Chapter 1         Meeting Dad

It was another hot, sweltering summer day.  A horse and rider were ambling along the trail behind a heard of cattle that were lazily making their way up to the meadow to graze.  The rider pulled her hat low over her eyes to shield herself from the glare of the afternoon sun and leaned forward in her saddle.  She looked off to her right to see if Hank, another rider was still there to bring in any stragglers.

"Let's get 'em on in there, Hank.  I'm ready for some lunch," she called over to him and brought her mount to a halt.

"Sure thing, Perdita," he replied and brought his horse around to close the gate behind the last steer.  He paused to make sure that all was well in the laziness of the afternoon.

Perdita had already reached her seventeenth year this summer and was working at the local ranch in Helwelena.  She had grown up into an attractive young woman, despite her own efforts.  At first glance, you might not recognize her with what she was wearing.

She wore her black cowboy hat down low, nearly over her bright green eyes.  Her auburn hair was in a single braid down her back.  She dressed like a typical cowboy--light blue denim shirt, black jeans, black leather chaps and cowboy boots with a pair of spurs.  The only thing that looked out of place was the long sword hanging off her hip where a gun would normally be.

Perdita pulled up to the spreading chestnut tree and dismounted, causing her spurs to jangle.  She turned to her horse, Earl Grey and proceeded to remove her lunch from the saddlebag.  Her mother had packed her some jerky and a little cornbread along with a small canteen of ginger water.  She didn't bother tying Earl Grey off and let him graze freely under the shade.

"I like lazy days like these," Hank said as he joined her in the shade with his saddle bags.  "I can't get over how you let that horse do whatever he wants.  If I don't tie Smokey to the hitching post or to something he'll just wander off somewhere and hell if I'll ever find him again."  He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his sandy brown hair.

"Earl's a good horse," she replied with a smile and leaned up against the trunk of the tree.

"How the heck did you come across him?  And what kind of horse is that, anyways?  I've never seen any horse that huge!" Hank marveled at Earl Grey.  Earl Grey just ignored them and kept on grazing.

"Oh.  You never heard that story?" Perdita's eyebrow arched.  "Well.  Earl Grey is what's known as a Shire Draft Horse.  That's the largest breed of horse there is--that I know of.  He was such a little thing when I first saw him as a colt.  He was brought in with a herd from a neighboring town.  At the time, I was just learning how to break horses and he was my first success.  Somehow, we just bonded and there was nothing to getting him broke--although he gets skittish around people and things he doesn't know.  Anyways, Earl soon became my pal and my designated work horse for getting around the range."

"So you bought him from Boss?" Hank asked.

"No, actually.  If you haven't noticed, I'm not one of Boss' favorite people.  He just keeps me around because I'm the best worker he's ever had.  You can bet he wasn't about to let Earl go to his least favorite person," Perdita said with a slight chuckle.

"So what changed his mind?" Hank asked.

"It was a dark and stormy night," she began with a wry smile.  "Seriously.  It was so dark that with the rain you'd think it was raining ink!"  Perdita had settled in to tell her story to someone who hadn't heard it yet.

"That storm that had happened last year," Hank said thoughtfully.

"That's the one.  It was a night of chaos and confusion.  Out on the range somewhere some men had gotten lost with some of the herd and we had to go out and find them before the river flooded or worse!  I was out there with a small group of men headed for the south ridge.  We were out in that muck for the good part of three hours, searching for the missing herd and men.  Our only means of being able to see was when ever the lightning would flash.  Somehow I managed to get separated from the men and found myself heading for the canyon.  Well, wouldn't you know that I happen to be the one to stumble across the lost heard and the men.  I found them just in time. If I had arrived maybe a few minutes later, they would have all been dead.  I found them all panicked and the herd was stampeding straight for a cliff.  I had Earl spring into action.  I think it was some kind of miracle, but we managed to keep the herd from going over and we didn't lose one of them.  With a little help once the rest of the search party had found us we managed to get home in one peace.  Those two men that had been missing had told Boss of my heroism and he was so grateful that he gave me Earl Grey to keep," Perdita finished.

"Wow.  And I've seen Earl in action.  For such a huge horse, he sure can move!  I think he's the fastest horse I've ever seen!  I guess it only seems appropriate since you're probably the only one strong enough to handle him," Hank said appreciatively.

"How long have you been on the ranch, Hank?" she asked.

"Only six months or so.  What I don't understand is why some of the men don't care for you working with them," Hank said.

"That's easy.  Whatever rumors you've heard are probably true," Perdita said frankly.

"Really?  They say that you're incredibly strong and that you're real fast, too," Hank said.

"That's probably the polite end of it.  Don't worry.  I've been dealing with it since I was twelve years old.  I've been able to out run, out climb and out-do just about everyone.  I can do some seriously hard labor and not break a sweat after an hour of doing it.  It cheeses them off even more over the fact that I'm a girl and that I'm seventeen," Perdita said somewhat resignedly.  "I guess you could say I have enemies.  That would be Franco in particular.  He is an ornery one!  He's holding a grudge just because I showed him up in his job and managed to knock him down a peg or two a while back. I just manage to stay out of his way.  I suggest that you do the same."  She reached over and finished off what was left in the canteen.

"I already do," Hank said with a smile and got to his feet.  He readjusted his sword belt and headed back to where he had Smokey tied off to the tree.  He mounted and began to make his round of the pasture, making sure the right gates were closed.

Perdita had decided to take a moment longer under the shade and pulled the card of her father out of her pouch.  It was something she did very often ever since the card had acquired its unique temperature.  She took it out of its handkerchief and was studying it again for the billionth time.  She had every detail perfectly memorized.  She found herself staring very hard at the card as it wasn't its usual cool temperature as it sat in her palm.  In fact, it was colder.  It was really cool to the touch as if it had been sitting on a block of ice overnight. She stared at her father's image.  There seemed something different to it--not quite discernable, but it was there.  It was almost as if the picture had become more real.

Perdita's breath seemed to catch and her heart felt as if had leapt into her throat.  As she continued to stare at the card, the image became even more real.  For a moment, instead of looking straight at her like usual, she could see his profile as he looked off to the side of the card.  He then looked back at her, saying something that sounded like complete gibberish to her, but it was obviously in the inquisitive, sounding as clear as a bell within her mind.  All she could do was hold her breath.

His gaze had locked with hers and a small smile began to crease the serious face.  "Ah, I see you've managed to activate my Trump.  Good.  Now go:  Speak with your mother; pack your things.  I will be by shortly and we must leave once I arrive."  Then the image on the card faded and had returned to its original state.

Perdita stared dumbly down at the card in her hand for a moment as she struggled to let what just happened sink in.  She quickly wrapped the card up again in its handkerchief and placed it back into her pouch reverently.  She looked up to Earl Grey and signaled him over.  He casually sauntered over and she quickly mounted him.  As she began to follow after Hank it hit her.

I'm finally going to meet my dad!

"Hank!" She suddenly called out after him.  "Hank!  I've got to get home right away!"  She took off with break-neck speed, not paying any heed to Hanks' protests that followed behind her.  Her sudden excitement was enough to scare Earl into a dead run.  They took off down the trail and over the creek back to her home.

Earl let out a loud whinny as they approached the homestead and Perdita practically had him stopping on a dime as they slid to a halt in front of the house.  She leaped down to meet her mother who was hurrying from the house.  Akasha, the family dog, had also rushed out to greet her, barking furiously.

"Down, boy!  Akasha, I'm alright!" Perdita gently admonished the excited dog.

"Perdita!  You're home so early!  Did something happen?  Are you hurt?" she asked anxiously.  She suddenly felt frightened at the new look in her daughter's eyes.  There was a whole mixture of emotions to be seen in Perdita's eyes and they were bright--almost with a gem-like quality.

"I'm dandy, Ma!  Everythin's a' right!" she said, taking on somewhat of an accent like she usually did whenever she got very excited.  "Come inside and I'll tell ya everythin'!"

Perdita was trying her best to try and remain calm, but she couldn't contain herself and began pacing about the room, causing her spurs to jangle in time with her pace..  Her mother helped by taking the nearest chair and sitting in it.

"I have a feeling I'm going to want to be sitting down for this," she said matter-of-factly.

"I think so too," Perdita said and pulled her her father's Trump out of her pouch again.  She laid it down on the table in front of her mother.  Her mother only looked down at the card and Perdita began to pace again. The look on her mother's face told her that she was expecting something big.

"Ma, something happened with the card just now.  I was looking at it like I always do and--I'm not sure how to explain it, but this thing practically came alive in my hand.  Dad was talking to me.  I could hear him as clear as a bell and see him talking to me!  I didn't get to say anything because I couldn't but he told me to tell you that he's coming over later and--" Perdita surfaced for air. "On top of that, he wants me to go with him when he leaves again."

Her mother's eyes widened at this, but Perdita wasn't sure if it was due to surprise, shock, apprehension, a precursor to tears of joy or anything else.  She tried to open her mouth to speak but Perdita cut her off.

"I know there ain't been much time to think about it, really, but I think that I'd like to go with him.  I figure since I'm seventeen I'm old enough to leave home.  I think it's all very excitin', but I'm not sure how that's going to leave you.  He also said I need to be packed and ready to go soon as he gets here," Perdita said quickly and was pausing for air again.  Her mother's eyes had returned to their original size and her face was expressionless.

"Um, Ma?  You gonna be a' right?" Perdita asked tentatively as she searched her mother's eyes.  Her mother didn't say anything for a long moment.  She slowly stood up and turned her back to Perdita and was looking out the window.  Perdita wasn't sure what to think.

"I had anticipated this.  All children move out sooner or later," her voice warbled and dropped some.  It was clear that she was sadly smiling.

"It's always sooner," she said collecting herself.  "I knew that your father would come for you; why would he not and still leave that behind?  Yes, he deliberately left that card.  I knew he would come.  I always hopped that it would be after you had moved out; your leaving, I knew, was inevitable, but the pain of your going with him would have been lessened if you had stayed a few more years.  Yes, I also knew that you would choose to go with him."  She turned back around, a happy smile on her face.  Perdita could see the sadness in her eyes, but could tell that her mother was genuinely happy for her.

"It's time for you to fly away from your nest now, dear. All I ask is that you don't forget your mother."

"Of course not!" Perdita caught her mother up in a hug.  "This won't be permanent.  I won't be gone forever.  'Course, I wasn't expecting it to be so soon--or as abrupt, but I'm glad you agree with me.  I'll go and pack my things."  She picked the Trump back up and replaced it into her pouch.

As she gathered what few things she owned she could hear her mother moving about in the kitchen and within a few minutes could smell the wonderful food she was preparing.  She began to make a few trips from the house and out to the yard, putting things in Earl Grey's saddlebags.  Earl Grey was getting all excited by her activity, knowing that full saddlebags meant that they were going on a long ride.

In one of her trips, Perdita had paused in the kitchen deep in thought, making a mental list of what she was packing and making sure she had everything that she would need.  Looking around, she noticed that the table had been set with three places.

"I hope he decides to stay for lunch.  All this excitement has gotten my appetite roaring again.  What's for lunch?" Perdita asked.

"Don't you worry.  He'll stay.  We're having roast chicken.  There will be corn and boiled potatoes along with the salad as sides," she sighed.  "Had I known he would be coming soon I would have gone to the market to pick up his favorite, ra--" She was suddenly cut off by a shrill whinny coming from Earl Grey and the frantic barking of Akasha.

"Mmm, perhaps that's him. Would you like to go check, dear?" she said with a knowing smile on her face.

"Sure," Perdita replied and nearly ran out the door.

Out in the yard, Perdita looked just in time to see Earl Grey run straight into the barn and he wasn't coming out again.  There where Earl had been standing just moments earlier was the biggest horse she had ever seen--he was bigger than Earl by a considerable amount.  The tack on the horse was beautifully adorned in white, green and gold cloth.  The horse looked magnificent in it and had the awesome musculature to show it all off handsomely along with the most expensive saddle she had ever laid eyes on.  In that saddle was the man who's features she had memorized so well--the long dark hair, dark blue eyes and the while-enameled scaled armor that he was wearing in the picture.  He dismounted easily and took a look around.  When his eyes came to rest on Perdita he smiled.

"Ah, Perdita.  So good to see you," he said quietly.  Yes, that voice was his too. Perdita was once again rooted to the spot as he began to walk toward her.  He patted his horse's neck with a command of "Stay there."  The horse instantly seemed to stand stock-still as if on alert.  He didn't bend down to graze or worry about any flies that were occasionally landing on him.  It was almost if the horse was waiting to attack something...

"Hello," Perdita managed to say.  "Likewise."  She moved to the paddock where Earl Grey had made his entrance to see what all was going on.  She reached out to Earl's nose to try and sooth him.  The other horse was what was making him nervous.  Akasha was still making his presence known by jumping up and down beside her, but wasn't barking.

"Akasha, down," she said softly to which the dog instantly obeyed.  Her eyes were still fixed on the newcomer.  As he drew closer Perdita could tell that he was in fact a very tall man, maybe about 6'4".

"That is a magnificent beast you have, Daughter," he said commenting on Earl Grey.  Perdita felt excitement course through her when he had called her "Daughter".

"We'll have to get him more used to Morgenstern, however, or our ride back to Amber will be more eventful than it should," he said with a wry smile on his face.

Amber.  Something about that word.  Something about the way he said it.

"Beautiful animal you've got there yourself.  I've never seen anything like him.  If he were a dog I should be very afraid of him," Perdita said admiringly and gave Akasha a pat on the head.  "Earl should do okay.  He's an awesome work horse--perfect for long journeys.  Where'd you day we were heading--Amber?  What's that? Where's that?  Is it far?  That's where you're from?" Perdita began rattling off and suddenly remembered herself.  "Oh, here I go rambling along like some squeaky wagon wheel!  Won't you come in?  Ma's got lunch prepared and we can talk over the vittles--roast chicken!"  Perdita was suddenly all excited and full of questions now that she was over her initial shyness.  She began to lead the way back to the house.

Julian laughed and smiled.  "So many questions! Worry not; all will be answered in due course, some very shortly."  As they entered the house Perdita couldn't help but notice that her mother and Julian were staring at each other.

"Julian," she said quietly.

"Charisse," he replied.  Then they both smiled.  They all moved over to the table where lunch was now waiting.  Charisse took the head of the table so Perdita could sit across from Julian and have their conversation.

"Yes.  We are going to Amber.  The place of my birth and the true home of our people.  The journey should not take all that long--perhaps a few days.  We could get there quicker, but not only do you need to be taught some things on this journey, but so does Earl, too and the journey will be the only way to instruct him," Julian paused for a moment.  "You are taking him, correct?  If you are in a habit of keeping full saddlebags on a horse you do not intend to use then there is one more thing you need to be taught."  She could see a small smile on his lips and she was pretty sure he meant the last comment as a joke.

Charisse had just finished with putting food on the table.

"God's neat, let's eat!" Perdita made a little joke at the risk of getting the "look" from her mother, which she promptly got.

"You're looking well Charisse," he smiled at her and took a seat.  "Well!  Now that we're all sitting, let's eat."  He pulled a dagger out from somewhere on his hip, grabbed a chicken leg with his free hand and cut through it like a warm knife through butter; no sawing motions, not even a lot of pressure on the blade.  He then wiped it clean with a napkin, re-sheathed it and went for the potatoes next and then the corn.

Perdita couldn't help but let out a low whistle.  "Nice piece," she commented before trying to cut through some chicken with a regular knife.  "I don't think I've ever seen one do that before."  She continued to fill her own plate.

"It's manufactured from a special ore found only in Amber.  We can find you a nice blade or two once we get back if you like," he replied.  Perdita turned her attention to her potatoes.  A blade or two?

"So!  What do I call you?  Pa?  Dad?  Father? I get the feeling that first name familiarity is not the way to go. The burning number one question on my mind at the moment is--and don't think I'm being accusatory or anything--where the heck have you been?  Why choose now?  I'm still not even sure how I've even managed to get in touch with you in the first place!  More salad?" she was now holding out the bowl of greens.  "And why would our journey take so long if you managed to get here in a matter of what seemed minutes--if you don't mind my asking.  Ya know, I tend to do an awful lot of talking when I get real excited, just ask Ma--usually I'm pretty quiet.  I'll just start eating here so you can get a word in edgewise."  Perdita blushed slightly and turned her focus back onto her food.

Julian took a deep breath.  "Many questions," he nodded. "I shall answer them in order of the asking.  You are correct.  First name familiarity is out.  Dad, Father or anything else that suffices shall, hm, suffice.

"I have been...elsewhere.  Often I frequented this...place and when I discovered that your mother was with child," he gestured, indicating Perdita.  "I felt it was time to go.  No, it's not because of some fear of commitment; rather, I wanted you to grow up as your own individual. I did not want you to grow up like me because I was raising you.  The fact that you did, regardless, is pleasing." Julian smiled and took a drink.

"Why now? because now is the time we can go home," he shrugged.  "As for how you contacted me.  The card I left you was my Trump.  There are others, too."  He stopped and pulled out a case from his belt.  He opened it up and pulled out what looked to be a deck of tarot cards and handed them to Perdita.

"Cool.  So who are all these people--is this all family or friends?" Perdita began to shuffle through the deck.

"Family.  Yes.  These are the family Trumps.  They are used for communication and transportation; if the card depicts an individual, it's for communication and a place will be for transportation.  In both circumstances, they are used identically by simply concentrating on them.  eventually the card will seem to become more real.  If  you are going to a place, then you would concentrate on it until it feels as though you are looking through a window.  Then step forward.  If you are calling a person, then that person has the option of refusing your call.  But for each Trump, you must concentrate to make them work.  And yes, some more salad would be nice.  Thank you," he put some more onto his plate.

"I happened to be close by this place when you had called; much more closer than we currently are to Amber.  However, it won't take as short a time to return to Amber.  It will take longer until we get Earl Grey better trained.  Once he's familiar with the hard travel we can start traveling faster, but not before."

"Oh," was all Perdita could manage.  She returned to her meal and fell to studying the Trumps and was trying to let all the new information sink in as best it could.  Amazingly, everything he was saying didn't sound so far-fetched.  In fact it was making some kind of sense.  As she shuffled through the Trumps she suddenly remembered the one in her pouch.  She quickly removed it and slid it towards him on the table.

"Are you going to want this back?" she asked.  She wasn't afraid of his answer if he said "yes".  Heck, she had the real thing now!

"It is kind of you to offer, but no," Julian smiled.  "I have others of myself if I need to give them out.  That, you may keep."  He slid it back across the table.  Perdita replaced it into her pouch again as Charisse placed another slice of chicken onto Julian's plate.

The next hour or so was spent pouring over the stack of Trumps and Julian pointing out who's who and mentioning his own tid-bit about each one.  Charisse quietly went about clearing food and dishes and waited for them to finish.  Once Julian had replaced the Trump deck back into its case he stood up from the table.  Charisse had emerged fro the kitchen with a sad/happy look on her face and nods.

"Well, I guess you two need to be going now."

"Correct," Julian paused for a moment before continuing. "She will be able to return, Charisse."

Charisse seemed to relax a little. "I know.  Have a safe trip, Perdita."  She looked to her daughter.

"Bye, Ma," Perdita choked a little and gave her a big hug. "I'll try to visit sometime."

"That's all I ask.  Don't forget your mother," Charisse gave her one more tight squeeze before letting go.  Perdita gave her goodbye to Akasha, leaving instructions to watch the place in her absence.  He seemed to understand and gave her the puppy-eyes as he and Charisse watched her mount Earl Grey and ride off with Julian.

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