As I stepped out onto the balcony and approached the table, the young woman looked up at me and smiled, then gestured to the opposite chair. "Please have a seat...I don't doubt you're still feeling a bit woozy after your ordeal..."
The scent of blackberries wafted from the teapot, reminding me of the chill in the air, and the thirst that I had yet to assuage. The woman sipped her tea silently, waiting for my response. A response I considered carefully. How could I know that the tea was safe, after all? In the mirror I had seen her pour the cup she now drank, but that did not mean that she could not have poisoned what remained in the pot while she was out of my view. Or, she could have taken antidote to the poison beforehand. The blackberry scent would probably obscure any telltale smells of poison. Had I been someplace where magic worked properly, with all of my usual spells racked, I could have used a spell to subtly check the tea for poison. One does not survive for long in the Courts of Chaos without quickly learning the usefulness of such a spell. Unfortunately, I had no such spell racked here, and casting it on the fly would be...noticed. And I did not wish to declare in such an obvious fashion that I did not trust my unknown host. Even if I did not. After a moment's consideration, I nodded and took the offered chair, reasoning that if this woman merely wanted to kill me, she would not have bothered to thaw me out. "Thank you," I said politely. "I do not believe we have been formally introduced."
"Too true," she responded. "I am Cerridwen, queen of this castle, Duchess of the Eastern Marches...to list but two of my titles. And you are?"
I nodded, and named the titles I had possessed before my imprisonment. "I am Melanie, Lady of House Chanicut, Viscountess of Skeltland, and Marquessa of Corinth. But I imagine you must know much of this already."
Her pupils widened when I mentioned Chanicut, but other than this, she showed no sign of surprise as she sipped her tea. "I'm afraid that I must in all modesty admit that I had no foreknowledge of your identity, Lady Melanie," she began. "When I took possession of this castle, I was much surprised to find several statues in one of the upper rooms. Closer examination revealed that they were no mere works of art, but rather men and women imprisoned in stony silence." She set down her tea, her expression grave. "Quite naturally, I had to do what I could to free you and the others. It would be immoral to do otherwise. Luckily, your constitution was strong enough to withstand the transformation back into flesh, though you did go into shock at first and I feared that you might die...as two of the others did."
Cerridwen poured herself more tea as she waited for my response. I poured myself a cup as well, sipping at it while I considered this information. "Interesting. And the others who survived? Are they still here?"
"I've only freed four so far," she remarked. "I suspect that the two had been imprisoned for so long that restoration was impossible...and so they perished. After that, I began using magic to determine the relative age of the statues before attempting to undo the petrification spells. You survived, but went into shock, so I had my servants see to your recovery. The fourth assumed me to be one of those who originally imprisoned him, apparently, as he ran off and leapt from the window in the room."
Much to my surprise, she appeared saddened by this. How strange, to be so sentimental about a complete stranger. I tucked away that observation as a possible useful tool for later.
"I could find no sign of his body and have no idea whether or not he survived," she continued. "Of the remaining statues, only one seems safe to attempt the spell, though she is far older than you. Her expression disturbs me, however, and I am reluctant to free her until I can set up some protections."
"Hmmm, perhaps I might recognize her, although if she is as much older than I as you say, it would seem unlikely." I looked out over the balcony. "If you do not mind my asking, where precisely is this castle?"
She smiled at my question. "That's a rather tricky question, really. At present, the castle is somewhere between Amber and Ygg...moving towards a region known as Mellisondra. We should arrive there in a few days."
I raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. And what awaits us in Mellisondra?"
"That's a bit of a long story...," she said, with a slight smirk. "I have this uncle, you see, who's a bit of a bore...he fancies himself a great sorcerer and feels that magic isn't really taken seriously. He has a very narrow view, and according to him, the prevalence of magic, and the fact that is practiced by non-real folk, only contributes to the notion that magic is a lesser power." She rolled her eyes at this statement and then remarked, "Leave it to a man to get worked up over such a ludicrous notion. Anyway...he set about changing this...and created something similar to the Pattern in Amber and the Logrus in Chaos. He calls it the Magic Circle, and now that it has been created, the very shape of magic has changed throughout reality. Any man or woman who is not an initiate of the Circle finds his or her magic to be...lessened...in efficacy...and the only way to correct the matter is to walk this Circle. Naturally, this uncle has been less than willing to share its power. He has used its creation to give himself a stranglehold on magical power." She paused and sipped her tea. "I don't think he really considered how others might react to this, however. Said uncle has been removed from the situation, and now I journey to Mellisondra to lay claim to the Magic Circle...to become an initiate of its power and to make it mine forever." With that, she smiled slyly. "Naturally, I intend to be more accommodating than my uncle, for I have no interest in being removed in the way he was. But I do babble on. Tell me something of yourself, Melanie. I am curious to see whether it lies within my power to return you to your home and family, and if we might somehow benefit from becoming good friends."
I thought carefully for a moment, sipping my tea to give me time to frame my response. It was obvious that I was going to have to walk this Magic Circle. The notion of being forever limited to the form of magic I now possessed was simply unacceptable. And if Cerridwen intended to find the Circle and walk it, my best chances would appear to lie with her. So our paths, for the moment, coincided. However, that was not nearly enough to make me inclined to discuss my past life in great detail with her, despite her claim to be interested in becoming good friends. My experience had taught me that there was no such creature, only enemies, allies, and acquaintances. Still, I did not wish to appear openly hostile, or distrustful. The trick would be to give away as little as possible when answering her questions, while learning as much as I could from her. Not just about her, but about everything, how much time had passed, what the state of Chaos now was, how my father was regarded, how my mother fared. With this goal in mind, I set my cup down on the table and responded, "It is difficult for me to know what about myself may be of interest to you, not knowing how much things have changed while I...slept. You said you were able to determine the relative age of the statues you found. Can you tell me the age of mine?"
"As near as I can estimate, you were imprisoned sometime during Swayvill's reign...probably after the Patternfall War. In Amber time, that would be about forty years...in Chaos...it would be harder to say...probably around 150 years."
She sipped her tea with a coy smile, watching for my reaction to this information. I believe I managed to betray little, if any, of my surprise, although my eyes may have widened momentarily, and my skin paled ever so slightly. I had been expecting some time to have passed, based on the difficulty she had mentioned encountering when releasing me, but 150 years? That was longer than I had anticipated. It took me perhaps a minute before I was certain I could respond without giving away my shock, and I was relieved to note that my voice was steady as I said, "150 years? Well, I imagine quite a bit has changed since then. Know you of how Chaos fares these days?"
"I have friends on both sides of reality, Melanie, and so I am intimately acquainted with the political situation in Amber and the Courts," she replied quietly. And suddenly she got a look of sympathetic concern. "Of course, you must be concerned about your family's well-being...it's been so long. I am acquainted with House Chanicut. What is your precise lineage?"
Clever woman. I had to admire the neat way in which she had set up the question so as to appear as though the information was merely desired to help me, not just to provide her with some of the answers I had yet to give her. And there was no easy way to avoid this question as I had the previous one. Nicely done, indeed. Reasoning that knowing my name and titles, she could eventually learn most of the information anyway, I related to her my Chaos lineage, ending in my mother, Selena. Of my father, I made no mention whatsoever. If Cerridwen noticed the omission, she made no comment.
"Hmmm...," she said, looking a touch baffled. "I'm sorry, but I never knew a Selena of House Chanicut. I know Sarah well enough, and a number of the lesser members of the House, but not your mother. I had intended to visit Sarah after securing Mellisondra...as she will be much interested in my uncle's little project. I can unite you with your house at that point. Until then, you may have the run of my castle, and I hope that you will consider helping me free that last prisoner from stone."
So Sarah yet lived. That was good to know. She had been one of my few allies in the unfortunate incident with Swayvill, and I was certain she would be glad to see me again. It also explained why Cerridwen recognized the name Chanicut. How was she connected to Sarah? Perhaps Sarah would tell me. I opened my mouth to ask after some others that I knew of, but Cerridwen anticipated this and raised a hand to forestall me. After pausing for a second, she stated, "You should probably know that Swayvill has passed on. He was succeeded by Despil of House Sawall, who is son to Dara Helgram and Gramble. I'm afraid there are a great many other shocks in store for you, in terms of how Chaos has changed in your absence, but I would prefer to save those traumas for when you are feeling a little more sure of yourself...but I will, of course, defer to your judgment. Have you any questions for me?"
I smiled faintly. "Numerous, as you may imagine. I see no point in putting off whatever bad news it is you have to tell me about Chaos. The sooner I learn of it, the more time I will have to get used to it before I return there."
She gave a slight nod of approval. "The simplest thing to say is that the Courts are much changed in your absence. There have been minor conflicts, and one major war which resulted in the destruction of the Serpent, the death of every living Logrus Master in existence, and the severing of all connections between Shadows such that individual realities floated in a sea of Abyss. Thus were the kingdoms of Amber and Chaos laid low."
She paused to let this sink in, and I confess I simply sat there in shock for several minutes. The Serpent, dead? And every living Logrus Master? Mother? I shook my head slightly, trying to throw off my shock. "The Serpent was destroyed? Who? How?" My voice was no longer quite steady, but I scarcely noticed.
"Her name is anathema in Chaos...but we are not there. She was called Llateri...a daughter of Amber raised in Chaos...a child of the Abyss. She corrupted the Logrus with Abyss and thus slew the Serpent...and took its place. By that corruption were all Logrus Masters made her abyssal puppets, and she lead all of Chaos in a doomed effort to destroy Amber and the Pattern. In retribution, the Unicorn destroyed Llateri...and the ensuing explosion leveled Castle Amber and destroyed the links between all Shadows. Thus were the respective domains of Chaos left gutted and adrift in the dark reaches of the Void."
A daughter of Amber. I might have known. I found solace in the knowledge that Amber had faired no better than Chaos, from the sound of it, but it was small consolation indeed. "And this is the state of Chaos now, shattered and tainted by the Abyss? No, it cannot be completely, else you would not be thinking of returning there."
Cerridwen acknowledged my logic. "You are quite correct; Chaos has recovered somewhat. Thanks to the efforts of Shaenan and Fiona, the Logrus was restored...for Shaenan created the Avatar of Chaos in the form of a Spider, and its first act was to spin into existence the Logrus. The disparate Ways of Chaos have been conjoined and Despil has resumed the throne. The major houses exist, weakened though they are...and the people of the Courts do what they can to restore their realm to its former glory...but it will take time to rebuild." She paused for a moment, as if carefully considering what next to say. "This is part of why I feel it safe to return you to Chaos. If I thought it still dangerous for you...if I felt your old enemies might still be there to harangue you...I would be reluctant to take you home. The Houses are not in a position to refuse a prodigal daughter of Chaos, and in light of recent events, anyone shunned by the old regime might find a place of high standing in Despil's court. I will consult with Sarah Chanicut when we arrive, and ascertain whether or not you will be welcome there."
I nodded my head in agreement. If what she said was true, the opportunities that existed for me now were considerably better than they had been before my imprisonment. Now that my brain was finally starting to get beyond the shock of what I had learned, I realized that the holes in the power structure of the Courts would be many. If one was clever and cautious, there was no telling what might be achieved. But I would need to know more than I did currently about the existing state of things in Chaos. Yes, Despil ruled, but with how much support, and from who? What sort of support could I provide him with that he did not already have? Or would it be better to ally myself with his opponents? How well known was I in Chaos now? Would Despil know the reasons behind my imprisonment by Swayvill? How did I come to be in Cerridwen's domain? I decided to start with that last question, saying, "I am reasonably sure that Sarah will welcome me. We parted on amiable terms. I am puzzled as to how I came to be in this place, however. Can you tell me something about it?"
Cerridwen smiled and looked out over the cloudy night sky. In the distance, I saw a flash of lightning, followed by a rumble of thunder a few seconds later. "This is Tir-na Nog'th...the reflection of Amber in the sky...or so they thought all those years. In truth, this castle possesses the ability to move through Shadow. How many books did I read on this place as a child? How many philosophers debating whether the castle was illusion...whether it existed only during the full moon...such rubbish. It exists in Amber during the full moon...only because that is the route it follows if no other course is set. The women of House Barimen used to live here...they had been here for aeons. But now they are all passed on...dead in the Abyss War. And so I am afraid I can't answer the question of how you came to be here, precisely. You were here when I first took possession of the castle, and there are no records concerning those imprisoned in stone...save for one named Maximillian...who was tossed off the ramparts by Tessa some years ago. You are as much a mystery to me as the others..."
Tir-na Nog'th? How extraordinary. I knew of the place, of course. That it appeared in the light of the full moon. That it was haunted by ghosts. That there was a Pattern there, as in Amber. A Pattern that Father had wished me to walk eventually, it being more "accessible" than the others. Which merely meant that I could walk it without being discovered by his siblings, of course. Nothing he had ever told me indicated that it could move through Shadow. Cerridwen's words revealed to me far more than just these unsuspected abilities of the Tir, however. It gave me some real clues into Cerridwen's own origins. Knowledge of the Tir is only known to serious scholars in Chaos, it being too esoteric to fall under common knowledge there. Since Cerridwen was unlikely to fall under that category, her knowledge of the Tir made it seem likely that she had been raised in Amber. Fascinating. I wondered whose child she was. Ignoring her final, leading sentence, I chose to address her statements about the Tir, looking appropriately astonished. "A castle that moves through Shadow? That is a handy thing to possess, indeed. Especially given what you have told me about the state of Shadow, right now."
"Configuring it to move through the Abyss safely was a bit tricky, but I am well-pleased with the results," she replied, with a coy smile.
Well-pleased. Now there was an understatement. I smiled as well. "I imagine you are rather popular among those needing transport, right now. Or unpopular, if you refuse to give them passage."
"Well...I must admit that I have been a bit churlish with some of my cousins...and gently demanded payment for ferrying them across the Abyss. But this is less due to any form of avarice on my part, and more because I have no interest in turning my home into a taxi service. But listen to how I prattle... Are you hungry at all? Shall we adjourn to warmer, well-lit chambers and have a nice lunch?"
I smiled. "That sounds like an excellent idea. I should like to see more of this wondrous home of yours."
She smiled at the compliment and rose from her chair...
Melanie's Page |
Melanie's Journals
All text on this page is © 1998 by Kris Fazzari.
Last modified on August 27, 1998 by Kris Fazzari.