“Wait,” he said.
“Yes?”
“You neglected to tell me who was with you when you discovered Martin’s Trump, in the place where I had left it.”
“Why, it was Random,” I said.
“Oh. Is he aware of the particulars?”
“If you mean, does he know that you stabbed his son,” I said, “the answer is no, not yet.”
“I see. And of Benedict’s new arm? I understand that you somehow got it for him in Tir-na Nog’th. I would like to know more about this.”
“Not now,” I said. “Let’s save something for our next get-together. It won’t be all that long.”
I went on out and closed the door, my silent regards to the rug.
Chapter 8
After visiting the kitchens, compiling an enormous meal and demolishing it, I headed for the stables, where I located a handsome young sorrel which had once belonged to Eric. I made friends with him in spite of this, and a short while later we were moving toward the trail down Kolvir which would take us to the camp of my Shadow forces. As I rode and digested, I tried to sort out the events and revelations of what, to me, had been the past few hours. If Amber had indeed arisen as the result of Dworkin’s act of rebellion within the Courts of Chaos, then it followed that we were all of us related to the very forces which now threatened us. It was, of course, difficult to decide how far anything Dworkin said might now be trusted. Yet, the black road did run to the Courts of Chaos, apparently as a direct result of Brand’s ritual, a thing which he had based on principles learned from Dworkin. Fortunately, for now, the parts of Dworkin’s narrative which required the greatest credulity were those things which were not of any great moment, from an immediate, practical standpoint. Still, I had mixed feelings about being descended from a unicorn-
“Corwin!”
I drew rein. I opened my mind to the sending and the image of Ganelon appeared.
“I am here,” I said. “Where did you get hold of a set of Trumps? And learn how to use them?”
“I picked up a pack from the case in the library a while back. Thought it a good idea to have a way of getting in touch with you in a hurry. As for using them, I just did what you and the others seem to do-study the Trump, think about it, concentrate on getting in touch with the person.”
“I should have gotten you a pack long ago,” I said. “It was an oversight on my part which I am glad you’ve remedied. Are you just testing them now, or did something come up?”
“Something,” he said. “Where are you?”
“As chance would have it, I am on my way down to see you.”
“You are all right?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. Come ahead then. I’d rather not try bringing you through this thing, the way you people do. It is not that urgent. I will see you by and by.”
“Yes.”
He broke the contact and I rustled the reins and continued on. For a moment, I had been irritated that he had not simply asked me for a deck. Then I recalled that I had been away for over a week, by Amber’s time. He had probably been getting worried, didn’t trust any of the others to do it for him. Perhaps rightly so.
The descent went quickly, as did the balance of the journey to the camp. The horse-whose name, by the way, was Drum-seemed happy to be going somewhere and had a tendency to pull away at the least excuse. I gave him his head at one point to tire him a bit, and it was not too long afterward that I sighted the camp. I realized at about that time that I missed Star.
I was the subject of stares and salutes as I rode into camp. A silence followed me and all activity ceased as I passed. I wondered whether they believed I had come to deliver a battle order.
Ganelon emerged from his tent before I had dismounted.
“Fast,” he observed, clasping my hand as I came down. “Pretty horse, that.”