Chapter 046: Hello, Big Brother...

"Under the eye my defences now open

Caught in the spotlight I fall

Searching within me invading my secrets

A fear that is dear to us all

Raped to the point where there's nothing left sacred

Nowhere to run or to hide

All of my thoughts left exposed to all listening

With no one but hope by my side"

Under the Eye - Aragon

     Although I spent quite a long time lying awake in bed, pondering and musing my time away on our latest batch of problems, I must have dropped off sometime during the night, for the next thing I knew was someone very insistently trying to reach me through my Trump. I yawned, I stretched, and when I felt more or less awake enough to respond coherently to whoever it might be I accepted.

     "What are you doing still in bed?" Fiona asked before I could even say as much as a good morning. "Why aren't you dressed yet? Have you totally forgotten that we have a Family meeting scheduled for this morning?"

     "Ah, that's this morning, is it?" I ventured cautiously, "It's just that nobody had mentioned anything about what time it was supposed to begin, though."

     "It must have simply slipped your mind," Fi replied curtly. "Oh, never mind! Come along!" She started extending her hand to help me through, then reconsidered. "On second thoughts, you'd better put some clothes on first. I expect to see you here in five minutes." And she was gone again.

     The perfect start of another fine morning, and no breakfast to boot. Oh well, better get it over with. The whole show would probably be a matter of listening to what Bleys and Fiona had decided and obediently nodding our assent to their magnificent plans. Shouldn't take long, all in all. Bitter? Me? Naah...

     I quickly got dressed, but quietly slipped through to the other room to check up on Alexa before I left. She was still asleep, which was no wonder, since it was still rather early. Her breathing was regular, though, as was her pulse, and I felt fairly certain that she would be regaining consciousness quite soon. I left a note on her bedside table explaining where she was and asking her to stick to her room till I got back.

     In the corridor on my way to the meeting room I ran into Murlas and Adrian, also on their way to the lecture. Both were rather quiet and subdued, and Adrian seemed to be pondering on something. I noticed that the servants had somehow managed to clean up all the signs of last night's fight, which made me wonder whether it had been the only incident. Somehow I didn't think it had been.

     The meeting room, like our bedrooms, had been constructed in what might be called Amber style, that is, it lacked some of the Chaotic swirling designs featured elsewhere in the palace. Instead there was sturdy oaken panelling along the wall, dark oaken furniture to match this, and a burgundy wall to wall carpet. Alexander and Boadice were already seated at the table, sipping tea. Just what I needed to really wake up. As I walked towards my table I noticed Bleys standing near the head of the table, apparently talking to someone through a Trump. He extended his hand and in a swirl of rainbow colours a man appeared who I had never seen before. His hair was a light, sandy colour, he was dressed in black and brown, and he smiled as he surveyed the room. Fiona's eyes narrowing to slits at his sudden appearance gave me a clear indication of who this had to be: my mysterious uncle Delwin, as in Sand and Delwin, the famous comic duo, always good for a couple of laughs. Adrian had mentioned him being here in Chaos, but somehow I had not expected him to show up for this meeting. Despite Fiona's clear dislike, however, he seemed to be rather close to Bleys, who apparently had invited him for the main event. I wondered whether his presence would make any difference to the outcome.

     Meanwhile Delwin had turned to face Fiona, who had managed to erase any traces of the scowl from her face and was regarding him with an overly sweet expression.

     "Why, my dear sister!" he said. "No words of welcome for me?"

     "But of course," Fiona said, smiling her sweetest smile, "you're very welcome here, Delwin."

     "I did not expect anything less," he said, taking her hands in his. They kept on smiling at each other for a moment, before Fiona turned her gaze towards us.

     "I do not believe that all of you have met my brother Delwin, have you?" she said to us. "He has never really concerned himself with Amber matters very much in the past."

     "There are matters of greater importance," Delwin replied airily. He moved to greet Alexander, Murlas and me. "My nephew Dorian," he said as we shook hands. "The one who makes up in closeness to the Family for the instances where I fall short." He was still smiling when he said this, but there was something in his tone that made me think that this wasn't just an idle comment. He probably knew a lot more about me than I did about him. Delwin made similar cryptic comments to both Alexander and Murlas, so apparently I wasn't the only victim of his intelligence network.

     Delwin's skipping of Boa and Adrian implied that he already knew both of them. Well, Adrian was the one who had told me about him, but this thing about Boadice was new. She deliberately caught Delwin's eye and whilst seemingly having a polite conversation they quickly exchanged some whispers. Hmm, they already knew each other very well indeed, it seemed. Interesting.

     Meanwhile Fiona had turned away from the rest of us, and now she was the one answering a Trump call. Before I knew it another stranger appeared in a similar rainbow swirl, and this time it was a real mystery man, or woman as the case may be. The identity of the person that had Trumped through to Fi was obscured by a long black robe with a hood and a black facial mask. The only things to indicate that there was indeed a living person hidden under there were a pair of glittering eyes that seemed to be familiar, although I couldn't say whom they reminded me of. From the stranger's average built and bulgy clothes it was impossible even to say whether it was a man or a woman. Well, it probably wasn't Gerard, that much was sure, but beyond that anybody's guess was as good as mine.

     "Mask will also take part in this council," Fiona announced, turning back to us.

     "Why?" Adrian asked, more or less voicing the question for all of us.

     "Why not?" was Alexander's comment. "Mask is clearly an Amberite." I glanced over at him. Why was he so sure of that? I could sense some Pattern from the stranger, but I didn't know that Alex was as sensitive as me in this regard. He was still studying Mask, a pensive expression on his face, and I got a strange feeling from him, as if I didn't really know him. Well, that much was true, I wasn't all that close to Alexander, but I meant it in a broader sense. I guessed we would probably never get to the point where we could just sit down and have a friendly conversation. Pity in a way, but can't be helped. Too many obstacles between us.

     "Mask and I discussed the matter," Fiona said, "and for safety reasons it seemed best that no one should be aware of Mask's identity or even his or her presence here in Chaos." She saw both Murlas and Adrian looking very annoyed, and added: "Should it be necessary, Mask will talk to some of you privately and may even reveal his or her true identity." I smiled. Okay, if that was the way they wanted to play it, then so be it. A quick look over at Bleys told me that he wasn't taking it so lightly. The score between him and Fiona had apparently been evened: first Delwin's sudden appearance, then Mask showing up out of the blue. Delwin himself was more amused than annoyed, though. He must be more than used to this kind of cloak and dagger stuff to be able to see the humourous side of it.

     As everyone took a seat my gaze was once again drawn to Fiona, who started weaving a Pattern shield around the room. Something seemed to be wrong with her, but it took me a moment to figure out what it was. She seemed a little tense, which in itself wasn't a big surprise considering this whole situation. Then I remembered that I had never really gotten this feeling from her before, not even during our adventures in Taureth's Trump. She was usually very good at hiding her true feelings, so was this merely a crack in her mask or maybe only the tip of the iceberg? I hoped the former, but feared the latter. If Fiona had reasons to be so tense, things had to be way beyond even our worst nightmares.

     "Alright," said Bleys, when everyone had quietened down, "I think we can finally begin. Just to be clear about it, the purpose of this meeting is to reach some kind of consensus. I hope that by now you all will have realised that the Chaosites look at us as if we were a single House.

     "Chaos Houses always present a single point of view or policy to the outside world, and individual members are expected to toe the party line, so to speak. They regard us as being the House of Amber, and expect us to behave in the same way as they do. In other words, they expect us to play by their rules, and for now we will." He smiled for a moment, then turned more serious again.

     "This means that each and every one of us can be held accountable for the words and deeds of one of his or her relatives. Now, to avoid any problems on our side we're going to decide what our policies will be with regard to the larger issues at stake here. Of course I expect everone to stick to these agreements, or to deviate from them only when deemed really necessary, and then only so subtly that we as a group won't get caught with our pants down.

     "One of the main issues, of course, is the matter of the succession. Or rather, whether the House of Amber is going to support anyone, and if so, who?"

     "I think we should also get involved in the matter of the Major Houses," Alexander remarked. "Before anyone will be able to claim the throne, a decision will have to be reached about which Houses are going to be in the Major Council. Our wishes might add weight to certain of those claims."

     "Yes, well, I think we're all thoroughly aware by now of your involvements in the business of the remnants of House Hendrake," Bleys said. "But you're right, insofar as this might become a deciding factor in the whole matter. It all depends on our level of involvement, I guess."

     "Ehm, just checking, but we are going to support the more liberal Houses, aren't we?" Boadice asked.

     "Of course we are," Bleys said indignantly. It stood to reason, I guess, but unfortunately not everyone always lets reason guide their actions.

     "It seems we already have a couple of good candidates for the throne," Alexander said. "First there's Adrian's child, who will in any case be supported by the relatives of Adrian's bride-to-be and the progressive members of the former House Hendrake."

     "Hold on a minute," Boa interrupted him. "Has Sereva already been located?"

     "I don't know," Alex confessed, but Bleys smoothly added: "She has indeed resurfaced, but there appears to be a new problem: she has apparently declared the intention of publicly wanting to question Adrian's claim of being the father of her child."

     "Anyway," Alexander continued, as if he didn't really care about his brother's personal problems, "there's another possible candidate who has also stepped forward, as I'm sure Adrian must have told most of you by now. Apparently Merlin had a relationship with a certain Julia before he died, and this lady now claims to be carrying his child."

     "Julia you say?" Delwin asked. "But isn't she Jurt's fiancee?"

     "She says that the child is Merlin's," Alex said with a slight shrug, "although Jurt chooses to believe differently."

     "Jurt is a son of Dara, isn't he?" Boa remarked. "Then the child will be of the blood of Amber no matter who the father is. If it isn't someone else, that is."

     "Julia says she can produce witnesses who can support her story of her affair with the late King," Alexander added.

     "Which doesn't really prove anything," Bleys said.

     "No, of course not," Alex said, "but it can play a role in the succession, for this testimony could be done publicly."

     "That's right," Bleys said. "The point is not what the truth of the matter really is, the point is what are people willing to believe is the truth."

     "The point is not which embryo will get our support, but which regent," Murlas said casually.

     "Of course," Bleys conceded. "The child itself is of no great importance. No slight intended to you, Adrian, but there is no doubt that in the case of your child there's a greater chance of us Amberites becoming his regents." It was fairly clear which specific Amberites he had in mind.

     "But Sereva will try to oust me," Adrian said.

     "She won't find that too easy, since the two of you are officially engaged," was Bleys's reply.

     "As for Julia," Alexander said, "she is aware that a regency will probably be the price for our support to her claim." Apparently he had been talking to the lady as well, since he knew so much about her. I wondered why this Julia had taken the trouble to see both of her late lover's brothers.

     "Julia's child is indeed another possible candidate for us," Fiona said.

     "The only question is how much support she will get from the other Houses," Alexander said. "I gathered that House Sawall won't be supporting her, in any case."

     "No big surprise," Bleys said, "they're much too afraid of seeing the regency end up with someone else than themselves. No, House Sawall will support Despil, who has still one of the strongest claims, aside from all these unborn children, being Merlin's half-brother and all."

     "If being related is so important, I wonder whether for instance Adrian's claim might not be just as strong," Alexander said. Adrian slightly lost colour at hearing that, but Bleys's answer was quick to reassure him.

     "It isn't," he said. "Merlin's own succession came about not because of his actual parentage, but because of his having been adopted by Gramble Sawall, his stepfather. Despil and Jurt's claims have the same origin as his, while you and Adrian cannot lay claim to that particular connection. However, Julia's child, though illegitimate, can boast that relationship, and is, therefore, a greater threat to the other candidates. Legitimacy of such children is not really an issue. That is why Sereva's threat to Adrian doesn't pose as much a threat as it seems."

     "There is a problem, however, with us supporting, for instance, Julia's child," Alexander said. "If we'd do that, and her claim fell through, Despil's claim would be all the more stronger for it, since it would seem that Amber would be in favour of ignoring the rule that would pass the succession on to the next Major House, in this case the Baccarans."

     "Quite true," Bleys said, "there's no way for us to hedge our bets. It's either one or the other, and I think we shouldn't rule out the possibility of supporting another candidate altogether."

     "Like who?" Boadice wanted to know.

     "Adrian perhaps?" Alexander suggested.

     "No way!" was his heartfelt reply.

     "I don't think that's really an option," Fiona said. "Adrian already has one kingdom to rule, two wouldn't be wise."

     "Two is simply too greedy," Boa remarked.

     "It wasn't my idea," Adrian muttered indignantly.

     "The trick is not to get the throne," Fiona added, "the trick is to keep it."

     "Merlin's words," Boa said, "If only he had lived by them." Very true.

     "The question is not only who we're going to support," Alex said, "but also, if it is one of the two children, who do we want to see as regent?"

     "That is indeed the question," Bleys said, smiling. Oh, he must have a very good idea of who he wanted to see take on that job.

     "So who is it going to be?" Adrian asked. "Are we going to support a regent of our choice, or is it going to be true candidate?"

     "Whoever we want to see on the throne will at least have to have the blood of Amber," Fiona said.

     "Is that absolutely necessary?" Boadice asked.

     "Not necessary," Alexander replied, "but it is highly desirable. That way the child will at least feel a bit closer to Amber. We don't want to sow the seeds for yet another war, do we?"

     "It all depends on how the child is raised," was Boa's opinion. Murlas nodded. Well, I guess he had some first-hand experience in this department.

     "I assume that you and Fiona have already fully discussed the whole matter," Alexander said to Bleys, "and I for one would like to know what your conclusion is."

     "Well, of course we have talked about it," Bleys admitted, "but the matter is quite complex. Sereva and Adrian's child would as a candidate be quite favourable for us, but Sereva's latest actions aren't to our advantage. She probably has enough support to claim the regency on her own, and in that case she will want to sever all ties with Amber. It has also come to my attention that she is possibly in league with someone else, although there's no concrete evidence as yet. We shall look into that, however."

     "Who do you suspect?" Adrian and Boadice asked at the same moment.

     "A certain man," Murlas said quietly.

     "A certain person," Bleys corrected him with a stern glance. He clearly wasn't going to tell us. I wondered how much Murlas knew about this. He was playing his usual role of silent observer, only now and then providing the meeting with some casual comments. Precisely the stance he had told me before he would take. But then I realised that I hadn't said much myself either.

     "So you do not think we're old and wise enough to hear who it is that you suspect?" Boadice insisted. Tsk, tsk, that girl should learn when to stop asking questions.

     "Let's just say that your current acting skills haven't convinced me yet," Bleys replied calmly. "If we feel that you need to know, we will tell you." Sure, you will. And Murlas will be the next King of Chaos.

     "If we support Sereva, though, we're also furthering the claim of House Helgram," Alexander said.

     "Quite true," Bleys said. "Fact is that there really isn't a perfect candidate around. Julia's child provides us with another possibility; Julia herself won't be a strong regent, and she still needs a lot of support, lacking that of House Sawall, so if we take her side in the quarrel we might easily win the regency for Amber."

     "And if Julia's claim fails, Despil will be next in line," Alex said.  "He's still a lot more acceptable than House Helgram."

     "He has the blood of Amber, in any case," Fiona said.

     "He has," Alex confirmed. "And in the event that he won't be accepted either, the claim will pass on to Sereva's child."

     "It all seems rather neat," Bleys said with a smile.

     "Aren't we forgetting something?" Boa asked. "Didn't that high priest of the Serpent Church say that the Sawalls were to blame for this whole mess? If we're supporting Julia's child, we're directly opposing the local religious authorities."

     "We're always going to be on the opposite side of the Church," Bleys replied, "no matter what."

     "Well," Boadice said, "if that is the way it is, I agree that Julia's child is probably our best bet. Besides, it will be a great way to thwart Sereva's plans."

     "Naturally this decision isn't going to be final," Bleys said, "but for the time being I think this will be the position we will take in public. However, I advice you all to remain at least a bit reserved. Everyone will expect us to get involved, but that doesn't mean that we'll have to do it too openly. Keep yourselves busy in whatever way you see fit, whilst displaying at least a slight preference for the candidate we have decided upon, but keep you eyes and ears open. You never know what might come along."

     "What about this Ornach?" Fiona asked Boadice.

     "Did Uncle Bleys tell you his history?" she asked in return.

     "We've learnt a few more things about him," Fi said, "but we still need more information. We especially want to know what his immediate plans are."

     "Well, apparently he thinks that he has a say in the matter of the succession," Boa said. "I seem to remember him saying something to the effect that he would decide himself who would be fit to be the next king. It might just be a case of general arrogance, though."

     "Arrogance is too small a word for it!" Delwin said. "If he thinks he can just decide who is going to become king, his naivete is much greater than one would think. He still has years and years to catch up with, and the matter isn't as simple as he thinks it is. He might be powerful, but he can't get away with something like that."

     "Just how powerful is someone who has just returned after years of exile, with no House to back him up, with no friends?" Boadice asked rhetorically.

     "Right," said Delwin. "After all, his powers appear to be mostly based on the Logrus, and as we all know the Logrus is pretty weak right now."

     "Alright," Bleys said, "does anyone else have anything to add?" He looked round the table, fixing each of us with an inquiring stare. I just gave him a bored expression, while Adrian and Murlas looked more annoyed and even a bit rebellious. Bleys just smiled when he saw their faces, as did Fiona, although her smile was a bit more strained. Delwin looked pensive and Mask, well Mask just sat there and kept quiet, just like he or she had done during the entire meeting.

     Since nobody had anything else to say, Bleys declared the meeting to be at an end. I sighed, nodded to the assembly, and left for my own room again. It had all more or less gone as I had expected, with only a couple of small surprises thrown in for good measure. So we were going to support Merlin's unborn child. Okay, fine by me, there weren't any good other candidates around anyway.

     "Dorian, wait up!" Boadice called after me as I was walking through the corridor. I turned and waited for her to catch up with me. "Are you all set to go and meet Ornach?" she asked. Oh yes, that was right. I glanced at the door to my chambers, where Alexa would probably be awake by now.

     "Actually, there is something that I need to do first," I said.

     "Oh, that's alright," she said. "Shall we say the library in half an hour?"

     "Half an hour is fine," I said with a slight smile, "but where can I find the library? No, never mind, just Trump me in half an hour." She nodded.

     "Till then." And she was off to her own room, in a hurry as always.

     When I entered my room I found out that there were still a few more surprises scheduled for that day, for a strange sight was awaiting me. It wasn't that it was stranger than most things here in the Courts, though, it was just that it hadn't been there when I had left earlier. To be short, somehow a whole forest of oddly shaped crystals had managed to spring up and fill most of my room within the relatively short span that I had been away. What the...? I quickly closed the door behind me and moved a little closer, being very careful not to touch anything yet. As it was, there was barely enough space left for me to circle the thing and study it from all angles. At several points there were some entrances into the structure, leading to some unseen and unknown destination. The vaguest hint of some stench or foul smell lingering in the room found its way to my nostrils, giving me a clue as to what could be involved here. I started concentrating on the Pattern to see if my guess was right, and to my astonishment the whole crystal forest just melted away before my eyes, vanishing without a trace in a matter of seconds. Weird! One for the Dorian files.

     Only after scrutinizing the room once again and finding no trace of the crystals or the power or person that had caused them to be in my room, did I drop my Pattern and knock at Alexa's door. A soft voice bade me to come in. I found her seated in a comfortable chair beside her bed, looking much better than before, if a little bit pale. I urged her to remain seated, finding a place for myself on the edge of her bed.

     "Lord Dorian," she said, "I have gathered that you were the one who saved me. I owe you my life."

     "Well, I wasn't alone in rescuing you," I replied modestly. "But tell me, how do you feel?"

     "I don't remember much of what has happened," she said with a sad frown. "Everything is rather hazy, I fear. But I am well, thank you. A little bit weak, that is all."

     "Glad to hear it. Have you been brought up to date yet?" She shook her head, so I started explaining. The King's death had her quite worried of course, and when she heard of the Summons she said that she'd better move to her private suite in the palace as soon as possible.

     "Hold on for a moment," I interjected. "Do you think that is wise?" She looked at me as if the question and the whole underlying train of thought were entirely novel to her.

     "It is what's expected of me, isn't it? So why shouldn't I? Do you think that I won't be safe there? Whoever would want to harm me?"

     "I can't answer that," I said, "but such things do happen. After all, when I found you in the mansion you were in a rather sorry state."

     "I don't really remember what happened," she said, just a little bit too quickly. "It was probably just an accident." It was clear to me that she could very well recall the specifics of her `accident' but really didn't want to. I wasn't going to force her, though, since her wounds were clearly still too raw.

     "As for the Summons," I began again, "I really don't think that you should go to your appointed chambers or to the Council all by yourself."

     "What do you have in mind?" she asked demurely.

     "Aren't there any other people or Houses that you might go to? Anyone reasonably favourably disposed towards you?"

     "Well, most people are, I believe," she said. "I don't have any real enemies that I know of." She noticed my barely concealed sigh and added: "But I am aware of the changes that may occur in situations like these. Stories are often told of how certain council members fail to show up for the Summons. I know that I don't have that much experience, but I don't want you to think that I'm entirely naive."

     "Alright, touche," I said. "Is it really necessary, though, for you to be present at the Minor Council?"

     "It is my duty," she replied firmly. "My personal well-being is not as important to me as the honour of my House. Not appearing before the Council would amount to a significant loss of face for House Grendyn. The substantial task of upholding our honour has now fallen to me, and I intend to do it to the best of my ability." She sighed, then asked me: "Where am I at the moment?"

     "In the Amber wing of the palace," I said. Alexa frowned slightly. "But if that's the way you feel about it," I continued, "I feel obliged to accompany you to the Council."

     "I can't really ask that of you," she said.

     "I know. That's why I make the offer as it is, unasked."

     "Courts etiquette now requires of me that I try to talk you out of this as much as I can," she said. I gave her a look that plainly conveyed to her that I wasn't about to change my mind, whatever arguments she might come up with. She smiled and quickly added: "However, I think the situation warrants a certain amount of pragmatism, so I hope you won't mind me accepting your offer as it stands."

     "Not at all," I said firmly.

     "Thank you," Alexa said. Her smile did much to chase away my misgivings at committing myself to her cause. I just hoped that my presence by her side would be enough to give anyone with designs on her life second thoughts. One of the servants out in the corridor was able to inform me that the Minor Council would convene at red sky, sometime at the end of the afternoon speaking in Amberite terms. I promised Alexa that I would come round to pick her up well before that time and made her promise to me in return that she would remain in her room and that she wouldn't exert herself in any way. Rest was still the best thing for her.

     As I crossed back to my own room I stifled a curse: the crystals were back with a vengeance: this time they were even bigger and brighter than before. I closed the door, making sure that Alexa didn't by chance catch a glimpse of the strange structure, and set out to find out what in the name of the Unicorn was going on here. Having learned my lesson from the first encounter, I didn't call on the Pattern to enhance my vision, but strictly stuck to my own mental powers. They didn't reveal much to me aside from the fact that the crystal forest had clearly been constructed with the powers of the Logrus. Must have been a real pro too, considering the state that that squiggle was in. Alright, time to call in the expert. As hard as I tried to Trump Taureth, though, it was to no avail. I was on my own, as usual.

     Cautiously I moved up to the glittering structure and reached out and touched it. Cold, hard, smooth: your basic crystal. As before there were several entrances in its outer walls, through which I could look inside at even more crystals. I got the feeling that there might be something or someone in the middle of this crystal forest, but what or who, I had no idea. I could of course try and ask for someone else's expert opinion, like Fiona's, but an important, independent part of me argued against it. Besides, I still remembered what had happened the last time I had asked for her help. Alexa was also out, because of the simple fact that she had not walked the Logrus, and because of her still fragile health. Alone, alone, all all alone then. I glanced around the room one more time, then stepped boldly into the crystal forest.

     As soon as I was inside I heard a rustling and tingling noise behind me: the opening in the wall had closed itself. I was not too worried about this, theorizing that calling on the Pattern would make the whole thing disappear again, as it had before. I could always blast my way out if need be. Through the crystal forest a sort of path wound itself towards the centre. As I followed it, the crystals seemed to grow even larger, making me feel as if space itself was somehow being warped. Finally I reached my destination, a clearing smack in the middle of the forest. Someone was waiting for me there with a very serious expression: Taureth. I gave him an inquiringly look. From what I had come to know about him, I guessed he must have a serious reason for erecting crystal structures in my bedroom, and I was curious to hear it.

     "So you finally decided to take the risk," Taureth said. "That's good. I was hoping you would. I apologize for the amount of secrecy involved, but regretfully I couldn't make things any clearer without arousing suspicion.

     "As you may have guessed," he said, gesturing at the scenery, "this is a Logrus cage. Creating something like this is very dangerous at the moment, not because of the current state of the Logrus, but rather the reverse. Whatever you do, don't start using Pattern! This is very important." He stared at me long and hard to make sure that I got his drift. I nodded and he continued.

     "I'm here at your aunt Fiona's request, to inform you of the problem at hand. Because of the sudden and great damage done to the Logrus, the Pattern has gained too much power, much too fast. Those two Powers have always been more or less in balance, but the latest upheaval has tipped it far too much in favour of the Pattern. It now controls most part of the Shadows, although the other two undamaged Powers try their very best to offer resistance. According to Fiona the Pattern will try to prevent people from repairing the Logrus, and unfortunately I believe she is right. Naturally this is not a very desirable situation.

     "As you know, Fiona herself has a very close connection to the Pattern, and as a result of that she is now more or less completely under Its control. She has managed to keep a very small part of herself out of the Pattern's grasp, but only at a very great expense of energy on her part. She had already a good idea of what was going to happen as soon as we would leave your Shadow, that is why she asked me beforehand to tell you all of this. She will try to keep the Pattern occupied, for as soon as she fails It will turn Its gaze upon the one who is next closest attached to it, in other words upon you." My mouth was suddenly very dry and I found I had the urge to swallow hard a couple of times.

     "That's the price of power," Taureth said with a grim smile. "We're afraid that the Pattern's behaviour is not entirely rational at the moment. Megalomania is probably the right term for Its current state of mind, and things may only get worse. As long as the Pattern ignores you you're safe to do whatever to do what you want to, but be very, very careful to keep this knowledge hidden from It. You have to realise at all times that the Pattern might be watching, especially when Its powers are called upon. That is also the reason why your so-called Family meeting was nothing but a sham, a trick to convince the Pattern that Its pawns were still working towards Its goal, namely getting someone with the blood of Amber on the throne of Chaos. That is not what Fiona wants, and neither do I. Both of us want a return to the former balance, with both the Logrus and the Courts strong and powerful. However, Fiona can't do anything without the Pattern knowing about it, so her hands are tied. Fiona said to tell you that Bleys suspects something, as of course he would, but that for the moment he's unaware of all the specifics.

     "This way of helping you keep this information from the Pattern is my way of settling my debt with Fiona. It's a debt I'm more than glad to pay, as you can understand. We felt you ought to know."

     What was there for me to say after this kind of news? My thoughts tumbled chaotically through my mind, strings leading everywhere and nowhere, trains derailing or just running into blind walls, and all without any clear result.

     "What about your father Ornach?" I asked, just to fill the ominous silence. "Is he aware of this whole situation?"

     "Well, I have spoken with him," Taureth said with a strained, almost painful expression, "but he doesn't concern himself with this. He has other priorities. I don't believe you've met him yet, but just believe me when I say that he is not the right person to get involved in this. Besides, I was asked to keep him out of it."

     "Okay," I said, "fair enough. But what now? I know what not to do, but what is there I should do? What is there that I can do?"

     "I can't really help you there," Taureth said regretfully. "The ultimate goal should be clear, and I hope you will help us work towards it."

     "Naturally," I muttered, although I couldn't see any way that I might be able to be of assistance there. It wasn't as though I had a choice, though, with my back firmly pressed against the wall and the big and inhuman eyes of the Pattern almost focussing in on me. "I assume that it isn't a good idea to try and reach you through the Trump Fiona drew of you," I remarked, "so is there any way I can get in touch, should I need to?" Taureth handed me a small piece of crystal, apparently of the same sort as the forest around us.

     "Here," he said, "this is probably a little bit cruder than a Trump, but you will be able to contact me through it all the same. Oh, and beware of Patternghosts. They'll probably be the next step in Its grand design." With that final shocker he walked off and the crystals around me melted away, leaving me standing in the middle of my own room.

     Much time to think about my situation I didn't get, for I was immediately aware of someone trying to reach me by Trump. It was Boadice of course; she must have been trying to contact me for quite some time, but Taureth's Logrus cage had effectively blocked all Trump calls, or at least the one made using Amber Trumps, which were the only ones in working order anyway.

     "Yes?" I said, a bit more testily than usual.

     "Are you free now?" she asked. "Ornach is here in the library and he is ready to meet you."

     "Okay," I said after a moment's thought. I'd better not do anything out of the ordinary right now, and this meeting had been scheduled earlier. Besides, I still wanted to meet Ornach, and just waiting for my right mood to come along did not sound like a particular good idea. I clasped Boa's hand, and just for a moment it felt like a scaly talon, human illusion notwithstanding.

     "I have to warn you," she said, leading me through the corridors, "Ornach doesn't have any particularly warm feelings towards Amberites, so here." She handed me a piece of paper with a rather good sketch displaying a stretch of corridor in the palace. I didn't have to sense hard to feel that the thing was a sort of Trump, although it felt less powerful than the usual cards. "That's for emergencies," she added. I smiled a tense but thankful smile. She sure was concerned about my well-being all of a sudden.

     A short while later we entered the palace library, which reminded me a lot of the one back in Amber, save for the somewhat peculiar decorations here and there. The thing was easily as big as the one back home, though: a true bibliophile's paradise. At a table near the entrance sat a rather impressive-looking man: dark blonde, half long hair, a neatly trimmed beard, a figure to rival Gerard, and a larger than life presence that reminded me of Oberon (not the one from the story Deirdre had told me, though).

     "My Lord Ornach," Boadice said very politely, "I would like to introduce to you Lord Dorian, son of Princess Deirdre of Amber. Lord Dorian has some information concerning your children."

     Ornach rose slowly from his seat, literally putting me in his shadow, and for a moment I wondered whether I really would have to use the Trump Boa had given me. However, I soon spotted Ornach broad smile and relaxed a little bit. Apparently he wasn't going to tear me to pieces.

     "Ah," he said in a booming voice, "my son's saviour." He grabbed my hand and nearly squashed it in his. "I have already heard quite a few things about you. Welcome."

     "Pleased to meet you, sir," I said, barely managing to mask the pain from my poor hand.

     "Have a seat, have a seat. Don't mind the mess. I'm sure you have been informed of the things that keep me busy."

     "Yes, I have," I said, "and I hope you'll be successful in pursuing them."

     "Me too, boy, me too." He glanced around at the few librarians that were silently scurrying around with their assistents. "At least no one has tried to throw me out of here so far," he said with a smile. Somehow I didn't think that anyone would be brave or foolish enough to try something like that. "It is good that I see you, however, for I am very curious to hear how you managed to find Taureth." Uh oh, dangerous territory. I would have to be very careful not to get him angry. I told him that due to circumstances Taureth's Trump had fallen into my hands, and that after some investigations I had ended up with Nisse, who had told me the whole story. I looked closely at Ornach's face when I mentioned Nisse's name, but his expression remained kind and attentive.

     "What exactly did he tell you?" he asked me.

     "Oh," I replied quickly, "he was rather neutral about the whole thing, even a bit sympathetic to your plight. It was clear that he felt more than a little bit guilty about the way it had all turned out."

     "Ha!" Ornach burst out. "That's easy for him to say after all this time! He wasn't the one who had to suffer for so long!"

     "I know," I said soothingly, "but he did tell me the entire story, even though it meant breaking the Oath which lead directly to his death." Fortunately Ornach calmed down a little, although he clearly wasn't much impressed by Nisse's sacrifice. However, I became aware that I only noticed this because he let me; Ornach was clearly the kind of person who could very easily hide his true feelings if it suited him, much like many of our elder relatives. Perhaps that similarity between him and Oberon wasn't that far-fetched after all. The one thing that was clear about him was his sense of determination.

     He was very happy to hear my description of the Trump prisons of his other children and of course he wanted to know whether I knew the whereabouts of any of them.

     "I'm sorry," I said, "I don't know where they might be. Even my aunt Fiona, who is an expert on these kind of things was unfamiliar with your children's prisons. Knowledge about these Trumps just wasn't available in Amber, and I'm afraid that I don't know too many people here in the Courts whom I might ask." He nodded; apparently knowing that the Trumps were somewhere around was enough for the moment.

     "So what is Dworkin up to nowadays?" he asked with a neutral expression.

     "Very vague, mysterious and secretive stuff mostly," I replied truthfully.

     "Well, you see, I'm just looking forward to having a little chat with him," Ornach said with a sweet smile, "and he'd better not be very mysterious or secretive with me, or he'll learn to regret it!" That last bit was again a sudden outburst. He clearly had some trouble keeping his emotions under control, especially when it came to Dworkin.

     "I understand completely," I said, "and I'm not planning on being in anyone's way." Ornach nodded again.

     "First I'm going to find my children, though," he said. "That is much more urgent."

     Suddenly the fluttering sound of little wings sounded through the room, and very soon there appeared a little bat-like demon creature, which landed on Ornach's shoulder. It hissed at him while Ornach smiled at it and stroked its tiny head. A pet? Could be. You never know with these Chaosites. Ornach held his left hand up to the creature, and it hopped onto his arm and greedily dug its small but sharp fangs into his wrist. With morbid fascination I watched how the tiny thing fed on Ornach's blood until it had had enough.

     "Just a moment," Ornach said to me, and he moved towards Boadice who still stood nearby and had probably heard everything that had passed between us. He held out his left arm, from where the little creature eyed Boa with beady little red eyes.

     "Give me your arm," Ornach commanded her.

     "Hold on a minute," Boa said, clearly not happy with the latest developments, "that thing isn't going to drink my blood. I'm very superstitious about stuff like that. I don't have too much left after last night anyway, so..."

     Ornach didn't look too happy at this. As fast as a snake his right hand shot forward and grabbed her throat, lifting her just a tiny bit above the floor. Boa clawed at his hand, but his grip was like iron.

     "Didn't we have a deal, girl?" he asked her in a low voice.

     "Not about me turning into food for you pets," she gasped.

     "Foolish girl!" he shouted. "Give me your arm!" Boa didn't really have any choice, so very reluctantly she extended her arm, until the creature could hop onto it. With content little noises it started its second meal for the day, gobbling up her blood as if it were wine. Meanwhile Ornach had relaxed his grip on Boa's throat, fortunately for her, for it didn't look like a very comfortable position to be in. When it had finished Ornach lifted it to his face and whispered something in its ear. With a happy shriek the creature leaped up into the air to land on Boa's shoulder.

     "What was all that about?" Boa asked.

     "It will be your guide," Ornach said, "to find my daughter's Trump. Take along as many people as you think you need to."

     "But why did it need my blood?" Boa insisted.

     "Don't keep asking these foolish questions!" Ornach snapped. He turned around and asked rhetorically: "Why do I have this kind of dumb-witted servants?" I hid my smile behind my hand. Poor Boa! Ornach was plainly not the most agreeable boss to be working for, and she didn't really seem to have much choice in the matter either. I nodded to her as she left the room. Now that I knew a little bit more about Ornach I wasn't that reluctant anymore to be left alone in the same room with him. Besides, he seemed a lot more kindly disposed towards me than towards say someone like Boadice or Dworkin. Just my luck, I guess...

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