Chapter Seventy-three: "Two pregnant women, alone in a forest.  What could
go wrong?"

	Laughter and company continue traveling along in their ball of
Logrus.  Ariana throws up after a while.  Jordan stops and looks
distasteful.  Laughter suggests he try being pregnant.  Nah, that's what
women do.  They continue onward, and the ride gets rougher.  Fortunately,
Ariana does not throw up any more, mostly because she's already thrown up
everything in her stomach.  Eventually, they stop by two tall oaks. 
Laughter can't sense anything from them, so she walks between them. 
Jordan raises a finger in warning, right as she's knocked back about
twenty feet.  Oops.  Jordan disables the first spell, then contemplates
the second.  Ahab tries to herd Foster off, but no dice, so Laughter drags
Ariana off instead, saying they need some water.  Ariana complies, but
suggests it would be bad to drink anything in the area, since it might be
poisoned.

	Ahab asks Foster if he honestly expected Laughter to react
differently than she did, when she learned how old he was.  Well, Foster
figured that Ariana got over it.  Eventually.  He admits that Laughter
didn't react in any of the ways he was expecting.  He's considering
playing hard to get.  Ahab doesn't think that's a good idea.  He explains
that maybe in Chaos, and Vetch especially, lying is fine if you don't get
caught, and you try harder if you do, but in Laughter's culture,
dishonesty is just wrong.  Foster asks what he should do.  Be himself. 
Foster says that he's been playing roles for so long, he's not sure who he
really is.  Ahab suggests he stop pouting, for starters, and asks if
Foster really was all that surprised by Laughter's reaction.  Foster
points out again that Ariana got over it.  Ahab asks if he was there when
Ariana smacked Vetch.  He was, and thought it was kind of neat, actually. 
Ahab figures that was something they needed to do.  Foster points out that
Laughter fought him.  Ahab notes that it wasn't decisive.  Foster asks if
he should get in a knock-down, drag-out fight with Laughter.  Ahab figures
that if this was Ariana and Riftvan, yes, but who can say with Laughter? 
Jordan asks if everyone is ready, since he's done studying the spell. 
They all gather together again.

	Gerard tells Felix that he can go, if he's needed elsewhere, since
the Chaos fleet is virtually destroyed.  Felix asks if Caine ever told him
where he put Isabeux and Vivienne.  Gerard looks horrified.  He pulls out
first Caine's, then Llewella's Trump, and concentrates on them with
single-minded intensity.  Nothing.  He tries Fiona.  Still nothing. 
Gerard puts his fist down on the table hard enough that he has to find a
new table.  Felix Trumps Fiona, but has no better luck than Gerard.  He
tries Bleys, gets through, then worries that maybe Bleys wasn't debugged. 
This amuses Bleys to no end.  Felix explains the situation.  Bleys is even
more amused, and figures the incoming call he's getting must be Gerard. 
Felix finds Gerard, so he can hear his half of the conversation.  Gerard
starts off by saying that this isn't funny.  Then he sets off on a
harangue about the seriousness of the situation.  Felix points out that
Caine wouldn't have needed to hide Isabeux and Vivienne if Bleys hadn't
spoken to Gerard.  Gerard turns his wrath on Felix, who decides it's time
to leave, and Trumps Foster.  Gerard returns to his conversation with
Bleys.

	Foster takes the call from Felix.  Felix explains the situation to
Foster, who wonders if Felix really wants to join him.  Felix isn't sure. 
Foster says the others are picking on him, so Felix comes through.  Ariana
asks who's missing, and Felix psychically tells her what happened.  Jordan
manages to open a hole in the spell, but it's only 2 1/2 feet in diameter
and about four feet off of the ground.  It's the best he can do.  Ahab
dives through first, followed by Ariana, Laughter and Foster.  Felix asks
if Jordan can make the hole any bigger.  Jordan picks Felix up with the
Logrus and pushes him into the hole, giving him a few thumps on the rear
to push him through when he gets stuck.  Felix is not pleased.

	Alex studies his Spikard, which has warmed up to body temperature. 
He talks to Mebd in the infirmary.  She claims to not remember him at all,
although she remembers everything else.  Alex takes her hand and checks
out her mind.  It seems that someone's done a very fine bit of mental
tinkering, and it's more than he can undo.  He charms her, claiming he
always visits the sick and infirm.  Then he Trumps Delwin and asks if he's
seen Theresa.  Nope, what has she done?  Alex says she's been her usual,
charming self.  Ah.  Delwin asks when he's going to use that Spikard.  In
due time.

	Bart has dinner in Rebma with Llewella and Caine.  She wakes up
the next morning to find Darby staring at her plaintively.  Darby asks if
Bart has seen his mother.  He wants to see her.  Bart explains that she's
playing a rather active roll in the defense of Amber, right now.  Darby's
lower lip quivers.  Bart gives him a hug and assures him that she's all
right.  Darby tells him that Nicholas says she's dead.  Bart assures him
that this isn't true and that he'll see her again.  She asks if Darby's
father knows where he is.  Darby hasn't seen him in days.  Aunt Llewella's
been looking after him, but she's rather busy, so her handmaid's been
watching him.  She's not very good at hide and seek, seeing as how she
never found him...

	Laughter finds herself in a strangely thick mist that comes to her
waist.  When she checks to see if anyone's around, the mists start
swirling, and Calamus steps out.  Laughter places her hands on both of her
swords.  Sequence is nonplussed about this.  They bow, then Calamus draws
his sword and says she owes him a rematch.  She figures she should have
separated his head from his body, and draws Sequence.  She asks who
resurrected him.  He says it was a half-Chaosite/half-Faerie.  They engage
each other, and he beats her blade aside.  They spar a bit, and she
notices that Sequence is beginning to take damage.  She draws Song, and he
lops the blade off at the hilt.  He begins to beat her back, although his
sword can't penetrate her armor.  She uses her arm as a shield and gets
kicked in the stomach for her troubles.  She tries to distract him by
asking if he cares how she's been.  He lops off some of her hair.  Then he
draws blood from her sword hand.  She kicks at him, but he jumps up.  She
mumbles a spell, but he presses her too hard for her to be able to cast
it.  He stabs deep into her sword hand, and breaks the first metacarpal. 
She throws a dagger at his throat, but he dodges, and it only grazes him. 
After five minutes of this, he knocks Sequence out of her hand, which is
now too damaged to fight with.  Sequence flies around behind Calamus, but
he catches it by the hilt.  He says "I made you, I can unmake you." and
lops the blade off about an inch above the hilt.  Calamus figures it would
be too much to hope that Laughter would beg for mercy.  Yep.

	Ahab finds himself in the same sort of mist as Laughter, and is
confronted by a cold-looking Deirdre.  She draws her sword and says he's
caused her nothing but pain.  Ahab asks if it's retroactive abortion time. 
She says she should have done it long ago.  So he keeps telling her.  She
advances towards him.  Ahab ducks under the mist, and gets a glancing
wound for his troubles, as her sword glances off of his armor.  He
reverses his direction, pops up, and gets kicked really hard in the ribs. 
He stands up and tries unsuccessfully to stay out of her reach.  She
batters on his armor for a while, which mostly leaves him with bruises. 
He does not draw his sword.  Deirdre begins to pick softer targets to
kick.  He points out that she's a copy, and suggests they join forces to
kill whoever created her.  She thinks he's an easier target, and she
doesn't know who created her.  He kicks her in the crotch and gets her
sword pommel in his face for his troubles.  He backs away and waits for
the sparklies to fade.

	Felix also finds himself in mist.  He hears what sounds like the
grating of large scales, and something flicks at his leg.  He walks away
from it.  Two feet in front of him, a 30 foot-long hooded cobra rears its
head.  It's missing an eye.  Felix says he'll be going now, and turns to
leave.  It spits venom in his face, blinding him, and coils around his
feet.  He stomps on its coils, hears an intake of breath, and feels two
8-inch long fangs sink into his leg.  His leg burns, then his face and leg
go numb.  He reaches for his Trump deck.

	Ariana finds herself in the same mist as the others, but nothing
emerges to confront her.  She can't see or hear anything, but she can feel
a breeze.  She follows it, but the breeze feels like it's leading her in
circles.  She makes a mark with her sword, and follows the breeze again,
checking for the mark.  She returns to it in twenty minutes.  She draws a
straight line on the ground, using her dagger as a guide, and follows
that.  Another twenty minutes pass with no change.

	Calamus asks Laughter to tilt her head up.  She tries to convince
him that he's being used, since he's dead, after all.  She thinks Arthur
is responsible for his resurrection.  Calamus has never heard of the man. 
Laughter says she didn't think he hated her this much.  He says that
changed when they became lovers, and accuses her of being bad in bed.  She
pulls out her Trump deck, and gets her hand lopped off for her troubles. 
She waves the bloody stump at him, then jumps him.  She looses the other
hand, and curses Calamus to 1,000 hells.  He doesn't fear her curse.  She
faints from blood loss.

	Deirdre beats Ahab about the head.  Ahab goes ape-shit, starts
screaming that she's given him nothing but pain, and leaps at her.  This
earns him rapid unconsciousness.

	Felix concentrates on the top card in his deck, and it grows cold. 
Gerard answers.  Felix holds out his hand and is pulled through.  He is
standing on Gerard's ship, can see again, and his leg is fine.  Gerard
asks what happened.  Felix explains.  Gerard figures they should try to
Trump the others.  They are unable to reach them, and the cards don't
change temperature, except for Ariana's, which grows ever so slightly
cold.  Felix doesn't know who the strange guy with the group was, but his
name was Jordan and he used the Logrus.  Gerard Trumps Bleys, and then
Fiona, but no one answers.

	Ariana Trumps Laughter, who seems to be in a trance.  Ariana wakes
her up psychically, pulls her through, and asks what happened.  Sequence
remembers Laughter just standing there.  Laughter Trumps Foster, but can't
get through, although the card does grow slightly cold.  Ariana Trumps
Ahab, who is in a trance much like Laughter was, so she wakes him up and
pulls him through.  Laughter hands Foster's Trump to Ariana, who reaches
him, finds him also entranced, and deals with him accordingly.  Then she
Trumps Felix, who thinks it's the Serpent calling, so Gerard joins in to
help.  Ariana is quite surprised to see Gerard.  Felix says he fought the
Serpent, and doesn't want to come back.  It's taking a lot of effort for
Ariana to maintain the contact, to the point where she can't spare the
effort to talk to the others.  She says she'll be in touch.

	While Ariana is talking to Felix, Laughter Trumps Mandor and says
she's lost Jordan, but if he can give her a Trump of him, everything will
be swell.  Mandor does this thing, and is about to say something, when
Laughter breaks the contact.  She hands the Trump to Ariana, who contacts
Jordan.  He is awake, but surrounded by the same mist.  As he comes
through, he mentions that he's almost done with the spell.  He's impressed
at the skill of the caster, and comments that he'll have to remember it. 
He figures he and Ariana had too high a psyche for the person who put this
together.  He dispels the spell, and they find themselves in a meadow. 
Ariana suggests they get to cover.

	Theresa Trumps Alex to gloat, and mocks him for not using the
Spikard yet.  Lucky him.  After she breaks the contact, he puts on the
Spikard, which glows until it seats itself on his finger.  He is unable to
remove it.  He thinks about leaving the room, there's a flash of heat,
then pain, but he's still there.  He leaves the room in a more
conventional manner, then senses for a presence in the ring.  Nothing.  He
uses the ring to teleport out into Shadow and blows up a mountain.  When
he regains consciousness, the mountain is gone and he has a splitting
headache.  He gets a Trump call from Delwin, who tells him to exercise
some restraint, since they all have to draw from the same power source. 
If he's not careful, they'll have to find a new host.  Alex asks if he'd
care to instruct him in the Spikard's use.  Delwin explains that he can
use it to power spells, but he needs to use it sparingly.  Alex Trumps
back to Amber, points the Spikard at Mebd, and wishes for her to be well. 
She falls unconscious.  Heather in shown this scene in one of Mandor's
spheres.  She dispatches assassins and tells Mandor.  Alex goes to lunch.

	Bart talks with Darby, trying to encourage him to have more
self-confidence.  He wants to know if he can change his father, if he
doesn't like the one he has.  Bart takes him to breakfast.  Afterwards,
Bart tries to track down the lad's father.  Darby dutifully waits outside. 
Bart wakes Drumman up, who's quite happy to see her, until Bart reveals
his identity.  Drumman is doubtful, until Bart briefly manages to change
back to his male form.  Bart asks where Darby is.  Drumman figures he's
with someone.  He tends to wander.  Bart looks out the door, and points
out that Darby hasn't moved much.  Drumman says he does when he gets bored
enough.  Bart chews him out for leaving his child alone.  Drumman doesn't
know how to relate to a child.  Bart relieves Drumman of his
responsibility to the child, takes Darby, and tries to figure out what to
do with him.  Darby is overjoyed to learn that Bart will be his father.

	Ariana asks if Fiona's device can still pick up the Logrus trail. 
Yep.  Jordan thinks it's a cool device, and wants to take it apart. 
Ariana asks him to wait until later.  Laughter promises to give it to him
when they are done.  They proceed through the forest, which reminds Ariana
and Laughter of Faerie.  They feel like they are being watched, no doubt
due to the many small Faeries in the trees.  One of them lands in Ariana's
hair and seems to know her.  Ariana allows it to remain there.  Foster
drops back and talks with Laughter.  She asks if his vision involved
dragons.  Yep.  He was being eaten, piece by piece.  She points out that
he really needs to get over that.  She managed, after all.  Laughter is
worried about the remark Calamus made about her being bad in bed.  Foster
assures her that she was wonderful, and whispers something that makes her
blush.

	After a while, the group approach a clearing where a maiden of
about 14 is picking a bouquet.  She looks like Beauty.  When Laughter
calls out her name, she looks up, runs to Laughter and embraces her.  She
says she and Caitt live alone, other than the servants who attend them. 
Laughter tells her it's only been a day or two in Amber, which shocks
Beauty.  She is introduced to Jordan, then Ariana hugs her and asks how
long it's been for her.  Five years.  Laughter asks Beauty to take them to
Caitt.  Jordan tells Laughter that they have been following a false trail,
something he only just determined.  Ahab asks Laughter psychically if
she's sure this is the real Beauty, and not some glamoured Faerie. 
Laughter hands Beauty her cold iron dagger.  The little Faerie in Ariana's
hair flies away, but Beauty doesn't flinch.  Jordan asks for an image of
Caitt, then pulls her to them with the Logrus.  She's rather flustered,
but hugs from Laughter and Ariana seem to help.

	Gerard tells Felix that Bleys is looking for Isabeux and Vivienne. 
There's no word from Riftvan or Martin yet.  They try Trumping Fiona
again, and fail.  Gerard looks tired.  Felix tells him that Foster's
mother was really Vetch's eldest daughter.  Gerard looks even more tired
and goes to bed.

	Laughter senses a spell going off, and Song flies straight up out
of her scabbard.  Ariana asks Jordan to grab it with the Logrus.  He does
so, and gets pulled up off of the ground, until Ariana and Laughter grab
his legs.  Song suddenly reverses direction, and Jordan drops to the
ground.  Laughter catches Jordan, while Ariana and Ahab draw their swords
to parry.  Song speeds away, but Ariana leaps and grabs it.  She
overpowers it, jams it into the ground and says "Let's chat."  Ahab points
his sword at her throat, so he can kill her if she doesn't win.  Laughter
is grabbed around the throat with a Logrus tendril, which begins dragging
her towards the forest.

	Felix gets a Trump call from a woman he's never seen before.  She
is tall and elegant, with pointed ears.  Felix guesses correctly that she
is Tamaryn.  She wants to come through, and Felix foolishly complies.  She
is impressed that Foster's told him who she is.  Felix comments that Vetch
apparently favors his Faerie form.  She corrects him, saying that her
mother was Faerie.  She hasn't been able to get through to Foster, and
wants to know if Felix has talked to him.  Actually, she hasn't been able
to talk with Foster until recently.  Her father tends to keep her cooped
up, but he's gone missing, so...  Felix comments that her father can
sometimes be an asshole.  She says she's known this for the past 1,000
years.  She thinks the fact that Foster's told Felix about her is a good
sign of his reformation.  He's unhappy that Foster hasn't told him
anything else.  She claims that she would never have allowed Foster to be
taken away from her if she knew what Vetch had in mind for him.  Felix is
doubtful.  He mentions that there are a number of unresolved questions,
and complains that her House has a tendency to lie to loved ones and kill
people.  She claims she wasn't a Vetch, for a while.  She's widowed now,
and Vetch took her back into the House.  Felix complains that his entire
relationship with Foster was a lie.  She thinks Felix has been a good
influence on Foster.  She figured it would be a couple of centuries before
Foster got out from under her father's thumb.  He thinks it's odd that she
showed up in Amber now, right after Foster told him of her.  She claims
she's seeking sanctuary from family members who noticed that she was free. 
He doesn't think this is the best place to be, what with Pattern being
gone and Logrus running rampant.  She mentions that she's better at using
the Logrus than her father.  Lots of time to practice, don't you know. 
Felix asks her to find Isabeux and Vivienne.  She gets a mental image of
them from him and begins searching with the Logrus. 

	Alex finishes lunch and checks on Mebd.  She's drooling slightly
and seems to be stunned.  He notices the powerful use of Logrus emanating
from Gerard's flagship and sends a page to inform Random of this.

	Bart and Llewella discuss Darby's father.  Llewella sends Darby
off to find a toy in the toy chest.  Once he's gone, Bart asks if she's
heard of the Jewel's return, since Darby's been asking about his mother. 
Nope.  Rinaldo might be able to find it, or Bleys, Fiona or Ariana.  Bart
asks for a Trump of Rinaldo, and contacts him.  She goes through, and
finds herself in a room with Merlin and Shard.  She asks if there's been
any sign of the Jewel.  Yes, Rinaldo thinks it's been delivered to Random. 
Shard asks if Bart remembers the Shadow they picked him up in.  Merlin
gives Bart this "uh-uh" look.  Bart says she remembers the Shadow they
were searching from.  Shard asks if her Chaos friends might know.  Bart
doesn't want to abuse that relationship at the moment.  Maybe after things
have settled down.  Bart finds that Shard is almost impossible to read. 
She Trumps Llewella and returns to Rebma.

	Jordan grabs Laughter's leg with a Logrus tendril, and she comes
to a halt.  The other tendril is still pulling on her neck, though, and
it's rather excruciating.  Ahab tries to run to her, but she's already
been pulled into a different Shadow.  Foster comforts Beauty, while Ariana
continues trying to convince Song not to kill Laughter.  Jordan figures
that the tug-of-war will soon tear Laughter apart, so he lets go of her. 
He and Ahab attempt to follow along, but soon come to a jarring halt. 
Jordan remarks that this was clever, and throws a card.  Then he throws
another one.  Ahab decides to Trump someone for help.  Laughter Trumps
Mandor and gasps at him, so Mandor tosses one of his balls through the
contact.  The tendril suddenly releases her and she plows into the ground. 
Then a glowing card reaches her and surrounds her in a cage.  Jordan gets
a disgusted look and mumbles that Father is spoiling his fun.  He pulls
Ahab to Laughter with the Logrus.  Laughter Trumps Foster, who is still
comforting Beauty.  Laughter is not pleased.  She tries to go through, but
can't get through the cage.  Jordan and Ahab arrive, Jordan dispels the
cage, and they rejoin the others.  Ariana finishes with Song as they
return, and they all Trump back to main hall in Amber.

	Laughter's throat is rather badly bruised, so Ariana heals her. 
When she finishes, she notices that she has an audience.  It's Shard, who
looks rather pale.  Even stranger, he has no psychic presence.  Ariana
stares at him, with her hand on Song, and informs him of this.  He asks to
speak with her privately.  She assents, and they go to one of the sitting
rooms.  He explains that his blood was removed, and then reinserted, via
teeth.  He offers her his hand.  When she takes it, she senses a powerful
presence, that has flavors of Shard.  She can't read his mind.  She tells
him that she's never seen anything like this before.  He says that she is
the only family member he's observed with healing power, and he was hoping
that she could help him.  She tries to heal him, but his body doesn't seem
to be alive.  Her transfusion spell has more of an effect, and his skin
grows warm and flushed.  He almost seems to be in ecstasy, and his body
seems to want as much blood as she can give.  Ariana also feels a very
sensual, almost erotic thrill.  She stops, which brings Shard out of it.

	Tamaryn finds Isabeux and Vivienne after two hours, but can't get
to them.  They're somewhere blocked to Logrus.  There's a specific Trump
for their location, which Felix asks her to find.  She does so, then
comments that whoever's got it is putting up a bit of a struggle.  She
frisks the individual with the Logrus, and determines that it's a man, and
he's in Rebma.  She pulls the Trump away, but keeps track of the man.  She
determines that he has a beard.  Felix asks her to assist him in Trumping
Caine, but they can't get through.  Tamaryn tells Felix that the man is
wearing rings.  Felix asks her to give the man his Trump, which she does. 
She gives Felix the Trump to the Shadow, which he gives to Gerard.  He
also introduces Tamaryn, who is not pleased to learn that she was probably
frisking Caine.  Gerard leaves to fetch his wife and daughter.

	Alex enters the main hall and finds Ahab, Laughter, Foster and
Jordan still there.  Alex asks Jordan if the invasion was successful. 
Jordan says yes, so Alex can pack his bags.  Regrettably, Alex doesn't
believe him.  Laughter elbows Foster, glares at him, and tells Jordan to
make himself at home.  Jordan is more than happy to, since he's been
trying to get into Amber for years.  Laughter leaves with Caitt and
Beauty.  Foster looks rather confused.  Mandor spoils Jordan's fun by
Trumping him and telling him to come home, now.

	Laughter hears Ariana telling Shard that she's never seen anything
like this before.  Laughter continues, pulling Beauty along with her, who
had stopped to listen.  She decides to keep Caitt and Beauty in Amber for
now.

	Shard explains to Ariana how he came to be held by the vampires,
and that they overpowered him psychically.  He also tells her that the
woman who made him a vampire looked much like the one they just arrived
with.  Ariana reveals that the woman was Beauty.  Shard is quite
surprised.  Ariana explains how Beauty and Caitt were kidnapped.  She asks
what he knows about being a vampire.  Apparently, the other vampires gave
him a little instruction.  He must avoid sunlight and sleep during the
day.  Even if he wants to stay awake, a feeling of lethargy comes over him
as dawn approaches.  He doesn't know of anything else he needs to avoid. 
All of his senses are heightened.  He can hear the servants upstairs, and
see in the dark.  Ariana asks what he sees when he looks at people.  Every
detail.  He tells her that her heartbeat has increased since they've been
talking.  She asks what else he can see.  He looks confused, than realizes
that she's with child.  He can hear the baby's heartbeat.  She asks how
often he needs blood.  Once a day, or he hungers beyond anything he's ever
felt.  Normal food has no appeal to him.  He can live off any blood, but
what she gave him is better than anything he's ever had before.  Doh!  She
asks if his urges will overcome his other feelings.  He's not sure.

	Bart is Trumped by Merlin, who comes through.  Merlin suggests
that at this point they should try to keep Shard away from the vampire
Shadow.  Bart asks if the condition can be reversed.  Merlin doesn't think
so.  Shard is dead, after all.  He'd like to keep Shard ignorant of his
capabilities, since he could be dangerous if he knew what he could do. 
Bart looks significantly at Darby, who leaves.  Merlin explains that
vampires are real, and therefore dangerous.  The nice thing is that, for
the most part, vampires can't cross Shadow.  He believes that Shard may be
strong enough to maintain his personality, and would hate for Shard to be
killed needlessly, or end the existence he has.  It's the change from
mortal to immortal that usually drives vampires mad, and Shard was already
immortal.

	Laughter Trumps Ariana, who takes her hand to speak psychically,
since she is still with Shard.  Laughter mentions Beauty's crush on Shard. 
Ariana suggests that she keep Beauty away from Shard, seeing as how he's a
vampire now.  Laughter is upset at losing five years of Beauty's life. 
Ariana sympathizes, but points out that it could be worse.  She can't even
find her children or her husband, after all.  Shard seems to react to
this.

	When the contact ends, Shard says that he didn't know Vetch was
still missing.  Ariana asks how he knew that.  He tells her that he seems
to be able to pick up surface thoughts, if he concentrates.  He assures
her that he would never hurt Beauty.  Ariana says she believes him.  The
problem is that Beauty has a crush on him, and she doesn't even know if he
still feels desire.  He understands this.  She wonders what would happen
if he walked the Pattern.  He thinks the light it casts alone would make
that impossible.  Ariana asks if he wishes to continue as he is.  He looks
ashamed.  She clarifies that sometimes people are so badly injured in
battle, that they don't wish to go on living.  He says he has no wish to
die.  She asks what happens if he is cut.  He borrows her dagger and
demonstrates.  The cut heals almost instantly.  He thinks he can continue
his existence, and would like to return to Foil.  She figures the latter
is up to Laughter.  He asks how often she can cast the transfusion spell. 
She says she wouldn't want to do it more than once a day.  He figures that
should be sufficient, and asks if she's willing continue using it on him. 
Given the alternative, she is, and promises to search for a way to reverse
his condition.  He offers his assistance, if she needs it in finding
Vetch.  She thanks him and leaves.

	Laughter brings Senlin through to comfort Caitt.  Then she talks
to Beauty about Shard.  Beauty is more than willing to let Laughter talk
to Shard at first, while she puts her thoughts in order.  Laughter finds
Shard still in the sitting room, staring at the wall.  He no longer looks
pale, and could pass for human, although his eyes are still bright.  She
tells him that Ariana filled her in on his condition.  He mentions that he
was able to overhear some of the conversation.  He admits that Beauty's
form is pleasing to him, but he'd never hurt her.  She asks if there's
anything she can do for him...  He says he thinks he's taken care of the
most serious problem.  He kisses her hand, and a sensual, almost erotic
thrill goes through her.  This disturbs Laughter.  Shard doesn't realize
that he did it.  Laughter quickly leaves.

	Ariana Trumps Felix, and tells him that everyone made it safely
back, including Foster.  Then she goes to the command center, where
they're planning some sort of covert op. to deal with the siege.  She
offers her assistance, which Benedict notes.  Fiona is still missing, and
she, Mirelle, Riftvan and Martin all don't answer their Trumps.  Ariana
considers using her Trump of Kalevala to go look for Riftvan, but she's
exhausted and her better instincts take hold.  She looks for information
on vampires in the library and finds two books: Dracula and Interview with
the Vampire.  She falls asleep in the library while reading them.

	Felix Trumps Foster and pulls him through.  Foster puts a hand to
his forehead upon seeing his mother.  He notes that she's escaped again. 
Felix asks why she has to be locked up.  She claims it's because she keeps
trying to mess up her father whenever she can.  Felix asks what she thinks
of her stepmother.  You mean Father's latest toy?  She'd show her the
proper respect, if she met her.  And her half-brothers and sister? 
Tamaryn expresses surprise that her father's made more, and comments that
he needs to be fixed.  Foster mentions that he's going to kick Vetch's
ass, as soon as he gets back.  Tamaryn observes that if he's going to
challenge Vetch, there's some things she should tell him.  Felix asks if
Vetch sent her to find the most stupid and gullible Amberite she could
find.  Nope, he just had to be an Amberite.  She wanted a child, her
husband hadn't given her any before his death, and Vetch wouldn't marry
her off to anyone after that.  Felix asks what Vetch was planning.  She
says he wants to create a super-race.  The stuff Vetch claimed about
wanting to unite Amber and Chaos is true, he's just using the half-breeds
to accomplish it.  A Logrus master who has Pattern can defend against
Pattern, which makes them pretty powerful.  She claims that the last time
she trusted her father was shortly before Foster's conception, and she's
spent the time since then delving into what Vetch is really up to.  She
thinks some Amberite kicked his ass at one point, and he's determined that
this won't happen again.  Foster doesn't know much about it, since Vetch
never told him more than he had to.

	Alex checks on Mebd again, and finds her studying the silverware
intently.  He gets a Trump call from Theresa, who asks if he actually did
what she thinks he did.  He replies that he drew his own Pattern.  She
thinks that wouldn't be as bad.  He shouldn't have done that, especially
after the mountain.  Practice subtlety.  One should never use the brute
force of magic on a demon.  Alex comments that it wouldn't have been
necessary, if only he had someone helpful...  She says this is her revenge
on him for kicking her in the womb.  He doesn't like that little fact
broadcast.  She points out that she wouldn't be talking over an unsafe
Trump channel, but guesses that he hasn't discovered that part of his
Spikard yet.  She breaks the contact without offering to elaborate.

	Foster observes that, because of Ariana's children, at least he is
no longer next in line for Head of House.  Felix asks him to make sure it
stays that way.  He also says one of them needs to own up to Murine. 
Foster would rather not, but Felix says it's necessary.  Felix asks
Tamaryn what House Vetch does, since Foster always skirts around it.  She
tells him they're killers, but they're the only house that's honest about
it.  Felix tells Foster to make sure that he leaves the House before the
child is born.  Foster would love to, if Vetch would get back.  If he
doesn't, they'll just have to drag him out of wherever he is.  Felix
suggests he could always beat up on one of Ariana's children.  He is still
sore about being lied to.  He's also worried about what Caine will do to
him.  He explains what happened to Foster, who is aghast to learn that his
mother felt up Caine.  Felix invites them both to spend the night on the
ship.

	Laughter Trumps Foster and goes through to him.  She is upset
about missing five years of Beauty's life.  She mentions that Beauty still
has a crush on Shard, who has problems unique to him.  Foster has noticed. 
He says that Shard is very dangerous right now, and reveals that there's
three ways to kill a vampire: expose him to sunlight, chop off his head,
or burn him.  Her magic is unlikely to work on him.  Laughter reminds
Foster that Beauty is mortal, so those five years she missed are
important.  She wants to know who would do this to her.  Foster thinks
it's a Chaosite named Chameleon.  Laughter asks why he would be interested
in her.  Foster explains that it's really easy for an Amberite to find
their twin in Chaos, although she and Foster seem to be exempt, being of
mixed blood.  Chameleon is Driscoll's twin.  Laughter wonders how many
Shadows of Calamus she has to deal with, and tells Foster that she and
Driscoll have decided to have nothing to do with each other.  Foster
thinks they're fooling themselves.  He admits that he's been so touchy,
lately, because he's always been afraid of losing her, and it seemed like
that was happening.  Driscoll is handsome, and their Shadows have
interacted.  Foster's never had much confidence in himself.  Laughter's
never felt that confident, either, given who her parents were, and her
lack of their qualities.  Foster says she makes her own way, something he
thinks is an exceptional quality.  She notes that this is the first real
conversation they've had since his revelation about his true age.  He
suggests that maybe she should sleep with Driscoll and see what she's
missing.  She can't believe he suggested that.  They have a pillow fight
and make up.


Quotables:

"Draw one of the swords.  Draw the other one, too." -- Laughter to GM

"Well, I guess that tells us something." -- Laughter
"Yes, it tells us not to do that again." -- Ariana

"The last thing we want is for Foster to be in awe of Jordan.  That helps
our case not at all.  Whatever our case may be." -- Laughter to GM

"Two pregnant women, alone in a forest.  What could go wrong?" -- Ahab to
Foster

"So, what do you suggest I do with Laughter, thump her on the head and
drag her home?"  -- Foster to Ahab
"Oh, just try it, Chaos boy." -- Laughter

"It goes something like this.  Caine hid my mother and sister out in
Shadow, and then got et by a sea monster.  And we don't know where he put
them." -- Felix to Bleys

"I don't want to be here anymore." -- Felix
"Are you sure you want to be *here?*" -- Foster
"I don't know." -- Felix

"Be thankful that you didn't grow up with (Theresa)." -- Delwin
"Oh yes, I guess the breakup of the family was good for something." -- Alex

"All that power, and you're going to leave it in your pants?" -- Delwin to
Alex, referring to the Spikard in Alex's pocket

"I have a few questions." -- Laughter
"Not that you ever did anything with the answers." -- Calamus
"Someday I might." -- Laughter

"Let's just say that death expands the mind somewhat." -- Calamus
"Whatever." -- Laughter

"A kick in the ribs?  I thought you were trying to kill me here." -- Ahab
to Deirdre

"Ahab's using his tried and true strategy of letting people beat on him
until they're worn out." -- Matt to the group

"You must be the Serpent." -- Felix to the Serpent

"Can I duck?" -- Felix
"No." -- GM
"But I have more warfare than the Serpent." -- Felix

"You just got maced by the Serpent." -- Merrie to Liam, after the Serpent
spit poison in his face

"You feel (the Serpent's) coils brush around your feet." -- GM
"Stop that!" -- Felix

"I always thought you rather grudgingly hated me." -- Laughter
"Yes, but that was before we had sex, and you suck." -- Calamus

"You lose the hand that was holding the Trump deck." -- GM
"How badly does this hurt?" -- Laughter

"OK, so I should have been prepared (with a death curse).  I'll be
prepared next time." -- Laughter to the group

"(The others) didn't run into the Serpent.  I don't think.  It didn't feel
bulgy." -- Felix to Gerard

"(The Serpent) is not much of a conversationalist." -- Felix to Ariana

"One of Mandor's silver balls floats up and shows you what Alex just did
to Mebd." -- GM "I dispatch assassins." -- Heather

"It isn't like (Fiona's device) took much to master, Fiona made it for
Laughter." -- Merrie to GM

"So you got gnawed to death?  Dragons don't do that." -- Laughter to Foster