I have the dentist today, but it might just be taking impressions to make crowns. If the crowns are already made, then it's might be the insertion of them. So I'm sort of in limbo for now :)
Convergence They carried Tomasz to the top of the stairs, with Lord Derby taking the lead and walking backwards. Despite having the easier part of the carry, Samual still found himself sweating after the first thirty seconds, and had to keep his eyes on Tomasz to avoid looking out to the edge and the drop to the quarry floor. At the top they set him down gently on the floor of one of the stone huts, more out of habit than any need. The sun was setting now, and the only large creatures they'd seen in Carcosa at all were the demons. Then Lord Derby walked back to the edge of the quarry, and Samual followed him wishing he wasn't. Though the gore of Grace's work was unmistakable still the design laid into the quarry was scintillating with an interior light and breathtakingly beautiful. It seemed to hang in the air like an aurora over the lines of green, yellow and blue stone, marred only by the spinning black disc in the North-east quadrant. There were no straight lines, only curves, sworls and a single tight spiral. "It's like writing," said Samual, his gaze moving from one part of the design to another. Goosebumps rose on his arms. "I think it is in a way," said Lord Derby. "Memnith describes using the Power as being telling it where to go, and this is a kind of written instruction for that." "Is it still active?" Samual shuddered. "How safe... were we down there?" Lord Derby frowned, which Samual could only make out from the light from the aurora rising out of the pit. "I don't know," he said. "I know there are coins that are in a sort of passive-active state. They do nothing until a mage gently pushes power into them, and then the coin cleans the whole room of dust, or opens a small pocket in some other place, I suppose. David showed me both, he called them tricks. I can't tell you much more though, I never understood them. Perhaps this is that, just on a bigger scale." "So if Grace took someone else down there and killed them...?" Lord Derby rubbed his hand across his eyebrows, pinching the space between them. "If she did it the same way that we've seen, then... yes, I think it would create a demon." Samual's voice was so quiet that Lord Derby had to ask him to repeat his next question. "Does it have to be Grace who does it?" "Probably not," admitted Lord Derby, and it sounded as though he wanted to take the words back as soon as he'd said them. "It would be safest if we could destroy this. But-" "That would need a mage," said Tomasz.
Both men at the quarry edge jumped, and Samual turned quickly. Lord Derby turned his head. "Explosives would work," said Lord Derby. "David destroyed coins with magical properties without unmagicking them first." "We used explosives while quarrying," said Tomasz. "There might be some left. But not here, everything here was taken to the other colonies. This was done first. But a mage could do it even more easily." "How are you feeling?" asked Samual. He took a small step towards Tomasz, then halted. "Tired," said Tomasz. He walked to Samual and rested an arm on Samual's shoulders. He looked out at the quarry. "Tired of all this. Tired that something so beautiful should be used for something so evil. Tired of losing people. Tired of not being able to do anything." He looked at Lord Derby, who was watching him back. "You said you can leave here. I want to leave. Let's go back, and send through an army. Let them destroy everything here, kill Grace, and then have the mages close it off forever. There is nothing here in Carcosa for anyone anymore." Lord Derby turned away and stared out at the aurora. Shadows flickered across his face and his expression was unreadable. "You and Samual shall go," he said. "Milord!" "What now, Ernest? What heroics still need to be done here?" Tomasz sounded less angry and more weary than ever before. Lord Derby lifted his hand to his eyes, and the yellow cloak seemed to settle over his shoulders. "I do not think I can return until we at least understand this," he said. "I will not be the King in Yellow's servant in our own world. I will not be his servant at all, so it might be that I am part of what is to be destroyed." "Milord!" Samual looked anguished, torn between running to Lord Derby and letting Tomasz fall to the floor, and staying put supporting the Polish soldier. "No Samual, this is the right choice. You and Tomasz shall return and notify Memnith of what's happened. He can tell the King, and maybe he can spare Elizabeth to come here and see all this. I have hopes she might know what's happened to me. I should... point out that it's likely you'll be asked to escort her back. Our paths may diverge briefly, but they will converge again." He smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "Still sounds like a hero to me," said Tomasz.
3 comments:
I have the dentist today, but it might just be taking impressions to make crowns. If the crowns are already made, then it's might be the insertion of them. So I'm sort of in limbo for now :)
Convergence
They carried Tomasz to the top of the stairs, with Lord Derby taking the lead and walking backwards. Despite having the easier part of the carry, Samual still found himself sweating after the first thirty seconds, and had to keep his eyes on Tomasz to avoid looking out to the edge and the drop to the quarry floor. At the top they set him down gently on the floor of one of the stone huts, more out of habit than any need. The sun was setting now, and the only large creatures they'd seen in Carcosa at all were the demons. Then Lord Derby walked back to the edge of the quarry, and Samual followed him wishing he wasn't.
Though the gore of Grace's work was unmistakable still the design laid into the quarry was scintillating with an interior light and breathtakingly beautiful. It seemed to hang in the air like an aurora over the lines of green, yellow and blue stone, marred only by the spinning black disc in the North-east quadrant. There were no straight lines, only curves, sworls and a single tight spiral.
"It's like writing," said Samual, his gaze moving from one part of the design to another. Goosebumps rose on his arms.
"I think it is in a way," said Lord Derby. "Memnith describes using the Power as being telling it where to go, and this is a kind of written instruction for that."
"Is it still active?" Samual shuddered. "How safe... were we down there?"
Lord Derby frowned, which Samual could only make out from the light from the aurora rising out of the pit.
"I don't know," he said. "I know there are coins that are in a sort of passive-active state. They do nothing until a mage gently pushes power into them, and then the coin cleans the whole room of dust, or opens a small pocket in some other place, I suppose. David showed me both, he called them tricks. I can't tell you much more though, I never understood them. Perhaps this is that, just on a bigger scale."
"So if Grace took someone else down there and killed them...?"
Lord Derby rubbed his hand across his eyebrows, pinching the space between them. "If she did it the same way that we've seen, then... yes, I think it would create a demon."
Samual's voice was so quiet that Lord Derby had to ask him to repeat his next question. "Does it have to be Grace who does it?"
"Probably not," admitted Lord Derby, and it sounded as though he wanted to take the words back as soon as he'd said them. "It would be safest if we could destroy this. But-"
"That would need a mage," said Tomasz.
Both men at the quarry edge jumped, and Samual turned quickly. Lord Derby turned his head.
"Explosives would work," said Lord Derby. "David destroyed coins with magical properties without unmagicking them first."
"We used explosives while quarrying," said Tomasz. "There might be some left. But not here, everything here was taken to the other colonies. This was done first. But a mage could do it even more easily."
"How are you feeling?" asked Samual. He took a small step towards Tomasz, then halted.
"Tired," said Tomasz. He walked to Samual and rested an arm on Samual's shoulders. He looked out at the quarry. "Tired of all this. Tired that something so beautiful should be used for something so evil. Tired of losing people. Tired of not being able to do anything." He looked at Lord Derby, who was watching him back. "You said you can leave here. I want to leave. Let's go back, and send through an army. Let them destroy everything here, kill Grace, and then have the mages close it off forever. There is nothing here in Carcosa for anyone anymore."
Lord Derby turned away and stared out at the aurora. Shadows flickered across his face and his expression was unreadable.
"You and Samual shall go," he said.
"Milord!"
"What now, Ernest? What heroics still need to be done here?" Tomasz sounded less angry and more weary than ever before.
Lord Derby lifted his hand to his eyes, and the yellow cloak seemed to settle over his shoulders. "I do not think I can return until we at least understand this," he said. "I will not be the King in Yellow's servant in our own world. I will not be his servant at all, so it might be that I am part of what is to be destroyed."
"Milord!" Samual looked anguished, torn between running to Lord Derby and letting Tomasz fall to the floor, and staying put supporting the Polish soldier.
"No Samual, this is the right choice. You and Tomasz shall return and notify Memnith of what's happened. He can tell the King, and maybe he can spare Elizabeth to come here and see all this. I have hopes she might know what's happened to me. I should... point out that it's likely you'll be asked to escort her back. Our paths may diverge briefly, but they will converge again." He smiled, but there was no warmth in it.
"Still sounds like a hero to me," said Tomasz.
Greg - I hope things went well, regardless of what the purpose of the visit ended up being.
Yup, definitely feeling something big approaching. What an apt prompt this turned out to be, as things seem to be coming together in a major way.
(Just imagine how much more I'll be urging you on once I'm finally caught up on comments!)
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