The Fool on the Hill

The personal diary of Darig, son of Lorraine, part 16

First news of a wedding, Melvin is to marry Fuschia of Groan. Another house that had fallen from greatness and, if it matters in Chaos, similar form and breeding habits. I hope that this will bring him some happiness.

A formal breakfast with House Petrus: I say farewell, they say that they will miss me. I have grown fond of Nico, she is a little more adaptable but the others behind their rigid exterior mask a wholly unyielding core.

They present me with a leaving present, Toxcatl, a blue obsidian dagger. It was crafted by a long fallen house and by killing it moves life essence. I thank them, though it is a dark weapon. They hope that the treaty will be ratified and that Rhodri will visit.

I present a silver rose to Elektra, and remember too well the loss of Nadia when I was young. I wish I could take them both. Petrus give Rhodri the Aegis, a stone shield, more a thing for planting on the field and using as cover.

I leave, Coprolith guiding me for the last time. I travel to the army via Ascaris to thank Cymnea for all her advice. She has more, Eric is assumed to be my father, Oberon acknowledged that paternity but given the timing he may have been Osric's son. She gives me her blessing and I leave.

The army of Amber are assembled, plus Isis, Artemis, Bragi, Hector (who is the Ambassador of Chaos) and the staff that he is taking with him. I thank Coprolith and send him home. I meet Mandor who says farewell, apparently with great affection, he tells me that once a member of the Brash Extremity, always a member. He sends farewell 'Even to Constance and especially to William.'

Melvin makes a brief speech of farewell and Bleys a stylish response.

And the columns move out, the cavalry leading their horses. We go out across the Whispering Bridge, bidding Ludmilla farewell, and then out onto a flimsy, almost transparent, stars in the endless void below us. The troops around me keep their nerve but from somewhere behind comes a horrified scream, fading into nothingness.

We can see the solid ground with the stars breaking upon the shores of reality. But nothing like the field of battle, ivory coloured rolling hills rise before us, but we dismount from the flimsy on to terra firma, the firmer the less terror!

For two hours we advance through the strange terrain with the cold wind of chaos upon our backs until we reach the Abyssal Plain, where the battle was fought. Order has extended its reach towards the Courts.

On the Abyssal Plain we draw up, units are organised, strays who were on a different flimsy are reunited with their 'gently welcoming' NCOs. Scouts report that there are meres of chaos ichor and that the bones of men and horses are fossilised as if an age has passed.

Benedict calls a conclave of all the family members and the deployment of troops is assigned. I have the Vanguard with the Palace Guard Cavalry (at 80% strength), the Red Lancers (at full strength by cannibalising the reserves), the Cordoban Spahis (at full strength) the Corillaine Infantry (Spear & Bow at a little over 70% strength), and the Cordoban Janissaries (full strength). I have a mounted engineering company, part of a normal vanguard and as we are ordered by Fiona to use no Pattern until further notice they may be very necessary. We will be proceeded by Ranger Scouts and I send some gallopers to them to aid communication. I ask that Margrath accompany the van as his sorcerous sight will come in most useful.

Standing orders are that if we face opposition we are to deploy to right if this is possible. My Satyrs, mostly healers, are with the baggage train and the centaurs, what is left of them are part of its guard, they will be fine with that unless there is a chance to hunt manticore!

We march, once away from the Abyssal plain and the field of battle, where the very ground is stabilised by the ordered blood that was shed. The terrain changes hour by hour, even during periods of rest we can watch the horizon change. The scouts are having a worse time; they set out, apparently travel for five hours and come back after only a few minutes, some seem to be lost for days and some do not return.

We camp on the first 'night' though the light has not changed, camp is set. I Trump Elektra to wish her good night, she seems subdued. The new Trump that Havelock has made shows her in a Dorican tunic, a sword that could be the very one I learned with, flame red is on her belt. We are travelling light, I set my bed roll down in its usual place, Rhodri chooses a solid rock and smooths it into a comfortable shape, handy skill.

Before rest I walk the pickets, check men are fed and the horses properly cared for, my troop and the Guard are used to it. Corillaine & Cordoban troops not so much. I do the full round tonight, not just the usual random unit. All is quiet. I'm just talking to a junior officer when Havelock arrives and indicates a private chat. Elektra has Trumped through to him, having stabbed Kalavryta and run away. There is no information if the wound was fatal, though that house is tough.

Inwardly I am torn. I had not wanted to leave her but I had respected her house and do not want to end up in a blood feud. A deep breath and then go straight to Benedict's tent. The guards salute and permit entry, I bid them 'At ease Gentlemen.' and go to face the music.

Benedict sees us at once, Havelock tells the whole story, Elektra had apparently been unruly and she was to be confined in stone until she submitted. Ben orders that she is to stay with us, there may be problems later but she is family. She is assigned to my care and that her presence is to be kept as quiet as possible. Good luck with that in an army, village gossip is as nothing to a camp.

Havelock and I go to where the ladies of Amber are camped along with the baggage train. Elektra is there and I greet her with a hug but then with the question 'what have you done!' Her defence is simple, she had no choice, Kalavryta would not listen and just wished to punish her. Out of her hearing Fiona and Llewella warn me that her traits are those of a psychopath, seeing people as objects. Her presence is to be mentioned as little as possible. Petrus may not know where she is.

I take a blanket from the tent and head back to my own with my daughter. William catches up with me and offers support and also the advice to 'sew her up in the blanket like an egg sack', which given her strength would just be the waste of a blanket. We return to my tent, Rhodri is sleeping, like him Elektra chooses a patch of rock on the floor and shapes it and sleeps.

We rise & march. Fiona is now using pattern so Margrath tells me but it is subtle beyond anything I can sense. The ground is still rough and the engineers occasionally have to make a smoother path for the baggage wagons to cross, here the kids’ skill with rock saves time, bonding the surface so that larger rocks can be used. Elektra also shapes horse troughs so that the horses can be watered easily. Even though she is on foot with a pack and dressed in spare fatigues Elektra seems wholly cheerful. Happily chatting with her brother, not the trace of a row, and with the troops around her.

A report is given to me we have apparently found a shack inhabited by two survivors of the Jasper Yeomanry who fled the field. They are old men, here about 50 years seem to have passed.

We see the aerial scouts go up and, after a few minutes, come back down again. The scouts have seen a large force of undead away on the left flank and another smaller unit away to the right. Both are over three leagues from us. Land based scouts are out to assess them, we only have three fliers in the whole army so we need to be cautious with them.

We bring the Vanguard up as far as the shack, further ahead apparently a tower is visible, I can just see it, I try the telescope but there seems to be a heat haze blurring the view.

Senior officers are called to council. The force to our right are apparently the Order, to our left is House Karm who are apparently out for a stroll in this direction. William and my cousins are to scout the Tower in force, the scouts plus a squadron of lancers and a company of palace guard. I am invited to take part but, my role as I see it is to hold the front of the army and also to get them out if anything goes wrong. I send Sgt Glaid with them, he can assess terrain better than most and has a level head.

My daughter is now apparently the mascot of the engineering company. She is sporting the tunic of a Red Lancer with its white facing and gold buttons over the grey fatigue trousers and pair of high boots, apparently from the Janissaries. She looks damnably pretty and damnably pleased with herself.