6.
Mother
and Daughter.
Fiona’s expression softened and a faint smile crossed her lips. “Ooh, Ele will be just fine, I suppose. The Pattern had never exhibited any healing powers beyond restoring Corwin’s memories, but I suspected it might do it for Ele due to… hmm… their special relationship, and I was indeed correct. I hoped you’d know more about her intentions though. Her father could surely provide her with much better means of transportation to the Courts. He told me he’d not known, but your uncle Brand… one can’t always rely on his word, to put it kindly. But if he told the truth this time, which does seem likely, what was Elektra’s business at the Courts? I wish you told me beforehand of your plans to accompany her. There’re things you don’t know.”
Fiona put her hairbrush down and walked across the room to the sideboard, from which she produced a bottle of wine and a glass. She filled the glass then, after a moment’s hesitation, took out another one and poured some for her daughter. There was a long silence before she spoke again.
“You are to never tell anyone, especially Elektra. Only three people know – Brand, I and… I had to tell Random, for the sake of Amber I had to, though Brand doesn’t know I did. Ele indeed has a very special relationship with the Pattern. Her mother walked the Primal Pattern while pregnant with her. According to Brand, he just wanted to show her the Pattern and she stepped on it before he could stop her. That may be so, but the timing was too perfect. Her not being of the Blood, the Pattern could not destroy her without destroying the baby who was of the Blood, so she was let to complete the walk, exactly as Brand would’ve expected. It’s not clear to what extent she got the power over Shadow. She disappeared shortly after Ele’s birth. Brand still thinks she’s alive and stuck in some remote Shadow, so he keeps searching.
“There was no effect on Ele while she was growing up, but when her turn came to walk the Pattern… I was there and it was… hmm… different. She didn’t seem to encounter as much resistance as the rest of us, and she started exhibiting the Pattern powers shortly thereafter. What took us years of relentless studies under Dworkin, she just possesses naturally. Sure Brand taught her some as I taught you – though you’d rather play with swords and such – but her control’s already grown far beyond her lessons and… I don’t think she’s reached the full extent of it yet. I’m not looking forward to the day when she does. She’s already the most dangerous person we’ve ever known, Scarlett.”
Her daughter was listening wide-eyed, having had forgotten all about the wine. Many things she had been wondering about on Tatuine became clear now, though she did not quite understand Fiona’s concern. After all, it was common knowledge that the Pattern powers did not work in Amber, so what was so dangerous about her cousin?
Fiona continued as if reading her mind. “We believe certain powers, including an ability to draw a new Pattern, are only available to those attuned to the Jewel of Judgement, but we don’t know for sure. There’s never been anyone as precisely synced with the Pattern, as Elektra is. We can’t disregard a possibility of her growing strong enough to be able to do without the Jewel… So we tried to keep her away from Amber, hoping she’d settle somewhere in Shadow like your Aunt Llewella did in Rebma, which was most probably a bad mistake…”
Fiona shook her head, sighing deeply. “She’s no interest in Shadow. On the other hand, she’s no loyalty to Amber, no objective view of our history nor does she realize how good Random’s rule’s been. In her mind she’s still fighting the Patternfall War, seeking revenge… and what’s even worse, a fulfillment of her father’s insane desire to redraw the Pattern.”
Scarlett suddenly felt dizzy, realizing what was at stake and seeing her cousin in somewhat different light. There was another long silence in the room.
“Well, we hope Ele can be reasoned with. After all, she’s not mad as her father was once; neither is she an evil person, just a misguided one. Perhaps if brought to Amber upon her recovery, she’d see that we’ve come a long way. Also her public appearance with Random at his birthday celebration should finally put an end to these idiotic rumors about the coming of a pattern witch.” Fiona frowned contemptuously.
Scarlett was too shaken by the revelations to argue, although from what she knew of her cousin, she somewhat doubted that Ele would appear with Random unless dragged in chains.
“Meanwhile, I’ve something I want you to do. You may consider it your punishment if you wish.” Fiona smiled with the corners of her mouth. “While on Shadow Earth, a young man contacted me via my Trump, claiming to have met Ele. Apparently your cousin did some traversing Shadow before. I’m still not quite clear on how he obtained the Trumps. For all he knows, he bought it in an antique store. The young man – his name’s Ambrose – is rather intriguing. His psyche is way too strong for a shadow dweller and he has no knowledge of his ancestry. Most amazingly, he managed to establish the contact on his own, with no training. I’ve a feeling he might be one of us. I also suspect I’m not the only one who has an interest in him. Of course, I don’t for a moment believe in a coincidence of him bumping into Ele at some flea market. Obviously someone had arranged it – the same someone who’d later left the Trumps for him to find.
“Anyway, I retrieved the Trumps, but I did bring him in here and he’s been in the guest suite across the hall for a couple days, locked up, bored, brooding. Walking the Pattern would’ve cleared up things about Ambrose, but it’s too risky. I don’t need another skeleton in my closet. So you’re to take him to a broken Pattern, any one of the first nine would do. There you’ll instruct him in walking it and in using the Trumps, but do not give him any, except for mine. Tell him as much of Amber as you see fit. Then bring him back and we shall see what evolves.”
Fiona rose from the sofa she was reclining in for the most part of the audience, letting her daughter know that it was over. Scarlett had an impulse to hug her but she knew that her mother had never been very affectionate. So Scarlett wished her good night and went to execute her marching orders.
