Luke nodded.
“I get the impression this Mask thinks he knows how it was done and is getting ready to try it on your brother.”
“Shit!” I observed. “That’s all I need. Jurt as a magical being or a natural force—or whatever the hell. This is serious. How much do you know about the process?”
“Oh, I know most of it, in theory. I wouldn’t mess with it, though. I think it takes away something of your humanity. You don’t much give a shit about other people or human values afterward. I think that’s part of what happened to my father.”
What could I say? Maybe that part was true and maybe it wasn’t. I was sure Luke wanted to believe in some external cause for his father’s treachery. I knew I’d never contradict him on it, even if I learned differently. And so I laughed.
“With Jurt,” I said, “there’d be no way of telling the difference.”
Luke smiled. Then, “You could get dead going up against a guy like that, along with a sorcerer, on their own turf.”
“What choice have I got?” I asked. “They’re after me. Better to move now. Jurt hasn’t had the treatment yet. Does it take long?”
“Well, there are fairly elaborate preliminaries, but the subject doesn’t have to be present for some of them. It all depends on how far along Mask is with the work.”
“I’d better move pretty fast then.”
“I won’t have you going in there alone,” he said. “It could be suicide. I know the place. I also have a small force of mercs bivouacked in Shadow and ready for action on short notice. If we can get them in, they can hold off the guards, maybe even take them out.”
“Will that fancy ammo work there?”
“No. We tried it when I pulled the glider attack. It’ll have to be hand to hand. Body armor and machetes, maybe. I’ll have to work it out.”
“We could use the Pattern to get in, but the troops can’t . . . and Trumps aren’t reliable for that place.”
“I know. I’ll have to work on that, too.”
“Then it would be you and me against Jurt and Mask. If I tell any of the others here, they’ll try to stop me till Random gets back, and that may be too late.”
He smiled. “You know, my mother would really be useful in there,” he said. “She knows more about the Fount than I do.”
“No!” I said. “She tried to kill me.”
“Easy, man. Easy,” he said. “Hear me out.”
“Besides, she lost to Mask last time they met. That’s why she’s a coat-rack.”
“All the more reason for her to be wary now. Anyway, it had to be trickery, not skill. She’s good. Mask must have surprised her. She’d be a real asset, Merle.”
“No! She wants all of us dead!”
“Details,” he explained. “After Caine, the rest of you are just symbolic enemies. Mask is a real one, who took something away from her and still has it. Given the choice, she’ll go after Mask.”
“And if we’re successful, she’ll turn on Amber afterward.”
“Not at all,” he said. “That’s the beauty of my plan.”
“I don’t want to hear about it.”
“Because you already know you’ll agree, right? I just figured a way to solve all your problems. Give her the Keep after it’s liberated, as a kind of peace offering, to forget her differences with you guys.”
“Just hand her this terrible power?”
“If she were going to use it against you, she’d have done it a long time ago. She’s afraid to employ it in the extreme. With Kashfa down the tubes, she’ll grab at the chance to salvage something. That’s where the value lies.”
“You really think so?”
“Better Queen of the Keep than a coat-rack in Amber.”
“Damn you, Luke. You always make the stupidest things sound sort of attractive.”
“It’s an art,” he replied. “What do you say?”
“I’ve got to think about it,” I said.
“Better think fast, then. Jurt may be bathing in that glow right now.”
“Don’t pressure me, man. I said I’ll think about it. This is only one of my problems. I’m going to eat dinner now and mull things over.”
“Want to tell me about your other problems, too? Maybe I can work them into the package some way.”
“No, damn it! I’ll call you back . . . soon. Okay?”
“Okay. But I’d better be around when you snap Mom out of it, to kind of smooth things over. You have figured out how to break the spell, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Glad to know that. I wasn’t sure how to do it, and I can stop working on it now. I’m going to finish here and go shape up the troops,” he said, eyeing the lady in the bikini who had just emerged from the pool. “Call me.”
“Okay,” I said, and he was gone.
Damn. Amazing. No wonder Luke kept winning those sales awards. I had to admit it was a good pitch, despite my feelings about Jasra. And Random had not ordered me to keep her a prisoner. Of course, he had not had much opportunity to tell me anything the last time we had been together. Would she really behave as Luke said, though? It made a sort of sense, but then people seldom keep company with rationality at times when they should.
I passed along the hallway and decided to use the back stair. As I made the turn, I saw that there was a figure standing near the top. It was a woman, and she was looking the other way. She had on a full-length red-and yellow gown. Her hair was very dark and she had lovely shoulders. . . .
She turned when she heard my tread, and I saw that it was Nayda. She studied my face.
“Lord Merlin,” she said, “can you tell me where my sister is? I understand she went off with you earlier.”
“She was admiring some art, and then she had a little errand she wanted to run afterward,” I replied. “I’m not sure exactly where she was going, but she gave the impression she’d be back pretty soon.”
“All right,” she said. “It’s just that it’s getting near to dinnertime, and we’d expected her to be joining us. Did she enjoy her afternoon?”
“I believe she did,” I said.
“She’s been a bit moody recently. We were hoping this trip would cheer her up. She was looking forward to it quite a bit.”
“She seemed pretty cheerful when I left her,” I admitted.
“Oh, where was that?”
“Near here,” I said.
“Where all did you go?”
“We had a long walk in and about town,” I explained. “I showed her a bit of the palace, also.”
“Then she’s in the palace right now?”
“She was the last time I saw her. But she might have stepped out.”
“I see,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t really get to talk to you at any length earlier. I feel as if I’ve known you for a long while.”
“Oh?” I said. “Why is that?”
“I read through your file several times. It’s kind of fascinating.”
“File?”
“It’s no secret that we keep files on people we’re likely to encounter in our line of work. There’s a file on everyone in the House of Amber, of course, even those who don’t have much to do with diplomacy.”
“I’d never thought about it,” I said, “but it figures.”
“Your early days are glossed over, of course, and your recent troubles are very confusing.”
“They’re confusing to me, too,” I said. “You trying to update the file?”
“No, just curious. If your problems have ramifications that may involve Begma, we have an interest in them.”
“How is it that you know of them at all?”
“We have very good intelligence sources. Small kingdoms often do.”
I nodded.
“I won’t press you on your sources, but we’re not having a fire sale on classified data.”
“You misunderstand me,” she said. “I’m not trying to update that file either. I was trying to discover whether I might be able to
offer you assistance.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that,” I told her. “I can’t really think of any way you could help me, though.”
She smiled, showing what seemed a set of perfect teeth.
“I can’t be more precise without knowing more,” she said. “But if you decide that you do want help—or if you just want to talk—come and see me.”
“Well taken,” I said. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Later, too, I hope,” she said, as I passed her and turned down the hall.
What had she meant by that last bit? I wondered. Was she talking assignation? If so, her motives seemed awfully transparent. Or was she merely expressing her desire for information? I was not certain.
As I passed along the hallway in the direction of my rooms I noted an odd lighting phenomenon ahead of me: A bright white band about six or eight inches in width ran up both walls, across the ceiling, and over the floor. I slowed as I neared it, wondering whether someone had introduced a new method of illuminating the place in my absence.
As I stepped over the band on the floor, everything disappeared, except for the light itself, which resolved into a perfect circle, flipped once about me and settled on a level with my feet, myself at its center. The world appeared beyond the circle, suddenly, and it looked as if it were made of green glass formed into a dome. The surface on which I stood was reddish, irregular and moist in the pale light. It was not until a large fish swam by that I realized I might be underwater, standing on a ridge of coral.
“This is pretty as all hell,” I said, “but I was trying to get to my apartment.”
“Just showing off a bit,” came a familiar voice which sounded eerily all about my magic circle. “Am I a god?”
“You can call yourself whatever you want,” I said. “Nobody will disagree with you.”
“It might be fun being a god.”
“Then what does that make me?” I asked.
“That’s a difficult theological question.”
“Theological, my ass. I’m a computer engineer, and you know I built you, Ghost.”
A sound like a sigh filled my submarine cell.
“It’s hard to get away from one’s roots.”
“Why try? What’s wrong with roots? All of the best plants have them.”
“Pretty bloom above, mire and muck below.”
“In your case it’s metal and an interesting cryogenic setup—and quite a few other things—all of them very clean.”
“Maybe it’s mire and muck that I need, then.”
“You feeling all right, Ghost?”
“I’m still trying to find myself.”
“Everyone goes through phases like that. It’ll pass.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“When? How? Why?”
“It would be cheating to tell. Besides, it’s different for everyone.”
A whole school of fish swam by—little black-and-red-striped guys.
“I can’t quite swing the omniscience business . . . ” Ghost said after a time.
“That’s okay. Who needs it?” I said.
“ . . . And I’m still working on omnipotence.”
“That one’s hard, too,” I agreed.
“You’re very understanding, Dad.”
“I try. You got any special problems?”
“You mean, apart from the existential?”
“Yeah.”
“No. I brought you here to warn you about a fellow named Mandor. He’s—”
“He’s my brother,” I said. There was silence.
Then, “That would make him my uncle, wouldn’t it?”
“I guess so.”
“How about the lady with him? She—”
“Fiona’s my aunt.”
“My great-aunt. Oh, my!”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s bad form to speak ill of relatives, isn’t it?”
“Not in Amber,” I said. “In Amber we do it all the time.”
The circle of light flipped again. We were back in the hallway.
“Now that we’re in Amber,” he said, “I want to speak ill of them. I wouldn’t trust them if I were you. I think they’re a little crazy. Also insulting and mendacious.”
I laughed. “You’re becoming a true Amberite.”
“I am?”
“Yes. That’s the way we are. Nothing to worry about. What came down between you, anyhow?”
“I’d rather work it out on my own, if you don’t mind.”
“Whatever you think is best.”
“I don’t really need to warn you about them?”
“No.”
“Okay. That was my main concern. I guess I’ll go and try the mire and muck bit now—”
“Wait.”
“What?”
“You seem pretty good at transporting things through Shadow these days.”
“I seem to be improving, yes.”
“What about a small band of warriors and their leader?”
“I think I could manage that.”
“And me.”
“Of course. Where are they and where do you want go?”
I fished in my pocket, found Luke’s Trump, held it before me.
“But . . . He’s the one you warned me not to trust,” Ghost said.
“It’s okay now,” I told him. “Just for this matter. Nothing else though. Things have changed a bit.”
“I don’t understand. But if you say so.”
“Can you run him down and set things up?”
“I should be able to. Where do you want to go?”
“Do you know the Keep of the Four Worlds?”
“Yes. But that’s a dangerous place, Dad. Very tricky coming and going. And that’s where the red-haired lady tried to lay a power lock on me.”
“Jasra.”
“I never knew her name.”
“She’s Luke’s mother,” I explained, waving his Trump.
“Bad blood,” Ghost stated. “Maybe we shouldn’t have anything to do with either of them.”
“She might be coming with us,” I said.
“Oh, no. That’s a dangerous lady. You don’t want her along. Especially not in a place where she’s strong. She might try to grab me again. She might succeed.”
“She’ll be too occupied with other matters,” I said, “and I may need her. So start thinking of her as part of the package.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“When do you want to go there?”
“That depends in part on when Luke’s troops will be ready. Why don’t you go and find out?”
“All right. But I still think you might be making a mistake, going into that place with those people.”
“I need someone who can help, and the die is damned well cast,” I said.
Ghost coalesced to a point and winked out.
I drew a deep breath, changed my mind about sighing, and moved on toward my nearest door, which was not that much farther up the hall. As I was reaching for it I felt the movement of a Trump contact. Coral?
I opened myself to it. Mandor appeared before me again.
“Are you all right?” he asked immediately. “We were cut off in such an odd fashion.”
“I’m fine,” I told him. “We were cut off in a once-in-a-lifetime fashion. Not to worry.”
“You seem a trifle agitated.”
“That’s because it’s an awfully long walk from downstairs to upstairs with all the powers of the universe converging to slow me.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s been a rough day,” I said. “See you later.”
“I did want to talk with you some more, about those stones and the new Pattern and—”
“Later,” I said. “I’m waiting on an incoming call.”
“Sorry. No rush. I’ll check back.”
He broke the contact and I reached for the latch. I wondered whether it would
solve everybody’s problems if I could turn Ghost into an answering service.
Chapter 7
I hung my cloak on Jasra and my weapons belt on the bedpost. I cleaned my boots, washed my hands and face, hunted up a fancy ivory shirt—all ruffled, brocaded, frogged—and put it on, along with a pair of gray trousers. Then I brushed off my deep purple jacket, the one on which I’d once laid a spell to make the wearer seem a little more charming, witty, and trustworthy than is actually the case. It seemed a good occasion for getting some use out of it.
As I was brushing my hair there came a knock on the door.
“Just a minute,” I called.
I finished up—which left me ready to go and also, probably, running late—then went to the door, unbarred it, and opened it.
Bill Roth stood there in browns and reds, looking like an aging condottiere.
“Bill!” I said, clasping his hand, arm, and shoulder and leading him in. “Good to see you. I’m just back from some troubles and about to take off after more. I didn’t know whether you were here in the palace now or what. I was going to look you up again as soon as things slowed a bit.”
He smiled and punched my shoulder lightly.
“I’ll be at dinner,” he replied, “and Hendon said you’d be there, too. I thought I’d come up and walk over with you, though, since those Begman people will be there.”
“Oh? You got some news?”
“Yes. Any fresh word on Luke?”
“I was just talking to him. He says the vendetta’s off.”
“Any chance of his wanting to justify himself at that hearing you asked me about?”
“Not from the way he sounded.”
“Too bad. I’ve bean doing a lot of research, and there are some good precedents for the vendetta defense—like, there was your uncle Osric, who took on the whole House of Karen over the death of a relative on his mother’s side. Oberon was particularly friendly with Karen in those days, too, and Osric offed three of them. Oberon acquitted him at a hearing, though, basing his decision on earlier cases, and he even went further by stating a kind of general rule—”
“Oberon also sent him off to the front lines in a particularly nasty war,” I interrupted, “from which he did not return.”
“I wasn’t aware of that part,” Bill said, “but he did come off well in court.”
“I’ll have to mention it to Luke,” I said.
The Chronicles of Amber Page 137
