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Juliettes's Diary

Chapter 12 (22nd June 2001 CE*)

Papilia, Michaela, Juliette in the ruined city, looking at a crater ahead of us. The crater is slowly getting larger & material from it is being lifted up into the sky. Michaela sprouts rusty-gold feathered angel-wings and with a gentle beating of wings lifts herself up into the air; seems to be looking into the crater. She's moved slightly by the power of the vortex. She seems to be studying something. She starts drifting over and up, then recollects herself and drops herself down safely. I see Father approaching us in the ruined city. He correctly answers a 'test question' (how did I skin my knee on my 6th birthday? From falling off my bicycle).

We make our way back to the bunker where father spoke to some science types who made the vortex - they made a trump artefact. Apparently Loki killed/scattered most of them and set it up so that it (the vortex/trump) sucks up stuff and then spits it out at some point. The bunker facility seemed to be a directing and monitoring facility for the vortex. In a corridor of the bunker facility is the body of a 3m demonic creature, skin looks like rusty cracked plates, no apparent wounds but according to Father was killed by Loki. Also a human cleaved in the chest. We examine the facility to see how it works. Where Helgrimm was outside there is a flash and groaning from inside. Artefact is a vertical ring (ie. like the Stargate). We figure out how to turn it off (and on). Changing the coordinates won't change the stuff. Any stuff already sucked into the vortex has already been shunted to coordinates 0,0,0,0 (ie. the originating point) and will thus stay there even if new coords input.
Does Father want to switch the device off with Erwin still in there ? Yes. We can get him out later. He says to go ahead and do it. Michaela beats me to the flip the switch. The vortex slows and stops. Stuff falls down with a big thump. It is the 'stargate'. We walk out and find it embedded in the ground in the crater.

Dylan erupts black oily tendrils from his chest & flies down to the bottom of the crater. IS drawn to the ring. There is an explosion behind us. We descend into the crater towards the gate and join Dylan there. He says he stopped the bomb he planted in Helgrimm's stuff (he'd thought it was Helgrimm killed his friend but was Loki in disguise) but Helgrimm and Papilia were gone into the vortex also.
I can't find Loki psychically as Dylan has stated. I use my psyche against Dylan but he manages to block me with his black oily power. Thwarted, I pout and regroup.
He looks affronted and says that I only had to ask - Loki can't be found because of the cloak of invisibility he has with him which shields not only him but also his psyche. Father asks if we can go with him as per Dylan's original invitation to Father and his sister Moira. Dylan finally agrees, for Moira's sake. Armand outs his hand on Dylan's shoulder, I do likewise with my other hand on Father's shoulder. The journey takes about 15 seconds, we come to a huge ravine, and hear the rumble of thunder. Obsidian walls and obsidian city far in the distance. This is the courts of Chaos, the first and oldest city in creation. Oberon came from here. Then we see a black tower, a desert, and the green forest is gone. A prominence looks over the ravine. Oberon and Dworkin not welcome here in the Courts; they are to be executed on sight by royal edict of King Swayvill (Slortar). There is another explosion deep in the ravine. Stuff starts to spew out. Dylan begins to look a little nonplussed. He says it shouldn't be like this. He walks over to take a look. Father goes over with him. So do I. "Behold - this is the Abyss", says Dylan. Father keeps talking of possibilities of alliances and so on with King Slorta, who is of the ruling House (the House of Cups) to which Dylan belongs. A creature appears to be rising up out of the Abyss. Dylan swears and black flame rises up, morphs to an avian form and rises up above the rim. I can feel much power emanating from it and the sense of certain death. It comes towards us. I move in front of Father. Dylan puts up a shield of translucent black oily-ness. I can't help him with it (anti-power). I use a power word (psychic disrupt) but it has no effect. The creature lands in front of Father and starts to change into a smaller humanoid form. Dylan drops his shield once he realises it isn't about to attack. The humanoid form has dark skin, long white hair, but otherwise looks like my Aunt Moira. There is talk between Father and Moira. Father contacts her through his Trump of Moira - then knifes the trump with his dagger ....

*******

I answer a trump call - and feel a sharp pain in my finger, it is cut, bleeding. I heal it. We continue our journey with Dylan, although Armand still seems wary of me - his own sister. Travelling along the path we meet a female who is known to Dylan as Gilva. She says that Dylan owes her a boon. He tries to dodge it but cannot, and reluctantly accepts that she will take us to be presented to King Swayvill as Dylan was to do, though we will be slightly delayed - she has to take us to meet with someone else first. We gain assurances of our safe arrival at Swayvill's Court in no less than 2 days. A black ribbon extrudes from the ebony spire we had seen in the distance and we're off.
The chasm opens into a crater, then into a widening rift, then the vista abruptly stops. Above this is a huge floating city which morphs - it is Thelbane. Swayvill/Slorta's city. We're taken to the city o f the House of Swords. We are left in a set of rooms for an hour to ready ourselves before our audience with Queen Xiombarg, and that we have but to ask for our wish to be fulfilled. We are taken to a sumptuous combined room with three beds; we can see a ocean with pebbled beach, a red moon, blue stars, blue wispy strands through the black night sky. Armand goes to the door of the room and demands that he wants to meditate on the beach until the time of our interview with the Queen. A demon takes the request - it is turned down. I shed my clothes and step into the bathing pool in the suite. Juliette is uncomfortable and wants to go home. As I finish my bath and step up out of the pool I sweep a hand over the surface of the water and draw it up as a robe about me. I dry myself and get dressed. We are summoned to meet with the Queen. We go to meet her. We are taken to a hall of pillars, where the Queen sits upon a throne/dias. She asks us if we have sworn allegiance to Oberon and Dworkin. We say no (with no little humour). She shifts form to that of our mother, Cymnea. I send out a mind tendril - it is met and she opens right up - it is Cymnea.
"Mummy ?", I ask .......

* Note: CE = Chronology of Earth

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