The second inconsistancy was the shimmering metallic barrier stretching up to the horizon from the West, where the winding driveway should have met the road.
He stared at this last for a good five minutes, trying to explain it away by some escaped rationale. But try as he might, he couldn't logically explain it. And so, he dusted off his trousers, and walked towards it.... Trousers?
Looking himself up and down, Jason discovered that he was dressed in rather snappy old world clothing, right down to his button-down brass cufflinks and brown cotton pants. Just what in the world was going on here, anyhow? Had the Nameless One sent him back in time to the Earth's past? For what purpose? No, that couldn't very well be right. Nowhere in European History did he recall a giant forcefield blocking off the stately manors of rural England....
In a brilliant flash of insight, he began to check his pockets. What he found there was very curious indeed. A wadded billfold, presumably forged from the hide of some domestic animal judging from the smell of it, filled to overflowing with banknotes. Well, whatever game was being played out here, at least his character was rather rich...He decided that he could get used to that role fairly easily. Checking the identification within the billfold, he found something which shattered all of his precepts of time travel or rationale. He found a rather new-looking picture I.D. card, professing him to be a certain Lord Jayson Patterson, and sporting a decidedly official looking magnetic strip down its backside.
"Okay, I give up. I'm dressed like something out of "Legends of the Fall", and I'm packing an I.D. that would bring tears to Bill Gates' eyes. Something is definately wrong here...."
Pocketing the strange I.D., Jason began to stroll through the garden towards the base of the metallic forcefield. He had barely cleared the first line of shrubs when a cheerful greeting sounded to his right, startling him. Regaining his composure, he turned to face a rather tired-looking yet exceedingly fit man wearing full butler-like uniform. Eyeing Jason suspiciously, the newcomer spoke in a rather snooty British accent. "If the Lord Patterson wishes, I shall have his study prepared for his return. The day grows short, and I needen't remind him how inappropriate it would be to be traipsing through the grounds after dark."
Thinking how, were it in his authority, the first act he would undergo in this charade would be to give this rather rude manservant his walking papers, Jason strode up to him, and drawing himself to his full stature, pointed directly at the barrier in the West.
"Would you be so kind as to tell me, my good man, what that rather curious object ahead would be? It's blocking out my view of the road..." The butler was visibly surprised at the query for a second, but quickly regained his composure. "Far be it from me to inform the Lord of his own family home. I shall be inside should you require me." With that, the nervous manservant turned on his heels and strode quickly towards the house. Jason considered pressing the question after him, but decided against it. He would at least have free roam of the property if left to his own devices, and being unfamiliar with his surroundings was grating on his nerves. Turning away from the fleeing servant, he strode onwards towards the barrier. Reaching the end of the driveway, he noticed that it abruptly ceased to exist beyond the point where the barrier started. He could in fact see partially through the field, but all he could make out were shadows, constantly moving, and flowing against one another. It reminded him of the green liquid he had been absobed into in the place between worlds where he had received his message from the Nameless One. Cautiously, he stepped right to the edge of the field, and extended his hand. It sank into the silver lining of the forcefield, and immediately he got the sense of being drawn inward. His mind raced as his body was pulled, inch by inch, in towards the spot where his hand had just vanished. Finally, with great effort, he yanked himself backwards. The groove he had created in the field sealed itself flawlessly with a sickening popping sound. Staring at the field with new curiosity, he had failed to notice one of the shadows growing larger and larger. As it neared the barrier from the opposite side from where Jason stood, it seemed to absorb more and more of the cascading shapes as it ran into them, silently taking form. Jason, rubbing his hand and thankful to feel it intact, didn't percieve anything until the second it reached and broke through the barrier. Then the world was alive with the thunderous sound of hooves, as a tremendous gash appeared in the silver lining, and a trio of horses thundered onto the drive mere inches from where Jason stood dumbfounded. He regained his mobility a second before he would have been trampled, and hurled himself to the side of the pavement. (Was that ASPHALT?) Watching from where he lay sprawled in the dirt, he saw the three magnificent stallions as they pulled their load through the barrier...a beautiful, black-metal carriage, totally enclosed and its insides hidden by vertical blinds, onto the dirve. But what stallions they were! Standing at least seven feet tall each, they were black as midnight, each one's hooves like thundeclaps on the pavement. When they stopped, they let out half-snorts like the sound of waves crashing, and Jason could have swore he saw miniature licks of fire emerge from the lead's nostrils. But the most remarkable thing about these horses was the fact that they were totally and unquestionably robotic. Their muscles whirred and jerked with the fluid motion of hydraulics, and their mouths showed razor-sharp iron fillings, dripping with a liquid that looked like an odd mixture of spit and blood, but what Jason recognized immediately as oil. Their heads jerked side to side menacingly, and then they moved no more, standing suddenly as still as statues as the vertical blinds on the car-carriage rose slowly. Jason tore his attention away from these horriffic beasts, and focused on the now-revealed interior of the carriage. A young lady sat there, dressed royally in a beautiful green velvet party-gown, whose like could only have been constructed for one of regal blood, and whose head was almost concealed under a wide-brimmed velvet sunhat. A gigantic, flowing red feather protruded from the hat's brim. But it wasn't the hat or the dress that had Jason captivated, it was her face.
The woman in the Car-Carriage was unquestionably Laurie. She spoke to him, a thin smile playing on her lips. "So tell me, good my Lord, is it a custom of all nobles of this township to greet a Lady from flat on their back in the dirt?"
Jason remembered where he was, and scrambled to his feet. He noticed with distaste that a button had dislodged itself from the front of his jacket, and his soiled white shirt was fully revealed. He brushed himself off, and approached the carriage. Looking at her skeptically, he realized something that frightened him quite a bit: She was unquestionably Laurie, but she also quite definately didn't recognize him at all. Deciding to test the waters before he leapt in, he bowed deeply before her. "Milady, I apologize rather profoundly for my unkempt appearance. Your steeds did all but run me over in their haste to bear you here. Tell me, do you know of me at all?" She eyed him cautiously, and turned her eyes downwards. "Well, judging by the telegram from my betrothed, I would wager that you could only be my beloved's cousin Lord Patterson, back after a five year tour in France in diplomatic service. I have it on good authority that you are quite the scoundrel, good my Lord. Certainly not to be trusted."
This cinched it. Jason knew, first of all, that Laurie would never, ever call him "Good my Lord" through unclenched teeth, and secondly, she seemed totally convinced that he was the cousin of her betrothed back from..... Betrothed?????
This realization jerked his head to her face. There were only two possible explanations. Either this was Laurie under some heavy manipulative measures, under someone's control, or this was quite simply not Laurie. Either way, he decided to paly along until he could get an explanation for all the acute weirdness he had seen so far since waking up.
"A scoundrel? Why, I couldn't imagine why you were given that impression. I assure you, you are under no threat from me so long as you are on this property."
She laughed heartily at this, the first sign of the old Laurie since he had come across her. "Wel then, since I have the word of a scoundrel, I might as well invite you aboard to ride with me to the Manor. After all, sundown approaches, and you wouldn't want to be caught roaming the grounds after nightfall, would you?"
Jason accpeted the ride. After all, he couldn't resist seeing this charade through and finding out just WHO Laurie was betrothed to, could he? Stepping up into the carriage, he took a seat opposite her. She extracted a small locket from around her neck, and opened it to reveal a small red button in its center. Pressing it, Jason felt the hum of electricity as the car-carriage began to rise from the ground ever so slightly, so that it settled barely on its wheels. In the front, the massive steeds roared to life, and the chariot moved with hellish speed up the driveway to the front door of the manor. Jason remarked that it was the smoothest ride he had ever taken, and brought this up in casual conversation to Laurie, whome he had come to know was assuming the name of the Lady Laurie Chauncellor. She replied absently from within her thoughts. "I should hope so. They are making such a fuss about these new three-horsepowered CARriages. It did cost my family quite a pretty amount, you know...."
Jason barely choked back the snort at the mention of "Horsepower". Looking to the side in a desperate attempt to find something normal to draw his attention, he saw a sight that rocked him to the very core of his being. The chariot was passing a courtyard where lay the remnants of a stone foundation of what was presumably once a church. There in the center stood a rather out-of-place (then again, what wasn't in this world?) statue of a woman, her right arm outstretched towards the road. Jason couldn't tear his eyes from her, and he sensed that Laurie was equally as captivated by her. He couldn't quite place it, but there was something about her...
The two were torn away by the sound of a low cough from behind them, outside the carriage. Looking up, Jason realized that they had come to the doorway to the Manor, and that the CARriage had stopped. The butler he had met earlier stood at ready, holding the door open for them to descend. Jason allowed Laurie to go before him, and jumped down to the pavement. As the butler closed the door, the CARriage moved forward, at a slow walk, into the stables by the Manor. Jason allowed himself a half-second to wonder what such unusual steeds preferred in their feedbags, and then turned his attention to the figure awaiting them by the open doorway at the head of the drive. Laurie had already gone to the man, presumably their host, and was saying her hellos. With a small kiss to her hand, he turned to face Jason. "Cousin! I see you have met Lady Laurie prematurely! I can only regret that you got to make her acquaintance before I did. Surely her reputation does her justice. Come inside, my dear Lady. I know of a man who awaits your arrival..."
The three entered into the huge manor, and walked down the hallway towards the dining room. Jason stopped as he passed a shining, massive oak doorway embedded in the right of the corridor, and stretching to the ceiling. On an impulse, he grasped the doorknob with his hand. A shrill beep sounded through the hallway, causing his "cousin" to turn back in alarm. "No! Let that go immediately!"
Shocked by the severity of the otherwise mild-mannered man's tone, Jason drew his hand back from the doorknob. His host approached him, his face softening, and placed an arm around his shoulders. "Do you forget, cousin, that that door is off-limits to all except me? Surely your time away from us has made you forget such details. Come now, we wouldn't want to keep our guests waiting, would we?"
Keeping his arm firmly around Jason's shoulder, the taller man lead him past where Laurie stood and into the dining room. They all three were shown to their seats by the serving staff, and soon after the butler entered the room with an announcement. "Lord Stefan, welcomed here to Bayer manor in all formality and hospitality, from our neighboring township of Tigershire, I announce to you and your guests the Earl Gabriel Taylor.....
"Lord Stefan" turned a curious eye on Laurie. "It appears that your betrothed has finished with his washing up, my Lady. First meetings are always so exciting, are they not?"
Into the dining room strode Gabriel, dressed in painfully white cricket clothing, and carrying a newly-varnished cricket bat in his hands. He placed this in the arms of the servant attending him, and strode to where Laurie had risen to meet him. "My Lady, to finally gaze upon you with my own eyes, and not those of a messager....It is truly a gratifying site. I am honored to be your promised."
A cordial kiss to her hand later, and the four were seated to dine. Afterwards, they retired to the study to discuss the pending nuptuals, which Jason learned with great amusement were scheduled for later in the week. Gabriel was as clueless as to his true identity as Laurie was, and the two seemed quite comfortable with being "Earl Gabriel" and "Lady Laurie". And more irritatingly, every q uestion that Jaosn directed at any of them regarding wither the barrier or the statue outside was immediately glossed over and forgotten. Jason retired feeling extremely frustrated at the inconsistancies which surrounded him, but which these noblemen strangely didn't seem to acknowledge.
Lying in bed (And after checking for the "Do not remove under penalty of law" tag that he knew would be attatched to his mattress, and was), Jason found himself restless. He couldn't stand to exist in this surreal amalgamation of modern and classic times for a moment longer. Rising, he checked the hallway outside his chamber for signs of activity, and upon seeing it clear, descended the master stairway to the main foyer. His goal was the door which "Lord Stefan" had forbid him entry to, but unfortunately the master study was between him and it, and the door was ajar and the light on. Jason could almost picture his host seated there, writing letters to his consorts in the city on parchment with his bic pen. Utterly frustrated now, and worse, at a complete loss for an explanation, Jason opened the front door, and exited the manor. He walked cautiously towards the remains of the church, where the oddly placed statue stood beckoning to him. Rounding the corner in the driveway, he found himself face to face with her. A plaque was wedged into the stone closest to him, and he stooped to read it. "Lady of the silk.....I wonder why they give you such a curious title?" Looking closer at her, Jason found himself drawn into her lonely eyes....and he found that he could not break his stare no matter how much he tried. Slowly, and with absolutley no shock on Jason's part, the statue began to lift it's arm, motioning him forward....he walked onward, into the ruins.....
A movement to the back of him broke the statue's spell. He whirled to find Laurie standing directly behind him, staring at him intently. He was caught, and he knew it. He decided that he would have to bluff his way through.... "Milady, it's highly questionable that you wouldn't heed your own warning and would venture out into the night alone. And to be here with me while your future husband sleeps is downright scandalous, I'm afraid".
Her face grew tight, and she let fly with a right hook, catching Jason square in the jaw. He recoiled in shock and pain as she began to tear into him with words like acid.
"Look, if I have to carry on this sick fantasy a second longer, I'm going to go mental. That is if I don't throw up from all of this "Lady" crap flying around. And cut the garbage, there's noone around, and you know full well you're not Lord of anything. If you ask me, there's some heavy duty mind fucking going on around here, and for some reason, we're the only two it didn't work on. Gabriel still thinks he's getting married to me in a few days....."
Jason spoke tepidly from behind his bleeding mouth. "But you make such a cute couple...."
Murder shone in Laurie's eyes. "I signed up to fight, to make the world safe. Not to play property in someone's sick fantasy. Now what's this all about?" Jason rose to his feet, and looked around. "My best guess? We're inside the Universe's dreams. That would explain why things are all messed up and jumbled time-wise. Something as massive as the universe wouldn't make much difference between the 1800s and our time.....But that also means that yes, we're in a dream, but we can die just as well as we can on Earth. After all, what is our world but just another of the Universe's dreams?"
Laurie was frozen to her spot. She had gone completely pale, and reached reflexively for a sword she no longer wore. Jason looked at her, puzzled. "Well, don't get all worried....we'll find out where the damage here is, and set everything right. That's what we're here for."
She pointed to a point behind him, and Jason realized he had missed something. Turning cautiously around, he found himself staring at the alien face of a giant wooly tarantula spider, each leg as large as his body. "Lady of the silk. Oh, crud. That's why we're not to go out at night....."
And the spider moved colser to them.....