Third session, "Magic in any Language"

Ambush

From the diary of Mr Ravvi Salmalin

Sunday, 27 June 1875

We have been here less than a day, but have already fought a great battle. So far, the usual authorities seem not to have taken notice. We have yet to hear from the unusual authorities.

We arrived in Mhow after noon, and were met at the station by another relative of Mr Nahasapeemepetilon. Young Mani Nahasapeemetpetilon seemed quite happy to see the youngest brother of his father's cousin's wife, though less pleased with the attention of the father's aunt, who took delight in pinching his cheek while exclaiming at how much he has grown.

We were also met by Tattvick's mother and father, who were very pleased to see their daughter after five years. They also greeted my wife warmly, and seemed surprised when introduced to me. Though our daughter drew most of the attention, which should not surprise.

Mr Nahasapeemepetilon had rented the use of two houses normally occupied by the families of a pair of British officers. The families have retreated to the northern hills, where it is cooler, whereas several military units are away on some sort of manoeuvres. One of those units is the Duke of Montcrief's Own Highland Lancers, where our new friend, Major St. Yves serves.

We had scarcely unloaded everyone's baggage before My Lady was ready to visit the Pratijnya family. Tattvick's mother had invited my wife and Lady Cowperthwaite to tea. Mrs Frazer opted to attend. David drove the carriage. Insp. MacGreggor and Mr Frazer went to meet with local commanders. Sir Cosmo, Wilhelmina, Mrs Wooster, and Mrs MacGreggor went to the local market. Sir Spencer, Lt Wooster, and Mr O'Flaherty went in search of a pub. Mrs Cuthbert said she was going to meditate and attempt another prophetic dream concerning von Kaltna, the sorcerer we suspect is responsible for the murders in Bombay.

Once we arrived at the Pratijnya household, the neighbours from far and wide came to the to see the returning daughter and meet Lady Cowperthwaite. News spread very far indeed and many more people than had been expected dropped in.

I was not allowed to stand in the background as a footman, but was introduced again and again. Several people commented on my name, as it is known, but not common.

One man we met, who claimed to be the cousin of one of the neighbours, is clearly trained in the arts. He had a very firm handshake. My own grip apparently was deemed adequate. It soon became clear that more than one person visiting were members of some sort of temple or organization which employed methods similar to those George and I use.

Lady Cowperthwaite struck up a conversation with one of them, a man named Viveck, who admitted that he was a member of a Thuggee Temple, sent due to visions of a priestess to guard Lady Cowperthwaite. Rishi, the man who had tested my grip earlier, was clearly perturbed at his friends willingness to tell all. He admitted they were part of the same group. Unfortunately, they didn't appear to have any more information than we about the servitors of Vritria.

We took our leave of the family and made our way to the bazaar in hopes of meeting other members of the households. Before we located them, other events overtook us.

Many merchants were closing their booths when we arrived. The speed with which they did so only increased as we wandered the stalls. I had sensed the proximity of more practitioners, but since we knew we were under the watchful eye of thuggees intent on protecting Lady Cowperthwaite, that was no surprise.

Then a small group, wearing all black and carrying the style of swords used by the League of Shadows confronted us. They indicated that we were surrounded. They came, they said, to take Lady Cowperthwaite to somewhere safe, and use her as bait in a trap to eliminate the Vritria worshippers. As they were making the request with swords in hand, none of us were inclined to agree.

I could sense George nearby. Then I heard the muffled sounds stealthy attacks. It was clear that MacGreggor, Frazer, Sir Cosmo, George, Wilhelmina, and Emily were incapacitating several of those enemies who had surrounded us.

The leader of the Shadows seemed completely unaware that this was happening. Perhaps he thought that it was his followers who were prevailing. In any case, he made a final demand that we surrender. Sir Cosmo stepped out of one of the booths with his etheric pulse cane aimed at the leader, and indicated that many of the shadow agents had been incapacitated. Inspector MacGreggor and Mrs MacGreggor emerged from another booth and indicated that even fewer of the enemy were still standing. George and Wilhelmina did the same. And then Mrs Wooster appeared, pushing a dead Shadow agent off her sword.

Lady Cowperthwaite told the Shadows to surrender. The leader pulled his sword and declined. The rest of their agents game out of hiding.

I leapt over the ladies. I probably should have chosen a different target, but the last leader of Shadows we had confronted was impervious to several forms of attack. By the time I reached this one, he had taken a bullet from Mrs Frazer and a blast of etheric energy from Sir Cosmo. He was still alive when my fist hit him, but it turned out only just.

The force opposing us was quite large. I'm not sure we would have prevailed without the help of Rishi and Viveck and their companions. Even with them, things may have gone quite badly if Mr O'Flaherty, Sir Spencer, and Lt Wooster hadn't been close enough to hear the fighting.

Three agents of the Shadows had unusual powers. One was about the same size as Mr O'Flaherty, and was even stronger. Another could hurl flame from his burning fists. The third could control winds.

I was knocked a few hundred feet away by a punch from the large man. George was similarly hurled out of the arena by the wind warrior. George got back to the fight slightly faster than I, using a set of Wilhelmina's rockets. He collided with the large man and carried him away.

Lady Cowperthwaite was demonstrating a marked improvement in the drunk fighting technique.

The large man had taken a hit from Sir Spencer's elephant gun and at least one strike from Wilhelmina's rocket gun before this, but seemed unfazed. Similarly, the other two had been shot by either Mrs Frazer, Inspector MacGreggor, Sir Cosmo, or Sir Spencer. They all appeared to be nearly invulnerable.

When the wind warrior struck Sir Cosmo down, Lady Cowperthwaite took on the aspect of the goddess, and yanked the wind warrior into the air. Victoria, meanwhile, had stabbed the flame warrior in the chest, and attempted the channel a spell into him. This caused his entire body to burst into flame. I leapt at him, since I am usually less flammable than my wife.

Power and flames seemed to be pouring out of the warrior through the stab wound Victoria had put in his chest. I had decided to try to open the hole further. Still chanting the Mantra of the Unstoppable Weapon, I shoved my katar into the hole and tore downward.

Meanwhile, Lady Cowperthwaite tore the heart out of the wind warrior. It didn't kill him. The heart, however, was still alive, and squeezing it seemed to cause the man great pain.

I plunged my left hand into the larger wound of my opponent, grabbed his heart, and pulled it out.

During all of this, the rest of our companions were taking a heavy toll on the other forces of the enemy. Mrs Cuthbert was there in spirit, somehow, and was protecting members of our party and healing them as they fell.

Sir Spencer and Sir Cosmo turned the full attention of their weapons on the flaming warrior, for which I am grateful, since it gave me a moment to take the holy water Victoria offered me. I poured it on the still beating heart, and it seemed to have a painful effect.

Sir Cosmo had gotten in close enough to throw one of the anti-fire grenades into the wound of the flaming warrior, and it also seemed to cause a lot of pain, even making the flames around the chest begin to die down.

Unfortunately, by this point the two warriors had changed tactics. I felt a surge of power reach out from both of them, like the single sound of a gong. Then, a moment later, a larger surge came back--from each of the Shadow agents still alive nearby. The wind and flame warriors were drawing the lifeforce from all their minions. Who knows what they could have done with that power.

We didn't find out, because the goddess was still involved in the fight through Lady Cowperthwaite. She was eating the heart of the wind warrior, and apparently could consume all of that life force while she was at it.

Victoria decided to try to capture some of the energy. And Mrs Frazer tried to block some of it, as well, until Sgt Frazer warned her away. Doing so caught him in the current, as it were, but Mrs Cuthbert was able to retrieve him.

Several members of our group had been hurt. MacGreggor, Sir Cosmo, Victoria, and Mrs MacGreggor most severely. If Mrs Cuthbert hadn't joined us in her unorthodox manner, the situation would have been quite grim.

All of the Shadow Agents were not only dead, but their bodies had dissolved into smoke, just as before. The only one not accounted for was the largest man. George said he had dumped him in the river. Lady Cowperthwaite wished to go find him.

Our children, meanwhile had joined us. They arrived in one of the carts from the house, accompanied by Lord Vaughn. Master Galen had heard the voice of the goddess, as he usually does, and the children somehow locked Daru and Violet in the kitchen, then came to help us. Lord Vaughn, riding on horseback toward the battle himself (having sensed the mystical portions of the combat), had encountered the children, and failing to convince them to return to their home, followed along.

With Octavia aiming a small pistol at him the entire time. Her explanation was that Mrs Cuthbert (some days ago) had said Lord Vaughn was a bad man. Further, his attempt to convince them go home was interpreted as him trying to prevent us from being rescued, which only confirmed to them that he was not on our side.

While some of the party sorted out the children, Lady Cowperthwaite wanted to go to the river to capture the final Shadow. Lord Vaughn attempted to speak with her about her relationship to the goddess. I can't tell if she doesn't like him, or if she just enjoys not cooperating.

He was helpful in convincing a few of the locals (otherwise too frightened or overawed by the sight of the blood-splattered woman), to tell us that they had seen the large man climb out of the river, and then run away.

Lady Cowperthwaite was disappointed that he escaped. Wilhelmina pointed out that if one survived to tell the story, then perhaps next time they wouldn't be so foolish.

We also met, again, one of the nuns from the train. Sister Mary Olivia works at a mission which we passed on the way to the river. One of the other nuns had seen Lady Cowperthwaite and concluded, not unreasonably, that she was injured. She didn't seem to believe my lady when told what had happened.

We have returned to the houses and everyone is getting cleaned up. Several of the ladies have expressed exasperation that recently purchased clothing was damaged in the fight.

All of the children have been talked to by at least one of the parents about why they shouldn't have tricked Daru and Violet. In Master Galen's case, he seemed far more upset when Daru said that she didn't know if she could trust him.

Proceed to Poise and proposals

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