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Book One -- A Gathering of Dreams

Chapter Twelve: Spirals

• Scene 1:  Ekin, Saphir, Singh and Toeval

             At the party... Ekin and Toeval drink lots.  Karambi dissuades from drinking or eating or any fun at all.  Saphir stands cautious and drinks or eats nothing.  Eventually, Ekin goes off with the seducing triplets to a room where they have lots of sex.
            Toeval goes off with Selene of the Seelie-Court.  She seems and smells metallic, like a dragon and moves with a reptilian flow. They walk off discussing his quest and the truce between fairie and men.  He asks her about the celebration, and who did the fireworks.  She says Jagen and she says she will intro him to Jagen -- perhaps -- if he sticks around. She dodges personal and strategic questions.  He promises to show her his dragons, and she starts showing him her tongue finesse.  They go to a place, gardenesque and get crazy with all sorts of sex, and there isn't anything she won't do.
            Saphir is approached by Diana, a supreme huntress.  They flirt -- she wants to engage, he says perhaps later.
            Singh is approached by the man accompanying Diana, by the name of Kryton.  He says he is the son of the moon, Selene, and holds her hand for a bewitchingly long time.  Until she feels she better pull it away.
            Singh gets mad at Karambi for not being friendlier, and then Karambi notices, as Singh points it out -- the rainbow coalition of people of many colors.  And Saphir notices the people around him turning blue and flowing.  Then, amidst Karambi's alarm, Saphir sense Ryden's death, and gets worried for Nero.  He says he is going to go seek Nero out and they debate it.
            Singh and Karambi say that Nero is selfish and made his own bed.  Saphir says he isn't all bad and that while he may be selfish but he is a power they need and shouldn't lose.  Karambi agrees he has been the one doing things... and she says Go!
            Saphir leaves but gets tangled in the reflective reality maze of this place.  He makes it back to Singh and Karambi and says we better leave -- it will only get worse.  But Saphir and them find all perception working against them.  So, Karambi turns into a rhino -- thinking the foil is only human targeted.  She charges them to the wall and Singh stabs and thrusts them out.
 

• Scene 2:  Nero

            Nero extended his field and took out the wraiths and other things.  He came to the guardhouse with Mage inside.  He took out the mage and many archers, but there was big guy in there coming out.  Nero put his cloak around Ryden and fled.  The big guy came out, killed the Nero-looking Ryden.  Nero used that time to take out the additional riders and then fought the big guy.
            They were well matched but numerous archers were firing on him making Nero
stay on the defensive -- blocking the giant's blows with his sword.
            Eventually he maneuvered the big guy into shield position against the archers and mentally blasted the giant, and then stuck his sword in the giant's eye.  The giant recovered and pulled the sword out of its eye, so Nero ran like crazy...