“Shall we sit down?” she said, taking my hand and leading me toward the couch.

Vialle had told me to be diplomatic, so I followed her.

Immediately, she continued our embrace and began to add refinements. Danm! And me constrained to rush her out to cover for Coral. If she would, I'd be happy to cover her afterward. Or any other interesting position Begmans might go in for. I'd better ask quickly, though, I decided. A couple of minutes more and it would be very undiplomatic to begin talking about her sister. Today was just a bad day when it came to timing.

“Before we get too involved here,” I said, “I've got to ask a favor of you.”

“Ask me anything,” she said.

“I think there's going to be a delay in turning up your sister,” I explained, “and I'd hate to worry your father. Do you know whether he's sent to her rooms yet, or been by them, to check on her?”

“I don't believe so. He strolled off with Gerard and Mr. Roth after dinner. I don't think he's returned to his apartment yet.”

“Could you possibly find a way of giving him the impression that she hasn't strayed? Buy me some time to find out where she's off to?”

She looked amused.

“And those things you haven't told me..?”

“I'll give you the whole story if you'll do this for me.”

She traced my jawline with her index finger.

“All right,” she said then. “We have a deal. Don't go away.”

She rose, crossed the room, and passed out into the hall, leaving the door a few inches ajar. Why hadn't I had a nice normal affair since Julia? The last woman I'd made love to had actually been under the control of that strange body-shifting entity. Now... Now there was the faintest of shadows across the couch, as I realized that I'd rather be holding Coral than her sister. That was ridiculous. I'd only known her for half a day...

There had simply been too much activity since my return. I was getting punchy. That had to be it.

When she returned she seated herself on the couch again, but this time with a couple of feet separating us. She seemed cheerful enough, though she made no move to resume our earlier occupation.

“It's taken care of,” she said. “He will be misled, if he asks.”

“Thanks,” I told her.

“Now it's your turn,” she stated. “Tell me things.”

“All right,” I began, and I launched into the story of Coral and the Pattern.

“No,” she interrupted. “Start at the beginning, would you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Give me your whole day, from the time you left the palace togethet until you parted.”

“That's silly,” I protested.

“Humor me,” she said. “You owe me one, remember?”

“Very well,” I agreed, and I started again. I was able to skip over the bit about blasting the table in the cafj, but when I glossed over the business in the sea caves by saying that we'd looked around in them and found them pretty, she interrupted me.

“Stop,” she said. “You're leaving something out. What occurred in the caves?”

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

“That is a secret I do not care to share just now.” she explained. “Suffice it to say I have a means of spotchecking your veracity.”

“It's not relevant,” I said. “It will just confuse the issue. That's why I omitted it.”

“You said you'd give me the whole afternoon.”

“All right, lady,” I agreed, and I did.

She bit her lip while I told her about Jurt and the zombies, and she licked idly at the beads of blood that appeared thereafter.

“What are you going to do about him?” she asked suddenly.

“That's my problem,” I said then. “I promised you the afternoon, not my memoirs and survival plans.”

“It's just that... Remember, I offered to try to help you?”

“What do you mean? Do you think you can nail Jurt for me? I've got news for you: He's practically a candidate for godhood at the moment.”

“What do you mean by `godhood'?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“It would take most of the night to tell you this story properly, and we don't have the time, not if I'm going to start looking for Coral soon. Just let me finish with the business about the Pattern, will you?”

“Go ahead.”

I did, and she showed no surprise whatsoever at the matter of her sister's paternity. I was going to question her as to her lack of reaction. Then I said, the hell with it. She's done what I wanted, and I did what I promised. She hasn't had a heart attack. And now it's time to go.

“That's it,” I said, and I added, “Thanks.”

I began to rise, and she moved quickly and was hugging me again.

I returned her embrace for a moment, then said, “I'd really better be going.,Coral could be in danger.”

“The hell with her,” she said. “Stay with me. We have more important things to talk about.”

I was surprised by her callousness, but I tried not to show it.

“I've a duty to her,” I said, “and I've got to see to it now.”

“All right,” she said, sighing. “I'd better come along and give you a hand.”

“How?” I asked.

“You'd be surprised,” she told me, and she was on her feet and smiling a twisted smile.

I nodded, feeling that she was probably right.

We hiked back along the hallway to my apartment. When I opened the door and summoned the lights, Nayda did a fast survey of the first room. She froze when she saw my coatrack.

“Queen Jasra!” she said.

“Yep. She had a disagreement with a sorcerer named Mask,” I explained. “Guess who won?”

Nayda raised her left hand and moved it in a slow pattern-behind Jasra's neck and down her back, across her chest, then downward again. I did not recognize any of the movements she was performing.

“Don't tell me that you're a sorceress, too,” I said. “It seems that everyone I run into these days has had some training in the Art.”

“I am not a sorceress,” she answered, “and I've had no such training. I have only one trick and it is not sorcery, but I use it for everything.”

“And what is that trick?” I asked.

She ignored the question, then said, “My, she's certainly tightly bound. The key lies somewhere in the region of her solar plexus. Did you know that?”

“Yes,” I replied. “I understand the spell fully.”

“Why is she here?”

“Partly because I promised her son Rinaldo I'd rescue her from Mask, and partly as an assurance against his good behavior.”

I pushed the door shut and secured it. When I turned back, she was facing me.

“Have you seen him recently?” she said in a conversational tone.

“Yes. Why?”

“Oh, no special reason.”

“I thought we were trying to help each other, “ I said.

“I thought we were looking for my sister.”

“It can wait another minute if you know something special about Rinaldo.”

“I was just curious where he might be right now.”

I turned away and moved to the chest where I keep art supplies. I removed the necessary items and took them to my drawing board. While I was about it, I said, “I don't know where he is.”

I set up the piece of pasteboard, seated myself and closed my eyes, summoning a mental image of Coral, preliminary to beginning her sketch. Again, I half wondered whether the picture in my mind, along with the appropriate magical endorsement, would be sufficient for contact. But now was not the time to mess around being experimental. I opened my eyes and began to draw. I used the techniques I'd learned in the Courts, which are different yet similar to those employed in Amber. I was qualified to execute them in either fashion, but I'm faster with the style I learned first.

Nayda came over and stood near, watching, not asking whether I minded. As it was, I did not.

“When did you see him last?” she asked.

“Who?”

“Luke.”

“This evening,” I answered.

“Where?”

“He was here earlier.”