Roger Zelazny - Sign of chaos

«How did this happen?» she asked.

«A wizard named Mask apparently slipped him some chemicals when he had him prisoner.»

«Where was this? I've never heard of Mask.»

«A place called the Keep of the Four Worlds,» I told her.

«It's been a long time since I heard the Keep mentioned,» she said. «A sorcerer named Sharu Garrul used to hold it.»

«He's a coatrack now,» I stated.

«What?»

«Long story; but Mask has the place these days.»

She stared at me, and I could tell she was just realizing that there was a lot she didn't know in the way of recent developments. I'd judge she was deciding which of several obvious questions to ask next when I decided to beat her to the punch while she was still off balance.

«So how's Bleys?» I asked.

«He's much improved. I treated him myself and he's recovering quickly.»

I was about to ask her where he was, which I knew she would refuse to answer, and hopefully we would both smile when she saw what I was driving at: no address for Bleys, no address for Luke; we keep our secrets and stay friends.

«Hello!» I heard Mandor say, and we both turned in the direction he was facing - back out through the notch.

The dark tornado-form had collapsed to half its former size, and even as we watched, it continued to diminish. It fell steadily in upon itself, shrinking and shrinking, and in about a half minute it was gone, completely.

I could not suppress a smile, but Fiona did not even notice. She was looking at Mandor.

«Do you think it was because of what you did?» she asked him.

«I have no way of knowing,» he replied, «but it may well be.»

«But does it tell you anything?» she said.

«Perhaps whoever was responsible did not like having me tinker with his experiment.»

«You really believe there's an intelligence behind it?»

«Yes.»

«Someone from the Courts?»

«It seems more likely than someone from your end of the world.»

«I suppose so…,» she agreed. «Have you any guesses as to the person's identity?»

He smiled.

«I understand,» she said quickly. «Your business is your business. But a general threat is everybody's business. That's what I was really getting at.»

«True,» he acknowledged. «This is why I propose investigating it. I'm at loose ends at the moment. It might be amusing.»

«It is awkward asking you to communicate your findings to me,» she said, «when I do not know what interests might be involved.»

«I appreciate your position,» he replied, «but to the best of my knowledge the treaty provisions still hold and no one in the Courts is promoting any special designs against Amber. In fact… If you like, we might pursue the matter together, at least part of the way.»

«I've got the time,» she said.

«I don't,» I injected quickly. «I've some pressing business to attend to.»

Mandor shifted his attention to me.

«About my offer…,» he said.

«I can't,» I told him.

«Very well. Our conversation is not concluded, however. I'll be in touch later.»

«Okay.»

Fiona looked my way then, also.

«You will keep me posted on Luke's recovery, and his intentions,» she stated.

«Of course.»

«Good day, then.»

Mandor gave me a small half salute and I returned. it.

I began walking then, and as soon as I was out of sight I began shifting.

I found my way to a rocky slope, where I halted at withdrew my Trump for Amber. I raised it, focused my awareness, and transported myself as soon as I felt my way through. I was hoping the main hall would be empty, but at this point I didn't really care that much.

I came through near Jasra, who was holding an extra cloak over her outstretched left arm. I ducked out the doorway to my left into an empty corridor and made my way to the back stair. Several times I heard voices and I detoured to avoid the speakers. I was able to make it to my rooms without being discovered.

The only rest I had had in what seemed an age and a half had been a fifteen-minute nap before Luke's spaced-out sorcerous faculty had caused him to summon me to the Looking Glass Bar via a hallucinatory Trump. When? For all I knew, it could have been yesterday - which had been a very full day before that incident.

I barred the door and staggered to the bed, flinging myself down upon it without even removing my boots. Sure, there were all sorts of things I should be doing, but I was in no condition for any of them. I'd returned home because I still felt safest in Amber; despite the fact that Luke had reached me here once.

Someone with a high-powered subconscious might have had a brilliantly revelatory dream following as much crap as I'd been through recently, and then have awakened with a wonderful series of insights and answers detailing appropriate courses of action. I didn't. I woke once, in a small panic, not knowing where I was. But I opened my eyes and satisfied myself on that count, then went back to sleep. Later - much later, it seemed - I returned by degrees, like some piece of flotsam being pushed higher and higher onto a beach by wave following wave, until finally I was there. I saw no reason for going any further until I realized that my feet hurt. Then I sat up and pulled my boots off, which might have been one of the six greatest pleasures in my life. I removed my socks in a hurry then and threw them into the corner of the room. Why doesn't anyone else in my line of work seem to get sore feet? I filled the basin and soaked them for a time, then resolved to go barefoot for the next few hours.

Finally I rose, stripped, cleaned up, and put on a pair of Levi's and a purple flannel shirt of which I am fond. The hell with swords, daggers, and cloaks for a time. I opened the shutters and looked outside. It was dark. Because of clouds, I couldn't even guess from the stars whether it might be early evening, late night, or almost morning.

It was very quiet in the hall, and there were no sounds as I made my way down the back stair. The kitchen was deserted also, the big fires banked and smoldering low. I didn't want to stir things up beyond hanging a pot of water to warm for tea while I located some bread and fruit preserves. I turned up a jug of something like grapefruit juice, too, in one of the walk-in ice boxes.

As I sat warming my feet and working my way through the loaf, I began to feel uneasy. I was sipping my tea before I realized what it was. There seemed a great necessity that I be doing something, yet I had no idea what. Now I had something of a breather, and it felt strange. So I decided to start thinking again.

By the time I'd finished eating, I had a few small plans. The first thing I did was to make my way to the main halt, where I removed all of the hats and cloaks form Jasra and swept her off her feet. Later, as I was bearing her stiff form along the upstairs hallway in the direction of my room, a door opened partway and a bleary-eyed Droppa watched me go by.

«Hey, I'II take two!» he tailed after me. «Reminds me of any first wife,» he added then, and closed the door.

Once I had her installed in my quarters, I drew up a chair and seated myself before her. Garishly clad as part of a savage joke, her hard sort of beauty was not really diminished. She had placed me in extreme peril on one occasion, and I had no desire to free her at a time like this for a possible repeat performance. But the spell that held her claimed my attention for more than one reason and I wanted to understand it fully.

Carefully then, I began exploring the construct which held her. It was not overcomplicated, but I could see that tracing all of its byways was going to take a while. All right. I wasn't about to stop now. I pushed on ahead into the spell, taking mental notes as I went.