London. Late Spring.
Six babies, 3 boys and 3 girls, have gone missing in London on the same night. Most of the gypsies in London have been jailed on suspicion.
Voronika and Lady Ava go to the Museum and discover that Oberon’s poem is veryl like The Mystery of Amheirghin in a collection by Dr. Douglas Hyde in Edinborough.
Penrington discovers sketches of knots like the flower stems in a sketch of a rock in Scotland near where were found tiny “elf” arrowheads. Griswold allows him to checkout an arrowhead.
The train is delayed again and again with "signal trouble, m'am". Party finds lodging. The next morn, the landlady’s child, Uma, has gone missing; the Party opts to track the child.
Voronika, McGregor, and Steele face a dragon over the body of a child. Steele takes considerable damage from the flame. Later it is found that his clothing seems actually to have been singed from the inside out. The illusion had apparnetly convinced him to harm himself.
In Fairy, Artie Pender: “I understand you’re having trouble finding truth.”
Lady Ava goes invisible and finds that her and Couch's mental defenses provide a certain amount of protection from illusion. She enters the illusory tower and takes the sleeping child from its place on a stone.
Apparent kidnapper: “Archie McGough at your service, Lady Ava. We’ll meet again.”
The train reaches Coventry where it is again delayed. An archmage working with the police identifies Meri's hiding place within Lady Ava's carpet bag. A chase ensues, eventually resulting in the mage capturing the pixie.
Meanwhile, a boggle bedevils the countryside and a dark-haired agitatrix indirectly causes Steele to become a wanted man.
Arthur Cadwaller: “How do you catch an accident?”
Approximately two weeks after the baby-nappings; that is, somewhen after 15.April.1888. Edinburough Trinity University, Scotland.
Voronika, Lady Ava, and Meri keep their appointment with Dr. Hyde, a professor of folklore. They learn:
Amhargain was the original Great Bard of the last invaders of Ireland and brother of the three Melassian princes who ruled therein. Melassian = Spanish. They drove off the Tuatha de Dannan who retreated under the hills and are commonly believed to be the origin of the Fair Folk. The deeds of the Melassians were recorded at Ione, a monestary on a rocky outcrop [isle] of the west cost of Scotland. Ione was founded in the 6th century by Columcille/ Crimthane/ Columba, the 2nd greatest druid of Ireland.
The Fili were the original bards who eventually split into the Brehan (lawyers), Druids (religious), and Bards (entertainment, verbal records).
Ta-en is the fairy pact with infernal powers whereby every 7 years the Fey were to give the Powers one of their young in exchange for the maintainance of their fairy powers. The fey preferred to give mortal children whom they had kidnapped. They also tended to steal mortal nursing mothers to feed fairy babies and mortal males, preferably princes, to father fairy babes. The warriors of fairydom are children of kings, queens, and lords.
Fresh oak, mistletoe, a sharp knife, etc., are all part of legends of the rescue of stolen mortals from fairies. Often a wooden simulcrum was left by the fey in place of the abducted person.
Penrington suggests that the comatose Lord Ava is such a simulcrum, thus accounting for the lack of mental presence noticed by the mesmerists.
Witches tie spells to celtic knots. There’s a legend of a loch sailor who untied 3 knots to provide a breeze, a stiff wind, and a storm, respectively.
And earlier Irish race, the Firbog, are characterized as giants and used "ben" as a prefix to their names. Oddly, Scottish mountains are named with the "ben" prefix.
The finnicular was at the base of Ben Nevis’ sheer face. The cold and heat protective gear acquired by McGregor had been delivered to Ft. William. Prof. Challengers secret facility at the summit of the mountain was empty of people.
Last date in recorded notes = 3 days ago.
McGregor: “Whatever happened happened quickly. The armoury was not opened.”
A meteorite, the Rowton Siderite, borrowed by Prof. Challenger from the British Museum, was missing from the Challenger lab. It had descended on 20.April.1876, was 7.75# of magnetic oxides of iron over a nickel-iron core, and had imbedded itself 18” through soil and clay in its fall.
Meri found the stone that had been used to smash in the gate carefully replaced outside the facility. It was too big for Steele to lift. Near was a triangular footprint with 3 spiked toes. Meri asserted, “A mountain troll smashed in the gate and then goblins ran all over the place. But trolls are not neat. It is very odd that it replaced the boulder.” When queried about the bad guys, she huffed, “I don’t hang out with goblins.”
The Party climbed down a crevice, into mist and spooky sounds which (oddly) fit the succeeding prophecy.
Across a crevice, Penrington spotted the three Witches.
First Witch: “Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d”
2nd Witch: “Thrice and once the hedge-pig wined.”
3rd Witch. “Harpier cries, ‘’Tis time, ‘tis time.'”
First: “Round about the caldron go:
In the poison’d entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.”
All: “Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Nimue’s song is sung again,
Down paths e’er cold and thin.
Charmed sleep her wizard got,
One will wake, one will not.”
First: “Allies need you.”
2nd: “Allies have you.”
3rd: “Two behind, where might be three.
One ahead, three more may be.”
All: “Enemies abound.”
Lady Ava avoided a dangerous confrontation between an armored figure with a green-tipped spear on horseback, Sir Britomart, and “Sir Benjamin” Steele, when the latter had been “set up” as a “false knight” by the Arch mage. Sir Britomart was questing to uncover the Light of Justice but sacrificed that quest in order that the encased Merlin grant Lady Ava a vision for her quest.
In addition, Merlin revealed that Meri was a changling, daughter of mad King George (who made the pact with the Fey) while he was still only Prince Fredrick George and Lady Sarah Lennox. It was noted that in 1801 these plateaus became the United Kingdom. It is hypothesized that the causeway now hosting a rail line between Ireland and Scotland broke the pact with the Fey (who retreated from Anglia to Ireland) unbeknownst to most mortals simply because no one had believed King George. “The Morrigan’s place is a home of refuge. She would not allow that place endangered as would happen if the pact was broken.”
Prof. Challenger and his men were rescued from the goblins, along with the Yemenite trog, Oog. Awakening the professor required a potion made from the instructions provided in the witches chant and brewed in a depression in Merlin's rock. It was poured down the unconscious man's throat.
The newcomers were left in the caves as the Party continued on Lady Ava's quest. Gallant Sir Britomart held off the goblins while the Party escaped from Merlin's cave.
Prince Arthur Pendragon: “Merlin has been a faithful servant of Anglia for as long as Ive known him. I begrudge him none of his time with Nimue.”
He mentioned that he would hold Sir Britomart's horse and spear for her until she had finished with the goblins.
He allowed Lady Ava to make a rubbing of the celtic knot design etched into the emerald spear point.
To Meri: “You’ve told them of the Horse and Haddock?” Meri explained how to ride the fairy wind.
Party rode the fairy wind, following Merlin’s Mirror’s vision. Elves were vanquished (albeit one escaped), Lord Ava and his daughter rescued from elven torture. “Maddy, is this heaven?” His having covered the baby with his own clothes meant that the elves could only take the child if he gave it to them. Ava noted that a large group of elves passed through carrying the other babies, the meteorite, and accompanying the evil Prince of Yemen.
Exited near a Scottish farm. McGregor took Voronika’s elbow and hastened towards the house, very deliberately ahead of the others.
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