«Jasra.»
«I never knew her name.»
«She's Luke's mother,» I explained, waving his Trump.
«Bad blood,» Ghost stated. «Maybe we shouldn't have anything to do with either of them.»
«She might be coming with us,» I said.
«Oh, no. That's a dangerous lady. You don't want her along. Especially not in a place where she's strong. She might try to grab me again. She might succeed.»
«She'll be too occupied with other matters,» I said, «and I may need her. So start thinking of her as part of the package.»
«Are you sure you know what you're doing?»
«I'm afraid so.»
«When do you want to go there?»
«That depends in part on when Luke's troops will be ready. Why don't you go and find out?»
«All right. But I still think you might be making a mistake, going into that place with those people.»
«I need someone who can help, and the die is damned well cast,» I said.
Ghost coalesced to a point and winked out.
I drew a deep breath, changed my mind about sighing, and moved on toward my nearest door, which was not that much farther up the hall. As I was reaching for it I felt the movement of a Trump contact. Coral?
I opened myself to it. Mandor appeared before me again.
«Are you all right?» he asked immediately. «We were cut off in such an odd fashion.»
«I'm fine,» I told him. «We were cut off in a once-in-a-lifetime fashion. Not to worry.»
«You seem a trifle agitated.»
«That's because it's an awfully long walk from downstairs to upstairs with all the powers of the universe converging to slow me.»
«I don't understand.»
«It's been a rough day,» I said. «See you later.»
«I did want to talk with you some more, about those stones and the new Pattern and-»
«Later,» I said. «I'm waiting on an incoming call.»
«Sorry. No rush. I'll check back.»
He broke the contact and I reached for the latch. I wondered whether it would solve everybody's problems if I could turn Ghost into an answering service.
Chapter 7
I hung my cloak on Jasra and my weapons belt on the bedpost. I cleaned my boots, washed my hands and face, hunted up a fancy ivory shirt - alI ruffled, brocaded, frogged - and put it on, along with a pair of gray trousers. Then I brushed off my deep purple jacket, the one on which I'd once laid a spell to make the wearer seem a little more charming, witty, and trustworthy than is actually the case. It seemed a good occasion for getting some use out of it.
As I was brushing my hair there came a knock on the door.
«Just a minute,» I called.
I finished up - which left me ready to go and also, probably, running late - then went to the door, unbarred it, and opened it.
Bill Roth stood there in browns and reds, looking like an aging condottiere.
«Bill!» I said, clasping his hand, arm, and shoulder and leading him in. «Good to see you. I'm just back from some troubles and about to take off after more. I didn't know whether you were here in the palace now or what. I was going to look you up again as soon as things slowed a bit.»
He smiled and punched my shoulder lightly.
«I'll be at dinner,» he replied, «and Hendon said you'd be there, too. I thought I'd come up and walk over with you, though, since those Begman people will be there.
«Oh? You got some news?»
«Yes. Any fresh word on Luke?»
«I was just talking to him. He says the vendetta's off.»
«Any chance of his wanting to justify himself at that hearing you asked me about?»
«Not from the way he sounded.»
«Too bad. I've bean doing a lot of research, and there are some good precendents for the vendetta defense - like, there was your uncle Osric, who took on the whole House of Karen over the death of a relative on his mother's side. Oberon was particularly friendly with Karen in those days, too, and Osric offed three of them. Oberon acquitted him at a hearing, though, basing his decision on earlier cases, and he even went further by stating a kind of general rule-»
«Oberon also sent him off to the front Iines in a particularly nasty war,» I interrupted, «from which he did not return.»
«I wasn't aware of that part,» Bill said, «but he did come off well in court.»
«I'll have to mention it to Luke,» I said.
«Which part?» he asked.
«Both,» I answered.
«That wasn't the main thing I came to tell you,» he went on. «There's something going on at a military level.»
«What are you talking about?»
«It's even easier to show you,» he explained. «It should only take a minute.»
«Okay. Let's go,» I agreed, and I followed him out into the hall.
He led the way down the back stair and turned left at its foot. We moved on past the kitchen and followed another hallway which turned off toward the rear. As we did, I heard some rattling sounds from up ahead. I glanced at Bill, who nodded.
«That's what I heard earlier,» he told me, «when I was passing by. That's why I took a walk up this way. Everything around here makes me curious.»
I nodded, understanding the feeling. Especially when I knew that the sounds were coming from the main armory. Benedict stood in the midst of activity, peering at his thumbnail through a rifle barrel. He looked up immediately and our eyes met. Perhaps a dozen men moved about him, carrying weapons, cleaning weapons, stacking weapons.
«I thought you were in Kashfa,» I said.
«Was,» he replied.
I gave him a chance to continue, but nothing was forthcoming. Benedict has never been noted for loquacity.
«Looks like you're getting ready for something close to home,» I remarked, knowing that gunpowder was useless here and that the special ammo we had only worked in the area of Amber and certain adjacent kingdoms.
«Always best to be safe,» he said.
«Would you care to elaborate on that?» I asked.
«Not now,» he answered, a reply twice as long as I'd anticipated and holding out hope of future enlightenment.
«Should we all be digging in?» I asked: «Fortifying the town? Arming ourselves? Raising-»
«It won't come to that,» he said. «Just go on about your business.»
«But-»
He turned away. I'd a feeling the conversation was over. I was sure of it when he ignored my next several questions. I shrugged and turned back to Bill.
