“There could, of course, be a number of people involved, each acting in his own interest —”

“And now that the matter is imminent they’ll have to surface soon?”

“It would seem so, wouldn’t it?”

A smile. A shrug.

“No reason for a coronation to end it all,” he said.

“A crown does not automatically make a person daggerproof.”

“But the successor would come to power with a lot of bad baggage.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time in history. And if you stop to think about it, some very good monarchs have come to power under such a cloud. By the way, has it occurred to you that the others might be speculating along these lines about you?”

“Yes, and it makes me uncomfortable. My father wanted the throne of Amber for a long time, and it really messed up his life. He was only happy when he said the hell with it. If I learned anything from his story, that’s it. I have no such ambition.”

But for a moment, I wondered. What would it feel like to control a massive state? Every time I complained about politics, here, in Amber, back in the States on the Shadow Earth, there was the automatic corollary of considering the way I’d manage situations if I were in charge.

“I wonder?” Mandor repeated.

I glanced downward.

“Perhaps the others are looking into their own saying pools just now,” I said, “hoping for clues.”

“Doubtless,” he responded. “What if Tubble and Tmer did meet untimely ends? What would you do?”

“Don’t even think about it,” I said. “It won’t happen.”

“Suppose.”

“I don’t know.”

“You really should make some sort of decision, just to have it out of the way. You’re never at a loss for words when you know your own mind.”