InfirmaryBluesInfirmary Blues(Continued from The Omphalos Rebma War and The Omphalos Arden War Ederyn) "Prince Corwin's place may have been a weak point, or events created an opportunity for them there that was not present here." Priya shrugged. "But we will most certainly make every effort to make this their last stop." "I had proposed some ideas to King Random about that" Valerian says. "You might even say, and Dagny can attest, that I'm on the permanent committee to oppose the Omphalos. Or Oompa Loompas, as Prince Lorius calls them. I have no idea what those are, but he find its funny." He has turned a bit on the bed as he says this, as six figures enter into the Infirmary. One is Prince Lorius, the second (by trump and reputation) is familiar to Dagny and Priya both as Prince Julian. The third is not immediately familiar. Behind him are three more unfamiliar figures, one woman and two men. The military bearing and deference they have for the third man is absolutely obvious to Priya and Dagny both. From the perspective of Ederyn, none of the figures in the infirmary area are familiar. A man tosses and turns on a bed ... a man with bluish skin and white hair. Similarly, a blue skinned woman is speaking with another, more familiarly colored red haired woman next to a blond haired man who is sitting up in bed. "Dagny! Welcome back." Lorius says, enthusiastically. "And what's the Dream Master doing in a sickbed?" "Hey, I think I know who you are." Lorius then says to Priya. "Wow, where did you get those toys?" Julian shakes his head slightly. A nurse has come up, and takes Julian from Ederyn's side and to a sickbed next to the still sleeping Corlianus. "Lorius, perhaps a round of introductions might be useful?" Valerian says. It's at this point, perhaps, that it might strike Dagny that the third man might be someone she has seen before. He looks like Prince Eric, and there was a man on a ship heading into Amber harbor who looked quite like this... "Right." Lorius says. "See, this is why I need someone like your sister around." he says to Ederyn. "Ederyn, this is Dagny, she's my great-niece, as improbable as that sounds. That's Valerian in the bed, he's a distant distant relation who walks in dreams. She..." he points at a blue skinned woman. "She's a Rebman, and if I am right, she's the daughter and heir of the Court Sorcerer of Rebma." He squints at Priya. "Aishwarya, isn't it?" he says. "Oh, and you know Prince Julian, and I'll explain why he's here in a minute. But this ..." he claps a hand on Ederyn's back. Ederyn shoots him a look that says this level of familiarity is not appreciated. The look that Ederyn gives him is picked up by the two men behind Ederyn. One of them gives off a slight growl. Lorius smoothly withdraws his hand. "This is Ederyn Ericsen Smith, half-brother to Noys, son of Eric. Those are his Weir vassals ..." He looks back at the three of them. "I don't think I *did* catch your names. And haven't had a chance to make up nicknames for you yet." "I am Kezia" the woman says. She gestures to each of the men. These are Boaz and Cyrus." It was Cyrus who uttered the growl. "Ederyn is our Jarl." The bearded man so introduced is tall and strongly built, especially around the shoulders and arms. He's dressed in a red wool thigh-length tunic decorated with embroidered bands, an undyed linen shirt under that, and blue trousers, an ensemble completed by a sword-belt that is not new, and a sword with an elaborate gilded hilt and pommel. His black hair falls in a mess of tight curls to his shoulders, and he also looks rather dusty and sweaty. The cuff of the right sleeve of his shirt seems to have a recent bloodstain on it. He regards Valerian with interest, then fixes his gaze on Dagny. "I saw you on that two hull ship this morning," he says slowly, in very thickly accented Thari. Dagny is more pretty than beautiful, with brown eyes and shoulder-length coppery-brown hair. What looks like a mostly-healed burn mark on her neck does nothing to enhance her appearance. She is well-built and dressed in gray capri pants and a fitted dark blue shirt, and is also, oddly enough, barefoot. A sword housed fancy silver baldric and scabbard is slung over her shoulder. She is currently rather damp and bedraggled, as if she has recently gone swimming with all of her clothes on. This may be not far off from the truth, as she is in possession of a fluffy white towel that she is using to sop up some of the moisture. "Hello, Lorius," she says, in exactly the same way a certain comedian might greet his letter-carrier arch-nemesis. Her tone changes to a more pleasant one. "Prince Julian, it's nice to meet you. Kezia, Boaz, Cyrus." she nods. "And Ederyn. Yes, that was me. I can hardly believe that was only this morning. I think I saw you as well. And I saw the damage to your ship ... looked like a mine got you, which I thought was strange. I'm glad you seem to be all right." The blue woman gave a small, respectful bow to Prince Julian before he was led away, but otherwise remained both still, and silent, listening to the others talk. She had watched Lorius as he spoke, but did not acknowledge him. It could have been thought that she didn't understand the language if it weren't for the faint, disapproving look in her dark green eyes, accented by the way her carefully tended eyebrows drew in. Now, she waited, patient and polite, in no rush to intrude or interupt the pleasantries. Her clothes and dainty sandals suggested Court life.. but of a very different Court than Amber. Like Dagny, she held a towel and the soft gray dress she wore clung to every curve, revealing a slender, athletic build, but it was drying quickly and would soon flow and sway the way it was intended... baring legs at each step. Dark hair was woven up elaborately, pins adorned with stones and charms to match the heavy necklace she wore, glossy black tendrils curling about her face and trailing down her almost naked back. Her final adornment was a ruby headed staff held in the crook of her elbow. Julian gives a nod to Dagny, Priya and Valerian before he disappears into another section of the infirmary. "Mines, Dagny?" Valerian says. "Not in Amber waters, surely?" "Closer to Rebma," Ederyn puts in, with a glance toward Priya. "Pollux said 'mines' is the right word. He is looking into it," he adds as an afterthought. Dagny shrugs. "I can only say what I saw. And I guess I was right. I am just. That. Good." She gives a sly smile to indicate she's kidding. "Is is that," she says to Ederyn, "you are unfamiliar with explosive devices in general, or mines in particular? What exactly happened out there?" "If the waters near Rebma have been fouled with weapons, of any sort, we will lend our efforts to correcting that." The woman spoke quietly, in a smooth, unhurried tone perhaps slightly deeper than Ederyn might have expected. "Priya Luur." She lifted a hand to heart, introducing herself. "Though at least your cousin was correct in who my father is." She changed from Thari to heavily, if lyrically, accented Wolfesreich. She glanced at the Weir, "My apologies, my accent must be atrocious. It has been many years since I have had opportunity to practice, and never with native speakers." Kezia looks surprised, and responds in kind. Boaz and Cyrus continue in this vein, and for the next half minute the three Weir respond to Priya. Its lost on Dagny, sounding like German mixed with Norwegian and maybe even Russian. Lorius keeps a poker face for his counsel. Valerian looks mystified as well, and says so. "What was that?" Valerian finally says. "We were greeting the sorceress and establishing her place and rank." Boaz says. "Since she speaks the true tongue, it was easier to do that in our tongue. "Ozean Zauberin" he says, again, to Priya. "I suspect, Priya" Lorius says. "The implication from Dagny and Ederyn's trips is that the weapons *are* from Rebma" "Until we have more information, many things are possible." Priya's gaze, when it settled on Lorius, was cool. "I could speculate on reasons why such a thing might have been done, but I know of no policy that uses such ... passive and indiscriminate tactics." She clearly found the idea distasteful. "I will speak with the Queen, but I find it far more likely that other agents are responsible and Her Majesty will not be pleased." "I neither implied nor inferred such a thing," Dagny says flatly. "I don't know where you're getting that from. If you'd seen what I just witnessed in Rebma, you'd realize they have no need of such crude tactics." "Indeed." Priya agreed. "Perhaps a false flag operation" Valerian suggests. "Hmm..." Priya didn't dispute the possibility. She gave Ederyn a curious, thoughtful look, as she paced the width of Valerian's bed, turning away from Lorius, though body was once again angled toward the group as she turned to Valerian. "Unil the other matter can be properly addressed, I would like to hear what suggestions you made to King Random." She returned to the previous topic. "With the incursion against Rebma, we are quite interested in plans that strike back but we would be more successful if our efforts were combined." "Random told me that Prince Benedict was off making plans, or, to quote his Majesty "I hope that is what he is up to."". Valerian says. "We've been playing defense all this time, aside from a couple of brief visits from your end of reality. One of those did a fair job in putting a spanner in the works for a bit, but events today suggest they have recovered." "I think the ultimate way to end the problem." Valerian says. "And I've told his Majesty, is the nuclear option. Do what the Omphalos would do to this universe, and do it first." "Invade the Elagabalium and destroy the Elagabalus Stone. It's the center of their universe. It's their equivalent of the Primal Pattern." A slight crackling sound is heard from the vicinity of Priya. There is the smell of ozone. "Not me" Lorius holds up his hands. Ederyn says, "The mines are not Rebman magic, I believe," as if unaware that the conversation has moved on without him. "And not Omphalos." He has reached into the leather pouch attached to his belt, and now produces an oval of smooth, shiny red stone, about the size of a lima bean, which he holds on his palm in plain view. "Maybe one of you can recognize it?" He looks between Lorius and Priya. At a second glance, there appears to be a glow of something trapped inside the stone. "I'd..." Lorius stops as Priya speaks. Priya ignored the stone, and the question, and looked directly at Ederyn. "Do not. Do that. Again." The flat, stern, carefully measured tone was coupled with a cold gaze from green eyes that had nearly gone black. "I have grown weary of Amber's belief that they can freely trespass against someone with impunity. The next violation will not be met with a quiet refusal, but a backlash that will force you to respect my boundaries." Her gaze now went from Ederyn to Lorius. "You can ask your mother how she thinks that will go for you." One brow arched as if he might already be guilty of trying, and then her attention went from Lorius, to Valerian and back to Ederyn. "If you have a question to ask, ask. You may not get the answer you want, but you are not entitled to know me better than I wish you to." She stared at Ederyn when she was finished, waiting for a response. Boaz, Cyrus and Kezia step forward and closer to Ederyn. None speak, but the trio now watch Priya carefully. By the time she stops speaking, Ederyn’s expression has gone from startlement to concentration to, now, uncertainty. The pause lengthens a bit while he tries to decide how to respond. “So,” he finally essays, “there is some anger between Rebma and Amber?” Dagny looks from one to the other, settling on Ederyn, and her eyebrows raise. "Any animosity between Amber and Rebma is irrelevant, if what you just did was try to scan her somehow. I'd be ticked off too, no matter where I was from." One brow arched. "Did you, or did you not, just attempt to scan the individuals with me?" Her voice was the same even tone, and her gaze never wavered. Dagny shakes her head. "Woof. Bad form, dude. We're all on the same side here, at least for now. Save it for the bad guys." "Well" Valerian says. "As a matter of fact, there IS a certain amount of distrust between Amber and Rebma at the moment." He looks at Lorius. "I'm not the diplomat" Lorius complains "But Valerian is right. I'm sure my sister could explain this better. Or Noys, but I'll have to do." "You see, Ederyn, for the longest time, the Queen of Rebma was a vassal to the King of Amber" Lorius says. "This was stronger when Oberon was King, and Eric couldn't have gotten Moire to give him a gold crown, but it was still on the books." "Come the Festival of the Unicorn, the Rebman envoy announces that Rebma was now free and independent and Amber no longer even had technical suzerainty. So, yeah, there is some animosity there, now. Which is why..." he looks at Priya. "It is possible that I may have jumped to the island of a conclusion earlier regarding the origin of the mines. I retract my implication at this time." "Dags is right, though" Lorius adds. "The Omphalos don't care about our squabbles. And its squabbles like this which allowed the Omphalos to conquer Valerian's home and make him a refugee. Him and his daft cousin." "Yes" Valerian says. "That is entirely true." "Don't," Dagny says very sternly to Lorius, "call me Dags." Priya ignored Lorius and Valerian. She did not respond to Dagny, nor did she spare even a glace for the Weir. Her focus remained solely on Ederyn, the matter being between them and the rest being only so much noise in the background. Ederyn listens closely to what each person says, with a very slight frown of concentration. The last point offered by Lorius and Valerian clearly strikes home. He shakes his head and looks around. "You all really believe it makes sense to go around with eyes closed," he marvels. "Very well, I will remember this." Then he eyes Priya. "And you, Priyaluur, really believe that my looking at your alexicacons* is a ..." He has to pause, searching for the right word. "Affront. What compensation is appropriate for this?" "I think you would feel much the same if I turned Boaz over and tried to see what he has, or perhaps I should push deeper and see if I can deduce what allows Kezia to change..." Priya replied, her gaze finally sliding across the Weir. Kezia looks at Priya with surprise, and a slight wariness. "I rather suspect they would respond to that without waiting for your leave. Mine were very much of a mind to do so. The greater insult was continuing forward as if nothing else had happened." She stroked the staff she held as if it were a cat. "As to compensation, an apology will be sufficient, and next time consider that what you attempted was little different than trying to look up my skirt." Ederyn doesn't look enlightened by these examples, but willingly says, "I am sorry that I offended you, Priyaluur." "That seems... pale, but if it's the best you can do, I suppose it is accepted." Priya turned away from Ederyn and went to check on Corlianus, who was managing to sleep through everything. "'Pale?"" Ederyn repeats, staring after her. Then he turns to Lorius, looking aggrieved for the first time in all this. "Am I supposed to know how Rebmans apologize, also?" “Oh!” Lorius says. “I get it, Ederyn. Greffet, you couldn’t have known. Priya doesn’t just have artifacts, they...” Lorius never finishes his explanation. Dagny opens her mouth as if to say something...but suddenly her eyes go wide, and she springs into action. She rushes at a spot just to the right of Priya, and as she reaches it, a man appears out of nowhere at that location, armed with a sword. He’s fast but not so fast as to not get clippedin the shoulder by the extremely fast Dagny. Momentum carries them both backwards and away from Priya, Valerian and Ederyn. The man stumbles a bit as he swings the arc of his motion of his body and levels the sword at Dagny. Ederyn draws his own sword as this happens, but just stands alert, moving only to keep a good view of the proceedings. As he does this, the body language of the Weir change, clearly awaiting orders from Ederyn. "This belong to any of you?" Dagny snarls. Her features have turned more bestial, especially her hands. “Why are you trying to kill me?” the man says to Dagny. He keeps his gaze firmly on Dagny. “What in Lir’s name?” having managed to sleep through everything else (or playing possum), this finally wakes up Corlianus, who sits bolt upright. The murderous light fades from Dagny's eyes, replaced by a merely angry one. Her hands snap back into their more normal configuration, and she takes a half-step back. "What. The hell!" she says furiously. "We're at war with the Omphalos, whose entire M.O. Is appearing out of nowhere, and you go invisible and decide to move closer to Priya, who just single-handedly wiped out an entire Omphalos contingent?! How was I supposed to know who you are? What did you expect to happen? Would you have preferred I did nothing and chance Priya--or any of us--getting killed off by an Omphalos spy? Again, I say to all of you," her gaze sweeps around the room, looking daggers at each in turn, "we are not the enemy here! Save it for the bad guys!" With that, she stops speaking, although she is clearly still fuming and looks as if a litany of very potent curse words is probably streaming through her head. Valerian looks shocked, Corlianus is surprised, and Lorius, silent, is grinning. "I do appreciate your protective impulse, but his action only mirrors the Weir who outnumber him, and he did walk in with us." The look Priya gave Dagny was almost apologetic, though still frustrated. "I am not certain when you ceased to see him, but that was not Ostegos' doing, nor did he choose to reappear. That is a matter of multiple fields of influence crossing. We were in the middle of something else when we dropped everything to react to the Door. The dropped pieces are catching up with us and need attended to." Satisfied that Ostegos was not hurt, she turned back to Dagny. "And you had your teeth in the Omphalos before I arrived and there was an unit of the guard present as well. I hardly think it fair to say I did anything single-handedly." A glimmer of Priya's usual dry humor surfaced. "I'm pleased that everyone is all right." Corlianus says. "But we are all if not friends, than allies." Dagny appears slightly mollified, but still somewhat annoyed. Ederyn has long since sheathed his sword, and is now standing with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes alight with amusement. "If we've stopped mucking about, perhaps we should continue our discussion." Valerian says, putting his hands on his knees. "I'd actually like to get out of this bed." "We might even introduce yourselves to the three sentient artifacts in Priya's and Ostegos' retinue." Lorius says. "Before we start shooting at each other again over misunderstandings." "To be fair, there were no guns involved," Dagny says drily, with a trace of humor. "And I left my crossbow in my other scabbard." At this point, a soldier, female, comes into the area, and makes a bow. "His Majesty" she says. "requests the immediately presence of any and all persons who are able and were involved with the doors in Arden and the Schafer Hills." "Oh well." Lorius looks a bit deflated. "Playtime is over." Lorius remarks to Ederyn. "That would be us." Ederyn also sobers immediately. He gives a nod, then glances at Dagny and the Rebmans. "These three," he tells the soldier, "know about the door in Rebma, I think." "We do." Priya agreed. "Door in Rebma?" the soldier says, warily. "I know nothing of such matters." "We had three Doors in this incursion...Ser Leicht, isn't it?" Lorius says. He doesn't give the guard time to answer and keeps going, looking at Priya and Dagny. "If his Majesty doesn't know about that one, we'll tell him, and he'll probably send our friend the Valkyrie here to fetch you lot. In the meantime, Ederyn and I will tell him the story of the Arden incursion." "Do that" Valerian says. "King Random will want to know about this change in tactics on the Omphalos part." Ederyn shrugs, having no strong feelings one way or the other, nods politely to the others before following Lorius and the soldier out of the room. "That works." Dagny agrees. "See you later, Ederyn." {Exeunt Ederyn, the Weir, Ser Leicht, and Lorius]
Priya paid attention to the conversation, but let the family of the "I feel like a trump card whose colors have been leached out." he says. "Enervated. I need rest. And perhaps a nice fish broth. Do they serve that here?" "You might need remain idle, Corlianus, and rest, but in addition to Priya, Dagny is not one for being idle." Valerian says. He rises from his bed and gets up. "The nurse is distracted by Prince Julian. I think I can make my escape from this prison." "Why don't we three show a little initiative?" he suggests to Priya and Dagny. "Perhaps via Queen Vialle, as Dagny suggests?" Valerian looks at Corlianus. "Oh, do not worry about me." Corlianus says. "Get me a sketchbook and I'll just make some trumps. I've a new subject" he looks at Dagny and smiles shyly. Dagny smiles at Corlianus. "I'm flattered. And if you'd like something to eat and something to draw with, I'm sure you need only ask the nurse...but maybe it would be best to wait till after we've absconded. I think Valerian's idea is a good one, I don't mind going to the Queen directly. Priya? what do you think?" "Agreed" Corlianus says amicably "Speaking with Vialle suits me." Priya agreed. She cast a glance at the nurse. "The nurse can be dissuaded if she notices." "It would appear" Ostegos adds "that Vox has decided it is no longer wise to cloak my existence." he says, nodding to Dagny. "If the Princess does not know them, my time here talking with the servants and guards has revealed some back ways we might use to find the Queen all the faster." "I can see why you let him stick around." Valerian says to Priya, stretching. "Well, shall we?" The nurse, in the meantime, is still tending to a relatively unhappy looking Prince Julian. Her back is to everyone. Julian does give the smallest and briefest of smiles to Dagny and Priya. Perhaps brief enough that they only imagined it. --- {Exeunt Ederyn, the Weir, Ser Leicht, and Lorius] "Messing with Rebman sorceresses is just asking for trouble." Lorius editorializes as he, Ederyn and the three Weir follow Ser Leicht out of the Infirmary. "Priya's the daughter of Moire's Court Sorcerer and nearly as good as she thinks she is. Those toys she had were new and interesting. Sentient artifacts. But you probably know more about them than I at this point." Lorius' tone turns apologetic. "I am sorry, Ederyn. If I knew she was carrying around that sort of hardware, I'd have warned you not to try a scan." "The Jarl is unharmed." Boaz says, Ederyn also waves off the apology. "It was my mistake. But I wonder, if to look - to scan - is not allowed, how is it that you know about the artifacts, and the sword?" "I knew she had stuff on her, just from my usual passive scans, before you started your active one, but not precisely what she had." Lorius says. "When you launched your scan, I tried a less intrusive one of my own at the same time Yours was somewhat less subtle than mine and took the focus of their ire and attention. Modestly." he says. "I've more decades of practice." Ederyn gives him a dubious look at this, which his cousin apparently ignores. "Didn't get half of what I'd like to know, though" Lorius adds, miffed. "But I can teach you some finer points of arcane investigation, Ederyn. And I promised you some lab time anyway. I'd like to learn more about the voodoo that you do." Ser Leicht remains silent, leading Ederyn and Lorius and the Weir. "I need to consult some texts, too. Perhaps pick my sister's brain." Lorius continues. "She has a head for arcane history. I'd really like to know what sword that soldier was carrying." "There are few other sorcerors where I come from," Ederyn says. "I have used the other sight to look at my own work, more than any other use." "Ah, so there aren't a horde of more elemental sorcerers in NorthbyNorthwest, then?" Lorius asks. "Norwend, milord Prince." Kezia corrects. "No. But plenty of warriors," Ederyn replies. "Yeah. And what do you do the moment you leave your home shadow?" Lorius says. "Get a trio of ferocious Weir to back your play." Ederyn's expression suggests he doesn't know what to make of this remark. It certainly doesn't match his experience of events. "But back on point, you're not used to having to deal with a community of magic slingers, Ederyn." Lorius says. "Many in the family have at least a passing familiarity with basic magics, but there is a smaller population of people who truly study it deeply. But still its larger than you are used to. And simultaneously both more nosy and more privacy oriented. You've got something odd in your quarters, for example." "I'm not talking about your pet diplomat friend, either, although I left him in very good hands." Lorius adds. "Thank you," Ederyn says. "And yes, it is very odd." "I can't tell any more about it without you showing it to me." Lorius says. "It's strong enough and unusual enough and been here long enough to impinge the wards on the Castle. But I suspect that my unwelcome scanning of it would go over about as well as our contretemps with the Rebman Court Sorcerer's Daughter." "I'm not sure what he'd do," Ederyn agrees, as Ser Leicht comes to a halt at one of the apparently infinite number of doors in this place. She knocks, and at a call from within, Ederyn and the Weir follow Lorius inside. And so, Lorius' curiosity only whetted and frustratingly unsatisfied...Ederyn enters into the offices of the King and can join that thread. (Continued in Office Space#Ederyn) |
