Disclaimer: all characters belong to Roger Zelazny.
Author's Note: This one is about Rinaldo's preparations for vendetta.
I don't know why I was so surprised when I had recognized the caller. I had probably got used to the fact that my mother was the only person contacting me via my trump. Dalt was obviously enjoying the impression he made.
"Were you expecting someone else, Rinaldo?"
"Wasn't expecting anyone, actually," I admitted. "Glad you learned how to use this thing, though."
Dalt looked behind my back.
"Interesting place. You mind if I come through?"
"Sure," I sighed. "Just give me couple of minutes. Oh, and get rid of that cloak. It's... out of fashion here."
I entered the hallway of the warehouse and made sure no one was around. Dalt contacted me again, and I brought him through.
"So," Dalt inquired, "that's where you live? Pretty dim in here."
"No," I explained. "I'm here on business."
"Oh. What business?"
I considered telling him, and decided, why not? "Come here," I led him into the storage room. Loaders eyed Dalt warily.
"That's ok," I calmed them. "He's a friend of mine. Keep working."
"They're your men? What are they loading?"
"My key to success," I grinned. "Let me show you."
I opened one of the boxes and disassembled a rifle while explaining him the entire firearms concept. He tried to look cool, but it was obvious that he was pretty much excited with the idea.
"You should've told me earlier," he berated me. "I could..."
"I'm not going for it - yet. Just relocating. You see, my platoon is in a different country."
"Ok. Need assistance here?"
"No, thanks. We are done already."
"But there's plenty of it left..."
"I don't have that many men. What's in the truck is more than enough."
"The truck?"
I don't know why, but my transport got him excited as well, even though I had told him it doesn't work in Amber.
"All the weaponry needed for taking on Amber just in one such vehicle."
"Don't be so sure. Corwin had two trucks full of these, and they are all in Amber now."
"Wanna bet their forces have never bothered equipping firearms? They became fat and lazy since that Random jerk got on the throne."
He kept admiring trucks capacity while I locked the storage and dismissed my team.
"Thanks guys. See you in Albuquerque."
I wondered if I should check on Melman - but I didn't see him as a serious threat anyway. He had never participated in any of those assasination attempts. Besides, I had a full truck of illegal weapons, and didn't want to hang around longer than neccesary.
"Can you teach me how to drive this thing?" asked Dalt after we got into the truck and I started the engine. I turned to look at him. I didn't like that glint I saw in his eyes. We would he need it? It's not like he had any rifles to transport... But I had no reason to refuse. He could learn that anywhere else if he wanted to.
"Sure. As soon as we cross the border."
"You mean, bypass the border," corrected Dalt.
Author's Note: This one is about Rinaldo's preparations for vendetta.
I don't know why I was so surprised when I had recognized the caller. I had probably got used to the fact that my mother was the only person contacting me via my trump. Dalt was obviously enjoying the impression he made.
"Were you expecting someone else, Rinaldo?"
"Wasn't expecting anyone, actually," I admitted. "Glad you learned how to use this thing, though."
Dalt looked behind my back.
"Interesting place. You mind if I come through?"
"Sure," I sighed. "Just give me couple of minutes. Oh, and get rid of that cloak. It's... out of fashion here."
I entered the hallway of the warehouse and made sure no one was around. Dalt contacted me again, and I brought him through.
"So," Dalt inquired, "that's where you live? Pretty dim in here."
"No," I explained. "I'm here on business."
"Oh. What business?"
I considered telling him, and decided, why not? "Come here," I led him into the storage room. Loaders eyed Dalt warily.
"That's ok," I calmed them. "He's a friend of mine. Keep working."
"They're your men? What are they loading?"
"My key to success," I grinned. "Let me show you."
I opened one of the boxes and disassembled a rifle while explaining him the entire firearms concept. He tried to look cool, but it was obvious that he was pretty much excited with the idea.
"You should've told me earlier," he berated me. "I could..."
"I'm not going for it - yet. Just relocating. You see, my platoon is in a different country."
"Ok. Need assistance here?"
"No, thanks. We are done already."
"But there's plenty of it left..."
"I don't have that many men. What's in the truck is more than enough."
"The truck?"
I don't know why, but my transport got him excited as well, even though I had told him it doesn't work in Amber.
"All the weaponry needed for taking on Amber just in one such vehicle."
"Don't be so sure. Corwin had two trucks full of these, and they are all in Amber now."
"Wanna bet their forces have never bothered equipping firearms? They became fat and lazy since that Random jerk got on the throne."
He kept admiring trucks capacity while I locked the storage and dismissed my team.
"Thanks guys. See you in Albuquerque."
I wondered if I should check on Melman - but I didn't see him as a serious threat anyway. He had never participated in any of those assasination attempts. Besides, I had a full truck of illegal weapons, and didn't want to hang around longer than neccesary.
"Can you teach me how to drive this thing?" asked Dalt after we got into the truck and I started the engine. I turned to look at him. I didn't like that glint I saw in his eyes. We would he need it? It's not like he had any rifles to transport... But I had no reason to refuse. He could learn that anywhere else if he wanted to.
"Sure. As soon as we cross the border."
"You mean, bypass the border," corrected Dalt.