PriyaLeanTimesInRebmaPriya Lean Times in RebmaWith a simple teleport mediated by Ykanga and Varuna, Priya trades the cabin of Gerard's ship for the Palace of Rebma, which is, according to the specifications of her spell, where her father currently is ensconced. In point of fact, she is just outside of the area of the Palace dedicated to the Queen and her counselors and advisors. The three guards (one more than usual, Priya notes) stop their wary reaction as soon as Priya resolves into view, the afterwash of the teleport spell dissolving into the waters around her. "You've come to see her Majesty, or perhaps your father?" the taller of the two guards, with a shock of white hair contrasting against her pale blue skin. "Both lie within, along with the Princess Llewella, the Princess Tina, and others of the council." she says. "I do not recall you being invited." "Fool." the black haired, green haired counterpart snaps. "You forget that Priya was elevated by the Queen." She nods to Priya. "Please proceed within. I am sure her Majesty, and your father will be expecting your input. These invaders disturb the waters of Rebma unduly. We need a shark to teach them the dangers of the ocean." "I intend to do just that." Priya's tone was a stern promise as she stepped past the guards, noting the one who misspoke with a glance. She gave the door a rap with her knuckles as warning, pausing a half second with her hand on the handle before she let herself in. Several of the heads in the oval meeting room turn at the sound of the door opening and Priya's entrance. Llewella and her daughter, for two. Others, like the Queen and her father, are engrossed in conversation and discussion around a circular glass table. Judging from the flashes of light, Priya can tell that the table is a viewing glass or mirror and being used to look at locations, memories or even thoughts. It's not one of father's suite of magics, so someone else at the table, perhaps the stern Minister Scipia to his right, is the one doing the casting. "Lady Priya." Tina speaks first, in a low voice. "Welcome, and Congratulations." Llewella adds her daughter's reaction.with a welcoming smile. It takes a moment or two for Father to notice Llewella and Tina's interest and give Priya a welcoming nod. The Queen remains engrossed in the imagery. Priya answered Tina and Llewella with a nod and small smile, but waited until her Father noticed to step further into the middle. "I have news of the invaders, their tactics, and the signature of one of their mages." She held the saturated stone aloft for them all to see. "What do we have here?" The Queen says, furrowing her eyebrow. Minos looks at the stone. Priya can feel him study the stone, the wave of his arcane attention washing over the stone and her, and then draws back like a receding tide back into him. "Debris from a kinetic energy attack spell. Powerful, directed, focused. The pattern of the sorcery is crystallized and captured. Quite recognizable, once you are familiar with it." The Queen, LLewella, her daughter and the other Privy Council members nod, some of them out of habit, the more arcanely focused ones in a knowing matter. Below, on the glass table is a birds eye view of the surface, centered on a spot of the coast west of Rebma and covering a wide area, from north of Amber city down past Rebma to Cabra. "I believe." the Queen says to Priya. "You have our full attention, Lady Priya. Proceed with your report." "I spotted heavily armed ships sailing in toward Amber, pointed them out to others who should know, and joined Prince Gerard on his ship to greet them.They turned out to be refugees of Osric's house, their city and Pattern have been destroyed with a combination of Earth and Fire magic to activate and accelerate a local volcano, and then a direct attack against the tower above their Pattern. There is little left and the Omphalos have already abandoned the site and presumably moved on to the next." There are a few murmurings from the Privy Council, but a hand up from Moire quiets them for Priya to continue. "Using the landscape in the fashion they did is concerning. It is a vulnerable point many locations have in one form or another, it is not something that is guarded, and the amount of damage they can do alone is serious, combined with a tactical attack.... It is formidable. We need to evaluate our geology and look for volcanoes or fault lines that could be exploited so that we have time to lay defenses. I'm certain someone familiar with the earth sciences could create a longer list of threats, but we need start with the more likely and most dangerous because I am certain He is on his way here." She held the stone aloft again. Moire's eyes turn to the large black and white haired woman standing two down from Tina. "Lady Kosatka you and your family know much of the geology and landscape of Rebma. If you would answer Lady Priya's immediate questions, before you do further research as she suggests?" Kosatka clears her throat. "Rebma is built on what is called a seamount. A guyot to be precise. Although the geological history of Rebma is not like that of shadow, it resembles it, at least superficially. Rebma sits on the eroded base of an extinct volcanic hot spot. May I?" She gestures to the table. Moire nods. Kosatka gestures on the map, a small spell allowing her to drawing a line from Kolvir , through Amber, into the waters past Rebma, and along to a spot a hundred miles southeast of Rebma. She holds a meaty finger in place. "This is where the hotspot is now. The undersea rift volcano known as Galtzina. Its not particularly active and has not been in recent times except for a period during the war with Chaos." "If the Omphalos can cause volcanic eruptions, this is where the active vulcanism could be enhanced. If they can manufacture it where it has gone dormant, they could strike here, and here, and here as well." Her finger lifts from the rift and alights on spots along the line, indicating a small conical undersea volcano between Rebma and the rift, the Rebman seamount itself, another seamount to its northwest, and finally, Kolvir itself. Llewella and her daughter exhale at the same time, a cloud of bubbles in their gasps, earning a disapproving look from Moire. Priya nodded grimly. "They have had practice.. if they can muster the power to hit all four locations at once... even if they blow them in order...." Priya did not finish her sentence. "I need to return to Amber. I will reconnect with the arcane defenses of the castle to alert Princess Fiona and others to the threat. While we work on defense, Prince Benedict has requested that we join on an offensive as well, I can help facilitate that. The Door I destroyed here contained enough information that I can open a portal to it's point of origin. If we gather others it can be a multipronged assaut. I believe we need to commit to both efforts. We need solidarity with Amber, because the enemy will be unified in their attack." Priya fell silent, waiting for her Queen's response. "I am aware of Prince Benedict's offensive." Moire says, giving a look to Tina. Tina nods and speaks up to address the group. "I received a missive from him, requesting my aid and presence in dealing with the Omphalos threat. I of course told my mother." she glances at Llewella "as well as her Majesty, for their response and leave." There are murmurs around the table, in support of Tina's deference. "I have not yet given such leave for a daughter of Rebma to aid Amber." Moire says. She turns her gaze to Priya again. "If I could be assured that Rebma would remain untouched, I would not do so at all, and leave them to their own efforts and fate. With this..." she gestures to the map Kosatka has annotated "you seem to be saying, Priya, that such a stance is not tenable?" "It is not, Majesty." Priya answered quietly, but she could still be clearly heard. "They are marching, whiddling away at reality, destroyed places of true Power. Even if we remained untouched in the short-term, in the end, we would be an island, with nothing but ourselves and they would find a way to reach us. I see no evidence that negotiation is possible. They send no envoys. They take no prisoners. They hold no land. They destroy, and they move on. I do not even see proof that they pillage. No sign that we have even resources or raw material that they want. What I saw ..." She paused, searching for words, "It would not even be safe now to try to take you, to show you. I have never seen the like." Priya stepped closer, as near to emploring as she had ever been. Moire, and the rest of the Privy Council watch Priya very very closely as her body language and tone shift. "They will come here again. They were not prepared for the sea the first time, but we cannot trust that to protect us again. Even if I must beg leave, I would go alone to throw what weight I can behind their effort. I believe it is that important to be united against the threat the Omphalos pose, to strike and fight while we are all still strong." Moire regards Priya for long moments. The Council, from Priya's father, Llewella and Tina on down, are quiet, watchful, and practically holding their breath in anticipation. "Llewella?" she says. The green haired Princess of Rebma and Amber clears her throat. "The threat is real, Majesty. My siblings may not yet understand the true dangers, or may be slow to react. Rebma can lead and goad them." "Minos?" she says to Priya's father. "My daughter is not prone to hyperbole, Majesty" he says. "I believe the truth and import of her words" "Tina?" she says to Llewella's daughter. "Unless I were prevented, Majesty." she says. "I would join Priya in her efforts. Amber is not the enemy, here. We cannot risk the seas even to humble our old liege. We would fall, too." Moire continues around the table. Some steadfastly reject Priya's assertions, many others are nervously in assent. Kosatka in particular supports Priya's point wholeheartedly. In the end, a solid plurality of the Council is behind Priya's point of view. "Very well." Moire says. She folds her hands. "Your proposal is accepted, Priya. Coordinate with your father and Kostaka the magical defenses of the Realm and I am seconding Tina to you to aid in the coordination of mutual efforts with Amber. She can handle the more martial and political matters while you treat with Princess Fiona." "Majesty?" Llewella says. "What of I?" "I need *you* here to deal with some of the more agitated Duchesses and Baronesses that are likely not to take this decision well. And, as needs necessary, prepare for a levy. Dryland capable forces, most likely. "Marines, then. Yes, your Majesty" Llewella says. Moire looks at Priya. "Your argument has won the day. Prove my trust in you is right." Priya bowed humbly. "The success and safety of my realm and my Queen are at the heart of my intentions. I will not disappoint you." She stepped back, waiting for her Father and Kostaka, or Tina. Seeing who might approach first, or who might be open to approach as the council geared up to go to work. It's Llewella's daughter, after a look to her mother, who wins the contest and approaches Priya first, exhaling a cloud of bubbles. "I had not thought I would be returning to Amber anytime soon." she says. "Not that I left under acrimony, but the events with the ambassador..." her voice trails off. "We probably should start with Aunt Fiona, although I suspect." she looks over her shoulder. "Your father will want to speak before we leave the chamber, much less the Palace." "Yes, I need another word with Father. From here I can return to Prince Gerard's fleet and the refugees who brought us the latest news, but it may be more efficient to return to the castle first. I should be able to diseminate information quickly and save having to repeat myself too often, and it may well attract Princess Fiona." "Teleporting into Castle Amber will attract either Au..." she stops in mid-syllable. "Princess Fiona, or one of her children." Tina says. "Assuming you can manage to do so directly. With things as they are, the wards may be fully engaged." Tina says. "I do agree, going there is the obvious next step." Priya gave Tina a wry, side-ways glance, marking the moment the Princess caught and corrected herself. "She is still your Aunt, and I would not think less of you for viewing her that way." "The Queen doesn't like it." Tina says. "I've seen her upbraid my Mother." "Then it is best a habit practiced." [Priya] turned to watch the others. "I do not know if I can teleport in directly or not, I doubt it, but I will save us much of the walk, unless you have Trump of Family at the Castle." "I do." Tina says. "We'll pick one of those." Priya nodded. "That will be easiest. They may be useful if there are still guards at the doorway as well." In short order, Father finishes his conversation, and walks over toward Priya and Tina. Lady Kostaka trailing a little behind. There is pride in father's eyes, and a little bit of nervousness in Kostaka's. "You did well there." Father says to Priya. "Of course, now the true work begins. Keeping Rebma from falling to this threat." "They have had practice, and while I do not think they have had much luck gaining intelligence here, we do not know how far along they are up there, and how far that will take them against us. But they are after Power, and they will come. I hope I found and delivered our warning quickly enough." Priya fretted, looking at the room and seeing the Palace at large. "I would almost ask the Queen to be elsewhere until the threat was past, but for the sake of confidence, I do not think she would hear any such suggestion..." Which was right, in its way, but it was one more reason to be quick and heavy on the offense and the defense. "The Queen won't move from her base of power, even for a threat that might drown it." Father says. "Not even." he inclines his head toward Kostaka "for an undersea volcano." Priya nodded silently, she had known that was true. "No, she won't." Kostaka says. "I can employ some spells to monitor for unusual geologic activity, its something I do on a recurrent basis anyway. The forms are well known to me. Not the most exciting of magic, not compared to the likes of what you employ, most likely." "If you take a glass." she adds to Priya. "I'll see that I keep a Mirror witch with me and contact you as soon as the situation turns." "Thank you, and it may well be that less exciting magic will provide our earliest warning. Quiet magic that won't alert them to the fact that we are more wary than we were...." Priya chewed a thought for a moment. "How many earth mages can we find? Those are the skills we will need most to fully understand exactly how they managed their feat, and how to counter it. Enough mages to quiet the earth as they try to rouse it, and enough water to put out their fires." "Earth Mages, in Rebma? As common as dolphin's eggs." Kostaka says. "There must be one or two, but I can't think of many practitioners. If not for the esoteric volcanic sources around here, you'd never find any fire mages either. I have some small skill with both, in accordance with my profession, but I think you're looking for someone more akin to yourself, or the Lord Sorcerer." she gives a nod to Minos "than an academic." "We might want to consider non-Rebman sorcerers." Minos says. "A chance to build relationships with some shadows. Her Majesty would approve of that. "Now is the time to build alliances." Priya agreed. "We need their skill, and if in seeking them out, we build a web that uncovers other places where the Omphalos have praciticed this tactic, so much the better for us." "You think that the Omphalos are far more entrenched than we thought?" Tina asks. "I think the assumption should be that they have infiltrated multiple worlds." Minos says. "Shadow is infinite, and given a means of transport between their worlds and ours, they could play at seeding worlds with their forces. It's fortunate." he nods to his daughter. "that the results of one of their plays has come to our attention." "Very fortunate." Priya agreed. Tina pulls out a trump. Castor. "Shall we depart for Amber, then?" she says, rubbing the edge of the card. "Yes. I have several matters to tend to, and then we can see how things stand with the refugees who brought us the news and retrieve Ostegos." "Indeed." the Volcano expert says. "I will be in contact, as promised. Fare you all well in Amber." "Stay in contact on your end. And be careful." Minos adds to Priya, as Tina concentrates on the trump. After a few moments, the rainbow glow, and her lips moving soundlessly suggest a connection. Tina offers Priya her hand for the transport to Amber. Castor is in a sitting room done mostly in sea green and white, with a large ship's wheel on a stand in the corner. He steps back and nods as Tina and Priya come through. "Its a rug I am not particularly found of." he says wryly as the aftermath of the trump transport means salt water drips from Priya and Tina onto a throw rug in a shade of beige they are standing on. "Aiming is everything." "Welcome back to Amber, the both of you." he adds "Thank you." Priya replied, arranging herself comfortably as water dripped off. "I have a matter I would like to attend to promptly, and yes, aiming is everything." She looked down at the rather boring rug that would have been much more appreciated in a darker sea green than the rest of the room was adorned. "I need a moment on the roof, if you please, and last I was there guards would have prevented my arrival." Castor leads Priya and Tina out of the quarters. A few more drops of water give a breadcrumb trail of a path away from his door before the salty waters of Rebma completely dry. A servant behind them gives off a not quite stifled sigh. "A few years back, Pollux was trumping in and out of Rebma nearly every day when he was working on trying to smooth things with Moire the last time she threatened secession." Castor says. "Left trails of water through the Castle and drove the servants crazy trying to clean it up, especially since it was a pretty cold winter and no one wanted the water to turn into patches of ice. I figure part of why he visited Rebma so often because it was warmer down there than it was up here." "We do have that advantage." Priya murmured. "I've wondered if her Majesty's bold action this time and just having your, err, predecessor make the announcement at the Festival." Castor muses aloud "was to make sure my brother couldn't talk the Court nobles out of supporting her." "I'm sure there is much speculation, but even if I had been privy to the conversation that led to events, it would not be prudent to share." A sideways glance and faint smile offer proof that the words hold no rebuke, they are a recognition of how things stand. Something she is sure he knows, so it is safe small talk on a potentially agitating topic. "Priya is not a creature of any Court." Tina says. "Even Rebma's." "I still find it strange why Moire chose you, then." Castor says. "Not that I have" he grins "any complaint about it." Priya returned the smile. "Perhaps, given the state of things, someone polished in courtly manners would be too easily suspect. I am coarse and blunt enough for people to give me the benefit of the doubt." One shoulder hitched in a shrug. The steps of Priya,Tina and Castor finally lead to the fourth floor. As expected, none of the guards have any desire to argue or stop a party led by the latter onto the fourth floor, and from there to the staircase to the roof. "So why did you want to come up here?" Castor asks, waiting for the pair to mount the final staircase. "What do you intend to do?" "I intend to share what I have learned with the guardians, who will pass the information to Princess Fiona and others of your family ...connected to their web." Priya walked out to the middle of the roof, reaching out to the Djinn. "How?" Tina says sotto voce to Castor "The defenses would fry her if she did this without their, and Fiona's assent." Castor says to Tina. "I know that tone in your voice, cousin." Tina says with a suppressed laugh. "And she's a noble now, did you know that?" In the evening air, the Djinn are active and agitated, and instead of their languid reaction to her before, one of them moves to Priya immediately. "Sorceress of Rebma, we have not forgotten our bargain and our bond." the Djinn says. "The Creatrix and her son send their greetings and welcome you. Please, speak." Priya bowed respectfully to the Djinn, leaving behind the conversation between Castor and Tina. The conversation between the pair goes to a dull roar as her attention shifts. "I have been to a land once held by the children of Osric and their vassals, destroyed by terrible means. Lest the Omphalos seek to use the same means on our realms, I come in warning, with the signature of the lead mage who took much pride in the destruction of their Tower." As she spoke, Priya held out both hands, a welcoming gesture, but also one that displayed the saturated stone for them to examine. One of the djinn floats closer. The stone is not quite touched, but rather is surrounded, briefly, by the essence of the creature-construct. Priya gets a tingle from the experience, since the Djinn brushes against her in the process. "Destroyed by magic of earth and fire, and high sorcery" one of the djinn murmur. "Powers that seek to undo stone. Like the power of gunpowder, given sorcerous form. But more..." Another of the Djinn comes forward. "Elemental destruction, the residue of the powers of fire and earth together. The ash and remnants of a volcano." "A vulcanomancer." the djinn says. "We have not heard of such a type of mage, such an art, but you bring evidence. Such a mage, with preparation, could wreak havoc on the Castle, on the City. Perhaps the Mountain" There passes what seems like concern amongst the Djinn. "Have you brought this to the attention of the Creatrix and her son?" the first one says. 'Not yet. I will reach out to her next.' Priya replied. 'Once I am in discussions I do not know when I could return to you here, and I think our link has more value than it did before this revelation.' "Indeed" one of the other Djinn, not the one currently studying the stone speaks. "The arcane danger from this enemy is increased in scale and scope. The creatrix and her son must be informed of the danger and act..." Priya can feel the energy wash over the area like a breaking wave on the beach. Like a string that is vibrating, she can feel the pulsing of etheric energy impacting on the Djinn and the area around them. It has a resonance that might remind Priya of dolphin communication. "The Creatrix speaks" The Djinn at the stone says. Priya can't quite decipher it, but the small pulses of energy are some sort of semaphoric sort of communication from Fiona to the Djinn. After about a minute of this, the pulses stop, and the Djinn speaks once more. "She wishes you to remain. She will come immediately to speak to us all." "As she wishes." Priya inclined her head to the Djinn and turned back to Castor and Tina. "Princess Fiona is on her way. I am not certain if you are included in her intention, but it may be simplest if you wait a moment as well." "I am not going to try and guess the mind of Aunt Fiona" Castor says dryly. "That is a game for fools. We will remain, won't we, cousin?" he says to Tina. "Y..yes" Tina puts in. "Fleeing would anger her." "Anger? No, it would be chalked as uncharacteristic rudeness." Fiona says. A very subtle teleport spell of some kind, from what Priya can make out. Probably something like a Mage's Pathway, some mages set up conduits to make transport from one designated spot to another spot more of a cantrip than a spell. Or, it could have been a trump. Either way, the diminutive sorceress has arrived. She walks toward Priya and the Djinn, reaching out her hands. The djinn flock around her like a protective set of dolphins around a new mother. "Your affinity with the Djinn surprises me." Fiona says to Priya. "But we can talk shop, later. I am more interested in what you have to tell me about what you have learned about the Omphalos sorcerers." "The Djinn and I understand one another." Priya tilted her head at an angle, considering the rest of what she might say, but then she said nothing, and instead she held the stone out for Fiona as she had for everyone else. Fiona takes the stone in her slim left hand and looks at it sidewise as she listens to Priya. "I am concerned that the Omphalos are seeking to use the mountain against us, and now, they have practice. I have given this information to Father, Princess Llewella and Her Magesty, and it has been agreed that Rebma and Amber should work in concert to prevent the Omphalos from wreaking their havoc. My first concern has been defense. We must watch carefully for any sign that they are active in our areas, and to watch for this mage in particular. It wil do us no good to strike offensively if we do not have homes to return to." "Your assessment." Fiona says to the Djinn. "Vulcanomancy." the Djinn closest to Fiona says. "Earth and Fire magic, to awaken volcanoes and cause gross damage." "Yes." Fiona says. She looks at Priya. "Volcanoes are natural events, and it would seem this magic enhances natural tendencies, even long dormant, bring it to fruition." She offers Priya her right hand. Priya accepted, taking Fiona's right hand in her left so that they did not cross the space between and she did not need to switch which hand held Varuna. "Note" she says."There is a temporal undertone to the energies on this stone. A Volcano is dormant only in human time. The Omphalos made geological time into human time, and made an eruption inevitable. The more dormant the volcano, the more difficult it would be. It would take much effort to do it to Rebma, or to Amber, but given time, and being unmolested, it would be successful." She pauses and looks at Tina and Castor. "Few know that Kolvir is a volcano. This is not knowledge to be lightly bandied out. Do you understand?" she says, including Priya in the sweep of her gaze. Priya nodded. Her nod is in unison with Castor and Tina's. "Sadly, I fear the Omphalos already suspect." Priya opined, "and Rebma is home to seamounts, not all of them so quiet. I have warned the Queen's counsel so as to watch for activity within our waters and prepare defenses against such meddling. Hopefully the knowledge remains safely contained. If they do not know we are watching, we may be able to capture them." "I know of the undersea volcanic vents near Rebma." Fiona says. "I also understand that they are necessary for various biological and arcane reasons, and thus must remain as they are. The goal would be to not allow them to be further disturbed beyond their usual level of activity." Fiona purses her lips and looks at Priya. "The Door that manifested in Rebma may not have been such a mistake as one might have thought, if they were seeking to place agents for the purposes of increasing the volcanic activity in the area. You are certain all those who exited the Door were captured or killed?" "I was concerned with the possibility at the time of the attack and made effort to close the Door and kill everyone not Rebman in the vacinity as quickly as possible. It was an area affect, in my haste to eliminate the threat, I did not take care to secure prisoners. I sent patrols to search the buildings and areas nearby for any that may have escaped. None were found to my knowledge, and the area of combat seemed contained, but I will not boast that I am certain. There was too much to see all at once and I was not present when the Door opened. If someone came through and immediately left, dressed appropriately to blend in, it is possible that they escaped detection." Priya was clearly not pleased with the possibility, but it could not be denied. Fiona frowns as she listens to Priya's words. "Therefore, there is a possibility an agent capable of the earth and fire magic necessary to increase the vulcanism in and around Rebma is currently in the city." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "I shall have to confirm with my son if the same is true of the Doors that opened here. A cordon sanitaire, it seems, will be the new protocol in dealing with the appearance of Doors, based on this new threat." "That is the protocol I implemented." Priya's voice was quiet and matter of fact. "I enclosed the vicinity and removed environmental adjustments. The intensity of the pressure imploded the Door, the humans succumbed to the pressure, likely before they drowned. The Rebman militia present swam free." She shrugged. "but as I said, I was not there when it opened." "Mmm. " Fiona temporizes. "Well enough given the situation. I dislike the loose ends but you did well enough." "However, you do have the imprint of the type of sorcery." Fiona amends the subject. "Surely, Lady Priya, you have the capacity to use a detection spell. You will want to make sure that Rebma continually scans for such activity. As for here..." she turns and faces the Djinn. "The sorcery displayed here is of the highest priority for detection. Any detection of sorcerous energies of this nature is to be relayed to myself, to Lorius..." and she gives Priya a look. "And to Priya Luur as well." "We understand" the Djinn say as one. To the side, Castor and Tina speak quietly amongst themselves, but do not interrupt. "I prefer to have raw data. Initially they were funneling data to me, and we detected the incoming fleet, but after my visit abroad that connection was broken. I would like to return to that so that we look at the same data from two perspectives without clouding each others view." "I have no objections. You may reconnect with the Djinn as elsewhere, and until I revoke it, you may re-establish it as needed for the duration of the Omphalos threat. His Majesty might be bemused by this, but I suspect." Fiona's green eyes study Priya "*Her* Majesty may have facilitated this?" Long tendrils of black hair swayed with the shake of Priya's head. "No. I alone am responsible. Her Majesty is aware that I receive additional information, but the specifics were trivial in light of what was relayed and have not yet even been detailed." Priya turned from the Princess to regard the Djinn. "But, as I said, we have an appreciation for one another." There is a etheric resonance of agreement, unspoken but a more esoteric form of communication, from all of the Djinn, at Priya's words. She lifted her hand, palm up, to the Djinn nearest to her. Her expression was serene, leaving the gesture somewhere between entreaty and welcome. The remainder of the Djinn continue their resonance, as the Djinn in question replicates the gesture in kind. "Indeed" Fiona says. "My son and I did not program the Djinn for such ability. It would seem you have invoked an emergent property in their development. Fiona walks around the immediate area, peering at the Djinn as one might peer at the fish in a still koi pond. Castor says something quietly to Tina, who nods in response. Fiona returns to the spot near Priya. "Quite, yes. The offer stands. We will have to keep you in mind for future collaborative efforts, especially if they can be of mutual benefit." Priya gave a deep nod, accepting the compliment and the possibility in the same gesture. She steps back. "Tell me, though, before I go. Have you heard of the Deck of Dragons? Or the Hold Tiles?" "I have heard of the Deck of Dragons." Priya turned from the Djinn to regard the Princess curiously, expectantly. "Interesting. Very interesting." Fiona says. "You are a delightful surprise, Priya Luur. You may wish to see about getting yourself a copy of the deck." And then with a snap of the fingers, Fiona disappears. At Fiona's disappearance, Castor and Tina come forward. "Aunt Fiona is being mysterious as usual." Castor says ."By the unicorn, I didn't understand the half of what you talked about." "You managed half? Better than average with Aunt Fiona." Tina says, with a amused smile. "The only mystery is how she thinks I am supposed to get a copy of the Deck of Dragons..." "I am not familiar with a Deck of Dragons." Castor says. He looks at Tina. She shakes her head. "A tarot deck of some kind?" she asks Castor. Priya frowned at the empty spot where the other sorceress had stood. "I do not suppose you can be helpful on that matter?" Priya turned to regard the Djinn. "It would be most helpful since your mistress thinks it would be of use to me." "The Deck of Dragons is a magical construct." one of the Djinn says. "As such, it is possible that the Creatrix expects you to create one. However, I do detect there are several decks in the Castle. They have enough of an esoteric resonance to vibrate against our wards." "Leaving aside those decks in the possession of the Creatrix and her brood, I detect there are two in the Castle Amber Library, one in the former quarters of Prince Brand, and one in the former quarters of King Eric." "Hmm.." Priya was thoughtful a moment and then looked up at Castor and Tina "I am not of the opinion that an item such as the Deck of Dragons should be left languishng in Prince Brand's quarters. There is another in King Eric's room I would not touch." She gave the cousins a thoughtful look. "Would it be an acceptable arrangement, for you to help me retrieve the one from Brand's former quarters, in exchange for the knowledge of them I possess? It is not within my ability to create a Deck at this time, and I wish to have one in hand next the Princess and I meet." "You want to go visit Brand's quarters?" Tina says in disbelief "Merlin did it." Castor counters. "That's because he was touched in the head." Tina says. "Are we going to help Priya or not? This Deck could be useful, even if I'm unclear on what its for." Castor says. "I wouldn't touch the one in Eric's quarters. Noys would be upset." Tina says. "Princess Fiona is expecting you to get one of these things." Castor says. "It's some sort of weird test. Okay, I'm in. I'll help you get this Deck, in exchange for whatever it can tell us." Tina throws up her hands. "If we all get turned into a newt, it will be your fault, Cas. But I'm in." "I think we have a bargain." Castor says to Priya. Priya bowed with a slight smile. "I promise, if anything manages to turn me into a newt, I shall turn myself back and do the same for anyone else who suffered the misfortune." "That's something." Tina says. "Assuming you can still spellcast as a Newt." "I can likely do a great many things as a newt." Priya replied, obviously amused by the thought. She turned then to the Djinn. *Do you have any objections to our plan? Given his betrayal of the family, I would think relieving his quarters of items of power would be prudent, but you can correct me if my assumption is in error.* "The social ethics of visiting the quarters of Prince Brand are not something we understand."one of the Djinn responds. "This would be an impermissible action from our point of view if you were not accompanied by a member of the Royale Family." Another of the Djinn picks up the thread of conversation smoothly. "As such, we do not have a stake in stopping the three of you from doing so and have no orders to do so." "We could, Dagny." Castor says, as if being able to hear the conversation. "talk to the Queen before, or perhaps, after. Just to avoid any ruffled feathers in Court." "Who might be upset? Rinaldo? He is not exactly an authority figure in Amber." Tina says. "Dagny, maybe." Castor says. "Although she is unlikely to have any affection for her grandfather." "I strongly suspect that Princess Fiona will be aware that one of the resident Decks has been removed from its previous location. She will not think it a coincidence and I think it can be safely wagered that if she disapproves of the action, I will know promptly. If you wish to speak with Vialle or Dagny, you certainly can, but I would elect not to until it was necessary. I would not wish to put the Queen in an position of deciding what to say, or not to say, to her husband and Dagny is distracted by other matters at the moment. If mentioning the Deck to her seems relevant at some future point, I will, and I would not resist turning the Deck over to her as her rightful inheritance should she wish it." "Fiona will cover for us, and might even be relieved that the Deck in Brand's quarters is in useful hands." Tina says. "Right?" "True. I think that's our best bet. Taking a library one would be seen as outright theft, and leaving Eric's items alone is a good policy. Eric's son might want that one, anyway. So, we go for Brand's, and when the time comes, we find one for Dagny. I don't think she much likes the idea of Brand anyway, or her father for that matter."
The pulse of power connection is audible, too, this time, enough to get Tina to raise her eyebrows and Castor watch Priya curiously. "Connection re-established." one of the smaller djinn speaks. "Our range has been extended by ten nautical miles, and information density has increased by eleven percent." I spend one long moment adjusting, realize that I am breathing audibly and then note the tension in my hands and the rigid manner I am holding myself in response to the deluge. I correct that and manage a nod to the Djinn. *The additional range will be most useful.* Rolling my shoulders and shaking off the last affects, I turn my attention to Ykanga and Varuna to see how they, especially Ykanga, are adjusting to our new situation. Both the Spirit Guard and the Staff are quietly and unobstrusively able to handle the additional inputs of information, from what Priya judges. Once settled, with everything in order, I turn back to Castor and Tina. "There have been increases in what we receive, but we are ready to go now." "All right." Castor says. "Fortune favors the bold." "Or we get to see if Priya can spellcast as a newt all the faster." Tina says, bemused. Castor takes point, and leads Priya and Tina to the stairs and into the Castle. Nothing of any import disturbs their progress until they reach the second floor, and head down a corridor much like any of the others. In turn. Castor continues and stops in front of one of the door. There is a large padlock and chain on the door itself, an imposing thing of brass and iron.
"Brie would be much faster at this, I think." Castor says, as he kneels in front of the lock, produces a lockpick from somewhere, and begins working at it. The aforementioned magical field is increasing in its visibility as Castor, with Tina looking on, works the lock. "Bide a moment..." Priya put her hand on Castro's shoulder, eyeing the magical field. She sent out a small pulse to the Djinn, assuring them that it was her, Castor and Tina, as planned, and then stepped back again. "Continue." She gave Castor a nod and continued to watch the energy in the room for new developments. The magical field dampens down noticeably after Priya's message. Castor shrugs and returns to work, and finishes the lockpicking without too much difficulty. "The lock is not here as perfect proof, just to make this more difficult, and keep the curious away." "Like us?" Tina says. "No, not like us." He removes the chain and padlock, looks around and pushes the door open, indicating for Priya and Tina to enter. "I will keep watch." Castor says. The room inside, which lights up as Tina and Priya enter, is a somewhat dusty room, with the air stale and musty. It's a sitting room of some sort, with a beautiful (if fading rug), plenty of bookshelves, and a rather large easel set in the corner. There is a half-painted picture on the easel. From the half that Priya can see, the picture-in-progress appears to be of a large leather-clad book. There are a few chairs, tables and other furniture, dusty, but placed in some sort of alignment. That center of the room with the rug is empty, suggesting some sort of aesthetic sense of space. Tina slowly creeps around, as if afraid that a misstep will lead to doom. This is nonsense, although the ambient mana level here is higher than the rest of the Castle, especially right in that room's center.
Priya nodded silently, physically answering Ykanga, as she strolled around the room. She paused to study the unfinished painting and then continued along the bookshelves. She kept one hand out, poised, feeling for variations in the engergy, matching that with the impressions for the Djinn as she searched delicately for the Deck. She made no effort to correct Tina's tip-toeing. Better safe than sorry and the day may come when such caution is warranted. The deck itself, to an arcane search, sticks out like a sore thumb. It sits in a large case, underneath a similarly sized case that feels to Priya to probably be trumps. The deck of dragons, when she has the case in her possession and can open it, is similar but different. A green dragon on a white field backs the cards and the rest of the cards to inspection are otherwise identical to the ones that Priya has already seen with Tamora and her father. Priya gets the feeling, holding this, that at one point Brand was not only part of the Deck...but rather, was the Master of the Deck as well. "You found it." Tina says, from the far side of the room. She cautiously edges over. "Lots more cards than a trump deck, even Fiona's." There are, to a quick estimate, dozens of cards in the deck. "I guess Brand had plenty of secrets he didn't tell the rest of us." Tina adds. "Do you have any idea how to use them? They look similar to trumps." "They are similar in some ways, and perhaps not fundamentally different." Priya left the room as she had found it, taking only the target deck and leaving the trump and other items unmolested as she guided Tina back to the door. Tina takes one last look around, shudders, and follows Priya out of Brand's quarters. "The extent and details of how similiar, or how different, I do not yet know for certain." She nodded to Castor as they slipped out of the room, watching the hall and waiting quietly while he secured the door. "We should retire to my rooms and I need to retrieve Ostegos. If he feels his time is no longer useful where he is, will you contact your father to arrange his transport back to here?" She glanced up at Castor as left Brand's old quarters for the safety of her own. Castor takes a few extra seconds to secure the door and lock. To a general eye, it looks much the same before Priya and Tina intruded upon Brand's quarters. "Of course." Castor says. "I suspect he will have much to tell you about what has been happening with matters down there. He does seem capable of blending into the background and being extremely unobtrusive." Priya nodded silently. "I am curious as to how these cards Aunt Fiona oh so casually mentioned to you actually work, but let's go to your suite and we can see for ourselves?" Castor pauses a beat. "If Fiona or Lorius showed up, it would not surprise me." "No, I will not be surprised." Priya gave a small shake of her head, her tone dry. She directed much of her attention to Ykanga, reaching out to the smaller piece that Ostegos wore. The connection to the portion of Ykanga he holds, and thus to the Lemurian soldier, comes easily. "Priya" he says. The connection is not quite strong enough for a full visual in Priya's mind, a tradeoff of bandwidth for flexibility and range. But the voice and connection are clear. "Princess Fiona has confirmed Aldris' place in the Amber Family to her satisfaction and Prince Gerard accepts her judgement." "Matters here have resolved and it appears the Kingdom of Amber will take in these refugees. We're soon to sail north to find a place to deposit Aldris and his people. Gerard's son Hadrian is now here, engaged in aiding in getting supplies to the refugees." "I did see, distantly, a couple of dolphins suspiciously shadowing our ship and this fleet." Aldris continues. "I have not brought it to Gerard's attention, but I think they are your people, transformed, and keeping an eye on matters." "It is quite likely that they are agents in some fashion." Priya quietly agreed. "If you feel matters are settled, Castor can use a Trump to his father, or to his brother, to bring you back to the castle. No need to sail all the way out if there is no need for us to assist with." "I believe Hadrian is having breakfast with his father and Dagny at this moment." Ostegos replies. "I can certainly get out either with Castor's aid, or Hadrian's. He certainly would be able to transport me to the Castle, if not directly to you." Even as her attention was divided, Priya was careful to mind where she was going, not certain that Castor would be as quick to run interference for her as Ostegos was. She kept the Deck tucked close to her body and hurried slightly, though to an observer, it would look like they were moving at Castor's pace. "Here is an important question, though, before I go, Priya." Ostegos says. "I did not bring the dolphins to Gerard, Dagny or anyone else's attention. Should I?" Priya mulled the matter silently, but shook her head. "They will likely track the ships to the nearest harbor and break away when there are no signs of trouble, but before you depart, do assure the Prince that help from Rebma is not far if he needs us." "An elliptical way of mentioning it." Ostegos says. "I think that even the relatively straightforward Prince Gerard will understand and appreciate such discretion, especially as the tension between your realm and Amber seems to be making fools of many, least that my ears have heard. I will go and ask Hadrian to send me back to the Castle, and thence come to you. That probably is the easiest way of getting me there." "Yes, things are uncomfortable between the realms, and I have no desire to aggravate them... I will ask Castor to listen for his brother." "Very well" The contact drops, easily, at Priya's command. In the meantime, Castor's long legged pace has brought Priya, Castor and Tina nearly to the Suite. The latter looks around, fascinated by the Rebman looking decor of the Argentopyrite Suite. Her hands run over the brain coral on display, stepping around to look at the bookcases in fascination. "I heard a story that Aunt Flora once stayed in Llewella's rooms because hers was being remodeled and got seasick from the green and blue and Rebman themed palette. I suspect she would like this suite somewhat less than that. To each their tastes, I suppose." he shrugs. "Indeed, not all things appeal to all people, but I find it is not hard to appreciate what others enjoy, even if I do not wish to live with it long term." Priya shrugged, propping Varuna up in the crook of a sculpture, as if she wished him to have a clear view of the room before she settled herself into a set. "Hadrian should be calling you soon so that Ostegos can return." "I wondered how you were going to manage that. Thought you might have considered some sort of transport sorcery." Castor says. "She certainly wasn't expecting him to walk." Tina, admiring a small mosaic made of shells set in the wall as one might hang a painting in the rest of Castle Amber, puts in. [Priya] ran her hand over the case with the newly acquired cards, but did not open it. A couple of minutes later, Castor gets the faraway look in his eyes, and nods and speaks softly, aloud. A minute later, Ostegos steps through the rainbow light, and into the suite. "That was rather educational." Ostegos says. "A season aboard one of Prince Gerard's ships would be even more so." "Quite, yes." Castor says. "I keep telling my brother he owes Dad another season in the service, rather than behind a desk." Priya smiled softly, waiting while the men greeted each other. "Now, before we might be interrupted, I believe I promised you what I knew of the Deck of Dragons?" "Yes." Tina says enthusiastically. She looks at Ostegos and Castor and clucks to Priya. "Men!" She motioned for someone to move the low decorative table by the sofa closer and removed the cards from their box. Ostegos, Castor and Tina gather around, glancing at the card deck, watching and listening intently. "The cards are much like your Trump in that they depict an individual, but they differ in that they do not care so much who they represent, but the station that individual holds..." She did not elaborate, but instead concentrated as she had been instructed, with intent of drawing her own card. As when Tamora the Jaghut dealt the deck, back in shadow, the card that Priya draws, the card that inexplicably and inevitably must be the one on top, is the card that she had seen before. The figure of indeterminate gender, carrying a staff, hooded and cloaked. Pooling shadows at his, her feet. The Magi of House Shadow. "A sorcerer, obviously. This is you?" Castor says. "Its like a tarot card reading. This is always you?" his hand hovers over the card. "No, I can feel some sort of power. Pollux might tell us more. Or Hadrian, maybe." "Are *we* in it?" Tina says. "The deck is not infinite. We can't all be in it, can we?" "This is the place in the Deck that I have assumed." Priya placed the card on the table, face up. "But obviously, I was not originally in the Deck and either the individual who held the position of the Magi is no longer alive or suited to it." She concentrated a moment more, looking for the men who sat to her side, and drew two more cards, placing them where the Dragon indicated they should be. "Like the Tarot, they will create a spread for a reading. Unlike your average Tarot, they will tell you where they belong. You need only be obedient in the task of placing them." For Castor, Priya pulls out a card of a warrior standing on a beach. The Soldier of High House Life. Castor stares at the card. No card comes up for Ostegos. He doesn't seem to be in the deck at all. The Dragon doesn't want to produce a card for him. Priya frowned at the Deck, as if it had offended her. "So its a tool for divination, if it tells you who is and who isn't worthy to be in this deck." Tina says. "It is more than that." Priya shook her head. "How so?" Tina asks. "It is not about worth." Priya spoke slowly, thinking even as she did, and then went back to concentrating. Castor looks away from his card."Now I see why Aunt Fiona has one of these things. She's got to be in here, too. But I wonder what qualifies you to be in, and what doesn't" he looks at Ostegos. "Personal power? It can't be magical ability, Pol's got all of *that*." He looks at Tina and then at Priya. "is Tina in here? Who else do you know is here?" "Who created this, when, and why is an even better question." Tina says. Priya concentrated on the Amber Royal Family. She had Castor's card down in the place the Deck had indicated, and now drew for each member of the family she knew or had met, laying their cards out in relation to her own, Castor's and Tina's. She did not speak, or name them until she had named all of the family she could think of. Over the next twenty minutes, Priya lays out the suite of Amber Royal Family members that she can think of, that appear to have cards. In High House Light, Random as King Vialle as Queen Prince Bleys as Champion Prince Benedict as Captain Prince Martin as Builder Prince Julian as Soldier Princess Flora as Seamstress Prince Gerard as Priest In High House Dark Princess Fiona as Magi Princess Shannon as Herald Prince Lorius as Knight Kieran as Mason In High House Life Princess Deirdre as Empress Castor as Soldier Noys as Weaver Pollux as Herald Ederyn as Builder William as Champion Tina and Triton do not come up at all. Although she was named in Tamora's reading, Meriel doesn't come up as a card anymore, either. The other interesting thing, is when Priya tries to pull up Hadrian. She wants to draw his card...but he doesn't seem to have a card. A single card, anyway. It is as if he is associated with the entirety of the Deck. The skein of relationships focuses on those Priya has met and interacted with, and there appears to be an alignment of cards and people lately around Benedict, gathering allies and connections to him. Priya took a breath, opened her eyes, and ran down those she had found and identified. When she was finished, she took the arrangment away from being about her tentatively and newly minted relationships with the Family, to being about the push and pull around Benedict. "In the cards, I can feel the influence his actions exert on the Family. The gathering he has initiated. None of Rebma appears. Which I find very curious. And there are none of the House within which I have found myself... save one, if I wish to draw him." But Priya shook her head, not inclined to do so. "It is divination, but it is more. I think it is limited... it must fit what is, into it's own paradigm, and I do not know if that can be stretched wider. I do not know, if it has a new Master, if it can learn new ways of understanding." "Is there anyone else you wish to try for?" She held the rest of the Deck out, face down. "Rebmans of course." Tina says. "Besides you and me, that is." she says to Priya. "The limits of this are interesting." Castor says. "Who is the one that you could have drawn from your House?" More drawing from Priya reveals some more data and a few more ascendants. Moire is in the deck, as Queen of House Shadow. LLewella is also in Shadow, as a figure speaking to a King in a Court, the Emissary. Moire and Llewella are tightly bound, off by themselves, the former attempting to assert influence on Priya. With a look at the card of Merlin that Castor has, Priya feels confident enough to place him. He is in the Deck, as a figure in a harlequin suit, bound. The Fool in The House of Chains. "He wouldn't like that." Tina says. "Not so nice an implication." Priya arched a brow, but did not reply, though it looked as if she agreed. One other one, suggested by Castor and his deck, is of Luke, the King of Kashfa. He comes up as one of the cards NOT in a house. One of the symbolic cards, like the Obelisk she had seen before, but this time its a Scroll. And finally, when Priya tries to pull the Omphalos, they come up as a non-House card, the Sceptre, symbol of strength and a symbol of attempted suzerainty and rule. And this card is opposed to everyone. Everyone. "The Omphalos," Priya commented as she placed the card, "oppose us all, and the one I spoke of." She drew Osric's card and place it within the spread. Osric has a relationship with Priya, of course, but no one else in the deck, save Fiona, where there is a minor alignment. "I did not doubt what the Omphalos meant. The Deck confirms it." She leaned back, looking at the collection quietly. "This does tell us something useful, if we can take this spread at face value." Castor says. "That is?" Ostegos queries. "No one represented here is aligned with the Omphalos." He looks at Priya. "You'd see that, wouldn't you, if someone here was working with them secretly, wouldn't it? Or would it have to be an open relationship? How does this deck know the truth behind these interactions?" "It speaks in genralizations, but yes, if someone here had formed a relationship with the Omphalos, if they were working for them, I would expect to feel the pull in the cards indicating that, and I do not. Very much the opposite, in fact. The Omphalos have no allies among those that the Deck can identify and I am not inclined to think that such a thing could be kept secret from the Deck." "We managed to frustrate the Deck within moments of obtaining it." Tina observes. "That must be some sort of record." "Perhaps" Ostegos allows. "As Priya says, watching whom we interact with is key to unlocking the secrets of this divination device. You can't use it well if you don't know the principals." "The motive for Aunt Fiona to point us to this remains unanswered." Castor says. "If she had this back during Patternfall, no wonder the redheads always seemed three steps ahead of everyone else." "It does allow an advantage, and it gives cause to treat honestly with those you know possess one. Also ... if you know someone holds one, you can direct them to their Deck to confirm your intentions?" Priya contemplated, staring thoughtfully at the cards before looking back up at Castor and Tina. "I do have one more bit of information for you." She paused, inclining her head toward the cousins, waiting for their full attention and maybe let a bit of suspense take root. Castor, Tina and Ostegos turn their heads toward Priya. "There are two more Decks in the library." She smiled, leaning forward slighty. "I would hold them close, as they will be very difficult to replace..." She leaned back in her seat comfortably. "That's a good question." Tina says. "Just how difficult is it to make one of these. What skills do you need to make one? Do they even exist?" Castor idly picks up the Sceptre and stares at it. "It doesn't feel like a trump. It's not a trump. And yet, all this use of spreads makes this feel something like a trump. Assigning people to cards, their true natures and intentions laid bare." He puts the card down in the center again. "I say we get at least one of these decks, Tina." he says. "And we show it to my new little brother." "I would very much like to know what he thinks..." Priya commented, a slight smile gracing her face. "We can reconvene later, and I will see if there is more I can learn before we do." She gathered up the Deck, waiting patiently for Castor to return the last card when he was ready. Castor finally returns the cards, allowing [Priya] to restore the Deck to its complete state. The moment broken, Tina looks at Priya expectantly. "Now that we have done what Aunt Fiona has expected and wanted us to do, I suppose we can return to our original schedule and plan? Alliance-building." Tina suggests. "Talking to the Queen, perhaps." Castor murmurs. "Or others." He looks toward Priya and Ostegos. "Yes. We have work to do on all fronts. You should retrieve a deck, if not both. As events unfold I have no doubts that others will learn of them and the opportunity could be lost. I think your brothers would be an excellent place to start." She nodded in Castor's direction before looking at Tina. "And I believe we are in need of a secretary. I have official business that is not being handled in an orderly fashion." She frowned, as if the realization was distasteful. "The decks are not likely to be taken without cause, but keeping them in possession is useful." Castor says. "Learning how else they work and what else they can and cannot do would be of advantage." "A social secretary" Ostegos comments dryly. "That, I am afraid, is not among the skills I possess, Priya. You would have to turn to another for such duty." "The Queen would certainly have no objection assigning you one." Tina says with a smile. "Which one." Castor asks. "Rebma's or Amber's?" "Either" Tina replies, looking at Priya for confirmation and comment. Priya chuckled softly, her reply delayed by the thought of Ostegos playing secretary. "Neither, actually." Priya smoothed her dress and leaned back in her seat to regard them, one arm resting on the chair, the other holding the Deck in her lap. "I will not risk their agendas tainting the selection and interfering with my job." It was said simply, without a trace of irritation or frustration. "Someone familiar enough with Court to know their way around, and who knows how easily one can be burned meddling in the affairs of their royalty. Noble birth is not a requirement, just the ability to read, write and keep track of things even when I am distracted by others." She looked at all three of them, certain someone's son or daughter fit the profile. It was only a matter of finding them and pressing them into service. "Father may have suggestions if you do not." She waited a moment to see if anyone was struck by an idea. "He might." Tina looks at Castor. "Rebman or Amberite, you think?" "Rebman." Castor says. "I think that would be an easier fit for Random's Court than trying to explain to Moire why you have an Amberian secretary." Tina gives a nod and looks to Priya. "Male or female? I can see the advantages in both courts." She smiles a bit and then continues. "Either Madhuri of House Nai, or perhaps Zhao of House Gediminas. I am sure you have seen both in Moire's court." Tina says. "And I know Madhuri briefly was here in Amber working with the Lady Ap Nerys." "That may not be a selling point." Castor says wryly. "No." Priya agreed. "I want a fresh face. Zhao could work. We should see if that can be arranged sooner than later." "The Baroness Gediminas is easy enough to contact to make the arrangements, Priya. She does have a mirror sorceress in her House, and knows a bit about it herself. I could probably do it from here." Tina offers. "I'd rather" she adds. "Not do it in front of certain people. Not everyone knows about my skill as such." She gives a look at Castor. "I suspected, cousin." Castor says. "Aunt Llewella would not neglect your education." "In whatever fashion is most comfortable for you, but I think services will need rendered sooner than later." Priya arched a brow, silently going over her growing to-do list. "It will be dinner soon. I am tempted to call upon Father now, before I suffer further distraction. I would very much like to chase this story further, and it gives me an opportunity to return the one I was was chasing when the Door opened in Rebma. That, will be... convenient." She seemed decided and stood. "The list of what to do is long." Ostegos says. "My head swims at the thought. Queens and Princes, and a Bishop, I think." "Yes. A Bishop and a Diplomat as well." Priya added. "A chessboard of a to-do list." Tina laughs. "Perhaps we can meet later, for drinks maybe? When everyone has had a bit of time." Priya tapped the deck with her thumb, ready to move on, but waiting patiently to make certain they were as well. "There will be a dinner, here, with the Family." Castor says. "Both Tina and I should attend that, of course, and then we can meet you two later." Castor says. "By then, I should have Zhao here and up to speed." Tina says. "Good" Ostegos says. "That obviates me standing in for him." he grins. "We will see you later, then." Castor says. "Come on, cousin. We also need to figure out who else might be approached and can be trusted to aid the three of us." "I would keep it a very short list," Priya advised. "In fact, to see what ripples might already be spreading, I do not think I would go to anyone at all. Instead, I would wait to see who came to me." She gave them a calculating sideways glance and then left them to think about it, returning to her bedroom for a moment of solitude before she went to see her Father. Exeunt Castor and Tina. Leaving Ostegos in the main room, for the moment, Priya does have a moment of quiet, rest and solitude to process her extremely long and busy day. "All is quiet." Ykanga says, unprompted, after giving Priya a couple of minutes of silent peace. She can sense, too, the Staff ranging outward, esoterically, looking, hunting, and finding nothing. For the moment, Priya is the still center of her personal universe. "A blessed moment." Priya replied. "We should cherish it." Priya sat, drawing the pins from her hair and setting them aside so she could brush it. For a moment, there was only the sound of the brush and she closed her eyes to enjoy the peace. When her tresses were ready, she reset the curls and pins and then went to the wardrobe to select fresh clothes. "Ykanga, can you see if Father is amenable to visitors? I can call him more directly in a moment if he is." Priya changed, checking her reflection before going to see Ostegos. "Yes, Priya. Our granted access through the Castle wards and my Pattern overlay should allow me to do so..." Priya has a few moments while she changes for Ykanga to finish the task. By the time she is finished changing, Ykanga speaks again. "Your father is alone, working in the Palace, and is amenable to having you visit." Ykanga states. "His ability to detect my spells and actions has improved or shown refinement." "Or you have gotten better at projecting. Or both." Priya offered additional speculation. "My relationship with Varuna, and the exposure to the Pattern has augmented my abilities." Ykanga adds. In the meantime Ostegos is finishing up a series of exercises in the main room of the suite, finishing a judo-like Kata. as Priya returns. "I also am going to need more sword practice, and soon, especially given the blade I now carry." Ostegos says conversationally. "But that is best done with a sparring partner, as well as these stances, but even more so." "In the morning, we can go. It has been a long time since I have sparred. The practice will be good." Ostegos gives a nod. Priya gave Ostegos clothes a critical look. "We are going to visit Father, and if we do not eat with him, we can return to the city here." She handed the clothes to him and went to retrieve her crystals, while leaving Ostegos to change. "I suppose engaging tailors both in Amber and in Rebma is going to be needed." Ostegos says, taking the clothes. "If I am representing you and your interests, and your position and rank continue to rise and be important...." he stops the train of thought, and goes to wash up and return in a suitable Fifth Cycle Rebman uniform. "I suppose this will suit our return to Rebma." Ostegos says. "I'd not want to go outside this room in this,here, however." he observes. "It is entirely unsuited." Priya smiled, "Perhaps." She gazed at him a moment and then set the enchanted jewlerly to her ear. "But you are right, we will need a tailor. I may see about having mine employed so we have a wardrobe that doesn't threaten to leave us unsuitably attired if one outfit is ruined." Ostegos gives a nod. She sat down on the sofa again, concentrating. "Father?" Backlinks |
