Winds That Will Be — Aedan's Journal
"The Entire Multiverse in Motion, Circling Me Slowly"
Aedan's Journal. Session 11-24-01.
© 2001 Todd Worrell
Two hours and one post-midnight dinner later, we sat around the Great Hall and wondered aloud what was happening to our world. Martin was there, looking regal yet exhausted. Gabriel and I were telling him most of what we had experienced in the past few days. Well, I was telling him most of my experiences. Gabriel was, as usual, rather secretive.
Flora arrived. She had heard a rumor that Julian was back and wanted to confirm it. Martin told her that he had sought out Gerard, so Flora said that she would too. Her left eye was still pale and sightless, but I must have been getting used to it. In fact, it almost looked good on her. She had always been too perfect for my tastes. Now, her face had some character.
After she left, Gabriel mentioned that he was disappointed that the multiverse had changed back so soon. "I was hoping to read Dworkin's journals more extensively," he whined.
"What was in them?" Martin asked.
"Mostly theories, but some notes about the underpinnings of the universe."
"Anything about these metaphysical beings, what did you call them-the Sisters?"
"Some," Gabriel admitted. "Dworkin apparently knew that the Unicorn and the Serpent were related to each other. And I saw the same symbol in his notes that I had seen elsewhere."
"Where else did you see it?" I asked.
"I'm not at liberty to say." Gabriel smiled smugly. He described the design for Martin as a series of overlapping rectangles with a flaming circle and a triangular centerpiece. Then he snapped his fingers. "Bleys is around. I'll bet he knows something."
"He was in Fiona's laboratory this afternoon," Martin said.
"We'll go there," Gabriel announced. He bolted out of his chair and walked swiftly toward the door.
I was curious as well. "With your permission, majesty," I said.
"Of course. I'm going to bed."
I bowed and followed Gabriel out the door and up two flights of stairs.
* * *
The door to Fiona's workshop was closed. Gabriel stood before it with his hand rubbing his chin. "The wards are all down," he said.
"So?"
"So it could be a trap."
I turned the knob and opened the door. It wasn't a trap. The room was lit by four wall lamps, two of which were still burning. I felt the air move and saw that the high narrow windows above the far wall were open. The place looked pretty much the same as it had when I had last seen it. The wall cabinets were closed. Implements on tables were covered, including the small side table on which Fiona's silver scrying bowl had been. The only difference was that one of the square tables in back was uncovered. A sheaf of papers was sitting on it.
As I surveyed the room, Gabriel walked to the back to examine the papers. "Uh oh," he said. He was looking at something on the floor, between the square table and a marble-topped counter. I stepped into the room, then stopped. Crossing the threshold of the door had felt like passing from one environment to another, like when I had crossed the boundary to Osric's realm from the next Shadow. Suddenly, my sorcery seemed more charged within me. This room was conducive to magics, then. Why hadn't I noticed it before? Gabriel was chewing on his fingernails. I went to his side and followed his gaze. A crispy black, charred corpse lay on its side in the fetal position. The bones of one hand showed clearly through what remained of its flesh. A few wisps of red hair clung to the burnt scalp. Most of the corpse's clothing had been burnt off, but the boots were high, red leather riding boots.
"I think we found Bleys," Gabriel said.
I paused a moment to contemplate my uncle's fate. I felt curiously detached with only a bit of concern for how he had died. His recent return to Amber had only made me suspicious of his motives. I was actually rather relieved that he was gone.
While Gabriel cast a spell or three to determine what had happened, I leafed through the sheaf of papers. I saw the geometric symbol I had come to associate with the metaphysical women. There were some writings about "the Great Change," and "The End of Things and the Beginning of Things, which are one and the same."
When I showed them to Gabriel, his face lit up. "Dworkin's notes!" he said, taking them roughly from my hands. "Or most of them. Where are the rest?"
"I don't know," I said. "This is all that I found."
He eyed me suspiciously, looking to see if I had sequestered a paper in one of my pockets. I looked back at him and mentally debated exactly what noise he would make when punctured. Would he say "Oof" or "Ahgghh"? I thought Gabriel was an "Ahgghh" sort of fellow, but I didn't tell him that. "What did you learn?" I said instead.
He told me that Bleys had been killed by electricity, but he wasn't sure if it had been self-induced, or if someone else had caused it. There was no sorcerous residue, per se, although he had found a few drops of a strange silver metal on the counter top. I looked and saw seven silver spheres, none larger than the tip of my smallest finger. The surface of the counter near them was scored black. I wondered if we should tell the King now or later that Bleys was dead. I didn't want to awaken him, if he had indeed gone to bed. However, to wait might appear suspicious. The decision was made for me, as Gabriel had cast another spell. I felt a line of energy shoot from Bleys's body up through a high window and out into the night.
"Where does that lead?" I asked.
"To the answer." I extended my sorcerous lens and followed the ley line. Interestingly enough, it led straight to Tir. I told Gabriel so, and he asked if I could take us there. I could, and did.
We flew up and up, through the dark sky and toward the place of ghosts and dreams. I had left this place only a few hours ago after having spent most of a day lost in its depths. I hadn't eaten, slept, or pissed for nearly a whole day-and I didn't need to either. That didn't bother me as much as it should have. However, I had been starving when Martin and I returned to Amber. Hopefully, I wouldn't be here for very long this time.
Gabriel and I appeared in the courtyard of the City in the Sky. A strange wind whistled around us, sounding like an electric river. Clouds framed the open space where the carriages parked in Amber. I could hear the pulse of my heartbeat hammering in my ears. It faded and I saw a large white hart drinking from the courtyard fountain. It was huge, maybe twenty-five hands high at the shoulder. Its antlers were nearly as wide as the entire base of the fountain. Gabriel started to move toward it but I stopped him. "Shhh," I said. "It hasn't noticed us yet."
We crept up toward the fountain, downwind from the hart as best we could manage. It continued drinking. When we were across the fountain from it, I dipped my hand into the basin. My hand got wet. The water was real. But that wasn't possible. Just then I heard the twang of a bowstring being released. I leapt toward the animal, my arms waving wildly, and shouted. The beast spooked, but the arrow still hit it in the shoulder. Bright red blood flowed incredibly quickly, covering the beast in seconds. It turned and ran away from me. I heard several more arrows being fired. The hart took two long strides and disappeared into a cloud. Where it entered, the cloud turned dark black.
An arrow hit me high in the back of my right shoulder. I ducked and sought cover behind the fountain where Gabriel was still crouched. The black part of the cloud billowed out with a noise reminiscent of thunder. Gabriel pulled the arrow from my shoulder. He handed it to me. It was as cold as ice. I concentrated and magically healed my shoulder. The arrow melted and disappeared.
A huge dark, fully armored horse burst out of the black cloud. Riding it was a man dressed in what looked like Julian's white armor, but it, too, was black. The rider's visor was down, and he carried a lance under one arm that shifted and seemed to change its shape. The horse walked forward and at least a dozen pale, phantom horses followed it out of the cloud. Ropes stretched taut from the warrior's saddle back into the cloud. The dark horse walked into the fountain, dragging a redheaded man behind it. I sprang out from my hiding place and ran toward the man.
I called Grayswandir forth and the blade shone like a caged star in the night. I ran forward and the corpse's face turned to me. It was Bleys. I charged and swung at the ropes holding him, but they faded. The horse, rider, and corpse were gone. Looking up, I saw that one ghost horse remained, and it had a passenger. Curled around the horse's neck was Julian. He was naked and deformed, just as I had seen him in the Pattern room only hours earlier. The horse slowed and stopped in front of me. Julian slid into my arms. He felt real, warm, and heavy. I lowered him to the ground and checked his pulse. His heart was beating.
"Aedan, look." Gabriel was standing beside me. I turned and saw the rider emerge slowly from another cloud. "Who are you?" Gabriel said. The rider walked slowly toward us, his armor rattling with each step. I stood and pointed Grayswandir at him. Gabriel raised his arms in an arcane pose. The man removed his helm. It was Gregory, but his eyes were solid black. They sucked in the ghostly images around us. Sunlight streamed in, the rosy shade of dawn. The cobblestones crumbled. We fell. I grabbed Gabriel as the rainbow shimmer enveloped him. We landed in the Great Hall of Amber. Julian's body was nowhere to be seen. "What happened? Who was that Gregory was dragging?" Gabriel asked.
"You know who it was. Our cousin gave Bleys' life in exchange for Julian's. He deals in the dark arts." I told him. "And you helped him do it." I left him standing there, speechless, and went to my rooms.
* * *
I bathed, shaved, and put on fresh clothes. It had been a long, long night. The sun was perhaps an hour past dawn when I strolled into the breakfast nook. Thankfully, no one was there. I ate four of Elissa's omelettes, a dozen sausage, two grapefruit, and drank at least three pitchers of orange juice. An hour later, I pushed my chair back and scratched my belly. My body still knew that it hadn't slept, but at least it was awake now.
I went to Caine's rooms and knocked. Jaliya's voice called out from the closed door. "Who is it?"
"A thief in the night." I used one of Caine's old passwords.
"There's nothing here to steal," she gave the correct counterphrase.
"Then you won't mind letting me in." The door opened. Jaliya gave me the sly smile I remembered. Small and dusky skinned, she was dressed in a maroon silk shirt and black leather pants. Behind her was Caine's sitting room, as empty as it always was. Caine's assistant closed the door behind me and motioned for me to sit down. I sat in the big armchair. It smelled faintly of Carabian tobacco. Jaliya poured us each a glass of lime juice and sat at the end of the couch nearest to me. I sipped at my drink. It made me feel young and inexperienced again, so I set it on the table. "It is good to see you," I told her. "Thank you."
Jaliya didn't return the compliment. We both chuckled at that.
"When did you last hear from my uncle?"
"Two days ago, when that black beast arose in the sea." Ah, Leviathan.
I hoped Caine hadn't been at sea during that storm. Oh, I thought. Maybe he was really dead. I hated myself then. I made some excuse and quickly left. Jaliya didn't ask.
* * *
I hesitated, then took out Caine's trump card. He hadn't responded once in the seven months since I had left, but I thought that maybe, just this once…. He didn't answer. Was he really dead? I wanted to believe that he wasn't, that he was aboard the Valiant, sailing her through Shadow. But I felt in my heart that he was gone. I had killed him, as surely as if I had plunged my sword through his chest, just as I had slain Corwin.
Ten years, ten long years cooped up on that ship. Once a month or so, we would sneak around inland, sleeping in alleys, attics, and abandoned buildings. Most of the time, we could have easily stayed at the local inn. Nobody in the area had the slightest idea of who we were. We didn't need to worry about being recognized as it was extremely unlikely we would ever return. In ten years with Caine, we had revisited one of his "sites" only twice. So hundreds of reconnaissance missions, thefts, and even murders were unnecessarily uncomfortable. Had it taught me to be tough? I don't know. Had it made me angry? Yes. But it wasn't worth killing him over.
I had wanted Grayswandir so badly, more than I had ever wanted anything else. I didn't think about consequences. I only knew the intense flame of total desire. Ah, Brigit, I've gone too far this time. I just wanted him to acknowledge me, to thank me for rescuing him. Now he was dead and I had killed him. I wished I could blame someone else. What had the Seraph said--something about "abiding the Sisters"? I couldn't abide this.
I didn't want to live in this world anymore. I hated everything and everyone, including myself. But now the Tower was free. I had seen that and it was a good thing. She would be able to counteract Eve's totalitarian nightmare of law and order. She was what the universe needed. Plus, she was a great kisser.
The Seraph had told me that Brand had freed her. That didn't make any sense. I dreaded the thought of him as my ally, but having someone loyal to the Tower near Gabriel was a good thing. Perhaps I should talk with Brand.
Gabriel answered my Trump call. "Gabriel, are you at the Keep?"
"No," he said. "I'm in the Fey realms, with Giselle."
"I was hoping to speak with your father."
"Get in line," he said. "I've been trying to reach him myself. Giselle has some new information. You should come through."
I thought about the last time I had been in the Fey realms. Magni and I had been granted an audience with Lugh, then vanished as soon as the guard came to take us to him. He might not like that. Oh, well. I could rightfully blame Magni. I went through.
I was in a sitting room that seemed too plain for the Fey realms. It was a tidy place, decorated neatly in white, gold and green. Gabriel was wearing the same unkempt clothing I had last seen him wearing a few hours earlier. Giselle sat on a low ottoman looking completely out of place in her black spiky leather armor. Her hair was braided tightly to her head, like she was preparing for battle.
"Who is the enemy?" I asked her.
"Leviathan," she said. "We must get all of the goddesses to fight it."
"I doubt that they will cooperate for anything. Their very natures are opposed."
"If we don't destroy Leviathan," Giselle said, "there are going to be more of them."
"How did you learn that?"
"I saw it through the Serpent's eyes."
"You've been busy," I said.
She smiled.
"How can we destroy Leviathan?" Gabriel asked.
"The same way we can destroy anything: with blood."
"Whose blood?"
"With ours." Giselle threw her hands up like she was explaining something so obvious it didn't need to be said.
"I prefer to keep my blood where it is," I told her. Of course, I thought, Gabriel doesn't need all of his.
Giselle went on to tell us Mandor's theories about the goddesses. He believed that only Oberon's descendants could create something on this level. The blood of Chaos was too weak, old, and diluted. It sounded like he was admitting his inferiority, but I didn't tell Giselle that.
Speaking of the Courts of Chaos reminded me of something. "Giselle, where did Merlin get his ring?"
"His dull, gray ring-the one that looks like yours? It was the Serpent's. Speaking of which," Giselle continued, "has anyone seen the Seraph lately?"
"Yes," I admitted. "Why?"
"Be careful when you speak to it," she said, and rubbed her sternum. The Seraph's mark had faded from my chest when I used Grayswandir, but I remembered.
"I was careful." I thought of the scenes the Seraph had shown me: the clash of armies beneath a fracturing sky. It seemed too terrible a prospect. The Tower would bring creation and passion. I knew I was making the smart decision.
A guardsman came and escorted Giselle to her meeting with Lugh. It was easy to persuade Gabriel to seek Brand at the Keep of the Four Worlds. He took out a trump of it, one he had drawn himself. He concentrated. The prismatic portal appeared and we went through.
* * *
We stood in the room that contained the Fount. It was inactive, but I could sort of hear its power humming in my head, restrained and immense. Gabriel went outside to speak with a servant. He returned in a moment with word that his father was currently not in the castle. "I'll try to trump him," he said. When he took Brand's card out of his deck, his face fell. "It's not cold," he gasped.
Was Brand dead? I took out my card. It was warmer than normal. We tried the cards of others who had recently died: Bleys, Corwin. They were both warm as well. Caine's card, however, was cool to the touch. What did that mean?
"I need to go check on something," Gabriel hurriedly departed and left me alone in that place. As soon as the door closed behind him, Brand's trump began speaking to me. "This is a place of power," it said in the thousand-piece orchestral voice I knew so well.
"Yes."
"It would be a great door for us," my Tower said.
"Who is 'us'?"
"The way in and the way out."
"Who exactly is 'us'?"
"I walk," the Tower explained. "Thou art one of the three that freed me. Thou art mine." I felt a burst of trump-like energy.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Ambient energy of this place. He molds it."
So Gabriel knew how to use this place. That was a frightening thought. As I was thinking about it, I suddenly became aware of the vast, unseen energy lurking beneath this place. It was unlike any power I had ever felt before. It seemed to emanate to and from everywhere. As I let my mind focus on it, I felt that it was moving very slowly. No, it was spinning, with this chamber as its hub. For a moment, I felt like I beheld the entire multiverse in motion, circling me slowly. I was standing on the axis of everything. It was both appropriate and dizzying at the same time. dizzy.
"What is the power of this place?" I asked the Tower.
"It is woven through with all of the elements."
"So, how would I open the 'door' of this place?"
"It would require a summoning."
"How would I do that?"
"Thou must unleash the power."
Oh. I knew how to do that. The door creaked, then opened. Gabriel returned, a look of disappointment on his young face. "Brand left no word of his whereabouts," he said. He saw the trump card in my hand. "What were you doing?"
"I was trying to figure him out," I lied, turning the card around so he could see it. "I would like to get a better idea of who he is and what he wants."
"What he wants is what I want: what's best for Amber." Gabriel walked quickly over to me. He reached for the card I was holding.
I quickly pulled it out of his reach. "Forgive me if I, and everyone who has ever met Brand, excluding yourself, have my doubts."
"You dare to defame my father in this place? I should have you thrown out on your ear."
"I think you need to take a nap, Gabriel. Your legendary lack of common sense is showing."
He stood too close to me, then, so I put my hand on his shoulder. "Don't touch me!" he yelled.
"Don't breathe on me," I said, and pushed him.
He faltered back a step, then raised his hands over his head. "I could destroy you, right now." His eyes lit up with fire.
In answer, Grayswandir surged to full power.
Gabriel's eyes opened wide. He glanced down at my ring.
I smiled a half smile.
He lowered his hands. "But not in this place," he retreated. "It's too dangerous."
"This place is dangerous, but not to me."
"What do you mean?"
Was he truly so naïve? "The power here, it begs to be released."
"You'll have to kill me first," he said.
"Gabriel, listen to me." I let Grayswandir ease down a notch. "You can't fight the future. I am merely embracing the inevitable."
"By embracing it you are creating it."
"Semantics." I waved dismissively.
"I think you should leave." Gabriel stomped his foot and pointed melodramatically toward the door.
"I think you should grow up," I smirked. I switched the trump of Brand with one of the Great Hall of Amber. I concentrated on it and went away. As the Fount chamber faded around me, I saw Gabriel pouting. I laughed. To open the Door, I would need a great deal of power. Now I knew where, or I should say from whom, I would get it.
* * *
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