Coming to a Cord
Roger Zelazny. Coming to a Cord
Preface from Pirate Writings: This story takes up the second Amber series where “The Shroudling and the Guisel” (which appeared in the first issue of Realms of Fantasy) left off. It shows the continuing tale of Merlin’s strangling cord, Frakir, while telling more about the leftover guisel and the sorcerer responsible for the affair behind the mirror. Flora and the visiting Luke are drawn into the action.
I have been using an occasional short story of late to tie up loose ends I’d left hanging in previous Amber books and stories, as well as to continue the overall narrative. The first of these stories was “The Salesman’s Tale,” featuring Luke and Vialle, which appeared in the February 1994 (#6) issue of Amberzine, and the second was “Blue Horse, Dancing Mountains,” which will appear this Summer in the AvoNova collection of gambling stories, Wheel of Fortune, edited by myself. “The Shroudling and the Guisel” was the third Amber story, and “coming to a Cord” is the fourth.
So, if anyone has a burning Amber question, I suggest they send it to me c/o AvoNova and I may be able to straighten the matter out in one of these stories (I may not, also). And to all you Amber fans, thanks for hanging around for so long.
-Roger Zelazny
It is no fun being tied to a bedpost when you are feeling under the weather. I phased back and forth between visibility and invisibility uncontrollably. On the other wrist, I felt my ability to communicate beginning to return. My increased sentience had remained with me ever since my strange journey with Merlin in the place between shadows. But there was a shock on my return to this reality. Slowly now, I was recovering from it, though some of the symptoms were slower in going than others. Consequently, it took me much longer than it normally would have to unknot myself.
I am Frakir, strangling cord to Merlin—Lord of Amber and Prince of Chaos. Normally, too, he would never have abandoned me like this, in the blasted apartments of Brand, late Prince of Amber and would-be Lord of the Universe. But he was under a mild spell Brand had actually left about for his son Rinaldo. However, Merlin has such a strong affinity with Rinaldo—also known as Luke—by virtue of their long association, that the spell latched onto him. He must have shaken it by now, but that still left me in an awkward position, with him doubtless back in the Courts.
I did not feel like waiting around with all the rebuilding and redecorating going on. They could decide to chuck the bed, with me attached, and go for all new stuff.
I finished unknotting myself. At least Merlin had used no magic when he’d tied me there. On the other hand, it was a tight knot, and I squirmed for a long while to get myself unlooped. Finally, the thing was loosened and I was able to undo it. Once I had freed myself from its subtle geometries, I slithered down the bedpost to the ground. This left me in a position to slip away, should a gang of furniture movers suddenly appear. In fact, it suddenly seemed a good idea to get out of the fast traffic lane now.
I moved away from the bed—out of Brand’s room and into Merlin’s—wondering what had been the secret of that ring he’d found and put on—the spikard thing.
That it was extremely powerful and drew its energies from many sources was obvious to a being such as myself. That it seemed a thing of the same order as the sword Werewindle was also readily apparent, despite their varied forms to the eye of a human. Suddenly, it occurred to me that Merlin might not notice this, and I began to think that it might be necessary he should.
I crossed his room. I can move like a snake when I would. I have no ability to transport myself magically like almost everyone else I know, so I figured it were best to find someone who did. My only problem was that, in keeping with the family’s general policy of personal secrecy on everything from magic to souffle recipes, many of them did not even know I existed.