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The Baroness drew her through. Amba found herself in the most private of the Baroness's offices, a room shielded, as the Baroness had once lightly claimed, against all but the most withering of attacks.

"There is a war," said the Baroness quietly, "primarily between Ishtar and Sawall, because of what happened at the Logrus at First Sky. It should involve only those two, and the forces opposed to Amber's existence are already rejoicing at seeing the two great Houses that demanded Amber's preservation tearing great bleeding chunks out of each other. But more and more of us are being drawn in—House Heldt is threatened because you, Amba, were there.

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

Amba was shocked that they would be linked to any incident resulting in a war- there was nothing in Amber to suggest... No, before. She was so concerned about what was happening now, that she had almost forgotten what had gone before. Gods, was that only the previous day? And thinking about what the Baroness said, was Duke Helgram taking advantage of this schism—or did he have some hand in it?

"There is more to this than seems at first blush," Amba said, still half caught up in her thoughts. She so wanted to try to contact Lord Torren—but first the Baroness had to be satisfied that this was only the tip of the iceberg.

"There was a problem with a scion of Helgram—Baroness Solitaire Helgram. She had been sent here apparently to ease our transition—Helena, myself, and Tasha Minobee—into Amber. Lord Mandor wanted us there for some reason; I thought to parade before the Amber King, but too many have a hand in for me to know if that was a ruse or fact." She gratefully took the glass that the Baroness offered, taking a sip to steady herself and hopefully take a moment to quiet the whirlwind of her thoughts.

"We found her at the temple of the serpent, and there was an altercation—the Baroness thought the Logrus in pain, and we had to subdue her. But that is not the root of the problem, I don't think. Lord Suhuy, Lord Despil Sawall, and Lord Jurt Sawall were there—along with Lord Torren Ishtar and Princess Fiona Barimen-Ishtar." She studied her mentor's face as she rattled off those names that may have been responsible for the current predicament, taking the opportunity to partake of another sip of her drink.

"Lord Despil complained to Lord Suhuy about being left behind when we left to attend him, and was unceremoniously cast from the temple. Lord Suhuy said something cryptic... About his state being a message to Princess Fiona," she added, trying to recall exactly what happened. "But I'm not sure what happened after that. Lord Jurt met us at Ishtarways to escort us all to Amber, and alluded to a brewing war, but gave no specifics, and was not forthcoming when questioned, even by Helena."

"I'd hazard a guess that somehow, the Sawalls took exception to the state that Despil was returned in, and incorrectly blamed it on Princess Fiona. Though that really doesn't scan—Lord Despil knew who had mistreated him, and Lord Jurt was not apparently part of the dispute. So there's something I'm missing..."

"...but Amber!" she said, her thoughts drawn back to the altercation she had left. "There's something going on—Duke Helgram intends to destroy one of the Patterns... Now! And I tried to contact..." She paused, unsure of how the Baroness would take that she attempted to contact Princess Fiona. Though they did get along splendidly, she wasn't sure how deeply that extended beyond a mutual respect. "...Lord Torren, to let him know that Helena was in danger, and some sort of attack was reflected back towards me through the trump—thankfully consumed before it could do any harm to me. But I still need to contact him! Perhaps this will stop this silly conflict!"

"It's hardly silly," said the Baronness. "The Lady Fiona has been gravely injured—as was Lord Despil. Both sides are now claiming a blood feud. Lord Sawall, of course, is notoriously choleric. Some would say barking mad. But on this occasion Lord Ishtar, usually the sanest of men, is not far behind him. Some say the Witch of Amber is egging him on to avenge her. I believe...something more is involved. Something...alarming.

"Yes, Amba. You should contact Lord Ishtar...but the Ways are under, at the very least, sternest surveillance. So far I have fought to keep our neutrality... "

She was silent, clearly thinking.

"Well, no," Amba said, "I misspoke. But personal injury is less important than what is going on in Amber, and I think it will force this matter to take a backseat." She paused for a moment, then asked, "How grave is Princess Fiona's injury? Will she be ok?"

"She lost one hand. The other was, I believe, saved. This was no trifling injury. On the other side, Lord Despil is blind. The last thing he saw, he says, was the Lady Fiona."

"And how do you suppose that I should contact Lord Ishtar and cling to neutrality at the same time?"

"Untraceably," said the Baronness. "Shifted beyond recognition, of course. And fully aware that if you are caught, House Heldt will, publicly at least, cast you off for having disobeyed the strictest of orders not to contact Lord Ishtar."

Amba nodded absently.

"As for taking a back seat... Amba, to those of the Duke's party, Amber is a back seat, or rather a little pimple that should have been pricked and cleansed away up long, long ago. This is merely a little unfinished business."

"It's passing strange that Lord Torren couldn't shift it back for her," Amba mused. "There's more to this story than anyone's telling," she said.

The Baronness nodded in rueful agreement.

"And that reasoning is dangerous at best. Reality has adjusted to Lord Dworkin's creation—how will the destruction of one of reality's anchors have an effect on everything else—including the Courts?"

"But there is one person who will see the reality of this—and can perhaps give me some concrete answers," she said.

Handing the trump in her hand to the Baroness, she had her first doubt on this subject. These ways—this woman—had been her anchor for many years. She thought of what the Baroness said about disavowal, and had to suppress a shiver. But her resolve quickly firmed. "Keep this for me? For when I return?" she asked plaintively.

"I shall," the baroness agreed. And then her stern face softened a little. "And Amba, my dear...be very careful."

Amba gave her a wan smile, then was gone before she could change her mind. She regretted the urgency which she had left—her sword was still in Amber. Shifting as she walked, she headed to the armory to procure another; she had the unsettling feeling that she would need it. The shifting was more to protect House Heldt than herself; no one knew that she was back, and she needed to keep it that way for the nonce.

Even shifted to the extreme, there was still a chance she would be recognized; and if Ishtar was in an uproar, how would she make it past their defenses? Misdirection was the key; even with the ability to shift, that would be the final touch that would get her through. Grabbing a cloak from the armory in addition to the sword and a knife, she wrapped the garment closely about her as she began to shift one last time as she made her way out of Heldtways.

[continued in Stealing into Ishtarways]

Candid Discussions—Amba, Baroness Heldt