A Day at the Races

The personal diary of Darig, son of Corwin

I return to house Petrus and having had the gym made available to me I proceed with a light workout against the house demons. It is good exercise; they are massively strong but lack finesse. As I work I see Nico arrive and finish my workout with a salute to her.

She has news, house Petrus are interested in an alliance though to them this means a marriage. Nico assures me that they mate in much the same way as House Barimen but with many participants but in deference to me there will be only three: Nico, Kalavryta and myself. The others will just watch. Only slightly reassuring.

Nico has also brought me an invite to the races. Since the invite is not at once she suggests a tour of the highlights of the Thelbane, these seem to be the Hall of Memories, the Whispering Bridge, World's End and the Council Chamber, I choose the first.

We travel by a route that seems to test Nico a little, just to avoid the places that would be harmful to me I suspect.

The Hall of Memories seems to be a long gallery of, unsurprisingly, uncertain length and inconstant appearance. We pass exhibits: Nico's first sword, from when she was a child by the look of it. Then we come to a picture, the recent battle; it moves and looks more like a Trump or a living memory as seen from one of the filmies.

Then portraits of three women: Deithne my mother, Scaitha my foster mother, an uncharacteristic sneer of contempt upon her face, and one more I do not know though familiar to me somehow, the dark, high curved brows make me think it might be Nadia, my sister.

We come upon some more visitors to the place, suddenly as though we have turned a corner, in this straight room, Sorashi and a splendid old lady dressed with Victorian grandeur. We are introduced: the lady is Larsa of House Minobee. Behind them is another picture, Swayvil's Coronation, as Larsa explains.

In the picture Swayvil is young and vigorous and the Great Hall shadowy - when we were there it was luminous. Before him stand three crones identified as the Norns who came to prophecy. Larsa points out House Askaris & William among them - strange how time runs in this place.

Beside the picture is a statue of a being of chaos, five-eighths fly but with spider’s eyes and human lower limbs. I have never seen it before but it has an aspect of familiarity. It is apparently the Queen Mother, of House Diptera.

Whilst I have been wondering at the familiarity Larsa has been studying me and declares that she knows where she has seen me before, when the Norns prophesied at the Coronation the last had said that another would make the prophecy and I had arrived in some sort of a bubble to announce that Swayvil would fall in the end, either William or Suhuy may remember the full text.

As we are talking Margrath arrives with Haruka Kakka.

As I turn the picture on the far wall is again Swayvil's Coronation but this time seen as if from behind and slightly above the throne, the strange feeling of unfamiliar familiarity creeps over me again.

I am not sorry when we decide to continue on to the Council Chamber, meeting Havelock on the way and adding him to the party. Havelock, it seems, is a Trump Artist and is prepared to make one of me – useful.

The chamber is, in its way, impressive but from the viewing balcony it is the council that attracts attention. It is headed by the mantis Vizier. There is a tree (a long time in a land populated by Dryads means that I never doubted it was a member of the Council), a serpentman, a spider, a woman in plate armour, a crowned spectre and an ever changing crystal down one side; a Bogling, a living pentacle, a plant, a robed corpse and an eye tyrant down the other.

They seem to be talking in a desultory manner as though the meeting has not got started. The reason for this is made clear when Mandor arrives and is chided for tardiness. Mandor makes it clear that he has good reasons for this and explains about the attacks on William by the assassin and on Constance by House Spectral and these it seems are accounted treason. Mudboy, one of the demons, is brought as a witness.

The robed corpse seems to be held responsible for this in some way and makes a blustering defence but Mandor seems to have proved his point.

We leave the Council Chamber and go our separate ways. Havelock, Nico and I go to the Spiral; we wish to make use of a room they have that is out of time, here I am no longer even slightly surprised by such a thing.

Havelock starts my trump and works on it until the arrival of Dara, who is Havelock's partner to the races. Together we travel to the Zoodrome, most like a ballroom with three sides open giving a view of a level plain and beyond it the void.

The event is obviously a diplomatic one, each pair are an envoy from elsewhere and their host from one of the houses. As well as Amber; Faerie, Ghenesh, Atlantis, Heaven, Hell, Olympus, Asgard, & Khem are all represented.

Having travelled to Olympus, the home of the Gods of Dorica, I have met Artemis before, though Athena would have been much better, then again Ares would have been much worse. Her host, Staurakios of House Eleusis, is so in awe of her that, as I converse politely with her, it is very clear that the house will follow her lead.

Just as this conversation is ending Sorashi pauses to pass me a note from Lord Suhuy, the poem that "I" spoke at the coronation, I really don't think that it would have made me popular with House Swayvil!

The Infamous Third Prophecy of High King Augustus's Demise, as related by an interloper at his coronation. The Courts are a noticeably less safe for me than I already thought! Even though it was long before I was born, pointing out that a King is an unjust murderer who maltreated his mother and who is going to die by my knife is not the way to make friends, but it certainly will influence people. It may be even more involved; I left at least one dagger in the battle in the throat of something about to rip a centaur’s face off.

The parading of the steeds is announced, a mixed lot to say the least: python, triceratops, Ki-rin, manticore (I hate manticores), flying fish, skeletal horse, giant wolf, spider and lizard, predatory bird, 4-tusked elephant, robot camel and mantis.

I chat to Alvis Lord Torc and Devorgilla the representative of house Unman in a desultory manner as the parade goes on. A very pretty dress she is nearly wearing! When it is finished he mentions that he has a gift for me sent by his patroness. He indicates a trio of demons carrying a long parcel, I can guess what it is if it comes from Faerie! Hopefully I will not need it during the races at least.

As the first race is run betting seems to be appropriate, I have just been introduced to Agneta Goldenhair and Bragi of House Aesir. He is a god of Asgard. She is a refugee Valkerie from House Aesir. She comments favourably on my fighting skills so I offer a combat lesson axe & shield or group, her choice, against a vote in council. I back the Ki-rin and lose. The nature of the competitions is such that it really is always a gamble.

Using the opportunity of circulating I make sure that I reach Benedict and pass him the information that he required in the usual oblique terms. I am introduced to Duchess Belissa Hendrake, she seems to think that gambling is apart of the occasion so I bet a gold hilted dagger and again lose. Belissa seems unduly delighted and says that it will become an heirloom. I am not sure if I should be flattered or embarrassed, I have the daggers made in sets of a dozen.

I am introduces to Cymnea; we chat, whilst she does not like my father she seems to feel that if Benedict sees something in me then I must have some value. She bets a demon against a favour and this time I win.

I circulate further, chatting to the emissaries of Heaven, who does not bet, and Hell, from whom I would rather not win anything. I then chat to Mage Lord Argoleb the Atlantean ambassador and his host, Illyra of House Nomon. We bet cash, a novelty, with me winning a silver coin with a fish on it.

So I circulate back to Lord Torc, winning a second demon off Devorgilla, of the most Louche and Salacious House Unman. I do hope that it is just one of the fairly nondescript spear carriers. I think their house servants could worry a naiad.

As the races are reaching their climax and the slizzard has beaten the oliphaunt; someone points out something falling from the Void, which soon seems to be a mass of bubbles; not expected and not part of the entertainment. I remember clearly that the picture of my arrival that the coronation showed me emerging from bubbles.

One of the bubbles bursts and from it steps a doppelganger of William only looking as if he died some time ago and had returned as one of the undead House of Karm.

He steps up and accuses me that my father killed his (Finndo? I am sure that he was not killed by Corwin). This it seems is a reason to kill me. Mandor is beside me and I ask if there are any rules to such a challenge; not many it seems, though I may choose my weapons there is no equality of arms.

The fight starts he is good and his sword seems to twitch and twist as if it had a mind of its own. Though I have the edge I lose some exchanges as I do not trust that blade not to have poison or paralysis upon it. Its writhing negates the advantage that an off-hand weapon should give me. It also means that I have to use sliding blocks and avoid forte parries. I try to use a direct attack on the sword but it avoids my blow.

In the crowd I hear a sharp clap, and head snap, my opponent tries to take advantage of this with a daring fleche which I have to quickly dodge but I had seen House Unman's demons rushing forwards unwrapping Gae Bolg. I drop my axe and call to the spear which comes to me. I catch it left handed, drop the sword and draw the dagger from my boot in case Not William tries a rush.

With the spear in my hands his advantage is gone, his best move would be to retreat into the widest possible space but I am able to drive him back to the balustrade. Unable to retreat, I run him through, his blood dripping unnervingly upwards, but in chaos who is to say that gravity is not different for the living and the dead? When I pull the blade back he slumps to the sky and drifts in to the Void.

Mandor comes over and makes some complimentary comment, after a few moments discussion he takes the uncanny blade to investigate its nature.

There is another race but it seems to trivial now to gamble; the Slizzard beats the king’s steed and so ends the races.