"There's a lot of shit going on here, isn't there?"
- Delaney
Recorded for Posterity by Iain Walker.
We have now extracted a horde of people from Anurerishkigal, extracted Anurerishkigal from Oberon, and killed Anurerishkigal stone, stone dead. Hooray!
All of the returnees are now in their own bodies, or shadow versions of same obtained from shadow 'Sleeping Beauty'.
We are there with Oberon (in black, oily form), Brand, Dworkin and Eleanor.
"Tea and cake?" offers Brand.
We wonder whether to wake any of the sleepers up, and if so, who.
At our request, Oberon explains a little more about Gareth, Joshua, Meredith and Reanna.
"Some time after the Patterns were sealed against the Ordnung," says Oberon. "I married a shadow woman named Kinta, a powerful sorceress and noblewoman. With her I had two children, twins, Meredith and Reanna. After that marriage ended I later married a lady from Chaos, a 'wanderer' found and brought in by Benedict who then stayed in Amber, named Lora. She bore me Gareth and Joshua. She was really a Chaos spy and fifth columnist."
"Meredith and Reanna wanted to protect Amber by building an Empire of Amber. By taking control of as much of shadow as possible, they would thus negate the source of so many of the threats to the place. Gareth and Joshua, on the other hand, wanted more say in the running of things in Amber. Neither of these were things I wished, and so I rejected them."
"Meredith, Reanna, Gareth and Joshua became unhappy with what they saw as my ... high-handed ... ways and, encouraged and aided by Lora, turned against me. With their help, Chaos attacked Amber once again, also aided by two renegade Rebman nobles, Iseult and Beron. After I was nearly killed by backstabbing in the initial treachery of Lora, Amber was pushed back and back. On a battlefield near Amber, in the Vale of Garnath, the final battle occurred. Using the Jewel, and with Benedict and Finndo at my side, I routed Chaos. The Lords of Chaos were decimated, as were the armies of Amber. Lora, Reanna and Gareth were captured on the battlefield. Joshua tried to flee, but did not get far, and was captured not too long after. The rebel Rebmans, Iseult and Beron were also captured. The children who had betrayed me, and also Lora, were executed on the field. Iseult and Beron were returned to Rebma for trial, and also executed on the orders of Moins."
"Also," adds Oberon. "The Moonriders out of Ghenesh killed Mirelle in their first attack on Amber. She was quite young at the time, in her late teens."
Hmm...
By now we are inclining towards letting Random decide who wakes up and who does not.
Tristan and Tamarind suggest that Oberon should also meet with Random in person.
Phoenix tells Oberon that his mother - the Unicorn, that is - is about, and suggests that she might be able to help him with his little life-force leakage problem. Although she's being human at the moment. And might like some warning, given her past experience with Anurerishkigal. "Oh, and she may not remember who she is at present."
"Thank you," says Oberon. "I shall bear that in mind."
Tristan pulls out his Trump of Random and concentrates on it. Quickly, the link opens up, revealing Random in his office in Castle Amber.
Tristan explains the situation to him, and asks what we do now.
At Random's request, Tristan brings him through. He and Oberon greet one another rather cautiously. Oberon even bows. Slightly.
Random surveys the sleepers, pausing at Mirelle.
He decides that, for now, Mirelle, Gerard, Princess Felicia, Lord Fletcher Rein, Lady Carmel Urien and Lord Yves Fulleri should be woken up.
We then repeat to him the story Oberon told us of his treacherous offspring.
Random decides that we will leave them and Bleys asleep for now, but wake the others up.
It is suggested that a separate, quite, peaceful room where they could do this individually would be a good idea.
Brand concentrates, and we feel the shadow shift slightly around us. A door appears in one wall as he creates a waking-up room for us.
We wheel Mirelle in first, and lay her on the comfortable couch there is inside.
Phoenix gives the Jewel of Judgement back to Random and adjusts Mirelle's body so that she can wake up.
Random asks Tristan to go in with him to wake Mirelle.
Tristan nods, and follows.
While they do that, we decide that it's probably safe enough to wake up Gerard in a room full of bodies, since he's been through this before. Fair point.
That being so, Phoenix allows him to wake up. His eyes flicker open, and he looks around. He sees the black oily form of Oberon. "Dad?!" he exclaims.
The situation, including the demise of Anurerishkigal, is explained to him.
Gerard gets up and potters about, getting back on his feet.
In the waking up room, Mirelle's eyes also flicker open, and she looks around, looking alarmed. She focuses on her brother. "Random?" she asks.
"Mirelle," he replies. "You've been 'away'," he tells her.
"Where was I?" she asks.
Tristan introduces himself. He gently explains to her that she is safe now, but that she was in the Land of the Dead. Oh, and Random is King of Amber now. Although Oberon is still around. Or at least, back.
Mirelle looks a little overwhelmed, but on the whole seems to be coping with all of this.
"And the Moonriders are no more," Tristan adds.
Random gives her a potted history of events while she was dead.
When he is done, Tristan warns her that Oberon looks ... odd ... these days.
In the other room, Phoenix reckons that it would help, particularly those who have been dead for a long time, if we could implant pre-recorded info-dumps in their minds to update people before they wake, allowing them to assimilate what has happened since they died in a controlled fashion.
This seems to be a do-able idea, and Phoenix, Tamarind and Brand go into a huddle to discuss it.
In the wake-up room, Mirelle gets up from the couch, and begins to move around, as if getting used to the idea of moving again.
Tristan tells her who else is here, then, at Random's suggestion, leaves him and Mirelle alone and returns to the main room.
Outside, we wake up Fletcher Rein, Carmel Urien and Yves Fulleri, and the situation is explained to them. This takes a little while.
Once they have got their heads together, we send them back to Amber.
Princess Felicia is also revived and has the situation explained to her before she is sent back to Castle Arden.
Tristan asks Oberon what his plans are regarding his body.
"I shall do what I can to obtain a new one," he replies.
Phoenix renews her offer of assistance should he wish it.
He does not exactly refuse this.
Random and Mirelle emerge from the waking-up room and join us.
He introduces her to us, and us to her.
She tells him that she would like to return to Amber and get her bearings again from there.
Random nods. He considers things here, and tells us that he thinks the others can be woken briefly to at least sound them out about their plans.
"What were they capable of?" Tamarind asks.
Oberon thinks back. Apparently, he recalls:
"Delwin," he adds. "Was not particularly good at anything; rather a jack-of-all-trades. He did know some magic, and had a flying ship. However, he could, of course, have improved somewhat while in the Girasol universe."
Interesting...
That being so, Random pulls out his Trump of Amber and begins to concentrate on it. When the links opens he bids us goodbye and, with Mirelle and Gerard in tow, Trumps back to Amber, vanishing in a purple rainbow.
Dworkin also makes to leave. He takes some cake with him. Oberon joins him as he Trumps out with no visible sign of a Trump card being used.
Phoenix suggests that there may be two mutually incompatible best things we could do:
We decide to do the easy ones for now, and so will wake up Caine and Delwin first.
However, first we will give everyone their historical update. The idea is rouse them to semi-consciousness, so that their minds are functioning sufficiently to assimilate the information they are to be given, but not to wake them fully. While they are in this state they will be Trumped and the historical update downloaded to them.
After some thought, Phoenix, Tamarind and Brand have worked out how to obtain a set of 'memories' for people, which can then be downloaded into them without their being woken up. Said memories are now ready and waiting.
That being so, we do all of them at once, as Tamarind can Trump multiple people simultaneously.
Gareth, Joshua and Delwin all, in their semi-conscious state, accept the Trump call, apparently as a possible means of help or escape. Meredith and Caine both seem to have minds stronger than Tamarind, and resist the incoming Trump call. Reanna and Dara also resist, but have minds that are weaker than Tamarind's (Dara's mind is much weaker, even more so than Merlin's) and so he just forces the contact regardless.
Bleys is left out of the info-dump, as he should be up to date on most things anyway.
And so, apart from Meredith, Caine and Bleys the historical information is implanted into people.
With that done, they are all put back into deep unconsciousness, except for Caine, whom we allow to wake up.
"You don't know me - talk to Tristan," Phoenix tells him as his eyes flicker open.
We bring him up to date on events since his death verbally. He seems somewhat confused by all of this. Thus we let him ask the questions.
"Who are you?" he inquires.
We all introduce ourselves.
Tristan mentions that Brand found a cure for death.
"Where am I?"
"In Brand's shadow."
"What is going on?"
"King Random has requested that you be brought round and up to date."
"I suppose I should thank you all for bringing me back," says Caine.
He wants to know who has sworn loyalty to Random.
We tell him who has and who has not.
Phoenix suggests that he be nice to Caleb, who was raised thinking was Caine's son.
Caine tells us that he wants to rest and think about all of this. He watches as we move to wake Delwin.
As we do this, Tamarind checks to see if Caine's Trump is active. It isn't. At the moment.
Delwin, who accepted the info-dump, is then woken up. He looks around and seems to recognise all of us, then looks a bit confused as he becomes unsure why or how he remembers us.
We question him gently.
He tells us that he knows he was dead, and remembers some time in the Land of the Dead before he lost all of his life-force. He knows he was recovered from there. In fact, as we progress, he finds that he seems to have the answers to most of his questions. He looks confused again.
We offer him tea and cake.
He asks for whisky.
Some of Brand's minions provide a bottle and glasses. Delwin drinks.
That being done, we decide to wake Meredith, Reanna, Joshua and Gareth together, just to get it over with.
However, before doing so we move them to the waking-up room, so that Delwin and Caine can watch from a distance over the video link. Before waking up, Phoenix makes sure that her 'off-switches' (present in all of the bodies people have been revived in) are fully functional - they are - and that the bodies are also very weak and slow, to the level of a shadow-dweller. Just in case. This is also so.
And we let them regain consciousness...
Gareth wakes first, then Reanna and Meredith, then Joshua.
Apart from Meredith, they all seem to recognise us as Delwin did. They all look slightly confused at this.
We explain things, pointing out that Oberon is no longer King, Amber has a trade empire rather than a military one, and that most threats to Amber do less damage than they did in their day.
Ibrahim recommends that we and they take things slowly and get to know each other first.
Gareth, Reanna and Joshua don't look as if they are in a hurry to resume an out-of-date war.
Meredith, lacking the detailed info-dump, looks less convinced of this, and says she needs to think about it, but seems willing to go along with the other three for now.
Joshua expresses the opinion that starting the conflict again would be rather pointless.
We let them talk it over among themselves, and leave the room.
Which is bugged.
Listening and watching from next door, we see that Meredith is dubious about the whole thing.
However, they all remember being executed and having the remainder of their life-force draining away in the Land of the Dead, and this seems to be an experience they do not wish to repeat unnecessarily.
We dine as we eavesdrop.
After dinner, Damien plays cards with Caine. Damien wins, at games of both skill and chance.
Over after-dinner drinks, Delwin tells the rest of us that he is looking forward to going to Girasol and seeing his immediate family again. As well as the place itself, which seems to have been built after his time.
Caine is apparently looking forward to seeing the New Amber.
In the waking-up room the Gang of Four (as we have christened them) conclude their discussions, and emerge.
They tell us that they have decided that they would like to talk to Random and then see what comes of it. They would like Pattern-blooded bodies too.
We point out that this is not a condition.
We tell them that if they swear loyalty to Random we will help them towards this end, but that if they don't we will not stop them trying to acquire new bodies for themselves by other means.
That being decided, Phoenix Trumps Flora to arrange rooms for the returnees.
Quite quickly, Flora, again looking somewhat dishevelled, takes the call. She seems to be in a hallway in Castle Amber.
The situation is explained to her, and she tells Phoenix that she will have some guest rooms prepared.
Phoenix thanks her, and the link is closed.
However, before we return to Amber, we have two more bodies to revive.
We go to wake Dara first.
However, before doing this, Tamarind Trumps Merlin, as we think having him present when his mother wakes up might be a Good Thing.
After a while, Merlin takes the call. He proves to be in a bar somewhere with Corwin. And Eric.
We explain the situation to him.
Rather surprisingly, he has more sense than to say where he is going out loud as he makes his excuses to Corwin and Eric, then comes through the link and joins us.
With that sorted out, Dara is wheeled into the waking-up room and Phoenix allows her to return to consciousness. She has had the info-dump, so she knows about what happened to the Courts of Chaos. However, she shows no immediate signs of wanting to commit suicide.
"How is your father?" she asks her son.
"Yes..." says Merlin non-committaly.
"I feel weak," she comments.
"That will pass," says Phoenix blandly. Whenever Phoenix wishes it to, that is.
"What now?" Dara asks.
Tristan explains that she has a choice. But also that leading the armies of Chaos against Amber is no longer an option.
We leave her to talk things over with Merlin.
That leaves only Bleys.
Tamarind states that he doesn't want Bleys to wake up. He explains that this is partly from personal motives - he doesn't want to be subject to Bleys' continuing quest for vengeance against him for killing Fiona - and partly because he thinks Bleys is inherently dangerous. To everyone.
Tristan begs to differ. "Bleys' execution was wrong," he says. "Random now regrets it, and Random did say to sound out all of them."
"What he said," Damien concurs.
Ibrahim takes refuge in Random's orders and agrees to the awakening. Phoenix also does not object to it.
Thus, Bleys is woken up.
"What do you want me for?" he asks as he looks around.
"Nothing much," we say.
Damien points out that Anurerishkigal is truly gone, and Fiona with it.
Tristan notes that Oberon is back and content for Random to be King.
Bleys is given the option of rejoining Amber society with all of his sins, if not forgiven, at least having a line drawn under them ready for him to move on.
"Or you could go to sleep again," says Phoenix.
"I would prefer that," says Bleys flatly.
"Forever?" says Phoenix.
"Yes."
"Why?" she asks.
Bleys does not answer.
"If he wants to take the easy way out..." comments Damien.
"He can do it without my help, then," says Phoenix. "I'm not a vet."
We all look rather grim.
However, Tristan draws his sword and, with it, stabs Bleys, giving him a quick death. His body slumps to floor in a pool of blood.
"I thought he would recover," says Tristan.
Confined in Brand's shadow by its spirit-trap properties, Phoenix and those of us with life-force lenses see Bleys' spirit hang in the air here, losing life-force and fading and fading away until it is entirely gone.
"That wasn't quite what I had in mind," comments Phoenix. "But..."
However, that being done, we tell the Gang of Four that we are now ready to return to Amber, apart from one thing.
We go to check on Dara and Merlin.
In the waking-up room, we see that Dara is turning blue.
Merlin looks unhappy at this, but is not interfering.
Damien turns and leaves. He has already been through this with the Lady Ranghell, years ago.
Phoenix wonders why she can't do that.
"You weren't born an idiot," replies Damien.
As we watch, Dara keels over.
Again, we watch as her life-force separates from her body and dissipates away into the air until she, too, is gone.
Tristan wonders if they lost the will to live or to carry on, as Flora seems to have lost her dress sense.
Tamarind surreptitiously Trumps Corwin.
Quite quickly, Corwin accepts the call, and proves to be in the same bar as before. There is music and singing and fun and dancing and silliness going on in the background.
Tamarind tells him that Dara is dead again. This time for good.
This rather spoils Corwin's fun.
He thanks Tamarind for the news, and the link is closed.
We all Trump to the Amber Arrival Courtyard with Delwin and the Gang of Four, Merlin carrying Dara's borrowed body. Bleys, having already had his funeral, does not get his shadow corpse carted back but is instead dealt with by Brand's minions.
Upon arrival, as they look around, Delwin and the Gang of Four are impressed at how the Castle and City have grown since their day.
We take them off to see Random.
Merlin goes off in another direction with his mother's body.
As we go, Ibrahim tells Reanna and Meredith that their 'imperium strategy' is a passive one. From his point of view it is better to go out and seek out threats specifically rather than try to tame all of shadow.
Tristan interprets this as advocating an indiscriminate jihad across shadow, and objects.
Some argument on the topic ensues.
Our 'guests' listen attentively.
Servants direct us to the Royal Sitting Room in the Castle Keep, where we find Random, Vialle and Mirelle sitting and talking.
The three of them greet us as we enter, and introductions are made.
Damien mentions that Bleys and Dara are now truly dead. "They didn't want to come back," he adds.
Delwin tells us that, at present, he mainly wishes to go to Girasol.
The Gang of Four want to see the new dispensation of Amber for themselves. They have not, as yet, made up their minds what to do, and want to know more.
Random tells them that they can remain in Amber without swearing allegiance to him. They will have guest status, and unlimited credit. As does Mirelle, who still seems to be more than a little shell-shocked.
Ibrahim suggests that the best way to re-integrate the returnees into society is via a huge party.
Random approves of this idea.
That being so, Flora is called in.
When she arrives she proves to be, once again, noticeably dishevelled. However, when the situation is discussed with her she seems to have lost none of her planning skills. As such the party is scheduled for tomorrow, and a holiday is declared.
With that done, the various guests are shown to their quarters, and we are left to our own devices.
First, we offer to take Delwin to Girasol. He can then either stay or come back for the party. With guests.
Except, the thought occurs, that we cannot remember whether we have ever taken someone with a non-Pattern body through Corwin's or Sandrine's Pattern to or from the Girasol universe. The possibility of killing Delwin all over again does not strike anyone as a good way to test whether it can be done!
Without mentioning exactly what he is planning to avoid unnecessary arguments with, for example, Tristan, Tamarind goes off to conduct unethical experiments to see if a shadow dweller can survive the trip through Corwin's Pattern to the other side by the usual 'Trump to the centre and plink through' method.
Out in shadow, he quickly uses the Pattern to find a shadow of people who fit his needs - willing to risk hideous death for considerable reward. Narrowing his search, he eventually finds a suitable experimental subject, and explains the plan to him. "All right," he tells the man. "There is a risk of hideous death, but still, I'll make it worth your while..."
The man in convinced by this, and Tamarind takes him away.
Picking the man up bodily, Tamarind Trumps to the centre of Corwin's Pattern and keeps his test subject from coming into physical contact with it. Nothing bad seems to happen.
He plinks them through to the other side. Again, nothing bad happens, and they successfully arrive in the Girasol universe. Good.
He brings the man back to the Amber universe, and returns him to his home shadow, with the agreed reward.
The man is happy.
Then Tamarind Trumps Ibrahim.
Meanwhile, in Amber, Damien asks Tristan for a private chat.
Tristan allows himself to be led off round a corner, where Damien punches him in the face. Ouch.
"You had the right to do what you did, but not the obligation," he tells Tristan rather incoherently. "Bleys should have been left in a room with a tray with a loaded revolver on it, but... Thank you for sparing him that."
Round the corner, Ibrahim, Phoenix and Delwin all hear what is going on, and upon investigating turn the corner to see this scene. They do not intervene, but instead watch.
Tristan reacts coldly to Damien's actions and words. He accuses Damien of this all being about him rather than about Bleys.
Damien interprets this as suggesting that Tristan has his own issues about Bleys. Perhaps so.
They part. Damien walks away.
Ibrahim, watching all of this, senses a Trump call coming on, and accepts it.
It is Tamarind, who, with Ibrahim's permission, comes through.
Tamarind tells us that non-Amberites can be carried through Corwin's Pattern, then leaves again to take Delwin to Girasol, the pair of them vanishing in a purple rainbow of Trump energy.
Ibrahim also takes his leave of the rest of us.
Tristan and Phoenix, being the only ones left, go off to find Isabel and Delaney, who is her bodyguard at present.
They are where we left them, in Tristan's quarters in Castle Amber. Isabel is talking to Delaney about etiquette and so on in Amber, while also selecting from a collection of clothing and other items that servants are bringing in and out, and writing in a notebook. Multi-tasking would appear to be something she is very good at.
Tristan greets his wife and relieves Delaney of his duty, now that the Oberon threat has passed, and thanks him.
Phoenix and Delaney head off.
Tristan catches up with Isabel, and tells her what has been going on.
She listens while continuing to select and write, asking pertinent questions from time to time.
In the hallway, Phoenix complains to Delaney about stupid people who come back from the dead and then want to die again.
"There's a lot of shit going on here, isn't there?" Delaney comments.
Finding a window, they look up at the star-less sky over Amber.
Phoenix tells him there is going to be another, bigger, more formal party tomorrow.
Ibrahim meanwhile goes looking for Margot.
Servants direct him to the Castle's Command Centre, where he does indeed find Margot reviewing and planning. They greet one another.
He tells her that things seem to be under control for the meantime, and that her mother is up and about again.
She is very pleased by this news, and hugs Ibrahim, then Trumps Esmée to tell her the news.
Esmée comes through and things are explained to her. She too is pleased by this news.
Margot and Esmée decide to go and see their mother in Castle Arden. Ibrahim is invited too, and accepts.
Rather than Trumping to Castle Arden they all decide to ride there, and go down to the stables. There, their horses, including Ibrahim's Naseem, are made ready and they ride out of the Castle, down through the City, and off to Forest Arden.
Damien Trumps Sebek, who quickly takes the call.
"Damien! Damien! Damien!" he exclaims, bouncing up and down. Damien sees that he is in the Priory, with Nitocris and Agrippina visible in the background.
At Damien's request, Sebek brings him through. He immediately senses a distinct tension between the two women.
Ignoring this, Damien goes over and kicks the wall, cracking the plaster. "Bleys is dead," he tells them.
He attempts to explain to them how he is both livid at and grateful to Tristan for giving Bleys an unearned quietus that wasn't by his own hand.
By the time he has finished this, he cannot help noticing that Nitocris looks ready to give him a damn good slapping.
Damien asks a servant for a drink. A strong one.
Sebek, mollified with a non-alcoholic bubble drink, is sent off before it arrives. However, he is also happy that there is a party tomorrow, and that he can bring Miutjemes, his giant sentient shadow-shifting sabre-toothed tiger.
Damien slumps into a chair with brandy. And broods.
Meanwhile, Tamarind Trumps, holding Delwin, to the centre of Corwin's Pattern, through into the Girasol universe, and on to outside the gates of Castle Girasol.
The guards there recognise and admit him, and servants direct him to the throne room where Sandrine and Osric are, as usual, holding court.
They did, of course, know that Delwin was back, but that is not the same as seeing him in the flesh. They greet him effusively. Sandrine sheds a tear or two, but Osric is too manly to do this.
When the greetings are done, Tamarind explains that other people have been brought back too. Although Bleys and Dara both chose to die again, permanently this time.
He then invites them all to the 'Everyone's Alive Again' party in Amber, and describes how to bring non-Amberites between universes through the Pattern.
Sandrine, Osric and Delwin thank him. Delwin shakes his hand.
Tamarind then Trumps off to by Corwin's Pattern in this universe, appearing next to Beltaine's Tir-Na Nog'th apple tree growing by the start of Corwin's Pattern here.
After being greeted by the guards of Castle Moebius, which surrounds Corwin's Pattern on this side, he exits the castle and walks into Beltaine's orchard of Tir-Na Nog'th apple trees that forms her realm of Tenebrae, fading out of 'normal' reality and into the Tir-Na Nog'th-like realm their growth has created.
In the orchard, he soon finds Beltaine and Chalice. He spends some time bringing them up to date on events, and enjoying the company of his family.
Elsewhere, Ibrahim, Margot and Esmée complete their pleasant ride through Forest Arden by arriving at Castle Arden. The atmosphere there is far happier than it was the last time Ibrahim was here, after Felicia's death.
Servants inform them that Princess Felicia is up and about, with Julian, and the three of them make their way to where they are, on a balcony overlooking the forest, enjoying a light meal.
Ibrahim discretely withdraws for their happy reunion, but once it is over is invited to stay for dinner.
Over dinner, Esmée describes how she has been trying, with little success, to re-educate Flora in the ways of self-grooming.
And everyone goes to bed...
The next day, people prepare for the party.
Phoenix sends Delaney away so that she can submit to Esmée's tender fashion ministrations after Phoenix Trumps her in from Castle Arden (Esmée leaves a note for her servants to find telling them where she has gone).
Esmée does what she can to make this process as painless as possible.
Over breakfast, Tamarind invites Beltaine and Chalice to the party. They both accept his invitation.
Later, Beltaine shows Tamarind the bubble where she is keeping Finndo's dreams. It is rather large by now, with fleeting glimpses of all kinds of things visible inside...
In Arden, Ibrahim spends a relaxing day with Margot.
In the Priory, Damien wakes and rises.
He Trumps Esmée, who takes his call. He asks her whether she has heard about Felicia.
"Yes," she says, from Phoenix's rooms.
"Good," says Damien.
They chat briefly, then the link is closed.
That being so, Damien, Nitocris, Sebek and Miutjemes go shopping in Amber for things for the party, and just generally.
Sebek, his allowance expanded for the day, buys glittery things.
Nitocris buys clothes, spell books and weapons, having most of them delivered back to the Priory.
Sebek wants to buy some spell books too, but unfortunately not even his expanded allowance will extend to such things.
As they potter about the City, Damien sends a message to Felicity, the 'chamber maid' in Damien's household who also happens to run Damien's intelligence network. It tells her that the dormant anti-Bleys campaign is to be killed off completely, and that if Damien should see anyone with so much as a 'No To Bleys' badge on their person, they will be brutally killed.
As the time for the party approaches, Ibrahim and Margot make ready. Both of them dress in appropriate Amber military uniforms, his of the Cavalry, hers of the Rangers.
In Amber, Phoenix, with direction from Esmée, makes two attempts to do her hair, then gives up lets it do itself. 'Shapeshifters never have bad hair days,' as they say.
In the Girasol universe, Tamarind is helping Beltaine make her bubble of Finndo-tormenting more robust, using what he learned when he extracted her from her Tir-Na Nog'th bubble in Amber. However, unlike that case, where he broke down the walls of the bubble, in this case he uses what he learned then to reinforce the walls of the bubble and make it harder for others to break them down.
With that done he, Beltaine and Chalice make ready for the party.
Tristan spends a pleasant day with Isabel, in the Castle and wandering the streets of Amber (the city is large enough that they do not cross paths with Damien and his entourage). Then they too make ready for the party.
Just before the party is due to begin, Damien Trumps Tristan.
In his suite, Tristan feels a call coming on, and accepts it. He does not look entirely enthused to see that it is from Damien.
"I've tried explaining it to other people, and they don't understand it either," he tells Tristan. "So, I'm sorry."
Tristan does not look particularly forgiving. "Accepted," he says, despite this.
Damien inclines his head. "See you at the party," he says, and breaks the Trump link...
And as evening rolls around, the party begins...
Ibrahim and Margot arrive first of us all, and on time. Entering the ballroom they find that Random and Vialle are already present, along with Benedict and Brand.
They greet everyone and mingle.
The children turn up.
Phoenix and Delaney drift it shortly afterwards.
A little later Tamarind, Beltaine and Chalice all arrive. We cannot help but notice that Beltaine has he full-moon appearance on full-time these days.
Next, the Girasolian delegation arrive. This proves to consist of Lucille, Thomas, Osric, Delwin and Alicia.
Tristan and Isabel arrive next.
Music plays.
Then Damien, Nitocris, Agrippina, Sebek and Miutjemes arrive.
Beltaine gives Sebek a present, a music box. Sebek plays it for everyone. Over and over again.
Finndo arrives. Then Caine. Then Caleb and Altair.
The Gang of Four turn up with Flora who is, again, looking a little dishevelled.
Caine, Altair, Caleb and Finndo drift together, and are soon talking. Finndo seems to apologise to Caine.
Damien, observing this, bets Ibrahim that Caine and Finndo will get on very well indeed.
Altair seems rather cross with Caine.
Caine seems to be behaving in a rather distant manner to Caleb, who does not look terribly happy at all of this.
Finndo ushers Caine away.
Julian and Felicia turn up.
A little later Corwin, Eric, Merlin and Owen all arrive together.
Oberon, Dworkin and the Unicorn do not turn up. However, basically everyone else of the Family of Amber does.
Osric drifts over and thanks us all for delivering Delwin back to them. He also thanks Brand.
Damien wanders over to Random, and suggests that we should arrange an openly-arrived-at treaty/contract between Oberon and Llewella, before they start plotting behind our backs. "First thing tomorrow?" he suggests.
"Hangovers allowing," nods Random.
Julian approaches, and thanks us all, and Brand too, for restoring Felicia. She also thanks us for what we have done in restoring Julian.
The Gang of Four and Benedict talk. From eavesdropping on their conversation it seems that he was not their executioner, and instead may even have recommended mercy. As such, they seem to get on reasonably well.
Damien wanders over and introduces them to Finndo, who cheerfully relates his part in their downfall.
They react to him with considerably less warmth than towards Benedict, as if to a former enemy.
Beltaine pets Miutjemes, who purrs deeply. She begins to purr as well, in counterpoint, the sound radiating out over the ballroom. Alicia moves across the room and also joins them in purring. Strangely harmonic purring fills the room, rising and falling, drowning out the music and running through everyone in a rather strange manner.
"I can't hear my new music box," complains Sebek, clutching Beltaine's present.
As the purring dies down, Beltaine rejoins Tamarind. They go to corner Caine to subtly bad-mouth Finndo.
"He's an interesting fellow," notes Caine.
"It'll be interesting to see how the reputation he created for you holds up," says Tamarind.
"You might find your sworn word as an Amberite has suffered," comments Beltaine, abandoning subtlety for now.
Then Tamarind begins to discuss the Trump with Caine, so Beltaine runs off to talk to Julian instead.
She tells him that she is glad that Felicia is back. He thanks her.
Then she goes to talk to Sebek and Miutjemes. She feeds them bubble drinks summoned out of moonlight.
Tristan tries to pry Caine away from Tamarind.
"So, what are your plans?" he asks Caine, having finally achieved this.
"I'm still forming opinions," says Caine. "I'll certainly be sticking around for the moment."
Beltaine approaches Ibrahim and Margot, who are talking with Eric. "So, when are you two going to tie the knot?" she asks them, abandoning subtlety once again.
Then she drags a smiling Eric away so that Ibrahim and Margot can "have a conversation."
Damien introduces Nitocris to Reanna and Meredith so that she can tell them how tedious imperial administration is. They chat about this politely for a while.
When this conversation finishes (as it does quite quickly) Tristan asks the Gang of Four whether they have formed any opinions as yet.
"Some," they say, looking at one another.
Sebek, inevitably, sings a song:
"A reefer capped in spoiled tin,
The half-racoon explorer..."
And so on...
Eventually the party winds down.
Everyone says their good nights and the assembled Family members and others disperse off into the night.
Beltaine fades away into the faint moonlight, and is gone.
The Mortlake party head off to the Priory by chariot. Sebek, however, is not allowed to drive...