The Hand Of Oberon

«Do?» he said. «What is Random now doing about Martin? I shall seek her, find her, have the story from her own lips, and then decide for myself. This will have to wait, however, until the matter of the black road is settled. That is another matter I wish to discuss with you.»

«Yes?»

«If time moves so differently in their stronghold, they have had more than they need in which to mount another attack. I do not want to keep waiting to meet them in indecisive encounters. I am contemplating following the black road back to its source and attacking them on their home ground. I would like to do it with your concurrence.»

«Benedict,» I said, «have you ever looked upon the Courts of Chaos?»

He raised his head and stared at the blank wall of the tent.

«Ages ago, when I was young,» he said, «I hellrode as far as I might go, to the end of everything. There, beneath a divided sky, I looked upon an awesome abyss. I do not know if the place lies there or if the road runs that far, but I am prepared to take that way again, if such is the case.»

«Such is the case,» I said.

«How can you be certain?»

«I am just returned from that land. A dark citadel hovers within it. The road goes to it.»

«How difficult was the way?»

«Here,» I said, taking out the Trump and passing it to him.

«This was Dworkin's. I found it among his things. I only just tried it. It took me there. Time is already rapid at that point. I was attacked by a rider on a drifting roadway, of a sort not shown on the card. Trump contact is difficult there, perhaps because of the time differential. Gerard brought me back.»

He studied the card.

«It seems the place I saw that time,» he said at length. «This solves our logistics problems. With one of us on either end of a Trump connection we can transport the troops right through, as we did that day from Kolvir to Gamath.»

I nodded.

«That is one of the reasons I showed it to you, to indicate my good faith. There may be another way, involving less risk than running our forces into the unknown. I want you to hold off on this venture until I have explored my way further.»

«I will have to hold off in any event, to obtain some intelligence concerning that place. We do not even know whether your automatic weapons will function there, do we?»

«No, I did not have one along to test.»

He pursed his lips.

«You really should have thought to take one and try it.»

«The circumstances of my departure did not permit this.»

«Circumstances?»

«Another time. It is not relevant here. You spoke of following the black road to its source…»

«Yes?»

«That is not its true source. Its real source lies in the true Amber, in the defect in the primal Pattern.»

«Yes, I understand that. Both Random and Ganelon have described your journey to the place of the true Pattern, and the damage you discovered there. I see the analogy, the possible connection -»

«Do you recall my flight from Avalon, and your pursuit?»

In answer, he only smiled faintly.

«There was a point where we crossed the black road,» I said. «Do you recall it?»

He narrowed his eyes.

«Yes,» he said. «You cut a path through it. The world had returned to normal at that point. I had forgotten.»

«It was an effect of the Pattern upon it,» I said, «one which I believe can be employed upon a much larger scale.»

«How much larger?»

«To wipe out the entire thing.»

He leaned back and studied my face.

«Then why are you not about it?»

«There are a few preliminaries I must undertake.»

«How much time will they involve?»

«Not too much. Possibly as little as a few days. Perhaps a few weeks.»

«Why didn't you mention all of this sooner?»

«I only learned how to go about it recently.»

«How do you go about it?»

«Basically, it amounts to repairing the Pattern.»

«All right,» he said. «Say you succeed. The enemy will still be out there.»

He gestured toward Garnath and the black road.

«Someone gave them passage once.»

«The enemy has always been out there,» I said. «And it will be up to us to see that they are not given passage again - by dealing properly with those who provided it in the first place.»

«I go along with you on that,» he said, «but that is not what I meant. They require a lesson, Corwin. I want to teach them a proper respect for Amber, such a respect that even if the way is opened again they will fear to use it. That is what I meant. It is necessary.»

«You do not know what it would be like to carry a battle to that place, Benedict. It is - literally - indescribable.»

He smiled and stood.

«Then I guess I had best go see for myself,» he said. «I will keep this card for a time, if you don't mind.»

«I don't mind.»

«Good. Then you be on with your business about the Pattern, Corwin, and I will be about my own. This will take me some time, too. I must go give my commanders orders concerning my absence now. Let us agree that neither of us commence anything of a final nature without checking first with the other.»

«Agreed,» I said.

We finished our wine.

«I will be under way myself, very soon now,» I said. «So, good luck.»