LastTouroftheCastleLast Tour of the CastleThe trump whisks Brandeigh and Percy away from Brieanne's unexpected concert, and even more unexpected and mysterious errand, and returns them back to the confines of Castle Amber. Perhaps for the last time in a while, too. "So." Percy says once he and Brandeigh have returned. "Off to see your mother, next? Or did you have other things to do in the Castle yourself first?" "No;" Brandeigh shakes her head. "I have but two more stops to make before we can go. Mother and the King." A pause, then; "Which would prefer to see first?" Percy regards Brandeigh for a long moment. "While the King is the King, your mother is the more dreaded. After all, she might withdraw her approval of our relationship, or..." he loses his seriousness and grins. "turn me into a newt on a whim of hers." "After that, Random would be easy to deal with. So if you are leaving the choice to me, let's see your Mom." Brandeigh nods her head in agreement. "Mother's approval, while it would be nice to have, is not required;" Brandeigh tells Percy in a straightforward manner. "We've made our decision on the matter; nothing anyone can say to us will change my mind or heart." Percy gives a nod of somber but unmistakable agreement with the sentiment. A few seconds later, she adds; "And besides, I'd reverse the transformation spell. Eventually. Once I learn how that is." "So, let's go see Mother." And Brandeigh heads off towards her mother's rooms. Percy falls into place alongside Brandeigh, and the pair make their way through the Castle and to the third floor suite that marks the Sorceress of Amber's suite. Even before Brandeigh can quite knock, her voice comes through the door. "Come in, Brandeigh." she says airily. And then there is a pause, perhaps deliberate. "And you can bring Percy in, too." Inside, Mom's suite is much the same as it has been in previous visits. Percy's eyes take it all in, being less familiar with Fiona's tastes in decoration. Unlike the savage and ornate decoration of Clarissa's Tekumel, or the more Celtic aspects of Brandeigh's own style, Fiona's style would not be that out of place in a high end showroom of minimalist furniture. The lean chairs, the curved modern lines of a helical bookcase, and the burnished metal here and there bespeak her tastes. A rug is in the center of the room, one of the few concessions to complexity, a fractal pattern of green and purple, in perpetual competition. Mother has risen from one of the chairs once Brandeigh and Percy comes in and smiles at the appearance of her daughter. "I believe I know why you are here." Fiona says. "So..." she gestures to a oval table, in cherry, festooned with three chairs. On the table are a small bowl of fruit, a plate of cheese and a bottle of wine as well as three serving plates and three goblets. "One of Bayle's better years." Fiona adds smugly. "Even Flora has to work hard to get one of these." Brandeigh raises an eyebrow at her mother's comments as she moves over to the table and her mother. She smiles and says; "I hope the wine lives up to its reputation then." She walks over and gives her mother a hug. "How are you today, mother?" she asks while moving over to one of the empty chairs and taking a seat. Fiona returns the hug. Percy takes a seat as soon as Brandeigh does, but Fiona remains standing. "Somewhat wistful, somewhat in anticipation of further visitors and business. A number of emotions, drawn together." 'Okay....' Brandeigh thinks to herself. 'Mother's acting oddly today.' She shoots a sidelong glance at Percy to see how he's reacting to all of this. Percy for his part looks like the proverbial cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He's not quite certain what to make of Fiona's reactions and attitude. Brandeigh's mother doesn't ask before popping the cork on the bottle, and filling the goblets with the golden hued product of Bayle's palest grapes. She holds up her glass to Brandeigh as if in salute, or perhaps just studying its contents, before she is seated. She regards Percy with something approaching the most warmth she shows members of the family outside of the redheads, and then at Brandeigh expectantly. 'She must have figured it out.' Brandeigh thinks. 'Not like it was all that hard to do. We've haven't hidden our feelings about each other. And maybe Grandmother had a few words about us to share with Mother as well.' Brandeigh holds up her glass as well. "To the Unicorn and Amber, may they both live long and in peace." "May they at that." Fiona says solemnly. Brandeigh takes a sip of the wine and then sets the glass down before taking a selection of the cheese and fruit. 'Are we still playing the Game?' Brandeigh considers silently to herself while regarding her mother from under her eyelashes. 'Or is she letting it go, for once?' "Whom are you expecting, Mother? If you've an appointment, don't let us interrupt. We can come back later;" Brandeigh says neutrally. "I am eventually expecting the envoy from Rebma who Moire sent on the matter of Triton." Mother says. "So, if you will forgive me." she takes a piece of the hard cheddar and nibbles at it. "I think that my daughter telling me about her plans is a little more important at the moment." Fiona says. "I traditionally would quiz *you* regarding your intentions toward my daughter." Fiona says, looking at Percy, the full weight of a glance of Fiona once again in force. Percy stands up to it as best as he can, but Brandeigh can see the sweat start to bead on his forehead. "However, my daughter has never been incapable of speaking for herself." Fiona breaks the gaze and turns to regard Brandeigh expectantly. Brandeigh laughs gently. "It's something of a family trait;" she says warmly. Another sip of wine and then she sets the glass down. "Right then;" she says looking at her mother. "Percy and I are taking some time off from things here in Amber. We're going home, well my... rather *our* other home. There are issues there that must be resolved and then;" she glances over at Percy, and smiling warmly reaches out to take his hand in hers. "Then we plan on spending some time together just being us. No big plans or adventures, just spending time with each other." "We're due for it." Percy says. "Aye, overdue." Fiona takes an apple, and begins slicing it with a short, small knife. "That sounds positively domestic." Fiona says. "Aside from these mysterious issues that you have to resolve." She waves a free hand and bites a piece of the apple. "With your brother off in Shadow doing Unicorn knows what, your sister getting her nose of the library and having adventures of your own, and you going off to Keltia, its going to be positively quiet around here." Fiona pauses and then continues. "How long are you two planning to be gone?" "I'm sure you'll find something to occupy your time, mother;" Brandeigh replies while peeling a banana. She glances over at Percy regarding her mother's last question. "Not sure to tell you the truth;" she replies after a moment. "Time's flexible in Keltia, when I want it to be anyroad. We could spend months there, years even, and be back here in a week or so if that's what we want." She breaks off a piece of the banana and pops it into her mouth. "Well." Fiona says, taking a slice of her cut apple and eating it in turn. Percy is trying some of the cheeses in the meantime and just being quiet and strong. Brandeigh does feel a free hand slip underneath the table to find Brandeigh's and squeeze it, firmly and protectively. "That's part of what I was curious about. I am confident you have sufficient abilities to manipulate Keltia, with the influence of my brother upon it on the wane. It would be nice to know if, the next time I see the pair of you, if your father and I will have a grandchild." "He is." Fiona says, with a twinge of open regret in her voice. "the only one of my children's fathers still alive, as you well know." Brandeigh, about to eat more of the banana, stops for a second at the mention of a granchild. And then nearly chokes on the section of banana at her mother's admission. Not the words so much, as the emotion hiding behind them. After a sip of wine to clear her throat, Brandeigh speaks again, this time with more warmth and love in her voice. "You should go see him then." She carefully leaves unsaid the thought 'while there's still time'. "Father still misses you, and I know he'd like to see you again." "Does he?" Fiona replies in a neutral tone, or at least an imitation of one. The emotion, to Brandeigh's ears, is still there. "Aye, he does;" Brandeigh replies with a small grin. "Oh, he's never said so, him being a brave and brawny Scotan and all. But I've seen the look in his eyes and he still has a number of paintings of you in his quarters." Brandeigh glances at her mother, adding; "He never remarried you know." "I am sure." Fiona smiles faintly with a nod and takes a bite of a slice of apple. "You would have told me about any wicked stepmothers." "Perhaps I will visit the two...three of you then and see him, soon." she adds, as if trying out the idea for the first time. "You should do that;" Brandeigh says firmly. "Certainly." Fiona regards Brandeigh. "If there is to be a wedding, I should be invited, should I not? Even if you eschew inviting, say, your brother or most of your relatives." She looks at Brandeigh and Percy both. "I suspect a small ceremony is what you two would prefer, isn't it?" Brandeigh laughs gently at this; "Can we have more than one date that doesn't get interrupted by extra-Patternversal enemies, shockwaves of unimagineable magnitude originating from the Courts, or relatives needing their spirits and bodies reunited first?" "You've left off some things from that." Fiona says with a smirk. "Rebman Politics, new relations appearing in Amber in double digit quantities, my brother's brief flare into resurgence, that idiot son of Dalt, that strange cousin's army, and any number of other interruptions." Brandeigh is tempted to ask about some of the things her mother just mentioned, but wanting to get a move on before the day ends, decides not to. Besides, Percy might know and she'll ask him later. "Um." Percy says. Fiona looks at Percy. "Well, yes, your mother coming back, and Mirelle, too. It hasn't been *all* bad." she concedes. "You best, perhaps, lock your shadow, turn the time difference, and get your time together before things drag you back, daughter.' Brandeigh nods her head; "That was the general plan, mother." She turns her green eyes on Percy. "I suppose even if you aren't a student of the Art you can sense what I would say to you." Percy doesn't quite gulp, but there is a bead of sweat on his forehead as he regards Fiona. The hand that previously squeezed Brandeigh's does so again. "Yes ma'am." "Good" Fiona says. "I don't have to say it then." "Now, shall we enjoy the rest of what I have laid out, or is there more to discuss?" Fiona looks at Brandeigh. "Most assuredly;" Brandeigh replies trying hard not to laugh. She digs into her plate for several minutes before asking in an innocent tone while giving Percy a knowing glance; Percy takes advantage of the quiet to eat. Fiona is content to nibble as well, to simply use the quiet company of her daughter and possible future son in law. She looks up a half moment before Brandeigh starts to speak, in that disconcerting way of anticipating Brandeigh is about to speak. "So mother, can you teach me a spell that will change someone back from a newt? Or even into a newt. I'm sure I can figure out how to undo such a spell once I know how it's done." "Now, now." Fiona chides. "You can't tell me why you would want such a spell without giving me some idea on who it might be used upon." "Why wicked stepmothers of course;" Brandeigh replies in a deadpan voice. "In the event father's been busy while I've been gone from home." "Well I am certain that your father has been busy." Fiona replies in an equally deadpan voice. "The only question would be if he was busy enough to put someone beside him on a more than nightly basis." Percy blushes slightly as Fiona continues her lecture. Brandeigh smiles and starts taking mental notes. "Now, your general transformation, or polymorph spell." Fiona begins to take a lecturing tone, taking Brandeigh's request at face value. "is a spell that usually requires a mental advantage over the target, if the target is a living being." "Transforming between living beings, therefore, are a two step spell. One to gain that advantage, and the second, to impress upon the physical template of the original creature the new template." "Such spells are easily perturbable to variations in the magic of shadow, however" Fiona continues. "Any spell I would give you also would require adaptation to local conditions. Using a Higher Power can help mitigate these problems." Brandeigh nods her head. "And" Fiona eats the remaining slice of apple she has sliced in small bites as she regards her daughter. "If you were considering using such a spell on someone Real, such spells naturally degrade on such beings unless refreshed. Although, the case of Destiny and Toireasa will be an interesting case in that regard." Brandeigh frowns in thought. "Unless the spell somehow blocks a Real person's access to whatever Higher Power they are an initiate of, or alters their personality into that of the target creature, I don't see how such a spell could hold them for long anyway. I mean turn one of us into a frog or something without blocking the Pattern or altering our minds and we simply walk... err hop through Shadow to break the spell." "That's true." Fiona says. "And trying this on shapechangers from Chaos is even trickier. Now, using a form which is more sessile is a more winning strategy." Fiona says. "However, such forms are often so alien to the original person that the stability problem rears its head again." She then blinks and says; "Destiny and Tori? What have they done now?" Fiona smirks. "Now, now, I do have my sources in these matters. I have heard that some of our family joined Valerian in a trapezing through the upper realms of reality and that Destiny and Toireasa were found there." She pauses, looks at Percy and then back at Brandeigh. "And I heard that you were amongst their number on that little adventure." Brandeigh nods her head after a moment. "Aye, I was there;" she replies. Then; "What I meant by my last question was that I had assumed someone had released them from their statue spells and they'd gotten into trouble. Again." She frowns. "No one's released them yet? Really?" Brandeigh's tactfully not going to add that it's a lot easier to keep an eye on someone when they're a statue and her brother was going to keep an on Destiny. Or so he said to her. "I don't think the statues have been brought through to this plane." Fiona says. "In point of fact, your tutor in things Dream has been absent as of late. I wonder if his exertions with your little field expedition did ill to him." "Anything's possible;" Brandeigh replies. "Last I talked to him was when Percy and I were at Grandmother's and he seemed fine then. Punching the trump call through to him was... not exactly easy. Grandmother must really like her privacy;" she adds. "She does." Fiona says. "There are good reasons why I sent *you* to her. The novelty of your appearance did give you an entree into her world that others might not have." "And here I thought it was just to serve Lorius a slice of humble pie;" Brandeigh replies. "I don't know what he did to deserve it, but those missiles Grandmother had launched at him were no laughing matter." "I admit her reaction to his presence was slightly more extreme than I anticipated." Fiona replies. And then; "Are they aware of their surroundings, or does the spell place them in some sort of suspended animation until it fades or is broken?" "I haven't had the opportunity to study them at my leisure." Fiona replies. "Certainly, the spell could work either way. The latter would be the more traditional sort of petrification that things such as a medusa or a basilisk might create. Making them aware of their surroundings..." Fiona's eyes gleam. "why, that would be a form of torture, or even an entree to madness if it lasted long enough." "Yes, I imagine it would;" Brandeigh replies slowly while suppressing a shudder. Percy isn't quite the poker player Brandeigh is, and goes a bit pale at Fiona's suggestion. If she notices the reactions, Fiona doesn't comment on either of them when she responds. "I suppose the King will want them turned back, even given their disobedience, if it emerges that their condition is a torturous one." Fiona says. "To say nothing of what my brother will have to say about his daughter being a coat rack. Or her brothers. So I suppose they will be freed." Fiona sounds almost regretful in her voice, but only just. Brandeigh shakes her head slowly, as if agreeing with her mother. After giving Percy's hand a quick, reassuring squeeze, Brandeigh's expression brightens. "Well mother, we've had a lovely time but should let you get back to your schedule. We do thank you deeply for your blessing on our relationship. I've realized it does mean a great deal to me to have it." "I consider it important." Percy agrees, simply, sparingly, but with notes of conviction in his voice. "Indeed." Fiona says. "And no doubt, the pair of you have to continue your last tour of the Castle for a while before your departure to Keltia. I will remember what you suggested, dear daughter." Fiona's smiles. "Aye, one or two more stops and we're done though;" Brandeigh replies. She nods her head at her mother's last comment. She rises from the table and walks over to where Brandeigh is sitting. She gives Brandeigh a kiss on the cheek and a hug and waits for Brandeigh and Percy to get up and then sees them to the door. Once outside Fiona's quarters, Brandeigh looks up at Percy. "Is your mother around? If so, we should go see her before the king." "Mother is not wandering far from the Castle, if at all, while she recuperates." Percy confirms. "The experience she escaped from still affects her, and I fear it will for some time." Percy says. "As I was telling Alais a couple of days ago." Percy says. "We've talked a lot about putting a full Salle D'arms on the fourth floor. Maybe now with Mom here, she'll push Random into doing it. In the meantime, I think our best bet to find her is outside practicing." Brandeigh nods her head in agreement and starts walking down the hallway with the eventual goal of exiting the castle and finding Deirdre. "How is your mother doing?;" she asks with concern in her voice. "We haven't really talked about that before now and we should have." Percy walks alongside Brandeigh, deliberately keeping his stride from being overlong, in a body language that suggests that Percy does want to delay the reunion somewhat in order to have the conversation that Brandeigh has suggested. "Outwardly she looks fine." Percy says, his tone holding steady for the moment. "Even given that she was in that horrible world for years. She hasn't told me how long it was for her and Brand on that icy world, but I get the impression that it was not a short period of time." Percy admits. Brandeigh slows noticeably at this. Down the staircase they continue and Percy continues. "I think it was a combination of exposure and Brand's evil that weakened Mom so." Percy says. "Not exposure to cold per se, but to whatever strange forces and energies that exist outside the universe that entered into that world. It's affected her concentration, her physical strength, and the edge on her skills are off." Percy says. "And she practices those skills now to refind her center and herself;" Brandeigh nods her head in thought. She looks up at Percy. "What can I do to help?" she asks simply. "I am not certain." Percy admits. "I don't think there are any quick fixes or solutions to this, except time and persistence and resolution." Percy admits as he continues to lead Brandeigh toward the entrance to the Castle, now visible at the end of the long, main hall now entered. "Mom is neither shy nor reticent, unlike her son sometimes." Percy says with a touch of self-derision. "If you ask her if you can aid her recovery, she will tell you what you can do, if she thinks you can do anything." Brandeigh takes one of his hands in hers and gently squeezes it. "Brandeigh." Percy then says, light firing up in his blue eyes like twin twinkles of light from Brandeigh's gesture, and his own sudden insight. "I didn't tell her what you had built for her...for my benefit." he says. Brandeigh considers this for a long moment before speaking; "Then perhaps it's time you... *we* showed it to her. I designed it as a celebration of her life; filled with pictures of people, places and events important to her. I made it for you so that would know she would never be forgotten; that you would have a place to remember her and perhaps find something of healing, comfort and strength when you needed it most. Mayhap your mother will find what she needs there as well." Brandeigh pauses for a moment and then adds with small, impish grin; "If nothing else, the whiskey's smooth and free." Percy nods quietly after a long moment. "Assuming that works, of course." Percy says. "I'm still not sure it would taste as good as the real thing, unless you have some sort of weird gate to a shadow full of whiskey." Percy regards Brandeigh and raises an eyebrow. "Tell me that's not what you did." he says, and finally, laughs. "Anyway." he finally says. "Let's go find Mom." he says brightly. "Unless your memorial needs to be prepared first?" Brandeigh gives him a long, long look for doubting her abilities. An eyebrow quirks up at the mention of a shadow full of whiskey. "Never tell a Scotan you have access to an unlimited supply of whiskey;" she says. "They'll try their best to prove you wrong." "We *have* been there before, as you'd best recall, cariad;" she says after another moment with a knowing smile. "But still, perhaps we should check on it first." Percy puts a hand to his forehead, in the same manner that someone might after forgetting a birthday, or worse, an anniversary. "Can I blame Marguessan's spellcraft addling my head for not remembering?" Percy replies. "Or the fact that we've been through a lot in the last few days?" "Or maybe I should just apologize for the lapse of memory without pawning it off." Percy adds. "I'd go with all three and hope for the best;" Brandeigh says calmly. "Though I understand some women prefer apologies in the form of flowers and/or jewelry." She smiles and winks at Percy after a moment. "Not I mind you. Well, not all the time anyroad." "Lead on, dear one." Percy gestures for Brandeigh to take the lead, now that they are at the gate of the Castle, on a sunny, early Spring day. Brandeigh stops outside the gate and pulls out her trump deck. Shuffling through them, she selects the card depicting the memorial and puts the rest away. She links her free hand with Percy's and concentrates upon the card. The contact comes easily and clearly, and Brandeigh has no difficulty in drawing herself and Percy through the trump. The canvas and rope that Percy cut to reveal the shrine still remain on the side, unremoved by anyone after the several days that its been since Brandeigh first brought Percy here, despite his lack of memory. The double doors, with the rampant unicorn below Deirdre's waxing crescent moon, still stand proud and strong, as they did when Brandeigh revealed them to Percy the first time. Except, there is just one little thing. Brandeigh is fairly certain that, when she and Percy left the shrine, she firmly closed the doors behind them. The bedecked doors, however, are ajar. Brandeigh frowns deeply at this. "The doors should be shut;" she says in a low voice to Percy. "Unless of course, someone is within." She starts bringing the Pattern to mind. "Prepare yourself, Percy, and let us go see who's come to pay their respects." Brandeigh hopes it is Deirdre come to see her shrine, and not someone else. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. When Percy indicates he's ready, Brandeigh starts heading toward the shrine as quietly and stealthily as the pair can. Percy fingers the ring he wears, and it changes shape to his mace. Weighing it carefully in his hand, he nods and follows Brandeigh toward the entrance. At the threshold of the shrine, carefully composed so as not to give away their arrival through the crack in the door, Brandeigh doesn't detect anyone, at least with her passive senses. Percy looks at Brandeigh expectantly, to the question of whether he or she should enter the disturbed shrine first. Brandeigh indicates that she is going in first and that Percy should follow her in and then step to one side to put some tactical distance between themselves. With the Pattern held before her as a defensive measure should it prove necessary, Brandeigh does a silent countdown with Percy and then steps forward and into the shrine Percy gives a quiet nod of the head to Brandeigh. Instinctively, he moves so that he can operate in her shadow. His fingers hold the mace carefully and firmly as Brandeigh and he finish the countdown and Brandeigh enters the shrine. Her Pattern defense brandished before her like an aegis, Brandeigh enters the shrine. The shrine's interior is different, dimmed, muted and not the way Brandeigh left it. The images on the walls depicting the life of the daughter of Faiella, mother of Percy are still there, but they seem drained of life and more importantly energy, as does the main image at the back of the shrine that hangs above the altar/coffin. The music is gone, the bottle of whiskey and glasses have not appeared. The sense of feeling is missing entirely. The possible reason for all this the ghostly, ephemeral figure who stands in the center of the shrine, just past the benches. Ghost is a good word for it, since you can see through the figure. It is no image, for the golden haired man holds up a hand. "Please." the Ghost retreats from the approach and entrance of Brandeigh. "I'm glad you came but your patterncraft..." The ghost recoils as if Brandeigh were harming it. "I didn't mean to intrude, but this is a safe spot of some power to keep me alive." Cowering and ephemeral, the identity of the figure now comes to Brandeigh. The ephemeral figure..is Jayson. Brandeigh stares in horror and in growing anger at the destruction wrought upon her work. There will be time enough for tears at the loss later. With the perpetrator here, vengeance may be swift. She glares daggers at the ghost upon seeing and recognizing it, or at least what it appears to be. Brandeigh keeps the Pattern burning brightly in front of her. The figure shrinks backward a little farther at Brandeigh's burnished Pattern. "What. The. Hell. Do. You. Think. You. Are. Doing. To. My. Works?" she bites off each word in white-hot anger. "Do you realize what you've done? Ruined! All of it!" She spends a moment or two wrestling with her anger before continuing in a slightly less hate filled, acidic tone of voice. "Who are you, really? And give me one good reason not to fry your incorporeal butt right now." Percy comes alongside to stand beside Brandeigh. White hot anger is not his way. Instead, if Brandeigh looks, there is the coldness of implacability about him. If Brandeigh is Fire, Percy is Ice. "He calls me James. It's as good a name as any." the figure says. "What I am, what I was and now am only a diminished figure of is what you might call a former Pattern Ghost." James holds up a spectral hand to his eyes. "A Pattern Ghost created from Corwin's Pattern, of Jayson." "My relationship with your Uncle's Pattern has been severed, however." "I have only drained the energies of this place to sustain myself. I do not think there is...permanent damage." James finishes. "For the sake of your continued... existence;" Brandeigh replies not lowering her Pattern one little bit; "You'd best hope there's no permanent damage." She glances at Percy for a clue as to what he wants here. Percy is intently studying James, with a quiet intensity. Brandeigh sees just the faintest raising of an eyebrow, a slight mark of possible recognition or potential enlightenment. "Why are you here, James? What do you want?" she asks while pondering the possibility of crafting a spell cage or cube of force with which to entrap the spirit. "Is that not obvious, good daughter of Fiona, good son of Deirdre." James says, looking between the two of them. "Say it." Percy rumbles. "I want to live." James says. "I have been severed from my sire, and from what created me. In fact, I suspect that Jayson himself may now be deceased." he says, looking down. "I have a tenuous connection to him, you see, which is now as gone as my connection to Corwin's Pattern." "I suspect that it has to do with what must have just happened to Apollo..." he pauses, holding off on saying more, and looking at Brandeigh speculatively. Brandeigh glances at Percy once again before returning her attention to the ghost. "Let's just say I don't think Apollo will be bothering anyone again for a very, very long time. If ever." Her expression is one of deep satisfation for a moment. James gives a nod of agreement. "But let us return to you and your problem;" she says after a moment. "Tell us exactly what you want, and why we should help you achieve your goal. I will not say whether I will help or hinder you at this moment, believe me I can do both extremely well." She backs her Pattern down slightly, conserving her strength should she need it. "I believe what you say." James says, looking at Percy and then Brandeigh. Its clear to the daughter of Fiona that of the two, he fears Brandeigh more than the son of Deirdre. "What I want." James says, looking a little relieved as Brandeigh lowers her Pattern a bit. "is to survive. I have lost my connection to what spawned me. I know not the metaphysics of it,but perhaps when Apollo was ended, that destruction broke the link to me. I was lurking in Amber City when it occurred, and in a panic, I sought a power source capable of sustaining me. Your...memorial." "Your use of your Pattern energies answers a question." James squints. "I cannot, I think, bond with the Pattern here and live. Either I need a power source that I can rely on permanently." he gestures around the diminished memorial and shakes his head in dissatisfaction. "or I need help in trying to reach what created me, to reforge the link." Brandeigh glances at Percy then back at James. "Interesting proposals;" she comments. "Whilst I ponder the former, Percy what about the latter? Is that possible?" "It would be a long walk and he'd have to be sustained along the way." Percy says, regarding James speculatively. "But if we could manage it, it would provide a permanent solution." For a brief moment, she considers the possibility of just dumping the matter in her Mother's lap. But she's none too sure what her Mother would do with a disenfranchised Pattern ghost. *It seems to be able to handle Trump energies, rather well*, she ponders mentally. *Perhaps something that taps into that.* Another moment, then; *But what if that creates interference? No, won't do. Something sorcerous in nature then.* Brandeigh begins formulating what she would need in order to make a permanent power source for the ghost. As Brandeigh starts her formulation, James looks between Percy and Brandeigh with the air of someone facing a high judge. He remains proud and his head held high, but he is quiet. Percy resumes his musing as Brandeigh continues her formulation. Some of the skills she learned in Keltia, as well as her mother, seem to have application. "Corwin's Pattern is not like this one. If he could get there, I am sure the Pattern could take him back." His eyes brighten. "We don't have to delay our own plans overmuch. If you could build something to sustain him long enough, we could drop him off on the way to our own destination, and let him continue onto Corwin's Pattern with enough energy to sustain himself until James got there." "Anything you might do to help" James says to Brandeigh "Would put me in the debt of you and yours.". It occurs to Brandeigh at that point. A conjuration of a power source, with an emission rate of arcane energies would sustain something like James. It wouldn't last forever, but it could be recharged at natural ley lines and power points, if necessary, to keep it active. To do a more permanent one would be possible, but it would have problems if James were to remain in Amber because of its effects on ordinary sorcery over time. Brandeigh glances up from her ponderings at James' remark and fixes him with her gaze. "Yes, you will be in the debt of us and ours for this. Forget it at your peril." James gives a serious nod of the head. Brandeigh is still not over the damage done to the shrine. "I will need some time to craft this." She stops for a moment, tilting her head to one side as she further considers what she will need to accomplish this. "Is there something of your's in the Castle that can be used as a focus? Something small, like a ring, a belt buckle, or a cloak pin?" "Jayson had quarters in the Castle, didn't he?" James says. "And he visited the Castle after my creation. Therefore, something of his, there, would serve as a connection to me." he says, as if solving a puzzle. "I don't think we'd find anything *large*." Percy says. "But there is probably something small to be found that we could use." He looks at James speculatively and then Brandeigh. "You think you can do it, then, without dragging your mother or your brother into this?" Brandeigh's expression at Percy's question is one of pained disbelief. For a moment, then she grins at him. "I *am* a redhead you know. I may not yet be the magician my Mother and brother are, but I do know more than a little about conjurations." She glances pointedly about the shrine. Percy smiles. "It was partially an attempt at a joke, cariad" he says. "And the hope that we didn't have to visit your mother's lab, or your brother's lab to do this." Brandeigh nods her head at this. "No, I don't think a visit to either place will be necessary." She turns her head to study James' form. "James;" she says still studying his form intently. "What we see here is how Jayson appeared when he walked Corwin's Pattern, correct?" "That's what I am." James confirms. "A snapshot of Jayson when he first walked Corwin's Pattern. I know a bit of what he did afterwards, even met Jayson a couple of times." James admits. "He was surprised at my existence. I understand he went through a number of...changes." James says. "Physically and appearance wise. I...accidentally received a trump call meant for him after such a change." Percy's eyebrows raise up at this and he looks to Brandeigh. "Is that even possible?" Brandeigh nods her head after a moment's thought. "Oh definitely, as it appears to have happened already." She grins; "When you trump someone, you tend to think of and picture them as you remember them. If the subject has changed radically since you last interacted with them, it's possible you wouldn't be able to contact them at all, or only with difficulty. Or as in this case, you might just reach their Pattern ghost. If they have one, and its active." "Something that might be useful to know, if there are more Ghosts running around." Percy says thoughtfully. James, for his part, remains cagey and says nothing. Brandeigh nods again; "I'm not sure I need to go at all with you going there to retrieve an item for the focus." She grins; "The rest, I can conjure up as needed." "Right." Percy nods and he looks to Brandeigh. "Do you still have a Trump of my quarters?" he smiles. "Keeping this relatively low key would be best, I think." She blinks all innocent eyed at him for a moment. "Whatever led you to believe I have a trump of your quarters?" Then she grins and shuffles the card out of her deck. "Right then, moving on." She hands it to Percy. Percy fingers the edge of the card and looks at it, but does not yet study it with the intensity needed to activate it. She turns back to James, giving him a thoughtful look. "Just how low on power? for lack of a better term are you? Do I need to work on stabilizing you first?" "I am stable, for now and perhaps some hours, at least if I remained here." James replies after a moment where he seems lost in thought. "Undoubtedly it will be a shorter period if I accompany Percy to the Castle. However, the act of passing through the Trump should give me a small boost at the very least." James muses. "So what did you want me to do there? Have Percy choose something that resonates well with me?" James asks. Brandeigh shakes her head. "No, you should stay here if Amber's Pattern can affect you as much as we believe it can. When Percy finds something he thinks is suitable, he can trump me and I can verify if it will serve or not. So remain here and conserve your energies." James considers this for a moment. As he does so, obvious relief flashes across his face, but then he puts on a more straight mien. "Very well." He looks at Percy. "Good luck." "I'll be back quickly." Percy confirms. He leans in to give Brandeigh a kiss, and then pulls back to stare at the card. A few moments later, the son of Deirdre disappears into a Rainbow. Once he is gone, James waits a beat, and then looks at Brandeigh speculatively. "If I didn't know better, you want to ask me some questions out of his earshot." Brandeigh tilts her head to one side and smiles. "Yes and no;" she replies. "We all don't need to go to the castle, and since I'm the sorcerer and he's not, he gets to go. Simple division of labor really." She begins building a list of the things she'll need to work this magic in her head. Those things she can conjure up and/or work in advance of the focus being present she'll begin. James gives Brandeigh a frankly skeptical look. This gives Brandeigh the opportunity to begin preliminary plans and ideas for getting the spellwork that she needs done. While the major work will have to wait upon Percy's return, she can certainly begin preliminaries to streamline the process. "Having said that;" she says after a moment or two. "Tell me what you can of Pattern Ghosts. Are there many of you? Do both Amber's and Corwin's ... create them? How is that done?" James laughs. "I suspected as much. You are Princess Fiona's daughter, after all." he says. James lowers himself so that he is sitting on the floor, looking up at Brandeigh speculatively. Brandeigh draws herself up straight at that. "I am a Bard, James;" she says firmly. "It's my job to find out new information. The fact that I am a daughter of Fiona, a sorceress and a Pattern initiate in my own right add certain... perks, shall we say, to the job." James chuckles and gives Brandeigh a conceding nod of the head, and a smile. After a moment, he continues. "How much does the created know about its creator?" James says. "I am not created with perfect knowledge or even much knowledge about my own existence, but I do know a few things. And I suppose, in addition to my pledge of service, that telling you some of them would be a payment." James continues. Brandeigh slowly nods at this, after a moment's consideration. "I know not of Amber's Pattern, but I do know that Corwin's Pattern has created me, and has a...relationship with several more ghosts which it has adopted. As you might guess, a new Pattern, far closer to Chaos requires guardians and sentinels against what Chaos scions might do against it." "Two of them for example." James says. "I am given to understand, live mostly within Corwin's realm, and manage things in Paris when Corwin is not there." He looks at Brandeigh. "Ghosts of the men you know as Luke, and Jurt." Brandeigh files this information away for future consideration and use. "Adopted you say?;" she asks curiously. "How do you mean? Did Corwin do it, or did his Pattern somehow accomplish this?" "I am given to understand that Corwin was still imprisoned at that point, so it was his Pattern's doing." James says. "But how connected Corwin is to his Pattern is a question you would have to ask Corwin, or his Pattern." "Ask his Pattern?" Brandeigh says dubiously, pondering this information. "It talks?" "It communicates after a fashion." James confirms. "Corwin's Pattern did not create the Ghosts, but it sustains them, and they are bound to it. So few have walked Corwin's Pattern that it found it expedient, I guess, to co-opt already created Ghosts" James shrugs. "That much is clear. A Pattern can only create Ghosts of people that actually walk it. And given that there is only one of me, there must be some restriction or limit on the number of copies it can make. Or, else, it could make a hundred of me, and feel secure forever." "Power limitations, most likely;" Brandeigh replies deep in thought. "Are you bound to it then? Can you sense where Corwin's Pattern is from here?" "I *was* bound to it." James corrects Brandeigh. "I was bound to it until whatever calamity occurred to separate my link from it. As I told you and Percy when you arrived." James' voice holds in check a tone of impatience. "my link to it has been severed, both energetically and in terms of my orientation to it." "I don't know what direction, precisely, Corwin's Pattern lies, although I suspect it would not be difficult to find. *I* could find it." James says with a trace of defiance. "if I only had the energy to make the journey." Brandeigh regards him silently for several moments, allowing him to regain his composure, should he wish to do so. "Do you have all of Jayson's memories and abilities, up to the point he walked Corwin's Pattern then?" She asks in a neutral tone. James takes a few more moments to answer, perhaps taking that opportunity to reduce his irritation. Certainly his tone of voice and his body language are less hostile when he answers. "Its difficult to conceive of what I might be missing, and given the need of the Pattern, I find it implausible that it would deliberately craft me as less well than it could." James confirms. "I can walk shadow, I can do a bit of magic." He brightens. "I can even draw trumps. In fact, Jayson had me doing that for a while." "I am not sure I would give all of that up, though, just to be human." James adds. "There are no noticeable gaps in your memories then?" she asks. "Well, that you're aware of anyway;" she answers more to herself than James. She doesn't voice the thought that she can find it quite plausible for James to be missing memories, ideas, thoughts, etc. that Jayson might have had. She's even pretty certain she knows how it's done. "I don't know if any such gaps are natural or created." James replies. "Unless someone has perfect recall, ordinary people have gaps, too." he points out. "Well enough for now;" Brandeigh says after a few moments. "I thank you for the information you've given me. If you will allow me to begin some of preliminary work needed to stabilize you?" She'll then begin doing whatever preparatory work she can until Percy calls or returns. "I will leave you be, then, and stop my garrulousness." James says with a sardonic smile. Brandeigh nods her head and gets to work. Brandeigh has a good half hour to work on preparation work where she is undisturbed. In point of fact, its engrossing enough that she barely registers James rising from his position and going to the entrance. "Your beau has returned." James says quietly. Its a quiet enough disturbance that Brandeigh's work is not interrupted, and indeed, a minute or so later, Percy is at the entrance. "I figured walking back might disturb your work somewhat less, cariad." Percy says by way of greeting. He opens a clenched fist, and reveals a large cloak clasp made of moonstone. "Oh, and this." Percy grins, turns around and lifts something. Its a suit of armor, some sort of light chainmail. From the startled look in James' eyes, its clear to Brandeigh that James very definitely recognizes both items. Brandeigh exams both items using her abilities, to see which is most suitable for use. Percy lays down both items so that Brandeigh can get a good look at them, esoterically and otherwise. After a couple of minutes of inspection, Brandeigh can see straightaway that the suit of armor, although large and impressive looking, is nothing more than a conjured item, a created thing that was made with the aid of magic ,rather than sweat and labor of a more usual kind. As far as the moonstone cloak clasp, it is not enchanted, although Brandeigh can see that its primed for any number of possible enchantments to be laid upon it. There just aren't any on it at the moment. More importantly, however, Brandeigh can feel that this is no recently conjured item, or if it is conjured, its been in Jayson's possession far longer than the armor. It has signs of having been in Jayson's possession for a much longer time frame. "I take it you recognize these then?" she asks James already knowing the answer. "Which do you think would work best for you?" "I do." James says. He walks over after Brandeigh finishes her scan and runs a hand along the chainmail. Its an intimate gesture, but its clearly inferior to the delight he has when he picks up the clasp. "This." he confirms, holding it up. "Jayson has had this for a long time. If anything is going to tie to me well, its going to be this." He looks at Percy. "Good work." "I didn't have to move too much rubble, thankfully, to get them." Percy says. And then to Brandeigh. "I think Random is going to let Aunt Flora redesign the area, like she did the last time we had castle reconstruction. If Random was just going to rebuild it as it was, I think I would have seen more activity there." Brandeigh holds out her hand to James. "The clasp works better for what I need to do, so I'm glad you like it;" she says with a small smile. Her mind is still busily working on what needs to be done and in what order. James looks at the clasp for a long moment, regarding it intently. He finally places it in the center of her hand as Brandeigh's mind continues to work within wheels on what needs to be done. To Percy, she says; "Well as long as she hires good architects and Random insists on final approval of the proposed plans, the castle should be alright." "Indeed. We wouldn't want a monstrosity of changes." Percy says, half amused. He looks at James and then Brandeigh. "And now you have all that you need to work. Shall James and I take a short walk and let you handle it?" Brandeigh figures with all of her preparation, an hour of completely uninterrupted work would do the trick. Longer, if Percy remains and chats. On the other hand, having James here for reattunement would be useful if anything unexpected occurs during the creation of the Mana Charm. "I'll need it to remain quiet, for about an hour;" she says focusing on the clasp. "And I may need James should something go amiss. If you two would care to move to the far end of the shrine and quietly converse or not as you will, you may do so. Else, outside with you both but do not stray far should I have need of you." With that, Brandeigh gets down to business. "I would say that she has the manner of a schoolteacher." James says quietly as he walks to the far side of the shrine. "Jayson went to school?" Percy raises his eyebrows."No, but the principle applies. I'm just going to rest. I'm good at patience." And James seats himself crosslegged, closes his eyes, and says no more. Brandeigh ignores the banter of the two men, although the thought of breaking out a ruler does cross her mind. Percy for his own part is, as Brandeigh well knows, good at silence, although the confined room does seem a stifling environment for him. Ten minutes into Brandeigh's work, he gets up and quietly departs the room, as her work continues to unspool. There is one major glitch, about a half hour in. Brandeigh's relative inexperience with this sort of creation leads her down a blind, and she then needs James' presence and his aura as a guide to get the spellcraft back attuned to him. With this glitch's delay, it takes Brandeigh a total of 81 minutes, all told, to complete the enchantment of the clasp and to fill it with sorcerous energy to power James. With it in her hands, there is only one acid test, of course, to make sure it truly works. Brandeigh double checks her work, before filling the clasp with power and then slowly stirs and refocuses on the world around her. She climbs to her feet and stretches her back and legs for a few moments before looking for and then regarding James. She holds out the clasp to him. "Try it." "I take it you want me to disconnect myself from your shrine here in the process." James says. Its in a rhetorical tone, as he takes the clasp from Brandeigh's hand and stares at it thoughtfully. The subtle shift of power would not likely be noticed easily or early by Brandeigh, save for the fact that her senses are already alive and active thanks to her recent work. She may be refocused on the physical world here, but the arcane one is not quite done with her. James closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Around her, Brandeigh can start to feel the trump energies a little less attenuated, a little less drawn away to feed the Pattern Ghost. Over the next minute or two, the displays brighten, and start to begin to look somewhat like the way they were meant to. The refurbishment seems like a gradual one, however, a slow and patient return to normalcy that will take more time to fully manifest. As far as James, he briefly goes pale and fades a bit, but then returns to solidity, and gives a nod. "You did it." James says, his eyes opening. "Its sustaining me." And then with a twinkle in his eyes, he smiles. Brandeigh mock glares at him for a moment and then smiles back at him. "Of course I did it, did I not say I would?" she says to him. She turns her attention to the shrine and studies the flow of power for a few moments. How long before it returns to its fully powered state? And is there any sign of permanent damage or power loss? James walks around, getting used to his new power source himself, as Brandeigh takes the time to check on the shrine. About ten minutes of study leads Brandeigh to the conclusion that the damage is superficial. The damage does not seem permanent, rather there is the etheric equivalent of dirt and grime from the rudely rerouted flows of energy which James managed to get the shrine to power itself. Given how long and how hard Brandeigh worked on the shrine in the first place, it can and will reassert itself, but it will take perhaps a week or two, no longer, to be restored to normalcy of its own accord. At this point, Percy pokes his head in and looks around the shrine. "Done?" he asks Brandeigh hopefully. "Yes and no;" Brandeigh replies with a frown. "Although I think I can fix the 'no' part fairly quickly." She nods towards James; "He's all set; the clasp is working as expected." She gestures around the shrine, adding; "Now for the 'no' part. If let to itself, the shrine would take about a week to sort itself out and come fully back to it's potential." "That's not so bad, is it?" Percy begins and then stops as he sees the expression on Brandeigh's face. She crosses her arms and stamps a foot on the floor, growing tired of the delays in their departure. "We don't have the time to wait for it to fix itself if we are to show it to your mother before we leave; *today*. Therefore, I've a bit of cleaning and restoration work to do." She glances at both Percy and James and indicated the door. "If you two will kindly wait outside for a bit longer, I'll put everything in order." Percy raises his eyebrows and then nods. There is clear disappointment on his face but he says nothing. That look shoots through her like an arrow, causing her more pain than he will ever know. Did he not realize she was trying to get them out of here and off on their own? A pause, then she adds to Percy in a softer tone; "Perhaps you could contact your mother and ask her to join us?" "Yes" Percy says with a nod. He turns and departs from the shrine. James looks at Brandeigh, clearly considering saying something, and then departs behind the son of Deirdre. Once the pair have stepped outside, Brandeigh gets down to the business of speeding the shrine's recovery along, reinforcing things if needed. Fortunately for Brandeigh, the act of checking over the shrine and taking that time has been a very good thing for actually turning her efforts to repair. After five minutes there is noticeable improvement. James ducks his head in at this point, but he retreats as Brandeigh continues to work. There is no sign of Percy or Deirdre. After a total of ten minutes the scenes begin to glow again, and after thirty minutes of concentrated work, the slow process that would have taken a week is done. Its as good as it was when Brandeigh showed it to Percy in the first place, the effects of James' drain are gone, gone. James seems to recognize this, and he ducks in again. "Percy was unable to trump his mother, and so he went to the Castle to find her." James explains. And even as the words leave James' mouth, Brandeigh gets a trump call. It's Percy...and someone else, someone that Brandeigh is pretty sure, although she hasn't had the privilege, is Deirdre herself. Brandeigh's hand flashes up in a gesture to bid James to silence as the call comes in. She stamps down on her impatience, almost visibly, and says to James in a calm, pleasant voice; "Aye, he's trumping me now, with her;" while holding the call from connecting fully. She gives James an almost pleading look; "I would consider it a great favor if you would grant us some privacy. I made this for Percy in memory of his mother. As it turned out, that purpose was not needed, thank all the powers. However, it may still serve to help Deirdre recover some of her strength after her ordeal." "She has not seen it before now, and I would appreciate it if she could do so in privacy." "I'm glad that the shrine and all of your hard work will see some use after all." James says simply with a nod. "I will depart." Brandeigh waits for James' response and then rushes out of the shrine. James follows, and heads in the direction of Corwin's tomb, and quickly is out of sight. With the trump call still buzzing in her mind, Brandeigh has a few moments to lay her plans. Once she's a little ways off from the shrine, and situated so that when Percy and Deirdre come through they will be rewarded with a perfect view of the exterior of the shrine, once they turn around that is, she takes the call. Brandeigh finds the perfect spot, framed by the sun, shade and the ambience that caused her to design and create the shrine here in the first place. She can, in her mind, do no better to improve what Deirdre will see. And so Brandeigh takes the call. Percy is smiling and ebullent and very unlike the brooding quiet he is far better known for. Standing next to Percy, still looking a bit pale but noticeably better than the last time Brandeigh has seen her, is Deirdre. Her hand is on Percy's shoulder. "Hello cariad." Percy says brightly, eschewing vocalization for simple, enthusiastic words. Deirdre smiles. "You have something to show me?" she says brightly and waits for Brandeigh to take her hand and Percy's. "Hello cariad;" Brandeigh says with a warm smile on her face to Percy. "Aunt Deirdre;" she adds, stepping forward to take their hands in hers. "Indeed, I... we do have something you should see." And so Percy and Deirdre together step through the trump. Percy resists the temptation to look around. Deirdre keeps facing forward, clearly orienting herself. She hasn't let them turn around yet. "I made it for Percy during a time when he most needed it. I made it in the hopes he would comfort and strength there." Tears start to form in her eyes as she guides the pair to turn around. "But then you came back to him, to all of us. Now, I think the person who can benefit the most from it is you." Percy puts a hand on Brandeigh's shoulder as the tears bead as he, and his mother, smoothly turn around. Percy is smiling. Deirdre's expression is cautious enthusiasm. She gives them, well Deirdre to be exact as Percy's already seen it of course, a moment to take in the shrine's exterior. Then, she starts to lead them towards it. "I built this shrine so that you would never be forgotten, so that people would have a place to celebrate your life, so that the Valkyries would have a place to honor their leader, and so that your son would have a place to remember his mother." "A shrine, not a tomb." she murmurs in an approving tone, taking a single step forward, and then more as she starts ahead. She gazes at the shrine, built in a classical Greek or Roman style, with tall marble colonnades supporting an arched roof with sculpted facings. "Gone from world you may have been;" Brandeigh replies; "But never from our hearts and minds." After several steps forward, she lets Brandeigh lead her and her son the remaining distance. With an eye and look that reminds Brandeigh of a photographer or a painter, Deirdre's advance is calculated to give her the best view with each step forward. Brandeigh looks up at Deirdre as they near the entrance; "I built it for you, and now I hope you can find that which you need inside. Please, come in." Deirdre gives a look to Percy, who takes his free hand and gives his mother's a reassuring squeeze of her hand. She gazes at her symbol rendered on the door, the waxing moon. And then, with a nod to Brandeigh, she follows her inside. Over the main entrance will be a large rendering of her symbol of course. Under the roof will be a smaller chamber though it will be large enough to hold a number of people comfortably. Large, double doors of elaborately decorated or etched silver bear an image of the Unicorn rampant, and Deirdre's Moon above the Unicorn. Passing through the doors, Deirdres sees the two rows of marble benches to either side of a short aisle that leads to a large marble altar. Above the altar, hangs a portrait of the woman who now gazes upon it. Long, shining black hair frames an exquisitely beautiful face. Deep, sapphire blue eyes regard you with warmth and her red lips are turned up in a smile. Dressed in a flowing gown of silver and black, the image stands before Percy, Brandeigh and of course, Deirdre herself. Tearing herself away from this, Deirdre looks around clockwise at the paintings, which are now restored to full glory... Deirdre as a child. With a smile on her face and perhaps sitting on Oberon's knee...On the next wall, three works each showing a progressively more adult Deirdre. One of a ball or court event; one of her practicing with her legendary axe; the last of her recruiting the Valkyries. On the back wall, on the left Deirdre's marriage to Percy's father, Kyle Webster. The backs of the doors, also silver, bear her Moon at the top with Percy's Mountain and at the bottom, Corwin's rose. The wonder is in Deirdre's eyes as she looks around. Deirdre holding her infant child proudly for all to see. On the third wall three more paintings. The first two of Deirdre raising Percy from child to manhood. The last on that wall, one of Deirdre on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Earth. And the last painting, the one on the left side of the back wall; one of Deirdre as if she posed for it just before taking command of her forces for the Patternfall war. Outfitted in her armor, holding her axe, she stands by her son's side, her expression full of life and confidence. "You have nearly everything, save a portion of my life that I have kept deliberately quiet." Deirdre finally manages to say, emotion choking her voice. Gratitude is in her eyes for what Brandeigh has done. "And you couldn't be expected to ferret out that secret." Deirdre says with a smile. "Although I think your brother knows." Brandeigh's expression flashes through surprise to calculation, to calm serenity at this news. She could find out what's missing, if she chose to; Lorius owes her after all. "In any event, Brandeigh, Mistress of Scots, Thank you." she continues softly. "I will treasure, use, and cherish this place you have created." Brandeigh smiles at Deirdre. "I am honored that you both find it to your liking and will make use of it." She walks up to the altar where a decanter and three glasses have appeared when no one but her was looking. Pouring a healthy measure into each glass, she turns back to Deirdre and Percy, holding out a glass to both. "Whiskey?" She glances at Percy and grins; "He wanted to know if I had connected the decanter into a Shadow of whiskey. I'll not tell, a girl's got to keep some secrets after all." "I would drink a glass, in my own honor. No matter where it might actually come from." Deirdre says with a hint of a smile, as she takes one of the glasses. Percy gives a nod and takes the other. Deirdre raises the glass to Brandeigh. "And of course, to drink in your honor for all that you have done for me and mine." Deirdre says. She salutes Brandeigh with the glass, and Percy does the same, before they both drink, slowly and carefully. "It was my honor and priveledge to do so;" Brandeigh says before taking a healthy drink of her glass. She looks at Percy and nods her head minutely in Deirdre's direction. It's Percy's turn to talk to the parental unit about the way things are between them. "Mother." Percy begins in a somewhat stammering tone. "We...I have something to tell you about Brandeigh. And me." He takes another sip of the whiskey, and waits a moment before starting to continue. Gently, Deirdre puts a hand on Percy's wrist. "I think I know some of what you are going to say, for I learned something of it already, remember?" Deirdre says. Percy gives a nod, gulps and continues. "Our...our relationship has grown to the point, mother, that we are going to take some time to do things right. We're going to go to Keltia, Brandeigh's homeworld, and get married there. And become a family. We were just taking care of unfinished projects, like showing you this shrine, before we departed." Brandeigh nods her head in agreement with this. The becoming a family part is new to her, but upon quick reflection, she finds she rather likes that idea. Deirdre considers matters a moment and then looks up at Brandeigh. "You must have been extraordinarily patient, to burrow into the heart of my son. I know Percy and can only imagine how difficult it would have been to reach him, when I was...elsewhere." A dark look crosses her gaze, quickly. "It was not easy;" Brandeigh replies with a shy smile. "But then nothing worth the having rarely is." She waits for Brandeigh's response and then continues, her hand beckoning for Brandeigh to come closer. Assuming she does so, she takes Brandeigh's hand and draws it to Percy's, and clasps her hand over the union of Brandeigh and Percy's hand. Brandeigh walks over to join mother and son. "You have my blessing for the union. I can understand why you two want to do this away from Amber, but I hope you won't spend too many years away before you do return. And who knows?" Deirdre smiles. "Perhaps when you do return, we'll convince Random to give you some sort of ceremony of welcome." Brandeigh's eyes grow misty at Deirdre's actions and words. She ponders briefly whether Deirdre realizes that in some shadows, she's just married off her son. "As long as he does not object to our relationship, I will be happy;" Brandeigh replies. Percy lets out a long breath of relief. And then, "Thank you, Aunt;" she begins and then ventures; "Or may I call you mother now?" "You may." Deirdre agrees with a slightly amused expression. "Fiona might not precisely appreciate the appellation in her presence, however." "I don't mind." Percy puts in. "No matter what Aunt Fiona thinks." "It's settled, then." Deirdre agrees. Brandeigh gives Percy an 'oh, really?' look before smiling at him. Percy smiles confidently in return. With her free hand, Deirdre raises the whiskey glass toward Brandeigh and Percy once more. "And now we should drink, to *that*" Brandeigh nods her head, lifts her glass to Deirdre and then drinks. And so Deirdre, and Percy also drink, both mother and son drain their glasses with equal vim and vigor. "Now, before you go..." Deirdre rises and faces Brandeigh. "Tell me just who or what is lurking near the shrine." Brandeigh sighs softly and glances at Percy inquisitively as if to say 'Should I?' Percy hesitates a moment and then finally gives a small nod of the head. If Percy indicates for her to answer, Brandeigh will. "It is a... Pattern ghost of Jayson, who has taken to calling himself James. James was created by Corwin's Pattern, not Amber's. Percy and I encountered him in here; we had planned on escorting him back to Corwin's realm." At this, Deirdre relaxes slightly. "I know a little bit about Pattern Ghosts." Deirdre says with a smile. "If that's all that's lurking there, then I am relieved. I had thought it was some sort of tutelary spirit, or lares that you had set on my shrine for some reason." Deirdre admits. Brandeigh tilts her head to one side, as if considering this possibility. Deirdre waves a hand in dismissal. "I feel no pressing need to meet this James, however, although why he would come *here* is probably something I don't want to know, do I?" Brandeigh shakes her head; "It's of no matter now. The damages he'd caused were not irrepairable." She carefully does not add that if the damages had been permanent a certain ghost would now be nothing more than random particles of energy now, though her body language may just hint at something like that. "You are right. It's of no matter now if you are taking him away from here, back to Corwin's Pattern." Deirdre says. She rises and turns to her son, who rises in turn. "Take care of yourself." she says, and then something that Brandeigh cannot hear, into Percy's ear. He says something softly back in turn. Deirdre then turns to embrace Brandeigh in the same warm, maternal manner. "And you take care, daughter." she adds. "And you as well, mother;" Brandeigh says with a warm smile. "The walk alone back to the Castle will do me good." Deirdre says with a smile once she disengages and steps back from Brandeigh and Percy. "I'll leave you two to your final preparations on your journey." "Yes Mother." Percy says, giving a nod of the head. "That went well;" Brandeigh says after Deirdre has left. "Should we pop back to the castle to see the King, or just collect James and hit the road?" Percy considers this for about a half minute. Finally he shakes his head. "I think we're better off, cariad, if we just collect James and go. If we go back to see Random, I have an awful feeling he'll find some excuse for us not to go, some project he'd want one or both of us to accomplish or something to do on his behalf. He's gotten good at that." "You know it to be true." Percy adds. "So let's find James and then we can choose the best way to get to Keltia." "Perhaps;" Brandeigh replies thinking Random really wouldn't push her into any more duties after all they've already done. Guilt them into something else, perhaps, but not directly order them. Then she smiles craftily; "But then there is the saying 'It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission' so let's go while we can." Percy gives a nod and a smile of agreement. "We need to get James back to Corwin's realm before going to Keltia;" Brandeigh replies. "Can you think of a place on the border between Corwin's realm and Amber that's safe to trump to? Or do we walk until we can find some horses?" "Well, I can think of a number of places to trump to, if I had trump of them." Percy admits sheepishly. "Otherwise, we could go straight to Arcadia and be done with it. Baring that, though." he looks at Brandeigh speculatively. "Perhaps we can cut down our travel time by choosing a shadow relatively far out. Flora's shadow, perhaps. I know you've been there, cariad." "Or even Ygg, if you've a trump of it." Percy offers. "If we were going alone, I wouldn't mind a longer journey, however, I'd rather discharge our duty quickly." "I do not have one of Ygg;" Brandeigh replies; "yet." Then she gets a thoughtful look on her face. "But if you've been there before or if there is some other place you would prefer to trump to, I think that can be arranged." She walks over to him and takes his hand in hers. Percy firmly clasps Brandeigh's hand and looks into her eyes.
And so he does. Images flow from his mind into Brandeigh. His mental defenses are serviceable, not the more advanced ones she has learned at the knee of her mother as well as in Keltia. Brandeigh makes a mental note to teach him better defensive techniques at some point. And thus the memories that Percy brings to the surface are unencoded, easy to understand and crystal clear. Brandeigh sees an enormous tree, hundreds of feet in diameter, the largest she has ever seen. It stands in an empty field that runs in every direction from it to the horizon. Something like a cross between a banyan and an oak tree, the tree has an air of age and majesty as it conducts its lonely vigil. This, Brandeigh knows, is Ygg. And then that image is replaced by another. This one is of a french chateau, several stories tall, standing in a pleasant sylvan setting. From the viewpoint given, Brandeigh can see a hedge maze, which at the moment of the memory, Percy is looking at. Given her abilities and skills, Brandeigh can also read the fear and anxiety Percy feels when he looks at the entrance to that maze. Whether this is an artifact of the memory, or if it is a current fear and anxiety, is not quite clear. Brandeigh leads the pair over to one of the benches and sits down after producing a pad of paper and some pens and pencils. She has Percy return to the image of Ygg and then mentally copies it into her own mind. With a little help from Brandeigh, Percy is able to return to the image, and hold it enough that Brandeigh can focus and concentrate on it enough to get a good image of it in her own mind to begin the drawing process.
Brandeigh gives him a look, pausing in her work. *Daughter of Fiona, Bard, and I know you, love. It wasn't that hard to pick up on some of your thoughts and feelings attached to the images. I can teach you better defenses when we have a bit more time.* She returns to her work.
Percy considers this for a few moments. *The only one he told me about* he finally decides. *Its possible there are other reflections he knows nothing about, or decided to keep secret from me. Perhaps his daughter knows more. And perhaps not even she does.* Brandeigh nods knowingly at this.
The fear and anxiety Brandeigh sensed have drained away. Brandeigh pauses to hold up her work for his inspection. Percy makes a small sound of agreement and approval for the quality of Brandeigh's work thus far, followed by a short nod. She then leans back against him to resume her work. *I've a feeling that once you know the trick to reaching either one of the primals, you can get to the other fairly easily.*
She focuses her attention on her work in an effort to speed things along as much as possible. Just about when Brandeigh is done, there is a rap on the door, and the head of James pokes in. "The coast is clear, right?" he says. Without looking up from her work, Brandeigh replies dryly; "Relatively." "We're nearly done, to try and judge Brandeigh's rate of progress." Percy says confidently. "I don't think we'll have any more interruptions and be able to leave sooner rather than later." "That is a relief." James says. "I think it would have been awkward for me to have met..." he breaks off and shakes his head. "Is there anything I can do to help to expedite matters?" he asks. Brandeigh shakes her head, not looking up from her work. "Nay, I'm nearly finished here." She flips the cards over and quickly works on putting Percy's symbol on the backs of each. James takes a spot in the corner and examines some of the scenes on the walls. He does occasionally turn his blond head in Brandeigh's direction. However, he remains quiet. Percy in the meantime is far more attentive and interested at Brandeigh's finishing touches. Once done, she puts her materials back into her pouch and hands the cards to Percy. "Here, love. I think we're finally ready to go." "At long last." Percy says with a sigh. He takes the cards from Brandeigh and regards them for a couple of minutes. This manages to bring James out of the corner and a looking over of Percy's shoulder. "And now we can go." Percy agrees. He holds up the card of the townhouse of Arcadia, with the maze and what it holds. "Shall I do the honors?" "They are your cards;" Brandeigh agrees with a nod of her head. "Ready, James?" she asks the third member of their party. "Yes" the Pattern Ghost says with a nod. "Let's go." Percy nods and begins concentrating on the card. Seconds pass, and sweat beads on Percy's forehead, along with a furrowing of his eyebrows. The strain to complete the connection is not only obvious to Brandeigh, but to James as well. Percy holds up a hand, and finally gives a nod. "There, finally." he says, and he offers Brandeigh his hand to pull her through, followed by James. On the other side, Brandeigh steps out of the connection in the place that Percy described. Its not sunny and bucolic as he had described it, however. The sky is the color of angry lead, and there is a smell of impending rain. To sensitive Brandeigh, there is a slight aura of neglect and abandonment to the place. Brandeigh stands still after stepping through and to one side to take in the scene, trying to determine why things don't appear to be as they should. From a mundane point of view, there are few clues for Brandeigh to key on. It simply seems that whoever has been keeping up the Manor house and grounds has stopped doing so, for a considerable period of time. The weeds, the paint peeling, and other cues point to this. Percy comes through at the last, and cranes his neck around. "All quiet." he comments, giving a glance upward at the sky. "Almost too quiet." James says, as he seems torn between the entrance to the manor house nearby, and the nearby labyrinth. He finally gives a last glance at the house, as if making his decision. "Aye;" Brandeigh says quietly. "I don't want to keep either of you." he says. "I don't intend to get wet, however. I suppose, here, we part our ways, until we met again, eh?" James says, looking at Brandeigh. Glancing at both of them for a moment, she asks; "Is it always like this, then, or is this something new?" She will cautiously begin examining the area with her various abilities. "The weather is usually better." Percy says. "And usually...someone would have come to greet us by now." "One of the other ghosts." James says in agreement. "Is it possible they have all gone elsewhere?" There is reluctance in his eyes as he looks at Brandeigh and Percy, his eyes casting away. Brandeigh brings the Pattern up around her, more for defensive and information gathering purposes than attack. Brandeigh doesn't sense any use of sorcery or anything that registers significantly on her Patterny senses as she brings it to mind. And then, the strange quiet of the area is broken by a distant, but approaching sound from down the country lane. In the distance, as James and Percy and presumably Brandeigh turn toward the sound, is an approaching object which looks like a car. It will be here in a few minutes. "Vehicles do work here." James murmurs to Brandeigh. "They have them in Paris after all. They aren't seen here, though." "The road isn't paved for it." Percy agrees. His finger nervously caresses the mace-transformable ring on his finger. "What tech level is prevalent here?" she asks of Percy and James. How does the vehicle and engine sound? Modern, Model T era, something in between? Then she asks; "And what about firearms? Has Corwin let loose gunpowder in his realm?" "Ordinary gunpowder and firearms do work, here and in Paris." Percy says quietly. "They always have. As far as tech, gasoline engines do work." He squints at the approaching vehicle. As Brandeigh takes a better look, she judges the car from sight and sound to be of a 1930's vintage, a sports car of some type. James echoes Brandeigh's observations. "Some sort of sporty vehicle. It's in keeping with what is allowed here, and in Paris." he says. "It's still approaching, but the car is slowing down." "Internal combustion vehicles;" Brandeigh says more to herself than the lads. "How quaint. But a step up from Amber nonetheless." There is something familiar about the figure in the convertible as it draws closer. And indeed, as the car and driver come close enough to recognize the figure, Brandeigh recognizes the driver. She seen the driver before, even if only in a dream. It's Leigh. Brandeigh relaxes once she recognizes the driver, though she does show a surprised expression on her face. She drops the Pattern from her mind and says aloud; "It's okay, gentleman, I know the driver. Sort of." Then more to Percy than James; "I met her in a dream the other night." She goes through her deck of trumps and pulls Leigh's out by touch and shows it to Percy and James. "Her name is Leigh... House Helgram, if I recall correctly." James and Percy look at the trump. "*That* dream, cariad." Percy says knowingly, looking at the trump, and then the driver, whose car is now very close. "She's changed her hair color to something more brownish. Shapeshifting, I suppose." Percy says. James looks a little more wary. "Jayson was somewhat nervous about Helgrams." he says. "Even if she doesn't look dangerous." He turns from looking at the card and looks up at the blue 30's era sports car that has now reached them. "Since you know her, sort of, you can do the introductions." James adds. Backlinks |
