Tyndall did come back fairly soon but declined to say where she’d gone. Killed some time fencing with her. She’s better, I’m stronger.

King Darren regained consciousness and wanted to talk to me. He still looked like hell, of course, but was clear headed. He assured me that Begma would keep to the treaty with Amber. I assured him that we would do everything possible to find the assassin. Réné and Derek came in. Réné checked on the king’s condition, the king got tired and we left.

Derek claimed he fell in the toilet and got lost. Such wit. I maintained a blasé expression. It paid off – Derek cooperated in scanning the castle and found subtle threads of Chaos Magick all through the place. Some were decades old. The main nexus was Prince Dathan’s quarters. We couldn’t get permission to search them until the king woke up.

A red hawk came to me with a message. It didn’t say it was a private message, so I let it talk with the others in earshot. I have a message from your father. Prince Caine has escaped. Tell no one. Excellent. I turned to my cousins, ‘Right. You heard the bird --- tell no one.’

Réné Trumped someone silently, then muttered ‘--- he may be the person responsible for Fiona’s disappearance ---‘ and I was next to him, touching his shoulder. He cut the contact, but not before I got an image of David. Réné was moderately offended. I just smiled.

Derek wanted a Trump of Chuft from Réné. He also mentioned that Julian was looking for Rendell.

I got Tyndall to give, and Desoto to accept a security consultation.

Trumped Toric and asked him to start the wheels rolling for my audience with Suhuy. I asked him about Maugrim’s possible mate. He suggested Tellin Helgram, long ago, though they’d ended the relationship in a quarrel. She hadn’t been seen in quite some time. Not that anyone would check --- Maugrim was a recluse who killed uninvited guests.

Derek Logrused into Dathan’s office and then Trumped me in. I spell-tapped the lines. We informed the castle sorcerers of the lines on the royals and showed them how to detect them. Bit of a stir ensued as they traced and cut them.

A growling, Trump-like message: MY SONS. I AM COMING. I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU AND NOTHING CAN STOP ME. I WILL PROBABLY DIE MYSELF BUT I DON’T CARE ANYMORE. Maugrim? Probably.

Captain Desoto, shocked, asked ‘Who was that?’

‘I don’t know. I’ll try to find out.’

Derek Trumped Réné. ‘---- do you know anything about Donnal? ---- more the method.’

I Trumped Bleys. He hadn’t heard the message. He told me to return to Amber. I delayed. Trumped Robin, who had heard it. I told him my suspicions, and that Maugrim, by reputation, might be able to do it. He said he’d warn Tashy, tell Llewella and stay in Rebma. Trumped Julian and told him.

Apparently, the message reached all the Amberites of my generation and was heard by anyone else who happened to be near them.

Derek told me he’d Trumped Morrigan to warn her. She’d helped him escape from Maugrim’s citadel. Derek was deeply worried. He’d been insignificant to Maugrim. Two of Maugrim’s sons were dead and the last one fled.

Tyndall couldn’t contact Merlin.

I ran us – Rene, Derek and Tyndall graciously accompanied me -- back to Amber as fast as is possible in a ship.

Dad’s come around to my view vis-a-vis the Iron Fist / Velvet Glove strategies and the cousins. A certain amount of it, I’m sure, is that he doesn’t want all his sibs after him should cousins snuff it. He doesn’t really trust Rebma’s defenses and is more than a little chagrined that Robin and Tasha and so on don’t trust him enough to come in. At least not yet.

Did some more work on the Abyss Magic Futzing spell, contacted Toric – I’ve got an appointment with Suhuy tomorrow – and picked up some supplies from the manse. Dad was really upset I’d left the castle for a few minutes. I see his point but I don’t deal well with confinement. Self-knowledge is always good.

Dad sent up Marinne and Surieth v’Alae up to amuse me that evening, having apparently paid some attention to my dating habits. Charming women, both. Delightfully exhausting as a team.

Walked the Way from Hendrakeways to Thelbane I’d used before, long, weird stairs through blackness through vortexes and stylized mouths and all that. Classier than it sounds. Thelbane is an impressive edifice. I think I managed to refrain from gawking. Drew a lot of stares and dirty looks. At least I thought they were dirty looks. With some demonforms it’s hard to tell. Did my best Bleys impression – the Being the Center of Attention Is Only My Due walk and expression.

Suhuy climbed out of lava to greet me. It might have even been real lava, though it didn’t stick to him like the real thing should. I gave him the courtesy he rates and he was pleasant to me.

I explained the situation. He was cagey but let me know that Abyss Magick was frowned upon in the Courts. Nascent practitioners were persuaded to stop, generally by killing them. This kind of united action towards the common good ---in the Courts --- was an indicator of just how dangerous Abyss Magick really was to everyone. Suhuy thought I was lying or mistaken about Maugrim acting against Amber. He hadn’t done anything but kill everyone who approached his remote redoubt for ages. I thought he was right but instantly came up with my own hypothesis: Maugrim’s kids had started it. Isolated, young and feeling their power, they’d got involved in the outside, attacked my cousins and lost. And Maugrim wasn’t dealing with it gracefully. I tried it out on Suhuy and added what we knew about Tana Helgram. He still was disinclined to go out of his way to help. Amber was less than popular in the Courts. Many would see the extinction of my generation as a fine thing. If not for my upcoming connection with Hendrake, he wouldn’t have talked to me at all. I argued that killing Maugrim (the inspiration to all those would-be Abyss Mages) was in the best interests of the Courts. Better yet, we’d be doing the dirty work. Should Maugrim succeed in killing me and the others off Dad and the other grieving parents would doubtless stir up trouble, some of which might spill over on the Courts. Further, the King of Amber would owe Suhuy a favor and the Crown Prince would owe him a really big one. And that Dad and I wouldn’t tell anyone that Suhuy had lent any aid.

He bought it, and why not, it was all true, or might be. He gave me a box containing an amulet on a sturdy chain. Placed around an Abyss Mage’s neck, it would disrupt and contain Abyssal energies. It wasn’t the Abyssal Howitzer I was hoping for but I thanked Suhuy sincerely. He indicated that he’d explain it, if necessary, as a wedding gift. When I left I made sure to feign disappointment, anger and fear leaking out of a façade of indifference.

Showed the thing to Dad and discussed tactics. I favored massing us together and planning a group attack. Maugrim had demonstrated the ability to target us no matter where we were separately. I Trumped Tyndall to try to sell her on the idea of Belling our Cat. She was in town and I went through to her despite Dad’s misgivings. I was in the Glaive & Goblin with Tyndall, David, Morrigan, Chuft and another cat-person. Dave in particular was deeply suspicious as I argued for gathering together. Apparently he’d been in a dungeon for a time. Eventually he and others required Dad to swear to protect and not imprison any of my generation without giving them a full day’s warning that their status had changed. Trumping the others, we couldn’t get through to Alix, Ikoma or Tashara. Robin opted to stay in Rebma. Réné and Gerard joined us during the communications attempts.

Réné reported that Fiona’s fortress was gone leaving a crater and that Dworkin had told him that he thought Corwin had made a mistake with Abyss Magick. Fiona had contacted her son via the Hall of Mirrors and answered three questions. She was alive and not damaged beyond repair. The one Réné though opposed him could assist him in finding her with a part of her. As she looked up at him she could see that that which was hers held she whom he sought. Ray said that Dworkin expected that Fiona would be lost to us. I suggested that Bob, Fi’s familiar or construct, might be the key. Ray showed Dad his Trump of Dworkin. It showed Venetian blinds that occasionally opened up to show Great-Gramps. Dad put it down fast.

Dave displayed some Trumps. One was of Terrence, son of Maugrim. One was Tana Helgram. One was Maugrim himself. One was of Drake, dead son of Maugrim. He’d taken them off Donald’s corpse.

We adjourned to a soundproofed room to plan. Tyndall accepted the amulet reluctantly, thinking I meant her to be the vanguard. I said no, that we had to distract Maugrim to give her a chance with the amulet. Managed to tick off Morrigan without meaning to.

Slept and woke suddenly in an almost identical room containing a purple iris in a vase beside the bed and a blizzard pounding at the window.

Crap. At least Tyndall has the amulet. I hope.