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Book One -- A Gathering of Dreams

Chapter Four:  Chaos Bound

• Scene 1:  Ekin and Nero
• Amber time:  Current / Amber Port

         Nero staked out Ekin's house and discovered that someone *else* was watching Ekin and his household!!
        Then Nero proceeded to engineer the situation that allowed Ekin to encounter him at a barn.  There with many of Nero's people watching --  and perhaps mysterious other parties watching as well -- Nero and Ekin engaged in a duel.  Nero tried to explain that all he needed was a wound inflicted on Ekin.  To determine the blood process and results therein.
        Ekin wasn’t amused.
        So the grand battle ensued!
        Nero pressed forward with a large weapon and was deft at its use.  Ekin responded well and bore down on Nero with amazing strength and ferocity as well as excellent skill in swordsmanship.  Back and forth -- with both taking each other off-guard with the level of skill and ability each possessed.  And eventually, Nero scored a very slight hit with that strangely special weapon.  The hilt of it nicking Ekin to bleed slightly.
        He bled normally!
        Nero backed off into defensive mode.  Ekin came barreling down with the strength of giants.  Out into the yard they moved.  Ekin kicked him, hard and dirty, seriously hurting the leg of Nero.
        Nero held weapon down to stand down the fight.  Ekin let up and too stood down.  Nero talked of what he had learned and Ekin talked of his mission and plans.
        Ekin and Nero headed for the vessel together…
        Meanwhile back at the Palace….
 

Scene 1:  Saphir, Singh and Toeval -- later Ekin -- later Nero

Amber time:  Current / Amber Castle & Port

        Toeval, Martin, Merlin and Saphir stood talking with the Queen.  They conferred on what was transpiring and Saphir spoke of the mission to find Dworkin.
        Toeval shared the events they had seen and the rescue of Martin.  As well as the seeking out of Merlin, who'd been trapped in his own mind.  Martin left to see his father and along went the Queen.
        In came Fiona and Singh as the conversation continued…
        Fiona and Saphir got frustrated with each other and some accusations flew.  Saphir was tired of feeling like the rat in the cage descending toward the maze with knowing Fiona looking on.  In other words, she wasn’t telling them all they should know in helping their quest.
        Fiona surprised him with her hot retort of not really having all the answers!
        They solicited Merlin on going to Chaos.  Between changing back and forth from kind of man to woman to back to neutral(?) based on whether Fiona was present or not -- she had left and returned once -- Merlin said that his state was one of delicate disorder or insolubility and he didn’t want to chance the effects of deep chaos.  But told our heroes what he could that would help. Which was about chaos as a state of being, which we could shift our perspective on relating to.
        Singh was caught up in thinking that it was a state of mind relative to us. As opposed to us being relative to it.  But she and the others progressed in their understanding of all that as they let themselves get more fluid and less concrete in their grasping at former conventions and rules of understanding.  So the less it made sense to them the better they started to get at understanding it.  At least that’s how it felt.
        This confused everyone.
        But slowly, Saphir and then Singh started to get it.
        Toeval was more foreign to it, but jumped in and grabbed on as best he could, knowing it was going to be a wild time for him but he was ready and willing
        Ekin showed up all chipper, dapper and reenlisted.
        They all talked of two ways to go close shadow or far shadow as chaos wasn’t a place, locale didn’t strictly control their options.
        They decide to leave ASAP before more sabotage attempts.
        They also realized that members of chaos weren't necessarily their opponents or the ones taking shots at them.
        They left for the wharf.  There they boarded and got ready to embark.
        Saphir noticed many watchers of various levels of expertise.  Some came forward when the mysterious shirtless pale and very muscular new individual showed up.
        He boarded with four guards.
        Upon meeting, Ekin did intros then left for his duties, after a brief argument with Nero about his guards staying on board.  Saphir and Nero shook hands and startled at the fact that neither sensed anything from the other, not a common occurrence for either of these men.  Singh impressed Nero with the strength of her shake.  Nero sensed what she had recently been through.  Toeval shook hands and Nero scanned him as well.
        Nero made his way down below and was frustrated having to double bunk.  Ekin planned for Saphir to bunk with him, much to Ekin's deliberate amusement.
        Later after Saphir scanned every inch of the boat, he dropped his stuff off
in their quarters and went up top.