Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of The Hand of Oberon by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. I recommend you support your local bookseller or public library, and read the book first.
Learning that Brand had again disappeared, Corwin began a hellride to Earth to retrieve the Jewel of Judgment, which he had hidden in the compost pile at his New York house, before Brand could find it. He encountered Julian on a hunt in the forest of Arden. Julian warned him that Brand had become more powerful than the rest of them in the ways of Shadow, calling him a "living Trump."
When Corwin arrives at the house, he discovers that the compost pile—and with it, the Jewel—is gone. Remembering that his lawyer friend, Bill Roth, had offered to try to sell the house, he pays Bill a visit to try and track down his compost. Bill hired a local contractor, Ed Wellan, to clean up the yard and renovate the house. Ed kept the compost for himself, however, and took it to his own farm. Bill also tells Corwin that there has been buyer interest in the house: a redheaded, bearded man visited the property. It is Brand, obviously. Corwin contacts Gérard to warn him that Brand is still alive and must be kept away from the Pattern at all costs. The same goes for the mirror Pattern in Rebma. He then rides to Ed's farm to search for the Jewel.
It's nice to see Bill back. He's an interesting character. In Sign of the Unicorn, a hospital nurse saw Corwin trump out right in front of her, and only Bill believed her. He's perceptive enough to figure out that his close friend "Carl" is a superhuman being not of this Earth, and has probably seen just enough uncanniness around him to take that fact in stride. I wonder whether Corwin will ever make good on that promise to give him a tour of Amber?
I'm afraid not much happens in this chapter, but it does set up a future confrontation between Corwin and Brand over the Jewel of Judgment. We'll see where this goes next Thursday.
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