The Chronicles of Amber

brother. “Lead on!”

Conner crossed the plateau to where the trail continued. Hugging the side of the mountain, it curved to the left and out of sight. An outcropping of stone shielded it from the ice and snow above.

Without hesitation, Conner strode forward. I came next, letting one hand touch the mountainside for balance, and Iankos brought up the rear. The wind picked up, giving a low moan of sound, and the air grew colder still. I pulled my hat lower, covering the tops of my ears. This was not the sort of weather I liked.

At last the trail leveled, then started down. Becoming wider, it ended abruptly at a little shelf.

Conner dropped to his hands and knees. Creeping forward slowly, he peeked over the edge. I joined him, and Iankos did the same.

“There they are,” Connor said unnecessarily, pointing.

Far below, in a lush green valley split by a meandering river, Uthor had made his camp. Tents by the score lined the water's edge. Huge pens held horses and lizardlike animals I had never seen before. Smoke from a thousand campfires cast a haze across everything.

To the north, at the far end of the valley, squads drilled and practiced with swords, axes, pikes, and strange long-bladed weapons. Everywhere I looked, I saw the bustle of movement. The sheer numbers astounded me.

“So many…” Iankos murmured. I knew how he felt. At my most conservative estimate, there had to be two hundred thousand warriors camped below us—and maybe a lot more.

“He has brought in reinforcements since yesterday,” Conner said. I glanced over at him. He was frowning faintly. “He must be gathering in everyone that he can. He must plan to attack soon.”

“How can we hope to stand against that?” Iankos murmured, almost to himself.

“We will,” I said sharply, “because we must.”

He bowed his head. “A thousand pardons, Oberon. I did not mean to doubt you. Of course, with you leading us, victory is certain!”

“It is not certain… but I think it likely!”

“It's like Juniper all over again,” Conner said, voice low. “They will use magic and try to block our access to the Logrus.”

“You're forgetting one important detail,” I said.

He glanced over at me. “What?”

“We aren't in Chaos anymore,” I said slowly. “Here, we're the masters. We control the Pattern and the Shadows. He's at our mercy.”

I crawled back and stood. When I let my vision slip into that magical sight I had found in Lord Zon's keep, everything around me took on a strange bluish glow… lines of force connecting everyone and everything around us.

There had to be a way to use the Pattern to keep Uthor at bay. I just had to find it. We needed something big to take care of Uthor's army… a tidal wave… an earthquake… something of that size and power.

Or… maybe an avalanche? I smiled. Tons of falling rock, ice, and snow could bury most of their camp, if it hit the valley. But how?

I had called on the Pattern several times while in Chaos to strike at Lord Zon, so I knew it could be used to manipulate elements of the physical world. But could it affect a whole mountain? Could it cause an avalanche of sufficient power to bury a whole valley?

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to experiment. It might take weeks or months to learn to use the Pattern like that.

Another idea struck me. Why shouldn't we use the Logrus, too? Everyone else in my family could call on its power at will. If the Pattern couldn't cause an avalanche, maybe the Logrus could… I'd have to talk to Dad. He might be able to make it happen.

“I've seen enough,” I said to Conner.

He rose. “Back to Amber?”

“Yes. We'll use a Trump this time. Speed is going to be important.”

We headed back to rejoin the others, maneuvering along the mountain's curving ledge as quickly as possible. When we got there, we found them gathered around their horses.

“Let's go!” I called. “Everyone together now! Lead your horses, hands on the flank of the animal in front of you so we don't get separated!”

I pulled out my deck of Trumps and found the new card Aber had given me lying on top. I picked it up, concentrated on the castle's central courtyard, and the scene leaped to life.

Without a backward glance, I led my horse through. Mentally, I held the passage open for the others to follow, though they shouldn't have needed it, since they maintained physical contact the whole time.

When we were all safely returned, I passed my horse's reins to one of the half-dozen stableboys who came running. I threw off my cloak and gloves.

Then I heard running footsteps and a frantic wheezing. What now? I turned, curious.

“Your Highness!” An elderly steward came running up, breathless, hands fluttering frantically. “Your Highness! A word, Sire!”

“What is it?” I asked wearily. Couldn't the routine matters of state wait until morning?

He dropped to one knee. “Visitors are here from Chaos—waiting in the main hall—”

“What!” I cried. Conner and I exchanged a startled glance “Who is attending them?”

“Lord Dworkin. He said—to bring you—at once!”

I frowned. “Who are they? Relatives?”

“I do not think so—Sire! They are—soldiers—come under a flag—of truce—”

“When did they arrive?” I demanded.

“Right after you left! They asked for Lord Dworkin. They have been behind closed doors ever since!”

“Where are Freda and Aber?” I asked.

He wrung his hands. “Gone! Fled!”

“What! Why?”

“Your father told them to, Sire!”

I didn't know what to think. Should I be alarmed? Afraid? If Aber and Freda fled…

“Any ideas?” I asked Conner, who was staring thoughtfully off into space.

“None.” He looked as puzzled as I felt.

“All right,” I said to the steward. “Take us to them. Quickly!”

“This way, Sire!”

Turning, he hurried inside, down several corridors, to the closed double-doors to one of a private meeting room. He fretted there until, with a sigh, I stepped past, threw open the doors, and entered. Conner followed me in.

I found Dad seated at a long table with his back to me, facing three men I did not recognize. All wore silvered chain mail. The one in the middle had a thin circlet of gold around his head; the other two had horns and vaguely reptilian scales. Wine and half a dozen banquet dishes lay before them; clearly they had eaten while awaiting my arrival.

For a second I wished I'd had time to order a crown for myself. A true king needs all the fixtures when entertaining.

Conner stopped beside me. I whispered, “Is that Uthor?”

“Yes.” He sounded stunned. “I can't believe he's here!”

“Watch my back.”

He nodded gravely, one hand dropping to rest lightly on the hilt of his sword.

Advancing, I took a position next to our father. There I crossed my arms and set my feet.

“Good evening,” I said, giving all three a polite nod—but no more acknowledgment than that. “News of your arrival just reached me. I am Oberon.”

The three men rose with languid grace. The one in the middle gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

“We were not expected,” he said. His voice sounded deeper and more melodic than I had expected. “We are pleased to find you here. Your father has been kind enough to entertain us while we waited for your return. He