Sign of chaos
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Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Next page "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-redstriped 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. Nothin 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-alI 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 precendents 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 Iines 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. "Which part?" he asked. "Both," I answered. "That wasn't the main thing I came to tell you," he went on. "There's something going on at a military level." "What are you talking about?" "It's even easier to show you," he explained. "It should only take a minute." "Okay. Let's go," I agreed, and I followed him out into the hall. He led the way down the back stair and turned left at its foot. We moved on past the kitchen and followed another hallway which turned off toward the rear. As we did, I heard some rattling sounds from up ahead. I glanced at Bill, who nodded. "That's what I heard earlier," he told me, "when I was passing by. |
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