Conner burst in on us, grinning from ear to ear.
“What is it?” I demanded.
“We've found Uthor's camp!”
Chapter 25
It took half an hour to mount our scouting expedition. Ten men strong, the party consisted of Conner and me, two of Conner's lieutenants, and six men from Ceyoldar—two of King Aslom's sons, Haetor and Iankos, plus four of Ceyoldar's best cavalry officers. Aslom and his two other sons were busy organizing their camp on the beach below the castle. A hundred thousand warriors needed ample space.
We headed out as soon as fresh horses could be saddled and supplies could be packed. At my brother's suggestion, we brought heavy wool cloaks, hats, and gloves.
“I found a place to observe them from the mountains,” he said. “It's cold and a little treacherous, but I don't think they will spot us.”
“Good.” That sounded like an ideal plan.
Finally, as late afternoon sunlight slanted down through the treetops, we entered the forest. Connor shifted through Shadows immediately, and the land grew rocky. As the temperature began to drop, the sky turned gray and sullen with the promise of snow. Oaks gave way to pines, then the pines gave way to scraggly, gnarled underbrush.
I noticed how the men from Ceyoldar stared at everything around them with wonder. They knew this was the way we had entered Amber, but nothing looked the same. Ah, the powers of a god… Smiling to myself, I caught up with my brother.
Now the road grew rocky and narrow; forced into a single-file line, we climbed a steep path, moving into rugged snow-draped mountains. A cold, crisp wind gusted into my face, stinging with occasional flakes of snow. I blinked hard and squinted into the wind. We would need capes soon. I started to look for a place to stop.
“How many men would you say Uthor has?” I called ahead.
“I estimated between forty and fifty thousand—though not all were fighters,” Conner replied. “From the look of things, he brought half the court sycophants with him.”
That didn't surprise me; King Elnar had sometimes allowed Ilerium's court to watch battles in which victory was certain. If nothing else, it impressed the ladies… and kept intrigue to a minimum. You didn't plot against a monarch with a powerful army at his back.
“Uthor is too confident,” I said, half to myself. Another mistake.
“He always is.” Conner chuckled. “You aren't Dad, and this isn't Juniper. He's going to be in for quite a surprise on the battlefield this time.”
“You sound pretty certain.”
“Oh, I have a some surprises in mind… I've been talking to a few powerful Shadow-beings, and I can guarantee reinforcements when the battle starts.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Not just yet. When the time is right…”
I grinned. “Let's hope we aren't disappointed. We still haven't seen Dad and Freda's troops yet, either.”
Hard-packed snow rose high to either side of the path, and the air grew thin as we ascended. Still we rode. Two thousand feet up, we came to a small plateau.
“Cold-weather gear!” I called over my shoulder, breath pluming in the air. I swung down from my saddle and pulled cloak and gloves from my pack. Made of heavy white wool, they shielded me from the cut of the wind as soon as I put them on.
I noticed the men from Ceyoldar all shivering as they gratefully threw on their cloaks. I motioned Haetor and Iankos to my side. They hurried forward, bowing.
“I don't feel cold the way you do,” I told them. “You should have said something. We would have stopped sooner.”
“Yes, Oberon,” Iankos said. “Next time…”
Conner joined me. “We go on foot from here,” he said.
“Is it much farther?”
“A couple hundred yards.”
“We will make a camp here,” I said to Haetor. “You're in charge. Iankos? Come with us.” I turned to my brother. “Lead on!”
Conner crossed the plateau to where the trail continued. Hugging the side of the mountain, it curved to the left and out of sight. An outcropping of stone shielded it from the ice and snow above.
Without hesitation, Conner strode forward. I came next, letting one hand touch the mountainside for balance, and Iankos brought up the rear. The wind picked up, giving a low moan of sound, and the air grew colder still. I pulled my hat lower, covering the tops of my ears. This was not the sort of weather I liked.
At last the trail leveled, then started down. Becoming wider, it ended abruptly at a little shelf.
Conner dropped to his hands and knees. Creeping forward slowly, he peeked over the edge. I joined him, and Iankos did the same.
“There they are,” Connor said unnecessarily, pointing.
Far below, in a lush green valley split by a meandering river, Uthor had made his camp. Tents by the score lined the water's edge. Huge pens held horses and lizardlike animals I had never seen before. Smoke from a thousand campfires cast a haze across everything.
To the north, at the far end of the valley, squads drilled and practiced with swords, axes, pikes, and strange long-bladed weapons. Everywhere I looked, I saw the bustle of movement. The sheer numbers astounded me.
“So many…” Iankos murmured. I knew how he felt. At my most conservative estimate, there had to be two hundred thousand warriors camped below us—and maybe a lot more.
“He has brought in reinforcements since yesterday,” Conner said. I glanced over at him. He was frowning faintly. “He must be gathering in everyone that he can. He must plan to attack soon.”
“How can we hope to stand against that?” Iankos murmured, almost to himself.
“We will,” I said sharply, “because we must.”
He bowed his head. “A thousand pardons, Oberon. I did not mean to doubt you. Of course, with you leading us, victory is certain!”
“It is not certain… but I think it likely!”
“It's like Juniper all over again,” Conner said, voice low. “They will use magic and try to block our access to the Logrus.”
“You're forgetting one important detail,” I said.
He glanced over at me. “What?”
“We aren't in Chaos anymore,” I said slowly. “Here, we're the masters. We control the Pattern and the Shadows. He's at our mercy.”
I crawled back and stood. When I let my vision slip into that magical sight I had found in Lord Zon's keep, everything around me took on a strange bluish glow… lines of force connecting everyone and everything around us.
There had to be a way to use the Pattern to keep Uthor at bay. I just had to find it. We needed something big to take care of Uthor's army… a tidal wave… an earthquake… something of that size and power.
Or… maybe an avalanche? I smiled. Tons of falling rock, ice, and snow could bury most of their camp, if it hit the valley. But how?
I had called on the Pattern several times while in Chaos to strike at Lord Zon, so I knew it could be used to manipulate elements of the physical world. But could it affect a whole mountain? Could it cause an avalanche of sufficient power to bury a whole valley?
Unfortunately, we didn't have time to experiment. It might take weeks or months to learn to use the Pattern like that.
Another idea struck me. Why shouldn't we use the Logrus, too? Everyone else in my family could call on its power at will. If the Pattern couldn't cause an avalanche, maybe the Logrus could… I'd have to talk to Dad. He might be able to make it happen.
“I've seen enough,” I said to Conner.
He rose. “Back to Amber?”
“Yes. We'll use a Trump this time. Speed is going to be important.”
We headed back to rejoin the others, maneuvering along the mountain's curving ledge as quickly as possible. When we got there, we found them gathered around their horses.
“Let's go!” I called. “Everyone together now! Lead your horses, hands on the flank of the animal in front of you so we don't get separated!”