The more I thought of it, the more it seemed possible that there might have been a telephone call on the morning of the open gas jets, too. Could that be what had roused me to an awareness of danger? Each time I thought of these matters there seemed to be a slight shifting of emphasis. Things stood in a different light. According to Luke and the pseudo-Vinta,I was not in great danger in the later episodes, but it seemed that any of those things could have taken me out. Who was I to blame? The perpetrator? Or the savior who barely saved? And who was which? I remembered how my father"s story had been complicated by that d.a.m.ned auto accident which played like Last Year at Marienbad-though his had seemed simple compared to everything that was coming down on me. At least he knew what he had to do most of the time. Could I be the inheritor of a family curse involving complicated plotting?
Power.
I remembered Uncle Suhuy"s final lesson. He had spent some time following my completion of the Logrus in teaching me things I could not have learned before then. There came a time when I thought I was finished. I had been confirmed in the Art and dismissed. It seemed I had covered all the basics and anything more would be mere elaboration. I began making preparations for my journey to the shadow Earth. Then one morning Suhuy sent for me. I a.s.sumed that he just wanted to say good-bye and give me a few friendly words of advice.
His hair is white, he is somewhat stooped and there are days when he carries a staff. This was one of them. He had on his yellow caftan, which I had always thought of as a working garment rather than a social one.
"Are you ready for a short trip?" he asked me.
"Actually, it"s going to be a long one," I said. "But I"m almost ready."
"No," he said. "That was not the journey I meant."
"Oh. You mean you want to go somewhere right now?"
"Come," he said.
So I followed him, and the shadows parted before us. We moved through increasing bleakness, pa.s.sing at last into places that bore no sign of life whatsoever. Dark, sterile rock lay all about us, stark in the bra.s.sy light of a dim and ancient sun. This final place was chill and dry, and when we halted and I looked about, I shivered.
I waited, to see what he had in mind. But it was a long while before he spoke. He seemed oblivious of my presence for a time, simply staring out across the bleak landscape.
Finally, "I have taught you the ways of Shadow," he said slowly, "and the composition of spells and their working."
I said nothing. His statement did not seem to require a reply.
"So you know something of the ways of power," he continued. "You draw it from the Sign of Chaos, the Logrus, and you invest it in various ways."
He glanced at me at last, and I nodded.
"I understand that those who bear the Pattern, the Sign of Order, may do similar things in ways that may or may not be similar," he went on. "I do not know for certain, for I am not an initiate of the Pattern. I doubt the spirit could stand the strain of knowing the ways of both. But you should understand that there is another way of power, ant.i.thetical to our own."
"I understand," I said, for he seemed to be expecting an answer.
"But you have a resource available to you," he said, "which those of Amber do not. Watch!"
His final word did not mean that I should simply observe as he leaned his staff against the side of a boulder and raised his hands before him. It meant that I should have the Logrus before me so I could see what he was doing at that level. So I summoned my vision and watched him through it.
Now the vision that hung before him seemed a continuation of my own, stretched and twisting. I saw and felt it as he joined his hands with it and extended a pair of its jagged limbs outward across the distance to touch upon a boulder that lay downhill of us.
"Enter the Logrus now yourself," he said, "remaining pa.s.sive. Stay with me through what I am about to do. Do not, at any time, attempt to interfere."
"I understand," I said.
I moved my hands into my vision, shifting them about, feeling after congruity, until they became a part of it.
"Good," he said, when I had settled them into place. "Now all you need do is observe, on all levels."
Something pulsed along the limbs he controlled, pa.s.sing down to the boulder. I was not prepared for what came after.
The image of the Logrus turned black before me, becoming a seething blot of inky turmoil. An awful feeling of disruptive power surged through me, an enormous destructive force that threatened to overwhelm me, to carry me into the blissful nothingness of ultimate disorder. A part of me seemed to desire this, while another part was screaming wordlessly for it to cease. But Suhuy maintained control of the phenomenon, and I could see how he was doing it, just as I had seen how he had brought it into being in the first place.
The boulder became one with the turmoil, joined it and was gone. There was no explosion, no implosion, only the sensation of great cold winds and cacophonous sounds. Then my uncle moved his hands slowly apart, and the lines of seething blackness followed them, flowing out in both directions from that area of chaos which had been the boulder, producing a long dark trench wherein I beheld the paradox of both nothingness and activity.
Then he stood still, arresting it at that point. Moments later, he spoke. "I could simply release it," he stated, "letting it run wild. Or I could give it a direction and then release it."
As he did not continue, I asked, "What would happen then? Would it simply continue until it had devastated the entire shadow?"
"No," he replied. "There are limiting factors. The resistance of Order to Chaos would build as it extended itself. There would come a point of containment."
"And if you remained as you are, and kept summoning more?"
"One would do a great deal of damage."
"And if we combined our efforts?"
"More extensive damage. But that is not the lesson I had in mind. I will remain pa.s.sive now while you control it."
So I took over the Sign of the Logrus and ran the line of disruption back upon itself in a great circle, like a dark moat surrounding us.
"Banish it now," he said, and I did.
Still, the winds and the sounds continued to rage, and I could not see beyond the dark wall which seemed to be advancing slowly upon us from all sides.
"Obviously, the limiting factor has yet to be achieved," I observed.
He chuckled. "You"re right. Even though you stopped, you exceeded a certain critical limit, so that it is now running wild."
"Oh," I said. "How long till those natural limitations you mentioned dampen it?"
"Sometime after it has completely annihilated the area on which we stand," he said.
"It is receding in all directions as well as heading this way?"
"Yes."
"Interesting. What is the critical ma.s.s?"
"I"ll have to show you. But we"d better find a new place first. This one is going away. Take my hand."
I did, and he conducted me to another shadow. This time I summoned the Chaos and conducted the operations while he observed. This time I did not let it run wild.
When I had finished and I stood, shaken, staring into a small crater I had caused, he placed his hand on my shoulder and told me, "As you knew in theory, that is the ultimate power behind your spells. Chaos itself. To work with it directly is dangerous. But, as you have seen, it can be done. Now you know it, your training is complete."
It was more than impressive. It was awesome. And for most situations I could visualize it was rather like using nukes for skeet shooting. Offhand, I couldn"t think of any circ.u.mstances under which I would care to employ the technique, until Victor Melman really p.i.s.sed me off.
Power, in its many shapes, varieties, sizes and styles, continues to fascinate me. It has been so much a part of my life for so long that I feel very familiar with it, though I doubt that I will ever understand it fully.
10.
"It"s about time," I said, to whatever lurked in the shadows. The sound that followed was not human. It was a low snarl. I wondered what manner of beast I confronted. I was certain an attack was imminent, but it did not come. Instead the growl died down, and whatever it was spoke again.
"Feel your fear," came the whisper.
"Feel your own," I said, "while you still can."
The sounds of its breathing came heavy. The flames danced at my back.
Smoke had drawn as far away across the campsite as his lengthy tether permitted.
"I could have killed you while you slept," it said slowly.
"Foolish of you not to," I said. "It will cost you."
"I want to look at you, Merlin," it stated. "I want to see you puzzled. I want to see your fear. I want to see your anguish before I see your blood."
"Then I take it this is a personal rather than a business matter?"
There came a strange noise which it took me several moments to interpret as an inhuman throat trying to manage a chuckle.
Then, "Let us say that, magician," it responded. "Summon your Sign and your concentration will waver. I will know it and will rend you before you can employ it."
"Kind of you to warn me."
"I just wanted to foreclose that option in your thinking. The thing wound about your left wrist will not help you in time either."
"You have good vision."
"In these matters, yes."
"You wish perhaps to discuss the philosophy of revenge with me now?"
"I am waiting for you to break and do something foolish, to increase my pleasure. I have limited your actions to the physical, so you are doomed."
"Keep waiting, then," I said.
There was a sound of movement within the brush as something drew nearer. I still could not see it, though. I took a step to my left then, to allow firelight to reach that darkened area. At that, something shone, low. The light was reflected, yellow, from a single glaring eye.
I lowered the point of my weapon, directing it toward the eye. What the h.e.l.l. Every creature I know of tries to protect its eyes.
"Banzai!" I cried, as I lunged. The conversation seemed to have stagnated, and I was anxious to get on to other matters.
It rose instantly and with great power and speed rushed toward me, avoiding my thrust. It was a large, black, lop-eared wolf, and it slipped past a frantic slash I managed and went straight for my throat.
My left forearm came up automatically and I thrust it forward into the open jaws. At the same time, I brought the hilt of my blade across and slammed it against the side of its head. At this, the clamping force of the bite loosened even as I was home over backward, but the grip remained, penetrating shirt and flesh. And I was turning and pulling before I hit the ground, wanting to land on top, knowing I wouldn"t.
I landed on my left side, attempting to continue the roll, and added another belt of the pommel to the side of the beast"s skull. It was then that fortune favored me, for a change, when I realized that we lay near the lip of my firs pit and were still turning in that direction. I dropped my weapon and sought its throat with my right hand. It was heavily muscled, and there was no chance of crushing the windpipe in time. But that was not what I was after.
My hand went up high and back beneath the lower jaw, where I commenced squeezing with all my strength. I scrabbled with my feet until I found purchase and then pushed with my legs as well as my arms. Our movement continued the short distance necessary to push its snarling head back into the fire.
For a moment nothing happened save the steady trickle of blood from my forearm into its mouth and out again. The grip of its jaws was still strong and painful.
Seconds later, my arm was released as the fur of its neck and head caught fire and it struggled to draw away from the flames. I was thrust aside as it rose and pulled free, an ear-piercing howl rising from its throat. I rolled to my knees and raised my hands, but it did not come at me again. Instead, it rushed past me into the woods in the opposite direction from which it had come.
I s.n.a.t.c.hed up my blade and took off after it. No time to pause and pull on my boots; I was able to shapeshift the soles of my feet a bit to toughen them against the litter and irregularity of the forest floor. My adversary was still in sight, for its head still smoldered; though I might have been able to follow just from the howling, which was almost continuous. And strangely, the tone and character of the howls was changing, sounding more and more like human cries and less like the complaint of a wolf. Strangely, too, the beast was fleeing with something less than the speed and guile I would have expected from one of its kind. I heard it crashing through the shrubbery and running into trees. On several of these latter occasions, it even emitted sounds that seemed to bear the pattern of human cursing. So I was able to stay closer to it than I had any reason to expect, even gaining on it somewhat after the first few minutes.
Then, suddenly, I realized its apparent destination.I saw again that pale light I had noted earlier-brighter now and its source larger, as we moved toward it. Roughly rectangular in shape, I judged it as being eight or nine feet in height, perhaps five in width. I forgot about hacking the wolf by ear and headed for the light. That had to be its goal, and I wanted to reach it first.
I ran on. The wolf was ahead of me and to my left. Its hair had ceased to blaze now, though it still snarled and yipped as it rushed along. Before us, the light grew brighter still, and I was able to see into it-through it and distinguish some of its features for the first time. I saw a hillside with a low stone building upon it, approached by a flagged walkway and a series of stone steps-framed like a picture within the rectangle-hazy at first, but coming clearer with each step. It was a cloudy afternoon within the picture, and the thing stood about twenty meters away now, in the midst of a clearing.
I realized as I saw the beast burst into the clearing that I was not going to be able to reach the place in time to s.n.a.t.c.h up the thing I knew must lie nearby. Still, I thought I might have a chance of catching the creature and halting its pa.s.sage.
But it put on additional speed once it was in the clear. I could see the scene toward which it was headed more clearly than anything else in the vicinity. I shouted to distract it, but that did not work. My final burst of speed was not good enough. Then, on the ground, near the threshold, I saw what I was looking for. Too late. Even as I watched, the beast lowered its head and caught up in its teeth a flat rectangular object, without even breaking stride.
I halted and turned away as it plunged ahead, dropping my blade as I dove, rolling, continuing to roll.
I felt the force of the silent explosion, followed by the implosion and the small series of shock waves. I lay there thinking nasty thoughts until the turmoil had ceased; then I rose and retrieved my weapon.
The night was normal about me once again. Starlight.The wind in the pines. There was no need for me to turn, though I did, to know that the thing toward which I had been racing but moments before was now gone, without leaving any sign that it had been there, bright doorway to another place.
I hiked back to my camp and spent a while talking to Smoke, calming him. I donned my boots and cloak then, kicked dirt over the embers in my pit, and led the horse back to the road.
I mounted there and we moved on up the road toward Amber for the better part of an hour, before I settled upon a new campsite under a bonewhite piece of moon.
The rest of my night was untroubled. I was awakened by increased light and morning bird calls through the pines. I took care of Smoke, breakfasted quickly on the remains of my rations, put myself in the best order I could and was on my way within half an hour.
It was a cool morning, with banks of c.u.mulus far off to my left, clear skies overhead. I did not hurry. My main reason for riding back rather than trumping home was to learn a little more of what this area near Amber was like, and the other was to gain a bit of solitude for thinking. With Jasra a prisoner, Luke in sick bay and Ghostwheel occupied it seemed that any major threats to Amber or myself were in abeyance, and a small breathing spell could be justified. I felt that I was actually near to a point where I could handle everything personally with regard to Luke and Jasra, as soon as I"d worked out a few more details. And I was certain I could deal with Ghost after that, as I"d found our most recent conversation somewhat encouraging.
That was the big stuff. I could worry about loose ends later. A two-bit wizard like Sharu Garrul was only a pain when considered in conjunction with everything else that was troubling me. Dueling with him would be no problem when I had a bit of leisure-though I had to admit I was puzzled as to why he should be interested in me at all.
Then there was the matter of the ent.i.ty which had for a time been Vinta. While I saw no real threat in it, there was certainly a mystery which affected my peace of mind, and which seemed ultimately to have something to do with my security. This, too, was a matter to be dealt with when that bit of leisure finally came along.
And Luke"s offer to reveal a piece of information vital to Amber"s security, once Jasra was rescued, troubled me. Because I believed him, and I believed he"d keep his word. I had a hunch, though, that he wouldn"t be giving it away unless it was too late to do much about it. Guesswork was, of course, futile; there was no way of knowing what preparations would be appropriate. Was the offer itself, no matter how authentic, also a bit of psychological warfare? Luke had always been more subtle than his bluff exterior seemed to indicate. It had taken me a long time to learn that, and I wasn"t about to forget it now.
I felt I could discount the business of the blue stones for the moment, and I planned soon to be rid of all traces of their vibes. No problem there, other than a mental string around the finger for extra wariness, just in case -and I was already in that frame of mind, had been for some time.
That left the business of last night"s wolf to be fitted into the bigger picture.
Obviously, it had been no normal beast, and its intent had been apparent enough. Other matters concerning its visit were less than clear, however. Who or what was it? Was it a princ.i.p.al or an agent? And, if the latter, who had sent it? And finally, finally, why?
Its clumsiness indicated to me-since I had tried that sort of business myself in the past-that it was a shapeshifted human rather than a true wolf magically gifted with speech. Most people who daydream of transforming themselves into some vicious beast and going about tearing people"s throats out, dismembering them, disfiguring them and perhaps devouring them tend mainly to dwell upon how much fun it would be and generally neglect the practicalities of the situation. When you find yourself a quadruped, with a completely different center of gravity and a novel array of sensory input, it is not all that easy to get around for a time with any measure of grace. One is generally far more vulnerable than one"s appearance would lead others to believe. And certainly one is nowhere near as lethal and efficient as the real thing with a lifetime of practice behind it. No. I"ve always tended to think of it more as a terrorist tactic than anything else.
Be that how it may, the manner of the beast"s coming and going was actually the main cause of my trepidation concerning the entire affair. It had employed a Trump Gate, which is not a thing one does lightly-or at all, for that matter, if it can be avoided. It is a flashy and spectacular thing f; - to make Trump contact with some distant place and then pour tons of power into the objectification of such a gateway as a form possessed for a time of an independent existence. It is exceedingly profligate of energy and effort-even a h.e.l.lrun is much easier-to create one which will stand for even fifteen minutes. It can drain most of your resources for a long while. Yet this was what had occurred. The reason behind it did not trouble me, as much as the fact that it had happened at all. For the only people capable of the feat were genuine initiates of the Trumps. It couldn"t be done by someone who just happened to come into possession of a card.