Dear Gideon - Stupid, Stupid Goat Creatures!
Written in a dark blue, pocket-sized, leatherbound notebook with an embossed dragon on the cover. It was found in a sharkskin pouch. The text has been written in more than one alphabet and has been heavily encrypted.
Dear Gideon,
I'm writing this from my quarters on The Coda. Yes, we're underway and I'm not driving. That should tell you how bad things are. I'm afraid to leave because
[several dozen lines of gibberish not consistent with code excised]
the great horned one who will
What the hell did I just write?
OK. That sucked. Here's a couple of lists:
Things I went to Cibola with
1. The Coda
2. Heulwen and Lucretia
3. My sanity (shut up. I did too have it)
4. The ability to use my voice
Things I came back from Cibola with
1. The Coda
2. A hold full of bugs (shut up. I run a clean ship)
3. Heulwen and Lucretia
4. Beatrice and Benedict
5. A profound desire to speak a certain name
6. An even more profound fear of speaking that name
7. About a thousand new questions for my sister
Now, once again, we have what looks like a good trade. I admit, it's better than the last one but some of the items are of questionable value. Also, note which items are missing from list #2.
The name I shouted back there is a Word of Power, Gideon. Not one of our words but it's got the same weight to it. At least it does in Cibola. A place I am never going back to. Cibola 2, Cyrus 0. I get it.
Heulwen, once again, handled herself well both at sea and on land. Turns out she's immune to drowning. Handy trick, that.
Supplemental -- Added two days later
Back in Amber. I can risk a whisper now but I still want to say The Name.
Dinah was waiting for me. Again. Love beats fear. I'm feeling much better, now. It's time to talk to that guy about that thing. I've been putting it off too long.
Benedict stopped by this morning. He got hit by something while we were there, too. He seems to be dealing with it better than I am. He's not a bad guy. Shared a drink with me and Dinah. Then we had something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a conversation.
Dear Gideon,
I'm writing this from my quarters on The Coda. Yes, we're underway and I'm not driving. That should tell you how bad things are. I'm afraid to leave because
[several dozen lines of gibberish not consistent with code excised]
the great horned one who will
What the hell did I just write?
OK. That sucked. Here's a couple of lists:
Things I went to Cibola with
1. The Coda
2. Heulwen and Lucretia
3. My sanity (shut up. I did too have it)
4. The ability to use my voice
Things I came back from Cibola with
1. The Coda
2. A hold full of bugs (shut up. I run a clean ship)
3. Heulwen and Lucretia
4. Beatrice and Benedict
5. A profound desire to speak a certain name
6. An even more profound fear of speaking that name
7. About a thousand new questions for my sister
Now, once again, we have what looks like a good trade. I admit, it's better than the last one but some of the items are of questionable value. Also, note which items are missing from list #2.
The name I shouted back there is a Word of Power, Gideon. Not one of our words but it's got the same weight to it. At least it does in Cibola. A place I am never going back to. Cibola 2, Cyrus 0. I get it.
Heulwen, once again, handled herself well both at sea and on land. Turns out she's immune to drowning. Handy trick, that.
Supplemental -- Added two days later
Back in Amber. I can risk a whisper now but I still want to say The Name.
Dinah was waiting for me. Again. Love beats fear. I'm feeling much better, now. It's time to talk to that guy about that thing. I've been putting it off too long.
Benedict stopped by this morning. He got hit by something while we were there, too. He seems to be dealing with it better than I am. He's not a bad guy. Shared a drink with me and Dinah. Then we had something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a conversation.