Ryan
Towards the end of the week, we arrived on Shadow Earth, parking the
castle right over the Pyrenees mountains. Cerridwen left immediately,
returning two days later accompanied by a young man and a woman. The
woman I assumed was Evelyn Flaumel, although, much to my surprise, I
recognized her as Florimel, one of my father's sisters. Whatever was an
Amberite doing in charge of one of Dara's children? It was most unusual.
Ryan was dressed rather casually and traveled in the company of a large
black cougar. Strangely, Cerridwen did not introduce Ryan to any of us
upon his arrival. When I inquired as to why, she said she wanted to wait
until supper, claiming, "He doesn't know about Amber, yet, you see...and
I'm going to enchant him so that he won't notice anything untoward until
he reaches Gwynedd...and thus his mother. He's a nice boy and all...but
I'd rather not have to answer questions on topics for which Dara wishes
him ignorant."
I wondered why she had not enchanted Ryan already, but merely stated,
"I see. Yes, going against Dara's wishes is not the wisest course of
action. Very well, I shall see you both at dinner, then."
Once Cerridwen had departed, I spoke with Momus about the new
arrivals, being careful to refer to Florimel by the name Cerridwen had
given me. It would not do to betray my knowledge of Amber and her
denizens, after all. He seemed equally intrigued and agreed to be my
escort for the meal. I wondered what Cerridwen would think of that? I
decided to wear my blue ballgown for the occasion.
As our hostess, Cerridwen was already present when Momus and I
arrived. The room we were to dine in was large and rectangular, with an
immense fireplace at one end. A long oblong table dominated the center of
the room, with spaces for eight seats, although only six places were set.
The table was laden with a feast, although, as usual, no servants were
present. One wall featured three balcony entrances, with the glass doors
letting in a slight breeze which caused the candles on the table to
flicker, though the soft glow of the overhead chandelier did not shift at
all. The other wall was decorated simply with mirrors. All in all, the
whole setup had an almost surreal feel to it, much like the rest of the
castle. I wondered if Cerridwen had spent so much time in the place that
she no longer noticed the effect. It would be interesting to see how the
new arrivals reacted to it. I nodded politely to Cerridwen as we entered
and allowed Momus to seat me in one of the chairs which faced the
entrance. The better to see the others when they finally deigned to
arrive.
Anyssa arrived next, wearing a dress made up of iridescent shades of
blue that seemed to flicker like fire. She looked hesitantly at Momus,
then smiled a little and retreated to a chair. She, too, seated herself
so that she could watch the door and those who entered, although doubtless
for somewhat more martial reasons than I. I nodded a greeting as she
picked up a glass of wine and began to sip on it. If she was aware that
she had slept for a week's time, she gave no sign of it.
Ryan made his appearance next, wandering into the room almost as if by
accident. He was dressed in khaki slacks, nicely pressed, and had a nice
blue polo shirt on as well. Hardly the worst clothes I have seen, but
still entirely inappropriate for a formal affair. He appeared to be about
20 years of age, and while the Shadows do lie for us, in his case I
thought it was genuine. Between his relative youth and his dress, not to
mention the large black cat that still accompanied him, he seemed very out
of place as he trotted along behind Florimel. He smiled politely at
everyone, making brief but friendly eye contact. When I returned his
smile with a polite one of my own, he actually went a mite red on the tips
of his ears and looked away nervously. A youth indeed. And one not much
acquainted with women, it would seem. He did attempt to look like he
belonged, I will give him that, but the effect was ruined by his less than
discrete gawking as he looked around the room. He sat where Florimel
directed him to, and much to my surprise, the cat sat next to him. I
regarded the presence of this creature at the dinner table with some
distaste. Had they no manners at all in his Shadow? He appeared
oblivious to my disapproving look, being far too busy whispering to the
feline and petting it dotingly. The cat, however, looked up at me and
there was an intelligence in its eyes that was unmistakable. Lazily, it
dragged a claw across the stone floor, gouging its surface, before turning
away from me. A warning? How fascinating. Obviously, the beast had more
brains than his erstwhile master. I merely quirked an eyebrow at the
cat's display, then leaned over and whispered to Momus, "How droll. Whom
do you suppose the boy is escorting, the woman or the cat?"
Momus looked up and his eyes widened as he appeared to recognize
Florimel. Florimel's eyes narrowed as well, and the daggers that flew
from both their eyes were obvious to anyone who looked. "I doubt he's
escorting the woman," Momus replied very quietly. "After all, she's old
enough to be his mother."
I hid a smile as my attention was drawn to Anyssa, who sighed softly
and then emitted an equally soft laugh. She looked across the table at
the two newcomers and the cat. "It's a lovely cat. My name is Lady
Anyssa Hendrake-Helgram, I know Melanie and our lovely hostess, but I'm
afraid the rest of you are new to me. May I have the honor of an
introduction?" She looked around the table.
I concealed my irritation. As hostess, the task of making proper
introductions fell to Cerridwen. By not allowing her to do so, Anyssa was
impugning Cerridwen's abilities as hostess. I waited with interest to see
who would answer Anyssa. Momus would not, of course, and from what I had
heard of Florimel, I doubted she would either. But would Ryan prove as
ignorant as he appeared? Apparently so, for he smiled at Anyssa and said,
"Thank you. Burke will appreciate your kind words. I am Ryan Helgram
also. Do you know my mother, Princess Dara?"
A sad cloud crossed Anyssa's eyes for a brief moment, and I feared we
would be treated to another tearful outburst, but then she smiled. "I
have not yet had the pleasure of meeting my granddaughter, though I
suppose that makes you one of my great-grandsons." Her eyes seemed to
light with a strange inner fire, their blue-green almost like a turbulent
sea. "So, your lovely pet is Burke. I suppose I shall have to get to
know him, as well." She sipped her wine.
"Uhhhh, yeah," Ryan said, sounding rather stunned. He looked at
Florimel for her opinion and then looked at Burke. "Uh, Burke is a nice
cat."
Such a loquacious boy. Dara must be very proud. Florimel, wisely,
said nothing, and appeared to be ignoring this whole conversation in a
vain attempt to pretend it was not happening. Cerridwen smiled rather
tightly at this point and raised her voice. "Ah, good to see that you're
all here...allow me to make some introductions." Gesturing with her wine
glass, she named us to each other. "Lady Melanie of Chanicut. Lord Momus
of Jesby. Lady Anyssa Hendrake-Helgram. Prince Ryan Helgram. Princess
Florimel of Amber. Burke." This last was said while gesturing to the
cougar at Ryan's side. Ryan patted its head at that point, almost as if
for reassurance. "And I, of course, am Cerridwen, Queen of Tir-na Nog'th.
We are currently en route to the Courts of Chaos, where I intend to
reunite you all with your homes and family, and I hope that in the mean
time we can have some pleasant dinner and conversation in my strange, but
hopefully comfortable home."
Florimel's eyes had become alight at the mention of Momus' name, and
before Ryan had a chance to say more than, "Thank you," to Cerridwen, she
began to speak. "Momus...now I recall...I had quite forgotten your name.
It has, after all, been a bit," she began, her smile a tad brittle.
"Yes, my dear...a great many decades...not that you show it at all,"
Momus replied with a smug grin.
Florimel smiled at the comment. "Ah, Momus. Stiff-necked as ever...I
don't suppose these past years taught you to be any more flexible, did
they?"
Momus gave her a level glare. "Stiff-necked? I've never felt so...I
suppose the alternative must be spinelessness." Taking a drink of wine,
he then asked, "So what is your position in Amber these days?"
Florimel did not bat an eye. "I haven't spent much time there as of
late. I find greener pastures in the Courts..."
"As you did not so long ago," Momus replied.
"Oh...it was long ago, Momus. You just don't remember the passage of
time all that well. What can I say? You're out of touch with the current
situation...something you should correct soon. Perhaps I could ask the
Head of House Jesby to help you out in this respect...Stead is such a
helpful fellow." Her grin was like that of a well-fed cat.
Momus paled a moment. "Thank you for your kindness, milady, but your
last assistance left me a little regretful...as I'm sure it has many
men."
Florimel smiled. "Touché, Momus. I could say the same of
you."
Momus smiled in return, and returned his attention to his plate, much
to my disappointment. I had rather been enjoying the sparring match. It
is a rare pleasure to witness a verbal fight between two such masters.
Not to mention the interesting bits of information that I had been picking
up. Florimel had spent time in Chaos in the past, had she? And had some
unpleasant encounters with Momus at the time, it would seem. Why did
Momus pale at the mention of Stead, however? Surely Stead was not even
born when Momus was imprisoned.
Robed servants moved in at this point and begin placing food on
everyone's trays. Overall, the meal was quite good. Despite this,
however, Cerridwen merely picked at her food somewhat, although she drank
plenty of wine. Obviously, this meal was not going quite the way she had
planned. Ryan continued his imitation of those around him, picking at his
food a bit and drinking some wine, although not as much as Cerridwen.
Anyssa watched all of this with a slightly distracted look on her face,
eating the occasional bite of food, but not much. Her eyes played out a
myriad of emotions and she almost deliberately seemed to focus her
attention away from the people seated at the table, as if trying to
distance herself. It made for a quiet meal, and I savored the silence as
I ate.
After eating a bit, Cerridwen coughed lightly and raised her voice.
"As a few of you know, a lot has transpired in the Courts of Chaos since
last you visited. Momus, Melanie and Anyssa, you have not had the
opportunity to see these changes, nor have you for that matter, Ryan.
Florimel, too, has been stranded in Avignon for the duration of the most
recent difficulties. I, however, have in this castle had the means to
move between the Courts and other locations, so I will be more than happy
to update you on the current political situation."
Ryan politely nodded his thanks. I made no response, already being
quite aware of the current political situation. As a matter of fact, the
only person in the room who probably was not aware of it was Ryan. I
fixed a polite smile on my face as Cerridwen began running through the
current list of those in power.
"Prince Shaenan is Head of House Sawall and also the Keeper of the
Logrus. Through his actions, and my assistance, Despil was returned to
Chaos and has again assumed the throne in Thelbane. His son Stead,
formerly ambassador to Amber, is now head of House Jesby. Shaenan's
mother Dara has returned to her ancestral home and become Head of House
Helgram."
Ryan looked curious at this mention, and his eyes went to Florimel
first, then to the cat. Had the boy never even met his mother? It would
explain a great deal.
"House Chanicut was least affected by the Abyss War, and Sarah
Chanicut still lives and rules that House. Unfortunately, the schism
between the Minobees and the Hendrakes has not healed. Rhees Minobee,
daughter of Lars and Belissa, is current head of House Minobee, and Mason
Hendrake controls House Hendrake. Baalam Amblerash has been appointed
head of House Amblerash, though the house is floundering in the wake of
the recent religious upheavals. Nonetheless, Baalam is rumored to be a
very competent and stable man...exactly what that house needs after so
many centuries of being ruled by fanatics. Despil is, from what I have
been told, a very relaxed, approachable man. He is a scholar and a
gentleman...and his rulership will no doubt go a long way to civilizing
the Courts after the recent period of barbarity."
Ryan initially glanced around during this listing of names, almost as
though looking for something to write on, but then stopped and merely
looked hopelessly bogged down in the names of the Royalty. Dara had
indeed kept him ignorant. I wondered if perhaps he had brought the cat
with him to remember all of the information he could not.
Cerridwen continued, "The situation with the Powers is a bit more
tricky. Trump is not able to traverse the Abyssal boundaries of the
Courts, though it still grants one access to all conjoined Shadows and
peoples. The Ways of the Logrus are currently sealed; Prince Shaenan is
denying admittance to all until such time as the political situation is
deemed more stable in his eyes. Naturally, the biological talents of so
many natives of the Courts have been unaffected. Movement between Amber
and Chaos is nigh-impossible at present. Only the Tir seems capable of
traversing the Abyss. But I do prattle on. Do you have any questions for
me?"
I merely continued to eat my meal, waiting with interest to see what
questions the boy would ask. He continued to look hopelessly confused and
began to ask a question or two, but then fell silent, perhaps out of fear
of embarrassing himself in front of Florimel. Instead, he looked at the
cougar and asked softly, "Do you understand this?"
Burke only lay his head down on his forepaws and began to nap.
Obviously frustrated by this lack of response, Ryan took a deep breath and
then began to pet the big cat again. While blotting my lips with my
napkin, I could not resist whispering to Momus, "Perhaps we had it
backwards. It appears that the cat is escorting him."
"Which cat," Momus asked innocently.
I smirked briefly, and I am sure my eyes betrayed a bit of a sparkle
at that response. The rest of dinner went by uneventfully, with the
awkward silences punctuated by the occasional bouts of small talk.
Eventually Cerridwen begged off early, complaining that her head ached.
Given how much wine she had drank, I have no doubt that it did. After she
left, dinner broke up quickly, all of us anxious to leave now that our
hostess' departure had freed us to do so. I said goodnight to Momus and
allowed one of the Tir's robed servants to lead me back to my quarters.
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All text on this page is © 1998 by Kris
Fazzari.
Last modified on October 23, 1998 by Kris Fazzari.