Prince of chaos

«Such as the succession?» I suggested. Mandor quirked an eyebrow.

«Oh, Lord Suhuy has briefed you already?»

«No,» I replied. «No, but I heard so much from my father of the succession in Amber, with all its cabals, intrigues, and double crosses, that I almost feel an authority on the subject. I imagine it could be that way here, too, among the Houses of Swayvill's descendants, there being many more generations involved.»

«You have the right idea,» he said, «though I think the picture might be a bit more orderly here than it was there.»

«That's something, anyway,» I said. «For me, I intend to pay my respects and get the hell out. Send me a postcard telling me how it gets settled.»

He laughed. He seldom laughs. I felt my wrist prickle where Frakir usually rides.

«He really doesn't know,» he said, glancing at Suhuy.

«He's just arrived,» Suhuy answered. «I hadn't the time to tell him anything.»

I groped in my pocket, located a coin, withdrew it, and flipped it.

«Heads,» I announced, on inspection. «You tell me, Mandor. What's going on?»

«You're not next in line for the throne,» he said. It being my turn to laugh, I did.

«I already knew that,» I said. «You told me not that long ago, over dinner, how long the line was before me - if someone of my mixed blood could be considered at all.»

«Two,» he said. «Two stand before you.»

«I don't understand,» I said. «What happened to all the others?»

«Dead,» he replied.

«Bad year for the flu?»

He gave me a nasty smile.

«There has been an unprecedented number of fatal duels and political assassinations recently.»

«Which sort dominated the field?»

«The assassinations.»

«Fascinating.»

«…And so you three are under black watch protection of the Crown, and were given into the care of your respective Houses' security.»

«You're serious.»

«Indeed.»

«Was this sudden thinning of the ranks a matter of many people simultaneously seeking advancement? Or was it a smaller number, removing roadblocks?»

«The Crown is uncertain.»

«When you say `the Crown,' who, exactly, are you referring to, right now? Who's making decisions in the interim?»

«Lord Bances of Amblerash,» he replied, «a distant relative and longtime friend of our late monarch.»

«I sort of recall him. Could he have an eye on the throne himself, and be behind any of the - removals?»

«The man's a priest of the Serpent. Their vows bar them from reigning anywhere.»

«There are usually ways around vows.»

«True, but the man seems genuinely uninterested in such a thing.»

«That needn't preclude his having a favorite, and maybe helping him along a bit. Is anybody near the throne particularly fond of his Order?»

«To my knowledge, no.»

«Which doesn't mean someone mightn't have cut a deal.»

«No, though Bances isn't the sort of man one would approach easily with a proposition.»

«In other words, you believe he's above whatever's going on?»

«In the absence of evidence to the contrary.»

«Who is next in line?»

«Tubble of Chanicut.»

«Who's second?»

«Tmer of Jesby.»

«Top of the line, your pool,» I said to Suhuy.

He showed me his teeth again. They seemed to rotate. «Are we at vendetta with either Chanicut or Jesby?» I asked.

«Not really.»

«We're all just taking care then, huh?»

«Yes.»

«How did it all come to this? I mean, there were a lot of people involved, as I recall. Was it a night of the long knives, or what?»

«No, the deaths have been occurring steadily for some time. There wasn't a sudden bloodbath when Swayvill took his turn for the worse - though a few did occur just recently.»

«Well, there must have been some investigation. Do we have any of the perps in custody?»

«No, they either escaped or were killed.»

«What of those who were killed? Their identities might indicate their political affiliations.»

«Not really. Several were professionals. A couple of others were general malcontents, arguably among the mentally ill.»

«You're saying there are no clues as to who might be behind it all?»

«That's right.»

«What about suspicions then?»

«Tubble himself is of course suspect, though it is not a good idea to say it aloud. He stood to benefit the most, and now he's in a position to do so. Also, there is much in his career of political connivance, double-dealing, assassination. But that was long ago. Everyone has a few skeletons in the cellar. He has been a quiet and conservative man fox many years.»

«Tmer, then - He's close enough to generate suspicion. Is there anything to connect him with the bloody business?»

«Not really. His affairs are hardly open. He's a very private man. But he was never associated with such extremes in the past. I do not know him all that well, but he has always struck me as a simpler, more direct person than Tubble. He seems the sort who'd simply attempt a coup if he wanted the throne badly enough, rather than spend a lot of time intriguing.»

«There could, of course, be a number of people involved, each acting in his own interest-»

«And now that the matter is imminent they'll have to surface soon?»

«It would seem so, wouldn't it?»

A smile. A shrug.