Chapter 038: A Slight Problem

 

"Some people think

That if they go too far

They'll never get back

To where the rest of them are

I might be crazy

But there's one thing I know

You might be surprised

At what you find when ya go!"

 

A Token of My Extreme - Frank Zappa

 

     We were in some remote part of the castle where I had never been before. It was rather cool and quiet, but not dusty, which wasn't very surprising since this place was one of Aunt Fiona's special workrooms. When I had told her that I had found something that I needed her opinion on, she had brought me here. It was a nice spot, away from a lot of inquisitive eyes.

     The peculiar black and white Trump fascinated her, of course. She said she had never seen anything like it before and wanted to know how I had come by it in the first place. So, I told her my story of finding Liret in Shadow, only leaving out Tiziane's involvement and any references to Blood Curses. Naturally, Fi was a bit suspicious as to that coincidental meeting with Liret, but I just shrugged and said that there was no such thing as coincidence, keeping from her the knowledge of who had actually engineered this chance meeting.

     "Well," she said after looking the thing over for a bit, "it's clearly a Logrus Trump, I can sense that much. So you were just thinking, let's go and have Aunt Fiona try the thing, were you?"

     "No, no, of course not," I said. "I simply hoped that you'd be able to tell me more about it."

     "Hmm." She didn't seem altogether convinced. "What else did you learn about it?"

     "It's supposed to be a very old artifact, a heirloom of that Chaos family. The lady's name was Liret Grendyn."

     "Grendyn, eh?" She walked over to a table on which there stood something that looked like a computer, but which turned out to run on magic instead of on electricity. Quite useful in a place like Amber. She tapped a few keys and a moment later information started scrolling across the screen.

     "It's an old House," Fi said without looking up from the screen. "They used to be a major power in the Courts, long ago, although now their status is less certain. The House was founded by some younger son of another Major House, which later died out altogether. Well, politics, you know how it is..." She frowned. "House Grendyn seems to be well past its prime. There seems to be a lot of ill fortune and misery in their past." She switched off her computer. "However, there's no reference to this object in my data base. You did not happen to make any connections with any living members of the House, did you?"

     "Well, actually...," I said hesitantly, "Liret did have a sister called Alexa."

     "You contacted this Alexa?" I nodded. "And you kept the Trump." The latter was not really a question, but I nodded all the same. It was as if Fiona would have been very disappointed in me if I hadn't decided to keep it. "Do you have the impression that she knew more about this Trump?" I relayed all Alexa had told me on the subject, which wasn't too much. The fact that the thing was allegedly something of a jinx didn't really seem to bother Fi. When I had finished she admitted that she didn't know what the Trump was; she had never even heard of something like this before. Also, she didn't recognize the artist's style, although by now she thought she ought to be familiar with most of the important ones. That she was highly fascinated by the thing was plain to see, though, and she even cautiously inquired whether or not Alexa might be willing to relinquish the thing. I simply ignored her remark: it was never my intention simply to give Aunt Fi the Trump, I needed it myself. If I only knew what I was supposed to do with it.

     While I looked on, Fiona proceeded to do some tests on the Trump, none of which seemed to be conclusive. Finally, after she had been dawdling for a couple of minutes, she turned around and told me that she had decided she would tentatively try and make contact with the Trump. I gave her a rather-you-than-me look and told her to be careful, but she seemed to radiate sheer self-confidence. Well, who was I to argue with her anyway?

     While I kept an eye on her from what I deemed to be a safe distance, she took the Trump and started concentrating. For a moment or so nothing seemed to be happening, then Fi's expression turned to one of surprise and she slumped forwards. Oh damn! First thing I did was grab a book from one of the tables and knock the still active Trump from her hand. I checked her body: lots of lights, but no one home whatsoever! Oh great! What was I supposed to do now? I glanced over at the Trump and saw that it had begun to pulsate with something that I identified after a moment as being Pattern energy. Pattern in a Logrus Trump, that's not right, is it? Seeing that it wasn't active anymore, I gingerly reached out my hand and picked it up from the floor. As soon as I touched the thing I was in contact with Fiona's mind. She was cursing, but not really excited or in a panic.

     "That really didn't go as planned," she muttered.

     "Now what?" I asked.

     "Well, for starters, I would really appreciate it if we kept this little matter between the two of us." She managed to hide it pretty well, but naturally she was worried about the effect something like this would have on her reputation.

     "Okay," I said, "but that doesn't answer my question, does it?" Fi sighed mentally.

     "I appear to be stuck here," she admitted. "This Trump turns out to be more than it seems. I think it's some kind of storage space, but with very good security. The good news is that although I am stuck, I was still able to send a message to the outside world. This gives me reason to believe I will be able to acquire some control over this place, but I won't be able to free myself and return to my body without some help. I propose that you go and talk to Alexa again, and try to find out everything you can about this Trump. I don't care how you do it, just do it. When you know everything there is to know, you use the Trump and join me here. I'll take care of the security measures, you can tell me what I need to know to set us free, we get out, and all of this will remain our little secret. How about that?" I looked doubtful at her overly optimistic plan (to put it mildly). What if I wouldn't be able to find enough info on the Trump to get the both of us out of there? At the moment these thoughts found their way through the murky pathways of my mind, I immediately felt Fi's resentment at my apparent lack of faith in her, accompanied by a overwhelming feeling of really having to help her. Damn, was I that easy to influence?

     "The only alternative," she said, "is me taking over your body right now and finding the solution myself." I could tell she wasn't joking.

     "No, thank you," I said, chilled by the prospect.

     "Alright," she said cheerfully, "it's a deal then." Yeah, right. Next time I would think twice before asking her advice.

     "What about your body?" I said. "I can't very well leave it here, can I?"

     "Perhaps it would be a good idea to take it with you to the Courts," Fiona ventured. Hah! I already saw myself walking around with her apparently lifeless body under my arm. And she was the one who wanted to keep this quiet!

     "I don't think that would be...," I began, when suddenly I thought of an elegant and rather obvious solution. "No, wait," I said, "I've already found a way."

     "What's your plan?" she wanted to know.

     "Never mind," I said. "Just leave it to me." Before she had time to object, I tucked the Trump away among its more ordinary cousins, thereby cutting our connection. Making her trust me a little as well would serve her right, I figured. I picked up here unconscious body and transported both of us back into my children's little world. I found a quiet guestroom in the mansion with a door that could be locked, and deposited her body on the bed. Smart thinking, if I may say so myself: this way I could take her with me without attracting too much attention. Of course I warned Anna not to let anyone enter the room; I didn't think Fiona would be very happy if she found out that she had been a plaything for my feline kids. Anna didn't object, although she muttered something about the indecencies of high-placed folk.

     Since I was there anyway, I first spent some time playing with the kids before acting upon Fiona's plan. I was in no hurry to leave the comforts of my own body and join her in the abstract space of that weird Trump, but I also realised that it might not be a good idea to keep Fi separated from her own body for too long. In a way I found the situation a bit amusing: Aunt Fi has this reputation of knowing anything and everything about magic and Powers and stuff, and suddenly this Trump comes along and proves that she still has her limits, just like the rest of us. Of course I wouldn't tell anyone else about this, I owed her that much. Nevertheless, it sure helped to put her rather glorious image in a quite different perspective.

     Like I said, I played a little with the kids, then I ate a meal there, before at last leaving the pocket to try my hand at contacting the Lady Alexa once again. I may not have mentioned this before, but a Trump call to the Courts of Chaos is not the easiest thing to do. It takes a lot longer before the contact is really established, and when it finally is, you have to pour a lot more energy and concentration in it to keep it going. This time I managed yet again, although as an extra I had to use a Chaos Trump, which is physically rather nauseating to one of Amber descent.

     "Lord Dorian," Alexa said, greeting me with a nod, "what can I do for you?"

     "My lady, it's good to see you again. I called to tell you that I've managed to find your family heirloom." I smiled pleasantly, but at the same time I noticed her frowning slightly.

     "You have?" she said. No, she was definitely not very enthusiastic about getting the Trump back.

     "Yes," I replied, "and I must say that I find it to be quite intriguing. You have already told me a few things about during in our previous conversation, but I was wondering whether you could tell me some more. If it's not inconvenient or anything, of course."

     "Well," she sighed, "as I have already mentioned earlier, the object is supposed to be very powerful. Not everything about its history has been handed down to me, but I do know that it was most probably created by Nisse." She regarded me meaningfully, as if this name should be instantly familiar to me. Of course, in a way it was, but then I knew nothing about this person Nisse except that he was supposed to be the one who might be able, and perhaps even willing, to give me information on how to get rid of my Curse. So I kept my expression carefully blank and asked her who this Nisse was.

     "Nisse is a curiosity of sorts," she said. "It is said that he was Lord Suhuy's predecessor. As far as I know he is still alive today, but time has not been kind to him: he resides in an institute for the mentally unbalanced."

     "Hmm, but he was a very powerful figure in his time, wasn't he?" I said.

     "Yes, he is quite ancient and used to be very famous. I don't know for what kind of purpose that he made this Trump, but my family was at one time chosen for the task of guarding it and keeping it safe."

     "Might there be some earlier records detailing the Trump's function and purpose?" I asked.

     "There could be," Alexa replied hesitantly, her expression suddenly downcast. "My sister had been studying a lot of the family records before her untimely death; I found several books from our library in her chambers. Perhaps you would like to come over and have a look at them yourself?"

     "Thank you," I said, "that would be most helpful." She extended her right hand and once again guided me through.

     As we walked towards her sister's room, I noticed that Alexa was not altogether certain about what she should do. Of course the Trump was a family heirloom and as such she, as its rightful guardian, had to claim possession of it, but in her eyes the thing had already killed her sister, and I felt that she would rather be rid of it altogether. My professed interest in the thing was a clear signal to her that I would be willing to relieve her of her duties, but with the Trump's reputation of being a jinx she could never ask me, a Lord of Amber, to accept it, could she? Now, perhaps if I were the one to ask her, things would be different, especially if I had enough information to know what I was getting myself into.

     The family chronicles proved to be a bit of a disappointment, though, for nowhere was the Trump ever really discussed in any detail. It was mentioned cursorily here and there, but nobody had ever taken the time to write down all the information they had on the thing. Perhaps they had never imagined that this knowledge would at one time not be available anymore. Where the Trump was mentioned, it was always in relation to the question of whether or not it should be put to use. In the end the House Grendyn had always voted against using it, irregardless of the problems they had had to face, which had ranged from vendettas to all-out civil war. There were enough references in the texts to the Trump's power and the dangers involved in using that power, and here and there a name cropped up of a certain Calor who had been the only one ever to use it. Calor's fate was never mentioned, but judging from the texts it must not have been a very nice one.

     I doubted whether this information would be enough to get Fiona out of there, so I asked Alexa for some more information on Nisse. She told me that she was relatively certain of his current whereabouts, and when I admitted to being interested in meeting him, she gracefully offered to escort me. With a nice little black carriage, drawn by two small winged dragons, as our mode of transport, we made our way through the Courts of Chaos. Since this was my first real visit there, not counting my earlier short trip bringing home Liret's body, I kept a curious eye open while exchanging smalltalk with Alexa. What can I say about that place, except that it was just plain weird? Now and again I saw demonic shapes fly, glide, slither or just walk by under the brilliant multi-coloured sky. The architecture was completely alien and at the same time hauntingly familiar, with angles and curves that would be impossible in normal Euclidean space. All in all, it was a feast for the eye, and I promised myself that I would spend a nice vacation here sometime, if time and circumstances allowed for it.

     Meanwhile my conversation with Alexa had drifted to her own family. It turned out that with Liret dead she was the only remaining living member of the House Grendyn. There were a few loyal servants left in Grendyn Ways, but Alexa admitted that it was rather hard making ends meet nowadays. As the Lady of a once Major House she had a seat in the Minor Council, the congregation of Minor Houses, and she was generally still treated with some respect, but it was quite uncertain whether House Grendyn would survive beyond these current hard times. I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her. Maybe I could find some way to help her out after I had finished my business with Nisse and somehow got Aunt Fi out of that Trump. After all, Alexa had been, and still was, pretty decent to me, while I on the other hand had not been entirely truthful with her right from the beginning. Not that I would have changed my behaviour if I could, but... Well, damn, I liked the lady, alright? Right.

     About twenty minutes after we had left her mansion, Alexa's carriage entered the driveway of what can best been described as the Courts' version of Arkham Asylum. Picture a large, dark, gothic building against that weird multi-coloured sky and with those geometrically impossible angles, and you get the general idea. Various old figures of both demonic and human appearances wandered around the grounds, and when we were getting off the carriage an old demon came up to us inquiring loudly as to the whereabouts of his spectacles. Fortunately, a nurse appeared at his side to lead him back inside. Alexa and I followed them (at a safe distance), and once inside Alexa located the reception area where she inquired after Nisse.

     "Whose child are you, then?" I heard a croaky old voice ask beside me. I turned and was faced with a positively ancient woman in human form, squinting up at me to get a better look.

     "One of Deirdre's," I answered, deciding that it was better to humour her.

     "Who's Deirdre?" the little old granny wanted to know.

     "My mother," I said quickly. Something told me that it was better not to mention Amber in this place.

     "Which House?" granny insisted. I was about to make up a name, when Alexa reappeared at my side, just in time to save me from further embarrassment.

     "Lord Dorian is here incognito," she whispered to the old woman, who turned her glittering eyes to me and winked knowingly before strolling off again. I gave Alexa a thankful smile.

     As we walked towards Nisse's room through the depressingly dark corridors of the asylum, our escorting nurse told us that Nisse had been quite catatonic of late. It might be that our visit would be inconclusive, but she argued that it wouldn't do any harm either way.

     My first impression when I entered Nisse's room was of entering a vault that had been left alone for many, many years. A quick look around told me that the room was quite well taken care off, though; it was simply the figure seated in the middle of the room that radiated this palpable feeling of age. I noticed a lot of books and other old objects lining the shelves, some of them faintly throbbing with the power of the Logrus. Nisse himself was beyond ancient: even in his current demon form his usually tough scales were cracked, and here and there his skin hung in loose wrinkles. I moved around to face him and saw that his expression was completely blank. Not a single spark of life glimmered in those misty ancient eyes.

     At my insistance Alexa sent the nurse away, leaving me with a chance to figure out a way to contact the old demon. I felt right away that it would not be easy. I began simply by talking to him, telling him my name and origin. For a moment I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes, but when I looked more closely it was gone, and no matter how much I talked the sparkle of interest didn't return, even when I showed him the black and white Trump, his own handiwork. After ten minutes non-stop talking I was ready to give up. There seemed to be only one way left in which I might be able to get through to him: by making direct mental contact. If I could have, however, I would rather have avoided that, since Nisse was not only supposed to be very powerful, but had also been locked up in this mental institution. I had never before been in mental contact with a certified lunatic, to put it crudely, and I regretted having to start off with a powerful certified lunatic at that. Still, there seemed to be no other way open to me.

      I turned to Alexa and quickly told her what I was planning. I could see that she wasn't entirely for it, but she wasn't about to argue with me. Good girl. I asked her to keep an eye on me while I was at it, smiling reassuringly and saying that I would probably be alright. I got a second chair and seated myself right in front of Nisse, so that I could look into his eyes. Then I started concentrating...

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