Simon's Law

Recent events have led to my creating something I refer to as Simon's Law: It is impossible for all members of a group of friends, to be completely happy, at any one given time. If I ever doubted it before, I don't any longer.

Garrick made an offhand threat toward the Therise, of the collaring variety, and ended up nearly taking off his father's arm when the two went at one another with weapons. Later, while Lucien was still in pain, his son sat around with Lilah in what I call "companion mode," as if nothing had happened. To make matters worse, I had to find out Lilah was expecting, through the words of other people. I remember a time, when I would have been the second to know, just after the father.

Lucien's own cousin, a woman named Callista, was also there. I'm not sure why she hates everyone that breathes, or at least everyone male, but I didn't try talking to her either. She very plainly wanted to be anywhere, but where we were, and was intent on making almost everyone as miserable as she was. I think she must have lost someone important recently, and I can understand where that will engender bitterness, but it all still seemed rather too much. I understand something else happened there as well, and it caused the trip to basically end early, but I did not try to learn further details.

Ordinarily, all of this would have happened on Cos. This time, however, it was up in the Voltai. We'd gone to another of the Merchants' lairs, this time Jamir's keep. We found much of the same as last time, traps and treasures. Madeline and I also found a few unexpected things. She calls them astrological symbols, a collection of twelve, that have something to do with personalities. I found a book within Jamir's library, that also indicates they have to do with the times of year, and they relate to star constellations. Of those she found, all were relevant to water. Like at the ruins near Corcyrus. Nash has suggested that because Jamir was Taharian, it might be that he is like most of the people there, seeing water as infinitely precious. This would make sense, except that we also located hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of bodies. Bones now, all of them, but many still with their clothing and jewelry. Various ideas were explored, battle, natural disaster, and one I think fits most accurately. They were the servants or slaves of a certain person, the same person whose organs I found in a set of jars, their heads designed like animals we don't have here. Madeline says such burials take place on the barbarian planet, in a place called Egypt. Ordinarily, however, such a person would be made into a mummy, the jars set with them. I don't know what a mummy is yet, but the jars were in a set of cylinders that were activated into lowering from the ceiling by a switch near the floor. I still don't understand it all.

I would like to have my cards read again, now that I am back in Ar. Perhaps they will have something to tell me about all of this, and other things as well. The reader, she made me an offer before I left for the trip. I lost one. She lost two. Two more have been offered, only following her change of caste. No contract required. Friends. Trust. I told her we would revisit the matter when the caste matter was concluded. I have concerns, and most of them are not for me.