Some discussion of the fall of Chalycidice, and the Toban, and the Lun. The Toban are river-people, and the river is important to them, but even though Gi’s family has been in the area for generations, they still consider themselves nomads. Barge-people. Though all the craftspeople became earth-related. Smiths and the like. —Gi’s father died when a church fell on him (or a piece of church); Gi thinks it’s because the local fæ did not want a church there. (He got his leg because when a fæ-lord came on to his mother, she told him she’d rather be with his horse.)

Gi tries a ceremony in the middle of the grove, spilling wine and sugar and blood, and it doesn’t work in the sense that he doesn’t talk directly with anyone, but he does learn that the wild mountain he spoke with imparted something to him, a parasitic earth-spirit riding within him, grappling with the Lun-spirit he’s always had inside. —Also, he’s sexually attractive to stallions through the end of Communion.

20th Mercy

names

Fohi (“honey”), the new Corn Maiden, played by Dylan;

scenes

Perdix wakes up to a pile of pastries and fresh melos on a tray next to the couch. Ilba’s asleep, her grammar book on her chest.

Bubbles is convinced he’s sliced this same rump into bacon. This precise same one. The Cook tells Ittishoko’chi to keep an eye on him, and make sure he’s not hitting the bottle.

Perdix goes upstairs, with Chittery, and checks out the trunk. It’s back to normal, pretty much. They go upstairs and find their razor and take it with them as they go. As the approach the door to their rooms, there’s a knock; it’s Calvus. I wanted to speak with you, he says. Can it wait? Yes. Good. Perdix heads down the hall. When will you be available? says Calvus. When I’m done, says Perdix.

Ishta’s at a table in the Great Hall, waiting for the show.

Perdix leans down to whisper a rego mentem spell into either of Ilba’s ears, snapping her awake. She groggily asks what’s going on. They each take an upper arm and drag her to her feet and haul her out of the Great Hall. Ishta, shrugging, follows, along with Minkho.

Ilba, protesting, is dragged to a rain barrel at the corner of the castle. Perdix knocks the lid over and tries to dunk her head in the rainwater. She squirms free; Perdix snaps a rego corpus spell to knock her to her knees. They drag her and dunk her head and whack off the braid with the razor. They hack at her hair and lather up some soap and shave her ungently and then demand she forswear the Monkeys. She insists it won’t work. They force her to say it. And then they announce to all and sundry (Calvus; Ishta; Sonata; Tully; the guards; others) that she is to be known henceforth as Apprentice; as Perdix’ Apprentice. No other name. Is that clear? —Then they break the corpus spell so she can go upstairs, and they go with her, though it’s only Abakoshi who takes her into the trunk. Shotik’s heaving up their guts in the garderobe.

Sonata wakes Cameron and asks if he remembers anything from the night before, any dreams. No, her says. Should I start keeping a dream-journal? You are to stay in your rooms the next five days, says Sonata, and speak with no one but me. Oh, says Cameron. You’ve been tampered with through no fault of your own. Can I get what I was working in on the library? Speak to no one, says Sonata.

Ilba sits on the floor by Abakoshi and says I saw that coming, but she sure didn’t. And Perdix says, your timing sucks. Ilba wants to keep working with Insomnium, but Perdix refuses. That’s why you aren’t getting anywhere, says Ilba. I guess you picked the wrong mage, says Perdix. No, says Ilba. No regrets. Though if it was up to me, I would have gone with Sonata. If you’re going to be a little shit, says Perdix, would you mind going downstairs? Ilba shrugs, and does, passing Shotik on his way in. After a bit, the sweet smell of hashish comes wafting down from the trunk’s attic.

Calvus goes to see Ndapé, and hands him a book; after his usual studies, he is to learn how to confound the connection between himself and the pool. —Some discussion of the nature of the pool, which gives Ndapé a splitting headache. Then Calvus goes to speak with Perdix, but Perdix isn’t at lunch. Ishkin’s fetching food for them, though. He tells Ishkin to tell Perdix that he will come up to speak with them at dinnertime, if they do not come down. Ishkin does; Ilba tries to open the door to the trunk to get to the food, but can’t; Perdix weaves downstairs and to the door and gets the food and brings it in. I don’t think it will make you feel any better, but she had my finger in there. Ilba’s pointing to the pocket where the braid’s been tucked. So I couldn’t do things like this. Perdix stares balefully at Ilba, and then heads back upstairs.

A page knocks on Ishta’s door; the Corn Maiden’s letter regarding her reception has arrived. There’s supposed to be a reception? Ishta tells the page to ask Tishkilla where the reception ought to take place, and what she’ll need, but we need to do it quickly, so she sends Nishoba with the page to find out and start getting everything that’s needed. —Some jokes about how if he was bald, too, it might make his little friend feel better.

The Corn Maiden has a list of requirements: everyone must attend barefoot; the menu is specified; the floor to be spread with corn husks and silks; five pre-adolescent girls robed all in white; and garlands of popped corn (or puffed rice) on string.

Calvus comes to speak with Perdix, and Ishkin lets him in; he goes to the other side of the trunk, and kneels down to speak with Perdix inside, lolling on their couches, the hookah between them. He wants to tell them about the meeting he had with Ilba, and Perdix apologizes for the effrontery of his apprentice, and trusts if she ever does anything like it again, Calvus will tell them, so they can take whatever disciplinary action they can. He promises to do so.

Perdix tries to shake Ilba out of Ilba that evening, but can’t. He asks for the finger; Perdix won’t give it up.

Insomnium appears that night, and while Ilba won’t speak to him, Ilba will; so he agrees to have a lesson with him, instead.

When she wakes up, Ilba finds herself between Perdix; she wakes them, and tells them she’ll be in a lot of danger. We’ll fight it our way, says Perdix. Okay, says Ilba. Perdix kisses her head; ow, she says. We’ll need to find a creme for that, says Perdix.

Sonata sends a bird to Perdix, and Perdix sends Shotik, while Abakoshi stays with Ilba. —In and among some fencing about how we two are both unused to this situation (“What,” says Perdix, “dealing with magi?”), Sonata apologizes for any difficulty she might have caused in Perdix’ relationship with Ilba, and Perdix accepts it; Perdix, in turn, promises not to interfere with Sonata’s work. Perdix does tell Sonata that of all the magi, she’s the one they’d trust the most with Ilba.

3rd Communion

scenes

Gi makes his way to Annalum around the first of the month. He catches up with Yva and Caleth, and is introduced to his charge, Nil. Nil is found deep in the stacks, writing up new acquisitions for Annalum’s library. Gi sets up in a scholar’s carrel for a quiet, private interview; he provides some wine and cheese and crackers. It’s evening. Nil’s eyes swim awkwardly behind his thick-lensed spectacles. He’s rumpled. Gi looks like a Savacion, with an Andarien fancy-braid and a silver lily around his neck. Nil’s been busy, helping out with the enormous backlog of new books. He apologizes for imposing a detour on Gi’s plans. Not at all, says Gi. I’m here visiting friends. Caleth? Nil knows her, of course. Gi describes his upcoming itinerary: a side-trip to Lyridice, to meet Receptrix and Regina, and another to Manu Tenére, to deliver his sister, Tansy (she’s currently playing in the famous fountains of Annalum). —Some discussion of correspondence with Nemus Animæ. Gi asks what Nil’s heard—the visit from the Judge? The cursed salmon harvest? The run of Monkeys? I don’t know what’s been going on since I’ve left. Oh! Perdix has taken an apprentice. Nil snurps into his wine. His nose twitches; the air is close and musky. Gi excuses himself and freshens the air. Nil takes his leave, given the lateness of the hour. He offers to help in locating books Gi might want copied.

What was that horsiness? asks Omphale from within Nil’s scapula. I can’t say as I noticed it, says Nil. Perhaps he went out riding? says Nil. What did you think of him? He seemed all right, says Omphale. I think he’s hiding something. A mage who’s hiding something, says Nil. Have we ever encountered this before? Yes, says Omphale. I think all of them at the place we’re going are hiding something. Why don’t they like Cristoférians? We’re meddlesome tattletales, says Nil. Are you? I suppose at certain times I have been. For the council, says Omphale. It’s not that you like being a meddlesome tattletales. It’s the Council that makes you all meddlesome tattletales. And if you ever say that publicly, says Nil, I’ll make you stay in the shell for a month. Fine, says Omphale, huffing.

Gi visits Thomas the Rhymer, and says he doesn’t like to talk about the fæ, but, and Thomas tells him to forget. They know things we knew but we aren’t supposed to remember, and every time we go in, we learn something. To come back out again, we must speak the word that pierces the veil and as we speak it we forget it. Keep forgetting. I’ll try, says Gi. And don’t read any of those damn books, says Thomas, pointing to a stack of his manuscript. And if I ever hear of you joing the damn Society— Wouldn’t dream of it, says Gi. You’re smarter than most, says Thomas. Then Gi drags Nil out and gets him rather companionably drunk, and they swap gossip.

9th Communion

scenes

The guards are dealing with a small one-person cart as a flying buffalo appears and they start shooting crossbow bolts at it, but it’s too far away. And at that point the other magi fall out of the sky, so they light the signal fire before they realize it’s Gi. —The guy in the cart is trying to control his horse as the buffalo lands. He’s a representative of a close associate of the Prince, who doesn’t want his movements known, but wishes his arrival to be announced. Receptrix Lata recognizes Murry from having read about him. Gi tells Nil, welcome to Nemas Animæ. She apologizes to Utchka, who demurs, and since Murry’s here to deal with the guy in the cart, whose name is Andrew, Gi leads the magi through the gates.

The guards, politely, seach Andrew’s cart.

Ishta greets the magi with beer from Gieron’s first batch, and she gets to meet Utchka for the first time. Gi asks Receptrix where her companion likes to sleep. The moors? says Receptrix. But aside from that, do you have a shed? We have stables, says Gi. —Receptrix is pale and horribly skinny and distracting utterly from Nil’s unease. They take the magi upstairs to the rooms to be prepared for them. Andrew meets with the chatelaine to describe the Prince’s unnamed associate’s needs, and those of his retinue.

On the nightstand in Nil’s room, there’s a small collection of seashells from the Gætani coast. —Omphale’s hearing things: whispers. We like you. You want to play? You can hear us. We know you can. Would you like to hear a story about a great big snake?

Receptrix says the room’s too big. It’s the only size we have, says Gi. We have apprentices staying in rooms this size. If it makes you uncomfortable? No, no, says Receptrix. It’s also your lab space. Oh, says Receptrix. She says to Gi, the trees. What happened? I’m sorry? says Gi. They aren’t happy. Would you be interested in coming along when I talk to them? says Gi. Maybe tomorrow? You probably have a couple weeks, yeah, says Receptrix. Weeks? They’re marching, says Receptrix. Here. Oh, says Gi. Thank you. Very good. Yes. We should probably go talk to Calvus.

Tully’s been told to come see Ishta down in the Great Hall, but he misunderstood, and went down to her door, and knocked, and knocked, and finally scorches the door and goes back to his lab. The scorching sets off Ishta’s alarms, and she sends Nishoba to fetch him down. He goes and knocks on Tully’s door, and Tully drags him in and gives him a hoop to hold, so his head is in the middle of it, and has he eaten anything today? Anything gross? Well, we’ll continue later. What did you want? Nishoba tells Tully to come down to the Great Hall to meet Gi, who’s returned, with some visiting magi. Okay, says Tully.

Gi splashes his face with water and his some melos and take Receptrix to go speak with Calvus. Receptrix tells Calvus that the woods aren’t happy. That has to do with the hunt, says Calvus. Apparently, the trees are marching towards us? says Gi. Really! says Calvus. —Some discussion of Minkho, the swineherds, the pig-dog.

Tully shows up in the Great Hall, but she’s in the parlor with Calvus and Gi and Receptrix. He upbraids Nishoba for telling him wrong, and Nishoba asks if Tully still wants him to drop trou and show his ass, just as the magi return to the Great Hall from the parlor. Receptrix tells Tully it’s an honor to meet him. Gi asks Nishoba about marching trees, which he doesn’t know much about. He knows about man-eating trees, though. Receptrix is questioned about the marching trees. Might as well deal with it now, says Gi. He goes up to Sonata’s room (as Tully’s saying, “Could we draw a line and cut down any tree that crosses it?”). Sonata’s delighted to see Gi’s back, and Gi tries to cut to the chase, but Sonata holds up an admonitory finger: please be discreet in what you say. Come take a walk in the woods, says Gi. Maybe in an hour or so.

Gi heads down to Perdix’ room, and Ishkin opens the door. Perdix and Ilba greet Gi warmly, and Gi apologizes for arriving and leaving so soon, but there are these trees? Marching? —He’s not alone, says Ilba, when Gi’s left, and Perdix says I thought as much.

Tully’s pissed because he was told to come down to see something and he’s come down but there’s nothing to see, and Ishta’s annoyed because Utchka won’t come down and she won’t tell Tully who or what it is, so Tully heads off to see what’s what.

Rooms are allotted, and no one trusts Andrew; Calvus will be sending a message to the Prince. He’s also sent a runner to fetch the Wolf Priest for their walk in the woods.

Tully finds the door Utchka’s room, and knocks. Come in, says Utchka, and he does. Utchka’s oiling up her hand, not looking up, assuming it’s her food. Holy shit, says Tully. Tully, says Utchka. You look well. Older, says Tully. Not as much as I would have thought. You look fine, says Tully. He sits. So it’s been, what, twenty-four year? Roughly, says Utchka. You must be a lot more powerful now. I just found out you’re still alive, says Utchka. —The food’s delivered, along with a giant mug of beer. Utchka’s unclear on what happened. I just got tired, says Tully. You just graduated, the covenant—ended, let’s say, and I was one of the only ones who got out. You don’t have to explain that, says Utchka. I understand. But now you’re back? I got so old! says Tully. After a while, you want someone to be in charge of making sure you get food on a regular basis. But I’m hurt, says Utchka. A letter, even. You never said anything. You’re an important person to me. I’ve been carrying your ghost in my head for twenty years. You thought I was haunting you? Grief. Guilt. Sadness. A metaphor. You’re right, says Tully. That was inconsiderate. It’s harsh, but over the past two and a half decades, I’ve gotten out of the habit of thinking about you. Ah, says Utchka.

Nil’s showing Omphale the council chambers. Nice. We’ll be spending an ungodly amount of time in here, says Nil. They sneak out through the library, and go to meet Perdix, which goes about as badly as could be expected.

meta

For the ceremony by the Lun, Jenn put up communicate with the fæ; useful knowledge; the equivalent of a wedgie as her stakes. She rolled a 4, a 3, and a 1. “This is Giles, and the fæ,” says Jenn, so she put the 1 to the wedgie (it’s kinda like eating spinach to him, she says). She put the 3 to the communication and the 4 to learning something: learning something about himself and the land through the wedgie.

“I train them and train them, but whenever a guest arrives, they can’t resist the call to comedy.”