12 September 1875, Sunday
Soon Octavia and I will be leaving for Sunday Services. I plan to pray
for guidance before Mrs Frazer, Mr O'Flaherty and I resume our
activities on behalf of Arnwulf.
Octavia seems glad that I am home. She reported to me, in as much
detail as a 3-year-old can manage, the details of Caroline's accident
and the Bad Wolf who caused it. She also showed me some of the plans
she has been devising for a harness for the latest flying contraption
that the children have been working on. I will have to remind Chi to
keep an eye out for any 'flying machine testing' that might be in the
works. It is one thing for Mr Salmalin to keep Sir Cosmo from testing
Wilhelmina's latest rocket kite but completely different for Galen to
allow my daughter to be his test pilot.
Chi seems to have done a good job managing Octavia whilst I was gone. I
am very pleased with her work so far and with her willingness to learn
the strange manner of life our household presents. She, Violet, and
Daru have been working diligently on their defence training with Mrs
Wooster and Mr Salmalin and are all coming along nicely. Our adventures
in the China Sea helped the two older girls realize that they cannot
always count on the parents of their charges to be immediately to hand
in a fight. Our nursemaids have the difficult task of holding the line
against foes who may think that coming after our children is the easy
option.
Speaking of children, Mrs Frazer and I both hope to visit the gaol this
afternoon, albeit for slightly different purposes. She wants to see the
man-wolf who broke her daughter's leg and give him a piece of her mind.
I want to examine his aura and see what type of curse or other
manifestation he may have taken on (and that his mother might want to
remove). It is my understanding that he brought this “Fenris” curse
down on himself, but that may just be the story that is being put about
among the Baroness's guards to explain the kidnapping of Arnwulf (as if
such a deed were ever explicable!).
I believe that the agents of Rosamund wish to transfer this curse to
Arnwulf because he is a more 'suitable' vessel, being the son of a
witch and an insane half-fae/half-djinn. This “Fenris” would then
manifest in the world through Arnwulf and be vastly more powerful than
if it used Wolfgang von Ebersbach as the vessel. I am not certain I
have all the details correct. We have only scattered information
gathered from eavesdropping, scrying, and other sources-- but it is the
best guess I have been able to put together from those titbits.
I consulted with Great-Aunt Hethelyn. She confirmed my fears that
Arnwulf would make a powerful conduit for the Fenris and also said that
a ritual transference of this time requires a blood sacrifice (one
presumes in addition to poor Arnwulf and Wolfgang) and usually
performed on the new moon closest to either a solstice or equinox. Such
a moon will shine down on us in four days time.
Prior to that we must:
– examine Wulfgang for clues to the Fenris
– find a way to rescue Arnwulf and whoever is slated to be the blood
sacrifice from a pack of unscrupulous werewolves
– find the location of Rosamund's power base and allies and put a stop
to her plans.
Other problems that, hopefully, other members of the League are
handling:
– who is behind the Anarchist uprisings and why have attacks to date
been so ineffectual?
– why were there two Fates (one American, one Russian) working on
secret projects in the Carpanian train yard at Kosel?
– Why did Miss Pinker shoot part of a man's ear off many years ago, and
why is he hanging about now?
– Why are the clocks powered by Master Hugo Zacharias's crystals acting
strangely (losing power ahead of schedule, gaining power, leaving
imprints of “Hugos” all over the country?
– How do we get the imprints of Hugo back to himself and out of our own
heads? Is that even a good idea? Would a Hugo transferred in such a way
take knowledge from its 'host' back to Master Zacharias. If so, are we
obligated to keep them? or, since it seems the individual Hugos can all
communicate with each other, do they represent a security risk? (and
can we make certain that Sir Cosmo doesn't contract one?)
– Why is someone manufacturing a large amount of etheric batteries or
weapons out by the lake between Ostrau and Kosel?
– Why was a member of the Prussian security force watching a house on
that same lake?
– How is Graf von Freiheff involved? Was it just a coincidence that the
pack of werewolves we followed from the dwarf mines sent a small
delegation to a house he owns in the area?
I feel like there is so much going on that I must narrow my focus to
finding and rescuing Arnwulf or I will be overwhelmed by distractions.
Mrs Frazer, Mr O'Flaherty and I have a duty to find Arnwulf and see to
his well being and his safe return home. Others in our party have other
duties and obligations to Queen and Country and Cannot Be Spared for
such work in the present time, as much as they might wish to.
After church we will call on the Prussian Embassy on
Schwulststraße (where all the embassies seem to be located) and
see if Feldwebel von Ebersbach can give us any information on the
layout of her parent's Château.
~Later~
Our initial plan to somehow storm the von Ebersbach Château to
rescue Arnwulf has met with an unexpected check. Adele von Ebersbach
(the Feldwebel and sister to Wulfgang) was unwilling to give us the
floor plans to her parents estate-- she insists that it is much too
dangerous for us to be involved. It is true that we did not make our
best showing against werewolves the first time we were up against them.
We have learned a bit since then, but were unable to convince Adele of
that fact.
The three of us had caught up with Stalmachersson and the Feldwebel
near the city gaol after we had stopped in at the embassy and been
informed of their whereabouts by Feldwebel Litchenwaller.
Hauptmann Stalmachersson and the Feldwebel von Ebersbach
were arguing about Stalmachersson's plan to speak with von Ebersbach's
brother at the gaol (where he is incarcerated for disrupting the King's
Hunt).
I am updating this record as we await our turn to see Wolfgang (Adele
was unsuccessful at getting Stalmachersson to turn aside from his plan
to confront her brother). Mrs Frazer is eavesdropping on the
conversation between the three of them, whilst Gefreiter Garvey
searches the desk sergeants papers for a list of people who have
visited the prisoner. Garvey was quite ruthless in driving the sergeant
to attend to a Personal Matter-- really it is amazing what he can do to
someone who doesn't believe he can talk.
Given what Mrs Frazer has reported (and what I have heard with my own
ears-- there is some shouting going on at this point), we have resolved
to try the silent treatment on Wolfgang. He seems to take 'being
civilized' as some sort of game that he can stop playing at any time,
with no consequences to himself. I don't know that our attempt at
getting him to talk through not speaking to him will have any effect,
or how long either of us can hold out from giving him the scolding he
so richly deserves, but at the very least it will give me time to
concentrate on his aura and see what is to be seen.
I can hear the Hauptmann and Feldwebel storming down the corridor ...
Proceed to Bewildered
and anxious
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