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“Speak!” Freda intoned. She clapped her hands three times again. It drifted around to face her. “You are bound here! Obey me!”
The ghost bared its spectral teeth in a snarl. “Let me go…” it cried in a hollow voice that sent chills through me. “The darkness calls…”
Aber gave me a nudge. “Go on. Question it.”
Freda looked pointedly in my direction. I swallowed hard and stepped forward.
“Who sent you here?” I demanded in a voice stronger than I felt.
“Abomination…” it wailed. Then it hurled itself in my direction, but came up short at the edge of the circle.
I stood unflinching. Freda's magic better hold; if this ghost got free, it clearly meant to do me whatever harm it still could.
“Who sent you?” I demanded again.
Hissing, it drew back.
“How do I know it will speak the truth?” I asked Freda.
“The circle holds it trapped,” she said. “It ca
Quite a bargaining chip. I took a deep breath and stepped closer to the edge of the circle. The ghost threw itself toward me again, and when it failed to reach me, drew back once more.
“Who sent you?” I demanded.
“Fiend!” it shouted. “Abomination!” then it began to curse me and my family for a thousand generations. Once more it flew at the boundaries of the circle, trying to escape. But Freda's magic held; it could not get away.
“Answer me!” I said.
“Let me go…” it wailed. “Let me go…”
“Tell me what I want to know, and I will consider it.”
“No… I ca
“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?”
“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 I want to know!”
“I ca
“You will! You must!”
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, “It is the truth. I feel it.”
“I don't understand.” I looked from one to the other. “Uthor should lead his 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 24
“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 ca
“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.”
“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 attacking me, 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. She is a powerful sorceress.”
“Anyone can foretell the future. The trick is getting it right.”