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People contemplate ways of dealing with evil Benedict.
Princess Chandra pushes Serpent's apprentice back to the Serpent's antechamber where he resumes baby-sitting. The child appears to be about seven or eight, and has picked up a very serpentine, slight lisp to his speech patterns. The kid never realized that Ilk had been gone for several years of his time, and thought that he was just mad and not talking to him. He had even composed poems. Ilk suggests that he consider himself placated. "But you didn't even hear them!"
"That can be fixed."
The child recites. It starts with, "An Ode to a Bodiless Voice", works its way through "Transgressions", and ends with a plaintive one on "Separations".
A subjective little time later, after he has finished his ballads, Princess Chandra shows up very smug and self-satisfied. Ilk raises an virtual eyebrow at her, but she just nods at him. There is a hint in the corner of the space of that sacrificial table again, but before he can focus on it, it seems to have faded again.
Ilk greets the dragon, and exchanges names. The name is something between a song, a familiar thought, and an aching curiosity.
The dragon has no particular destination in mind.
Ilk fails to describe the Serpent in a way that the dragon can understand.
The discussion continues. The dragon seems to think that all bodies are ephemeral, and that Ilk, too, will pass on to another body eventually.
A Jean-saucer zips up and conveys to Ilk that evil Benedict is once more approaching the castle, that Titania is facing off against Titania, and that Andron requests his assistance. Ilk heads to Amber, being careful to keep a low energy signature and avoid the Pattern-knot where Auricle was walking Zack.
Ilk notices that shadow is definitely thicker than it was before, and fails to spot evil Benedict during his approach. Ilk mentions this to Jenoir upon his arrival. She asks him to survey shadow, and he does. It seems to be thicker in all of shadow, but seems to be thickest near Ingold's Pattern.
Jenoir sends both Cailin and Natasha to go tell Ingold. Jenoir gates them both to that shadow. Natasha squints across the Pattern, and says that it looks like Ingold is walking his Pattern, and that it might take a while to finish. They step back through the gate, and report.
About this point in time, that massive concentration of Pattern over there goes away. Zack's scream stops.
Cailin goes over to the shield around the rangers' lodge and tries knocking at it to get their attention.
Jenoir picks up a tree with Logrus and whangs it off the shield.
Ilk looks at the shield. It's very, very regular... magic, vague traces of Pattern and Faerie. It seems to be Gargoyle's style. Ilk pokes it with a Logrus tendril. Sparks fly. Ilk taps out, on the shield, "Hi, there" in Thari. No response.
Ilk points out that he can't find evil Benedict, but that he can't reach Logrus into the garden behind the castle.
Jean says that hamster Oberon is lying down. He is asked to check, and says that hamster Osric and Finndo say that he's fine.
Jenoir suggests that they head towards the garden. People walk; the bug-Yeti zips around. Ilk keeps an eye on the bug, in case that evil Benedict spikes it and reveals his presence.
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