Cerridwen and I walked back into my bedroom, then through the doors which led to the parlor, and finally into a dimly lit hallway. It seemed just a touch warmer than the outside air, and more comfortable, but perhaps that was merely my imagination. Though the castle was meticulously clean, it appeared to be quite empty. Most of the walls were unadorned, save for faded carvings and a plethora of mirrors that decorated the halls. Strangely, the corridors were almost never perfectly straight, all of them having a slight curvature to them.

It was actually a very brief trip to the dining room, which was small and cozy. There was a fireplace that was well-lit and sent forth a welcome warmth, around which were several plush chairs and a divan. Set a bit away from this was a large, round table made of a cherry wood and draped with a crocheted tablecloth, with two chairs flanking it. Two place settings were there, consisting of fine white china with silver trim, and crystal wine goblets. There was also a bottle of wine uncorked and breathing. There was a long table against one wall upon which rested all manner of dishes, some lidded, some open and steaming. Much to my surprise, I saw no servants about. Cerridwen gestured for me to be seated, then took her place opposite me. I continued to take in the room, discreetly, of course, and when I glanced back at my setting, my wine glass was now filled, though it had not been a moment ago. Cerridwen did not seem to find this unusual, appearing relaxed as she sipped her wine. Her pallor also seemed to have faded upon entering the room, and in the light here she appeared much more human, not nearly so spectral a figure as before. For a moment I caught her eyes, but there was no aggression there, no attempt at prying. How strange. There was a flicker on the periphery of my vision, and when I glanced back towards the table in front of me, a soup bowl had appeared, steaming and smelling of barley and carrot and tomato. Part of me wondered if perhaps there was more to those tales of ghosts in the Tir than I had suspected, although the rational side of me pointed out that all of this could be done with magic. As I pondered these possibilities, Cerridwen spoke for the first time since we had left the balcony, inquiring politely, "So tell me, Melanie, are you familiar with any of those in Amber?"

I considered my answer as I tried a few dainty spoonfuls of the soup before me, which proved delicious. "Hmm, well, there was Brand, of course. And Benedict. I recall hearing bits about those who were part of the army invading Chaos during Patternfall, mostly. And you?"

"I, too, know Brand...though I never met Benedict...he died shortly after I was born. Through time and circumstance, we are practically of two different generations, you see. Those princes and princesses of Amber in your day are many now gone. Eric, Gérard, Corwin, Benedict, Caine and Llewella are all passed on. By lineage, I am daughter of Emma and Gawain...Emma being the daughter of Caine, and Gawain the son of Llewella...and am sister to Rhiannon, Queen of Amber, and Branwen, Queen of Rebma."

I looked somewhat surprised at the revelation of her lineage. "You are rather well connected, it seems." Far more than I had suspected. I reflected on the rest of her information. "It is difficult to believe that so many of Amber's royalty are now gone. Corwin does not surprise me overmuch, given the tales I have heard of him, but Benedict... If Chaos could not defeat him, then who did?"

"My parents," she replied sunnily. "In truth...Benedict was an initiate of the Logrus and was corrupted when Llateri came to power. He attempted to claim the throne in Amber and was slain by Emma and Gawain, who wielded the Jewel of Judgment and Greyswandir. Hence, he was destroyed."

"I see. I imagine that this Llateri's control of him limited his effectiveness, as well." I shook my head. "It seems that both the people and the places I knew are, for the most part, no more. It almost feels as though I have been reborn into some alternate universe, where nothing is as it should be."

"The players have changed...but the game goes on, much as before," she replied quietly. "Who knows? Perhaps you will find yourself a more formidable player now that the field has been leveled. Certainly, I find my situation improved by the fact that I have so few great-uncles and great-aunts to dictate to me..."

"Quite true. I had been wondering how your uncle was able to make this Magic Circle of his, without opposition. But, with much of the potential opposition already dead... It does make much more sense."

"Also...said uncle was in his own Shadow...which was separated by the Abyss at the point of creation. Even had my relatives been aware of his plotting...they would have had no way of reaching him."

That made things clearer, indeed. It did lead me to wonder, however, how this uncle of hers had come to possess such a Shadow in the first place...

The rest of the meal proceeded in this fashion, with me asking questions about the recent history of Chaos and Amber, trying to get a feel for the new universe I found myself in. It was going to take some time to absorb all of it, but by the meal's end, I felt somewhat more confident than I had before. I was curious as to how Cerridwen was acquainted with Sarah, but she would only say that she studied under Sarah for a time.

After dinner, Cerridwen set aside her napkin and looked at me appraisingly. "Melanie, I have another young woman imprisoned in stone upstairs, and leaving her in this condition saddens me greatly. Would you be willing to assist me in freeing her?"

I considered this carefully. On the one hand, I was not eager to free someone of whom I knew nothing about. It could prove rather hazardous, if they should prove hostile upon awakening. On the other hand, they would likely be grateful to whomever released them, and that could prove useful. I stalled a bit for time "This is the one whose expression disturbed you, correct? May I see her?"

"Yes...of course," she replied. She led me into the hallway and we proceeded back towards my bedroom. At least I thought we did. As we progressed, however, I noticed that the hallways did not really look familiar, and I found myself wondering if perhaps I got turned around somewhere. Eventually, we reached a tower with a spiral staircase going up, and after climbing three flights of stairs, we reached a large open chamber that was lit by a large chandelier overhead. The room was round, and there were dusty portraits along the walls of people whom I had never seen. There was a balcony with a glass door leading to it, as there had been in my room, but here the glass was shattered and a light, cold wind blew in from the balcony. There were fourteen statues in this room. Of them, eight looked to be very old and weathered, two were lying broken on the ground, and four appeared to be in good condition. One had been pulled forward away from the rest, and it was this one that I examined more closely, assuming it to be the one of which Cerridwen spoke. The statue depicted a young woman who was apparently crying out from a mixture of rage and despair. She seemed to be reaching out, and she held a strip of ragged cloth in one hand. Her expression was, as Cerridwen had stated, rather disturbing, and her build was such that I suspected her to be a warrior. In fact, I could almost see the hint of Hendrake in her facial features, but it was hard to make out while she was stone. A Hendrake warrior. Wonderful. "This is why I am reluctant to free her on my own," Cerridwen remarked quietly.

I nodded. "Quite understandable. A Hendrake warrior is rather a formidable individual to face alone. Have you any idea what the cloth she is holding signifies?" I moved forward to take a closer look at the cloth, but because the cloth had been turned to stone, it was impossible to tell anything useful from looking at it.

"I've no idea, in truth," Cerridwen replied. "Perhaps something torn from her captors?"

I studied the statue for a few more minutes, then nodded. "When did you wish to make the attempt to free her?"

"I suppose that depends upon how well you're feeling," Cerridwen answered. "I would like to begin rather soon, but I am not certain if you are recovered enough for this kind of strain...."

"I believe I am quite recovered, actually. Allow me to erect a few defensive spells around us, and we should be ready to proceed."

As I did so, she invoked a few wards of her own and asked me, "Are you skilled with a sword? I have a nice one lying about, but I've never been very good with such things myself."

I tried not to laugh at the very idea. "I fear that I have never had the time, nor the inclination, to learn more than how not to skewer myself with a sword. However, I think our chances may actually be better if we appear unarmed before this Hendrake, rather than wearing weapons which we would not have much success in defeating her with anyway." This was not to say I would not be preparing a sleep spell, though. Just in case the Hendrake went berserk despite our lack of weapons.

Cerridwen nodded in agreement. "The spell," she began, "is a slightly modified version of the major dispelling that Sarah Chanicut taught me, combined with a major healing enchantment and a calmness effect...which is sometimes of use." She unrolled a scroll that contained the spell. Standing beside me for a moment, she gestured to the scroll and explained. "I'll need your help here," she said, pointing at a particular spot, "and here. That way I'll be able to devote more attention and energy to the healing aspect. I'll deal with the lynchpin that governs the type of magic in the area, as I'm more familiar with it. Does this seem workable to you?"

What she was asking was a touch complex, but well within my abilities, so I nodded my assent. "We may begin whenever you are ready."

Melanie's Page | Melanie's Journals

All text on this page is © 1998 by Kris Fazzari.

Last modified on September 13, 1998 by Kris Fazzari.