I admit, it was damn satisfying to write the order for Eric's
arrest.  Not that I expect the order to be executed any time soon, but it
still felt good.  Like I was going to let him get away with trying to kill
me.  Or having his son kill me.  He's such a fucking coward.

	It's rare that anyone gets the opportunity to watch Fiona fuck up. 
Unfortunately, when she does, it's usually messy.  Spectacularly so.  I
think half the fucking family has gotten stuck on the Pattern in Tir-na
Nog'th now.  When you think about it, I'm surprised that no one's wound up
a crispy critter.  Although Fiona came damn close.  The good news is that
she's alive, and we have the Jewel again.  Make that Colin has the Jewel. 
Damn shapeshifting.  When I want to be hurt badly, so the Jewel will
teleport me (and it) away, nothing.  When I get hit by lightning, does it
do any good?  Hah!  Well, maybe it did, a little.  I'm not dead, after
all.  Although I feel like death warmed over.  I hope Colin's OK.  He got
fragged with lightening too, and he doesn't have any shapeshifting to lend
a hand.  Good thing the Jewel saved his ass.  I hope.

	The bad news is that Farad's gotten into Rasa's mind again.  God
damn it, I wish Bonaparte had killed his ass.  Of course, if he had, Fiona
and Colin would be smoldering ash right now, and the Jewel would still be
stuck underneath the Tir-na Nog'th Pattern.  Who the hell put it there,
anyway?  Someone pretty damn powerful.  Suhuy's a Chaosite, which lets him
out.  Not Alastair, unless he was faking being stuck on the Pattern that
time.  Not Rasa, either, since she couldn't help until Farad took her
over.  (Damn, how are we going to separate those two again?) The only one
left is Ganelon, but that makes no sense.  No Shadow dweller can pull that
kind of shit with the Pattern.  Of course, no Shadow dweller can block
Trump contacts, either...  How did that quote go?  "When you eliminate the
impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is the answer." 
Or something like that.  I think it's time we found out more about our
friend Ganelon.

	Swell, now Bonaparte is loose again.  I don't think he's the one
that's trying to kill me, but the constant escapes don't help matters any. 
If he would just stay among witnesses, then we could prove it wasn't him
when the assassin attacks again.

	Colin made it back, and he's still got the Jewel.  Bonus!  It
would have looked pretty strange if my successor wasn't even present for
my installment as Regent.  Hey, I've got to pick someone, and Colin makes
the most sense, for all the reasons that I made him my Chancellor in the
first place.

	God damn, getting shot hurts!  I mean, it always hurts, but it
really fucking smarted this time.  Probably because it isn't healing very
quickly.  Why the hell do I heal when I don't want to, and don't heal when
I do want to?  This is just unreal.  Over the past two days, I've been
shot twice, hit by lightening and poisoned.  If this is what being the
Regent means, you can take this job and shove it.

	Jesus, that was creepy.  The bastard who shot me came in disguised
as Alastair and was standing not more than a foot or two away from me. 
This is getting ridiculous!  I hope Colin finishes making up that stuff of
Suhuy's soon.  At least then I can make sure that the people around me
aren't shifters.  I'm surprised the bastard didn't try to finish me off. 
I guess he wants to live through it.  He probably was just checking to see
how well that bullet of his worked.  Too damn well, as it turns out.  I
don't want to get hit by any more of those.  And I won't, if I can just
get some uninterrupted time to analyze the gunpowder he's using.  Good
thing we got the Jewel back.

	Gabriel has a lot of nerve!  He had no right to offer Rasa/Farad
safe conduct in Amber without consulting me first.  He doesn't have the
authority to make those sort of guarantees, not in Amber.  And to not even
notify me of it afterwards...  He got what he deserved.  Let's be honest,
I knew Colin was going to separate them, even after Gabriel explained his
position.  This is why I kept arguing with him, so he wouldn't catch on to
this.  I'm impressed that it worked.  Gabriel may kick butt with a sword,
but it's good to know that I can pull the wool over his eyes, at least
temporarily.  He'd better not go on some sort of vengeance kick against
Colin now.  Colin never swore to lay off Rasa/Farad while they were in
Amber.  If Gabriel didn't stop him, then it's just too damn bad.  The man
needs to learn some social skills.  At least Rasa and Farad are separated 
again, and I have Farad's word that he won't do that again.  For whatever 
that's worth.

	The "I slapped Lilith" club dies right here.  First it was
Gabriel, now Rasa.  I am *not* going to make this a habit.  Gabriel got
away with it because, let's face it, he can beat the snot out of me, and I
know it.  And Rasa...  Rasa has been through a very tough couple of days,
which earns her some leeway.  This time.  But that's it.  I can't tell you
how sick I am of being shot at, stabbed, zapped, slapped, poisoned and
otherwise abused.  No one ever pulled this shit with Oberon.  Of course,
Oberon had a lot more power than I do.  I wish Dad was still alive.  He's
the one who wanted this job, not me.