Miranda's Page | Miranda's Logs
Several months pass. Miranda gets morning sickness during the forth and fifth month of her pregnancy. She also gets larger, has swollen ankles, etc. As she suspected, she's having twins, and they aren't exactly small. As she gets closer to term, she gets more and more short-tempered, snarling even at Corwin. Surprisingly, Corwin warms to her as her pregnancy advances. Apparently he can relate to her better as a mother.
Miranda continues studying sorcery during her pregnancy, although as her hormones get more out of whack, it makes learning the spells difficult. Yut-Lung returns to Thelbane once Miranda gets too pregnant to practice with him. He feels uncomfortable with pregnancy. Apparently the women in his Shadow tend to keep themselves out of the public eye once they start showing.
Jasra is different than the mother Miranda knew. She's less affectionate, and her interest in Miranda seems to be more polite than anything else. Miranda chalks this up to simply being the personality of the Jasra of this history. Jasra does help out as Miranda's pregnancy advances, though. She says it's a mother's duty.
At the appropriate time, Miranda goes into labor. Maevyn gets the midwife and Jasra. Jasra has Maevyn leave the bedroom and asks if Miranda wants a pain-blocking spell. Yes. Jasra also warns that Miranda shouldn't shapeshift while in labor, since it can sometimes cause certain abilities in the child to mature sooner than desired. The first baby is born without difficulty. While Miranda is delivering the second one, a snag develops. Jasra places a pillow over Miranda's head and begins to smother her. The midwife doesn't notice that anything's wrong. Miranda struggles, but Jasra's spell is weakening her too much to resist. Just as the lack of oxygen begins to hurt, Miranda feels something change inside of her, and the pillow disintegrates. Jasra screams. Maevyn runs into the room. Jasra is standing against the wall with a shredded shoulder. She tries to leave. Miranda yells for Maevyn to stop her, and that Jasra tried to kill her. Maevyn intercepts Jasra, and they struggle. She stabs him and screams herself, then gets up and runs for the window. Then Maevyn changes. His head flops to one side, like his neck is broken, and rope-like tendrils come out of nowhere and snag Jasra. Miranda finishes delivering the second baby and hears it cry. As she gets out of bed, she catches sight of herself in the mirror. She seems to be rather drawn and emaciated looking, with nasty clawed fingers. It's not a form that Miranda has ever seen or assumed before.
As Miranda approaches her mother, who is still being held in the air by Maevyn's strange tendrils, Jasra shifts to the form of a woman Miranda doesn't recognize. Maevyn asks who she is. She laughs. He pulls on her arms and legs, and she screams. He asks again. She says her name is Saria. Who sent her? She laughs, says, 'Don't you know?' then says it was his sister. Maevyn tears her apart. Miranda is irked by this, because she wanted to ask where the real Jasra is...assuming she's still alive. She feels herself shifting back to normal, and feels much weaker. Then she passes out.
Miranda wakes up the next morning, feeling much better. Maevyn tells her that the children are OK, but the girl has eyes that are black all the way across. She also doesn't cry. She was the second baby, born after Jasra attacked...and Miranda shifted form. Maevyn offers to take the baby to Prydain to be examined. Miranda would like that. The Prydain doctors find nothing wrong with her, although they can't explain why her eyes look the way they do. They can make them look normal, however. Maevyn and Miranda have them give her green eyes, like theirs and her brother's.
Miranda contacts Driscoll and tells him about the attempt on her life. She wants Lily dead. He says he'll look into it for her.
Maevyn is summoned to an audience with Belissa. He returns rather upset. Apparently Lily's attempt on Miranda was at his behest. Miranda wants to know if Lily will be punished. Maevyn doesn't know, and he really doesn't want to talk about it. Miranda points out that not only did Lily nearly kill her, but she harmed their daughter. Maevyn storms off.
Once Miranda has recovered, Corwin, Maevyn and Sand witness Miranda's Pattern walk. Corwin is surprised when she removes her shoes, and says she'll want to keep those on. Apparently another change from the way she remembers things. Miranda finds the experience is just as exhausting as her first walk, but not nearly as painful, as there are no Pattern needles sticking into her feet.
Miranda Trumps Driscoll and asks if he knows what's happened to Lily. Nothing publicly, but that doesn't mean nothing was done. She asks if he can let her know if he hears anything. Sure. He tells her that Belissa would prefer they not speak to each other very often. Miranda isn't happy about this, but she understands why he can't disobey. He asks if she can do him a favor. What? Keep him informed of what's going on in Amber. She's willing to tell him anything that won't violate her oath of fealty. She also asks Driscoll to let Yut-Lung know that it's safe to return. Driscoll likes having him in Thelbane, but agrees.
Maevyn and Miranda throw a couple of parties to celebrate the birth/naming of their children, Ariel and Lysander. Their Thelbane friends are invited to one, including Driscoll and his family, Maseera and her family, Sand and Delwin, and Moire. Amelia is invited, but declines, as Miranda expected. Miranda chats with Maseera and learns that Belissa is making changes in Thelbane, to make it more civilized. Maseera also mentions that she's spoken to Brand. Miranda admits that Maevyn told her he was alive. They speculate on why some of them remember the old universe. Maseera says that Prydain knows something is going on, since a lot of people covered up their ignorance of their previous life by claiming amnesia. She doesn't think they know the truth behind it, though. They chat about their children. Sasha is showing interest in sorcery. Does the Sorcerer's Guild still exist? Yes, but its members don't wear tattoos.
Miranda talks to Driscoll and asks him to take care of her children if anything ever happens to her and Maevyn. He suggests she put that in writing, otherwise he doubts Corwin will allow it. She had planned to, but she wanted to ask him if he was willing first. He doubts Maevyn will like it. She knows he won't, but right now she doesn't much care. He tells her about the changes Belissa is making. Miranda says that if things keep changing in Thelbane, she'll start feeling homesick again. Driscoll points out that she can always come to Thelbane in disguise.
Miranda and Maevyn are grouchy with each other for a while, but eventually make up. Maevyn has been researching Shadow. He's found that there are places where Trump don't work, or magic, and theoretically where Pattern or Logrus won't work. He's been talking a lot with Delwin, comparing Pattern theories and the like. He also told Delwin the truth about them. Delwin made a comment about that explaining why Miranda didn't remember who anyone was in Amber. Miranda concludes from that that Delwin knew the previous Miranda, since she had never publicly been in Amber before her exile.
Miranda sends word to Lily that her right to vendetta would be satisfied if Lily can tell her where Jasra is or what happened to her. Lily writes back that she cannot satisfy those conditions. Miranda asks Rinaldo, who apparently used to be Lily's lover until the assassination attempt, to arrange a meeting with Lily. He agrees, and insists on being there. He tells them both that he won't allow either of them to attack the other. Miranda asks what Lily knows about the replacement of Jasra. Lily says she didn't place the spy in Amber, she just knew the spy was there and used her. Who ordered the original placement? Bances. Lily doesn't know why. In all likelihood, Jasra is dead. Lily is no longer part of the Thelbane intelligence network, so she isn't in a position to learn anything more. Bances, of course, is dead, killed in connection with the fiasco when Maseera was arrested. This leaves Miranda both without further leads in determining Jasra's fate, and without anyone to take revenge on for it. She is not happy about this.
Miranda discovers that she can assume the strange form that saved her life at will. It is faster and more resilient than her normal form, and has very sharp claws.
It is made public in Thelbane that Jerand is the new head of Thelbane's intelligence.
Martin returns after two years. Strangely, his animosity towards Miranda appears to have vanished. At a party, Miranda asks him where he was. He claims he went into Shadow to find new and interesting things.
Despite being old enough to know how, Ariel doesn't talk around anyone, although Miranda catches her trying to make words. When questioned, Lysander admits that she talks to him, but he says she doesn't use real words. But he can understand them? Yes.
When the twins are almost five, Lysander begins to be afraid of Ariel. Why? She's doing bad things. Miranda sets a few wards and quickly figures out that Ariel is using magic. They consult Moire, who suggests they bind her power until she's older. They decide to bind it to a portrait. When Moire shows up to perform the ceremony. Ariel has gone into hiding. She is eventually found by a servant, who gets his back burned for his troubles. Moire binds Ariel into a circle, and casts the spell. Something leaves Ariel and goes into the painting. Ariel runs out of the circle to the painting screaming, "Give it back." Miranda says she'll get it back when she's older. The painting says, "Soon." Moire looks perturbed and throws a cover over the painting. Maevyn plans to store the painting in his warehouse Shadow, which he assures Miranda is secure.
A large party is thrown for the twins' fifth birthday. Queen Lorraine insists it be held at the castle. Amelia is late, which is odd, since she loves parties. When she finally does arrive, she has a pinched expression on her face, and Miranda detects a trace of Trump energy on her. She follows Amelia as she heads towards her father. Amelia and Corwin briefly converse, then Amelia stabs him with curvy serrated dagger and grabs the Eye/Jewel. Then she steps back and screams like she just noticed it. She goes to Trump out, but Miranda grabs her arm to stop her, and notices that on the back of the Trump card in Amelia's hand is a drawing of a white mortuary building. Amelia casts a spell that makes Miranda's heart stop. When Miranda wakes up, Amelia is gone, as is Martin. Maevyn is kneeling beside Corwin, who whispers something to him, and then dies. Maevyn tells Miranda that Corwin wanted his body to be thrown on his Pattern. Miranda looks around for their children, but they are gone. Maseera's son Darius saw them leave. They find the twins in the hall, going after Martin. Why are they following him? Because he's bad. Daddy said so. Maevyn claims he's not a bad person. Ariel says that he's lying.
The children are given to Darius to watch, while Maevyn, Miranda and Maseera continue after Martin. They find him in his tower, reading through books. He asks what he can do for them. Miranda asks if he knows the symbol from the card back that she saw. No. Maevyn indicates to Miranda that he's lying. Martin says he's researching resurrection spells. Maevyn indicates that he's telling the truth. Maevyn says there might be another way - Corwin wanted to be thrown onto his Pattern - maybe that will revive him. Martin says that won't do and attacks them with a fireball. Fortunately, Maseera's a magic null, and the field around her protects them, although the curtains nearby catch on fire. Fighting ensues. Miranda throws a dagger at Martin, but it doesn't appear to bother him when it hits. Martin opens his mouth and black smoke begins to emerge. Miranda and Maevyn shift to their special demon forms. The smoke appears to be moving towards Maseera, who retreats out of the room and begins calling for help. Maevyn grabs Martin with his ropes while Miranda teleports behind him. Martin sends a black thread at Maevyn. Miranda protects him with a shield spell. Miranda slashes at Martin, and a piece of him comes off, like it was sewn on to the rest of the body. She comes into contact with the black smoke in the process of doing this, though, and feels her hand go numb and cold. Maevyn pulls another piece off of Martin. Miranda feels something grab her ankle and break it. She looks down and sees the arm that was pulled off clutching her leg. She disintegrates it, but is hit by another black thread before she can do anything else. It sews her mouth shut. Ow. She slashes at Martin again, who has managed to tear himself loose from one of the tendrils, and discovers that he appears to be stuffed with rags. She desperately pushes what's left of Martin into the burning curtains, and he bursts into flame. Unfortunately, the rest of the room starts to go up as well, not to mention the thread in Miranda's mouth. Ow again. Miranda grabs the book Martin was reading, along with a few others that are nearby, and attempts to run. This isn't easy with her broken ankle. She shifts back to her normal form, which heals the damage done to her, and she and Maevyn flee the tower.
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Miranda's Logs
All text on this page is © 2003-2004 by Kris Fazzari.
Last modified on January 19, 2004 by Kris Fazzari.