«In the forest of Arden. Why?»
«It seams a strange place to part.»
I was working on Coral's eyebrows.
«We parted under strange circumstances,» I said.
A little more work about the eyes, a bit on the her…
«Strange? In what way?» she asked.
More color to the cheeks…
«Never mind,» I told her.
«All right,» she said. «It's probably not that important.»
I decided against rising to that bait, because I was suddenly getting something. As had occasionally happened in the past, my concentration on the Trump as I put the final touches to it was sufficiently intense to reach through and…
«Coral!» I said, as the features moved, perspectives shifted.
«Merlin…?» she answered. «I… I'm in trouble.»
Oddly, there was no background whatever. Just blackness. I felt Nayda's hand upon my shoulder.
«Are you all right?» I asked.
«Yes… It's dark here,» she said. «Very dark.»
Of course. One cannot manipulate Shadow in the absence of light. Or even see to use a Trump.
«That's where the Pattern sent you?» I asked.
«No,» she answered.
«Take my hand,» I said. «You can tell me about it afterward.».
I extended my hand and she reached toward it.
«They-» she began.
And with a stinging flash the contact was broken. I felt Nayda stiffen beside me.
«What happened?» she asked.
«I don't know. We were suddenly blocked. I can't tell what forces were involved.»
«What are you going to do?»
«Try again in a little bit,» I said. «If it were a reaction thing, resistance will probably be high just now, and it may ease up later. At least she says she's all right.»
I withdrew the packet of Trumps I normally carry, shufflied out Luke's. Now seemed as good a time as any to see how he was faring. Nayda glanced at the card and smiled.
«I thought you just saw him a little while ago,» she said.
«A lot can happen in a little while.»
«I'm certain a lot has happened.»
«You think you know something about what's going on with him?» I asked.
«Yes. I do.»
I raised the Trump. «What?» I said.
«I'd be willing to wager, you won't get through to him.»
«We'll see.»
I concentrated and I reached. I reached again. A minute or so later I wiped my brow.
«How'd you know?» I asked.
«Luke's blocking you. I would, too… under the circumstances.»
«What circumstances?»
She gave me a quirked smile, crossed to a chair, and sat down.
«Now I have something to trade with you again,» she said.
«Again?»
I studied her. Something jiggled and fell into place. «You've been calling him `Luke' rather than `Rinaldo,' «I said.
«So I have.»
«I'd been wondering when you'd show up again.»
She continued to smile.
«I went and shot my eviction-notice spell,» I observed. «Can't complain, though. It probably saved my life. Do I owe you that one, in some roundabout fashion?»
«I'm not proud. I'll take it.»
«I'm going to ask you again what you want, and if you say it's to help me or to protect me, I'm going to turn you into a coatrack.»
She laughed.
«I'd have guessed you'd take whatever help you could get right now,» she said.
«A lot depends on what you mean by `help'.»
«If you'll tell me what you have in mind, I'll tell you whether I can be of any assistance.»
«All right,» I said. «I'm going to change clothes while I talk, though. I don't feel like storming a citadel dressed like this. May I lend you something tougher than a sweat suit?»
«I'm fine. Start at Arbor House, okay?»
«Okay,» I said, and I proceeded to fill her in while I garbed myself in tougher fare. She was no longer a pretty lady to me, but rather a nebulous entity in human form. She seated herself while I was talking and stared at the wall, or through it, over steepled fingers. When I was finished, she kept staring, and I went over to my drawing board, took up Coral's Trump, tried again, but couldn't get through. I tried Luke's card, also, with the same results.
As I was about to replace Luke's Trump, square the deck, and case it, I glimpsed the next lower card and a lightning chain of recollections and speculations flashed through my mind. I removed the card and focused on it. I reached…
«Yes, Merlin?» he said moments later, seated at a small table on a terrace - evening skyline of a city behind him - lowering what appeared to be a cup of espresso to a tiny white saucer.
«Right now. Hurry,» I said. «Come to me.»
Nayda had begun to make a low growling sound just as the contact occurred, and she was on her feet and moving toward me, her eyes fixed upon the Trump, just as Mandor took my hand and stepped through. She halted when the tall, black-garbed figure appeared before her. They regarded each other without expression for a moment, and then she took a long sliding step toward him, her hands beginning to rise. Immediately, from the depth of some inner cloak pocket where his right hand was thrust, there came a single, sharp, metallic click.
Nayda froze.
«Interesting,» Mandor said, raising his left hand and passing it in front of her face. Her eyes did not follow it. «This is the one you told me about earlier - Vinta; I believe, you called her?»
«Yes, only now she's Nayda.»
He produced a small, dark metal ball from somewhere and held it upon the palm of his left hand, which he extended before her. Slowly, the ball began to move, describing a counterclockwise circle. Nayda emitted a single sound, something halfway between a cry and a gasp, and she dropped forward to her hands and knees, head lowered. From where I stood I could see saliva dripping from her mouth.
He said something very fast, in an archaic form of Thari which I could not follow. She responded in the affirmative.
«I believe I've solved your mystery,» he said then. «Do you recall your lessons on Respondances and High Compellings?»
«Sort of,» I said. «Academically. I was never exactly swept away by the subject.»
«Unfortunate,» he stated. «You should report back to Suhuy for a postgraduate course sometime.»
«Are you trying to tell me…?»
«The creature you see before you, inhabiting a not unattractive human form, is a ty'iga,» he explained.
I stared. The ty'iga were a normially bodiless race of demons that dwelled in the blackness beyond the Rim. I recalled being told that they were very powerful and very difficult to control.
«Uh…, can you make this one stop slobbering on my carpet?» I said.
«Of course,» he replied, and he released the sphere, which fell to the floor before her. It did not bounce, but
