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...the door to Black Ice Shadow's study opened before Malic could knock. He was standing in an odd, gargoyle-like posture; Malic could feel the threads of violet Essence holding him in balance.
"Good morning, Black Ice Shadow," said Malic.
"Good morning." He indicated a seat with a jerk of his head. "Please, be comfortable. You wished to see me?" He switched stances. Malic took the seat and looked up at the dark-haired Reckoner from under his hat.
"I did. My Circle has a bit of a problem at the moment. Was hopin' you could help out."
Black Ice Shadow snatched at the air suddenly. When he opened his hand, a tiny green spider scurried out of it and vanished into the air. "Tell me more."
"One of the Red shards got itself stuck in some Eastern kid and we're supposed to sort it out. They say we should just axe him and start over, but 20 years is a long time to wait."
Black Ice Shadow stood up normally and gave the Harbinger a critical look. Malic paused for a second, considering something else. "Anyway, we're just trying to find another way. Seems like the Reckoners might have some records about similar things and how they were handled."
"It's possible that we do. Tell me, Malic - have you seen the stars of the Underworld?"
"No. I keep to Creation when I can."
"Of course. It matters not. Come, let's see what we can do for the Scroll and Sword Circle." Malic nodded and rose to follow him. Meanwhile, Black Ice Shadow lifted a strip of cloth from a table. It was violet, and embroidered with interlocking constellations in starmetal thread. "Tie this over your eyes and follow me." He began to walk from the room. Malic took it, looking at the constellations for a moment before nodding and wrapping it in place. The blindfold doesn't obscure Malic's vision in the slightest. Through it, the darkened halls of the Violet Bier of Sorrows seem to be draped in five-coloured light.
Black Ice Shadow stopped in a featureless hall. "Take off the blindfold." Malic did so, shrugging. There was a door behind a sheer curtain here, which Shadow opened, motioning him inside. Looking inside the room first, Malic enters. "I am sorry for the blindfold. I know it is uncomfortable, but there are things in the Violet Halls that you would be happier not to see."
"Probably. Don't worry about it."
"This is the Hall of a Hundred Tombs. Here lie the memorials of all the Five-Score Fellowship." The room is shaped like a five-petalled cherry blossom; in the centre are statues of the Maidens, and the five petals are lined with pillars marked with names.
"Interesting room, then. Where are the Reds?"
"On this side." Black Ice Shadow walks over to them. Malic followed, roving his eyes over the names
"The shard of Phion...that is the soul in question, is it not?...is...here."
"Seems right. Is there anything it can tell us?" The pillar records the name of each incarnation, along with the date, time, and location of birth, Exaltation, and death, in an abbreviated astrological notation. Malic ran a hand down to the bottom of the list, studying it for several moments
"Hm. From here we can get a recording of his horoscopes; perhaps he was born under an inauspicious star. I'll commission a report of similar failed Exaltations; perhaps with that report and this data, you can learn something." Black Ice Shadow does not comment that it is his Bureau's policy to end these mixups immediately, no questions asked.
"Thanks, that might be helpful. It should be, anyway." He took his leave of Black Ice Shadow after collecting the information and, bidding the Reckoner fair fortune and easy assignments, headed back to the Bazaar to organize the information. After pestering the Spiders for the astrological records, Malic was sure to burn a nice stick of Southern incense for them. Scrawling a note in Flametongue to check with Gia soon about something nagging him, Malic scribed down his notes.
The Heavenly sun moves strangely through the intricate geometry of the Bazaar, casting intersecting shadows over the cafe's terraced eating area. Gia arrives. Malic nods to his Familiar, the Rhino-God, and thanks him for bearing the message to her. She raises a crimson eyebrow slightly, but smiles. "You wished to see me, brother Malic?"
"It's always nice to see you, Gia. I found a few things about our little problem, though. You like papers and documents and all that, so I figured I'd show 'em to you." She quirked a wry smile at the mention of her love for paperwork and sat down.
"Sure, hand 'em over. Anything good?"
Malic pushes the sheaf of papers across the table. "Looks like it. Want a drink?" Malic takes a cup of syrupy desert coffee from a servitor
"Just water for me, thanks." Green eyes scan quickly over the sheaf of documents, her mouth moving almost imperceptibly as she reads - a sign of concentration, rather than poor reading skills.
"It looks like some of the 'help' that the kid was supposed to get might have disappeared before it was meant to."
The little servitor elemental fills a pottery cup with water and sets it before Gia, then scuttles away. "Hmm. I suppose the next step would be to then find out who put the effects on the kid in the first place. ..Wow, they weren't replaced with anything. So the only way they would have ended is if they weren't meant to last in the first place." Gia looks concerned. There aren't that many ways to get stuff off the astrological record, particularly because the requests to remove things leave a paper trail themselves. Gia knows that the most likely thing that happened is that somehow, there is some other way to do astrology in Creation, and it's being done to these Sidereals.
"Well, they do wear out, after a while. But someone should be replacing them. It happened before."
Gia looks around uncomfortably, suddenly acutely aware of the public nature of their meeting place. "Er, do you mind coming over to my manse? It's just right down the block. There are questions I'd be happier asking in private."
Gia gestures for Malic to sit. "Tell me, did Black Ice Shadow say anything particularly.. strange.. to you?"
"He asked me about the stars of the Underworld. That was about all."
She blinks, eyes wide. "Why in Malfeas would he think you'd seen the stars of the Underworld? I mean, Black Ice Shadow is already ostracized because of his upbringing; going to the Underworld would mean.. well.. I don't know. something bad," she rambles, obviously flustered. She calls her pattern spider and whispers in.. well.. where she thinks an ear might be. The pattern spider climbs off into the air.
"You think the Underworld is involved?"
"I don't know what's involved, but needless to say, I'm a little disconcerted by the idea of your good buddy casually mentioning a vacation to the underworld like it's some normal thing."
The spider comes back a moment later. "Cannot process request. Logic error."
Gia sighs. "All right. Tell me all known ways of dispelling astrological effects from mortal targets."
The spider spins in a circle on the table. "Astrological effects may be dispelled from a mortal target in the following ways: ..."
"Well, it might be for..." Malik stops talking as the Spider begins to inform them.
"...the target may become inelegible for the effect, such as by dying or becoming fundamentally changed; the target may be removed from the precints of fate; the astrologer may release the effect through petition; the Charms of the Prismatic Arrangement of Creation, Sapphire Daiklave of Severity, Argent Scorpion of Contradiction, and several other Styles may do so in an abbreviated manner, or a superceding fate may be cast upon the target."
"Maybe we should check on the kid's current status? Then we'd at least know what was done."
"Good idea, Malic." The sign of Jupiter starts to glow faintly on Gia's brow. "List all astrological effects, ascending and descending, that have been placed on Phion of the East in the last three months, who placed them, and who, if anyone, terminated them." Remembering herself, Gia flashes Malic a sheepish smile. "Do you want some tea, or anything?" "No thanks."
The spider proceeds to list several effects of the Banner, attaching them to names of familiar elder Chosen. Toward the end of the list, it says something alarming. "The Mourner Ascending, petitioner (incomprehensible), not yet terminated." Gia gapes in silence, eyes turning to Malic. Gia has no clue what he's talking about.
"...what in bloody hell is the Mourner?" mutters Malic.
The Sign of Jupiter glows brighter. "Look, what constellation is the Mourner, and what does the Ascending version of it do?"
The spider drones on: "The Mourner: Of the Underworld House of Shadows, the Mourner is the constellation of grief in the act of being...it is the College of denial-in-excess and debauchery, as well as the clinging need to maintain the status quo..."
"How would the Pattern Spiders," wondered Malic, "know about the Underworld?"
Gia looks at Malic again, the sort of easy familiarity that had come between them going cold once more. She felt so dumb for actually thinking the Chosen wasn't so bad simply because he brought her some paperwork. "The Underworld?! Your friend did this, or he knew about it. I can't believe.. You.. He.."
"...in its Ascending aspects, the Mourner is the sign of worldly attachment and complacency."
"Hey now, lady, first off you don't know Black Ice did this and second off, I just know him. I certainly haven't been cursing future Reds. Not that the tought is unappealing."
Gia puts her head in her hands, rubbing her temples. "Name all Sidereals who have the knowledge of working this constellation's astrological effects."
The spider alphabetizes. "Black Ice Shadow: Endings, Candavira Bereaved: Serenity, Descending Starmetal Scholar: Endings, The Green Lady: Secrets, Ten Thousand Virtues: Serenity." Gia scribbles the names down quickly, in sparkling green ink. They've heard all these names before, at least a couple of times. The Green Lady and Ten Thoudand Virtues are open Underworld sympathizers, but it is known that they go to great efforts to seduce young Sidereals to their cause. They are not as clear on the modi operandi of the others.
"I still want to know how the spiders know this." Malic looked uncomfortable.
The spider responded without being asked: "It is out nature to know all that is not unknown."
"Obviously, knowledge of this is not unheard of in the Forbidding Manse. Although it's news to me. Or.." an uneasy feeling settled on Gia's shoulders. "someone wanted us to know."
"Well, maybe we should look at applying some of those Destiny-breaking methods to the Mourner," Malic suggested. "Then our job will be easier."
"Yeah. I'll get on that - maybe see if something like this has happened before. Our circle should meet, all of us, in a couple days. I'll try to find a trustworthy spirit to get a message to Osprey; he may be in danger."
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