Asmark’s Diary part 15: Politics & Silver Horseshoes

In The Doom that Came to Amber

Sunday 3^rd Snake – noon

Lunch: On arrival I found Florimel and Aylwin deep in conversion about the state of Amber with Peter listening but not really contributing. Apparently the aldermen are negotiating with both of the religious factions. Parts of the militia have sided with each of the religious factions, part with the aldermen and some are not showing themselves.

The southern part of the city is held by the Mirans. The Fundamentalists have largely left the city for the slopes of Kolvir. They are being allowed out of the city but, to prevent further strife, are not to be allowed back.

Flora speculated, perhaps merely as devil’s advocate, “Perhaps it is time that we took a view? Perhaps we should be Mirans or Fundamentalists?” Peter pointed out that to do so would be to make this official or Royal policy. Flora agreed but suggested that such a lead may be necessary. The idea did not seem to have any support, perhaps not even from Flora. Outright victory by any faction is likely to be destructive, at least in the short term.

Food supply is a major issue; in the next few days, likely the major issue. It is both a problem (the city requires near continuous imports to feed itself) and an opportunity (in that control of the food supply could be very significant).

The key to tackling this is controlling the docks, and to a lesser extent the sea approaches. Whereas the civilian docks are not really defensible, the naval dockyards are eminently defensible. It was decided that exerting direct control over the naval dockyards and perhaps some of the adjacent civilian docks should be a matter of the highest priority.

We should also put units of the navy to sea to reassure and escort any merchantmen who may be being discouraged by the smoke from the fires.

As a separate problem, a lot of the nobility are getting restless and concerned.

Bathsheba arrived from the Vine Street front and asked Aylwin, as the most competent physician present, to attend to Lord Danesh who has suffered serious injuries in the fighting.

It was decided that Flora will talk to the nobles; Peter would secure the dockyards and Bathsheba would take the fleet to sea. I suggested that I could handle the fleet. There is no significant risk that we will be doing any fighting. Persuading the merchantmen to come in will be as much diplomatic as military. Nevertheless Prince Bathsheba insisted on taking on the task herself. I was instructed to stay in the castle to be a central point of contact. This seemed something of a non-job, although in the event it proved to be a near full-time non-job.

I suggested that it would be as well for Bathsheba to take one of my friends with her, so that if she has to trump back in a hurry there will be a point of contact to get out to the fleet again. She agreed. As it is a naval engagement the choice really is between Polearm or Chudder. I am not sure that Chudder would be presentable; by contrast, Polearm would be in military uniform, which I expect to be approved of by Bathsheba. Accordingly I summoned Montford from the GLH, who are riding across the sands below Kolvir at the time with, unsurprisingly, Falasia in company. I gave him a couple of minutes warning, to have his horse taken in hand, and then trumped him through and handed him over to Bathsheba. Bathsheba and Peter, with Polearm and a score of cavalry, rode out for the docks.

Shortly after this, Khitan trumped me from the palace in Cordoba and asked to be brought through. Once through he announced that a thousand troops with a few elephants are embarking to cross the Sea of Sands for Amber. I promised that I would pass this information on to Bathsheba. However I don’t think this is has the slightest urgency. It is a noble gesture but probably no more than a gesture. The troops will probably arrive too late to be of any real significance.

Khitan also wished to visit the dungeons. This isn’t usual visiting diplomats’ territory, so I asked why.

Before we could discuss this I was summoned by Flora to the ante-chamber. Flora complained that, due to misogyny, the nobility will not listen to her and that accordingly I must talk to them. I don’t believe for a moment that any Amber noble will refuse to listen to a princess of the blood; far more likely Flora simply does not want to do it. I would think more highly of her if she just pulled rank and ordered it rather than make this pretence.

I enquire what needs saying and not saying. The only thing that she does mention is that we need an informal announcement of Lord Peter’s recognition.

(With retrospect perhaps it would also have been appropriate to announce the indignities piled on the artist-formerly-known-as-lord Alaric. On the other hand perhaps it was fortuitous that I did not think of it.)

Initially it is very simple. On the subject of the immediate unrest we have taken matters well in hand and I could talk freely about this. Some of the nobles volunteered help; all to the good.

The announcement of Peter’s promotion brought a grimace from Henge, who I understand had already had an embarrassing misunderstanding. That, at least, is not my problem. The difficult points are the future of the throne and the health of the Regent. Both are extremely difficult as I am not authorised to reveal anything, indeed, specifically forbidden, but that completely refusing to answer all questions would undermine support from the nobility at a time when it is desperately needed. In the end, I settled for admitting my doubts that Random will remain King while expressing confidence that any change will be orderly and with the King’s assent.

I made the fortuitous mistake of saying a ‘legal’ rather than ‘orderly’ change of ruler. This promoted a question from the chancellor about what this means, which allowed me to say that I personally did not envisage any King but Random.

This seemed to satisfy the nobles for the moment. Indeed this revelation over the succession was enough of a distraction that I managed to deflect the questions about the Regent with a statement that he is in the castle and cannot currently be disturbed.

I can only hope I struck the right balance; no doubt I will be castigated if anyone thinks I have not done so. There are also some questions about the whereabouts of the Prophet, which I don’t know. However this was answered at the end by his arriving without his priestly vestments.

As the meeting’s formal proceedings ended the room broke up into factions. Both Flora and I were approached by a number of nobles who are currently without patronage. I agreed that I will meet Viscount Luna and Viscount Newbury later. Then Flora, Morwaith and myself retired to the ante-chamber for a private discussion.

Morwaith seems to be extremely worried about the Unicorn. “Last night the Goddess slipped more of her fetters,” he declared. Flora replied that she “didn’t know she was fettered”.

Morwaith explained that Oberon confined her. Since his departure she has been trying to return to her more primitive nature, desiring more primitive forms of worship including blood-sacrifice. This is the way that the Goddess wishes to be worshipped. The blood of the faithful spilt on Vine Street is what he attributes her increase in power to. He also said that he thinks she is integral to the Pattern, and it is essential to its continued existence that she is alive and captive. Should she be freed, as will happen if the fundamentalists prevail, or if she dies, if the Mirans prevail, then Amber and its shadows could all be destroyed.

Morwaith said that this eventuality had been foreseen and that his father, Weyland the smith, had forged some silver horseshoes, with which she must be shod. He intends to seek out Weyland to obtain these and hopefully advise on how to restrain the Goddess so that she can be shod.

It is speculated that it would not necessarily need to be the Unicorn, but perhaps another similar entity could replace her in the Pattern? We speculated that perhaps Mira, as another goddess, might do. However we do not know what it is about the Unicorn that makes it suitable so it is very difficult to work out what might work. This is not a matter on which we can afford speculative experiments.

Flora wanted to discuss these problems with Khitan who is seen as something of an authority. We went to look for him and found that he had disappeared, probably by trump. No doubt he will be back, so I promised Flora to inform her as soon as he reappears.

A note arrived from Aylwin asking me to trump Bleys and ask him to take Lord Danesh for treatment. It seems that the medical facilities here cannot save him. I went to his room to trump Bleys. As I was not going to get through forcibly I used my usual gentle persistence.

Before getting through, I received another note from Aylwin, saying that the Regent has awoken. This is the best news I have heard all day.

I managed to contact Bleys quite quickly. However he was unable to take Danesh. He asked about the Regent and I briefly explained what had happened. He seemed concerned but not overly.

Bathsheba trumped to report progress. I forwarded Khitan’s news about the Cordoban troops. I asked if there were any orders for the Garnath Light Horse? After some discussion, Bathsheba decided to summon them to the naval dockyard.

I accordingly trumped Falasia to forward the orders and found that she was on her way to the castle to get orders. She was on her own, which I found a little surprising. I would have expected at least a couple of troopers as escort. Perhaps she had run off on her own initiative, rather than on her father’s orders? She seemed a little disappointed at not having to come all the way to the castle. Falasia is a little too inclined to look on soldiering as a game arranged for her amusement and not appreciate the full seriousness of the situation. I gave her the orders and sent her back to the regiment to deliver them.

Having a moment’s leisure I went to pay my respects to the Regent and bring him up to date on recent events. I gathered that Lord Miskatone had been a casualty of troubles, so presumably Sir Nairesh had now succeeded him. That would explain why he, rather than his father, was at Flora’s meeting.

I am a little concerned that Bathsheba still seems to be on land. The whole point of taking the docks was to shepherd ships into the secure area. If the navy is not out to escort them in, there will be no extra arrivals. Indeed every ship that flees at the sight of the smoke may be spreading panic among that rest of the merchant marine. I hope that, even if she has not gone herself, she has put ships to sea and preferably put Polearm on one of them.

Regrettably my assigned duty as point-of-contact does not allow me to go to Garland House to see how Bonkers and Saint are. I trumped Bonkers with my apologies. He seemed very concerned about Saint who has been having bad dreams. I cannot say I am surprised. Regrettably there is nothing that I can do for the moment. I don’t even think that I can reasonably write to his parents as I don’t think that the normal postal service is operational. I really cannot justify using a Royal courier for the purpose at the moment.

Supper: Julian, Flora, Aylwin and myself were present. Flora and I related Morwaith’s theories about the Unicorn and the Pattern. During the meal Gerard and Llewella arrive by trump. It seems that the present problems are being mirrored in Rebma and Martin’s palace has been sacked. Gerard and Llewella have returned on safety grounds.

Supper is significant far more for what is not said than what is said. There was no mention whatever of what I said to the nobles. Under the circumstances this is probably the highest praise possible. If I made any error in what I revealed it must have been too minor for mention. Even the lack of any praise is a back-handed compliment, implying that I am trusted to handle this sort of thing. I expect the occasion has greatly raised my standing with the nobility.

Midnight, I was awakened by a persistent knocking on the door. It was ambassador Khitan, escorted by a guard. I send the guard to get us some wine, more to get rid of him than for the wine.

Khitan started by asking me some fool question about my opinion of Alaric. In the current circumstances being woken in the middle of the night is hardly surprising, but being aroused to be asked my personal opinion of Amber’s premier loose cannon is not what I had in mind.

Khitan seemed very concerned about Alaric, who apparently wants Khitan to trump him through to the castle. I commented that that would be entirely at his own risk. In retrospect I should have been considerably more disparaging about the idea.

Apparently Alaric says that Mira intends to become the main religion in Amber, and to kill the Unicorn. Of course, if Morwaith is correct, these two aims are mutually exclusive as killing the Unicorn would prevent there being an Amber to have a main religion.

Alaric is also expecting a ‘third force’ to attack Amber. I don’t know what he has in mind. However if he means Clarissa is going to make a move this is scarcely news as it is already her stated policy.

Apparently Alaric wants to get his hands on the Jewel of Judgment. Given the mayhem that he is capable of reeking without any such aids, I shudder to think what might happen if he got his hands on the Jewel.

Khitan then explains the reason that he wanted to go to the dungeon. Apparently he had seen the ghost of Oberon there, and he wished to seek it out again. I asked if it could wait until morning? Khitan thought not, so I got dressed and we proceeded to the dungeons.

Roger was there writing. He took his time and the long way around, but he led us to the cell where Khitan had been held after Bathsheba arrested him. We got Roger to leave us with a lamp and we went into the cell.

Khitan prayed and then a large man with a figure similar to Gerard, albeit a little smaller appeared in the doorway. This was the ghost of Oberon that Khitan had seen before, who starting by demanding to know where his ‘agents’ were. It wasn’t entirely clear too whom he was referring but it seemed that one of these was Nathan.

Khitan started explaining Nathan’s story about the Abyss, only to be told “Boy. You are gibbering!” Khitan mentioned some of Alaric’s theories and the ghost dismissed them as nonsense. However what he said was very much in line with what Morwaith was thinking of doing. He mentioned the same silver horse-shoes and Weyland-the-Smith. He hinted that Morwaith had been made, or conjured, rather than being born. He seemed to think we were on the right lines

I mentioned that the problem that we had no solution to was how to restrain the Unicorn so that she could be shod. He said that we would need the “Eye”. From what he said, the Eye is, to those not attuned, indistinguishable from the Jewel of Judgment. He also claimed that he could sense it and it was near.

Before leaving he suggested that our next meeting (he seemed to assume there would be another) would be in the Pattern chamber, which he considered more suitable.

Finally he asked us to find out what Roger was writing. The meeting having ended we returned the lamp to Roger and in doing so caught a glimpse of what he was writing. Khitan saw the end of a sentence on the page, “and they returned the lamp”. It seems he was writing about us, perhaps it is merely a log of the dungeon. However, it does appear to be extraordinary calligraphy for such a mundane task. It also hard to see what the ghost was interested in if it is so trivial. On the spine of the book was the title ‘The Doom that Came to Amber’.

As we left, I had another word with Khitan about Alaric. I entreated him not to trump Alaric back to the castle. It would be treasonous and possibly do untold harm. Also I have promised Bleys that I will “have nothing to do with any harm being done to Alaric”. I think that allowing Alaric to come to the castle would be aiding Alaric’s worst enemy, himself, in a course of action likely to do him great harm. I can only hope that Khitan will comply.