Well, that did not work out quite according to plan.  First Fiona
and Lord Mandor deciding to come along.  We still have not determined what
happened to them, but they were not in the maze, so Shandril does not have
them.  I suppose Maron could have them, but while I have a great deal of
respect for my brother's skills, I do not believe he could entrap them
without aid.  Of course, if what Shandril told us is true, he is assisting
Finndo in his bid for the throne, so he may have all the aid he requires. 
I wish I could get through to him, just to get some idea of what possessed
him to get involved in this without warning me first.  I seem to recall
that Finndo is the one who interfered in Mother's bid for the throne.  I
am sure she will be happy to learn he is making another try.  The
Amberites should have killed him when they had him prisoner, but they did
not, so now they are paying for their stupidity.  Well, that is not my
problem.  I care little who sits on the throne in Amber, so I have no
intention of getting involved.

	My problem is Guariel and the demons.  I was right about another
making a claim for Head of Halybard, but I was not expecting it to be a
Pattern ghost of Laughter.  As a genetically identical copy, this ghost
could make a persuasive claim, and Laughter does not want the job anyway,
so our problem should be solved, right?  Not exactly.  This would have
been much easier if Laughter and Mok had not gotten into a fight with the
demons.  If they could have explained to Guariel that Laughter only wanted
to protect the Serpent's eyes, perhaps the fight could have been avoided. 
It will much more difficult to do so now.  Guariel is not going to be
happy about what we did to his fire demons.  I wonder if any survived? 
Not that I will miss them.  Wretched creatures.

	At least I learned a few things of interest as a result of our
failed expedition.  Ulysses is sporting a set of armor that absolutely
reeks of Trump energy.  He must have covered every square inch of it with
drawings and then painted them over.  An interesting application, but
rather limited.  I bet he would cook rather nicely in there.

	Shandril's father is Eric.  Given that she spoke of him less than
charitably the first time we met, I find this rather interesting, to say
the least.  I wonder who beat him so badly?  Obviously, it was not
Shandril.  She seemed quite surprised to learn of it, and it is not her
style, anyway.  Perhaps Eric was the first to encounter Finndo.

	I believe I have a better understanding of Sandr, although it does
not improve his standing in my eyes.  Sandr behaves like a small child. 
He is giddy one minute, mad the next.  He pouts, he whines, he complains
when things do not go his way, but he cannot be bothered to make any
effort to fix them.  Such behavior is annoying enough in a child, but
unacceptable in an adult.  How could he have turned out so flawed?  It is
so difficult to pretend to like him, when all I want to do is smack him. 
His very existence taints me and my reputation.  People see Sandr and they
think all of Father's children are like him.  Which leaves me facing an
uphill battle.  As if dealing with their perceptions of Father wasn't
difficult enough.

	Sandr has decided to leave us and go off on his own.  His timing
could not be better.  I have the sweetest frame in mind, and I believe Sky
will make the perfect victim.  If Archimedes is anywhere near as
possessive about her as he is about Laughter, it will not take much to
send him after Sandr.  And with Ulysses' change in attitude, there is no
longer anyone to help him.  Except for Mok, and even he is uncertain.  It
is almost too perfect.  Hopefully I can get through to Shandril.  I know
she will want in on this, and I could use her assistance.