So much has happened in such a short time, that it's hard to really grasp. Grandma and Bleys have been lost in the Abyss. Brand has the Jewel of Judgment. And Val turns out to have been a shadow of Lord Valentine, the Rebman noble. We found out the first fact before we left on our pointless expedition. The (supposedly) sole surviving Chaos security man claims Grandma and Bleys were attacked by Pattern arrows, then pulled into the Abyss by some black tendrils. Of course, they claim the tendrils weren't Logrus tendrils. I'll bet. Brand volunteered to go through the man's mind and make sure he wasn't holding anything back. Then Julian beat the shit out of him. How typical. But I feel no pity for the man who let my grandmother be tossed into the Abyss. After that news, the last thing I wanted to do was go on this half-baked expedition, but I had little choice. Things would be very different if we hadn't gone. Especially if Zane hadn't gone. Sawall of Chaos volunteered one of their members to accompany us. They're obviously trying to make Barimen look bad. After what happened, I'm none too fond of Barimen myself. The Sawall volunteer was a Lord Byron. He's missing his left eye, which would indicate he's a sorcerer of some power. He acts a little... odd. Stealing Valentine's clothes from his closet was not the wisest thing he could have done. He did help us escape that crowd, though. The expedition was mostly disgusting. Foul-smelling shadows, awful creatures wheeling overhead or bursting from people's bodies. Isabel's shadow was a mess. There were maggots everywhere. Some of them even landed on Zane and began burrowing under his skin! Yuck. The next time Garth wants me to investigate a shadow disturbance, I'm going to have a headache. No way am I doing this again. Oliver couldn't be bothered to come with us until we were at the source of the disturbance. I'd love to have his job. Call me when you actually need me, until then leave me alone. I don't even know what I was doing there. We tracked the center of the storm to this place called the Great Library, which Valentine oversees. I'm sure he regrets allowing us in, since my cousins elicited some of the rudest behavior I've ever witnessed. Zane was killing maggots with his sword, which got understandably messy. Couldn't he have asked to be shown to a bathroom first? Isabel's birds severed the hand of some librarian. And Byron stole Valentine's clothes. I'm embarrassed to be associated with them. To make matters even more fun, Brand and Julian were already at the Library when we arrived, and they dragged that Barimen security guy with them. Why the Hell were we running all over shadow chasing that storm, if they knew where the center was in the first place? I can't imagine why else they were there. I doubt Valentine invited them over so he could watch Julian torture a prisoner. This Great Library isn't a library in the conventional sense. You can't just walk in and browse. You have to tell a librarian what you're looking for. And there's a fee. However, they do claim all information eventually finds it's way there. If that's true, it's a very valuable place. I made a request of my own while I was there. About Val's death. I need to know if Dad was responsible. And who carried out his orders. I'm not sure yet what I'll do with that information. But I have a few ideas. King Random is a moron. If he wanted to get the Jewel to the Regent, why didn't he hand it over himself? Or give it to Julian? He was in the same place as Zane. Zane strikes me as the least intelligent choice he could have made. OK, I'll admit, if I'd found it, I would have attuned myself to it. But Zane was a bad choice. For all the good he did, Random might as well have given it to Brand directly. The most amusing part of the day was when Brand walked in on Julian's meeting, while they were discussing what to do about him. Score one for Uncle Brand. I didn't do anything at the meeting, other than watch and listen. I'm not sure that Brand having the Jewel is even a bad thing. Unless he decides to remake the universe again, he's probably a better person to have it than Julian or Garth. At least he's got a brain and he knows how to use it. If Cuel is my half-brother, then he truly is proof that environment plays a greater part in one's personality than genetics. He's just as stupid and brutal as his father and grandfather. I'm sure they're very proud. He almost broke my wrist, just because I tapped him on the shoulder! What an idiot. If I was going to attack him, I'd do it through Trump. I wonder if he reacts that way to everyone touching him? Must make his social life difficult. Assuming he has one. I wonder if he was abused as a child? I had some fun getting back at him for hurting me. Activating someone's Trump over and over can be rather annoying for them. He actually threw a plate at me. I'm sure that went over well. Then, he later broke down my door. He probably killed the guards outside. Well, that's Garth's problem. Or Julian's. Whoever is Regent now. The best part was when Cuel tried to Trump me. As if I'd be stupid enough to take his call. A simply splendid example of brawn but no brains. Dad plans to take a wait and see attitude towards Brand. Why should we get involved, after all? At least not yet. The timing of this is bad, though. Brand could probably help get Grandma and Bleys out of the Abyss, but I doubt he will. They're among the only people who could easily get the Jewel away from him. Dad wants me and Kilroy to talk to Vale. Apparently she and that madman, Jove, were the ones who freed Brand from the Abyss. In the meantime, I'm finishing the latest additions to my Trump collection. I did sketches of Byron and the Barimen security guy, and turned them over to Dad's people. I don't know if I'll ever need that second one, but you never know. He is the only witness to the attack on Grandma. I'm also doing a Trump of Valentine, and I plan to finish it myself. Did Dad know all along that Val was this man's shadow? If not, I don't plan to be the one to tell him. This is going to be awkward. With luck, I won't run into Valentine very often. I know he's not the man I loved, but it hurts to see him just the same. His looks, his voice, his mannerisms, they're all Val's. I keep expecting him to recognize me, but of course he doesn't. To him, I'm just an Amberite. I think it's time to head into town again. I need a drink. Several of them.