Dinner
and a Favor
Cerridwen and I walked back into my bedroom, then through the
doors which led to the parlor, and finally into a dimly lit hallway. It
seemed just a touch warmer than the outside air, and more comfortable, but
perhaps that was merely my imagination. Though the castle was
meticulously clean, it appeared to be quite empty. Most of the walls were
unadorned, save for faded carvings and a plethora of mirrors that
decorated the halls. Strangely, the corridors were almost never perfectly
straight, all of them having a slight curvature to them.
It was actually a very brief trip to the dining room, which was
small and cozy. There was a fireplace that was well-lit and sent forth a
welcome warmth, around which were several plush chairs and a divan. Set a
bit away from this was a large, round table made of a cherry wood and
draped with a crocheted tablecloth, with two chairs flanking it. Two
place settings were there, consisting of fine white china with silver
trim, and crystal wine goblets. There was also a bottle of wine uncorked
and breathing. There was a long table against one wall upon which rested
all manner of dishes, some lidded, some open and steaming. Much to my
surprise, I saw no servants about. Cerridwen gestured for me to be
seated, then took her place opposite me. I continued to take in the room,
discreetly, of course, and when I glanced back at my setting, my wine
glass was now filled, though it had not been a moment ago. Cerridwen did
not seem to find this unusual, appearing relaxed as she sipped her wine.
Her pallor also seemed to have faded upon entering the room, and in the
light here she appeared much more human, not nearly so spectral a figure
as before. For a moment I caught her eyes, but there was no aggression
there, no attempt at prying. How strange. There was a flicker on the
periphery of my vision, and when I glanced back towards the table in front
of me, a soup bowl had appeared, steaming and smelling of barley and
carrot and tomato. Part of me wondered if perhaps there was more to those
tales of ghosts in the Tir than I had suspected, although the rational
side of me pointed out that all of this could be done with magic. As I
pondered these possibilities, Cerridwen spoke for the first time since we
had left the balcony, inquiring politely, "So tell me, Melanie, are you
familiar with any of those in Amber?"
I considered my answer as I tried a few dainty spoonfuls of the
soup before me, which proved delicious. "Hmm, well, there was Brand, of
course. And Benedict. I recall hearing bits about those who were part of
the army invading Chaos during Patternfall, mostly. And you?"
"I, too, know Brand...though I never met Benedict...he died shortly
after I was born. Through time and circumstance, we are practically of
two different generations, you see. Those princes and princesses of Amber
in your day are many now gone. Eric, Gérard, Corwin, Benedict,
Caine and Llewella are all passed on. By lineage, I am daughter of Emma
and Gawain...Emma being the daughter of Caine, and Gawain the son of
Llewella...and am sister to Rhiannon, Queen of Amber, and Branwen, Queen
of Rebma."
I looked somewhat surprised at the revelation of her lineage.
"You are rather well connected, it seems." Far more than I had suspected.
I reflected on the rest of her information. "It is difficult to believe
that so many of Amber's royalty are now gone. Corwin does not surprise me
overmuch, given the tales I have heard of him, but Benedict... If Chaos
could not defeat him, then who did?"
"My parents," she replied sunnily. "In truth...Benedict was an
initiate of the Logrus and was corrupted when Llateri came to power. He
attempted to claim the throne in Amber and was slain by Emma and Gawain,
who wielded the Jewel of Judgment and Greyswandir. Hence, he was
destroyed."
"I see. I imagine that this Llateri's control of him limited his
effectiveness, as well." I shook my head. "It seems that both the people
and the places I knew are, for the most part, no more. It almost feels as
though I have been reborn into some alternate universe, where nothing is
as it should be."
"The players have changed...but the game goes on, much as before,"
she replied quietly. "Who knows? Perhaps you will find yourself a more
formidable player now that the field has been leveled. Certainly, I find
my situation improved by the fact that I have so few great-uncles and
great-aunts to dictate to me..."
"Quite true. I had been wondering how your uncle was able to make
this Magic Circle of his, without opposition. But, with much of the
potential opposition already dead... It does make much more sense."
"Also...said uncle was in his own Shadow...which was separated by
the Abyss at the point of creation. Even had my relatives been aware of
his plotting...they would have had no way of reaching him."
That made things clearer, indeed. It did lead me to wonder, however,
how this uncle of hers had come to possess such a Shadow in the first
place...
The rest of the meal proceeded in this fashion, with me asking
questions about the recent history of Chaos and Amber, trying to get a
feel for the new universe I found myself in. It was going to take some
time to absorb all of it, but by the meal's end, I felt somewhat more
confident than I had before. I was curious as to how Cerridwen was
acquainted with Sarah, but she would only say that she studied under Sarah
for a time.
After dinner, Cerridwen set aside her napkin and looked at me
appraisingly. "Melanie, I have another young woman imprisoned in stone
upstairs, and leaving her in this condition saddens me greatly. Would you
be willing to assist me in freeing her?"
I considered this carefully. On the one hand, I was not eager to
free someone of whom I knew nothing about. It could prove rather
hazardous, if they should prove hostile upon awakening. On the other
hand, they would likely be grateful to whomever released them, and that
could prove useful. I stalled a bit for time "This is the one whose
expression disturbed you, correct? May I see her?"
"Yes...of course," she replied. She led me into the hallway and
we proceeded back towards my bedroom. At least I thought we did. As we
progressed, however, I noticed that the hallways did not really look
familiar, and I found myself wondering if perhaps I got turned around
somewhere. Eventually, we reached a tower with a spiral staircase going
up, and after climbing three flights of stairs, we reached a large open
chamber that was lit by a large chandelier overhead. The room was round,
and there were dusty portraits along the walls of people whom I had never
seen. There was a balcony with a glass door leading to it, as there had
been in my room, but here the glass was shattered and a light, cold wind
blew in from the balcony. There were fourteen statues in this room. Of
them, eight looked to be very old and weathered, two were lying broken on
the ground, and four appeared to be in good condition. One had been
pulled forward away from the rest, and it was this one that I examined
more closely, assuming it to be the one of which Cerridwen spoke. The
statue depicted a young woman who was apparently crying out from a mixture
of rage and despair. She seemed to be reaching out, and she held a strip
of ragged cloth in one hand. Her expression was, as Cerridwen had stated,
rather disturbing, and her build was such that I suspected her to be a
warrior. In fact, I could almost see the hint of Hendrake in her facial
features, but it was hard to make out while she was stone. A Hendrake
warrior. Wonderful. "This is why I am reluctant to free her on my own,"
Cerridwen remarked quietly.
I nodded. "Quite understandable. A Hendrake warrior is rather a
formidable individual to face alone. Have you any idea what the cloth she
is holding signifies?" I moved forward to take a closer look at the
cloth, but because the cloth had been turned to stone, it was impossible
to tell anything useful from looking at it.
"I've no idea, in truth," Cerridwen replied. "Perhaps something
torn from her captors?"
I studied the statue for a few more minutes, then nodded. "When
did you wish to make the attempt to free her?"
"I suppose that depends upon how well you're feeling," Cerridwen
answered. "I would like to begin rather soon, but I am not certain if you
are recovered enough for this kind of strain...."
"I believe I am quite recovered, actually. Allow me to erect a
few defensive spells around us, and we should be ready to proceed."
As I did so, she invoked a few wards of her own and asked me, "Are
you skilled with a sword? I have a nice one lying about, but I've never
been very good with such things myself."
I tried not to laugh at the very idea. "I fear that I have never
had the time, nor the inclination, to learn more than how not to skewer
myself with a sword. However, I think our chances may actually be better
if we appear unarmed before this Hendrake, rather than wearing weapons
which we would not have much success in defeating her with anyway." This
was not to say I would not be preparing a sleep spell, though. Just in
case the Hendrake went berserk despite our lack of weapons.
Cerridwen nodded in agreement. "The spell," she began, "is a slightly
modified version of the major dispelling that Sarah Chanicut taught me,
combined with a major healing enchantment and a calmness effect...which is
sometimes of use." She unrolled a scroll that contained the spell.
Standing beside me for a moment, she gestured to the scroll and explained.
"I'll need your help here," she said, pointing at a particular spot, "and
here. That way I'll be able to devote more attention and energy to the
healing aspect. I'll deal with the lynchpin that governs the type of
magic in the area, as I'm more familiar with it. Does this seem workable
to you?"
What she was asking was a touch complex, but well within my abilities,
so I nodded my assent. "We may begin whenever you are ready."
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All text on this page is © 1998 by Kris Fazzari.
Last modified on September 13, 1998 by Kris Fazzari.