11.   The Abduction.

Akin pulled out his small deck and slid his aunt’s Trump into it before looking at that of Brand. He had never met the man before, but had heard stories of him and recalling them now made him nervous. Just what did Aunt Deirdre expect him to say? By the way, would you tell me your secret plans for Amber? He shook his head with the thought. Then he shrugged and concentrated on the Trump...

Surprisingly the call was answered almost immediately. But as the Trump gained dimensions, a man reclining in an oversized armchair behind a large desk crowded with manuscripts and maps did not look at all like the picture on the card Akin was holding in his hand. He was much heavier, with a lot of gray in his thinning hair, though it still flamed red in a few places. Hard lines on his face and bags under his eyes testified not only of age but also of ill health. He wore a long plush green robe over velvet trousers, also green, and a silk black shirt. A large medallion was clearly visible under the open robe – a falling star on a starry background – just like the one that had been seen on Elektra. Two large portraits in dark frames were on the wall to his left, the wall to his right having been taken by the enormous fireplace. One depicted a woman in black, a black shawl over her dark hair. Her face would have been rather plain but for the overwhelming gray eyes that seemed to penetrate one’s soul. Another one was of a teenage girl; her eyes also gray but icy cold as if dagger points, long red tresses framing the face of mother of pearl complexion.  Elektra, no doubt! Both portraits were masterpieces, which would be desperately fought for by any museum.

Brand slowly put down the manuscript he had been reading and looked up at Akin with a somewhat annoyed expression. “Hmm… I don’t seem to recognize you, young man. Who’re you and what do you want?“

In his eyes, Akin finally saw the man who had once almost remade the Universe in his own image; the man whose name still instilled such fear that it was only whispered in Amber. He could not help feeling the same fear rising in him now, and unconsciously glanced at Elektra’s portrait as if appealing for help to the girl he had never spoken to. He was also stunned by Brand’s appearance. He certainly was not expecting this. He licked his lips and looked at Brand again, remembering the red haired man the factory guard had referred to. Did Brand have a son that no one knew about? Finally he gave a polite bow and introduced himself, giving his complete name and parentage. He cleared his throat not sure of the best way to proceed.

“My Lord, I’ve been sent here by my Aunt Deirdre. She’s… concerned about recent developments in a location that she’s been in for many years now. As you know, she’s now longer in Amber, and only wishes to be left alone. Only through a most unusual accident, did I run across her.”

He then told Brand the basics of seeing a man that had fit his description perfectly, well… the Trump likeness anyway, that his aunt had believed to be him. Akin did not tell him where this had occurred, or under which circumstances, or anything about his mission for King Random. Right now it was a poker game with high stakes, and he knew that his own hand was very weak.

Brand grinned. “Hmm, son of Corwin… There were times when it would’ve taken a lot of guts for a son of Corwin to call upon me. But I suppose we all are one big happy family now.” The grimace on Brand’s face was far from being happy. It softened somewhat when he noticed Akin’s gaze still fixed on the portrait.  “This is my daughter, Ele. She’ll be joining us shortly as I’ve sent for her just before you interrupted my studies…”

Akin almost gasped. So he had been shot at, nearly driven over and then abandoned on a desert road to find out that Elektra had been peacefully residing at home all this time?

“As for Deirdre, we got separated after we fell into the Abyss…” Brand continued

Akin blinked. Fell? That is after you dragged her into the Abyss. But of course he did not say it aloud.

“…And I haven’t seen her since then and have no desire to. Tell the bitch, I know perfectly well where she is, but I’ve never given a second thought to paying her a visit. What for? The woman was always half-crazy, and, from what I’ve heard, is totally nuts now…”

Brand was interrupted by a nasty looking, blue-bearded retainer who entered the room dragging with him a disheveled, blue-haired girl. Akin did not understand the conversation carried on in a language unknown to him, but, judging by the look on his uncle’s face, the news were not very comforting. His eyes hardened again as he glared at Akin.

“I’ve just been told Ele left for Amber this morning and hasn’t been seen since then. And now I have an honor of your visit… What a coincidence, isn’t it?” He slowly straightened his back suddenly looking very agile… and very dangerous. “So enough of bullshit, nephew!  Start talking… and fast… that’s if you still value your life.”

“Of course, Uncle Brand.” Akin smiled as he reached through the trump, suddenly grabbed the girl, and yanked her through to him. He then broke the contact muttering a silent curse for his aunt dropping him off in the middle of nowhere. He pushed the girl down onto the sand on her stomach and kneeled across her back to keep her down, warning her to be quiet and not make a sound. He pulled out his Trumps, found the one of Deirdre and concentrated until he made contact with his aunt.

Dressed in a long, black-lace nightgown, she was combing her hair in front of a Baroque dressing table with a large, gold-framed mirror. Getting ready for bed, no doubt, the hour being rather late indeed.

“Yes Akin, what is it? What did Brand say?”

“Not much. Very little in fact, but I’m suspicious. The Brand I talked to didn’t look like the Brand that was at the factory…” He slowly looked around himself. He was way too exposed here and needed to leave and very soon! “Aunt Deirdre, I don’t have much time. I grabbed one of Elektra’s handmaidens from Uncle Brand. I think she might know where Elektra is. He’s not too happy with me right now, so I’m going to leave this Shadow. What I want you to do is to move all the weapons to another place as soon as you can!”

“You did what??” She looked stunned and not at all happy with the news, but said nothing else, just looked at him intently bit her lip and broke the contact.

He stood up hauling the girl up by her arm. “I don’t know who you’re, but I will. I’m Akin. That’s all you need to know for now. Keep your mouth shut and don’t attempt to fight me or run.  You cooperate with me and you’ll be safe. You do anything else, and I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”

The girl looked with wide eyes and just nodded dumbly. He did not plan on killing her or harming her, but he wanted her scared right now so that she would do whatever she was told. He grabbed her hand and started walking quickly after putting away his trumps, seeking to connect with Shadow. He was not ready or prepared to do any great traveling yet, but still had to get as far away from his point of contact with Brand as possible. He quickly walked, looking on the ground as they traveled along the road where Deirdre had dropped him off. Finally he stopped and bent over to pick up some keys. He knew that there would probably be a car on the other side of the rise about a mile away, and sure enough there was, a great green convertible Stutz Bearcat!

He opened the door and shoved the girl to slide on the front seat, and then climbed in behind the wheel and put the key in the ignition, starting the car with a roar. The gas tank was of course full. He put the car into gear and tore off to the east in a cloud of dust, swerving back onto the road.

 “Don't worry...we’re taking a little ride. Things may get... strange. However, if you wish to stay alive you will stay in the car and do NOT do anything to distract me.”

He glared at the girl for a moment and then returned back to driving, set for the hellride eastwards. The girl just sat motionlessly partially turned to watch him, as the desert turned to plains and then grassland. The sky darkened and lightened and changed from blue to brown to orange as the sun started dropping towards the western horizon. No one else was on the road that shimmered in the heat before them and then changed from gray to black and smoothed out. Hills started to rise up from the horizon, and forests soon filled the landscape to the north. He slammed on the brakes as they came up to a fork in the road, and cranked the wheel hard to the side to send the car squealing along the north fork and away from the dust storm that was building up behind them. The girl never said a word; she just stared out through the windshield at the changing scenery.

The sky darkened again, and he slowed the car down and stopped. He jumped out, put the top up, and climbed back into the car to speed off north again. Just in time, as the rain struck hard and plastered the car.  He slowed down more as he drove into the forest. The road wove and twisted and became bumpier, and the trees grew larger and closed in around it. Huge bats and strange birds made the girl scream as they flicked in the headlights. He noticed large things moving behind the trees beside the car, and pushed the accelerator a bit to put them behind. When they left the enchanted forest behind them, he figured it was time to stop for the night, and looked for a place to pull off the road, which had now turned into a little more than a trail that rattled the car. When he felt that the spot was right, he drove the car into a clump of bushes off the path. He turned off the engine and the lights, leaning back and letting out a sigh of relief, shaking out his hands. They still had ways to go, but needed to change transportation before the car would no longer function. In the light of two moons bathing the ground around them, he turned towards the girl to take his first good look at her.

“What’s your name? And, why is my Uncle Brand so upset with you?”

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