So there I was in a strange Shadow just a couple days away from Amber. A beautiful woman sat close by, and breakfast and a brandy had just been delivered. Normally, this would have been a good thing. Normally. Today, however, it was just another turn of events in a rather frightful day...and it wasn't even noon yet. This place was slightly faster than Amber, but not much at all. It was...not a good place to be, and I wanted to leave. I was so nervous that I had to excuse myself to the bathroom before we even sat down to speak. Terrible manners, but I couldn't help it. My nerves were shot. The brandy did much, however, to restore them.

I lit my second cigarette and asked her, "Now, not to be rude, lady--far from--but could you tell me about yourself? Starting with your name, and how you know about me at all?"

She smiled at me, "My name is Selene." Uh-oh. That told me a lot about her already. In many Shadows that was a name to be feared, or worshipped. Certainly a good name for one of the Blood. It had also to do with being unseen, as in dreams. Hmm. She certainly looked the part of a dream. "My parents union was political...a back-up plan for the Courts...a plan I do not intend to follow."

Interesting. She was of mixed blood, like Merlin and his offspring. Very interesting. I didn't feel the stench of the Logrus off of her though, and thought I'd better dig for information...see how much she'd volunteer on her own. She seemed to trust me. But then, I looked like...well, Brand, and if she was indeed his daughter...(and on good terms)...that could be interesting. A look into his psyche as well, maybe.

Damn. This was all too much for one morning. One crisis at a time, one problem is about all I can handle, and then, poorly.

But I digress.

I shook my head as I tapped ashes into the ashtray, "That tells me nothing, save for your name. Your parents were whom? Any other siblings?" I frowned, saying the next a bit too sharply, "I could have just signed my death warrant coming here with you, so I want to know what you know. When I'm informed on your information, goals, and the like, then I suppose I'll have to throw my lot in with you...but I refuse to go in uninformed." I gave her a quick look-over, "You're too young to play the game that well. I want everything; omit nothing."

"Very well," she sighed, her bosom heaving slightly. I winced and forced myself to concentrate on her lovely eyes. Truly, it had been a long time since I had reacted to a woman like this. This was definitely not an auspicious beginning. "I'll give you the short version of my genealogy. I am descended from Prince Benedict of Amber through House Hendrake, my mother being Lady Kylla. My father is Prince Brand of Amber. My mother's sister is the mother of Lady Dara. aNd when I left the Courts I did not have any siblings from my mother's side of the family."

She closed her eyes here, and I frowned in thought. She didn't seem to be lying, but then, I think she had lived longer than I. I believed I was older than her, relatively speaking, but it's rather hard to pinpoint down when she would have been born in relation to me. As it was, I would assume the role of older sibling. I think Rinaldo was still older (relatively speaking again), but once again, I'm not sure. The time in the Courts jumps around fearfully, impossible to nail down to a ratio compared with Shadow- or Amber-time. Complicated? Yes, well, that's what happens when you're born out in Shadow. Bugger it all, anyway. Older sibling then. All this also meant she was fairly closely related to Merlin and Damien, and I wondered if she knew them well...or even at all.

When she opened her eyes, all thought left me temporarily as she seemed on the point of tears. "This may be hard for you to understand... This has nothign to do with my position in either family or even why I was born... I love my father." That certainly was shocking. "Even the powerful ones of my house were leery of approaching him in one of his moods, but my presence always mellowed him... I am the one person in all of existence he could not use as a tool, and could not be used against him save at a terrible cost to the user... and I am of 'his' blood. I want him back."

I couldn't have been more shocked than if she told me she doubled as a naked mud-wrestler on the weekends.

What I mean is that she wanted Brand...Brand...back. You know, the lunatic? The crazy man? The would-be demagogue? She loved him. I...was horrified. I was also envious too. I had loved him, once. He was, after all, the only father I ever had. Ever will have. Was I not supposed to love him? Still, this was crazy. The waiter came and went as I tried to wrestle with these thoughts, and finally, I took up a fork and picked at the food. It didn't look appetizing at all.

Besides, Brand was dead. There was no way to bring him back. Still, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to humor her, to give it a try. After all, what did I have to lose?

"It's impossible," I said finally. "Even if he were alive--which i"m sure he's not--someone else would have found the way to do it, and prevented it. He's not alive. If he were, he would be out; of that I am certain." I shivered a bit. I really was certain of that, and didn't like the implications my mind was giving me. "If anyone could do it, he could."

I ate a bit, then took a drink. The brandy was some good stuff, rolling onto my tongue and down my throat. Just what I needed to soothe my nerves. "What about our cousins? What do you know of them? And Rinaldo? Have you asked him about this?" I paused, grimacing. "Surely he would help you."

"Aren't you overlooking something relatively simple, Nicky?" she asked with a hint of a smile. "True, each of father's siblings would have tried reaching him... either to bind or kill him... but do you honestly believe they would have combined their efforts?...shown one another a possible weakness?... I don't. If he got out he would have come for me..."

I shook my head. The girl was plain foolish. No...no. Not that. She just wasn't used to my--our--Amber relatives. I had heard that the Courts were just as bad, but I doubted that. "No. Bleys and Fiona would have, at least, and maybe a couple others--Caine and Julian, when Caine was alive." I took the last drag off my cigarette and stubbed it out, "I don't know. Maybe we can try. Maybe."

I looked up to her again, frowning. She still hadn't answered about the cousins yes. "Now, who else have you been watching? Other than uncles and aunts--I'm more interested in cousins right now. I know our elders are up to something--they always are--but the cousins, well, you never know."

She spread some Trumps out on the table, "Have a look for yourself." She flipped over the first card. There was Anne staring back at me, lovely as ever. "Anelizabet for example has been in and out of the city so often I won't even try chronicling her movements, but suffice it to say that she has been playing pirate in Amber and the Golden Circle Kingdoms until recently...but lately she has been on good behavior, or so it seems."

She then flipped past a few cards, some of which seemed familiar, until she stopped on a card that was familiar, though I had never me the man. I believe...believe...he was in my dream, though I'll never know for certain. It could just be the family resemblance. "Collin has only been to the castle a few times... he seems to have important matters on his mind and his involvement with his relatives appears to fall into the realm of social necessity."

The next card was familiar. Not only did he show the family resemblance, but also the redhead resemblance that Selene and I shared with Fiona and Bleys. "Kent spends a great deal of time with Fiona when he is in Amber... There is an undercurrent of some kind one can feel when both are present..." Hmm. She didn't right out and say that Fiona was his mother. I suppose he could be Bleys'.

Selene sighed softly, "I don't have a Trump of Laurence since I haven't actually seen him yet... Rumor has it that he hasn't been in Amber since the death of his fiancee... until now... I could go on, but this isn't really the best place to be talking about family..." she smiled, "It's bad for the digestion."

I nodded slightly, "Have you traversed the Logrus then? Or are you a shapeshifter? Since you're from Chaos and all..." I winced slightly at the rude questions, but covered it by taking a bite of food. I pushed the plate away from me and persevered. "And what have the Courts heard about...ah, the Shadow Storms then? Or about Amber in general?"

She tilted her head and looked as if she wanted to laugh. "Dworkin Barimen was a Logrus Master in the Courts and as such was an accomplished shape-shifter... and all of his decindants have the potential as well, though those who have lived their lives under the shadow of the Pattern have yet to realize this... And if you look closely you can see for yourself that the only icon of power I possess is the Tir-Pattern." Which was just as good as the real thing, I thought but did not say.

"On that," she continued meaning the Shadow Storms, "I know not, but I had planned to visit family there before much longer... if you would care to accompany me, we could find out."

I nodded. "Let's do that then, immediately." I glanced around, as if someone were watching me. I felt like someone was, that was for certain. "Being close to Amber like this makes me nervous, and Chaos is just as Real as Amber...then..." I frowned, realizing I was just about to tell her about the visions. Swallowing the words, I continued, "It would be better. Much. Ah, but back to the point I was going to make...or have made, I think..." I frowned, almost losing track of the conversation. A bad sign. "How do you propose we 'rescue' Father from the Abyss then, with only Pattern to guide us?"

"I was hoping that a powerful enough group Trump right at the edge of the Abyss could reach him... but finding people who would be willing to help AND that I could trust has been more difficult than I expected... that's why I haven't tried bringing in Rinaldo." Well, that was a good enough explanation. And it might work too. And...well, there was a place I knew of, and it...well, it might work from there. Might.

I lit up a cigarette as I contemplated. Finally, I asked, blushing to show my ignorance, "It doesn't matter where you Trump from, correct? I mean, as far as I was ever told, it didn't matter how far you were from the subject, just that the subject was in a place where Trump could access it, right?" I took a puff of the cigarette and noted that my hands were shaking. That...the doctors... I made myself steady. Made myself look calm. It was difficult. "If that's the case, I may know of a place where you and I may be able to reach him, if a simple Trump can reach him at all. Which I doubt."

"Unless the trump is made by a Master-Artist, distance, time-differential, and Shadow laws can affect the contact if the difference is great enough... which is why one isn't normally able to Trump from Amber directly to the Courts... but if you know of a place where these factors are not a major consideration then perhaps we should try making contact from there first..."

"Hmm," I said, interested, "I didn't know that. Of course, then, I don't even own a Trump deck so..." I shrugged my shoulder and finished off that good brandy. I'd have to get a bottle of it when we left. "No time like the present." I pushed my plate even farther away and sighed. It still didn't look appetizing.

"It's a slow time Shadow as well. I don't want to spend more than a half-hour there--that should be about how long it'll take the two of us to know whether it'd work or not, and not lose too much time." That was true. Hmm. I had almost forgotten. I might have to think on this now. If Julian took that day or so of Amber time. Well, maybe a half-day, few hours...hard to say...if he took that time, he could find me. He would definitely know I was missing by then. I wondered what he'd think of my note.

I looked at her, my hands starting to shake again, "This is crazy, you know. I mean, if it works." It wouldn't, but I had a sudden inspiration. "And if--IF--we manage to bring up Father, we should try for Deirdre as well. It would only be fair."

To my surprise, she was nodding in approval. "Not to mention putting us in a better light amongst the the other descendent of Oberon,"

"And I'll make each of us a trump of that place once we've been there," she said, "and perhaps I can make you a few Trumps of the people you would most like to keep in touch with..."

I shrugged lightly, "A few people, perhaps. Places, I think, mostly." Not like I had many friends to keep track of, you know. "While I don't like traveling that way, it is fast." I frowned, and shivered, thinking of the first time I had used one. "Any time you are ready to go, lady." I wondered if I should still call her that. Perhaps sister would be better, but it was...informal. Mayhaps I should just call her by name. I frowned while gathering my things.

As we set out, I did grab a bottle of that brandy. And as we rode, I thought about our conversation. This surely would come to naught. It was madness to want Brand back in Amber, anywhere in the universe for that matter! It was crazy...and what was I doing involving myself in it? This lady...my sister...was infecting me with it, and so lonely was I that I couldn't refuse her.

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