Let me tell you about our Field Trip:

Wednesday May 1, 2013 or 5 Jux 45 if you may…

The bulletin posted on the monitor read, “All those interested in a visit to Elysium be in the foyer at 15:55. - Cordelia”

I put on my socks and steel capped sneakers, pick up my leather jacket and step into the corridor to head down stairs when I notice Jason and Akio in the hallway. They’re both scurrying towards the foyer carrying weapons. I’m particularly stunned by what appears to be some sort of high tech rifle in Jason’s duffle bag. He mumbles: "No swords for me... Oversized butter cutters!".

"Hey, Guys... Did someone declare war?" I shout after them…

They both tell me that it’s SOP for any field trip. "Okay, Don't leave without me."

My Sgian Dubh is already in my right stocking, Multi-tool on my belt, but I have to go back into my room to retrieve my Dirk. I strap it to my belt and sprint to the Foyer where the group is assembling; including both of the large dogs, Mikato and Choki.

Cordelia has her Sword and Trump deck with her. The Trump Power glaring from the Trumps and her sword sting my eyes and make the nerves in my teeth jangle.

Natsuki and Cormac arrive behind me and Cordelia says, "I'm going to open a gate.. Mikato and Choki will go through first. The rest of you follow as quickly as possible please. Holding these gates open is exceeding taxing even for me so I would appreciate the expediency."

I stand back a bit, figuring I can bring up the rear by making a last moment dash through the Portal.

Akio suggests, "Perhaps Alarna should go after Jo, with Edward behind to assist if needed. I'll go through last. If we're quick we should be able to all go through in five seconds or so."

Alarna takes a step back, "Maybe it's best I stay behind. This will be a might too taxing, I think. Have fun, Everyone."

"Oh, sorry Alarna. It's sort of like plunging into ice water. It's a painful shock to the system but the relief you feel when you come out is euphoric." Damn! Maybe I am a masochist?

Cordelia pulls a Trump card from her deck and concentrates on it. A portal forms and the two dogs jump through it, followed by Cathal and Natsuki. Fatima waves farewell to Alarna as she steps through the Portal.

"Be back soon… I'll send a postcard..." Edward tells Alarna. The familiarity between the two feels somewhat more than familial, if you know what I mean.

The remainder of us go single file, Jason, Cormac, Akio, and I, with Cordelia last.

We all arrive in the huge bailey of an ancient castle. The walls and giant towers are stone with large wood buildings beside. One of the towers is topped with a huge prismatic blue pentagon. Stabbing through the sky is a light sucking spear of darkness whose tip stops just shy of the pentagon. 

Nearby, there are armed and armoured guards lowering their weapons as four people approach our group. 

Wow! This is so cool. I wish I had brought my archery gear. I could fit in around here…

We’re all looking around our surroundings in apparent wonder and Fatima says something that sounds like, “A football?” Which sounds like an odd thing to say.

A woman wearing an old fashioned dress embraces Cordelia who says, "Madison let me introduce you to a few new family members:

• Takimoto Akio
• Catlin Josephs
• Jason Talon
• Fatima Fakir
• Edward Pinmillion
• Cathal O'Donoghue
• Hashimoto Natsuki

Everyone, can I introduce:

• Her Majesty Madison Ballentine Queen of Elysium, Queen of Phehemony, and Baroness of the Ice Edge.
• Isla Jintaro, Presider of Arunkadia, Magista of the Jintaro Mercanti
• Gabriel Barwicke, Former Ships Captain
• Scott Herbert, Former General of Hatzukani."

We all awkwardly bow when we are introduced and I wonder how Gabriel could be a ‘Former’ Ships Captain.

Cordelia and Madison talk softly for a moment, then Cordelia says, "Madison is your mother available?"

"I believe so, would you like me to check?".

"Please, that would be really useful. If she is; can she fetch everyone in the manner in which we were fetched at the start of the Rodian War."

"I think that can be arranged. You'll need to give me a few minutes"

Madison and her entourage turn and walk towards a large wooden building with Mikato and Choki following them while we remain standing in the bailey.

"That sounds a bit ominous..." Edward says to the group

"Strap our butts into a trebuchet and fling us into space... Could be fun." I joke as we wait for the unknown.

I feel a nervous energy from my cousins as we silently continue to look around our surroundings while we wait to be ‘fetched’.

Looking up at the blue prism I see a smoky black mass writhing out of its face. It forms into tendrils that reach for us. What an incredible multi-tendriled creature I think as I blurt out, "Holy Cthulhu, Batman!"

I try to sift through the swirling emotions around me and feel a collective sense of Disquiet and Dread.

The smoky tendrils that reach towards us are flecked through in midnight blue, dark purple, and a rich burgundy red.

Jason asks, "What, is That?" as he points at the smoky masses reaching for us.

Cordelia replies, "In the current context nothing to worry about, in other situations something you should be exceptionally worried about if you encounter it."

Fatima asks Cordelia, "So we shouldn't be running away right now?"

"If you were facing a Logrus wielder and you had the Pattern prepared you could try and run, or if you had it prepared as a shield you could risk standing your ground and hope you're stronger than your adversary, but usually the only way out would be a place trump and ideally an instantly activating one. Against the Logrus itself even that may not work. So you can try running if you want.."

Akio, "So this is the Logrus. Is it being used for some defensive purpose?"

"No, this is the Logrus counterpart to the Carnelian Pattern, and it can defend itself if necessary. Any Logrus master can use the Logrus both Defensively and Aggressively, in that respect it has advantages over the Pattern."

What an odd sensation: It's as though time has stopped and everything has frozen… 

Consider Cordelia's words. This Logrus is not an immediate threat, although it could be under other circumstances. The incredible and incomprehensible intelligence of cephalopods… To think that this Logrus is somehow a manifestation or extension of a person. (Or vice versa?) The person is a relation… Cousin... No. Aunt? Was I following the Genealogy properly? I reach upwards with both arms in order to warmly embrace my Aunt's approaching tendril.

Fatima, somewhat to herself, "I'm feeling less and less like this is a safe lifestyle."

Louder, to Cordelia, "Is ‘It’ alive? Does ‘It’ think? Should we not be more worried that it's reaching out at us? What would a touch to the 'uninitiated' do? Your words so far have been less than reassuring, in a rather coldly flat way that makes it feel to me as if you don't really care if we survive or not. But seeing as we're here, you want something. A reaction? Well, this is mine." She crosses her arms and frowns slightly.

Edward responds to Fatima as the tendrils wrap around us and lift us towards the prismatic blue pentagon atop the tower, "I'm sure we will be fine… If she wanted us dead, we obviously already would be. Try to think of this as a big crazy adventure...."

We’re drawn up into the air and carried to the translucent blue wall of the prismatic pentagon and I flinch as we pass through it. We are deposited on a terrace beside a building which is to one side of the five sides within the Pentagon. The terrace is furnished with sofas and tables where Madison awaits us.

In the middle of the pentagon is a dais which is inscribed with a pentagram within concentric circles that are inscribed with various symbols and script. Within that, the smoky entity shrinks and solidifies into a brunette bombshell dressed in a form fitting green dress.

Wow, my Mom and Aunt Cait are good looking Women, but Aunt Agnetha is a certified Bettie Page pin-up bombshell…

Each of the other four walls appear to be giant grainy video monitors depicting various locals.

Cordelia approaches the woman in the green dress and gives her a hug then says to the rest of us, "May I introduce the Living Logrus, Agnetha." As they walk back to the terrace.

Agnetha greets us, "Please make yourselves at home. I'm sure you all have questions you'd like answers to." She then waves her hands and a variety of foods and refreshments appear on the tables.

Akio bows, "Takimoto Akio to moshimasu. Yoroshiku, onegai shimasu.”

We all follow Akio’s lead and bow.

I think to myself that she’s not the matron I was expecting…

Fatima stumbles slightly and puts a hand to her head. I lunge towards Fatima as she swoons and I try to catch her awkwardly. I grabbed her shoulders while Jason reached out to catch her too.

"Sorry, I thought you were falling." Embarrassed, I let go and back away.

"I'll be fine. It's just a lot in quick succession." She says.

Grinning, I say to Jason, "We're not in Kansas anymore."

He grins back at me and laughingly says, "No, No we are not!"

Akio jokes, "Jo, did you ever get an answer about bringing your three Totos?"

I nod a sort of yes/no to Akio.

Agnetha strikes right to the heart of things, "So no questions? You've all been plucked from your mundane existence, told you're not who you thought you were, transported across a myriad of shadows, the underlying substance of which you been told is broken, picked up by a Logrus tendril, hauled through the face of a crystal tower, seen a writhing mass of tentacles transform, and not one of you has a single question?"

Fatima launches into a litany, "I would like to say we threw all our questions away with Cordelia. What more could you say that she hasn't already? If we only had recorded our previous conversations for your review." She appears recovered from her earlier 'faint', arms now akimbo. "It is quite near to what you say, yes. Some of us are rather more mundane than others, having less knowledge of, eh, ‘Shadows’ or ‘Patterns’. These things have been cursorily explained, but apparently true understanding takes time, and the actual introduction to that understanding is to ‘walk The Pattern’. Were I more well read, I might quote Arthur Dent and point at the pentagram and yell ‘What the hell is that!’ But I've never read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I've no idea what a Vogon Construction Fleet is, and I certainly," now arms out indicating everything around her, "don't know what the hell all this is!" She takes a breath. "Is this how I am to react? I don't like it."

Jason smiles, then replies. "For me at least, I have a Billion questions, where to begin? For example...." Jason takes a deep breath, "Who am I? Who are You? Are we related? How are we related? How does Logrus work? How does Pattern work? Who was my Father? Who was YOUR father? How does Trump work? Why am I here? Why are YOU here? How is Shadow broken? How can we fix it? What is the substance of shadow? What is the chemical composition of the face of this tower? How did we pass through a visually solid crystal? What is Faith? What is Trust? Who do we Trust? And so on, ad infinitum!" Shaking off his shortness of breath after that demonstration... He indicates Fatima and the rest of the group.

"We all have questions. We all have troubles. We all have a certain lack of information. Even if you could snap your fingers and we would ALL understand how the universe works, and our place in it... OTHER questions would then arise. I am content to wait for relevant information to be presented...not innundate you and the others with endless requests for irrelevant, or at least less relevant information."

Agnetha, "I'll start by addressing a couple of your points, Fatima. There is no definition of how to react in any given circumstance, each person will react in their own way, so how you react is a very personal thing. Learning to be yourself can actually be very difficult if you've been conditioned to adhere to a set of constraints you see do not exist elsewhere and which you therefore take issue with. You're not alone in this regard.”

“Since I have no knowledge of what Cordelia has told you or what you've asked her, I can't judge to what degree your questions either have or haven't been answered. I know at least one of the Choasites amongst you has serious issues with the Logrus, at least the one that forms the centre of the Courts of Chaos.”

“If you haven't noticed, I'm not Cordelia. I'm also considerably older than she is and have a different perspective on, at least some of the family, and historical events than anything she may have experienced more recently. That is not to say her opinions are necessarily incorrect, just that because I lived through them I may have a different view.”

“I've also never heard of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy so can't comment on anything in relation to that, nor to whomever this Arthur Dent is, not as to what a Vogon Constructor Fleet maybe.”

“As to the pentagram, since you have a basic understanding of magic I would have thought you may have had a basic understanding of pentagrams, although they are more in the realm of certain facets of conjuration than anything else. At their very basic level, when properly constructed and energized they act as wards.”

“Cordelia is correct in that a true understanding of Shadow takes time. The more of it you travel and study, the greater your understanding will be. Until you can both traverse it and analyze it you can't understand it, and whilst for all of you acquiring a Pattern Imprint will be the fastest means of achieving this, for two of you there is an alternative. Unfortunately for you Jason, this doesn't apply to you as you don't have the relevant genetics to allow you to pursue that route. There is possibly another route but from my understanding that carries a heavy price.”

“Since none of you can currently traverse or analyze Shadow, even attempting to explain the manner in which it is broken to you is futile, as you all lack the relevant references for the explanation to make any sense. You will just have to take it on faith that Shadow is broken, and I know far more about it than Cordelia does, by virtue of 

“As to how Shadow can be fixed, you can't solve a problem until you can analyze it, and to do that somebody, somehow, has to get to Amber, and find out what happened to the Pattern, as the current state of affairs was the result of Imleshe's attempt to fix the Pattern. As to how that, as in getting to Amber, can be done, even I currently have no idea. Leaving aside the intricacies and issues regarding Shadow and returning to the Family, I have no more idea about who your father is Jason than you do, unless of course you have any memories of him, in which case allowing either Cordelia or myself to read those memories should allow us to identify him. Since you all have the Amber genetic marker in your auras, my relation to you would be that of an Aunt as far as things go, and since Cordelia went through the family Trump album you know who my father is. Understanding anything, whether it be Trump, or the various forms of Magic, or the Pattern, or the Logrus, requires three things: time, effort, and study. If you want to know how Trump works then talk to people who can use it and get them to explain it. Since both Alarna and Catlin can use it, at least at a very basic level, if I were you and wanted to understand Trump I'd perhaps start there, although I believe a lesson in the basics of Trump use is on your agendas.”

I ask, "The information I, erm... we've gleaned so far has been a bit scattershot. For myself, I figure the best approach would be to start from the beginning. Like three or four millennia ago; But I understand that's a long story that we don't have time for at the moment. So I'm just going with the flow at the moment. Seems, if we all have the potential to live that long, there's plenty of time to live and learn. The one question I do have is in regards to the fonts of power. There's Pattern and Logrus. Is there a Font of Trump Power? Or other elemental fonts?"

Agnetha, "If you want to go that far back then you'll need to talk to Xavier, although Tiberius may be able to shed some light. But all that happened then is very much history and most has little to no relevance in respect of what the future may hold. In most cases you can't resurrect the dead. To answer your other question, there are several True powers, and a number of minor forms of which magic is one. One form of magic, Sorcery, allows access to the array of elemental planes, although there is one place in Shadow where some of them manifest for reasons as yet unfathomed, although Dworkin may have come to some level of understanding in that regard, it was always difficult to know with Dworkin. As to whether there is a Font of Trump power I have no idea, Trump was not an area I chose to pursue studies in."

"Thank You Agnetha. I'd also like a second opinion on something. I suggested to Cordelia that there is a polarity between Logrus and Pattern. It appears to me that there was the original Chaos Logrus balanced by the Amber Pattern. Then, if I was following the course of events properly: The creation of the Carnelian Pattern somehow precipitated your Logrus. Polar opposites that balance each other. So, it just occurred to me that the route to Amber lies through Chaos.”

"Even if your logic holds true, not that I know one way or another whether it does, the Courts are as equally inaccessible as Amber currently. From a more interesting perspective, since Carnelian is inaccessible through Shadow, and other inaccessible Shadow locations are also blocked to Trump, then it shouldn't be possible to cross from there to here via Trump but it is."

I continue, “What I just recently learned about the devastation and collateral damage that happened to my Earth was caused by the Rodian War. Specifically, the North and South Poles were split. For a brief time, it was feared that the planet was going to split in half. It didn't get that bad but global navigation was totally destroyed for a while and everything had to be relearned and recalibrated because everything had moved. The old 'You can't get there from here.' So you have to take the long way around. All the shortcuts have been destroyed. Everything is still out there but just in a different place... That's my intuitive answer… I love this metaphysical stuff. Oh, and… The part about something not being possible, but is. That pretty much defines my portals, erm, Trumps. My best ones are the ones that are filled with the greatest amount of… I'm not sure what to call it. Passion. Desire. Love."

Cathal, "So I do have some questions. I'm making the assumption that the black writing mass and tentacles thing is the Logrus or a Logrus. You've indicated that only 2 of us have the genetics to make us of the Logrus in some manner, but you've not indicated how that is done. My mother assayed the Logrus at the Courts, although I have no real idea exactly what that means. And lastly, if you're a Logrus, what's the difference between you and the one at the Courts."

"Your assumption is correct Cathal, the Logrus is just an entropic mass. The difference between myself and the Lorgus at the Courts is how and when they were created, the degree of correlation between its intelligence and that of the controlling entity, and along with that the degree of understanding of its place in reality, and by that I mean not just Shadow, but everything including shadow, and potentially most significantly in who says who is eligible or not to assay the Logrus. In collecting you, had you been ready, you would have felt the drive to merge your form into the tendril. The trick then is to retain sufficient self identity to be able to then extract yourself from the mass and reform your body, thereby causing you to be ejected. Of the two of you with Chaosite heritage you are marginally further along the path to even begin contemplating the feat since you have control over your ability to either enter or resist entering your primal form. Until you can fluidly transform your body to any form required, growing and absorbing extra body parts, shifting the position of your internal organs and generating and discarding addition ones, adapting your aura to blend with that of you surroundings, and rapidly healing yourself, you will not be in a position to make the attempt."

I query, "So, has anyone ever gotten through on brute strength and willpower without the polymorph ability? Or discovered their latent polymorph ability during the ordeal?"

"How do you merge yourself with something amorphous using brute strength?”

"Brute Strength AND Willpower. Force AND Determination. I don't know. Just splitting hairs on what is impossible versus what's improbable. That's why I'm asking you."

“The ability to change form is not limited to Choasites, but they are the only ones so far who've demonstrated the necessary capability to attempt the assay of the Logrus."

Akio, “Your Grace Aunt Agnetha, you've said that two of us are of Chaosite heritage. I'll not ask you to disclose who they are. That would be very rude in regard to their privacy. So, I'd like to only ask, am I one of them or not?”

I say to Akio and Agnetha, "From what I understand, We're all from Chaosian stock but the polymorph ability is latent or has been bred out of us. Perhaps if the ability lays dormant, there's a way to awaken it. Slowly, with practice. Or quickly through intense trials."

She responds, "The ability to Shapeshift as opposed to the magical transformation which is polymorphism, occurs at the cellular level, so if you can't manipulate your cell structure at that level then you can't merge with the Logrus. Willpower and strength are completely irrelevant in this regard.. To my knowledge only two members of the family have demonstrated any ability to Shapeshift, and in both cases they cannot even do what a reasonably well practiced Choasite can do. This in part answers Akio's question, but if you didn't go through at least one if not two periods in your life where you had substantial difficulty in controlling your form then you do not have full Chaosite heritage. Since one of your number, Cathal, has already clearly identified that he has Chaostite heritage, that just leaves one other of your number as the second Chaostite. That number can be further reduced by 2 from the questions that they've asked. As to why the family cannot Shapeshift to the same degree I have no idea. Were he here, and more appropriately sane, then it would likely be a question for Dworkin. But as he isn't, it's a question that is likely to go unanswered."

"Thank you Aunt Agnetha. This is quite fascinating.”

I turn and ask,  “Hey, Edward, Natsuki, you've both been very quiet. Are you two okay?"

Natsuki, "I am alright I think. This is all very daunting."

Akio, “Aunt Agnetha, you say that Amber, Chaos, and Shadows are inaccessible by Trump or otherwise. Yet Cordelia was able to bring us from Shadows to Carnelian, and from Carnelian to here. Do you have any theories about that?”

"Not all of Shadow is closed. If you think of Shadow as a sphere filled with a moving fluid just for the sake of argument or analogy, and into that structure you randomly inject pockets of air, then if you're within an air pocket you're free to move about, but you can't move between air pockets without some form of breathing apparatus or teleportation capability. If we said that the ‘breathing apparatus’ was a form of Shadow Traversal either via the Pattern or Logrus and the latter capability was Trump, but that the breathing apparatus no longer worked as it should due to changes in the structure of the fluid, and similarly the changes in the fluid prevented the operation of the teleportation device, then we sort of have an analogy as to where we currently are. That said, the change to the structure of the fluid is not universally the same, therefore in some places you can still use your breathing apparatus without issue, and still use your teleportation device, but neither consistently, and sometimes as in the case between Carnelian and here the teleportation device works when logic says it shouldn't. Since I can't currently reach the area of shadow where the family earth and all of its shadows predominately lie, I cannot assess the degree to which Shadow Traversal is possible in that area."

I see, "Fascinating: Not the image I was building in my mind's eye, but I can adapt. Aunt Agnetha, are you familiar with the Roger Zelazny Books about the Pattern Fall War?”

Cordelia stifles a laugh and I shoot her a glare and continue speaking to Agnetha, “I've only just started reading them, but they give some description about what it's like to move through Shadow. Like how each adjacent Shadow is only subtly different from the next. So, my hypothesis about things having been moved… The air pockets you describe used to all be lined up next to each other like stepping stones… Now they've been scattered and rearranged. So, when you try to move through Shadow, each adjacent Shadow may be radically different from the next."

"Sorry I have no idea about the books you are talking about, but you misinterpret my analogy. I was using the ‘air pocket’ to represent a group of similar shadows, hence why you can move between them, and the fluid to represent the resistance between shadows. Normally the fluid would be more like a membrane so would offer little to no resistance, and hence you could move freely about Shadow. In theory one shadow can be radically different to its neighbour especially if some has monkeyed around with it for some reason, and that includes turning off the ability to move from it using a particular traversal method."

"Thank You Agnetha. So, normally, there are clusters and groups of Shadows? Then, how would you move from one ‘air pocket’ to another, unless those ‘air pockets’ were adjacent?"

I look at Cordelia and sort of smirk/blush. Then a little tersely: "I don't suppose you're familiar with the literary scholar Northrop Frye and the concept of the willing suspension of disbelief? The reason we cousins aren't all masses of blathering incredulity at the moment is because we are willing to suspend our disbelief. 'The Writer writes more than they know'. Although the books are fiction, there are some underlying truths that are giving me some understanding of metaphysics of this place. The mental image that I am building is fluid."

Cordelia, "I'm aware of the concept of the suspension of disbelief. But that's not what's funny..."

"Yes, I can figure out what you think is so funny, Cordelia. You think that Zelazny's books are a joke. However, suspension of disbelief isn't the same as BELIEF. I'm sure there's some broader truths within the fiction and my chief focus is on the metaphysical picture that it paints."

Cordelia, "Yes and no… Part of the joke is that you asked the one family member of my fathers generation still alive about a set of books published after she fell into the Abyss, and therefore cannot possibly know anything about them. The rest is that the books are neither entirely fiction nor fact either.. I'd be interested to know what made you decide to read them."

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong Aunt Agnetha, but you didn't just emerge from the Abyss today, did you? Cordelia, for all you know Aunt Agnetha could be in a book club with other supernatural entities and they speed read dozens of volumes daily. As for why I chose to read them... I told you the other night when we landed in Carnelian. When I discovered my talent I knew that I couldn't just research portals without drawing attention to myself. There are a number of Alphabet Agencies that monitor suspicious things like that. So I started with my Dad's collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy books and beyond. Trying to read between the lines for insights into my talent, what I may be able to do with it and how it might work. I only started reading the books this morning and I'm only part way through, so don't spoil the ending."

Back to answering my questions, Agnetha replies, "No. Normally there are no ‘pockets’ of shadows. Shadow is generally uniform, at least to a degree. You can move generally through it in any direction if you have the means to do so. What the disruption to the Pattern has done is disrupt that generally uniformity such that there are now pockets in shadow like bubbles in a boiling fluid. But those bubbles are in motion and coalesce or divide according to the storm flow in shadow. Within a pocket you can traverse between the shadows that make up that pocket if you have the means, but moving between pockets is generally not possible, and the more volatile the fluid, or the denser the fluid, or the more disrupted the fluid, or the more turbulent the fluid, then greater the difficulty of traversal, to the point where it becomes impossible to move between pockets. Hence you can move to shadows adjacent to here, or Carnelian, or around the family earth, and a few other groupings, and in some cases you can Trump between pockets, assuming you have the relevant Trump. But there is one traversal due to the distance across shadow, and the disruption between the two that should not be possible, and that is between Carnelian and here. Why Trump works between the two we haven't been able to work out, but it does, so we make use of the fact that it does."

"Ah!” I say, “There's the confusion. I was trying to cram too many things together at once and I'm getting confused. I'd like to figure out how Shadow is supposed to be in order to build a model of it in my mind. And ~then~ understand how it is now. Then I might have some concept of how we might navigate. My gut says that the Elysium and Carnelian bubbles have moved closer together so that we are able to commute between them. My gut also says it's almost dinnertime and I'm getting hungry."

"I believe it has already been said that you won't really start to understand what shadow is until you have a means to actually study its structure. Trying to explain what is wrong with shadow currently is like trying to explain what colour is to somebody who can only see in black and white. And as far as shadows moving closer together or farther apart I don't think that holds true either. You can create "voids" between shadows simply by erasing one or more of the intervening shadows, but unless you're specifically looking for voids you're unlikely to find them. That said, a Logrus user is far more likely to hit a void than a Pattern practitioner, simply due to the difference in traversal mechanisms between the two powers. However, the relative distance has no impact as far as the ability to Trump between them is concerned, at least in so far as my understanding goes, and short of asking Natalya, the current authority on Trump is sitting over there.." She indicates Cordelia..

I go over to the buffet and load up a plate, grazing and sampling as I go. "That appears to be the pat answer." Munch Munch Munch

Akio has been listening carefully throughout. "Pardon me if it was said earlier, possibly in Carnelian. But is it known how or why this disruption of the Pattern happened?"

Cordelia, "Yes.. I told you all yesterday.. something went wrong with the repair. We have no idea what as we can't get to Amber to find out."

Between bites I join, "Imleshe was 'brought into existence?' Like a purpose built golem? Yikes! So, Raif and Rodion wrecked the Amber Pattern. Then Imleshe made it worse when they tried to fix it… Any idea what Imleshe did, so we don't do that again? Oh! Aunt Agnetha, did the new Logrus here come with a new Abyss or do we all share the same Abyss? And, and, and.... That Pentagram you have. Is that to keep things IN or keep things OUT? Or is it a lens to focus the Logrus?"

Cordelia opens her mouth to say something but Agnetha cuts her off.. "How many ways, Catlin, do we have to say the same thing? We have no idea what went wrong with the repair because we can't get to Amber to find out. The mere fact that Cordelia was able to get him to the Pattern in the first place is something of a miracle. I still don't understand how she did it. As to the Abyss, it has nothing to do with the Logrus, at least directly, although the Logrus in the Courts blocks it's intrusion into Shadow, the same as my tower does here, although the intrusion here is far more substantial and obvious. The Pentagram, and the Circles with their inscriptions, function in both directions, keeping some things out and others in. They don't really act as a focus but they do give me greater control when I'm in Logrus form.”

"Aunt Agnetha. I wasn't asking what went wrong. I was asking what exactly they were trying to do. Maybe what they were trying to do, or how they were trying to do it was the wrong thing and we don't want to repeat that. Surely, you didn't just let them do it without knowing what their plan was. And, as for the Abyss. I don't know what it is, other than a proverbially big hole in the ground. But it seems significant enough that it was worth mentioning… So, I'm wondering if there's one, or two. As well as whether anyone can utilize one in some way. You said, 'the Abyss has nothing to do with the Logrus directly' but what about indirectly? And can it be used somehow? Everything is interconnected and jiggering one thing may help to fix the other."

"I knew exactly what they were going to do as there is only one way to fix a Pattern.. That is to walk it with an empowered image identical to the one that created it in the first place. But it takes a monumental effort to re-inscribe the Pattern. Oberon died when he repaired it after Raif's first attempt at erasing it. The probability was that that is exactly what would happen to Imleshe, although we all hoped he could complete the repair successfully.”

“He knew the risk and the likely outcome, but it was his destiny, it's what he was brought into existence to do. The Abyss is significantly more than a big hole in the ground, it's a realm outside shadow that exists in its own right, but in asking me about it you're asking completely the wrong person. If you want to know about the Abyss then you need to talk to Charlie, but in her absence you could just try talking to her mother.. In the Courts the intrusion of the Abyss is for want of a better term ‘from below’, hence why it has the appearance of a bottomless crevasse. Here it juts into the shadow like a diamond dirk. It's very obvious."

"No, not that obvious. We came here to see you and the Logrus. Not knowing what a Logrus is or what it looks like… I thought the tear in the sky was part of the Logrus stretching through Shadow, 'cause in Newtonian space, Abysses are generally holes in the ground, or the vastness of space above; they're generally unobtrusive."

"So does anyone else have anything they would like to discuss?"

"Thank You, Aunt Agnetha. You are most gracious and patient. I don't think I have anything else at the moment but I would like to visit again, soon. I'd like to learn more about the Logrus and be introduced to Charlie and her Mother to learn about the Abyss as well. I suspect that we will all have to join forces and work together in order to sort out the problems with Shadow."

Since I’d run out of things to say or ask and it appeared that all my cousins were done, I turned to Fatima and Natsuki.. "Do you want to go over and take a closer look at the Ward with me?"

Natsuki, "I'm sorry but I don't understand your question. There is no hospital here that we've seen and if there were I've no reason to want to visit?"

"Oh, Natsuki… The concentric circles on the floor over there. With the inscriptions and containing the pentagram. That Ward. We should all get familiar with things like that. We might not know how to properly make, or use them; but there may be occasions where you'll want to avoid them."

"Oh! I did not know that is what they are called.." She pauses, then continues hesitantly.. "Do you think it is safe to go over there?"

"I think it's a case of 'look, but don't touch.' As long as we stay back a meter or two, I think it should be okay. What do you think, Fatima?"

Keeping a safe distance, I take a walk clockwise around the Ward and try to commit some of the inscribed symbols and icons to memory. I say to the girls, "I guess it would be rude to take pictures… Looks like everyone else is getting ready to leave, so we should pack it in..." 

We rejoin the group as Cordelia thanks Agnetha for her hospitality. She then takes a Trump from her deck and opens a portal, indicating Madison should go first. We all follow Madison through the Portal and I am surprised to find that we’ve only gone as far as the castle bailey when I had assumed that we were all headed back to Carnelian.

We continue to follow Madison into the Great Hall on the other side of the bailey from Agnetha’s Keep.

Thinking out loud, I say, "Man, that bites the big one… I mean, if you're a shapeshifter and being told you're not ready to get your Logrus Badge just yet.” Then louder, “Hey, Cordelia... Madison... Is there a Logrus Prep School for our Chaosian Cousins?"

Madison answers, "There is no school as such, although I can provide tuition as required if that is what is desired.

I look back at the soul sucking wedge of the Abyss in the sky. "Cordelia, is 'Charlie', Charlotte and, erm, your daughter?"

“And yes Charlie is Cordelia's daughter."

Entering the Great hall I pause to admire the set of ornate but functionally sturdy double doors, which open inwards.

"These doors are very welcoming." By which, I mean that they are very imposing and intimidating. Yet, "Jason, you're a warrior… Don't you think it's strange that a heavily fortified castle would hang their doors on the wrong side of the frame? Like this hall is made to hold people in, instead of keeping people out."

Jason, munching on an apple examines the doors closer and says "You would think that if this were a safe haven the doors would open out..so the frame could be reinforced to make it harder to beat open. although if you weren't going to be attacked it wouldn't really matter."

Looking up at the door frame header I see, "Oh, Look at that. The doors are just decorative. You can just see the joinery concealed in the woodworking. There's a Portcullis that drops down to seal the entrance."

We catch up to the rest of the group in the main hall which is huge. All the woodwork around and above, on the beams and the gallery are intricately carved and ornate. It is very much a great hall and throne room with, I keep using the word huge, stone fireplaces positioned around the space, as well as being lit by suspended iron braziers.

But it’s not entirely medieval: There are comfortably furnished lounging areas. I see the ‘Former Ship’s Captain’ lounging in a big armchair with the two dogs laying near him.

Fatima taps Akio on his arm. "How is everyone else so calm about all this? This whole non-Euclidean place? And what of magic? I've heard of ki, but actual pentagram-based magic and shapeshifting is completely fictional on my world. I feel as an imposter without all this knowledge Jo and Jason and the others seem to be birthed into. How are you handling this influx of information? I'm a bit freaked out."

Akio, trying to make sense of things responds, “I have to admit that I'm a little... how do you say... not confused... I'm sorry, I can't find the right English word. I'm not completely understanding. It's like I'm listening to an explanation of the rules of chess and storing the information. Then later when I'm alone, I'll try to sort them out and analyze them. But we haven't been given a chess board and pieces, which makes it hard. You are not an impostor, you cannot be. I believe that a regular human would have gone insane by now. A regular human's mind and physical body could not handle travel through portals and being grabbed and transported by the Logrus. Or being in the near presence of a person who is the Logrus. And I will say that I believe that magic does exist in my world. Some of it is manipulation of ki, some more dangerous parts of it is making pacts with spirits. Which are basically ki entities. But the Pattern and the Logrus are different. They are a separate law of physics, distinct from magic. I think.”

The dogs get up and Choki bounds enthusiastically over to Natsuki.

Cordelia,"Mikato, we're leaving as soon as I've gathered everyone outside.." and then to Madison, "A somewhat short visit, we'll see you all in about 3 and a half weeks?"

"Yes. Looking forward to it. Are you expecting Fred?"

"Yes .. he's not seen Charlie for a while."

Cordelia turns to us, "let's gather up the others then we can return to the Mansion."

We all turn around and traipse back out to the bailey where Cordelia opens a portal back to the mansion foyer and we all file back through.

As she takes her leave she says, "I'll see you at dinner.. about an hour and a half.."

To Cordelia I say "Thank You for the field trip Cordelia. I think I learned some things." And to the rest of the group, "I'll see you all at dinner." As I head back to my room to digest all that I’ve learned I flick my wrist over and see the time is ten to six.