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(Continued from Delluth's Decision and All Fall Down).

They found themselves in a beautiful room, furnished with exquisite taste in a somewhat feminine style. As they came through, Merlin was saying to Morgan somewhat ruefully, "You know, at some point Flora is going to realise I'm running the kingdom from her private apartments, and start making pointed remarks."

Morgan chuckled.

Then Merlin turned to Delluth. "Good evening, Doctor. What have you done with my brother?"

Vikund slipped the trump back in his silver cigarette case and slipped it into his jacket pocket. He took a step back, perhaps expecting to be dismissed but not wishing to leave until told to. His expression betrayed nothing.

There was no sign of dismissal from Merlin - at least, not yet.

Delluth, on the other hand, looked a bit wary, even as he spoke in his best 'giving bad news to relatives' mode. "He needed life support, your majesty. I had to impose artificial respiration, and work hard to keep his heart going at all, and his brain function ... he seemed comatose. Lady Petra had told me that he stepped into a trap involving Pattern energy, here in the palace. So I transferred him to where the proper facilities exist and the only place I could reach in a hurry - House Corrino."

Merlin went very still. When he spoke, his voice was hardly above a whisper.

"You sent my brother - helpless - into the middle of a civil war in Chaos?"

Delluth held very still, and spoke not much more loudly. "For all I knew there was a civil war here, too ... and Duke Helgram was certainly poised to do something perhaps catastrophic."

"Perhaps," said Merlin. "But Mandor had friends here. Instead you seized the opportunity to send a hostage to your House, didn't you? Didn't you? If he hasn't been sold already to Ishtar for Fiona to wreak her revenge on him ... "

He turned away, shaking - with anger or perhaps horror at what had happened.

Morgan met Merlin's eyes briefly as the king turned, then looked once more at Delluth. His expression was one of polite, and slightly bored, interest.

Delluth's shoulders twitched, as if he'd stifled a shrug as inappropriate. "I think it's more likely that they're waiting to see whether or not he'll recover at all, your majesty. I'm sorry, but it's a real possibility that he won't, even with the best care."

"Then I suggest you find out, now, his position and his condition," said Merlin. "Vikund - I want a Shadow prepared to receive him - sealed from Pattern, and the highest level of medical care. Flora has a few pet Shadows that should be suitable, if you've nothing to hand."

"I shall speak with Her Royal Highness," Vikund replied. He bowed curtly and left.

(Vikund goes to ?)

Merlin swung round to face Delluth.

"Doctor - I'm waiting."

Delluth had managed to get his Trump collection out of his pocket. "I'll try, your majesty," he said dubiously, glancing around the room. A nearby chair offered an opportunity to prevent anyone looking over his shoulder; he fished out a Trump as he approached it and seated himself. The seconds stretched out while he focused on the card, suggesting a further reason why he preferred to be sitting down.

Merlin moved towards Morgan and spoke in a low voice. "If you were Helgram, and you'd failed ... what would you do next?"

"Hit somewhere else, hard, while my enemies are congratulating themselves on their victory," Morgan answered without hesitation. "Take out the remnants of Oberon's line, perhaps, if they're all gathered together. Or hit another manifestations of the Pattern. Rebma, perhaps. Or the so-called Primal Pattern, if I could reach it."

Merlin nodded. "Something else for Flora to do: get a warning to Llewella. Unless ... Hell, was Islain involved in the escape? She'd be able to alert the Rebmans if she was still around."

"I'd forgotten Ith," Morgan confessed. "Another one of those annoying coincidences, that she shows up just as this all comes down. Yeah, we need to find out where she is and what she's doing."

Merlin nodded. "Flora should be including her in the round-up.

"As for the Primal ... Mandor's not found it in a hundred years. I don't give much for the Duke's chances in a few days. As for the other thing ... where are we weakest? Where's Amber itself weakest?"

"In our divisions. If it was me, I'd be pulling a few strings and bringing simmering resentments to a boil. I could have this city in a state of riot within the day. So could Vik, for that matter. But I doubt the Duke has the patience or the knowledge to do that, it doesn't seem his style." Morgan shook his head thoughtfully. "Something more direct and hands on for him. He could burn out the shantytowns, but while that's sad for the poor it's not a threat to the city as a whole. And unless he brings down fire over the city as a whole our fire-fighting system is sufficient to keep him from burning down the place."

"I'd say our biggest weakness is your lack of direct control of the military. That's a huge occupying army, Merl, and I think it's clear that they'll answer to the Duke over you. I'm not at all certain what they would have done in the face of a conflict between Mandor and the Duke."

Merlin winced. "I suspect he'd have had a better chance of imposing his will than I do. He has leverage in Chaos - I was just the unfortunate result of a mistaken plot that yielded unexpected benefits. I could try the family back home ... but from all accounts they're currently engaged in all out war with one of our former allies. I can hardly see my stepfather breaking off hostilities to take a trip to the Emperor and beg a favour. Maybe Jurt can do something ... whenever I can track him down. I tried trumping him, but his trump's as inert as Mandor's.

"But we need to do something ... to draw the Chaosians off ... Any ideas?"

"Hmm." Morgan thought for a moment, then said, "There's the little Baroness. She's a member of his house, right? I don't know how closely related she is to him, or how seriously he would take a perceived threat to her. If we can talk her into aiding us, and stage either a kidnapping, would he take the bait? And if so, where would we want to lead him?"

"The Abyss, for preference," said Merlin. "Besides, I'm not sure I altogether trust little Miss Mouse. She's been Mandor's pet too long ... and my dearest brother has an insidious way with those he trains. I should know ... I owe most of what I know about sorcery to him. What d'you think we have to get her on side? Marry her off to Jurt?"

Morgan cast a glance at Delluth and lowered his voice even more. "According to Tanstaafl, she's in love with Vik. Don't know how well the spider has her wrapped up, and I don't know how much we can count on him. Also, she's got an interest in Goran, the lad in security at the Queen. She was very upset when she heard he'd been shot. And the way the fox dropped that bit of information into the conversation oh so casually, he knew how she'd react and was doing it on purpose." Morgan grinned. "Love his sense of humour, it reminds me of me." The grin dropped. "Whatever happened to her during her visit to Chaos, she came back with a huge mad-on for Mandor."

Merlin nodded slowly. "The security lad ... Goran? Vincenzo's second? He was around this morning, wasn't he? Up here at the castle." He frowned suddenly. "It might be worth getting him up here too. And Vik ... he's Mandor's. Do you think he'd play ball with us?"

His voice was low too; he was watching Delluth uneasily.

"Oh, yeah, Vik'll play, all right. But he'll be playing us as much as playing with us. Until and unless you can make yourself the best game in town he'll never be completely yours. And even then, he'll have something else going on the side." Morgan shook his head. "But he's too valuable to dismiss out of hand, you'll need to at least make an overture to him."

"Goran, now, is interesting. He was the first crew member from the Queen to reach us after the Johnny-Boy incident, and I dragooned him into helping get you back to the palace and into your room. He identified the problem as Pattern effects on a Chaosian - claims that Petra gave the crew of the Queen lessons about identifying that sort of thing. Maybe so. Or maybe there's something more going on. I like him, though, for what that's worth."

Well," said Merlin, and he smiled suddenly. "That's a key point in his favour. I don't want to strip Petra of all her security system, covert as well as overt, but it might be an idea to have him up here sooner rather than later. They'll be docking soon. Can you get a message sent to the quayside? I'm going to try Mandor and Jurt again."

Morgan opened the door to Flora's chambers and whistled up a servant (quite literally). Once someone was there he instructed them to send a rider down to the docks immediately, letting them know that Petra's man Goran was wanted at the castle without delay.

At the door, as Morgan was conveying the King's instructions, he heard the sound of brisk feet, and then a footman came into view, escorting a Chaosian soldier who looked rather nervous. On seeing Morgan, he saluted smartly.

"A message from Counsellor Ingrey Wereathe, Captain!"

"Really? Well, this should be good." He looked at the soldier, weighing him as a potential threat, and said, "Hang on a tick, lad." He looked back into Flora's rooms, balancing bringing an unknown Chaosian soldier into the king's presence against leaving him alone with a Chaosian master of poisons, then sighed.

"Come on in," he stepped into the room, telling the footman, "Wait out here in case we need a message sent, or until we're ready for you to escort him back out."

Morgan stood where he could see the king and Delluth both, but where the soldier would have to stand facing him with his back to Merlin.

"The King is busy with other matters right now," he told the soldier. "What is your message?"

(Continued in Government From Flora's Chambers)