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"Do you want to spend eternity here, trapped in this circle?"
It gnashed ghostly teeth but made no reply.
"Come," I said to Freda and Aber. "It won't cooperate. We'll have the room
walled up in the morning." I turned toward the door.
"No!" it called. "Wait& "
I glanced over my shoulder. "Will you answer my questions?"
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"Yes& "
"Very well." I folded my arms. "Who sent you?"
"Uthor& King of Chaos& "
I nodded slowly. I had known it would be either King Uthor or Lord Zon.
Now to find out who had betrayed us.
I said, "Who drew the Trump that brought you here?"
"I do not know& "
"Where did you get it?"
"From the king's own hand& "
Unfortunate, if true. Maybe it didn't know who had betrayed us.
I frowned. What other information might prove useful?
"Where is Uthor's army now?" I asked.
It hissed and dashed at the far edge of the circle, trying to escape. Clearly
it did not want to say any more; it still held that much loyalty to its old
liege.
I said sharply: "Speak! If you ever want to leave this place, tell me what
Iwant to know!"
"I cannot& "
"You will! Youmust !"
It gnashed spectral teeth. Again it hurled itself against the walls of its
prison, all to no avail.
"Speak!" I commanded. "This is your last chance! Where is Uthor? Where are
his men? I want to know the location of his camp!"
For a moment I thought it would refuse to answer, but finally it spoke in a
low voice.
"The king is close& He will be here soon& He will kill you all and free me.
& "
Aber gasped. "King Uthor left the Courts of Chaos? Is that what you're
telling us?"
"Yes& "
I glanced at my brother. "Is that important?"
"Of course it is!" Aber said. "If the ghost is telling the truth "
Freda said, "Itis the truth. I feel it."
"I don't understand." I looked from one to the other. "Uthor should lead his
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men into battle. It's what kings do."
"You really don't understand," Aber said, his voice low and urgent. "King
Uthor hasn't left the Courts in six hundred years!"
"What!" I blinked in surprise. "Why not?"
"It is the custom," Freda said. "His sons or his generals fight his battles.
Only a dire emergency could possibly bring him forth."
An emergency& like the now-corrected Pattern casting a new set of Shadows?
Like the creator of those Shadows building a new castle and fortifying it
against attack?
Grimly, I smiled. This could easily turn to our advantage.
I said, "Then he's just made his first mistake."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
«^»
"Let me go& !" the ghost cried.
"One more question," I said, turning to face it again. "Where can I find
Uthor's camp?"
"Far from here& "
"He cannot know, truly," Freda said in a quiet voice. "He is not born of the
Logrus or the Pattern. He can neither walk through Shadows nor visualize
Uthor's camp in relation to Amber."
"A pity." It had been worth a try, though.
"Very well," I said, giving Freda a nod. I was satisfied; I didn't think we
could learn much more from it. "Set the ghost free."
"Are you sure?" Aber said softly. "Maybe we should keep it here a little
while longer, just in case. You might think of another question or two. If we
let it go, we won't have this chance again."
The ghost hissed angrily. "Liars& !" it cried. "I knew you would not let me
go& !"
"Be silent!" I snapped. To Aber, I said, "It kept its word. I must keep mine.
Freda?"
"I agree," she said.
Reaching out with the toe of her right shoe, she carefully rubbed at the edge
of the circle. It took a few seconds, but when the line broke, the ghost
rushed past her with a cry of joy.
Outside the circle, it hesitated and looked back at me. Slowly it turned.
"You kept your word& " it said.
"Yes." I folded my arms. "I always keep my word."
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"I did not believe you would.& "
"A bargain is a bargain. Be on your way. Do not return, spirit."
Still it lingered. "I will answer the one question you failed to ask& "
Curious, I leaned closer. "What is that?"
"Your true enemy is not Uthor& He spoke of you with something akin to
admiration. & "
"Huh!" Aber said. "Murder is an odd way of showing admiration!"
I said to the ghost, "Then why did he order you to kill me?"
"Because he fears what will happen if he does not& "
Then, with a sigh, it faded away, gone to whatever afterlife remained.
I puzzled over those parting words. What could possibly happen to Uthor if he
failed to order my death? He was the king his wishes should have been
paramount. A real threat must hang over him, something that forced him to take
immediate action.
What might he fear? A rival for the throne, perhaps? Someone powerful enough
to lead a revolt against him if he appeared weak or indecisive?
Lord Zon, perhaps?
I sighed. If only they saw fit to leave me alone. I had no interest in Chaos
or the Logrus. I only wanted to live in peace. Everything I had done so far
had been to protect myself& They kept attackingme , after all.
Was the Pattern really that powerful? Had it truly weakened Chaos so much
that Uthor needed to move decisively against me to keep lands safe and his
subjects satisfied?
We already knew Uthor had time on his side& months to prepare versus days for
us in Amber. We would have to move quickly or be caught unprepared.
Freda said, "You understand the threat."
I nodded. "Yes. He will attack soon."
"You must be ready."
She held out her right hand. In it I saw a stack of Trumps, face down.
"More of your future-telling?" I asked with a laugh.
"Humor me, Oberon."
I shrugged, took the deck, shuffled it twice, and handed it back. Turning,
she headed for her room& probably to read them in private. She knew how little
I believed in predictions.
"Let me know if there's any good news!" I called after her. "I could use some
about now!"
Aber said, "You shouldn't make light of her talents. Sheis a powerful
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sorceress."
"Anyone can foretell the future. The trick is getting it right."
"Futures can change, you know. That's why so many predictions don't come
true. Oh! I have something for you!"
"What?"
He reached into the pouch at his belt and drew out a new Trump. The colors
were bright, almost glassy. I accepted it.
"Nice. New paints?"
"I spent the morning yesterday hunting up pigments. These are nothing like
the ones I used to have, but they will do."
It showed the main courtyard of the castle. Quite a nice likeness, too.
"You may have to get back here in a hurry," he explained. "This is in case
Freda and I aren't around."
I grinned. "Thank you!"
"Oh, it's nothing much." He made a deprecating gesture, but seemed delighted
by the praise. "My small contribution."
I added it to the stack of Trumps in my pouch, hesitated, then pulled out
Dad's. Aber said nothing, but his eyes begged:Please don't !
"I have to," I said. "He must be told what's going on. He might be able to
help in some way. Why don't you come along?"
"You know Dad can't stand me!"
"Oh, he can stand you. He just doesn't like you!"
"And that makes it worse." Sighing, Aber looked away.
I'd spoken half in jest, but I saw that it had touched a nerve. I hadn't
meant to hurt him. I really needed to curb my tongue.
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