Sorcha's Diary

Chapter 1 - A reunion with my mother

I sit and write this now, not in my native Phehemony, but in a strange room in what my mother informs me is the Tower of Lethe. She sits in the main hall of this building she created, waiting for me to finish this. Some sort of ordeal awaits me, something which my mother informs me will either kill me or give me the tools to save not only my Kingdom, but Amber, The Courts, and possibly the whole of reality.
However I start this entry not at the beginning but at the end.

The day grew long, and the sun sank towards the horizon. In the distance the feint outline of castle Kalus grew more distinct, until it faded into the darkness of night. As the roads turned familiar and my thoughts turned to memories of childhood, I heard the first chime of the bell. I turned to speak to the captain, but the world seemed to freeze about me, greying with each passing chime. As the world solidified once more into a grey landscape I caught the distinct signs of something approaching, a tall demonic grey something, different yet similar to the Ice Demons.

Instinctively I drew my sword. The demon circled verily then charged. I sidestepped, catching it a blow with the sword. Had it been an Ice Demon the blow would have been disabling, but the blade barely cut it. It came again more cautiously this time. Again I swung, catching it across its torso, but barely cutting it. Both of us now knew I had the upper hand. I stepped into it driving it back looking for a killing opening. When it came I took it.

As with drew the sword from its dead body, more demons appeared, three to be exact. This one had been tough, could I handle three,I wasn't sure.
Then I saw it, the purple tendril again, snaking its way through the gray towards me.
The demons charged.
I had a choice demons or tendril. The demons would get to me first. I readied myself.

I had been wrong. The tendril arrived first. As I flashed skyward, the demons thundered through the space I had just occupied. What ever fate awaited me I would see shortly, for the tendirl held me immobile in its grip. I could not even change shape.

Some time passed, the world flashing about me in a strange matrix of swirling mists of colour. Slowly the swirling diminished and I found yourself travelling across a featureless grey plain towards a large tower, on top of which sat a blue prism. As I approached I realized that the prism was the destination and braced for impact, yet the impact never came and the tendril drew me through its walls.

Inside a strange sight awaited me. A writhing shifting mass of purple occupied the center of a pair of concentric rings on the floor perhaps 21 and 49 meters in diameter. In the center of each 100m wall was a painting some 50m wide, 40m high, hung perhaps, 5m from the ceiling and 15m above the floor. As the tendril deposited me, and another fellow in the most strangest of garbs on the floor, it and the writhing mass condensed and coalesced  into the shape of a black haired woman in a green dress. Strangely the woman was the spitting image of my mother, unchanged from the image I remember from 12 long years ago.

She spoke "Hello Sorcha, it's been a long time"

My world collapsed about me. It was my mother. For several long minutes we did little but hug one another. Then a little embarrassed she turned to the other figure 

"I'm sorry about that, it's just I haven't seen my daughter in a long time. At one time I feared I would never see her again. You're probably wondering who I am, why you've been brought here and whats going on.
My name is Dierdre and once I was an Amberite, a term that is probably meaningless to you. I am now the "Living Logrus", a counter balance to the Pattern created by my brother Corwin at the end of the PatternFall war. Don't worry about what that was or how it happened it is all history now and not necessarily pertinent to your current situation.
For want of a better description, you, my daughter, and 3 others I retrieved, in what for you was yesterday, are lost Amberites, children of my half-brothers and sisters, that are unknown to Brand - another of my half brothers - and for want of a better description my murderer, but again that is not truely pertinent.
The reason you and the others were brought here, although they have long been sent on their way, is that you all being unknown to Brand are in a position to act against him and rectify the damage he has so far caused, although if what the Serpent has said comes to pass it will be of little significance in the scheme of things.
But now is not really the time to discuss all of this, as I know my daughter wishes to clean herself up and deal with her wounds after her ordeal with the Ice Demons. So if you would care to make use of the facilities"
At this point she waved her arms and a large building ( approx 200ft long, 70ft wide, and 70ft high) resembling the great hall of Kalus,in Phehemony appeared inside the room we appeared to be in. She finished her sentence
"whilst she does this I can then fill you both in on the all the details without needing to repeat myself."

I did indeed wish to do as she suggested. Having bathed and changed, yes there were clothes in my size and even in the style I preferred, I return to the main hall to find her and my companion, who she introduced as Damon, engaged in idle conversation.

She waved her hand again , and tables of food and comfortable chairs appeared. We sat and we talked, uncomfortably at first and then with more ease. At last she came to her tale. How her brother, Brand had fallen into the Abyss, and dragged her in with him. How he had not died but struck a deal with the Kraken. How the serpent had saved her. How her brother had attacked Amber and learned of the Children of Rodian. How he had broken the seal of the Great Keep. How the Unicorn and Phoenix must be brought to this tower, how the pattern in Amber must be restored, and of the book of Selheim which is reputed to tell all that is required.

What came next is the strangest of all, yet I write this because I must face the ordeal she has offered me. As the living Logrus she has the ability to grant me great power at least as great in its own way to the Pattern of Amber, something I should walk when its restored. To do this I must merge with her, not in her human form, but in the form I first saw when I arrived.
This is not without considerable risk to me, for if I have not the fortitude or skill then I will die in the attempt. For my Kingdom it is a risk I must take.