Alaric’s Diary part 15: Politics & Silver Horseshoes

In The Doom that Came to Amber

3^rd Snake 3658 – evening

The only positive factor in being taken prisoner by Marines down at Amber’s Docks was that they didn’t recognise me. I took myself away, manacled, to Groombridge and this was the beginning of a discovery of sorts.

Groombridge was in the shadows of a late afternoon. No Groundhog’s Day today. Has the Shadow been fiddled with – or is it similar to normal Shadow in that the presence of something real causes the Trump Shadow to take on a greater reality? This needed investigating.

As I was dressed in greys, manacled and bereft of wig, servants decided not to recognise me. I was escorted off my own premises but was able to intercept Carstairs as he rode off to fetch the militia. After a great deal of squinting I was recognised. I returned the horse to the stables and dealt with an overexcited stable boy who had clouted me across my head. Realising Carstairs would expect me in the court yard, I went to the back of the house, finding Mary, and sent her in to fetch the Valet in question. Now, finally changed, I entered my own home.

Mira was ill. Indisposed. Hardly surprising really. Father Paul was good enough to join me for a meal. Mira had taken to her bed. I sent Father Paul to comfort her. Father Paul. Paolo. More and more he answered to Paolo. In fact it is Paolo. I am as sure of that as of anything else these days.

I went through to speak with my wife and I found Paolo waiting in the corridor outside her room. He couldn’t gain entrance so I did. The temperature dropped significantly as I entered the room. Never has a woman been so cold towards her husband. But then rarely has a Prophet been such a fool.

I left her to her headache and went up to the nursery to see John and Beatrice before joining Paolo for dinner. Paolo is still concerned about having to be somewhere other than here. That would be Amber then Paolo. When Amber was mentioned he was confused about it. He knew he was not in his correct clothing – and then he had a fit. I had him carried to bed. It is Paolo. My friend Paolo – one bright thing for the day. And a question answered perhaps; Paolo had been left in Groombridge and Groombridge time had moved on. He was real. He was here – and the Trump Shadow had changed!

There was a Trump call shortly afterward. It was Khitan wanting to talk – he said he was still my friend, though I now feel I could write by the light faintly glowing from my Khitan-healed arm.

We talked, Khitan and I, about Mira, Dark and the Eye. We talked also about Oberon and Khitan’s intention to speak with Oberon’s shade about the Pattern itself. I knew what Oberon’s reaction would be. He was, after all the architect of the Pattern in the first place.

During the meal I asked Khitan if he would have a look at the wound in my arm. One of the maids fainted as she walked in. I sent her back to fetch darning needles and gut and silk thread and we retreated into my studio. There was my uncompleted Trump of Dark and Paolo’s painting of me.

Khitan sought and gained my permission to use his Sorcery to enhance his work on the arm. He sought for a power source and told me that there was only one powerful energy source in Groombridge – and that it was mine. I explained to him about where he was and the peculiarities of such a place. The wound was repairable (he thought) and besides which I may not be around long enough to care about it. Khitan was over-tired and again my servants carried one of our guests up to a room to sleep. I too went up to bed and slept profoundly.

In the morning Khitan inspected his work on my arm. Using his sight he detected the infection about my arm and he freely admitted that his work was a little tainted. We decided to go to the Ophidian Archipelago so he could tap into a source of power and attempt to remove the infection. I brandished a trump but it was immediately intercepted by Mira who angrily demanded to know what I intended to do with it and why wasn’t I in Amber about my business? She took the Trump from me and closed the contact.

I agreed to send Khitan back to Amber and gave him my Trump of the Castle gardens to enable that. He agreed that he would in time go up to the Picture Gallery and Trump me through to the Castle from there. But would he? He has an hour. Their time. I returned to my Studio. He would doubtless be some time so I began a Trump sketch the Picture Gallery of Castle Amber. If he fails me than I shall go on the offensive.

As for Alaric’s future ...

He’ll back Mira. More willingly than before. He really doesn’t trust Dark. Dark is an incredibly powerful unknown.

He’s immediately returning to Groombridge.

He’d like to Trump Nathan and find out where the real JoJ is. He is quite happy to try and force the information out of him. I don’t believe he got a good enough look at it to try and sketch it when he saw it on Nathan. If you think he did then he will sketch that as well.

He’s preparing a Trump sketch of the painting gallery in Amber and he will make his way there if Khitan doesn’t respond in what Alaric regards as a reasonable time. [One hour in Amber] From there he’ll make his way to Nathan’s room.

He will bring Paolo with him to Amber via Trump. He doesn’t want to leave him alone in Groombrige again. Ever.