| Logs |
2001-02-25
| Starfall |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
Baiting the Trap
Thorn bows her way back out of the meeting, heading back to her lab to check on the requested potions, and the group turns to the problem of triangulation. When the group heads out in their closed carriage, Ludmilla switches back to her own skin on Rishali's advice, to prevent interference with the triangulation attempt. She's riding shotgun, heavily cloaked. Carroll handles the reins, while Horatio plots the results and Alex concentrates on the magic. The initial direction is south by southwest, into or along the coastal mountains of western Sanaray.
Horatio notes, "We should go perpendicular to the original direction as much as possible, instead of parallel to it. Say, a few miles should do, if the point we pinpoint is relatively near. We might need to move further away if there's cause for doubt as to the exact spot." Ludmilla nods, and suggests the coast road to the east as a start. Alex nods, and passes the directions along to Carroll, outside and up in the carriage drivers' seat.
Carroll drives the carriage, dressed in an unassuming set of clothes as any driver might wear, although they are impeccably clean and sharp looking. He wears his family ring should he need to be visible. To Alex he says, "On our way," when she relays directions, and begins to drive the carriage that way, looking alertly at the road and path ahead. He tries to keep an ear cocked to the conversation inside, but doesn't expect to hear much.
After a few miles travelling east, the direction indicated by the necklace hasn't shifted much. Ludmilla points out a road leading south, and Carroll turns onto it. Alex looks relieved... hopefully this means Arianna's not being moved much. She keeps concentrating on the necklace, letting others concentrate on other stuff. Horatio is rather disturbed, for his part, and looks it. This means that Arianna's being held quite a distance away, and may be being moved directly away from the capitol. Carroll drives the carriage, remembering all the things about how to keep a clear path ahead, make a smooth ride, and predict any oncoming obstructions or possible encounters. He hasn't had to think about in some time, and realizes he's enjoying the drive and himself. He thinks, If only we weren't out and about for such an unpleasant reason, this would be lovely, and suffers a moment of worry about Arianna.
Alex hms, glancing over at the map once or twice, then back to where the amulet indicates Arianna is... finally she comments a little puzzledly, "Um... who owns this territory? We're getting awfully close to the coastline, aren't we?"
Ludmilla shrugs. "Ve're passink t'rough County Taliesin, milady. Am not knowink who iss local baron."
The road leads through rolling hills, alternating forest and farmland. After ten kilometers or so, the bearing indicated by the necklace has definitely begun to shift toward the west.
Alex passes the info along, idly wishing they could do something like fly or something... so they could find out faster. Horatio makes note of the bearings, nodding in satisfaction. "Another ten kilometers and we should start to have a good plot..."
Another kilometer passes, and then the carriage crests a hill and a farming village appears just a little way ahead.
Horatio glances outside the window, and spots the village. "Should we go around it?" he asks.
Alex glances out the carriage window, careful to keep her face shielded by her heavy cloak. "Don't see any reason to stop here... she's obviously not going to be here, since we're triangulating, so... let's continue, yes?" Horatio nods. Carroll leans down to ask if they should stop or not, and nods at the decision not to, driving through the little village.
The road leads straight through the village, and the manor house on a rise overlooking the fields can be seen once the carriage passes the next patch of woods. A few furrs can be seen working in the fields, and a group of young cubs is running around the houses playing some game or other. Alex murmurs to Ludmilla, "Any idea who's this is?"
Ludmilla nods. "T'ese are all crown lands, Count Taliesin iss directly to her Majesty svorn. Am thinkink t'is iss one of his baronets."
Horatio says, "If it's not someone we know directly and trust implicitly, we need to avoid contact..."
Alex sighs softly, her small paw holding her cloak close as she stares out the window in the travelling coach. Poor Arianna... it must be hard to have to distrust everyone -- even folks who've sworn themselves to her. Carroll continues driving unless told otherwise.
The village falls behind as the carriage continues, and the bearing continues to shift slowly to the west. A few kilometers further along, however, a small group of riders can be seen heading toward the group. Carroll leans down and calls back, "Riders ahead, coming this way. Do we know who they are? Should we stop?"
Alex looks a little worried, "Horry... if the bearing is shifting this slowly... wouldn't that mean she's rather far away?" She glances up and outside cautiously again... then looks to Ludmilla, "Do carriages usually keep going about their business when they pass in the countryside? Or is it more polite to stop and chat here?" To Carroll she calls up, "Are they carrying any banners or colors that you can see, Carya?"
Horatio nods quietly to Alex, fretfully. "Yes, it does. The slower the bearing shifts, the further away she is. She's somewhere in the mountains, thirty kilometers south of Maidstone. We don't have enough to make a definite pinpoint... but we know general directions now. We should go closer to the mountains, and we'd get a more accurate plot with less movement, but that would mean moving closer to them. The mountains... at least she's not near the coast, they're not going to move her that way..." He looks closer to the map, and blinks. "Oh, wait. It's a coastal range. Blast..."
Ludmilla chuckles humorlessly. "Am not really knowink. The qveen never stops to chat vit'out her security force." The riders are now close enough to see their colors, a red and silver tabard marked with a harp.
Alex nods, patting Horatio's paw gently, "It's okay, Horry. We'll keep checking as much as we can, and Ludmilla said the Navy's patrolling. Tell us where you want us to go next, and we'll keep narrowing it down."
Horatio nods, fretting. "Southwest, I think, now..." He blinks, and looks up. "Uhm... someone said something about approaching riders?"
Ludmilla grunts. "T'e count's militia. T'ey vill be vantink to stop us, patrollink on orders from t'e crown."
Alex thinks a bit... then looks up again, "All right. Should you talk to them, then, Ludmilla, and not let on that I'm here?" She nods at Horatio's question, "Yep, there're some riders... don't recognize the colors, though. Do you, Horry? They're red and silver with a harp."
Horatio blinks again, perking his ears. "Oh, bother..." He starts to put the map into his satchel.
Alex blinks, looking back at Ludmilla, "Wait. The count's militia is patrolling here? Not his baronet's, but the count's -- and on the queen's orders? Is this standard practice?"
The tiger grins, showing fangs. "Konechno."
Alex gives Ludmilla a puzzled glance, "Er... gesundheit?" Horatio also blinks to Ludmilla.
Ludmilla snorts. "Part of orders sent out yesterday. Searchink for Sir Alex and her captors, da?"
Alex says, "Ah, got it. So... is 'konechno' a name? And could we decide soon, please, if Ludmilla should talk to them or no?"
Ludmilla blinks, then shakes her head. "Meanink is... emphatic yes, no qvestion, somet'ink like t'at. Ve vill stoppink be, but only briefly." Alex nods in relief, then passes the information along to her eldest brother. Carroll slows the carriage at this news, pulling to the side of the road so the riders can talk with them and this can be resolved. Alex settles back in the carriage, pulling the cloak a bit closer about her face. Horatio settles back quietly, trying to look as much unlike himself as possible, setting his satchel beneath his bench.
The riders do indeed fan out across the road in front of the carriage. "Sorry, we have to search you. There's been a kidnapping." The lieutenant in charge of the squad is a young badger, who goes pale as Ludmilla pulls her hood back. "Ah... Your Excellency. I... didn't know this was your carriage..."
Alex covers a small smile behind her hood. Horatio remains seated and quiet, and as inconspicuous as possible. Carroll watches impassively from the driver's seat, trying to appear a quietly unconcerned servant. The tigress nods. "Vun qvick look, lieutenant. T'is iss your chob, after all. Not to be apologizink for doink it." The badger nods, swallowing a little nervously, but rides forward to peer briefly through the windows. He salutes the baroness then. "Thank you. Proceed, your Excellency."
Alex smiles again... that can't have been a very thorough look, but she's certainly not going to complain. She makes a mental note to herself... that was a very nice handling of a nervous subordinate. She'll have to remember that. The tigress nods, then holds up a finger as he is turning to leave. "Chust a moment." She turns to murmur to Horatio, "Vhere are ve needink to go next?"
Horatio pulls the map from his satchel and studies it for a little bit. "I would say we need to get closer to the mountain range south of Maidstone. The closer we are, the better and quicker a fix we can get on the... position."
The tigress nods. "So... ve could be headink back to Maidstone?"
Horatio taps his chin. "Perhaps, but it might be quicker to go more towards the mountains before we do." Alex remains silent. No need to attract any attention to herself. Horatio looks at the map for a few more moments, then nods. "There's a road that heads in that direction, not too far. I'm not sure if we should follow it, though..."
Alex waits for Ludmilla to say something, but when she doesn't Alex finally murmurs softly to Horatio, "Why shouldn't we, please?"
Horatio frets at the map. "Because it'll lead us just about straight in the direction of the most recent bearing. It's sure to be guarded, and we might also suddenly stumble upon where the place is."
Ludmilla grimaces at Horatio's last comment. "Not wantink to do t'at, no. Am thinkink ve should turn around, da?"
Horatio thinks for a moment, "That's probably best," he says worriedly. "They probably have the mountain range swarming with their people all the same..."
Alex nods at Horatio's explanation, studying the map. "All right... Ludmilla can tell us when the next best road occurs. Let's turn and get moving then, yes?" The information is passed up to Carroll, and Alex grins as she whispers to Ludmilla, "So... are you going to dismiss the guards or no?"
Ludmilla shrugs. "Ve turn around, t'ey can keep us company. Nyeh?"
Horatio nods, letting out a breath as he looks over the map. Blast! he thinks. At least we know she's probably in the mountains, and the Navy is patrolling south of there in the ocean, so that's covered... it's just that I wish she was in a more... accessible place. He pauses, then thinks, Silly Horry. If she was in a more accessible place, the Society would move her to a more secure place right away.
Alex umms, glancing at her brothers, then at Ludmilla, "I... guess... if you think that's wise? Er... can we try to at least keep them at a bit of a distance? Behind or before us, perhaps, so it's harder to see into the carriage?"
Horatio nods, "I agree with Alex. We need to avoid someone looking in here and possibly mentioning who they saw to someone else. We don't know how far the Society has links."
The tigress grins again. "Konechno."
Alex nods, and makes sure that information is passed on to Carroll too... then she settles back in the carriage again. She suppresses the urge to pluck at the cloak, reminding herself firmly that royalty does not get twitchy! -well, at least she hopes it doesn't... that's what she's going to try for, at least. Ludmilla motions the lieutenant over again. "Ve are headink back the vay ve came. Could ve have you post your people as outriders?"
Carroll waits for the directions to have been given and then turns the carriage about and drives back they way they had come. The badger salutes. "Yes, your Excellency." He turns to give orders to his squad, while Carroll turns the carriage around.
Alex keeps half a mental eye on the direction Arianna's in, whilst waiting for either Ludmilla or Horatio to say when to turn. At that point she'll start focusing more. Horatio takes the time to think, while he's not plotting bearings or worrying about where they intersect. THe Society of the Mountain... He glances to Alex. "I forget, A--" CAREFUL!! "-aah... did we ever find out whey they're called the 'Society of the Mountain'?"
Alex gives Horatio a rueful glance -- she's having trouble remembering not to call her brothers by family diminutives too, so she sure understands Horatio's slight slip. At his question she just shakes her head slightly, murmuring, "Don't know for sure, but I'd hazard the guess that they hole up in a mountain... and possibly even that the mountain is like Mt. Kali... violently magical."
Horatio nods slowly, looking at the map. At the mountain range. "They... wouldn't bring her to their headquarters, then, would they..."
Ludmilla snorts. "Vould hopink not. Ve not needink to get her back from Bharat."
Alex grins, "Oh, I'd be very surprised if their 'home' mountain wasn't way over nearer Ludmilla's and Natasha's homelands."
Horatio says, "A good point, sorry. Just a thought. And one I'm glad I was wrong with!"
The presence of the count's soldiers eliminates even the possibility of problems as the carriage heads back toward Maidstone. The riders turn back at the borders of the county, and by mid-afternoon, Maidstone is again close. Alex glances out cautiously, "We're back. Now where, Horatio?"
Horatio scratches his chin nervously. "We should head slightly south. closer to the mountain range but not close enough to stumble onto a road leading into it..."
Ludmilla nods. "Sout' Caravan Road, am thinkink."
Horatio nods, "That sounds like a good route. Once we get nearer the mountain, we should work our way around it. Alex nods, telling Carroll that too. Carroll nods at the directions, and drives the carriage where he has been directed. Alex nods again, to herself, taking a moment to keep 'sighting' along the amulet towards Arianna... she doesn't want any surprises.
Horatio says, "Well... it'll take us a while to get there... It'll be night by the time we get close enough... we might want to return, and get status reports from everyone... find out what they've learned. Mistress Thorn might have more on what was used in the attack..."
Carroll chuckles, and changes course, heading for the city gates, adding, "A meal would probably be welcome, too."
Alex sighs, then nods tiredly, "All right. Let's go. We can try again tomorrow." She stares fretfully out the window... she can't escape the nagging feeling that they're taking too long. She turns, saying to Ludmilla, "So... can you send out scouts as well, or something?...or would that be asking for trouble?"
Horatio's stomach rumbles as if in response. He blinks in surprise reprovement at it, then looks up to Alex, nodding. "I agree. There's got to be something more that we can do. We've spent one day to discover that they're in the mountains, and I have the horrible feeling time is running out."
Ludmilla nods. "Ve are havink better maps at t'e palace. Per'aps better idea of location, da?" Horatio nods, and double-checks his map to make sure he indicated at what places, specifically, they took bearings from.
At the palace, Thorn has sent a message while the group was gone. Morgana looks quite pleased as she passes it on. A lucky break. I would suggest a bonus if not a promotion for the trooper who found the piece of broken bottle with liquid still in it. I will be able to synthesize an antidote to the sleeping gas.
Horatio blinks as he reads it. "That's wonderful news!" He blinks again. "Er... that's also assuming that they'll bother merely putting any rescuers to sleep and not use something more lethal... but it's a start..."
Carroll says, "A bonus is a better idea than a promotion, if you ask me, but that certainly is good news." Alex looks relieved at the note, and checks with Morgana -- can something nice be done for Thorn also? Once she's done, that is? No need to interrupt her work.
Morgana grins. "Already in the works. Mistress Thorn has been very helpful on several occasions."
Horatio nods, "I'll get to work with the palace maps, transferring the bearing plots from the map I have. We'll probably have a better idea of where she might be being held.
Alex smiles, "Excellent. Thanks, baroness." After that she just wants food and a nice hot bath... riding around in a hot, stuffy carriage all day is not her idea of fun!
Horatio emerges from the small room he sequestered himself in, looking grim and none too happy. "I transferred the plots," he says without preamble. "Even with the long-range bearings we took, it looks fairly certain that she's being held in near or in a lumbering camp in those mountains. Alex looks up from dinner and nods, pushing a plate of food over to her brother, listening carefully. Horatio sets the map on the table, actually glowering down at it. "And... at least we can come one step closer to the confirmation of our suspicions. The land is direct fiefdom of Westmark."
Morgana nods. "No surprise. I think that Lucrezia may inherit earlier than we thought."
Alex nods again, a touch more grimly this time. Carroll sighs, from where he has been picking listlessly at his meal. He says, "What now, then? Storm the building? Have we got something more subtle? Can we get appropriate help?"
Alex says firmly, "Help shouldn't be a problem -- I'll be stunned if Ludmilla can't get us all the folks we might need. However, I can't really recommend storming the castle. I don't -- none of us -- want Arianna to get hurt, after all. Wouldn't a sneaky attack maybe be better?"
Horatio sighs and rubs his eyes. "There may be subtleties here that we aren't aware of. Especially there. Storming it is unwise, but approaching it will be difficult. This is something the Society has trained themselves for specifically, and unless Baroness Ludmilla has people under her command who are equal to that for such tasks... it could be very ugly, no matter how we approach."
Alex nods slowly, looking more worried. "Hm. Well... maybe a diversion sneak attack by Ludmilla's sneakiest folks... to draw attention away from the real attempt to rescue Arianna that we could have coming in the back, perhaps?"
Carroll asks, "Can we hire people with that expertise?"
Alex smiles at her oldest brother, "Let Ludmilla handle that... I'd think she'd know best who to use, and we could concentrate on the 'real' attack. You're sneaky when necessary, Carya, yes?"
Ludmilla looks offended. "Ve use Marines for main attack, Rangers for diversion."
Alex glances curiously at Ludmilla, "Hm. So you don't want us around? For the attack, I mean?"
The tigress shrugs. "Not vhat I said. I am thinkink ve need you along, Sir Alex -- for locations, da?"
Horatio is not about to argue with Ludmilla. "I have no wish to slight the rangers' abilities, Baroness... but at the same time, the Society is very, very good at what they do..." He falls silent. No, I won't say it. Ludmilla knows, and the rangers themselves must know, that they're going to be sacrificed.
Alex nods slowly to the huge tigress, "That would be fine, but I'd prefer having my brothers along, please."
Ludmilla nods. "Of course. And I vill be goink along, as vell. But ve need backup."
Alex says, "Backup... the rangers and the marines, I take it?" The tigress nods. Alex nods slowly again. "All right then. So... what's our plan? Tomorrow we narrow down our target... the marines and rangers have to be alerted and we need the appropriate equipment from Thorn... Horry, can you make anything special up? We'll also need some powerful healers along, I'm guessing. Anything else? When's the viscount due here?"
Horatio blinks a little. Oh, right... I volunteered to go. Oh, dear. I wish Jessie would be there, but... well, that would make things problematic. I know it's dangerous, but going there to rescue the Queen is what we're supposed to do. I have no qualms about that. Noblesse oblige is what Father drove into us from the start. But... I guess I would have liked to have seen her one last time, in case something happens... Oh, blast and Elements, don't even think that, Horatio. He straightens slightly. We'll get through this, and we'll break the Society and put the Queen back on the throne, then ensure that Westmark and Iago of Costa Yermo never have another say in the politics of Starfall, Maidstone, or anywhere else in the League...
Morgana shrugs. "Not for a couple days yet. The courier shouldn't be getting there until tomorrow morning."
Alex hms, suddenly very thoughtful, "I wonder... would the viscount bother meeting with his er... captured victim?"
Ludmilla looks at Alex, her eyes narrowed. "Not if t'ere vas to be deniability. Vhat are you thinkink?"
Horatio blinks, looking to Alex. "Not if he wanted to make himself as 'clean' as possible. Which might have been blown away by the ransom note. But the possibility exists that he's not aware of the kidnapping, however unlikely that is now."
Alex nods, "True. Is he the gloating type? If so we might just try following him in. If not, he'll be squeaky clean."
Morganan shrugs. "Not particularly gloating... he managed to keep his involvement in things completely hidden until you people showed up."
Carroll shakes his head and says, "I would feel much better if we had some way to disable their entire facility at the same time. I don't like going in when they're awake, even with a distraction. I can't help but feel they'll not hesitate to simply kill anyone who comes near, and I'm not excited about that prospect. Or about having them kill their prisoner in retaliation." Horatio winces. That would, in fact, be exceedingly bad.
Alex nods at Morgana's words, "Good point." She looks at Carroll, "Well... we were thinking of trying something like drugging them all, yes?" She looks at Morgana again, "Did Thorn mention anything about that?"
The mouse shakes her head. "Nothing either way."
Alex sighs, "Okay then. So... we try to narrow things down tomorrow on the map... and then we wait until Thorn's got sleeping potion antidotes, and Horatio's got the Society poison antidotes. Then we wait until there's enough sleeping potion to put out the entire house of folks... then Ludmilla sends someone in with it, and then we try the attack?"
The tigress nods. "Not qvite so blunt, but da."
Horatio nods quietly. "That sounds good. Twelve hours should be enough of a wait, I think. Twenty-four would be better. It will give everyone a chance to partake of the potion."
Alex says, "Define not quite so blunt, please?"
The tigress ticks points off on her fingers. "Ve scout site first. Sleeping potions perhaps sent in by air, dependink vhat scoutink says. Rangers go in first, tryink to distract if necessary, t'en main attack."
Morgana nods. "They've got a reputation, but that's for attacks. Assassins aren't usually very good once you know where they are, and there aren't that many of them."
Alex nods thoughtfully, listening carefully. Horatio says, "It couldn't hurt to be careful, though, I think... the watching team should not be there for longer than necessary, and once we start moving it will have to be straight though to the end of it all."
Alex nods again, a tad grimly. "Furthermore... if that over-flight is seen, we'll have to go in instantly, yes? Can't wait around for them to realize what happened."
The tigress nods. "And t'e qvicker ve move, t'e better. Not thinkink ve find t'em so soon, so ve need to hit t'em before too long."
Horatio nods to Alex. "They should just think that the over-flight is a scout, and if they... kill the scout, they may think themselves safe for a day or so. You're right, Alex, they will be on alert if they spot the scout, but if we then go in immediately, I can't see them being instantly ready for us."
Alex says gently to her scholarly brother, "Horry... we must not assume our people are expendable, or it will affect our thinking. We must understand there may be deaths... but not assume, I think."
Morgana looks at the tiger inquiringly, who shrugs. "Flier scout vill be... vhat iss vord... nevedemya..." Alex gives the tiger another blank look. I really must learn this language! Ludmilla is still stumbling around the word. "Not seeink, da?"
Alex tries to help, "You're saying the scout should be invisible?"
The tigress brightens up. "Da! That vas it. Invisible."
Horatio sighs, "Alex... I'm not assuming that at all, believe me. I don't want the scout to die. I'd be joyous if they don't spot and shoot him or her out of the sky. If you got the impression that I was hoping they would..." He takes a breath. "I'm sorry, just... no, that's not what I mean. As far as I believe, even the watching team, who are the most likely to run into Society members near the place, aren't expendable. I know nobody is..." He runs out of steam, then blinks at the word. "Invisible... Well, why not? They used the same trick against us..."
He blinks, and bites his lip. "It's harder the more people there are, I think. Invisibility potions and talismans would be good for each individual, but they're really hard to make, and a spell would be very, very hard to conceal the number of people we're bringing. But... maybe some sort of concealment spell, instead? Instead of making the initial approach invisible, make them simply... easily overlooked, at least before we start being where we're not supposed to be?"
Alex moves around the table to hug Horatio gently, "I'm sorry, Horry... I'm just worried too."
Horatio hugs his sister back tightly, letting out a soft breath. "So am I, Alex," he says quietly. In a lot of ways... "I'm sorry I snapped, I'm just..." Well, no reason to not admit it, not among these people. "Just scared. For all of us. Over the past year we've learned so much about the Society of the Mountain. Some of it is probably story, but we don't know what parts are myth and what parts are fact. It's that unknown part that scares me most, I think." That, and Jessie... stop it, Horry, things will be fine...
Morgana nods. "And it should work. They can't keep the spells on all the time to watch for such things, any more than we can."
Alex oohs at a sudden thought, "Hey, maybe we could get some kind of covering spell for us too -- for at least the initial approach maybe?" She counts off on her fingers, to firm up the plan in her head, "Okay. So... first we pinpoint the location tomorrow. Second, we send in invisible, well-trained watchers so we don't lose her... third we either drop something in the water and give it time to work, or drop something from the air and attack right away, since it would dissipate very quickly." She looks up, "Right?"
The tigress nods. "Not needink magic, even. Maskirovka useful. Lumberjacks."
Alex blinks at Ludmilla again... I wonder if she gets tired of those blank looks, she wonders amusedly. "Er... what?"
Horatio blinks. "A disguise." He doesn't need a translation of that word. "We go in disguised as a lumberjack party. Where else would you find a bunch of strong, strapping people, ready to do some hard work and carrying lots of tools? At a lumber camp, which is right near the place she's being held!"
Alex says, "Oh!" She brightens, "Hey, that's a clever idea!"
Horatio says, "We'll just need to approach from sufficiently outside their surveillance range that we appear just like a regular party of lumberjacks. We can surely find out the schedule of people going to and from the camp, and arrange that it looks normal."
Morgana smiles, not nicely. "There's lumber camps all through that area. Traffic of that sort all the time."
Horatio nods, "Excellent!"
Alex nods, "Good. In that case-" she glances at Ludmilla, "-your people will be taking care of the er... 'lumberjack' side of things, yes? And we can get the potions from Thorn and Horry... is there anything else we need to take along? A really good healer or two, I'd think, yes?"
Horatio says, "We'd need to arrange for suitable disguises, and concealment for their weapons. That will get them to the lumber camp, then from there begin. Yes, Alex. A very, very good healer."
Ludmilla agrees. "Two. Mozhet three."
Alex hms, "And maybe a mage or two, to help keep the 'look' up, and to be backup if necessary?"
Morgana says, "Yes. Mages, warriors, scouts, and healers. And you, Sir Alex, to locate the site."
Alex nods, taking a deep breath, then says firmly, "And Carroll and Horatio too, yes?"
Horatio's ears flicker slightly, as he looks over to Ludmilla. The tigress nods. "Anyvun you vish."
Carroll nods and says, "Yes, I am absolutely going." Alex smiles in relief at Carroll -- she's glad he'll be there too. It always makes her feel better when she knows her brothers are there supporting her too, and she supporting them in return. Horatio nods quietly to Carroll, taking in a deep breath. That's it, then... I wish I could... but, no... plenty of time to worry about that... afterwards. Yes, afterwards.
Alex squishes the nervous butterflies in her stomach ruthlessly. Scary, yes... we might lose someone -- or more than one someone. But... it has to be done. Not only because I don't want Arianna's position; not only because we can't let them hurt someone else because they think it's me; but mostly because... this is the right thing to do. She squares her shoulders determinedly, Daddy would agree, I think... even if it scared him too. So... we've got the best plan we can come up with. Now to implement it as best we can. "Well then, I think we should all get a good night's sleep, and then head out early next morning."
- By the next morning Ludmilla has her people ready, and the
group organizes itself a few miles south of the city. Thorn is along,
as well as two other older furrs. Ludmilla is cloaked again, and somehow
has dyed her fur solid black. A full platoon of the Queen's own is
decked out in lumberjack gear, with wagons apparently carrying supplies
for a camp but which actually carry weapons and light armor under their
tarpaulins. Morgana wishes the three foxes good luck over breakfast and
sends them on their way.
Alex studies Ludmilla for a moment... then grins to herself. If there's anyone out there with a crush on the huge tigress, she must look quite the dramatic heart-breaker just now! Carroll notes Ludmilla's coloration and resists the urge to ask her how she's done it. Horatio blinks slightly at Ludmilla's fur color. It's certainly rather striking. He looks around the courtyard, and takes in a soft breath. This is it, I suppose... Alex pulls the cloak a little closer over her own face, realizing she's a peculiar and striking color too... she mustn't forget to stay as hidden as possible. She nudges her horse's flanks with her heels... probably staying a little ahead of the cart would be wise too, so there are fewer folks that can potentially see her face.
The day passes without incident, the squads making very good time when they can, though they stay at a walking pace when there are others on the road. Alex feels the necklace start to shift direction by midday, and by mid-afternoon the party has left the main road to move up into the mountains. Alex concentrates carefully, so she doesn't miss anything, or accidentally lead the party astray. She's worried... but is determined not to let that cause her to do something stupid. Horatio looks up into the snow-capped peaks. This is it, he thinks, and sinks back into his seat, setting the parcel he's been working on beneath his seat a little, but within reach.
Carroll rides along at his sister's side, doing his best to reassure her by his presence. He notes her nervousness, and comments, "You're doing very well, Alex. If we all do as well as we can, things will work out. It's all we can ever do."
Alex gazes gravely at her brother for a while... then nudges her horse over a few steps, so she can lean over and take his hand for a moment. She smiles at him from within the cloak's shadow and whispers, "Thanks, Carya." She squeezes his hand gently, then releases it... she's still supposed to be playing the part of a hidden Arianna, after all. She sighs softly, wishing she could just give her oldest brother a tight hug... he just feels reassuring to be around.
The direction-finder starts shifting rapidly an hour along the trail. Ludmilla nods to Alex and keeps the group moving, passing the next camp and waiting until they are deep in the forest beyond before sending the scout off. The bird drinks the potion provided by Thorn and fades away -- only the wing-beats of his takeoff indicate where he goes. Horatio watches the bird disappear as he drinks the potion, and can only watch in wonder. Someday, he thinks, I'll be able to make something like that... Alex follows the soft wing-flaps anxiously, her fingers crossed under the cloak. Now or never, she thinks firmly to herself, so no turning back now!
The 'lumberjacks' spread out into the woods and along the trail now that the wagons have stopped, making sure they won't be surprised themselves. The scout returns after a nervous hour, making a bit of noise as he lands. Carroll waits calmly, taking care of details of camp and making sure everything is still prepared and going well. He is immediately on hand, however, when he realizes the scout has returned, revealing his anxiousness. Alex relaxes slightly in relief, pacing quietly forward to stand next to Ludmilla and Carroll to hear the bird's report. Horatio perks his ears as he hears the scout land, and moves over to his siblings and Ludmilla as well.
The scout starts his report as soon as Ludmilla arrives. "There's a trail leading up to a lumbering camp -- we passed it a little while back. The camp looks like it had been abandoned and recently reoccupied, some of the roofing is still patchy." He sketches a layout of the place, the pen vanishing as he takes it and the lines appearing on the parchment apparently on their own. "Fields of fire are cluttered, bushes and some trees are in the way. We should be able to get pretty close."
Alex watches intently, the cloak pulled close about her, memorizing the map... it might be critical, although she hopes not. Horatio watches the map being drawn out, trying to absorb it like he would an alchemy lesson. Their lives will rely upon that map, after all. "Did you see anyone?"
"There is one serious problem. The camp backs up against a rock face and there is a cave or mine shaft leading back into it. If she's in there, we'll have trouble." The bird quite suddenly fades back into existence as he's describing this. Alex blinks in startlement -- then tries to recall how long the potion lasted. About an hour or so? Her hand closes nervously around the amulet in her pocket. This is worse than a battle... at least in a battle everyone could arm themselves, try to defend themselves. Ari won't be able to. The scout says, "There were about a dozen furrs that I saw, but there's no guarantee that they were all out in the open when I passed overhead. Might be twice that many, or more."
Carroll also listens, and tries to remember the details. He says, "When we get closer, perhaps Alex will be able to tell."
Alex nods to Carroll, "I'll stick close, Carya."
Horatio nods to Carroll. "If we approach from the side somehow, Alex will be able to tell quicker, and in what direction we should concentrate the attack. Once we reach the queen the tables turn, and they have to get through us to get to her."
Alex glances up at the nearby guards, then continues to whisper so they still can't hear, "That's an excellent idea, Horry! Ludmilla, can we try that first?"
Carroll also suggests, "When we do find her, try not to touch her. If we get separated we can then still use the necklace to find her again."
The tigress nods. "Vas my intent. Straight t'rough to vhere she is, t'en worry about guards."
Alex nods slowly, "All right then. Are we all ready?"
Horatio nods quietly, taking in a deep breath. "I think so. We should do it soon."
Alex looks at Carroll, and at his nod she turns to gaze up at the huge tigress, "Then unless you have an objection, Ludmilla... let us start now, please."