with the place. They are paid to defend the winners, not to avenge the losers. I will put in as appearance and make a proclamation after dinner, and I will enjoy their unanimous and heartfelt loyalty until the next usurpation. Mind that third step. There's a loose flagstone.»
So she led us on, through a section of fake wall and into a dark tunnel, heading in what I believed to be a northwesterly direction toward the area of the Citadel which I had investigated somewhat on my previous journey this way. That was the day I had rescued her from Mask/Julia and taken her back to Amber to be a coatrack in our citadel for a while. The tunnel we entered was totally dark, but she conjured a darting dot, bright in its will-o'-the- wispiness, which preceded us through the gloom and the damp. The air was stale and the walls were cobwebby. The floor was of bare earth, save for an irregular patch of flagstones down its middle; there were occasional fetid puddles at either hand; and small dark creatures flashed past us - both on the ground and in the air - every now and then.
Actually, I did not need the light. Probably none of us did. I held to the Sign of the Logrus, which provided a magical way of seeing, granting a silvery, directionless illumination. I maintained it because it would also give me a warning against magical effects - which might include booby trap spells about the premises or, for that matter, a bit of treachery on Jasra's part. One effect of this seeing was to note that the Sign also hovered before Mandor, who, to my knowledge, has never been much into trust either. Something cloudy and vaguely Pattern-like also occupied a similar position vis-a-vis Jasra, completing the circle of wariness. And the light danced on before us.
We emerged from behind a stack of barrels into what appeared to be a very well-stocked wine cellar. Mandor paused after six paces and carefully removed a dusty bottle from the rack to our left. He drew a corner of his cloak across its label.
«Oh, my!» he observed.
«What is it?» Jasra inquired.
«If this is still good, I can build an unforgettable meal around it.»
«Really? Better bring several to be sure then,» she said. «These go back before my time - perhaps before Sharu's time even.»
«Merlin, you bring these two,» he said, passing me a pair. «Carefully,now.»
He studied the rest of the rack before selecting two more, which he carried himself.
«I can see why this place is often under siege,» he remarked to Jasra. «I'd have been inclined to have a go at it myself had I known about this part.»
She reached out and squeezed his shoulder.
«There are easier ways to get what you want,» she said, smiling.
«I'll remember that,» he replied. «I hope you'll hold me to it.»
I cleared my throat.
She gave me a small frown, then turned away. We followed her out a low doorway and up a creaking flight of wooden stairs. We emerged in a large pantry and passed through it into an immense, deserted kitchen.
«Never a servant around when you need one,» she remarked, casting her gaze about the room.
«We won't be needing one,» Mandor said. «Find me a congenial dining area and I'll manage.»
«Very well,» she replied. «This way then.»
She led us through the kitchen; then we passed through a series of rooms till we came to a stairway, which we mounted.
«Ice fields?» she asked. «Lava fields? Mountains? Or a storm-tossed sea?»
«If you are referring to a choice of views,» Mandor responded, «give me the mountains.»
He glanced at me, and I nodded.
She conducted us to a long, narrow room, where we unfastened a series of shutters to behold a dappled range of round-topped peaks, The room was cool and a bit dusty with shelves running the length of the near wall. These held books, writing implements, crystals, magnifying glasses, small pots of paint, a few simple magical instruments, a microscope, and a telescope. There was a trestle table at the room's middle, a bench on either side of it.
«How long will it take to prepare this?» Jasra asked.
«A minute or two,» Mandor said.
«In that case,» she said, «I would like to repair myself somewhat first. Perhaps you would also.»
«Good idea,» I said.
«Indeed,» Mandor acknowledged.
She led us to what must have been guest quarters, not too far away, and left us with soap, towels, and water. We agreed to meet back in the narrow room in half as hour.
«Think she's planning something nasty?» I asked as I drew off my shirt.
«No,» Mandor replied. «I like to flatter myself in thinking that she would not want to miss this meal. Nor, do I feel, would she want us to miss seeing her at her best, having so far seen her at something less than that. And a possibility of gossip, confidences…» He shook his head. «You may never have been able to trust her before and may never again. But this meal will be a Time-out if I'm any judge.»
«I'll hold you to that,» I said as I splashed and lathered.
Mandor gave me a crooked smile, then conjured a corkscrew and opened the bottles - «to let them breathe a little» - before he tended to himself. I trusted his judgment, but I hung on to the Sign of the Logrus in case I had to duel with a demon or avoid a falling wall.
No demons sprang; no masonry toppled. I entered the dining room behind Mandor and watched him transform it with a few words and gestures. The trestle table and the benches were replaced by a round table and comfortable-looking chairs - the chairs so situated as to provide a good view of the mountains from each. Jasra had not yet arrived, and I was carrying the two wine bottles whose respiration Mandor found most appealing. Before I could even set them down, Mandor conjured an embroidered tablecloth and napkins; delicate china, which looked as if it had been hand decorated by Ming; finely wrought silverware. He studied the tableau a moment, banished the silverware, summoned a set with a different pattern. He hummed as he paced and regarded the layout from various angles. Just as I moved forward to place the bottles on the table, he summoned a crystal bowl filled with floating flowers as a centerpiece. I took a step backward then as crystal goblets appeared.
I made a small growling noise, and he seemed to notice me for the first time in a while.
«Oh, set them there. Set them there, Merlin,» he said, and an ebony tray appeared on the table to my left. «We'd better check to see how the wine is holding up, before the lady arrives,» he said then, pouring some of the ruby fluid into two of the goblets.
We sampled these, and he nodded. It was better than Bayle's. By far.
«Nothing wrong there,» I said.
He rounded the table, went to the window, and looked out. I followed. Somewhere up in those mountains, I supposed, was Dave in his cave.
«I feel almost guilty,» I said, «taking a break like this. There are so many things I should be tending to-»
«Possibly even more than you suspect,» he said. «Look upon this less as a break than a retrenchment. And you may learn something from the lady.»
«True,» I replied. «I wonder what, though.»
He swirled his wine in his glass, took another small sip, and shrugged.
«She knows a lot. She may let something slip, or she may feel expansive at the attention and grow generous. Take things as they're dealt.»
I took a drink, and I could be nasty and say my thumbs began to prickle. But it was actually the Logrus field that warned me of Jasra's approach along the hall outside. I did not remark upon it to Mandor, since I was certain he felt it, too. I simply turned toward the door, and he matched my movement.
She had on a low over-one-shoulder (the left) white dress, fastened at the shoulder with a diamond pin, and she wore a tiara, also of diamonds, which seemed almost to be radiating in the infrared range amidst her bright hair. She was smiling, and she smelled good, too. Involuntarily I felt myself standing straighter, and I glanced at my fingernails to be certain they were clean.
Mandor's bow was more courtly than mine, as usual. And I felt obliged to say something pleasant. So, «You're looking quite… elegant,» I observed, letting my eyes wander to emphasize the point.
«It is seldom that I dine with two princes,» she remarked.
