it!'
She was either sincere or unbreakable by these means, I decided. Whichever, I was wasting my time and could get nothing more this way. Also, I had better switch us away from the accident before she began thinking too much about its importance to me. If there was something there that I was missing, I wanted to find it first.
'Come with me,' I said.
'Where are we going?'
'I have something I want you to identify. I will tell you why after you see it.'
She rose and followed me. I took her up the hall to see the body before I gave her the story on Caine. She regarded the corpse quite dispassionately. She nodded.
'Yes,' she said, and, 'Even if I did not know it I would be glad to say that I did, for you.'
I grunted a noncommittal. Family loyalty always touches me, somewhere. I could not tell whether she believed what I had said about Caine. But things sort of
•
canal-to equal things sort of being equal to each other. it didn't much seem to matter. I did not tell her anything about Brand and she did not seem to possess any new information concerning him. Her only other comment when everything I'd had to say was said, was, 'You wear the jewel well. What about the headpiece?'
'It is too soon to talk of such things,' I told her.
'Whatever my support may be worth...'
'I know,' I said. 'I know.'
My tomb is a quiet place. It stands alone in a rocky declivity, shielded on three sides against the elements, surrounded by transported soil wherein a pair of scrubby trees, miscellaneous shrubs, weeds, and great ropes of mountain ivy are rooted, about two miles down, in back of the crest of Kolvir. It is a long, low building with two benches in front, and the ivy has contrived to cover it to a great extent, mercifully masking most of a bombastic statement graven on its face beneath my name. It is, understandably, vacant most of the time.
That evening, however, Ganelon and I repaired thither, accompanied by a good supply of wine and some loaves and cold cuts.
'You weren't joking!' he said, having dismounted, crossed over, and parted the ivy, able to read by the moon's light the words that were rendered there.
'Of course not,' I said, climbing down and taking charge of the horses. 'It's mine all right.'
Tethering our mounts to a nearby shrub, I unslung our bags of provisions and carried them to the nearest bench. Ganelon joined me as I opened the first bottle and poured us a dark, deep pair.
'I still don't understand,' he said, accepting his.
'What's there to understand? I'm dead and buried there,' I said. 'It's my cenotaph, is what it is-the monument that gets set up when the body has not been recovered. I only just learned about mine recently. It was raised several centuries ago, when it was decided I wasn't coming back.'
'Kind of spooky,' he said. 'What's inside then?'
'Nothing. Though they did thoughtfully provide a niche and a casket, just in case my remains put in an appearance. You cover both bets that way.'
Ganelon made himself a sandwich.
'Whose idea was it?' he asked.
'Random thinks it was Brand's or Eric's. No one remembers for sure. They all seemed to feel it was a good idea at the time.'
He chuckled, an evil noise that perfectly suited his creased, scarred, and red-bearded self.
'What's to become of it now?'
I shrugged.
'I suppose some of them think it's a shame to waste it this way and would like to see me fill it. In the meantime, though, it's a good place to come and get drunk. I hadn't really paid my respects yet. '
I put together a pair of sandwiches and ate them both. This was the first real breather I had had since my return, and perhaps the last for some time to come. It was impossible to say. But I had not really had a chance to speak with Ganelon at any length during the past week, and he was one of the few persons I trusted. I wanted to tell him everything. I had to. I had to talk with someone who was not a part of it in the same way as the rest of us. So I did.
The moon moved a considerable distance and the shards of broken glass multiplied within my crypt.
'So how did the others take it?' he asked me.
'Predictably,' I answered. 'I could tell that Julian did not believe a word of it even though he said that he did. He knows how I feel about him, and he is in no position to challenge me. I don't think Benedict believes me either, but he is a lot harder to read. He is biding his time, and I hope giving me the benefit of the doubt while he is about it. As for Gerard, I have the feeling that this was the final weight, and whatever trust he had left for me has just collapsed. Still, he will be returning to Amber early tomorrow, to accompany me to the grove to recover Caine's body. No sense in turning it into a safari, but I did want another family member present. Deirdre now-she seemed happy about it. Didn't believe a word. I'm sure. But no matter. She has always been on my side, and she has never liked Caine. I'd say she is glad that I seem to be consolidating my position. I can't really tell whether Llewella believed me or not. She doesn't much give a damn what the rest of us do to one another, so far as I can see. As to Fiona, she simply seemed amused at the whole business. But then, she has always had this detached, superior way of regarding things. You can never be certain what represents her real thinking.'
'Did you tell them the business about Brand yet?'
'No. I told them about Caine and I told them I wanted them all to be in Amber by tomorrow evening. That is when the subject of Brand will be raised. I've an idea I want to try out.'
'You contacted all of them by means of the Trumps?'
'That's right.'
'There is something I have been meaning to ask you about that. Back on the shadow world we visited to obtain the weapons, there are telephones... .'
'Yes?'
'I learned about wiretaps and such while we were there. Is it possible, do you think, that the Trumps could be bugged?'
I began to laugh, then caught myself as some of the implications of his suggestion sank in. Finally, 'I don't really know,' I said. 'So much concerning Dworkin's work remains a mystery-the thought just never occurred to me. I've never tried it myself. I wonder, though....'
'Do you know how many sets there are?'
'Well, everyone in the family has a pack or two and there were a dozen or so spares in the library. I don't really know whether there are any others.'
'It seems to me that a lot could be learned just by listening in.'
'Yes. Dad's deck. Brand's, my original pack, the one Random lost-Hell! There are quite a number unaccounted for these days. I don't know what to do about it. Start an inventory and try some experiments, I guess. Thanks for mentioning it.'
He nodded and we both sipped for a while in silence.
Then, 'What are you going to do, Corwin?' he asked.
'About what?'
'About everything. What do we attack now, and in what order?'
'My original intention was to begin tracing the black road toward its origin as soon as things were more settled here in Amber,' I said. 'Now, though, I have shifted my priorities. I want Brand returned as soon as possible, if he is still living. If not, I want to find out what happened to him.'
'But will the enemy give you the breathing time? He might be preparing a new offensive right now.'
'Yes, of course. I have considered that. I feel we have some time, since they were defeated so recently. They will have to pull themselves together again, beef up their forces, reassess the situation in light of our new weapons. What I have in mind for the moment is to establish a series of lookout stations along the road to give us advance warning of any new movements on their part. Benedict has already agreed to take charge of the
