“I already have, several times,” he said, tossing his empty pistol to the floor and drawing the other, “and either I'm a lousier shot than I thought, or it's true what they say: that it will take a silver bullet to kill Morgenstern.”
He picked off six of the dogs with his remaining rounds, but there were still about two dozen left.
I passed him one of my pistols, and he accounted for five more of the beasts.
“I'll save the last round,” he said, “for Julian's head, if he gets close enough!”
They were perhaps fifty feet behind me at that point, and gaining, so I slammed on the brakes. Some of the dogs couldn't halt in time, but Julian was suddenly gone and a dark shadow passed overhead.
Morgenstern had leaped over the car. He wheeled then, and as horse and rider turned to face us I gunned the engine and the car sped forward.
With a magnificent leap, Morgenstern got them out of the way. In the rear-view mirror, I saw two dogs drop a fender they'd torn loose and renew the pursuit. Some were lying in the road, and there were about fifteen or sixteen giving chase.
“Good show,” said Random, “but you're lucky they didn't go for the tires. They've probably never hunted a car before.”
I passed him my remaining pistol, and “Get more dogs,” I said.
He fired deliberately and with perfect accuracy, accounting for six.
And Julian was beside the car now, a sword in his right hand.
I blew the horn, hoping to spook Morgenstern, but it didn't work. I swerved toward them, but the horse danced away. Random crouched low in his seat and aimed past me. his right hand holding the pistol and resting upon his left forearm.
“Don't fire yet,” I said. “I'm going to try to take him.”
“You're crazy,” he told me, as I hit the brakes again.
He lowered his weapon, though.
As soon as we came to a halt, I flung open my door and leaped out-barefooted yet! Damn it.
I ducked beneath his blade, seized his arm, and hurled him from the saddle. He struck me one on the head with his mailed left fist, and there were Roman candles going off all around me and a terrible pain.
He lay where he had fallen, being groggy, and there were dogs all around me, biting me, and Random kicking them. I snatched up Julian's blade from where it lay and touched his throat with its point.
“Call them off!” I cried. “Or I'll nail you to the ground!”
He screamed orders at the dogs and they drew back. Random was holding Morgenstern's bridle and struggling with the horse.
“Now, dear brother, what do you have to say for yourself?” I asked.
There was a cold blue fire within his eyes, and his face was without expression.
“If you're going to kill me, be about it,” he said.
“In my own good time,” I told him, somehow enjoying the sight of dirt on his impeccable armor. “In the meantime, what is your life worth to you?”
“Anything I've got, of course.”
I stepped back.
“Get up and get into the back seat of the car”, I told him.
He did this thing, and I took away his dagger before he got in. Random resumed his own seat, and kept his pistol with the single remaining round aimed at Julian's head.
“Why not just kill him?” he asked.
“I think he'll he useful,” I said. “There is much that I wish to know. And there is still a long way to travel.”
I began to drive, I could see the dogs milling around. Morgenstern began cantering along after the car.
“I'm afraid I won't be worth much to you as a prisoner,” Julian observed. “Although you will torture me, I can only tell you what I know, and that isn't much.”
“Start with that then,” I said.
“Eric looks to have the strongest position,” he told us, “having been right there in Amber when the whole thing broke loose. At least this is the way I saw it, so I offered him my support. Had it been one of you, I'd probably have done the same thing. Eric charged me with keeping guard in Arden, since it's one of the main routes. Gerard controls the southern seaways, and Caine is off in the northern waters.”
“What of Benedict?” Random asked.
“I don't know. I haven't heard anything. He might be with Bleys. He might be off somewhere else in Shadow and not even have heard of this thing yet. He might even be dead. It's been years since we've heard from him.”
“How many men have you got in Arden,” asked Random.
“Over a thousand,” he said. “Some are probably watching you right now.”
“And if they want you to go on living, that's all they'll do,” said Random.
“You are doubtless correct,” he replied. “I have to admit, Corwin did a shrewd thing in taking me prisoner rather than killing me. You just might make it through the forest this way.”
“You're just saying that because you want to live,” said Random.
“Of course I want to live. May I?”
“Why?”
“In payment for the information I've given you.”
Random laughed.
“You've given us very little, and I'm sure more can be torn from you. We'll see, as soon as we get a chance to stop. Eh, Corwin?”
“We'll see,” I said. “Where's Fiona?”
“Somewhere to the south, I think,” Julian replied.
“How about Deirdre?”
“I don't know.”
“LIewella?”
“In Rebma.”
“Okay,” I said, “I think you've told me everything you know.”
“I have.”
We drove on in silence, and finally the forest began to thin. I'd lost sight of Morgenstern long ago, though I sometimes saw Julian's falcon pacing us. The road took a turn upward, and we were heading toward a pass between two purple mountains. The gas tank was a little better than a quarter full. Within an hour, we were passing between high shoulders of stone.
“This would be a good place to set up a road block,” said Random.
“That sounds likely,” I said. “What about it, Julian?”
He sighed.
“Yes.” he agreed, “you should be coming upon one very soon. You know how to get by it.”
We did. When we came to the gate, and the guard in green and brown leather, sword unsheathed, advanced upon us, I jerked my thumb toward the back seat and said, “Get the picture?”
He did, and he recognized us, also.
He hastened to raise the gate, and he saluted us as we passd by.
There were two more gates before we made it through the pass, and somewhere along the way it appeared we had lost the hawk. We had gained several thousand feet in elevation now, and I braked the car on a road that crawled along the face of a cliff. To our right hand, there was nothing other than a long way down.
“Get out,” I said. “You're going to take a walk.”
Julian paled.
“I won't grovel,” he said. “I won't beg you for my life.” And he got out.
“Hell,” I said. “I haven't had a good grovel in weeks! Well ... go stand by the edge there. A little closer please.” And Random kept his pistol aimed at his head. “A while back.” I told him, “you said that you would probably have supported anyone who occupied Eric's p~ SitiO~”
62
“That's right.”
“Look down.”
He did. It was along way.
“Okay.” I said, “remember that, should things undergo a sudden change. And remember who it was who gave you your life where another would have taken it.
“Come on, Random. Let's get moving.”
We left him standing there, breathing heavily, his brows woven together.
We reached the top and were almost out of gas. I put it in neutral, killed the engine, and began the long roll down.