“Do you think we should abandon the roadway?”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” I lied again, “and I don’t see that it would hurt any for us to walk off to the side a bit.”
So we did.
We passed among trees, we moved past the dark shapes of rocks and bushes. And the moon slowly rose, big, of silver, and lighting up the night.
“I am taken by this feeling that we cannot do it,” Random told me.
“And what reliance can we give this feeling?” I asked.
“Much.”
“Why?”
“Too far and too fast,” he responded. “I don’t like it at all. Now we’re in the real world, it is too late to turn back. We cannot play with Shadows, but must rely on our blades.” (He wore a short, burnished one himself.) “I feel, therefore. that it is perhaps Eric’s will that we have advanced to this point. There is nothing much to do about it now, but now we’re here, I wish we’d had to battle for every inch of the way.
We continued for another mile and paused for cigarettes, which we held cupped in our hands.
“It’s a lovely night,” I said, to Random and the cool breeze. “I suppose…. What was that?”
There was a soft rustling of shrubbery a bit of a way behind us.
“Some animal, maybe.”
His blade was in his band.
We waited, several minutes, but nothing more was heard.
So he sheathed it and we started walking again.
There were no more sounds from behind us, but after a time I heard something from up ahead.
He nodded when I glanced at him, and we began to move more cautiously.
There was a soft glow, as from a campfire, away, far, in the distance.
We heard no more sounds, but his shrug showed acquiescence to my gesture as I headed toward it, into the woods, to the right.
It was the better part of an hour before we struck the camp. There were four men seated about the fire and two sleeping off in the shadows. The girl who was bound to a stake had her head turned away from us, but I felt my heart quicken as I looked upon her form.
“Could that be …?” I whispered.
“Yes.” he replied. “I think it may.”
Then she turned her head and I knew it was.
“Deirdre!”
“I wonder what the bitch has been up to?” Random said. “From those guys’ colors, I’d venture they’re taking her back to Amber.”
I saw that they wore black, red, and silver, which I remembered from the Trumps and from somewhere else to be the colors of Eric.
“Since Eric wants her, he can’t have her,” I said.
“I never much cared for Deirdre,” Random said, “but I know you do, so..” and he unsheathed his blade.
I did the same. “Get ready,” I told him, rising into a crouch. And we rushed them. Maybe two minutes, that’s about what it took,
She was watching us by then, the firelight making her face into a twisted mask. She cried and laughed and said our names, in a loud and frightened voice, and I slashed her bonds and helped her to her feet.
“Greetings, sister. Will you join us on the Road to Amber?”
“No,” she said. “Thanks for my life, but I want to keep it. Why do you walk to Amber, as if I didn’t know.”
“There is a throne to be won,” said Random, which was news to me. “and we are interested parties.”
“If you’re smart, you’ll stay away and live longer,” she said. and God! she was lovely, though a bit tired-looking and dirty.
I took her into my arms because I wanted to, and squeezed her. Random found a skin of wine and we all had a drink.
“Eric is the only Prince in Amber,” she said, “and the troops are loyal to him.”
“I’m not afraid of Eric,” I replied, and I knew I wasn’t certain about that statement.
“He’ll never let you into Amber,” she said. “I was a prisoner myself, till I made it out one of the secret ways two days ago. I thought I could walk in Shadows till all things were done, but it is not easy to begin this close to the real place. So his troops found me this morning. They were taking me back. I think he might have killed me, had I been returned—though I’m not sure. At any rate, I’d have remained a puppet in the city. I think Eric may be mad, but again, I’m not sure.”