Asmark’s Diary part 9: The Fae Summit

In The Doom that Came to Amber

24^th Bull 3658

This is the day of the meeting with the fairies in Emeraldheart. Having spent very little time in the office for a few days, and a whole host of problems arising, I really need to spend a day in the office.

I receive a call from Alaric who is in Emeraldheart. Apparently the fairies have asked for a couple of individuals including the “Ambassador’s brother’s son”. This is interpreted as “Bley’s full-brother’s son”, or Brand’s son. Alaric asks if I will come. I am sure that they have a particular person in mind. I suspect that, capricious creatures that they are, they may be more annoyed by a substitution than an absence. Alaric seems to be thinking that I might be Brand’s son.

However I am certain my father was still visiting mother well after Brand’s death. Alaric resorts to asking me to “make up the numbers”. I don’t think this is a good idea. No doubt I will have to deal with fairies eventually, but I would far prefer to have a long chat with Bleys about them first, and currently he is far too busy to be concerned with such trivia.

In the late afternoon, I departed for Amethyst. I left a note for Aylwin, or anyone else of note, that I would be in Amethyst enquiring about the arrangements for the funeral of Archmagus Clarence, and warning that I may not be contactable by trump while there. (Malmsey has some sort of trump screen.) I then trumped through to Amethyst (to the Archmage’s Head in the capital). There I hired a horse to ride to Malmsey. I arrived in the evening. The headmaster seems genuinely pleased to see me. He is evidently somewhat embarrassed at my expulsion over what now seems the very minor matter of the fees.

When I enquired about the best person to advise on etiquette, he feels that there is no one better than himself. However, due no doubt to the long lapse since the last state funeral, he felt he must consult a number of books before giving me his opinion. He suggested we meet again for breakfast.

I spent the rest of the evening with my chums, or at least those who are present: Algar, Jomes and Montford. Raymond of course is in Jasper, and Archie is having his ‘rest cure’. I have actually heard from or of both more recently than anyone at Malmsey. I comment that ‘rest cure’ is really ‘being dried out’.

Jomes made some comment about alcohol not being the real problem. I assume he is referring to Archie’s infatuation with Falasia, but I am not quite sure about that. Falasia it seems is staying in Old Amber with an elderly aunt, apparently in another attempt to tame her.

Of those present, Algar has the best news. He has obtained a post under Deirdre. Whereas it will in practice be a policing job, it is nevertheless formally a military role where he is likely to make excellent contacts.

Montford is far less happy. It seems that Montford had high hopes for advancement in the navy, having come to Gerard’s attention after the extraordinary cadet assessment exercise that he led. However it seems that these prospects have been one of the casualties of the attack on Gerard’s flagship. He is so depressed about his current naval prospects that he has transferred to army cadet force instead and is now expecting to go into the Garnath Light Horse.

I advise him against doing anything rash, and point out that things are changing so fast that things could be very different in a month or two. However I have to admit that just at the moment the only real demand is for officers with hi-tech experience. No-one in the navy currently has any time for longer term issues.