Peter’s Diary part 12: Rinaldo – Excommunications – Hall of Mirrors – Rebellion

In The Doom that Came to Amber

28^th Bull 3658

I dreamed of Truth last night.

In a dark wood I wandered, a place that was both unknown and home to me. On a knight’s steed I rode, armoured as for war, but with ribbons and flowers tied as if I were to go courting. I rode through the darkness until I heard a sound of bells, such as a lady might tie to her horse’s harness. I entered a glade and there she was; my Queen. My Titania.

Poets better than I have sought to describe her smile, and artists beyond number have attempted to capture her countenance on their parchments, and none manage. I approached, dismounted, and held her stirrup as she stepped gently to the floor.

She addressed me then, as Prince and Lord; words that the Titania had not given to me before, titles that were bestowed only when there was need. She told me of a frontier; between dreams and the day, between shadow and light, between Corse and Asperage. She told me of a disruption to the natural order of things, and charged me to seek it out and to restore matters to how they should be.

I bowed, and accepted the quest, bidding farewell to my Titania and waking in this room that is not yet my room, with the smell of her perfume still around me, and the faint jingling of bells in my ears.

I wasted no time, going straight to the office of the Overseer of the Golden Circle, for advice as to travelling to Corse. I could travel by Faerie Trods to Asperage were I in Gonfalon, but from here, there were other paths – the moonlight bridges, that I was learning to walk. In my impatience, I forgot to note the hour, and found the office locked and shuttered. Grinning somewhat, I went to the dining room where I knew there would be food, and gathered an early breakfast. The dining room of the Family was empty save of those who serve, and I ate a prodigious amount without interruption.

On my return to the Office of the Overseer, I spoke with Sebastian, one of Lord Asmark’s aides. He promised to pass a message to Asmark as soon as he appeared, and I went to the Library to see what I could learn of Corse.

There are pools of shadows, all of a similar shade, and those of Amber group them so. Corse is part of a pool called Babylon, and is one of the few places within Babylon where Faerie and the Far Realms may be approached. It seems that Babylon is drifting away from Faerie, and several bridge builders strive to keep a point of contact between the two. It is a realm that uses machines and wheels instead of magic, though there are still parts of it where the old ways are strong. The gateway to Faerie is a ring of Dolmens in the heart of its wild country and the Librarian was good enough to provide me with a map of the relevant areas.

I returned to the Office of the Overseer and spoke with Asmark, who had returned. He told me that all matters concerning the Far Realms were dealt with by Prince Bleys, and that perhaps he had a similar office where I might make enquiries. We then talked of the etiquette of diplomacy, for I have in my time crossed many realms where the wrong step would bring much trouble, and I sought to know the pattern of the dance as it was measured in Amber. Asmark was surprisingly frank about the attitude of Amber to dancing; a Prince or Princess of Amber would call the measure the way they wished it, oft with little regard to the other dancers, or indeed the tune. With such frank advice and good wishes ringing in my ears, I left to prepare my horse for the moonbeam walk to Corse.

I rode over the shoulder of Kolvir and into the Forest of Arden, where I learnt many things about my new power, though without much success as to my objective. The first thing I learnt was that walking the moonbeam path depends heavily on sight, and thus travelling at night is incredibly difficult, and therefore incredibly tiring. Bedding down, I resolved to try again in the morning.