"Who are you?" she asked.

"Well, I'm a sorcerer," he said. "I was hiding in your mirror, as Ihave every night for a long while. I have this crush on you and Ilike to watch you as you go about your business."

"Peeping Tom--a voyeur!" she said.

"No," he said. "I think you're a really nice-looking lady, and Ilike watching you. That's all."

"There are many legitimate ways by which you could have gained anintroduction," she said.

"True, but that way might have led to horrible complications in mylife."

"Oh, you're married."

"Worse than that," he said.

"What, then?"

"No time now. I can feel its approach," he said.

"What's approach?"

"The guisel," he said. "I sent one to slay another sorcerer, but hedisposed of it and sent one of his own after me. Didn't know he wasthat good. I don't know how to dispose of the things, and it will beoozing through that mirror in a matter of minutes, to destroy us allmost nastily. So, this place being Amber and all, is there some heroavailable who might be anxious to earn another merit badge?"

"I think not," she replied. "Sorry."

Just then the mirror began to darken.

"Oh, it's coming!" he cried.

I had felt the menace it exuded some time before. But then, that ismy job.

Now I got a glimpse of the thing. It was big, and wormlike,eyeless, but possessed of a shark-like mouth, a multitude of short legs,and vestigial wings. It was twice again the length of a human, andblack, having crisscrossing red and yellow stripes. It slithered acrossour reflected room, rearing as it came on.

"You imply," Flora said, "in your quest for a hero, that it willmake it through that interface and attack us?"

"In a word," said the strange little man, "yes."

When it does, I said to Flora, throw me at it. Wherever I hitI'll stick--and I'll go for the throat.

"All right," she said, "and there's one other thing."

What's that?, I asked.

"Help! Help!" she cried.

It began crawling out through the silver, flower-bordered mirror.Flora unwound me from her ankle and threw me at the thing. It had noreal neck, but I wrapped myself about its upper extremity below themouth and began tightening immediately.

Flora continued to call out, and from somewhere up the hall I heardthe sound of heavy footfalls.

I tightened my grip, but the creature's neck was like rubber.

The sorcerer was moving to exit the room when the door burst openand the tall and husky, red-haired form of Luke entered.

"Flora!" he said, and then he saw the guisel and drew his blade.

On my recent journey with Merlin in the space between shadows I hadgained the ability to converse at complex levels. My perceptions--whichseem quite different--also became more acute. They showed me nothingspecial about Luke, the sorcerer, or the guisel, but Werewindle nowburned of an entirely different light. I realized then that it was notmerely a blade.

As Luke moved to position himself between Flora and the guisel, Iheard the sorcerer say, "What is that blade?"

"'Tis called Werewindle," Luke replied.

"And you are...?"

"Rinaldo, King of Kashfa," Luke said.

"Your father--who was he?"

"Brand--Prince of Amber."

"Of course," the sorcerer said, moving again toward the door. "Youcan destroy that thing with it. Command it to draw energy while you'reusing it. It has a virtually limitless supply to draw upon."

"Why?" Luke asked.

"Because it isn't really a sword."

"What is it then?"

"Sorry," the sorcerer said, regarding the guisel, which was nowmoving toward us. "Out of time. Got to find another mirror."

I could tell that he was, unaware of my presence, really teasingLuke, because I had figured it out for myself and knew it would takeonly a moment to tell him, if one could speak.

Then I was disengaging and dropping as fast as I could, for Luke wasswinging Werewindle, and I'd no desire to be severed. I really did notknow what would happen if this were to occur--if both segments wouldwind up as wise, witty, and conscious as myself; or, perhaps, whether Iwould be destroyed in the process. And having no desire to learn thisinformation firsthand, flight seemed most prudent.

I hit the floor before the blow fell. A section of the guisel'shead also dropped, still writhing. I squirmed toward Luke's nearestankle. Flora picked up a heavy chair and brought it down on the thing'sback with considerable force, despite her broken fingernail. And sheswung it a couple of more times, with some effect, while Luke was in theprocess of cutting it in half.

I found my way to where I was headed, crawled up, and caught hold.

Can you hear me, Luke? I tried then.

"Yes," he replied. "What are you?"

Merlin's strangling cord, Frakir.

Luke swung at the hind section then as it whipped toward him, tinylegs clawing. Then he whirled and halved the attacking forepart. Florastruck its rear end again with the chair.

I know what the sorcerer knew, I said.

"Oh, what's that?" he asked, slicing off another section andslipping on its gooey exudation as he retreated.

You might well be able to draw enough energy through Werewindle todestroy a world.

"Really?" he said, struggling to regain his feet as a section of thecreature thrust itself upon him. "All right."

He touched it with the point of his blade and it withdrew from himas if shocked. Then he rose to his feet.

"You're right," he said. "There's something to it." He touched theattacking segment again and it vanished in a burst of blue fire."Flora! Get back!" he cried.

She did, and he proceeded to incinerate the section that had beenabout to attack her. Then another that came at him.

"I'm getting the hang of it," he said, turning to get anothersegment. "But I'm not quite sure why it works this way."

It's not just a sword, I said.

"What is it, then?"

Long before there was Werewindle, it was the spikard Rawg.

"Spikard? Like that strange ring Merlin picked up?"

Exactly.

With rapid moves then, Luke disposed of the rest of the guisel.

"Thanks, Frakir," he said, "for telling me how the thing worked.I'd better try a quick search for that sorcerer now, though I've a hunchhe disappeared into the nearest mirror."

I'd guess that, too.

"What was his name?"

He didn't say.

"It figures."

"Flora," he continued, "I'm going to look for that sorcerer. I'llbe back in a bit. Good show."

She gave him a smile and he departed. Needless to say, the sorcererdid not turn up.

"Wonder where he came from, beyond the mirror," Luke asked.

I've no idea, I replied. I think I might be more interested inthe person who sent that thing after him.

Luke nodded.

"What now?" he asked.

I guess we tell Flora that her Peeping Tom has hit the road, Isaid. You're a sorcerer. Any way of fixing her mirrors so he can'tpull that routine again?

"I think so," Luke said, moving to the nearest window and lookingout. "I'll fix them in just a bit. What about you?"

I'd like to get back to Merlin.

"I can't send you through by Trumps if he's in the Courts--and Isuspect he is."

What about Werewindle?

"I still don't know exactly how it works. I'm going to have topractice some with it."

Uh--why are you here? I asked.

"Had to talk to Vialle about a number of things," he said, "and shetold me that Corwin might be by soon--and she offered me room and boardif I wanted to wait for him for a few days."

Well, if you can wear me till he gets here maybe I can persuade himto take me with him. I've a feeling he'll be seeing Merlin again soon.