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<title>Martin's Diary, Entry 5</title>

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<h1>Martin's Diary, Entry 5<h1>

Leaving the scene of the 'accident', I returned to the hotel where Terry had been staying and met up again with Bernard. We decided that we needed to get hold of the sword he had been carrying, for two reasons.

Firstly, when the Police investigated his possessions and found a sword, there would be questions asked, and on the whole we would prefer this not to have any further complications. Secondly, it was, at the very least, a fine sword, and possibly more than just a sword.

Borrowing a pigeon, I flew up to the balcony of his room to see his tearful PA inside. I switch over to her, and after persuading the policewoman that I would like a while to myself, hunt around for the blade which I find in a bag in the wardrobe.

My pigeon host is able to get Bernard to climb the fire escape, where I throw him the bag (after stuffing it with clothes to protect the sword). He manages to grab it and heads down to the car.

A while later we all meet up at the Museum, to compare notes and check out the sword. While most regard it as fine work, Bernard and Zebediah are almost obsessed by it, while Faber comments that there is a taint of demonic work in its making.

Nathaniel arrives, to tell of how he and Case have just been pulled out of the Dark Marches by Michael, and the destruction of the Crystal which Case had found earlier (in the disused church). The crystal was the work of Beleth, it turns out, and had pulled Case and Nathaniel into the Dark Marches.

We also learn that Lucas is missing, having last been seen getting into a car with Halley following a fight between Case, Nathaniel, Faber (on one side) and Esek and a Soldier (on the other). This had reached a standoff with the two sides talking over drawn swords when Halley had arrived and had woven a Song of Ethereal Harmony over the area. This had a variety of effects, perhaps the worst being that Esek was forced over the edge into Outcast as a result. It has been when Case and Nathaniel had tried to leave that they had been plunged into the Dark Marches. Lucas, meanwhile, had been outside, and when Halley left he went with her.

I head off to the University Tether with Bernard and the Katana -- he is very reluctant to part with it. Abdi-bezek scans it, and discovers a Song of Compulsion on it -- which he will try to remove. We then set about trying to trace the registration of Halley's car.

We are still trying to get a fix when the sound of a gunshot comes from the library steps, and panic breaks out among the students. Bernard and I rush to the entrance, where we see the victim is Tony! Bernard then rushes to get him inside as another shot chips the steps by Tony's head. The sniper is on the roof of the old students union building opposite, and manages to hit Tony again and also catch Bernard in the hip before everyone is safely inside. More shots follow, but we are able to get out of sight without further injury.

Of the two, Tony has the worst injuries, so I tend to him first. A Song of Corporeal Healing rapidly puts him in the realms of the walking wounded -- we're going to have to claim that shock led observers to fear the worst when he was hit to explain this!

Meanwhile Bernard has checked the sniper's position in Celestial form, to see the rifle left behind, the sniper having left to evade capture.

We consider the situation, and Tony realises that he must ascend at once, as the only one to know of his movements was a Seraph of Dominic, whom he had just erlayed a synopsis of events and our conclusions to. At Abdi-bezek's suggestion he goes via the Marches, which leaves his physical body behind, unconscious, and available for the police and ambulance to see and take to the hospital.

Bernard and I are somewhat guarded in the answers to the police questions, but manage to satisfy them, and an ambulance takes Bernard and Tony's body off to Casualty.

I get the info on Halley's car a while later -- another hire car. I call Case and get him on the mobile where we exchange a brief summary of events. It seems that the triad of Judgment appeared at the Museum and a fight ensued, the triad having gone rotten. Two were slain and the third escaped in Celestial form. My companions are meanwhile heading for a secluded spot to dump the bodies then the car in the hopes of making it appear as a multiple suicide.

I fear the mortal authorities are going to have more unusual events before this is cleared up.

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<A href=http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~maya/nomine/feather/logs.html>Feather and Bone</a>

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