There is a brief flash of light in the middle of the lawn, which fades to leave a figure standing behind which is scarcely less brilliantly white than the light had been.

Tahirah looks about, it's approaching dusk, and the first stars are already faintly visible in a sky which is a rapidly darkening turquoise.  The constellations are incomplete, many of the stars still washed out by the last vestiges of daylight, and she had not had a chance to familiarise herself with their shapes and patterns.  But the mountain she can see through a gap between two of the castle structures looks familiar.

"Who goes there?"  Turning, she notes that the approaching guard, crossbow held at the ready, wears a green tabard emblazoned with a white unicorn.

Berd has returned her to Amber.

Tahirah lets out a breath, and then gives the guard a small, polite bow.  After what she just went through, a mere crossbow pointed at her chest barely even warrants recognition.

"I am Tahirah," she replies, assuming this will explain everything.  Then she turns away, and starts walking steadily towards the castle proper.

"Stop where you are, or I'll put a bolt in you!" the guard calls, following after Tahirah as he does so.

Then another voice yells from a gateway off to one side, "Stand down Jager!  I reckon that's one of James' friends, at least she matches the description."  The newcomer, dressed in a uniform similar to the guard's, angles across to intercept Tahirah, "Can I help you, Miss?  If you're hoping to find James and your other friends, I'm afraid your out of luck.  Thay all left the castle yesterday, or the day 'fore.  My name's Kallum, by the by."

"Do you need a guide, or an escort?  Things are still a bit tense round here.

"Thank you, Kallum," Tahirah says, with a small bow.  "James battles the Archons.  We determined that I would be better placed here," she explains, and if perhaps it sounds a little bit like she's here on James's orders, well, that's OK.

"I do not," she says, in offer of the guide, "Although I would not care to make another... nervous.  I go to the towers, first, and I will require an amount of solitude.  But if someone can be spared for an essentially unnecessary duty, I would not decline an escort to them, to avoid disturbing another as I did Jager."  She uses both of their names easily, almost as if she'd already known them.

Kallum continues walking beside Tahirah, "Oh, I've no doubt you can manage well enough on your own, at least to get to where you're going, but if it's a bit of peace and quiet you need, then I can, at the very least, stand watch on the stair and make sure nobody disturbs you."

Then he grins, and adds, "Besides which my commander'd have my guts for garters if word got out that I let you just wander round without somebody to make sure you aren't spying on us."

They enter one of the structures and soon find their way to a spiralling stair which they start to climb, "So James is fighting those things, still?  It's good that I can confirm that if anybody asks.  When he vanished so suddenly I knew that was where he'd gone, but you know what some of these Ruperts can be like... they keep insisting it's all just guesswork until somebody confirmed it."

"That would be welcome," Tahirah accedes, walking.  She decides there's really nothing she can say to Jager at this point that will make things better, so she just leaves that alone.

"It is difficult," she replies.  "There is never time to pass word to everyone of what must be done, so many are left to wonder.  In a time like this, one can hardly blame some for worrying that even such as James may have decided simply, to leave."  She pauses a moment, and then continues.  "Unfortunately, I fear you are wise to worry about spies.  Although I'm sure your support of his name would be welcome, it may be best if you do not offer it as confirmed, for now."

The two climb the staircase, then traverse a short corridor before starting to ascend again.  Eventually Kallum stops, "That's it.  I reckon you've got another fifteen or twenty feet and you'll come to a door that leads out onto the top of the tower, or at least as high as you can get.  There's not much room up there, but as long as you're not planning on dancing a jig or turning cartwheels, you should be fine."

"I'll wait here for you, and make sure you aren't disturbed by anybody."

Tahirah continues alone, finds the door exactly where Kallum said it would be, and steps out of the tower.

He had been right.  There isn't a lot of room.  Or, that is, there would be more room if most of it wasn't taken up by a large, stone, beehive-like structure, which seems to be home to numerous doves.

Tahirah skirts around the dovecot, vaguely reminded of the Charyk, and the roosts of the ormvråkar.  These birds are, of course, far too small to serve a defensive purpose.

The view beyond the parapet is spectacular.  Kolvir stands towering high above Amber, seeming almost luminous and ethereal in the clear air.  The sky overhead is cloudless and bright.  For an instant Tahirah seems to see something white, moving quickly across a highland meadow on the face of the mountain.

To her left, a forest sweeps around the flank of Kolvir, and beyond she can see that it seems to stretch away for ever.  To the naked eye, there is no sign of the war which is supposedly raging in Arden.

Tahirah can't resist a thoughtful, "Hmmmm," at his warning, as if she's considering whether jig-dancing might be necessary or not.  "Thank you, Kallum," she says, continuing up the stairs.

She looks out over the scenery.  First, in all honesty, simply enjoying the view, but she only indulges that for a few moments.  Then she looks about for signs of how the battle is going.  Seeing little, she takes to be a generally positive sign - it's certainly better than a smoke-blackened sky.  But with that thought... neither can she rely on simple sight alone.

Moving around the edges of the tower, she begins tracing runes into the dust, slowly building up her magic.

Forces gather around the tower as Tahirah works, twisting the light into sharp focus wherever she looks.

First she studies the face of Kolvir, paying particular attention to the highland meadow, where she sees the living equivalent of the arms of Amber.  Running across the lush grass is the Unicorn itself.

Suddenly the creature stops, seeming to look directly at her.  And then it turns away and is gone, its delicate hooves carrying it away into the forest...

Tahirah searches for sign of the battle.

There are troops moving along the routes from Amber to Arden.  May wear liveries that she doesn't recognise, but always there are others with them who wear the uniform of Amber.

Almost all of them are heading away from the city, so presumably the battle is being waged still, somewhere in the dense forest beyond Kolvir.  There is no outward sign of it though.

And then she spots something which doesn't belong, concentrates, and finally sees an Archon, one of the danioti gleaming in the sunlight as it hurtles above the distant treetops...

Tahirah frowns to herself.  Her first instinct is to try to send a spell towards it, but...despite her magnifications for visibility, the distance is still rather significant.  And besides; she's always been better as a guide.

And she supposes, with Cyan's efforts, she can't even be certain yet whose side it's on.

She follows the danioti, watching to see where it goes.  As she does, she begins more quiet tracings in the air.

As Tahirah watches, the Archon appears to be circling rapidly, but the centre of the circle seems to be drifting slowly.  Overall it seems to be heading away from the mountain.  Occasionally it breaks its pattern, and at those times it often drops out of sight among the trees,  It always returns to the same circling movement though, and always at the point where it broke away from it.

Tahirah watches it for six or seven minutes, and the sequence of events, breaking the pattern, then returning to it, is repeated five times.

Finally the white robed woman completes a new series of sigils...

Once she has her spell in place to trace the shape of the Archon, Tahirah makes sure that she'll be able to find it again if she looks away, she waits for the next time it dips down, and then keeps her focus on that spot after it goes away, watching to see what else might be there, or what might change.

The odd movements of the Archon continue, a wide circle which drifts across the forest, barely clearing the treetops.  Then she realises that, no, in fact it's just clearing the majority of the treetops.  There are places along its path, she can now see, where taller trees have been clipped.

Careful observation soon turns up another fact.  The places where the Archon dips out of sight all appear to coincide with clearings or other gaps in the canopy.

She watches as the Archon reappears from one such side excursion, then ignores the creature for the moment to focus her attention on the clearing...

Tahirah bites at her lower lip.

A single Archon.  Setting small little fires.  She decides it's dropping down at clearings because it doesn't want to leave gaping holes in the canopy, but... all she can think is that it's working to set the forest on fire.

As she recalls, from her experience at Charyk, having a forest around your castle is a liability anyway - far too much cover for attackers.  But this one, she gathers, is a resource, as well, and it's not as though it comes right up to their walls anyway.

She focuses again on the danioti, and then flips up a card in front of herself, whisking it through the air in a rapid pattern...

Far out above Arden, the danioti  rises higher, blades gleaming in the sunlight, as it starts out on another diversion from its prescribed path.  This time, knowing what to look for, Tahirah can see where it's probably heading - and there is already a faint wisp of smoke rising there.

Suddenly the glittering metal is surrounded by a mist, which rapidly becomes a denser fog, and then a dark cloud which obscures the creature completely.  The cloud seems to pulse and spin, expanding and contracting sporadically for several minutes, before suddenly plummeting out of sight among the trees.

Moments later a sound like distant thunder, very angry distant thunder, rolls over the tower where Tahirah works, followed by a the sound of breaking wood...
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:13, Tue 18 Oct 2011.

Tahirah looks out, unruffled, as the thunder rolls past, watching the spot for a little while.  If she doesn't see it for a while, she'll skim back across the spots it had stopped before, lifting up another card, and sending a concentrated blast of water at each spot until she's sure the fires it started are out.  Whether signals or a planned burn, she doubts they're meant for Amber's well-being.

Then she quietly withdraws from the tower, going down until she finds Kallum.  "I should seek the King now, or one near to him," she says, simply.

With no further sign of the smoke, at any of the places the Archon had been, or along its most recent course, Tahirah heads back down the stairs and soon finds Kallum.  The man is seated on the stair, his back against the wall, running a whetstone along the blade of his sword.  As Tahirah approaches, he inspects the weapon with a critical eye.

Her request doesn't seem to surprise him at all, "Of course you should." he replies with a nod, and starts back down.

But he stops short, using a key to unlock a small door in the stairwell and squeezing through the opening which is thus revealed.  Beyond is a corridor, the floor layered with dust.  Light filters in through stained glass panels in one wall, each one displaying only abstract geometric patterns.  The way is narrow, such that Kallum's shoulders almost brush against both sides as he walks.

Another door, back out into a broader corridor, and much cleaner.

"You've got to understand," Kallum explains as they descend a wide staircase, "I'm not an important man around here.  Sure, I command a few men, but I can't exactly take you to the throne room.  The best I can do is hand you over to somebody who can take you to his boss, who can in turn take you to his, who can, maybe, get you an audience with one of the Family.  I hope that will do?"

"Without every piece, the puzzle is incomplete," Tahirah says, in response to his assertions of unimportance.  "That, is more than I could do for you.  May I ask what you think of those in the Family?"

Kallum chuckles and shakes his head before answering, "Everybody in the city asks me that one too, as soon as they find out I work up here.  Here's the thing though... I don't know most of the family.  I've met Bleys twice, and Fiona once asked me to loan her a knife so she could cut a cord binding a parcel.  The rest of them I've only ever seen from a distance."

"Bleys seems like a good man, and the knife came back to me touched with a bit of luck, or so it seems.  So Bleys and Fiona are alright by me, but just between you, me, and the wall, Fiona can be a bit... well... not scary, exactly, but she can make a body nervous.  As for the rest... well my wages get paid every week, and the pay is good enough."

The man pauses to open a door and gestures for Tahirah to step through, "On the whole, I'd say they're decent enough, and there are worse places a man could work."

Tahirah tilts her head slightly.  "Rarely does anyone know," she confirms.  "It is doubtful even they truly know one another.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts."  She steps through the doorway, and then aside a bit to let him take the lead again.

Back now in a more heavily populated area of the castle, Kallum suddenly calls out to a man who steps out of a door ahead of them, "Davik!"  The man, dressed in some sort of uniform, but almost certainly not a military one, and looking as if he is aging badly, turns to squint suspiciously at the source of the call.  His expression lightens when he sees who had spoken.

"Kallum.  What brings you into this part of the castle?"

Kallum explains who Tahirah is, and that she needs to speak to a member of the family, "Somebody with a bit authority, mind, not one of those snot-nosed youngsters.  There's  a bottle of brandy in it for you if you can arrange it."

Davik takes over leading Tahirah, while Kallum returns to his duties elsewhere in the castle.  Over the next half hour Tahirah is passed on to two more people, a man and a woman, each with increased level of importance reflected in the quality of their clothing.  And finally she is ushered into a small but comfortable room, where she is instructed to wait.  The woman leaves, and Tahirah is alone...

For about five minutes.  The door opens, and one of the princesses of Amber that Tahirah had seen earlier enters.  Before she closes the door behind her Tahirah gets a brief glimpse of armed men taking up positions outside.  The woman, who wears a blue-green dress, and has dark red hair, pulls up a chair and sits opposite the seer.

"I believe we saw each other earlier, at least briefly.  My name is Florimel.  You are called Tahirah?  Why did you want to see me?"

Tahirah is quiet for perhaps a longer moment than is proper when taking up royalty's time.  Finally she says, "Tahirah, yes; thank you for meeting with me, Florimel.  I have been working with James against the Archons that plague us all, but while they battle them...out there," she gestures broadly, "That is not what I am suited to.  I was sent back here," technically, "To better apply my strengths, which lie more in advice and preparations.  Wandering the castle on my own, however, seems a poor aid to offer; I hope to put myself in service someplace more productive, as I believe James intended."

Or would have intended.  If James, per se, had actually said anything about it at all.

"I see." Florimel leans back in her chair, raising a finger to tap at her lower lip as she studies Tahirah for a little while.  Finally she speaks again, "That is a dangerous offer to make, here in Amber.  There are some among my siblings who would see it as an opportunity to use you to destruction."

"Since James trusts you though, and many of us trust James, I believe I have a task for you that would be a more productive use of your time."

"Random believes that there is a spy in the castle... "  The princess of Amber chuckles, "Ah... let me rephrase that - Random believes that there are more than the usual number of spies in the castle.  He has, of late, been having problems with certain treaty negotiations - information he has been holding in reserve to apply as a little extra leverage in those negotiations has been finding its way into the wrong hands."

"Several nearby kingdoms have formed an alliance, which continues to add member states, and Random believes that a spy is providing that alliance with information which is undermining his own efforts at diplomacy."

"Is it possible that you have talents which might lend themselves to discovering this spy or spies?"

Florimel waits as Tahirah sits in silent thought.

Finally she clears her throat, and glances at her wrist, as if expecting to see something there.  Frowning, she rubs at her bare wrist for a moment, and then makes an obvious effort to stop, "Do you need time to consider?  Or were you thinking of doing something else to help us?"

"I am sorry," Tahirah says, flushing slightly within the safe recesses of her hood.  Ferenc had, quite simply, never rushed her.  "This is perhaps one reason I am ill suited to battling at the edges of the war - I do not like to rush ahead.  But yes, I feel that your suggestion may be precisely what I can offer."  She pauses a moment, looking at Florimel thoughtfully.  "Your talent lies in people, doesn't it?" she asks, suddenly, not as anything she'd heard, but as something she's realized.  "Have you any recommendations on... where to begin?"

"My talent, as you name it, is more like a series of lucky guesses.  But yes, those guesses do tend to be about people." Florimel smiles, before rising and starting to pace, "Unfortunately I believe I may be too close to this to see it clearly."

"My suggestion for where to start would be in the Ambassadorial Quarters.  That would be the obvious place for a spy to hide, among the foreign diplomats here to court our favour.  And being obvious it's probably the least likely.  However, I can arrange a suite for you there, and after a little while our spy will, hopefully, grow accustomed to seeing you there and assume you are just another diplomat."

She stops pacing and turns to face Tahirah again, "This will also explain why you're having occasional meetings with myself and Random."

"Is there anything you think you will need?"

Tahirah considers that a little bit, and then nods.  "As you say, then; if the spy is not there, perhaps it will give me the opportunity to interact with others, where they may be instead.  I would need..." she gestures briefly, "A reason to be."

"I come from Charyk, which is destroyed, but our people were moved to another - if there is no ambassador from them yet, perhaps I might serve as one in actuality," she proposes, or perhaps more accurately, requests.

"Nobody else has requested the position yet, or presented credentials better than your own, so I can certainly make sure you are granted full privileges as the official ambassador for Charyk." Florimel replies, with a smile, "Which, of course, fits in nicely with our plan to make you appear to be exactly that.  Excellent."

"Just one moment."

The princess of Amber moves to the door and opens it to speak quietly to one of the guards that Tahirah can see still waiting outside.  The man nods, "Yes, Highness." and walks away just before Florimel closes the door and turns to face Tahirah again, "I've sent word that you need a suite preparing."

"Do you have any luggage that needs carrying to your chambers?  Or any other requirements?  I assume you don't have any staff of your own, Ambassador... at least none that are here with you... shall I arrange for a secretary, and perhaps some men to stand guard at your door?"

"I do not," Tahirah acknowledges, "But I generally need little."  She considers the offer of a secretary, or even guards, and after a moment, nods.  "Yes," she says.  "It will be good if you have someone of your own watching over, also."

She's not adding to the order - she appears to be assuming that if the Princess is arranging a secretary and guards for her, then at least one of them will be a spy of her own.

"I'll see that you have everything you need." Florimel confirms, "In the meantime, if you would wait here, I'll arrange to have some refreshments fetched for you, and somebody will be along presently to take you to your suite."

"For now I have other matters I must attend to.  I hope to speak to you again, soon, Tahirah.  Good luck with your investigation."

And then she leaves...

A few minutes later, a servant arrives with a tray bearing a pot of tea and some sandwiches.  The seer is left alone again, though at least she now has a little food and drink.

Some time after that, another servant appears, ready to guide Tahirah to her new quarters.

Another maze of corridors and she finds herself being led towards a door where two men stand guard.  The one on the left is Kallum, the other one she has not seen before.

Tahirah is shown into her rooms, which are of more than acceptable quality.  She has hardly had time to acquaint herself with the layout of the suite before there is a polite tapping at the door...

Tahirah rather enjoys the tea and sandwiches, and wonders briefly if the Princess actually knew she'd be most comfortable eating while left alone.  In any event, the tray is left neat when she's done, the teapot and cup set balanced to ease the journey of whoever takes it back.

She nods to Kallum, and steps into the room, letting the door close behind her.  Then she pauses a moment, listening.    So it's a few moments before she starts looking around, and she is therefor a good deal closer to the door than she might have been when someone knocks.

She turns to face it, stepping softly, looking quite as if she had simply been standing there at the right time.  As she almost had been.  Then she calls out, "Welcome."

After a brief moment the door is opened to reveal an ageing woman, dressed all in black, who favours Tahirah with what could barely be described as a curtsey.

"Good day, Excellency.  I am Elisabeth Niyall." The accent is refined, though the tone is somewhat brusque, as if the woman is more used to scolding people than greeting them.

She moves into the room, and it becomes apparent that any inadequacy in her curtsey may have been due to infirmity rather than insolence.  Kallum and his partner (possibly called Jack, judging by a stray remark that Tahirah had overheard) are still on duty outside.

Elisabeth speaks again, "I have been assigned to assist you with your duties as ambassador for Charyk, Excellency.  Is there anything I can help you with today?"

Tahirah is, as she often is, quiet for a moment.  In part, perhaps, just waiting while the door is closed again, but the moment stretches a little bit further than that.  Then she reaches up and draws back her hood, actually pushing it all the way to fall back off of her head.

"Thank you," she says.  "Please, sit.  I will need help in two areas - first, of course, in functioning as an Ambassador.  I've never done it before, and I should hate for Charyk to suffer for my inexperience.  Secondly, to function as an Ambassador while at times being unavailable to do so, or pressing beyond the bounds of what may be... proper."

She walks around the table, drawing out a chair to sit opposite, even should Elisabeth have declined the chance to do so herself so far.  "Today, I think you can help most by teaching me.  I hope you have been here longer than I," she smiles.  "I need to know my way about the castle and the city, and the people with whom we will be dealing."

"Ah... I see, Excellency.  You have been sent here with no knowledge of the castle, or of the city." 

Elisabeth's face  makes it clear exactly what she thinks of people who would send an Ambassador to Court, without the faintest idea of what they should expect.  Only after Tahirah is seated does the Amberite woman sit.  "For the first part of your query, I would respectfully suggest that you go nowhere beyond the walls of the castle without a guard.  While not strictly a necessity - Amber is, after all, a civilised city - a guard will serve as a deterrent to some of the rougher elements which can occasionally be encountered near the harbour.  Foreign sailors, and their ilk."

The barest hint of amusement touches her lips, "Guards will also serve a secondary function.  They provide you with a person you can safely ask for directions, should you become lost in an unfamiliar part of the city."

"Regarding the castle, Excellency; if you go out of the door behind me and follow the corridor to the left, you will pass a number of suites housing the ambassadorial representatives of, I believe, seventeen different nations.  More are located on the floors above and below this one.  If you were to continue to the end of the corridor, you would encounter an iron door, with the arms of Amber painted upon it.  Here is the key to that door."  She slides the key across the table, "The door gives access to the staircase which leads down to the chambers where you can meet privately, and upon neutral ground, with members of the Royal Family, or with the Ambassadors of other nations."

Elisabeth's description of the important areas of the castle, and how to reach them, continues, with occasional diversions into the correct method of summoning servants, the best time of day to walk in each of the three gardens that Tahirah will have access to, and other sundry details.  The woman really does seem to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the castle and its occupants.

Finally her description draws to a close.  She pauses for a moment to draw breath, and gather her thoughts, then asks, "Was there anything in particular you needed to know about the people, Excellency?"

Tahirah listens intently.  As Elisabeth describes different places in the castle, she lays down a card at each one; although they are drawn seemingly at random, at the end, she has a sort of symbolic map of the castle before her, which she studies quietly.

Elisabeth's question is met with lifted eyes, and then a sudden, small laugh.  "Besides everything?" she asks.  She gathers her cards in a practiced swipe, squaring them quickly and then flicking three down onto the table.  "If you were a spy - a saboteur - who would you be?" she asks, softly.

"Somebody else." replies Elisabeth, with the barest of smiles, and even that looks as though it would crack her face.  "Sorry, Excellency, that was just my little joke."

The woman studies the cards, her expression a mix of curiosity and disapproval at the distraction, "I suspect that I would not be one of the servants or officials in the castle.  Yes, they... we... would have opportunities, and can move about without being questioned.  For many of the lower positions, their movements would likely go unnoticed.  The consequences if caught would be serious though.  A servant would be punished, possibly even banished from Amber.  Officials would probably be banished or executed.  Given a choice between a comfortable position here, with a good wage, and banishment or death... well the latter is much less appealing."

She shifts uncomfortably on the chair, "No offence intended, Excellency, but ambassadors, or their own diplomatic staff, would seem the most likely candidates.  If found to be spying, they are simply banished.  Which means they just go home.  Execution is unlikely, even in the more extreme cases, because executing a diplomat might spark a war, and Amber prefers to retain its diplomatic connections to other lands."

Tahirah nods a little at the joke, with a small motion of her hand, looking very much as though she had been expecting it. 

Her nod to the rest of it is more thoughtful, resting her fingers lightly over the cards she laid down.  "And among the Ambassadors," she asks, "If you were an outsider, seeking to turn one, is there one you might choose?  One whose people are already disposed against Amber, perhaps, or who has personal issues that might make them susceptible to influence?"

She lays another trio of cards as she speaks, their top corner touching the bottom left of her first set, all six cards laying upside-down on the table.

"There are a few who would fit that description, I think." the secretary replies, "Though I have to admit that some of them might simply be victims of my own judgmental nature."

"There is, for example, an Ambassador from the Courts.  Qiexz, I think his name is.  Now, I could say that he, or his staff, as emissaries of a recently-hostile nation, would be the most likely to be engaged in activities directed against Amber's best interests."

Elisabeth sighs, "But I'd also have to admit, if pressed, that some of that opinion might be personal bias, due to Qiexz having a tendency to dally with the chamber maids, and to not always treat them as well as he might."

"Personal opinions are not formed in a vacuum," Tahirah points out.  "Old hatreds are hard to set aside, but new alliances are often strongest.  On the far end of the line stand those most loyal - those who lived here first.  You have thoughts about them, also.  I would not suggest that one of their number might be so turned, but they would be greatly tempting targets for anyone willing to take such a gamble.  From an outsiders viewpoint, which of them would you think to be most... approachable?"

She awaits the answer, and as Elisabeta speaks, lays down three more cards, still faced down; the top one tucks just slightly under the bottom right of her first triad, the others similarly lapped, resting as a kind of counter to the second set.

Elisabeth looks a little uncomfortable at this turn of the conversation.  After a little thought, she replies carefully, "If you were to tell me that somebody who works here had been caught spying for an enemy of Amber, and if you were to ask me to guess who it was...  Well, my first thoughts would be concerning those servants who work in the ambassadorial quarters.  Maids, guards, manservants."  A brief pause, and then, "Me."

"After that, the troops.  Their uniforms clearly mark them as being employed here, making them obvious as choices.  And they are often sent out to patrol outside the castle, perhaps making it easier for one of them to conceal a packet or a letter for somebody."

She frowns, watching Tahirah lay out the cards, "However, the family treat the servants and troops well.  It would take a lot to turn one of them."

Tahirah meets Elisabeth's eyes, with a thoughtful nod, as she speaks.  At the very end, her eyes light up.  "Ah.  Thank you.  That is the Question."

With that, she takes the card farthest to her right, and lifts it up and across.  The entire array follows in a wave as she arcs it across and lays it face up on her left.

The cards are turned over, and Elisabeth's frown shifts, to become an an expression of confusion.  "I have never seen cards like those before, Excellency.  They are from your home?"

To Tahirah's eyes, there are patterns.  Patterns on the faces of the cards.  Patterns in the positions the individual cards occupy in their own triads.  Patterns in the way the cards of each triad relate to those in other triads.  Even a pattern in the way the triads relate to the grain of the tabletop (though this last one is probably less significant than the others).

To Tahirah's eyes, lines of energy connect the cards, and to her mind those lines are as clear as her own best handwriting.  They spell a word, and that word is the answer to all of her questions...

Tahirah nods absently.  "Each card bears a symbol to represent a simple concept.  Motion," she taps the one at the top of the central triangle, closest to Elisabeth, "Or confusion," she indicates another, on the left.  "Each triad then offers a more complicated meaning; most of them have names.  This, for example, is Confusion, Forest, and Darkness - Lost in the Wood.  It indicates someone has strayed from known paths, and perhaps is unsure where they are now, and certainly of where they are going.  In the Wood, it is easy to be Lost and not even realize.  Depending what is near it, it may hold hidden dangers, but truly, it can mean death by itself.  Here, though," she tilts her head a little, "It is followed by The Royal Road, which suggests travel, and comfort - a clear path.  And then Eternity...which really doesn't..."  She squints a little, trying to make sense of it all.

Then suddenly she sits back, almost jumping, eyes widening.  "Oh."

She takes a deep breath, blinking.  "Oh," she says, again.  "Oh, dear.  I see.  Lost, indeed, astray upon the high road, caught in the cycles of aeons...sometimes, the readings are subtle, full of inference and guesses.  Othertimes, they simply hit you over the head.  Thank you, Elisabeth.  You are exceptional."

"Me, Excellency?  I'm afraid I don't understand." Elisabeth seems extremely puzzled by Tahirah's comment.  To the extent where, should Tahirah ever lose the card for Confusion, she could simply replace it with a portrait of the secretary as she appears now.

"I have done nothing but answer your questions.  For most of them I have not even been able to provide precise answers.  Have you somehow found the person you are looking for?  If I was, somehow, of some assistance, then I am certainly glad I could help, though I have no idea how."

"No," Tahirah says, with a small shake of her head.  "I don't know who it is, but I know why, and that is often more important."  She considers for a moment, and then brings out another card - different from the rest, this one clearly depicts a man.  "I am permitted to bring my own assistants, am I not?" she asks Elisabeth.  And she does, in fact, wait for the answer.

But either way, when she has it, she starts concentrating on the card.

"All of the other Ambassadors have their own staff.  Most, in fact, brought their own secretaries." Elisabeth replies, then falls silent.

In Tahirah's hand, the card grows colder.  Ice cold.  The air around the white robed woman seems to cool noticeably, and Elisabeth shivers and folds her arms around herself to ward off the chill.

A face comes into view before Tahirah - skin like old, worn parchment stretched over a deformed skull, with wispy strands of white hair hanging down to the collar of a black robe.  One eye a sightless milky white orb, the other a pale watery blue, blazing with some insane intelligence.

Ferenc... a Lord of Charyk... he looks older than Tahirah recalls.

His voice reaches her, like the sound of dry leaves blown on a cold wind, "What?  Oh, it's you.  Where have you been?  There have been four attempts on my life this week alone, and you were not here to warn me of them."

Tahirah smiles suddenly.  "If you had needed warning, I would most sincerely apologize," she offers.  "But it is so difficult to imagine anyone wanting to harm you that it obscures my powers.  I have been...busy," she says, more seriously.  "If you would, I need your help.  It would require posing as my subordinate," she warns.  "I know that you  have much to deal with already, but I have taken position as Charyk's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Amber, and I find that I lack your political acumen.  It is warm here, however, and the food is good, and it would take some time for your enemies to find you."  As she talks, she makes a small gesture with her hand; speak more in private.

"You are, of course, correct, as usual." Ferenc says, and the chill of his voice seems to lower the temperature in Tahirah's chambers, "You do lack my political talents."

"I do believe that this is the first time since we became acquainted that you have come to me for help with anything.  As long as you do not intend to make a habit of it, then I have no objection to providing you with such aid on this occasion."

The smile that accompanies his words is less than reassuring, resembling, as it does, the grimace of some feral beast rather than any human expression.  "Beside which, since you absented yourself from Charyk, the climate has become unhealthy.  Perhaps a change of scenery would improve my condition."

And an infinitesimal nod.  I agree.  We will speak in private.

Tahirah offers her hand.  "Thank you."  She draws him forward, and then steps aside, presenting him to Elisabeth.  "Elisabeth, it is my honor to present Lord Ferenc, one of the great Lords of Charyk.  Lord Ferenc, this is Elisabeth, assigned as my aide by Princess Florimel of Amber."

Ferenc steps through into the room and Elisabeth recoils slightly at his sudden appearance.  Or it could be the smell.  It's apparent that personal hygiene has not been a priority for him recently.  And underlying the rank odour of stale sweat, there is stench of decay, as if the man's flesh is rotting where he stands.

Nonetheless, she manages to bow her head and give an appropriate greeting, "Welcome to Amber, Lord.  I have heard much of Charyk, and nothing that was bad."

If Ferenc disbelieves her statement, he shows no sign of it.  His single functional eye swivels in its socket as he takes in the room, "My thanks.  I am sure that Charyk is not as splendid as this... this... Amber."

The eye fixes on Tahirah, as Ferenc settles his bony frame into a chair, "Now then, Seer.  Please explain to me what sort of help you require."

"Perceptive," Tahirah replies.  "And deductive.  If I may speak so boldly, I think that Amber could learn much from Charyk; their defenses are... unprepared.  In comparison to what we are used to."  She shrugs a little, giving Elisabeth a faintly apologetic look.  "But that is not my purpose here.  There is one here, highly placed and quite possibly of the Royals themselves, who is aiding their enemies - and I am tasked with finding them."  She bites at her lower lip for a moment.  "But seeking for what would turn someone against their home, hoping that the motive might help me learn who it is, I found instead that they have not turned.  I am seeking a traitor who acts out of loyalty; believing either that what they do is best for Amber, or that the Archon's cause is truly just.  Either way, there is no guilt to watch for, no blackmail to dig up, or secret rewards to uncover."

"Ah... the worst sort of traitor, to be sure."

Ferenc nods his head sagely, "Certainly the hardest to root out.  A man who believes he is doing no wrong is less certain to give himself away with some guilty misstep.  But I can find him for you."

"I shall, of course, need to see the dungeon before I start."  His expression is like that of a master wood carver, considering which tools will best draw out the shape hidden within a piece of timber.  "I have to know what implements are available to me, and how well they are kept.  I've no doubt the flensing hooks are of poor quality.  Sadly they always are."

"And I shall need food, and the best wine the cellar can offer.  No, make that the third best.  Nobody wastes poison on the third best wine."

The silence stretches uncomfortably, until Ferenc finally gives an exasperated sigh and explains, "It was a jest.  A little humour to inspire camaraderie and fellowship.  I wasn't really considering torture as a tool for rooting out your traitor.  There would be no point to that, as I have no inkling where I should start."

"Pain, as a tool, has its uses.  But not until you have found your criminal.  Or, in this case, your traitor."

Tahirah gives a brief wave.  "I know," she says.  "But your jest held a true question, and I was considering.  Our tools are limited.  As an Ambassador, I have considerable freedom of movement; as an associate of the agent Cyan, I have somewhat more.  We have subtlety, and perhaps surprise.  My divinations are useful, but have their limits, of course.  Being entirely new here, we have excuses to ask many questions of many people, but that is inherently fleeting.  We have support from the Princess Florimel," she nods to Elisabeth, "Assuming, of course, that it is not she; and we have support from the King, Random, also, though not his ear at this time."

"Such exalted company you keep these days.  Princesses and kings, no less.  Is it any wonder that you have no time, any more, for those who were so generous to you?" Ferenc says bitterly.  He taps one fingertip on the table three times, before pointing it at Elisabeth and asking, in a much more businesslike tone, "You know your way around this place... where would you suggest that we start?"

His eye fixes on her, and appears to be trying to bore into her head.

"I would suggest, Lord, the servants' quarters.  They say little, see much, and are, themselves, largely unseen as they move about the place.  They are loyal, and might be deceived into believing that what they do is for the good of Amber."

"Thank you." the eye swivels back to look at Tahirah, "Not the servants.  I would assume that, if they would make such ideal spies, they would be among the first suspects.  If a traitor has not been found among them then either such a traitor does not exist, at least not there, or Amber's spy masters are singularly inept."

"My own suggestion would be to start with the lords and ladies of this castle.  They would be above suspicion for many of the guards and servants, and have the most freedom of movement."

And then a change of tack, "This other name you mentioned, this Cyan... I have, I believe, heard it spoken elsewhere of late.

"And the most ability to cause harm," Tahirah notes, with a small sigh.  "But they are the most difficult to investigate, for that is where our freedom of movement ends.  Although not," she notes thoughtfully, "That of the servants.  If they are not the subject of our gaze, they might still be a good place to begin."

She hesitates a moment at his mention of Cyan.  "Where?" she asks.

"Using the servants to obtain information regarding their masters?  That might work, though one would have to take care to avoid their becoming suspicious and reporting such investigations to those masters."

He ponders Tahirah's question, then, "It was at a place called Nura.  I travelled there when Charyk became unbearable.  It's a dismal little port, which smells mostly of damp and decay.  And fish.  It's cold too, with a lazy wind - the sort which cuts through a person's flesh rather than going around."

"Very unpleasant place."  he shakes his head at the memory of Nura, or possibly the town is simply representative of how miserable his life has become recently.

"I was staying at what passes for an inn in that miserable little hole, and there was a woman there - at least she wore the guise of a woman... " and one finger lifts to tap his face, alongside his blind eye, "... but sometimes, when she moved, there were flaws, if one knew what to look for, and had the means to see.  She was asking everybody she met if they had seen another woman, called Cyan."

"Would you know her if you saw her again?" Tahirah asks.  Given who she's talking to, she decides she doesn't need to specify the, `even if she's a table next time' part.

She smiles.  "Here, I think the difficulty of our betrayer's motives is to our advantage.  We do not seek someone who is up to no good, but someone who is extremely loyal; and that, their servants may take pride in."

"Yes, I would likely know her again.  Or perhaps it would be a more accurate pronoun, since I can't be sure of the true form behind the mask.  There were, as I said, flaws which told me the woman was not truly a woman, but which gave no clue to the underlying shape."

Ferenc ponders for a moment, before adding, "If it is important, I might even be prepared to return to Nura, but only should it prove entirely necessary for me to do so."

"As for the servants... would that work?  Do servants take pride in their master's accomplishments and beliefs?  I had always thought most of mine far too dull to actually comprehend my own achievements and qualities."  He ignores the frown from Elisabeth before nodding to Tahirah, "Present company excluded."

Tahirah considers Ferenc's... offer, she supposes.  He wouldn't mention the possibility if he wasn't offering to do it, really.  "No," she decides.  "It's probably not entirely necessary."  His next question, though, is an easy one.

"I did," she says, simply.

"We should begin.  Charyk is new here; focusing our attentions only on the royalty would be a natural mistake.  Elisabeth, I would like to begin with the one named... Gerard.  How long would it be to arrange a meeting with one of his people?"

"That would depend, Excellency... " Ferenc chuckles, and Elisabeth favors him with a frown before continuing, "... in part upon who you would wish to speak to.  Certainly no more than two or three hours for most of them, and probably considerably less.  Though if you need to speak to his seneschal, who would likely know more of his master's activities than the others, it might take most of the day.  Mostly because protocol would require dealing with one or more subordinates first."

"Ah, yes.  Bureaucracy." sighs the former lord of Charyk, "Things are so much simpler when one is at the top of the tower, looking down."

"Simpler," Tahirah agrees, "But details are often lost."  She nods to Elisabeth.  "The Seneschal is too high - start us with someone simpler.  You said he is connected to the Navy, I think?  Perhaps someone involved in that," she suggests.

"I believe I know the very person." Elisabeth confirms, after the briefest of pauses, "There is a man who serves under Gerard's command, as a senior officer in Amber's fleet, who is married to my niece.  Would he do?  Because I also have a nephew, the son of my other sister, who is a deck-hand, should an officer be too highly placed."

"I'm sure either of them would be happy to recall the favours they owe me."

Ferenc laughs, a hideous, hissing titter, "One day, I intend to return to Charyk in triumph.  On that day I will doubtless need a new spy master.  I will be sure to use your own example as a template with which to assess the suitability of others.  Efficiency and connections!"

Tahirah inclines her head, with a soft smile.  "The officer sounds perfect," she agrees.  "Thank you."

Ferenc's praise draws a thoughtful, almost wistful look, and a nod.  "Doubtless."  She pauses a moment, and then looks back to Elisabeth.

"With your permission, Excellency, I shall go to make arrangements for you to meet with Aenoch.  I will leave you to reminisce with your countryman, and to consider your own plans."  Elisabeth stands, and favours Ferenc with a brief nod of her head, followed by a more formal bow for Tahirah.

"His ship is in dock for repair, and I am certain I know just where to find him.  If the unthinkable happens, and he proves not to be there, I can find out his whereabouts from his wife."

"Of course," Tahirah affirms, with a small wave.  She considers adding something, but another `thank you' would be effusive, and `tell me when you're done' seems far too obvious for someone of Elisabeth's professionalism.

Once she's gone, she sits back down.  "There is a beginning, at least," she says.  "And most of them, I think, will be similar; so long as we spread our questions out, it should be safe enough, I hope.  But how does one investigate a King?"

Ferenc smiles a hideous smile.  An expression to make babies cry and dogs cringe.

"Very carefully."

The smile vanishes, like some foul creature withdrawing into its lair, and his face returns to a more usual level of unpleasantness.

"I would never suggest investigating the king.  Investigate, instead, those around him.  Anything you discover about his servants, bodyguards, poison tasters, trap testers and other underlings will make them all too eager to reveal whatever secrets they know about their king, simply to keep their own hidden."

"That is, as you have realised, a sound tactic."

His voice drops a little, and he leans forward to add, in a confidential tone, "Another is to make it seems as if somebody else is responsible for those investigations.  Cause somebody else to take an interest in the king's staff and servants, and then steal their findings from them."

"Then, if the king grows suspicious that somebody seems to be asking questions, his attention will be drawn elsewhere."

Tahirah considers that for several moments, and then shakes her head slightly.  "That is - of course - brilliant, but under our current circumstances, it could backfire.  There is already one traitor to be found, and the King's own resources are presumably - if it is not him - already seeking them as well.  On principal, even if they know less than I do.  If we lead them astray, we could do great harm."

"The sound strategy, though, if a bit less," she smiles, "Convolutedly genius, is sound.  Thank you."

After a moment, she muses, "And I suppose that if our trail is picked up and does lead to us, we were set in place by Florimel.  There's no reason for the tracks to stop here."

Ferenc bows his head slightly, in partial deference to Tahirah's knowledge of the art of espionage.  "Of course, it would be simplicity itself itself to ensure that anybody investigating our part in discovering this plot will move directly on to much more likely targets."

He pauses, tapping one broken nail against a yellowed tooth for several heartbeats.  When he speaks again, his voice is lowered and his manner almost subservient, "Might I suggest that you change your servants, and particularly your secretary, at least once per month.  Weekly would be better.  The less time they have to find out about you, the better off you will be."

The nightmare smile returns, briefly, "This will be especially true if, on the day you change the servants, you also change the  direction of your investigation, and of your daily routine."