BECMI Chapter 62 – The Ei is Watching

“I will be rendering this down after a bit of study. The means and methods used to make it were not made by any mortal mind, but sing of something mad and Aberrant, a thing of elder gods and old things that should have died long past, but continue to bedevil us today,” I informed the king coolly. “With a bit of study, I should be able to work out a way to that resemble this or use the same principles, allowing you to go through your settlements and find those who are wearing them.”

“Identifying the spies of the Ei!” King Antius exclaimed eagerly, reaching out to take the paper now that I had finished it and studying the designs there closely. “That will cripple its ability to gather intelligence in Darkmoor!” he stated in satisfaction.

“Indeed.” I continued with my other task, a combination of words and faces going on page after page in crisp, sharp lines.

“And those are?” King Antius asked soberly, as I finished each page and set them aside.

“Agents, traitors working with, and victims of the Iron Graf’s intelligence network.”

He looked at me, I looked back calmly, and he sighed and extended his hand. I pushed over the first stack with a finger gesture, and he took them and began to read, his face hardening almost instantly.

I guess he knew some of them…

“For a scruffy rebel and self-made king from a bygone era of myth and legend, you clean up nicely, Your Majesty,” I informed him evenly.

He was in black and silver attire from one of the closets, conveniently matching his height and build, as if placed there just for him, a fact I noted. Combed, shaved, with some food in him, washed up and treated well, he definitely had a kingly air about him now, a man used to power and the hard decisions that had to come with it, and despite that, staying a bright and noble Silver while doing it.

Mithar would have taken him for one of His own if he were on Terra-Luna.

He had a clipboard and slate folder with all the assembled pages I’d made for him tucked securely under his arm as he chuckled softly. “I bow to your wisdom, Lady Edge,” he agreed, looking at the Portal that was slowing and solidifying ahead of us. “It will be good to be home…”

“Come! Everyone in formation! Only Freedom this time!”

“FREEDOM!” roared everyone behind us happily, and with the king’s hand on my shoulder, I led the way into the Portal.

I was naturally the first to come out. Ketcher Kociba was right there, along with a dozen agitated nobles and spellcasters who’d likely followed us down to the Portal, intent on following us within it, only to find it had closed behind us!

“Lady Edge!” he exclaimed urgently, unable to keep the suspicion out of his voice. “Where is… YOUR MAJESTY!” he shouted in relief and joy, a shout rapidly taken up by all the nobles, who surged forward… and then were a bit dismayed as, with startled shouts, they were forced backwards and against the far wall.

“Make room for my company,” I said with the cool dispassion of a teacher for completely idiotic students, King Antius valiantly keeping a smile off his lips at the casual rebuke. “If Your Majesty will lead them upstairs…” I waved him off.

He looked a bit scandalized at my dismissal. “There are other matters We would like to speak of with you, Lady Edge!” he said hastily, although he quickly got out of the way of the men coming in rapidly behind him, all of them rapidly and professionally taking up their positions in the formation to leave once again. “Your rewards, among other things…?” he hedged.

“If you can offer my people a reward greater than their freedom…” He looked at the hard eyes waiting, yearning for all of this to be over, and had no more words. “I will return in a few hours your time. Deal with urgent matters and have word sent out that you are returned, be seen and let it be known you are safe, sound, and fit to resume your throne. They naturally will also need to examine you for signs of mental influence and control, and so forth and so on.” The Catcher, standing right there and barely able to contain his eagerness, remained scrupulously silent. “Go. Your kingdom awaits.”

He sighed in defeat, stepped back, and to my utter surprise, bent down, took my hand, and kissed it! “As you will, great Lady!” he smiled roguishly, enough to earn a single raised eyebrow from me at his cheek.

I think every male in my company wanted to kill him right then for daring to do what they did not.

I turned back to the Portal, which I’d unspun one time more, making sure there was no tie to the future, no closing of a causality loop, as nothing had exited the place.

“This is the end of the loop,” I told them all, while rings converged around the Amulet and I thumbed the settings, reaching out to where the very first Temporal Beacon I’d set down waited… and suddenly shone clear and free as the Portal in front of us solidified into a straight crystalline Arch.

Even the watchers from Darkmoor looked a bit awed upon seeing it.

“Hands free.” I lifted mine to my sides, and wondering, they all did the same. “This is the end.”

I walked into the Arch, and I was five steps in before I vanished from sight.

Buck walked in after me, nobody’s hand on his shoulder now, and one by one, the rest of the company followed.

There was only one road and no falling off the path, now.

The Archway of the Portal silently disappeared behind them.

Forty years ago, and ten minutes in the past, I had walked into the Portal below, and now I was returning home with over twoscore others in tow with me.

One hyn. Twenty-three humans. Nineteen dwarves. Nine elves. One dragon. Soon they were all crowded into the taproom and near the till, standing and watching me.

“Here is where the loop closes,” I told them all calmly. “The till has not moved in four thousand years. If you choose to walk out of here, take your coin. I have locked the Portal below to the end of the loop, there will be no more random Portals, only random things pulled into it.

“There is a new time and age beyond that door, and new things to discover and learn for yourselves. I can use all of you, I can lead you to see things and places and do battle with things that you will know should be fought… and you’ll gain the strength to pursue your own dreams, regardless of what they might be.

“If you chose to find your own path, tell me where you wish to go, and I will see that you are brought there without incident.

“If you chose to remain in my service, we will speak of Oaths of Allegiance, and what follows from there.”

I reached out and liberated a copper coin from the till before their eyes. Number Two, looking like her icy base form and not alive, parted the Doorward, and I stepped outside.

Buck was the first to jump up, nab another copper coin, grinning widely under his mop of brown hair. Soon enough all the others were crowding around, snatching a coin of silver, gold, or copper, and hurrying out after me.

They’d already tasted being outside once, and were definitely not going to be spending time inside the Thisbean Inn if they did not need to!

waited outside for them, laden with loot and hoard gold, while rounded stone tables with broad umbrellas rose up out of the rocky ground for them to gather around.

I waited patiently, going over the words I was going to speak, while Sims Three and Five were bringing out drinks for everyone, the shadow in the air kept the hot sun at bay easily, and the trees growing swiftly around the area helping break up the monotony.

Ah, yes. “Duum, come on out.”

Magic swirled in shadows, and my Familiar melded out of the Figurine that had held him in stasis all this time.

He blinked in astonishment as power bubbled around him, magic feeding into him as his status as my Familiar was upgraded, and with it his strength and power.

Of course, the sudden appearance of a monstrous Bat nearly as big as Cirruluxul right next to me in my colors was naturally a surprise to everyone. -Mistress, what happened?- he /asked urgently, crimson blades flashing and fading over the edges of his jet black wings intermittently as he adjusted to his new size and strength.

-It’s been forty years my time since I sent you in, Duum. No regrets, now, most of it was absolutely crushing boredom of reading, spells reps, and meditation. I will need you in the future, rest assured.-

-As Mistress says.- Totally unafraid, he looked over the collected warriors with as much interest as they were eyeing a monocled giant Bat. -Is that a dragon?!- he /asked in alarm, instincts blaring at her presence.

-Yep. Not an enemy, at least at present.-

He chuckled, reading into all sorts of reasons why that might be true, and said nothing further, choosing to relax and look around. He’d seen all this recently, of course, so there were no surprises, except all the new people he had to examine and identify.

Soon enough, everyone was outside and seated.

I surveyed them all now calmly.

“Before we begin on more individual matters, there is one thing to take care of,” I began evenly. “This location is quite secret and lost, and as you all just experienced, for a very good reason. An active Portal to another time is a prize that archmages will rip apart your minds and souls to learn of and where it is, and in so doing create no end of trouble for all of us. None of us are fools, and we all know which of us are wont to boast loudly, others to spin quiet tales, and others to be unable to lie if pressed on matters.

“I will take that matter out of your concerns. No one leaves here without swearing to a that forbids you to convey a word of the Inn or information on those here and what we have gone through by any means to any save one of us without my leave. It will mean you gain no fame or infamy by the discovery of the Inn, but it is going to keep your brain from being opened up by interested parties, so I believe it to be a fair trade-off.

“Raising your hand conveys acceptance of this among all here. If you do not wish to raise your hand, then you are leaving my service, and I will remove all recollection of myself and this Inn from your memories. In effect, the last months of growth and battle and shared fortune will be removed from you, and you will awake far from here, wondering how you got there… but you will be free, and your life will be free of myself and all those here.”

There was only the slightest moment of hesitation, and Buck was naturally the first one to shoot his short arm up. “I agree!” he promptly declared loudly, proud to be the first.

My eyes turned over the rest of them, and slowly the arms rose, even Cirruluxul raising her claw, understanding the dangers of knowing things others wanted to learn at any cost to others.

Perhaps understandably, Guyven was the last to raise his hand, sighing and shaking his head, eyes twinkling at the thought of not being able to cash in on the prize of finding this place.

“Acceptance of the confirmed on everyone present.” They all blinked, startled to find the magic coming so easily into effect, but then, I hadn’t been trying to impose it on them. Agreeing to it bypassed any potential resistance on their side.