Chapter Forty-two Mandor pulls Heather back just as she is about to set foot on the Star. She gets quite hysterical. He brings her back to Mandorways. She grabs a knife and tries to commit suicide right in front of him. Mandor figures he's had enough at this point. He restrains her until she's calmed down a bit, then casts a spell that forces her to view her entire life objectively. When it's over, she realizes what a fool she's been. Alex invites Mebd in and asks if this is a good idea. She thinks it is. He asks if Heather would object. Mebd figures Heather won't mind what she doesn't know. Alex asks Mebd for the name of the hotel they stayed at. She gives it to him and asks if he's testing her. He says one can't be too careful. She points out that it kind of ruins the mood. Alex says he's worried about creating an incident, given who Mebd's mother is. Mebd argues that she's not Heather's heir. Alex figures the fact that Mebd is Heather's adopted daughter is enough. Mebd argues that her actual parentage makes it a small risk. She asks if Alex is rejecting her. He leans over and kisses her, using the opportunity to make psychic contact. As far as he can tell it's Mebd. She asks if he's satisfied. He says "Not yet." She asks why. He asks what she came there for. She asks what he thinks she came there for. She thought he had been very nice to her, so now that she's free, she thought she'd reward him. Besides, she likes him. Alex gets up and locks the door. She asks what he'll do if she's not in the mood anymore. He says that would make her a typical female. She turns into her demon form and asks if she looks typical. He turns into his and says that she seems pretty typical to him. Mebd views this as a victory and Alex finally gets laid. Ariana, Felix, Foster and Riftvan play Hearts at the summer house. Ariana notices that Riftvan is arranging things so that Foster wins. She tries to help. Riftvan notices this and starts arranging things so that Ariana wins instead. Ariana tries in vain to shift things so that someone else wins. Eventually, she excuses herself and goes into the kitchen to make breakfast. Fed up with the fact that he hasn't won a single hand, Felix soon joins her. They discuss whether or not Felix is going to Trump Ahab. Heather Trumps Vetch. He answers from a bathroom. She notes that he is in a different form. He asks what he can do for her. She wants to settle the matter of his fealty. He asks how encompassing this will be. She says he'll have the option of extending it later. He remarks that it's a generous offer and accepts. She passes through a Trump of herself in case he should need it and lets him go. Ariana notices Riftvan leave the table and figures this is as good an opportunity as any. She Trumps Ahab, waking him up. She asks if there's been any change in Deirdre's condition. He doesn't think so. She asks what he knows about Riftvan. Ahab asks if Felix is there. She says he is. Ahab tells her to bring him into the contact. When she does, he tells them that Riftvan is an alias commonly used by Vetch. Felix drops out the contact. Ariana calls Ahab a bastard and does the same. Ariana intercepts Riftvan as he returns from the bathroom and asks if they can talk outside. As soon as they're out of earshot of the house, she smacks him hard across the face. Riftvan sees stars. Ariana tells him he deserved that. He looks confused. She explains that she's been talking to Ahab. Vetch makes the appropriate connection. Ariana questions him for a while. He claims he left her because Amber was uncomfortable for him. The roses were an apology for leaving her. He denies being responsible for Murine's death. He does admit involvement in Ariadne's case, but claims he was continuing what Ahab started. His says his only plan for the children is love and all the best. He claims House Hendrake was behind the kidnappings. He admits Rygat was a member of his House before marrying out. He has eight daughters. He admits he was looking for Ariana in shadow, but says it was only to have a good time. The pregnancy was a pleasant surprise. Ariana asks if there's anything she can do to help with the Hendrakes. Vetch doesn't want her to get involved. He tells her if the Hendrakes knew she was carrying his child, they'd kill her. Apparently the feud with Hendrake has been going on for centuries. Vetch admits he started it, but says it was due to the Hendrakes having no sense of humor. He asks if she forgives him. She considers it and agrees to forgive him for what he's done to her. She points out that she doesn't know what else he may have done. He finds this acceptable. Ariana requests that if he's with her in the future in some other form, he let her know it's him. Vetch thinks that will take all the fun out of it. Ariana disagrees. They go back inside for breakfast. Foster and Felix notice the big welt on Riftvan's cheek, but don't comment. Ahab and Kimdyl decide to get up. Ahab tells Kimdyl that Ariana called earlier and asked about Riftvan. Kimdyl asks what he did. He says he clued them in. Kimdyl goes for her Trump deck and starts rifling through it. Then she figures that Vetch can handle Ariana and stops. Ahab opines that Vetch deserves what he gets. He asks how Kimdyl is related to Vetch. She tells him that Vetch is her uncle, four times removed. Or something like that. Ahab and Kimdyl flirt while getting dressed and head down to breakfast. Heather Trumps Brand and asks what his status is. Brand says he's not sure if he's under protection or arrest. Heather offers to get him out of there, but he declines. He figures when Benedict tells him to stay, he'll stay. Brand tells Heather that he doesn't think she can protect the Star without walking it. Heather says she won't be doing that. Brand looks disappointed. Heather claims she has other things to do. Felix tells the servants he'll be clearing the table, much to their chagrin. When he takes Riftvan's plate, he tells Riftvan in a low voice that he is welcome as Foster's friend, but he must use his true form when he visits. Felix's voice begins to rise towards the end of this and he drops Riftvan's plate on the table. He storms out, jumps on a horse, and rides away. Riftvan observes that he's overstayed his welcome. He kisses Ariana's hand and bids her good-bye. She asks if they'll be seeing each other again. He says he'll see her as often as she wishes. She hopes it will be soon then. Foster looks confused. He tries to go after Felix, but Felix is too far ahead and Foster can't ride. Foster looks mad and walks down the beach. Ariana decides to stay outside and keep an eye on him. She starts working out. Foster undresses and dives into the water. He doesn't resurface. Ariana can't follow him, so she watches the horizon for threats. Alex and Mebd spend some time in post-coital bliss. He realizes that he was Mebd's first. Mebd starts feeding him grapes. She warns him that she will have to tell Heather at some point. Alex asks why. Mebd says she won't be able to keep it from Heather. She adds that Heather doesn't even know she's awake. Alex asks who woke her up. She tells him it was Mandor. Alex makes a note to thank Mandor. They discuss how she's going to break the news to Heather. Mebd tells him that if she's going to get in trouble, she may as well enjoy it, and leans over him. Round two begins. Random is missing from breakfast in Amber, but Vialle is there. None of the red-heads are present. Eris talks excitedly about the upcoming weekend at Gerard's summer house. Breakfast passes uneventfully. Ahab checks on Deirdre after breakfast. He's told she regained consciousness, but didn't say anything. He asks to be notified when she wakes up. Kimdyl offers to take Nicholas shopping for the day, since Ahab had to watch him the previous day. Ahab wants to come along, so he leaves his Trump for Deirdre. They spend the day shopping. Felix gallops for an hour, until the horse is exhausted. He shifts shadow to find it some food and water. He waits until he has calmed down a bit and Trumps Ahab. Ahab gets the call while they are in a toy store, so he goes outside and takes the call. Felix apologizes for blowing up at him. Ahab says that was the affect he was going for. Felix tells him that Vetch isn't dead. Ahab says his original plan was to kill Vetch, but he opted not to after both Kimdyl and Ariana asked him not to. Felix says that Vetch and Ariana seem to have made up. He finds it rather sickening. He asks if there's anything else Kimdyl can do for Murine. Ahab brings Kimdyl in on the contact. Kimdyl asks if Felix has looked at Murine today. Felix admits he hasn't. Kimdyl thinks she's removed the poison, but the original damage is still there. She doesn't think Murine is a good enough shapeshifter to fix that. She says repairing the damage would require an advanced shapeshifter. Felix asks her to put Vetch in contact with him if she sees him. He mentions that he was so angry with Vetch that he dropped Vetch's plate. Kimdyl asks what Ariana did. Felix says he heard a loud smack and Vetch had a welt on his face. Kimdyl is amazed Vetch allowed Ariana to touch him. Then she states that the old fart must still trying for an heir. Felix says he's annoyed by the fact that Vetch is deceiving Foster. Kimdyl claims Foster knew all along. Felix says good-bye and breaks the contact. He waits for the horse to recover and starts back for the summer house. Heather Trumps Mary. The contact is very distorted. Heather figures it's due to a highly different time frame. She tries to pull Mary through. It takes her an hour to do so, and Mary faints upon arrival. Heather makes her comfortable. Mary wakes up requesting aspirin. Heather sends a servant looking for some. Mary asks why Heather did that to her and stresses that she's not to ever do it again. Servants bring something for Mary's headache. Mary tells Heather that she assumes this was urgent. Heather hesitates. Mary orders Heather to tell her now. Heather says she doesn't know where to go from here. Mary asks if she did something stupid. Heather admits she did. Mary asks what she did. Heather says she tried to kill herself. Mary throws her shot glass at Heather's forehead and calls her a dumb cunt. Heather insists she won't do it again. Mary is surprised Mandor didn't boot Heather out. Heather wants to know what to do now. Mary tells her to realize there are other people besides herself. She says she doesn't have any magical answers, people deal with it differently. Heather tells Mary there was something else more pleasant to discuss. Mary figures that's good, since she doesn't have anything else to throw. Heather hands Mary the shot glass and explains about Rathkavren. Mary agrees to be Rathkavren's ambassador. She warns that Heather won't be putting her back the way she got her. Heather admits she has no way to put Mary back. Mary looks thoughtfully at the shot glass in her hand. Gerard and Isabeux get a late start on the day. Isabeux comes outside and is surprised to find only Ariana. Ariana explains that Foster is underwater and Felix rode off in a huff. Isabeux asks why. Ariana says it's a long story. Isabeux mentions that Driscoll and Eris will be arriving soon. Ariana offers her assistance. Isabeux says she could use a hand in the kitchen. They both figure Felix has had enough time to cool off and it's time for him to come home. Ariana suggests that Felix should be the one to look for Foster, since Foster was mad at him. Isabeux agrees. She leaves Trumping him to Ariana while she starts dinner. Felix is about half an hour from home when he gets Ariana's Trump call. She tells him what Foster's done. He dismounts and has Ariana pull him through. He changes into swim trunks, grabs his snorkeling gear, and goes looking for Foster. Ahab and Kimdyl return to Amber. When they enter the Main Hall, they see Ariadne, Benedict and a six foot tall woman with long black hair and bright green eyes. The woman is being introduced to Benedict. Ariadne hears Ahab's footsteps and smiles at him. The woman does a double take when she sees Ahab. As he passes, he notices Ariadne lean in and whisper something to the woman. Ahab tips his hat to them and heads upstairs. Kimdyl gives him an odd look. Ahab says it's not his problem. Kimdyl asks why he's acting so weird. Ahab tells her it's annoying to know that there's two of him. Kimdyl says his Pattern ghost wasn't there. Then she recalls the tall woman. Ahab sarcastically notes that there's not much of a resemblance. Kimdyl says she should talk to the woman and see what kind of a father Ahab is. Ahab figures that's not necessary. Kimdyl observes that this is bothering him more than he wants to admit. Ahab looks in on Deirdre, who is awake. Deirdre notes that if what's bothering him is this obvious, it must be major. Ahab says his Pattern ghost is getting frisky. Deirdre asks what this means. Ahab updates her on what's been happening with his Pattern ghost. When he mentions Ghostwheel, he notices a ring of light around his finger. He tells Ghostwheel to leave. Ghostwheel says they should talk. Ahab asks if there is a risk of life and limb involved. Ghostwheel admits there isn't, so Ahab asks it to wait. It vanishes. Kimdyl also leaves. Ahab asks Deirdre what happened to her. Deirdre says Dworkin is going through child-parent separation, and she was going through his things. Ahab asks why. She claims she was trying to find out why the Pattern wanted her to have Corwin's child. Ahab figures the Pattern regards lots of Amberite children as good. Deirdre asks how he knows this. Ahab explains that he pieced this together from conversations he had with Fiona and the Rose, back when he was investigating why Kimdyl got pregnant. Deirdre figures she'll have plenty of time to go through Dworkin's lab, once she kills him. Ahab sighs. Deirdre insists she almost killed him this time, and claims she would have if he hadn't cheated and using magic. Ahab suggests she make sure the Unicorn is fond of her before she tries again. Deirdre says she's been trying to talk to the Unicorn, but with no success. Ahab suggests she try his method: walk the Pattern and ask to speak to the Unicorn. Deirdre says she will, as soon as she's recovered. Alex and Mebd enjoy each other's company for most of the day. When evening comes, Mebd insists that she can't put off telling Heather any longer. She gets dressed and kisses Alex. He wishes her luck. She says if she dies, she dies happy. Alex tells her he wouldn't be. Mebd figures Heather wouldn't destroy something she'd invested so much in. She promises to Trump him when it's over. Mebd Trumps Heather. Heather asks what she's done. Mebd says it's not what but whom. Heather asks what happened to Mebd's good Catholic upbringing. Mebd figures she's a demon from Hell, so she's condemned by her old morals anyway. Heather asks who it was. Mebd tries unsuccessfully to hide that information. She insists that she seduced Alex, and the only thing he did was not say no. Heather is amused. She asks if Mebd is going to keep him. Mebd figures she will. Heather states that she's not ready for grandchildren. She says that now that Mebd's not Catholic, she should feel free to use birth control. Mebd asks what that is. Heather asks if she has a moment and pulls her through to explain. Felix looks for Foster for half an hour, but he can't find him. Ariana spots Foster coming back towards the house. She tells Isabeux and says she'll notify Felix. She intercepts Foster and tells him Felix was looking for him. Foster turns back towards the beach. Ariana offers to Trump Felix for him. He agrees. Ariana tells Felix that Foster is back and offers to pull him through. Felix opts to swim back. While they are waiting, Ariana asks if Foster wants to talk. He doesn't, so they wait in silence for Felix. Ariana goes inside when she spots Felix coming down the beach. She checks on Murine, but there's no change in her condition. Felix looks relieved to see Foster and gives him a hug. He apologizes for riding off. Foster nods. Felix explains that he was angry at Vetch for deceiving Foster. Foster looks at the ground and starts to walk away. Felix catches up and says he thought they were going to be honest with each other. Foster feels guilty. Felix tries to explain that he's mad at Vetch, not Foster, but Foster still feels bad. Foster says he understands but he wants to go up to his room. Felix make sure he'll be down for dinner and lets him go. Lyss knocks on Ahab's door. She introduces herself as Abe and Ariadne's daughter. They talk for a while. Apparently Lyss grew up in a very fast shadow, since she's thirty-three. She tells Ahab that Ariadne's settled down. Her father told her that he and Ahab didn't get along, which made him sad. Ahab introduces Lyss to Kimdyl. Kimdyl figures she'll leave them alone. Lyss mentions that in the later years, Abe tended to think of Ahab as his twin. Ahab explains that he and Abe didn't get along because he figured one of him was too many, so two was way too many, especially when he's sitting across the table being an asshole to himself. Lyss smiles and says Abe grew out of it. She asks if her presence is awkward. Ahab asks what the Rose is up to. She asks what he wants to know. He wants to know what progress has been made on dealing with Dworkin's threat. She tells him the Rose figured the threat was lessened. Ahab says she's been out of touch, and offers to introduce her to Deirdre, in the infirmary. Lyss says she's already talked to Deirdre, but what happened to her couldn't be predicted. Ahab mentions Fiona in the conversation. Lyss claims she'd know if Fiona was in Amber. She's afraid that Fiona would be too interested in her, given her parentage. She tells Ahab that Ariadne is going back to the Rose with Abe, and asks if he can show her around. Ahab agrees to do so. Lyss wants to skip the family dinner until she's more settled. Ahab asks if she was one of those children who never jumped off of the high dive. Lyss asks how he knew. She mentions she walked the Pattern when she was only eleven. Apparently she knew Ahab did it when he was twelve and she wanted to beat his record. Ahab says he'll expect her at dinner then. Heather Trumps Alex, who is nervously reviewing spells. Mebd asks her not to hurt, bruise or torture him. Heather says she's just going to have some fun. Alex takes the contact. Heather tells him she knows and thought he would have known better. Alex points out that Mebd is mature. Heather asks if he realizes the peril he's put himself in. Alex says he's used to it. Heather tells him if the Hendrakes come calling, he'll know why. She asks what time it is in Amber and breaks the contact. Everyone is quite surprised when Driscoll arrives at the summer house with not only Eris but Rinaldo as well. Foster is amazingly polite at dinner. Rinaldo is relieved that there's no squash. Ariana notices that Eris is not talking to Foster, causing him to wonder what she's up to. Ahab Trumps Ariana. She excuses herself and leaves the room before taking it. Ahab starts off by saying "Bastard on line one." Ariana is mad at him for hiding the information about Riftvan, since they were supposed to be honest with each other. Ahab points out that at the time, he wanted to kill Vetch and he knew she'd stop him. She admits this, but she's still not happy. Ahab asks what happened. She tells him Vetch will heal. She asks if there's anything else he's keeping from her. He tells her about his "daughter" Lyss. Ariana finds the matter amusing and says she'll have to meet Lyss. She asks if he ever slept with Ariadne. He claims he didn't. She mentions she has some things to discuss with him in person. He asks what she would have done if he'd attacked Vetch. She tells him she would have stopped him from killing Vetch but not from beating on him. The contact is abruptly broken. Ariana tries to Trump Ahab again, but can't get through. She Trumps to Amber and runs up to his room. Ahab's connection with Ariana is replaced by one with Heather. He tells her she cut off another contact. She looks surprised and tells him it wasn't intentional. She asks how Ahab does his Pattern teleport. He explains that he visualizes where he wants to be and he's there. Ahab is interrupted by a pounding on the door. Ariana asks if he's OK. Ahab explains that they were cut off by a Trump call from Heather. Ariana tells him to say hello to Heather. Ahab relays this to Heather, who looks confused but says hello back. Ariana asks if Ahab will be talking with Heather for very long. He doesn't think so, and asks her to wait. She tells him she'll be in the library. Ahab points out to Heather that he's not really up on arcane things. She says the elders who might be able to help her wouldn't want to. Especially Dworkin. Ahab figures he could bear an annoyance to Dworkin with extreme fortitude. Heather explains that she thinks there is another power beyond Pattern and Logrus and mentions a map of shadow. Ahab explains his ability to orient himself in shadow. Heather notices that his ability only extends to areas covered by the Patterns. She asks if he can see any boundaries. Ahab says he does, but they are the boundaries where the Pattern's influence ends. Heather asks if anyone else can orient themselves like Ahab can. Ahab mentions that Bleys seemed surprised that he could do it. Heather asks if any of the half-breeds can do that. Ahab replies that Nicholas might be able to do it, but he can't really ask him. He says he'll look into it. Heather breaks the contact. Ahab goes to the library to find Ariana. Foster, Eris and Rinaldo go outside to play after dinner. Felix starts mumbling about what a lousy father he is. Gerard smacks him lightly on the back of the head and tells him to give it some time. Driscoll advises Felix to wait until he knows Foster better before making that judgment. Basically everyone tells Felix he's overreacting. As usual, Felix is unconvinced.