Chapter Forty-eight: "When all else fails, blame Vetch" Ahab wakes up Kimdyl and updates her while he puts on his armor. She looks dazed. He shouts for Ghostwheel and is pleasantly surprised that it appears. He asks it to find Nicholas. Then he and Kimdyl go looking for Lyss. He tells her his son's been kidnapped and asks her to use the Jewel to find him. She says that will take a while. He suggests she cover areas Ghostwheel can't get to. Next stop, Random's audience chamber. Random has his feet up on his desk, a glass of wine by one hand, and is smoking a cigarette. Ahab's news quickly dispels his relaxed mood. Ahab asks him to pass on any information he learns. Random asks if he can do anything else. Ahab says he needs to find the responsible parties first. Random takes a long drag on his cigarette and pulls some Trumps out of his desk drawer. Ahab takes Kimdyl to another room and suggests she start searching for Nicholas with the Logrus. Kimdyl pulls out a Trump and disappears. Ahab Trumps Corwin and tells him the news. Corwin says he'll look into it. Ahab Trumps Deirdre. When she doesn't answer within 30 seconds, he Pattern teleports to her. She's in the process of getting dressed when he arrives and there is a rather startled noble in the bed. She says she was hoping he wouldn't do that. He tells her Nicholas has been kidnapped. She suggests he contact Spider. He asks if she knows who has a Trump of Ariadne, but she has no idea. Ahab Trumps back to the castle and asks one of the pages where Driscoll is. He is informed that Driscoll's on his way back from Gerard's summer house. Ahab goes to Lyss' quarters, interrupting her search for Nicholas. He asks if she has a Trump of her mother. She doesn't, but she thinks either Driscoll or Felix might. Ahab teleports to Driscoll. He causes quite a commotion when he appears in the carriage with them. He asks if Driscoll has a Trump of Ariadne. Driscoll tells him that Felix has it. Ahab teleports to Felix, arriving on the beach in a shower of sparks. He asks for Ariadne's Trump. Felix goes to get it. Ariana asks what's going on. Ahab ignores her and follows Felix. Felix hands the Trump over, looking rather confused. Ahab Trumps Ariadne and asks her to pull him through. Once she does so, he explains what's happened. She tells him that if Nicholas has left Amber, Ahab won't be able to find him. Ahab asks why. She says there are places that can't be found by any of the powers. Ahab asks how you get to them. She explains that you have to walk through shadow with those conditions in mind. Ahab says he'll raise an army and search them one by one. Ariadne points out that will take centuries. He asks if she has a better idea. She says she might, but won't say what it is. She advises him to return to Amber and stand ready. Ahab reluctantly teleports back to Amber. Heather attends Rinaldo's 13th birthday party. She notes that the architecture at the Keep bears a striking resemblance to Amber's. She asks Brand about the change. He says he wanted to pull the Keep closer to things nearer and dearer to him, so he's moved it within the boundaries of the Star. Heather looks relieved. He asks if that's all she was interested in. She claims it was, so he tells her she's a bad liar. She says she needs to get back to her family. Brand comments that it's a pity she's still living in Chaos. Heather Trumps back to Mandorways. Ariana and Felix decide that if Ahab wants their help, he'll ask for it. Ariana spends the rest of the day working out the urge to strangle Ahab. Felix disguises himself as a peasant and goes looking for a native festival. He finds one celebrating the solstice in a nearby town. He returns and checks in on Murine. She says she might be ready to talk to her sister soon. Alex finishes his warning spells by evening. He sets them up to light a different candle, depending on what power is used, and asks Mebd not to touch them. He notices that Mebd seems depressed and asks what's wrong. She says she's upset that her own mother set her up. Alex tries to get her to eat, but she claims she's not hungry. Alex suggests she tell Heather how she feels. Mebd says she'll do that while he gets dinner. He opts to stay and listen. Heather is surprised when Mebd Trumps her. She says she thought Mebd didn't want to speak to her. Mebd asks why Heather told her the ambassador position would help when Alex claims it complicates things. Heather says Alex doesn't understand. She explains that Alex and Mebd are technically both ambassadors from Chaos, since Rathkavren is a subsidiary of Chaos. She figures Alex should know that from the papers. Mebd says she gave them to Random. Heather tells her that if Alex didn't sneak a peak at them, he's a lousy spy. Mebd asks Alex if the fact that they're both ambassadors from Chaos helps their relationship, thereby giving away the fact that he's in the room with her. She also defends Alex to Heather, claiming he's been at this spy business longer than they have. Heather rolls her eyes. Mebd apologizes for doubting Heather. Heather admits Mebd was set up, just not by her. Mebd breaks the contact and tells Alex what she learned. He asks if anyone else believes that Rathkavren is a subsidiary of Chaos. She tells him the proof is in the papers she gave to Random. Ahab goes to Fiona's quarters and knocks, but there's no answer. He Trumps her and asks if she's someplace they can talk. She has him pull her through and lets him into her quarters. He tells her about the kidnapping and Ariadne's belief that the kidnappers have taken Nicholas to a blind pocket in shadow. Fiona asks if he knows who's responsible. Ahab suspects either the Hendrakes or the Vetches were behind it. Fiona doesn't think the Hendrakes are clever enough to get this far. She tells him that if Vetch was responsible, Ahab will need to use magic to find Nicholas. Ahab asks for her help. Fiona starts writing strange symbols on the floor. After a while, her ring begins to glow, and she gets a rather curious look on her face. She asks how long it's been since Ahab checked his quarters. He says it hasn't been long. She suggests he check them now. Ahab hurries to his quarters and finds that Nicholas is back in his bassinet. He looks pretty much the same, only he's five to seven pounds bigger. There's no visible clue as to who took him or where he's been. Fiona comments that someone has a rather wicked sense of humor. She observes that Nicholas has grown a bit. Ahab asks her if Nicholas seems all right to her. She examines him and observes that nothing's been done to him magically, other than the spell used to return him. She adds that the magic that was used is an odd one which she's not familiar with, which means it isn't used by most people from Amber or Chaos. She says the magic is an inferior sort, so it would be odd for a Chaos lord to use it. She admits she can't tell if anything was done through shapeshifting, and she doesn't think Kimdyl could either. Gramble might, though. Ahab points out that he owes Gramble a favor, not the other way around. Fiona tells him that Mandor owes her a favor, so she could get him an audience. Ahab asks her to set it up. Ghostwheel appears, then observes that Ahab has found out about Nicholas' return. Ahab asks if Ghostwheel knows magic. Ghostwheel says it doesn't, but Merlin does. Ahab Trumps Kimdyl and tells her Nicholas is back. She comes through and takes Nicholas from him. She spends several minutes examining the baby and crying over him. They go to Lyss' quarters and tell her she can stop now. She asks what happened. Ahab fills her in and asks if she knows of any magic sources out in shadow. Unfortunately, she doesn't. Ahab figures the kidnappers used such an odd form of magic because it was hard to trace. Lyss points out they might be trying to make him feel powerless. Ahab says they're succeeding right now, but he's working on that. Lyss has no suggestions for how to protect Nicholas against magic. Kimdyl reveals that Vetch has a form which uses shadow magic. Ahab speculates this was Vetch's revenge on Ahab for trying to kill him. Kimdyl allows that Vetch has a twisted sense of humor. Ahab asks if there's a way to trace the magic used. She says that if it was Vetch, it's Faerie magic, and she doesn't know anything about it. Vetch is the only one she knows who uses it, outside of actual Faeries. Unfortunately, even if they are able to locate Faeries who use it, the Faeries are unlikely to help against someone who seems to be one of them. Ahab doesn't like the idea that Vetch will get away with this. Kimdyl figures that if he could do this so easily, she'd hate to see what happens when he's angry. Ahab asks Lyss if his command ability would work on Brand. Lyss thinks he'd be insane to try it. Ahab says convincing Vetch that he's kamikaze might make him back off. Kimdyl points out that Vetch has had the Hendrakes after him for centuries, so he's not going to be impressed. Ahab asks if anyone else is pissed at Vetch. Kimdyl says there are no active cases, other than maybe Hendrake's allies. Ahab asks if she thinks they could put together a posse strong enough to take out Vetch. She doesn't think they could before Vetch could grab Nicholas again. She suggests Vetch may have done this to demonstrate what will happen if they act against him, and she finds it pretty effective. Ahab Trumps Deirdre. He tells her that Nicholas is back and the evidence points to Vetch. Deirdre tells him that Vetch will be as difficult to kill as Dworkin. Ahab asks if she wants to make it official. Deirdre figures this will make killing Vetch harder, because it might drive him into hiding. She'd rather they kept him in the open. Ahab says he'll tell Random he's calling it a draw. He asks if he can trust Fiona. Deirdre asks if he's got a coin to flip. Ahab tells Kimdyl to take the baby and tell Random that Vetch's plan is working and she doesn't want to make any more trouble. She asks what he's really up to. He says he'll tell her when she gets back. She tells him she doesn't want to lose her baby again. Ahab points out that having Random think they've given up will give them the most options in the future. She takes Nicholas and leaves. Ahab tells Lyss that he wants to kill Vetch. Lyss points out he's made that pretty obvious. Ahab asks if she thinks doing things nonviolently would make a difference in the long run. Lyss doesn't think so, but points out that it would make Kimdyl feel better. She observes that her mother said Vetch was a hard one to play. Ahab asks if she thinks he's doing the wrong thing. She says she'd do the same, but points out she's genetically handicapped. He asks if Spider told her anything about Vetch that he might want to know, like vulnerabilities. She says that depends on what form you catch him in. He has a fondness for mythical creatures, and has their strengths and weaknesses when he uses their forms. Ahab jokes that all they need to do is to find a virgin and catch Vetch in a unicorn form. He asks if she knows any. Lyss looks uncomfortable. Ahab figures they can't count on Vetch being in any particular form when they come after him. He asks how good Vetch is in his most combat-optimized form. She says that Spider respected him. Ahab figures maybe they should talk to Benedict, on the theory that Vetch would be in trouble if he got caught between Benedict and Deirdre. Lyss tells him he's more than welcome to talk to Benedict, but she's not going to do it. He asks what she knows of that can defend against magic. She says the Pattern and Logrus can, but you have to be prepared. That night, Alex's dreams change. This time he dreams he kills his mother, in the same creative sort of ways that Bleys was killing him. He checks his candles when he wakes up, and finds that the one for Trump is lit. Mebd wakes up, sees the candle, and tells him she didn't touch it. He tells her the experiment worked. She asks what it means. He says he's not quite sure right now. She asks what the colors mean. Alex replies that they mean different things. She looks annoyed and says to just tell her if he doesn't want to clue her in. Alex claims he doesn't want to worry her. He explains that the nature of his dreams changed, but he doesn't say how. Mebd claims she's feeling better, so Alex makes an appointment to see Random. Random is able to see him right away. Alex asks to see the paperwork involving the Star's creation as a sovereign state. Random digs it out and hands it to him. Alex peruses it and finds it's full of all sorts of posturing nonsense that basically says Rathkavren, under Lady Protectress Heather, has a neutral stance on everything, and won't tolerate any aggressive acts against any pole of reality. It has Heather and Random's signatures on it. Alex asks for a copy, claiming that he's attempting to orient the new ambassador. Random smiles and tells him to do a thorough job. Alex asks if Random has any further need of him. Random asks how Gramble stands on the House Vetch issue. Alex asks what's happened. Random explains that there's been a kidnapping and it's pointing in Vetch's direction. He wants to know if Gramble's approval of killing Vetch is still in place. Alex says Ahab called it off. He asks if Random wants it reinstated. Random says that will depend on Gramble's answer. Felix gets up, puts on his peasant disguise, and goes over to the Feldane residence. He spends the morning mixing in with the servants while he looks for Irene. Eventually, Irene emerges with her brothers and goes for a ride. They return after an hour. Her brothers turn their horses over to a stableboy and go inside. Irene leads her horse into the stable herself and starts rubbing it down. Felix walks in and asks to speak to her. She asks who he is. He lifts the brim of his hat. Her eyes get wide and she dismisses the other stableboy. Felix tells her he wants to take her to the festival. She comments that he's using some rather odd channels. He explains that he just wants to take her dancing and he didn't want it to be an affair of state. She figures she won't have any trouble attending the festival, since her family sponsors it. She says she agrees to go with him, but only if he helps her judge the pies. She asks if he's going to hang around playing stableboy for the rest of the afternoon. Felix figures he's had enough for the day. She asks if he's come here only to see her. Felix sarcastically replies that he came to spy out her father's equine secrets. She says she's rather flattered. She asks how she'll know him. He points out that he'll probably be the biggest person there. Ariana spends the day shopping in Amber. Heather reaches a dead end in her research. Mandor leaves a note saying he has errands to run. Heather Trumps Kimdyl. Kimdyl answers, looking rather surprised. Heather comments that Nicholas fortunately doesn't take after his father much. She observes that Kimdyl looks nervous. Kimdyl says they've had a bit of trouble. Heather asks if it's resolved. Kimdyl says "Not yet." Heather says she has some things to discuss with Kimdyl. Kimdyl won't leave Amber, so Heather picks up Emer and comes through to her. They find a sitting room and Kimdyl asks what she can help Heather with. Heather tells Kimdyl that Vetch is under her protection, but she's now having cause to regret this action. She asks if Kimdyl could help her out in this regard. Kimdyl asks what she needs to know. Heather asks why Hendrake wants Vetch's blood. Kimdyl tells her it happened several centuries before she was born. All she knows is that Vetch has an acidic sense of humor and a bad sense of timing. She assumes it has something to do with Lord Hendrake's wife, and Vetch's bastard that was born shortly thereafter. Heather asks what he wants with the half-breeds. Kimdyl explains that Murine worked closely with Vetch in that regard, but she won't be much help since she's in a coma. Heather isn't pleased. Kimdyl wonders if maybe Vetch isn't so old that he's just snapped. Heather is worried that he'll bring Hendrake down on her. Kimdyl doesn't think they'll view her as a threat, unless she seriously aids him. Heather says she's already told Vetch she won't aid him in anything trouble he causes, like taunting Ahab. Kimdyl's face twitches at that remark. Heather realizes that Vetch was responsible for the bit of trouble Kimdyl referred to earlier. Kimdyl explains that her only concern is her child, and it's been clearly pointed out to her what will happen if she doesn't behave. Heather says she'd hate to do anything that would hurt the child. Kimdyl doesn't think Heather has anything to worry about, with Mandor and Sawall's backing. Heather asks where Murine is. Kimdyl says she's at Gerard's summer house. Kimdyl adds that Vetch was always kind to her, until now. Heather says she just wants to know how much of a mess she's gotten herself into. Kimdyl doesn't think she has, providing she doesn't aid Vetch. Ahab figures Kimdyl's been gone far too long, so he goes looking for her. He finds her with Heather in the sitting room. Heather excuses herself and goes to her quarters in the castle. Ahab asks what Heather wanted. Kimdyl explains Heather's situation. Ahab thinks that's good. They head back to their quarters. Ahab asks how her talk with Random went. She says Random's exact words were "It's your kid." They take a nap. Felix asks Murine if she's ready to speak with her sister yet. She is, so Felix Trumps Ahab. Ahab apologizes for his earlier actions. He explains that unknown people had kidnapped his son. Felix tells him that Vetch is back and he and Ariana were visiting. But never mind that, he called to say that Murine is awake but has amnesia. She wants to speak to her sister. Ahab says he'll tell Kimdyl. He offers to return the Trump of Ariadne. Felix tells him to give it to Driscoll, since it's his in the first place. Felix mentions Ariana was upset that Ahab wouldn't speak to her. Ahab says he doesn't feel bad, since she's sleeping with Vetch. He thinks it merely confirms his opinion that Vetch is skilled at dangling people from the ropes of their choice. Alex finds Mebd and asks if she wants to come with him to Chaos. She says she still doesn't feel safe there. He tells her he's going to see Gramble and asks if she wants to read Random's version of the Rathkavren treaty. She does, so he gives her his copy and kisses her good-bye. He Trumps his mother. She looks rather tired when she answers, so he asks if she's well. She says she's not sleeping well. He asks her to pull him through. Eric says hello. Alex asks his mother what she meant. She says she's having nightmares. He asks about what. She asks if she's done anything to displease him recently. He asks how long she's been having the nightmares. She tells him she's had them for the past two nights. Adjusting for time flow, he figures that's been as long as he's had his dreams of killing her. He explains that it seems to be happening through Trump. Felix tells his parents that he's going to the festival. They look rather pleased. He arrives and easily spots Irene, who looks stunning. He's relieved to note that her father isn't there, since any Amber noble older than 28 or so would probably recognize him. They spend most of the evening together, much to the annoyance of the young nobles present. Felix impresses Irene by winning most of the contests at the festival. She mentions that she's apprehensive about the marriage her father's planning for her. She doesn't know who she'll be marrying, but it's not like she has any choice in the matter. They discuss his rather unorthodox approach at dating. He takes her for a walk on the beach. Heather drops by the summer house and convinces Foster to take her to see Murine. She explains that she wants to see if she can psychically find Murine's missing memories. Murine figures she has nothing to lose and allows this. Unfortunately, there's no memory there to be found. Heather realizes that by all rights, Murine should be dead, and she would be if Riftvan wasn't such a good shapeshifter. Heather tells Murine this. Murine figures she'll probably never be able to shapeshift again. Heather observes that Murine's using parts of her brain that she never has before. Foster frowns. Heather figures Murine's not in any further danger, since any useful information she might have had is gone. Murine looks relieved. Heather gives Murine her Trump and leaves. She Trumps Mandor and explains that it was a dead end. He pulls her through. Alex finds the appropriate clerk and asks for a copy of the Rathkavren treaty. He arranges for a private audience with Gramble and is allowed immediate access. He spots Mandor leaving as he enters. Gramble asks how things fare in Amber. Alex says they're a bit chaotic, which gets a smile out of Gramble. He explains that Random wants to know if Gramble still feels the same about Vetch as he did before. Gramble asks what Vetch has done now. Alex explains that he's suspected of kidnapping Ahab and Kimdyl's son. Gramble says that's good information to know and asks to be kept informed of Vetch's moves in that end of reality. Alex asks what he should tell Random. Gramble says he won't raise a fuss as long as Random keeps it unofficial. Ahab gets a Trump from Fiona. She tells him he has an appointment with Gramble. He relays the news to Kimdyl. They dress appropriately and have Fiona bring them through. She leads them into Gramble's audience chamber. Gramble comments that Ahab is looking healthier than when they last met. Ahab thanks him again for his assistance. Kimdyl places Nicholas in Gramble's arms. Gramble examines the baby for quite some time. Eventually he says that whatever was done has had no physical effect on Nicholas. He can't determine quite what was done, but he can give him a list of candidates who could. It's a small list, and Vetch is, of course, one of them. He warns them that all of those capable of such finesse are rather old and set in their ways, and therefore unlikely to help. Ahab observes there's nothing quite like a vendetta one is afraid to start. Gramble tells them he'll do his best to make things uncomfortable for Vetch in the Courts. He says he doesn't really agree with Vetch's breeding program and asks to be informed if any other attempts are made. Ahab asks if Gramble will mind if he takes matters into his own hands. Gramble observes he already gave Ahab that permission and hasn't taken it away. Ahab says there must have been a communication mistake then. They bow out of the audience chamber. Ariana opts to attend dinner in Amber, rather than returning to the summer house. Present are Driscoll, Eris, Flora, Lyss, Mirelle, Random, Vialle and Mebd. Eris spends much of the meal telling Driscoll about her harpsichord lessons. Mirelle is reading a dictionary. Ariana apologizes to Lyss for not doing more when Dworkin took an interest in her. Lyss points out there's not much she could have done. Ariana asks how her eye is doing. Lyss says she can see through it, sort of, but it doesn't work well with her good eye. Ariana asks if she's decided what to do. Lyss admits she's still not sure. Ariana says she's willing to give Lyss medical advice, if she wants any. After dinner, Ariana studies the Pattern for a couple of hours before riding back to the summer house. Before she leaves, Fiona tells Ahab that he played that well. Looking around, Ahab is rather surprised to find Eric there. Eric observes that Ahab is far from home. He asks if Ahab's capable of returning to Amber. Ahab says he is, so Eric leaves. Ahab teleports his family back to Amber and they turn in for the night. Ariana encounters one of Julian's patrols on the way back. They warn her it's not safe to ride alone at night. She's doesn't look concerned and points out that it's their job to make it safe. Upon her arrival at the summer house, she finds milk and brownies waiting for her in her room. While she's debating whether to eat them, Riftvan walks in and observes that she's back. She asks if he's been wandering around the house. He says that Gerard and Isabeux are already asleep. She asks why he sent Murine after Felix. He asks why she thinks he was responsible. She tells him she heard it from reliable sources, but won't say who specifically. He says it's part of the plan, but won't tell her what the plan is. She asks if it will endanger the children. He's says it won't. He tells her that something has to be done to the children to enable them to fully use the abilities their heritage gives them. He claims it's already been done to Foster, and he's planning to do it to their children. She asks when he was planning to do it to Nicholas and learns that he did it that afternoon. She's upset that he didn't at least ask Kimdyl in advance, since she might have allowed him to do it willingly, even if Ahab wouldn't. Riftvan claims he didn't want to force Kimdyl to betray Ahab. Ariana warns Riftvan that Ahab will want to kill him again. Riftvan isn't too worried. Further conversation reveals that Merlin has both Pattern and Logrus, but never had whatever Riftvan did to Foster and Nicholas done to him. Dara apparently doesn't have the skill. Ariana asks about Theresa, the other half-breed Felix told her about. Riftvan says Theresa was Delwin's child, but she was taken out of the game by the Hendrakes. He also tells Ariana that Delwin had another child, Alex. Riftvan says that Delwin is being held by his insane sibling, Sand, who has access to the power source of the Spikards. He admits he's tried finding this power source, but has been unsuccessful. Ariana asks how many Spikards there are, and learns there are a total of eight. Ariana asks Riftvan to at least let Kimdyl know that he won't be taking Nicholas again. He surprised by her concern, since she and Kimdyl don't get along. She thinks it's cruel to let Kimdyl continue to fear her child will be kidnapped again. Riftvan agrees to consider it. She asks if he's willing to teach her Power Words. He asks if she's going to hit him again. She says she won't as long as he doesn't repeat the circumstances which led to it the first time. He claims they would have killed him if he'd stayed in Amber. She figures that was because of Murine's death. He asks why everyone's blaming him. She says she believes he wasn't responsible and asks if he knows who was. He tells her he doesn't want that much grief. He asks if she's going to use the Power Words on him. She replies that if that was her plan, she'd learn from someone else. When Felix returns home, Foster is waiting up for him. He tells Felix about Heather's visit. On their way to their rooms, Foster stops outside of Ariana's door and smiles. Felix asks if he knows who she's with. Foster nods. Felix thinks it's sick, since Vetch is so old. Foster points out that Vetch doesn't have to look old. He says they sound happy and asks if it's that much fun. He wants to know what the woman gets out of it. Felix blushes. He says if the man is skilled... Foster asks if that means you have to do it a certain way. Felix explains that there are lots of different ways to do it. Foster looks nervous about this. Felix tells him he'll understand some day, and he'll probably even enjoy it. Foster says he'll take Felix's word for it. He asks if he can move in next to Ariana's room, and then ducks into his room before Felix can respond. Kimdyl gets Trump call in the middle of the night. Ahab wakes up and notices that she's shaking. He asks who it was. She explains that it was Vetch, who told her he wasn't planning on taking Nicholas again. She notes that he was at the summer house. Ahab tells her Vetch has been sleeping with Ariana. Kimdyl thinks he may be telling the truth, since he's already done what he needed to. Ahab still wants to kill him. Alex returns to Amber the next day. He gives Gramble's message to Random, and then sits down to compare the two treaties. Felix returns for the closing solstice festivities, but spends most of it avoiding Irene's father. He and Irene pass notes back and forth through her maid. He notes that her father's looking suspicious. She tells him her brother told her father she had been spending a great deal of time with some peasant. Ahab goes into town and explains to Miranda why he missed his appointment the previous day. She finds his excuse acceptable and begins teaching him how to make jewelry. Six months pass. Murine becomes Vialle's secretary. Heather bathes in the Fount. Gerard removes the Jewel from Lyss' eye. Ahab begins teaching her fencing, but she's very awkward. Deirdre asks why he's wasting his time. Deirdre begins publicly dating the noble Ahab found her with. Ariana moves into a house in town, so she and Riftvan can more easily spend time together. Riftvan tends to come and go randomly, although he's never gone for more than two weeks. Ahab continues to ignore her on her visits to the castle. She corners him after a month of this and asks what she's done to offend him. He says it's the company she's keeping. She tells him she didn't know Riftvan was going to take Nicholas, and she would have tried to stop him if she had. Ahab is upset because he thinks she's staying with Riftvan out of pleasure. She says it's because she loves him. They eventually agree to be friends again. Ahab asks if she's going to name the children after her guards. She tells him she's naming one of them Jalana. They discuss possible names for the other child. Ahab tells her that Kimdyl seems to have gotten over her kill obsession. Ariana is relieved. She asks what he's found out about Alex's house. He tells her what he learned from Kimdyl. Riftvan accompanies Ariana as Mark on her pre-natal exams in Maui. An ultrasound reveals that one is a girl, but they are unable to determine the sex of the other child. When Ariana is about 5 months pregnant, Riftvan gives her a ring in the shape of a Serpent biting its tail. He tells her it will squeeze her finger when she's in danger, and she can make it invisible. At the end of six months, a wedding date is finally set for Ahab and Kimdyl. Ahab asks Kimdyl if she has anyone to give her away. She doesn't, so he asks if she'll allow Corwin to do it. She says she's willing. He checks with Deirdre to make sure it's OK with her, but she has no objections. He rides out to Arden and asks Julian to be his best man. Julian looks puzzled, but agrees. Ahab tells him he'll have to talk with Flora. Julian says he knew there was a catch. He observes he'll have to plan the bachelor party. Ahab says Julian will have to keep the bride's relatives from grabbing her too. He observes that Benedict would be better for the second task, but Benedict's idea of a party would be a two person game of poker. Caine could plan a wicked party, but he'd allow the bride to be taken if paid enough. Julian actually smiles at this, and comments that Caine would take the bride himself, if she was attractive enough.