Aylwin’s Diary
part 10: A School Visit, a Patternwalk
and Groombridge
In The Doom that Came to
Amber
25th Bull 3658
Servants
and guards awake bewildered, erotic dreams seem to
have been the norm. Organised the return to
Make
sure that all are rewarded, cared for, watched!
Return
to Amber, head straight to room to get Flame Heart. Whilst I am climbing the
stairs, Alaric trumps me. Khitan is in
As
soon as Flame Heart is back on my belt I collect Bathsheba and we report to
Julian, Peter is also there. Benedict is very interested in the arrow that
Peter was given by the Faerie. It is a Pattern arrow. Alaric arrives,
fashionably late.
The
discussion is wide ranging. The possibility that King Rinaldo
of Kashfa is Brand’s son is mooted.
The
main topic of discussion is the meeting with Faerie. Especially Fandrel’s words, ‘Amber is our greatest love and we delight
in any help we can give, we will aid our friends’. Are their friends the whole
of Amber or just a few? Does love also mean desire, which would give another
cause to delight in help they might give?
‘Children! The tree keeps the sapling from the light;
So are eclipsed your hearts,
Yet as the oak falls grows the sprig;
The whole is stronger than the parts.’
Benedict’s
response was ‘fractals’.
Bleys
may soon be involved in peace negotiations.
As
requested, Alaric supplies me with the trump of Lyon Abbey, he reckons that
whatever was there was summoned (I agree). I am told that this investigation
has priority but am also told that I must attend Clarence’s funeral on the 27th
of Bull. I will go as soon as I have been to the funeral.
I
will need to have someone reliable with me; Alaric has been warned off Lyon
Abbey, Asmark is dealing with the funeral, and
Bathsheba is once again in command of the Guard, a shortage of candidates.
As
the meeting breaks up, Alaric gets me alone to tell me that I must start to
behave more like a worshipper of Mira. I told Mira to her face that I would not
worship her so this is not going to happen. When I tell him this Alaric
storms/sleets out.
Julian
asks me to attend him later.
I
swiftly grab a coffee and head to my next meeting (this is starting to get too
much like hard work), with Bill Roth, Attorney at Law to the Courts of Amber.
The plan is to purchase a building to turn into a National Gallery; I have seen
them in more than one shadow yet Amber has none, a disgrace really.
On
a serious note I need to ensure that a Regent can rescind an anathema.
Asmark trumped into this discussion, showing signs of stress, he has
to ensure that someone of princely rank is at Clarence’s funeral (other than
Fiona) and Bleys will not be attending. Poor kid is starting to show the
strain, though he’s showing more responsibility for his age that any Amberite I have seen or heard of.
Back
to see Julian, he has finished his discussion with Peter.
It
will have to be Princess Bathsheba who goes to Amethyst; everyone else excluded
for some reason, including the fact that my dear Grandma would try to wipe them
out!
The
main purpose seems to be to sound me out as to how I would cope if I were to be
appointed Warden of
He
also asks to hear my poem from Fandorel:
“You sold your soul for artifice,
Be sure your sins will find you out
Salvation lies in sacrifice;
More sire’s son
than dam’s, no doubt.”
He
tells me to deal with it a.s.a.p. and report back to him. He asks no more but
does point out that we all make sacrifices. I decide not to attend Mira’s
Chapel.
Dinner in the company of Flora, Bathsheba,
Alaric, Asmark and Khitan. The discussion is mostly around the
cheerful subject of funeral etiquette and clothing.
‘The
gateway goes to the Mythos dimension – Void. There
are several places where the fabric between the dimensions is thin. Old Unicorn
Temples were built on them to try and block them.’ – Khitan
on Lyon Abbey.
Nathan went to the