TheFieldTripIndex | Time Under Chaos | Game Logs | PreGameLogs | The Field Trip The Field TripYear +92 The dark-haired, blue-eyed Counselor from the Embassy took a sip from the tea cup in front of him and regarded his companion in the little cafe. "Anyway, to finish my story, even if I was maneuvered into it, I think my time as 'High Fist' suited me well, Delluth." Ingrey said. His eyes wandered from the Doctor to regard a plate of cookies set between them. His fingers twitched as if he expected a cookie to move of its own will into easier reach. Instead his hand massaged the shoulder that was not the only set of muscles sore from the workout the two had completed not long earlier. "And it's almost time for me to have a sabbatical from Amber again, too." Ingrey added. "Ren's ink demon, at the very least, will appreciate a lightening of the paperwork load, at any rate. If not a full sabbatical, I am due at least a vacation or a brief change of venue, don't you think? Finally, he let his hand creep toward the plate, and he selected a grooved shortbread cookie and, retrieving his prey, brought it back to dunk into his tea before taking a bite. "Ingrey the warleader," Delluth mused over his coffee. Out of a sense of fairness, he was letting his own aches fade away naturally, and in consequence was not moving much either. "I suppose it does suit you, at that." He cocked his head, eyes bright with interest. "Do you plan to look for another military adventure?" Ingrey laughed. "Not in the immediate future, I think." he said, taking another sip of tea. "I am born of the wrong House, after all, to make a real career of it, even if I wanted to switch Lifepaths. Still, I'm decent with a sword or when we're sparring, and I have now at least a passing knowledge of applied tactics." "No, should I wind up in another command position, it would have to be under unusual and unexpected circumstances." Ingrey said, dunking his cookie again and biting it again. "Just like the last time." "But you won't try so hard to dodge it," Delluth said, leaning forward a little and snatching up three cookies at once. "Because now you know." He munched on a chocolate-and-cherry cookie, eyeing Ingrey consideringly. Ingrey gave a nod of the head in concession to Delluth's perceptive point. "I'll be going on sabbatical shortly myself," the doctor said at last. "I plan to carry on exploring out past Begma. Would you care to come along?" A small smile creased Ingrey's lips as he looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "Straight-up exploring for the sake of exploring, good Doctor, or do you have a particular goal in mind?" Ingrey enquired. He looked at his half drunk cup of tea, and then took another sip. "Not quite Dragon Tea, but it suffices." Zhenechka, curled partly under Delluth's chair, nudged his master's calf and looked up at him expectantly. Delluth gave him a cookie, then answered Ingrey. "Well, I ended my last trip where they told me the shadow path I was following ended - a small town in a Shadow with technology and magic not too different from Begma's - but before I left, I found they were wrong. There's another faint trail, which seems not to have been used for a long time. "I intend to follow it and see where it goes. So, if 'where it goes' counts as a particular goal, then I do have one." He grinned at the thought. He was, Ingrey knew, no stranger to wandering about in the network of Shadows that were linked to each other in various ways, and so back to Amber. "I understand the mathematical aspects of networks very well," Ingrey replied with a grin. "With such a dangling trail, your map, mental or otherwise, of the network of routes in the shadow vicinity to Amber is now necessarily incomplete. "Anything might be on other end of the trail," he added. "Although a disused, faint trail suggests a lack of travel in either direction. Might be ruins ..." His eyes lit up as he said that. "Or, it might be a going civilization. "Still, we might even profit if it's a usable shadow. Sell the route to Larissa Ericsdottir's company, for example. I'm in. Let's find out what's there," Ingrey said. Delluth chuckled. "Don't get your hopes up; I've been down a couple of these lost trails before, and they just petered out in fairly boring countryside. As if whoever made them lost interest. But it could be different this time. Ingrey nodded and let Delluth continue. "And, I do have a map - I'll show you before we go, if you like. We might as well leave from my flat." It developed that the doctor intended to transport them, via Logrus, to the place he'd left off exploring, and they would walk on from there. He recommended sturdy clothing and comfortable shoes, and to not bother carrying much; he usually conjured whatever he needed, if there was no handy civilization. "With a quick stop at the Embassy first," Ingrey said. He grinned slightly. "Not that I am a workaholic ... okay, I'm diligent enough. Just to make sure that my destination and plans are known." Ingrey paid his half of the bill and was relatively quick about his trip to the Embassy, leaving instructions for Ren to tell Paloma, currently at Castle Amber, about the plans struck for his sabbatical. Once that was done, Ingrey headed with Delluth back to his flat. "Did you know," Ingrey said. "There are shadows where the culture is such that people carry mobile communication devices everywhere, even when they are ostensibly not supposed to be working. I am glad for trumps, do not get me wrong. I shudder at the thought of such a device making every waking, and sleeping moment a possibly working one." "Yes, I've been to a couple of those shadows," Delluth said. "The first time, I shocked people by not having one of those devices. It aroused more suspicion than any other incongruity I've committed in wandering around out there. Annoying at the time, funny now," he noted. "And once I got one, I kept it turned off most of the time." He shook his head. "That was just barely acceptable, but not having one at all? Apparently impossible." Ingrey nodded in agreement. Soon enough, Ingrey was following Delluth to the door of his flat off of Weyland street. "I'll dispense with the formalities about entering your home, unless you prefer otherwise," Ingrey said as he stood at the threshold, his hand on the door. "Oh, please do. I don't do 'formal' down here, if I can help it." "No ritual, then," Ingrey agreed, and stepped into the flat. Once inside, he cast around the eclectic sitting room, eyes lighting on the cabinet, the furnishings, the instruments, and finally the picture of Jerusha. "A stunning rendering, Doctor. And the perfect background chosen. Who is the artist?" Ingrey said, stepping forward to get a better look. "You know him, " Delluth said, amused. "Claudio Barimen. He's coming along nicely, I think." There was the faintest of proprietary tones in the last remark. Recognition lit up Ingrey's eyes. "Yes. He's also a very good card player. I expect you knew that. I should have recognized his pencil and brush." Ingrey turned from Delluth to look at the picture again. "There is no denying of his skill. "If he ever gets to Amber, I'll have him do a portrait of her Excellency." Ingrey added. "I can see why you wanted *him* to depict Jerusha." "Actually it was Claudio's idea - a surprise for me. A very effective surprise," Delluth said, also looking at the portrait, his expression a subdued mix of affection and sadness. Then he shook it off and looked inquiringly at Ingrey. "I didn't realize you followed sword dancing that closely." "My House doesn't practice it, it's true," Ingrey conceded. "Or, let me correct myself. Wererathe did in the past. As a House, we don't produce very many candidates who would be suited to the Art, though, and the practice evaporated." "I learned to appreciate it, Delluth, because I discovered that Sword Dancing exhibitions are wonderfully good places to meet and socialize with people," Ingrey added. "Eventually, I learned to enjoy the art for what it is. Not that I have the skill to actually try it myself. As you have discovered, I prefer unarmed combat." Delluth grinned briefly at the remark about combat; he still had a few twinges to remind him about their most recent exercise. "It is something to see," he agreed. "And the grounds are a fine neutral territory for those interested in such things, as well." "Now, let me just get a couple of things ..." He went over to the dresser and selected a harmonica, then picked up the staff that leaned against the piece of furniture. "This way." He took a sturdy cloak from a peg beside the door as he passed it and proceeded down the hallway. The doors to the two rooms they passed stood open, and when they stopped at the end of the hall, Ingrey could look into the kitchen to his right. Delluth unlocked the door of his study and ushered his guest inside. Above the desk was pinned a map, which Delluth indicated with a wave of his hand. On inspection, it was little more than a network of lines, marked at various points with place-names - "Begma," and "Variath," and so on. "A fair amount of this is copied from maps you can buy in the city," Delluth said. "People are always going on tours of the Golden Circle. But the further out you go from there, the less well known the routes are. Some of them are only known to the people who trade along them, as you know. "Proprietary information." Ingrey agreed. "Here, though, you can see that I've got a pretty good idea of what lies beyond Variath," Delluth continued, pointing to a branch of the network that seemed to extend further than most of the rest. "These terminal marks mean it's a route that's not publicly known but seems to be used. I've been skipping most of those, because frankly I don't want to accidentally stumble into Caine's secret headquarters or something. And some of those merchants can get violent about their secrets." "Understandably so." Ingrey agreed. "That sort of knowledge is power, and the sharing of that knowledge diminishes its leverage. The trail you found off of Begma, though, is qualitatively different from what you said than these off of Variath. Not used much if at all, yes?" "Right. I've looked at a lot of these paths, so I'm confident about that. It's hard to say exactly how long it's been disused, though. Here where it is on the map." Delluth pointed to Begma, then traced a line away from it, past four different labeled points and branchings, to another point labeled 'Stientz.' "That's the town - they produce a very nice apple brandy there - and the old path starts on its outskirts, past one of the oldest orchards." "Apples," Ingrey said thoughtfully with a nod. "It could suggest a theme or a signpost to the nature of the shadows beyond. 'Law of Similarity.'" "Could be." Delluth turned away from the map and reached under the worktable that occupied the space nearest the windows, coming up with a somewhat battered khaki-colored knapsack. Setting it on the table, he rummaged through it, taking inventory. Then he moved around the office, taking a few objects off the shelves and from the desk, including a bottle of ink and a green lacquered box that probably contained pens. Finally he found a piece of waterproofed canvas and wrapped one of a row of black-bound notebooks in it, stowed it in the knapsack, and closed it up. Ingrey watched as Delluth filled up his knapsack. "I think that's it," he said, looking around. In the midst of all this, his clothing had changed from casual city wear to sturdier-looking trousers and shirt. He picked his cloak off the back of the chair and frowned at it. After a moment, it too transformed, into a long-sleeved calf-length coat that even appeared to have seams. "More suitable for Stientz, and perhaps points beyond," he said, putting it on. "Hopefully it's not the middle of summer," he added. Attached to the left breast of the coat was a palm-sized enameled pin bearing the Corrino device of four gold stars set in a diamond shape, with bars of purple joining the stars together. "I'm a little underprepared compared to you." Ingrey said wryly, looking at his travel bag. "All I have in here is a couple of changes of clothes and toiletries and a blade." "Ah, well, I've been doing this a lot. Conjuring every little thing gets tiresome. And, I already had a few clothes packed in here." He looked proud of his efficiency. "Ready?" he asked Ingrey, starting to call up the Logrus. "Oh, wait." He stepped past Ingrey and Zhenechka and looked the door, then stood and finished the necessary arcane preparations. "Whenever you're ready," Ingrey confirmed with a nod. The Sign of the Logrus appeared, followed by a single black-shimmering tendril. "Right," Delluth muttered, then paused again. "Almost forgot -" He snagged a brown fedora from the shelf where it had been resting on a pile of loose papers, and jammed it onto his head. "There we go." Ingrey looked amused at Delluth's choice of headgear but said nothing. He concentrated again. The Logrus tendril darted off into Shadow, seeking the particular place he wanted. He'd fixed it in his mind, and marked it, too, and ... there. The tendril seized upon an anchor. "This is it," he said, holding his other hand out to Ingrey. "Zhenechka, if you'll let him hold the back of your neck ..." Ingrey's fingers gently held Delluth's companion, fingers curling over to the shoulder blades. A moment later, the dizzying sense of movement had passed. They stood at the bottom of a rough slope, facing a half-buried igneous rock on which a diamond shape had been carved - or perhaps shaped. The scent of apple blossoms filled their nostrils. The light was low, a heavy dew covered everything, and birds were chatting about their plans for the day. Behind them was an orchard full of old trees, the blossoms nearly past. It was fenced with a low stone wall, topped by two strands of barbed wire on posts. Between the visitors and the fence was a ditch, presently dry. To their left, as they faced the orchard, there seemed to be a road. There were no buildings or other people in sight. Ingrey let go of Zheneckha and looked around, taking a deep breath. "The right place," Delluth said with satisfaction. Zhenechka galloped across the ditch, sniffed at the barbed wire, and came back, his feet and legs already soaked from the dew on the grass. "The town's over there," Delluth gestured across the orchard and toward the road, "and our path is that way." He pointed in the opposite direction, along the ditch and wall. "Barbed wire and a ditch. Could be for predators. Might be to discourage theft from predators of a two legged variety," Ingrey noted dryly. "I take it that the path is on this side of that get up," Ingrey added, looking up at the sun and sky before looking at Delluth. "We've got plenty of daylight on this side at least." "Usually easier than the dark," Delluth agreed. He turned and led the way along the near edge of the ditch, maintaining the Sign and using it to scan the slope and the woods. The path appeared as a faint scarring or scoring in the Shadow's reality, leading up the hillside at an angle. He signaled Zhenechka, who took his place at his left heel, and started up. Nothing happened immediately; out of habit they both went quietly, so only the nearest birds fell silent at their approach. Near the top of the slope, they crossed a Shadow boundary. Delluth took a few more steps so Ingrey could follow, then paused and looked back. There was no orchard down below, though in the distance he could see wisps of chimney-smoke where Stientz would be. He met Ingrey's gaze and grinned, then went on. "A mild discontinuity at best," Ingrey observed. The path, invisible to the ordinary eye, followed the top of the ridge and crossed two more Shadow boundaries, occasionally granting them views of rough and not visibly inhabited valleys and hills. The time of day did not appear to change except in the usual way. Then the path crossed a small clear stream, just below its source, and they saw that a wooden pipe had been thrust into the hillside so the water would flow out of the spring more tidily. "The shadows still show signs of current habitation I see," Ingrey said, indicating the wooden pipe. "We might not be seeing smoke or houses, but someone put this pipe here." Ingrey walked back, bent, and took a handful of water and sampled it. "Not bad," Ingrey observed. Zhenechka pushed in next to him and lapped at the small pool. Delluth stopped and looked around, then shrugged. "Could have been a hunter. Or a trapper." There might have been a faint game trail approaching the spring, but he wasn't enough of a mundane tracker himself to be sure. The woods were still in an early phase of leafing out, so there was plenty of room for animals or the occasional sentient to wander about, leaving no clear trail. "Our path goes down from here," he added. Peering between the trees only told him there were more trees down there. There was nothing on the ground to suggest that any path had ever been there; in fact, the faint mark dove into a tangle of thorny-looking bushes. "You were not exaggerating when you said that it was a faint path," Ingrey said. "I don't have any arcane abilities that might be useful in getting through that thicket." Ingrey looked at Delluth. "Perhaps conjuring a pair of machetes might be in order?" The doctor glanced back at him. "Inefficient," he smirked. Looking downslope again, he held an attitude of attention for a minute or so. The Logrus energy about him intensified, and then a pair of Logrus tendrils appeared. They lengthened down the slope, bracketing the path, close to the ground. When they lifted up a moment later, they sliced through all the thorny branches, thick and thin, like a heated razor through butter. Bits of shrub rained down onto the path. Delluth took a moment to do a little more judicious pruning of additional branches, then swept the debris to one side to protect Zhenechka's feet. There was now a narrow, vertical-sided corridor through the bushes. "Efficient," he concluded, dismissing the tendrils. Ingrey regarded the results of Delluth's manipulations with a quiet smile. Finally he spoke. "If it were possible for me to have underestimated your arcane abilities, Doctor, I believe that your display has just made it possible." "Does that work out to a compliment?" he asked whimsically. "It is meant as one," Ingrey replied reassuringly. Delluth called his dog, and together they led the way down the hill. The sliced branches wept a blue-green sap, and gave off a pungent scent that they soon left behind. The shadow path crossed the spring's little stream where it curved around a large rock, and then they crossed another shadow boundary. The rock stayed the same, or seemed to, but the stream vanished and the slope ahead was shallower, and they could see weathered stumps here and there, where trees had been cut down. Delluth lifted his head and listened. Nothing, he thought, but his own movements and a breeze higher up the slope. But a trace of wood smoke hung in the air. "Cut trees, and the smell of burned wood," Ingrey noted. "Back to civilization." Ingrey walked to one of the weathered stumps and bent over it, letting his hand run over the stump. "The stumps are weathered, but not rotted. And of course the smell." "But still rural," Delluth said. "That's good; I've found that when I visit country places and introduce myself as 'doctor,' I usually become an honored guest. A *busy* honored guest," he added wryly. "Whereas there are precious few tales of wandering diplomats," Ingrey replied with a grin. "And posing as a wandering sorcerer can be dangerous in some country places. Being burned as a warlock is not on my to-do list." "So let's see if we can't find the habitation that the stumps suggest," Ingrey offered. "I might prefer finding ancient ruins, but we can't really find those without talking to the locals, unless by accident." "And you can't count on accident," Delluth agreed. "But we should decide what to say you are ... how about simply a friend of mine, a clerk or a bureaucrat? That ought to fit well enough." "Friend and Clerk." Ingrey said firmly. "Bureaucrat tends to be conflated into two things to most people. Lawyers and Tax assessors. I am the former and would prefer not to be disliked for it. As far as the latter ... no one likes tax collectors of any stripe or fashion." Delluth grinned. "I was in the company of a tax assessor once," Ingrey continued. "Chrick was his name. Strange bird. Still, journeying with him brought it home to me that one should choose traveling companions carefully. He was disliked if not reviled whenever we went. I had to do a lot of the intermediary work after a while. "Drunk, he dubbed me one night as Speaker-to-Auditors." Ingrey finished. Delluth laughed. "Clerk it is, then. And I trust I'll be better company than that fellow." Delluth started forward again, Zhenechka trotting by his side. The faint path led more or less straight down the gentle slope, at the bottom of which the tall trees ended at a grassy expanse bearing only a few scattered bushes and saplings. On the far side of it was another hill or ridge, steeper than the one they had just come down. Delluth sniffed the air. "Wetland," he said. "Looks dry, but it's not." And indeed, when they followed the shadow path out onto the thick grass, it squelched underfoot. There was too much vegetation for it to be mud, but their feet sank into it a few inches with every step, and their footprints filled with water. Ingrey grimaced as their progress made it clear that there was no escaping the mess that the water table had made of the landscape. "If it were warmer, I'd say this would be something like a rice paddy," Ingrey observed. "There is sorcery that might aid in traversing this sort of environment," Ingrey added. "Unfortunately, the sorcery in which I have specialized is more useful in social rather than travel situations. I suppose we trudge through to get across as quickly as possible. Hopefully it does not deepen further." "A little water won't hurt us," Delluth said, testing the ground ahead of himself with his staff. "It's interesting that this path would be just about impossible to follow by accident, isn't it?" Ingrey considered this for a few moments as they made their way across the water-laden field. Finally, the diplomat nodded. "I see your point. It is an interesting point, as if someone were deliberately making the path inconvenient, and seemingly disused, to discourage casual exploration. It's not enough to warrant intense analysis, but we should be wary of more unusual terrain." "Well, the terrain isn't dangerous, so far," Delluth noted, almost sounding disappointed. "And I don't believe the disuse is a sham. But it's definitely the kind of path that could easily be lost and forgotten." On the far side of the boggy meadow, the trail slanted up the side of the ridge, going to their right. About halfway up, they began to hear running water, and perhaps other sounds half-buried in that noise. Then a breeze came up at their backs and covered all the other noises. At the top of the ridge the path emerged onto a shelf of igneous rock, and spread out below them was a wide valley, deeper than the one they had just climbed out of. A patchwork of cleared fields and a scattering of small houses was down there, and a river, and on the hill directly across from their vantage was perched either a very large house or a small castle, its glass windows reflecting the late-morning sun. In several of the fields, human-shaped figures could be seen walking behind horse-drawn plows. Walking to the edge of the rock they found themselves at the top of a cliff. The river, some two hundred feet below, swept past its foot in shallow rush of rapids, then arched off to cross the valley. Trees followed its course, but past them, in the field directly below, they could see a scattering of red-brown cattle. "Our destination," Delluth announced. "The path ends right here." Ingrey nodded, staring across at the Castle that surmounted the cliff on the far side of the valley from where they stood It was probably a quarter mile or so across at this point. The river came from their left, and from here the ground sloped up in that direction and sloped down to their right. "Well, it looks like a feudal set up of some sort. Liege lord, boss man or woman, first citizen overlooking the community." Ingrey nodded. "Defensible position, and one that permits a view of this approaching path, as well as the river." "Our presence is likely already known," the diplomat added. "Shall we go down into the valley, and meet the locals. Perhaps wrangle an invitation up to the Castle?" "Perhaps," Delluth agreed. On the downhill side of the rock, they found a slight, mundane path leading off through the woods. "Nice view from up here," Delluth noted, and with a gesture sent Zhenechka trotting ahead of them. "Worth visiting from time to time, I'm sure." The path led gradually downward, with only occasional steep spots. After a time they were only six feet or so above the river, which had slowed and deepened, and could hear a new sound of falling water, as the river and the path both made another descent. The far side also developed a steeper bank, and then they saw the blocky stone mill building, its attached wheel, and the low dam that slowed the water and diverted it into a sluice. The wheel was not turning, and behind the stone building loomed a much larger wooden barn. As they came closer they could smell a touch of smoke from a chimney. The water curved over the top of the dam in a smooth wave, no more than twenty-five feet wide. Coming even with it, they saw that it fell some half-dozen feet onto rocks, and flowed away in a shallower, stony stream. The noise made it impossible to hear anything from the mill. "It doesn't appear that the mill is currently in operation," Ingrey observed, pitching the volume of his voice to be heard over the sound of the falling water. "There is smoke, though. Perhaps the miller is having a break." Ingrey's eyes cast across the river at the rest of the community that they could see. "Still, in a community like this, its going to be a social and economic center, outside of the Castle itself or a church. A logical place to go and say hello. "We need a ford, or a bridge," Ingrey added. "I don't know, it seems a bit far from the castle to be a center," Delluth said. "But the river looks fordable below the falls, and this path seems to go that way. And my feet haven't really dried yet," he finished with good humor. Ingrey chuckled. "I was thinking that everyone has to go to the mill at some point, and that makes it a community center in some situations. The millers have to deal with everyone. But let us not soak your feet any further," Ingrey agreed. The two Chaosians did not, however, need to wet their feet, as they found they could walk out onto a gravel bar and then hop from stone to stone to reach the far side, only a few yards below the falls. Zhenechka splashed and waded ahead of them, scrambling up the eroded bank and out of sight. With a grin Ingrey took his last step onto the bank ahead of the doctor, and turned to make sure that Delluth was managing properly. He stood aside to allow the Doctor to make the last jump and then turned to face the houses and the direction that Delluth's faithful companion had gone. "As eager as we are," Ingrey observed. He climbed up the eroded bank with astonishing ease, and then leaned down to offer Delluth a hand in getting up himself. "Thanks," the doctor said, and with his walking stick and the hand up was able to reach the top without getting his hands dirty. Ingrey nodded. The ground here was free of brush and trees, allowing them a clear view of mill, barn, and the frame house that had been hidden behind the other structures. A road, marked by a split-rail fence on the house side, ran in front of the structures and then up the gentle slope into the larger valley. Nearer, a flock of white and brown chickens pecked among shoots of new grass, supervised by a glossy red and gold rooster; Zhenechka had stopped, tensely, only a few feet from the bank, well away from the birds. The noise of the falls was partly blocked by the bank behind them. While they surveyed the scene, one of the barn doors opened and a boy slipped out into the barnyard. He looked about twelve, was dressed in blue overalls, and carried a bucket and a fishing pole. He looked over his shoulder toward the house as he made his way stealthily toward the split-rail fence. The visitors could hear a woman's voice calling from somewhere inside, which seemed to impel the boy to trot forward. He planted the bucket-bearing hand on the top rail of the fence, preparing to vault over it, but he also looked past it toward the river - and saw the two men and the dog. He was only about twenty feet away, and they could see him freeze, eyes widening. Then he dropped pole and bucket and bolted toward the side door of the house, shouting, "Ma!" at the top of his lungs. "We're friendly travelers," Ingrey called behind him and then turned to his companion. "Hopefully travelers are not shot on sight here, Doctor. Clearly visitors are uncommon. There must be some trade and traffic, though, or else the Castle wouldn't be situated in a defensive position." "Or there used to be," Delluth noted. "Or not from this direction. That road stops here." The thought of being shot at did not seem to trouble him. He started forward, Zhenechka moving to his heel. The chickens scattered out of their way with the dog loftily ignoring them. The barn door moved again, and a taller, older boy peered out. Delluth angled for the barnyard gate, where they would be visible from both the barn and the house's side door, into which the young fisherman had disappeared. Ingrey followed Delluth to the gate, reaching it in nearly the same stride. Upon the appearance of the older boy, Ingrey raised an open hand in his direction. The gesture's meaning was to convey, wordlessly a greeting, and the implication and intimation that the visitors were are not hostile. "We're working our way up the family tree," Ingrey observed quietly. His hand rested on the simple wooden gate that fenced in the farm. He looked up again at the boy peering at them from the barn. A liver-spotted hound, perhaps half-grown, pushed out through the barn door, eluding the boy's frantic effort to catch its collar. Yapping wildly, it rushed toward the fence, stopping just short of it to continue its challenge. Zhenechka, at least three times this puppy's size, looked at calmly. Delluth shifted his grip on his staff in case the silly creature decided to attack. At almost the same time, the side door of the house opened, and a middle-aged woman emerged to stand on the roughly cut stone that served as a step. She stared at them, drying her hands on her apron. It was going to be difficult to hear anything over the puppy's barking. The older boy had come halfway to the fence, and stopped there indecisively. Ingrey for his part ignored the small barking puppy making the noise of a dog several weight classes higher. Instead his eyes looked from the older boy, to the woman. He raised his hands, palms outward toward the woman, with slightly curved fingers and then cupped his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice. "Hello! We're peaceful travelers." The woman stepped slowly into the yard. Behind her, three children of varying sizes peered around the edge of the doorframe. "Abel!" she said, gesturing toward the older boy. He stepped forward warily and grabbed the puppy's collar, dragging it backward. Its claws plowed up furrows in the dirt yard, but it also could not bark any more. "In fact," Delluth said, smiling at the woman, "we're a bit lost. Can you tell us where we've got to?" Ingrey's eyes flickered from Abel to the woman. "If you would, good woman. the diplomat added with a smile. "We would be grateful for the aid." She came to a halt at what she must have imagined was a safe distance, her hands anxiously twisting her apron. "We're at Haleysford, near enough," she said. "Goin' to Clarketon, are you?" Her speech sounded more or less like what Delluth would have expected from a place approximately near Steintz. "That'll do," Delluth said easily. "Is it far to walk?" "I guess. Better t' take the train up the valley, I'd say." The boy Abel, meanwhile, was dragging the struggling dog into the barn. "Haleysford." Ingrey said. He looked at Delluth. "You were right, after all. And I think the Goodwife is right, we should take the train the rest of the way." Delluth glanced at him, still cheerful. Ingrey turned toward the woman. "Who inhabits the keep on the bluff?" "'Keep?'" she said. Then her initial confusion turned to unmistakable fear. "The, the manor, you mean? Th- that's the Lady's, of course. Or the Lord's, really, only he's been gone ever so long and --" She caught herself babbling and finished, "It's the Lady's, good sir." "And the Lady rules here?" Ingrey probed. The dark, fearful look on the woman continued. "You ... you two are not testing me, are you good sirs? No, of course you are not." Her tone suggested that she believed otherwise. "We prosper under the Lady's eye over us, we surely do." Ingrey turned toward Delluth and gave a nod. He turned back to the woman. "Thank you." Ingrey tried a brief, reassuring smile to the woman. "Your place looks very well," Delluth said approvingly, glancing at the house and the barn, where young Abel was emerging with a pitchfork in his hand, to lean casually against the barn door. The muffled barking of the puppy could be heard from within. "The thing is," he went on in a friendly fashion, "we don't know much about Haleysford. The fact is, we weren't planning to pass through here. So, though I'm sure you have work to do, Mistress ..." "Brown," she said, a little soothed by their manner. Ingrey gave a nod of confirmation to Delluth's words. "And I am Doctor Corrino, and this is my friend Mister Wererathe," Delluth said, nodding to her. "I don't want to keep you from your work, but could you tell us what the Lady's name is? We can't just go through her lands without at least knowing that." As he had predicted, the term 'doctor' produced a further lightening of the woman's countenance, which mostly persisted even when he returned to the subject of the Lady. "She's Lady Bernina, Doctor," she said. "Lady Bernina Grinnelle." Ingrey furrowed his eyebrows as if trying to place the name and family title. Finally he gave a slight shake of the head and looked toward the woman. "It is good to know of the lands through which we travel, especially if it is an unexpected and unintended route. We will not keep you from your duties further, Mistress Brown." Ingrey paused, and gave a slight bow. "Thank you," he added. "Yes, thank you," Delluth said. "Especially since it's my fault we were lost," he added disarmingly. With a last nod and smile, he started up the road, away from the river. Zhenechka trotted at his heel as if demonstrating how a dog ought to behave. At the top of the rise, Delluth glance back over his shoulder. The woman was still standing at the fence, looking after them, and had been joined by her son - with his pitchfork. "Good lad she's got there," he remarked. "They're still watching us," Ingrey said, without looking over his shoulder. "A suspicious and slightly frightened family, with a mysterious overlord. Over lady," he continued. "I think we next need to pay a visit to that manor," Ingrey said. "We shouldn't go directly there, though. We'll just make Mistress Brown think we are agents for Grinnelle." "She was thinking whether she ought to warn us," Delluth noted, "only what if it got back to Her?" The capital letter was audible. "And she was particularly worried about her son Abel, in that case." Zhenechka left his side to sniff along the edge of the road, which had clearly not received enough maintenance in recent years but was still passable. The rise had only brought them out of the river valley, so that between the curves in the road, the hedges, and the patches of trees, they could not see very far ahead. The castle was usually visible, however, its windows glinting in the morning light. "I suspect," Ingrey said as they walked along, "that we'll get no better preparation for what lies up there than in the homestead we just left. This is an old, wide valley, though," Ingrey observed. "From their perspective, people have been here a long time." "Yes," Delluth agreed. Then he whistled several notes, and his dog shot off up the road ahead of them at a startling pace. "There was something about Mrs. Brown's fear," he went on musingly. "She was specifically afraid of the Lady, I think. Not of her soldiers or servants. I think it's likely that magic will be involved somehow, not mere physical force. And that folk hereabouts will indeed be very unwilling to talk about it." "That shouldn't be too surprising," Ingrey said with a nod as they continued along. Ingrey focused his gaze on Zhenechka outpacing them even as he conversed with the man strolling next to him. "This does not appear to be an illuminated civilization, at least not as manifested here. I suspect a firearm would draw as much fear and distrust as a cast spell." The dog vanished around the curve of the road. "They do have a railroad," Delluth noted. "Though of course it doesn't necessarily follow that they have firearms." Ingrey tapped a finger to his head. "An excellent point. Scratch the comment about firearms. This could be a realm where technology is trusted, but the more esoteric, like sorcery, is the province of a few. "I know a little something about sorcery, as it so happens," Ingrey said, his voice taking a tone of modesty. "Good," his companion said cheerfully. "I can never be bothered to keep up with it. Too many other things I'd rather be doing." "I am not an expert savant," Ingrey said. "I consider knowledge of Sorcery part of my well rounded education in the Courts, Doctor." Ingrey said with a smile. "In addition, there were noises that I might be able to make something of it, once, before I ... fell into this career. "Fell?" Delluth asked, with curious and somehow sympathetic glance. "After the manner of an acrobat, or something less graceful?" "A scion of the House of Spiders climbs very well," Ingrey said with a smile. "I might lie and say that it was my ambition to always serve as a public servant in the civil service. As it so happens, Delluth, I was once a young scion of Wererathe who ..." Ingrey paused for a moment. "Who discovered something he possibly should not have uncovered. Certain factors were pleased by the discovery, others were not so amused. "My induction into the Civil Service was a reward of sorts. And likely one with a longer lifespan than the other choice of reward offered me," Ingrey finished. "Choices," Delluth mused, stepping around a low spot in the road. "They seem so much easier when they're not forced. I hope you feel it's been working out for you?" A posting to Amber, he knew, was not necessarily the pinnacle of anyone's career. Ingrey stopped his forward motion and raised a hand over his eyebrows, surveying the landscape. Delluth also paused, looking toward him. Delluth could mostly see hedges; at this point, their view of the castle was blocked by a large shade tree. The fields on either side appeared to be growing only grass. Further ahead, a few scattered wisps of smoke suggested chimneys, but the only nearby sound was birdsong. He lowered his hand, turned back to Delluth and gave a short smile. "Its far from the center of power, its true." Ingrey began. "However, good Doctor, it must be said that while Wererathe is a Great House, some Great Houses are not as Great as others. The choicest opportunities are not always equally available." "I think the term I heard once, in shadow, is a 'glass ceiling'." "Still," Ingrey continued. "There are advantages to my position." Delluth grinned, leaning casually on his staff. "Some might say being far away is all advantage." "Yes," Ingrey agreed. "Being apart from the center of power and of intrigue can increase one's life expectancy and career, if one's opposition never ventures far from the center of their web. Or they tend to forget you in favor of immediate threats to their person. "Better yet, a posting in a distant land is useful if someone merely wishes to engage in their studies and researches without being entangled in the politics of others in the first place. Eh, Doctor?" Ingrey said. The doctor's grin broadened. "Indeed, Counselor. It is a most satisfactory arrangement." Then he turned to look up the road, where Zhenechka was returning at a brisk trot, ears perked and tongue lolling out. "I consider myself very fortunate ... Shall we continue on?" "Yes" Ingrey concurred with a brief smile. "Let us pick up the pace a bit, and continue on toward the manor overseen by this mysterious Lady Bernina Grinnelle." Something amusing occurred to Ingrey in that moment, for he chortled, aloud. "What's funny?" Delluth asked. "Oh, I just recalled a child's poem that a visitor to my office once told me, Doctor." Ingrey said. He recited. "Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly; "'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you may spy. The way into my parlor is up a winding stair, And I have many curious things to show when you are there." "Oh no, no," said the little fly; "to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again." "This time," Ingrey grinned, "the spider is one of those doing the visiting. And you are no fly, either, unless you've been consorting with one of the minor arthropod houses and haven't been telling me." Delluth chuckled. "But would I tell you?" he joked. "You especially wouldn't if I were a female member of House Wererathe," Ingrey agreed with a grin. "Predatory and dangerous, every single one." "So I've heard," Delluth noted, matching Ingrey's light tone. Passing around the curve revealed more road, with a wide closed gate in the hedge to the left. Further ahead, a wisp of smoke, as from a chimney, suggested that they might be approaching some habitation. "Now we are getting to business again," Ingrey said with a grin of obvious pleasure. "It's too bad that we don't have a Minobee here with us, or we could tell if that is a cooking fire or something else from the smell of the smoke," he observed. "As it is, I think you should keep Zhenechka here close for our contact." "What could it be, besides a cooking fire?" Delluth wondered. "A forge, I suppose," he answered himself. "But we'll see." Ingrey was already nodding as Delluth answered his own question. He picked up his pace, with Zhenechka tagging along at his heel. The gate proved to let onto a pasture, currently unoccupied. The road, overlooked once more by the mansion on the hill, curved yet again and brought them in sight of a two-story frame structure not unlike the miller's house, and beyond it a group of four more, most surrounded by full-grown trees and gardens protected by board fences. One, however, stood closer to the road than the others, facing toward the river and away from the mansion; not only that, it had a sign reading "Whiton's General Store" above a front porch along its width. The porch held benches and chairs occupied by three or four figures, most of which had their heels propped on the porch railing. "More signs of civilization," Delluth said, sounding pleased. "To say nothing of the fact that shopkeepers are less likely to find questions intimidating," Ingrey replied. "And another of those social centers like I hypothesized with the mill." Ingrey nodded his head toward the figures who had set up court outside. "Let's go meet them. I don't think we'll be able to pass by without comment anyhow," Ingrey suggested. The porch-sitters did indeed have a fine view of the road. As the two travelers approached, all of the feet were withdrawn from the rail, so their owners could sit forward and get a better look. Another dog, this one rather elderly, also raised its head. The black-and-white cat sunning itself on one side railing, however, stayed asleep. There were four men, ranging in age from mid-life to elderly, if their appearance was any guide. There was a watchful, not quite suspicious air about them as they examined the newcomers. The man nearest the door stood up and came to the top of the porch stairs to meet Delluth and Ingrey. He was tall and a bit stout, and wore a clean white cloth apron over his trousers and long-sleeved shirt. "Mornin'," he said. Delluth pushed his hat back on his head so he could look up at the man more easily. "Good morning," he said. "Is this Haleysford?" His speech sounded a bit more like that of the locals' than it had before. "It is," the man said, his expression reserving judgment. "My partner is Doctor Corrino," Ingrey said, gesturing to Delluth. He then dipped his head in the direction of the shopkeeper. "And I am Mister Wererathe. And this fine hound is Zhenechka," Ingrey dangled his hand down in the direction of Delluth's companion. "We're travelers finding our bearings, hence the Doctor's question. On the way eventually to Clarketon, and perhaps points beyond," he prompted. The storekeeper looked briefly puzzled at being introduced to a dog. "Cal Whiton," he identified himself. "Clarketon on foot?" he went on. "Where'd you start from?" Delluth tilted his head slightly to one side, his gaze locked on Whiton's, and said, "Mokie City. But we've got a bit lost - finding the mill and the road was a stroke of luck." "A nice looking village, this Haylesford is," Ingrey confirmed, giving a nod of the head. He regarded the interaction between the storekeeper and Delluth for a few moments before continuing. "It might also be a stroke of luck for us to find your store," he added in a hinting tone. "Haleysford," Cal Whiton corrected, glancing at Ingrey. "You gentlemen need supplies?" "Or a better map?" put in one of the other men, to guffaws from his companions. Delluth grinned good-naturedly in response. Ingrey had the grace not to turn red at the jest. Instead he gave a nod toward Cal. "Supplies are always welcome, and we would like to throw some business your way." "We also wondered if you could tell us about the occupant of the building on the bluff." Ingrey gestured toward the Manor. "The Doctor and I have found that knowing about the lords and ladies of lands through which we travel is always very useful information." The men still sitting on the porch exchanged glances. Whiton pursed his lips thoughtfully. "We-ell, we don't have much to do with Her Ladyship," he said slowly. "She keeps to herself up there, mostly." "That could be a blessing," Ingrey said easily with a smile. "A too meddlesome potentate is something that the Doctor and I have encountered before. We were more curious, especially since we're passing underneath her gaze, just how frequently she turns it on those below her." "I couldn't say," Whiton replied shortly. "Does she receive visitors?" Delluth inquired. Whiton hesitated for so long that one of the other men put in, "Never heard of her turning any away." The shopkeeper turned to give that man a hard look. "Well," Ingrey cleared his throat in an attempt to clear the air. "Why don't we see what you have for sale, transact some mutually profitable business, and we'll be out of your hair," Ingrey offered. "Sure," Whiton said, seemed to hear how ungracious he sounded, and tried again. "Come on in." He stepped back to the screened door and pulled it open for them. Delluth glanced at Ingrey, waiting for him to go first. Ingrey nodded to Delluth and preceded him into the confined space, breathing in deeply the smell of the sawdust that seemed to cover the floor. He stepped forward to allow Delluth and his companion room behind him, and scanned the shelves of items behind the counter that ran like a letter n on three sides of the general store. "A jar of the cranberry jam, definitely," Ingrey murmured as he started looking at the sundries. Delluth left Zhenechka at the foot of the stairs and lingered just inside the doorway, while the storekeeper moved to his place behind the counter. "It comes a long way," Whiton warned Ingrey, taking down one of the jars. "So noted." Ingrey continued. "It is a tribute to your abilities at trade that you have it available." Ingrey then glanced at Delluth. "Perhaps a choice of a more local product to pair it with?" "We've got biscuits made fresh this morning," Whiton replied, setting the jar in front of Ingrey and pulling back the napkin covering a basket that also rested on the counter. "Biscuits definitely, then." Ingrey agreed. He glanced at Delluth. Delluth wandered farther into the store, apparently contemplating the bolts of cloth that lay stacked on one of the shelves. "And perhaps something else, less consumable," Ingrey murmured. "Such as a map," Delluth suggested, turning back toward them with a smile. He now held a wad of paper currency, folded in half. Ingrey smiled slightly at Delluth's gesture. The storekeeper, busy tearing a sheet of brown paper off a roll behind the counter, had not watched closely enough to wonder how the visitor had gotten the money out without reaching into a pocket. "Aye, we do have those," he replied. Laying the wrapping on the counter, he went to a drawer and rummaged in it for a moment, looking at several rolls of white paper before selecting one and bringing it back to where Ingrey stood, as the closest of the two. Ingrey took the scroll and opened it, looking at it briefly. Satisfied, he nodded to the Doctor and the storekeeper alike. He waited for Delluth to pay the bill and the storekeeper to wrap the biscuits and jam with a patient air. "We thank you for serving our custom, sir." Ingrey said, and bowed his head slightly. "No trouble," the man said, applying a length of adhesive tape to the packet. Outside on the porch, the low murmur of talk among the men paused. Then one voice said, "Now, Jenny, you know better'n to go to a strange dog." "But it's a *nice* dog," a child's voice replied. Delluth smiled. "He *is* a nice dog," he said, handing one of the larger bills to the shopkeeper. "But all the same ..." He did not appear to be hurrying, but he reached the screen door and stepped out quite rapidly. Whiton looked after him; the Doctor's voice could be heard, reassuring people that the dog liked children. "Look here, sir," the shopkeeper said quietly to Ingrey, "it's best if you don't bother her Ladyship." Then he moved away, as if pretending he hadn't spoken, and began punching keys on a bulky mechanical cash register. Ingrey gave the barest of nods, to indicate to the shopkeep that he heard his words, and then waited for the purchase to be complete. He gave the shopkeeper a patient, understanding look, and accepted the slips of paper money and metal coins the man offered him as change. Whiton stared at him uncertainly, but only said, "A pleasure doin' business with you, sir." Ingrey offered a reassuring smile. "Indeed. Likewise, sir." Ingrey hefted the package and headed out of the store to find Delluth and his hound. |
