The Shattered City: Chapter Five

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Has either one of those two tried to become gods lately?" Lia asks Mercator.

[Nathan of the FoS]

"That depends on one's definition of lately," Mercator says darkly. "And what, exactly, Azalin Rex intended to do when he laid waste to Il Aluk and disappeared. Attempting some sort of apotheosis seems entirely plausible to me. I do not know how the Autark uses his political power to further his search for arcane power, save that it provide him with subjects for the tables of Veneficus, but with so much wealth and so many acolytes..." Mercator shrugs. "Many things might be done."

Bowing slightly to the professor, Mercator says, "I think that we can be of but little assistance to you, Professor, as long as you are here in the bosom of your family. We are certainly glad to find you well, and hope you long remain so. Do you have any further political advice for us...any person or group whom we might seek out at the present time?"

[Kaitou Kage]

“Procured.” Felise said. That was all that Felise said. Contacts could be proprietary secrets as well.

"A pity," Rex murmured softly. But he didn't need to say how much he would like to get that sort of contact.

Very much.

[Nerit]

The nun folded her hands in the opposite sleeves, her face becoming more grim each passing moment. "My instinct tells me Sodalis--Prodito--Amities is no summoned creature to serve academics," she muttered, and said no more.



See you next week.

[NeoTiamat]

Le Retraite de Manoir, North of Port-a-Lucine, Midday of June 8th, 770
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Lia looks Felise up and down, then looks her in the eye. "I do not know you," she says, "but it seems you have Sebastian's trust. And I trust him. But if I find out you failed him or sold him out, I will find you."

“My dear Professor Liability Mournswaithe,” Felise said, her voice silken soft, “I would worry about yourself more.”

"We found ennui claw marks in the ceiling of his ground floor," she says. "The whole room was soaked in blood. I failed to bring a sample to analyze... Foolish of me. But of Andre, there was no sign anywhere. You can understand why I suspected the involvement of Lord Night Terror, however."

Marchand-Renier merely sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he gazed off into the distance. “Andre…”

There was precious little else he could say. For all his talents with people, there was precious little the Richemuloise academic could say that would help when dealing with dream-spawn.

"I think that we can be of but little assistance to you, Professor, as long as you are here in the bosom of your family. We are certainly glad to find you well, and hope you long remain so. Do you have any further political advice for us...any person or group whom we might seek out at the present time?"

“Avoid the University like the plague, but that should be obvious enough in any case.” Marchand-Renier said, leaning forward in his chair and steepling his fingers. “Avoid Gauvain as well. He serves the government, regardless of who is in control of it at any given point. And remember that very few people are still thinking with their full faculties since the end of Death.”

“As for the rest, I think it best if I do not know where you are going next.” Sebastian said. He looked over at Lia and Mercator, smiling grotesquely. “My soul is at the moment in hock to Jacqueline Renier, so the less I know, the better. In fact, I think it may be time for you to leave.”

“But please,” the academic said as he turned away, “Find Remy.”

“Follow me please.” Felise said, indicating the door. It was not a request.

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In a rather short period of time, you found yourself outside the Retraite de Manoir. The hours were ticking along now, and you had crisscrossed the city with a variety of success. Sebastian Marchand-Renier and Charles Devereux were safe, but of Andre Theroux there was not a sign. The Fraternity of Shadows was seizing control of the city, if they hadn’t already, and in short order you were going to be fugitives from the law. There had been more pleasant spring mornings in recollection.

Something had to be done, but before you could much more than begin to speak, a rather large carriage rattled up to the front of the house. It was not Gauvain’s black conveyance, thankfully. Rather, it was a more luxurious vehicle, with an elegant coat of arms upon the front. Benoit, still wearing Lia’s mask, fell back and merged with the shadows.

The driver was a scarred man, with a wide-brimmed hat low over his face. He jumped down and opened the door of the carriage. Inside, sat the Duchess Marie-Claudine von Auerbach. She was a very beautiful woman, an icy valkyrie of the north. Her features were perfect, if chill, with brilliant, nearly-white hair done up in a complicated arrangement down her back. She was dressed in pale blues and whites, contributing further to the image of frozen beauty, with a blue fan in one hand with which she demurely fanned herself. Only the valkyrie's eyes gave lie to the perfect illusion of ice, dark, sea-blue eyes, rich and liquid and fathomless, eyes which could steal a man's soul. One could fall forever into eyes such as that.

“Andre’s waiting.” The Duchess said, offering up an icy smile.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Bloody Hell," Lia curses, not bothering to lower her voice. She sighs. "So, is it Vedarrak who claims to have him, fräulein, or Lamordia? And in either case, would you mind terribly giving us some proof that you have him?"

[The Whistler]

Celeste's expression didn't change. That is to say, it spectacularly, decisively didn't change, through what you could only suspect was some sort of elaborate alchemical process for poorly disguising utter execration. Perhaps she had managed to dunk her face in liquid nitrogen while nobody was looking.

You could tell what she was thinking, though. It was something like "THE DUCHESS MARIE-CLAUDINE VON AUERBACH!!, and then there was some kind of dramatic chord. Minor key; full orchestra, overly enthusiastic organist on accompaniment.

"Good afternoon, Duchess von Auerbach!"

...

"What an unexpected surprise!"

...

"Yes, you simply must elaborate on such a..."

...

"...Pronouncement."

Celeste continued to stare pleasantly at the worst person in the world, perhaps in the hope that she might spontaneously develop laser vision.

[Nathan of the FoS]

That's odd...the temperature seems to have dropped several degrees in the last few seconds. Perhaps the Duchess von Auerbach has brought some of that Lamordian weather with her?

Mercator bows politely. "We are certainly glad to hear that Professor Theroux is alive and well," he says, in a tone of voice that just barely hints at implying that such had better be the case if the Duchess is starting off this way. "I take it that we are being invited to visit him? We seem rather numerous for your coach."

[NeoTiamat]

Le Retraite de Manoir, North of Port-a-Lucine, Midday of June 8th, 770
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"Bloody Hell," Lia curses, not bothering to lower her voice. She sighs. "So, is it Vedarrak who claims to have him, fräulein, or Lamordia? And in either case, would you mind terribly giving us some proof that you have him?"

“Proof… you should know that there can be no proof without trust, Prof. Mournswaithe.” The Duchess von Auerbach said, her lip curling into an ice-chill smile. “There is no proof that I could offer you that could not be forged. I could say that I know what happened at Theroux’s townhouse last night, but this proves only the quality of my spies. I could say that I have Theroux’s ring in my possession, but rings can be imitated, or stolen. Borcan kidnappers sometimes deliver fingers to their victim’s families, but that is rather more extreme than this situation warrants.”

“No, Professor.” The Duchess said. She was enjoying this. “You’re simply going to have to trust me.”

"Good afternoon, Duchess von Auerbach!... What an unexpected surprise!...Yes, you simply must elaborate on such a ... Pronouncement."

“Professor Theroux is an acquaintance of mine, surely you knew?” The Duchess said, raising her eyebrows innocently at Celeste’s ignorance. “Given matters in the city, he came to me for refuge. Andre is my guest at the moment, and as safe as I can assure.”

"We are certainly glad to hear that Professor Theroux is alive and well," he says, in a tone of voice that just barely hints at implying that such had better be the case if the Duchess is starting off this way. "I take it that we are being invited to visit him? We seem rather numerous for your coach."

“Some of you may ride atop the baggage, or outside.” The Duchess suggested, as though this was of precious little concern to her. “Or you may walk. But you are correct, M’sieur, that you are being invited back to my home. Andre is quite anxious to hear from you.”

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Give me the ring," Lia says, and holds out one hand. "If you will all give me a moment, I shall provide transport."

[Kaitou Kage]

Rex watched the Duchess arrive. Then he watched his housemates make a racket about her arrival and how she apparently has this 'Andre' fellow. And while he watched, Rex quietly faded into the background, not far from where Guy vanished.

The Duchess was not a woman Rex wanted to attract the attention of. She was very imperious and not at all useful to him. She was more likely to disregard him out of hand if she didn't kill him. At least with the Reniers, the pharmacist knew he could keep himself useful.

So he waited. Let the others go on. Rex had other means of finding information, means that enabled him to work with the rebel leader.

[The Whistler]

“Professor Theroux is an acquaintance of mine, surely you knew? Given matters in the city, he came to me for refuge. Andre is my guest at the moment, and as safe as I can assure.”

"...Good," Celeste managed to get out after an unnecessarily long pause, through what technically could be classified as a smile. "That is... good." You noticed she did not say "thank you", or unclench her teeth.

"If you will all give me a moment, I shall provide transport."

"Ah, yes!" Having been given the out, Celeste visibly relaxed. "Thank you very kindly, Professor Mourneswaithe! Oh, I cannot tell you how pleasant it is to be party to your characteristic resourcefulness--you must be commended! Duchess von Auerbach, you see that we are, indeed, perfectly well-served as regards transport, though I fear to say it may render your gracious suggestions somewhat moot." Ooh, but there was a twist in that sentence.

[NeoTiamat]

Le Retraite de Manoir, North of Port-a-Lucine, Midday of June 8th, 770
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"Give me the ring," Lia says, and holds out one hand. "If you will all give me a moment, I shall provide transport."

“Be my guest.” The Duchess von Auerbach said, removing a small, silken pouch from the carriage and tossing it lightly to Lia. There was indeed a black, onyx ring inside, of a serpent biting its tail. “You know where my home is located, dear Celeste? I shall be waiting for you.”

And with that, the Duchess closed the carriage door, and the driver flicked the reins. You were left, for the moment, quite alone as the carriage drove off.

Le Retraite de Manoir, North of Port-a-Lucine, Midday of June 8th, 770
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So he waited. Let the others go on. Rex had other means of finding information, means that enabled him to work with the rebel leader.

Guy Benoit, the Assassin of Dominic D’Honaire and most wanted man in Dementlieu, watched the carriage drive away, and not long afterwards, Lia and the others saddle up on phantom horses to follow. He was still, in the shadows, quiet and motionless until it was just Rex left with him.

“And you?” Benoit said, pitching his voice just for Rex’s ears. “Where are you going to go?”


The Auerbach Residence, The Quartier Savant, Early Afternoon of June 8th, 770
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The Auerbach Residence was located in the Quartier Savant, the Noble’s Quarter of Port-a-Lucine. It was in many ways a contradiction to the image that the Duchess Marie-Claudine von Auerbach presented for herself. It was not some grand, sprawling estate located outside the city, reeking of wealth and power. Instead, it was a handsome-looking brownstone, a four-story townhouse that projected a kind of sedate and stately majesty. A discreet plaque proclaimed it the resident of the Duchess von Auerbach, but that was the only external sign of its residence.

Curtains twitched as you approached the house, and then not more than a few moments later the front door opened and Andre rushed out to greet you. Prof. Theroux was, as always, a dark-haired man, paradoxically young-looking for his position, and ever so slightly damp, but he nevertheless looked pleased to see you. He was also rather distinctly lacking in gaping, bloody wounds, so whoever had been shredded back at his home, it wasn’t Andre.

“Lia! Thank the Lady you’re safe. Is everything alright, is everyone safe?” Andre said, the words tumbling from his lips like a troupe of jugglers, too impatient to wait for their proper script. “What do you know, were you attacked?”

[Kaitou Kage]

“And you?” Benoit said, pitching his voice just for Rex’s ears. “Where are you going to go?”

"To see a man named Clayton," Rex said, pitching his voice similarly and not looking at Guy at all as he spoke. "He is a reliable source of information and I believe he can point me to my last missing housemate. After that, I intend to lay low for a time and see what happens. Will you be coming?"

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Yes, we were attacked," Mercator says crisply. "We are not fully informed as to the whereabouts of all our housemates, but it is a relief to see you well, Professor. Given the state of your home we had feared the worst."