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Cailin arrives at the Spiral. The sword is vibrating madly. Cailin leaves the castle, and notices that Benedict's face seems to be carved into the front wall. Cailin continues farther away. It's daylight, and the golden city is visible in the sky above.
Neville asks Cassandra which corpses he can touch, and then uses the reality engine to clean up the other corpses and trim the lawn. He cannot uncreate the statue bits. He reduces the statue bits into white dust, places the dust into a box, and buries the box along with a few tell-tales.
Casssandra finishes burying White Company and receives a basic special trump from Neville, who asks to be notified when she has contacted the enemy. One of Cassandra's Sith Lords staggers out, salutes, and reports. Cassandra tells the messenger that the dead should lie where they fell without honor, and that the wounded should leave the mountain if they can. A few wounded stagger out; Cassandra gives them the stupid lecture.
Neville takes a hidden way back to one of the libraries in the castle. There are two rats staring at him; he spacks them so they cannot report back to hampster Oberon. He looks around for a trump deck, but cannot find one.
Cailin sends Natasha in to acquire a weather report. She reports back; people have cast spells, but no snow has fallen.
Cailin gives a warning about the snow, prepares to head back to Amber, then Natasha asks for a few hours to go to the castle and catch up. Cailin starts working on getting the sword a bit farther under control. Cailin talks with the sword a bit. The sword refuses to give Cailin its true name. He fails to convince the sword that Benedict's get are not its enemies. Cailin considers telling the sword that Bleys is dead, but even his warfare shuts him down. Cailin is humiliated and outmaneuvered by the sword, but fails to notice.
Cailin notices that people here are tapping the local Fringe gate for power; he considers whether or not to tell Osric.
The door to the room in which Neville is standing opens, and two chipmunks and a rabbit walk in. Neville tries to communicate, but cannot understand anything that they may or may not be saying. Neville picks up the chipmunk next to him, breaks it, and tries to stomp on the other chipmunk and fails. It flees the room.
There is a sproinging noise in the back of the library. Neville goes over to investigate, and sees the rabbit pinned to the wall by a crossbow bolt. The trap is re-arming and pointing towards Neville. Neville sweeps the entire hallway outside the room with Pattern in an attempt to set off all of the traps. Several large attacks come back in his direction. The front of Neville's armor fuses, he acquires a gash on his forehead, and there is a wall of burning books behind Neville, with a Neville-shaped section that isn't burning. The rabbit is well-cooked.
Neville pops the hatch on the armor and climbs out. He packs it up and throws it down the escape hatch. Neville puts out the fire and follows his armor through the escape hatch. Neville repairs his armor, cleans himself up, and returns to the gathering point outside the castle. Ingold, Hampster Oberon, Hampster Oberon's army, Pattern Suhuy, Pattern Suhuy's apprentice, and a Jean are around. Neville asks if anyone knows where the archivist Cailin is. Jean says that the archivist is in House Moonlight, but nobody claims to have a good means of getting there.
Ilk sees a major Pattern attack incoming, presumably targeted on himself. He tells those present that there is a major Pattern attack incoming from the castle, persumably targeted on himself. He turns towards Pattern Suhuy and says, "Should we leave?" Pattern Suhuy suggests that they should go in opposite directions to see whom it is following.
Ilk heads out through shadow. The attack continues to follow him, and gains strength with distance. Pattern Suhuy's apprentice swaps roles with Suhuy, and the attack stops and starts searching for a new target. It targets the Sauron-tree. Ilk tries to warn Jean to flee, but the attack strikes home, Jean forgets about the conversation, and the attack dissapates.
Cailin shows up. "Did I miss anything?"
Neville responds, "Ilk fleeing with his tail between his legs."
Ilk arrives. Neville notices. "You shook the thing?"
"So to speak." Ilk elaborates briefly on the trap.
Neville asks how people had managed to live in Amber for so long with all of these traps present. Ingold turns to Neville and says, "Hampster Oberon suggests that too long without the Jewel in residence might have activated the traps.
Cailin tells Osric via Jean of some problems with the Fringe gate in Cobalt. Osric goes to the Fringe via Jean express, then leaves through a Fringe gate with Jean.
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