Alaric’s Diary part 6: Gerard’s Legs

In The Doom that Came to Amber

Session 6

16^th Bull 3658

I started my day sharing the sickbay with cousin Nathan on Uncle Gerard’s flagship in Zirconian waters. A nurse came into the room with a mobile phone of ZEiTec manufacture and said she had a call for Nathan. He took the call then and there and I was able to overhear a degree of the conversation.

Nathan spoke with a man who had a voice deeper than the King’s – I later surmised he spoke with Oberon and this conclusion brings what has happened over the last few weeks into greater clarity.

Nathan grew agitated during the conversation and, having concluded it, he seemed in some haste to leave. I asked him if he had 10 minutes to be somewhere or 10 minutes to be off this ship. He said the former – but I knew he lied.

I Trumped Uncle Gerard and informed him of the overheard conversation and said that whatever the form of the attack there was only a minute or so before it came in. He put the ship on red alert – we maintained Trump contact and waited.

I was aware of a blinding white light and then a massive concussive shudder went through the ship.

I lost Trump contact when I was thrown to the floor – I immediately tried to regain contact but Gerard’s card felt dead to me now and I felt the ship sliding frighteningly quickly down into the waters.

With the flagship sinking, I knew that with a broken leg I could not make my way up to the deck in time. So I drew Trump and the first relative – Benedict. There was hope for me yet and he took me through to safety without question.

I reported to Uncle Benedict what had happened and he too was unable to raise Uncle Gerard. My heart sank at the prospect of a world without Gerard. I then reported formally to Benedict and recounted the tale again to Bathsheba and Asmark.

I then retreated to my Paolo piss-ridden midden of a chamber. I woke Paolo up again and persuaded him to part with his (by now dried) robes and gave him both an opportunity to wash and to change into some spare clothes of my own. I then sent him off to his safe house in the city with a promise that I would find him within the hour.

I started about my first achievement of the day – to find Khitan. He received my Trump at once and I brought him through to my chamber. He explained his capture by Bathsheba and his imprisonment at her orders. He was lucky not to have been tortured.

He told me that during the night he had been visited by Oberon himself (or his Shade). Oberon told him that wanted Corwin to be King and that things were getting bad because Corwin had refused his order and was being held prisoner.

Khitan then went on to confirm all that had been said to me by Mira and Her Archpriest and I felt both sickened and horrified by the confirmation of this knowledge. Random’s mother, Paulette, was indeed the problem behind the throne and sweet Vialle was close at her side. Peter Thrice who had been told the same thing by Droppa later reaffirmed this. Oberon wanted the downfall of the Unicorn and I might be one of his agents to achieve it.

I was apologising for the smell when Aunt Flora contacted me – not wishing her to discover Khitan in my room, I redirected her to the Library. I left Khitan to his odd magics and his attempt to recover his lost belongings and joined Bathsheba and Asmark in the Library and we discussed the morning’s business.

The morning had got worse all round. When Bathsheba told the King of the attack on Gerard, he apparently had a nervous breakdown! But from her description Random sounded as though he had reverted to the twisted parody of an Uncle that Nathan and I amongst others had rescued from Dark’s Travelling Circus several years before. If he had it really was serious.

Flora arrived and we broke the news to her about Gerard and the King’s current disposition. She was very upset but soon drew herself together and started listing who needed to know about the situation. She excluded my mother and I protested. She attempted to blackmail me so I decided that I would tell Aylwin the news so that our Mother would at least be aware of the current situation even if it were not from my lips.

Flora also barred me from speaking with both Deirdre and Martin, as they were apparently not to be trusted. I was furious – more so that she had sought to blackmail me – but tried to control it. She then left us. Aylwin trumped me and I brought him through to join us.

I believe Nathan to be directly implicated, not for the attack itself but for the fact that he did not warn our Uncle of its imminent arrival. What I could not answer then is who ordered the attack – initially I worried that Corwin may have been the instigator and after considerable thought and a Trump reading I knew otherwise. My question I reflected on to my Trumps was “To what degree is Corwin implicated in the attack on Amber’s fleet in Zircon waters?” The answer made me near blush for my suspicions. The layout was as follows:

Significator: 10 coins

Aspirator: Corwin

Instigator: Random

Cryptic: Oberon reversed

Culminator: 10 swords

Pivot: The Moon

From this, I read that the entire episode was family orientated. Oberon was the cause of the problem and that Corwin was the solution. The future suggested that we had not yet reached the nadir and that I should trust my intuition. Very well then! So I shall!

Asmark, Aylwin and I teamed up for our attempt to contact Corwin. We did so. But briefly – and saw him imprisoned in a state of great distress. Prudence, more so my half brother’s knowledge of Sorcery, stopped me from reaching out for my Uncle Corwin. Much as I would willingly give my freedom for his sake, it was clear that he was trapped and a likely side effect would be that I would simply join him there. He was trapped. We then split up to be about our various businesses.

Peter Thrice, the teller of tales, entered the Library (he had been asked to leave before by Bathsheba). He said he was interested in Trump and I invited him to join me in my Chambers. We were greeted by Khitan and the by now almost overwhelming scent of Paolo. I apologised for the smell and was about to start some explanation or another when I decided to bring Paolo back through to join us – after all Khitan and Peter are possible recruits and Paolo is a Priest now. I felt contact of a sort with Paolo – agony and darkness and I knew something was amiss.

I Trumped Aylwin to go out and seek for Paolo on the Streets between the castle and the safe house. I also Trumped Merlin to inform him that we had made distant contact with his father. He seemed eager but was unwilling to help us and offered little advice except that we would need to study the nature of the trap that held his father first hand – not by means of Trump. I asked him about the manifestations at Lyon Abbey and he said that he was familiar with such creatures and that once such a rent in the fabric of shadows occurred, it made it easier for the creatures to appear again. I donned my fine armour again. We also received the first news that Gerard still lived and was in the care of a member of the family who chose at this point of time to remain unnamed.

I closed the conversation and heard the heavy hand of Bathsheba upon my door and as my next destination for the day was Lyon Abbey I decided to leave now with Khitan and Peter Thrice. I trumped us through but not before I heard Bathsheba demand that I should hand back Khitan to her. I replied with a simple NO! And left her to an ineffectual tantrum.

At Lyon Abbey we were greeted by the prior and I was shown the recent graves of my poor guards, Charles and Hawtrey. I enquired for the Lady Isabelle who had come through with Khitan and they said that a ransom had been delivered together with the heads of two monks asking for 10,000 crowns for her safe return from the clutches of the Lion of Eregnor. I sat down at once to sketch her; made contact nearly at once and brought her through to join us.

Having apologised for my lack of hospitality the night before, I was then interrupted by a Trump call from Aylwin. Bathsheba had the Head Mage of Cordoba with her and he wished to converse with Khitan via Aylwin and myself. This was not fulfilled as having made contact with our minds he shouted that we were filthy heretics and he could not bear our minds to touch him!

We closed contact. In an attempt to triangulate Corwin’s whereabouts, we tried again to make contact with him. Khitan was unable to make any useful comment on the nature of the trap but confirmed that he would need to see it first hand in order to gauge its nature.

Remembering Merlin’s warning about the rent in shadow at the Abbey, I trumped all of us to the Tower near the border with Mirabeau.

Aylwin contacted me again. He had found Paolo dribbling on about holy crusades on the Streets of Amber. He also passed on a warning from Mother that the redheads were like to be arrested in Amber.

I thanked Aylwin and I received Paolo back into my care – still drugged to shut him up and having apparently been mugged for the clothes he was wearing. Hmmm. We slept the night in the Tower and I decided to keep Paolo about me. We tried again to contact Corwin. This time it was very faint indeed. He is obviously closer to home.

17^th Bull 3658

We all returned to Amber in the morning. I gave Peter Thrice my Trump (he said that Bleys had given him one as well) and left him to introduce Isabelle to the Queen. Khitan and I searched the dungeons below the castle for Corwin – we found some sealed prisons but no Corwin. Khitan returned to Cordoba to clear his reputation at Court. He has a theory that Corwin may be held near the True Pattern and that is something we shall research very soon.

Meanwhile above us the Privy Council met and elected Julian as its Regent. The King Mother was allegedly furious and I wasn’t exactly pleased. The Privy Council had to be reminded of its obligation to invite all members of the Council to the Regency Elections. This forced them to contact both my Mother and Bleys. The Queen and King Mother were slightly relieved at the choice of Julian over Bleys.

Bathsheba has been appointed Admiral – good, she’s now out of my face! Asmark is now the Overseer of the Golden Circle: an excellent choice as he seems both reasonable and smart! I will brief him as soon as I may. Aylwin has been given Arden to care for. And I am happy left to my own devices!!