The Courts of Chaos, chapter 3

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. You may well have a lot of reading ahead of you.

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Oberon, the missing king of Amber, returned with a plan to repair the Pattern. However, Dara also returned to Amber, apparently allied with Oberon and issuing orders to the family in his name, but Corwin wasn't sure if she could be trusted. And it turns out he has also had a son by her, Merlin, whose loyalties, whether to Amber or Chaos, are unknown. With Chaos attempting to dominate Shadow and Brand wanting to destroy and remake Amber in his own image, Dara has chosen to restore a balance between the two realms.

Corwin went to the primal Amber to get Oberon to vouch for Dara, which he did. However, Corwin also discovered that Oberon's plan to restore the Pattern would likely cost him his own life as well. He grabs the Jewel of Judgment and attempts to carry the plan out himself, but is stopped.

Later, Oberon informs Corwin that it is time to carry out his orders to hellride to Chaos. From Corwin's blood, he creates a red "bloodbird"—a messenger bird, like a red raven, that will carry the Jewel of Judgment to Corwin once Oberon has finished his work (successfully or not) on the primal Pattern.

As Corwin rides, it is evident that reality is changing around him as Oberon does his magic. Eventually the bloodbird appears, delivering the Jewel. Whatever Oberon was doing is now done, and its effects, good or bad, will ripple out from Amber.

Corwin continues his hellride, but it appears as though he is losing control of Shadow. Brand appears—he is attempting to block Corwin's progress by trapping him in a small Shadow. However, Corwin eludes him by unexpectedly travelling in a circle tather than a straight line.

As Shadow continues to become more surreal, Corwin uses the power of the Jewel to stabilize it. However, Brand is still waiting for him.

Zelazny has a way of writing that he uses when Corwin hellrides, that vividly reflects the way reality changes around him:

Forward, over pale grasses … The smell of fresh earth … Mountains or dark clouds far ahead … A rush of stars from my left … A quick spray of moisture … A blue moon leaps into the sky … Flickerings among the dark masses … Memories and a rumbling noise … Stormsmell and rushing air…

However, this chapter is almost all hellride, and so most of the prose is like this. It's confusing, so I hope my plot summary is accurate, as I had to re-read a few parts to grasp what was going on.

Oberon creating a red bird by blowing Corwin's blood into the air seems like a new magical power invented in the fly to suit the plot. However, at the end of Nine Princes in Amber, Corwin also created two birds out of thin air to convey messages to Eric and himself. So materializing messenger birds seems to be another of those Amberite abilities.

Corwin was unable to affect Shadow while in Amber, but that was before he knew his Amber was just another Shadow, albeit one closer to the primal Amber. Now that he does know, he finds it easier to walk in Shadow. It's as though knowing you can manipulate a particular reality is a prerequisite to actually doing it.

Something tells me we're going to get yet another parley between enemies in the next chapter. Will it again shift the alliances between Corwin and his family? We'll have to wait until Sunday to find out.