AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess

[Silver Moon]

New and old readers alike, we have now fully reached the point in the story where we had been prior to the ENWorld crash and older back-up reset in September. So from this chapter onward we will resume weekly postings of new Story Hour chapters. Enjoy! Reader's comments are always welcomed and appreciated.


Chapter 108, "Chariot of the Winds" September 12, 1882, 8:15 AM.

Nearing the British command tent, General Woolsley instructs the real Drury-Lowe to keep his head down, with his desert hat covering much of his face. A group of soldiers have gathered outside of the tent and welcome back the General. A few gesture to Drury-Lowe and ask questions which he refrains from answering. As they neared the tent, Ruby hangs her head, a disappointed look on her face. Ruby, goes into the tent to look for Guizot. "I can't believe we were wrong," she says loudly to her grandmother, shaking her head.

Ruby is expecting to see five Frenchmen inside, but there appear to be only four, although one of them is Guizot. He is standing near the rear of the tent, around five feet from where Benjamin 'Fish' Trout and Maurice Beaujoulais are standing (and disguised as British troops). Ruby gave them a slight nod to alert them. She then approached Guizot. "I suppose apologies are in order?" she said in a downtrodden tone.

Inside the tent, the main map table has the fake Drury-Lowe standing over it and giving orders to the senior officers as to where to move troops. General Woolsley points and says "Arrest that man, he is an imposter." The real Drury-Lowe lifts up his hat, and there is momentary surprise as two identical men stand just fifteen feet apart. Two men grab the fake Drury-Lowe, who then throws off the two officers who had grabbed his arms and charges towards the door that the four just entered from, and at a pace twice the speed that a person could normally run. "Nana, help them!" Ruby said, "I have to deal with this one."

In a smooth motion, Nana says "Pan" as she swings her right arm up behind her back, bringing it down within six inches of the fake Drury-Lowe's head. There is a very loud clang and crunch, as the doppleganger then drops to the ground. Everyone in the room now sees something held in Mina's right hand that was not there previously, a cast iron frying pan (a close observer might note that the ring that Mina previously wore on her right hand ring-finger is now gone).

Ruby immediately pulled out the wand at her waist and pointed it at Guizot. "You two soldiers," she pointed at Ben and Maurice, "Help me restrain this one. I gather he won't resist much because he realizes he'll be turned to ash in front of us if he moves. Curious little thing, these wands of disintegration." She scratched her chin. "We'd better gag him too in case he tries to en-spell us." Guizot does not offer any resistance as Maurice and Ben approach to assist.

Now seeing what her grandmother had done, Ruby raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Frying pans, who knew?" The whole time her concentration never left Guizot. Simultaneous to that, another Frenchman in the room makes a break for the rear door of the tent. He barely exits when he then falls flat onto his face. Fish whispers just loud enough for Ruby to hear "I wonder how that trip-wire got placed there?" Ruby laughed again. "Seems your associate's are all leaving you behind, eh? One thing is certain, none of you will succeed."

She points the wand closer to Guizot, least he makes a move. "Nana, bring that pan over here, it worked well for the last one." Mina heads over there and says, "Indeed, I've always been able to work wonders with a frying pan." Ruby then says, "General, I would suggest you bind and gag all of the offenders, they may all be able to cast magic." General Woolsley orders his officers to arrest, tie and gag all of the known Frenchmen present.

The real Drury-Lowe points to the man wearing his face and asks, "And what of him?" General Woolsely says, "The British Empire's Military Code of Justice is very clear on that subject. He is in a war zone and attired in the uniform of our army, but is not a member of our army. That makes him an enemy spy, subject to immediate execution by firing squad." Upon hearing that, the British Army uniform-attired Fish whispers to Ruby "Help get me and Moe out of here quick, before somebody decides that we qualify for that same treatment." Ruby nodded. "Alright you two," she pointed to Maurice and Fish, "Help me with this one," she pulls Guizot.

She asks, "General Woolsley, I need to return this one to Bast. Have you any other need for me and my grandmother?" The General replies, "You had better do as the Goddess requested young lady. I think that we can take it from here." "Oh, I don't expect to defy a Goddess! We'll be off. Thank you for your help and good luck." She waited until Fish and Maurice picked up Guizot and started carrying him our of the tent. "Over there," she pointed to where the group was. They all walked back to join up with the others.

As they are leaving General Woolsley turns towards his officers and says, "A cease fire is hereby in effect. I want all units to pull back so that they are beyond all but extreme rifle range of any Egyptian forces. But remain on high alert, there are other enemies present and the cease fire may not hold."

Outside, looking back at the Goddess, George asks "Bast how many attendants should our new Pharaoh have? And how many can accompany her on the Chariot of the Winds, which still hasn't arrived yet." George adds with a glance at the Egyptian physician. The Egyptian says, "It will take the boy a little while to reach it, the item had to be hidden well away from the battlefield, otherwise it might have gotten damaged."

Mina, Ruby, with Fish and Maurice carrying the bound Guizot, arrive back with the others. Ruby asks, "So, what'd we miss? It wasn't too hard getting this one, though I'm still suspicious about that..." George replies, "Well Freya took out the wizard who blew up our dirigible. In fact this is him right here." says George pointing to the body. "We have both sides at a cease fire and are waiting for the flying carpet for Neferka and the other dirigible for us so we can all head to Ghiza and get this squared away. She will need some attendants. Abby and Hassan have volunteered, I have some more work to do here."

Now that Ruby had returned and things had settled down somewhat, she approached the Princess. "My friend, I was so worried about you there for a while. I am happy you are awake and unharmed. I want to say I am really sorry about your family, we tried everything we could to help. The French's plan was just too thought out I'm afraid."

Neferka notices the large burn mark on Ruby's magical dress and says, "I can see that you did everything you could, and more." Ruby sighed, "I fear I may have ruined the dress. I suppose all the power is gone? Either way, I am happy to be alive and glad that none of my friends have been seriously injured." She furrowed her eyebrows in her usual manner, "Actually, we did have some injuries that we haven't healed. We should probably take care of that."

Princess Neferka says, "Regarding my attendants, Father would often bring five or six, the Chariot of the Winds is of good size." Ruby says, "Ok, so Abby, Ruby, Mina, Hassan is four. I think if Freya would agree to that it would be a remarkable bond between your two nations." says George looking at Freya and Neferka with a pointed look.

They spot something moving quickly across the desert, floating just a few feet above it. As it nears, they see is it young Henry Jones riding atop a flying carpet. It lands before them. The five-foot-by-nine-foot wool oriental-style rug has maroon as the primary color with a royal-blue as the secondary design color. It is also interwoven with patterns made of gold, silver and platinum threads. Ruby exclaims, "Looks like our ride is here. Will the Goddess be coming with us?" Bast says, "No, I will await your arrival at my temple." She then fades away.

Neferka steps onto the carpet and something truly magical happens, as all of the threads made of precious metals suddenly glow. She smiles and says in English, "It recognizes me as its new owner." She gestures for the other aforementioned people to join her. Ruby smiled. "That is truly amazing. Let's go!" She ran over to the carpet to join her friend and stepped on.

"Have a safe flight your majesty. I will bring your husband presently on the dirigible." says George with a small bow. "In fact I think it would be good if the British had a representative there as well. Adds to the occasion of state. We may swing by and pick up General Woolsely I think" replies George. Abby stepped on the carpet. "Cal is out there somewhere. Let him know what's happened if he doesn't know already," she said to whoever's ear she could catch. "Absolutely, we will make sure to round him up." assures George. The others step onto the carpet. Neferka says, "As long as I am riding on it none of you with me need to fear falling off, the Chariot will protect us." Neferka says an incantation in ancient Egyptian followed by "Gizah" and "Bast".

The carpet rises from the desert floor. It continues to rise until it is at an altitude of around 200 feet and then begins to move forward. Once it is away from Tel el-Kabir it picks up speed. Ruby has ridden on a flying carpet once before, with her friend Richard Broughton when they were escaping Pinkerton Detectives in Rochester, New York, but this carpet is nothing like that one. A key difference is that the wind is not blowing on them despite the speed it is moving at. The speed continues to increase until is moving at over 200 miles per hour.

Ruby held Abby's hand, more from excitement than fear. "It's this crazy! Who knew all this would happen when we woke up today. Er, yesterday. How have you managed? Are you injured? My head is spinning trying to remember what has happened when and to who." Abby replies, "Honestly? I'm exhausted. I've been good for nothing but cracking heads for at least 12 hours. I haven't the first clue if I'm hurt, I think I'd actually have to strip and inspect to figure out if I was. I've lost track of who was doing what and all I really want is to sleep. But the bloodshed has stopped. We didn't accomplish everything we wanted but the French will not rule Egypt. That will have to be enough."

Neferka turns to Abigail and says, "It is more than enough. Before she left Bast mentioned to me that it was you Americans who freed myself and Ahmed from the French. Not only will the French not rule Egypt, but neither will the British, nor will a rebel Army leader who lacks royal blood, although his children now will. The land will remain the realm of the Pharaohs and we all have the blessings of Bast to thank for that. How she came to be on Earth here today I may never know, but I will be eternally grateful."

Abby says, "The priestess Sabah used some items that we found and gave to her care, as she serves Bast. I can only imagine she felt the situation was dire enough to use them to allow the goddess to come here. I don't know what becomes of Sabah now," Abby said and swallowed. "I know she would have no regrets in the service of Bast and her homeland." Neferka says, "Ah, so you Americans also contributed to the goddess's arrival. You truly underestimate your positive influence. Priestess Sabah's name will be remembered alongside that of Princess Nafita, the Bast Priestess and daughter of Pharaoh Ussarken II who hosted the Goddess during her prior visit to Egypt."

Abby replies, "Queen Neferka, I don't underestimate the reach of what we did here. But we failed at one very important part of our mission, at least one that was very important to me. We foiled one plot against the lives of some of your family, but we missed the others. I deeply regret that. And I regret that the Priestess Sabah had to act as she did. But I'm also weary and confused. I'm sure after a good night's sleep I'll see what we accomplished with much more satisfaction." Neferka says, "There is only so much that a small group of people can do when enemies are spread over a large area of land."

The Chariot of the Winds has been flying west for around five minutes, and has already covered the distance to the Nile River. Neferka has it turn southwards, in the direction of Cairo and Gizah. Looking back, Abigail notices something a on the river a few miles to the north, namely a large geyser of water splashing upward and also moving south along the river at a very fast pace. "Oh @*!*," Abby said quietly. Then she raised her voice. "Ruby, we're not done yet! Queen Neferka, get this thing away from the river, now! I think someone's going to use the water to knock us from the sky."

Neferka calls for the chariot to turn further south and slightly east, still parallel the river but a quarter mile further east of it, while also rising higher than their current 200 foot height. Mina hold out her right hand and says "Scope". The ring on her ring-finger vanishes and in her hand is now a telescope. She eyes the distant disturbance on the water and says "It is a metal boat, around forty-feet in length, moving at a speed far faster than any boat has ever traveled to my knowledge. I would estimate its speed to be between 100 and 130 knots, that would be the equivalent in miles of between 110 and 150 miles per hour. That geyser of water appears to just be a side effect of whatever magic is being used to propel the craft, possibly a water elemental."

Neferka replies, "Then they will not catch us, the Chariot of the Winds can travel faster." Mina smiles and says, "Yes, but we may want to catch them. There are six people on the boat and two of them are Daguerre and Chevruel." She waves her hands and says an incantation, then replies "There. They did not appear to have seen us yet, so I cast an "Invisibility-ten-foot-radius around myself. That will keep us hidden for now, although those wizards are both powerful enough to see through my spell if we were to do anything to draw their attention to us."

Ruby says, "It's going to be difficult to defeat them. Magically, they are much more powerful than we are and they also have magical protections - and we don't have a lot of magical ammunition to get through it. We're going to have to get creative here. Any ideas? Of course, I do have one thing that makes a very big boom. I don't want to blow up this beautiful land but it may be our only option. I could try hitting the boat. If I can't hit the boat, I CAN hit the water in front of it, that should make for a bumpy ride. Or the fire could turn that elemental into steam..." Ruby shook her head. "I don't have many charges left in it though. But it should be enough to get this job done."

Mina says, "We're low on spells, but so are they, otherwise they'd have used transport spells rather than a boat. If we still have the element of surprise that gives us many options, given the speed and abilities of magical carpet as well what Freya can do." Lieutenant Colonel Hassan points out that his primary concern is Neferka's safety. Abby says, "Lieutenant Colonel, you are absolutely right. But bear in mind these men were in the dirigible that held the Queen and her husband. They are now in a hurry to go somewhere. If we try to capture or stop them now, we choose the time and place. If we let them go, they choose it. That said, unless someone can throw me down there so I can go hand to hand with them, there is nothing I can do from up here. I find going hand to hand with them disturbingly appealing."

Neferka says, "Those men killed my father and brothers, I cannot allow them to escape." We will do whatever we can to prevent them from doing any more harm to my country. And yes, they appear to be in a hurry, but while I command this Chairot, we can travel up to fifty-percent faster than they can. That gives us the advantage. We are now approximately twenty miles north of Heliopolis and thirty from Cairo, which at their current speed would bring them to those locations in ten and fifteen minutes. So do we try to get ahead of them to set up something at Heliopolis or Cairo, or attempt to stop them here?"

Ruby says, "Let's see. We don't know exactly which city they are headed for so that seems to be a guess if we decided to go that route. We are missing some of our group, so that also puts us at a disadvantage if we do something now. But the biggest element of surprise is if we set something up close to here in front of them and try to throw the boat off course. Then again, where are they going? That might lead to finding more of these enemies. It might also give them time to access more magic, which would be bad." Ruby took a long look at the boat in the distance. "I'm really not sure what we should do."

Mina says, "Throw them off course? At the speed that vessel is travelling at it wouldn't take much to throw the entire craft out of the water, and probably to fatal results for the occupants." Neferka says, "Sinking their boat will help avenge my family. But with two wizards on board, it would take powerful magic to do that. Slowing down their boat would be acceptable for the time being. I can bring this Chariot as close as need be to fulfill our task." Freya reminds the Queen that she HAS powerful magic, as Freya herself can assume dragon form, and dragons can breathe underwater.

Ruby suggests, "Okay, so Freya will fly close, but not too close to the boat. I will attempt to launch a fireball into the river in front of the boat, hoping to blast it out of the water or the very least slow it down. And we'll see what happens. If it doesn't do something to help us, Freya can take an attempt at it." Freya asks, "So, you'll let me kill them?" Ruby shrugged, "Yes, you may kill them. They are most definitely going to try to kill us and they're responsible for many murders, including those of the royal family. I will do what I can first with my fireball and if anyone survives, then feel free to do what you must do."

Mina says, "If we want complete surprise it would be best that they not see Freya flying. Should we drop her off ahead before the boat gets there?" Ruby says, "Or I can just make her invisible. She'll stay that way until she attacks so they won't see her coming." Freya states "That would work." The speedboat continues southward, with Neferka keeping pace with it.

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 109, "The Powerboat Abigail" September 12, 1882, 8:30 AM.

Back at Tel-el Kabir, once the Queen and her attendants had left the Egyptian Doctor approaches Maurice Beaujoulais and says, "Queen Neferka was told by the deity that I have stolen from her family, so my life here is forfeit. While I did so to help protect and preserve Egypt, it remains a capital offense. I request asylum in the British Empire." Beaujoulais replies, "I am certain that Queen Victoria will grant your request. You have served Torchwood well." George says, "I think your service after the fact will make up for that, if you wish us to plead your case before her. And if you truly did take the carpet to hide it and to protect and preserve Egypt, I am sure that a pardon would be granted."

Doctor Temepeku replies, "I would greatly appreciate your doing so on my behalf, but I believe that I know Neferka better than you, I have known her all of her life. She will feel obligated to make an example of me, regardless of my intentions. As you just saw, the Chariot of the Winds is no mere magical carpet, it is a personal possession of the Pharaoh. While her father had previously allowed me to use it before for humanitarian purposes, for me to have taken it this time without the King's permission was wrong. But please also tell her this, it was I who first alerted the Grand Vizier as to the spies who infiltrated the Palace last year. They were a pair of Frenchmen named Pascal and Monteblanc, affiliates of these wizards that attacked our kingdom now."

Lawrence says, "Is it just me, or are many of the French spellslingers also artists? Makes me wonder if the other way 'round is also true. We'll have to keep that in mind. Anyway here's our ride." The floating dirigible lands in front of the group. Lawrence and George assists the others boarding the craft. He makes his way to the pilot. "To Gizah." He is then surprised to see that the pilot is Abigail's friend Callum. Of the four dirigibles the French wizards brought to Egypt, this remaining one is the smallest, with a gondola capacity for only a half-dozen people. George, Lawrence, Fish and Callum prepare to depart, with the Frenchman Guizot lying tied and bound on the floor of the gondola. Lawrence leans forward to get a better look. "Pilot, let's go to Gizah as fast as we can."

They take to the sky. Looking back and down they see that the battlefield is quickly become secured, with the troops pulling pack on both sides and the Frenchmen in each group being taken into custody. There also appears to be much excitement on the Egyptian side over the return of General Orabi. They quickly leave the battlefield behind them and proceed in the southwesterly direction as fast as the dirigible will carry them. Callum is currently piloting and asks George if he wants the honors. The dirigible soon puts Tel-el Kabir behind them and proceed towards Gizah.

On the flying carpet known as the Chariot of the Winds, Princess Neferka asks, "Are you prepared, Miss West? I doubt they will readily submit." Ruby says, "I don't know what else to do but this plan. Is everyone ready? Princess... Er.... Nerfeka, can we get ahead of them and then you get lower to the ground? In case I fall from the blast." Once the Princess lowered the carpet closer to the ground, Ruby cast the invisibility spell on Freya. "Stay here until the blast so I don't accidentally hit you. " She patted the Mexican Fire Rod. "I hope this works. Aphrodite watch over us," she said quietly, a small prayer which she hoped worked.

Ruby kneeled on the carpet and dug her feet into the carpet. "Someone hold onto me and get ready!" Abby knelt down behind Ruby with one arm wrapped around the other woman's ankle, and the rifle in the other. She counted down, "Three... Two... One!" Ruby cast the fireball spell into the river directly in front of the ship. The timing is almost perfect and fireball erupts just as the bow of the long narrow boat reaches it. The disruption in the water causes the boat to jerk violently to the left, and the soldiers on it who were standing in the rear corners fall overboard. Given the speed the craft is travelling at, the boat quickly makes its way through the massive ball of fire, igniting their clothing and other combustibles on board in the process.

Their pilot slows and tries to steady the craft while the two wizards cast spells to extinguish the flames while looking around for the source of the attack. The do not see Freya enter the water a few hundred feet ahead of them. Daguerre loudly says "They must have been on shore, we need to go!" Chevruel orders the pilot to resume maximum speed and get away from this area. The boat speeds off. Ruby exclaims, "Curses! I was hoping that would do more and now Freya is over there, I can't do a second blast. Hopefully she can do some damage." She waited impatiently for Freyas's move.

Freya waits underwater as the boat approaches. As it passes over her, she rips into the hull with her claws, causing the vessel to take on water. As it passes she rolls to the port side and crashes her armored tail into the propeller. Once Freya is visible, and after she smashes at the propeller, Abby took careful aim and took a shot with the rifle, looking to shoot at Chevreul or Daguerre, whichever one is closest to the starboard side, away from Freya. The boat starts to flounder in the water. Dagurerre begins to cast a spell, thus making himself Abby's target. She manages to wing Daguerre in the shoulder. The wound appears to be relatively minor, but does cause him to lose the spell he was casting.

Ruby exclaims, "Good job Abby, we need to keep them from continuing on." Ruby pulled her rifle over her shoulder and aimed for Dagurere hoping to keep him from casting another spell. She waits until he begins casting again to shoot. Instead of attempting to cast another spell Daguerre pulls out a wand. "Eh, close enough." She looked over the scene quickly, and not seeing the dragon Ruby shot at the wizard again, hoping to knock the wand free. She misses, but it blasts a hole in the floor of the boat between his feet. He waves the wand in the air above his and Chevruel's heads.

Even though she suspects the wand just put up some kind of barrier between them, Abby sent another rifle shot down toward the boat. The bullet ricochets off of what is indeed an invisible barrier, and both men now ignore the people on the carpet high above them. Abby notices that the ship is beginning to sink. She sees Chevruel remove something from his shirt pocket when he tosses into the water. Upon hitting the water it immediately expands into a small boat, rowboat size. Daguerre moves towards the rear of the sinking boat towards a one-foot diameter metal box mounted along the aft section of the craft.

Abby says, "Queen Neferka, if you could head down please, I'd like to make sure my landing isn't messy," The new Queen gave her a quick look of disbelief, then headed down closer to the water. Neferka says, "May Bastet preserve you." Abby replies "Don't risk yourselves, go back up high as soon as I'm off." She made sure her blade was secure in the scabbard, held the rifle tight, and as soon as they were down low enough, she jumped off and dove for the water behind the new escape boat. Neither wizard pay attention to the dive, as they have climbed over from the sinking larger boat to the smaller one and are very busy fastening the wooden box to the outside rear of the boat. Neferka flies upwards and maintains her position relative to the smaller boat.

Abby made her way over to the back of the boat, then took her blade and sliced whatever tethers the wizards were using to hold the box onto the boat. She is able to slice the pair of straps. It is still held on by a pair of overhanging bars on the back of the boat, which will require her to lift up the box a few inches to take it off. However, Daguerre's attention is now focused towards the box, so he would most likely see her hands and arms if she attempts to do so. She initial was considering busting up the box if it seemed necessary, but gives this idea some reconsideration when she hears the sounds of something moving within the sealed box.

Although she hadn't been particularly trying to avoid the notice of the wizards, (diving from above being less than subtle), Abby didn't want to be stopped trying to divest them of this box. She took a deep breath, then swam over so she would be directly under the box. She waited a moment to see if Daguerre would lean over the box, then pushed up on one side from underneath, with the idea of causing it to slide into the water, and to hit Daguerre in the face on the way down if the opportunity presented itself. The one-foot square box rises up when pushed underneath, with Abby holding onto the bottom. As she had already removed the straps, it was only resting on the upper hooks, so goes straight up.

Abby did this simultaneous to the Command Spell being cast by Daguerre on the small Water Elemental inside the box which provided the propulsion, with results unexpected to all present. A whirlpool of water begins to radiate from the rear side of the box as the remains of the cut straps magically adhere themselves to Abby's arms (rather than the boat they had been beside). As the end of the whirlpool reaches the water it suddenly propels Abby forward and across the water at an increasing rate of speed, leaving the two surprised wizards adrift in boat well behind her.

The wizards aren't alone for long. Freya the dragon bursts up out of the water and with a mighty roar she attacks. A whirl of claws and fangs attack both wizards before they have a chance to cast spells upon her. The more elderly Chevruel is quickly rendered unconscious as he hangs limp and bleeding in her right claw. Daguerre is slashed but manages to use his magical boots to make a large leap from her grasp, landing on the cabin roof of the sinking boat they were originally on.

Ruby didn't notice Freya's attack as she was watching Abby start to shoot across the water. "Quick Neferka, keep up with Abby. I need to get to her to help get that thing off her arm!" The future Queen nodded and directed the carpet to catch up to Abby.

Despite the yanking on her arms, and the pain when the pulling started it was all so ridiculous that Abby couldn't help but laugh. It was a loud, uncontrolled, not quite hysterical laugh full of the adrenaline that she had begun to expect when the action started. The sword was still in her hand. She tried to move the blade so she could try to cut or saw through the strap on her opposite hand. Unfortunately for Abby, the ever increasing speed through the water and constant spray in her face, equivalent to a fire hose, makes it nearly impossible to manage the sword in a way to cut the strap and also maneuver the box to avoid any obstacles in the river.

Meanwhile Freya swings Chevruel as a club, using the wizards body to strike at Daguerre. Daguerre goes flying off the boat and travels eighty feet before splashing hard in the water. Freya swoops down and scoops up the two wizards and is about to bite the head off the wizards as she recall's the Princess's wish for justice. Slowly she closes her mouth and considers the limp forms in her claws. She suddenly springs into the air and follows the flying carpet.

By the time the Chariot of the Winds has lowered to just above the waterline and reaches Abby they are travelling at close to 40 knots. Abby notices the flying carpet above the water beside her. Ruby called down over the wind to her friend, "Abby, hold your arm up so I can take a look!" She pulled out some tools and nestled them in her bosom so they wouldn't fall. "Ahh, really can't!" Abby yelled back, able to only wave her hands, adding "I'm lucky my arms are still in the sockets!"

Ruby waved her hands to indicate to the princess where to move, guiding the carpet next to the careening wizard. Once she was in reach, Ruby tried to figure out how to dislodge her friend from the device. The straps appear to be magically attached to her arms. Mina says "I'm sorry, but I am all out of 'Dispel Magic' spells. We might be looking at this backwards, instead of releasing Abby from the box maybe we should just let the creature inside the box out. It probably does not like being held captive." "Just break open the box!" Abby yelled.

Neferka increases her speed to nearly 50 knots to match Abby's accelerated pace. Ruby had already been contemplating this idea as she looked over the magical box. Unsure if she could do it, she wondered what the price would be for damaging such a device. She shrugged, she wasn't going to let her friend get dragged away by some sort of water monster. She smiled at Abby, "Get ready!" Ruby attempts to use all her skills to get the box open. Ruby works her magic on the box, although truth-be-told, the person who truly uses her talents at this moment is Neferka, attempting her best to keep the carpet barely above the water and at the same ever increasing speed as Abby propels forward.

Ruby is so focused on her task that she does not notice the large barge ahead getting closer that occupies much of the river. She finds the thin crack between the box lid and box itself. Her normal tools prove useless, but when she tries her magical dagger it slides between the lid and the box below. "Hang on Abby!" Ruby used the dagger to pry open the box, ready to grab her friend from falling. Prying is difficult but Ruby soon deduces that a combination pry, cut appears to work better.

After a struggle that seems like an eternity the lid almost explodes off as a large jet of water washes over Ruby, soaking her face. The "water" then jumps out of the box and into the Nile River. Abby is still partially submerged in the river, but it is Ruby holding onto the box that is now propelling her rather than what had been inside. "Hold On Tight", Neferka exclaims as Ruby and Abby look up to see the barge in the water just seconds away from impact.

Abby shouted a couple words that shouldn't be repeated, and pointlessly clutched the straps around her arms. Terror and excitement bubbled together into a crazed laugh as she hung on tight. Ruby uses all her strength to pull Abby up onto the carpet as quickly as she can, hoping the Princess can still direct them out of the way of the large barge. Ruby screamed along with Abby as it looked like they would crash.

The carpet clears the barge by less than a foot, with Abby's dangling legs clearing it by only inches. The Princess then redirects the carpet to the shore alongside the Nile, gently landing. As they landed Abby finally stopped screaming and shook her head. "That was fun," she laughed. "Aside from being strapped to this box Abby, are you alright? Princess, are you alright? Where are we?" She asked as she looked around the area. They realize that they are now a good half-mile down river from where they left Freya and the wizards.

Neferka replies, "We are about two miles north of Heliopolis, the city of the clerical schools." Ruby asks, "And where do we need to get you? Are we close by?" She replies, The Bast Temple in Gizah, around twelve miles away. It shouldn't take long once we check on the status of Freya and the wizards." They look northward and see Freya flying towards them from around a mile away, clutching a person in each front claw.

Ruby says, "We'll, it looks like our friend has had a bit of fun and been successful at capturing our enemies." Ruby pulled Abby into a sitting position and looked her over briefly. "I think you can wait for healing but please tell me if I am mistaken. While I have been learning how to heal it's not my best ability."

Abby replies, "My arms are killing me, but I'm not really hurt. It's entirely possible that it's a really bad idea for me to get into fights. I seem to go a bit crazy." Abby is still "glued" to the now empty box. Lt. Col. Hassan says, "We will be able to have somebody magically remove that once we reach the temple in Gizah." "I'd appreciate that," Abby said. She tried valiantly for a moment to fight it, then finally gave in and laughed long and uncontrollably.

Ruby was quiet for a moment and none but she knew she was thinking of her friends who healing had been their best ability. She only had time to miss them for but a moment when Freya circled them. Ruby called up, "I hope you feel some satisfaction with your prey," Ruby chuckled. "Let us hurry onward before they awaken... If they still can. We need to get the Princess to the city and meet up with the others."She turned back to the Princess. "We're ready when you are. Let's get to the party!" The flying carpet rises up and takes to the air.

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 110, "Arrival in Gizah" September 12, 1882, 8:30 AM.

Twenty minutes after leaving Tel-el Kabir the dirigible is approaching the northern suburbs of Cairo and cross over the Nile River. The Great Pyramids can be clearly seen ahead of them. The small dirigible soon approaches the community of Gizah, North of the pyramids. The Temple of Bast is clearly visible, not only due to the large onyx cat stature by the entrance but due to the hundreds of Egyptian soldiers now guarding the structure. George and Lawrence continue on their way to the temple.

As the dirigible near the temple the soldiers below help to grab the dropped tethering lines and start to secure the craft as Callum works the controls to lower it to the ground beside the temple. When the gondola reaches the ground, the three disembark. George is impatient and is practically jumping down from the gondola before it fully came to a stop. He runs towards the guards approaching. "Secure that dirigible!" He commands and when the soldiers don't snap too he adds "In the name of Queen Neferka and the Goddess Bast! And someone get me Sefu! NOW!" he shouts as he heads towards the tents outside the pyramids.

They are directed inside the temple. George sees the Barrister and Neferka's mother, but does not see Neferka, Ruby or the others that had left well before him on the much-faster flying carpet. Lawrence says, "Something must have happened. They aren't here. Let's get back in the air." George turns to Lawrence. "Ok, you take her back up while I get the ground forces ready. Scout them out and offer what assistance you can, rescue if you must. Good luck." wishes George as he sends Lawrence back into the airship.

George then turns to Sefu. "I have no time for formality or pleasantries now Sefu, everything has come to a head and things are rapidly changing. We are in a race to establish stability. I am on a mission from Bast herself and I, the future Queen and all of Egypt depend upon our speed now. We need a place to speak in private and quickly, minutes matter."

Sefu replies, "Indeed. I was present when the Priestess performed the ceremony to call the Goddess to this world. The French persons that you brought here are all under guard. We can have privacy in the living quarters of the high priest, he is currently occupied elsewhere." Sefu leads George into an adjacent room, sparse in furnishings and modest in appearance save for a large elaborate statue of Bast, with green emeralds for eyes.

George gives a wry smile as he saw the statue of Bast. "I can't seem to escape you Goddess. And to think I was a dog person," mutters George as he crosses over to the bar and pours himself a brandy before taking a seat and having a sip of the brandy. George gestures to the bar, inviting the barrister to join him in a drink. George sighs, takes a deep breath and begins as Sefu gets brandy for himself.

"I don't know how much you know, nor do we have time for a full reckoning, but that will come as there are many things you need to act upon. For now, this is the most crucial information. We have saved Princess Neferka from the clutches of the French cabal. She is on her way here to be coronated by you. She is speeding here on her flying carpet with several members of my group as escorts. She should have beaten us here as she left before us and I know can travel faster than us. I am fearful of what may have happened, though with Miss West there, I am assured she is safe.

Secondly, as we suspected we have found the real General Orabi. yes, incredible as it is, he is alive and well. The French had captured a British General, Drury-Lowe, as well and we rescued him. In light of the reappearance of Orabi and presenting to Woolsely proof of the deception, we have engineered a cessation in the fighting, and I doubt it will start again unless some outside evil forces their hand. But those Generals have their forces well in hand, and the truth is spreading through them.

Lastly, there are still at least two very powerful wizards out there and we suspect that they may try to interrupt the future Queen from either reaching the temple or being coronated. As I said there is more but those are the things that you need know now. My friend Lawrence has gone back up in what we think is the last functional airship to look for Neferka. If the sphinx are close by you may choose to send them as escorts or scouts. How may I help with either more information, or action." says George polishing off his brandy and getting up for a refill.

Sefu says, "Bast had informed me of much of this. She is here now, in Prayer to the other deities in the Egyptian Pantheon. As for succession, Neferka will obviously be the next Pharaoh, as that is Bast's wish and I will not question or debate a deity." "Oh you have no idea how fun it can be" replies George with a weary grimace. Sefu continues "You are wise to be cautious, but if Neferka were in danger now I have no doubt that Bast would be acting to protect her as she did before." "You seem, uncannily calm, is everything ready for the coronation? Also, two thirds of the royal treasury currently sits at the bottom of the Mediterranean." replies George offhandedly as he again refills his brandy.

Sefu replies, "I am calm. I have returned to the role I am best suited for, advising the Pharaoh rather than making decisions in the absence of one. I had a major decision to make, determining the worthiness of Egypt's next rule, which Bast has now made it for me. The other decisions concerned the French will be made by our new Queen instead of me. I will advise her, but it will be her decision, not mine."

George raises an eyebrow "A bit too calm for my taste. Especially considering that there is no Pharaoh yet, we have a Pharaoh to be, and you don't know where she is. I understand your faith in Bast, but other gods and forces are at work and may oppose her. So until her posterior has been properly coronated, crowed and placed on that throne, I need you to be a little more worried, especially as she is with my fiance." says George in a rising, assertive voice, the frustration of the last several days manifesting as anger now.

The attorney nods and says, "You speak wisely Mr. Eastman. I shall take your advice and sent the Sphynx aloft to locate and accompany the new Queen to her coronation." He departs. Meanwhile, Lawrence and Callum have taken the dirigible aloft and continue north along the Nile. They do not see the flying carpet but do spot Freya in dragon form flying around ten miles to the north, a few miles northward from the community of Heliopolus.

George heads over to the bar and fills his glass very full of brandy. he then takes one of the chairs and pulls it into the center of the room, facing the statue of Bast. He sits facing the idol, staring at Bast and quietly drinking. While he is drinking at looking at the Idol, the personification of Bast in the body of the Priestess Sabah enters the room with him. He stands but does not set down the drink in his hand.

She says, "Mr. Eastman. I have probed the minds of the nine French who had been brought here by Barrister Sefu. Only three of them were part of the conspiracy to murder the Royal Family. I probed their minds and derived the identity of the other ten co-conspirators, four of whom have already perished within the past day through the direct and indirect actions of your group. Of the other six, you have now delivered Guizot here, while your Fiance and the next Pharaoh have managed to capture Dagurere and Chevreul.

That leaves the three youngest members of that group, Chevruel's two alchemist apprentices Moissan and Richet, and the linguist Belloq. That trio is currently waiting on a dock in Heliopolis, for the arrival of Chevreul. They are unaware of Chevreul's capture, and only know where he told them to meet. You have just dispatched the remaining French dirigible northward. Your two comrades on board, Lawrence Cantrell and Callum Stuart, are both masters of disguise who speak fluent French. Stuart also knows minor appearance changing spells. I would suggest you head up to the roof and send them a message while the dirigible remains within your line-of-sight."

George raises his glass of brandy in acquiescence to the request, though as he leaves he turns and asks "Ruby is safe and on her way?" She replies, "She is. Abigail has sustained some minor injuries, but the remainder of them are otherwise unharmed. We can speak further after you have completed this immediate task." After he gets his answer he heads up to the roof and sends a message spell to Lawrence and Callum informing them that the women were safe and to head north to Heilopolis to intercept and capture the three remaining French

Callum finished his heliograph to George and turned to Lawrence. "Did you get George's message about the three French? Good, steer us towards Heliopolis." Callum disappears for a bit and reemerges with uniforms of French foreign legion soldiers. "I think these will work well for us don't you?" he smiles. The older man replies, "I reckon you're right. I hope those Frenchmen come quietly. Fighting is tiring." They quickly change into the uniforms as the dirigible descends toward Heliopolis.

George having sent the message waits a moment before he sees a flash of light. Callum is sending back a message by heliograph that he received the message and they are en route. Satisfied that his message was received and his instructions will be carried out, George heads back down stairs. He enters the room with Bast, takes a large sigh at the uncanny and often unnerving events that have become so commonplace to him, crosses the room to again refill his glass with brandy, and sits back down in the chair facing the Goddess Bast.

The feline Goddess smiles at him and states "Devotee of Bast, you have done well. All nine surviving conspirators will soon be here in this place, and once Queen Neferka has been declared Pharaoh she can pass judgment on them. You have done quite well my devotee. A day ago at Tel el-Kabir I recognized your willingness to do whatever was necessary to bring me here to keep Egypt safe. For a non-Egyptian to do so speaks volumes. But a human body cannot sustain the essence of a Goddess. While I still look visually the same as when I was brought here hours ago, I drain this body of five years of life for each hour that I remain in it. Had you brought me here yesterday as you intended there would be no life remaining when I left it. That was the fate of Princess Nafita during my last visit to this world, as it was necessary for me to remain in that form for several days."

George says, "If things are in hand then please depart and allow us to enjoy Sabah for a few more years. I know she would willingly sacrifice herself for you, but if there is no need, then why lose such a devoted priestess." She replies, "That is my intent. I hope to occupy this body for no more than a total of four hours, which will age her two decades. So Sabah's sacrifice will be of her youth but not her life. And if your Mexican wizard friend is successful in his current quest, she may very well regain back those decades to her life span and possibly more going forward."

George says, "I am glad that you did show up at the battle, you made convincing the Egyptian forces especially more willing to believe me and follow my instructions." She replies, "I had to arrive there when I did, or the next Pharaoh would have perished, as would have both you and your fiance. The winds of time are not yet done with the pair of you, and this world would have been negatively impacted had that occurred."

George gives a little chuckle "Don't tell Ruby that, she has enough self-importance already. But thank you, I would regret any lost time with her, though I fear from your comment that though I will have time, it will not be leisurely."

He asks, "Before you depart, if indeed you are to depart soon, are there any other tasks you need me to complete?" She replies, "While I am here, no, other than being a witness to what will transpire. After I leave your continued presence and advice to the new Pharaoh will be needed to ensure that the peace accords and foreign treaties are properly executed."

George replies, "Of course, I shall stay. It is an odd occurrence, as the cause of our arrival still remains, though the urgency has been reduced by other actions. So I will pledge to stay and help transition the country, but I and my friends still have our own quests to fulfill, doors to open and whatnot. But a stable regime, especially for one we now consider a friend" Bast replies, "You know her best. We do not need to tell her. I showed you an image before of Neferka's future, at the treaty signing for the great war three dozen years from now. Let me show you a scene from the height of combat during that war."

She touches her amulet and waves her hand at the wall and the entire wall changes, becoming mirror-like and then shows a scene. George sees a man wearing a leather coat walking towards an odd twenty-five foot long object with wheels and wings. As the image zooms in he sees that the man's head and eyes are covered with a leather cap and goggles, but recognizes his own profile, nose, and chin, which is now clean-shaven in the image.

He opens a side door and enters the vehicle. Painted on the side in front of the door is the name "Eastman". He touches several knobs and buttons. A metal object in the front of the vehicle begins to spin in a counterclockwise direction as the vehicle moves forward under its own power and accelerates down the roadway. It then rises from road and heads off into the sky. The image pulls back, George watching the craft sail through the clouds. The silence is broken by Bast commenting "This will be over France, where the worst fighting of the war will transpire."

George sighs, "So no way to avoid the war huh? And only bigger, faster, more deadly weapons. So be it. I think the future is a dangerous thing to know, if it is mutable, a man would seek to change it, if it is not, does it not lead to despondency? Rob him of his free will? Or does this become merely educated choices now."

She replies, "Neither or all. The future is indeed mutable, what you see here is the probable future based upon events as they now stand. You, and others, remain to exercise your free will. And, of course, I am not the only deity with the gift of prophecy, and others way wish to alter the paths of mortals. Yes, I could give you the specific information that could theoretically stop the Great War. But if I did, then one of the Gods of War may seek to counter my intervention, which would draw the attention of other deities who might then intervene. So what would be the result? A war between the gods fought here on your world? I sincerely doubt you would wish such a thing."

George shakes himself out of his musings. "Thank you Goddess, for your visions. I am sure in time I will understand them. For now though, what can I do. I have already had enough scotch, I am a man of action, of discovery. I need to move and accomplish something constructive."

She says, "The only understanding that I wish is for you to see why I would not allow you to sacrifice yourself to bring me here. I am indeed grateful that you were willing to do so, but your absence from this world would have had negative effects. The Cat statue that you have, keep it with you, and through it I will help to protect you. And remember to pass it on to your son. Major Eastman will need all the help he can get during that battle over France that you just saw him flying into. He will face Germany's greatest aviator."

George again bows to Bast, "Thank you Goddess, I shall keep the statue safe, and apparently await the birth of my son." says George with a wry grin. "So when can we expect the ladies?" She replies, "Momentarily, they are just a short distance away to the north." George drains the last drops of scotch from his glass "Well, let's head outside, or at least I will. Have to give the head of state a proper reception." She replies, "The roof of the temple would be safest." "Of course" replies George heading to the stairs. Barrister Sefu and dozens of guards accompany them.

Those on the Chariot of the Winds soon see the dirigible heading towards them from the south but as they near it turns more westward away from the carpet and flying dragon, heading and descending towards Heliopolis. Abby says, "I wonder what they know that we don't. I'm sure they'll let us know when they get back."

Mina turns her ring again into a telescope to view the distant airship before it descends out of sight. She says, "I spotted your friend Callum at the controls. He appeared to be wearing a French Foreign Legion uniform." Abby shook her head and chuckled. "We'll, that's better than having one of our enemies at the helm! We're having enough problems without adding any other surprises . Chevruel and Daguerre had to be going somewhere. Maybe they got wind of it from Giziot. Curious as I am, we need to get the Princess to her coronation."

The Chariot of the Winds quickly pass to the east of Heliopolis, continuing southward and crossing over the Nile not far from where the American warship the Franklin Pierce is docked, the French Dreadnought's gondola still lashed to its upper deck. The Pyramids at Gizah can be seen five miles to the southwest. As they flew through the air towards their destination, Ruby had a thought. "Nerfeka, is there anything we need to do once we get to our destination? To help you, that is?"

She smiles at Ruby and replies, "Well yes Ruby, you can assist me with the coronation." Ruby says, "Of course! What would that entail, exactly?" She says, "I will have an attendant on each side, you and probably my eldest sister. Each of you will help to remove my current clothing and then attire me in the vestments of the Pharaoh." Ruby says, "Okay, we'll, that is easy enough. Hopefully we won't have any enemies present to distract us. Also, do we have to find and retrieve your sister and the rest of your family? Or do they already know to show up?"

Neferka says, "My family's murderers will not be present during the ceremony. I will have Barrister Sefu assign heavy guards to watch them until after I am declared ruler of Egypt." Ruby nodded her head in agreement. "Of course. But we should also be aware that not everyone may be who we think they are. Or perhaps not under their own control. We should be cautious, that's all I'm saying." "I concur," Neferka replies. The Chariot of the Wind soon approaches the northern section of the city of Gizah as the three sphynx fly up to and then alongside it. The temple can be seen in the far distance north of the pyramids.

Ruby scanned the horizon for any trouble. "Abby, I hope you are still feeling alright. Things may get crazy again before they calm down." Abby opened her eyes from the cat nap she was trying to catch. "I hurt like hell, and I'm tired to the point where everything's funny. But I have a little more in me before I collapse. Mina says, "Well, we still have dragon Freya, although her hands are currently full." Ruby took a deep breath in. "Ready when you are Princess." As they reach Gizah Ruby smiled. "Almost a Queen. Let's make it happen!"

On the roof of Bast's temple in Gizah, Looking to the north, the large black dragon is seen first, then the carpet and sphynx are spotted a short distance alongside of her. As the Chariot of the Winds nears the temple those on it see people waiting on the roof. At 200 yards distances they make out George standing beside Bast. George smiles as he sees the approaching carpet and waves to them all. George whispers to Sefu "Be ready as if there are any remaining enemies they will strike as they land." A smile came to Ruby's lips as she waved to George who was waiting for them. Everything is showing to be okay, she thought to herself, like she always did when George was around.

 

[Silver Moon]

Readership is picking up, we're now at over 150 views between posts. Reader's comments are always welcome.


Chapter 111, "Coronation of the Pharaoh", September 12, 1882, 9:15 AM.

As the dirigible descends towards the city of Helioplis, Lawrence and Callum see three men standing on one of the docks but it is too soon to make out exactly who they are. Lawrence says, "Looks like the welcome wagon is here. Stay on guard. They could be expecting trouble." The balloon lowers, and lines are dropped from the gondola. The trio of young French wizards grab the lines and tie them to the dock as the balloon descends until the gondola rests along the edge of the dock. One of the men comes forward and asks in French "Where is Chevruel? He said that he would be retrieving us!"

Lawrence replies in fluent French, "Chevruel sent us. He had to deal with the princess and her allies. We'll take you to him." The three men board. Two men stay towards the back of the small gondola, keeping to themselves. The other is more outgoing and says, "Chevruel indicated that we need to remove Meissonier's body without being seen as soon as we get to Gizah. That will be a lot harder to do without him and Daguerre. Are you men prepared to assist us?"

Lawrence shrugs and says, "Chevruel said to help you, so that's what we're going to do. N'est-ce pas?" He gives a sideways glance to Callum. The man says, "Excellent." He gestures to Callum, who is piloting the craft, and says, "Our arrival on this airship will be quite visible, so we'll leave him at the controls and I will do the talking. We'll need the other three of you to consume an Elixir of Invisibility before our arrival and sneak off this vessel. Once you locate Meissonier's body, one of my colleagues has an Elixir of Destruction that will totally dissolve all organic matter. Just make sure the body is on top of either sand or stone rather than wood when you use it."

Lawrence nods. He says, "Where is the elixir? Just in case I need to use it." He gestures to one of the other Frenchmen and says, "Charles Richet has it." "Merci." Lawrence goes over to Richet. "Monsieur Richet. Can you show me this potion of destruction? I have never heard of such a thing before." Richet draws the bottle from a pocket of his robe. "Ah, such power from a little bottle." Lawrence nods and returns to the wheel as the dirigible returns in the direction of Gizah.

Back in Gizah, as the Chariot of the Wind descends to the rooftop, Ruby chuckles, "I think we ALL deserve a nice, long vacation after this! Hang in there, it will be over soon." The carpet lands and those atop exit. Several of the royal family's servants roll up the carpet and place it into a protective case. George runs over and grabs Ruby in a giant hug, pulling her off her feet.

Nefeka walks defiantly up to Barrister Sefu and exclaims, "I was informed that you wished to interrogate me as to my possible involvement in the death of my father!" As George hears Neferka's defiant proclamation he walks over with Ruby still in his arms with a quizzical look on his face. "What is this Sefu, you want to interrogate the Pharaoh?" Sefu looks at George then back to Neferka, and in response to both his and Neferka's comments, gestures towards Sabah/Bast and replies, "This is no longer necessary your majesty. The Goddess has proclaimed you worthy to ascend to the throne. We can begin the ceremony at your earliest convenience."

Freya lands and deposits the unconscious bodies of the French wizards. Neferka says, "Place them under heavy guard and away from where the coronation will take place. I want no French present at the ceremony. We will deal with them afterward." All of the French are taken into custody and brought down to the basement of the temple. George gives Bast a quick wink. He kisses Ruby thoroughly and sets her down. "Go my dear, you need to get Neferka ready for her coronation." Ruby hesitated for a moment, "Yes, you are right. I will go help the Princess. You make sure there isn't any other weird stuff happening."

She then asks, "Neferka, ready?" Ruby stood near to the Princess, watching for trouble, waiting for instruction. It was easier knowing a Goddess was in their midst in case things went wrong. Before leaving the roof Sahah/Bast says, "Just as a bride should be the center of attention at a wedding, the Pharoah should be the center of attention at her coronation. Many do not know of my presence here yet, we should keep it that way." Her face transforms back from Feline to Human. She says in the same unearthly voice as before, "I will pretend to me the rightful owner of this body until the ceremony is completed."

They all move down to the main cathedral room of the temple which has been arranged for the ceremony. Several dozen people arrive, mostly Egyptian sheiks and officials. Barrister Sefu takes charge of the ceremony and announces that the doors to the temple are to be shut and sealed until the new Pharaoh has ascended to the throne. Neferka steps forward, with her sister and Ruby behind and slightly behind her. Musicians begin to play a slow tune on traditional Egyptian instruments.

George should be watching the ceremony he knew, but he was jittery. he caught Sabina/Bast's eye as he carefully surveyed the gathered crowd. The last time he was in a pyramid things didn't go well. He was on his guard. Once secession was secured he could relax, a little at least.

The ceremony begins. Sefu speaks in the ancient Egyptian language while translators behind him repeat the works in both Arabic and English. He asks if she will love and protect Egypt above all else. She agrees. He asks if she understands the duties and responsibilities of the Pharaoh and she says she does. He asks if she will sacrifice her own life for those of her land. She agrees to that as well. Abby stands at the back with Mina, paying far more attention to their surroundings than the ceremony.

The barrister waves his hands above his head and says and incantation. She is levitated slightly above the floor and her sister gestures to Ruby to help remove the dress and robe that Neferka is currently wearing. Ruby's eyes left the crowd and she concentrated on her duties. She followed the Princesses sister, helping to remove the new pharaoh's clothes. Attendants bring forward a finely made tunic with gold and silver threads with ancient Egyptian symbols on it which the two women drape over her. A skirt-like cloth is then wrapped around her and fastened with a gold belt. Sefu gestures and she is levitated downward as a wide gold necklace is placed over her shoulders. He then hands her a long and thin metal wand with a bright blue stone atop it. As she touches the wand the stone begins to glow.

Ruby stepped back and gave the new Pharaoh some space. She looked on with interest, especially at the glowing, as Neferka holds the wand aloft and recites a short speech in the ancient Egyptian language. A beam of light shoots forth from the wand heading upward. As it nears the ceiling the roof of the building parts, temporarily opening up a ten-foot diameter hole. The beam continues skyward for what looks to be two or three miles. It then explodes into a massive blue firework that temporarily lights up the entire sky over Gizah, Cairo and the surrounding lands. Barrister Sefu speaks saying "It is done and Egypt now knows that a new Pharaoh reigns."

George hadn't realized he had been holding his breath, but he lets it out with relief. Several large Ogres bring in from a side door the same ornate throne that the group had seen previously back in the throne room in Cairo. It is brought to Neferka to seat herself in, handing to Sefu the blue staff. George is first to step forward and kneel before the Pharaoh, "All hail The Pharaoh Neferka, Queen of the Nile, supreme ruler of Egypt" Ruby also steps forward, "Congratulations, Pharaoh! May you rule Egypt in peace." The musicians break into faster-paced music as the various dignitaries line up, and then walk one at a time before the throne and bow to the new Pharaoh.

Meanwhile, the dirigible with Lawrence, Callum and the three French wizards soon reach Gizah. As they near Bast's Temple, two of the passengers and Lawrence drink their invisibility potions as the dirigible lands. The ropes holding the dirigible are grabbed by those on the ground just as the large blue fireworks goes off above. Richet says, "Quickly, while the ground crew is distracted by that light and with tying us off." Callum and the visible wizard head over to talk to soldier in charge.

Back inside, after George steps back Lt. Col. Hassan approaches him. He tells George, "While the ceremony was taking place the dirigible returned. There are a pair of Frenchmen outside with it. Should we arrest them? They claim to know information about a German group known as the Asgardians as being responsible for the former King's demise." "Bring a few soldiers and let's go investigate their claims. And put a sniper up on the roof." says George heading out with Hassan

The invisible Lawrence and the two French wizards climb over the sides are head off in search of Meissonier. Lawrence grasps the sap he carried in his pocket. He'll have to strike quickly. The three invisible men move carefully through the temple, passing many guards. They see one basement room with several of the Frenchmen who are tied, gagged and bound. They continue onward.

Above, soldiers are gathered up as Hassan and George head outside to where the dirigible is tethered. There is a rather young handsome man in a suit standing who George has not met. Standing alongside him is a man in a French Foreign Legion uniform who George recognizes as Callum Stuart. George approaches the two. "I understand the two of you have information for us." asks George in French.

The young man steps forward and says, "Oui. My name is Rene Bellocq and I am here to prevent a gross injustice from taking place. You would be Mr. George Eastman, the American industrialist, yes?" George replies, "Oui. What injustice would this be Messier Bellocq?" He says, "Sir, I must speak to Barrister Sefu, Princess Neferka and Egyptian General Awala. I fear that my colleagues are being framed for crimes in which they are innocent. And you sir, have been taken in by the German woman known as Astrid."

George replies, "I am willing to hear you out sir, but what evidence do you have to validate your claims?" Bellocq replies, "You are willing? What authority do you hold here sir? You are a tourist! I need to speak to at least one of the three people who I have named." George says, "Insults will get you no where Rene. I am no mere tourist, I stand here with Lt. Col. Hassan of the Egyptian Army, and if you wish to speak to anyone else you will provide for me some justification."

Ruby had watched George leave the room. She stayed behind to watch the crowd, nodding to the pharaoh to reassure her. She meandered over to Abby and Mina. "Is it me or is this going too smoothly?" Abby answers, "It's not just you. I'm cuddled up close with my paranoia. There are still a few Frenchmen loose out there, and they'll be desperate." Ruby says, "That was my thought too. We just have to keep alert a little longer... It helps there is a goddess in our presence, I doubt she'd let anything crazy happen." Abby answers, "Probably not, but why make her do all the work?"

Abby stepped over to the door George had exited from, followed by Ruby and Mina. They went up to the roof and looked out. Abby exclaims, "Bellocq, that piece of s@%$." Only the sight of Cal there kept her from grabbing the nearest handy club. "And here they are," she told Ruby. Ruby smirked, "Well then, let's go help." She nodded to Mina that they she was headed outside and told Abby and Mina to wait before they went out.

Lt. Col Hassan says to Bellocq, "General Awala is in Tel-el Kabir, as an official observer with our British allies in their battle against the Rebels. I am the highest ranking Egyptian military official currently present at this temple. Please answer the question that Mr. Eastman has asked." Bellocq sighs and says, "I only know part of the story. We would need my colleague Mr. Dagurerre to explain the full story. But the short version of it is that this German and Scandinavian team known as the Asgardians is here in Egypt and have been the ones behind the various attacks that they have tried to implicate my team for. If the one known as Astrid is inside now then the Princess is in great danger."

While George has not met Mr. Bellocq before, his voice has sounded familiar. He now places it. While they were in the palace in Cairo and the Dreadnaught dirigible had sailed in above it, it was Bellocq's amplified voice calling out from the rooftop above in Arabic. He had yelled "We followers of Adbullah will never surrender. Death to the King! And death to you vile Frenchmen." That was the justification the French used to start attacking the building.

George says, "Well, you have at least provides your suspicions, but have not provided any evidence, merely shifting the responsibility to Messier Dagurerre. Again I ask what evidence do you have to cause either of us to believe you?" George notices Ruby coming outside, "pardon me for a moment." George heads over to Ruby and gives her a quick kiss before whispering to her "Bellocq says that Astrid is the real culprit behind all these attacks. While I don't believe him, have Mina keep an eye on Freya and you keep a closer eye on Neferka, ok?"

George has an epiphany as he turns back. George smiles as he comes back to the dirigible. "Renee, we will give you an audience with Barrister Sefu to plead your case. It seems only fair to hear your complaint." replies George gesturing Lt. Hassan to lead Bellocq back to the temple. Hassan gestures for guards to surround both Bellocq and Legionairre Stuart. Ruby relays George's message to Mina and Abby and they begin to head back downstairs. Abby pauses, she didn't like trusting the new Pharaoh's safety to others. Finally, she stepped turned around and walked back out onto the rooftop and locked eyes with Bellocq, staring silently. The other two women follow. Bellocq smiles back at her as he moves forward to enter the building surrounded by the Egyptian guards.

Hassan leads the procession back into the temple and they move in the direction of the throneroom. As they head back inside Ruby had noticed the tension when Abby and the Frenchmen locked stares. "Whew, I never thought I'd feel that chill here in Egypt," she chuckled as headed over and whispered to her friend. "Have you had previous experience with this guy?" Abby replies, "He's the one who was involved in the plot to poison the Royal Family. He's the liar who got us locked up at the Palace."

As Bellocq moves forward, almost reaching the door to the throneroom, George takes out his pistol and strikes Bellocq at the base of his skull. As the man crumples to the floor. Abby exclaims, "Damn, I wanted to do that." George turns to Hassan "Lieutenant Colonel, please place this man under arrest for sedition, promotion of regicide and war crimes. For now. He was responsible for setting up the bombing of the royal palace in Cairo. I did not want him to be aware or have any opportunity to respond in a magical way. Please keep him unconscious and in a separate room from the other prisoners."

Ruby's eyes narrowed and looked at the unconscious Bellocq. She says, "I wonder why he thought anyone here would believe him now. I'd like to spend some time with him myself..." Hassan has the guards take him away, but to a side room on this level rather than to the basement with the others. Guards also move in to arrest Callum. George says, "A moment, while I have personally witnessed Bellocq's crimes, I have no evidence that this man has done anything wrong. It may be he is merely a low-level serviceman serving aboard the dirigible. So my friend, who are you and what were you doing with Messier Bellocq? "

Callum switches into his natural Scottish accent and says, "I am not French, I am with Britain and an ally of the Egyptian Royal Family. That man Bellocq was forcing me to be his pilot." Turning towards Hassan Callum says, "There are currently two other French wizards inside this building and invisible. I do not believe they wish Princess Neferka any immediate harm. They are looking for the body of one of their associates, a Mr. Jean-Louis Meissonier. Mr. Eastman's friend Mr. Cantrell is with them, also dressed as I am." Ruby comments to Abby, "We'll, it seems our friends the French are all gathering themselves together for us. Convenient."

George curses in twelve languages. "You were supposed to incapacitate those wizards Callum, not turn them loose, what in the name of Bast happened? No wait, tell me later. Hassan, go tell Sefu about this, we need some magical help, and guard all the entrances to stop them. I want the rest of your men inside the dirigible to wait if case the slip past us. Callum, go back outside the dirigible in character in case they come back. Everyone else inside." Abby asks who the Frenchmen are. Callum says, "Two young alchemists, Charles Richet and Henri Moissan. They are Chevruel's apprentices."

Sefu is given the message and immediately sets guards surrounding the new Pharaoh. He asks that the Egyptian dignitaries all be escorted to the building exits and depart. He then turns to George and says, "I have not met this Messonier. The two Frenchmen killed back by the pyramids were Dominique Larrey and Eugene Violet-le-Duc. Their bodies are both still back at the small pyramid, not here in this building."

Lawrence and the two aforementioned wizards have continued to search the dungeon level. They move on to another room where two Egyptian military guards are watching over the body of Ahmed Orabi, who had been slain eleven hours earlier. Richet says softly to Lawrence, "We found him, and it is above a stone floor." Before the body can be dissolved Lawrence uses his skill with the sap to knock the two French wizards into unconsciousness. Lawrence stashes Meissonier's body in a different room and hides it under some rugs. He continues on, being careful to hide from the guards.

As they returned to the throne room Ruby approached Sabah/the goddess. She gave her a little nod. "Would you happen to know where the two invisible Frenchmen are hiding? We'd like to go take care of them before they try to harm the Pharaoh." She pauses for a moment and concentrates. She then states "I have found them. They are in a room in the basement and your ally Lawrence has just rendered them unconscious. They did not succeed in their mission, which was to remove the body of the deceased impersonator of the new Pharaoh's husband."

Callum interjects, "Yes, they wanted to destroy his body. Apparently Daguerre and Chevruel ordered them to do so, it was very important for whatever their next step was." After having heard the exchange between Ruby and Sabah/Bast Callum turns back to George and says, "Perhaps we should allow this Bellocq, and his masters Chevruel and Daguerre, to believe they were successful in removing the body. What is the expression? Giving somebody enough rope to hang themselves."

"Perhaps there is some magical residue on the body that will implicate the French wizards. I am leary of allowing them to escape. I do not think either Freya or Neferka would allow them to leave the building. So if we were to try that we would need to first get a body, second make it look like the real body and then stop them after they have done their job but before they leave? Tough call. I say we take them down where and as they are. They have more than enough rope around their necks already." replies George.

Callum laughs and says, "You over-think things George, Bellocq knows that Lawrence is with the other two. We just treat him like a prisoner and toss him in with Bellocq, where he tells the Frenchmen that they destroyed the body but that he got caught afterwards. Bellocq then informs the others of that." Ruby scrunched her nose. "I'm not exactly sure what you are saying... Lawrence tells Bellocq that the body was destroyed and who does Bellocq tell? I'm afraid plotting isn't usually my expertise." Callum replies, "He tells Dagurerre, the man who ordered him to destroy it. Then we find out exactly why."

George laughs, "It's my job to over think things. That helps me run a large company. Anyway, yes, let us see if Lawrence can ferret out some motive for this." Ruby says, "Oh yeah, that makes sense. Hey, it's been a long bunch of days! Good idea."

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 112, "Prisoner Interrogation" , September 12, 1882, 9:45 AM.

Fifteen minutes after the guards are dispatched they return to Barrister Sefu, and inform him and George that in the room where the fake General Orabi's body was being held they found a pair of unconscious and invisible men. The invisibility magic was dispelled and one of the men was recognized as Henri Moissan, a Frenchman who had been a member of the diplomatic group who were guests of the King in Cairo. The body of the fake Orabi was also gone. The two Frenchmen were woken up, but both denied knowing what happened to the body. The men are now under guard.

Shortly thereafter Lawrence attempts to enter the throne room and is aggressively stopped by guards who detect his invisibility. He is made visible by a "Detect Magic" spell and is being placed under arrest when George hears the commotion and intervenes. Lawrence tells George. "I stopped the French from getting rid of Meissonier's body. I moved it to another store room just in case. I saw that Dagurerre and most of the other Frenchmen have already been captured. I think the body is enough for leverage." George tells of the plan to have Lawrence inform Daguerre that the body was destroyed. Arrangements are made for the Frenchmen's guards to temporarily rotate to allow Lawrence access.

Lawrence goes out in search of Dagurerre. Upon finding the Frenchman, Lawrence says in French, "The job is done, Mister Dagurerre. I am still unsure why it had to be so. The others did not tell me." He looks around and adds, "I don't know where the other two are. We got separated. I thought they came back under their invisibility." Hands and feet tied, and with a gag over his mouth, Dagurerre is unable to respond. He moves in hands in Lawrence's direction, gesturing to be untied. However, the guards for this group of rooms begin to return in this direction, giving Lawrence an excuse to depart instead before being spotted. Lawrence slips out of the room and returns to the others.

Ruby is getting impatient and tells "This is ridiculous! Back home we could just threaten or beat someone until they told us what we wanted to know. All this dealing with wizards, it's so exhausting, we have to be so much more careful," she sighed. "If only we had our own wiz.." She stopped short, then stared pacing back and forth. She held up her hand, looking intently at it. Finally she looked up to the others. "I will disguise myself as the Princess, errr... Pharaoh, then go down and visit the prisoners and find out what they are thinking. I think if they see the Princess it will have them thinking more about their plots and schemes then if they just see me. What do you think?" She asked the group. "We have to do something."

George replies, "Before we do that, let us see what resources the crown has. Sefu, what do you have to extract info from these wizards? Obviously we have a laundry list of charges, and as they are French nationals, enough damning evidence to cause a diplomatic headache for Paris. Hell even if they were not sanctioned by Paris, there is enough to declare a legal war. That alone would not convince them though. I think they may need more personal, er persuasion. Whether by magical or physical means, we need to wrap up every loose end these French have left scattered about the country." This delays Ruby from leaving as yet.

George gestures to the Barrister who comes over to the party and George makes his request. Sefu replies, "I believe that from this point forward it is neither my decision or yours. Egypt now has a ruler." Mina interjects, "Barrister, ever since Bast relieved you of the responsibility of choosing the next Pharaoh you have avoided making decisions. I am under the impression that Queen Neferka's security is still your primary task. As such, any preliminary actions that we choose to take in regards to the French would still fall under your authority and jourisdiction. We can let her pass final judgment, but she does not need to conduct the investigation."

Watching Neferka continue to be greeting by the remaining Egyptian guests from the ceremony Ruby adds, "The Queen I'm sure is busy with all the new changes of her new position and also mourning the murder of her family. I feel confident she wants us to figure out the information we need for her to ultimately bring these men, or women, to justice. It probably would be easier, Sefu, if you had a someone who could cast some sort of truth spell." He says, "This is a temple dedicated to Bast. I am certain that one of the Priestesses here would know that spell." Ruby answers, "Excellent. Please have someone retrieve a priest who can cast the spell. Then we shall go and have a nice little conversation with the traitor."

After ten minutes Sefu returns accompanied by a middle-aged woman who introduces herself as Anneke. She says that she knows the spell, and is able to use it twice this day, so could be used on two recipients. George leads the group down to interrogate the wizards. They reach the lower level of the temple, where Egyptian guards have been posted. All of the French wizards are currently gagged, with the hands tied, but beyond that there appears to be different "levels" of supervision.

One room contains the five diplomats who had been visiting with the King in Cairo, consisting of the former French Empress Eugenia Maria de Montijo de Guzman, her contemporary and diplomatic team leader Victor Duruy, the opera singer Jean Baptiste Faure, the philosopher and historian Maximillien Paul Emile Littre, and the painter Edgar Degas. They are apparently considered low risk, have no restraints and minimal guard, and are seated on comfortable furniture with food and beverages available to them.

The next room has seven French under heavier guard, each with gags and also tied to solid wooden chairs with their hands a feet bound. They consist of the Egyptology expert Jean-Francois Champollion, the philosophyer Hippolyte Adolphe Taine, the diplomat Frederic Passy, the physicist Joseph Louis Gay-Luccac, the writer Prosper Merimee, the very elderly inventor Joseph-Marie Jacquard and historian Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot who George has just delivered from the battle at Tel El Kabir.

The next room, under very heavy guard and also gagged and bound to much heavier chairs are the trio that Lawrence and Callum have just brought in from Heliopolis, consisting of the alchemists Henri Moissan and Charles Robert Richet and their ally Rene Belloq.

The fourth and final room, under the heaviest guard, are three men and a woman who are lying gagged on the stone floor with steel manacles on their wrists and ankles. The men consist of the pair that the Princess and Freya had brought in, the inventor Louis Jacques Mande Dagueree and the chemist Michel Eugne Chevreul, the third man is Napoleon Bonapare's friend Baron Gaspard Gouraud, who had previously been identified as the man who handed the fake Orabi the invisible gun used to assassinate the King. The woman is the actress Sarah Berhardt, who had been impersonating Princess Neferka.

Heading to the third room George approaches Belloq, he squats down beside him "So Rene, care to have a chat?" Ruby hurries after George, casting detect thoughts quietly outside the room before she enters. The bound a gagged man nods his head to the affirmative. George signals to Mina and Ruby. Mina moves behind Belloq and places a knife at his throat. "Merely a precaution of course Rene. Now where shall we start? How about the need to destroy the body?" asks George pulling down the gag. Bellocq replies "Body? What body are you talking about sir?" "The body of Meissonier of course" replies George.

After a long pause Bellocq says "Ah, the soldier told you that I gather." George replies, "Please answer the question Rene." He answers, "Very well sir. Both you and I have fallen victims to an insidious plot launched by a group of Germans known as The Asgardians. My colleague Jean-Louis Messionier was charmed by a Dwarven priest of these Asgardians named Gunther and forced to carry out acts made to incriminate us French ambassadors, who seek nothing more than a peaceful solution for Egypt." George says, "Interesting, a peaceful solution. is that why you cried out in Arabic when the French airship attacked the royal palace?" Bellocq replies, "There was considerable yelling from all parties while that attack took place. I recall that I did yell in Arabic for people to get away for their own safety." "Ok Rene. If you have no desire to be cooperative, we have no need to talk to you. Enjoy the scarabs." says George placing the gag back in Belloq's mouth.

Under the mind reading spell Ruby heard a whirl-wind of thoughts from the man, most of which concerned his trying to deduce what George might have known and where George might have heard it from. He was initially upset that George knew about Meissonier, and reflective of his comment to George, assumed that the soldier screwed up. The only two Asgardian names he knows are the woman Astrid and the dwarven cleric Gunther, which is why he used Gunther for his tale. In reality, he has no idea if Gunther is in Egypt or not. Ruby gives George a raised eyebrow and a nod to keep going.

George nods to Ruby. "Ok, Rene, if you won't be cooperative, we have other methods. Perhaps we should bring in the priest? Have him cast a spell that forces you to speak the truth? It might be the first time in your life you ever have" smiles George. With a condescending look, George makes sure Rene's gag is secure before gesturing to Mina and Ruby and leaving the room. Together they head to the fourth room. Ruby makes sure to keep concentrating so her spell will continue to work. They head to Daguerre first.

The guards pull Daguerre out of the room and into the corridor, so he is out of earshot of the other prisoners. George signals to Ruby that she is ready and He has Mina again get into position with a knife at the throat of Daguerre. "Bonjour Louis. Care to have a chat?" asks George pulling the gag down. Daguerre replies, "Oui, yes, absolutely! I welcome the opportunity Mr. Eastman to discuss this matter with somebody such as you who will view what has transpired with an open mind. Things have not been as they appeared." George says, "Enlighten me messier"

Daguerre says, "Very well sir. First of all, that German woman Astrid has been misleading you from the onset. She is affiliated with the Egyptian rebels who sought the death and destruction of the royal family. However, her real goal is to bring about the destruction of myself and my colleagues." (Ruby notes that he has been 100% truthful in believing what he has stated thus far). George asks, "And why would she align herself with the rebels and why would she seek your destruction?" He replies, "I do not know why the Asgardians joined the Egyptian rebellion, you would have to ask her yourself. Why they seek our destruction is a centuries old disagreement between her people and mine that has nothing to do with Egypt." (Ruby again notes that he is being truthful.) Ruby keeps nodding at George, a little surprised the Frenchman is being honest.

George asks, "And if the Asgardians are aligned with the rebels you were here to support the monarchy?" Daguerre continues "The Asgardian Astrid, she has been manipulating you and your friends into seeing us in a bad light." (again, truthful to this point). "It is her and her fellow Asgardians that are using the current chaos to falsely incriminate myself and my friends, making the royal family think that we were responsible for the king's death, when in reality it was the Asgardians. (and his truthful streak comes to a grinding halt with that last whopper!) "No sir, we are here seeking to support neither side." (truth) "We seek only to bring peace to Egypt" (not true). Ruby continues to shake her head in a wide no to that last statement.

George says, "Ok, well that puts my mind at ease. So it was Astrid who kidnapped the princess and Orabi and locked them up on YOUR ship.It was Astrid who forced Sarah to impersonate the princess, it was Astrid who made a doppelganger of Orabi and had him kill the king. That is quite an accomplishment for her." Daguerre replies, "Oh no sir, that is exactly what SHE wanted you to see. She did not personally kidnap the Princess and Orabi, her allies did, while she was with you. She held them not on our ship but on the Egyptian Royal Yacht. She brought you there only AFTER we had rescued them from the yacht and transferred them over to our ship."

Ruby detects his thoughts, and what he just spun is the exact opposite of what he had hoped to accomplish at the ships, planning to have George and his friends rescue Neferka and Orabi from the Royal Yacht to then incriminate the Asgardians. George says, "That doesn't explain Sarah" Daguerre answers, "In order to blame us, several of my less powerful wizards were mind-controlled by the Asgardians."

Ruby again shook her head no. She was enjoying listening to this yarn, though she was getting antsy not getting to threaten him herself. George says, "And French artillery targeting me? That was Asgardian mind control as well?" He says, "No, that was the chaos and confusion of a war. The Dreadnaught went to the palace to protect the Royal Family from the rebels." (Ruby detects that this thought is mostly true). George says, "Odd that in the middle of a cease fire, where no other troops were present, land based magical artillery targeted me, and from that location a French wizard was found."

Daguerre says, "I assumed you meant the attack on the palace, there was no cease fire between the royals and the rebels at that time. That is why we transported the King and his family from Cairo to Gizah. If you are talking about something else, I am not sure exactly what. Was this something that I was present at?" George answers, "Oh yes, you may yet learn of that, as to the dreadnaught, why was it that Bellocq was heard, his voice magically amplified, from the dreadnaught speaking in Egyptian, denouncing the royal family?"

Daguerre replies, "I do not know sir. At that point I was in Gizah. As to Bellocq, I barely know the man, he is an associate of my colleague Chevruel, not myself." (Ruby detects this response to be truthful.) George replies, "Fair enough. Tell me Louis, what card are you? And to whom to you report?" He replies, "I report to no one. I am the Ace of Hearts, and in theory all of the aces are equal, although each of us here in Egypt have our own area of expertise to which we take the lead.

Mr. Henri Gouraud is the Ace of Spades, the grouping that represents the Inventors and Explorers. He is in charge of the Egyptology services that we are providing, helping to protect and preserve Egypt's treasures that could potentially be damaged by this war. To maintain this he also supervises the use of our airship, to transport the various teams to the archaeological sites.

Mr. Michael Chevruel is the Ace of Clubs, the grouping that represents the scientists and mathematicians. He is in charge of security, ensuring that magical or scientific means are not being used to harm those who we seek to protect as well as members of our own group. Clearly he has not had much success in that area, particularly in our attempts to protect the Egyptian King. Mr. Victor Duruy is the Ace of Diamonds, the grouping represented by performers and politicians. He is in charge of diplomacy, trying to bring about a peaceful solution to this conflict.

My role as the Ace of Hearts, the grouping comprised of artists, mostly painters and sculptors, we have the roles of cartography and photography. It is probably the least important of the four main areas of responsibility, but one that as a photographer yourself you can appreciate the need for. Ruby notes that his responses appear to be primarily half-truths. His biggest untruths are at the beginning and end, where he says all Aces are equal and that his role is the least important, as his thoughts reveal that he is the ringleader of the group.

George replies, "Tell me then Louis, why if Freya's allies had kidnapped the princess, were French wizards spotted carrying her away and moreover, why once you had rescued her from the royal yacht, she and Orabi were still shackled?" He replies, "There had not been time yet to free them. You arrived within ten minutes of when we did the rescue. Since they were unconscious at the time, removing the shackles that the Asgardians had put on them did not appear to be the top priority. As to who carried her away, that was more misdirection, them using the charmed and disguised Sarah Bernhardt to incriminate us."

George says, "Well, Sarah was in our custody at that point and was not released." Dagureer says, "I think you are confused about the timeline Mr. Eastman. The Asgardians made her removal from Zakazik very visible with us to blame BEFORE they took her to Gizah. But I am not here to debate you sir, I am merely trying to point out to you that things are not what they appear to be."

"Ok, we will leave this to Ma'at." says George stuffing the gag back into his mouth. George signals for Louis to be returned to the cell. Ruby indicates that her spell is about to end. George turns to a soldier and says, "Go and fetch the high priest and Freya. We are getting to the bottom of this now." While they wait, Ruby fills in George on the truths and half-truths Louis uttered.

The two women are quickly brought to George's location. As the women come forward George says to Freya "The French are blaming you of course. Merely as part of a thorough investigation I will have the priest cast a zone of truth. I wish for you to be present to fully dispel any blame on your part before I further interrogate the French wizards. I would hope you will consent to this." "I concur," she states. A few questions follow that confirm that Freya has been truthful to them.

George also has Ruby re-cast her spell and gives her time to have it be in effect. He then signals to have Louis brought back out alone into the hallway. There he states "This priest is casting a zone of truth. The Asgardian is here and under the influence of the spell as well. We will resolve this situation very clearly." says George as the priest begins to cast the spell. Daguree says, "What is this Sir? I spoke to you Gentleman-to-Gentleman, and told you the express truth. I will NOT state anything about what I told you in the presence of the German murderer Astrid. She is once again manipulating you Mr. Eastman, and is more-likely-than-not, in collusion with this Priest that you mention."

Ruby walked around the prisoner, concentrating on his thoughts. However, she was growing bored with her passive role in these interrogations. She walked in front of him and stopped, peering down into his face. In a sweet voice she purred, "Poor Mr Daguree. So abused." She ran a finger across his cheek. "Do you recall, have we met before?" He says, "We met Miss West at the formal dinner after you arrived in Zakazik." She says, "And when we met, was it apparent what kind of skills I possess?" Daguerre says, "I believe that I heard that you were some sort of tavern singer."

George turns to Freya and whispers "Ah crap, he's in trouble now." Ruby replies, "Tavern singer? Really? Well, I suppose to the small minded that might be true." She walked another circle around him again. "It seems you haven't guessed my other skills. You and your friends aren't the only ones who possess the skills to manipulate magic. Now, perhaps you don't know that the Princess, well, now Queen, is one of my very good friends."

She stopped in front of him again and bent at the waist, getting in his face. "Now would be the best time to admit to any and all wrong doing. This is your last chance to come clean. I'm getting bored and have way better things to do with my time." She started to pace then, then stopped suddenly. "Though, I admit, you've already admitted all we really need to know. He says, "Woman, I do not know what you think, clearly this Astrid woman has you under some sort of charm. She's spun her lies to incriminate both me and my allies and you appear to have bought into those lies."

She says, "Oh no, it actually has nothing to do with her. You, yourself have told us all we need to know. While Freya has been working alongside of us, we have always had our own agenda. As she has hers. But trust me, Sir, I am under no control of hers. Also, she has already agreed to submit to questioning under the truth spell, while you refuse. Obviously another strike in your favor." Ruby stands up straight and steps away. "Guards, please return this man to the dungeon with the highest degree of security we have. He is the mastermind behind all these wizards and the plot to ruin Egypt." He resists but is soon subdued by the guards and returned to the room with his fellow prisoners.

Ruby says, "Alright friends, it is time to go see the Queen. Some of what he told George was true but definitely was thinking he pulled one over by trying to say all four aces are equal. In his mind, he is full on command. I am sure there are many other questions, we probably should have asked about his guilt in murdering the royal family. Hmm... should we go ask him about that?" Mina says, "He does not appear to be very forthcoming, I am not sure how fruitful further discuss with him would be. Perhaps it is time to see the Queen. But are there any other French who we might want to talk to?"

Ruby asks, "Who were the two wizards who took off after the fake Orabi killed the royal family? Let's question them." Mina says, "You were just speaking to one of them. The other was Chevruel, but he is the anti-social one and based on our past encounters he probably won't be very forthcoming either." George says, "Yes, I think we have all we can get without removing fingers. Let's go report to the Queen." They all head up to see the Queen.

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 113, "The Trial" , September 12, 1882, 10:30 AM.

Returning the the main chamber. There are a minimum of people present, Queen Neferka, her mother and both sisters, Barrister Sefu, Lt. Col. Hassan, Sabah-Bast, around a dozen servants, a half-dozen priestesses of Bast and twenty Egyptian soldiers. At the far side of the room are the other members of the AGELESS party (minus John Hardin, who hasn't been seen for several hours).

Ruby comes forward and bows before the Queen. "Queen Nerferka, we have questioned two of the wizards. I believe we have found the mastermind behind it all. The Frenchman Daguerre admitted it, though not in words. George questioned him while I read his mind without his knowledge. He did tell some truths but in his mind he admitted he is the leader of all these wizards and plots. He does keep to his story, in which he accuses us of being under Freya's control. The Bast Priestess confirmed from her that is not so."

"George states, "The only defense he puts forward is that Freya, who he believes is actually her Grandmother Astrid, beguilded many of his experienced wizards and made them perform the acts they were witnessed doing. He denies facts when presented with them and attempts to cast everything as a conspiracy against them. Had that been the truth, we would merely think him demented, as it is his evasion is evidence of his pernicious plot. Freya here submitted to a truth spell, where Daguerre would not, further undermining his credibility. Additionally, though he denies leadership, Bast herself told me of his guilt."

Sabah/Bast steps forward and says, "Yes, he is one of those involved in the conspiracy. I had read Gouraud's thoughts earlier when Barrister Sefu was questioning him. Fourteen of the French were directly involved in the conspiracy to murder the previous Pharaoh, ten of whom are in the rooms below, with the other four having already been slain." George interjects, "So Queen Neferka, what do you decree as justice?"

Neferka says, "We will bring all Nineteen French and their guards up here to stand before me. These ten will have justice dispensed and the other nine will stand as witnesses." Sabah tells Neferka "Some of those other nine are guilty of other crimes against your Kingdom." "Not to mention kidnapping a British General, they may want to either have a crack at them or at least know justice was meted out." adds George before he saunters back to an alcove an pours himself a brandy. Ruby exclaims, "We will stand by your side, Your Majesty. Just let us know what you need from us." Ruby and George go and stand over by the rest of their group.

Guards start to head out to retrieve the prisoners. Before any of them are brought to the temporary throne room, the silence of the room is shattered by the sudden appearance of a trio of people who teleport into the room. They are immediately recognized as John Wesley Hardin, the druidess Merin, and the Mexican wizard Manual Gonzales. All are disheveled, have torn clothing smelling of smoke and visible wounds, although none of the wounds appear to be serious.

"Teacher!" Ruby yells and runs towards him. "What happened? Are you alright?" He laughs, "Oh yes, my little bird. One second please, I have a task to perform." He removes the satchel from his shoulder and opens it. From it climb out a miniature centaur, six inches tall, and a six-inch tall dark-skinned warrior. Gonzales casts a Dispel Magic on them and they enlarge, revealing themselves to be the centaur druid Cetan and the Nubian Ogre Prince who Ruby met at the banquet. They also appear to be a little worse for the wear. Gonzales tells Ruby "I had to shrink them down for transport due to the weight limit of the spell."

George pours two more brandies and brings them over to Manual and John. "Here, looks like you needs these." Ruby's eyes went wide then she laughed. "I know you and they wouldn't be here if you didn't think it was necessary. If everyone is alright, then carry on." Both of them gladly accept George's offered drinks. Hardin downs his in one shot and hands the glass back to George adding, "Thanks, our little adventure built up quite a thirst, although I did manage to get a quick refreshment when our battle ventured near the wine cellar."

Gonzales walks over to Neferka and kneels down. "Your Royal Majesty, Pharaoh Neferka of Egypt. I am but a humble servant who has undertaken a task on your behalf. We were successful in our quest. I present this to you." He removes from his satchel an elaborate gold box, approximately six-inches square, with rubies and emeralds encrusted onto the design. Ruby steps up next to Gonzales. "I don't know what that is but it looks important. Your Majesty, this is my teacher and friend and he can be trusted."

Bast/Sabah nods to Neferka who now smiles knowingly and declares, "This box contains the French wizard's most precious artifact, the very jewelry which grants them long life." Gonzales says to Ruby and George, "It occurred to me that with four-dozen of their team here in Egypt, that only left four low-level members back at their manor house in France with the item." Gesturing towards his companions Gonzales says, "I was able to find some volunteers to help me go retrieve it." Hardin adds to Ruby and George, "It sounded more interesting than just standing around this temple waiting for you guys to arrive."

Ruby exclaims, "Wow, really? I mean... so what will you do with it? Use it to threaten them or actually, use it use it. However that works." Neferka says, "I have not decided yet." She summons Sefu over towards her and hands it to him saying "Keep this close, I will probably need it soon, but they do not need to know yet that I possess it." Ruby kept her eye on the box while escorting her friends back over to the larger group. "

She says to Gonzales, "My my teacher, you HAVE been busy! You and all your secrets... one day you'll have to tell me how you know so much of what is going on in the world!" He says, "I lived before in Paris, so was familiar with those wizards. They always guarded there manor house from outsiders. I just did the math once I found out that they had fielded six teams of eight here, so that didn't leave many there." Ruby sighed. "Ah, Paris. Another place I need to visit! Though I have to admit, this "vacation" didn't go as planned," she laughed.

[DM's Note: The assault on the Weekly Wizards castle in Paris had originally been intended for the module's climax battle. However, as I give players vast amount of freedom to go in any direction they want that wasn't how things were falling together. So I decided to still go through with the encounter, but to instead use NPC's and a pair of former PC's who hadn't been seen in a while.]

George motions one of the Egyptian guards over and starts a conversation with him. He starts to object pointing to his insignia and George silences him with a finger. He speaks very sternly to the soldier as he points to the Queen and Sefu. The soldier looks, gulps and nods. George and the soldier leave the room, but return in a few minutes with several other soldiers, all of whom are carrying chairs. George has managed to round up some more glasses and alcohol. "Hey if we are going to have a trial, might as well get comfortable right?" he says offering Ruby a chair. He also fills Barrister Sefu on more details of the prisoner interrogation.

Exhausted and in pain, Abby had quietly removed herself before George, Mina and Ruby had gone downstairs for the prisoner interrogations. Her thinking and memory were fuzzy from the fact that it was at least two whole days since she'd slept for more than an hour at a time, and the aching from her painfully pulled arms. So rather than try to question prisoners in that condition, Abby had asked for and gotten a clean gown, a chance to clean herself up, and best of all something for the pain. The exhaustion only sleep could cure. She sat, tall and quiet, with hair the color of honey hanging luxuriously down past her shoulders and her wire-framed glasses perched on her nose, and was unrecognizable to most who had seen her only in this mad scramble in Egypt.

The nineteen French are brought to the chamber in groups based upon the room and guard level they were at. The first set are the five diplomats who had been visiting with the King in Cairo, consisting of the former French Empress Eugenia Maria de Montijo de Guzman, her contemporary and diplomatic team leader Victor Duruy, the opera singer Jean Baptiste Faure, the philosopher and historian Maximillien Paul Emile Littre, and the painter Edgar Degas. They are given five comfortable chairs to sit in without restraints or gags. Queen Neferka's mother speaks primarily to her friend the Empress, telling the five that they are to remain silent unless directly asked a question by either Queen Neferka or Barrister Sefu. A few guards position themselves a short distance behind these chairs.

Next are the seven French under heavier guard. They consist of the Egyptology expert Jean-Francois Champollion, the philosophyer Hippolyte Adolphe Taine, the diplomat Frederic Passy, the physicist Joseph Louis Gay-Luccac, the writer Prosper Merimee, the very elderly inventor Joseph-Marie Jacquard and historian Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot who George has just delivered from the battle at Tel El Kabir. They too are given chairs to sit in and their restraints are removed, and the gags over their mouths are loosened but not removed. Barrister Sefu informs this group that they are to remain silent and keep their hands on the chair arms at all times. If specifically asked a question, they are then to raise a single hand to lower the gag and answer it, otherwise any other movement of their hands will result in them being restrained further. An individual guard is positioned immediately behind each chair, while the leader of this guard squadron stands to the front side of this group where he can watch all seven of these prisoners.

Next are the trio that Lawrence and Callum have just brought in from Heliopolis, consisting of the alchemists Henri Moissan and Charles Robert Richet and the linquist Rene Belloq. They are brought into the room still tied and gagged in the chairs that they have now been secured in, an ogre guard carrying each chair. They are positioned separate from the first two groups but where they can see what transpires in the room. The ogre guards stay with the prisoners.

The remaining three men and a woman are carried into the room, with steel manacles still on their wrists and ankles and a heavy gag on their mouths. Each of the three men is physically carried by a quartet of guards. The woman is brought in on a blanket carried by a quartet of guards. They are each brought to a separate stone support beam in the room where each are sat on the floor sitting up, with their backs against the column. The men consist of the pair that the Princess and Freya had brought in, the inventor Louis Jacques Mande Daguree and the chemist Michel Eugne Chevreul, the third man is Napoleon Bonapare's friend Baron Gaspard Gouraud, who had previously been identified as the man who handed the fake Orabi the invisible gun used to assassinate the King. The woman is the actress Sarah Berhardt, who had been impersonating Princess Neferka. The quartet of guards remain with each one.

Neferka turns to Sefu and states, "Barrister, you may begin." He says, "We will derive the facts of this case and Queen Neferka will then pass judgment. Some, if not all, of you Frenchmen and Frenchwomen who came here under the guise of peace were here instead to support the rebellion and were directly or indirectly responsible for the assassination of the Egyptian King. We will ascertain the truth and the involvement of each. Nobody in the room is to speak unless directly addressed by either myself, Queen Neferka or the High-Priestess Sabah. Also note that any untruthful statements made will be immediately known by the High-Priestess and will be construed as an admission of guilt."

Sefu begins by detailing the specifics of what transpired in the small pyramid when the King was assassinated, which he was personally a witness to and how the invisible gun used by Orabi to kill the King had been handed to him by Baron Gauroud. He summons several guards, who bring in the dead body of General Orabi. Sabah steps forward and says "I will now dispel the magic" and waves her hand. The body transforms into that of the French painter Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier. Many of the French in the room appear surprised by this revelation.

Sefu approaches Gouraud and orders the guards to remove his gag. Sefu says, "Answer only Yes or No. Were you aware Baron that the man beside you in the temple was Mr. Meissonier and not General Orabi." Baron says, "Yes, however..." he does not get any further when he is restrained and re-gagged. Sefu addresses the assembled room stating loudly. "When asked for a one-word answer please comply." Queen Neferka rises from her throne and approaches. She tells Sefu "This man's guilt has been established to my satisfaction. His confirmation of my husband's innocence has now been established as well. You may proceed with the others."

Next he approaches the woman Sarah Bernhardt and asks her a series of questions about her actions in the temple. She answers all questions asked, and Sabah nods affirmation of the statements. Bernhardt admits to having impersonated Neferka and that she knew that it was not the real General Orabi with her, however she categorically denies having had any knowledge of the invisible gun or the planned assassination of the King. Sefu has her re-gagged. Sefu tells the group of Chevrul and Daguree's teleportation out the temple following the assassination. He then turns to George and says, "Mr. Eastman, you know further of the involvement of these two men. Would you care to share your findings?"

George hands his bourbon to Ruby and stands up and came before the Queen. "All the facts will come out eventually, regarding the kidnapping of the Princess, General Orabi and the British General. The fact that some members of this group instigated the riot in Cairo, and shelled the royal palace. Some were seeking to steal the dowry, poison the royal family, oh goodness the list of nefarious deeds can go on. But it must be know that under interrogation Messier Daguree did identify himself as the leader of the entire organization, and is the mastermind behind the entire cabal for regicide."

Neferka states emphatically, "The mastermind you say. And do you know which of these others were part of the conspiracy and which were not? I am a fairly good judge of character and it appeared to me that Mr. Duruy and the Empress were sincere in their talks with my parents, seeking to find a negotiated peace." He replies, "I know of those whom I saw and had witnesses to acts they performed. With such a widespread effort, I was not able to determine everything. But no, not all of the wizards were involved, it seems this plot was concocted by a cabal at the top, of just fourteen members.

And as you have seen not all were given full knowledge of the plot. The Goddess Bast told me who was involved, rather than repeat what she said, since she is here, I will let her give direct testimony. I can validate though, that through interrogation we did establish beyond her observation, the guilt of several of that cabal" Sabah steps forward and her face transforms from human to feline.

"I am Bast!" she states, her voice resonating throughout the room and commanding the full attention of everybody present. She first gestures to the five French sitting in the nicer chairs and without restraints stating, "The Pharoah presumed correctly, these five are completely innocent. In fact, the conspirators original plan was to have these five perish from ingesting same poison as the Royal family. That would have provided coverage for the French involvement in the deaths, if several of their own, including two of their leaders, had also died."

She then turns towards the group of seven who are gagged but unrestrained. She points towards Frederic Passy and Hippolyte Taine, stating "These two are also innocent, rise and go join the other five." They do so. She gestures towards Sarah Bernhardt and says, "She did not know of the conspiracy to murder the royal family, but was still an accomplice, willingly impersonating the then Princess Neferka with knowledge that the goal was to manipulate her. The Pharaoh can decide her punishment."

Lastly she turns to Jean-Francois Champollion and states loudly and angrily "He was not involved with the plot to kill the Egyptian royal family, but he is guilty of an even greater crime. He is responsible for systematically desecrating my temples, destroying my statues and stealing the riches of Egypt itself. After the Pharoah has passed judgment on the others I request that he be given to me, to learn the true meaning of a God's wrath." "Granted", Neferka states as she gestures to several guards who pull Champollion from his chair and forcibly restrain him.

Bast steps back and says, "These other ten are all conspirators that were directly responsible for the death of the Pharoah and his sons." She gestures to them, specifically Daguree, Gouraud, Chevruel, Moissan, Bellocq, Richet, Jacquard, Gay-Luccac, Merimee and Guizot." Neferka says, "Testimony from these men is not necessary, the word of the Goddess Bast is fact." She turns to George and says, "Mr. Eastman, do you know what the motivation was for these men?"

He states, "While we cannot be absolutely certain, we do have a some evidence of their motive. France has long been a country tolerant of arcane magic. Recently, public opinion has been moving more in line with the majority of European nations in banning arcane magic. The French wizards were fearful of losing not only their prestige, but legal status. In Egypt they saw not only a country where arcane magic was tolerated and legal, but was undergoing enough political instability that a coup could be staged.

That is what their motivation was, to depose the royal family and establish a either a sympathetic ruler, or an imposter so that Egypt would continue to be a safe haven for arcane magic. They took advantage of the Royal family and army, General Orabi and the rebel forces and the British forces. They used the pretext of being a neutral party to manipulate all the sides, turning them further against each other and using the ensuing chaos to implement their plans. Which were present in redundancy to ensure their success. In addition, I believe that they were also intent upon plundering the country of wealth and ancient artifacts for personal gain."

Neferka turns towards George's companions and asks "Do any of you have things that you would like to add regarding these ten conspirators?" Ruby replied, "I believe George said it all Your Majesty. Though we are rather new to this whole plot, we have a lot of good people who were here helping in different ways to get what it was all about. I hope we have done well and been helpful." Abby stood and offered, "Beyond the word of the Goddess, more is not necessary. However, I can give more details about the roles of Belloq, Merimee, and Bernhardt if you wish to hear it." "Please do", Neferka states.

Abby states, "Before the successful assault on the King, another assault was planned by subtler means. Myself and some compatriots had infiltrated a French camp. Prosper Merimee was in charge at that camp, and Miss Bernhardt is his apprentice. I was magically disguised as Miss Bernhardt and he happened to see me, he assumed his apprentice had arrived to protest the mission she was given. We spoke at some length. Merimee spoke of two french wizards who had been caught attempting to infiltrate the Palace the year before, Pascal and Monteblanc, and were killed. They wanted Miss Bernhardt and Sardou to use mundane disguises to infiltrate the palace and bring with them an elixir created by Moissan.

When discussing the mission, Merimee said they had been "asked to participate in mass murder." He spoke of the elimination of the King and his sons so the French wizards could rule through a puppet Queen. Merimee expressed regret for the action, but was willing to go through with it. He expected his apprentice to object but also expected her to carry it out. In fact he begged her to do so and to convince Sardou as well. I also learned from him that they had someone whispering in the ear of Abdullah, to get him to attack the Palace so they could use him as a scapegoat.

He also encouraged his apprentice not to underestimate Meren, and described how the shepherds were not to be harmed and their best chance would be just outside Cairo. Myself and my compatriots took action to interrupt this plan, which is where I had the distinct displeasure of meeting Rene Belloq."
 

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 114, "Divine Wrath" , September 12, 1882, 11:00 AM.

Neferka says, "Well Miss Marsters, Mirimee was correct in one respect. It was wise to not underestimate the Druidess Meren." She turns towards Merimee and says, "Would you care to see what she and her companions brought me?" The gagged man is unable to reply, and she gestures towards Barrister Sefu. He brings his Queen an item in his hands covered with a velvet cloth. As he hands it to her he removes the cloth, revealing the ornate gold box with intricate filigree designs and gems. The expressions on nearly all of the French within the room indicate shock at the Queen holding this item.

Bast/Sabah turns towards Neferka and says, "It is safe for you to open, I have removed all of the magical traps and wards from the container." Neferka turns a latch and lifts the lid. From the box she removes an ornate wide gold necklace with gems encrusted and a large diamond mounted to an amulet in the center. Neferka turns towards the group of seven French who had been declared innocent and asks "Mr. Duruy, is this not the very item that originally united your group? The artifact which grants all of you extended life?"

He replies, "It appears to be. Each of us must wear the amulet for seven consecutive days during a year for the magic to continue." This just got interesting" George mutters to Ruby. "I wonder how much they will beg or bargain for their lives, and their continued extension, if the Queen so permits it."

Neferka asks, "And Mr. Duruy, if I were to have this artifact destroyed, would it then strip you and your companions of all benefits that you derived from it during these past centuries?" He replies, "Queen Neferka, I implore you not to do such a thing. Destroying it would only result in it no longer being able to be used any anyone. There would be no effect on us, we would just continue to age normally from the point that we are at now. That is also what would occur if we no longer have access to the item, whether it exists or not."

Bast/Sabah steps forward and says, "My Pharoah, if removal of the magic that these individuals have received from this item is your wish, that is something within my power." Neferka says, "It is my wish, however only for the ten conspirators of my father's death." Duruy begins to object when Bast commands "Silence, or you shall share their fate." She then raises her hands and the room darkens. The amulet held by the Queen begins to glow a ruby-red color. Ten separate tendrils of light shoot forth from the object and attach to the ten identified wizards.

Over the next several minutes light surges through the tendrils from the men and back towards the object, the light being most faint in the youngest men and darkest in the oldest. Rene Bellocq is the youngest of the group and one of the most recent member of the French wizards society, having only worn the amulet once, so there is no discernible effect. The alchemists Moissan and Richet are both chronologically in their early thirties, and the impact on them also appears negligible, although they both show some visible pain.

The impact on the other seven is far more intense, with them each aging decades before everyone's eyes in a process that has them all writhing in agony. The first to perish is the oldest, Joseph-Marie Jacquard, whose life had been extended well into his second century. His body ceases moving and then continues to decompose, although this effect is only visual as from the first hint of decaying flesh Bast makes a gesture that purifies the air in the room, with no further smells from his or any of the other soon-to-be corpses.

Dying shortly after Jacquard is the man Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac, followed almost simultaneously by Gaspard Gouraud and Louis Daguerre. Several minutes later Prosper Merimee dies and then Francois Guizot. The energy continues to flow from the remaining elderly wizard Michael Chevreul and then ceases, the tendrils all withdrawing from the six dead husks and four remaining live men.

As the normal light returns to the room Bast turns towards Neferka and says, "It is done." Gesturing to Chevreul the Goddess states "This old man now wears his full ninety-six years on this planet. If allowed to continue he will live until the age of one-hundred-and-three. Also know that, while the leader of the conspiracy was Daguerre, the chemist Chevreul was the architect of the overall plan." She then gestures towards Moissan and Richet stating "And his two apprentices were charged with delivering the poison meant to kill your family."

Neferka states, "Seven more years....." She turns to Barrister Sefu and says, "Please make arrangements for Mr. Chevruel and his two students to remain in our care for these next seven years. Each and every day I want you to ensure that they undergo experiences which are quite memorable and proportionate to the crimes that they have committed. However, be certain that none of these prove fatal, I would not want Mr. Chevruel to miss a single day of his remaining time with us. When he does finally leave our care see to it that his students experience the same fate at that time." Sefu says, "As you wish my Pharoah." He orders the three men removed.

Ruby watched silently and stoically at the proceedings, as the men all deserved their gruesome fates. She really wished she had taken a drink from George as watching the sentencing made her throat dry. She wasn't about to say anything out of turn so she tried not to fidget while this was all going on. Abby kept her expression neutral as the sentences were pronounced. The moral high ground did not feel at all comfortable when it resulted in years of torture for three fellow beings. Whatever they had done, the torture would not undo it. Yet it was Neferka's decision to make, and in cold logic it was not an unfair one.

Neferka approaches the last conspirator, Rene Bellocq, and says, "One left, the linquist I believe." Barrister Sefu steps forward and says, "My Queen, this man along with the aforementioned Victor Sardou, were the ones who manipulated the rebel Abdullah to attack the Palace. We have not located this Sardou yet." She turns towards Bast and asks, "Would you know where this Sardou is?" The deity stops and concentrates. She turns back and says, "Yes Pharaoh, he is among the eight-five rebels that your forces have captured and imprisoned in Cairo. He is disguised as an Egyptian rather than a European and speaks fluent Arabic."

Neferka thanks Bast for the information and tells Sefu, "Identify and isolate the man. Hold the linguist near him. I will deal with both of them during the trials to be held for the rebels. I will hold those within the next week, once reunited with my husband, as he may know of extenuating circumstances by which some rebels may receive pardons. Not these two French however, especially this man Bellocq." Gesturing towards Berhardt Neferka asks Sefu "And her?" Sefu says, "She was in Heliopolis alongside Gay-Lussac, Moissan, Sardou, and Bellocq." Neferka says, "Then hold her for the trial with the rebels as well. Remove them now." Sefu has guards take Bellocq and Bernhardt from the room."

Turning back to George and his party she says, "Is it done then? Those guilty of crimes against my precious Egypt?" Ruby says, "Well, there was a merchant quite unwilling to part with some items for the cause," Ruby smiled at the new young ruler, "But in the end, he saw the error of his ways and helped so you should probably go easy on him. I did quite ruin his dress after all," she gestured to the scorched robes of Aphrodite. She hoped she had lightened the mood just a little.

"Truthfully Your Majesty, we are all very tired and worn out and our brains a little foggy. I do believe you have apprehended all those we can currently recall. Luckily you have the guidance of one so wise," she nodded her head towards Sabah/Bast. "So yes, I do believe you are done. You should be reunited with your husband and also get some rest, I am certain you have a lot of work ahead of you."

Bast/Sabah steps forward and says to Ruby, "The Greek Goddess is known to be a jealous one. She would not be pleased that her gown was damaged aiding a deity of another Pantheon. Allow me to rectify the situation." She touches the headdress atop her head, the symbol in the center specifically, and a golden light shines forth from the headdress to the scorched part of the dress. Ruby feels a slight sensation, not unlike an electrical jolt, but it is not painful, more like being tickled. When the light ceases the dress is fully restored to its former glory.

Ruby laughed and shook her shoulders as she was tickled all over. It had been some time since she felt happy and light. Finally she composed herself. "Thank you very much, Goddess, that is quite generous of you. I would not want to anger my own goddess! And actually, the gown belongs to our new Pharaoh so I am sure she will appreciate it returned in good working condition." Neferka says, "Ruby, it is my gift to you. It is the very least I can do to reward you for all of your efforts on behalf of my Eygpt." Turning back to Sabah/Bast "You have been more than helpful in aiding us all to protect Egypt. I know there isn't much we can do to thank you, but if there is I am sure you will let us know," Ruby smiled. Bast says, "Aiding and protecting Egypt is my duty, and I thank you. Now one final task awaits me before I depart."

She approaches Champollion and says, "Thief and defiler, have you anything to say?" He replies, "My intention was to safeguard the artifacts." She angrily replies, "That was the wrong response, as it is a lie. You wished to acquire them. A true protector would have left them where they were, and appointed guards. You could have done so for a fraction of what it cost to have them moved to France."

She then raises her voice and states "The correct response would have been to offer to immediately return all of the stolen property to Egypt". Lowering her voice she concludes, " I am sending you to my home plane where you will await my arrival. You will come to regret your actions." Before he can protest she touches him and he vanishes.

Bast/Sahah then approaches the remaining French and says, "You seven have been found innocent of this plot against Egypt. But your wizards group, which you have now become the leaders of, is hardly innocent in the plunder of Egypt's treasures. Nearly half of what Champollion stole is at your mansion. I will ask you what I asked him, do you have anything to say?" Without hesitation both Empress Eugenia de Guzman and Victor Duruy reply in unison "We will immediately return all of the stolen property to Egypt."

Across the room, Manual Gonzales has made his way over to George and slips a rolled up piece of paper into his hands, whispering, "While the wizards are being generous, here's a little something I found in the same place as the box with the amulet. It is the deed to their mansion, which they stole from the family of Maurice Beaujoulais three decades ago." George glances at the document briefly before tucking it inside his jacket. "He will be quite happy to have it back, not to mention anything the wizards 'forget' can be recovered" he whispers back.

George steps forward and waits to be recognized by Bast/Sabah. When she inclines her head towards him he states "Goddess, last we knew, the French ship anchored in the Mediterranean contained the dowry from the wedding. Captain Nemo may have sunk the ship to keep the French from absconding with it, he would have sunk that ship on my orders. This was the ship we found the Generals and the Queen prisoners on. I do not know if it is in your power to retrieve that wealth for Egypt now. If not we will need to organize a recovery effort before we leave."

She says, "I am afraid Mister Eastman that cats are not fond of water, so it is out of my element. However your concern that the ship rests of the floor of the sea is premature, your associates were able to prevent it from totally submerging and while the vessel is no longer seaworthy, your friend Captain Nemo has managed to tow it to shore, where it now lies on the beach. The American warships that you dispatched to that location are now guarding it, the submersible having departed just as before those ships arrived."

"Excellent. I am glad that the situation is not as dire as I had thought. I wanted it brought up before you left us yet. The new Queen will certainly need the funds to rebuild the palace. Of course, restitution and reparations for the rebuilding should probably be arranged now. I am quite sure that the remaining French wizards would be more than glad to provide financial remuneration from their vast resources to compensate the Egyptian state for the damage that was caused by their leadership " replies George

Queen Neferka says, "As it was their airship that fired on the palace I would certainly hope so. At a minimum I will be keeping their remaining airship as partial compensation. However, I will permit it to be used to transport these seven individuals out of my country and back to France. They will be leaving within the hour, once their possessions that they had left in Cairo arrive here."

Queen Neferka moves closer to Duruy and the Empress and says, "And I expect the two of you to communicate to the Druidess that rules the French Council that I expect the return of ALL Egyptian artifacts within that nation." The Empress says, "I have no influence over them, Mr. Duruy and I are no longer members of that Council." Neferka says, "I think they will listen. First, I plan to send the Druidess Meren to France as my new Ambassador. A druidess is inclined to listen to another druidess. And Meren is hardly without power, having managed to defeat the guards and defenses that were at your mansion in France, that alone should impress your leaders.

Secondly, your home country also wishes for my kingdom to repay the loans that my father incurred to build the canal, our default would cause a financial collapse of the French banks. They will also wish to continue to use the canal. Until EVERY EGYPTIAN ARTICLE is returned, no funding will flow from here, nor will any French ships be allowed in the canal." Neferka then turns to Bast and asks "Will you be able to let your Priestesses know if any items remain in that country?" Bast says, "Yes, I will communicate to them the location of plundered Egyptian items in EVERY country on the planet."

Neferka says, "Good, then I will hold all nations accountable, no country will be permitted to use the canal until our property within that country is returned. Although I will be reasonable, while all religious items must go back to the temples of their deities, I may allow non-religious items to remain abroad on public display in foreign museums, provided that the institutions acknowledge in writing that the items are ours and not theirs, subject to recall at any notice."

She turns back to the Empress and says, "My parents were very impressed with you, I think that the French Council would benefit from your reinstatement. I will strongly recommend it through my Ambassador." The Empress gestures to the man at her side and asks, "And Mr. Duruy?" Neferka says, "I should not press my luck, and besides, you know as well as I do that the majority of the Council's decisions take place at social functions rather than formal meetings. Bring him with you as your husband."

The Empress looks shocked. Bast interjects, "Miss. de Guzman, I did not have to probe your thoughts for me to hear your feelings towards him, it is obvious that you love the man." Eugenia turns toward Victor Duruy and asks, "And your feelings towards me?" "I have loved you in secret for decades," he replies.
He goes down to one knee and takes her hand, saying "I would be honored to have you as my bride." She pulls him up and gives him an enthusiastic kiss as a response. Bast says, "It is settled then. My Priestess will perform a marriage ceremony here in this temple prior to your departure." Neferka's mother comes across the room towards her long-time friend and gives the Empress a hug.

Ruby gave a little bounce and clap. "Oohhh, weddings, I love weddings! Think we'll be invited? Course, her friend did try to have Nana and I imprisoned for life, so we probably shouldn't give too nice a gift." Mina gave her granddaughter a raised eyebrow and a shake of the head, but she was chuckling. Ruby laughed in return and shrugged. "What?"

Queen Neferka turns towards Callum Stuart (who she knows is an ally of George's group). He is still attired in a French Foreign Legion uniform and she says "You are the airship pilot are you not?" He wisely replies (for the benefit of the French) "Oui" in a French accent. She says, "Following the wedding ceremony I want you to transport these seven individuals directly to Paris, and then return the airship here. Will you do so?" He replies "Oui, I will do as you request. I would not dare do anything otherwise, lest I anger the Cat Goddess."

She then turns towards George and his companions and says, "Will one of you accompany them, as further insurance that the flying craft is returned to me?" Callum stares directly towards Abigail. Abby says, "I will do so. I speak excellent French and have some skill with magic. And I'm sure Miss West and Mr. Eastman will wish to remain here to offer whatever assistance to you that they can before our final departure, Your Majesty." Ruby says, "We absolutely will Your Majesty, anything you need. Besides, I am sure Abby will want to see the City of Love!" Neferka replies, "Very good."

Turning towards the Druidess Meren Neferka says, "And will you make the trip as well, starting your new duties as my Ambassador to France?" Meren says, "I would be honored to do so. I will communicate your wishes, but I will need credentials." Barrister Sefu says, "They will be drafted and signed by the Queen prior to your departure. I will also draft the recall notice to our present Ambassador to France. We will request that he remain in Paris until the month's end to assist with the transition and help make introductions for you. Assure him that he will have considerable choice in selecting his next assignment, probably a location with warmer climate, as his wife has found European winters to be far too cold." Ruby interjects, "Who is the present Ambassador, if I may ask?" Neferka says, "His name is Ahmed Ali Kamel. He has served in France for close to a decade, through multiple changes in French administration." Ruby adds, "Well, I am sure he is ready for a change."

Bast announces, "My work here is finished." She turns towards the French who will soon be departing and says, "Although let it be known that I will return if I am needed to protect Egypt again.....and next time I may not be as generous and forgiving. Also know that part of me will always remain within the High Priestess Sabah, she is not one that you will ever wish to cross." Ruby comments, "Priestess Bast, you have given much to help Egypt. I am sure your name will be honored for long to come."

Bast lifts her hands above her head and starts chanting in the ancient Egyptian language. A bright light radiates over her and then floats across the room and into the large statue of Bast in the room, fading into the black onyx. The Priestess Sabah stands in the room, still wearing the robe and jewelry that Bast has worn. While she had previously been a young lady in her mid-twenties, the woman now before them appears to be approximately two decades older.

Abby rushes over to the priestess. "Sabah. Do you need anything? I'm so glad to see you." Sabah replies, "I am fine Abigail. Actually better than fine, I remember everything that Bast said and did while she resided in my body, and I can still feel her power and thoughts surging through me. To be bonded to your deity in such a way is all that a Priestess could ever hope for." Abby nodded and smiled gently. "To feel so intensely connected to your goddess must be... absolutely joyous. How fitting that your first act now will be to perform a marriage."

Sabah replies softly so that only Abby can hear, "Indeed. Bast is very wise. She realized that after just watching the brutal deaths of their long-time allies, the French would be less inclined to do what Queen Neferka wished. By forcing this union between the two French leaders this will have them return to Paris on a far more positive note." She then tells Abby, "Excuse me a minute." Sabah then announces to the room " I think the smaller chapel will make for a far better setting for this ceremony than this larger room."
 

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 115, "There's Going to be a Wedding" , September 12, 1882, 11:30 AM.

Sabah garners everyone's attention and directs them toward the chapel at the end of the hallway for the wedding to take place. Across the room the French Empress approaches Manual Gonzales and asks, "Will you give me away?" He replies "I would be honored to, my beccroise bifascie" (a French bird, also known as the two-barred crossbill). Abby raised her eyebrow at the odd way of addressing an Empress. Not only as a bird, but one rarely seen in France.

But even more interesting was that this mentor of Miss West's seemed to have connections far beyond what she would have expected. But considering the group of people she had fallen in with, the elder elf shouldn't have come as a surprise. The light at the end of her days without sleep tunnel was finally visible. Abby stood up straight and followed Sabah, striking and graceful as any Empress or Priestess, and determined to make it through this ceremony and get on the airship before she collapsed into sleep.

The wedding gathering is small, with only around three dozen including the servants and guards. The High Priestess Sabah had changed her attire to a simpler Egyptian Robe, although she still wears the magical artifacts that were used to summon Bast to this world. Victor Duray stands before the Alter of Bast, with his friend Hippolyte Taine standing beside him as his best man. The bride is escorted down the aisle by her matron of honor, the Egyptian Queen mother. , and by Manuel Gonzales who is giving the bride away. The ceremony begins with some traditional Egyptian music. Sabah announces that the ceremony will be a combination of the traditional Egyptian service given the setting and also of a western-style ceremony in keeping with the couple's background.

Ruby snuggled in next to George to watch the wedding. Even though she barely knew these people, it was a beautiful thing to watch and warmness spread over her. For a moment she wondered if this was Aphrodite's doing, her valuing something like love. It wasn't so long ago she didn't care about anyone or anything. Now, life was so different. And this especially was crazy, going from a war to a wedding in the matter of minutes. And of such important people in the world to boot. At any rate, it was nice to not be in peril. She shrugged to herself and nestled into George closer. Whatever is was, she didn't care. She was happy. She gave a huge smile and a little wave to her teacher as he walked by. She would ask him about his reference to the Empress later, in private. Ruby was starting to suspect he was much, much more than he would admit to.

A quintet of musicians enter the room. They begin playing their trumpets, flutes, drums and an odd-square-shaped stringed instrument, playing the Egyptian version of a bridal march. The tempo of the music increases. The musicians then change to soft background music as Sabah begins the ceremony. Ruby finds the music and initial part of the ceremony to be very similar to Neferka's wedding. It was hard to believe that was only four days earlier, in many ways it seemed like it had been years.

She speaks of the beliefs of the couple in magic, citing the western deity of mages Math, and also the Egyptian deity of Magic, Isis. She wishes the couple long life and wisdom, stating that the companionship that most couples seek is already embodied by this couple who have been close friends for many decades. The two then exchange vows, repeating words stated by Sabah, as there clearly has not been time for them to prepare some themselves. "I Jean Victor take thee Eugenie Maria" and she repeats "And I Eugenie Maria take thee Jean Victor as my husband". The two kiss and Sabah declares them married.

"Isn't it so romantic?" She squeezed George's hand. "I guess no big party since this was so last minute." She glanced to Abby sitting next to her, looking beautiful in her change of clothes but Ruby could see the weariness in her eyes. "I don't think any of us would stay awake very long, even at the fanciest party on the planet. "

The ceremony draws to a close. Queen Neferka indicates that the possessions which the French diplomats had left at the palace in Cairo have arrived and have been loaded onto the airship. The seven French are asked to proceed outside to it. They are accompanied by Callum and Abigail, who will be flying them to Paris. Also with them is the druidess Meren, assuming her new post as Ambassador to France.

As this was one of the smaller airships the gondola compartment is a little cramped with all ten people plus the luggage, with the trunks doing double-duty as chairs since all of the airship's chairs except for the pilot's have been removed to make space. Before Abby left Ruby pulled her aside to say goodbye. "I hope you enjoy Paris, you've really earned a vacation after this crazy trip. I hope you'll be returning to us, eventually." Ruby gave her friend a big hug and kiss on the cheek. "Take care of yourself and get some rest!" She winked at Abby before returning inside to the Queen. The airship soon takes to the sky and proceeds northward.

The others head back inside the Temple of Bast. Ruby approached Neferka and gave her a long, tight hug. "You did good Your Majesty. I can't imagine what you are feeling right now but I am certain your father and brothers would be very proud of you." She says, "It has been a long week. I never imagined that I would be in this role, my brothers were the line of succession. The most I could have hoped for was to be married off to somebody of importance. We will hold the formal funeral services for my father and brothers in a few days. I would do it sooner except I think making peace with the rebels and getting the British soldiers off of Egyptian soil is the most immediate priority. Well, second priority, right now I believe that all of us could use sleep. Let me talk to Sabah about that, I think that she knows a spell that could shorten the time."

Once inside Neferka breathes a sigh of relief saying aloud, "I am glad that they are gone." She turns towards Barrister Sefu and says, "Please locate the other French wizards within the country and see that they receive a military escort to the border and transportation away from Egypt." Sabah adds, "The other Frenchmen can be found in Zakazik, Tanis, Port Said and the Nubian Capital."

The High Priestess Sabah is able to cast a spell on Neferka and the others the will enable them to experience twice the sleep as the time taken. Each is given lodgings in the temple and sleep until mid-afternoon, at which time they feel that they have been asleep nine-to-ten hours. The group each bathe and dress.

They reassemble in the main room of the Temple at 4:00PM. Barrister Sefu tells Queen Neferka that it will require at least a week's construction before the palace in Cairo would be safe and secure for her. She says, "That is fine, the British army and my husband's army are both now near Zakazik. I used the Zakazik Grand Hotel as my base of operation for most of the past week, it will continue to serve that purpose until the residence in Cairo meets your satisfaction."

Neferka calls for the "Chariot of the Winds" to be brought. Turning to the party, she says, "Which of you would like to join me for the trip to Zakazik?" Ruby looked to George and he smiled and nodded. "Go ahead my love, keep the Queen safe." Ruby gave him a kiss and bounded over to Nerferka. "I will go with you Your Highness." Neferka says, "The chariot will hold up to eight, your intended could join us if he wishes, as could your grandmother."

Mina says, "I will pass. My husband will be arriving in Alexandria shortly. I will return from here to Cairo and have the ship USS Franklin Pierce bring me there to meet him." Ruby says, "Oh, thank you Neferka! George will certainly enjoy it. Nana, will you meet us at the hotel with James?" Mina says, "Yes, eventually, probably sometime tomorrow. I want time to bring him up to speed on all that has transpired, preferably out of earshot of any French, British or Egyptian that might be present. Plus we could also use some time to...well...get reacquainted."

Ruby chuckled, "I know what you mean, we've been quite busy, haven't we? Not exactly the vacation I was looking forward to. It will be nice to have some quiet, alone time." Ruby stood up tall and stretched. "Well, let's get this show on the road!" She kissed her grandmother on the cheek. "Take your time getting reacquainted and be safe! We'll be at the hotel waiting." She waited for George to be ready then hopped on the chariot. "We are ready when you are!"

Lt. Col Hassan is once again requested to accompany Neferka and pledges to her personal safety. Sabah too says that she will accompany her to Zakazik. Barrister Sefu says that he has much to organize in Cairo, but expects to be able to join the Queen in two days time. The magical carpet is quickly retrieved and set up on the rooftop balcony of the temple. Neferka, Sabah, Hassan, Ruby, George and Lawrence step onto the carpet.

One of Neferka's younger sisters decides to join them as well. The Chariot soon departs. Ruby had riden on it before, and George had been told what to expect, but Lawrence is in awe of the fantastic speed at which the carpet travels over the sands. They very quickly put the distant pyramids and Nile river behind them, making their way steadily towards the Zakazik region.

"So, now that you're Queen I suppose you have a lot more responsibilities," Ruby said to Nerferka. "After getting some well earned rest, have you thought of your next moves? Meeting up with your husband being one of your priorities I am sure." Neferka replies, "Actually, getting the British Army out of Egypt is my top priority now. My father invited them, I can un-invite them." Ruby says, "Of course, you are in charge now. I assume they will leave peacefully but I guess you never know. Is there anything George or I can help you with?"

She says, "Well, the British Empire has a history of going into places and deciding to stay. But they do need me to repay Egypt's loans to their banks and also want use of the canal, so I have considerable power for the negotiations. On the other hand, being married now to the leader of the army they just fought won't make these talks any easier. Any assistance that you can George can provide will be appreciated." Ruby says, "Of course. I don't know much about that stuff but George is a man of considerable talents. You know we are your friends and will help you in any way we can." (And thus, Ruby now volunteers her fiance to Neferka for a major job that he never requested).

Neferka makes a slight detour away from the direction of Zakazik and flies high overhead above Tel el-Kabir, the site of the morning's battle. She sees that both the British and Egyptian rebels are fully encamped behind their battle lines but that the truce is being upheld. She then turns the carpet northwards towards the city. Ruby comments "That's good, things seem to be stable. Hopefully it stays that way. When will you get to meet up with your hubby?"

Neferka replies, "Tomorrow I think, it is best that I let Ahmed play out his role as the leader of the Rebel Army before he assumes the duties of my consort. I will send messengers to both camps this evening to arrange it." Ruby says, "I understand. I know you have a lot of responsibilities but you also need to rest. I know we have gotten sleep but... Sometimes you need to rest your mind, from all the thinking. You know?" Ruby placed her hand on her friend's arm. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

Neferka says, "I will be. We have several serious days ahead of us, but after they are over I hope that you'll stay around so that we can have some fun together." " Oh! I would very much enjoy that. I..." Ruby's words trailed off and she sighed deeply. "I want to say I am very sorry for what happened. We really did try to stop anything bad from happening and obviously we failed. And in such a terrible way." Ruby's head hung low. "We will stay around and help you with whatever you need. If part of that is having fun then that is what we will do. I think we could all use some fun."

Neferka says, "Ruby, there were failures all around. If anything, I blame myself. When I realized that the man the French were sending me with to Gizah wasn't Ahmed I should have just kept that information to myself and waited to alert Barrister Sefu upon our arrival. Instead, I made a scene, was replaced, and lost my father as a result. We were all victims of a well orchestrated and very evil plan, and they might have won without your help."

Ruby took another deep breath then a small smile came to her lips. "I suppose you're right. None of us, including you, are to blame. We've already figured that part out and you've dealt with it rather well. You will be an amazing Queen, Nerfeka." Neferka smiles and says softly so that only Ruby can hear, "I know that I will, and not just because Bast showed us that vision from three-dozen years into my future. All my life I have examined all of my father's choices and quietly kept to myself how I could have done better with this or that.

I am far from perfect, but my shortcomings are well counter-balanced by the strengths of these three men who you have met, Ahmed, Barrister Sefu and Lieutenant Colonel Hassan. In terms of a game I am always focused on a positive offense. Ahmed will be able to advise me of modifications to an offensive strategy, while Sefu and Hassan will focus on the defense, and protect me where I leave myself exposed. And then there is also the High Priestess Sabah, whose advice will be immeasurable. Collectively, we will make Egypt one of the greatest nations on earth."

Ruby says, "So let us do what we must to move forward. I suppose we were just in the right place at the right time." Neferka says, "The goddesses surely had a hand in this. Between Bast and Aphrodite, we have been well watched over. And your George is now linked to both of them." Ruby answers, "Huh, I hadn't thought of that, you're right. A couple years ago I would have never guessed I would have anything to do with any gods, let alone be helping more than one of them. Funny how life is like that."

Neferka says, "Ruby, while the majority of the people on this world believe in their own personal deities, and those of the clergy dedicate their lives to them, very few of us are blessed enough to actually encounter them. We are fulfilling a special destiny, which I believe is a mixture of divine providence and individual self-determination. What about you? I would guess that you strongly believe in Aphrodite, but even she won't be telling Ruby West what to do."

Ruby thought hard on that for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Yes I suppose that is true. She can 'strongly suggest' something but I make my own decisions. Still, it is nice to be able to help out someone so important. Not so long ago I didn't believe in anything. But things have changed, obviously." Ruby turned her face into the oncoming cool desert air, letting it blow her hair around her face in cool waves. "And I had really thought we were only coming here on a nice vacation. And while things have been crazy, at least I have made a new friend." She smiled at the Queen. Neferka says, "And I feel the same."

The Chariot of the Winds arrives at the roof of the Zakazik Grand Hotel. It is obvious that Barrister Sefu has notified them, as a full honor guard is assembled on the roof and musicians begin to play as the carpet touches down. Sultan Ali Ranual, the nephew of the hotel owner that had initially greeted Ruby and Mina when they first arrived, moves forward and makes a long speech about how honored they are that the Queen has chosen their establishment as the Royal Palace for the initial week of her reign. He says that the Royal suite has been prepared and that the overwhelming majority of the hotel's servants have been made available to cater to her every need.

Neferka says, "Very well. My sister will stay with me. See to it that suitable quarters are also prepared for the High Priestess Sabah, the head of my personal guard Colonel Hassan, Mr. George Eastman, Miss Constance Grace West and Mr. Lawrence Cantrell. My Chief of Staff, Barrister Sefu, should be arriving by Friday. Until that time Mr. Eastman will serve as my Interm Chief of Staff. See to it that all logistical arrangements are made through him, or through his fiance Miss West if he is unavailable." Ruby squeezed George's hand. "That is quite the honor!"

She approached the Queen. " I forgot to ask, what will become of Freya? She was quite helpful through everything." Neferka replies, "Barrister Sefu has requested her assistance for the next few days. She is acting as an observer for the departure of the remaining French wizards from my land. After that is concluded she has been asked to join us here." Ruby answers, "Very good! I was hoping she hadn't left yet, I do want to be able to say goodbye. We went through a lot together."

Neferka says, "We should all visit our quarters. I will plan to see you and Mr. Eastman for dinner in the main dining room in approximately two hours." "Excellent. Let us know if you need anything." She approached a waiting staff member to be shown to their room. Ruby and George are brought to a pair of adjacent rooms, each larger than the ones that they stayed in before at this hotel. "Wwhheeeeaaa" Ruby ran through the enormous rooms like a kid in a candy shop, pointing out all the wonderful upgrades over their last room. Finally she collapsed on a bed with her arms wide open. "Now THIS I can live with. Isn't it wonderful George?

George dozed on and off on the carpet ride. Catching snippets of the conversation between Ruby and the Queen. He stood attentively as speeches were made and raised an eyebrow as he was named interim Chief until Sefu arrived. Still he was tired. It had been a very long trip, and he was bone tired. Still he had to smile at Ruby's enthusiasm at the room. "Yes my dear, I think we will see a much better level of service and amenities now that we are a part of the royal entourage, rather than some ragtag group.

Still something the Queen said bothers me. It was about your, well our associations with.... you know what, it will wait. It isn't important right now. We have a dinner date in two hours and I know my Miss Ruby will want that entire time to bathe and put on her prettiest dress and do her hair and make up like she hasn't been able to do in weeks." says George as he kisses Ruby. "So go and get ready my dear, we can't keep the Queen waiting." Ruby says, "No darling, tell me now. What is your concern? Our association with who?"

"With Bast and Aphrodite. History shows that mortals do not fare well when the gods become involved. But, I am tired and I am sure I am over thinking things and am over worried from the constant suspicions I have had over the past few weeks. I am sure it is nothing. Come let us get ready." replies George. Ruby says, "Hmmmm, perhaps we should talk about it at some point. I mean, I have only ever considered good things coming from Aphrodite. But yes, let's get ready for dinner. We need to have some fun after everything that's happened."

Ruby spends the next two hours enjoying a nice, hot bubble bath then getting ready for dinner. She wears her nicest plum color dress and spends significant time wrestling her curls into submission. George smiles as Ruby approaches. "See, this is what I was saying. Aphrodite doesn't like mortals to show her up, and you my dear come closest of any mortal." says George kissing Ruby. "It will be nice to actually enjoy a meal for a change instead of wolfing it down while looking over your shoulder."


[DM's Note: At this point the party split up, with Orchid Blossom (Abigail's player) finding more free time to post, so the next five chapters will follow her and Callum in France. This also gave me an opportunity to greatly expand upon Callum Stuart's backstory, as he will be my own Playing Character in the next chapter of the AGELESS campaign, where Fenris (George Eastmasn's player) will be the Dungeon Master. Starting with Chapter 120, as we move to the next character day for both locations, we will then alternate the settings with odd-number chapters taking place in Zakazik and the even-numbered chapters taking place in France.]

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 116, "On to France" , September 12, 1882, 12:30 PM.

Inside the airship, Abby said to Meren, "I'm not sure if I should congratulate you or say I'm sorry. Paris is a beautiful city, but still a city. I hope you'll be comfortable there. I have no doubt you're pleased to serve the Pharaoh." Meren replies, "Last week I watched the King's sheep for a living. Today I am the Queen's chief representative to a major foreign power. How could I not be pleased? And yes, Paris may be a city, but I am certain that I will be able to find forests and gardens within a day's journey for times when I need to become reacquainted with nature."

"If you're pleased, then I'm pleased," Abby said and smiled. "The French countryside will hold all sorts of new discoveries for you. If you'll excuse me, I want to find out how long the trip is likely to take." She approached Cal at the pilot's station of the zeppelin. "Any idea how long this trip will be? I'd like to know how long I'll be able to pass out for." He says, "Go and sleep, we won't be reaching Paris until well after nightfall, and there won't be very much to look at along this trip except for the sea."

"Thank you. I don't even know how long it's been. I think two whole days? I'm sure you'll wake me if you need anything." Abby walked toward the back of the small chamber, spread out a cloak on the floor and improved a pillow from the hood, and was asleep in moments.

Meren wakes Abby, saying "We are descending on the City of Light. It is now 9:00PM." Abby sat up and rubbed her eyes, blinking a few times. "Thank you, Meren. It must have been a quiet trip, or I was just that tired. I can't even remember dreaming." The Druidess offered her a hand to help her rise, and Abby took it. "I must be a mess, but I feel so much better." She pulled a tie from her pocket and pulled her hair back simply, then moved to look out the window.

Paris, the City of Lights, is indeed 500 feet below them. Abby had been here before, but never from this elevation above. The main boulevards are well lit, as are thousands of buildings below. They are low enough to see hundreds of horse-drawn carriages moving along the main roadways and thousands of pedestrians out and about the town. She sees that Callum is descending in the direction of the seine River, and more specifically, towards the Louvre Museum and Palace. She stood for a few moments silently admiring the view, then walked over to Cal. "It's gorgeous down there. What's your plan after we land? And are we landing near the Louvre?"

Lowering his voice Callum replies, "Yes. While the others were sleeping Meren advised me to not bring them back to their mansion. Apparently she and her crew left it quite a mess and she was unsure of their reaction to what they would find. So I needed to think of another place to drop them off. During the reign of Napoleon III over 12,000 pieces of artwork were acquired and given to the Louvre. Those acquisitions were primarily made through the work of his wife Maria Eugenia and his advisor Victor Duruy, so this is a place where those two will be welcomed. And the timing is perfect, the museum is just now closing to the public for the day but the administrators will still be present."

Abby says, "It sounds like a sound plan to me, although I might have liked to see just how Meren's group left their mansion. You're going to need some sleep before we go back to Egypt. Any ideas on how to manage that? It's not as if a dirigible randomly parked outside a Paris hotel would go unnoticed." He says, "I actually know a place around twenty miles east of here where it would be safe. We'll let these French see us sail off to the south and I'll then detour to that location. I have one of Dr. Jeckyl's elixirs that will require me to only sleep for an hour or so for a full-night's rest. I can do that during our ride back into the city."

Abby says, "I could have used that potion over the last couple days. I can't say I regret getting to actually sleep for hours, though. And since I have no idea how to fly this thing, I'm glad you have it." He says, "It is not on my person, it is at our destination east of Paris, so I would not have had it to provide to you. As for flying this, I will teach you on our way back to Egypt."

Abby says, "Miss West will be disappointed when we get back so quickly. I don't think she heard anything but Go To Paris." Still keeping his voice down to not be overheard by the other passengers he says, "I never said we will get back quickly. I do not believe that Queen Neferka needed the airship back immediately, just that she wanted it back. I can telegraph her when we're back in the city to let her know of our delay. And as for Miss West, I will be showing and telling you of some things that are for your eyes only, not hers."

Abby answers, "Well, well. I'm not sure if that's a promise or a threat. I suspect a bit of both. I'll look forward to it anyway," she answered, just as quietly. "I should go spend a few moments with my spell book. There's no reason to think we're in any danger at this point, but it doesn't hurt to make sure I'm prepared." He says, "Good idea. We will be secured on the ground in around fifteen minutes. It might not be a bad idea for you to remind our guests that you are also a wizard. Just don't let them see any spells inside your book, we're best to have them guessing that you may be more powerful than you are." "I'll take a little extra time about it. It is quite rude to peek in another's spellbook, but I'll get my back to the wall anyway."

Abby moved back over to where she had slept and sat down leaning against the wall. Although her power wasn't great, it was still comforting to add her few spells back to her bag of tricks after being without them. Abby stays in concentration as the dirigible descends and the passengers then disembark. Meren accompanies the seven French to the museum entrance and they are soon admitted inside. Callum wastes no time in quickly ascending and putting the city of Paris behind then as they make their way southward at the airship's maximum speed.

Once the city lights are receded into the distance he makes a sharp left turn and they proceed in a northeasterly direction. She took what felt like her first, real, free, deep breath in days. No foreign dignitaries, no strangers, no associates who she now trusted but still didn't know. "I think I've forgotten what it felt like to be relaxed," she said lightly. He smiles and says, "And you can stay relaxed. We'll soon be safe. Another ten minutes and we will be at "Terre de la Reine Marie", the English translation being "Land of Queen Mary". How much do you know of the time that my ancestor Mary Stuart, also known as Mary Queen of Scots? She lived here in France and served briefly as her Queen."

Abby says, "Very little. Only that she married the Dauphin, but he died only about six months later and she returned to Scotland." Callum replies, "Actually, their marriage was a little bit longer than that, and she served seventeen months as the Queen of France after her husband became King Francis II. During her French reign Elizabeth became the Queen of England, although many felt that Mary's claim was stronger. That was when much of the very the worst fighting over Clerical Magic and Wizard Magic took place. From the time of Mary's engagement to the French prince at age five she lived here in France and embraced Wizard magics whereas Elizabeth was a staunch supporter of Clerical Magics. Mary's interest in wizardry was no small thing, she was very well versed in it, which is what led to her eventual execution for treason.

While Mary served as the French Queen she conducted extensive research on magic. Paris is one of the two-dozen-or-so places on the globe where the strongest ley-lines for Wizard Magic and Earth Magic intersect, providing the greatest base of operation. But Mary discovered something even more interesting in a location twenty miles east of the city, along the Wizard Magic ley-line. It is a spot where Earth Magics came up from the earth's core, essentially a magical well, and at that exact spot the intensity of the overlap of magical energies dwarf that of Paris.

So she used her influence as Queen to purchase the 4,800 acres of land surrounding the well. It was mostly farmlands so nobody was particularly concerned. It has remained in the hands of the Stuart family since that time. Mary's son King James IV of Scotland, who became King James I of England, brought peace by embracing Clerical magic and had little interest in the French property, nor did most of the descendants. I, however, have a strong interest in it and am the current landholder here."

Abby says, "So no one knows about this well? How could it be that well-kept a secret?" He replies, "We have kept it secret. Nobody has ventured onto the land since Mary purchased it other than tenant farmers and others of our employ. The main thing that keeps it secret is Paris itself, as that is where the lines intersect, so nobody thinks to look along just a single line."

Abby asks, "How did the land fall to you, instead of your father? And where did your interest in this land come from?" He replies, "You misunderstand. I do not own the land, I hold it for the Stuart Family. Landholder is the family title for the senior Stuart in residence who manages the property. While King Frances allowed his wife Mary to take ownership he had great concerns about any future pro-clerical magic Scotsmen or Englishman having a foothold so close to Paris. So the deed has many provisions, the main ones being that until Scotland, or England while it rules Scotland, freely embrace and support wizard magics the land cannot be sold or any soldiers quartered on it. Otherwise King James would have done so.

I became the Landholder after my aunt Baronese, my father's sister, passed the job onto me. Two of the three managers that were under her employ still run things in my absence. Until now my British spy associates used one of the mock-farmhouses as their French base, but now that my cover has been blown I will be discharged from the clandestine services and they have to find somewhere else."

Abby asks, "And are you sorry? To be discharged from the service, I mean." He smiles and says, "Yes and no. The work was fun and interesting, but did not really fit my personality. I am not worried about my employment prospects. As you know, I have had excellent training in the field of archaeology. I am also now acquainted with the ruler of Egypt, who will have need of archaeologists, and all of the ones who visited there in the past century also stole from her land so I doubt she will allow any of them back."

They are now flying over primarily farmlands and he lowers the elevation of the dirigible to a mere 100 feet above the ground. Callum removes a metal object from his inside coat pocket. It is around an inch thick, three inches tall and ten inches wide. The front side has colored gems attached while the back has a quartet of buttons. He punches in a sequence of buttons and them places the object on the front window of the dirigible, casting a minor spell that glues the object in place. A series of colored lights then radiate from the object, some longer and some shorter. Turning to Abby he says, "We are approaching the Stuart lands. I'm just letting them know that it is me here, otherwise we risk them shooting the dirigible out of the sky." "Oh sure, tell me I'm safe then tell me I could be shot out of the sky," she laughed.

In a more serious voice she asks, "Is there anything I should know about how I need to behave here?" He says, "Not really, my managers have already heard about you. Just be yourself, and if anybody questions an American being here in a pro-magic place just tell them you're from New Orleans." Abby chuckled. "Yes, New Orleans is barely part of America".

Around two miles ahead is a small two-story rectangular stone castle. From there a colored light signal comprised of a short blue light followed by a pair of long green lights blinks out. Callum says, "Good, they received my message." He pushes a new sequence of buttons and a different light signal blinks out. He tells Abby "I'm letting them know where I plan to land and for them to send the carriage. We'll go from there back into Paris." Abby says. "As for your managers, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with my sudden fame." He replies, "Nothing sudden, I've been talking about you for years."

She says, "Since I'm only lightly acquainted with Paris, I'll just have to trust you to take me somewhere nice." He says, "That should not be a problem." They head a little more northward, away from the castle and towards a farm around a half-mile north of it. As he starts to land near a large barn several people come out of an adjacent farmhouse and gather near the barn. He lands, saying, "I had better exit first." Callum steps out and begins barking orders in French, instructing them on how to start deflating the balloon compartments. He tells them to only release enough air so that it would be able to fit inside the barn. He then orders another man to get everything currently inside the central barn either pulled out or moved to the sides.

Cal left the dirigible and began giving out orders, and Abby was suddenly nervous. In the last few days she'd been angry at this man, thrilled to see him again, terrified for his life, and uncertain what his sudden reappearance in her life meant, or how she felt about it. But at this moment, she knew only one thing. She wanted these people to like her. Lacking a mirror or anything else to fix herself up with, Abby pulled the tie out of her hair and cast a quick Prestidigitation to arrange it, then made sure her dress was sitting correctly and unwrinkled, and waited for Cal to invite her to debark.

Cal calls her outside. He says, "One of the more powerful wizards will cast a temporary reduction spell to move it through the barn door, it will then expand to fill the interior. We are rather isolated out here but it still would have been visible for miles on the outside if left fully inflated, and I do not want to have to release any more air than necessary in the event that we need to re-inflate it quickly again." All of the people he ordered about are busy working and he does not introduce her to anyone. he says, "Come with me inside the farmhouse, I need to retrieve that elixer I spoke."

They enter the building, and the rooms appear exactly as one would expect a farmhouse to look. An older man with a white beard and mustache, wearing denim overalls over a plaid cotton shirt approaches. Callum says, "Charles, please see to it that Meagan is summoned to help move the balloon into the barn." The man replies is a thin Scottish accent with a hint of French "Is it ours to keep?" Cal says, "No, it belongs to the Queen of Egypt, but it would be helpful to have it fully examined while we temporarily have it so that it can be duplicated." The man Charles shows some apprehension regarding Abigail and Cal says, "This is Abigail Marsters, I have no secrets from her. Abigail, my cousin, Charles Beauclerk VI" "

The name clicked in Abby's mind. This man was likely a descendant of the Dukes of St. Albans, if he wasn't the current Duke himself. Instead of a friendly American handshake, Abby executed a neat curtsey, accompanied by a playful smile. "It is my pleasure," she said. Callum gives a smile which shows that he noticed the glimmer of recognition in the name, so decides to confirm her thoughts saying, "And by all rights Charles should be Landholder. He is just as much a direct descendant of Mary Stuart as I am, even more so as he is a generation closer to her."

Charles says, "Yes, but through Charles II's illegitimate son. You bear the Stuart name, as does your Aunt who preceded you here." "That means nothing to me," Callum replies. "But is does to the French," states Charles, "The Land of Queen Mary should be held by a Stuart in name as well lineage." Callum turns to Abigail and says, "The truth is he just doesn't want the job." Charles says, "There is that as well, I find being the second-in-command better fits my personality. Better that I be the friend of those working our land, and save the times of having to be the disciplinarian to be in your name rather than my own."

Abby smiled. "You're lucky to be able to forge the best path for you. I've had the same blessing. Which is what led me here. Perhaps I need to question some of my life choices," she teased, looking over at Cal. "You seem comfortable with your authority here, Cal. I never pictured you this way, although it shouldn't surprise me." He laughs, "It's easy authority, Charles does all the work for me. And our two main occupations here, agriculture and magic, each have their own chief manager as well, who report to Charles."

Looking back towards Charles he says, "My other occupation may be changing. I became exposed on my mission and suspect that Campion Bond has already drawn up my discharge papers." "So you will have more time to spend here?" Charles asks. Callum says, "I am not sure, but probably at least during the summers. I have a job possibility back in Egypt, which would be a far better place to spend the winters than Scotland or northern France, nor do I think our tenants would want me at the Stuart property on the French Rivera during the months that they vacation there." Glancing briefly towards Abby he says, "My future in uncertain."

Despite all attempts to control it, Abby felt heat climbing up the back of her neck and into her cheeks. "I think you're taking your discharge as too much of a given. Chances are you're right, but with everything that happened in Egypt, the information might have nowhere to go. You certainly don't lack opportunities, no matter what happens." Callum says, "Yes, but the only future I am concerned with now is a night on the town in Paris with you Abby." Charles says, "And I need to go find cousin Meagan." The older man heads out of the farmhouse.

Callum says, "I need to retrieve that elixir from my room. You may accompany me if you wish, I was serious about having no secrets from you." She says, "Of course I will. Otherwise I'd just have to stay down here and snoop in the cupboards. Too bad you won't have ladies clothes up there. I'm certainly looking respectable, but I'm not dressed for a night on the town." He says, "My cousin Meagan may have something that will fit you. We'll ask her when she arrives. "

He leads her upstairs to a second floor room that has what looks like a simple single-key lock on the door but actually takes him casting a spell to reveal a quartet of locks, each with their own key in a proper sequence. He opens the door to a relatively simple room only ten-feet square in size. It is furnished with a twin-sized bed covered by a quilt bearing the Stuart family crest, a bookcase filled with books, a large mirror above a dresser. But the item that immediately catches Abigail's attention is a framed photograph on the wall, 12 inches high by 10 inches wide, of Miss Abigail Marsters taken years earlier when they had worked together on their first dig.

Abby's heart thumped. It wasn't the kind of formal picture a man would be expected to have of a woman. She had obviously been intent on her work, tools in hand delicately brushing soil away from whatever she had been unearthing at the time. "Cal..." she paused, not sure how or if she should go on. "You never told me... When you left I thought I was never going to see you again. You didn't give me a reason to think I would. But you... You've talked about me to the people here, for years. You have this," she said, gesturing to the picture.

All the pain of their sudden separation came back and tears sprang to her eyes, although they didn't fall. "I had no idea how much you... It would have been nice to know. Although maybe, then, you didn't even know. We weren't together very long." He says, "Abby, all I can say is that I am sorry. I myself did not realize my true feelings towards you until long after we separated. Between my responsibilities to the House of Stuart and to Queen Victoria through her Torchwood team of clandestine operatives, I never had the opportunity to contact you. No, that's not really true, I was afraid to contact you."

He says, "At heart I am a coward." He gestures around the room and says, "This is not the home of the Lordholder. I have an elaborate room in Mary Stuart's Castle, where my Great-Grandfather Charles Edward Stuart, the infamous Bonnie Prince Charlie, stayed during his exile here in France. That has all the proper furnishings, but nothing personal of mine, like that photograph. It is only in this room, where I have stayed when my Torchwood associates are here in France at this farmhouse, that I have let my true self be known. I have only spoken of you to those here that I feel closest to, my three managers, my chief wizard's wife, and my cousin Meagan."

She moved over to him and took his hands. "What are you afraid of, Cal? What have you been running from?" He says, "My past, my family, I don't know. Both my boss, Campion Bond, and my father Sir Randolph Henry Stuart, said that you were an unnecessary distraction to my work. But over the years I have come to question that. It is here in this farmhouse that I first became comfortable with myself and my feelings, and I do not believe that it was mere coincidence that we were drawn back together in Zakazik."

Abby smiled ruefully, "So, you're human then. We're all afraid that we're on the wrong track, or that we passed the one thing that would make us happy by. You have to decide what you want your life to be. It sounds like both your father and you boss want you to focus on your work. Of course they do, it's their interest. What do YOU want? And how can someone, whether she was me or someone else, fit into that life? Your responsibilities as a Stuart can certainly be performed with a Lady at your side. Better perhaps. Your work as an agent not so much. They were always going to clash at some point, and you were going to have to make a choice. Whether Aphrodite had a hand in this, or whether it was just likely with my new employment that were going to bump into each at some point, I can't say. I'm just busy being glad it happened." He replies, "And I am as well. What do I want? Right now, to take you to Paris and have some fun."

 

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 117, "Mary's Castle", September 12, 1882, 10:00 PM.

Callum tells Abby, "What do I want? Right now, to take you to Paris and have some fun." He goes over to Abby's picture and removes it from the wall. Behind it is a hidden wall safe made of steel with a combination lock. He opens the lock. Inside of the small safe are shelves with various boxes. He takes out a square Wooden box with hinges on both ends and also a smaller case similar to those that men carry cigars in. He places the larger box on the desk and opens it up, folding it out into three sections. Each section holds glass vials in padded compartments.

He removes three of them, then refolds the box and puts it back into the safe, closing the door and replacing the picture. He then opens the cigar box, which is empty save for padded spaces for two cigars and also inside are a pair of metal cigar bands. He slips each band over a vial and the vial transforms into a cigar, which he places back into the case, putting the case in his coat pocket. The third glass vial he continues to hold in his hand and says, "We can go now, the carriage should be arriving."

"A night of fun is enough for now," she said and smiled. "The rest can wait." She took his free hand and pulled lightly, just enough to cause him to bend down a bit so she could kiss him. "I expect to be treated like a Queen," she teased and preceded him from the room. "As you wish," he replies. They head downstairs and outside. Abby sees a shapely auburn-haired woman casting a spell upon the dirigible and it shrinks in size by close to seventy-five-percent. The men then move forward and move it through the barn doors.

She turns and heads over towards Callum with a smile. He cheerfully smiles and says, "Cousin Meagan, may I introduce you to Abigail Marsters." She smiles and says with a Scottish accent "You found her Callum!" He replies, "We bumped into each other in Zakazik Egypt of all places." Abby says, "I don't know why it's so surprising to him to find an archeologist in Egypt. It's our unofficial clubhouse. How do you do?"

Meagan replies, "A true pleasure to meet you." She gestures to the carriage and says, "Are you planning to show her the Castle?" As they enter the fancy carriage he replies, "Eventually, but it is still early enough for a night in the city. Abby is wondering if you might have something that she can borrow to wear?" Meagan says, "I should be able to come up with something. What is your favorite color?" Abby says, "I don't have a particular favorite, but I've always felt a nice, icy blue was quite flattering for me."

As the carriage driver above turns the vehicle back in the direction of the castle and sets off Meghan says to the two seated across from her "I should have something in my closet in that color that will fit with a few minor incantations. I hope that you enjoy your visit with us here in France." Abby says, "It's unexpected, and it won't be very long I'm afraid, but I intend to enjoy every moment of it. I'll be grateful for anything you can loan me. I didn't come into Egypt with evening gowns; there's usually not much call for them. Do you enjoy living here near Paris?"

She says, "Yes, very much so. I was born here, but grew up with the Stuarts in Scotland. Cousin Callum and I are both the Great-Grandchildren of Charles Stuart but while his Great Grandmother was Stuart's legitimate wife, I descend from his French mistress Marie Louise de La Tour d'Auvergne. It was Callum who invited me to come live here."

Abby says, "And for someone with talents like yours, and mine, France is a much friendlier place. I had thought, years ago, that some day when it came time for me to settle, France would be the place if I didn't go back to New Orleans." She says, "I very much enjoy it here."

They soon arrive at the Castle, driving through the open gate on the outer wall and up to the stairs before the main entrance. "Come on in," Meagan says. Abigail has seen much larger castles and keeps, the main housing structure being a mere sixty-by-ninety feet in size and only two stories in height. They climb up the stairs and through the main doors.

The central foyer is impressive, measuring forty-feet wide and running the full sixty-feet to the far wall. Doors are on both the left and right leading to other first-floor rooms and there is an elaborate stone staircase up to the second floor. In the center of the room is a life-sized statue in white marble of Mary Stuart. Colorful tapestries line the walls. Along the far wall is a huge painting, thirty-feet wide and twelve feet high, depicting a massive storybook-style castle, somewhat resembling the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, although the dozen-or-so round spires and upper walls are pink with blue roofing. Meghan heads up the stairs saying "Wait here, I will get the dress."

"Of course, thank you," Abby said. As Meagan disappeared up the stairs, Abby amused herself by examining first the large painting, and then the tapestries on the walls. While looking at the large painting Callum says, "Mary Stuart had that painted, it was her vision. She saw the division between wizard and clerical magic as a temporary one, feeling that in a short while it would end and all magic would be accepted by all nations. She wanted to create a special place here, twenty miles east of Paris, where all magic would be studied and celebrated. She called it her Magic Kingdom. That castle was to be the centerpiece, created from the description of the castle in the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty."

Abby says, "I wish her dream had come true. This separation is ridiculous. People are people, we will separate and divide ourselves by whatever lines we can find. But it still astonishes me how far people will go to destroy what they don't understand. When I come upon something I don't understand, my first instinct is to try to understand it."

He replies, "The real irony is that that it probably would have if it wasn't for her own impatience. During the reign of her son King James the First, all of that could have been accomplished if it had not been for Mary's prior treason against Queen Elizabeth. That created such a delicate political situation for James that he was forced to abandon any interest in what was viewed as "his mother's evil magic" and embrace clerical magic. So she was her own worst enemy, and it cost her everything."

She looked at the painting for another moment, then turns to Callum and asks, "Don't you have to get something else to wear beside that Legionnaire's uniform?" He looks down at his clothing and laughs "I had completely forgotten I was wearing this! I will be right back." He heads up the staircase. Abby moved over to the statue to examine it. "Her own worst enemy. Aren't we all?" she said quietly.

She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to live here, like this. To have the power to affect the lives of so many with the smallest decisions. It wasn't that she wasn't familiar with it, she had spent her life examining the past and it was a primer on the power of the noble over the common. But what was it like to be the nobility? Was her own America's system any better, with all of the shouting and chaos? America had her own noble and powerful after all, still affecting the common. At least the common had a slim chance of fighting back. Abby shook her head. Deciding whether she wanted the man would be far easier than if she wanted the life. And even if he offered it to her, his family could decide to deny it to them both. "Don't get ahead of yourself," she said quietly. "It's just a night out."

Abby looks over at the tapestries. The east wall has two large ones, both of which appear to have been from the time of Mary Stuart and one possibly earlier. The first depicts the Battle of Bannockburn from 1314, when Scotland gained its independence from England. An army of Scots wearing great kilts of the Stewart tartan follow Robert the Bruce into battle.

Abigail saw many questionable things in this particular tapestry. Several types of the pole arms and armor depicted are of styles beyond the 14th century plus the Stewarts were allies of Robert the Bruce but not his primary force. And no Scotsman would have actually worn his great kilt into battle, it was his most prized possession and he would not want to have gotten it torn or bloodied. It would have been left neatly folded back at his base camp, where it could be later passed down to his son if he died in battle. Abby chuckled a bit as she examine the tapestry. Depicting the Stuarts in their tartans she could forgive, it was the easiest way for the tapestry-maker to identify just who was rushing into battle. Like all families though, the exploits of Stuarts past seemed to have grown in the retelling. The weapons... well, she supposed someone sewing a tapestry might not have the greatest of familiarity with weapons two centuries older than the sewer.

The other tapestry on this wall depicts the Coronation of King Francis II of France. The artist here did a remarkable job of accuracy, as both Mary Stuart and her husband look very much the teenagers that they were at the time, rather than the older depictions usually done of royalty. It was always strange when people she thought of as historical figures appeared younger than she was now. Becoming a monarch must have been a tremendous burden for both of them at such a young age.

The west wall has three tapestries that are of more recent vintage. The largest one is similar in size to those on the east wall and is situated between the two doors. It depicts the Stuart family monarchs who ruled England as well as Scotland in chronological order: King James I, Charles I, Charles II, James II, William III & Mary II, and finally Queen Anne. To the right of the northern door on this wall is a tapestry that was obviously commissioned by Charles Edward Stuart, as it shows two men, King Robert II of Scotland, who founded the House of Stuart standing beside Charles Edward Stuart wearing his full Jacobite attire. It is a very flattering depiction of the young man.

Abigail is rather surprised at the final tapestry along the southern end of that wall. It also features Charles Stuart in his Jacobite attire, but is far from flattering. It depicts the Battle of Culloden in 1746, where Scotland lost its independence, and shows the British redcoats defeating the Scots while Charles Stuart is abandoning his troops and running away. Abby spent a bit longer looking at this last tapestry. Whoever had placed this here, she guessed they'd felt the need for a reminder that the noble family of Stuart had not always comported itself at its best. Or perhaps they felt the incident was so well known that its exclusion would cause more notice than its inclusion.

Meghan comes down the stairs carrying an ice blue gown as Abby is looking at the last tapestry. "There's an interesting story behind that one," she states. "When Charles Stuart was getting on in years, in his sixties and living in Rome, his health began to fade. He convinced his illegitimate daughter Charlotte, who had been born to a Scottish merchant family, to come and be his nurse by legally legitimizing her. My Grandfather, Charles Godefrey Sophie Jules de Rohan, was thirty-five at the time and became furious, as Charles Stuart had never done the same for him. So he had that tapestry commissioned and unveiled in a public ceremony, to embarrass his father. He then tried to donate it to several museums for public viewing, but nobody in Paris wanted to display a depiction of a British victory, so it remains here."

Abby couldn't help it, she had to chuckle. "Families are families, noble or common. Although I suppose a noble family can make a much larger gesture out of their anger. "I can't imagine how many gowns you must have if you had some the exact color I wanted." Meghan says, "Most of mine are shades of blue or green, if you had asked for any of the fire shades you would have been out of luck."

She hands Abby the dress and tells her to hold it before her. Meghan then casts an incantation, the words being a distinctive mix of Gaelic, French and Atlantian, after which Abigail is now wearing the gown and holding the clothing that she had on before. She also notes that it has even been altered to fit perfectly, even though she and Meghan had somewhat different body sizes. "I do look fabulous in red, too," Abby said. "But that is a very handy spell. I haven't seen spells like the ones you know before. This is stunning Meghan. Thank you."

Meghan says, "It is a unique family spell, created a century ago for the family's former aristocrats who had never learned to dress themselves but could also no longer afford to have personal servants." She adds, "And it has always annoyed Callum that no matter how hard he tries he just cannot seem to master that spell. He says it would come in very handy for his line of work."

"Talking about me?" Callum states from the top of the staircase. He is attired in a silver-gray suit with a white shirt and ice blue tie that matches Abigail's gown. Abby also notices that she detects magical auras around the ring on his right hand, the cigar case in his pocket, his cuff-links, the glass vial in his hands and his dress shoes. "Well, who knew you cleaned up so well?" Abby teased. "I will be the envy of every woman we see."

She paused for a few moments. "Is it common to be able to see magical auras here? I've never been able to see them without actually using a cantrip, but I'm picking them up now." He smiles and says, "Yes, due to the proximity to the magical well. It is situated beneath the carriage house by the rear outer wall of the castle." Meghan looks very startled and exclaims, "You told her?" He gives his cousin a stare and says slowly and precisely "I have no secrets from Abigail." Meagan nods and heads upstairs, without saying anything further.

Abby watched Meghan go, distressed. She turned to Cal. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset her. I shouldn't have said anything." He says, "No, she's not upset with you, she is upset with me. You are far from the first person to make that observation here, I just did not give you the standard half-truth answer. I see that a spirited discussion is in my future. One second please."

He removes his two cuff-links, placing one in his ear and holds the other by his mouth. He says, "Communicate" , Charles". After a few seconds he then says, "Charles, could you please check and see if Pepe and Maracita might want to go into the city?" After a short pause he says, "Yes, Meagan did." He lowers his hand from his mouth but keeps the other cuff-link in his ear. She had spent enough time in magic using countries that its casual use no longer surprised her. But the use of magic she had seen here was something different entirely.

She asked, "Cal, how much of this is due to the well, and how much is family talent?" He replies, "A combination of both, plus a five-century accumulation of magical items. Hold on please." He nods and moves the cuff-link back up to his mouth and says, "Very good. Tell them that we will pick them up in five minutes. End Communication." He places the cuff-links back on his shirt cuffs. She replies, "I feel like I've entered some strange, alternate world." Once the cuff-links were back on, Abby slipped her arm through Cal's. "I think I may have seen all the wonders I can handle for a bit. Let's go enjoy ourselves."

He says, "Yes, and my original intention was just to drop off the balloon and drive into the city, not overwhelm you with all of this. The cuff-links aren't really any different than a Bell Telephone, in fact, it was watching a similar magical item that originally gave Bell the idea in the first place. The only real difference is that instead of the transmission traveling across a metal wire it travels on the magical ley-lines. However, most of the magical communication devices that use that method are much larger, usually the size of a shoe box or small hat box. It is only the proximity to the well that allows us to use something as small as a pair of cuff-links. Unfortunately, even here the range is limited to just a few miles."

They head outside and back to the carriage. Callum tells the driver, "The south farm, civilian speed please." Once inside he says, "My chief wizard and his wife will be joining us for the ride into the city, but they'll separate from us once we get there. I wouldn't have been very good company for the ride anyway, given that I will be sound asleep for most of it." She replies, "To tell the truth, I had thought I might sleep a bit more myself. But company will also be most welcome. I feel a thousand times better than I did before we left Egypt."

He says, "I am very happy to hear that. I will wait to imbibe the elixir until after I have made the introductions and you three are comfortable talking with each other. They are not French, but also from the Americas, although further south than the United States." "I appreciate that." She reached over and took his hand for these few moments while they were alone. "Well, New Orleans is filled with people from all over. I'm sure we'll get on fine."

They soon arrive at another farmhouse. This one is of a similar design to the one where the dirigible is at, except that instead of one huge barn there are three smaller ones and a grain silo. The other farm also only appeared to be only for crops, but this one has a few paddocks with horses, and she hears the sound of a cow mooing from one of the barns. A pair of well dressed wood elves were waiting on a porch bench. They appear to be the human equivalent of late twenties or early thirties. They stand and head over to the carriage and the driver opens the door for them.

Callum says in English with a smile, "Abigail Marsters, allow me to introduce you to Pepe Diego and his lovely bride Maracita." They each reply in English without any hint of an accent that they are pleased to meet her and then each thank them both for the ride into the city. Abby says, "It's our pleasure. There is certainly room in the carriage, and the company will make the drive all the more pleasant." Callum holds up his glass vial and says, "Yes, but you three will need to share a bench. Once we get going I'll be using the other one for a very long overdue nap." Abby says, "I think we can manage that. Have a good nap, we'll keep ourselves entertained." She got up and moved over the bench on the other side of the carriage.

Abby comments to Pepe and Maracita, "The farmhouse looked snug and comfortable. I've always been a city girl. I suppose I have some romantic ideas about country living." Pepe says, "It is very comfortable, we've turned it into a home. We have been living there now for almost sixty years." Abby says, "Sixty years? That is what I would call settled. What brought you to France from the Americas, if it isn't too bold of me to ask, of course." Pepe replies, "Prison". Abby smiled at Pepe. She could appreciate a succinct answer.

After a long pause Maracita exclaims "Pepe! You can't just give that as an answer!" She looks towards Abby and says, "Pepe is from Mexico. He and I met at the turn-of-the-century at a magic seminar in Mexico City. After we were wed we moved back to my native Peru. In 1821 Peru did what your United States did forty-five years earlier and declared independence from our European overlords. And the Spanish Empire reacted to us the same as the British Empire did to your country and sent an army to pacify the rebels. As skilled wizards, Pepe and I both joined the rebel army. We were captured and then imprisoned in Pamplona, Spain.

In 1823 the army of France's King Louis XVIII invaded Spain, and Pamplona was one of the cities they captured. The prison was liberated and we came to Paris along with dozens of freed French political prisoners. Shortly thereafter we were hired by Sophia Elizabeth Stuart." "Meagan's mother", Cal interjects. Turning her attention back to Maracita Abby asked, "And have you never wished to return to Peru? My travels have mostly been here in Europe and Egypt, but I have met a few people from Peru in New Orleans and the country they describe sounds absolutely beautiful. Maracita replies, "We have gone back for visits, but this is now our home. We have marvelous jobs and responsibilities here, and are just a stone's throw away from one of the greatest cities in the world."

Callum says, "Well, I for one am glad to have you here in France. And I am also glad to have you here now with us in the carriage.
It seems that I have once again angered my cousin, this time for being too forthcoming with information to Abigail." The two elves exchange glances. Pepe can barely suppress a chuckle while Maracita just rolls her eyes. Callum continues, "Meghan however, mistakenly thinks that Abigail is just here for a social visit. For the last week she has taken a much greater role on the world stage, which dovetails with much that we do here. Have you been following the events in Egypt?"

Pepe says, "Yes, the British fought a major battle with the Egyptian rebels a few days ago and had another clash early this morning." Callum says, "Yes, although the real war has been with the Weekly Wizards group of Paris. The wizards had instigated the entire war, with an end goal of ruling Egypt itself. But they have now been permanently stopped in large part by the combined efforts of my Torchwood team and Abigail's archaeology team, led by Willamina Hamilton Parker." Pepe says, "Hamilton...wasn't that Henrietta Verne's friend?" "The same," states Callum.

"You say that you stopped them?" Maracita asks. Callum says, "And then some, their team is effectively decapitated. Of the twelve leaders, the aces, kings and queens, only Duruy and de Guizman remain, and they are now far more sympathetic to our goals. We had a great deal of help with this Pepe, specifically three unique beings, the Egyptian Goddess Bast, the Asgardian dragon-lady, and your Great Uncle, Manual Gonzales." Upon hearing that name Maracita again rolls her eyes and laughs out "And was he dating the Goddess, the dragon-lady, or both?" Abby says, "Neither, although Mrs. Parker's Granddaughter referred to him as her teacher."

Abby continues, "The newly coronated Queen Neferka was none too pleased with the behavior of the Weekly Wizards group. Her judgment was harsh, but not unearned. I can't say I could show mercy to the murderers of my family, either. I didn't do so much. I helped get Cal's people out from the French camp and then interfered with the plan to poison the banquet. Other than that I mostly stood around waiting to see if anything needed to be hit. Although I did nearly get my arms pulled from the sockets stopping a couple of the wizards from getting away down the Nile using a magical engine for a boat."

Callum says sarcastically, "Right, she didn't do much. She just prevented the entire Egyptian Royal family and guests from being poisoned, and then decided to directly fight the weekly wizards." "Well, it didn't seem like so much at the time," she said, coloring. "They were trying to kill people because they were inconvenient. You just don't let that stand, Cal."

Abby looked around at the other three passengers in the carriage. "I'm obviously missing some familial by-play here, but I can see you've brought me into something bigger here, Cal." Callum says, "Okay, I'll summarize this quickly, as I really do need to sleep. Mary Stuart left our family to protect and study the magical earth-magic well, which the family has done for centuries. I am the current landholder, and invited my cousin Meagan to come here and help, as she is a very powerful sorceress. Unfortunatley she's an extreme pain-in-the-butt to all of us, but she is also the most powerful magic-user on the property and also a Stuart who embraces Mary's vision, so we need her.

I anticipate that tomorrow she'll call together the Stuart Magic Council, which is comprised of her, myself, cousin Charles, Pepe and Maracita, and for the umpteenth time she will attempt to have me stripped of the landholder job and have it given to her. I thought it would be helpful for Pepe and Maracita to meet you before then. That's it in a nutshell."

Abby says, "Alright, I have questions, but you need to sleep, so I'll stick to one for now. If it was going to cause such trouble for you, why did you make such a point to her about your trust in me?" He smiles and says, "Abby, it wasn't about her, it was about you. Our previous relationship was based upon half-truths and some outright lies. Our current relationship will be based upon honesty."

Abby moved back next to him for a moment, took his hands, and kissed him gently. "Thank you. I appreciate that, I really do. But I also understand that what we were before... you didn't know then that I might be someone who needed to know the truth. You don't have to work so hard to prove yourself. That comes with time. Now go to sleep. We'll see you when you wake. And if I'm laughing at you it's just because your friends here have told me all the embarrassing stories about you they can remember."