The Courts Of Chaos

“I do not believe you,” Random said.

“Then take a moment and think about it. You know me well enough to know that I will want to rub your noses in it. I want you as witnesses to what I do. In this sense, I require your presence in my new world. Now, get out of here.”

“You will have everything you want plus our gratitude,” Fiona began, “if you will just-”

“Go!”

I knew that I could delay no longer. I had to make my move. I also knew that I could not reach him in time. I had no choice but to try using the Jewel as a weapon against him.

I reached out and felt its presence. I closed my eyes and summoned my powers.

Hot. Hot, I thought. It is burning you. Brand. It is causing every molecule in your body to vibrate faster and faster. You are about to become a human torch—

I heard him scream.

“Corwin!” he bellowed. “Stop it! Wherever you are! I'll kill her! Look!”

Still willing the Tewel to burn him, I rose to my feet. I glared at him across the distance that separated us. His clothing was begi

“Stop it!” he cried, and he raised the knife and slashed Deirdre's face.

I screamed and my eyes swam. I lost control of the Jewel. But Deirdre, her left cheek bloody, sank her teeth into his hand as he moved to cut her again. Then her arm was free, and she jabbed her elbow into his ribs and tried to pull away.

As soon as she moved, as soon as her head dropped, there was a silver flash. Brand gasped and let go the dagger. An arrow had pierced his throat. Another followed an instant later and stood out from his breast, a little to the right of the Jewel.

He stepped backward and made a gurgling noise. Only there was no place to which he might step, from the edge of the abyss.

His eye went wide as he began to topple. Then his right hand shot forward and caught hold of Deirdre's hair. I was ru

Deirdre howled, a look of terror on her bloodstreaked face, and she reached out to me...

Then Brand, Deirdre and the Jewel were over the edge and falling, vanished from sight, gone...

I believe that I tried to throw myself after them, but Random caught hold of me. Finally, he had to hit me, and it all went away.

When I came around, I lay upon the stony earth farther back from the edge of that place where I had fallen. Someone had folded my cloak into a pillow for me. My first vision was of the turning sky, reminding me somehow of my dream of the wheel the day I had met Dara. I could feel the others about me, hear their voices, but I did not at first turn my head. I just lay there and regarded the mandala in the heavens and thought upon my loss. Deirdre... she had meant more to me than all the rest of the family put together. I ca

Yet, I had to see what was happening now. With the Jewel gone, everything was over. Yet... I reached out, trying to feel its presence. Wherever it might be, but there was nothing. I began to rise then, to see how far the wave had advanced, but a sudden arm pushed me back.

“Rest, Corwin.”

It was Random's voice.

“You're beat. You look as if you have just crawled through hell. There is nothing you can do now. Take it easy.”

“What difference does the state of my health make?” I replied. “In a little while, it will not matter.”

I made to rise again, and this time the arm moved to support me.

“All right, then,” he said. “Not that much worth seeing, though.”

I suppose that he was right. The fighting appeared to be over except for a few isolated pockets of resistance by the enemy, and these were rapidly being enveloped, their combatants slain or captured, everyone moving in this direction, withdrawing before the advancing wave which had reached the far end of the field. Soon our height would be crowded with all of the survivors from both sides. I looked behind us. No new forces were approaching from the dark citadel. Could we retreat to that place when the wave finally reached us here? Then what? The abyss seemed the ultimate answer.

“Soon,” I muttered, thinking of Deirdre.

“Soon...” Why not?

I watched the stormfront, flashing, masking, transforming. Yes, soon. With the Jewel gone along with Brand—

“Brand...” I said. “Who was it finally got him?”

“I claim that distinction,” said a familiar voice which I could not place.

I turned my head and stared. The man in green was seated on a rock. His bow and quiver lay beside him on the around. He flashed an evil smile in my direction. It was Caine.

“I'll be damned,” I said, rubbing my jaw. “A fu

“Yes. I heard about it.” He laughed.

“You ever kill yourself, Corwin?”

“Not recently. How'd you manage it?”

“Walked to the proper shadow,” he said, “waylaid the Shadow of myself there. He provided the corpse.” He shuddered. “An eerie feeling, that. Not one I'd care to repeat.”

“But why?” I said. “Why fake your death and try to frame me for it?”

“I wanted to get to the root of the trouble in Amber,” he said, “and destroy it. I thought it best to go underground for that. What better way than by convincing everyone that I was dead? I finally succeeded, too, as you saw.”

He paused.

“I'm sorry about Deirdre, though. But I had no choice. It was our last chance. I did not really think he would take her with him.”

I looked away.

“I had no choice,” he repeated. “I hope you can see that.”

I nodded.

“But why did you try to make it look as if I had killed you?” I asked.

Just then Fiona approached with Bleys. I greeted them both and turned back to Caine for my answer. There were things I wanted to ask Bleys, too, but they could wait.

“Well?” I said.

“I wanted you out of the way,” he said. “I still thought you might be behind the whole thing. You or Brand. I had it narrowed down that far. I thought it might even be the two of you in it together-especially with him struggling to bring you back.”

“You have that wrong,” said Bleys. “Brand was trying to keep him away. He had learned that his memory was returning and-”

“I gather,” Caine replied, “but at the time it looked that way. So I wanted Corwin back in a dungeon while I searched for Brand. I lay low then and listened in on the Trumps to everything everyone said, hoping for a clue as to Brand's whereabouts.”

“That's what Dad meant,” I said.

“What?” Caine asked.

“He implied there was an eavesdropper on the Trumps.”

“I do not see how he could have known. I had learned to be completely passive about it. I had taught myself to deal them all out and touch all of them lightly at the same time, waiting for a stirring. When it came, I would shift my attention to the speakers. Taking you one at a time, I even found I could sometimes get into your minds when you were not using the Trumps yourselves-if you were sufficiently distracted and I allowed myself no reaction.”

“Yet he knew,” I said.

“It is entirely possible. Likely, even,” said Fiona, and Bleys nodded.

Random drew nearer.

“What did you mean when you asked about Corwin's side?” he inquired. “How could you even know about it unless-”

Caine merely nodded. I saw Benedict and Julian together in the distance, addressing their troops. At Caine's silent movement, I forgot them.

“You?” I croaked. “You stabbed me?”

“Have a drink, Corwin,” Random said, passing me his flask. It was a dilute wine. I gulped it. My thirst was immense, but I stopped after several good swigs.