Synopsis: Grand Quest III-Part 3

With a Monarch's Voice Cry 'Havoc,' and Let Slip the Dogs of War

Continued from Part 2

49 days left

They arrive in Ulthar shortly before noon. Laoise reports they will be ready to invade tomorrow morning. Differel instructs Cuideog to take his spiders and join the Ghoul army on the Karchedon barges. She also asks Uilmheidhrea to be her liaison with the Punicae. She then departs on Saighlíne's barge with the girls, Kami, Ssas'sashu'ra, Victor, Morgiana, Ceara, Ubasti, and Capt. Ney and his Ghouls for the Moon, escorted by Karchedon chase boats. They arrive after a few hours. The boats create a diversion and allow Saighlíne to land in a mountainous area not far from the city. Ubasti castes an illusion to hide them, and Differel enters the city with the girls, Kami, Victor, and Ssas'sashu'ra to contact the real resistance, those who are true but haven't been caught yet. They are appalled to learn that their leader is a turn coat, and they agree to help to strike against the Moonbeasts. They hide them, then later report that there is an ambush planned. The cats will be lured into a large crater which will be flooded, drowning them. Differel decides to spring the trap. They go back to the barge to collect Ney, Morgiana, Ceara, and some explosives. The Leng Men partisans then lead them to where the trap will be sprung. A disguised dam has been built holding back the waters of a nearby mare. Troops have been assembled in the crater to act as bait. They overwhelm the small garrison guarding the dam, but as Differel expected, more troops surround them. Before they can be captured, however, those troops are assaulted by a force consisting of Cuideog and his spiders, cats, Ghouls, and Karchedon troops led by Tokoyo. As Differel had hoped, the Cat Queen had made separate plans out of earshot of her to foil the spy. At the same time, the cat army invades the Moon with Karchedon support. Leng Men, Moonbeasts, Atullian troops, and Saturn Cats are pushed back the unexpected early invasion and retreat to the crater to regroup. Differel sets the explosives, but the timer she rigged does not work. They have to be set off manually. Kami volunteers, but then the resistance leader who had betrayed them before appears and volunteers. He sets them off as Differel and Kami get away, and the waters flood the crater, drowning the assembled troops. Differel rallies the forces supporting their raid and they attack the city, liberating numerous Leng Men slaves. They then assault the city's command center, forcing the Atullian ambassador to flee. The Saturn Cats are also routed and forced to flee, and the Moonbeasts surrender.

Differel interrogates the Moonbeasts, but they can tell her nothing she doesn't already know. Elishat and the Cat Queen arrive, and they force the Moonbeasts to cede the entire light side and portions of the dark to the cats. However, the concessions are not as punitive as Differel would have made them. Kami remains behind to help the newly freed Leng Men establish their own independent city, and as part of the occupation force. The rest board Saighlíne's barge and rendezvous with Elishat's flagship. There Differel reveals what she knows about the spy, having narrowed it down to those who went to the Moon with her. However, the Cat Queen accuses her of being the spy. She is disarmed and arrested, and taken to a stateroom under guard. She acquiesces only because she has no choice.

The Queen tells Victor and the others that it really isn't Differel, but a substitute. Elishat commands Victor to eliminate her, and gives him an eyepiece that will allow him to see her true form. He goes to the stateroom with a couple of her pistols, and she accuses him of being the spy come to eliminate her now that she can no longer provide him with information. But he sees a creature clinging to her shoulder. Begging her to trust him, he shoots it off her as she holds still. The girls arrive with the Cat Queen; they take charge of the creature's body while the Queen explains that the dual deception was necessary.

Mandy informs the Atullian ambassador that her spy has been neutralized. He decides that the plan cannot know succeeds, and instead decides to negotiate a truce. He has Mandy held and puts her in the care of the military attaché.

48 days left

Sunny examines the creature the next morning, and discovers another ruby. Once she removes it, it reverts to the body of a skinned baby. Differel is now resolved more than ever to end this. Elishat reveals that the Atullian ambassador has asked for a meeting to discuss a truce. Differel believes it is a ruse to by Mandy time to complete her plan. However, she advises the queen to agree to the meeting. This is their chance to find out everything they don't know.

The flagship rendezvous with the ambassador's barge, while Saighlíne's barge hovers nearby hidden in an artificial cloudbank. The negotiations take a few hours, but finally the flagship drops down towards the sea while the Atullian barge heads south. Saighlíne's barge breaks cover and chases after it. It fires at them, but Ceara takes out its weapons. It starts to pull ahead, but they manage to cripple it. As they close, the ships exchange archery fire. Saighlíne's barge runs high over the Atullian barge and Differel leaps down followed by the spiders, Ghouls, and cats. Sunny goes next, shouting, "You wanna live forever?" to Eile. She replies, "It would be nice," but she follows her partner. The spiders secure silk lines and Punicae troops reppel down. They bring with them ropes that they tie to the railing, and then the ambassadorial barge is hauled up to Saighlíne's barge. The fighting is hard, but the spiders make the difference, and soon the barge is taken. The girls secure the ambassador before he can escape while Differel engages the military attaché. Mandy intervenes, taking the attaché, and escapes. While the wounded and the surviving Atullians are taken aboard Saighlíne's barge, and the Atullian barge is rigged for tow as a prize, Differel and the girls search for records. They find copies of plans that describe the conquest of the Six Kingdoms, and then the subsequent conquest of Ooth-Nargai, followed by Karchedon. They also find navigational charts that pinpoint the location of Mandy's operation: the city of Talleyrand.

47 days left

They arrive in Celephais at dawn. As a formality, Kuranes has them all arrested for violating the non-aggression pact, but they appeal to him and at their hearing they present their evidence. Kuranes concludes that the Atullians had played him false. He abrogates the pact, has the ambassador placed under house arrest, and frees the party, turning over the Atullian barge to them as a legitimate prize. Elishat and the Cat Queen had already arrived, and they meet with Kuranes, Stéise, and Tiarnadlí to hold a council of war. Meanwhile, the girls host the party at their mansion. They all agree that Talleyrand must be investigated to determine the extent of Mandy's preparations. However, Talleyrand is a nightmare city, so Differel and the girls decide they should go alone. Victor anticipates their plan and offers to fly them there.

46 days left

They leave before dawn and arrive in the vicinity of the city by noon. The city is surrounded by a high wall but with no gates. There do not seem to be any guards on the walls either. They scout the area and find the opening to a sewer. Victor agrees to stay behind while Differel and the girls enter that way. They fight off Wamps, then emerge into a alley. The city seems deserted, but as they explore, they encounter visions from their own nightmares. They manage to tough it out, but the encounters grow more frightening as they get nearer the center of the city. Finally they enter a small plaza and are assailed by Chiggers. Differel loses her nerve and flees, and the girls go after her as the Chiggers chase them. They trap them and Differel has a fit and goes catatonic as the girls are captured. They are taken to the central plaza, where Mandy and the military attaché awaits them. Mandy explains that her plan is very simple. She has been recruiting people in the Waking World for some weeks. They come to Talleyrand, where she gives them morbidun and then skins them to force them to take on the form of Chiggers. She implants a ruby into their bodies to make the form permanent. She has nearly finished creating her army. Once she is ready, she will make them drink the cunae juice, then unleash them. They will spread throughout the Dreamworld, and wherever they go, they will use the power of the cunae fruit to change it into an extension of the nightmare city of Talleyrand. All inhabitants will be changed into Chiggers, and her army and her influence will grow. Soon she will control the whole the Dreamlands, and thus be able to control Waking People through their dreams. She considers it ironic that the instrument of her triumph would be her own niece's worst nightmare. She then orders the girls to be processed. Eile is forced into stocks, her mouth forced open, and a Chigger prepares to pour morbidun down her throat.

Differel is running in terror through a maze, trying to find a way out as well as evade the monster tracking her. She can hear Eile and Sunny calling for help. She goes into a deadend, and the monster traps her: its Dracula. He berates her for her cowardice, for retreating into her mind to escape her fears. She states she is trying to get out, but cannot find the way. He tells her the way is within her. Her George Cross glows, and she becomes a five-year old, frightened to go to sleep. Mandy holds her in her arms and rocks her, singing to her, a song that explains how to clear her mind and gather strength. She starts singing the tune as the medal glows brighter. Her fear shrinks and disappears; she opens her eyes and finds herself surrounded by Chiggers. She continues to sing, and they too dwindle down to tiny size, and she steps on them.

Differel startles awake with Sunny's screams, and she sees Eile trapped. But her fear is gone, and the Chiggers look no worse to her than cockroaches. Summoning Caliburn, she attacks, frees the girls, and covers them as they collect their weapons. They then make a run for it, with Chiggers hot on their trail. They make it to the city wall; it is slanted on the inside and rough, so they decide to climb. They reach the top, take hold of Sunny's staff, and Victor swoops down on the hippogriff, which catches the staff, and bears them away as the Chiggers gain the top. They see a grand fleet of cloud barges, Ooth-Nargai and Karchedon alike, coming in to land on the plane, and they go to join them.

They give their report to the five leaders. They inform Differel that they have formed an alliance for the purpose of defeating Mandy. However, it is inefficient for a coalition to have five leaders, even if they work as a committee. Therefore, they have decided to appoint a dictator after the Roman fashion. This individual would have supreme executive and military command and judicial power for the duration of the crisis. This individual could rule by decree, would not be liable either during the appointment or after for any decisions or actions made, and who's decisions could not be appealed to a higher authority, not even the five leaders. The dictator can consult with them, but otherwise would be free to make whatever decisions seem best and necessary. The only restrictions would be a limited appointment and no power over money. Differel agrees with their decision, but warns of the danger that the dictator may try to seize power afterwards. They agree, and appoint her to the position. In their opinion she is the best qualified, but she will also be gone in less than seven weeks, thereby protecting them from her warned threat. Shocked and appalled, she at first refuses, but they convince her to accept. They allow her to appoint her own staff. She chooses the girls to be her adjutants; Saighlíne, Victor, Ney, Shadow-stalker, and Cuideog to be her liaisons with and commanders over the Ooth-Nargai, Punicae, Ghoul, cat, and spider armies; and Ssas'sashu'ra, Morgiana, Tokoyo, Ceara, and Ubasti to her personal staff.

After supper, she meets with her officers and they discuss what to do. Though direct attack has strong support, Differel chooses to besiege the city, especially after Ceara reveals she knows of a fire spell that could be used to sterilize the interior of the city. The city itself and its nightmarish inhabitants will survive, but any living creature like Mandy and the Chiggers should be incinerated. However, it will take time to prepare. They put together a plan of action and then retire. However, Differel tells Victor she prefers to be alone. He confides in the girls that he believes she feels betrayed by his actions in eliminating the spy.

45 days left

The next day, the Karchedon navy blockades Talleyrand's harbor, while the Ooth-Nargai aerial fleet patrols the skies. Differel arranges her ground forces in a three-layered defense. Humans and cats form the bulk of the ranks, with Ghouls interspersed among them and spiders placed with individual units in the front ranks. An Ooth-Nargai barge arrives later that morning with more spiders, allowing Differel to have a massed heavy assault presence. She orders the construction of siege works, but they will take a week to complete. Ceara will be ready in just a couple of days, but the spell is untried, so she cannot guarantee success. That afternoon, pickets report the approach of a large Atullian force, air, sea, and land. A flagship approaches and calls for a parley. The military attaché is the commander, and she states they have come to support their ally, Talleyrand. She demands the coalition disband and leave the area, or her forces will attack. Her forces are equal to the coalition's, but they will have to split their forces to deal with the Atullians while maintaining the siege. And if Mandy chose that time to break out, they would be caught in a vise between two powerful foes. Differel begs leave to consult with the leaders. She plans to ask their advice, but they surprise her by asking for hers. She states that whether they are overwhelmed here or wait to be overwhelmed in their own lands, they are just as dead. At least here and now they have a chance. The leaders decide to remain and fight. The attaché leaves, and the Atullian barges begin off-loading troops. The Ooth-Nargai aerial forces with their battle rokhs and the ground forces harass them, but they cannot divert enough forces to stop the formation. Reinforcements are expected from Ooth-Nargai and Karchedon, but they won't arrive for a few days; they are effectively on their own. Differel suspects they will be ready to attack at dawn. She holds another war council, sets up the battle lines, and issues orders. She then arranges for a feast, the proverbial last meal.

The girls corner Differel after the feast. They tell her how she hurt Victor, and she is surprised to learn that he thinks she no longer trusts him. In fact, her desire to be alone was because she didn't want him to see how frightened and uncertain she really was. This crisis reminds her of the Fomorian invasion of England, and she is afraid that she is not up to this challenge either. The girls remind her of what Cailleach Beara had told her in the Underworld, that she can only wear medals that she truly deserves. As if in agreement, the George Cross glows brightly. They also tell her that if Victor truly loves her, he will not be ashamed of her fear and self-doubt, and if she loves him, she will let me support her. Besides, love is the best cure for fear and self-doubt. She goes looking for Victor and finds him tending his hippogriff. She unburdens her soul to him, and she is gratified to see him looking at her with love and pride. The hippogriff head-butts him and pushes him into her, and the embrace and kiss as the medal engulfs them in pure light. They then retire to her tent.

44 days left

Differel and her council awaken before dawn and join the troops. Eile and Sunny surprise her with a standard they had made, that depicts the George Cross. Eile and Ubasti command skirmisher units that will seek to harass the Atullians behind their lines; Tokoyo and Sunny have organized archer units and placed them on the backs of the larger spiders. Ssas'sashu'ra and Morgiana organize units of medics. The Aullian forces attack at dawn as Differel expected. They concentrate on the naval blockade and the ground forces. The barges are forced to help the galleys and cannot protect the ground troops from aerial bombardment. Casualties are heavy as the battle rages back and forth for several hours. Differel is forced to weaken the siege lines to bring in reinforcements. The unexpected appearance of Elatha and a force of Fomorians on dragons provides relief from the bombardment, but it comes too late. Even as they are pushed back against the city walls, a swarm of skycraft of unknown type dart in. Some engage the Atullian barges and galleys, and some strafe the Atullian troops; they rest discharge hundreds of warriors. At the head of them is Medb. They break the back of the Atullian offensive. The barges and galleys are driven off, and the ground troops flee into the city, through an opening in the wall that closes once they have gotten through.

As the dead and wounded are collected and either burned or cared for, Medb meets with Differel and the leaders, and introduces them to the Tuatha Dé Danann mercenaries she hired. When Medb understands the arrangement, she declines to become a leader and instead places herself and the Dananns under Differel's command. At a subsequent war council, Differel expects that the next move will be to try a break out and overwhelm with the Chigger army. Though their forces are depleted, they have no choice but to try to hold them off until Ceara is ready. But since the breakout could occur at any time, they sleep in shifts.

43 days left

Nothing happens for much of the morning, and the tension becomes mixed with boredom. But when Ceara announces that she is ready, the walls open up and Chiggers pour out, led by the remaining Atullians. Differel orders Victor to take Ceara up over the city as she rushes to the front. There she sees that if a Chigger hits or bites anyone, they transform into a Chigger and join the mob. The line begins to falter, until Differel runs out in front of it, attacking the Chiggers head on and alone. Eile and Sunny run to support her, followed by Ney and his Ghouls, and Medb and the Dananns. This encourages others to follow in a death-charge. The military attaché confronts Differel and they duel to the death. At a point where the attaché seems to get the upper hand, a huge fireball erupts inside the city. Flames shoot out of the wall openings, incinerating Chiggers.

Victor flies Ceara over the city, dodging shots from Atullian barges. Much to his surprise, Ceara throws herself off the hippogriff. She turns to flame as she hurtles downward, but before she hits the ground, she appears to explode. Victor veers off, but is caught in the shockwave and thrown away. The hippogriff tumbles, but is caught by a rokh being ridden by Medb. The rokh rides the thermals of the upwelling fireball and makes it clear. It then drops Victor and the hippogriff behind the lines.

Ceara appears from out of the conflagration, her body living fire, as she mows down Chiggers left and right. The attaché is distracted, hesitates, then turns to run, but Differel is on top of her in an instant and cuts her down. The city walls close, containing the fire, but also trapping all remaining Chiggers inside, along with Mandy.

Mopping goes into the afternoon. The Chiggers are tenacious, but finally the last are destroyed. However, the victory is close to being Pyrrhic, with coalition forces devastated. Differel remarks that one more victory like the last two, and Mandy would have won. Mandy appears and attacks Differel, almost killing her, but the George Cross creates a barrier and Differel uses it to destroy her dream body.

42 days left

By the next day the dead have all been disposed of, the wounded who can be cared for have been moved to barges to be taken back to their respective countries, cities, or regions, and the leaders disband the coalition. Differel officially resigns as dictator, much to her own relief. She suddenly feels tired and wants to rest. The party makes one last journey together as they accompany Differel and the girls on their return with Kuranes to Ooth-Nargai. Victor's position as Ooth-Nargai ambassador is made permanent, and he goes with them. They go to the girls' mansion, and after a meal and a bath, Differel retires to her room and collapses onto the bed from exhaustion.

41 days left

(Kuranes invites Differel, the girls, Victor, and the party members to a state ceremony.)

40 days left

In Serannian, Kuranes holds a state ceremony to commemorate the victory and honor the fallen. The leaders are all there, as are all the members of Differel's party, past and present; even Elatha and Bres were invited, because of their last minute help. After a brief speech by Kuranes, and a not so brief religious ceremony, there is a feast, and then royal audience. Kuranes, Elishat, and the Cat Queen hand out rewards for gallantry. Kuranes names Uilmheidhrea, Kami, Ssas'sashu'ra, Morgiana, Tokoyo, Karella, Ceara, Ubasti, Cuideog, and Leanabécne Citizens of Celephais. Medb and Victor, who are already Citizens, are Knighted. Eile and Sunny, already Knights, are named Lords Marshall of Ooth-Nargai, the highest knightly honor. Saighlíne, already a Lord Marshall, is elevated to the peerage as Baroness Áirdenté. Throughout the whole process, Differel seems to be ignored, and she is turn between relief and disappointment. However, once everyone else has been dispensed with, Differel is called to the dais, where Elatha joins the other leaders. Elatha names her Defender of Hazuth-Kleg, a dubious honor at best, but it at least allows her to deal with the Fomorians on a more or less equal basis. Of greater value is Tiarnadlí naming her Spider-Friend. Technically this would allow her to pass safely through any spider enclave, but nothing is ever certain with them. Stéise makes her an honorary member of the Ghoul race, again allowing her to treat with and dwell among Ghouls in both the Dreamlands and the Waking World. The Cat Queen bestows feline patronage on her, granting her support and protection, but also requiring her to render services for them as needed. Elishat names her Paladin, not quite a knight in the formal sense and not a peerage as she would understand it, but still recognized as the lowest rank of Punicae nobility.

Finally, Kuranes steps forward. He states that there are no awards he can offer that are greater than those she has already received in the Waking World, but there are four that can match them. He names her Citizen of Celephais; he names her Knight of Celephais; he names her Lord Marshall; and he bestows upon her the Order of Cornwall. The last is the highest honor in Ooth-Nargai. It has not been awarded for 250 years, and no one in the history of Ooth-Nargai has ever held all four honors at once. He presents The Lord Marshall Lady Differel Van Helsing, OC, to cheers and applause, but the girls are close enough to see that, while she appears to stand regal and proud, there is a trace of embarrassment on her face. After this, a ball begins, and after Differel spends her time in the receiving line, greeting the other guests and receiving their congratulations, she and Victor spend all the time together.

Afterwards, in the home of Medb's daughter Finnabair, Differel cracks a joke about being weighed down by all the honors heaped upon her. Medb and the girls can commiserate; they have the same honors except the OC, but one gets used to them. The real honor is the respect of those she has saved; the real burden is living up to it. She rationalizes that at least she will only have to endure for another two score days, but she does wonder what to do with the time. Victor offers a solution: he gets down on one knee, presents her with a ring, and asks her to marry him. Flabbergasted, she at first demurs, since soon she will never see him again, but the girls explain in a mischievous manner that that may not be the case; the Waking World Medb can make it possible for her to return. Victor repeats his question, and Differel opens her mouth to reply . . .

Epilog

In the Waking World, Medb declares that it is finished. Dracula assumes she means they will be waking up, but she corrects him, saying they still have over five hours to go. She meant they averted the crisis. He asks how she knows and she says in a mischievous manner that she was there. He asks if she can awaken them. She replies that she cannot; the potion must run its course. Besides, she adds in an enigmatic manner, they have more to accomplish.