Alexander's Chronicle: Chapter 9

After Marcel had brought back supper and we'd consumed it, Father said, "As I was telling Morgan and Alex, we're going to Amber in about three weeks time. I would suggest that you tidy up in Shadow Brynn, Marcel and then come back and stay here for until we go to Amber. Perhaps you can do the same in Shadow Finndelaine, Morgan. Then the two of you can help Josiah with some basic sword practice." The two of them nodded. Father wished us all a good night and left.

Marcel waited for Father to leave and then said, smiling at Josiah, "So, brother, I shall have my chance to poke at you with my blade? I promise not to be too hard on you, but I cannot say the same for Morgan, he is quite violent. Isn't that right, Morgan?" Sensibly, Morgan ignored him.

Unfazed, Marcel stretched and looked out the window. "Well, a long ride back to Brynn is not what I am looking forward to now, so I imagine that I shall stay the night. The vineyard can do without me for a day or two. I suppose they shall have to do without me for sometime after that since I shall be busy elsewhere." He looked at Josiah, "Isn't that right, Josiah?"

Josiah remarked, "It'll be busy, all right, I just wish I knew what kind of business..."

Marcel looked questioningly at him and suggested, "Perhaps we could ask Morgan and Alex to join us if you feel we might need some extra help. But again, that is up to you." Morgan continued to ignore this conversation, so I said nothing.

"Like I said," Josiah looked up at a crack in the ceiling, "I've only got the vaguest notion what we're dealing with. So for going in, I'd tread lightly at first, with a good partner I could trust. We might ask Morgan and Alex to stake out a nearby Shadow, though, check for traffic and either pull us out or back us up if things do get hairy." He also spoke as if we weren't even there.

Marcel finally looked at us, and said, "Well, if you have nothing planned for the next little while, gentlemen, perhaps you would like to aid Josiah with his work?"

I was well irritated by this point. "If I am not deemed good or trustworthy enough a partner to 'go in', why rely on me for backup? I'm sure I'll find things of my own to do after we visit Amber."

"As far as I know, Alex," commented Josiah, "you guys have a deficit. Marcel knows enough about technology to at least know what pistols are, and I still expect to have to handhold him. Morgan damn near glazed over at my casual conversation."

"If you guys are each a fourth of what I've seen outa Julian, 'scuse me, "Papa", you are definitely people I want on my side *in a fight*. This is an investigation, at least at the start, snooping, scouting, laying out the land. Now I would be the first one to laugh at the idea of me trying to track somebody in the woods, so I'm not claiming superiority when I state that you guys would be in the same bind trying to operate where I come from."

Marcel moved over to me and put his arm around me and tried to restore my good humor. "Come now, Alex, I am sure that you would enjoy getting away from Arden for awhile and enjoy seeing new places. Also, from what I have seen, you are quite capable in a fight and I would be honored if you came with us. You have saved my life before, what is once more for a brother?" He beamed at me. I slumped. Marcel is a difficult one to argue with.

"And Morgan, I would presume that would love to get in a little 'trouble' out in Shadow. From Josiah's description of 'Chicago', there is more than enough 'trouble' to go around." Marcel grinned at him. "On a serious note, you are also the most effective trackers I know of, aside from Julian, of course, and Josiah may need your expert abilities in this area."

Marcel moved back to Josiah and waved an open hand in my direction. "You may want Morgan and Alex for their obvious physical power, Josiah, but do not be fooled, they are cunning and extremely capable when it comes to tactics."

I pulled myself together, stubbornly. "I will consider it. My plans and yours may well change depending on what happens while we are in Amber."

Marcel just kept smiling, "Very well then Alex, I shall look forward to you and Morgan joining us, in the event that you do."

Morgan looked up, apparently thinking, and then said, "I'm willing, if given a little time beforehand to assure myself that Finndelaine isn't in immediate danger of going up in flames."

He frowned in concentration a moment longer, then went on, "It seems to me that there have been conspiracies before involving the royal family of Amber itself. I think it's safe to say that none of us has the connections and the power necessary to do what's being done with the Moonriders. Eliminating also Father and Prince Benedict, everyone else is suspect. We're going to meet many people in Amber in a few weeks. Let's keep our plans to ourselves; we don't want someone pulling an Alistair on us when there's a *real* threat involved."

"Pulling an Alistair?" I asked.

"Sorry, Alex, but it appears, at least from where I stand, that our good cousin Alistair didn't find our little adventure in Arden all that much of a surprise... And we *know* his father hails, or perhaps hailed, from the Courts of Chaos. I don't want us giving away our intentions to anyone at court who might actually be in league with the Moonriders. Unfortunately, we expose ourselves to all kinds of trouble if *Caine* has anything to do with them, since Josiah intends to question him about them."

Josiah chuckled. "Oh, but we can plead ignorance. Mine. All I'm asking are nice, naive questions about Moonriders, with no more expectations from Caine than helpful information, and no broader implications than what's happening in Chicago."

Morgan said scornfully, "If you don't think your Uncle Caine will see through that, Josiah, then you've got naive on you like white on rice."

Josiah insisted, "I know he's going to be interested in why I'm asking. The trick is: how interested. Unless my luck takes a sharp jump one way or the other, what I expect is that once I finish my chat with Caine, I will be followed. Maybe directly, maybe by a spell or a bug or whatever you guys use."

Morgan reminded him, "He may not be involved. No problem in that case. But you'll probably be followed in any case, as you say. I don't know what Caine uses to follow people. Maybe he uses Caine. Maybe he uses one of us."

Josiah continued, "After that, it's a chess game. I make my move, I watch what happens. Neither side knows the other's plan."

Morgan mocked, "A chess game? Interesting thought. Are you adept at chess? Caine is."

Josiah told us cheerfully, "Best case, of course, is Caine got burnt by the Moonriders and would like to do them some dirt. It's actually fairly likely, given that if they're linked to Chaos, it was through Brand, and Caine shot Brand. In that case, I may get some under-the-table help."

"That actually seems most likely," Morgan admitted.

Josiah said, "Next best is that Caine was up to something grisly with them but that's past history. He won't be happy to have me snooping, but he won't want to move hard and fast and risk unburying something. He may try to misdirect me or throw me a bone."

"Caine? Misdirect? Never! Not him!" Morgan laughed.

Josiah grinned, "Where it gets interesting is if he and the 'riders are currently up to something nasty..."

Morgan sighed, "Someday, brother, I may want to have a little talk with you about the way you define 'interesting.' 'Nasty' I think I can figure out."

Marcel broke in at this point, "Pardon me, Morgan, but I believe that there is something you and Alex ought to know about the incident in Arden. First and foremost, you must swear not to tell Julian any of what I am about to tell you until this is completely cleared up." He looked at them with a serious look on his face and asked, "Do you swear?"

Morgan sighed again. "All right, Marcel, I swear not to tell Julian any of what you are about to tell us until this is completely cleared up. Try to make it good this time. I have a headache, and you're starting to make me tired." I thought he was a little cruel to say this to Marcel.

I was a little shocked at the idea of keeping information from Father, but I slowly nodded. There was no other way to find anything out. "Yes," I responded.

In a conspiratory whisper, Marcel told us, "Very well then, I shall tell you what I have learned. A few years ago, I learned that our attacker was indeed from the House of Chanicut. In fact, his identity was that of a young man by the name of Price. He was the heir to the House and the eldest son of Duchess Belissa. His death is being blamed on Amber, with Alex and I being the chief offenders. According to his mother, Duchess Belissa, he was a prisoner of Amber at the time and he was slain in cold blood. Obviously, there is a communcation problem which has led to this story, which I believe may be used to drag Amber into a war."

Morgan groaned. "Indeed. I would wager something of value that this 'communication problem' is intentional."

Marcel continued: "Also, I have found out Alistair's side of the story. He has claimed that he knew nothing of the hunt in Arden and was only asked by Princess Nimue at the last minute. This I have confirmed from the Princess herself. Alistair has also claimed that he did not stay with the party during the attack, so that he might cut off any escape route that our attackers may have had."

"Perhaps, said Morgan, "I, however, do not believe it. The Princess does not necessarily *know* that Alistair knew nothing of the ambush. And the tale about 'cutting off escape routes' is vaguely reminiscent of low- grade manure." I thought this a bit unfair, as we had no evidence saying that Alistair was up to no good. And I already knew that Marcel's information about the rumors came to him through Nimue from Alistair.

Marcel added, "Also, after talking with Princess Nimue, I have come to the conclusion that our chief attacker, Price Chanicut, is not dead and is instead in hiding." I had no idea where he'd gotten that. I suspected it might be one of his own imaginings. Marcel finished, "That is what I know of for now, but I may have left some details out. If you have any questions, please ask them."

Morgan commented, "Interesting feat, that. Who was the Roman Candle I saw, then?"

I told Marcel, "I told Father about the rumors the Chanicuts were spreading years ago. If this Price person is alive, who was that Shiny idiot who burned up in the clearing? The rangers even took what was left of the body." So much for the oath of silence. Marcel had not told me a darned thing I hadn't alreaady passed on years before.

Morgan added, to Marcel, "Well, yes. I suppose you did leave something out. To wit, how did you discover all of this about Price of Chanicut? And, for that matter, what is the relationship between House Chanicut and House Layton?"

Marcel responded: "Well, to answer both of your questions about the identity of the 'burn victim' in Arden, I cannot say for sure that it was Price of House Chanicut. However, due to the nature of 'duplicates' throughout Shadow, there is a distinct possibility that our attacker was only meant to look like Price."

Morgan demanded, "So he *did* look like Price? I mean, we can't say that it was just one of his confederates?"

I broke in at that point, "He didn't look like *anyone*. He was shapeshifted, covered with shiny armor. He was identified by the sword he carried. I think that he had to be one of the ringleaders, because a minion wouldn't have tried so hard to kill Marcel. My feeling is that this one saw an opportunity and acted on his own initiative."

Marcel said, "Well, Alex is quite right in the regard of our attacker's appearance. He did not look exactly human at the time and his Chaos form kept his identity hidden quite well. If there is a way to determine whether it was Price, in fact, would be to examine the body. However, I am not sure of this, and we would have to ask Benedict for his permission. That is, if he even has the body still. As for the relationship between House Chanicut and House Layton, all I know is that they are not on the best of terms and are known as rival houses."

Morgan grunted, "That's something, anyway."

Marcel went on, "As for your specific questions, Morgan, I learned this from someone I trust implicitly and I do not intend to divulge the source as of yet. There may be repercussions for that person passing the information on to me." I held in a sigh. None of what he'd told us was privileged knowledge and even Father wasn't in a position to Princess Nimue a hard time about anything.

Morgan had no idea that this was all simply melodrama on Marcel's part. "Of course. Don't endanger your source. People whom one can trust implicitly are hard to come by."

Josiah grinned. "Guess we do have a fair amount in common after all."

Marcel remarked, "As for Alistair's story, I cannot prove nor disprove what he has said as of yet. However, I think that it might be in our best interest not to discuss too much with him in the future."

Morgan nodded, "Agreed, Amen, and All That."

I felt a little upset and tried to defend poor, stupid Alistair who wasn't there to defend himself. "If Alistair isn't involved in the conspiracy (I feel sorry for any conspiracy Alistair's involved in), information is just going to get him into trouble."

Marcel smiled, "Well put, Alex. However, if he is the target of House Layton, perhaps giving him erroneous information might lead them to making a move which we could then counter. What do you think of that idea?"

I didn't like it. "Let's not put him in deeper danger. He seemed like a nice fellow, just a little underequipped with respect to common sense. Besides, how are you going to reach him? I thought he moved to the Courts and never came back."

Marcel sighed, "Yes, I suppose you are right. I would certainly hate to see his life endangered due to something I had done. The fact that he has done me no ill will is also a very good reason to leave well enough alone. On that note, gentlemen, I shall retire for the evening. I suppose that I shall see you all tomorrow morning? Well, goodnight." Marcel got up and left. I decide to do the same.

I had a word with the officer of the watch. I explained that my new brother was a city boy, but curious, so I arranged to have a couple of attendant rangers following him if he left to the castle, to make sure that he didn't get lost, try to interrogate wild boars or other dangerous wildlife, or otherwise endanger himself.

I went up to my room and wrote to Nimue:

Father suggested I invite you to ride to Amber with us. He found us another brother that I've just met. I should warn you, he's got a worse case of foot-in-mouth disease than Marcel, but he doesn't realize it. Marcel and Morgan will be with us too and you can see for yourself that Marcel has his hand back. I bet he's been missing Reia... Sorry, that wasn't really funny. If you want to visit beforehand and see everyone and meet Josiah, I'll certainly be glad to see you.

Yrs.
Alexander

I received a reply the next day:

I would love to ride to Amber with you! Please thank your father from me for thinking of me. Mother *had* arranged for Uncle Caine to detour and collect me somewhere on the way - but this will save him the trouble.

I look forward to meeting your new brother Josiah - worse than Marcel? Should be an interesting trip. Actually, a few days' visit before we leave should give me some time to practise *not* being the Crown Princess of Rebma, since I'm going to be joining the Family gathering as a Princess of Amber instead. Never tried being one of those before... Sadly, this means I'll be leaving Reia behind...

Take care of yourself, and I'll see you in three weeks!
Nimue

The next couple of weeks were uneventful, just deciding what to pack. Josiah was tolerable: obnoxious but not really malicious, although he never apologized or tried to recant when he finally realized how far over the line he was. I was busy enough with the Hounds and with patrols that I saw little of them. About a week before we were to leave for Amber, I mentioned to Josiah and Marcel that Nimue will be riding with us. Marcel seemed pleased.

For some reason, Morgan had still not returned to the castle by that point, so I Trumped him to give him the message, although he'd already overheard Father's suggestion.

He told me, "Alex, I would like to be there when she arrives, please let me know exactly when she'll be arriving in Arden so that I may make preparations."

This seemed odd, as he should already be in Arden now. "What kind of preparations do need to make to deal with Nimue?" I asked.

Morgan sighed irritably. "I don't just sit here in Finndelaine primping and preening myself in a mirror all day, Alex. There is a realm to run here, and I'm a part of it. A small part, but a part nontheless. It is not 'dealing with Nimue' for which I must prepare. It is leaving my house in order in Finndelaine which requires preparation. Servants must be given standing orders, warrants must be written, and turns at duty must be covered. Finally, something must be arranged to explain my absence. It is one thing to have grown up in Arden, where people know who you *really* are, and accept it. It is quite another to have grown up in a place where you and I would be considered demons were our true nature known."

It wasn't like him to patronize me, so I held my temper in check and tried to be pleasant. "You have to do these things in order to make the trip to Amber. Father suggested that we all be here well before our departure anyway."

Morgan snapped, "Of course, and to meet you and Nimue in advance of that, I have to make those preparations in advance of when I ordinarily would. It really isn't as complex as you're making it seem, Alexander. I need to know *by when* my preparations must be complete, and to know that I need to know *when* I need to arrive. If you want to play games, I'll just break this contact now, make my preparations immediately, and leave. The only issue I would have with that is that it would irritate me." I had a bad feeling then that Morgan wanted to talk to her without Father being around to hear, perhaps to make some kind of deal, and he wouldn't come out and tell me.

That made me mad, as I'd only called him out of courtesy. "Oh, I'm sure I wouldn't want to irritate you. The reason Nimue is coming via Arden is to relax between dealing with court life in Rebma and that in Amber. In the meantime, she may help Josiah brush up on good manners. I didn't invite the rest of you to come out and meet her because I thought she might not prefer to start her vacation with a large group of people, one of whom is a stranger. I heard that you were going to be here 'helping Josiah with sword practice', that was why I told you she was coming. You undoubtedly have 'very important business' to discuss with her, because you have no time to 'play games'. You might have the good grace to let her settle in for a short while before you start discussing court matters with her. I told you, she'll be here in the morning on the day we leave." With that, I cut contact and went to start packing.

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