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Back to the diary entry for 'Tis A Far, Far Better Thing...' Part 2.
As days go, I suppose this could be one of those which are classified under the heading of 'learning experience'. Unicorn-damned frustrating would be another appropriate description.
We had a fairly good plan but, alas, to be close enough to each of Broken Patterns 18 and 19 to carry it out, we had to be out of Trump contact with those at the other Broken Pattern. And it was the plan that each group would have someone we know is skilled in combat - Sal or myself - in it. But no. Sal, Khortez and I ended up going one way, Jay and Arran the other, leaving Mandor to tell us they were going out of Trump contact and then join us once they had.
It would have been nice to know, in advance, that Broken Patterns would have a much more deleterious effect on Trumps than the real Patterns. That was why our plans went so badly awry. Lack of adequate communication. Well, if nothing else it will teach us not to rely on the Trumps so much. Not that I can see much alternative to our doing so.
Tragedy of errors is the term I would use to describe it all.
Then we walked, eyes wide open (wide shut?) into the trap Ways made for us by Cadraig, Cymnea's son, around Broken Pattern 18. Although we saw clues beforehand we did not interpret, dammit. Impressive enough that a Chaosian can manipulate shadow to that extent at a Pattern, even a broken one!
And upon finally escaping the collapsing Ways? Well, Cadraig was there, and Inigo pointed him out to me, but neglected to mention that he was the cloud rather than in it or invisible by it. Thank you so much for not mentioning that vital fact at the time, Inigo. Moron.
Not that I'm sure what those of us without vast powers could have done against a living cloud anyway. I did not realise shapeshifters were quite so flexible. Live and learn, I suppose. Would a simple crossbow bolt have any effect on such a creature? I do not know. And if not, what use all my skill with weapons? Nothing. No use. And if that is so, only Powers are of any use, and mere skill? Redundant.
It would appear, perhaps, that I have been mislead. I was of the impression that powers were slow compared to the sword. That spells and the like take time to activate. That one did not need power to stand against Powers if one had an adequate level of skill instead. But the only person to whose powers that limitation seems to apply is Khortez. No-one else. Certainly Winton could cast spells quickly and accurately enough for a single one to drop me. Perhaps that was because of his internalising of Broken Pattern 17. Or perhaps not. I do not know. But if one person can do it, so can others, and it certainly puts the lie to the lack of speed in powers, however he did it.
Now it seems that only an accident stopped things from being worse than they are. And if so, then we are luckier by far than we deserve.
It was frustrating. Damn frustrating. I had hoped that our plan might have allowed us to put an end to Cymnea once and for all. But no. She - and Benedict - get away scot-free again and Sal and I get to spectate while Khortez and Mandor do something with their powers which is so far beyond our ken that we might as well not have been there at all. Apart from for the purpose of drawing lightning bolts and dodging flying objects, that is.
In hindsight, perhaps I should have had Inigo (who quite sensibly did not want to be there at all) invisibly reconnoitre Broken Pattern 18 first. That might have saved us from a great deal of trouble.
But apparently Khortez and Mandor's actions in stopping the Pattern and Logrus-based shadow storms colliding, along with the accident at Broken Pattern 19, did save King Swayvil (who was walking the Pattern at the time) from the fatal power backlash with which Cymnea intended to kill him. So perhaps it was not all a disaster. Just mostly such.
A good thing the King sent Corwin and the Jewel of Judgement to assist Arran and Jay. Apparently he had the same misgivings as we did and sent along someone skilled in the arts of combat and use of the Jewel. Sensible. The Jewel apparently absorbed some of the power from that Broken Pattern when the ritual went wrong. Perhaps intentionally on Corwin's part? He certainly looked far too innocent when the possibility was raised. But who knows how bad things might have become had the Jewel not done so? And what, if anything, he wants that power for?
All this makes me think that assassination really might be the best course to take in future. Remove the threat of Cymnea and Benedict, at a stroke.
Unicorn, I am degenerating. Is there no end to the depths this Curse is dragging me into?
At least we recovered Nicholas from Cymnea's clutches, though he is, it appears, as thoroughly brainwashed as we expected he would be - at least as much as his father was. However, he is alive, and that being the case we may hope that he can, in time, be de-programmed.
And we have also 'acquired' three 'new' family members out of the accident and Broken Pattern 19:
Ella, along with Richard, were apparently set by Benedict to guard against the 'enemies of Amber' while the ritual was performed.
So, shall they be friend or foe when they come round? We shall see. I am feeling a strong urge to lambast them for what they have done, for letting themselves by used in this way. But my doing so would probably bias the chances of their being our friends, and not in our favour. So I believe I shall attempt to hold my tongue in check. For now.
Today's events make me wonder, not for the first time recently, how we ever won the war against Chaos? The Chaosian nobility (at least) seem as powerful, person for person, as we Amberites, and there are many more of them than there are of us. We can (I think!) individually lead more troops through shadow then they, but as far as I can see that is the only advantage we have.
Assuming we did win, of course, not just arrive at an agreement or truce before a proper military victory was achieved. I rather regret, now, that they did not simply raze the Courts, burn them down to bedrock. Exterminate everyone - everything - there. It would certainly have made our lives easier now if they had...
Lastly, and most recently, it appears that Bances of House Amblerash (who are well known for the great love they bear Amber, and who were against Amber becoming the 14th House of Chaos), the High Priest of the Serpent and Tony's grandfather-in-law, is offering some form of cure for our death curses. I can only wonder what the price to us, or to Amber, will be for his doing so. One we are willing to pay? I cannot help but suspect that it will not be such.
On to the diary entry for 'Out of the Frying Pan'