Changes in Protocol

There is an important meeting in Flux, while Amala learns more about her 'curse'.

35.

Changes in Protocol

 

It was a brilliantly clear, cool autumn day in Flux and the outdoor café was filled with lunchtime diners.   Sirya and Aranthi sat rather uncomfortably watching their older sister Leah sit and smoke with Joila as they waited for their orders.

“I just don’t know what that will mean for the collection at the museum,” Leah was saying as Joila tapped the ash off of her Dart’loxinchu cigarette.

“I don’t know… I hadn’t really thought of that.   I guess they could still collect artifacts when they go on official missions, but there will be no collection missions.”   The redheaded half-elf glanced over at the two quiet Drow girls sitting in between her and Leah, “Are you two okay?”

“Yeah,” Sirya answered, trying to discreetly wave away a whiff of Joila’s smoke, “We’re just taking it all in, I guess.”

“It’s tough, I know, believe me.   If Leah and I had not had Khord and Sophia, we would have been orphans here.  They took care of us.”

“-And gave you Sophia’s bad habit.”  Aranthi added, which drew frowns from Leah and Joila.

“Now don’t you two start on us too!” Joila said with an exasperated sigh, “I’ve heard nothing but that from Mom every time I’ve seen her!   It’s all she talks about when I’m around her.   I don’t know why it’s such a big deal to everyone.   Maybe you can explain it?”

Aranthi looked at Sirya, and then answered, “Joila, it is just so different.   We remember you both from 20 years ago, in our world, and now you both are grown women in a strange world that seem to act more like Sophia than anyone.  It’s like you are different people.”

“We’re not different people, sis.”  Leah replied, “We’ve just adapted to our environment.”

“But why do you have to smoke?”  Sirya said as she watched her sister take a leisurely drag on her cigarette.

“It’s not that big of a deal, Sirya!   It’s chic and cosmopolitan here.”

“It’s…what?”

“It means that it is what a lot of fashionable young women are doing.”   She explained, glancing over to Aranthi, who was always fashion conscious.

“It’s peer pressure, Leah!   You don’t need to do it!”  Sirya argued.

“It’s really none of your business, what either one of us do.  You know Dart’loxinchu is an enchanted drug.   We’ve went over this too many times.   You both have got to accept it.   A lot of women smoke here - this isn’t Synomenia; you’ve got to accept it.”

Sirya frowned and crossed her arms in front of her, “Well, I obviously can’t persuade you to give up something you are so heavily addicted to, but I don’t have to like it.”

 

Joila rubbed her forehead, getting a headache from the argument, “Can we please not argue?   It’s been a rough morning and I’d just like to enjoy lunch.   Please?”

 

She glanced around the table, and the three sisters nodded agreement, to Joila’s relief.

 

“Can I ask something?”  Sirya said after a brief silence.

“What?”  Joila answered a bit short, expecting more criticism.

“What will Sophia or the other Watchers do if they continue to use the scrying device on our family back in Synomenia, and they see them in trouble, but they aren’t allowed to intervene?”

“Well, Sophia and especially Khord are known for finding other ways to help, while not breaking Yesh’s rules.   I don’t really know how they’ll do it without teleporting someone or something down there, but I think they’ll try.”

“But what if they simply have no way to help?   Wouldn’t that be awfully traumatic to see?”

“I’m sure it is, Sirya.   In fact, I’ll bet they are wrestling with that right now.”

 

Their conversation ended as the waiter arrived with their lunches, but a short distance across the city, at an indoor café; Haroldris had lunch with Eioldth and were discussing the same topic.

“-if I had known that this would all change not long after I got here, I wouldn’t be as enthusiastic to agree to take her job while she is having her baby.”   Eioldth was explaining to her husband as they ate salads.

“Yes, but if you hadn’t agreed to do so, you wouldn’t have been allowed to come here, I imagine, and we’d have missed each other.”  

Haroldris smiled and took her hand across the table.   She felt her heart leap at the look, for though she had been around him for a short while now, she was still thrilled to be reunited with the husband of her youth.

“I would have done it anyway.” She confessed to him, “Just to be with you.   But I do worry that all I’ll have to do much of the time is just to watch what is going on.”

“Well, that is your title: ‘Watchers’.   Perhaps Yesh will consent to some intervention.”

“Not without his prior approval, he won’t.   I see his reasoning, but I also know that Sophia and Khord really bent the rules a lot to help our friends down there.”

“So where is Sophia today?”

“Well, Khord asked for a meeting with Yesh to plead a lessening of the restriction, and she went with him.   They’ve been gone all morning.”

 

The couple looked up suddenly to see Deborah waving at them from the doorway.   She hurried over to them.

“Sorry to disturb your lunch.   Hello Mr. Mayor!” She greeted Haroldris, then turned back to Eioldth, “Sophia and Khord just returned, but the reason I came to find you is that we’ve just learned of some new developments with Torrin’s invasions.   They’ve began to move, and believe it or not, you, me, Sophia and Khord all just received authorization to go into Synomenia on separate missions.”

“We did?” She asked surprised.

“Yes… it’s not today, though, so don’t interrupt your lunch, I just wanted to make sure you were notified, so you’d come straight back to the office after lunch.   We’ve got very specific things to do, and Sophia wants us to go over what we are supposed to do.   I’m getting a bite to eat and going back early.   I’ll see you in a little while.”

Deborah nodded at both of them, and then hurried up to the take-out counter to order something.

“Well, you just may have got your wish.” Haroldris said to his wife, wishing that he could accompany her on whatever mission awaited her.

 

***

“He’s gone!” Mutt said to the other members of his group after they had left the Faesidhe forest to return to where Carn had been waiting with the wagon.   The big Bugbear was the Goblin’s closest friend, and he jumped off the horse he was riding then got down low in the snow, looking at the tracks where the wagon had sat.

“Horsemen came from the east… then the wagon heads back east, along with the horses.   Oh, this isn’t good!   I’ll bet it was Faesidhe.”

“Let me have a look, Mutt.”  Aedric said as he looked at the hoof prints.   The Faesidhe used a very specific type of horseshoe on their horses, and sure enough, it was evident in the tracks.   “Yes, they were Faesidhe horsemen.   But the rebels don’t use horses much as they hide up in the tree bridges.   If there was a large company of Faesidhe horses, then it would have to have been some of the patrolling cavalry units that are part of Duke Dullerm’s men.”

“But he is a Bugbear, Aedric!”  Mutt argued, “They would probably kill him as soon as they saw him.”

“There is no evidence of a battle, Mutt.   It looks like they simply came along side, then all of them left together.   Either Mutt surrendered to them or else wasn’t here when they arrived.   I don’t think he would have just passively sat there and let them kill him.   The tracks don’t show any struggle.”

“We have to go search for him!”  Mutt shouted, “We can’t leave it to chance.”

 

Aedric was trying to figure out what to do, when Amala spoke up from the back of Gamel’s horse, “Don’t worry about him, Mutt; I saw him in the forest after I got free from my captor.   I told him to find the next patrol and let them follow him in the wagon back to Tarmard to let my parents know what happened to us.   That way if we were delayed, they would know.”

 

Mutt looked somewhat dubious of her words, “So we’ll have to wait for him to rejoin us?"

“No, no; I told him to join up with the other group and that we had wasted enough time and needed to make that up.   He wasn’t too thrilled with that idea, but he agreed.   It looks like the Faesidhe patrol found him and escorted him back to Tarmard.”

 

Gamel grunted slightly, “Amala, you really should have asked us first before telling him to do that.”

“How could I, dear brother, when I didn’t know where you were?   Don’t worry, he’s safe.”

“Yes, but he might have been good to have with us.”

“Or a liability, due to his size.”  She glanced down at Mutt, “I don’t mean any offense, but I was wondering how we were going to access Helios’ tower with a seven foot tall brute with us.   Carn’s a fine one, don’t misunderstand me, but this tower isn’t very accommodating to one so large.   I heard that the ceilings are only about six feet tall.”

 

Aaron looked skeptical, “I don’t remember hearing that, Amala.”

“Alleania was telling me about it before we got the news about King Travin.”   Amala replied with a calm smile.    But everyone in the group began to wonder about her claims.

 

Mutt was not at all happy to leave his friend behind, but Snoe took him aside and convinced him to trust Yesh to watch over his friend and not to worry.

“She’s not acting like herself.”   He whispered to Snoe as they glanced back at Amala.

“I know, Mutt.   She said that she was hit on the head; perhaps that is the reason.    At any rate, we’ve got to get moving, Mutt.”

“She could be some sort of shape-shifter, Snoe!   We’d never know.”

“Mutt, you are riding with a group of three Paladins; they all can sense evil, yet there was none about her at all.   Why would a shape-shifter want to join us in such a deadly quest?    She’s not evil, Mutt and I know for sure that the swords she is carrying are my sister’s swords.   Amala would rather die then give those swords up, Mutt, so I don’t think a shape-shifter would be able to get them from her.”

“Something isn’t right about her, Snoe,” Mutt replied, shaking his head, “But I will trust you.   Still, I’m going to be watching her.”

“You do that, Mutt… now come on, let’s be going so we can make up some time.”

 

They rode back over to the others and soon the trip west was resumed.

 

***

 

“There is most definitely a Geis upon her.   Several of them, and very strong as well.   Far too strong for me to remove.   I’ve not seen spells like this for many, many years.”   The old Elven wizard smiled at Amala, “Would you like to know what you are prevented from doing by these geises?”

“Of course I want to know!”  She replied impatiently, then, remembering some manners, mumbled, “Sorry, I’m just a bit upset about it.”

“There are three geises upon you.” The wizard informed her, “The first one is a Geis that prevents you from entering the Valley of Helios; it has a duration of six months.   The second Geis prevents you from wearing any other type of garment other than a dress and it lasts also for six months.”

“This is unbelievable!”  Amala groaned, “What is the third one?”

“The last one is a prohibition against cutting your hair from its’ current length-“

“Let me guess, for six months…”

“Uh…well, no, this one is for… six years.”

“Six years?!   You’ve got to be kidding me!    How could I be placed under three geises? Don’t I have to agree to be placed under the Geis?”

“Usually that is true, Lady Amala.   But this is ancient magic - it is hard to explain to those that are not wizards.  There is a certain style to the casting of spells that can often tell someone who is a student of magic, how old the spell is, and as a result, often the level of power of that magic.”

“Yeah, yeah, but why don’t I get some say in these geises?”

“The spell is very old and powerful, Lady Amala.   The caster is also extremely powerful, and her magic is not like what even the powerful wizards use now.   It is much stronger.   So you cannot stop this Geis or turn it, unless you can find a spell caster more powerful than her, and that is not likely.”

“So I cannot go and help find Helios’ tower?”

“I am afraid not, Lady Amala.”

“And I have to wear nothing but dresses for six months?”

“Correct, Lady Amala.”

“But I cannot cut this mane of hair for SIX YEARS?”

“That is the condition of the Geis, Lady Amala.”

“What would happen if I try to defy these geises?”

“To break any of them will result in death, most assuredly.”

 

Amala looked like she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but instead she just took a deep ragged breath and asked, “Why would this crazy lady do this to me?”

“It was apparently her way of telling you that she disapproves of your rather masculine pursuits.”   The wizard replied.

“Like that is any of her business!    Yet she took my place in the quest.   It just doesn’t make any sense!   What can I do, wizard?”

“Endure it, I guess, my lady.   If she who cast the spell upon you was to die, the geises will be broken and you’ll be free again.   Other than this, you would have to find a wizard more powerful to neutralize the magic.”

“My brother and sister are risking their lives to find Helios’ tower, and my parents are venturing through the Underdark to try to steal the Gem of the Oscinate and kill Torrin, yet all I can do is sit in a stupid dress, braid this ridiculously long hair, and wait.  This is simply unbelievable!”

“Maybe you could find a more powerful wizard to break the Geis...” Carn suggested cautiously and she looked up at him, her eyes glowing red with frustration.

“Do you have any ideas?”   She asked.

“Your mother’s cousin who is the Leader of the Watchers… I think her name is Sophia… is a sorceress, isn’t she?   Surely she would be powerful enough.”

 

Amala’s face betrayed hope at the idea and she quickly turned to the Wizard with a questioning look.   He shrugged, but from his expression she saw there was  a possibility there.

“Then I’ll go back to Westmark!” She said, standing up and almost stumbling over the dress she wore, as she wasn’t used to movement in such a garment.

“Lady Amala,” Captain Linel spoke from the doorway where he had watched the wizard use his detection spell upon her, “We will escort you, as there are enemies it would seem all around right now.”

“You don’t happen to have any chainmail dresses, do you?” She asked rather bitterly, and the Faesidhe Elf shook his head.

 

Carn cleared his throat and spoke, “Uh, Lady Amala, is it alright if I ride with you back to Westmark?”

“Well of course it’s alright, Carn!  Why would you even ask that?”

“I didn’t know if you wanted me to try to catch up with the others going to Helios Valley and tell them what happened.”

“I don’t really want anyone knowing what happened until I get these geises removed.   It would be very dangerous for a Bugbear to go through the Faesidhe forest alone, Carn, and if that strange witch is posing as me, they probably have left with her and are too far ahead by now anyway.”

“Won’t they miss him, though?”  Linel asked, pointing to Carn.

“I hadn’t thought of that… they may have started searching for you too, Carn!”   Amala patted the big Bugbear on his arm, which was slowly regrowing hair after he was nearly killed by the same fireball that had taken her sisters’ lives.

“They might not miss me.” He suggested with a shrug.

“Well, you are rather hard not to miss, big guy.” She kidded, and her somewhat better mood made him smile.

 

Across the room, the Elven wizard spoke, “You know, the Lady of the Forest probably would be able to convince your friends that Carn is either dead or else went off somewhere else.    If her purpose was to go with your group to Helios, then I am quite sure she will find a way to explain Carn’s disappearance.”

 

Carn and Amala looked at each other and the Bugbear grinned a toothy smile, “I think I know a bit how you feel.”

“Well, not exactly, Carn, because right now I have more hair on my head then you have yet on your body!”

“It looks very nice, Lady Amala.” He complimented her gently, not wanting to rub salt into her wound, “It looks like the silver threads of metal we use to make chainmail.   Your sister Aranthi had hair just like it.”

 

Mentioning her dead sister took the smile from the girl’s face, but she nodded from the compliment, then after composing herself for an instant, asked wryly, “You’ve worked on Dwarven woven mesh armor as an armorer for Thorm, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but my hands are too big for the detailed finishing work.   I worked more on bending and weaving the metal strands together into a mesh, and then Thorm or Darv would shape it to fit a torso.   Why do you ask?  Do you want me to ‘weave’ you a mesh dress?”

 

“I wish you could, but actually, I was wondering if you could braid this stupid long hair in a pattern that was tight enough to stay in place so it won’t drive me crazy.”

“You want me - a Bugbear- to braid your hair?”

“I know that Bugbears often braid their hair, Carn, I’ve seen a few from time to time.”

“Yes, but I didn’t grow up among them, Lady Amala.   You know that!   All the braiding I could do would just mimic the four strand weave of the armor; I don’t know how that would look in your hair, though.”

“Would you please try?   It is driving me crazy, Carn, and I never braided hair.   Snoe and Aranthi braided their own all the time, and Mom did as well, but I never learned it.”

“I’m afraid I might pull it too tight, Amala, I don’t want to pull it out of your head.”

“That would be okay too!    I just want it out of my way and I really don’t know any of the Elves here well enough to let them do it.   No offense meant, gentlemen.”   She turned to Linel and the Wizard, who both were listening to her conversation with Carn with thinly hidden amusement.

 

Amala ignored them and pulled her chair in front of the big Bugbear, then sat in it backwards, “Go ahead and give it a try, Carn, I promise you I won’t care if you pull some strands out.”

“Well…okay, but please don’t tell Mutt about this, or he’ll tease me about it forever, okay?”

“That sounds fair, I agree.” She leaned back and Carn glanced nervously at the two Faesidhe Elves, who were now grinning since Amala’s back was turned, but they gestured for him to do as the Drow lady asked.   Carn took a deep nervous breath and gently reached forward, dividing her long silvery white hair into four strands with hands that noticeably trembled.

“You are sure you want me to try this, Lady Amala?”

“Get on with it, Carn, I trust you.”

“Very well…” He quickly began weaving the strands of her hair in and out in a very neat pattern, with very great dexterity that amazed the two Elves who watched.   Neither man could ever have imagined the sight before them, but the big brute was obviously very skilled.  In a very short period of time he had braided her hair into a pattern that any Elven woman would have envied.

 

“Wow, you are quick.” Amala said to him as soon as he finished the braid and silently moved back from her.

“I hope I didn’t pull your hair too much.”

“Not at all,” Amala looked over at the two Faesidhe Elves, “He is amazingly gentle.   How does his braid look?”

“Perfect.” Linel said, “I am quite impressed, Master Carn.”

“Thank you, Captain.   I’m just relieved that my knowledge translated to her hair.   So… what do we do now?”

“We head back to Westmark,” Amala said, jumping to her feet, “Just as soon as Captain Linel’s men find me some sort of dress that is suitable for riding a horse.   As well as some weapons.”

 

The Elf Captain nodded and hurried off to fill her request while Amala swung her braided hair around to get used to the weight.

 

Reviews

[Elina]

"... I just wanted you to make sure you were notified..." You can remove the first "you."
"...Carn suggested cautiously and she looked up him..." It looks like you might be missing a word here. ?

[Eddie Davis]

Thanks for finding those mistakes, Elina.