The Chronicles of Amber

I no longer needed such a support. Instead, I would turn her to my own purposes.

“Tell me why you really came here,” I said.

“Because…” She hesitated, searching my face, and I saw the shame of betrayal in her eyes. I nodded slightly, encouraging her; I could use that emotion—bend it, reshape it to my needs, and make it serve me.

I said, “Because you love me.”

She nodded.

“For us to continue,” I said, “I must know everything. We cannot have secrets. Tell me, who sent you here?”

“Lord, I must not! None of us will be safe!”

“No one will harm you. I promise.”

She bowed her head. “It was Lord Ulyanash,” she whispered.

Ulyanash… the name meant nothing to me. Could he be the serpent I had seen in my visions, torturing my brothers and spying on me?

“Describe him,” I said.

“He is tall and dark, with long black hair, two small white horns, and red eyes, like coals.” She hesitated. “He was born of a minor house, I know, but his ambitions are well known. He has many friends and supporters in King Uthor's court these days…”

“Is that where you met him?”

“Yes. I was in the employ of Lady Elan. He… persuaded her to place me into his service.”

I nodded; the stealing of servants was a much-practiced tradition in Ilerium among the nobility. It seemed little different here.

“What else can you tell me about him?” I asked.

“I think he does not care about you. He did not know who you were before he sent me here—all he had was your name. He could not even tell me what you looked like.”

“That's why you asked who I was in the hallway, the first time we met?”

“Yes. But this plan was not of Lord Ulyanash's design. He does not have the imagination.”

“You were to kill me, weren't you?”

She could not meet my gaze. Head down, she nodded.

“Why didn't you?” I asked.

“I could not! You were so kind to me… you treated me like an equal, not a servant.” She hesitated. “And… I liked you. Even though it will cost me my life when he finds out, I could not obey. I could not kill you.”

“Thank you for that.” I hugged her close. Her heart fluttered in her chest; I could feel it as our skins touched. Then, as I nuzzled her neck, wondering how much more she knew, I felt her shiver.

“Why does he want me dead?” I asked. That was the one thing I did not understand. “Why not my father, or my brother Aber? I have no power here. They are the ones who matter, not me.”

“I do not know, Oberon.” She pulled away and perched on the edge of the bed, sighing deeply. “For some reason, Ulyanash fears you, and that makes him dangerous. You must be careful in all things. Your enemies here are powerful.”

I sat beside her, and a plan began to take form in my imagination. I put my arm around her shoulder, comforting.

“You must go back to Ulyanash,” I said.

“No!”

“You must,” I said firmly. “Tell him you've done your job and I'm dead. Then see what else you can find out. I need to know whose plan this was, and why they want me out of the way. Otherwise their next attempt to kill me may well succeed.” I gave her another quick kiss. “Talk to no one else about me. And… come back as soon as you can?”

She smiled wistfully. “Yes, Oberon. I will come back. But…” She glanced pointedly at the door, and I read her expression.

“Aber won't hurt you. I won't let him—or anyone else here. You are under my protection now, for whatever good that does.”

She brightened noticeably. “Thank you, Oberon.”

“I'll talk to my brother after you're gone. All right?”

She smiled, squeezed my hand, and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

Then, without a backward glance, she let herself out into the hallway.

Somehow, I had a feeling I would never see her again. Too much could go wrong with my plans. If Ulyanash had other spies in our household, or had other ways of spying on us, he would soon discover Rhalla's deception. And if that happened…

Sighing, I headed downstairs to find Aber.

Chapter 18

Throughout breakfast, Aber pretended to pout and hold a grudge. Course after course arrived, was served, and then carted away by attentive servants. At last, depositing vast trays of fruit and cheese on the table, they left us alone.

Aber sighed. “Sometimes,” he said, addressing no one in particular though I knew he meant it for me, “I think I'm the only one left in this family with any sense.”

“Sense, but no vision.”

He turned his head in my direction. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“Had we done the sensible thing in Juniper, we would all be dead now. We have to do the unexpected, the courageous, the daring. It's the only way we can hope to win. You need to see the proper path. It's not always the safe one.”

He snorted. “You sound like Dad now.”

“That's a good thing.”

I leaned forward, looking him in the eye, and bluntly told him of my plans for Rhalla… how she would claim to have killed me, then spy on her master and report back whatever she learned. A little to my surprise, Aber seemed pleased.

“Who is her master?” he asked. “Who sent her here?”

“Some minor Lord of Chaos. His name is Ulyanash.”

He paled. “Ulyanash?”

“Do you know him?” I demanded.

“Lord Ulyanash is… not a friend. To any of us.” His expression hardened.

“Could he be behind it all? The murders? The attack on Juniper?”

“What did your succubus say?”

“She didn't think it was him.”

He shook his head slowly. “I don't think so, either. He's an idiot. If he weren't such a good fighter, no one would pay any attention to him. There must be someone else, someone more powerful who's working quietly to control and direct him.”

“That's exactly what Rhalla said.”

He gave me an odd look. “You found out quite a lot from her, didn't you?”

I shrugged. “You get more from women with kisses than threats. Take a lesson from that.”

“Maybe I was wrong about her,” he admitted. I knew how hard that must have been for him to say. “Just don't promise her too much, okay, Brother? I don't want a succubus for a sister-in- law.”

I smiled, letting my eyes go distant. “She is beautiful…”

“She came to kill you!”