Sign of the Unicorn

When the storm finally let up and the sky came clear, it was a night full of strange constellations. Beautiful though, the way nights can be on the desert. Much later, I detected a gentle upward sloping and my rock started to slow. Something began happening in terms of whatever physical rules controlled the situation. I mean, the slope itself did not seem so pronounced that it would affect our velocity as radically as it had. I did not want to tamper with Shadow in a direction that would probably take me out of my way. I wanted to get back onto more familiar turf as soon as possible - find my way to a place where my gut anticipations of physical events had more of a chance of being correct.

So I let the rock grind to a halt, climbed down when it did, and continued on up the slope, hiking. As I went, I played the Shadow game we all learned as children. Pass some obstruction - a scrawny tree, a stand of stone - and have the sky be different from one side to the other. Gradually I restored familiar constellations. I knew that I would be climbing down a different mountain from the one I ascended. My wounds still throbbed dully, but my ankle had stopped bothering me except for a little stiffness. I was rested. I knew that I could go for a long while. Everything seemed to be all right again.

It was a long hike, up the gradually steepening way. But I hit a trail eventually, and that made things easier. I trudged steadily upward under the now familiar skies, determined to keep moving and make it across by morning. As I went, my garments altered to fit the shadow - denim trousers and jacket now, my wet cloak a dry scrape. I heard an owl nearby, and from a great distance below and behind came what might have been the yipyip-howl of a coyote. These signs of a more familiar place made me feel somewhat secure, exorcised any vestiges of desperation that remained with my flight. An hour or so later, I yielded to the temptation to play with Shadow just a bit. It was not all that improbable for a stray horse to be wandering in these hills, and of course I found him. After ten or so minutes of becoming friendly, I was mounted bareback and moving toward the top in a more congenial fashion. The wind sowed frost in our path. The moon came and sparked it to life.

To be brief, I rode all night, passing over the crest and commencing my downward passage well before dawn. As I descended, the mountain grew even more vast above me, which of course was the best time for this to occur. Things were green on this side of the range, and divided by neat highways, punctuated by occasional dwellings. Everything therefore was proceeding in accordance with my desire.

Early morning, I was into the foothills and my denim had turned to khaki and a bright shirt. I had a light sport jacket slung before me. At a great height, a jetliner poked holes in the air, moving from horizon to horizon. There were birdsongs about me, and the day was mild, sunny.

It was about then that I heard my name spoken and felt the touch of the Trump once more. I drew up short and responded.

«Yes?»

It was Julian.

«Random, where are you?» he asked.

«Pretty far from Amber,» I replied. «Why?»

«Have any of the others been in touch with you?»

«Not recently,» I said. «But someone did try to get hold of me yesterday. I was busy though, and couldn't talk.»

«That was me,» he said. «We have a situation here that you had better know about.»

«Where are you?» I asked.

«In Amber. A number of things have happened recently.»

«Like what?»

«Dad has been gone for an unusually long time. No one knows where.»

«He's done that before.»

«But not without leaving instructions and making delegations. He always provided them in the past.»

«True,» I said. «But how long is long?»

«Well over a year. You weren't aware of this at all?»

«I knew that he was gone. Gerard mentioned it some time back.»

«Then add more time to that.»

«I get the idea. How have you been operating?»

«That is the problem. We have simply been dealing with affairs as they arise. Gerard and Caine had been running the navy anyway, on Dad's orders. Without him, they have been making all their own decisions. I took charge of the patrols in Arden again. There is no central authority though, to arbitrate, to make policy decisions, to speak for all of Amber.»

«So we need a regent. We can cut cards for it, I suppose.»

«It is not that simple. We think Dad is dead.»

«Dead? Why? How?»

«We have tried to raise him on his Trump. We have been trying every day for over half a year now. Nothing. What do you think?»

I nodded.

«He may be dead,» I said. «You'd think he would have come across with something. Still, the possibility of his being in some trouble - say, a prisoner somewhere - is not precluded.»

«A cell can't stop the Trumps. Nothing can. He would call for help the minute we made contact.»

«I can't argue with that,» I said. But I thought of Brand as I said it. «Perhaps he is deliberately resisting contact, though.»

«What for?»