I guess if we're ever going to wrap the Lord Derby tale up I need to get straight to it :)
Transient "I never met him," said Lord Derby. "I've read the history, and... well, no-one really comes out well, do they?" "They were different times," said the King. "Some of what we did I'd do again today: there are things that might be distasteful or difficult, but if not doing them leads to mass death and destruction then we -- I -- must take action. There are things that, in hindsight, need not have been done. Maybe some of them we could have thought about more, but... when you take three hard decisions in a row, maybe the fourth decision is treated as harder than it should be?" "No matter who comes out looking bad," said Gray, "Labdaris would never have come out looking good. He enjoyed what was done." "The procession has reached the monument," said the King. "Do you think this is what we're here to see?" "You're trying to guess the intent of the King in Yellow?" Lord Derby raised an eyebrow so far it disappeared into his hairline. "It passes the time," said the King. "What else should we do? Reflect on the transient nature of reality, since Carcosa was once, it seems, a thriving place and is now a bare wasteland." The procession spread themselves around the monument, forming a large circle with a few people in the middle, who stood in front of the huge space formed by the tall pillars that the monument was constructed from. "Wasteland isn't quite right," said Lord Derby. "There were three Polish colonies established there, though I can't judge their viability. Grace seems to have gone through them fairly quickly turning them into demons." "Colonies?" said the King. He looked over at Derby, puzzlement crinkling his face. "As in, groups of people large enough to establish an eventual population?" "Where did the demons go?" asked Gray By the monument the people inside the larger circle seemed to be dancing. "Tomasz told me that there were about 200 or 250 people sent through," said Lord Derby. "There were signs of agriculture at what he described as the first village, and they'd been actively quarrying. A large enough pit that they must have been there for months." He looked now at Gray: "I don't know. I think I helped kill one when I first arrived there, and the people acted like killing demons was a common necessity." "They didn't know the demons were made from other colonists? Or the demons were made from other people altogether?" Lord Derby shrugged. "You will have to ask Grace," he said. "Lord Vileburn has her magically bound somehow and intends to bring her back to London for questioning." "Look!" The King took Derby's arm, pointing with his other hand. At the monument a yellowish, dusty wind seemed to be blowing through the gate. It passed over the closest, the insiders of the circle, without effect, but the larger circle of people were writhing and a faint sound of screaming reached the ears of the three on the platform. Then, the transformations became obvious as the first of the crowd affected lifted into the air, beating leathery wings that they'd not had previously. "That looks very like Grace's demon," said Lord Derby.
Greg - I am both looking forward to the ending and dreading it... because that means there will be no more entries to enjoy. Though, obviously, you have many other stories to tell that I will enjoy almost as much :P
I am loving the dialogue you've got going between these three. And it is managing to bring a feeling of an imminent conclusion as well as being informative and interesting.
2 comments:
I guess if we're ever going to wrap the Lord Derby tale up I need to get straight to it :)
Transient
"I never met him," said Lord Derby. "I've read the history, and... well, no-one really comes out well, do they?"
"They were different times," said the King. "Some of what we did I'd do again today: there are things that might be distasteful or difficult, but if not doing them leads to mass death and destruction then we -- I -- must take action. There are things that, in hindsight, need not have been done. Maybe some of them we could have thought about more, but... when you take three hard decisions in a row, maybe the fourth decision is treated as harder than it should be?"
"No matter who comes out looking bad," said Gray, "Labdaris would never have come out looking good. He enjoyed what was done."
"The procession has reached the monument," said the King. "Do you think this is what we're here to see?"
"You're trying to guess the intent of the King in Yellow?" Lord Derby raised an eyebrow so far it disappeared into his hairline.
"It passes the time," said the King. "What else should we do? Reflect on the transient nature of reality, since Carcosa was once, it seems, a thriving place and is now a bare wasteland."
The procession spread themselves around the monument, forming a large circle with a few people in the middle, who stood in front of the huge space formed by the tall pillars that the monument was constructed from.
"Wasteland isn't quite right," said Lord Derby. "There were three Polish colonies established there, though I can't judge their viability. Grace seems to have gone through them fairly quickly turning them into demons."
"Colonies?" said the King. He looked over at Derby, puzzlement crinkling his face. "As in, groups of people large enough to establish an eventual population?"
"Where did the demons go?" asked Gray
By the monument the people inside the larger circle seemed to be dancing.
"Tomasz told me that there were about 200 or 250 people sent through," said Lord Derby. "There were signs of agriculture at what he described as the first village, and they'd been actively quarrying. A large enough pit that they must have been there for months." He looked now at Gray: "I don't know. I think I helped kill one when I first arrived there, and the people acted like killing demons was a common necessity."
"They didn't know the demons were made from other colonists? Or the demons were made from other people altogether?"
Lord Derby shrugged. "You will have to ask Grace," he said. "Lord Vileburn has her magically bound somehow and intends to bring her back to London for questioning."
"Look!" The King took Derby's arm, pointing with his other hand.
At the monument a yellowish, dusty wind seemed to be blowing through the gate. It passed over the closest, the insiders of the circle, without effect, but the larger circle of people were writhing and a faint sound of screaming reached the ears of the three on the platform. Then, the transformations became obvious as the first of the crowd affected lifted into the air, beating leathery wings that they'd not had previously.
"That looks very like Grace's demon," said Lord Derby.
Greg - I am both looking forward to the ending and dreading it... because that means there will be no more entries to enjoy. Though, obviously, you have many other stories to tell that I will enjoy almost as much :P
I am loving the dialogue you've got going between these three. And it is managing to bring a feeling of an imminent conclusion as well as being informative and interesting.
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