Embeth slowed her charger's pace as she approached, and with a nimble move slipped from the saddle to land at the brookside in front of me. I stood myself to observe her. Nothing had changed -- she was still as beautiful as ever. I looked seeply and saw something familiar within her.
We talked of Amber; of our travels thus far, of those whom we'd met, and the things we had done. Upon learning that we'd passed Ygg and were now very close to the goal, she allowed a small frown to grace her face. I asked whyfor. With the joining again of Greyson to our band, he'd inadvertently put himself in danger, as the curse that bound him to never remember his homeland would take stronger hold the nearer to Amber we could achieve. Not only could he lose those memories (as he'd seemingly had, since he claimed not to know us) but the trauma and power of the curse, should he return, would take his sanity -- perhaps forever.
There was, of course, a chance that we could keep this from happening. When Embeth asked if I still held the Jewel -- and I wished to see my own face when I realized that she knew! -- and I produced it from my cloak. Apparently, one of the attributes of the Jewel of Judgement is that it holds within it an inscription of the Pattern itself; and through that it could be that Greyson's sanity could be saved. If the Jewel was used to bring Greyson's mind into an altered state (something that Embeth referred to as "hypnotizing") the Pattern would be able to preserve his right mind until such a time as we were in Amber. There were, of course, no guarantees -- who knew what would befall him when Greyson was returned to normal in Amber.
Of course, whether that happens or not is a totally different story.
The next morning I woke and pulled the others around to hear my story. We talked about whether we should even bring Greyson, until Gerda (who had been tracking him) said that she firmly believed that Greyson would continue on towards Amber whether he was with us or not. In agreement, I went off to find Merlin and my intended target.
Greyson could best be characterized as a mixture of paranoia and downright orneriness. However, I could tell that there was an almost insatiable hunger, a need to return to Amber. When I very cautiously spelled out the danger he faced, and that I might be able to keep such a fate from befalling him, he accepted my offer. I spun the jewel on a chain that Stark lent me, and as Greyson's eyes began to glaze, I began to lay out the terms of his perception. Before finishing, I'd set the command phrase to bring him out of the mindstate -- for both Merlin and I to know, in case something happens (and Gods forbid that occurs.)
When we'd rejoined the others, things did not look much different. "Well?" said Cecily, and so I turned to Greyson.
"Are you ready for our trip home?
His eyes glazed, and he looked to the sky. The others looked impressed, and I smiled.
*****
It was a long trip, several days and nights over mostly hospitable terrain. I kept mostly to myself over this time, flexing my musical muscles which had not seen much use lately, and double checking on Greyson's status. So far, so good, and we rode on.
Eventually we came to the foot of a great forest -- not Ygg sized trees, but what Gerda said was that this forest covered a landmass the size of a continent. This was the Forest of Arden, once patrolled by Julian, who it had been guessed succumbed to the same curse that the rest of the family members had. As we pushed ahead, Shen had noticed that something was headed our way. Cecily leapt into action, and it was over before it started -- the basilisk had been killed. Unfortunately, Merlin had caught its gaze and fell out of his saddle, stiff as a board. Strangely, he'd not been turned to stone.
Moving through the forest, we found signs of trouble. Many of the places that would have been manned or patrolled by Julian's forces lie empty or were broken down. We continued on until passing along a ridge, and emerging from the forest to see Amber for the first time.
As we entered the gates, I couldn't help but feel disappointed and saddened at the state of this once-great place. The town was a shambles, families huddled inside the structures, frightened children crying. Being suited for the task, I stepped forwarded and announced or intentions, assuring those who could hear that we were not there to continue the conflicts that had torn this place apart.
We were met by one brave soul holding a rusty sword, and it took great convincing -- and my open hand -- to gain some semblance of trust. I asked the man to pass the word that heroes had come to Amber, to restore this place to glory.
He did not seem convinced, but headed off ahead.
There is a lot of work to be done.
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