Gilt for the Guilty


"Outer clearance markers!"

Jerod looked over from the quarterdeck as the sailor on the bow called out, noting the markers ahead indicating the entrance to Amber's port approaching. He does not extend his gaze beyond to the city proper, hesitating instead to gaze upon his old home once more. He does not want to see it now in its dilapidated state...he can feel it in his bones even as the ship approaches, a thing of Shadow now, fleeting, empty.

It feels...wrong. He does not like it.

He looks over at Raven, watching as he handles his ship and crew...always watching.

Raven is confident on the deck, moving from man to man with the certainty of someone that understands their job and what needs to be done. She pauses for a moment at the call, looking towards Amber - dockside first, and then across the city - and sighs. It may not be what it was, but she spent too long trying too hard to get here to not be glad at the sight of it still. The captain isn't the only one; it's easy to pick out the men from the Vale by who looks and who doesn't. But she's back in motion after a moment or two, barking orders and moving across the deck from position to position.

She circles up to Jerod eventually and eyes him before she speaks. "Remind me how long we're supposed to be here?"

"Few days." Jerod says, looking over the city proper now. "Need to make contact with the Weir, get them settled plus bring along a few if we can. They'll be useful in Gateway. I'll be taking care of that. You don't have to be around for that if you have things you want to take care of.

"I also need to speak to a contact that Prince Martin arranged, one of Lucas' old employees. He may be useful for information. And at last word, Thalia was still here. You'll remember her. She'll prove useful for details in Gateway, given that her aunt is the Chancellor. Just depends on what she wants in exchange for the information.

"We'll need to be sure of our cover for the ship and crew before we depart, get cargo or anything else we might need, and make sure there are no loose tongues. We're in Shadow now so things are not as secure as they should be."

Raven snorts. "You don't think I picked 'em randomly, do you? And I got a feeling anything I might try to take care of here ain't going to take a few days, seeing as how anybody I might want to talk to could be here and could not. So I guess you're stuck with me."

"Good." Jerod replies with a smile. "You'll get to be introduced to Caine. I'm sure you remember him. Only now, he's your Uncle."

"Aye, I reported in to the Admiral when we got in," Raven agrees. "And don't start with another lecture on titles and family and all that on me. I ain't been kicked out of the Navy, and he's still in charge of it. I'll be calling him Admiral like I ought to until he himself tells me not to."

"Oh, you may rest assured your initial exposure to Family customs is concluded." Jerod replies. "You're soloing now...so to speak. You might find it interesting to observe how he treats you based on your behaviour, past vs present. Since you do not know who your father is, he falls into the potential category. Certainly as an uncle, he's not bad...once you get used to him."

"Aye, I know." Raven snorts. "Too bad I probably can't get all the folks on the list and her in one room and let them figure out who done the deed. Anyway, I weren't nothing but respectful, like you ought to be with admirals, and I ain't got plans to be anything but now. How's that something to look at?"

"Respect for an admiral is good, but conditional." Jerod says. "Just remember that you now outrank every admiral in the fleet that is not Family. That you are a captain is not to mean your rank is not important or that you did not earn it. It's just something that if it's needed you should not overlook. It's...another tool...should you have need of it. I myself will use it sparingly. Cooperation, and recognizing a captain's authority, is a much nicer way to go.

"As for your father, I suspect you'll have time to put together some clues. Now that you are known, your father may approach to make himself known. Despite the stories that we are omnipotent, god-like sorcerers, we're not...and it is very possible he may simply not have known about you...especially if your mother did not say anything to him. It's not an option that I think anyone would want to admit to...but it can happen.

"There is another option you might want to consider as well. He may have thought that admitting to your existence might put you in danger. Prior to the Sundering, the lives of Princes were not the most congenial. My father took a significant risk recognizing me at my birth. I became a potential liability to him. Many of his siblings were more circumspect and hid their children in Shadow to protect them."

Raven shrugs. "If she weren't lying to me again, she didn't see him after the once," she answers. "I ain't so worried about the whys and wherefores as I am about the whos, to be honest. The whys ain't going to change much after all these years."

"Then let us hope the whos are determined in the near future." Jerod says, watching the approach to the shore. "Time to visit Uncle Caine. get you introduced...see where Thalia is being kept, and whether she's got anything worth trading on Gateway."

"I ain't planning to let the whos sit," Raven answers. "Seeing as how I got reasonable folks to ask now." She straightens, shoving hands into the pocket of her coat, and adds dryly, "Land first, though, aye? Unless you was planning to swim."

"I didn't bring trunks I'm afraid..." Jerod says with a smile.

Unless Jerod says anything else, the captain is off again to speak to another crewman.


Jerod and Raven are directed to an apartment partway up in one of Amber Castle's towers. This is not the family tower, but a servant's wing. The hallway has several of Caine's young, ambitious Naval officers in it. They address Jerod as 'Prince' and Raven as 'Captain'.

The door is not locked, but neither is it unwatched.

Jerod gives out intermittent nods to greetings as he passes, interested primarily in Family business at the moment but always looking over the faces of those who he passes. Officers under Caine's command were inevitably young and ambitious, Jerod found. The successful ones however were those who were not too curious about the Family business, as it were. Knowing Caine, the monitors here will be briefed just far enough to make them effective as guards and intelligence gatherers, but nothing more.

He raps on the door, once, twice, looking directly for the watchmen of the moment.

Raven is about as politely skeptical as any old hand of young officers with Ideas, when it comes down to it. But these aren't on her ship and giving orders. So she follows along behind Jerod like a somewhat dubious shadow, nodding politely when addressed and trying not to make an internal guessing game of how long each one they pass has actually been in the Navy based on looking them over.

The door opens almost immediately. "Your Grace, Captain. Please come in." Thalia is dressed as if for court in the Amber fashion, although she has skipped the slightly old-fashioned ruff that older courtiers still wore.

The room is well appointed, with a bookshelf and a window. Were it not for the guards discreetly positioned outside it might not seem like a cell.

The table is set with tea for three.

Jerod enters with a nod, noting the settings with a slight smile. Thalia didn't get to where she was without cultivating sources, even as a guarded prisoner. It did not hurt that he took no pains to keep his arrival in Amber secret.

"Thalia." he says. "I believe you already know Captain Raven."

Raven nods, half in agreement and half in greeting. "Hello again, miss."

She smiles, pleasantly. "Captain, a pleasure to see you again. I understand from the Admiral that what freedom and comfort I have are due to having additional objective reports of my behavior in Gateway."

"Told him how I saw it," Raven answers. Without making the crack she'd like to make about not seeing the point of blaming one person for whole cities. This time.

"Would you do me the honor of having tea with me?" she says to both men. "I am afraid the men outside never take me up on my offers."

"Then the loss is theirs." Jerod replies, moving to take a seat. "I trust the accommodations have been...adequate?"

Raven heads for a seat herself, but she's got half an eye on Jerod for cues. 'Tea with a proper lady' wasn't quite her area.

Thalia sits and pours three cups, letting the gentlemen go first. "Very much so, Prince Jerod. I am afraid that Prince Caine's theory is that I should be kept out of the way for the moment to allow Amber to resolve issues in Gateway without my involvement.

"As a Gatwegian, and as a friend of Amber, I hope to change that situation and be allowed to convince Amber to spare the citizens of Gateway from the consequences of their leaders' foolishness. As a diplomat, I assume there is always hope." She smiles and picks up her own teacup and (if Raven or Jerod has preceded her) sips at it.

Jerod follows the protocol of first cup to start things off, making sure to give just enough cues for Raven so that he keeps up, but nothing that would be difficult to interpret, or require any kind of "protocol" response.

"His majesty has similar beliefs in the value of diplomacy." Jerod says, his best court face presented, his tone polite, his smile perfect. "He also recognizes the timing of diplomacy, when it should be applied and the proper context. I think we can both agree that context is very important for both parties. One side, say, an injured party, would not wish to engage in such endeavours when the injuring party is not thoroughly aware of the ramifications to them should diplomacy fail. Under those conditions, some might see diplomacy not as a means by which to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but as a sign of weakness.

"It is important to be aware that such a mindset...is not conducive to a successful mediation." he says simply. "It leads to situations...now, what was it that Prince Bleys once said...ah yes...'salting of the earth upon which their cities once rested'...I believe were his words."

Raven just follows along; she seems to be doing all right at figuring out what's appropriate based on the cues, although some of it may just be pure imitation.

Thalia is calm, outwardly. It's only her diplomatic training that is holding her together. "Diplomacy is an option to allow both sides to achieve a lesser goal in order to avert a greater risk. Even if the risk is not 'what might happen when we attempt this', it may be 'who will we become if we do this thing?'. I would suggest, for the sake of many who had no involvement in what may have happened, that it would represent neither justice nor a desirable message for Random to implement Prince Bleys' colorful metaphor. Prosperity is built on mutual advantage, and such can be had."

"Indeed. And I might agree...were I the King." Jerod says. "But I leave to the King the decision as to which message should be delivered, as well as the fate of how his kingdom may evolve upon its delivery."

He takes a moment to sip his tea. "I am always more interested in the means and ways by which such messages are delivered, rather than their content. It is upon that reason that I am here. To send a message, one must known what facts to build the message upon. To that end, I would know Gateway and the situation. We have some information on her now, from a view that I think we would both agree is...less than complimentary.

"I would know it from the eyes of one who would see it in a better way, and who would see it returned to that place of prosperity and peace.

"Since my last visit to the Chancellor, what has changed?"

Raven continues to listen in. Mostly without internal commentary about the person she thinks Jerod is referring to.

Mostly.

Thalia pauses, and looks briefly at Raven. "Prince Jerod, pardon me if I overexplain, but there is much to this. You may recall that we were generally indifferent to the concepts of governance, providing them on an ad hoc basis at best. Gatwegans who do not like the current leadership mostly ignore it, sometime violently. We are more likely to organize around a common threat than a common goal."

The captain greets the glance with polite puzzlement. It wasn't like she saw much of the town...

"The Chancellery and the College have not been dissolved, but the Thaumocracy has taken over the apparatus of governing. They have ousted my Aunt, my cousins, and myself from our positions. We have not been able to organize to fight back. My ideal end to this matter would be to be allowed to accompany an Army from Amber going to Gateway to overthrow the Thaumocrats and restore the old order."

"An army will not be going in...not yet." Jerod replies. "Not without a lay of the land and an understanding of why the overthrow occurred in the first place. Especially if the end result of an invasion is to be saddled with an uncooperative kingdom that we would have to garrison for a protracted period in order to guard our kingdom. In that case, Prince Bleys' euphemisms gain new support.

"On that note, I think appropriate then that you provide some details on why the Thaumocrats engaged in their coup and what Huon was doing to support it. It will help when I head over to Gateway for a closer look."

Raven continues to listen.

Thalia seems somewhat reassured. It is almost certain that that is exactly the message she intends to send. "I would be happy to provide such information, Prince Jerod, or indeed to accompany you in return. As I have made clear my desires and motives, I assure you that my parole would allow me to help you extensively."

She looks for signs that such an offer might be welcome, but continues talking.

"As to why, well, that's unfortunately simple. The radicals had always wanted power, and their alliance with Huon gave them the ability to take it. They played on the desires of both the expansionists and the isolationists to gain political support after-the-fact. Huon got his way, which was to allow him to march a magically augmented army under the sea and on the path to Rebma."

She frowns, as if remembering something unpleasant. "I have no idea if the Thaumocracy has even survived. We are not naturally a people who are rulable. You remember how powerless our governments have been in the past, of course."

Raven straightens slightly. "What kind of an army?" she asks. "I mean, what sort of men were in it, if you saw?"

Jerod waits patiently for Thalia's response to Raven's question, holding his own in check for the moment.

"I had been sent away by my superiors prior to the coup, which probably prevented me from dying for my cause. Those who did witness it told me of it later. Outland wizards, leading a mix of red and white men. Some of our people went with him. The same army that I heard later was defeated outside of Rebma."

Thalia pauses. "I don't even know why Huon had to overthrow our government. We would simply have let a large cross-shadow army pass and sent a warning on to Rebma, and it's not as if the same didn't happen anyway. Perhaps he wanted a friendly power to retreat to, but that seems to be an unlikely strategy for a Prince of Amber, who I would expect not to plan to lose or else plan to abandon all of his troops and flee.

"Which he did."

Raven nods, looking thoughtful. That did sound a little like the bodies she'd encountered. "Did they bring their own way of walking under the sea, or was that part of the whole thing?"

Thalia smiles. "Gateway is special because it is possible to move freely between the land and the sea. There are sailing routes to the Gate from diverse shadows and paths through the breathable water to Rebma's Seaward Shoals. Beyond. In times past, there were even caravan routes across land, but they were always less secure than the sea lanes. Gatwegians live on both sides of the gate, above and below the waves. Being a transit point has been a source of our wealth for centuries."

"Oh," Raven answers, and then shrugs. "Well, can't say as how I've seen much past the docks."

That being the end of her questions for now, the captain settles back in her seat.

Thalia smiles. "We do not advertise what our gate does to outlanders, although it's not a secret. We wouldn't want the skybreathers to negotiate directly with the seabreathers and thus cut out the middlemen, which is to say us."

The ambassador looks at the two Amberites. "More tea?" she asks, by which she means "do you have any more questions for me?"

"What of the Chancellor?" Jerod asks. "Do you have any news of her?"

Raven shakes her head slightly. No more tea for her.

Thalia pours as many as are requested, and another cup for herself. "Holed up in the Chancellery, or perhaps they retreated to the University proper. There was a faction that assumed that the rebellion would end once Huon left and that a defensive posture was all that was needed. They were not correct. The new rulers are not kind to university members caught off-campus at the wrong time."

"And if faced by the prospect of a member of the Family being in their kingdom, what do you believe to be the response to be from the new...rulers?" Jerod asks.

"Harbormaster said there was questions for anyone out of Amber," Raven offers.

Thalia nods. "Of course there would be. Huon took away their alibi that they were just bystanders when he left Marius with them. Amber must make them very nervous. It would not be out of the question, after my departure with your cousin, to find that an Amber flagged ship would be shot at upon approach. Fear of your retribution is probably what's keeping the rebels in power."

"So an approach to the Chancellor, as leader of those who did not participate in actions against the Family, with an understanding that only those responsible for attacks against Amber would be held to account...might be construed as an advisable course of action." Jerod offers. "Especially if it were understood that the general population would not be considered culpable for the actions of a few...assuming they acted to no longer condone the behaviour of said rebels, even passively."

Raven continues to listen.

Thalia nods. "That would be my advice, precisely. Your highness will recall that Gateway is a frontier society, and that our control, even that of these rebels, does not extend to the entirety of our land. Those who have, as the saying goes, 'Gone to Thraxos', are beyond the normal reach of our civil or martial authorities, even after we regain control.

She smiles, somewhat viciously. "A mission beyond the frontier was what occupied me during the rebellion. I would not be averse to undertaking the same for my Aunt's government against the rebels."

"What options currently exist that would be...approachable, beyond the frontier." Jerod asks, making a mental note to make sure to collect the Weyr.

"Did they just kind of wander off?" Raven asks, clearly puzzled.

Thalia nods. "Yes, Captain. As many a boy or man has done in Amber, but instead of joining the Navy, they head across the frontier into Thraxos. There is some kind of government there, but it's sparsely populated and the Thraxolites live on the coast. The vast hinterland is part of no country."

She turns to Jerod. "A determined force could track an outlaw, or a bounty hunter, or a wizard of power such as myself. Not all wizards will go far into it, as Thraxos itself does not lend itself to magical power. Some say a long ago war stripped it of all potential, but I think it may be a natural path to another place, in the fashion of Amber and Rebma."

"Ah-ha," Raven says. "Thank you, miss."

Thalia bows to Raven, from the neck.

"Now for the next two questions." Jerod says. "First, a place to where? And second...why would these Thraxolites consider an approach from us to be of their benefit?"

Thalia replies. "I am not knowledgeable about Amber, Prince Jerod, not about the deper wizardry, but everyone knows that there are places where one crosses from one sea to another, and that ship sail between worlds. We have heard rumors that these transitions exist on land as well, and I speculate that one exists between Gateway and Thraxos.

"Further, I think it is the source of the great myth of our people of a Land-Gate, but that because it is not as clearly defined and only goes somewhere we consider inferior, my people have overlooked it. It is only because I have travelled so extensively in Amber's area of influence that I even came to consider it."

She pauses. "It's not a theory I've shared with my people. It's not one they would find plausible.

"As to your second question, the Thraxolites may well object to your presence, as will the rebels, especially if they have prepared for such a contingency. I do not think they are capable of putting up significant resistance to Amber's forces. They are a primitive people, whose greatest martial innovation is that if they attach their daggers to the end of long poles, they can fight from further away. They are tribal and as likely to betray their kings as rally to them. Amber should face no serious obstacles to whatever she wishes to do in Thraxos."

"Is there a way to Thraxos that can be reached from anywhere other than Gateway?" Jerod asks.

Raven frowns a little at Thalia's description, but doesn't comment. Daggers on poles still hurt, as she recalls.

Thalia shakes her head just a fraction of an inch. "None that I know of. The path to it is a dead end, for our people. I would assume that Amber could approach it via mageries we do not understand by the Gate."

"Then we'll be going in the hard way." Jerod says simply.

She nods. "If they are there to take, then it would mean that Gateway was liberated, which would mean you would at least have support for your actions."

He pauses, thinking for a moment. "Westport." he says finally. "I made contact with a Lord Eleftherios, on behalf of King Corwin, and brought back his representative Hipparchos. What of that area?"

"Where is that?" Raven asks, clearly directing the question at both of them. "Ain't a port I'm familiar with."

Thalia looks at Raven. "It's far to the west, and the closest port to the way to Thraxos. It's not on anyone's trade routes. We've heard of Paris' moves in that direction, but only recently. I must admit it's a masterstroke by Corwin. Eletherios is no match for his traders and diplomats and the pressure on the merchants of the Gate will be tremendous. As is the opportunity. For someone."

She pauses. "You might do well with a two-pronged approach, Prince Jerod. Go in stealthily with forces to your friends in Westport, then turn around and come into Gateway. Your arrival in force there dislodges the Triumvirate, or what's left of it, and they flee to Thraxos, but your men catch them by surprise at or near Westport. It seems better than chasing them throughout the hills of Thraxos."

Raven says, "Ah-ha," and then frowns. "Tri-um... That's the rebels, aye? That mean there's only three of them in charge?"

Thalia nods. "Ultimately, yes. Klaya, Kranto, and Dexamene. They have lieutenants, of course."

"Tell me about them." Jerod says. "They won't get along well if they are like most of the others I've seen. What is the basis for their coalition? What weaknesses are available to exploit to drive them apart?"

Thalia nods. "I didn't have many dealings with them after I got back to Gateway. But if they can be broken, it will be Klaya and Kranto against Dexamene. Dex is a natural, not a trained magician at all. She's also the most powerful. Klaya and Kranto I knew before the war. They were thought to be lost in the fighting during the Black Tides, but they returned. Some say it broke their minds, some say it opened them."

"Or they found someone out there they shouldn't have." Jerod muses, then looks at Thalia directly. "Since I'm sure you've talking to Caine about all of this, I'm no doubt sure that the idea of...parole...has been broached. As Regent, he would be the one to make the decision here. Since I'm sure you're looking to come along on our little jaunt, what do you figure he's going to accept to release you into my custody."

Raven has nothing to add at the moment, although she does glance at Jerod for a moment and then look faintly amused when she realizes her ship just got volunteered to carry an extra passenger again...

"I've spoken with Caine extensively. He seems immune to my arguments, but is happy for my company at table. He generally falls back on discussion of Marius' state and his doubts about me. However, I would say that he doesn't particularly respect those concerns as much as he wants to use them as a bargaining chip.

"What will he accept? Your personal recognizance is most likely. However, he will ask for more. He's likely to either want to undo or join (for Xanadu) your Westport Adventure. He will not look favorably on Rein and Corwin starting a rival within the same land that his trade routes run to."

She looks a Raven, then back at Jerod. "He will want concessions from me, speaking for Gateway. He'll be able to get much of what he asks, since it will be what it takes to get Amber to rescue Gateway from the Triumvirate. I may be sent as an intermediary at first, or just a messenger."

Jerod nods. "Reasonable. Since Caine is regent here, it is unlikely that Random will override him. Never bodes well to run roughshod over the subordinates, unless the benefits are worth the friction." he says, still looking at Thalia, to see whether she has considered this, and whether the option is something she has considered.

"To move any number of troops, we would definitely need Caine for the staging operations and the necessary shipping...something I'd be inclined to leave the naval operations to him. My resources would permit me to obtain them, but it would take time and I'd rather not go that route if I can avoid it.

"The King would make the final decision concerning any actions however. Is there anything that you would like to offer before we finish, for his consideration, as it were?" Jerod asks.

Raven continues to listen in.

She looks back. "None, your highness. I hope I have explained myself and my position well enough that the King may make his decision with regards to Gateway at his convenience. I am at his disposal should he wish to hear from me directly."

The meeting having wound down, Thalia wishes them a good day and informs them that she is ready to leave whenever they or anyone wishes to take her to help in Gateway, and that she has no appointments in Amber that she cannot delay if needed.

She sees them to the door.


The ride down from Amber Castle was pleasant enough, but Garrett can tell that the city below is diminished. It doesn't look small, but it looks tired, as if the spirit had left it. It feels autumnal, although that hardly makes sense, given the season.

The streets are not empty, just quieter. In some places a door might gape ajar, as if the owners don't care what happens inside them--which may be true, at that.

There is still activity and movement, although it seems to favor the docks and what Garrett thinks is the trumping point for leaving for Xanadu. The city has taken quite a blow.

Garrett arrives at the Red Mill, which is open. Few people are inside, and the tables and chairs don't match the opulent set that Garrett last saw in the fabled playground of the rich and powerful. An older man smiles at Garrett when he enters. "Your Highness, welcome to Red Mill. What may I do for you?"

Drawing his gaze back from the worn and tired atmosphere of the room, Garrett returns a subdued smile to the host. "I'd like to see Madame Silken, if you please," he requests quietly.

He smiles, wistfully. "I am sorry, your Highness. Madame Silken has left this establishment. Some time previously."

A slightly drunken man stands up from a nearby table. "You looking for Silken? So'm I." The host looks pained that the drunk has bothered the Prince and Garrett catches his subtle gesture that causes bouncers to be begin converging from the sides of the room.

Garrett remains still, except that his right hand edges subtly toward the knife at his hip. His eyes, now steely and alert, shift from the drunk to the bouncers and back. "He's fine," he mutters softly, calling the bouncers off. Assuming they stay put, his attention turns to the drunk.

"You have business with Madame Silken?" he asks coolly, adding with a glance at the surroundings, "Besides the obvious?"

He snorts. "Forgive me, m' Lord. Can't afford that, and if I could I still couldn't afford it, if you take my meaning. I work for her. Worked. Spossed to find her, give her a message."

He sways. He doesn't seem to mean any immediate harm, and if he did, Garrett could throw him faster than a stallion throws a bad shoe.

Garrett considers this for a moment, then turns to the host. "A moment," he says quietly, indicating he has more questions here. His eyes narrow and as an afterthought, he adds, "And deliver more of what he's having. With two glasses."

Garrett turns back to the swaying man and nods toward the recently vacated table. He takes the chair that faces the door and slides into it, leaning back and resting his left arm on the tabletop. He'd look like he was settling in for a friendly drink if not for the icy blue stare. His right hand rests on his hip. "Sit," he orders levelly.

The drinks arrive and the bartender looks at Garrett. "If you need anything else or change your mind," he says, looking at the drunk, "we would be happy to assist."

Garrett remains silent until the bottle and glasses arrive. He slowly pours a shot of amber-brown liquid into each glass, then picks up one and drains it. With his other hand holding the full glass invitingly on the table in front of the drunk, he opens, "So. You worked for Silken."

He nods, sloppily. "I did. I liked to say I worked for your Cousin, your honor, but she was his right hand." He smiles to himself, but declines to share the joke with Garrett. "Sent me to Xanadu to do some work, now I need to give her a message." He looks closely at Garrett. "I think I know where she is, but I can't get there. Maybe you can get us both there."

"Maybe," the prince answers noncommittally. "Which cousin? And what kind of work, specifically?"

He seems surprised that Garrett doens't already know. Perhaps he thinks Garrett is testing him. "The Lord Lucas St. Cyr. He wanted to make sure the Castle was informed of the doings in the city, and I was printing a newspaper. So many people would talk to me and to my people who wouldn't be seen with respectable people. I printed his books, too. But he didn't tell anyone he wrote them."

Garrett nods at the name, indicating the question was not a test but a confirmation. An eyebrow rises curiously at the last bit though. "Books? What did he write?" he asks.

He smiles. "Books, my Lord, on matters of finance and business for ladies. And obscene woodcuts."

Garrett's air of subdued menace cracks with a snort of amusement. "Typical," he smirks, pushing the spare glass of spirits toward the man and finishing off his own. "I didn't get your name. And you said you'd been to Xanadu. How did you get there and back before?"

He nods, "I am Heap, your Highness. A printer by trade, of books and news, and a loyal citizen of your great father. I was doing quite well before I became entangled in Lord Lucas' endeavors, but my curse is to want help those who are my betters. I know my weakness well." He shakes his head. "I came through Lord Ossian's magics to Xanadu and was returned on the first ship leaving when Prince Jerod so decreed."

He shakes, seeming to sober up by the moment. "I know where she went, your Highness. I can tell you, if you swear to take me to her. I fear her less than I fear Prince Jerod's wrath if I fail him."

The bartender looks as if he wants to kill Heap, but he's preparing another round of drinks.

At the mention of Heap's name, Garrett's general expression does not change, but a new spark of interest kindles in his eyes. "Smart man," he comments, the corner of his lip twitching in a slight smirk. "Jerod's not one to cross."

He lets that hang for a moment as he shifts in his chair, now leaning forward with elbows resting on the table. He nods the bartender over for the next round of drinks, then continues.

"I reckon we can work together," Garrett drawls thoughtfully, his voice dropping lower. "I've got some questions of my own and I hear you're good at getting answers."

He nods, vigourously. "I am, your Highness! I am. I have always been a most loyal and excellent subject of your royal father and grandfather before. I offer my assistance in any way it may of use to your Lordship's cause." His smile of relief seems genuine, like a man who has just realized that he's no longer walking across thin ice.

"No need to butter the toast so thick, man. I'll get you to Xanadu, but you don't have to be in my pocket the whole way," Garrett says, the smirk edging into a lop-sided smile.

He rubs his chin in thought as he continues quietly, "Before we leave here though, I want to know what you know about Lucas's children. ALL of them."

Heap nods. "I shall stay out of your pocket, then. I am your humble servant." He may be unclear on what exactly Garrett asked for, but he knows he agrees with it. "I know very little, Your Lordship. Silken only called on me for muscle. I didn't have the assets she did, so I was no threat to her position, if you take my meaning. She will have all your answers.

"And, Your grace should be aware, if I haven't said so before, that Silken is not in Xanadu. Word is that she is in Paris. We shall need to continue our search there." The bartender looks annoyed that Heap even knows the answer to that question.

"Wish I'd know that before I left Paris," Garrett mutters, now running through his memory to see if anyone had mentioned that previously. He shrugs slightly and asks, "When did she go? And what did she bring with her?" He glances at the bartender from the corner of his eye to see his response to the question as well.

The bartender is studiously neutral. He's wiping down the bar, although it doesn't seem to need it.

"I don't know, your highness. We seldom met, and I continued to receive my instructions. I'd've said she was still in Amber a month ago, but I have heard conflicting reports."

"From who? The same people who gave you the instructions?" Garrett asks.

He shakes his head. "There were no intermediaries, not of interest. Sealed messages. If I was fooled, then it was by someone with her seal. But they seemed to be from her, and she knew what was happening in town.

"I was sent to Xanadu quickly, so I had little chance to detect any deception. Even if I had heard that she went to Paris, it would only have convinced me that she was getting orders from His Lordship."

"That makes sense," Garrett says quietly, nodding slowly. "From what I've heard, there's no reason to believe she's not as active now as she was before. Do you know anyone else she might have been working with?"

He pauses, then continues. This time he's quiet enough that the bartender can't hear. "There were rumors, never confirmed, that she had more than one of the Castle Lords on the hook, as it were. I don't know as it's true or as it's not true, and some of it's just straight rumor. I am too humble and loyal, but some of the other printers were unscrupulous and would print anything. Someone was trying to publicly tie her to Prince Jerod, at one point. Offering enough money that all the smart or honest men in the print trade knew to stay away from it."

The bartender studiously continues not to pay attention.

"Was this a specific 'someone'?" Garrett asks, resting his chin on his open hand in an apparently casual gesture meant to make lip-reading difficult if the bartender chooses to look. "'Cause that sounds pretty reckless. Or stupid."

He shakes his head. "I'm sorry your Lordship, I just heard rumors. My loyalty was well known, and my humility of course. Tried to find out, as Lord Lucas would've paid me a bonus for it, but I couldn't. Lord Jerod, Blessed of the Unicorn that he was, had a knack for making enemies. You may remember from your time in the city during the Sundering, how he embarrassed those Lords as were hoarding food. Lord Carver and them. Powerful men, or at least men used to wielding power."

Garrett concurs with a nod and a knowing grunt. "It's no matter, I reckon. If a Prince doesn't want to be caught out, he won't be."

He shifts in his chair and makes to rise. "All right then. You'll come with me to look for Silken," Garrett decides. "I have other business first. Meet me back here at sundown. Outside." He nods in the direction of the alley next to the building.

Heap nods. "Yes, your Lordship. Thank you, your Lordship, I shall be here at the appointed time." Heap dithers for a second and then gets up and bows. Perhaps he's not as drunk as he seemed. Perhaps he sobers up quickly. He leaves, promising to return at the appointed time.

The waiter/bartender comes over. "I'm sorry, your Highness. I hope he isn't wasting your time. He's known for saying what would please his listeners, if you get my drift." The man's smile is both brief and insincere. "Is there anything else I or this house can do for you?"

"Not a problem," Garrett assures the bartender. "And yes, there's a bit more. What do you know about Silken's departure? How long ago? Alone or with others? That kind of thing. You can tell me while you take me to her room."

He nods and leads the way towards a stairway. "It's bare. Anything she didn't take, we sent to Xanadu. She left with your brother, Prince Martin."

Garrett's eyes narrow. "Xanadu? Not Paris? Are you certain?" he asks.

The barman shakes his head. "There's no connection between here and Paris. We sent it on care of Prince Martin. Best we could do, and what he ordered, as well."

"Ah. I see," Garrett replies as he follows the barman. "What did she leave behind? Anything that seemed like it should have been important? Books? Papers?" Garrett's not hopeful, but having once been roped into one of Martin's spontaneous trips out of Amber himself, he deems it at least possible.

The bartender opens the door to a room that now has four cots and a handful of battered trunks in it. "No idea, your highness. The bearers who packed the room also took it to Xanadu via the Gate."

The room is sparse, and has little to indicate that it was once a woman's. The window has an excellent view, but otherwise the room is unremarkable.

Garrett pokes around the room a bit, but sees nothing that indicates Silken might have left anything hidden here. If what he's heard about her is true, she would be thorough enough to have taken anything important with her.

He finds no hidden bolt-holes or other secrets. Were there any, they have disappeared with the room's former occupant.

He thanks the barman and offers a coin for his trouble on his way out of the establishment.

The barman takes the coin, with a "thank you, Your Highness" and goes about his business.


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Last modified: 30 June 2013