic form is to recoil, but the mental connection reassures her and she grips the offered limb, drawing the others to her at Corwin's insistance. Not being alone anymore in this strange place (well, aside from Lester) is comforting, anyway.

"Hope we can get home from here...Um, can I get this disguise off now, maybe? I don't think it's going to matter so much at this point..."

Looking at the cathedral, Rae's proclivity is to study the depictions first, not only their subject matter, but their style and technique. Then she starts looking around for other details.

"This is...certainly odd. What exactly is Deirdre's involvement in this?"

'I wonder if he's upset by the odd nature of it, or because it's his favorite sister these show?'

[Wired*Nun]

Josh drops the glamor on Raevyn when she asks, shrugging apologetically. "Might still be useful, but it's your call. At least we won't get into one of those bad-story 'it's me! No, it's me!' situations," he rumbles in a gravel voice.

The style and technique of a lot of it are definitely recognizable, one of the elders. She racks her brain, thinking back to her training, and a walk through the castle gallery with Caine.

************************************

"What do you think of this one," he had asked. The painting, a night scene, depicted a man in a hooded cloak, slumped on a horse, glowering in hatred out from under the folds of the head covering at four gaily-clad revellers.

"I'm not sure..." she had answered. "Good...even great, but dark, angry, twisted...brilliant."

"Yeah, he is all of that. Your Uncle Brand."

*************************************

"Some sick form of worship," Corwin snarls, "Like those Chaos temples to me and Benedict and others, times ten." He draws out Greyswandir, and smashes a small statue of Dierdre on a stand. Shards of marble scatter the floor. "She wasn't involved. Couldn't have been. I knew her for centuries."

Coral and Josh exchange a glance, then look askance at Corwin.

But he was gone for centuries, then he lost her at Patternfall...he can't really have known her or what she may have done in that time...

Revelations are interrupted, then, as the double doors on the far side are opened. Soldiers in green and gold charge through, splitting off to line the walls to the left and right of the door. Through the entrance walk two men. One is an unknown, humanoid, with deep purple skin and dark green clothing. The other one is huge, at least 6 foot 8, but perfectly proportioned, and wears a breastplate painted with the heraldry of a lion rending a unicorn. An equally large sword is in his hand.

[LynMars]

"I think I recognize the artist of these--"

Anything else she may have had to impart to her relatives is interupted by the sudden intrusion of armed men. Raevyn does what she tends to do in these sort of situations--stay behind the fighters.

[Shutter]

Roland eyes the artworks, the alter and the entire church carefully. So Nightmare's cult got formal...Didn't expect that...Wait, is that?...Dierdre? What? Corwin's reaction confirms it. He quickly sets to memorizing as much about the paintings as he can, any details that might provide some historical context. Things like, how in the hell did it come to pass that Dierdre birthed the Nightmare?

"Some sick form of worship," Corwin snarls, "Like those Chaos temples to me and Benedict and others, times ten." He draws out Greyswandir, and smashes a small statue of Dierdre on a stand. Shards of marble scatter the floor. "She wasn't involved. Couldn't have been. I knew her for centuries."

Roland frowns at the outburst...the surety and the sudden pointless violence. He's acting more like a liability than an asset. Such refusal of thought...His own personal heroine worship in a way. I wonder if Dworkin forsaw this and sent Corwin here to get himself killed, along with me and whomever else.

And then bad goes to worse as the troops file in. Who is that? Dalt? Was he that tall?... Roland instinctively takes up a defensive position near Raevynn. He resists the urge to push her to the back just yet. Don't want to make her look weak, like an easy target. Also, there's still the infinitesimal chance that we won't all end up murdering each other in a few moments right? With the tip of his sword by his right boot he waits for something some sign. Are we still on an assasination mission or on a survival mission now I wonder?

[Wired*Nun]

Another person enters the cathedral, a tall buxom woman with a disconcertingly cruel face, black hair and milky skin, in an emerald-green dress. She confers briefly with Dalt, showing her inordinate height thereby. Her head tops his shoulder.

The deep purple person walks forward, mincingly, making the observers immediately question his sexual orientation...then question his gender at all.

Maybe it's a woman?

The androgynous nature of the figure is not resolved at closer range, but the glow it gives off becomes more apparent, like a rainbow with the bright turned down. It walks up to stand midway between the opposing sides, then turns up the glow.

Growing, shining, rising in strength, the Amberites feel the intensity of its presence. Irrationally, the urge to fall down and give it homage grows strong. In fact, the soldiery against the wall all take a knee, presenting their swords in a worshipful gesture.

A chuckle comes from Corwin.

"Nice game you have here, friend. Try this on for size."

The Jewel flares, and a wave of redness proceeds forth, washing over the assemblage in front of them, pinning them all in place...all except the glowing figure in front of them.

It smiles, and cocks its head sideways. "The one remaining eye of my ancestor is always upon me. Of what effect is the gaze of the other?"

Its voice is like music, and thunder.

Its own glow washes backwards, freeing the men behind it.

It steps deliberately forward again, ignoring the power of the Jewel, counteracting it even.

Cursing, Corwin draws Greyswandir, pointing it at his nemesis. The man-woman-thing stops, well out of range, carefully surveying the situation.

"Raevyn," hisses Coral, "call someone. With the Nightmare busy, perhaps you can get through to bring reinforcements."

Lester scampers off to the right, to perch incongruously atop a statue of the horse-formed godling.

Dalt motions his men forward, cautiously, and they spread out, working their way around the flanks toward their opponents. He strides up the center walkway behind the object of his allegiance, moving to his right, placing himself opposite Roland and Raevyn. The tall woman moves to her left, and Josh steps ponderously forward, claws out, tentacles high and ready.

[LynMars]

Raevyn fights that disconcerting feeling of worship, unwilling to give in. She nods slightly, tightly, to Coral, drawing forth her Trumps, mentally tallying who she can call.

Heldrik wouldn't accept a call, and she contemptuously dismissed him as an option within a quarter second. Kat had been unreachable for awhile apparently. Arrotel would be in over his head in this sort of thing. Landon...Possibly; his change seemed far more than a cosmetic one, from that brief encounter.

Except, it had been specified who to tell of this endeavor, so they were likely ready for something of the sort, and others could be a liability.

'Is it going to matter at this point? Assume it does, as we can know who's theoretically on "our side"...Otherwise...Reserve options.'

Rae will try Gerard's card first, trying to reach him. If she has to use the gold paint again, it will be as a last attempt to make the card work, if she can. If no reply, and there's no interruption, Julian, then Landon will be next.

[Shutter]

Roland tenses his muscles and grits his teeth against the urge to bow. The ease with which the Jewel of Judgement is bypassed is more than a little worrisome though.

Bad to worse. We're being flanked by the cannon fodder, posed by the heavy hitters...This displeases me. And that thing calls itself the decsendant of the Serpent... As the soldiers approach he sizes up distances, planning and counting. He's looking for a critical point, a distance past which the soldiers become too much of a threat, Dalt factored in of course. Assess boy...What to do...what to do...

Roland tries to bring up his Pattern lens, briefly wondering if it's a bad idea or not.

[Wired*Nun]

Gerard and Julian's Trump don't even seem to be cold. Landon's is, and Raevyn pours her concentration into reaching him. It feels blocked, but functional. It occurs to her for a moment that the other two were painted by Dworkin, while Landon's is one of hers...and Josh's was his own.

From Roland's assessment, Dalt's mercs are just there to shape the fight. He's got to know I can take any five of them, so they are deployed to limit our options, prevent surprises, and absorb our attention if necessary.

Analysing the deployment, Roland is confident he can avoid them getting behind him or past him, and take on Dalt. Even if they do get past him, Coral and Raevyn aren't exactly helpless against shadow dwellers.

It's that Dalt part that has him worried.

The tall woman puts her hands on her hips and laughs, a mocking stage cackle that draws a brief glance from the purple one. In that moment of inattention, the interaction of Nightmare-glow and Jewel-light changes, fractionally. Roland is not sure if anyone else noticed.

Maybe it's harder than s/he makes it seem, to resist the Jewel's effects.

"Fine rogues' gallery we have here," she says sarcastically. "You people are always butting in where you're not wanted. Didn't I teach you enough of a lesson last time?"

As if that isn't enough, who waddles through the door, cane, bowler and all, but John Asmundson, Esq., along with Mrs. Hendriks. He remarks loudly, "Now see, my dear, it is as I told you. These deuced Colonials, always meddling in others' religions despite their declarations of neutrality. I'm so glad your country and mine kicked those Puritans out when we had the chance. At least their corruption is Over There."

While all this serious comedy plays out, Roland brings up his Pattern lens. The blaze of power coming off of the human nightmare and the wash of the Jewel pretty much overpower everything else. Dalt and the woman in green carry Trumps, as do the Amberites, and Josh's tentacles are wreathed in some kind of twisting energy.

[Shutter]

Damn that's a lot of power in one little cathedral.

Roland's gaze turns to Dalt, who is clearly setting himself up to take Roland down should violence break out. He runs through his brain, looking for information on Dalt. Whipped Rinaldo in a fist fight...Stood with us at the Keep...I doubt it'll count for much that I tried to help his kid out when I'm trying to murder his God...Goddamn that's a big sword.

Roland shifts the Pattern Lens to one side, out of his direct line of sight, but more or less between him and the woman in green. Do I know her from somewhere?...

[LynMars]

Raevyn slides the other Trumps away and staying behind Coral to block her actions at least physically--the Jewel should be keeping things busy mystically--she focuses on Landon's Trump, hoping her wily cousin's going to be willing to help.

'Landon? Please answer, we may need an assist here...' The connection is quite likely to transmit some of her urgency.

[Wired*Nun]

Roland also remembers that according to Merlin's writings, ghost-Eric took down Dalt with little trouble. The bitch of it won't be his skill, but his strength and reach. The woman in green is unfamiliar to Roland, though her arrogant manner is indicative of her possible origins, from some place of power.

Will Raevyn's pleas be heard?

[Shutter]

I'll have to keep him off balance, if it comes to it. Move better, force him into poor positioning, force an opening...With a blade like that I'll need to be quick, don't want to get in close enough for a grapple, the man's huge. Roland commits the terrain to memory as well as he can. Stairs, there, alter...candles....Some room, though I wouldn't mind more.

[Wired*Nun]

Raevyn gets through to Landon for just a moment, but something very strange happens - she feels herself looking over the shoulders of several people at him, and she gets the strong feeling they are determined to do him harm. When a moment later a man points a rifle at him, she is sure of it.

The trigger is pulled, and Landon disappears from the Trump link, but she doesn't lose it. Somehow, she is still in the link with these others. However, they do not notice her, so intent are they on trying to call Landon back.

[Wired*Nun]

The tenor of the glowing conflict in the center shifts, the Jewel's glow swirling and reforming, and Corwin and the Nightmare vanish from sight. The others there are not sure who took them out of the equation.

This still leaves the rest in something of a situation.

Dalt and the woman glance around in brief confusion, as do Asmundson and Mrs Hendriks.

"I suppose," remarks the woman in an amused voice, "this is the part where we punish you for desecrating a holy place...what a twist! Think, son! You of all people should appreciate the irony of this. Shall you do for me what was done to me for the sake of vengeance? Or shall you take the high road, forgive and forget?"

Dalt replies, "I do not forget, but my forgiveness is my own, mother. If you want to pay them back, you will have to do it on your own. I am here to defend my family, not to facilitate your indulgences. You...Roland. Put your blade away, or I will take it from you." This threat is accompanied by two steps forward, his blade in low guard.

[LynMars]

Raevyn frowns, the conflict in the cathedral temporarily forgotten and distant as she tries to mask herself somewhat, thinking back to Caine's teaching...Masking herself may be difficult, though, due to the sudden, uncharacteristic anger that strikes her.

She looks for the focal point of the group, the lead, the one who tried to harm yet another of her kindred in a similar manner to how they murdered her brother.

And if she can, she'll grab hold of that mind and twist.

[Wired*Nun]

She identifies the strongest as the woman in the center. She can feel the woman is weaker than she, and this feeds her confidence along with her anger. The feeling is like taking an underripe grapefruit and trying to twist it off its parent branch.

The woman screams in pain and collapses, disappearing from the link, leaving shock and surprise in the minds of the others.

[LynMars]

"Wretched little Shadow-Roaches. How dare you?"

If she's still in the odd link, the man with the gun is next, and she's maybe slightly more vicious in grasping at him, the mental imagery in her own mind that of the shredding talons of her grandfather's trained raptors...

[Shutter]

Hell....now Corwin has to face that alone? Wonder who is better off in that bargain.

"Now you know I can't do that without a counter offer. Put away your blade, have your men do the same and I'll be happy to follow suit. I'm no threat to your family Dalt. I've stood by your son before." Think man think. You and a mini-army of Amberites just popped into their temple, armed and ready for battle. They can't take this kindly, nor should they...But there's no damned reason for you and Dalt to be coming to blows is there?...Dalt's mother? Here?...Alive? A shadowdweller should have died of old age by now...What is this?

"And now that I think on it...I don't see why you're here apparently arrayed against us."

[Wired*Nun]

"Family is a funny thing," Dalt rumbles to Roland. "You and I are family, too in a way, and I really don't much like your branch. Are you going to claim you came here for anything other than foul motives?"

"Son, cease this prattle and arrest these invaders," the woman says.

"Damion isn't here to enforce your wishes, mother. In fact, they might not come back at all. I don't have your appetites for blood and pain." He wiggles his blade back and forth in frustration.

"I don't need Damion to back me. We are not letting these people go to continue to plot against us. Choose." With that word, she swells suddenly, her limbs lengthening, hide thickening, head growing a crest of bony spikes, hands growing spurs and ridges, and launches herself at Josh.

A heartbeat and a curse, and Dalt steps forward to engage Roland.

[Wired*Nun]

Raevyn feels Farriq's mind scored like a ripped bedsheet, and he drops from the link. The woman with the card of Landon turns it face down, severing their connection.

Raevyn still retains her connection to Landon since she was calling him on her own Trump.

[LynMars]

Still oblivious to the drama in the cathedral, Raevyn maintains her Trump connection.

"Bastards," she 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..."

[Shutter]

Roland steps forward to meet Dalt, striking a quick salute with his blade along the way. Watch that reach, but stay back from his grip...Goddamn he's big. When their blades meet Roland takes a defensive approach at first, turning Dalt's blade away and keeping an eye on his surroundings. If dropping his Pattern lens is required to do this effectively, then it is dropped.

"Foul motives maybe. A hard choice had to be made, so we made it, it led us here. The universe is breaking under the strain of another would be god. Your kin as well as mine are threatened by this Nightmare." Talking sense into fanatics: Trying under normal circumstances, really difficult when they're trying to murder you at the same time.

None of this though, the talking or the thinking, comes before Roland's primary and secondary goals. Keeping Dalt away from Raevyn, and keeping Dalt's hands off of Roland.

[Wired*Nun]

"The universe can stand the strain, and you just mouth Amber's party line. If you people really wanted to eliminate the problem, Amber would have insisted on the destruction of that bastard Pattern of Corwin's. Now Amber doesn't want to give up its advantage and seeks to eliminate a threat. You aren't satisfied with half of infinity, you want it all."

Dalt speaks this piece between wide, if careful, blows, using his reach and strength conservatively to keep Roland engaged.

"And, by the way, I have kin in so many places you could call this just...sibling rivalry."

He doesn't seem to be trying too hard, really...more like just tying us up...or maybe he isn't very enthusiastic about this whole thing. Or maybe it's a ruse to lull me...

There is no way Roland can fight someone of Dalt's ability and maintain the Pattern lens, so he drops it. He focuses on his own fight, to avoid being distracted by the roaring, hissing, spitting ball of claws and tentacles nearby.

Vaguely, he is aware of Coral with her rapier out, holding the center and protecting Raevyn, which frees him not to worry too much about her. Asmundson is moving toward them, though, calling out an incantation with a loud voice in some unknown tongue. Mrs. Hendriks follows him for a couple of steps, then seems to realize she is approaching a dangerous situation and stops, her purse held defensively before her and her hand up to her ample bosom in alarm, fingers working nervously.

[Wired*Nun]

Raevyn can see and hear her cousins, but it seems like they can't see her.

She also feels the aftertaste of something else, perhaps two somethings, other than the seven folk she observed before...one unseen presence that remained there afterward, until just the lightest touch of observation from another, which may have caused them both to bolt from the link.

As far as her senses are able, there are only the three there now.

She is also subliminally aware of the ruckus of deadly doings nearby her physical presence.

[Shutter]

Toying with me, keeping me busy until Mommy comes to kill me herself...passive aggressive lazy sonofa...

Roland begins his attack. Still keeping his distance he launches feints and quick darting attacks at Dalt's limbs. Remember, he's almost certainly bluffind so far...let's test his speed. If he can he'll see how fast he can make Dalt move that monster blade of his.

"Corwin didn't give his Pattern a power hungry God or he'd be on my shit list too. Someone did so for the Maze though, and after it's done turning on its masters it will turn on the rest of us too. You're so sure this is just sibling rivalry? This thing is no threat to your son?"

[Wired*Nun]

Dalt backs up slowly, fighting defensively, drawing his blade back and working it from the balance point rather than swinging it, in short, chopping parries.

"You have it wrong, Roland. Nightmare wasn't made for the Maze, but the Maze for Nightmare. Now that Maze no longer has the power of the Fount, we can't control them, and now you're just making this all worse...and my mother too, admittedly. And if being power hungry were a capital crime, I can think of a few on both sides doomed to die."

He falls back enough for Roland to have to be concerned with the Lions on his left, and he can't advance without exposing his flank. Dalt stays at his own comfortable range, blade at low guard.

"And yes, Damion is a threat to everyone, including Dunstan, but I'm not about to kill them if I don't have to. Did you ever think about talking about this instead of your incessant scheming? With me, or with Luke?"

[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..."

[Shutter]

And if being power hungry were a capital crime, I can think of a few on both sides doomed to die."

At this Roland meets Dalt's eye for an instant and nods, in complete agreement.

A few sentances later shame crosses Roland's face.

"No...No I guess I believed what I'd been told. That Luke lies through his teeth well enough to sell anything to anyone, and I assumed you would be in accord with defending your son. Nightmare itself had already trapped people in comas...I saw no alternative. Do you have one? Time runs short." He half glances towards Josh and Deela for a fraction of a moment. Hopefully there's still time.

Asmundson is probably a potent threat in this place...damnit.

[LynMars]

Rae is still concentrating on her Trump connection, which seems to be far smoother now.

"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."

[LynMars]

Raevyn starts to draw the other two 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..."

[Wired*Nun]

"There are always alternatives." Dalt looks toward the catfight for a moment as well, with one eye. Making a decision, he steps back, slamming his sword into its sheath and signalling to his men at Roland. "Contain him, harm him only if you must," he orders them.

Several move to surround Roland, blades drawn but at long sword range.

Dalt moves over to the two giant figures, roaring, "Enough!" and reaching in to grab a shoulder of each one. He tosses Josh out of the way as if he was a child, to land in a dazed and bloody heap against the wall. His injuries start to close immediately, though they were fearsome.

"Mother" turns to rake her claws across Dalt's face, leaving deep marks of dripping blood, but she only gets one chance. He slaps her openhanded, hard. The sound is like a rock being split with a sledge, and she drops like the stone she resembles, out cold on the deck. "Should have done that long ago," he mumbles.

While all that is happening, Asmundson's incantation, ignored for too long, is finally finished. The largest statue of Nightmare groans to ponderous life, steps down from its pedestal, and lumbers its tons of weight toward Coral and Raevyn. Lester sinks his claws into the living stone and eeps, scolding and chittering in his own language, enraged. Methodically he starts scratching at the soft marble with his diamond-hard claws, taking bits and pieces out of it but affecting it not at all.

Coral grabs Raevyn, dragging her out of the way, but there is precious little place to go that is not occupied by opponents, so she ends up by Josh.

Asmundson looks satisfied at his contribution, and Mrs. Hendriks walks up to take his arm, smiling and twittering at his prowess.

A moment later, and they all end up against the wall in something of a tangle, with Coral dragging Raevyn near to Josh and the new two Amberites plus Arthur stumbing through the link.

[TreyKincaide]

Landon's feet hit the stone cathedral floor hard. Looking a bit like death warmed over, he pauses only long enough to finish summoning the Pattern before rattling off the beginning lynchpins of his spell.

Wrapped in cold fury he locks Asmundson's gaze boring into his manipulator with unspoken hatred for the Shadow sorcerors that had tried to kill him moments before. He speaks the last Word of Power and vanishes!

Landon's orientation changes as he appears behind Asmundson and Mrs. Hendriks. His drawn Pattern blade goes snicker snack cutting down the Sorceror first and his female second--murder most foul without pompt, ceremony, any illusion of honor, and, in short, a dirty trick an Amberite would be proud of. "I've had enough."

[LynMars]

Raevyn finally comes out of her state to find herself being drug, and a giant statue lumbering towards them. Landon immediately blinks away to do things, but Rae's trying to get the lay of the land again.

"Coral, what's going on? Josh, are you all right...?" She scrunches against the wall behind Heldrik and stares at the statue coming at them, looking for somewhere to get out of the way to, or a method of stopping it (if Landon's tactic doesn't).

[Thanos]

Heldrik is a little quicker on his feet than Landon, which may or may not distract Asmundson, and moves to engage the statue with a flying leap. Once on it he attempts to sever both limbs and then the head if possible and the legs if necessary.



[Edited based on GM's discription of what an Amberite can do...which appearently is not anima coolness.]

[Then edited again to make it say something like what was originally posted.]

[Wired*Nun]

Heldrik's ploy is well-conceived but doesn't achieve his wishes. His leap onto the statue works, but his flying body weight just isn't enough to break off chunks of animated marble...or even nonanimated marble, probably. He ends up on top of the thing with Lester, as it ignores him to reach down with its snake head and snap at Coral.

Coral chops at it a couple of times with her rapier, doing nothing but producing a few chips. She has to dodge out of the way, waving her arms to draw it after her, away from the fallen Josh and the crouching Raevyn. It turns to follow her, and since it is not all that fast, this is an effective stall.

Josh struggles to his feet as Landon teleports away, focusing on Dalt and his now-prone former opponent.

Landon appears behind the two shadow-dwellers, and before anyone can react at all, hacks John Asmundson down from behind. His follow-on motion strikes at Mrs. Hendriks. The statue immediately hardens back to marbleness and falls over with a crash, shattering into a dozen or more pieces.

Landon's blow precipates an unexpected explosion at the point of impact. He and the other onlookers are briefly blinded by the flash of light, which is accompanied by a crackling sound. Landon feels the blade bite into his target before it shatters and burns in his hand, leaving his skin blistered.

A shriek from Mrs. Hendriks, and she begins to change, flow and burn. She partially transforms into a much younger woman, then falls to the ground accompanied by a prolonged screaming. She beats feebly at the flames from her gaping wound, open-mouthed, her eyes pleading with Landon.

Landon does not recognize her, but she does have a familiar look to her.

Josh, eyes drawn by the flash and the scream, lunges for the scene of carnage with an inchoate roar of rage.

Dalt snatches for Josh as he goes by, grabbing an arm, but apparently miscalculating the weight of an eight-foot-tall shapeshifter. Five hundred pounds of momentum and Amberite strength lift Dalt off his feet like a linebacker pummeling the waterboy, and fling him across the room. Dalt's hands tear off a spiny protrusion from Josh's body, but he doesn't even seem to notice.

Stunned by the flash, burn and fire, eyes locked with the dying woman's, Landon doesn't have a chance as Josh backhands him into the pews with an arm like a tree trunk. Pain flares across his ribs as the ridges of spikes tear his skin, and he crashes to rest on one of the thankfully padded benches.

Josh drops to his knees beside the woman lying in agony, his shape growing smaller, more human by the second. His hands press over the flaming rent in her body, agonized words of "No, no, no no no no no" coming over and over from his mouth.

[Shutter]

The flash and the shriek snap Roland's attention away from the guards to his front. An instant later Josh is off and roaring. Oh no...Oh what is this?

He raises his voice to a below. "Josh! What is going on? Talk to me Josh!" Roland takes a step back then moves to circle around the guards to join Josh at the fallen figure. Should they move to block him at all he will engage and kill, maim, or disarm all five as rapidly as possible.

Shit, is Landon moving over there? What the hell happened? His detached tactical mind notes the arrival of Landon and Heldrik, the death of Asmundson with little comment.

Josh's cry, the death of a Chaosite, Josh's connection with Chaos, or at least it's demons, Canthus from earlier today...themes and images swirl and merge while he runs, filling him with dread.

[LynMars]

Rae winces at the sudden flash of light, unsure of what happened. "Arthur, see to Landon!" She urges the hound as Josh barrels past both him and Dalt. She heads that way, drawn by the sounds of pain from both the woman and Josh. If any of the guards get in her way...Well, she'll have to try to deal with them, as her father taught her. And they may try to take on Josh while he was distracted, if the drama wasn't making them pause as well.

'Please don't be what I think...Oh please...' She tries to get close enough to see who the woman is, how bad the wound.

'This is partially my fault...I went along with this, and brought more here...And now....What's hapening?!'

[Thanos]

Heldrik is buffetted by the explosion and light from his fallen pirch seeming none the worse for wear. Half turning as Josh moves past him he sees the explination of what just happened all to clearly. Asmundson laying in pieces on the floor and the shapeshifter burning from her wound.

Well if Merlin could do it, I guess I can give it a try.

Heldrik moves back away from Dalt and his men a bit while pulling up the Grand Design. Once up he proceeds to mentally walk it...if he is not distracted by somebody attacking him he will then attempt to influence the workings of shadow around the shapeshifter calming the influence of chaos around her until she starts to bleed instead of burn.

[TreyKincaide]

Landon ragdolls on the pew landing so that the stained glass picture of Deirdre and the Nightmare fills his vision.

I never layed out a man that didn't deserve it. But...did I? Perhaps, they're worshipping the wrong monster of a son, eh what?

Landon chuckles in numb shock as his head lolls to the side. Vaguely aware of his burned skill and bloody chest he looks on in disbelief.

They run to help Josh. Not me.

Landon coughs a bit of foamy blood, "Bloody hell. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She...I mean they...fuck." Another round of coughing and Arthusr arrives at his side.

"Up." Three lynchpins later, and Landon and his dog fade from view.

[Wired*Nun]

The woman continues to bleed fire, her innate vitality sustaining her for s short time, but the flames are eating her up. In fact, Josh's hands are smoldering with the attempt to control the flames, and it only seems to be getting worse.

The Lions, shocked by the turn of events, stay near Roland but do not impede his movement. Some of them see to Dalt, pulling him to his feet. He calls them back from the scene of death and dying, apparently realizing either that he can do nothing or is not wanted.

Roland and Raevyn soon hover over Josh and the woman, helpless to treat such terrible and mystical injuries. She has been laid open, filleted from shoulder to thigh, to and through bones and ribs, the wound a hand's depth across her arm and side, struck from behind as she turned toward her attacker, too late. A shadow dweller would be unconscious from shock and dead in moments from bleeding out. Even an Amberite wouldn't last long in this state.

Lester runs frantically over to Josh, then to the woman, keening in distress, a mournful and terrible sound. Josh for his part is now fully humanformed again, and sobbing rivers of tears at his helplessness. "Mother...mother don't die, oh Serpent and Unicorn, take me instead, don't die, don't die, mother I love you don't die..." he says, over and over, a prayer to the only gods he knows.

Coral is also there, and cries, "The Jewel! Raevyn, try to reach Corwin, it's the only chance for her. If you can't reach Corwin, call Dworkin or Merlin or Suhuy or anyone that might help! Hurry!"

Heldrik is unmolested as he whirls through the Pattern, pushing hard to speed the process. In a few seconds, he settles the cloak of Chaos-dampening shadow over the fallen one.

The fire immediately dies out, to be replaced by the crimson of far, far too much blood. Josh helplessly tried to hold the edges of the wounds together, but he is doomed to failure. "Someone do something," he gasps. "Someone...something..."

[LynMars]

Rae whirls toward where Landon fell, to tell him to get out of there before Josh remembers in a bad way that he exists--but he's already gone, apparently. All the better, and she'll have to check on him later perhaps.

For now, something needs done about Vela's condition. 'How would mother handle this, if she were here...I wish she was, she was a true healer...'

"Someone get me a Trump of Corwin, and I'll try if he's not still busy...Roland, you say you have a Trump of Dworkin, you call him--a lot of this was his idea, anyway. Coral, you try Merlin, he may respond to you best. Heldrik! Call your wife, her healing talents may be of help here. Dalt, I think we're going to need to have an actual talk about this in a minute, if we can get sorted; the actual principles seem to be dealing with this on their own, anyway...Unless we can get Corwin back here..."

[Shutter]

Oh no...Not his mother too...Why was she...spy? Gods that's a lot of blood. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Landon struggle up and then poof away. Damnit...

At Raevyn's command Roland drops his sword and brings out Dworkin's Trump, the most recent one, focusing on it with every ounce of his will. Come on...Get through...Help her. That Dworkin may have no inclination to help Josh's mother is, for now, not even thought of.

If he can't get through he asks, "Josh. Would the Pattern bomb in my ring hurt her? It might bring help..."

[Thanos]

Its nice that Rae can take charge...

"You call my wife Rae," says Heldrik through gritted teeth. "I have to keep the woman from erupting into flame again or it wont matter who gets here."

"JOSH, suck up what blood you can and insert it back into her somehow...become a dialysis machine or give her a transfusion if it wont make things worse!"

Need more time, more time...

Now that Heldrik has dampened the chaos factor, he will maintain that and try to dialate time around Josh and his mother.

If I can slow them down enough hopefully the rest can get whatever help might be able to help...

[Wired*Nun]

Someone get me a Trump of Corwin, and I'll try if he's not still busy...Roland, you say you have a Trump of Dworkin, you call him--a lot of this was his idea, anyway. Coral, you try Merlin, he may respond to you best. Heldrik! Call your wife, her healing talents may be of help here. Dalt, I think we're going to need to have an actual talk about this in a minute, if we can get sorted; the actual principles seem to be dealing with this on their own, anyway...Unless we can get Corwin back here...

Coral looks at Raevyn helplessly. "I don't have my Trumps with me, I'm such a fool! Does anyone have one of Corwin, or Merlin?"

Dalt shrugs, what can I do? and goes over to his own mother, who has reverted to her human form. Taking a canteen passed by one of his soldiers, he splashes a bit on her face, trying to bring her around.

Roland's Trump contact with Dworkin turns out unexpectedly, as he goes blind...more or less. All Roland can see is a wash of red, like staring at a sunset, but nothing else. He has the impression of reaching a place rather than a person, with no thoughts or emotions present, but there is no way to tell what place that may be.


If he can't get through he asks, "Josh. Would the Pattern bomb in my ring hurt her? It might bring help..."


"No!" says Josh hoarsely, "That would start her burning again. If no one can do anything right now, I have to try to take her to Chaos." The woman under his hands has lapsed into uncosciousness, the pulse of blood flowing from her wounds slowing, fading.


"JOSH, suck up what blood you can and insert it back into her somehow...become a dialysis machine or give her a transfusion if it wont make things worse!"



"I...I can't," Josh replies in despair. "I can barely control my own shifting, much less anyone else's, and I have no spells for that. What's dialysis?" This last fades off toward a doppler slowdown as Josh and the patient freezes into a strange immobility, and their appearance dims to gray. Those near Heldrik's effect zone feel a sudden coldness as phsyical processes are decreased across the interface of shadow-time.

Heldrik has ahold of the processes within the shadow bubble well enough, but he knows he can only maintain this for a limited period of time, maybe a half an hour subjective at best, before he is worn out from the strain.

[Shutter]

Roland shoves the mental images of the last five minutes through to the red vastness before him. "Can you help us?" Unless a response is immediate he flips the card over, reaching back into his Trump deck quickly shuffling out cards for Merlin and Gray, handing them to Coral and Rae respectively. Corwin's and Landon's Trumps he pulls out for himself.

Dare I contact him right now? When all his effort may be taken up with defeating the Nightmare?...Perhaps he could use this ring to some effect against it? Damned fool, I should have used it earlier.

As Heldrik's slowdown takes effect Roland steps away from Josh to take full advantage of the time differential. He looks to Heldrik and nods, clearly impressed.

He flips up Landon's Trump first, focusing on it. Come on man, be alive, be here. Should that fail, he moves on to Corwin. Be alive, victorious, and alive...else I need to turn to Canthus.

[LynMars]

Raevyn takes the Gray card as she moves outside of Heldrik's effect with Roland. Tearing her gaze from Josh's stricken face, she focuses on the Trump, trying to reach Gray, the only other shifter she knows with the abilty to do some healing.

'Things are so messed up, and I don't know what else to do...Think, Rae!'

[Thanos]

"Just get Gray on the wire and make sure she can see me over your shoulder..."

Heldrik keeps his concentration going, hoping beyond hope that Gray answers, comes through, and can at least put the woman back together enough to keep the bleeding to a minimal so he can finally sit on the table he brought. Not a bad idea...putting it down gently he then sits on it or more leans on it and keeps up the mental gymastics.

[Wired*Nun]

Roland receives no answer from the redness, so he ends that attempt and hand out the Trumps to various people. He tries to contact Landon.

Raevyn reaches Gray quickly, and confronts her in wolf form, somewhere in the wild country. "Hail, cousin!" comes the exuberant greeting. At the distress coming through the Trump, Gray immediately begins changing into homid form. "You need me, I can tell. Bring me through."

[LynMars]

"It's a bad scene, Gray..." She quickly gives a rundown of what happened, mentally if she must; a combat between two sides, Landon making a snap decision in the heat of battle based on what he could see (and his current state, after the Trump attack), and Vela's current state.

As she pulls Gray through, she states, "Heldrick's doing what he can for now, but...If we can save her then Josh may not go after Landon later...And none of us know what else to do."

Once Gray's through, Raevyn looks back at Roland. "We should try Coral's idea of the Jewel, too, if Corwin can be reached at all...I can either help Gray, somehow, or help you try to reach him."

[Wired*Nun]

Landon seems to be blocking his Trump.

[Shutter]

Fair enough...

"Rae, help Gray if she needs you, if not I'd be glad of the help."

Roland turns Landon's Trump back over, flipping up Corwin's and focusing on it.

[Wired*Nun]

Putting her hands on her hips, Gray surveys the scene and shakes her head, muttering something under her breath. "Hello, husband. Can I walk in to them?" she asks.

"I think so," says Heldrik. "It's just a time differential."

"All right, here I go." With that, she steps forward, to freeze into near-immobility as she crosses the barrier.

[Wired*Nun]

Corwin's trump is not blocked, but Roland cannot reach Corwin anyway. He gets the impression that he is simply shunted aside by a fierce concentration, a mental battle of tremendous proportion. The line is open, but no one is saying anything.

[Thanos]

Giving Gray a smile before she turns to enter the area Heldrik starts slowely bringing the time dialation around Josh and mom towards the currently time, but leaves it at about one-fifth.

Enough to let us see if Gray can do anything and for her to Exit should she need to.

[LynMars]

Raevyn looks to Heldrik. If he can maintain the concentration, and there's enough room, she'll turn and see if she can slip on into the time-bubble with Gray, Josh, and Vela.

If she makes it inside with no trouble, and isn't in the way: "Josh, give me your Trump of her, and let's see if I can help bolster her, and Gray's efforts, psychically..."

[Wired*Nun]

Those inside turn from statues to slow-motion people. Gray lays her hands on Vela, but it is hard to tell if anything is happening right away.

There is certainly room inside, so in a moment she is there, watching everyone and everything else on the outside twitching in 5x speed.

Josh says, "Take them from my case," as he tries to keep pressure across the body cavity wound with both hands.

Gray says through gritted teeth, "The tissue damage is just so deep, and something's fighting me...I can sustain her and help a lot of the damage but I can't close the wounds. What was she hit with, some kind of magic?"

"Must have been a Pattern blade, slammed into her Logrus and exploded. Hey, I..." he says, then his fingers lengthen into clawed tentacle-like appendages, and he begins using them to stitch and draw the majority of the wound closed across its length. "This might work!" he says excitedly. "Keep at it, Agraynel!"

[Shutter]

Roland strives to keep his mind quiet and unobtrusive linked with Corwin's in this odd manner. Well....shit, here goes... He quickly picks up Smoke, sliding it into it's sheath while taking a few more steps away from Vela and her attendants. I hope this helps, Corwin... He faces them, hoping that if there's any backlash from his Trump it will travel away from the wounded Chaosite.

He pushes forward with his left hand, trying to get the hand and the ring it carries through to Corwin's side of the connection. If he can get it through, into Corwin's locale, he concentrates on the ring, trying to unleash the Pattern energy stored within.

[Wired*Nun]

Roland feels the mental unlocking of the ring and the release of energy, though he experiences nothing that he would call a sensation in hand or body because of it.

The contact with Corwin stabilizes, and Roland can now see his uncle, chest heaving, standing on the marbled floor of the chamber they arrived at such a short time ago.

"Thanks," he says tiredly. "It was getting to be a strain."

[Shutter]

Roland looks around for any sign of Nightmare, or any other effects of the ring, on anything or anyone. That went way better than I feared.

"Glad to help, not that I'm clear on exactly what it did. Got that ring from Flora, Amber is probably aware that I just set it off at the very least. Things got complicated over here just after you left."

[Wired*Nun]

"That thing bound me up in some sort of Chaos energy and left. Even with the Jewel and Greyswandir it was all I could do to hold it at bay. That Pattern-burst blew the bindings apart, but I think it was already gone. It's not really susceptible to the Jewel. If it's really some kind of special descendant of Serpent and Unicorn, that would make a certain amount of sense. It looks like Pattern energy is actually better than theJewel, less refined perhaps." He looks around.

"Why don't you bring me through?"

[Shutter]

"No reason at all." Roland extends his hand to bring Corwin through. On the way he takes advantage of the Trump link to send Corwin a montage of the last couple minutes.

[Wired*Nun]

Stepping through, Corwin looks around at the scene and growls when he spots Dalt. "You," he says, pointing his blade. "I want some answers from you, or I'm going to start cutting off pieces."

"Answers to what, Prince Corwin?" he says with a touch of irony in his voice. "Answers to why you invade my - "

"Oh, do shut the hell up, I've no patience for games," he says, advancing on Dalt. "You're not my peer by a long shot, even if we share the same father. Now start talking or you and anyone who gets in my way will die."

Lions move to step in front of their leader, and one large blond man says, "Let me have him, sir."

"Forget it, Piet. You don't know what you're dealing with. All right, Corwin. Ask of me what you will, I won't spend my men's lives needlessly."

At this Corwin stops, and lowers his blade to rest, point-first on the stone floor. Hell of a way to treat a blade, thinks Roland, then sees the slight sway in Corwin's stance. He's exhausted! And he's bluffing.

[Thanos]

Seeing that those inside seem to have a working plan Heldrik allows time in the bubble to increase and come apace of the time flow in the rest of the room. Heldrik tries not to let Corwin's appearance and blustering to distract him, but he does pay attention to what is said.

[LynMars]

Raevyn reaches into Josh's Trump case, carefully, trying not to get in the way as much as possible. She withdraws the cards and tries to find Vela's.

"Is there a way to...I don't know...draw away and separate the Pattern energies, like...cutting away a mole or something...go around it, maybe, until you can deal with it? Or is it infused everywhere now?"

She focuses on the card, trying to connect to the dying woman's mind.

'It's Raevyn, I want to see if I can help...'

If she can gain entry, she'll try to help soothe her mind, get her to relax, block the worst of the pain and focus on her body's natural healing properties.

[Shutter]

Roland puts away his Trumps, looking past Corwin to Dalt, his men, and his mother. Corwin's endurance is legendary...to see him so drained. Damn...Don't want to draw attention to it though, Dalt might not see it yet. Every minute that passes he'll get his breath back.

They sound like they're making progress with Vela...Good. I think...The little tickle in the back of his mind reminds him that she was on the other side, and so far no explanation for that has been given.

As subtley as he can Roland sizes up Deela. She mentioned teaching us a lesson before...Is she a Hendrake? Clearly more to her than the official family story, shitty one that it is. When she wakes up, all this takes a turn for the worse...

[Wired*Nun]

"Is there a way to...I don't know...draw away and separate the Pattern energies, like...cutting away a mole or something...go around it, maybe, until you can deal with it? Or is it infused everywhere now?"


Gray replies, "It's like the wound is cauterized by magic or something. I can't really overcome it. I can keep her alive for quite a while this way, especially if Josh keeps her stitched up, but she won't really heal until that...whatever it is, is neutralized. And eventually, I'm going to get tired."

Raevyn can only get a faint mental echo, and the unconscious woman has pulled deep inside herself to escape the pain...or perhaps she is slipping beyond the point of no return. Raevyn tries to coax her back, to make contact, to blow on the spark of life fading inside her.

Dalt's charge lies still at his feet, unconscious or apparently so. She might be faking...though I'd not like to have felt the heel of Dalt's hand on my jaw the way she did.

Corwin goes on, "I want to know what in hell is going on here - what or who is this Nightmare thing that's trying to carve out its own piece of the universe, what is your and my sister's connection to it, and why I shouldn't keep trying to destroy it."

Dalt pauses, as if to think of how to phrase his answer.

"I suppose you could say...it's my...twin. Oberon, son of Dworkin and the Unicorn fathered it. My mother Deela, daughter of the Serpent and Phoedra, who preceeded Suhuy, bore it. To acquire the seed of Oberon, Deela became lover to Oberon, impersonating Dierdre, whom Oberon lusted for in secret. This union was blessed by Dworkin, who wanted a suitable mate for his son."

"When she became with child, and he learned what the child was to be, he demanded she end it. When she refused, he concocted the story of Deela the Desecratrix to smear her name, using Dierdre to impersonate Deela, desecrating a number of Unicorn shrines, and sought to hunt his former lover down and kill her. She escaped. When I was born, she had me raised in Shadow, to be the wild goose that Amber chased, instead of the godling they sought."

[LynMars]

Rae tries to follow the thin thread of consciousness, attempting to strengthen it along the way.

'Your son needs you. Come back...'

"I think it may have been Pattern energy, and I don't know how to fix it, either...The Jewel might do it, or maybe Maze energy...It's what we've got, unless there's a fancy Logrus user around, too, but..."

[Wired*Nun]

"I can't do both!" Josh cries. "And application of Logrus might cause more reaction, might just push her the rest of the way. I have to turn her over to Chaos...no matter what the consequences. Call Merlin. I will go with her..." his eyes plead with the two women helping him, as if to ask them too.

"What a bunch of bullshit," says Corwin forcefully, but with an edge of uncertainty. He doesn't want to believe it...token protests. "If that's all true, why is it only coming out now..." he trails off, as if answering his own question in his head. "So you have some kind of godling brother...it's still causing huge problems out in Shadow. It needs to be...neutralized, if not killed."

"Brother, sister, son and daughter, both and neither, all and none. I know," Dalt says bitterly,"and we were succeeding in doing just that. We made the Maze to give it rules and framework, to tie it to us. We addicted it to the Fount, to control the source of its desire. Jasra even compelled it to be human half the time, to try to teach it some humility and identification with others. It banished her anima as punishment, but it still couldn't break her spell. Now it's running around loose, chased off and unlikely to return here. Thank you."

"Hey, I didn't attack your precious Keep," Corwin snarls back.

"Yes, but you did help my stepson rip the maze loose from it, and I'd bet you and your son had something to do with it being invested and unassailable now."

Corwin stares at him as if he wished it was all simple enough to be settled with a duel.

[Shutter]

Little wheels in Roland's brain go click-click-click as pieces fall in to place. Still a lot of questions though...Ah, if only we'd kept House Hendrake at bay. He rocks back on his heels briefly, absorbing the notion.But what now?

She certainly didn't seem like a mother ready to let her son be killed...If there's a chance to work with her Dalt, you're going to need to be that bridge. Will you help us so that we needn't kill your mother to get at your brother?

"Is she going to feel the same way Dalt?" he asks, nodding at the limp form on Dalt's shoulder. "She seemed, eager for this conflict. As the list of people who will work with us and are vested in Damion's well-being shrinks, the odds of this ending very bloody increase." Go, cool off if you need to...But the more rational voices the better our chances. And I don't think your mother qualifies.

[Wired*Nun]

Dalt answers Roland, "She hates Amber, she loves her offspring, she sees them as road to power...and no, she won't feel the same. But whatever else this little incident has done, it's given me the moral high ground, at least for a while. I just committed myself to open opposition to her plans. I can only hope that makes her more circumspect, instead of more desperate. It's already bloody..." his eyes move to Vela, "but I can't protect her from herself forever. I'll call you later, Roland. I think we should talk."

Corwin finally finds his voice. Sourly, he interjects, "All right, Dalt. We both share the responsibility. What are we going to do about it now?"

"What should we do? How are we going to cage a being like Damion, even if we wanted to? All our plans have been upset, and I'm no mystic. I'm tired of riding herd on a bunch of oversized egos. How about this - you figure it out." With that pronouncement, he picks up Deela with one hand and slings her over his shoulder, and turns to walk out. Corwin watches him leave, apparently at a loss.

He turns back to Roland and Coral, glancing at the scene of mystical medical chaos. "What's that all about?" he says wearily.

[Shutter]

Roland nods to Dalt and watches while he leaves. He looks grim, but hopeful. He seems steady for a man raised by such a woman...We're not hopeless.

He turns back to Roland and Coral, glancing at the scene of mystical medical chaos. "What's that all about?" he says wearily.

"A case of mistaken identity. Landon came to our aid and cut down a shadow sorcerer, along with his woman. Turns out that was Josh's mother, Vela, shapeshifted and maybe in congnito. She's still alive, but barely. Looks like the type of wound I'd expect from a pattern blade...Agraynel, Josh, and Rae are trying to stabilize her. The other man is Heldrik, I think he got the fire put out. Coral is still trying to get through to Merlin, she thinks the Jewel might help." Is he up to that? The man needs to sit a moment...

[Wired*Nun]

Corwin steps up to speak quietly to Roland. "She would say that. I'm not handing it over to her outside of the most dire of circumstances, especially without Aurora around to stabilise things. She had it implanted in her body, and it changed her somehow. She's a Jewel junkie. One part of her would do anything to get it back. I'm too tired right now to risk that. I'm sorry about Josh's mother...fire? She's from Chaos? I can't possibly perform anything delicate right now. I'd probably vaporize her."

Coral has been speaking quietly to the Trump of Merlin for the last moment, and suddenly, he is there, grasping her hand. Kissing her fingers, then letting her hand fall, Merlin glances around, nods in their direction, and decides the wounded woman is the first priority.

Kneeling down, he touches Vela briefly, then turns her head to look at both sides, as if to see her face...which is unwounded. "Serpent," he swears, looking up at Josh. "Does anyone of Chaos know she's here?"

"No, sire, none that would recognize her nor know her true name." Josh looks with renewed distress at those around him. "These here know she is my mother, and her name is Vela...please, everyone, that is all anyone should know that is not already witness to these things." His tone and gaze are pleading.

Merlin looks around too, apparently satisfied with what he sees.

"She needs a full trauma ward as well as what you are doing here. She needs skilled medical help to save her. Does anyone have access to anything or anyone near Earth, and the means to assemble a real medical team?"

[Shutter]

Roland nods to Corwin in understanding. I can see that happening all too easily. A testament to her then that she didn't ask for it herself. "Then take a seat and rest, Heldrik seems to have a nice table for that purpose."

Ah, Merlin, another good sign...He recognizes her too?...What is this? Roland makes sure to memorize her face. I'll respect your wishes Josh, but the more of this secretiveness the more likely she'll be cut down this way again.

"Not I. Closest I have would be aunts and uncles with such." Says Roland. Ok, when I get some time...medical school. This is pathetic.

[LynMars]

"Closest I would have would be the hospital on Cyrian, but the technology of Earth is far better, unless the healer mages there can do anything. But it's all Shadow Sorcery." Rae distractedly answers, still focusing mainly on her tenuous Trump connection.

[Thanos]

This is not exactly when I would like to reveal this, but things happen.

"I know of a place that will accept her on my word with Earth equivolent medical attention. However, I do not know if she will bleed fire there or not and I can't keep things the way they are now if I take her with me there. She could bleed out before I could effect a bubble again."

Heldrik is refering to the shadow corperation he set up to allow him funds when Eric the Shadow requested large quantities of gold.

[Wired*Nun]

"I can keep her from igniting, if you can take us there. All of us, that want to come, in any case," Merlin says.

"I think we all should go, for now. Let things cool down," says Corwin. "Heldrik, take them to your place. Coral and I will return to Aurora."

"All right." Merlin looks at his father, and smiles. "It's good to see you again, Dad."

"Same here," says Corwin, stepping over to give his son a one-armed shoulder-hug. "Thanks for coming to help. If you can get away, come visit me. We need to catch up."

"Yes...all right," says Merlin. "Just as soon as I make sure Va...- Vela is out of the critical stage. Heldrik, let's go." Merlin lays his hands on the woman, and the garish ring on his finger flares with a burgundy light.

Corwin nods, stepping back and covering the Jewel with his left hand. Holding out his right to Coral, they distance, fade and vanish.

[Thanos]

Heldrik says, "Ok, everybody over by the lady," as he moves over to her himself. When everybody that is going is in a relatively small space Heldrik enlarges the packet shadow on his belt and wraps it around everybody. Closing the connection to Nightmare's church he then connects the other side of the pocket shadow to the lobby of a hospital, next to the ER, in the shadow of Spoogida.

Heldrik pulls out some kind of ceramic card with little metal studs and walks out into the lobby seemingly out of nowhere. To the nurse on duty he says, "Hello, I need a strecher and the best medical staff and mages you have on your payroll, and I need it now." He places the card in a slot and puts his thumb on the reader pressing a few buttons and a half-million Gids are transfered to the hospital.

Assuming everythings works out with the nurse, Josh's mother should be getting the best medical and magical care that money can buy in a transdimentional hub.

[LynMars]

Raevyn notes the near-slip Merlin almost made as she tries to maintain some sort of contact with the woman's fading mind. She follows along with however they travel, still trying to coax Vela back from unconsciousness.

[Wired*Nun]

Between Josh, Gray and Merlin's ministrations, Raevyn feels like Vela is stable, for now. The shadow teleport drops them to the floor of the ER with nary a bump. The one bearded fellow that witnesses them arrive looks up from his magazine with raised eyebrow, shakes his head and goes back to reading.

The nurse punches a button, and an alarm sounds down the hall. The reader confirms Heldrik's "transfer pending." Craning over to look at the beeping machine, the nurse says, "Anything above a hundred thousand has to be done during the banking day. Don't worry, we'll take care of you, mister...Helgrick?"

A trauma team consisting of doctor-mage, nurse-adept and two orderlies comes down the hall with a gurney. Making a quick assessment of the patient, the doctor says to Josh, "You, stay that way. The rest of you clear off, please." The four take a four-point lift and bring her up to the gurney in one smooth motion.

Wheeling her down the hall into the surgical ward, Raevyn is able to follow their progress from the tenuous connection she had to the unconscious woman. Gray makes to follow but Merlin puts a restraining hand on her arm, earning him a glare. "Putting your hands on a Princess is considered improper where I come from," she says haughtily.

Merlin's wintry smile stops below his eyes. "Well, kings can get away with such things in a pinch. I meant no offense." Gray growls and walks over to Heldrik to wrap him in an embrace.

"Good to see you again. You don't visit enough," she says. "You have no idea how hard it is to resist the attentions of foolish men when you're not there." She twines her fingers through his hair and kisses him, hard.

Merlin walks over to Roland, the only one not otherwise engaged, and shakes his hand. "Good to see you again. You want to fill me in on what all happened before I go visit my father?"

Once Roland is done telling him all he will, Merlin shakes his head in a kind of disbelief. "I can see I am going to have to get my cabinet together and try to figure out what to do about this Nightmare. I almost wish it were clearly an evil threat...has anyone thought about trying to see what the Unicorn or Serpent's view on these things are? I'll have to talk to Bances..." he mutters.

"Well, it's good to see you all again. Sorry, but I am always pressed for time nowadays. Ghost, can you take me to Corwin? See you all later."

A ring on his left hand detaches, turns into a glowing yard-wide halo, and drops itself over Merlin, leaving a man-shaped empty where he was.

[LynMars]

'Gray seems...Different.' Is the only thought Rae spares that way as she finds a seat and waits, card still in hand, maintaining her tenuous contact, if only to monitor now, and still send some encouragement and support Vela's way. Other than that, she prepares for a long and familiar wait. The hospital environment doesn't seem to bother her at all.

[Thanos]

Fortunately for Heldrik he remembers his manners, "Yes, Helgrick. She is a Body-Shifter just so they know."


Once the injured are off on their own Heldrik puts his pocket back where it belongs and his sword in it...followed by letting loose the Grand Design from his mind.

Smiling after the kiss and now that he is not concentrating enough to look constipated he says to his wife, "You are right, I was actually talking to Landon in the castle on my way to a few days rest with you when he was attacked via trump and I had to knock him out. They, 7 of them, kept calling so we decided to meet them head on and Rae somehow was pulled into the frey as she was calling for help against Nightmare and Dalt. We beat the seven of them harshy, but failed to kill I think, and went to Rae and Rolands aid only to find things stale mated and the injured lady bleeding fire. Seeing as Josh cared about her and it was perhaps Landon's mistroke that hurt her I felt abliged to help her out. That she survived at all is testiment to your skills my love and I thank you for your timely aid."

With that he plants a full kiss on her, returning the affection already offered him. "I feel like I need a vacation and your just the person I would want to be stranded on an island with." This is the first any of the others has seen Gray since we were married. "However, there is some small amount of business that I would like to handle."

Putting out his arm to Gray he takes the few steps over to Roland, noticing that Rae seems involved with her trump, and says with a smile, "Lord Roland, with all of our errends and business I have been remiss in a duty of mine. I would like to introduce you again to Princess Agraynel of Ember, who is now my wife."

[Shutter]

Merlin walks over to Roland, the only one not otherwise engaged, and shakes his hand. "Good to see you again. You want to fill me in on what all happened before I go visit my father?"

Wonder where he saw me the first time? Kind of Chaos must have good sources I reckon... Roland returns the handshake, firmly and with a slight bow.

"Well, the five minute version is that I brought Corwin the Jewel of Judgement and a Trump painting of Nightmare. Then things sort of went downhill...." He delivers the summary, fairly complete. "...So, when she was mildly stable Coral brought you through, and there you have it...Tell Corwin I'll be in touch."

Putting out his arm to Gray he takes the few steps over to Roland, noticing that Rae seems involved with her trump, and says with a smile, "Lord Roland, with all of our errends and business I have been remiss in a duty of mine. I would like to introduce you again to Princess Agraynel of Ember, who is now my wife."
Roland gives a solid performance of keeping his surprise in check. He bows to the newlyweds, smiling gamely.

"Congratulations to you both. I had to take a guess when Rae asked me to call your wife to help us. Given the limited list of my Trumps and what I knew of you both...Well, nice to see that I'm right from time to time....Though, this is facsinating, what does one get an Amberite as a wedding gift? I hope you'll forgive me if it's delayed a bit longer." Roland looks tense, a bit nervous, like he expects to be attacked again soon. He must be worried that they were followed or something.

[Thanos]

"Well I think your well wishes are enough of a wedding gift for the time being and personally I do not know what I would give one of our Aunts if they were to get married." Seeing Roland's expressions...

"Oh, its a bit difficult to trace one of my kind of ports. They can tell mostly what happened, I guess like a trump, but aside from that I closed the door from there before I opened the door to here so things should be OK"

At least I think they will be OK. I really have to talk to Landon soon and convince him that we need to get some revenge...and then I can have done what I needed to for Fi...

[Wired*Nun]

Gray makes her introductions with good grace, but minimal attention. As soon as she can, she pulls Heldrik aside. "I noticed someone else dead there on the floor, and those wierd paintings of Nightmare and all that. Who was that?" She looks at him half-accusingly, as if daring him to give a displeasing answer.



The rest settle in to the ER waiting room. After a while Raevyn senses Vela's unconsciosness to become more eased. She's going to pull through, if nothing else bad happens.

An hour later, the docmage comes out with freshly scrubbed hands. "Your friend is alive, for now. She is suffering some enchantment I have not the skill to dispel. For that I have no remedy, and can make no promises. I have transferred her to ICU. After she gets out, I suggest you get her to some high-priced specialists. It's out of my league." He turns wearily away, to await the next crisis of his shift.

[LynMars]

Raevyn breathes a sigh of relief, letting the contact fade away, rubbing her temples after slipping the card into her own case for now, to be returned to Josh later. She looks around for something to drink, maybe a snack.

'Busy day on the Trump front; Nightmare, then that weird thing with Landon and Heldrick, Gray...and whoever Vela really is. I know I should think of it, seemed familiar, but...eh. I'm tired, and maybe Josh will say something later. Best not to push him, though.'

"Heldrick, I--" She pauses, noting that he's talking with gray, and she's asking other hard questions. The questions about Landon's Trump experience can wait maybe a little longer.

Instead, for now, she'll turn to Roland. "We should try to make sure Landon's all right; he's not so good himself, I think, between the Trump incident and what happened in the cathedral.

"I'd be happy to share what I know of what happened, and why I believe he reacted to Asmundson as he did."

[Thanos]

Heldrik's smile fades when Gray gives him her 'you better tell me' attitude and says, "Well, it seems that our dear Mr. Asmundson was fanatical enough in his worship of Nightmare that he used magic to animate a large statue of Nightmare to attack your cousins and I. Landon and I were called in shortly before it animated to see Josh fighting for his life with another shifter, Roland fighting Dalt, while Rae was busy fighting with us and pulling us in as Carol was guarding Rae from Dalt's men. I don't think anybody else thought that Asmundson would fight against his former companions, but he showed where his loyalties really were so Landon releaved him of life."

"I am sorry, but what happened was done in the heat of combat."

[Wired*Nun]

A long look of incomprehension passes Gray's face. "Asmundson? Attacked Landon and you? I thought he was his friend...and mine." She settles against Heldrik's chest, seeming suddenly smaller, vulnerable.

"I didn't mean that you did anything wrong. But it's not like Landon to go running off. I mean, I don't think it is...or maybe it is." She looks up into his eyes. "I guess I didn't really get to know him very well, even if he is my brother. I just get the feeling someone isn't telling me something."

[Shutter]

Gray makes her introductions with good grace, but minimal attention. As soon as she can, she pulls Heldrik aside. "I noticed someone else dead there on the floor, and those wierd paintings of Nightmare and all that. Who was that?" She looks at him half-accusingly, as if daring him to give a displeasing answer.
Roland turns and walks away quickly, moving over to listen to the doctors. Ack, that's what I was worried about...maybe Heldrik can control her... He busies himself thanking the doctors for their effort and their information. Good...Very good.

Instead, for now, she'll turn to Roland. "We should try to make sure Landon's all right; he's not so good himself, I think, between the Trump incident and what happened in the cathedral.

"I'd be happy to share what I know of what happened, and why I believe he reacted to Asmundson as he did."

"I tried to call him a few minutes ago, just before Corwin came back. He wasn't taking calls. He was well enough to magic his way out though, he shouldn't be too badly hurt then right?" He pauses to rub his temples. "Anything you could tell me would be great, though, I don't think doing what Landon did really calls for an explanation...I was going to do it in a matter of moments myself." Well, maybe not the Josh's mom part...

A long look of incomprehension passes Gray's face. "Asmundson? Attacked Landon and you? I thought he was his friend...and mine." She settles against Heldrik's chest, seeming suddenly smaller, vulnerable.

Roland contains a sigh. Well no shit kid. Your buddy was a cult fanatic.

[Thanos]

Heldrik holds her to him and says, "Well in his case I think I would have retreated myself. He was assualted and nearly killed by seven ruthless shadow wizards and I had to beat him across the head to break the connection as a bullet grazed his face puncturing his ear. Then after we defeated them, with Rae's help, he was forced to kill a friend. That resulted in him getting caught in a Logrus-Pattern explosion which further wounded him throwing him across the room nearer to Dalt's men. He left because his condition would make him a liability in a fight that nobody really knew what might happen next."

"As to why he went after Asmundson, perhaps Rae has a better idea..."

[LynMars]

Raevyn shakes her head. "I agree with Heldrik; Landon was very agitated during the conflict in the Trump--I'm still not sure how that worked. I tried to call Landon, and saw them contacting him, too. Then one of them fired a rifle at him, and he fell from the contact, but I was still there--So I attacked the woman acting as the focus, and was assaulting the rifleman when Heldrik and Landon returned to the contact.

"There were at least two other peripheral contacts watching in as well, but they left as soon as they realized I noted their presence. I explained quickly the situation, and pulled my cousins through--as Asmundson attacked us. Vela in disguise was with him. I think Landon reacted to a combat situation; Asmundson may have been a good acquaintance, but when an outsider attacks a family member...We tend to act instinctively, it seems." She says, a little ruefully.

"I'm not sure if it was the blast or Josh that hurt him more and threw him aside, but he is injured, from the Trump combat and from his brief encounter in the cathedral. He likely had to retreat. Someone should find him, but I doubt he's willing to answer a Trump right now, especially alone."

She turns to Heldrik. "Do you have any idea who those people were, and why they were trying to kill Landon, in what seemed a manner similar to how Joss was killed?"

[Thanos]

Heldrik nods as Rae gives her points and responds to her question, "The gunman is known to me as a senior official in the Kashfa'n government. The others were probably shadow wizards of some kind. Its my impression that they wanted Landon killed for messing with their plans concerning the Maze. In fact I was talking to him about them when they attempted the assassination."

[LynMars]

"Kashfa..." Rae idly rubs the bracelet on her wrist, brows drawing together in thought. "Do you think Luke had anything to do with it, then? And if he and Dalt are still working together...I don't know. He is involved heavily with the Maze, at least, if not it's creator. Also, this may all be older than we think; the pictures in the cathedral were done, I'm certain, by Brand. I recognized the style from Caine's instruction. Add onto that Deela's tale...They may have been working with Jasra and our mad uncle long ago, and now Luke's taking up some of the work. Or trying to disrupt it.

"But rather convenient timing; attacking another while so many of us were occupied, at such an important place to it all. Where exactly was that, anyway?"

[Thanos]

"Well, according to Landon, Luke is the Dwarkin of the Maze and they moved it from the Keep somewhere else. Luke might not have had anything to do with it, but he can't be ruled out yet. The underpinnings of what is happening is certainly much older than I first suspected, but the culmination of it into an actual power I think is relatively new...as in since the Patternfall War's conclusion. It is very likely that the creation of the extra pattern allowed for something like the maze to be able to take hold."

And what if Luke forced the Pattern to let it be created, when he held it hostage with his blood, or helped him do it to challenge Corwin's pattern but make it dependent on the Fount and thus relatively grounded and controlable in an of itself?

"The timing is unmistakably precise. The only thing that I do not think that was taken into account was the two of us," he motions towards Gray and himself, "as we have not been displaying which nitch we fit into as of yet..."

[LynMars]

Rae raises a brow, opens her mouth, closes it again. Then tries one more time. "I don't think anyone tends to fit into a niche of any kind in this situation. They couldn't have taken many things into account, really--like Landon's actions, which they apparently tried to stop. Roland and Kat weren't known of until recently either. There's quite a bit that may not have been taken into account--and many contingencies for such surprises made anyway."

[Thanos]

...oh but unknowns must always be planned for in schemes of this magnitude. Previously unknown Amberites have been popping out of the woodword since the Patternfal War, which makes them a variable instead of an unknown. Variables can be accounted for, if not precisely. It is a dangerous game we are playing and one I am going to have become better at or I risk far to much...and everybody finds a nitch, although it may take time and may change over time...its the nature of things...

"As to your other question, I do not know where it was exactly, but I could find it again if I was required to. I wonder if we should at least check on the patient ourselves and see how Josh is doing...?"

[LynMars]

Raevyn nods. "As the doctor said, she seems stable for now, though still unconscious. I don't know how we can fix the Pattern energies, I'd have to think on that a bit. Josh could likely use the support too. Just..." She pauses, looks at the others.

"Don't push him into explaining. He'll say what he can, when he can. But now isn't the time to force an explanation."

[Thanos]

Unless anybody objects Heldrik will hold out his arm to Gray and proceed to find Josh and the wounded woman. Once found he will simply wait for Josh to start talking.

Silence should draw at least something out...even if its just so I can give my sympathies...

[Shutter]

Roland watches the Heldrik Raevyn exchange from a remove. He makes some mental notes and raises an eyebrow, but that's about it. When Heldrik moves off Roland stays behind, fingering his Trump deck and wondering what should happen next.

Flora is sure to know about the Pattern ring by now. She won't be pleased, better to tell her rather than to have her call me out on it I suppose...Then there's Landon, he won't be answering Trumps right now I'd imagine, but I don't know how else to reach him...Again, maybe Flora.

[LynMars]

Raevyn follows Heldrik, glancing back once at Roland as he lingers behind.

If the staff lets them through to see Vela, Josh likely isn't too far away. She'll walk up to him, offering back the borrowed Trump, and a hug if wanted.

[Wired*Nun]

Heldrik and Gray are directed to the window outside the ICU, where they are not allowed due to the delicate energies and technology there - not to mention the patients. They can see Vela inside, on a bed with devices of various sorts in, on and about her. Josh is just being shooed out by a businesslike nurse. He looks exhausted.

"Oh, hey Heldrik. Gray. Thanks a lot for your help..." He hangs his head. "Mom...she was keeping tabs on Asmundson and collecting information on the whole Maze thing, as you can probably figure out. If...when she wakes up, I am sure she will tell us some things, maybe help figure it all out." He goes to sit down on a nearby seat, putting his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. "I have to get back to Jorden soon, too. I can feel it coming after me again. Is Raevyn around somewhere? Can you get her?"

About that time Raevyn arrives. The tapping of her boots on the floor causes Josh to open his eyes. He takes back the Trump and cases it carefully before taking Raevyn in his arms, the hug turning into more of her supporting him before he sits back down. His eyes are pleading as he says to her, "I have to go back to Jorden. It's coming for me again. I'd like you to come with me...I'll tell you anything you want to know. We can go and be back in just a short time, with the time flow."

Roland receives a Trump call from Flora. He knows it's her before he cautiously opens the contact - some kind of projected identity? He sees Random standing in view. "We felt the call. What has happened? Do you need aid?"

[Shutter]

Roland slides off to an out of the way corner and tries to be discreet about talking to himself. To Flora he shakes his head. "No, no need for aid. Things are, settled now. I needed the burst of energy from the ring, and the backup in case my bet failed. As to what happened." He pauses, clicking back in memory a couple of hours.

"Dworkin came up with a plan, to take the Trump of Nightmare that I had and bring it to Corwin with the Jewel of Judgement, Rae and Josh came as well. The goal was to cut to the source and put that business to rest." [i]Damnit all, maybe if we'd planned we could have. "Didn't go smoothly though, we were pulled through to some mad cathedral to the Nightmare...stained glass from Brand, depicting it's birth. Dalt and his mother were there to defend it."

"They're siblings, Dalt and Nightmare, Damien. Grandsons of Unicorn and Serpent. Deela was happily intent on killing us all, Dalt seemed a reasonable sort in a hell of a spot. Damien and Corwin winked out of existence. There was some fighting, Heldrik and Landon came through from Rae and helped us. Landon was banged up a bit, but looked like he'll be alright, I'd like to find him soon, see that he's alright...." He snaps back from a growing tangent. "Dalt calmed his mother and left with her, Corwin was freed from some sort of trap Damien placed on him with the energy wound up in that ring...That sums it up. Oh, Asmundson, that shadow sorcerer, he sided with Nightmare and company against us, Landon cut him down just before he was hurt. Might have a part of why he's laying low right now." His voice is steady, as though the oddity of the last few hours is still sinking in.

[Wired*Nun]

Flora reaches out to include Random in the conversation, who holds up a hand partway through. "Sounds like we need a full report - right away, unless there is some reason not to. Anyone else coming?" He makes it sound like a suggestion, but clearly he expects to be obeyed.

[Shutter]

"Probably just me. I'll make my goodbyes and be in Amber within a few minutes if that works for you." If there are no objections Roland makes his way quickly to the ICU, looking for Josh.

[Wired*Nun]

Roland sees the scene in the ICU waiting room, Heldrik and Gray, Josh and Raevyn, talking earnestly.

[Shutter]

Wow that's a lot of equipment...hope it's working. Roland walks over and squats down in front of Josh.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. She's going to be alright Josh?"

"I've been called back to Amber to explain myself to Random and all that." He fixes Josh's look firmly. "Who there knows about your mom Josh? Random? Flora? I'll not betray you, but I'd just as soon be honest with folks who already know....or was it a secret that she was there? I've got a minute or two only, I'll lie if that's best, but I don't know that they'll buy it." Intrigue is a bitch when you have to mop things up isn't it?

[Wired*Nun]

"No way to know, right now, but...I can't draw it here. The Curse. I need to leave. If someone could watch over her...I'd...I'd owe them a lot..." He looks around at the rest, hopefully.

"Everyone knows...what everyone knows. I have a mother, sure, and stuff like that. No one else but Merlin knows...what she doesn't want known. She's supposed to be dead, and I'm not supposed to exist, and if I did...I mean, if I was know, in another way...oh, it's complicated, but no one knows. Just tell them what you have to, don't lie, but you don't have to tell them your speculations, or every little word that was said. Tell them she got in the way, you don't have to blame anyone." He looks at the floor, miserably.

" 'cept me..." he says in a whisper.

[LynMars]

Raevyn nods, keeping a reassuring hand on his arm. 'He's worn out, strained...now he's probably fighting to keep back..whatever it is that assails him. I'm about drained myself.'

"Sure, Josh. You need the rest, and the others can keep an eye on your mother while we're gone. Shouldn't be long." Raevyn starts shuffling out her Trump of Jorden, glancing at Heldrik and Grey, then at the window to the ICU. She waits when Roland appears, to see what Josh's answer to that questions is.

She squeezes his arm again, and looks to Roland and the others. "I'm going to get him out of here. He needs rest almost as much as she does. We'll be back shortly, with the time difference."

If no one else has anything to say, she holds up her Trump to focus and step through.

[Shutter]

Roland grips Josh's shoulder. "Blame is for the weak. Life happens Josh we do our best with it. Thank you for helping me on this." He stands and addresses all four of the Amberites. "Thank you all, I am in your debts."

He turns to Heldrik, "Could I impose upon you to look after her for a while longer? When I'm free of my interview I'll come back here....I should be able to draw it well enough." Set all these details down...the room, the light, the feel of the place.

[Wired*Nun]

Seeing what Raevyn is doing, he reaches up to touch the Trump. She feels something pass through - unlocking his home? Then the image resolves and they step through.

A few minutes of fussing by the servants, and Josh and Raevyn are soon ensconced in his spacious bedroom, which she has never seen before. Josh says, "Be out in a few," as he strips off his shirt and heads into the bathroom. His back is striped with half-healed gouges and marks, and he moves stiffly. Probably not up to finishing the healing, until he rests and eats...

After the sounds of showering, he comes out, wrapped in a towel. His body looks less traumatized, but not completely healed. There's not an ounce of fat on him, anywhere, his muscles standing out like cords. Grabbing a pair of trousers, he quickly pops back into the bathroom to change.

There comes a knock on the door, and a cart with masses of food is soon sitting next to the table. Josh steps back out, toweling his hair once more, then sits down to eat. "Please, help yourself," he says, as he begins to wolf down more food than she has seen anyone eat in one sitting, even her father. It just seems to disappear inside him.

A few minutes later, she notices him actually filling out, subtly, slowly. The body fat is returning to normal, and the rest of his wounds are healing. He must have catabolized himself somewhat to heal... In between bites, he smiles at her, his eyes twinkling with pleasure at her presence.

[Wired*Nun]

Roland grips Josh's shoulder. "Blame is for the weak. Life happens Josh we do our best with it. Thank you for helping me on this." .

"Yeah...you're welcome, for what it's worth. I guess it's the effort that counts, sometimes, heh?"

[LynMars]

Rae takes a seat and waits patiently, resting herself. She looks enough to see the effects the fight and the constant shifting left on him, then looks away again so as not to stare, leave him some privacy. When the food is brought she eats as usual, if quietly, thinking. She returns his smiles, though, glad to see him relaxing and healing.

"Feeling better? You should probably get some sleep, too. It's been a crazy day, and you've had quite a lot to deal with, on many levels." She pauses, looks down at her plate. 'I want to ask, but...Should I now? Should it wait til he's rested more? Or should I wait for him to say? There's something I'm missing, I should already know. I have the pieces, it's just getting them to fit, I think...'

[Shutter]

After any parting words to Heldrik Roland shuffles out the Trump for Amber and tries to follow Josh and Rae out in his own rainbow swirl. Should he arrive intact, he'll look about for Flora and Random whom he expects to see close at hand.

[Wired*Nun]

"I'm beat, actually, but..." He reaches out to take her hand. "I like being with you. And if you're wondering about my mother, a whole day here will only be fifteen minutes there, and I've had a lot of practice getting used to the practicality of this place...we can go back tomorrow and check on her."

He smiles at her, a sad, tender smile. "Things don't always work out...but some things do. I'm here, and you're here. Do you really want to know my dirty little secrets? It will make you a party to them, you know. Might go against what the Kings of both ends think they want. Might make you...not an enemy, but at least ill-thought-of, if you don't play their games and tell them everything they think they are entitled to. Might bind you to me closer than you want to be..."

His face changes, subtly, to a look of wistfulness, tinged with a little bit of hope. "Or maybe..." he stops, shakes his head. "Sorry. Just...wishing."

[Wired*Nun]

After any parting words to Heldrik Roland shuffles out the Trump for Amber and tries to follow Josh and Rae out in his own rainbow swirl. Should he arrive intact, he'll look about for Flora and Random whom he expects to see close at hand.

Almost as soon as Roland's foot hits the polished floor, one of the stewards is at his elbow. "My lord, the King summons you to his presence. Please follow me."

The man leads Roland a part of the castle he's not visited, past guards and doors to a large office with a lovely view over the city. Wait, this is impossible, we're not that high up, and I think the orientation is wrong...hmmm, maybe that window is magic or simulated...

Random and Flora are waiting, the Kind behind a huge mahogany desk, Flora perched upon it, smoking. Legs crossed and one foot tapping the corner of the desk, she scratches briefly at her nose with one long nail, then flicks the ash palm-up into a golden spittoon at her feet.

"Have a seat, Roland, and report," orders Random, leaning back in the leather swivel and crossing his arms.

[Shutter]

He's not pleased. After a brief but polite bow Roland tells the story of his last several hours. He edits out the part about Gerard and Julien being notified...

"Dworkin found me down by the Pattern, and we talked, he had an idea..."

"...Raevyn finaly reached help, Landon and Heldrick came through. It turns out Landon had just survived an assassination attempt, I'll tell you what I know of that in a moment. Just after Dalt knocked Deela out and the fighting was nearing a close, Landon saw Asmundson casting a spell which animated a statue to attack us, so he took action, and cut Asmundson and the other woman down. It must have been some sort of Pattern blade because the woman was a shapeshifter and she took fire from a deep cut. She was Josh's mother, Vela, working in the background trying to get information."

"Josh flipped out, we dropped the fighting to help her. Landon was hit pretty hard in the panic, but teleported himself out. We got help from..." And on to the rest, up to the present. Then he backs up and tells what he knows about the attempt on Landon. Finaly he stops and watches the faces across from him, trying to read their reactions. Now what?...

[Wired*Nun]

Random taps his fingers on his arms for a moment, then says, "Flora, call Fi please, see what she found out. Good work, Roland, as far as it went. Sounds like you did the best you could in a bad spot. Funny about the Jewel..." he trails off, exchanging a glance with Flora. "It seemed to have no effect on this creature when Corwin used it? But Greyswandir did. Or at least, the combination gave it pause. What do you thnk about that?"

Flora shuffles through Trump, apparently paging Fiona.

[LynMars]

Rae takes the offered hand, placing her other on top as well.

"And I like being here with you as well," she replies, almost carefully. She smiles. "And I know there's a whole day here, per minutes there, which is why I say if you need to rest first, you should. I probably ought to as well, really, though maybe we're both too charged still."

As Josh goes on about telling Rae his secrets, she chews on her lip, looks thoughtful. "I admit to a lot of curiosity, at almost every turn. You've told me some of it, and I'm grateful for the trust. It's not an easy thing in our world, I think. And that may be where some of your trouble comes from, having to hold back so much."

She looks back at him again. "If you wish to tell me, I'll listen. I won't tell anyone if you don't wish them to know. No one even needs to know I'm aware of anything you may have to hide, really, and I think I can keep that bluff going for at least a little while. And if it upsets anyone I'll tell them honestly that it's personal, not a matter of state, so they can...um, well, you know."

It's her turn to look a little sheepish. Then she clears her throat.

"Wishing what, exactly? Or is that included in the package deal?"

[Wired*Nun]

"It's not trust...not with you," he says impulsively. "It's...caution. I don't want to get you...I mean, sometimes knowing things is dangerous for the knower. And it's not fair to put you in that position unless you really want it. Also, sometimes confidences are not secrets, not exactly. Oh, I'm not explaining this very well."


"Wishing what, exactly? Or is that included in the package deal?"


"No, I was just wishing...that I didn't have this curse, wishing maybe that...that I might have more to offer...someone. Someone like you. Wishing that I wasn't who I am, that mother wasn't who she is...wishing that things could always be like this between us, and more...except for the wounding and healing part, of course." He laughs.

"I think you're right, though, I'm getting tired and giddy. I need to sleep, and I'm not the best company when I sleep. You know where your room is...I'm not kicking you out, but please...don't...I mean, just in case it would happen, make sure it doesn't...what I'm trying to say is, don't...fall asleep next to me, or anything. Sometimes my dreams take over and I change and..." he looks away, suddenly miserable. "I get ugly..." he whispers.

[LynMars]

"Wishes are funny things. Sometimes the thing we wish for really is in easier reach than we think."

She stands, still holding his hand. She gives it one more good squeeze as she leans over to drop a brief, chaste kiss on his forehead, then straightens again. "And my first art teacher back in Cyrian beat into my head that ugliness is as subjective as beauty. I've seen another form you can apparently take. Startling, definately. But effective, too. I would think you'd be more worried about the times the nightmares make you lash out, than something like that."

She lets go of his hand, starts to leave. "I've already said I'll listen, if you want to tell. In our lives, danger tends to be almost as subjective as aesthetics. One never knows what they're getting into unless they're already in it most of the time, anyway. For now, though, we'd both better get our rest." She smiles back at him. "Good night, Josh."

[Wired*Nun]

"Wishes are funny things. Sometimes the thing we wish for really is in easier reach than we think."

He looks at her with a mixture of incredulity and hope, and a wide smile breaks his face. "Thanks...you have a way of making me feel much better."


I've seen another form you can apparently take. Startling, definately. But effective, too. I would think you'd be more worried about the times the nightmares make you lash out, than something like that."



"Actually that's what I meant...I'm not...I mean, it's just a form, you know. I meant ugly in actions, as you said. I wouldn't want to hurt you, ever. Good night," he says as she leaves. Before he gets out the door, she sees him fall into bed with a sigh.

[LynMars]

Raevyn leans on a wall outside Josh's room after closing the door behind her. She briefly considers her options. Josh would likely be out for awhile after the stress his system had been through. As for herself...

She heads to the salon, where she puts herself through a rather strenuous, if brief, workout session. Repetition of movement, focus on the forms her father, and then Katarzyna, showed her, helps push aside the actions of the day. She doesn't want to take too long--she needs rest too--but she does enough expend the pent-up energy, calm down, and makes herself more ready to drop.

After a little while, she goes to her room for a shower, a change, and then drops into bed, allowing only a thought of 'Roland must have reported by now' before it is firmly clamped down on, saved for after a period of sleep with the rest of it.

[Shutter]

Phew.

Roland's eyes drift off to one side, recalling details of the Nightmare Jewel interaction. He shakes his head slowly. Not enough reliable info...

"The Jewel and Nightmare seemed a match for eachother, I think it said..."When the remaining eye of my ancestor is always on me, of what matter is the gaze of the other?" Something to that effect. Whether it was being figurative or it really has the support of the Serpent I don't know."

"When Corwin added his blade to the threat the Nightmare paused. Maybe it was the added power of Pattern presense, maybe it was just that it was a sharp thing wielded by a stout opponent. I couldn't tell you...It was right after that that they vanished. Corwin did mention though that Grayswandir and the Jewel were what allowed him to hold off the chaos binding he was in for as long as he did."

"Where was all that? The cathedral I mean. We Trumped in to the location, so I don't have any real idea of where it was." Wonder if I could Sketch it and Trump back?

[Wired*Nun]

After a little while, she goes to her room for a shower, a change, and then drops into bed, allowing only a thought of 'Roland must have reported by now' before it is firmly clamped down on, saved for after a period of sleep with the rest of it.

She comes to with the waves crashing on the rocks below her window, gulls shrieking in the distance, the day cool, clear and sunny. The seabreeze leaks in just enough to make her think of Neptune House, and simpler times.

Rising is easy, having slept a dreamless sleep, refreshing. Dressing and following her nose to the kitchen, she finds Josh already wolfing down more food, though nothing like last night. He smiles and rises. "You look lovely," he says brightly.

[Wired*Nun]

"Where was all that? The cathedral I mean. We Trumped in to the location, so I don't have any real idea of where it was." Wonder if I could Sketch it and Trump back?

"We should be getting a report on that soon. Fiona is scrying directly to the location of the Pattern flare. I'm more interested in the Jewel. For example, what do you make of this?" He reaches into his pocket, drawing out what looks like the Jewel of Judgment, on its heavy silver chain. He drops it with a clunk to the surface of the desk.

"As far as I know that's the real thing. As far as I know I've had it the whole time. Yet Dworkin apparently passed you the Jewel, and so on."

Flora interjects after a pause, "Did you think Corwin was acting strangely? I mean, from when you might have seen him last, or what you think is 'normal?' Might he have been under some kind of influence?"

[Thanos]

[Way back at the top of this page, sorry for the short absense.]

Heldrik nods to Rae and says, "I will certainly watch her for a while, it wouldn't do to save her and then let something else happen to her right after now would it..."

The last is said as much for them as it is for Gray and himself as he is not sure why he helped save her in the first place...some kind of impulse.

[LynMars]

Raevyn laughs. "Thank you. Not that I did anything special beyond a bath and some sleep. About ready to go back?" She smiles and has a seat to eat a fast breakfast herself. "Manage to sleep...somewhat okay?"

[Wired*Nun]

Raevyn laughs. "Thank you. Not that I did anything special beyond a bath and some sleep. About ready to go back?" She smiles and has a seat to eat a fast breakfast herself. "Manage to sleep...somewhat okay?"

"Yeah...all things considered. Not bad. I'm ready to see how she's doing, soon as we finish this wonderful breakfast Colleen fixed."

In a few minutes they are finished, and Josh holds out a Trump of Heldrik. "I hope he's taking calls, I didn't think to specify. We can always try Agraynel if he doesn't answer."

[Wired*Nun]

[Way back at the top of this page, sorry for the short absense.]

Heldrik nods to Rae and says, "I will certainly watch her for a while, it wouldn't do to save her and then let something else happen to her right after now would it..."

The last is said as much for them as it is for Gray and himself as he is not sure why he helped save her in the first place...some kind of impulse.

Josh and Raevyn take their leave, as does Roland, and Heldrik and Gray settle in to wait for developments. About ten minutes later, Heldrik receives a Trump call.

[Shutter]

Roland approaches the desk to peer at the Jewel. If it looks the same he brings up the Pattern lens, having seen the other briefly through it already. Wierd. Looks the same...

"Corwin...I've only met him once before." He says to Flora and Random both. "He seemed pretty similar...Bossed his Pattern around in a way that surprised me, lost his cool when he saw the Dierdre paraphanalia at the Cathedral...He was different enough from what I expected that I'd believe it possible he was under some influence, but not enough that I'd ever raise such a claim. To me he's still largely a character from a book and from a few stories by the campfire..." Was he off? How off?... He goes over his memories once more, this time focusing on Corwin's expressions and mannerisms. The little things that might give away some imposter or spell.

"As for the Jewel, Dworkin didn't hand it to me so much as magic it into my satchel. I still don't know when it came out of Coral's head, but I gather it was fairly recently? Artifacts have moved through space and time in strange ways around here before though right? Benedicts silver arm?" A single raised eyebrow attempts to express how baffling this world of high magics and legendary items is to him.

[LynMars]

Raevyn nods and quickly eats, appreciating Colleen's cooking as much as ever. When finished, she waits for Josh to make contact.

"May as well spare the trouble and try Gray first anyway, though he'll likely take it if she or Roland are there to back him up still."

[Wired*Nun]

Flora puts away her trump for a moment. Random and Flora exchange glances. Random says, "I'm going to go on the theory that Corwin was really Corwin, but under the influence of that Jewel - either a fake that Dworkin set him up with, or the real one with some kind of time-twisting involved. In either case, it seems like it prompted him to rashness, for some reason only Dworkin knows. If we're lucky..." here he pauses..."Very lucky, the real Jewel might do better against the Nightmare. This may have been a ruse on Dworkin's part to make it overconfident. Dworkin talks about chess...but I prefer poker. You might throw a few hands to set the mark up for winning the big one."

Flora speaks up then. "Might see if we can get Corwin here with his Jewel, compare the two...at least I can call him and make some inquiries?" Random nods, and Flora moves over to the other end of the large room, shuffling through Trumps.

At that moment, Fiona slips into the room, shutting the door behind her, nodding at Roland and Random. Walking over to Roland, she holds out her hand, palm up. "The ring, if you please," she says if he doesn't connect.