Chapter 007: Priorities
"So
if you ask me how do I feel inside
I
could honestly tell you
We've
been taken on a very long ride
And
if my owners let me
Have
some free time some day
With
all good intention
I
would probably run away
Clutching
the short straw..."
"So where do we go from here?"
There was a moment of silence from the others.
After about an hour Adrian had finally returned with Lush, looking very happy.
So when Murlas came back from his business I decided to waste no time to discuss
our plans.
"Well, I think we should continue our
quest," Murlas said. "We do have a lead to follow after all."
"What about Alexander and Vincent?" I
asked. We hadn't heard anything from Alex since our encounter with the floating
fur coat and we still had no idea what had happened to Vincent.
"From what you told us," Murlas said,
"I understand that Fiona would try to look into Vincent's case, isn't that
right?"
I nodded hesitantly. "Yes, she promised to do
so, if she had some time."
"Then I think he's no longer our problem.
We've got enough on our plate as it is. As to Alexander, well we can't reach him
by Trump and looking for him in Shadow would take too much time. I vote that we
just go on without him. I think he's competent enough to survive on his own and
if he runs into major problems he can always contact us."
Adrian and Martin nodded their assent, but I had
some doubts. Murlas' reasoning seemed sound, but somehow I got the feeling that
we were abandoning Alex and Vincent. On the other hand there didn't seem to be
much that we could do in either case, so I guess Murlas was correct in this
respect. And I admit that I liked the idea of getting on the track of our
opponents again. I needed to get busy, to have a sense of purpose, to keep my
mind from wandering off to Shadow Earth.
"Alright, you've got a point," I said,
"but what about Algo? Don't you think it's about time we contacted him and
told him how things are? I guess he's had more than enough time for the
funeral."
"I don't know," he answered with a frown.
"I don't think he would be much help. And when we need to know something
about Trumps we can always contact a real expert."
I got the feeling that Murlas didn't like Algo very
much. However I didn't feel like pressing the issue; I guess Algo would contact
us anyway when he was ready.
"Alright, what do you propose we should do
then?"
"Try to find this Robert Fox and Elizabeth
Peldrake of course! After all, it's clear that they know more about the whole
business."
The look on his face as he said that suddenly
triggered a part of my subconscious memory, bringing back a detail that hadn't
truly registered at the time that it happened. Again I saw us entering the
laboratory in the Myrone building where those golems apparently had been
assembled. However this time our movement seemed to slow down and my vision
focused on one of those golems. There on its chest was a small, but very
familiar sign: the Black Unicorn. As the vision faded again I understood that
Murlas was right in wanting to go after those two. This significant detail told
us it was all connected: the Black Unicorn, the golems, Myrone, the Black Trump,
all of it.
So we were still on the right track! I smiled and
nodded, and Martin also showed signs of catching Murlas' drift. The only one at
loss was Adrian (not counting Lush, who clearly wasn't very interested in our
conversation). I guess he had totally been concentrating on sneaking up on that
guy working at the computer to notice such a small but significant detail. We
teased him a bit, saying that he should have noticed it himself, but finally we
told him about the sign of the Black Unicorn. Of course he then also realised
why we had to go after Fox and Lisa.
He wasn't too pleased about leaving Lush again
though, and he asked whether we'd mind waiting until the following morning
before departing. I didn't like it, but Murlas cut in saying it was no problem.
When I tried to object he said that we should let the two love-birds have this
one night, since it wasn't clear when Adrian would return (if he were to return
at all). Besides, he said, if he did return, Lush would be a lot older due to
the time-flow. His nasty remarks didn't help fight off my oncoming feeling of
depression. Hell, everyone's welcome to a love affair of their own, but it just
didn't seem fair that Adrian would be able to enjoy his while I didn't have time
to go and see my girl. But it appeared that the majority was in favour of
waiting another night, so I just complied.
Duty. Ah, how I had begun hating that word! Still,
I felt compelled to act upon my damned sense of duty and resist the temptation
of going back to Suzanne. It would probably be for the best. Once we got rolling
again my mind would be too busy to worry about her too much.
After he had arranged some form of monetary
security for her, Adrian and Lush went off to enjoy their final night together.
Shortly thereafter Murlas also left, saying he had some business to take care
off. Having nothing better to do I spent the evening talking with Martin,
comparing our tastes in music and other things too. He would stay in Angel City
(after all, it was his home), but he promised he would contact us if he would
discover anything interesting. I felt that I would miss him a little, for he was
good company, although in some way he always managed to keep his distance.
That's just the Family, I guess.
"Dorian, we've got to get out of here! It
isn't safe!"
Growling at Wylde for shouting at me when I was
barely awake I quickly put on my clothes. I couldn't imagine we were in any
danger. I mean, that explosion had been nearby, but it hadn't been that near! A
casual comment from Martin, who was looking out the window, quickly changed my
mind though.
"Hmm, I think I will have to look for another
Shadow. It seems that someone has exploded an atomic bomb not far from here and
I don't think staying here will be very good for our health."
Great! Just great! First golems, then fur coats
with lasers, and now atomic bombs! My life had surely gotten a lot more
interesting since I'd gotten involved in the Official Family Business.
Apologising to Wylde for not trusting on her keen danger-sense, I quickly
gathered my stuff and searched for my Trump of castle Amber. I didn't wait for
the others; Martin was already taking care of himself, Adrian was rapidly
becoming aware of the problem and Murlas was nowhere to be seen. Also I didn't
like to wait for the radiation to take effect. So with Wylde on my shoulder I
once again Trumped to the great hall. My arrival there didn't disturb the guards
and servants very much. They must be used to these sort of occurences.
It was early in the evening in Amber, just about
time for dinner I guessed. Well, what should I do now? In my current mood I
didn't feel like attending another official Family dinner, which would probably
be followed by a cross-examination from Random. It would just mean more wasted
hours which we could spend in search of our opponents.
I was shaken from my reveries by the sudden
appearance of Adrian with the sleeping, almost naked form of Lush in his arms.
This did elicit some enquiring looks from the servants, so he quickly ran off
with her without as much as a glance in my direction. I sighed. It seemed that
Adrian wouldn't be ready to continue our search for some time yet.
After one of the servants had assured me that the
suite on the third floor would be mine until further notice, I went off to have
a shower, hoping that would help clear my mind. Wylde went off hunting for
breakfast, which I guess was for the best. I needed some time on my own, to
think about my situation and what was best for me. Someone tried to contact me
while I was in the shower, but I refused, figuring it was probably Adrian or
Murlas. I didn't want to talk with either of them just then.
After a shower and a change of clothing I spent
some time staring out of my window, waiting for Wylde to return. As I sat there
I realised what I wanted to do: despite all our problems I would take this
evening off. I decided to go to my Father and have a nice quiet supper with no
worries of Black Unicorns, Black Trumps or Black Clouds!
About half an hour later I quietly slipped out of
the castle by means of a rarely used gate that Wylde had once discovered while
prowling around. I tried to make sure nobody saw me leaving, for I still had a
feeling that Random would want a word with me and the others when he learned
that we had returned. If he didn't know where I was, Random just might have his
little interview without me (I hoped).
It wasn't entirely dark yet and I easily found my
way down to the city. It was still quite warm for the time of the year and a
pleasant breeze blew in from the sea, its salty smell making me feel all at home
again. Next time I'd take some time off I promised myself I'd go sailing again.
As the man said: the ocean is the ultimate solution.
My Father was pleasantly surprised to see me again
and he gladly joined me for a quiet supper. Old Ralph, one of the house servants
who had been around since before I had been born, laid the table for the two of
us and my Father personally went to select a bottle of wine from the cellars.
The food was simple but tasty; the wine, however, was very good indeed.
At first I spent most of my time eating while my
Father did most of the talking. He talked about people in Amber, some of whom I
knew, some of whom I didn't. He himself had mostly been busy with family matters
and with the occasional dinner invitation. It seemed to me that he had received
more of those since it had become officially known that I was Deirdre's son, but
I felt that it was a good thing for him. When he's alone and he's got nothing to
do, my Father tends to get depressed, thinking too much about my mother and
mourning her death. I guess he resembled me in that respect, needing to keep
busy to avoid depressions.
After I had finished eating and we sat there
enjoying our wine, he asked me how I felt about Amber and the Royal Family and
such, now that I had spent some time with them.
"Things are getting more and more confusing,
complex and frustrating," I said with a sigh. "Now and then I just
don't know what to do anymore."
"Yes," he said, "your mother used to
feel the same way sometimes."
"That's why I'm here right now. I was just in
need of some peace and quiet, some time away from it all, if only for one
night."
"Well, you know you're always welcome here any
time you want to come back."
I smiled ruefully. "Thank you, but I'm afraid
I have to go on. There still are some things that I have to do."
"Well, you should make your own choices, but I
think that you just ought to follow your heart more often. I really think that's
best."
Unknowingly my Father caused a shift in my mental
balance with his last remark, from reason to emotion. Suddenly it was clear to
me which path I had to choose. Before continuing our quest for the Black
Unicorn I would go to Earth to see Suzanne again. Amber might go up in flames
behind me for all I cared! Sometimes personal problems are far more important. I
finished my drink and thanked Dad for his advise. From the gleam in his eye I
could tell he knew exactly what I meant. I said goodbye and left the house,
turning my back on the castle and all the Family problems.
With Wylde at my side I quickly travelled to Arden,
from where I started shifting. However, I felt that I had to send some word to
someone in Amber, so they wouldn't get worried. I summoned a magpie from Shadow,
which landed on my shoulder, much to the annoyance of Wylde. I then wrote a
small note, reading:
Dear Adrian,
I have decided to do some
investigating on my own for the time being.
I'll contact you when I've found
something. Lots of luck.
Dorian
My journey to Earth was uneventful, except for one
attempt at Trump contact which I answered with a "nobody home".
It was early in the morning when I reached London.
I had decide to stop at my apartment before going to see Suzanne. I was glad I
had had the sense to pay my rent several months in advance. As it was, my
apartment lay undisturbed; several weeks worth of mail flooded the hallway and
the place was terribly dusty, but apparently there had been no intruders. Most
of the mail was uninteresting (lots of advertisements, a few bills and some
rockmagazines that I had subscribed to), but at the bottom of the pile I found a
letter in a familiar handwriting: Suzanne's. I checked the date. It had been
posted just a little over two months ago, only a few days after I had left for
Amber. I tore it open, eager for news from her.
She wrote that she was sorry for walking away in
anger that evening and she forgave me my rude remarks. She still loved me (I
thought I had died and gone to heaven when I read those words), but she urgently
needed to talk to me. She had tried to call me, but of course I hadn't been
there. She said it was very important that we'd talk as soon as possible; that's
why she had tried reaching me by means of this letter.
When I finished reading the letter my feelings were mixed. On the one hand I was happy that Suze still loved me, but I was also a bit anxious. Why hadn't there been any other letters after this one. I mean, there's a lot that can happen in two months time. And I admit that I was also curious about what it was that Suze had wanted to talk to me about.
I didn't waste any more time, but immediately dialled Suze's number. To
my surprise however, I got a disconnected tone. I checked the number to be sure,
but I had got it right the first time. With a slight feeling of dread I decided
to try Mike's number. He's the guitarist of Morpheus Dreams and he always was
the one closest to Suze. Fortunately he was at home and when he found out who
was calling he immediately went into a tirade.
"Dorian! Jezus man, where have you been? Why
did you do that to us, man? You knew we had the recording sessions for the
second album scheduled, and then you two just run off without so much as a word
to anyone. We had to cancel everything: the recordings, the gigs, everything.
The band was going so well, but now we're back to square one. We'll have to
start all over again!"
"Hold on, hold on," I cut in. "I
don't know what you're thinking, but Suzanne is not with me. As a matter of fact
I'm calling to found out whether you've seen her. I tried her phone, but it's
disconnected."
"Suze's not with you? Then where is she? We
haven't seen her for two months. Last time I saw her was at that final gig at
the Marquee."
As I recalled that had been a day or two before the
evening that I had left. I didn't like this. Apparently Suzanne had vanished
without a word to anyone, probably just after she had sent that letter to me. I
knew I had done almost the same thing, but I'm an Amberite, and I was certain
that Suze was not!
I told Mike that I just returned from travels
abroad because of some family matters. As I had already gathered our friends had
assumed that Suze and I had run off together, but now that he knew otherwise
Mike said he would immediately contact the police. I agreed and told him I would
be in touch.
After I had hung up I stared at the phone for a few
minutes. Where was Suze? What had happened to her after I had left? What was it
that she had wanted to talk to me about? Questions, questions, questions, and no
sign of any answers. I tried to remember everything I knew about Suzanne Wyman,
hoping to find some clues in her past leading to her present whereabouts.
I didn't know much about her parents, except that
they were English and very well-to-do. She had turned from them, though,
choosing a more carefree lifestyle with the avant-garde scene of London. At the
time when she had joined the band she had been really wild, never staying in the
same place for very long, but she had been mellowed a bit by the band's success
and perhaps by our relationship. Besides me and the band Suze didn't have many
real friends, but I remembered one girl, Sandy, whom she had known from her
youth and to whom she sometimes went when she needed to have her cry out.
Without much difficulty I also remembered Sandy's address and I decided to see
whether she knew what had happened.
I caught Sandy coming home from work. She was about
the same age as Suze, with long dark red hair in a tail and thoughtful brown
eyes. I had met her a few times before and I remembered that she worked for some
advertising agency. Fortunately she also remembered who I was and I quickly told
her about Suze's disappearance. I could tell she was very worried. She told me
that Suze had tried to call her a couple of months back (just before her
disappearance, I figured). Unfortunately Sandy hadn't been at home at that time.
Her boyfriend had taken the call and Suze had said that she would call back
later. Sandy hadn't heard from her again, but she had been too busy to call Suze
herself. She blamed herself a little for not making some time, but I told her it
wasn't her fault. After all, I figured I probably was more to blame than Sandy
for not being there when Suze had needed me.
Sandy made me some tea as we talked some more about
Suze. Sandy thought it strange that Suze hadn't told anything to the band about
leaving; she always took her music very serious. I had to agree, but this only
strengthened my feeling that Suze hadn't left of her own free will.
Half an hour later I said goodbye. Instead of going
home however, I decided to go to Suze's apartment. Fortunately she had given me
a key, so I wouldn't be facing a breaking-and-entering charge if anyone noticed
me. There was a pile of mail in her hallway too. No interesting things, except
for the letter which I had written in Amber.
Remembering to thank Aunt Flora once again for making sure it had been
delivered, I pocketed it. It was much too personal, and with Suzanne missing
there was no one to read it.
I slowly made my way through the apartment, looking
for clues in every corner. One thing I noticed was that there were still a lot
of personal things in the apartment; things I was sure Suze would have taken
with her when going away. A lot of her favourite clothes were still in her
wardrobe, some of them lying around in her room, giving the impression that she
had left at only a moment's notice. In a drawer I found her passport, indicating
that she hadn't planned on leaving the country. All in all I got the feeling
that Suze had taken very few things with her, if she had taken anything at all
besides the clothes she was wearing.
I started looking around for some things concerning
her family, but could find nothing except for a directory. Most entries were on
a first name basis, but there was one Lilly Wyman, although I couldn't guess at
the family connection. I copied the address on a sheet of paper, not wanting to
take anything with me that belonged to Suze personally. Perhaps this Lilly would
know more about her disappearance.
I was on the verge of leaving after looking through the whole apartment, when a thought suddenly occurred to me. It probably wouldn't make a lot of difference, but I think you should always use all means available. So I concentrated and went through the wole apartment again, this time with the Pattern lens dancing before my eyes. And even then I almost missed it.
It was in the bedroom that I noticed a very faint trace
of some power, too faint to tell precisely what power, but a power all the same.
I thought I had left all problems connected with Amber behind me, but reality
proved me wrong. Somehow I had the creeping feeling that Suzanne just might not
be in this Shadow anymore...