Amber, year one, day 135 (Tuesday, December 7, 2987)

Morning

I finally got to sleep late last night. Between Jasra's labor and Rinaldo's crying, it was a difficult task. The pain in my chest did not help matters, either. I managed to make it down to breakfast, with Arn's help. I needed to talk to Driscoll, and it seemed likely that if he was in the Castle, I would find him at breakfast. I am glad I decided not to eat in the infirmary, for then I would have missed the news which Mandor brought. Swayvill is dead. Rygat rules Chaos. And, worst of all, Gérard and Flora are her prisoners. Felix was understandably upset by this, and almost hit Shard with a piece of fruit, after Shard made a thoughtless remark. It seems to have been a morning for such remarks. Alex made one about parentage which both Ahab and I took offense to.

The one piece of good news is that Eric thinks he can remove the second quarrel from Fiona this afternoon. Hopefully they will be able to free Dworkin soon. I wonder, if Ahab had not shot Fiona, and she had been able to work immediately on freeing Dworkin, would Rygat still have been able to defeat Swayvill? I imagine that Dworkin will be very angry with her when he is released, and I expect Rygat would be preoccupied with defending herself if he came after her. Well, there is no point thinking about what might have been.

I wish I knew why Rygat dislikes Amber so. No one at breakfast would admit to any understanding of her motivations. I suspect Benedict knows, but he has not been seen since he went to Chaos looking for her. We could certainly use his assistance now.

Ahab left breakfast early, followed quickly by Heather. She certainly does seem to be making an effort to stay on his good side. Random, Bleys, Mandor and a stranger spent most of breakfast talking quietly among themselves. Whatever they were discussing, they did not feel obligated to share it with the rest of us. No doubt it had to do with the current situation. I dislike being kept in the dark, but there is not much I can do about it at the moment. It is frustrating to know that Amber will soon be battling for its existence, and I am too injured to help. At least I was able to aid Mirelle.

Driscoll was indeed at breakfast and agreed to talk with me afterwards. Martin insisted on remaining in the dining hall after breakfast, so I had to tell Driscoll that the matter needed to be discussed in private. Martin was disappointed, but Mirelle had insisted that I not mention her in Amber. Driscoll had not spoken with Mirelle recently, so I thought it likely that she was unaware of the recent developments in Amber. Driscoll felt Mirelle would have ways of blocking a Trump contact, but I borrowed his Trump of her and tried anyway. It is fortunate that I did. Mirelle was in the middle of a sword fight when I reached her and she immediately asked to come through. The odd thing is, she was struck several times in the process of joining us, but appeared unharmed. She had some trouble recognizing me, and was not happy to be in Amber. I think much more time has passed for her in Shadow than has for me since I left her new Shadow. She also has obviously been completely out of touch since then. She did not even know about our defeat of Chaos during Patternfall. I gave her a quick summary of the important events. I do not think she was happy about Heather's role in them. Of course, she hates Brand so much that she hates all of his offspring as well. She actually suggested killing Rinaldo, who is barely a day old! I can understand her dislike for Brand and Heather. After all, their actions, especially Brand's, have affected her personally, and Amber as well. But Rinaldo is just a baby. I just hope his mater does not eat him alive. Mirelle quickly left for the showers, after asking that we not tell anyone of her presence. We both agreed, but I do not see how she can remain undiscovered here for long.

Driscoll helped me back up to the infirmary, since I was feeling rather tired and sore. As we entered the room, we were both surprised to see Brand standing there holding a Trump, with an arc of light passing from it to him. After a few moments, the light disappeared, and he said that Gérard is alive but his Trump has some sort of trap on it. Felix was obviously relieved to hear that his pater still lives. Before he left, Brand asked Felix to make sure Heather watches Rinaldo. It seems he has no faith in Jasra either. Heather arrived shortly afterward, and I managed to be civil with her (mostly by not talking to her). It remains to be seen if my resolve can hold should we engage in conversation.

The sounds of battle continue. I have not heard from anyone since Driscoll left to investigate the initial commotion. I had Randal fetch my sword and armor. I may not be fit for battle right now, but should our enemies make their way to the Castle, I intend to sell my life at a very dear price.

Afternoon

Dworkin is dead and Ariadne barely clings to life. I suspected Dworkin was free when I felt the return of the Pattern, but I never expected to see him defeated so quickly. He died of a gun shot to his head. Shard brought him in, but there was nothing I could do. It seems so impossible. He had so much power. He created the Pattern! It is sobering to realize that he could be brought down so easily. I dislike these guns. With a sword, or even a crossbow, it takes skill to use them effectively. With a gun, it is far too easy. I had hoped that when Dworkin was freed he would be able to defeat Rygat. I fear that only he possessed the power to do so. Perhaps if we joined together we could overcome her, but with Fiona still recovering, I am not sure we would succeed. At least the Pattern is restored to us. Now we should be able to gather our own armies from Shadow to bolster our forces.

Still, I am saddened by Dworkin's death for more reasons than his usefulness in the current situation. I rather enjoyed most of the occasions that I talked to him. Except for the time that he forbade me to sleep with Ahab or Martin. But even then, he was right to be concerned, and he was open to reason. It was he who told me who my pater was, and he might have known of my mater as well. Now I will never have the chance to find out. Nor will I be able to learn more about the power words he spoke of. Who knows what else he might have taught me? Despite how my relatives may feel about him, I, at least, will miss him.

"Outrageous Fortune"
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Last modified on April 5, 1994 by Kris Fazzari.