The
Other Shoe Drops
I pondered the dilemma of how to deal with Father until afternoon,
when the Tir arrived at the Ways of Chanicut. I was gathering my things
to leave when a servant arrived, bearing a note from Cerridwen. She
wished to dine with me once more before I departed, as she expected that
her next journey would keep her away for a while, and she wanted to
discuss certain matters with me. Naturally, I accepted the
invitation.
The two of us had a nice lunch on a balcony facing the sea, with
Skeltland off to our right. Beyond making pleasantries, Cerridwen said
little through the meal, but I could tell that there was something on her
mind. It was not until the dishes had been cleared away that she finally
got down to the reason for her invitation.
"Melanie...there's a reason that I cannot take you to Amber this
time...," she said quietly. "Things are about to change...in Amber and
elsewhere...I can feel it coming. I must play my part as sister to the
Queen of Amber and help her to deal with the traitor in her midst."
I raised an eyebrow upon hearing the word 'traitor,' but nodded
understandingly. "Of course. Familial ties are often the hardest to
ignore. And if things are about to become somewhat...chaotic in Amber, it
will probably not be an advisable place for a Chaosite to be." I smiled a
bit at my own pun.
Cerridwen's expression became pained at my response. "I go back
to aid my sister in the slaying of Brand," she replied quietly.
So, the other shoe had dropped. Surprisingly, I felt very little
upon hearing this. I think, in a way, I had been expecting it. After
all, if I had noticed Father's erratic behavior, it was likely that others
might have as well. I allowed a pained expression to show on my face. "I
suspected that might be the case. He is...not exactly sane now. If he
ever was."
"He has put himself in a position to threaten the Queen...and he
doesn't fathom how well she has placed her allies. My sister is
responsible for the deaths of many of the family, though indirectly for
most of them. She is weeding out those she deems dishonorable...morally
bereft. Florimel, Bleys, Katrina...all gone. And soon Brand will join
them."
I noted those names with interest. I had witnessed the fates of
Bleys and Katrina, and I was hard pressed to see how Rhiannon was involved
with them. Bleys' fate, at least, seemed to be no more than the result of
a personal vendetta. Perhaps Rhiannon was the one who had ordered Katrina
to be trapped? Florimel was the most fascinating name on the list,
though. I had not heard that she was deceased. What would Ryan make of
that, I wondered? I looked gravely at Cerridwen. "So it would seem. I
would advise caution, though. If there is anything history has proved, it
is that Brand is remarkably hard to kill."
"Did you note that package that Emily obtained from Despil?" Cerridwen
asked rhetorically. I had of course, although I had not known that Despil
was the source of it. I nodded, and waited for her to continue.
"It was Reprisal...also known as the Kinslayer Rifle. You've probably
heard of it. I'm afraid the only question now is whether or not he will
have opportunity to pronounce his death curse."
The Kinslayer Rifle? Oh yes, I had heard of it. Its destructive
capabilities were legendary throughout Chaos. I raised an eyebrow.
"Impressive. I am surprised Despil would entrust such a powerful weapon
of Chaos to an Amberite. No offense intended."
Cerridwen chuckled sadly. "Emily is the soul of honor...her word
is inviolate once given. I can only assume that she has promised him
something great...or perhaps convinced him that it was necessary to
preserve the life of his son Jonathan, now betrothed to Rhiannon."
I made a note of that, although in truth, it merely confirmed my
own observations of Emily. Had she not been so determined to keep her
word to Gawain, we would not have been forced to participate in Bleys'
death. There were times when honorable people could be quite
tiresome.
"Melanie...there's a reason I'm telling you this. You at least
deserve the opportunity to make your will known in this...perhaps even to
interfere. I recognize that you and I might come into opposition over
this situation, but it does not give me the right to keep you in
ignorance. I respect you more than that."
I frowned slightly. "I had been wondering why you were telling me
all of this, knowing the conflict it presents me. I wish you did not have
to be involved in this. It makes things...difficult." Which was an
understatement, to say the least. How ironic that in the same day, both
she and Father had come to me intending to eliminate the other. I had
decided that I would not help Father against Cerridwen. But at the same
time, I could not assist Cerridwen against Father.
"My involvement is cursory, to be truthful," Cerridwen commented.
"I will be there to watch how the cards fall, but I will take no action
against him. That is my sister's affair."
"Of course," I replied, nodding my head in agreement. Something
in the way she had spoken made me wonder about her feelings for Rhiannon.
It did not sound like she was especially close to her sister. I felt some
empathy for her then. She, like I, was being asked to play a role she did
not wish, because of family obligations. I decided I should at least warn
her that Father was already planning to move against her, since she had
taken the trouble to warn me. Especially since I did not want Father to
succeed.
"You should be aware that Brand expects you to aid Rhiannon, and
therefore may move to remove you as her support," I informed her. "I do
not believe he would attempt to kill you, but his ideas of imprisonment do
not exactly strike me a safe. Be on your guard." Actually, I did believe
he would try to kill her, but he was still my father, and I found myself
reluctant to betray him any more than I already was.
Cerridwen just laughed for just a moment. It was a bitter sound.
"You believe him to be a gentler being than he is. He would not hesitate
to kill me if he knew I had so much as kept secrets from him. Even now he
works to frame my poor, retarded brother for his own crimes...a lesson for
my dear sister."
That sounded exactly like my father. I had been the target of a
few of his more pointed 'lessons' during my own childhood. And while he
might not kill me for keeping secrets from him, he would not hesitate to
hurt me. For my own good, of course. I sighed. "I do not suppose I
truly believed he would not kill you, either. I would not have warned you
otherwise." I shook my head. "I have been expecting this conflict would
come eventually. It was inevitable, given his madness."
"Such is the nature of family, I suppose," Cerridwen replied. "And I
go back to Amber to see the woman who acted as my mother slay the man who
acted as my father...at my sister's bequest. I think I prefer the Courts,
myself."
I nodded in complete agreement. "Amber has always seemed too chaotic
to me. Ironically, in the Courts I have some idea of what to expect."
"In all truth, Melanie, I have thought much the same on many
occasions," she responded. And with that she rose and brought the meal to
an end.
I made my way slowly from the balcony, somewhat lost in thought as
to what to do with the information Cerridwen had given me. Obviously,
going to Amber to interfere was completely out of the question. The risks
were far too high. That left contacting Father and warning him. Of
course, in doing so, I might be placing Cerridwen's life in jeopardy. But
she was forewarned now of his intentions towards her, and I could not keep
silent about a threat to his life. Especially since if the attack failed,
and he learned I had known of it in advance, he would no doubt hold me
responsible. So I settled for a compromise, pausing to Trump Father
before starting down the steps from the Tir. I knew that Cerridwen would
be watching, and therefore would know that Brand had been warned.
Unfortunately, my precautions turned out to be unnecessary, as Father's
Trump did not animate. Either he chose not to answer, or he was somewhere
that Trump did not work. Either way, there was nothing more I could do.
If Trump was no longer working in Amber, then surely that would tip him
off that something was in motion, and he would be on his guard. I
certainly would be if I were in his position. I sighed and began the long
descent to Skeltland. Whatever happened next, it was out of my hands.
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Fazzari.
Last modified on April 16, 1999 by Kris Fazzari.