day 24 47438

Back at her room she kept from slamming the door but instead of lighting a lamp just lit the ceiling whit magic. It was time the boys saw the dragon that was painted up there anyway. Still feeling to upset to make a clean copy of the letter she sank to the floor and put her self into the trance needed to walk the paths. She just meant to work past her anger, but in wandering met with the one who had taken on the contamination at lynching. “How dose the clean up go? I am sorry I saddled you with it.”

The man said. “It is going slow, but good, and I am glad you called me in. You have the better change of finding the things that did this so they can be stopped. I couldn’t do that, but I can do the cleaning. Stopping them is just as important. Using the mark I have found I have located three other infected places. Help is on the way to them, but playing clean up is not good enough.”

Kell nodded. “I wish I had something new. I can say we are in Wisdom and have promises of more help once we find something solid. I wish there was a faster way.”

A third voice spoke. “Fast can lead to missed details, you are doing what you can. I will have more helpers there soon. I have folks with scholar rights in route, some nonresident and a dozen residents, with servants. Where should they start?”

Kell smiled. “More hands is welcome news. There is so much to cover. Most of ours are looking at Amerdeen fifty to sixty years back.  Some will be digging into Reland. Not sure just why, but there is a pulling there. My servants are looking at Sunhawollw and Elfdom, back around a hundred years ago. I am talking my family records for that time. Basally at this point I have been going with the they that if something sound good go for it.” She took a breath. “I do not know what it means, but Kever and Reland are sending parties to meeting. So pleas see that your residents are prepared. Hopefully them mean nothing, but it is best to be safe.”

The voice said. “That match well with what I have told them about where to look. As to the other guest I will see that they know, and are ready. Are you?”

Kell took a breath. “I am getting there, and thank you Erldch I know what it takes to get your folks to leave their temple. I appreciate the help.”

He said. “We found a patch in the lands we look after. Once we learned what was going on, little urging was needed.  I am glad you thought to put it here, so we could know. They should be there at the end of the week. And I think, given the news I will send out a formal party, but it will be anther three weeks.”

Kell said. “Thank you. That will easy my mind. I will deliver word, so you need not trouble with a messenger.”

He nodded. “I might anyways, just for the stir it will cause. But thank you, and you are right to be worried. They do not travel for no reason. There will be specialists to counter theirs.”

Kell nodded. “Thank you, both of you. As all ways coming here has given me what I need.”

Kell left the paths and stood, going to her desk she opened a draw and took out a sheet of high-grade paper and a seal. Out of anther she got a fountain pen and a jar of ink that would have had Wang foaming for month at the wasted money. Carefully she drafted her letter and was setting seal to it when there was a knock on the door. She finished setting the seal then rose and with the letter in hand went to the door.  She open it and smiled at the messengers. “Perfect timing here is the letter. I trust you were told where to deliver it?”

The young man nodded. “Yes Highness, it is to go without delay to the Reland party headed here to the meeting. Unless ordered to leave I am to wait for a reply, that is to be brought directly to you. Whail waiting I am not to accepted anything I am offered.”

Kell nodded. “Good, and that last can not be over stressed. You have food and drink in your saddle bags I trust?” he nodded and Kell hand him the letter. “Good speed, and safe trip.”

As he left Robert and the others came up. Robert looked at the messenger. “Do I want to know?”

Kell said. “I was just wondering if I need to send someone after those two, thinking they had gotten lost and here they turn up.”

Robert said. “It is my fault they are late. I saw them in town and put them to work, ignoring the fact that you would be looking for them.”

Kell nodded. “Do come in.” she led the way into the rooms and waited until Rick had the door shut then said. “So what do you guys think of the family wing? Shall we move over there?” They both looked horrified and she laughed. Then turned to the desk and picked up her rough draft. “This is what the messenger was for, well a better copy of this, on formal paper. Don’t worry guys. There is a reason I keep my rooms here. Rick this is the letter from the plains will you take a look and tell me what we are missing? Anth do you mind ringing and ordering some refreshments?”

Athions was all ready on his way to the cord. “Right away love, anything specific? I must say I like your lighting job.”

Kell said. “I am going to leave that up to you this time. Thanks, but the dragon has been there all along. It is just I was still a bit angry when I reached my rooms and so the lamps didn’t seem good enough. Besides it is more then time I started getting you used to seeing me throwing magic around. Something tells me I will have to get back into the habit of using it.”

Robert handed her back the letter. “Sounds good sis. What did He say?”

Kell shook her head. “Tried to say that he didn’t know why I handed received copies of everything. I let him get buy with that and the promise that I would be getting copies now. He even tried to make me think he liked the fact that Matt will be sponsored by me.”

Rick said. “After we passed though they caught a group trying to cut thourgh the plains. There were stoped, but the costs were high. They are not certain who they were but that is why they are sending people here. Many more groups and there will not be enough to keep the plains safe and watch the boirders. Sorry, but.”

Kell nodded. “Thank you. I was hoping you would know the code. I could tell it was there, but was not clear on what it was saying. Rob can I offer solders, or just aid, and wait for Father to send the solders?”

Robert said. “Just say aid, but hint at a promise of fighters for the borders. I am certain father will send them. But it is better to let him. Unless things gets worse and they are needed before he gets here.”

Kell nodded. “Rick can you do that, in that same code. As well as apologizing for the delay in answering?”

Rick nodded. “Not a problem.”

Rob said. “I will arrange the delivery once it is done.” The food came then and they talked of other things tell the servers left.

Once they were gone Kell said. “I will just tell Paul that they were reporting an attack. Not that I don’t trust, but. Well something has been going on. All so Anth and Rick I hope you got that book read. As, um, there is a delegation from Ocean heading this way, well two really. Three weeks for the formal party, but scholars, resident and non, will be here in a week. Erldch is sending the scholars to help us find the source, and the formal party is to help keep an eye on our other problems. He will be including a number of experts within the formal party.” Robert was choking. “Are you going to be all right?”

He nodded and got his breath. “When and how did this happen?”

Kell said. “I was a bit upset still when I got back to my rooms, so I um, mediated a bit, and ran into him.” She looked at Jordan. “That is I went into anther plane, for a walk, and was not the only one there.  From what I gather the scholars are on the road now. I informed him of the others and he felt that he should send the formal party. I told him I would give notice, he said he might still send a messenger just for the stir.”

“Not that I am not grateful, but how did the scholars come to be on the road?”

Kell bit her lip. “That is tricky. There was a lot of damage back at Lynching, more than you guys could see. I found it, but there was nothing I could do. So I went for help, and also left a message should any come looking for cause to a similar problem. Well they came looking and so are sending help to find the root.”

“You mean. No.” He shook his head.

Kell nodded. “He said in there lands they found a patch. They did not see the cause, but must be fairly confident that it is the same. Can you guys explain to the others that we have some unexpected helpers coming? I don’t know how to explain who.”

Robert said. “I think I can. It will help that we had that run in with the Anders last year.”

Jordan bilked. “Just who is coming? I mean I did not know that the folks from Ocean were like the Anders.”

Robert said. “Well not in form, but in attitude they have a good bit in common. In form, though they will look a good deal like we do. There adaptations will not be as visible as the Anders. But they are responsible, in part, for the stories of merfolks. But they do not have fish tails and are fine on land.”

Kell nodded and stood. “I want to get to Paul before diner. But you guys eat up. I will be back.” They nodded and she headed down the halls.

Paul saw her coming.  “Good news I hope this time?”

Kell said. “Well mixed. First, thank you for telling me, and I hope my outburst will not cause you trouble.”

Paul shook his head. “For a bit there I was worried you didn’t understand. I was relived to see you come in. Though you were a bit louder then I expected. I truly didn’t know about the security office.”

Kell nodded. “I saw your face. But did you see His? Anyway, the letter from the plains was telling of a party they stopped from crossing. An answer is being drafted in the same code. So no worry. But I all so am barraing other news.” She took a breath. “I have news from Erldch. He is seeding a formal party, it will include specialist and will be here in three weeks. Also some other of his people will be in town to use the library. They will get here next week. I do not know the make up of the delegation, but expect his eldest, at lest, will be with it. He knows of the others.”

Paul nodded. “I will tell him and housekeeping. And if you should be getting at lest one message a week. If you are not let me know.”

Kell nodded. “Having Ocean here might be tricky but I will feel safer.” With that she went back to her room and joined in the card game that started.

The next day the others started trickling in. Kell let the tour guides do there job and went back to work on the family books. When she pushed back from the table that evening she was ready for the next books , the two she had just finished had dropped enough hints to fill three pages with notes, and to convince her there was something to find. She starched and looked at the other two. Rick closed his book and added it to the stack to be reshelfed, but Athions looked to have found something interesting. After watching him a bit she said. “Anth, if we don’t want to get ran over we had best be going. You want to bring the book or will it keep tell tomorrow?”

Athions looked up with a start. “Sorry. It will keep. I am not sure it is related even, but well I don’t want to set it aside. It is talking a bout an encounter with strangers from the frost of emptiness. I am still trying to work out what that is and how there could be strangers from an empty place. Like I said I don’t know that there is anything more than curistoy. Were you waiting?”

Kell smiled. “Not long, I had to watch a bit though. The forest of emptiness is one of the old named for the land around the rift that is the empires northern edge. So yes there could be something. And given the age, there indeed should have been nothing there. If a book peacks your interst don’t set it aside untell you are sure there is nothing. After all we are all on a blind hunt at this point. Once we have more we can weed better.” She stood up and so did the others.

Anth said. “Still it will keep. I have enough to keep me busy until bed.” Kell nodded and they headed back to the room.

Kell slipped out of the gym before the boys and so got the books changed and was settling in when the guys got there to start there work. Soon she was lost in the work. Then a voice intruded on her. “Excuse me Highness, there is a messenger here to see you.”

Kell looked up, expecting it to be nothing more then a invitation from her Father but instead found it was from Reland. “What can I do for you sir?”

The messenger stiffly held out an envelope, acting as though coming any nearer would be painful. “I am to give you this and wait for answer.”

Kell took the letter. “I will read it and draft a reply. The page will show you where you can wait.”