First session, "Magic in any Language"

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From the diary of Lobsang Lu, servant in the household of Admiral The Honble. Sir Miles Naismith

Wednesday, 16 June 1875

We could see land off the starboard side for most of the day. Near sundown a port could be seen through the spyglass. Mrs Frazer said we are too far north for it to be Calcutta. Mr Frazer thought it might be Barcelor.

Unfortunately, we have also seen storm clouds to the south. They have been there two days, now. Occassionally they fade, but they always reappear. The prevailing winds are at our back, so it is no surprise that the follow us. If we sould have to slow down, we would find ourselves in very rough weather.

I dreamed of my mother last night. She sang a song to me which seemed so very familiar, yet now that I am awake, I can not recall it at all. I blame Lady Cowperthwaite. She talks of her mother---our mother---often. I still find it so difficult to believe that she and I are brother and sister. Or more accurately half-brother and half-sister. She is an English Lady, after all! Yes, she is half-hindu, so she is not a typical English Lady, but a Lady nonetheless. One day, she will be a Baroness, just like Lady Naismith. The mind boggles at the thought of me one day being able to say, "I would like to introduce you to my sister, the Baroness!"

I do not mean by this to impugn her honesty, nor that of Mrs Cuthbert. They are convinced that my mother and Lady Cowperthwaite's are one and the same. I do not doubt their honesty, but I do wonder sometimes whether they are not mistaken.

Of course, they also say that Wu Chang was my father. And I must confess that when Li Tsin, who many say is Wu Chang's brother, fixed me with that cold glare and called me "the youngest" I knew that he meant the youngest son of Wu Chang, and that he believed it with all his heart. Well, if he could be said to have a heart. He is an evil sorcerer, infamous for the worst cruelties imaginable.

We will be in Bombay, soon. Possibly tomorrow. The place where I last saw my mother. Sir Cosmo has promised he will spare no effort find out what happened to my (and Lady C's) mother. Miss Wilhelmina tells me that if Sir Cosmo sets out to do something, it will get done. And her other predictions have all come true, so I have no reason to doubt this one.

Thursday, 17 June 1875

We arrived in Bombay midafternoon. A pilot boat sailed out to greet our little flotilla, and hailed Sir Spencer's ship by name. We have been expected.

Sir Spencer, Lt Wooster, and Mr O'Flaherty own a shipping company. It has many offices in English ports around the world. The manager of the Bombay port is a funny man named Mr Nahasapeemapetilon. He received reports that our ships were sighted coming along the coast, and deduced we were coming here. So he made arrangements. He even reserved space in two drydocks for the ships to be repaired!

Mr Nahasapeemapetilon has many sons who work in his office. His youngest son, Mani, is about the same age as Miss Wilhelmina, and has been appointed to serve as our guide in the city. First we had to go to the bungalow Mr
Nahasapeemapetilon had rented. It is owned by a Mr Demassis, Managing Director of the Bank of Bombay. It is a very fine house on Malabar Hill. The house is built around a courtyard which contains a fine flower garden and a fish pond. Turgenov and Owen have both found excuses to jump in the pond more than once since we arrived.

Mr Demassis and his family have gone to the Khandala in the hills above Bhor Ghat, as the climate is more agreeable in the summer there. Which is why their house is available. Most of their servants remained in Bombay, so once Mr Nahasapeemapetilon received permission from Mr Demassis to rent the house, they began preparing for us. Mr N hired additional staff to help.

We're very lucky that Mr N made all these preparations, because the storm clouds caught up with us shortly after we docked. It has been raining ever since. Monsoon season has begun.

Sir Spencer and Sir Cosmo had to go report to the Viceroy, Lord Ambridge---who is Admiral Naismith's father, and was himself an Admiral of the fleet when he was younger. Lt Wooster and Lt Pellew had to report to Admiral Pinchingdale. And Inspector MacGreggor and Mr Frazer needed to go report to Sir Thomas Smythe, who is the Deputy Commissioner of Police. Everyone else was busy unpacking and making plans. Almost none of the household has more than one or two changes of clothes that are fit for visits, let alone any social occasions. We have been told that at least some members of the household will be invited to dinner with Lord and Lady Ambridge within a few days.

Friday, 18 June 1875

I dreamed of my mother again. She was singing a lullaby. She also danced. I didn't recognize the dance, but it felt as if it were in a temple. There was a flashing knife blade in her hand throughout.

The ladies went shopping today. Mani took us to a dressmaker, who he assured us does work for Lady Ambridge and many other English Ladies. We also visited jewelry shops, a book shop, and several sellers of silks and cottons. IT would ahve all been more enjoyable had there not been so much rain.

We saw a group of men carrying and empty platform. They walked very solemnly. It was much like weekly processions that I've seen many times before. Usually an image of a god or goddess is carried through the streets, with much singing and flinging of flowers. But these men were silent. Mani explained that it is because today is the first day of a festival to celebrate the goddess bringing the rains. During this time the images of the goddesses are locked away.

Lady Cowperthwaite argued with Mani about the name of the festival, saying that he had translated it incorrectly. And everyone blushed when she translated it for them. Sometimes she is not lady like at all. She also kept trying to lead us down side streets that she thought she recognized. She keeps talking about places she knew when she lived in Bombay, but forgets how many years it has been since she was here. I can't help, much. I lived in Bombay more recently than her, but was too young to remember much about it. Nothing looks the same, to me.

We also met an old friend of Mrs Cuthbert's --- Lord Vaughn. He seemed to be a respectable gentleman, but several of the ladies acted as if he were not. Apparently he has a bad reputation, though exactly what about, no one said. Mrs Cuthbert didn't wish to talk about it, other than to say that he is a sorcerer, and that his wife died under questionable circumstances.

There has been a reporter from the Times of Bombay following the party. Lady C has had many long conversations, telling him stories of our involvment in the Battle of the Bay of Bengal. Some of what she told him yesterday made it into a story published today. The story talked mostly about Mr O'Flaherty and his Uncle, though it had many details mixed up. Lady C read the article aloud to Mr O'Flaherty while he was trying to exercise in the courtyard. He did not seem to enjoy the article.

The official invitation to dinner at the Viceroy's home came today. Monday evening. The dressmaker had said she could have one dress each for the ladies by that day. I overheard Tattvick and George talking about it. Tattvick believes that Lady Ambridge knew when the dresses would be ready before she sent the invitation.

Lt. Pellew visited this evening. He invited Miss Wilhelmina and Mrs Frazer to go see some bridge constructions that he thinks Wilhelmina will find interesting. He also had a long conversation with Miss Wilhelmina. Lord Ambridge has urged him to stop going my the name of Pellew, since everyone knows he is Admiral Moriarty's nephew, anyway. He is thinking about it, but wanted to know Miss Wilhelmina's opinion.

Lt Wooster, Sir Spencer, and Mr O'Flaherty were out late, having had dinner at Sir Spencer's club. There were a number of naval officers there, some of them old shipmates of Wooster's, and there was much celebrating because of the defeat of Wu Chang. Wooster has decided to help a friend of his, Captain Selwick, get out of an unpleasant situation.

Saturday, 19 June 1875

I dreamed of dragons and birds last night. One of the birds was a parrot exactly Mrs Frazer's.

Lt Pellew arrived with a carriage in the morning and took Miss Wilhelmina, George, Albert, and Mrs Frazer to see a construction project that Miss Wilhelmina's grandfather designed.

Lady C and the rest of the household did more shopping. We met Lord Vaughn, again. The ladies seemed unhappy to see him. Though they were in the book shop a long time, and made lots of purchases.

Miss Wilhelmina and the others were back at the bungalow in time for dinner. The Frazers went to the college for tea with an old friend of the family. When they arrived home, Mrs Frazer took Lady C aside to tell her that Professor Peacock, the friend they visited, knew both her mother and her father. In fact, he's the one who christened Lady C when she was a baby. Lady C says we have to go visit him to find out.

Miss Wilhelmina had an adventure in the swamps, today. They met a Lithuanian naturalist and his assistant, and then all were fired upon by a mysterious gunman, who was killed by a snake after being wounded by Mrs Frazer's gun. Inspector and Mrs MacGreggor are helping the police with the investigation.

There was also an invitation to dinner with Admiral and Mrs Pinchingdale for Tuesday evening. Mrs Wooster is quite worried about the dinner.

Sunday, 20 June 1875

I didn't dream last night. I had nightmares. It was all about snakes---pythons crushing people and eating them. I was not pleasant.

At breakfast Lady C starting talking to Mrs Wooster about babies and how painful childbirth is. Mrs Wooster ran back to her room in tears, and stayed there while most of the household went to church. I was outside with Mr Salmalin and the coachmen.

After the service ended Inspector MacGreggor learned that there had been a murder in town, and that was why the Deputy Police Commissioner wasn't at church with his wife. So we went into town so the Inspector and Mr Frazer could offer to help. Mrs Cuthbert, Mrs Frazer, and Mrs Salmalin helped, too, those Mrs Cuthbert had to come back to the carriage to rest.

There were two murders. Mr Thapar, one of the jewellers the ladies met on Friday, and Mr A. Kolatkar, a bookseller the ladies met on Saturday. While they were investigating, we waited with the carriages. Another carriage rode up, carrying Lord Vaughn, who asked some odd questions after Robert warned him that we were guarding the carriages. Most of us returned to the bungalow, though the Inspector and Mr Frazer remained to help with reports. Mrs Cuthbert and Mrs Salmalin cast some spells at the house, trying to learn more about the killer.

The two men appeared to be crushed to death, as if by giant pythons. Neither was actually swallowed, though. After doing their magic, Mrs Cuthbert and Mrs Salmalin believe it was a kind of naga demon, perhaps one of the servants of Vritra, the great dragon who imprisoned all of the waters of the world in ancient times. Though their vision also included Kadru, the mother of all snakes, dragons, and nagas. They believe he is serving a sorcerer named Count Kolinzecki, and that each of the shopkeepers was killed because they helped the Count find something.

Before the Inspector returned, the Frazers, Lady C, had to go to the college to meet Professor Peacock.

While we were doing that, Mrs Cuthbert, Miss Wilhelmina, Mrs Salmalin, Mrs MacGreggor, Mr O'Flaherty, along with Mani, Mr Salmalin, George, and I, when to the Mahalaksmi temple. Mrs Cuthbert wanted to meet someone who could do the rope trick. She seemed to think it was very important.

The temple was full of holy men, hermits, and magicians. They were all doing astounding things. One of them sat in a lotus position, floating above the ground! He was old and very scarred, with only one eye and badly maimed arms and legs. He was very upset when he saw Mr O'Flaherty, and even more confused when he saw Mrs Frazer's parrot. Who seemed to know him.

He recognized me. I don't remember him, at all, but he knew me, and asked if my sister was with me, because he had a message for her from the goddess!

Somehow Mrs Cuthbert got a message to Mrs Frazer. Or maybe it was Mrs MacGreggor who sent the message, It was very confusing. The Frazers and Lady C arrived just before sundown, and talked with the crazy hermit.

First he asked Lady C to forgive him, and confessed that when she was a very small child, he had kidnapped her! A man called Count Kolenzecki had convinced him that a child needed to be sacrificed to Vritra for some reason, and she had been chosen. But before they could do it, her mother and her father and the parrot (yes, the parrot!) tracked them down and saved her. They killed the Count, and nearly killed the kidnapper.

He says he has dedicated his life to serving others, and became a servant of Kali. He is the caretaker of a small shrine in Mazagoan. Which is the neighborhood where the temple that my mother used to live in was!

Anyway, he said he had a message from Kali, that was meant for Lady C: "It can't rain all the time, but it must, and you will find the dagger near the source, but beware the serpent." He admitted that he doesn't know what it means, and that he never really understands what any messages from the goddess means. He just passes them on.

The parrot clearly recognized the man. His comments have always indicated he understands human speech. Mrs Cuthbert is trying to convince him to stop repeating parrot phrases and just talk. It doesn't seem to be working.

If the Count who tried to kill Lady C when she was little is dead, then the Count using his name now is probably a relative who inherited the title. He may be trying to finish the job the old Count was doing. Or he may be looking to get revenge on the three people who killed the old Count: my mother, Lady C's father, and the parrot.

I think Mrs Cuthbert is right. The parrot needs to tell us what he knows, and stop playing games.

Proceed to Snakes and shadows

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