Prince of chaos

«Do it,» said Jurt.

He moved off toward the Pattern. I searched the fog in all directions, hoping to see my father returning. Jurt studied the car, its radio now playing a Bruce Dunlap 'number from «Los Animales.»

«If your father comes back and relieves me,» Jurt said, «I'll return to the funeral and make excuses for you if you're not there. If you get back and I'm not there, you do the same. All right?»

«Yes,» I said, wisps of mist rising like smoke between us. «And whichever of us is free first and has something worth saying…»

«Yes,» he agreed. «I'll come looking if you don't -, get to me.»

«Didn't happen to pick up my sword while you were back in the Courts, did you?» Luke asked.

«Didn't have time,» Jurt replied.

«Next time you're back, I wish you'd make time.»

«I will, I will,» Jurt said.

Rinaldo moved away from the Pattern, returned to us. «You're hired,» he said to Jurt. «Come with me. There's a spring I want to show you, and a store of food, some weapons.»

Luke turned and watched them move off to our left.

«I'm sorry,» he said softly, «but I still don't trust him.

«Don't be sorry. I don't either. I've known him too long. But we have better reasons for trusting each other now than we've had for a long time.»

«I'm wondering whether it was wise to let him know where this Pattern is, and now to leave him alone with it.»

«I'm pretty sure the Pattern knows what it's doing, and that it can take care of itself.»

He raised a pair of crossed fingers.

«I'd've argued against it,» he said, «save that I need my double.»

When they returned, a deejay's baritone suddenly rolled forth, saying, «It all goes to show, timing is everything. Road conditions are fine. It is a good day for travel.» Immediately, there followed a drum solo I'd have sworn was something I once heard Random play.

«You're on duty as of now,» Rinaldo said to Jurt. To us, he nodded. «Anytime.»

I caught us up with the spikard and spun us back to Kashfa, bringing us into Jidrash near twilight, to the same walltop vantage I had enjoyed earlier with my brother.

«And so at last,» Rinaldo said, looking out over the town.

«Yes,» Luke replied. «It's all yours - for a time.» Then, «Merle, how's about jumping us to my apartment?»

I turned to the west where clouds had gone orange, glanced upward to where several hung purple.

«Before we do that, Luke,» I said, «I'd like to use what daylight's left for a look at that black trail.»

He nodded.

«Good idea. Okay, take us over there.»

His gesture indicated a hilly area to the southwest. I caught us up and spikarded us to it, creating a verb for which I felt a neer in the same act. Such is the power of Chaos.

Arriving on a small hilltop, we followed Luke down its far side.

«Over this way,» he said.

Long shadows lay all about us, but there is a difference between their dimness and the blackness of a travel-thread from the Courts.

«It was right here,» Luke finally said when we came to a place between a pair of boulders.

I moved forward into the area but I felt nothing special.

«You sure this is the place?» I asked.

«Yes.»

I advanced another ten paces, twenty.

«If this is really where it was, it's gone now,» I told him. «Of course… I wonder how long we've been ' away?»

Luke snapped his fingers.

«Timing,» he observed. «Take us back to my apartments.»

We kissed the day good-bye as I sent forth a lead and opened our way through the wall of dark. We stepped… through into the room I had occupied earlier with Coral.

«Close enough?» I asked. «I'm not sure where your rooms are.»

«Come on,» he said, taking us out, to the left and down the stair. «Time to consult the resident expert. Merle, do something about this guy's appearance. Too much of a good thing might cause comment.»

It was easy, and the first time I'd made anyone look like the big portrait of Oberon back home.

Luke knocked on a door before entering. Somewhere beyond it, a familiar voice spoke his name.

«I have some friends with me,» he said.

«Bring them in,» came her reply.

He opened the door and did so.

«Both of you know Nayda,» Luke announced. «Nayda, this is my double. Let's call him Rinaldo and me Luke while we're together. He's going to run things for me here while Merle and I are off looking for your sister.»

I changed Rinaldo back then, in response to her puzzled look.

She had on black trousers and an emerald blouse, her hair bound back by a matching green scarf. She smiled as she greeted us, and when she regarded me she touched her lips lightly, almost casually, with a fingertip. I nodded immediately.

«I trust you are recovered from any misadventures in Amber,» I said. «You were, of course, there at a bad time.»

«Of course,» she responded. «Fully recovered, thank you. Kind of you to ask. Thanks, too, for the recent directions. It was you, I take it, who spirited Luke away these two days past?»

«It's really been that long?» I said.

«It has, sir.»

«Sorry about that, my dear,» Luke said, squeezing her hand and looking long into her eyes.

«That explains why the trail's faded,» I said.