rz.thehandofoberon-第3部分

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　〃The　blood　of　Amber；〃　he　finally　said。　〃Whoever　did　it　walked　the　Pattern　first；　you　see。　Then　they　stood　there　at　the　center　and　contacted　him　via　this　Trump。　When　he　responded　and　a　firm　contact　was　achieved；　they　stabbed　him。　His　blood　flowed　upon　the　Pattern；　obliterating　that　part　of　it；　as　mine　did　here。〃
　He　was　silent　for　the　space　of　several　deep　breaths。
　〃It　smacks　of　a　ritual；〃　I　said。
　〃Damn　rituals！〃　he　said。　〃Damn　all　of　them！　One　of　them　is　going　to　die；　Corwin。　I　am　going　to　kill　him　…　or　her。〃
　〃I　still　do　not　…〃
　〃I　am　a　fool；〃　he　said；　〃for　not　seeing　it　right　away。　Look！　Look　closely！〃
　He　thrust　the　pierced　Trump　at　me。　I　stared。　I　still　did　not　see。
　〃Now　look　at　me！〃　he　said。　〃See　me！〃
　I　did。　Then　I　looked　back　at　the　card。　I　realized　what　he　meant。
　〃I　was　never　anything　to　him　but　a　whisper　of　life　in　the　darkness。　But　they　used　my　son　for　this；〃　he　said。　〃That　has　to　be　a　picture　of　Martin。〃
　
　
　Chapter　2
　
　Standing　there　beside　the　broken　Pattern；　regarding　a　picture　of　the　man　who　may　or　may　not　have　been　Random's　son；　who　may　or　may　not　have　died　of　a　knife　wound　received　from　a　point　within　the　Pattern；　I　turned　and　took　a　giant　step　back　within　my　mind　for　an　instant　replay　of　the　events　which　had　brought　me　to　this　point　of　peculiar　revelation。　I　had　learned　so　many　new　things　recently　that　the　occurrences　of　the　past　few　years　seemed　almost　to　constitute　a　different　story　than　they　had　while　I　was　living　them。　Now　this　new　possibility　and　a　number　of　things　it　implied　had　just　shifted　the　perspective　again。
　I　had　not　even　been　aware　of　my　name　when　I　had　awakened　in　Greenwood；　that　private　hospital　in　upstate　New　York　where　I　had　spent　two　totally　blank　weeks　subsequent　to　my　accident。　It　was　only　recently　that　I　had　been　told　that　the　accident　itself　had　been　engineered　by　my　brother　Bleys；　immediately　following　my　escape　from　the　Porter　Sanitarium　in　Albany。　I　got　this　story　from　my　brother　Brand；　who　had　railroaded　me　into　Porter　in　the　first　place；　by　means　of　fake　psychiatric　evidence。　At　Porter；　I　had　been　subjected　to　electroshock　therapy　over　the　span　of　several　days；　results　ambiguous　but　presumably　involving　the　return　of　a　few　memories。　Apparently；　this　was　what　had　scared　Bleys　into　making　the　attempt　on　my　life　at　the　time　of　my　escape；　shooting　out　a　couple　of　my　tires　on　a　curve　above　a　lake。　This　doubtless　would　have　resulted　in　my　death；　had　Brand　not　been　a　step　behind　Bleys　and　out　to　protect　his　insurance　investment；　me。　He　said　he　had　gotten　word　to　the　cops；　dragged　me　out　of　the　lake；　and　administered　first　aid　until　help　arrived。　Shortly　after　that；　he　was　captured　by　his　former　partners　…　Bleys　and　our　sister　Fiona　…　who　confined　him　in　a　guarded　tower　in　a　distant　place　in　Shadow。
　There　had　been　two　cabals；　plotting　and　counterplotting　after　the　throne；　treading　on　one　another's　heels；　breathing　down　one　another's　necks；　and　doing　anything　else　to　one　another　that　might　suggest　itself　at　that　range。　Our　brother　Eric；　backed　by　brothers　Julian　and　Caine；　had　been　preparing　to　take　the　throne；　long　left　vacant　by　the　unexplained　absence　of　our　father；　Oberon。　Unexplained　to　Eric；　Julian；　and　Caine；　that　is。　To　the　other　group；　consisting　of　Bleys；　Fiona；　and　…　formerly　…　Brand；　it　was　not　unexplained　because　they　were　responsible　for　it。　They　had　arranged　for　this　state　of　affairs　to　e　into　being　in　order　to　open　the　way　for　Bleys's　accession　to　the　throne。　But　Brand　had　mitted　a　tactical　error　in　attempting　to　obtain　Caine's　assistance　in　their　play　for　the　throne；　in　that　Caine　decided　a　better　deal　obtained　in　upholding　Eric's　part。　This　left　Brand　under　close　scrutiny；　but　did　not　immediately　result　in　the　betrayal　of　his　partners'　identities。　At　about　that　time；　Bleys　and　Fiona　decided　to　employ　their　secret　allies　against　Eric。　Brand　had　demurred　in　this；　fearing　the　strength　of　those　forces；　and　as　a　result　had　been　rejected　by　Bleys　and　Fiona。　With　everyone　on　his　back　then；　he　had　sought　to　upset　the　balance　of　powers　pletely　by　journeying　to　the　shadow　Earth　where　Eric　had　left　me　to　die　centuries　before。　It　was　only　later　that　Eric　had　learned　that　I　had　not　died　but　was　possessed　of　total　amnesia；　which　was　almost　as　good；　had　set　sister　Flora　to　watch　over　my　exile；　and　hoped　that　that　was　the　last　of　it。　Brand　later　told　me　he　had　gotten　me　mitted　to　Porter　in　a　desperate　move　to　restore　my　memory　as　a　preliminary　to　my　return　to　Amber。
　While　Fiona　and　Bleys　had　been　dealing　with　Brand；　Eric　had　been　in　touch　with　Flora。　She　had　arranged　for　my　transfer　to　Greenwood　from　the　clinic　to　which　the　police　had　taken　me；　with　instructions　to　keep　me　narcotized；　while　Eric　began　arrangements　for　his　coronation　in　Amber。　Shortly　thereafter；　our　brother　Random's　idyllic　existence　in　Texorami　was　broken　when　Brand　managed　to　send　him　a　message　outside　the　normal　family　channels　…　i。e。；　the　Trumps　…　requesting　deliverance。　While　Random；　who　was　blissfully　nonpartisan　in　the　power　struggle；　was　about　this　business；　I　managed　to　deliver　myself　from　Greenwood；　still　relatively　unmemoried。　Having　obtained　Flora's　address　from　Greenwood's　frightened　director；　I　betook　myself　to　her　place　in　Westchester；　engaged　in　some　elaborate　bluffing；　and　moved　in　as　a　house　guest。　Random；　in　the　meantime；　had　been　less　than　successful　in　his　attempt　to　rescue　Brand。　Slaying　the　snaky　warden　of　the　tower；　he　had　had　to　flee　its　inner　guards；　utilizing　one　of　the　region's　strangely　mobile　rocks。　The　guards；　a　hardy　band　of　not　quite　human　guys；　had　succeeded　in　pursuing　him　through　Shadow；　however；　a　feat　normally　impossible　for　most　non…Amberites。　Random　had　fled　then　to　the　shadow　Earth　where　I　was　guiding　Flora　along　the　paths　of　misunderstanding　while　attempting　to　locate　the　proper　route　to　enlightenment　as　to　my　own　circumstances。　Crossing　the　continent　in　response　to　my　assurance　that　he　would　be　under　my　protection。　Random　had　e　believing　that　his　pursuers　were　my　own　creatures。　When　I　helped　him　destroy　them　he　was　puzzled　but　unwilling　to　raise　the　issue　while　I　seemed　engaged　in　some　private　maneuver　throneward。　In　fact；　he　had　easily　been　tricked　into　conveying　me　back　to　Amber　through　Shadow。
　This　venture　had　proved　beneficial　in　some　respects　while　much　less　satisfactory　in　others。　When　I　had　finally　revealed　the　true　state　of　my　personal　situation；　Random　and　our　sister　Deirdre；　whom　we　had　encountered　along　the　way；　conducted　me　to　Amber's　mirror　city　within　the　sea；　Rebma。　There　I　had　walked　the　image　of　the　Pattern　and　recovered　the　bulk　of　my　memories　as　a　result　…　thereby　also　settling　the　issue　as　to　whether　I　was　the　real　Corwin　or　merely　one　of　his　shadows。　From　Rebma　I　had　traveled　into　Amber；　utilizing　the　power　of　the　Pattern　to　effect　an　instantaneous　journey　home。　After　fighting　an　inconclusive　duel　with　Eric；　I　had　fled　via　the　Trumps　into　the　keeping　of　my　beloved　brother　and　would…be　assassin；　Bleys。
　I　joined　with　Bleys　in　an　attack　on　Amber；　a　mismanaged　affair　which　we　had　lost。　Bleys　vanished　during　the　final　engagement；　under　circumstances　which　looked　likely　to　prove　fatal　but；　the　more　that　I　learned　and　thought　about　it；　probably　had　not。　This　left　me　to　bee　Eric's　prisoner　and　an　unwilling　party　to　his　coronation；　after　which　he　had　had　me　blinded　and　locked　away。　A　few　years　in　the　dungeons　of　Amber　had　seen　a　regeneration　of　my　eyes；　in　direct　proportion　to　the　deterioration　of　my　state　of　mind。　It　was　only　the　accidental　appearance　of　Dad's　old　adviser　Dworkin；　worse　off　mentally　than　myself；　which　had　led　to　a　way　of　escape。
　After　that；　I　set　about　recovering　and　I　resolved　to　be　more　prudent　the　next　time　I　went　after　Eric。　I　journeyed　through　Shadow　toward　an　old　land　where　I　had　once　reigned　…　Avalon　…　with　plans　to　obtain　there　a　substance　of　which　I　alone　among　Amberites　was　aware；　a　chemical　unique　in　its　ability　to　undergo　detonation　in　Amber。　En　route；　I　had　passed　through　the　land　of　Lorraine；　there　encountering　my　old　exiled　Avalonian　general　Ganelon；　or　someone　very　much　like　him。　I　remained　because　of　a　wounded　knight；　a　girl；　and　a　local　menace　peculiarly　similar　to　a　thing　occurring　in　the　vicinity　of　Amber　herself　…　a　growing　black　circle　somehow　related　to　the　black　road　our　enemies　traveled；　a　thing　for　which　I　held　myself　partly　responsible　because　of　a　curse　I　had　pronounced　at　the　time　of　my　blinding。　I　won　the　battle；　lost　the　girl；　and　traveled　on　to　Avalon　with　Ganelon。
　The　Avalon　we　reached；　we　quickly　learned；　was　under　the　protection　of　my　brother　Benedict；　who　had　been　having　troubles　of　his　own　with　a　situation　possibly　akin　to　the　black　circle/black　road　menaces。　Benedict　had　lost　his　right　arm　in　the　final　engagement；　but　had　been　victorious　in　his　battle　with　the　hellmaids。　He　had　warned　me　to　keep　my　intentions　toward　Amber　and　Eric　pure；　and　had　then　allowed　us　the　hospitality　of　his　manor　while　he　remained　for　a　few　days　more　in　the　field。　It　was　at　his　place　that　I　met　Dara。
　Dara　told　me　she　was　Benedict's　great…granddaughter；　whose　existence　had　been　kept　secret　from　Amber。　She　drew　me　out　as　far　as　she　could　on　Amber；　the　Pattern；　the　Trumps；　and　our　ability　to　walk　in　Shadow。　She　was　also　an　extremely　skilled　fencer。　We　indulged　in　a　bit　of　casual　lovemaking　on　my　return　from　a　hellride　to　a　place　where　I　obtained　a　sufficient　quantity　of　rough　diamonds　to　pay　for　the　things　I　was　going　to　need　for　my　assault　on　Amber。　The　following　day；　Ganelon　and　I　picked　up　our　supply　of　the　necessary　chemicals　and　departed　for　the　shadow　Earth　where　I　had　spent　my　exile；　there　to　obtain　automatic　weapons　and　ammunition　manufactured　to　my　specifications。
　En　route；　we　had　some　difficulties　along　the　black　road；　which　seemed　to　have　extended　its　scope　of　influence　among　the　worlds　of　Shadow。　We　were　equal　to　the　troubles　it　presented；　but　I　almost　perished　in　a　duel　with　Benedict；　who　had　pursued　us　through　a　wild　hellride。　Too　angry　for　argument；　he　had　fought　me　through　a　small　wood　…　still　a　better　man　than　I；　even　wielding　his　blade　left…handed。　I　had　only　managed　to　best　him　by　means　of　a　trick　involving　a　property　of　the　black　road　of　which　he　was　unaware。　I　had　been　conv