When I awoke from a bizarre dream a few hours later the sun had just risen. I was still tired so I closed the shutters and went back to sleep. I couldn't have been asleep long before all three of us were awoken by the ringing of the breakfast bell. Locke, Jessica and I gathered ourselves together and wandered down to breakfast. We were the first ones to the table, so we had a little time to kill.

I tinkered with a few minor magical techniques with the notion in mind of creating a spell to freshen us up a little, since none of us had had a bath for a while. I knew the spell would have to be of actual effect instead of illusion or I'd be re-casting it all day, and that would never do. I concluded that the spell would either have to be a healing spell of the sort that the body cleanses itself, or a transformation spell. Being short on quality experience with transformation magics I choose the self cleansing route. Alas, I did not have a chance to test my theories before breakfast. A page came down from Locke's room with my books. He handed the large stack to me. What would I do with such tombs at the breakfast table? I asked him to please put them up in my room. He agreed, but as he left a scrap of an ageless document fell from one of the books. I picked it up and tucked it into a vest pocket.

breakfast Finally people begin to arrive including Random, Vialle, Martin, Flora, and Connie. Breakfast was served. As always, it was marvelous. The food at Castle Amber rivals the best food in my lands and the meals far exceed what I am used to in volume. About half way through breakfast Flora stood up and asked for everyone's attention. She would be throwing a ball to welcome us newcomers to Amber and to make official our relation to the other members of the royal family. We all toasted this idea. She informormed us that we were all to bring dates. I knew who I was going to ask. Just then there was a blaring fanfare of horns. Random looked confused.

It turned out to be Bleys, making one of his grand entrances - stylish and amusing. He sat down and gave us a status report on Ygg. Evidently, Fiona could keep Ygg alive indefinately by constantly monitoring and treating it. This would however, take all of her attention. She and Bleys had worked out two theories on how to cure Ygg. The first was to gather a large circle of healers. The second was to get specialists in Logrus and Pattern together. He told us that if the tree were to die shadows from Amber and Chaos would mix in unpredicable ways. Random dismissed the notion as superstition, but the rest of us seemed quite convinced.

After breakfast, Connie, Jessica, and I tried in vain to Trump contact Corwin, so we planned our preparation for the ball.