Well, she's sticking to the letter of our agreement, and seems to be screwing over everyone on the spirit of it, not just me, so I can cope.
Anyway, the mystery of the mirror is resolved - the other Elaine is the one in Tir'na'nogth. As soon as I get a chance, I'll read up on whatever connection is supposed to exist between that and the Hall of Mirrors, but so far as I can tell, the discovery is profound for Amber, and not for me.
Elaine is Elaine, and the other is effectively a ghost, but we now have a way to reach the actual ghost realm - properly reach it, not just walking amoungst the ghosts at the top of Kolvir.
Anyway, Clare is monopolising it (and rather blatently disregarding her own provisions about not telling Elaine who she (or I) was, and so obviating her given reason for my not being involved (not that it was her actual reason, of course). But I don't think I need concern myself overly much with Elaine's safety from *that* perspective at the moment, so if she's occupied, maybe I can get back to tracking down whoever kidnapped her.
Actually, I'm heading three steps further up the chain for now, and looking at Corwin's universe, since it might well contain remenants or, or even the entirity of, home. Certainly the timing is feasible for my having grown up there. I've managed to convince the others it's just academic interest, and I'm equipping myself nicely for a proper search.
I don't think the 'Logrus eating monster' they mention is directly related to the destruction of home, since it was there well before I... left. If I believe their chronology, anyway. Still, I guess it might have been there to protect or imprison me, and anyway, examining every real thing in the universe might ctually be an effective way of searching there, it being so relatively new.
So, Elaine seems safe and happy with Coenna (who seems to believe that entertaining Elaine will spite me, despite evidence to the contrary), Clare is nicely occupied talking to herself (I kid you not. It was the first thing she thought of on arriving there. How self-centered?) and we Chaosites are playing with teleportation, and independence from, say, dependence on trump artistry.
Practically back on track. I feel rather optimistic today.