So Where Is Chadwick?Index | Time Under Chaos | Game Logs | So Where Is Chadwick The last thing Flora's son remembered was having a rather delicious tea in the Chaosian Embassy. There had been tea, and cakes ... but no alcoholic liquors. Far less any of those yet more dubious substances that rumour held some of the family <cough>Merlin and Morgan</cough> were held to partake of ... So why did his head ache so much? And why was it so very dark suddenly? "He's coming round," said a voice - which seemed to vary quite alarmingly in distance, as though the speaker was on a swing above his head. Chadwick tried to move his hand to his head without success. "Wh ..." he shook his head slowly, as he gathered up the strength to speak. He adjusted his head toward the speaker. This was not how he imagined his day as going. "Lily?" "He thinks he's on the Queen," said the voice again. A woman's voice, but not Lily. Then a rustle of a skirt - she was coming close - and he scented the kind of a aroma that women on the Queen favoured, rich, heady, sensual. "Lord Chadwick," she said, "can you hear me?" "'Chadwick' is fine," he said with a faint smile. His head hurt too much for anything else. He refrained from trying to focus, shaking his head gently. "Where am I?" "Safe," said the woman. She glanced up at someone out of Chadwick's range of vision, and then back at him again. "Well, for the moment," she qualified. "Can you sit up?" "My arms feel ... I can try," he said gamely. He shifted his weight and arced his torso, his arms felt more as if made of rubber now. Still, he made a heroic effort and managed to lift himself into a sitting position. He tried to focus more on the speaker. "I'm with friends?" "More than that," said the woman from the Queen. "You're in the castle - in your own room. I've been trained as a medic." "The tea was poisoned," said a voice from the shadows - more shadows, it seemed to the dazed Chadwick, than there had any right to be in his room. "Or it might be better to say .... infected." Chadwick flinched. "Infected? With what? Why?" A genuine incredulity filled his voice, as if the benign universe had done a complete 180 and Chadwick would find himself with feet for ears any minute now. "An attempt was made to bring you under the domination of a certain Chaosian lord," said the voice. "You're an Amberite - you can resist it longer than most. But you don't have Pattern. Tell Merlin. Say this - a card is being fashioned to bring this player into the deck. He'll know what that means. He may even know what to do." Chadwick nodded, wondering where the King was so that the message could be delivered, but his thoughts were interrupted. There was a pause - then the sound of voices came from the corridor - at some distance, it seemed. "Are Tasha and Ingrey infected?" Chadwick made an effort to curl his fingers as he waited for a response, and there was a sluggish feeling about it, but he felt positive that progress was being made. "Chaosians?" the figure in the shadows gave an ugly laugh. "I doubt it. Neither would have the use ... " "We should go." It was the woman who spoke, moving towards the shadows. "You said ... you promised." A hesitation. "Yes. I did." And then the woman was lost in the darkness ... and suddenly Chadwick knew he was alone in the room. He felt the muscles across his back tense as he discovered that he was alone. Something was out of place in all of this, and he had the suspicion that it was him. He looked about, concentrating his vision on anything that might tell him something of what was going on. His instincts told him that he should leap up and crash out of a window onto a waiting awning, rolling off of it and taking a nearby horse; but his arms and legs didn't respond to any but the most severe of his thoughts ... he'd never make it. Now he could hear a voice he knew all too well in the corridor - his mother. And she sounded even less amused than usual. Chadwick's arms jerked and twisted, causing him to fall backward from the weight and awkwardness. His head struck half of a pillow before he slid the rest of the way and hit the floor face first. "This," he said, "is unfortunate." And he realized that, should his mother enter, she would know before he did whether or not he was wearing some sort of revealing medical garb. The door opened. There was a long pause. It got even longer. "Chadwick," said Flora at least, in a tone of apparent reasonableness, "why are you wearing a yellow spotted pyjama top over your green striped trousers?" Chadwick sighed. "I doubt others share the same concern we do for our clothing, mother. At least, the medical attendant, whoever that might have been, certainly didn't." He was more embarrassed than if he'd been bare-assed. "Medical attendant?" said Flora sharply. "Describe him ... or her." Ingrey was close enough to hear her. (Ingrey arrives from Trouble Is Our Business)
"My apologies, mother, for being unconscious. It was poor of me. In the future I'll try to be more alert." He rolled his head in an effort to look at her, without much success. "It seems as if my motor skills have been impaired. This will make rescuing damsels more challenging." At this point, Ingrey and the Chaosian Lt. caught up to Flora at the threshold of Chadwick's quarters. Ingrey cleared his throat before speaking after Chadwick had finished.. "There has been concern, Chadwick, about your health as delivered to us by the Lieutenant in whose care I left you at the barracks. As it was I who brought you to the barracks, and sent you back again to here, that concern is reflected in myself." "Your concern is, not doubt, a tribute to your generous nature," said Flora coldly. "However, having ascertained that my son is here and unharmed, perhaps you would care to withdraw to one of the public parts of the castle? My son wishes to change his garments." Ingrey smiled to the Princess. "My duty and my promise are now discharged," Ingrey said, modulating his tone to a diplomatically neutral one. He looked in the direction of Flora's son. "I am pleased, Chadwick, that you are unspoiled. I trust that if needed, you will be able to reach me." He took a pose of acquiescence to an elder, and bowed to Flora. "I shall impose, impinge and infringe upon you and your son no longer," Ingrey said. "Come, Lieutenant," Ingrey directed to Houshi. "Our presence is now an intrusion." He spun on his heel, and departed the scene, walking briskly. Chadwick listened to them depart before saying anything. "Pleasant fellow, and quite nice of him to check up on me." He then listened to what his mother as he turned his head toward the wardrobe. "Who was in here earlier? Couldn't make them out, mother, but they seemed to know me. They left and then I fell over. I rather like the crimson, but the teal ... " He waited for the advice of his mother. "You have the beginning of a bruise on your right check," said his mother. "I would therefore recommended the teal, with muted brown accessories. I don't know who was in here earlier, which troubles me. How did they leave?" "Through the door, I think. Everything was quite blurry." Chadwick moved his arms using his shoulder muscles, getting them out of the way before he rolled and sat up in one motion. Concentrating, he managed to curl his fingers. He let out a sigh. He heard his mother's sharp heels click on the floor as she came over to him. "Chadwick," she said. "Open your eyes wide, and look at me." He did as he was told, focusing on the presence of the voice and stretching the muscles about his eyes, straining. "This is awkward. Is there something afoot that I'm unaware of?" "I suspect there is," said Flora. "Tell me the last thing you remember before you woke up here." She was pulling a trump from the jewelled case she wore at her waist. "I remember the tea, and Ingrey. There was some sort of military man present ..." Chadwick swayed slightly. "We were talking about something... Merlin. A pulse or overdose of Pattern ... is he all right?" "When I saw him last," said Flora slowly. "Although ... that might explain his decision to go to Chaos. Apparently, Morgan is in charge as Regent. I think we should see him - now." She glanced at Chadwick and frowned. "As soon as you've changed," she amended. The trump she was holding was one of the throne room. "About that," Chadwick started, "I'm having a bit of difficulty. My limbs don't seem to be under my control." She looked at him, irritated. "The merest modicum of decency will suffice, Chadwick. Amber is under attack here." "Yes, mother," Chadwick said as he prepared to apply clothes that looked roughly decent, following her advice. It was slow going, but he managed to get his outfit more than partially on. The sleeves he found rather difficult and only managed one before he gave up and shrugged sheepishly at Flora. "I'm prepared," he said. Although the idea of having Morgan sitting on the throne was a bit unsettling. At this moment there came an urgent knock on the door. Flora sighed. "See who it is, Chadwick," she said, starting to fold his discarded (and despised) clothes). "Yes, mother," he said. For a moment he tried to look through the door, but it proved immediately fruitless. His approach involved flopping, difficulty feeling his legs preventing more elan. His hand landed on the handle, he planted his foot so as to prevent the aperture from widening to much, and he concentrated deeply on curling his fingers. It worked, and he jerked the door open and looked through the small opening. "May I help you?" "I bring a message from the young Chaosian lady," said the young guard who stood there. "She wants to know if you are all right." "I'm having difficulties, but I believe I'll recover, if that's what you mean." His body swayed and he thumped his head against the frame of the door. "Do give her my best and thanks for the concern. Perhaps we could have a picnic when I'm up to it." The young guard looked at him worriedly. "I'll tell her, Sir!" he agreed. "Give me your hand, Chadwick," said Flora. "Half the Chaosian population present in Amber seem to have taken up residence in the castle, and doubtless we will have them sending messengers to inquire after your health individually. We should find the Regent." "Yes, mother," he said as he extended a limp hand to the princess and let the door fall shut. A ripple of rainbow light ... and they were standing in the throne room. It was deserted. "He's not keeping up with his itenarary ... rary," Chadwick said as he looked about weakly. "Shall I go fetch him, then?" The door to the empty throne room opened, and Morgan walked in, a set and determined look on his face. He closed the door behind him, leaving two guards in the hallway outside, and looked from Flora to Chadwick and then back again. Chadwick observed the unusual look of Morgan and frowned slightly. He wasn't used to seeing him this way. It was unsettling. "Ah," he said flatly. "All right," said Morgan. "You'd better fill me in on what's been happening - here and in the barracks." He looked straight at Chadwick as he said the last. Chadwick looked blankly at the Regent. "How may I assist? I really don't know anything beyond passing out and the rumour that my tea or cake was poisoned. I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding, probably of Amberite dietary needs." He smiled and shrugged limply. "These things happen." "I found him in his room," said Flora, looking at Morgan. "Someone seems to have ensured he was returned to us." Morgan looked at both of them again. "Do you have any idea who?" he asked. "Chadwick - tell me anything you remember." "I ... I'm sorry. Someone was in my room when I woke, more than one person. A woman who sounded a bit familiar," he bit his lip and glanced at his mother, "but I couldn't say who exactly." He thought back. "I was having tea and cake with Ingrey, Tasha, and that military chap from the barracks. We were talking about ... we were visiting about Merlin when there was this sort of... I got dizzy and woke up in bed." "Is that helping at all?" Flora was listening intently, her expression troubled. "You said there was more than one," said Morgan. "What about the other one?" Chadwick's brow furrowed, as if in thought. He hadn't mentioned that there were only two. Eventually he let it drop, "I think it was a man, but I don't know. I don't remember him speaking." "I am more concerned about whether the Chaosians took the opportunity to ensorcell him," said Flora. "I would prefer to be assured that my son is not a ticking bomb in our midst. I was hoping that Merlin ... where is Merlin, by the way?" "He's gone to Chaos," Morgan said cheerfully. "To find Mandor." Chadwick watched them talk as if he wasn't present. That Mandor had left was news to him, so he nodded his head in acceptance. He then looked to his mother in hopes of guidance. "That," said Flora, "is a great shame. Not because I doubt your ability to govern a city on the verge of revolution, Morgan - although there is that too. But I have considerably more doubts about your ability to scry an Amberite mind." Morgan looked doubtfully at Chadwick. "Well, I could try," he offered. "I've seen Merlin doing it a few times. What do you say, Chadders?" Chadwick tried not to look as worried as he was about a drunken carouser mucking about with the contents of his mind. He smiled, "I'm sure no harm will come to me. Worth attempting, to ease my worried mother." If he was looking for his mother to intervene, he was to be disappointed. Her suddenly arrested expression, and the unfocused look of her eyes, suggested that she was absorbed in a trump contact. "Right," said Morgan, stretching his fingers, crackling the knuckles and then rubbing his hands together in a surprisingly workmanlike way. "Let's get to it, Chadders. Take a seat, any seat. Except the throne." Chadwick looked concerned about his mother's concentration being elsewhere, and selected a seat on the far side of the room. He took his time getting there and sat down on the plush seat, allowing his limbs to slacken again. He'd managed to stay upright mainly through willpower, and the chair did allow him to relax. "Ready when you are," he said as he looked at his mother, hoping she'd shake off the contact soon. Flora, however, still seemed absorbed. Morgan followed Chadwick across the room and stationed himself behind the chair. "Now," he said, "this won't hurt a bit. Well, probably not." Then he leant forward and laid the first two fingers of each hand on either side of Chadwick's head, resting lightly on his temples. Chadwick was conscious of a feeling of pressure - and then a nagging headache exactly in the middle of his forehead. "There's something there," said Morgan. "Something inside you - something watching us. The trouble is ... I don't know how deeply it's buried - or how damaging it would be to close it down. What do you want to do?" "Do you think it could be benign," Chadwick asked with a bit of sweat developing on his forehead."We could wait for a while, see who it is and ask them about it." Then he thought some more. "Could we use it to find out who it is?" "Not if there's any risk of damage to my son," said Flora crisply. Her trump call was seemingly over - either that, or what Morgan and Chadwick were currently up to, seemed to be alarming her hugely. "There could be more if we left it there," said Morgan. He looked levelly at Flora. "If I think it's going wrong ... I'll stop ... or withdraw if I can." Chadwick relaxed as his mother spoke. He hadn't realized how tense he was until that moment. "Perhaps there's someone more... specialized in the field," Chadwick offered. Flora looked narrowly at Morgan. He grinned back at her. "You're not going to find better than me in Amber - and you know it," he said. Then he looked at Chadwick, and the grin became a little malicious. "Chin up, Chadders! What's the worst that can happen?" "Quite right," Chadwick responded. "Not much to worry about, and we will find the source of this potentially benign ensorcelment." He winced at his mother, hoping she understood his concern. "No," she said positively. "I refuse to risk my son to you, Morgan! This is not one of your idiotic, drunken escapades." "Then you'll have to choose," he said flatly. "Or Chadwick will. I'm not having him here in Amber to be a spy - and dancing at Helgram's whim. If you won't have my help, either you get him to safety - or I will. And I'll take a lot less tender loving care about it than you, Auntie." He glanced at Chadwick, to see what his feelings might be. Flora, frowning, also looked at her son. Chadwick looked between the two of them, nervously wondering what the safest path was. He turned a sickened shade as he stood up. "Mother. I think I need to go." Flora was staring at Morgan. "Where?" she said. "H ... Haraden, I suppose," he said. It was the first answer he'd thought of, though not his first choice. Telling his mother he'd like to stop off to see Lily would probably not go well. "I was thinking somewhere closer," replied Morgan. "Begma perhaps ... or Kashfa. A diplomatic mission." He was clearly avoiding looking at Flora. "Why?" said Flora bluntly. Morgan grinned. "I know nothing about Haraden," he said. "One the one hand it might just be filled with merry little pixies skipping to and fro and bee lips sucking at cowslip blossoms and all that malarkey. On the other hand, there could be armed bands of elven knights just itching for a chance to come storming up Kolvir. Begma's a known quantity. If Chadders is dangerous - I'd prefer to have him where I can reach him." Chadwick looked surprised. "Sir! I assure you that my mother would never send me to such a place where evil is afoot, especially when I was but a young boy with aspirations of heroics." There was no way that he could forge the inhabitants of Haraden into anything resembling an armed force. "Yes," said Morgan. "Well. One man's evil is another man's heroic intervention. My Dad and Bleys held they were righting a great wrong when they attacked Amber. But ... they demonstrated it could be done. And that led to everything else. Go to Begma. It's a safe enough distance if you're primed to explode." Chadwick frowned. "Of course," he relented. "I shall go to Begma." "And tell me again exactly what happened when you woke up here." "I ... someone was in the room," he began as he ran the implications of going to Begma through his head. His description of the events prior to his mother entering his room was as complete as he could remember. Did Begma need a hero? Would he see Lily before leaving? Chadwick was visibly concerned. "Tell me about the 'someone'," said Morgan. Flora looked at him and frowned. She seemed as though she would say something, but Morgan held up a warning hand. Chadwick paused, with a little thought. "I couldn't see them very well, but the voice seemed familiar. I only remember the one speaking ... a woman." He frowned in thought. "A medic with heavy perfume." He shook himself. "It's very blurry to me. Sorry." "Them?" said Morgan quickly. "The other - was it a man or a woman? And for me ... for Merlin ... was there a message for the King?" "Nothing like that. The other was a man, I think." The specifics of the conversation were not something that Chadwick felt comfortable revealing in front of his mother, and his cheeks glowed pink at the thought of mentioning the Queen. Morgan looked at him, and then at Flora. "Auntie," he said, "why don't you go and see what's happened to young Tear? I'm not happy with having her wandering about the place with sparks flying from her fingertips every time she gets in a tizzy." Flora frowned momentarily and then nodded. She left - with a significant look at her son ... which held a warning for later. "Right," said Morgan. "Now tell me ... everything." Chadwick paced his sentence as he listened to his mother go. "I have told you everything," he began as her footsteps receded, "except the... there was a smell. Like perfume. Very reminiscent of The Queen." He glanced downward, wondering if his mother could hear through some other means... although he dismissed it as nonsense. He couldn't conceive of his mother going about spying on people ... not really. "At first, I thought I'd been brought there for some reason, but the voice wasn't familiar. She said, 'He thinks he's on The Queen'." The waking was blurry to him, hard to remember ... "That's all that I haven't recounted before, sir." "Someone from the Queen - but still here," said Morgan slowly. "I wonder ... the man's voice. Do you remember anything about that?" Chadwick concentrated on remembering, his brow furrowing. "The woman's voice seemed to come from overhead, and she claimed to be a medic. There was talk of a Chaosian Lord trying to gain control... over me?" Chadwick frowned, "can that be right ...?" He let the thought go, however, when he remembered more. "I have a message for Merlin ... it might not be too late." "Give me the message," said Morgan immediately. "I stand in his place, Chadwick. Things that he needs to know, I need to know too." He frowned suddenly. "Chadwick - did you smell anything in the room that shouldn't have been there?" "There was the perfume," he said with some confusion. "If I was on the Queen it would've been completely understandable." Morgan shook his head as though something frustrated him. But Chadowick felt that, for once, it definitely wasn't Chadwick. "Tell me the message," he said again. "Someone is trying to fold this card into the deck," Chadwick said uncertainly. He watched Morgan's reaction with interest. Morgan frowned. "Well, that's cryptic," he admitted. "Those were the exact words? This card? He said 'this' card?" Chadwick frowned, raising a hand to his head. "No. It was, 'a card is being fashioned to bring this player into the deck'." He gave Morgan a moment to digest this before continuing. Morgan's right hand clenched almost involuntarily into a fist. "There was also some sort of promise that made them leave." "What?" said Morgan, his voice raised slightly in pitch, and sounding ... less Morgan-like. And then a guard's fist pounded at the door - and it was Morgan's voice calling out, "Oh come in, come in!" with more than a hint of impatience. The doors were thrown wide, and Islain and Goran stood there. (Joining from Goran Recharging)
Islain entered the room with all the grace and majesty of a queen, perhaps more in the sense that she, for the moment, did not seem concerned with her status in her interest for other things. She wore a black velvet gown, the straps fitting naturally off her slender shoulders, and there was a sense as she moved that she was holding something in her right hand. She bowed minimally. "Lord Regent, I have a message from my mother and my aunt Maub in Rebma. It was for Merlin but I will take the responsibility and say that it should go to whoever sits the throne of Amber." Chadwick stepped aside to allow Islain to speak more directly with Morgan. The expression on his face was a bit unsettling, considering that Morgan seemed completely unflappable until now. Best to let someone else talk to him for a moment. Goran, the auburn-haired security guard that Chadwick remembered from the Ramblin' Queen, stepped into the room behind Islain and took up a place at the doorway. For all that had happened over the course of the evening, he looked less rumpled than he should have. He also carried himself less like a deferential security guard and more like ... someone that Chadwick thought he might have seen before. With blue eyes that missed nothing, Goran nodded an acknowledgement to Chadwick and listened intently to the exchange between Islain and Morgan. Morgan cast a searching look at Goran, and then turned to Islain with his most affably charming grin. "Then certainly you should deliver it to me. But ... " He looked at Goran again - and now his expression was thoughtful. "Do you have any word on the state of the wharf now?" he asked suddenly. Islain was, or at least appeared to be, unconcerned with the change of topic. She took a practiced step to the right and back, thus putting Goran more into the spotlight, and allowing herself to turn and watch his features as he responded, or to keep her gaze on Morgan, whichever she preferred. She spared a quick smile for Chadwick in the interim. He smiled in response, paying little attention to Goran in the process. Everything had been so serious since he woke up, but there was no immediate danger that he could detect. It was nice to see someone smile. Goran stepped up to report. "Not since before we spoke last night, Cap'n. I did, however, speak with the Baroness about that matter we discussed." He shook his head in the negative almost imperceptibly, looking a bit relieved. The Regent stared at him. "Good," he said at last. "Very good." His expression did not suggest that it was, however. Instead he turned to Islain. "And what message comes from Rebma?" he asked. Islain looked searchingly at Morgan for a long time, her pale eyes for the moment almost flickering. "Three black pearls," she said. "I am entrusted to give them to no one but Merlin, but if he imparted their meaning, then we have no need to await his return." "Three?" said Morgan. "Then ... " He broke off and looked hard at Goran and Chadwick. "The woman," he said to the latter. The woman from the Queen. Would you know her voice again?" "Yes," Chadwick said with a nod. He didn't elaborate, as the moment seemed urgent. "And Goran ... you know the haunts of the women from the Queen, don't you? I think there's one wandering around alone ... or at least badly escorted. Perhaps in danger." Chadwick stiffened at the very idea ... a woman in danger. He'd not had an opportunity to employ that type of skill since he left Haraden. Naturally a rescue attempt would be made, and how could Chadwick not be considered to join in? It was unthinkable. And Islain nodded almost imperceptibly, as if the key to some great treasure had suddenly been offered her. She listened, finger-combing her drying curls, as the men's attention shifted away from her. "I do, yes," Goran answered confidently. "If Chadwick comes with me, I can pick his brain for any other details that might help the search." He glanced over at Chadwick expectantly. "Good," said Merlin. "If you find her - bring her here. And ... anyone with her. I suggest you start with the docks." It seemed to be a dismissal. (Goran and Chadwick go to To Rescue a Damsel)
(Islain and Merlin go to What News of Rebma?)
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