Soon rocks were cracking, but a little later they melted. My newly created magma flowed down fault lines. A hollowed-out area occurred at the point whence the precipitating force had originated.
Back.
I withdrew my probes, shut down the spikard.
“What did you do?” he asked me.
“I found the place where the Logrus was messing with underground stresses,” I said, “and I removed the place. There’s a small grotto there now. If it collapses it may ease the pressure even more.”
“So you’ve stabilized it?”
“At least for now. I don’t know the limits of the Logrus, but it’s going to have to figure a new route to reach this place. Then it’s going to have to test it out. And if it’s doing a lot of Pattern watching just now, that may slow it.”
“So you’ve bought some time,” he said. “Of course, the Pattern may move against us next.”
“It could,” I said. “I’ve brought everyone here because I thought they’d be safe from both Powers.”
“Apparently you made the payoff worth the risk.”
“Okay,” I said. “I guess it’s time to give them some other things to worry about.”
“Such as?”
I looked at him, Pattern ghost of my father, guardian of this place.
“I know where your flesh-and-blood counterpart is,” I said, “and I’m about to set him free.”
There came a flash of lightning. A sudden gust of wind lofted the fallen leaves, stirred the fogs.
“I must accompany you,” he said.
“Why?
“I’ve a personal interest in him, of course.”
“All right.”
Thunder crashed about us, and the fogs were tom apart by a fresh onslaught of wind.
Jurt came up to us then.
“I think it’s begun,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“The duel of Powers,” he said. “For a long time the Pattern had an edge. But when Luke damaged it and you snatched away the bride of the Jewel, it must have weakened it more, relative to the Logrus, than it’s been in ages. So the Logrus decided to attack, pausing only for a quick attempt to damage this Pattern.”
“Unless the Logrus was just testing us,” I said, “and this is simply a storm.”
A light rain had begun while he was speaking.
“I came here because I thought it was the one place neither of them would touch in the event of a contest,” he went on. “I’d assumed neither would care to divert energy from its own attack or defense for a swipe in this direction.”
“That reasoning may still hold,” I said.
“Just for once I’d like to be on the winning side,” he stated. “I’m not sure I care about right or wrong. They’re very arguable quantities. I’d just like to be in with the guys who win for a change. What do you think, Merle? What are you going to do?”
“Corwin here and I are going to head for the Courts, and we’re going to free my father,” I said. “Then we’re going to resolve whatever needs resolving and live happily ever after. You know how it goes.”
He shook his head.
“I can never decide whether you’re a fool or whether your confidence is warranted. Every time I decided you were a fool, though, it cost me.” He looked up at the dark sky, wiped rain from his brow. “I’m really torn,” he said, “but you could still be King of Chaos.”
“No,” I said.
“… And you enjoy some special relationship with the Powers.”
“If I do, I don’t understand it myself.”
“No matter,” he said. “I’m still with you.” I crossed to the others, hugged Coral.
“I must return to the Courts,” I said. “Guard the Pattern. We’ll be back.”
The sky was illuminated by three brilliant flashes. The wind shook the tree.
I turned away and created a door in the middle of the air. Corwin’s ghost and I stepped through it.