TheStarsAreRight:CarlNote11
CARL
“Mhm,” Carl murmurs, shifting a bit, getting settled in.
“It’s all about ritual,” he says. “There are six Principles, not one, and each has a different ritual, a different structure and history – but all have some things in common. I can tell you with some certainty just what interplay of energies in the Unity is benefited by the fulfillment of each Principle … but I cannot tell you why or when that particular Outsider came to be so important in that particular way.
“Yet they are. Their importance was recognized by others before us; and since the cycle has gone around several times within the scope of memory of observers on this planet of ours, someone, a very long time ago, documented the Principles and their rise.
“We call them the Tablets of Aelda. They turned up a few years ago in a burial mound in England, but they are very old – much older than the mound in which they were found. They describe the Principles and their courts, and something of the circumstances of each vessel’s rise. At first we thought they were prophecies, but later it became apparent that they were not. Instead, they were something more interesting; a description of the common features of the Principles, as they had risen before, created long ago for those who would come after, so that we, the readers, would be able to recognize them when they came along and know them for what they were.
“Each of the Principles shares these elements of ritual. There is a Place, and a Voice, and an Instrument of Change who is always male; there are at least two Candidates, always female; and each Candidate has her court, made up of one called her Priest and another, her Paladin. And there are the Power’s children, who will in turn be guided and transformed by the Principle when she takes up her duties.
“The Instrument, as I think you already know, undergoes his own ritual, and is infused with the essence of the Voice – in a sense, he becomes a conduit for the Voice to enter the world. The courts all gather at the Place, and the Instrument makes his choice between the Candidates. The chosen Candidate may then accept or decline the offer, though frankly, if she’s come all that way and is still standing in front of the Instrument willingly, she’s probably ready to accept the job. Once the Candidate accepts, there is a final rite in which the Instrument channels the Power into the vessel. She lies as if dead for several days; when she awakens once more, she is the Principle, and the Voice walks the Earth within her.”
He stretches, rubbing one shoulder.
“So. Compassion. We’d known about the Island Lady for some years before anyone heard of Principles or the Tablets. She was an Outsider that was imprisoned on that little island, but could still reach beyond it in limited ways – raising storms, doing the whole Siren bit to lure sailors ashore, and so on. Apparently in the 16th century a merchant ship called the Ram’s Head was wrecked there, her crew stranded for the winter. By the time they were rescued the following spring, there were only five men left. Each of those men was changed – gifted – in some way by the Lady; they and their descendants became what we called the Five Families, or simply the Islanders. A cult who worshiped the Lady, who had been given powers by Her, and who planned to merge together their bloodlines to create a perfect daughter someday, who would be a suitable vessel for the Lady when she was freed to return to the world. To us, then, just another Mythos group to be watched, and stopped if they came too close to actually freeing their alien Mistress.
“Then we found the Tablets. They spoke of the Place, an uninhabited island in a northern sea, that was both temple and cage and jail; and the jailors were in the form of serpents, who kept anyone but the Children from staying there; and spoke of the Voice as female, and her Children’s attempts at breeding the Candidates. It was a pretty obvious match; and with that in mind, the descriptions of the Candidates and their Courts could be at least partially deduced.
“We knew there would be more than one Candidate, but the description matched only one woman that we knew: my wife, Julian.” He gives you a wry look.
“Now, as for the Instrument of Change, he was pretty obvious: a man named Stefan Garnsley, one of the original Family founders who had rejected the Lady’s cult and Her plans. He’d been hiding for some time, but one of the Priests tracked him down and confronted him; he finally agreed to take up his role in return for which he would no longer be bothered by the Lady or the Family. In the end, he died during the transformation. I believe he wanted it that way.
“Garnsley came to the Island; the Five Families all came; Julian and I came with some friends; and Constance came with her court also. We’d met once or twice, but I didn’t really know her well, she was a Hollywood actress of some fame. Really, she was the ‘enemy’ candidate, as we saw it then, but she was not herself an enemy – she was excited by the thought of the Fight, and helping save the world – so long as it didn’t mean a lot of discomfort to her.
“There was a big party on the island. Julian was ill – the old King of Fate, who knew more about all this than we did, had laid traps within her as a child, in order to control her should she become the Principle. We struggled to remove those bindings, and both she and I almost died; but on the day of the choosing, we made our way to Garnsley as requested. He took one look at her, so weak she could barely stand, and chose Constance. It was just as well; Julian did not want the job and had long ago rejected the Lady – we had only come because the ritual was vital.
“He took Constance’s hands; there was … I guess you could call it lightning … that came up from the ground and out of the sky, passed through the serpent statues, shattering one, and from them into and through Garnsley. The energy flowed through him into her. She fell, limp, and was as dead for three days. Garnsley was burnt to a crisp.”
Carl swallows.
“Afterwards, when Connie woke, we became pretty good friends, and she eagerly joined with us fighting the Fight, and fortifying and restoring the ancestral home village of Bailey in Yorkshire against the coming incursions. She got married; there were power struggles within the Families, her Children; we didn’t speak for several months. Then we started hearing that she and her people were unhappy, then angry, with me for not giving them enough to do. Finally I decided to go see her, to make amends and catch her up on plans and the latest events.
“It was about then that I got a call for help from one of the Family members, Miriam – who said that Connie had gone off the deep end, had abandoned the village and her plans for the Fight, and was acting the God-Queen in her temple after having, it was said, killed her husband.
“We high-tailed it to England, the Island, and Bailey – and on the way we met you.”
There is a moment of silence.
“Does that help?”
REDLAND JACK
"Yeah, a lot of interesting stuff there. Now I have all sorts of questions. Hmmmm, what to ask first? ...
"As you're aware, I have two particular reasons to be interested in this ... reasons that (to some degree) pull in opposite directions.
"Er, let's see. If I wanted to get the ball rolling in regards to Laura's potential candidacy, would I need to assemble everyone at once? That is, you mentioned that there are always multiple candidates. Would I have to find an additional potential candidate to make this work? You also mentioned that all of the courts gather at the place. Does this mean that I would need to locate the Agent, one alternate Principle, Laura's Priest and Paladin, the alternate's Priest and Paladin, the relevant Place (somewhere in New York?), and the relevant Power in order to make this all work out?"
CARL
Carl chuckles, again a bit sadly. “Probably not,” he says. “The world pulls the right people together, if they don’t reject their role. I know, for instance, where there is an alternate Candidate for Aspiration and her Priest – they have already, knowingly, rejected the role. But they’re still out there. I don’t know the Place, though I believe it to be in or near New York City; and I don’t know who the Instrument is.
“The Instrument of Change has his own path to follow, a lonely one, and usually it is one we cannot help him with or put him on. Find the Instrument or find the Place; the other will come. The Instrument. . . .”
Carl stops dead. Turns his head to look at you – through you, really – with eyes suddenly wide and dark, for a few long seconds. Then he blinks, takes a breath, and continues, thoughtfully.
“. . . . The Instrument is himself a hybrid of sorts, touched and transformed by the Voice, the Power. Comes out of it different than he went in, not one of the Children but not a normal man.
“But there’s another factor I neglected to mention: a date to remember. The ceremony always takes place on the Candidate’s birthday. The Candidates will have the same birthday of course. Do you happen to recall Laura’s birthday? I believe it’s December 19th.”
REDLAND JACK
Redland asks, concerned, "Are you alright?"
CARL
Carl nods, with a little hint of a smile. “Fine,” he says, “just letting my imagination roam a bit.
“The names of the Court are a bit arbitrary, chosen by the fellow who did our original translation because they seemed appropriate to him.
“You have your Paladin, who has three roles. One is as a source of comfort and protection to the vessel after the transformation; one is as a tie to her humanity – to keep her from ‘being lost’ afterwards, presumably in the Voice; and the third as a sort of spokesperson, right-hand man or general to and with the Children.
“You have your Priest, whose role is more distinct. He is someone who has a deep emotional connection with the candidate before the change, but who, for whatever reason, helps her to sever all ties to her former life and turn willingly toward the new one, even though it means that whatever he had, with her, before is lost.
“And you have your Instrument. Who is not necessarily connected to any of the candidates. He starts as a man and undergoes three transformations, one physical, one emotional, and one sacral. The first ties him to the alien Voice; the second sets him at peace with his path and his role; and the third ties him to the Worldsoul, completing the “bridge” and allowing him to become a conduit for the transformation.
“I had a sudden thought just now: we have three Donals; what if someone was trying to make one man into all three roles at once? A mad thought – but in that moment it had a magnificient power.” Carl grins broadly.
“No – if you want to move ahead with Miss Laura, I’d suggest the first thing to do is to have a go at the Aelda Tablets yourself. That will tell you a lot, I think.”
REDLAND JACK
Redland smiles, "Three Donals are fine, but I say, why worry about a Priest, Paladin, and Instrument, when you have an Economist?
"Er, that is to say, I'll likely follow your suggestion to look at these tablets. Insofar as we have a process to follow (and time permitting), there's no good reason to deviate. Compassion, of course, is a different story altogether...
"I had known that all of the Principles had specific birthdates, but I hadn't realized that the ... ascension ceremony(?) ... whatever, had to take place on that specific day.
"Hmmm. For some reason, I've been assuming that Donal is the Instrument, but from your descriptions he sounds more likely to be the Priest. That would mean that finding him wouldn't do much good, at least in terms of pushing the ceremony along. It'd still be useful for other reasons."
Redland pauses for a moment.
"Er, sorry, I'm sort of going stream of consciousness here.
"Now, I get why finding the Instrument would be a sufficient condition, but why would the same hold true with the Place?"
CARL
"Well... find the Place, know the time -- be there at the right time, and if anything is going to happen, you're at the center of it all. Not exactly a sufficient condition - but not a bad way of making sure."
REDLAND JACK
"Alright, switching gears, could you tell me a little bit about the 'Children'? You've described the Islanders, and I think I know a little bit about the monks in Tibet. Is there some kind of common thread that could be teased out? If New York is the 'Place', does that mean the Children will be located in/around there?"
CARL
“I would guess so – but it’s not required. If experience is any guide, the Children will all gather there at or after the ceremony, but they might not necessarily be there in advance. For example…
Compassion: the Lady’s families gather for important holidays at the Island, but they’re not there most of the time, they were scattered around England before the event, and now they mostly live in Bailey.
Salvation: the Nightfolk were scattered all over the world. As far as I know, none of them lived at or near Niaoga, but more than half of the worldwide population gathered there for the event. Most arrived only a day or two beforehand.
Illumination: The monks were all present at the place, they literally couldn’t go anywhere else – so yes, they were always there.
Resurrection: The Children in this case were a particular set of nomadic tribesmen who wandered Egypt. The Place was the Devourer’s Lair at Abydos, and no one lived there at all before the event – it was too dangerous. They all knew to come, however, when it was time.
Those are the four Principles who have already risen. Aspiration we know less about, and Consecration almost nothing.
What we can say, however, is that the Children always seem to have a tradition that links them to the Principle, and urges them to come to the Place at the proper time. Also, there are never very many of them; 100 to 200 seems to be a common number. They are unique and distinct from the surrounding populace, but that doesn’t mean they have any ‘powers’ as such.
Does that help?”
REDLAND JACK
"Yes. Thank you. It comes to mind that I don't really know much about the Principles, other than Compassion and a bit on Salvation (that's Medea, right?). If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you be willing to give me a brief idea of what they are doing for us (or if they're, strictly speaking, 'with us' at all)? Er, what they bring to table, so to speak (or what we'd like them to be doing). Have they been with us long?"
CARL
“Of course. This could take a while though…. Let me get a glass of water.”
Carl pours himself a quick sip before sitting down again.
“Principles. I could answer your question on a number of different levels. Let me start with the original understanding, and work out from there.
“According to the Tables of Aelda, the Principles are powerful allies on the field at the time of the final battles. Each choses a King with which they ally, and the Principles and their Paladins are forces in the war – the Kings, due to their nature, “stand outside” the battle and do not, or should not, engage directly. The Principles aren’t the only forces, however – the Kings have their own, and presumably there are others unnamed – but the whole concept of the “Final Battle” is rather vague. Possibly this is because there is no single battle, but years of struggle; and possibly it’s because the concepts are poorly understood and poorly translated.
“Now there is an implication, in the translation we have, that the forces of the Kings are at odds with one another as well as with the Outside – but I believe that is at least in part due to the fact that when the translation was made, we (the ‘French team’) were fighting against the Tower folks (the ‘Spanish team’) and so, de facto, the Kings of Fate and Life were opposed. The King of the Body at that time wasn’t even on the field; he was building a private empire in China and we didn’t know he existed.
“At any rate, in that model, the anointed Children of the risen Principles each stood as soldiers in the Fight; the implication was that they were more effective or powerful than non-Children, each in their own ways, but the distinctions were not made clear in the text. So let’s move on to another angle.
“You know, already, that I believe that one way to defend the Earth is to get it to awaken and defend itself. From that perspective, the problem becomes one of awakening and then maturing the World Soul. This is true whether or not you want the World Soul to be monolithic; the awakened Unity also represents potential and energy to be used by the fighters in defending what we have.
“From this perspective, the World is seen as a person, with life and will and potential. That person, like all of us, is made up of an interweaving of the three fundamental energies – the Ponic, the Vitalic, and the Logos. Each of the Principles is closely tied to these essences. Their rising, and the anointing of their Children, strengthens and empowers the world to grow as an entity – helps bring it to life, as it were.
“It turns out that three of the Principles are what I call Primaries, in that they are closely associated with the generation and propagation of one of the three forces. These are Illumination, for Ponics; Resurrection, for Vitalics; and Consecration, for Logos. These three in turn have a natural association with one of the three Kings: Illumination, Ponics, the King of Fate; Resurrection, Vitalics, the King of Life; and Consecration, Logos, the King of the Body. Whether the Principles choose to ally themselves with the ‘natural’ King is up to them, however.
“The other three Principles, we call Secondaries, but that does not mean they are in any way lesser; these positions and their Children are integrative forces, receiving strength in one spectrum from the world and feeding the world back in another. Through these positions, the three primal forces are woven together into the Unity and connected through the physical world in what we all live, so that the resulting organism is bound into a healthy whole. The Fae, for instance – the Children of Salvation – stand between Vitalics and Ponics. They are supported by the world’s Vitalics – life force – but their senses collect and return Ponic impressions to the whole. In the same way—now let me see, I haven’t thought about this in a while -- the children of Compassion, the Islanders, receive from the Logos and give to the Vitalic, while the Children of Aspiration, whomever they may be when anointed, are given from the Ponic and give to the Logos.
“It’s rather hard to explain this concisely, but I hope you get the general notion.
“Now, none of this really answers your question, which was what we’d like them to be doing. The short answer is, being out there, involved in the world and the Fight, and thus feeding the awakening world. But that’s not enough; they represent hundreds of potential allies in a half-defended world. So in addition to all this, we need them to be strong and willing arms to defend the land where its protections are weak – and to do so in a way that fits naturally with their own strengths. Thus my hope that the Islanders would fortify the British Isles, their home, and the Fae take a stand to be soldiers where they are needed. The Children of Illumination can be, literally, called forth by their lady where and when needed; the Children of Resurrection we have not so far called upon. I keep planning to get down to Egypt and meet with them but things keep getting in the way.
“Does this help?”
REDLAND JACK
"Hmmm. A few different implications here. First, can the Islanders still be a significant force, even absent the Principle/Power? Similarly, with the Paladin of Compassion (if he's still okay / friendly).
"Insofar as we're not very far along with Aspiration and Consecration, is it worth pursuing these angles. For instance, we're shot for another year on Aspiration, since there's no chance we can hit the June deadline for this year. Since we haven't made any progress on Consecration (well, that I know about... was the King of Fate going to look into that?), it seems unlikely that we'll be able to put anything together by, er, December? With the major incursion coming in New York at the end of this year, will that, pretty much, be the end of preparation or can we string this thing out a bit longer? Even if we don't manage to put the Principle together with the Power for Aspiration and Consecration (and Compassion, I suppose), would there be value to locating the Children?
"Do we have a sense of which way the different Principles will lean when push comes to shove? I assume Compassion was with the King of Life, until the latest setback. Do you know how the other three sit? I'd guess Egypt would lean towards the King of the Body, and it seems like Salvation is moving your way. I don't know much of anything about Illumination. If we were all united, it would matter less, of course, but even then, assuming victory, there'd be a battle to 'allocate the spoils'.
"Does it seem reasonable to you, given our time constraints, that we look into ways to utilize shortcuts for these last two to three Principles. That is, see if we can ignore the 'specific time' component and whatever portion of the 'court' that we can't secure, and just push together the Principle and the Power, gather up the Children, and see what happens?"
CARL
Carl waits for a moment before answering.
“Compassion is a mess, Jack. The Voice is once again imprisoned, and the Paladin is dead. He killed the previous King of the Body, took his crown … went mad … and was assassinated in turn by Auda. Who took the Kingship from him.” Carl looks up, stares wearily at you. “With my knowledge and compliance; you need to know that. So – yes – the Islanders are a bit of a mess. Even before all that, Eric – that was his name – had pulled somewhat apart from them. He founded his own little group composed of Family members who stripped themselves away from the Lady’s influence and left Constance’s following.” Carl sighs.
“Nevertheless, I believe the Islanders can still be a powerful ally, and can do a lot to help us. If they will. Their current leader is Cedra Foundry, who led the Families before Constance came along. She is willing to work with us, but is proud and independent.
“As to whether Consecration and Aspiration ought to be raised, well. Frankly, anyone with the power and influence of a Principle is good to have on your side; so if they arise, I want to find them. Can they do so in time to do any good? Well, I believe it’s probably too late to bring the Principles together to raise the World Soul in time to stop the upcoming troubles – but given that the troubles will probably last for years, even latecomers will be desperately needed. I wouldn’t give up on them at all.
“As to who will side with whom … The Islanders have no Principle, they’ll side with whomever Cedra says. She’s had dealings with both Auda and me but doesn’t really ‘lean’ to any particular side. Likewise the Fae; Medea is friendly to both Theo and me but there is no formal alliance with her or her Children – they’re very much a rising independent power, which is as it should be if we’re going to balkanize the Unity. I like to think we are on the same side. Certainly there’s no conflict so long as Theo and I aren’t at odds. Right now that does not seem likely.
“Illumination … Amanda was a dear friend and ally for a while. Now she is travelling with the King of Fate and has taken a Fae lover. I don’t think that changes her allegiance, but it certainly broadens her perspective.” He grins. “The Principle of Resurrection is a longtime Farquellian, and would side with me, I think, if push came to shove. Her Children would probably do as she directed – but Auda also has strong ties among them, and would be a natural leader for them should they take the field.
“So you see, it’s all muddled. Life isn’t so simple as to fit Team A with King B.” He shrugs.
“On the other hand – we have some opportunities now that we didn’t have before. When Alex Chase translated the original Tablets four years ago, we had only three of the four in our possession. We now have the fourth one – which contains commentary on the last two Principles, and a description of the ‘final battle’ from two Cycles ago -- but it has not been translated. I should be quite interested to know what’s written there.”
REDLAND JACK
Jack appears to be more animated than you have seen for some time.
"It kind of sounds like all four might drift your way. Though I guess this isn't necessarily surprising, since, despite Fate's solid structure, you've been 'around' longer.
"With Compassion it seems as though we're down to the Children. Er, earlier, you mentioned that the Paladin will take the field (or something like that). Is the same not true of the Priest?
"When you mention that, uh, 'there's no conflict as long as your guys aren't at odds. At this time that doesn't seem likely,' do you mean that you think you will be, roughly, on the same side, going forward? Because I could see that relationship going either way...
"Where are these tablets now? Who's doing the translations? Do we know how long it will be before the final table is translated."
CARL
"The tablets -- all four -- are, I believe, at Wisphers now. The fourth tablet was in the Spanish Tower; Tony Grimaldi found it there when Theo went in to take charge. It hasn't been translated because the fellow who did the first three is no longer active in the field. He has retired to his home in the US. I know he'd be delighted to complete the set, but somehow we've not ever given him rubbings of the fourth -- and shipping the original is out of the question.
"I don't know how long it would take him to do the work either. Or whether someone else might do it quicker. The text is becoming more familiar to us -- heck, even I understand some of it nowadays, though I am far from expert! -- and so there might be someone else who could do the work if Alex could not. He is the one I would turn to first, however.
"As to your other questions... hm. Theo and I started out on the same side, working for the same man and guided by the same principles. His venture into the Spanish camp has changed him quite a bit -- but I believe that he still wants the same ends that I do. Where we differ -- well, that's twofold. One, he is far more inclined to find outright military solutions than I am, and has fewer scruples about doing whatever is expedient to get the job done. And two -- many of the problems we face now arise because, in the previous cycle, the then-King of Fate murdered the other two Kings, or prevented them from coming to power, and negotiated a treaty with one or more Outsiders, possibly including the Dark Pharaoh, that superficially resembles the Pentheus solution. Part of that King's works involved stifling the Worldsoul and diminishing the natural flows of energy, because both the King of Life and the Body benefit from a vital Unity more than Fate does. The result was a world very heavily biased toward Fate's hand. This time around, however, events have allowed me, as Life, to grow faster in my position than the other two -- and Theo is more than a little concerned that I will act to grow things in my favor, creating a world that is biased toward the King of Life. In fact, I don't want to do that -- but it is sometimes hard to keep from acting, when I know that I *can* act and help benefit us all -- if I am willing to tip the balance my way a little more." He smiles wryly.
"Now, you asked about the Priests. According to the texts, the role of the Priest is to help the candidate become the Principle, by helping her cut all ties to her former life -- including any close connection with the Priest himself. They may *have* a connection afterwards -- but it will be a new one, and probably not the close one they shared before. I don't think there is anything to stop the Priest from taking a dab hand in things afterwards -- but that is not part of his role. If he does so, it is incidental to his prior status.
"Or so I have come to believe."
REDLAND JACK
"Now, we've talked about it a little bit, but one thing I'm still a bit hazy on, are the exact 'powers' possessed by the Principles."
He continues hesitantly, "I believe that Aspiration can sort of bend reality or something like that, and Compassion may have had some empathic power? Do their names give a sense of their abilities? Do they have a wide swath of powers?"
CARL
“I’d say,” he replies, considering, “that the largest power each of the Principles has is their dominion over their Children. Aside from that, they vary, though mostly they have the same qualities as their purified Children do. For example …
“The Island Lady had all the gifts she bestowed upon her Children: Empathy; Glamour; a form of limited prophecy; the ability to see and find and influence her Children wherever they might go; and a sort of psychic attack that could easily kill a man. Connie herself never used any of them but the first two, that I know of – but they were there.
“Medea, the Dark Queen, has no particular powers other than those of the Fae – or if she does, we’ve never seen them. But to the Fae, her every word and gesture is compelling.
“Aspiration, as you say, ought to be able to bend reality in some way. We have seen hints of this in Laura, and also in Dacia, the earlier candidate; but in both cases the women seem more at the mercy of things rather than in control of them. And we don’t know the Children at all.
“Elise, for Resurrection, is a primary Principle, and it shows. She has a strong connection to the Vitalic source. She can see the energies and the connections, and she can raise life in the land, heal, even restore the dead and dying to life.
“Amanda, for Illumination, ought to be just as potent in her way, but I saw little evidence of it when we last met. She shows some ability to perceive and interpret patterns, but not much more that I saw. Perhaps she’s grown since; perhaps she just needs to practice. I don’t know.
“Consecration, as the Logos Primary, ought to be the strongest of all, the Principle of Fundamental Identity. And we don’t know a thing about her.”
REDLAND JACK
"Do you know if the King of Fate has pursued inquiries into Consecration? Have the Principles ever been an interet of his?
"It seems to me, that, perhaps, the easiest way to pick up a large number of (potential) allies, would be to put the Principles together with the Powers. I haven't been doing this nearly as long as you have, and I always have a ton of things I'd like to look into, but I can't find the time. Once we deal with our issues here in Russia, I would think that one of two courses of action might prove most valuable:
"1) Dedicate ourselves to tracking down the various people/entities associated with Consecration (or, what I'd prefer, all of the relevant people associated with Aspiration) so that we can secure several hundred people who will help us with the times ahead or
"2) Return to one of the known Principles and start sending people off on missions. I understand that none of these people are lackeys who take orders from you, but Constance and her Children were looking for things to do, and similarly, I believe, with Medea's people. The Children of Abydos are probably the same. Maybe they could help us track down the relevant Consecration, Aspiration, and maybe even Compassion people, as well as any number of other tasks. Most of the stuff I want to do doesn't really require me to be there (Only stuff related to actually speaking to Outsiders, probably)."
CARL
“I agree. In fact, the business with the Fae in Los Angeles and New York was exactly that; we were positioning them in the field where they will be needed in October, and giving them a power base to work from. It’s ongoing; and I really feel like I ought to be there now.
“Come to think of it, that’s my response to most of your suggestions. The recruitment, the diplomatic meetings, I ought to be the one making them, don’t you think? For all that we’ve talked about you negotiating for me with the Outside, you don’t really see yourself as the King’s Herald, do you?”
Carl smiles.
“The Islanders need to stand ready to defend England. They already have the ability and some experience, with a big incursion right outside Bailey last year. Cedra will probably agree, especially since it will help secure her own power base. And we can help her, without restricting her, by providing her with knowledge and material, such as weapons, to support that mission.
“So, the Fae are already launched; the Islanders can be launched; the monks of Illumination are in Amanda’s hands; that leaves the Children of Resurrection. You’re right, they do need to be recruited and prepared – though they are people of action, and there’s not much sense in bringing them out if we don’t have something to throw them at. I rather thought that Auda would take a hand there, since he has a history with them; but since he seems to prefer to be a loose cannon, we can do it ourselves. The thing to do, then, is to meet with Elise Stanton, the Principle. Last I heard she was in Barcelona, though she moves around quite a bit. I can find her if need be. Egypt is pretty well defended, so we can aim them elsewhere if they agree. Do you suppose the Brotherhood is a good target? “ He blinks.
“Now, as for Aspiration and Consecration. Someone needs to go back to Wisphers and take rubbings of the tables, then take them to Alex Chase in Atlanta. Since Miss Laura is at Wisphers, perhaps she could come along.” He gets a slightly sly expression. “It might be interesting to see what came out of a meeting between her and another Aspiration candidate – one who has apparently rejected the position. She is in Washington DC.
“More information about Aspiration *and* Consecration will probably come out of the new translation, so there’s no use beating random bushes right away. We have more than enough to keep us busy, don’t you think?”
REDLAND JACK
"Yeah, insofar as I possess zero inherent (or even derived!) authority, it would probably be a better idea for you to engage in activities that require (in large capacity) a 'leader'. You should both command (much) more respect and, obviously, have a better idea of how you want to imlement your plans. I have plenty of activities that I wouldn't mind people assisting me on, but the question would probably arise: Why should I help you?
"I assuredly can't argue with the Islanders defending England... what more important task could there be?! Heck, I suppose I'd be okay if they wanted to defend all of the U.K... well, maybe...
"With the Brotherhood, well, you know that I'm disinclined to assume hostility before I've had a chance to chat. However, with what I've been told of this group, if the only options are either neutralizing them in some fashion or allowing them to remain unchecked, the former seems the wiser course. I'd rather engage, but with time pressing, their (alleged) current activities appear more likely to endanger the world than protect it.
"Can you contact Elise through telepathy? I'm never quite sure who we can reach this way. As an aside, my group of telepathic contacts is pretty short: Rebecca, you, Henrik, Stewart, King of Fate, John Elwar, and maybe Boris. That's the complete list (as far as I can remember).
"I very much would like to travel to Atlanta/Washington D.C. That puts me very near the places I most want to go. It being a mission that could help Laura, makes it all the better. That is pretty much my top priority right now, as you could probably guess with my obsession with Donal. Hmmm. I wonder if the emissary has already been sent by the Tsarina. If we can finish up this business at the dead spot quickly, perhaps we can make it back in time to assist in that matter, since it would be in roughly the same direction...
"Oh. One thing to note, on the downside, is that Laura might not be up to leaving Wisphers. At least if her last letter to me still holds. If we're hitting Wisphers, anyway, though, it wouldn't hurt to check. I just want to make sure that she doesn't feel pressured into doing anything...
"You are correct, though, that if the tablet will provide information, with all we have to do, it doesn't make much sense to undertake potentially duplicative effort.
"I suppose we shouldn't get too far ahead of ourselves, though. Who knows what we'll find at the dead spot. And who knows what the rest of our companions will want to do..."
CARL
“Elise? Yes, I can reach her that way; she is an old friend…. What places do you mean, that you most want to go? And – you’ve been getting letters from Miss Laura? What does she say? Is something wrong?” Carl looks concerned.
REDLAND JACK
"I've been writing to her (not too frequently), probably since we first brought her to France. Just checking in, making sure she's okay, letting her know how things are going in the Donal search, etc. You saw a piece of one of the letters she sent me. You know, the one about the 'itsy, bitsy spider'. She's been doing fine, she's just trying to adjust to her new world, while trying to recover her past. Her friends think that being in a controlled environment is helping her.
"In regards to where I want to go. I badly want to get back to New York (and, I must confess, Los Angeles) ... for any number of reasons."
CARL
“Then you should.” Carl nods. “I need to go back to New York as well; but I cannot just drop everything and so I don’t know when it will happen.”
REDLAND JACK
"I can wait if need be... well, probably. I always say I'm not going to go off on my own and do something stupid, and then, behold! Stupidity... But I can hold off for awhile. I know we'll be back there before the incursion, so I just need to display a little patience. That being said, if I can nudge things along and get us there quicker, well, all the better."
CARL
“I understand”, Carl replies quietly. He sits for a few moments, thinking, while the train rolls along.
“It all depends upon what we find at the dead spot,” he says at last. “If it’s of one of the, ah, infection types, then we will have to clean it as best we can. If it is a conjunction,” he grimaces, “a nascent doorway or ‘Place of Birth’, we have a bigger dilemma on our hands.
“On the one hand, we can fortify it, make it safer for now; on the other, such a place will be yet another inviting open wound for things from Outside. And no matter how strongly you fortify, there is always something bigger than your walls out there.
“If it is a Place of Birth, we need to have the Tsar involved, actively, both by turning the Land’s attention to the place, and by calling up the army to defend it when the time comes.”
REDLAND JACK
"Let me see if I understand this correctly. An infection type would be something like what we found in the desert back in the United States. It's an area that has been ... profaned ... either by a group like the BotB or possibly an Outsider?
"On the other hand, a conjuction refers to a specific pattern of leylines?
"If it's an infection type, we'll swoop in, clean it up, and then get the Hades out of Russia. Whereas, if it's a Place of Birth, we'll get ahold of the Tsar, he'll swoop in, clean it up, and the we'll get the Hades out of Russia?"
CARL
Carl laughs. "You make it sound so easy," he agrees. "But yes, that's something to be hoped for at any rate. Unless you wanted to try some negotiating on the spot; it's not a bad place to call out And unless there's something already there waiting for us. Which is what happened last time I went into one of these." He shakes his head.
REDLAND JACK
"Sounds like it didn't go too well last time... Well, if there is somebody waiting for us, I'd be happy to chat with them. It may just be that they recognize a chump when they see one, but I've had pretty good luck with these guys, so far."
Jack ponders for a moment.
"You know, I was wondering if, in addition to the Principle of Illumination, it'd make sense to contact the King of the Body and the King of Fate. Even though we're planning to gain some knowledge from the last tablet, I'd be interested to see if the King of Fate has made any progress on Consecration. My understanding is that we'd split up investigating the remaining two Principles and they'd selected Consecration.
"And, much as I dislike him, if we're thinking about mobilizing people from Egypt, it might be polite to inform the King of the Body. Heck, maybe we can talk him into meeting Henrik and Rebecca in Vienna...
"Of course, even if you think that's a good idea, there's no hurry on it. After all, we still have a mission to accomplish for the Tsarina."
CARL
“Of course. But your point is well taken. Auda we can reach fairly easily if need be, and I have Theo’s signature too, though speaking to him mind-to-mind is … uncomfortable for me. I don’t recall any particular decision to ‘split up’ research on the Principles though; where did you hear that?”
REDLAND JACK
"This would have taken place, what, about four months ago? That is, when the Fate and the Life people got together to discuss how we all wanted to proceed. Henrik had that vision of Laura in the asylum. If I recall correctly, we also had a touch of information about the Principle of Consecration. It may have just been an indication of her nationality, I believe eastern European. The Life group decided to find Laura and then go to Tibet. I had thought that the Fate crew had determined to look into the issue of Consecration. I may, of course, be remembering this all incorrectly.
"Although I have a really bad feeling about the guy (I like the Outisders I've met more than him), if you didn't want to contact the King of Fate, I'd be willing to give it a go."
CARL
“Hmm. Perhaps they did – though I don’t recall being part of that conversation.
“Personally, I’d recommend staying away from the King of Fate if you don’t have to be involved with him. Contacting him mind-to-mind gives him your signature forever; and he can manipulate you directly if he knows it, without your knowledge or permission.” Carl grimaces. “Not that I like to think he would – but he’s done so in the past. In fact that’s one significant reason for me to do the calling; the Kings cannot directly interfere with one another.
“Tell you what? Let me try to get in touch with Tony Grimaldi. He’s my General, though he’s traveling with Theo; I should be able to reach him easily and get a heads-up on what they’ve learned.”
REDLAND JACK
"Okay. That sounds good. Sadly, however, I've already talked to the King of Fate once using telepathy, so he already has my signature. Anything I can do to defend myself from manipulation? My main strategy to that end, so far, has been to remain beneath his notice.
"That's probably a good idea to go through Mr. Grimaldi. Insofar as he's your general, it might be good to catch up with him, regardless."
CARL
“Ah well. I don’t mean to speak against Theo, he was once a dear friend. We just have so many differences nowadays. As for laying low, well, that’s what Boris does too, have you noticed?
“I’ll ring Tony up tonight, assuming he’s reachable.”
REDLAND JACK
"Well, I'm feeling a bit tired. I think I'm going to try to take a brief nap. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. I may have more questions later, if you're up for it."
CARL
“Of course! I’ll see what I can get from Tony in the meantime.”
