“No, though Bances isn’t the sort of man one would approach easily with a proposition.”
“In other words, you believe he’s above whatever’s going on?”
“In the absence of evidence to the contrary.”
“Who is next in line?”
“Tubble of Chanicut.”
“Who’s second?”
“Tmer of Jesby.”
“Top of the line, your pool,” I said to Suhuy.
He showed me his teeth again. They seemed to rotate. “Are we at vendetta with either Chanicut or Jesby?” I asked.
“Not really.”
“We’re all just taking care then, huh?”
“Yes.”
“How did it all come to this? I mean, there were a lot of people involved, as I recall. Was it a night of the long knives, or what?”
“No, the deaths have been occurring steadily for some time. There wasn’t a sudden bloodbath when Swayvill took his turn for the worse-though a few did occur just recently.”
“Well, there must have been some investigation. Do we have any of the perps in custody?”
“No, they either escaped or were killed.”
“What of those who were killed? Their identities might indicate their political affiliations.”
“Not really. Several were professionals. A couple of others were general malcontents, arguably among the mentally ill.”
“You’re saying there are no clues as to who might be behind it all?”
“That’s right.”
“What about suspicions then?”
“Tubble himself is of course suspect, though it is not a good idea to say it aloud. He stood to benefit the most, and now he’s in a position to do so. Also, there is much in his career of political connivance, double-dealing, assassination. But that was long ago. Everyone has a few skeletons in the cellar. He has been a quiet and conservative man for many years.”
“Tmer, then-he’s close enough to generate suspicion. Is there anything to connect him with the bloody business?”
“Not really. His affairs are hardly open. He’s a very private man. But he was never associated with such extremes in the past. I do not know him all that well, but he has always struck me as a simpler, more direct person than Tubble. He seems the sort who’d simply attempt a coup if he wanted the throne badly enough, rather than spend a lot of time intriguing.”
“There could, of course, be a number of people involved, each acting in his own interest-“
“And now that the matter is imminent they’ll have to surface soon?”
“It would seem so, wouldn’t it?”
A smile. A shrug.
“No reason for a coronation to end it all,” he said.
“A crown does not automatically make a person daggerproof.”
“But the successor would come to power with a lot of bad baggage.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time in history. And if you stop to think about it, some very good monarchs have come to power under such a cloud. By the way, has it occurred to you that the others might be speculating along these lines about you?”
“Yes, and it makes me uncomfortable. My father wanted the throne of Amber for a long time, and it really messed up his life. He was only happy when he said the hell with it. If I learned anything from his story, that’s it. I have no such ambition.”
But for a moment, I wondered. What would it feel like to control a massive state? Every time I complained about politics, here, in Amber, back in the States on the Shadow Earth, there was the automatic corollary of considering the way I’d manage situations if I were in charge.
“I wonder?” Mandor repeated.
I glanced downward.
“Perhaps the others are looking into their own saying pools just now,” I said, “hoping for clues.”
“Doubtless,” he responded. “What if Tubble and Tmer did meet untimely ends? What would you do?”
“Don’t even think about it,” I said. “It won’t happen.
“Suppose.”
“I don’t know.”
“You really should make some sort of decision, just to have it out of the way. You’re never at a loss for words when you know your own mind.”
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
“Tell me more of your story, since last we met.”
And so I did, Pattern ghosts and all.
Somewhere near the end the wailing sound began again. Suhuy moved toward the rock.