The Other Shoe Drops

I pondered the dilemma of how to deal with Father until afternoon, when the Tir arrived at the Ways of Chanicut. I was gathering my things to leave when a servant arrived, bearing a note from Cerridwen. She wished to dine with me once more before I departed, as she expected that her next journey would keep her away for a while, and she wanted to discuss certain matters with me. Naturally, I accepted the invitation.

The two of us had a nice lunch on a balcony facing the sea, with Skeltland off to our right. Beyond making pleasantries, Cerridwen said little through the meal, but I could tell that there was something on her mind. It was not until the dishes had been cleared away that she finally got down to the reason for her invitation.

"Melanie...there's a reason that I cannot take you to Amber this time...," she said quietly. "Things are about to change...in Amber and elsewhere...I can feel it coming. I must play my part as sister to the Queen of Amber and help her to deal with the traitor in her midst."

I raised an eyebrow upon hearing the word 'traitor,' but nodded understandingly. "Of course. Familial ties are often the hardest to ignore. And if things are about to become somewhat...chaotic in Amber, it will probably not be an advisable place for a Chaosite to be." I smiled a bit at my own pun.

Cerridwen's expression became pained at my response. "I go back to aid my sister in the slaying of Brand," she replied quietly.

So, the other shoe had dropped. Surprisingly, I felt very little upon hearing this. I think, in a way, I had been expecting it. After all, if I had noticed Father's erratic behavior, it was likely that others might have as well. I allowed a pained expression to show on my face. "I suspected that might be the case. He is...not exactly sane now. If he ever was."

"He has put himself in a position to threaten the Queen...and he doesn't fathom how well she has placed her allies. My sister is responsible for the deaths of many of the family, though indirectly for most of them. She is weeding out those she deems dishonorable...morally bereft. Florimel, Bleys, Katrina...all gone. And soon Brand will join them."

I noted those names with interest. I had witnessed the fates of Bleys and Katrina, and I was hard pressed to see how Rhiannon was involved with them. Bleys' fate, at least, seemed to be no more than the result of a personal vendetta. Perhaps Rhiannon was the one who had ordered Katrina to be trapped? Florimel was the most fascinating name on the list, though. I had not heard that she was deceased. What would Ryan make of that, I wondered? I looked gravely at Cerridwen. "So it would seem. I would advise caution, though. If there is anything history has proved, it is that Brand is remarkably hard to kill."

"Did you note that package that Emily obtained from Despil?" Cerridwen asked rhetorically. I had of course, although I had not known that Despil was the source of it. I nodded, and waited for her to continue.

"It was Reprisal...also known as the Kinslayer Rifle. You've probably heard of it. I'm afraid the only question now is whether or not he will have opportunity to pronounce his death curse."

The Kinslayer Rifle? Oh yes, I had heard of it. Its destructive capabilities were legendary throughout Chaos. I raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. I am surprised Despil would entrust such a powerful weapon of Chaos to an Amberite. No offense intended."

Cerridwen chuckled sadly. "Emily is the soul of honor...her word is inviolate once given. I can only assume that she has promised him something great...or perhaps convinced him that it was necessary to preserve the life of his son Jonathan, now betrothed to Rhiannon."

I made a note of that, although in truth, it merely confirmed my own observations of Emily. Had she not been so determined to keep her word to Gawain, we would not have been forced to participate in Bleys' death. There were times when honorable people could be quite tiresome.

"Melanie...there's a reason I'm telling you this. You at least deserve the opportunity to make your will known in this...perhaps even to interfere. I recognize that you and I might come into opposition over this situation, but it does not give me the right to keep you in ignorance. I respect you more than that."

I frowned slightly. "I had been wondering why you were telling me all of this, knowing the conflict it presents me. I wish you did not have to be involved in this. It makes things...difficult." Which was an understatement, to say the least. How ironic that in the same day, both she and Father had come to me intending to eliminate the other. I had decided that I would not help Father against Cerridwen. But at the same time, I could not assist Cerridwen against Father.

"My involvement is cursory, to be truthful," Cerridwen commented. "I will be there to watch how the cards fall, but I will take no action against him. That is my sister's affair."

"Of course," I replied, nodding my head in agreement. Something in the way she had spoken made me wonder about her feelings for Rhiannon. It did not sound like she was especially close to her sister. I felt some empathy for her then. She, like I, was being asked to play a role she did not wish, because of family obligations. I decided I should at least warn her that Father was already planning to move against her, since she had taken the trouble to warn me. Especially since I did not want Father to succeed.

"You should be aware that Brand expects you to aid Rhiannon, and therefore may move to remove you as her support," I informed her. "I do not believe he would attempt to kill you, but his ideas of imprisonment do not exactly strike me a safe. Be on your guard." Actually, I did believe he would try to kill her, but he was still my father, and I found myself reluctant to betray him any more than I already was.

Cerridwen just laughed for just a moment. It was a bitter sound. "You believe him to be a gentler being than he is. He would not hesitate to kill me if he knew I had so much as kept secrets from him. Even now he works to frame my poor, retarded brother for his own crimes...a lesson for my dear sister."

That sounded exactly like my father. I had been the target of a few of his more pointed 'lessons' during my own childhood. And while he might not kill me for keeping secrets from him, he would not hesitate to hurt me. For my own good, of course. I sighed. "I do not suppose I truly believed he would not kill you, either. I would not have warned you otherwise." I shook my head. "I have been expecting this conflict would come eventually. It was inevitable, given his madness."

"Such is the nature of family, I suppose," Cerridwen replied. "And I go back to Amber to see the woman who acted as my mother slay the man who acted as my father...at my sister's bequest. I think I prefer the Courts, myself."

I nodded in complete agreement. "Amber has always seemed too chaotic to me. Ironically, in the Courts I have some idea of what to expect."

"In all truth, Melanie, I have thought much the same on many occasions," she responded. And with that she rose and brought the meal to an end.

I made my way slowly from the balcony, somewhat lost in thought as to what to do with the information Cerridwen had given me. Obviously, going to Amber to interfere was completely out of the question. The risks were far too high. That left contacting Father and warning him. Of course, in doing so, I might be placing Cerridwen's life in jeopardy. But she was forewarned now of his intentions towards her, and I could not keep silent about a threat to his life. Especially since if the attack failed, and he learned I had known of it in advance, he would no doubt hold me responsible. So I settled for a compromise, pausing to Trump Father before starting down the steps from the Tir. I knew that Cerridwen would be watching, and therefore would know that Brand had been warned. Unfortunately, my precautions turned out to be unnecessary, as Father's Trump did not animate. Either he chose not to answer, or he was somewhere that Trump did not work. Either way, there was nothing more I could do. If Trump was no longer working in Amber, then surely that would tip him off that something was in motion, and he would be on his guard. I certainly would be if I were in his position. I sighed and began the long descent to Skeltland. Whatever happened next, it was out of my hands.

Melanie's Page | Melanie's Journals

All text on this page is © 1999 by Kris Fazzari.

Last modified on April 16, 1999 by Kris Fazzari.