Ten; Just Who Are You Now?
The dust was kicking up nicely behind our horses as we rode through shadow later that day. Harry was mounted before me on Star while Ganelon trotted along beside us on Firedrake. It had not taken much walking to reclaim our horses from shadow. Normally, it would have been impossible for Firedrake to have been found through the shadow world, but I had instructed Star to stay close by him, so that the two would not be separated. The first part of the day had been getting Harry accustomed to riding a horse. It was rather amusing at first to watch his face as Star first began to walk and then to trot, then finally breaking in to a gallop. As amused as I was, I did my best to encourage the boy as he got used to riding. Luckily for him, Star was docile enough for me and those with me. I remembered learning to ride myself, and to say that Benedict's horse did not like me was like saying that the sun rose in the east. Finally, though, Harry seemed to be settling down and getting used to the jolting motion that was part of horseback riding. I knew he would be sore tomorrow and probably for the next couple of days, and told him so. He looked resigned, but said that he doubted it could be worse than living with his loving aunt and uncle.
We were working our way through shadow at the moment to find a world I had in mind where Ganelon would be able to start Harry's training. As we rode, I was randomly playing with shadows, content to take the time to reach our destination and at the same time amuse the boy by acquiescing to his requests for changes to the terrain. Finally, I put a stop to it after Harry requested that I walk the horses through a field of cotton candy.
"You will be able to do this yourself, Harry. Let's not spoil all the fun just now," I told him.
"But how?" Harry asked. "I'm nothing special. Yes, I may be able to do magic, but I would be willing to bet that most magic users can't alter their surroundings like this."
"Ah, but most of the magic users don't have the blood of Amber flowing in their veins, either."
He turned around to face me fully, showing that indeed he was getting used to riding. As he regarded me with those amazingly green eyes, I was struck by just how mature he looked. His gaze was certainly not that of a seven-year-old.
"Just what does that mean, exactly, having the blood of Amber in my veins? What does that mean to me?"
Well, the boy was certainly entitled to know something. I decided to limit what I told him for now. It wasn't that I was trying to keep information from him, but I decided that he needed to be eased into this new life in stages.
"The first thing you need to know is something that you've already experienced for yourself. We of the royal family of Amber, and yes, that now also includes you, have much greater strength than the ordinary man. My brother Random and I once lifted a car that was stuck in mud at the side of a road. It was a Mercedes if that gives you any indication of its size.
"Don't raise your eyes at me, young one"" I said reprovingly. "If you think back to how you swatted your uncle away yesterday when you barely touched him, it really shouldn't surprise you."
"That was way cool," he said, and I could not miss the way his eyes lit up with definite interest. I wondered if he would visit his relatives again one day to test out his strength. Personally, I was all for it.
"Also, and I think that you will like this a lot, your body will be able to regenerate if you are ever injured. A few years ago, I was imprisoned by my brother Eric in Amber. Before sending me to the dungeons, he caused my eyes to be burnt out with hot irons. As you can see, my eyes are as good as new at this time. It took some three and a half years for them to finish regrowing properly, but it happened in the end."
I didn't tell him, because I wasn't sure myself, but I had the suspicion that he would no longer need glasses in the not too distant future.
"Continuing on, you will also be able to walk (or ride, as the case may be) through shadow."
"Just what does that mean? I know you can change the things around us, but what else is it?"
"Well, for one thing, it is very hard to explain. I guess the best way to explain it is to say that shadows are whatever you can imagine. I mean that literally. Anything you can imagine, any world, any person, you can create it. All it takes is the will power. You must be able to imagine the exact circumstances that you wish for.
I could see his confusion as well as him wanting to ask a question.
"What is it, Harry?"
"Last year, the Dursleys brought home a video tape of a movie. It was called The Terminator. Are you saying that with shadows I could create the world in which Terminator actually was real?"
I nodded my head.
"That could be kind of scary," was his only reply.
He looked worried for a moment, but then his enthusiasm returned.
"Can you show me how to walk through shadow? Will it take long? Can I bring people with me? Is there a faster way to travel?"
"Woe, slow down buddy"" I said, grinning a little at his obvious excitement.
"Sorry, sir," he said, calming almost at once and looking a bit fearful to boot.
"Harry," I said, feeling a foreign emotion attempting to be interpreted in my chest. "You never have to be afraid to ask me a question. I may not always answer you right away, but you will never suffer abuse from me for curiosity. I'm going to answer your questions. Just be patient.
"I'm going to start with your last question first. Yes, there are faster ways for us to travel to certain shadows. They are called Trumps. Everyone in our family has one. I will try to get one for you, but the person who made the original Trumps is believed to be dead. I know that he is not, but it may be some time before I can get a chance to get Dworkin to make a Trump of you."
At his expectant look, I capitulated and brought out my deck of the family cards. Well, okay, so they had belonged to Benedict. However, I had judged after our duel on the Black Road that he had plenty of extra decks. It was only brotherly that he should loan me one after trying to separate my head from my shoulders. Harry held out his hand for the pack, but I shook my head.
"First, you need to understand that these are not just cards. These are means of contacting anyone in the family or anyone who has been drawn by Dworkin. There are rumors that Brand, Fiona and Bleys have also mastered the art of drawing them, but I have seen no proof as of now. I hope it is not so." I pointed out each of the ones I mentioned in turn. I proceeded to show him the rest of the family. I think he was most enamored with Deirdre. I couldn't blame him; so was I.
He again reached out his hands for the Trumps, but again I did not relinquish them. Instead, I shuffled through them myself looking for something. When I found it, I held out my own Trump to Harry. He took it gently, almost fearfully, as if something would jump out and bite him.
"This one and this one only do you get for now. If you ever need to contact me, you are to stare at it. Try to picture me as clearly as possible in your mind while you do so. Block out all other distractions. Think of it as a mental telephone. You have to be able to imagine me clearly in your mind in order to make contact. You'll know that you're successful because the image will start moving, and the picture on the card will then reflect whatever environment I happen to be in at the time. Guard this well."
"How do you travel with one," he wanted to know next. I ignored his question for the time and returned to our previous discussion. He most definitely didn't need to know that yet.
"As for walking through shadow, yes, I intend for you to learn to do that, and I will be teaching you when you are ready and the opportunity permits. Don't get your hopes up, though. It will be some time before you'll be ready. You will first have to walk the Pattern. Now, the Pattern is what gives a prince of Amber his powers over shadow. I don't really know how to describe the Pattern to you, so for now all you need to know is that it requires great strength of both body and mind to venture upon it.
"Let me answer your other question now. Yes, you can take people with you through shadow. As you can see, Ganelon is keeping up with us and having no problems doing so. You need to be careful, though. You don't want to be too near people that you don't want to take with you. All that they will have to do is to try and follow you, and if you are shifting, they will be able to as long as they keep relatively close. There are other things to know about shadow travel, but for now that is all you need to know."
We rode on in silence then, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Now, we rode through a quarry of old stones. Picking our way carefully around a turn to the right, treacherous stone became a fairly slick substance, almost like walking on marble. The horses did not enjoy that experience, I can tell you.
Luckily, I was able to disperse the marble quickly, and our way then led us over barren earth for a while. We passed through a brief rain shower, only to come out on the other side in the midst of a furious blizzard under a purple sky. Cursing for making the change too soon, I eventually got us out from that climate and into a cool autumn afternoon. The purple in the sky flashed to pink, then after a couple of miles, to a bright white.
Harry let out a yell as what was probably a pterodactyl flew overhead on huge, leathery wings. Around a wide, sweeping turn, and the smell of salt was in the air. No more enormous birds startled us, but the cry of gulls was heard as we moved rapidly towards the sea. We never reached it, however. Coming up over a slight incline, the smell of the ocean was replaced by a brusque wind blowing down from a lofty mountain range. We began to climb, the horses' hooves somewhat muted by the green dirt underfoot. After we climbed for a few hundred yards, however, the dirt began to show patches of greenery. Before long, it was completely grass upon which we were traveling, and the ascent leveled out into a gentle rise. The occasional tree began to be seen.
"We're nearly there," I told both of my companions. I think Harry would have liked the trip to continue forever, so enamored with moving through shadow was he.
"Where exactly are we going?" he wanted to know.
"One of the things about shadow that I should have mentioned earlier is that you can move to places where time flows differently. The place we are going is a long way from the shadow earth where we met. I tell you all of this so that I might make sense when I answer your question.
"Many years ago, I saved someone's life not too far from here. Actually, for me, it wasn't that long ago, since I was out of prison even. But here, it will have been probably twenty years at least. My plan is to have Ganelon begin your training here, along with the gentleman whose life I saved.
I looked at him with the most serious face I could muster. Given the circumstances, I think I succeeded pretty well.
"Harry, you will find that Steven and his ilk are a very tough and demanding group. One thing you will need to remember is that any discipline will be because they want you to learn, not because anything is wrong with you. At first, I believe you will work almost exclusively with Ganelon, working to get rid of any malnourishment. I think your new abilities will work towards this goal as well. He will also teach you weaponry as well as help you learn to focus your mind. I am not certain as to all that Lord Steven and his court will teach you, but I wish for you to give your all. And when you've done that, I want you to give even more. I want, in general, for you to be the best of the best."
I added that last part because Harry was looking more apprehensive the further along I went with my explanation. He did not speak for a few moments, simply watching the wooded road we were traveling upon. We were passing through farmland now, and the occasional whinny could be heard, along with the dulcet tones of well fed cattle and sheep. Not until we came in sight of the walls of the lower city did Harry speak again.
"Sir, we just met. Why are you dumping me off here?"
I bit back my initial pulse of anger at being questioned. After all, I reasoned, it was not an unfair one.
"First of all, I am not abandoning you here. I have every intention of returning as soon as I resolve a few things back in the wizarding world for you. After reading the letter your father left you, I have my suspicions of whether your godfather Sirius actually committed the crimes he was accused of. I intend to find out the truth of the matter one way or another. If he is, as I am beginning to suspect, not guilty, then I plan to free him from prison, by fair means or foul. I also plan on finding you magical tutors who will help train you with no questions asked. Hopefully, I will be able to kill two birds with one stone as far as your godfather is concerned. Once freed, I intend to use his gratitude at being free plus the concern he will no doubt have about his godson to make sure that he will train you to the best of his abilities."
"But you will come back for me?"
"Of course. I plan on finishing your training myself. After all, you will probably need my help to get yourself ready to walk the Pattern. and, be warned Harry, you will walk the Pattern when, and only when, I believe you are disciplined enough to handle it. If you are not ready and you walk it prematurely, if you stray from the Pattern or stop during the undertaking, you will more than likely die."
Hopefully, that promise along with the stern admonishments to be vigilant, would be enough. It would have to be.
We were hailed soon after by a guard at the gate. I had guessed it would happen, but I was surprised to see both Harry and Ganelon flinch at the first call.
"Halt, strangers! State your name and business at once!"
"I greet you," I called back. "I am Corwin, son of Oberon, and I seek an audience with your lord, Steven, son of Henry."
,the guard muttered to someone for a moment, then addressed me again.
"Your name is not unknown to us. Dismount your horses at the gate. They will be cared for. Cort will take you to the audience chamber."
We did as we were asked. I grinned a little as Harry clumsily dismounted Star, groaning a bit and rubbing his bottom immediately after. The guard, accompanied by a short, muscle-bound, bandy-legged, little man, watched in ill-disguised contempt, nodded with satisfaction once we were inside the gate, and gestured at the little man.
"This is Cort," the guard said. "He will lead you. Stay with him and do not wander. These are darkening times, and strangers are not now as welcome in the Inner Baronies as they once were."
"And you," Cort spoke sharply, leveling a glare at Harry. "Straighten up, maggot! You are very privileged to be setting foot in the last and greatest bastion of light left in this troubled world. You'll remember it, or I'll know the reason why!"
Harry, who had been slightly hunched over as he stared at his surroundings, straightened up as if he had been electrocuted. Cort glowered for another moment, grunted his apparent approval, then turned around and stalked away, motioning vaguely for us to follow.
,this we did, Harry staying close to my side, not daring to look down lest the stranger Cort should somehow notice and follow up on his threat. We walked for some time, climbing up long, loopy streets as we went. The air, which had been cool and fresh when we started out, seemed to become, if possible, even sweeter as we ascended. The streets were lit by gas lamps, and people passed us a few times on carts drawn by donkeys or, occasionally, a mule. We continued along in this fashion nearly to the topmost point in the city. By this time, the residents had become aware of our presence, and we were given many varied looks, some of curiosity, some of open hostility, and all with mistrust. I couldn't blame them. If things were indeed as dark as the guard at the gate and Cort had both indicated, then I was surprised we were admitted at all.
Eventually, we were led to the entrance of a low wooden building separated from the rest of the royal keep by a courtyard. Here, the little man called Cort bade us enter and await the lord's convenience. Then, he turned soundlessly and left us on our own.
Once Cort was gone, I leaned quickly down to Harry and spoke quietly.
"Harry, in the presence of Steven, let me do the talking. Speak only when spoken to unless given permission by him otherwise."
I did not get a chance to say anymore or to answer Harry's frightened look.
A man had emerged from inside the audience chamber, followed by three sullen young boys. Even though I had expected the changes, I was still somewhat taken aback by my friend's careworn features.
He stood slightly shorter than I, maybe six feet. He wore patched and faded jeans, a coarse home-spun shirt rolled up at the sleeves, and well-worn boots. The most prominent feature, however, were the butts of a pair of revolvers, worn low and crisscrossed at the belt, each within easy reach at any given time. I knew from past experiences that his draw was faster than a streak of lightning. His features still radiated the strength that had impressed me so much on our first meeting, but I noticed slight rings around his amazingly deep blue eyes.
At sight of me, his stern demeanor was replaced first by flickering surprise, then suspicion, and, after about a quarter of a second, pleased recognition.
"Corwin, son of Oberon," he greeted in his rich baritone voice. "It does my heart good to see you after all these years. I am sorry you had to see me now. Unfortunately, you caught me in the midst of disciplining a couple of young scamps (he pointed at the boys following him, each appearing about Harry's age). Let me introduce you to young Masters Alain Johns, Cuthbert Allgood, and my own scamp, Roland Deschain."
I reciprocated and introduced Ganelon and my son, drawing a pleased flush from the boy as I introduced him for the first time in that manner.
,Steven Deschain spared a nod for Ganelon, studied Harry for a brief moment with absent-minded curiosity, then turned back to me.
"Come, let us have words in the audience chamber. These puppies will take your lad to the kitchens for a bite." He looked at his son sternly.
"Tell Hax that he is to feed you all, full rations. He is also to have dinner for three sent to us here."
"Yes, sire," young Roland said quietly. He smiled slightly at Harry as he said it. "Come on, Harry, you will love the kitchens. We actually have an electric stove there."
After a moment's indecision, Harry smiled back and, after looking to me for approval, followed the other boys up toward the main part of the keep.
,Steven waited for the boys to get nearly out of earshot before calling after them. "Roland? Cuthbert? Alain?"
,when the three boys looked back, Steven's stern persona was well in place.
"You boys are not escaping punishment. It is only postponed." Their faces fell. "Mind your manners with your new guest, and it won't be any worse for you."
,the one called Cuthbert widened his eyes dramatically then gave a completely exaggerated bow, planting his booted heel and bending so far over that he was threatening to call forward on his face.
"Yes, oh great one," he said in his childish little voice, solemnity dripping from every word. Then, he really did fall over. The other boys, Harry included, snickered.
"Enough, whelps," Steven's voice boomed out, displeasure evident. "Run along. Now!"
Lip twitching in barely suppressed amusement, Steven Deschain, lord of Gilead, greatest of the Inner Baronies of New Canaan, gestured grandly for us to follow him into the waiting chamber.