Benedict followed the Captain down the hall to the Captain's quarters. It was still partly decorated by Gregory, and made Ben's heart ache at the loss of his friend. He sat in the chair across from the desk, while Khyron seated himself behind the massive metal structure.
"HH...Just for the record, your brother is an idiot," Khyron stated, bluntly.
Benedict snorted, "Don't I know it."
"So. Would you rather ask questions or just have me talk?" Khyron reached into a drawer, pulling out a golden liquid, and two small glasses. "Shot?" Benedict nodded. Quickly pouring out two shots...doubles both....Khyron handed Ben one, and offered up a toast. "To the Past, and to the Future." Two quick motions, and both glasses were drained, drawing a slight shake of the head from Khyron, and a grimace from Benedict. Strong, very strong, but just how he liked his liquor.
"Well...heh," the Captain began, starting over as his voice cracked after the alcohol. "Damn, haven't sounded like that in a good fifty years. Anyways. Ask your questions first?"
Benedict shrugged slightly, "Not so much a question...or questions, but an observation. Most of them.." he gestured back towards the door, "..will try to leave, you know."
"I hope they do. Preferably by shadow, but if they Trump, I'm open for that possibility."
Ben shook his head, "They're damning themselves...implicating themselves in the crime if you do, even though it's no more than what they'd do normally, if one of our family was in danger." He paused, holding up a hand, "Eric, I don't give a damn about--he's already damned, and he did it himself. But the others, particularly the younger ones--Gerard....Caine...--they don't realize that they, Blood of Oberon or not, can be tossed in prison with nary a second thought."
He sighed, "Then, if you're even entertaining the possibility it wasn't the family, you're setting them up as bait, which is in some ways better, other ways worse."
"HH. I'm doing a bit of both actually. I didn't lie when I said my men couldn't travel through shadow. Well, I partly did. My men can't open the paths through shadow. Some of them. Specifically the ones out on patrol, can follow. At least follow the Ways an Amberite opens. You Royals, for all your powers, are still mostly kids. And the quickest way to get you to do something is to tell you that you can't."
Benendict nodded wearily, sighing to himself. He had thought as much.
"Now, as for thinking it wasn't family. Not all of the family, for certain. Maybe only one. But I'm sure one of you is involved. Access to the castle was just too easily granted. I will tell you this much though Benedict. There were at least two different invading parties tonight. Maybe even three."
He nodded, irritibly--he'd already figured that much out.
"And with the knowledge Eric finally coughed up, I'm very worried about one of the possible parties."
Ben nodded again, still trying to ward off that damn headache. "I knew Eric out in Shadow. Spent time with his family.. He had changed, I thought, for the better. Damn him...if he'd only told me about this before, quite a bit might have been avoided... And if he's the guilty party in this..."
"Correct. You'd probably be as doomed as he is."
He shrugged, "We'll never know now."
"As I said before, if Eric is alive, it's because they aren't done with him yet. However, I doubt he's working with them."
"Which brings to mind...what do you know about these things?"
"A little. Not a lot, not nearly enough. In truth though, I'm really not corwin's cousin. I have no true blood tie to Lord Breetai. I was adopted by his brother Exadore after both of my parent's were killed by these...what did you all call them?"
Benedict smirked a bit, "I don't know what the others call them--I"m settling for 'things', demons maybe."
"That will work for now. My parent's were killed by these things." Benedict listened, leaning forward slightly. He couldn't help but to feel some sympathy for Khyron, but that didn't necessarily excuse the good captain's attitude.
Khyron sat back, leaning, taking a deep sigh, as is removing his mind from his body. "It all started long long ago. Before Oberon was king. Hell, almost before....well, that's another story. IT was about three thousand years ago. Or that's when it started. As you may know, Gamellonians, aside from our other charms, mastered the art of travelling through shadow a while ago. We use technology though, and such, we are limited by what shadows we can travel to. Occasionally, even though we work for Amber, we still engage in our own expansion and conquering programs and campaigns. We discovered several--three to be exact--unpopulated, mineral rich shadow Ambers....Amber referring to the prime planet of that shadow...which we dropped off our standard 2000 gamellonian colonizer crews."
Khyron poured himself another shot, but didn't drink it.
"Five years later, the dimensional walls were breached, and we checked back in with the colonizer crews. When we arrived, the whole area was swept clean...most of the bodies were gone, but the few left were mostly ash, bone, and some very rotted flesh. In all three shadows."
"We did a quick search of the planet, finding nothing. Once again, on all three shadows. After the holo-vids of the daily logs were even missing, aside for the first year from each shadow, we were ready to give up. But, each of the three was too rich in supplies to totally abandon. So, one of the minor Houses financed another journey to each shadow, this time sending 4000 gamellonains per shadow, almost all of the staff and servants of the house."
Khyron took the shot now, barely acknowledging it this time. "Once again, five years pass, and once again, all of the Gamellonians are gone...with no sign of a reason how or why.
"Come the third time, anger, curiosity, and stubbornness had set in with the ruling Lords. THis time 8000 Gamellonians were sent to each shadow, though most were from the Prison Worlds, to be honest.
"Once again, five years pass, and nothing remains, on any of the three. So, after losing 40,000 Gamellonians in 15 years....our highest casulty rate since the war versus Dworkin by the way...The Lords were both truly pissed and frustrated. Finally they sent in sixty Gamellonians per shadow. Each armed with a trump back to Amber. Each was one of our highest trained Special Forces operatives. Half were mages of great power, the other half were mutations, like the bruiser you saw in the hall earlier. Each was also a deadly warrior. The best of our age."
Benedict nodded again.
"As I said before, both my parents were part of this group. And yes, that does make me almost 3000. How do I look?" Khyron barked a laugh, then poured himself another shot, mumbling something about his parents and downing it.
"So, the 180 go in. A few days pass in Amber, when suddenly they all start trumping in, all at once, screaming and crying. A solid 80% are injured, but that's of the ones who make it back. Which is only 50%. My parents weren't part of that 50%."
A moments pause, and a quiet reflection, then Khyron continued, "Descriptions similar to the ones eric made were given then. Of monsters the size of houses, shaped like cones, who burned through your brain like a blowtorch. And all sorts of other fun creatures. That isn't were our knowledge came from though.
"We gave up on those shadows, going back one last time and dropping Neutron Bombs on each planet, destroying them, hoping to destroy whatever was on the planets.
"Two hundred years later though, the skies above us tore open, and the seas of our Home Planet began to boil, as creatures, who looked oddly...too oddly...like Gregory, rose and struck at us. The fighting was fierce, and bloody. And even with our vast powers, we were still out numbered in ways we'd never seen before. It was as if the creatures would never end. For weeks we slaughtered them without stopping, and never did their numbers diminish. Finally, after a month of constant war fare, we found the true hearts of the enemy."
Benedict straightened up at this, wrapped up in the Captain's story.
"We sent 180. 90 came back in one day. The other 90 came back two hundred years later. They were changed.
"Wielding blades identical to Eric's, and those who were mages before wielding belts the same rose up, on beasts...worms plated in armor our strongest tanks couldn't puncture, the size of our largest troop transports...or flying through the sky on dragons...or rather the skeletal remains of dragons the size of the largest Blacks in the Amberian Air Force....they tore through our cities, and our hearts and souls at the same time. I cannot say what injured us more. The fact that the enemy was so great, or that the enemy was our own mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters.
"In the end, we had to bring in others. Allied warriors of the Gamellonians to finish the war. Striking out at our Former friends and family, bringing them down. Then, once they were all captured, we destroyed them. Burned them in the heart of our planet, spreading their ashes into the deeps of space, launching their weapons intothe sun. Then, and only then, once all 90 were destroyed, the numbers ceased to be endless, and finally the creatures were destroyed."
"Damn," Benedict swore softly.
"It took almost another two hundred years to repair the damage, and to remove all the dead bodies from our Home. The worst part of it all was...the Lost Ones...could only be killed by their own blood. My brother and I...the brother who died today...we had to kill our parents, who frothed and screamed at us the whole way as we cut out their hearts, stabbed their eyes and tongue, and dropped them into the volcanoes to be consumed by the core.
"Our scientists examined the bodies of our foes. STudied and learned, and filed it all away. Hopefully to never be opened again. In truth, though we did kill them, we didn't win that day. We were all forced to slay our family, to survive ourself. The worst part is, when we killed them, their souls didn't leave the body. Even in death the screamed...not from their lungs, but from their minds. Forever they screamed, till one day it stopped. It was almost worse than the screaming...the silence. Even after all these years, I'm still not sure which is worse."
Khyron sat back, taking another shot for himself, and let out a long deep sigh.
"Well, that's it. That's what we know about them. About the Unbeatable."
Benedict was silent for some long moments, face having grown ashen in the listening to this. I've never heard of anything like this! How are we supposed to defeat something that an entire civilization couldn't? He wasn't ready for this...didn't want to believe what he had been told, yet he had no choice but to believe. He finally stirred, "The others...they had a dream..." He frowned, "Deirdre explained it to me--I was awake at the time.." He launched into a quick explanation of what Deirdre told him.
"Hmmm. Nothing springs to mind. Though now I know why Bleys asked about plant life." Ben nodded, "Something to consider." He sighed himself, trying to organize his thoughts.
"Heh...I forgot one part. The screams. I didn't tell you how long they stayed in the minds of us who killed. They stayed for a thousand and one years."
He shifted on his stool again, looking at the Captain, "Eric..." here he frowned yet again, "...also mentioned the possibility of one of my brothers--full brothers--being alive yet. With Eric's recent...activities..."
"Finndo was a good man. Though a little too tough for me to use as a sparring partner." Did everyone know my brothers except me? Ben wondered.
"Anyway," Ben continued, "I was just wondering if Eric was telling the truth or not..."
"I'm beginning to doubt that Eric remembers what Truth is. Not that I can....well...I fully expect that, if he's been with the 'things' too long now."
"Eric's a fool...unfortunately, he has been for as long as I can recall." Ben shook his head ruefully.
"No offense, but Oberon should have let me track him and kill him that night. IT might have saved Amber."
Ben's jaw clenched a little at the thought of cold-blooded murder like that, but he shrugged offhandedly, "Would have been the prudent thing to do, even at the time."
"Eric always had potential. That's what Oberon felt anyways. He's just obviously made all the wrong decisions in life."
Khyron pulled out an old wind up watch, looking at it. "Hmmm no Trump call yet. I'm suprised they're still here."
"And what are your plans, Prince Benedict?"
"Stay in Amber, for the duration, I'd suppose," he said truthfully enough, but he picked his words out carefully, "If the others go...and hopefully retrieve Jacqueline safely...I've no reason to leave."
"Not that I don't feel sorry for the child, but why the sudden fascination with her? It's almost as if you all have forgotten about Oberon and Dworkin. Maybe Eric is contagious. HH"
"Maybe. But Oberon and Dworkin...should have been able to defend themselves. Should have. If there's a chance she's still unharmed, I'd like to see her to safety."
"Assuming that Amber will still be safe once you retrieve her and return correct?
"Be as safe as any place, more than others."
"I personally would feel much safer with a particle beam and a suit of Power Armor or two." Benedict felt the unreasonable impulse to throttle Khyron there on the spot, but contained himself for the moment.
Ben smiled slightly, "She's also family. Would you do anything less?" He paused, adding, "Dad and Grandfather...we might not ever be able to retrieve or rescue them. Especially if it is these...Unbeatable...both might already be corrupted. There's at least a chance she is not."
"Is Eric's wife from the same place that he encountered the Unbeatable?" He half-nodded, and half-shrugged, "I'm not certain, but I believe so, yes. I don't know where he met the Unbeatable, after all."
"So this child is the daughter of a totally corrupted one. And a shadow being from a shadow populated, if not ruled, by the unbeatable. I don't like her chances of not being corrupted. Internally at least."
"You think I do? You think this is easy, to just sit back and let them do as they will?" He paused, his defenses stirring. Jackie's safe...she has to be.
"Not at all. Though it's gotten a little easier this second time around."
Benedict raked a hand through his hair, "All this is conjecture anyway, until we know for certain. And we simply won't know for certain until she's found, or Dad and Grandfather are."
"There is one thing I know for certain though."
Benedict waited.
"Gregory is gone. And his body wasn't taken."
It took a little bit to sink in, then Benedict tensed again, "Any trails? Do you know roughly when?" Be damned Eric, he seethed inwardly, jaw clenching. You are dead the next time I see you.
"The one that went to Paulette's. We lose it after it heads to the library. His trail anyways."
He nodded, cursing Eric under his breath.
"He fed on his own men. Hell, in some cases, his own brothers. Whatever Eric did to him...He did it well." Khyron's words kept turning the knife, until Benedict could hardly stand it. He forced his anger inside himself, compressing it into a hard knot in his stomach.
"Eric.." Benedict scowled, his voice cold, "..is a walking dead man."
"There is one thing I left out."
Benedict waited again....
"Well, a few."
Get on with it! Benedict screamed silently, trying to calm himself down.
"Some of the trails descend into the dungeons. Including the path that Eric took when he escaped. Also, the Ambassadors are gone."
"Gone? I thought they had returned to the city...for the mourning..?"
"The ones in the castle are gone. I haven't gotten my reports yet on the city."
Benedict paused, then asked, "What does it take to kill these things? These notes that your scientists had, would be useful."
"They would be. If they weren't in 3D memory cubes."
Benedict almost spoke, then thought differently and remained silent for a moment. "My turn to ask a question, Khyron.." he asked after a bit, "Do you honestly think I'm guilty of this? Because until I'm 'cleared', there's little I can do to help, without implicating myself."
Khyron remained silent. Benedict let him take his time, not wanting to push any decision. The moments stretched on.
"I didn't. Not unil you voiced your knowledge about your brothers. Now you'd at least have a motive. Granted, that was half the reason I walked in on you. You were still in REM sleep. Unless you trusted your agents enough to just go to bed, there's no way you were responsible. And you're too much of a control freak to put so much on the shoulders of another. You also don't spend enough time in Amber. You barely know anything about the three newest houses even."
He nodded, a touch relieved.
"No, I don't think it's you. But implicating you is always handy. Makes the real one, and the rest of your family, think I'm pushy and stupid."
He nodded again, seeing the advantage in that, "True." He wanted lean back, but since he's sitting on a stool, he stretched instead. "Then, Khyron, what else would you have me do?" He paused for a moment, "Until some of my siblings venture off into Shadow, you've no trails to follow."
"Actually, I still have a few to follow. I'm still awaiting drop off points for over half of the trails. I must admit to being puzzled by the trails. Mostly because it doesn't seem the type of tactic used by the Unbeatable. Subtle is not a word they know."
Benedict shrugged slightly, "To keep the enemy offguard...to confuse them, especially if this was planned a while ago...as they would have known from Eric of your House's ties with Amber, if they didn't know it before."
"Possibly. Why change tactics when they work so well though?"
"Or," Ben added after but a moment's thought, "They're working with someone else who has similar goals. Or it's someone else entirely, and trying to place blame on the Unbeatable, or on Eric."
Khyron frowned a touch, "At this moment, I'm tempted to actually make you al ltouch Eric's blade. Just to see who burns and who doesn't. But...Hmm....it takes too much...to have known about our war. Even Corwin doesn't know about that. To have known about Eric's...even you didn't know about that."
He nodded, "Another reason to add subtlety to their list of traits. If they weren't subtle about it, I would have found out."
Khyron stood up, and walked up to a bookshelf on the side of the wall He took a foot long black dagger from a shelf and sat down again, fingering the wavy blade, "Oh?"
Benedict shrugged, "I didn't pay that much attention to his home, really, but family. But there's still some things that are hard to miss...and everything must have been covered up carefully. Or Eric's lying again, and he's still working with them." Ben eyed the dagger for a moment, "A lot of possibilities."
"In this case, I doubt Eric's lieing. He's spent a total of 38 hours in Amber in the past 10 years, and only 10 of those hours were spent free of prison or sleep. Two were from this morning. But, he's a good frame."
"In that case, you can assume that yes, indeed, these foes are subtle." Ben fell silent, frowning. No matter which way he looked at it, this was bad. Really bad.
"Subtle. Yes. They got by Dworkin and Oberon after all." Khyron's observations were annoying him slightly, but the Prince put up with it. After all, it was this meeting in which both were sizing the other up, and Ben wanted to downplay himself. Hopefully, Khyron would tip his hand a bit, and Benedict could discern what exactly the Captain knew, and if he was holding anything back. He stirred himself and spoke again.
"Another possibility that was entertained briefly by the family was that Oberon and Dworkin themselves set this up." Benedict carefully moderated his tone to indicate that he didn't think this is so...but didn't immediately discount it either.
"Karl, one of the dead guards, took a crossbow through the heart for Oberon two years ago. He was promoted from mere Private to Honour Guard status immediatley. He was one of the ten in line for Captain after me. Plot or no plot, Oberon wouldn't have had Karl killed. He meant nothing to any of you, but he meant a lot to Oberon." Shows how much you know about Grandfather then, Benedict thought sourly, Dworkin's statement of last night haunting him.
"But what about Grandfather?"
"What about him?"
"It's not past the realm of possibility for Grandfather to do such a thing."
"When was the last time you heard of Dworkin actually killing someone?"
Benedict shook his head, "It's not that, per se, but it's something I wouldn't put past the old man either."
"And Paulette?"
Once again, Benedict shook his head, "That, I can honestly say I don't know. I don't know how any of the family--barring Random perhaps, she was his mother--felt about her."
"That's not what I meant. Dworkin could have done this, Oberon maybe, but Paulette pretty much doesn't give a damn about you all or what you do. She would never walk out on this day for you all. A test I believe one of you called it." She didn't have to be involved in it either.
Khyron paused and gave Ben an engimatic look, "You really should find all the listening holes in that room."
He shrugged, "It was a possibility entertained by the family." Hearing fully what Khyron just said, Ben frowned and threw a suspicious look the Captain's way. Then, it dawned on him, "Eric's listening device...he had said as much..."
For the first time in a while, Khyron cracked a slight smile.
Benedict shrugged, showing ambivalence though he was growing to like the Captain, "General...warrior I may be, detective I'm not." He shifted on the stool again, "And with these troubles..."
"Next time you get a century or two to kill, you should pick it up. It's a handy occupation."
He nodded, holding back a snort, "I've a list of things to do." He smiled...almost.
"Don't we all. Speaking of lists, I have a few here myself. Let me take a look." Khyron started shuffling through his notes, all strewn over the table. "Hmm three members of the kitchen staff took ill when they heard about the murders, another four when the kidnappings were revealed. Julian and Llewella both went outside this morning. Neither went far, Llew was confronted about it, Julian not. Another Seven guards were killed during exits through-out the castle. Hmm...I'm sorry Benedict, but it looks like a large chunk of your rooms were destroyed while the exit from it was made."
Benedict frowned, automatically placing the time in which it happened, after the kidnappings but after he was woke by the guards. That bothered him more than he could say...as the enemy had remained undetected in the castle, during a search. "Damn...some of my best swords were hung on those walls.." He sighed, only partially affectating his distress...those were valuable momentos. "Must have been after you woke me, and after I returned to my rooms..."
"Mmhhmmm not very long after though, from what the report says."
"And no one heard anything? Corey's rooms are right next to mine..."
"I would imagine they were stuck quite heavily in that dream you spoke of. Julian was about twenty minutes late to wander the castle grounds this morning. Something he's never been before."
Benedict nodded, another piece falling into place: the dream all of them shared. "Deirdre slept through her alarm...Flora was late as well.." Was it a warning sent by Dad and Dworkin?
"Interesting. It appears one of the 100 has arrived, and confirmed what I was afraid of."
Benedict leaned forward, waiting for more information.
"The Jewel has indeed left the castle." At that Benedict cursed softly, drawing a wry smile from Khyron, "Such foul language, young one." Khyron tossed all the papers behind him, grunting in frustration as his smile dissipated. "Still nothing here gives me what I want to know. No eye witness reports. Hell, the damn dogs don't even want to go anywhere near half the trails."
"Did you expect any witnesses?"
Khyron ground his teeth, "From my scouts, yes."
"And I can't say I'm looking forward to tracking down the culprit either..." He shook his head, "Subtlety, remember. Must always assume they know everything we do...and prepare for that." Ben sighed, rubbing his temple again. What a whopper of a headache...and it wasn't getting any better.
"No offense Ben, but unless you plan on taking it, don't tell me how to do my job."
"None taken. I'm just rambling."
"And Eye witness isn't exactly what I meant. Half the scouts can...hmmm....see what came before them, especially once they get into Arden. A nice feature the Elven house brought to us."
Benedict nodded approvingly, "Now that's useful."
"So far it isn't. Nothing. Not a word out of them."
"Have Random and Flora left the lower chambers yet, near the Pattern?"
"Not since my last report. Granted, you've been with me since then."
He nodded, "True."
"I suppose I should track those two down soon. Especially Random."
"He's apt to do anything." Poor kid, Ben thought to himself.
"Gods, I'm going to have to report this soon. Breetai's going to go mad. I'll need Corwin for that one."
"I don't envy your position."
"Heh, I don't know why not. I've got you kids all convinced you can handle things better than me, the Lords are going to be sure they can handle things better than me, and along the way, most of you all will end up doing anything but actually helping me. Sounds like a wonderful place to be." The sarcasm dripping from the good Captain's tongue was enough to poison a dragon. Still, Ben had started admiring him for being able to handle all this without throttling someone yet.
Khyron took a deep breath, poured another shot, and downed in in one smooth motion. "Ahhh, my old friend. Why do I think we'll be getting reaquainted a lot," the Captain murmured, addressing the bottle.
It was Ben's turn to be sarcastic, "That wouldn't surprise me." However, Khyron had already moved on and declined to comment.
"Now, back to business at hand. Already I'm sure about two or three of the houses know something. Well, some live in Arden. Troop activity is a little high in there this morning. Lord Qrp has already trumped me to complain about my damned men riding through his grasslands. Arrogant prick."
"Tsk. Such language."
"Heh. I'm about 150 times older than you. I can use it."
Benedict half-smiled again. "Well, Captain...there's the matter of the ... " He didn't really want to bring it up, but it had to be said, "throne...regency. A firm hand needs to be established--as I'm sure you know."
"That's what I left in your hands. I hope you have something. Else Lord Karm and Lord Henden are liable to have a pissing contest to see who get's it."
He shook his head, "I can't--I'm not a ruler, haven't the experience with that occupation either, nor Amber. I'm hesistant to suggest any other family members, for that same reason...unfamiliarity." It galled him to say it, but it was the truth. Plus, he didn't want the job. He desparately didn't want the job.
"There is no such thing as experience as ruler of a kingdom. You either do it or you don't. and let someone else take over. Hopefully not forever."
"I was wanting to ask your opinion on the family, at any rate. I need someone who is at least familiar with them, more than I." He sighed slightly, the breath escaping his lips. He scolded himself on the inside, that he was letting too much out, but everything was just too much to deal with. His mind was still processing the situation....no, not his mind. He knew what had to be done, but emotionally he wasn't up to it. Not by a long shot.
"As far as you all go, Corwin, Fiona, Brand, and Flora. Though Brand isn't a true Prince. Caine possible, he's almost 18."
Benedict shook his head, "Not Brand. I can see already that he's too ambitious."
"And that's a bad thing?"
He nodded, "For the moment it is. You should have seen his face when Eric mentioned new powers...no, for the moment, absolutely not." Not that Brand would be a bad ruler, but the impression that Benedict got over breakfast is that he'd be too reckless, too rash.
"That leaves the other four."
Ben shrugged, "And that depends upon which leave Amber, as well, to go out and seek Father and the others."
"If you ask one of them to be Regent, I doubt they'd leave."
"I don't think Corwin will, nor Flora...but I could be wrong, of course."
"However, if all four leave..." Khyron paused, then added, "Who knows. Sadly, Corwin would be the last choice of that group."
Benedict's brow cocked, "Why do you say that?"
"Because he's a flake," Khyron said with a straight face, directly to Benedict, as if challenging him to deny that about Corwin. Benedict kept silent, agreeing with him inwardly. "Seriously though, because he is the son of Lord Gamellon and Lord Kareeda. The other 18 lords would have a fit. Several fits probably. Especially with a Gamellonian as the new Captain instead of a Danesh. The other houses would probably call us traitors, declare war on us. And then we'd have to kill them, and it would greatly weaken Amber. Would be a mess when the real attackers came."
"So that leaves Flora, in your opinion," Benedict prodded.
"What happened to Fiona and Caine?"
He shrugged, "I don't believe that they'll stay...and I don't want to take that choice away from them either, by asking." The majority would end up leaving Amber anyhow, he thought to himself. Amber needs loyalty... He paused, collecting his thoughts, "All this is still musings, however, considerations. I'm asking your opinion here, as I've yet to form my own." He added, after a minute more of consideration, "On the morn, I'll have my decision made."
"On the morn, I'm expecting half the family, and possibly myself, to be gone."
He frowned slightly, but didn't say anything.
"Yes?"
"I won't be pressured into a decision, if I can help it. I need time yet." Especially a big decision like this, Benedict thought to himself.
"Time is a luxury that doesn't exist. Not trying to pressure you. Just letting you know that if you wait too long, the decision will be made for you."
Well, now, time to change the subject... "Is there anything else I should know? And...if there is anything else I can do to aid you, I'll do it."
"HmH...Just be ready to do something. I firmly expect to be dead by this time tomorrow, or off in shadow at the least." With that said, Khyron lightly drew the dagger across his forearm, slightly puncturing the skin, only to watch the wound heal as it is made, down from elbow to wrist. Benedict nodded, not quite rolling his eyes, "You will keep me apprised?" He frowned slightly as Khyron started to disfigure himself, however temporarily.
"Not if I'm dead."
Ben snorted, finding the morbid humor to his liking, "Discounting death or other hazards."
"Seriously....I've already had three attempts since I took over the job. House Danesh is none too happy about having me on the captain's position. Plus there are others. But enough of that. Just be ready to do something. And here, take this." Khyron then extended the blade, hilt first, to the slightly confused Prince.
Benedict took it cautiously, glancing up to Khyron for an explanation.
"It is colored in my blood. You will be able to use it as a refuge pass with the Gamellonians. Especially when you go to my Home planet for those memory cubes."
Benedict smiled slightly, inclining his head.
"Plus it has a few extra qualities to it."
Benedict stood offering his hand out to the Captain, "Thank you."
Khyron took it, shaking firmly. "Not a problem. It can also be used to clone me later. Though it's been too damn long since I checked in for a memory save. Damn, I'm not even going to remember Cindy....sigh."
Ben returned the handshake, not letting the Captain onto the fact that his hand was aching with the pressure put on it. "I know the feeling, believe you me."
"You've been cloned?" Khyron asked, frowing a bit.
Benedict blinked, "No, no. I meant about losing people." He retracted his hand, shrugging.
"Damn. We've always wondered how it would work. Sadly Mirelle was pretty much absorbed by the Pattern." Never thought of that... Benedict mused to himself. He grew somber at the mention of Mirelle, "Might have to try it sometime, to satisfy curiosities."
"Hell No. Oberon promised to sacrafice the first one who tries it."
"Ah, that settles that then." Not that it was a big deal to Benedict, it did itch at the back of his mind. And not that it would matter if the process was tried on an Amberite if Dad was dead. Benedict quickly shelved that thought, trying to keep himself focused on the task at hand.
"Anyways, get out. Unless there's something else left on your mind Prince Benedict."
"Too many things, but nothing I can speak of." Damn you Dad, for making me swear that oath, he thought bitterly.
Khyron looked up with one eye quickly. "Don't put too much of this on you yet. You all are still pretty free from it. Your time will come soon enough though. Sooner than I'd like. Things are going to get bogged down once the other nobles find out. One of them is going to call for blood on this one. Especially once you all pull your vanishing acts too."
"I know. It'll all be the regent's problem, til I get back, anyhow." He glanced around for a moment, still damning Oberon inwardly.
"Nah, it'll be mine...the blood part. The Regent will just get the job afterwords. Another reason why it shouldn't be Corwin."
He nodded again.
Khyron fixed him with a steady eye, "You should know, Prince Benedict. You all have been gone too much, too often. The nobles have gone back to business as normal, jockeying between one another for rank. Right now, Gamellon isn't as high as it once was. It will be messy, unless you kids put something good up. Even then you'll have challenges, there just won't be as many, if any open ones. Not that that'll make it any easier."
"I know," he murmured. Benedict was getting a bit irritated with a recap of all the things he already knew, but put up with it. Khyron was trying to help, after all. "All things I've considered, and I can't say that I like how things are...we'll just have to get through best we can. That's all anyone can do."
"At least two houses will be content with Oberon never coming back. Others will be lost without him. Especially those damn lizards. The Guilds will be even worse. If the ambassadors are truly gone, a large chunk of our trade is going to get stopped. To keep the kingdom running, you'll have to handle that."
"Any other advice before I take my leave?" It always paid to listen, no matter how much one might not want to.
"Don't let a smart ass like Bleys out too much. We may be mere facets of shadow to you all, but to us we're rather real living beings. And we're living beings who know how to use crossbows and distance spells. You could find your family thinned a little if they run their mouths too much. Bleys has spent too much time in shadow I think, grown too used to the easy life. I worry that some of the other might have as well. Eric for example. I'd hate for one of them to run afoul of Tiny--the big blue bruiser--or one of the tougher folks who live around here."
"They're kids yet," Benedict stated matter of factly, "I'll try, but I can promise nothing. I think they've lumped me into the same category as you."
"Not asking for promises, just offering warnings." Khyron paused, then added, "That was part of my idea. They'll need some form of authority, whether they know it or not. For all their confidence and surety, whatever IS out there grabbed Oberon and Dworkin without seeming to work up a sweat. It'd make mince meat out of your family."
He nodded, "I know. They need discipline. If I hadn't been so... dense, and concerned about what Dad's opinion was, I'd have taken some of them out into Shadow, and taught them discipline." Been a real brother, he thought to himself. He shrugged, shaking off the melancholy, "Nothing against Dad, but he wasn't as hard on them as he should have been. But then, what do I know?"
"Oberon was simply trying not to be Dworkin. Now there's a scary father. Besides which, life teaches the best lessons."
"They'll either learn or they won't, but it'll be a lot harsher than what could have been." He sighed, "No use dwelling on the past...I'll keep your advice in mind."
"Good. Now get out of here. I have work to do, and you've taken enough of my time." Khyron smiled a little, though it was a dark, and very grim smile.
Benedict stretched his back, straightening a touch. "Certainly." He didn't share the smile, dark though it is--fitting his mood. He started for the door, then stopped, turning, "Thank you, again. I'd be honored to call you a friend, if you'd let me."
"We'll talk about it when I come back."
Benedict snorted then, almost smiling. "When this is over, we'll have to go out, and get royally drunk." He paused, "I'm planning on it, anyway."
"You wouldn't make it weakling. I've seen your time for the mile run. Tsk Tsk Tsk. Two minutes my ass." Khyron got up and shooed Ben out of the room then, grabbing the guard outside the door, telling him to go summon Lord Breetai to the Castle. Now.
Benedict walked back to his rooms briskly, mulling the conversation over in his mind. Khyron wasn't such a bad fellow, just caught in a bad circumstance. If Ben was in his place, he couldn't swear that he'd do as well as the good Captain was.
He rounded the bend, and opened the door to his room. The place was trashed, completely and totally. Aside from most of the furniture being overturned if not destroyed, there was a huge hunk out of the wall, where the window used to be. It was...enlarged, he supposed.
Ben sighed to himself and set about to picking out what was salvagable and what wasn't, as well as setting things to rights as much as he could. He packed what he could and hauled it up to a guest room, instructing the servants that the room he choose was now his room, and that no one was to enter without his express permission.
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