The Silver Crown

by William Bridges

  Albrecht frowned again.

  "You've never had a one-on-one equal relationship, have you?"

  "Sure I have."

  "Don't fool yourself. You're a Garou. You've got to be the alpha in any social situation. You're trying to be king, for chrissakes."

  Albrecht was silent.

  "I'm sorry if I come off harsh, but as soon as I saw you, I knew I'd have to rehash my past. Realize this, for me: I don't like what I used to be. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I ran into your friends. They led me to this pack, which is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, short of my Awakening. But that girl I used to be— She's a stranger now. There was never anything between you and me, Albrecht. Nothing of any substance. You tell yourself in your memory that I was special, but is that really true? Have you tried to look for anyone else, or have you wallowed in self-pity? I'm not that girl of a few years ago. You might as well forget her."

  Albrecht nodded. "Fine. No problem. Look, I gotta… check on my pack." He stood up and walked away, not looking at her.

  Mary watched him go. She felt sorry for him. It wasn't easy for a Garou to forge a relationship; nobody wanted to put up with that kind of rage. All someone like Albrecht had in the end was his pack. She did not envy him. She felt guilty about being so cruel to him, but skirting the truth here would only have made it worse.

  Albrecht walked over to where his pack was sleeping and walked past, over to Pramati, to sit down next to the Stargazer.

  "Greetings," Pramati said.

  "Hey," Albrecht said. "So, where do you guys go next?"

  "We are going back to our caern in New Mexico. We need to rest and plan our next journey. It will be our hardest yet."

  "Well, luck and all. Say… Mary over there. Is she really fit for this kind of work?"

  Pramati looked back at Mary, who sat turned away from them. "She is excellent, Albrecht. We could not have gotten this far without her. Mages have powers we can't imagine. Most helpful powers."

  "Yeah? That's good. She's just… kinda young and all."

  "So is Evan. So are most of us when we undergo our Firsting. Gaia does not care about age when she calls us for duty. I know you are hurting from a pained heart—"

  "Wait a minute—"

  "Let me speak. Please. It is obvious. It is the fate of the Garou. It is so rare for us to find a mate, we who are forbidden to breed with our own kind. Our rage drives others away. It is a scary thing for them to live with. Gaia asks much of us. Many sacrifices. But this is perhaps the greatest. Take strength in that, Lord Albrecht. Every lost lover is a sign of our commitment to Gaia."

  Albrecht looked at Pramati. "You're right. I don't even know why it bothers me so much, either. I mean, she's right. We were just a fling and all."

  "Ah. That is simple. It is the most common wound in the world, but also the deadliest. Bruised ego. If we had no ego to injure, just think what a peaceful world this would be!"

  Albrecht put on a humoring smile for Pramati. "Uh… yeah. I guess."

  "Ha, ha. I see your real face beneath that smile. Do not worry, I am not offended. You are wondering, how could I travel so far with a crude man like Jack if I have such a sensitive heart?"

  "You're damn perceptive, you know that?"

  "I am a Galliard. Luna pays me to notice such things. They are the stuff stories are made of."

  Albrecht smiled and sat for a while in silence. Then he said, "This is kind of funny, you know? The chances of my meeting up with her now were real slim, but here she is. I've been thinking about the Lay of the Silver Crown, and what it means for me now. None of it has seemed to work out so far, but… I don't know. I just got the whole hearth and home thing slapped away from me. That happened to the guy in the story, too. Makes me wonder how much of this is coincidence…"

  "Legends indeed live in us today. But in what way? Who can say? We may ask the Theurges, but I have a feeling that we must each find the answer for ourselves."

  "All this deep-thought stuff is out of my league. I'm an Ahroun, damn it. This is Evan's job."

  "It is the job of each and every one of us. A warrior with no awareness of his place in the spiritual order is merely a raging animal."

  Albrecht sat in silence for a while. Pramati watched him as if wondering whether his lesson had gotten through.

  "Tell me," Pramati said. "Where do you go next?"

  "I have no idea," Albrecht said. "We didn't find clues in Pangaea. I don't know where to start."

  "Why Pangaea at all?"

  "A friend of ours, Antonine Teardrop — one of your own — dug up a legend about the crown. Seemed to point to Pangaea. But that was centuries ago. It could be anywhere now."

  "Hmm. The crown is a powerful symbol, you know. It represents all of Garou civilization. I know that will sound strange to you, but we really do have a civilization. The Litany proves that, as do our rites and traditions. It is said that civilization began in Pangaea. The Dawn Times. That is the past. We stand in the present. But what is the future? What lies in store for civilization? Where does it lead?"

  "I have no clue whatsoever. Where are you heading with this?"

  "We know that our ways are dying. We need to revive them. That is what the crown represents — the resurrection of the old ways, making them new again. Now, assume that the ways are not revitalized, that they become stagnant and weary. Where does that lead? We know the beginning of civilization. But what is its end? Its inevitable conclusion, if it is not continually remade?"

  "Uh… ruin? Anarchy?"

  "No. That is a state of chaos upon which new forms will be built. I speak of the world as it is now if it is allowed to stay as it is, without changing. Think, my friend. What lies at the heart of a meaningless life? For that is what our ways, devoid of change, become."

  "Nihilism. Emptiness. Darkness."

  "Yes. Emptiness. Void. It is the inevitable future to which civilization is drawn. It is where the Silver Crown, forgotten for so many years, would be drawn. It is a place, Albrecht. A real place now. Here, in the spirit world."

  Albrecht looked at Pramati, his eyes narrowing. "The Abyss."

  Pramati nodded. "It is where you must go to seek the crown."

  Albrecht shook his head. "Then I might as well just stop now. I don't stand a chance in that place. No Garou does. Hell, it's the end of everything. You walk in, but you don't walk out again."

  "Untrue. Many have survived to tell the tale."

  "But they all shudder when they do. Most barely escape alive, with or without their sanity intact. That place'll chew us up and spit us out."

  "Nonetheless, it is the only place the crown could be. Everything lost goes to the Abyss. Lost heroes, lost children, lost fetishes. It must be there, Albrecht."

  Albrecht nodded. "It makes sense, but… Gaia! I can't drag Evan and Mari into that!"

  "Are they not here by their choice?"

  "Yeah, but they're doing it for me. Hell, Mari's already been through a lot of shit. Did you see her last night? Wasn't like her at all. And Evan… He has no idea what he's getting into."

  "I am not so sure of that, my friend. That boy has strengths you can't imagine. He may be your savior in this quest."

  "Look, he's smart and all, but he's just a kid. His rite was barely a year ago. He's not ready for the Abyss."

  "I believe the decision will not be yours to make."

  Albrecht stood up. "Thanks for the advice. I really do appreciate it, but… I gotta think about this."

  "Certainly. Please do not hesitate to ask me anything else you wish."

  Albrecht nodded and walked back to the fire, his head swimming. The Abyss! He'd be a fool to go there. But he'd be a fool not to, if that was indeed where the crown was.

  He bent down and shook Evan and Mari awake. "Hey. It's getting near moonrise. I've got to talk to you guys."

  Mari and Evan stood up. Mari began stretching, her morning martial exercises. Evan yawned and scratched his head.

  "You… uh," Albrecht
said. "You're going to have to go back to New York."

  Mari stopped her exercises and shot him a mean glance. "What are you talking about? We don't have the crown yet."

  "Yeah," Evan said. "It's certainly not back in New York."

  "Look… I've got to go somewhere pretty fierce. I don't want you guys coming. It's such a long shot that… Well, I don't think it's worth risking us all for. This is my quest. I gotta go it alone."

  "Oh no you don't!" Mari said, stepping up to him, her face inches from his. "I am not turning around now! I don't care where you're going, I'm coming along, if it's to Malfeas itself!"

  "Me too," Evan said.

  Albrecht looked at both of them and shook his head. "You guys are great. You really are. But I'm not kidding. The Abyss is—"

  "The Abyss?!" Mari said. "What got that in your head?"

  "I've talked this over with Pramati. It's the only logical place to look."

  "Logic is not always the best course in the Umbra," Mari said. "We could try the Aetherial Realm first. There are wise Garou there. They might know."

  "Look, guys," Albrecht said. "If it were anywhere else, it would have been found by now. It's lost. It's got to be in the Abyss."

  "What about the Silver Fang Homeland?" Evan said. "Each tribe has its own spiritual realm. Maybe it's there."

  Albrecht shook his head. "I think Greyfist would have known if that were the case. Besides, it's said that the homelands are sub-realms of Pangaea. We didn't have any luck there."

  Mari walked off a way, thinking. Evan began pacing, thinking also.

  "The Trailblazers are going back to New Mexico," Albrecht said. "You can go with them and catch a Moon Bridge from there to New York."

  "Stop it, Albrecht!" Mari said. "I told you we weren't giving up on this. It is not an option. Put it out of your head. If we have to go to the Abyss, then we'll go."

  Albrecht threw up his hands. "All right! All right! But if you go stark raving mad there, I will not feel one ounce of guilt. Because I did not choose to take you there."

  "Good. I wouldn't want something like my sanity to weigh heavy on your conscience, Albrecht. Gaia forbid that!" She walked over to the fire, snarling, and sat down next to Ivar.

  Albrecht looked after her, puzzled.

  "I think you've pushed it one time too many," Evan said, looking after Mari. "She's been through a lot, and I guess she's sick of your condescending attitude."

  "Condescending? She usually starts it! She can't get over that tussle we had a couple of years back!"

  "Let's just drop it now," Evan said. He walked over and sat down next to her. Albrecht remained where he was. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it and stood there, staring out at the dark plain.

  Within the hour, the moon rose over the horizon. It was a gibbous moon, a Galliard's moon. Albrecht knew they had only a few more days until the full moon. Once the full moon hit its cusp, the midpoint between waxing and waning, their quest would be over regardless of whether they had succeeded. Arkady would be crowned king then, with all the rites of the Silver Fangs, and no artifact of old would be able to change that present truth.

  The Trailblazers were packing up their camp. They seemed to have an efficient system for it: They were all packed up within ten minutes, with everything distributed among their backpacks. Ivar seemed to be carrying more than the rest of them.

  Jack came up to Albrecht. "Well, lad, it's been fine meeting you. I wish you the best."

  Albrecht put out his hand. Jack shook it.

  "I hope you find the skin," Albrecht said. "Regardless, drop me a line now and then and let me know how it's going."

  Jack smiled. "You got it. I will. And let me know how it all turns out for you. You can find us at the Painted Coyote Caern, in New Mexico. I wish you could come with us. Pram told me about your talk. I don't envy you. The Abyss is… bad news."

  "Don't worry," Albrecht said. "Others have done it before us."

  "Yeah, that's the spirit!" Jack smiled. "Well, we're off. Oh, by the way, Parts-the-Water gave Mari a couple of electric torches. They should help you in that dark pit. They're fixed up special, with spirits and all. Shouldn't go out on you anytime soon."

  "Thanks," Albrecht said. "Happy trails."

  "And to you!" Jack walked back to his pack, who were standing by the Moon Path now. It glowed bright under the gibbous moon. They all turned and waved at Albrecht, Mari and Evan, then walked off down the Path.

  Albrecht watched them go until they took a curve in the path and were gone behind a rise. Then he sighed and walked over to Evan and Mari.

  "You guys ready?" he said.

  "Yeah," Evan said.

  "I've been thinking," Mari said, handing a flashlight to each of them. "The best way to get to the Abyss is to find a break in a Moon Path, and follow that."

  "Won't be many of those," Albrecht said. "The moon's gibbous now."

  "If we keep looking, we'll find one. It doesn't take too long to find the Abyss."

  Albrecht and Evan didn't say anything, but headed toward the Moon Path. Mari followed.

  * * * *

  They walked for the entire night without finding a break in the path, and so decided to give up for the night and begin looking for whatever haven they could find to rest in during the day. About an hour before moonset, they discovered a small, abandoned, Weaver realm.

  The place resembled a city block, with office buildings rising to the sky. Strands of old Pattern Spider webs hung from them. They had not been tended for a long time.

  "This appears to have once been a Glen," Evan said as they walked down the street. "Until the Weaver spirits got hold of it."

  Albrecht pointed at some grass bursting through the cracked pavement. "It looks like Gaia is reclaiming the place. I wonder what drove the spiders off."

  "They weren't driven off," Mari said. "Look there. They were eaten."

  Albrecht and Evan looked over to where Mari was pointing. In an alleyway, the desiccated and gnawed bones of a Pattern Spider were scattered about.

  "Wonder what the hell eats Weaverlings?" Albrecht said, stepping up to examine the remains of the dead spirit.

  "Whatever it was," Mari said. "There's no sign that anything's been here for a while. Not enough food, I suppose."

  "Then I guess it's safe to camp here," Evan said.

  Albrecht nodded. "I don't think we should go into the buildings, though."

  "There's an alleyway over there that looks defensible," Mari said. "The Moon Path resumes on the other side of the fence, allowing us an escape route, and the alley entrance is thin enough to keep attackers coming one-on-one."

  "Good," Albrecht said.

  They planted their camp in the alley and set watches. It took each of them a while to get to sleep between watches, but when they did, none of them dreamed.

  * * * *

  When the moon rose the next night, they set off again. Another long night of travel with no sign of breakage in the path. Albrecht was tempted to grab the next Lune — they had been few and far between on the path — and force it to break up the path. But he knew that would be more trouble than it was worth. Lunes didn't normally listen to reason.

  About two hours before moonset, they came across a gap in the path. The pack stopped and looked at each other. Then Albrecht took the first step forward and boldly strode into the gap, while Mari and Evan followed. The ground there was featureless ephemera. Albrecht then walked off to the right, crosswise to the path. They walked in that direction for a while.

  Then rolling mists began to move in from both sides. The fog never came close enough to touch the pack, but it created a corridor leading straight ahead. The pack followed it. Soon the mist walls moved back, and they could see a crevasse appear in the ground ahead. It started small but widened with distance, disappearing into the fogbank ahead.

  When they came to the edge, they looked down.

  And saw nothing.

  They each gasped and stepped back, looking away from the
yawning gulf, the void below. They all felt drawn down, as if gravity here pulled them harder. But they resisted it.

  They each shuddered, considering what they had seen. Utter darkness, and within… the end of everything. Annihilation incarnate.

  They each stepped back from the edge to consider the next move.

  "What now?" Albrecht asked.

  "There are tales of three paths here," Mari said. "One, called the Golden Path, is fraught with danger. It is said to be treacherous going, but great treasure awaits whoever gets to the end of it. I have never heard of anyone getting to the end. The Silver Path is the most enigmatic. I'm not sure where it leads, but some say great wisdom waits for those who brave it. Now, the Iron Path, it's the easiest. It leads to many caverns lacing the sides of the crevasse. However — and this is the catch — lots of nasty things live in those caverns. Including a creature named Nightmaster."

  "What kind of creature?" Albrecht asked.

  "He used to be a Shadow Lord, a Garou. Now he is said to be a child of the Abyss: its avatar. He's in charge of some of the things that live down there."

  "You said caverns," Albrecht said. "I hear that's where fetishes show up."

  "Yes, collected by the inhabitants. But if the crown is there, it's surely guarded by someone. Or something."

  "Well, time's running out here. Let's find the Iron Path and get down there."

  Mari nodded. "If we continue along the crevasse a little longer, I think we'll see the beginning of the path."

  They walked along the edge, although each kept well back from it. The silence of the place was unnerving to all of them. Not even the sound of wind could be heard, although the tugging of the air could be felt, pulling down toward the darkness.

  Soon they came across a path that led to a ledge down the crevasse. Precious gems could be seen along the rock wall, embedded in it. Veins of precious metals also appeared, especially gold.

  "The Golden Path," Mari said. "We don't want that one."

  They kept walking until they encountered another ledge, leading down. A cave opened off it about thirty yards down.