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Julian smiled at us and waved, and Morgenstern tossed his head and his magnificent mane rippled in the wind, like a flag. His legs were a blur.
I recalled that Julian had once had a man wear my castoff garments and torment the beast. This was why it had tried to trample me on the day of a hunt, when I'd dismounted to skin a buck before it.
I'd rolled the window shut once more. so I didn't think it could tell by scent that I was inside the car. But Julian had spotted me, and I thought I knew what that meant. All about him ran the Storm Hounds, with their tough, tough bodies and their teeth like steel. They too had come Out of Shadow, for no normal dog could run like that. But I knew, for a certainty, that the word "normal" did not really apply to anything in this place.
Julian signaled us to stop then, and I glanced at Random and he nodded. "If we don't, he'll just run us down," he said. So I hit the brakes, slowed, stopped.
Morgenstern reared, pawed the air, struck the earth with all four hooves and cantered over. The dogs milled about, their tongues hanging out their sides heaving. The horse was covered with a glistening sheen that I knew to be perspiration.
"What a surprise!" said Julian, in his slow, almost impeded way of speaking and a great hawk that was black and green circled and settled upon his left shoulder.
"Yes, isn't it," I replied. "How have you been?"
"Oh, capital," he decided, "as always. What of yourself and brother Random?"
"I'm in good shape," I said, and Random nodded and remarked, "I thought you'd be indulging in other sports at a time like this."
Julian tipped his head and regarded him crookedly, through the windshield.
"I enjoy slaughtering beasts," he said, "and I think of my relatives constantly."
A slight coldness worked its way down my back.
"I was distracted from my hunt by the sound of your motor vehicle," he said. "At the time, I did not expect it to contain two such as you. I'd assume you are not simply riding for pleasure, but have a destination in mind, such as Amber. True?"
"True," I agreed. "May I inquire why you are here, rather than there?"
"Eric set me to watching this road," be replied, and my hand came to rest upon one of the pistols in my belt as he spoke. I had a feeling a bullet couldn't breach that armor. though. I considered shooting Morgenstern.
"Well, brothers," he said, smiling, "I welcome you back and I wish you a good journey. I'll doubtless see you shortly in Amber. Good afternoon," and with that he turned and rode toward the woods.
"Let's get the hell out of here," said Random. "He's probably pla
I drove on at a decent speed.
After about five minutes, when I was just begi
The horn sounded nearer now, and Random was muttering obscenities.
I had the feeling that we still had quite a distance to go within the forest, and this didn't hearten me a bit.
We hit one long straight stretch, where I was able to floor it for almost a minute. Julian's horn notes grew more distant at that time. But we then entered a section where the road wound and twisted and I had to slow down. He began to gain on us at once again.
After about six minutes, he appeared in the rear-view mirror, thundering along the road, his pack all around him, baying and slavering.
Random rolled down his window, and after a minute he leaned out and began to fire.
"Damn that armor!" be said. "I'm sure I hit him twice and nothing's happened."
"I hate the thought of killing that beast," I said, "but try for the horse."
"I already have, several times," he said, tossing his empty pistol to the floor and drawing the other, "and either I'm a lousier shot than I thought, or it's true what they say: that it will take a silver bullet to kill Morgenstern."
He picked off six of the dogs with his remaining rounds, but there were still about two dozen left.
I passed him one of my pistols, and he accounted for five more of the beasts.
"I'll save the last round," he said, "for Julian's head, if he gets close enough!"
They were perhaps fifty feet behind me at that point, and gaining, so I slammed on the brakes. Some of the dogs couldn't halt in time, but Julian was suddenly gone and a dark shadow passed overhead.
Morgenstern had leaped over the car. He wheeled then, and as horse and rider turned to face us I gu
With a magnificent leap, Morgenstern got them out of the way. In the rear-view mirror, I saw two dogs drop a fender they'd torn loose and renew the pursuit. Some were lying in the road, and there were about fifteen or sixteen giving chase.
"Good show," said Random, "but you're lucky they didn't go for the tires. They've probably never hunted a car before."
I passed him my remaining pistol, and "Get more dogs," I said.
He fired deliberately and with perfect accuracy, accounting for six.
And Julian was beside the car now, a sword in his right hand.
I blew the horn, hoping to spook Morgenstern, but it didn't work. I swerved toward them, but the horse danced away. Random crouched low in his seat and aimed past me. his right hand holding the pistol and resting upon his left forearm.
"Don't fire yet," I said. "I'm going to try to take him."
"You're crazy," he told me, as I hit the brakes again.
He lowered his weapon, though.
As soon as we came to a halt, I flung open my door and leaped out-barefooted yet! Damn it.
I ducked beneath his blade, seized his arm, and hurled him from the saddle. He struck me one on the head with his mailed left fist, and there were Roman candles going off all around me and a terrible pain.
He lay where he had fallen, being groggy, and there were dogs all around me, biting me, and Random kicking them. I snatched up Julian's blade from where it lay and touched his throat with its point.
"Call them off!" I cried. "Or I'll nail you to the ground!"
He screamed orders at the dogs and they drew back. Random was holding Morgenstern's bridle and struggling with the horse.
"Now, dear brother, what do you have to say for yourself?" I asked.
There was a cold blue fire within his eyes, and his face was without expression.
"If you're going to kill me, be about it," he said.
"In my own good time," I told him, somehow enjoying the sight of dirt on his impeccable armor. "In the meantime, what is your life worth to you?"
"Anything I've got, of course."
I stepped back.
"Get up and get into the back seat of the car", I told him.
He did this thing, and I took away his dagger before he got in. Random resumed his own seat, and kept his pistol with the single remaining round aimed at Julian's head.
"Why not just kill him?" he asked.
"I think he'll he useful," I said. "There is much that I wish to know. And there is still a long way to travel."
I began to drive, I could see the dogs milling around. Morgenstern began cantering along after the car.
"I'm afraid I won't be worth much to you as a prisoner," Julian observed. "Although you will torture me, I can only tell you what I know, and that isn't much."
"Start with that then," I said.
"Eric looks to have the strongest position," he told us, "having been right there in Amber when the whole thing broke loose. At least this is the way I saw it, so I offered him my support. Had it been one of you, I'd probably have done the same thing. Eric charged me with keeping guard in Arden, since it's one of the main routes. Gerard controls the southern seaways, and Caine is off in the northern waters."