21.   The High Tea.

 

Scarlett did not have much sleep for the rest of the night.  She tried to contact her mother, but Fiona would not answer.  She recalled her short stay in Kashfa’s dungeons where the trumps did not seem to work.  Perhaps Jasra uses the same insulation in the Keep.  Even after being told by Bleys of Jasra’s cruelty, she still could not help feeling a strange sympathy for the woman.  After all, how many shadow dwellers did Uncles Bleys and Corwin lead to their graves during their ill-conceived war with Eric over the throne?  The Throne of Amber, presently held by Random at the whim of the Unicorn – ever the source of contention among the Royal Family.  Random had it because Corwin had not wanted it, following the death of Oberon, the sacred symbol of the family had strayed to his kind hand at the time of choosing.  Questions of the succession had been a source of intrigue and subterfuge well before Oberon’s passing.  Benedict was the oldest living Oberon’s spawn, but he had never showed any interest in the throne anyway, though none doubted he could take and hold it if he wanted.  With Eric dead and Corwin and Deirdre missing, next came the children of Clarissa.  While it was the common knowledge that she had been divorced by Oberon, there had always been rumors that the divorce decree was legally invalid – that was why neither Benedict nor Gerard had taken sides in the war between Bleys and Eric.  Fiona was the oldest of Clarissa’s bunch and, although she had worked to put her brothers on the throne, she did not seem to desire it for herself, apparently well satisfied with her current position of Random’s unofficial Prime Minister – there was no official one.  Yet both Bleys and Brand came after her and therefore after her children… Scarlett shuddered at the odd thought that her own claim to the throne might be way better than that of Elektra.

 

By the early morning, the rain stopped but the clouds were wrapping the sky in their thick gray gloomy blanket.  They did not dissipate by afternoon either, and candles were already lighted in ornate candelabra in the halls when Scarlett made her way toward the western wing of the second floor.  There she was met by stone-faced blue-bearded warriors armed with heavy halberds, conducted through several rooms filled with witchy-looking blue-haired maids, and finally ushered into a large sitting room which she immediately recognized as former Caine’s study.  All the furniture was replaced though, and an enormous floor-to-ceiling portrait of Brand almost filled the whole wall.

 

A small table under the portrait was covered with an impeccably white tablecloth and formally set for tea, with an array of silver kettles and cream-jugs and delicate porcelain teacups.  There were even freshly cut flowers in a silver vase.  Scarlett’s jaw dropped and her eyes went wide with realization that an ivory statue sitting at the table was not a statue at all, as it said in a very low but clearly distinguishable voice:  “How nice to see you again, dear Scarlett.  How have you been all this time?  It’s been way, way to long.”  She wore a high-collared, buttoned-up black dress and a black lace shawl partly covering her hair, which was long and shiny and… blue.  Several layers of powder made her expressionless face completely white.

 

“Ele!!  What’s happened to you?”

 

Elektra was somewhat evasive, she had no desire to go into details of her last night experience.  Socializing would have been the last thing on her mind today, but she had not had the heart to upset Scarlett by canceling the tea.  She had spent the morning with maids who had somewhat put her back together, but of course no one had had any shades of red, and even if they had they would not have known how to apply it properly – so the blue it was, at least for now.  And the wenches had definitely overdone it with powder!

 

Scarlett finally calmed down and, after a few pleasantries, was beginning to loosen up and feel at ease with her transformed cousin once again.  Soon she was relaying her adventures in Kashfa, the stories of the cult formed about Elektra and the caricature Trump.  Elektra was sipping tea and listening very attentively.  She already knew about the cult and rather first hand, but that Kashfa thing!  She had no idea she had a brother!  So that was the meaning of Dworkin’s sudden silence when they had been discussing the line of succession.  Scarlett meanwhile turned to Jasra’s theories about the sentience of the Powers and then finally to how confused and worried she was being unable to contact her mother.  With a reddened face she said, “I’d appreciate your take on all this Ele, and when we’re done, I mean to talk to King Random, well inform him really that I’m leaving forthwith for the Keep.  Will you go with me to the Keep to help sort out what’s up and insure the safety of my mother?”

 

There is long dead silence while many thoughts ran through Elektra’s mind.  She knew her father had been married before, but he had never talked about it.  Well, he surely would not settle but for the best, and that Jasra appeared rather perceptive.  Of course we’re sentient, though I serve the purpose while the Logrus – well, it’s just there.  There’s no flaw in Jasra’s logic – it’s her means that are flawed.  I’ve no intention to absorb broken Patterns.  They too serve the purpose.  Among other things they enable the trade routes between the Golden Circle Shadows.  Actually I work hard trying to put the new ones in more remote locations to tie them all together – brings more order into the world.  Doesn’t work out once in a while though, so it has to be re-absorbed and started all over again.  That’s what Merlin did for me once.  All the mortals see is energy, but that’s not what’s in short supply – the divine logos are – and the Logrus got hold on most of them…  But there’s no way to explain it all to them… and there’s no need either…  Elektra felt much sympathy for Scarlett’s concerns, but she did not see a reason to interfere while there were too many against it.  She owed her life to Fiona, but this was such bad timing.  She had no means to get to the Keep of the Four Worlds instantly as she had never been to there before, so it was a Hellride.  That would take time…  There were only four days left until Random’s birthday celebrations, so she absolutely could not leave now – the natural disaster still must be arranged, otherwise all what had happened to her was for nothing…

 

“Of course, I shall help you in any way I can, Scarlett.  But I’m afraid I’m not strong enough yet after the hospital to endure a Hellride.  Perhaps you should start on it and when you get there, contact me if things are indeed wrong.  Then you could pull me through, if necessary.” 

 

“But… but I don’t really know how to get there, Ele!  I thought with your Pattern skills… you could really be of great help in finding our way…”

 

The heavy blue lashes lifted and the gray eyes suddenly opened wide meeting hers and Scarlett gasped for air in the mid-sentence.  She felt indescribable cold rising deep inside her, freezing a scream in her throat, consuming her whole being as she was staring into the bottomless void of any expression… abysses.

 

“Pattern skills?  You were always such a silly girl, Scarlett…  I am the Pattern.”

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