Approximately twenty minutes later, Bleys enters and closes the door behind him, and remains leaning against the door across the small room. He does not smile, but nor does he look particularly wrathful. "Its a terrible thing that has happened to your father," he says gravely and by way of introduction. "And the phantom call to Miho?" He shakes his head. "I can't account for that."

Bleys crosses his arms. "I'm told you've had an attack of conscience concerning the trumps. Is that why you chose to betray us?"

Diomedes puts on as neutral a demeanor as he can manage. He doesn't look directly at his uncle, rather focusing at a spot near his feet, in penitence.

"The attempted psychic attack on Miho by means of a trump connection is the reason why I made the revelation that Trumps could be made by someone other than Master Dworkin." Diomedes replies.

Bleys is silent for a moment. Looking at the floor, Diomedes can not see his uncle's expression, but he can hear his voice.

"She talked to Julian about it, and he confided in me. I wasn't led to believe that she had been attacked.. or harmed," Bleys says gravely. "I don't know if that's something that's been lost in the re-telling, or if the story is just changing. Let me assure you, I am sincerely concerned about this."

Diomedes keeps his expression neutral even as he doesn't look at Bleys.

Bleys sighs. "And I've no doubt that some of your other uncle's are calling this anything from an attack to assassination. 'Oh come sister'," he says with light sarcasm, "'let us be rid of little shy Miho and the Throne is ours.'" There comes a sigh.

"Help me understand this Diomedes. Look at me," he bids.

Diomedes finally does so with obvious reluctance. His expression, when he finally looks at Bleys with a frown on his face. His eyes show shame, humiliation, and most importantly, fear.

"What on earth could I have possibly gained from calling Miho? By all accounts she was startled within an inch of her life, and she's now galvanized against all of us." Bleys shakes his head sadly, and Diomedes can tell that he is referring to Clarissa's line specifically. "Fiona wouldn't have been that foolish either. Now Miho's become one member of this family that we can't even reason with at the moment. When this family can't communicate, all that'll happen is that the struggle will be prolonged and increase the chance that someone is going to get hurt."

Diomedes seems ready to respond to this, his mouth opens.

"Like your father it would seem," he adds.

And just as abruptly, the thought and moment are gone and his closes his mouth, dismissing it. He regards Bleys.

"My father." Diomedes says simply. His tone is mild, without much force or bite. He says nothing more for a moment.

"While it is highly probable that my Father's Imprisonment has been arranged by someone in our Family." Diomedes says, continuing in that manner of speech. "My experiences since leaving on the duplicitous mission to find Corwin have shown that there are other...Powers possibly capable of such an act."

"Powers that everyone in Amber should know about. Or, if you prefer, Uncle." Diomedes tone remains repentant. "If they aren't familiar with them already, Theia's Cabal should be aware of them, too."

Bleys body language tenses, but he doesn't make a move. However he don't speak immediately, instead he thinks for a few moments.

"Oh no you don't," he growls softly. "You don't play victim with me boy. Fiona and I talk. Unlike the rest of them, we're actually brother and sister. She made the invitation to you, and you were happy enough at the time to play along. I specifically recall her telling me that you promised to trump her if you found anything unusual, if you heard from your father since he went off in a huff, or.. as I can only imagine she said 'the Unicorn forbid that you actually find Corwin'. And you wanted to know if Rosalind had been made the same offer."

"Ring any bells?"

"But you did none of those things, and now it's 'Theia's Cabal', as if you think to wash your hands of all of us. Like you didn't know all the time that you've been chumming it up with Miho that we had the ability to paint the trumps."

His uncle's words are strong, and ring with conviction. The only thing Diomedes might note is that it took him a few moments to say all of this. He didn't say it at all at once in a temper, as if something else (like the mention of 'Other Powers') had grabbed his attention first.

"Well, I'm running out of time Diomedes, and I still don't understand. What happened out there?"

"Let me talk first First of all." Diomedes says, heat rising quickly and unexpectedly, like a glacier covered volcano which suddenly and unexpectedly begins to show signs of life. Bound as he is, he uses the glare of his eyes and the curve of his head to show his anger.

"I refer to it as Theia's Cabal since its clear that, at best, I'm a supernumary, probationary, junior member and she is the leader of it. I am not washing my hands of it, I am only addressing it from the bottom of the pyramid, nothing more."

"Would you prefer if I amend my words to Our Cabal, even if I am and have been treated like a mushroom?"

Bleys sets his jaw, but motions Diomedes to continue his story.

"Second, I did attempt to trump Aunt Fiona, with no success whatsoever." Diomedes added. "I probably would not be sitting here bound if I had."

"But to answer your immediate question...What I did want to tell Aunt Fiona about, and found myself unable to, was an encounter I had while Miho and I were together searching for Corwin. She soon left, finding the encounter ancillary to the problem, but I remained behind."

"We came upon a mysterious crystal ship terrorizing, for lack of a better word, a shadow we had entered. The beings on the ship were Fae-like, alien, and as unusual to myself as they were as the populace. I deduced and the leader admitted that they were travellers in shadow on their vessel."

Bleys eyes narrow, but the way that his eyes focus on a spot just behind Diomedes shoulder suggest that it's not him that his uncle is considering.

"They were waiting for one or more of our Family to come by." Diomedes adds. "By what Power or means of which I don't know." he adds.

"I dueled with their figurehead of a leader, their White Lord, with words, swords and sorcery." Diomedes adds.

"What is more, although I think that it was intended to make me think that it was simply a shadow of me and nothing more...the White Lord with some minor differences wore a familiar face."

Diomedes pauses. "Mine own."

Bleys says nothing at first.

There comes a knock at the door. "Bleys," calls Julian from without. "We can't afford to wait much longer."

Bleys turns his head to call out through the door. "A moment longer and I'll be with you." There comes no reply to that, and for a moment Bleys tilts his head to the door itself. Then he returns his attention to his nephew.

"Knowledge is a burden Diomedes," Bleys replies tiredly. "And for what it's worth, your aunt was very busy for a while, and that could have been while you trumped her."

"I need to know what to do with you, and I have about sixty seconds to make that decision. You're honest and forthright to a fault, I'll give you that." Bleys throws up his arms in a shrug. "So you tell me. Do you want truth and justice or do you want to live happily ever after? Because those ideals don't always come as a matched set."

"No." Diomedes agrees. "They don't."

"I might not be old enough for idealism to have quite worn away." Diomedes says, thinking quickly and speaking rapidly. "I do know the world doesn't always hand truth and justice out in any event, much less happiness."

"But I am honest, if that is what you are asking me, Uncle. To a fault, as you say."

Diomedes looks down and then up at his Uncle. "Of course, that might not be what you and Aunt Fiona particularly want or need."

"I've been lied to and duped and manipulated enough, so I will tell you exactly what I intend. My intentions are simple. If I am freed, I will go to Rebma, and solve a personal problem which I have avoided too long. And then I am going to do right by my imprisoned father, and Amber."

"If that answer means you and Aunt Fiona have to lock me up in a dungeon for a hundred years..." Diomedes looks at Bleys "So be it."

Bleys sighs. "If you thought I was a vehicle through which you could do what is best for Amber, then you would say so. Not leave it open ended and subject to interpretation."

His uncle stands up, no longer leaning on the door. "You're going to have to remain under protective custody. Yes, a prisoner; but for your own good even if me saying it makes you want to spit. Once Eric has fallen for good, and I've found a way to help Brand, then you and I can settle any score if you're still so inclined. The Unicorn willing, you won't have to wait a hundred years."

"By the time all that you say came to pass, I won't mean anything anymore in any event." Diomedes says. "I've lost. I've stopped trusting people at exactly the wrong time."

"You know Diomedes, you better hope you're right. I'm not one to hold a grudge, but let's just say you're wrong in not trusting me. What if all these lies and manipulations that you feel have been perpetrated on you, were only meant to protect you? You, a very bright, but still very young man. Protect you from learning that your father is not the man you always thought he was. And what about Eric, and Flora, or whoever else has been filling your head, and who have promised great things- what if they don't live up to their word?" Bleys shakes his head with genuine sympathy, pity even. "As I said you poor dumb sonuvabitch, you better hope you're right, because if you're wrong.. you're going to be an awfully lonely man."

Bleys turns right away and walks out, closing the door behind it. Diomedes can hear a bolt being drawn.

"I already am." Diomedes says, to no one but himself.

"Well." Diomedes murmurs to himself. "I've learned something in any event. Not good things, mind you, but things nevertheless. Thank you, Uncle Bleys."

"Thank you Aunt Fiona. Thank you Dad." And then in a whisper. "Thank you, Theano."

Nothing but time. Nothing to do but try.

The spell is not really more than a cantrip and it blossoms in his mind like the waving of a sea anemone in a coral reef. The full and complete spell was useful in some underwater situations, but here, the cantrip is of much more limited scope and intent.

While the ropes are meant to hold his arms and hands securely even if they began to sweat, what the ropes are not intended to hold are hands and arms which are coated in a slick, lubricating gelatinous material. This material makes its far easier for Diomedes to wiggle and move his hands and arms in the tight bondage. With every movement, the ropes gain more of the gelatin,loosening the coils more and more, until his hands, and himself, can be freed from the physical bondage.

And then, once he is free, Diomedes rises from the chair, and pulls out the Trump of LLewella that Random thankfully secreted on him. He murmurs a word of thanks to his Uncle and then concentrates on the card with all the energy he can muster.

Its time to stop saying No, and start saying Yes.