Thanks to Jeremy Z for his recap of the day's second battle. Much of what is found in here is his.

Characters in Attendance:
Lord Aaron [Andy]
Dalen [Kath]
Ambassador Lentaro [Jeremy Z.]
Maladin [Jeremy F.]

When we last saw our intrepid adventurers ...

Aaron is having brunch with Fiona. Dalen is in bed healing her gaping throat wound. Lentaro is at the Embassy. Maladin is sticking tight to King Random. Rhyss is busy studying.

The next morning Maladin goalmost healed, and is just taking the day slowly now. He gives her the other set of armor, and they discuss the possibility that she's somehow "bugged" psychically, as well as a few other things. They ask Aaron, who is now in his room getting ready for a luncheon engagement, to do a sweep to see if there is in fact a "tap". Aaron doesn't find anything recent at all, but an old, strong one dating from her very early childhood is uncovered. Whomever was at the other end didn't want Aaron poking through her brain at that point. Aaron left it.

Maladin visits Dalen once she's back in her rooms, and they talk.

NEXT DAY!!

Aaron, Lentaro and Maladin all have breakfast at the White Rose. The subject of discussion is Rhyss and her "white" Pattern imprint. Aaron says that he's willing to "investigate" her more closely. Aaron then asks Lentaro about the Bright Pattern, how to fix both it and the ambassador. They decided that they'll try to "restore" Lentaro that afternoon.

Dalen has a Trump conversation with someone.

Dalen Trumps Maladin about trying to find Bleys using covert means (a.k.a. being sneaky sneaky). They decide to talk about it after Dalen's brunch with her friend, Michael, which is scheduled for a little later in the morning.

Aaron goes to have a second breakfast with Florimel, and they have a very political discussion on the pros and cons of being "associated" with Klissera, and just what use the Lady can be for them.

Maladin heads back to the castle after his breakfast, and spends some time gazing out a window while waiting around for the morning to be over. Looking towards Arden, he sees smoke. Not just smoke from a single camp fire, but as if large swaths of forest were burning. Trumping Julian he finds out that 80,000 Oleai are moving through Arden, led by Sh'shari. She's decided to wage a frontal assault on Amber.

Gerard gives Maladin 10,000 troops to guard the castle proper. There are 50,000 troops still in Helmwind, and Bleys' 20,000 to add into the mix, though it will take time to recall the Helmwind forces. At this moment, Amber's odds aren't so good.

Maladin trumps Aaron, telling him to start setting up the barrier.

Hearing the news, Dalen Trumps Galen, who comes through. He says that Sh'shari, more than a little upset (the word used was enraged) with his conversion to the enemy, has decided that it is time for an all out attack. He brought with him a set of armor, more elaborate than the one she got from Len. She dons that, and he shows her how to use her command helm (it has this nifty little pop-up viewing window). He explains the nature of "Destinies", and how it's time to see if Sh'dalen's destiny is stronger than Sh'shari's -- and it will be decided in a one on one duel of the Sh'hai (keepers/holders of a destiny, or those who represent a destiny to the Oleai). He has 5000 mounted troops, and they'll get Dalen to wherever Sh'shari is. Dalen reflects wryly that she always seems to be standing her friend, Michael, up. Off to battle on an empty stomach. In the advancing army, there are the ground troops as well as wizards, and cavalry mounted on flying horses. Maladin casts his spell, Riders on the Storm, and flies over Arden, attracting a huge amount of attention from the magic users below. A legion of fireballs are loosed towards him, and impact. His armor is resistant, but it's now also VERY hot. More fireballs are aimed in his direction and Maladin enters a wave to lose them. Three others from the Sh'shari's army follow. He blinks away from them, but they have a lock on him and start sending deadly homing bolts at him. Maladin knocks them away, but he's hit by a shock of lightening which shatters his armor spell. Another lightening bolt, and Maladin's consciousness fades.

Before they head out, Dalen asks Galen about Sh'shari's strengths and weaknesses. She's a sorceress of the highest caliber, uses Vitae, and is decent at combat. He recommends not giving her enough time to cast spells. She rather thinks that that's a very good idea. Dalen Trumps Maladin to let him know what's she's going to try to do. No answer. She tries Aaron. No answer. She tries Len ... Len answers. She gives him the word, then she, Galen, and the 5000 ride off to find Sh'shari. [The writer gallantly refrains from paraphrasing Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade".]

Meanwhile, Aaron gets Llewella's sword, and in lieu of either his aunt's or Rhyss' expertise in setting up the generator, walks the Pattern with sword in hand to its center. Using the Pattern itself, Aaron constructs a force field around the Castle, with the sword, and himself, as foci. Not soon after, he can feel attacks of the sorcerous kind beating against the shield, trying to break through. As the attacks continue, and become stronger, Aaron notices that he can't quite feel his feet or ankles anymore ... and the sensation of numbness is slowly moving up.

Lentaro has taken over the job of guarding the castle from Maladin, who took it over from Gerard. He and the guards lay low while the shield is up. Aaron's shield, incidentally, gives Len a very creepy, raise the hairs on the back of your neck feeling. Too much pure Pattern for Len's Bright Patterned self.

The castle is being bombarded with spells, and Aaron intensifies his shield around it. Unfortunately, now he can't feel his chest, but at least the barrier is still holding.

Galen and Dalen reach Sh'shari, with only a few of the 5000 remaining. Most fell getting Dalen through the Oleai army. Sh'shari and her sorcerers are concentrating on the spells which they're casting towards the castle. Dalen calls out a challenge, and all goes silent. Galen repeats the challenge in the language of the Oleai for those there who don't speak Thari. Dalen dismounts, hands her reins to Galen, and a circle is formed around she and Sh'shari. The duel begins.

Back at the Castle Aaron feels the attack let off a bit. By this point, he can't really feel his arms any more ... or his hands around the sword ... or even his shoulders.

Sh'shari and Dalen draw swords and attack with a mixture of taunts and weaponry. Sh'shari informs Dalen that Maladin is already at her gallows, and that the group is pitiful and has failed. Sh'shari's magic is mostly countered by Dalen's shapeshifting abilities. Though Sh'shari is able to disarm Dalen, the end comes when Dalen shifts a long, bladed claw on one hand ... and drives it under Sh'shari's jaw and into her brain. The Oleai leader is able to drive her own weapon through Dalen's abdomen, cutting through to the spinal cord. At the last, Sh'shari says, "Very well, Sh'dalen, serve my people better than I." Both fall, but Dalen is alive and it is her destiny which has been proved stronger.

Galen pretty much takes over, and the Oleai start pulling out. Dalen asks him to find Maladin, which he does. Maladin looks broiled and beat, but he's alive. Dalen's not moving much. She's lying on the ground, trying to stop the bleeding, and to begin repair on the damage caused by Sh'shari's parting gift. Caine wanders through with some of the Amber troops, and is apprised of the situation. Len Trumps Dalen, and is informed that Mal is alive. He's about to come through to collect his friend, but gets distracted ...

Aaron has lost all bodily sensation. He finally lets the shield drop, and comes to the slow realization that he can't really move. He can tell he's on the floor ... but the perspective doesn't seem right, somehow. He contacts Lentaro (who was talking to Dalen) with a Pattern lens, asking the ambassador to have a servant come down and help him back to his room ... or maybe Fiona, as a servant can't walk the Pattern, and he's still in the middle of it. Len says he will. Aaron lays there for a while longer until, with a certain amount of shock, he realizes that he's not in his own body at all! His consciousness has somehow become one with the sword!

Len comes to collect Maladin. Galen is taking the Oleai to Helmwind. Dalen is moved back to the Castle. Maladin is put in his bacta-tank, where he'll be regenerating for a week. Dalen will have movement in her lower body in a week, but walking will be a fortnight longer, if not more.

Lentaro contacted Fiona, who comes to Amber to check on Aaron. He pops himself out of the center of the Pattern, and lands with a metallic clatter at Fiona's feet. She takes him upstairs and places him on the mantle in the study, for lack of a better place to put him for now. Where else would you keep a Pattern sword invested with your nephew's soul?

Aaron uses his Pattern lens to see Dalen. She's in bed, healing (what else is new?). He tells her that, "You done good." Dalen smiles a little at that, and tells him what she didn't let him know yesterday when he was doing the scan for the psychic tap -- that she's his great aunt. After happily delivering that bombshell, she falls asleep.

To be continued January 13th, at 2:00 PM ...