To Rule in Amber (10 page)

"Finally, in desperation, I returned to the Beyond. Our home had been devastated; what the
shai
le'one
hadn't destroyed, the storm had. The walls had melted, the roof had been ripped away, and little remained beyond a misshapen puddle of melted stone, wood, and glass. Only one wall still stood from the main building, and at its tallest, it couldn't have been more than six feet.

"For a while, I searched among the debris, but found nothing of any possible use. Everything had melted and run together. It was a complete loss.

"I took shelter in one of the small guardhouses that had been part of the wall surrounding our keep. Miraculously, it had escaped unharmed - though I couldn't say the same for the three men whose bodies lay inside. The
lai she'one
had beheaded them and left their bodies rotting on the ceiling. I dragged them outside, released them, and let them drift into the sky. That took care of the worst of the stench.

"I stayed there for a week, hiding out and waiting to be discovered. Using the Logrus, I snatched food and drink - along with books and anything else I needed for comfort - from nearby Shadows. I talked with Freda several times a day. The one time I reached Conner, he told me he didn't think he and Titus would be alive much longer… people in his uncle's household were giving them strange looks, growing silent when they entered rooms, or just refusing to talk to them or dine with them. He said they blamed Dad for the Shadow-storms. He didn't know what to do or where else to go.

"Of course, I offered to bring them both through to join me, but he wouldn't hear of it. Better dead than living like an animal, he told me scornfully.

"Every day I watched as new storms came through the Beyond, each a little less severe than the last. Fortunately none of these hit near me, and I waited them out in relative comfort and safety.

"Two weeks passed. The towering Shadow-storms had all but ceased, though tiny squalls

continued. When I tried to reach Conner, I suddenly got no response. Freda told me she feared what might happen if she ever left her aunt's house. An angry mob had tried to drive her out the day before.

"That was the last time I talked to her. The next day, I couldn't reach her anymore. I assumed she had been killed or arrested, too, like Conner. I would probably be next.

"Another week passed. Loneliness finally got the better of me, I couldn't hide in the ruins for the rest of my life. I had to go out and see what had happened.

"Shapeshifting has never come easily to me, but I changed my features as best I could. Disguised as an old man, I returned to the Courts to see what I could learn.

"When I arrived, a strange mood hung over the streets - anxious, apprehensive, and most of all afraid. People in the streets and plazas stood in small knots, talking and looking around apprehensively. I half expected guards and soldiers to appear, dispersing the crowds, but none did.

"And, as I walked, I couldn't help but notice all the damage. Many buildings had collapsed from the force of the earthquakes and the storms. Giant stones - the kind normally found in the wildest parts of Chaos - nosed among the wreckage like grazing cattle. Women cried and men searched among the debris for loved ones.

"I wandered slowly through the Courts, pausing now and then as I caught interesting bits of conversation. Everyone seemed to be voicing the same thoughts:

'"Dworkin betrayed Chaos.'

"'How many more storms will Dworkin send to destroy us?'

"'Dworkin must be stopped.'

"As I got closer to the palace, I noticed a distinct change in the tone. Instead
of 'How will the
king stop Dworkin
?' it became, '
The king can't protect us anymore. Someone else must
!'

"At any other time, such words would have been treason. And to hear well-respected citizens openly saying such things in the streets! Incredible!

"When I got to the palace, I found the gates shut and barred. Grim-faced guards stood at all the entrances, swords out. I tried not to stare, but they were so preoccupied with watching the crowds that they wouldn't have noticed me anyway.

"Then I noticed two severed heads hanging from the spikes to either side of the gates… Mattus and Titus. Signs hung from both - BORN OF A TRAITOR. A coldness touched my heart. King Uthor must have executed them to try to appease the crowds. Only it hadn't worked. Everyone wanted Dad's blood. Nothing else would satisfy them at this point.

"And, I realized, if anyone caught me here, I would probably share their fate.

"At least no other grisly trophies decorated the gates. Perhaps Freda and all the others were still alive in one of the dungeons. I could only hope.

"With no place to go and no plan in mind except to stay alive as long as possible, I went to a small tavern I knew and settled in at a corner of the bar. As I sipped a beer, I listened with interest to all the gossip and talk of Uthor's failings around me. No one mentioned any family members other than Dad

- and they mostly cursed his name.

"Then they began to speculate about what the king would - or wouldn't - do to protect Chaos.

Several people openly said King Uthor ought to step down in favor of one of his sons.

"'He's too old,' one man said.

'"He cares more for his palaces than his people,' said another, nodding.

"Everyone echoed those sentiments. Then talk turned to how Dad ought to be killed when he finally got caught. Slowly grinding him to mincemeat, starting with his toes, seemed the most creative solution.

"Finishing my drink, I left, and once more wandered the streets. If anything, the crowds had grown larger, and the mood had grown darker. A new storm seemed to be coming: the air had grown darker, and a strange pressure filled the air, just like it had back home in the Beyond. You could feel the people's tension mounting.

"Finally, the
lai she'one
appeared. They marched toward the largest groups of people, shouting:

'Clear the streets! By the king's order - clear the streets now! Back to your homes or you will be

arrested!'

"No one dared protest, but many men gave them angry looks, and I noticed a few fingering their swords or knives. If any had dared start trouble, I think the crowds would have rioted.

"But everyone began to disperse. In twenty minutes, the streets grew relatively empty - the few people still out moving with purpose on personal errands.

"I turned away from the others and took shelter in the ruins of a once grand home. I found a corner where two corner walls and part of the second floor still stood and took shelter just as the storm struck.

"It wasn't nearly as bad as any of the storms I had seen in the Beyond. The walls and ground shook; colors ran into puddles at my feet, and lights played weird tricks on my eyes - glowing and pulsing, they came in waves that left me disoriented and confused.

"When stones fell from the crumbling walls, I crawled under a table. That kept me safe for the next hour.

"The storm passed quickly. By the time I felt well enough to crawl out from the wreckage of the house, criers wandered the streets, shouting the latest news and proclamations - fifteen thousand dead, the hunt for Dad going on, another son of Dworkin captured. I wondered who it could be.

"In Triffig Square, an angry mob burned Dad in effigy. I had never seen so many people out for blood.
Our
blood.

"I spent another week in the Courts, carefully keeping up my disguise. I listened to the news and kept to myself. Several times people tried to contact me by Trump, but I ignored them. With so many sets of Trumps now in King Uthor's hands, I could not trust anyone.

"Subtly, I made enquiries of old friends, feeling them out for their loyalties. They had all turned against us. I had no one to fall back on for help. At night, I tried several times to contact family members… you, Blaise, Freda, Conner. I even tried Dad a few times. I knew Dad was still free, from all the rumors circulating about him putting together an army to attack Chaos. But he never answered.

"Unfortunately, the stress of keeping up my disguise proved too great. My control over my new face slipped one day as I was walking through the streets by the palace - I tried to go every day, to see if any more family members had been executed. When my old face returned, someone must have recognized me. The next thing I knew,
lai she'one
were running toward me, packs of urhounds baying as they picked up my scent, and I had nowhere to hide.

"I fled into the wilder Shadows of Chaos. I used every trick I could think of to hide my trail. I crossed the Beyond, then passed through the Gates of Stygia and into Ellysiom. I rode the back of a wild stone through the Mad Lands, and passed through Lyric's Furnace. The heat seared me half to death, and still they followed.

"If not for the urhounds, I probably would have escaped. But they had my scent and wouldn't let go. No matter how far or how fast I fled, their baying voices came behind me.

"I crossed the Golgul Wastes on foot, doubling back several times through the Lesser Catacombs, but nothing worked. I gained a few hours' lead skirting the Abyss, but no more. Finally they cornered me at Draak-Bal Forge.

"That's when I began trying every Trump I had left. Finally I reached you, Oberon. Lucky for me.

"And that's the whole story," Aber finished. "Not very impressive, I admit, but thanks to you, I escaped Uthor's grasp, which has to count for something. No thanks to Blaise." He gave her a dark look.

"It wasn't safe where I was, either," she said. "If not for Oberon…"

I cleared my throat and motioned for more drinks from Jamas. He refilled our tankards silently.

He had been listening to Aber's story with a bewildered expression, but like any good barkeep, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. I nodded to myself in silent approval. Perhaps he and his son could be persuaded to relocate to my future Shadow kingdom once we began recruiting settlers.

I turned to Blaise. "Did anyone try to contact you by Trump while you were with your aunt and uncle?"

"Yes, nearly every day." She shrugged. "I ignored them. I didn't feel like talking to anyone. Much good that it did - the
shai le'one
came for me anyway. Why? Is it important?"

I paused thoughtfully. "I think so. Uthor must have been using Trumps to find everyone in our family. Had you answered, he probably would have located you sooner. That must be how they captured everyone else."

The sound of horses' hooves came from outside. I glanced at Jamas, endlessly polishing the far end of the bar with a rag as he listened to our gossip.

"Your son?" I asked.

"Ayeh," he said with a smile. "Back with Doc Hand, I'll wager. He'll fix your Da up, right enough."

A loud crash came from somewhere upstairs. Aber and I exchanged a startled glance.

"Dad!" we both said.

I leaped to my feet and sprinted up the stairs with my brother at my heels.

Drawing my sword, I came through the bedroom doorway poised for a fight. I found Dad next to the bed, looking around with wild eyes. He had knocked over the washstand - that's what had made the crashing sound. Its blue basin had shattered on the floorboards, scattering broken pottery and dirty water across the floor.

Aber drew up behind me.

"Dad?" I said. "How are you feeling?"

I stepped forward cautiously, lowering my sword. He hadn't summoned a weapon through the Logrus, which I took as a good sign.

"Where is he?" Dad said in a hard voice.

"Who?"

"Thellops, my boy! We were just arguing -"

"He's not here," I said quickly. "You've been sick. Unconscious for hours."

"Hours? No!" He sat heavily on the edge of the bed, shaking his head. "What did he do to me?

How long has it been?"

"I'm not sure." I hesitated. He seemed a lot better, and yet… subtly different. I couldn't quite put my finger on what had changed. "I found you unconscious at the Pattern a few hours ago, Dad, and brought you here."

"Where is this place?"

"Just an inn in a Shadow."

"Time moves differently there… we may still have time." He stood again, looking around with some confusion. "You must come back with me, of course. And Aber, too…" He frowned, eyes distant.

"And Locke. Where is he? I need him."

"Locke is dead," I said softly. He had to be very confused, if he'd forgotten his first-born son's death in Juniper.

"Was it Thellops?" He paused. "No… no…"

"That was a long time ago," I said quickly. Better to steer him back to the subject at hand. "What about Thellops? Has he done something? Is it important?"

"Yes. Thellops." He looked at me, and I saw a raw anger in his eyes. "The three of us together should be enough."

"For what?" Aber asked.

Dad stood, then looked down. "What have you done to my boots? The laces are gone. And where is my swordbelt? Thellops is a crafty devil. We must be prepared this time."

"I have your swordbelt. It's downstairs." I took his arm and eased him back onto the bed. "Sit down for a minute. Tell me how you're feeling. You took a few blows to the head. Do you remember anything from the Pattern?"

"The Pattern is fine. I drew it, after all."

"After that…"

He blinked and his eyes grew distant. "Tired. Hungry." He looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. "Where am I?"

"At an inn," I said reassuringly. He was repeating himself… and not thinking too clearly. Then I glanced at the door. What was taking Old Doc Hand so long? Maybe he could help.

Dad frowned. "I… already asked that, didn't I?"

"Yes," Aber said, folding his arms. "Try to focus, Dad. What about Thellops?"

"Thellops?" He looked at me. "Did I kill him, Locke?"

"I'm Oberon, not Locke. I don't know if you killed him. Were you fighting?"

"Yes…"

"Then we'll find out soon enough."

Dad leaped to his feet. "He got away!" Pulling free from my grasp, he paced like a caged animal.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked.