Session 72: "I don't want to deal with your wife if you get killed."

	More stuff happens during the week before Claudio's vision quest. 
Kaedric introduces Melanie to their new bodyguards.  There are six in
total, five women and one man.  Alora's are Isleen Helgram and Thorda
Hendrake.  Melanie's are Roxanne, of no house affiliation, and Ola
Hendrake.  Kaedric's are Ardis Hendrake and Jotham Helgram.  Jotham is the
male.  All of the Hendrakes are Jezetti.  None of the bodyguards are
overly chatty.  They are constantly with their charges, except when the
family is in Kaedricways.

	Melanie receives news.  Halybard has been occupied by Finndo's
army.  Kaedric knows of this as well, and gives away no expression that
Melanie can read.  Caitlin is currently missing.  Finndo has so far been
silent.

	The party is held for Mandor and Sylvester, who are headed for
their new appointments.  Melanie notices that Maron is on Mandor's staff
as Chief Aide.  Sylvester appears calm, and has a smaller staff than
Mandor.  Gramble and Swayvill are there, as well.  Sylvester is cautioned
by Melanie against discussing certain topics with Corwin.  Corwin's
ambassador to Chaos is announced, a man called Evan, who is a prince of
Corwin's realm.

	Back in Amber, Archimedes speaks to Laughter.  They are going to
the Lantern Gardens with Kaedric and Melanie, on Laughter's suggestion. 
Archimedes Trumps Kaedric to invite he and Melanie to dinner.  Kaedric
agrees.  Archimedes warns Kaedric that he wants to talk about
shapeshifting and conjuration.

	Ragnar returns to the Strangeways and causes trouble.  He is
approached by Sand.  She wants to know about his plans to kill Finndo. 
She offers to help, if he is actually going to attempt it.  They discuss
her price.  She doesn't want money.  Sex is discussed.  She tells him
Halybard has been overrun, and that only a quarter of Finndo's army is
currently stationed there.  There rest remain in the Strangeways.

	Killian continues to stay in Rebma.  In two weeks he has learned
how to read.  Caine brings him the novel _Tarzan and the Apes_.  Killian
looks for the Pattern in Rebma.  He finds out where he is not allowed,
instead.  He studies the native lighting to his own advantage.  There is a
knock on the door during his next lesson.  It is a woman, Cordelia's
sister.  He goes to the roof.  He returns after the woman leaves. 
Cordelia and Killian discuss Killian's place in the world.  He learns
history and genealogy, as well.  Cordelia describes to him his place in
Amber.  He speaks at length with Cordelia.  Killian makes a rope of his
bed sheets later.

	Ulysses has not come up with an alternate ambassador for himself
in the given 24 hours.  He wants to take Dakota to a fast-time Shadow, but
Dakota refuses.  Dakota says that Ulysses must train him in Chaos.  Dakota
says they must leave at an appointed time.  This must be arranged with
Melanie.

	Melanie receives a Trump call from Ulysses.  Ulysses tells her he
needs to train the new ambassador.  Melanie acquaints he and Dakota with
their duties, quarters, and schedules.  She introduces them to Swayvill. 
Swayvill asks about the lands Ulysses won in the tournament.  The
ambassadors are given a list of do's and don'ts.  Ulysses goes to their
quarters, gives the list to Dakota, and tells him to memorize it.  Ulysses
then Trumps home.

	Melanie returns to her quarters.  Clothes have been laid out for
her for the evening.  Kaedric says they are going to Ivory with Archimedes
and Laughter.  Melanie dresses for dinner.

	Archimedes gets a call from Kaedric.  Archimedes collects Laughter
and goes through to Kaedric.  They arrive in a bustling market place and
head through it to an open- air restaurant.  They are seated and served,
and then the floor show starts.  Laughter provides the obvious distraction
of wanting Melanie to go to the ladies' room with her.  They gossip about
Ulysses, Halybard, and smoking, while there.

	Archimedes tells Kaedric of his plans for the tattoo.  Kaedric
thinks it might be possible.  They will begin the project the next day. 
The rest of the evening passes pleasantly.

	Ragnar has dessert with Sand. They discuss age.  She will take him
to Chaos.  They have a rather witty conversation, and she then follows
through on her transportation pledge.

	Killian finishes making the rope.  He coils the rope up at night
and assaults the castle walls where the guards are thin, then returns.  At
dawn, there are flowers at his door.  They have a note.  "From a secret
admirer."  Cordelia explains the gift and courting.  He then has his
normal lesson.  Cordelia says her sister must have gone to the surface for
the flowers and is most likely courting Killian.  Killian goes to Moire to
see if this releases him from his quest.  It does not.

	Ragnar goes to Halybard and asks to see Finndo.  They speak. 
Ragnar offers to take Abigail's place for Finndo.  Finndo hires him and
takes him to the Strangeways.

	Ulysses returns to Eudoxus.  He gets a Trump call from Caitlin. 
She is in rough shape and eight months pregnant.  She asks for asylum for
the night and collapses into his arms.  Ulysses turns her over to the
servants, but Caitlin begins to contort with pain.  Ulysses takes her to
Amber and Trumps Benedict.  Benedict takes them to a high-tech Shadow and
her labor is stopped.  She regains consciousness a short time later.

	Ulysses Trumps Archimedes.  He explains that he has given Caitlin
asylum, but doesn't know exactly what has happened.  Laughter says,
"Oops," based on what she has heard of Archimedes' end of the
conversation.  Archimedes tells Ulysses to Trump him back and then gets
the Finndo information out of Laughter.

	Isaac knocks on Archimedes' door.  Claudio is missing.  Archimedes
tries to contact Kaedric, but his Trump does not animate.  Archimedes
tells Isaac he will keep trying.  Archimedes Trumps Kaedric every hour
until he gets through.  He then passes the news on to Kaedric.  Kaedric
argues with Melanie and asks Archimedes to call him back.

	Melanie and Kaedric then argue a lot.  She wants to come with him. 
He wants her to stay with Alora.  He eventually wins.

	Kaedric Trumps Archimedes.  Archimedes calls Isaac in to talk to
Kaedric.  They go to Claudio's room so that Kaedric can investigate.  He
determines that Claudio was Trumped by Corwin about three hours ago, and
is able to trace where Corwin Trumped him from.  When they arrive there,
they find that both bodies are in no danger of becoming corpses.  Claudio
has been badly wounded, though, and Corwin has had sorcery used on him. 
Kaedric heals them, then they return them both to Amber.  On Kaedric's
suggestion that Corwin and Claudio have really got to work this out,
Archimedes has them tossed into the same room together.  As an
afterthought, Archimedes binds the two of them together in such a fashion
that they'll have to cooperate with each other to get free.

	Kaedric tries to make up with Melanie.

	Morning dawns.  Killian tries to make a spear from something in
the house.  He asks Cordelia for a staff.  He wants to go hunting. 
Killian will have to ask the Queen's permission.  Killian grabs money and
heads to the market.  He buys fabric, rope, a staff, and a spear head. 
Cordelia doesn't think he's allowed to do that.  He bribes Cordelia with
lunch and it actually works.  He heads back to the house and assembles the
spear.  Cordelia brings him surface food and turns the water in the room
to air.

	Archimedes gets a Trump call from Moire.  Killian has purchased a
spear head.  Archimedes goes to Rebma to secure Killian's pledge.  Killian
is upstairs when Archimedes arrives.  Archimedes makes Killian promise not
to use the spear on Rebmans.  He talks briefly with Cordelia before
Trumping Laughter to get home and giving her a wet hug upon his arrival.

	Ragnar goes to the Strangeways.  Finndo still has some of the wyr. 
Ragnar doesn't want them.  Finndo wishes to test his abilities.  Finndo
wishes to go to Foil.  Ragnar says he'll need an impression.  Finndo gives
him one, and it smells vaguely of Halybard.  Ragnar then takes Finndo to
Foil, along with a na si.  The na si stays when they leave.  Finndo tells
Ragnar he will need him again in about a week.

	Caitlin wakes up.  Benedict tells her where she is.  Ulysses asks
what happened.  She says Finndo brought an army into Halybard.  Orrin is
probably dead.  Caitlin asks after Merlin.  Ulysses Trumps Merlin.  Merlin
looks beat up and Ulysses pulls him through.  He goes to Caitlin and takes
her hand.  Ulysses asks for Benedict's plans, as Ulysses doesn't want to
get caught off guard again.  Ulysses then returns to Eudoxus.  He matches
its time flow to the time flow of his office in Chaos.

	Kaedric contacts Archimedes later that night and gives him the
vials of ink.

	Cordelia brings Killian a book on sex.

	Ragnar goes over his magics.