“Thanks,” I heard Jurt whisper.
VIII
And so I commenced my walk. The black line did not have the same feeling to it as the blazing ones back under Amber. My feet came down as if on dead ground, though there was a tug and a crackle when I raised them.
“Merlin!” Jurt called out. “What should I do?”
“What do you mean?” I shouted back.
“How do I get out of here?”
“Go out the door and start shadow-shifting,” I said, “or follow me through this Pattern and have it send you wherever you want.”
“I don’t believe you can shadow-shift this close to Amber, can you?”
“Maybe we are too close. So get away physically and then do it.”
I kept moving. There came small crackling sounds whenever I raised my feet now.
“I’d get lost in the caves if I tried that.”
“Then follow me.”
“The Pattern will destroy me.”
“It’s promised not to.”
He laughed harshly.
“And you believe it?”
“If it wants this job done properly, it has no choice.”
I came to the first break in the Pattern. A quick consultation of the Jewel showed me where the line should lie. With some trepidation I took my first step beyond the visible marking. Then another. And another. I wanted to look back when I finally crossed the gap. Instead, I waited until the natural curving of my route granted me that view. I saw then that the entire line I had walked thus far had begun to glow, just like the real thing. The spilled luminescence seemed to have been absorbed within it, darkening the interstitial ground area. Jurt had moved to a position near that beginning;
He caught my gaze.
“I don’t know, Merlin,” he said. “I just don’t know.”
“The Jurt I knew wouldn’t have had guts enough to try it,” I told him.
“Neither do I.”
“As you pointed out, our mother did it. Odds are you’ve got the genes. What the hell. If I’m wrong, it’ll be over before you know it.”
I took another step. He gave a mirthless laugh.
Then, “What the hell,” he said, and he set his foot upon it.
“Hey, I’m still alive,” he called out. “What now?”
“Keep coming,” I said. “Follow me. Don’t stop. And don’t leave the line or all bets are off:”
There followed another turning of the way, and I followed it and lost sight of him. As I continued along, I became aware of a pain in my right ankle-product of all the hiking and climbing I had done, I supposed. It began increasing with each step. It was hot and soon grew to be quite terrible. Had I somehow torn a ligament? Had I-
Of course. I could smell the burning leather now.
I plunged my hand into the sheath area of my boot and withdrew the Chaos dagger. It was radiating heat. This proximity to the Pattern was affecting it. I couldn’t keep it about me any longer.
I drew my arm back and cast the weapon across the Pattern in the direction I was facing, toward the end of the room where the doorway was situated. Automatically my gaze followed its passage. There was a small movement in the shadows toward which it flew. A man was standing there, watching me. The dagger struck the wall and fell to the floor. He leaned over and picked it up. I heard a chuckle. He made a sudden movement, and the dagger came arcing back across the Pattern in my direction.
It landed ahead and to the right of me. As soon as it made contact with the Pattern, a fountain of blue flame engulfed it, rising well above the level of my head, splattering, sizzling. I flinched and I slowed, though I knew it would do me no permanent harm, and I kept walking. I had reached the long frontal arc where the going was slow.
“Stay on the line,” I yelled to Jurt. “Don’t worry about things like that.”
“I understand,” he said. “Who’s that guy?”
“Damned if I know.”
I pushed ahead. I was nearer to the circle of flame now. I wondered what the ty’iga would think of my present predicament. I made my way around another turn and was able to see back over a considerable section of my trail. It was glowing evenly, and Jurt was coming on strongly, moving as I had, the flames rising above his ankles now. They were almost up to my knees. From the corner of my eye I saw a movement from that area of the chamber where the stranger stood.