The Courts Of Chaos

As I followed the trail toward the valley's wooded center, the perspectives continued to shift about me, skewing distances, bending prospects. In fact, I turned off the trail to the left to approach what appeared to be a nearby lake and it seemed to recede as I advanced. When I finally came upon it, however, dismounted and dipped a finger to taste, the water was icy but sweet.

Tired, I sprawled after drinking my fill, to watch Star graze while I began a cold meal from my bag. The storm was still fighting to cross the mountains. I looked for a long while, wondering about it. If Dad had failed, then those were the growls of Armageddon and this whole trip was meaningless. It did me no good to think that way, for I knew that I had to go on, whatever. But I could not help it. I might arrive at my destination, I might see the battle won, and then see it all swept away. Pointless… No. Not pointless. I would have tried, and I would keep on trying to the end. That was enough, even if everything was lost. Damn Brand, anyway! For starting-

A footfall.

I was into a crouch and I was turned in that direction with my hand on my blade in an instant.

It was a woman that I faced, small, clad in white. She had long, dark hair and wild, dark eyes, and she was smiling. She carried a wicker basket, which she placed on the ground between us.

«You must be hungry, Knight at arms,» she said in strangely accented Thari.

«I saw you come. I brought you this.»

I smiled and assumed a more normal stance.

«Thank you,» I said. «I am. I am called Corwin. Yourself?»

«Lady,» she said.

I quirked an eyebrow. «Thank you - Lady. You make your home in this place?»

She nodded and knelt to uncover the basket.

«Yes, my pavilion is farther back, along the lake.»

She gestured with her head, eastward - in the direction of the black road.

«I see,» I said.

The food and the wine in the basket looked real, fresh, appetizing, better than my traveler's fare. Suspicion was with me, of course.

«You will share it with me?» I asked.

«If you wish.»

«I wish.»

«Very well.»

She spread a cloth, seated herself across from me, removed the food from the basket and arranged it between us. She served it then, and quickly sampled each item herself. I felt a trifle ignoble at this, but only a trifle. It was a peculiar location for a woman to be residing, apparently alone, just waiting around to succor the first stranger who happened along. Dara had fed me on our first meeting, also; and as I might be nearing the end of my journey, I was closer to the enemy's places of power. The black road was too near at hand, and I caught Lady eying the Jewel on several occasions.

But it was an enjoyable time, and we grew more familiar as we dined. She was an ideal audience, laughing at all my jokes, making me talk about myself. She maintained eye contact much of the time, and somehow our fingers met whenever anything was passed. If I were being taken in in some way. She was being very pleasant about it.

As we had dined and talked, I had also kept an eye on the progress of that inexorable-seeming stormfront. It had finally breasted the mountain crest and crossed over. It had begun its slow descent of the high slope. As she cleared the cloth. Lady saw the direction of my gaze and nodded.

«Yes, it is coming,» she said, placing the last of the utensils in the basket and seating herself beside me, bringing the bottle and our cups. «Shall we drink to it?»

«I will drink with you, but not to that.»

She poured.

«It does not matter,» she said. «Not now,» and she placed her hand on my arm and passed me my cup.

I held it and looked down at her. She smiled. She touched the rim of my cup with her own. We drank.

«Come to my pavilion now,» she said, taking my hand, «where we will wile pleasurably the hours that remain.»

«Thanks,» I said. «Another time and that wiling would have been a fine dessert to a grand meal. Unfortunately, I must be on my way. Duty nags, time rushes. I've a mission.»

«All right,» she said. «It is not that important. And I know all about your mission. It is not all that important either, now.»

«Oh? I must confess that I fully expected you to invite me to a private party which would result in me alone and palely loitering on the cold side of some hill sometime hence if I were to accept.»

She laughed.

«And I must confess that it was my intention to so use you, Corwin. No longer, though.»

«Why not?»

She gestured toward the advancing line of disruption.

«There is no need to delay you now. I see by this that the Courts have won. There is nothing anyone can do to halt the advance of the Chaos.»

I shuddered briefly and she refilled our cups.

«But I would rather you did not leave me at this time,» she went on. «It will reach us here in a matter of hours. What better way to spend this final time than in one another's company? There is no need even to go as far as my pavilion.»