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i_read_whatSo last time, Donal was rescued from captivity and now they're escaping. Fortunately, they were also able to rescue his lir, Lorn.
He was also fairly tolerable for an entire chapter. I suppose suffering does that.
So we rejoin our trio as they get free from the palace. They find some shelter in some vegetation so Finn can tend to Lorn. Evan's keeping an eye out and making a pretty good showing. He'd apparently killed three Atvians on the way out.
Oh, THAT's where Strahan got his men. Okay, I rescind my snark about that from last chapter. Mea culpa, Ms. Roberson. (For once.)
Anyway, Donal's having a bit of belated trauma as he feels the weakness caused by six months of captivity, and the phantom pain of the irons that Strahan had used to bind him. He wonders if this is what Carillon felt about his own scars.
Evan comes over to play concerned comic relief best friend, and as usual, they have a good vibe. Honestly, Donal's always been at his most likable with Evan, who balances him well:
Donal lifted his head. “I am well enough, Evan…see to yourself.”
Evan, laughing softly, withdrew the hand. “Without me, my proud Mujhar, you might still be Strahan’s prisoner. Do I get no thanks from you?”
Donal smiled into the darkness. “Would a prince accept payment for the aid he rendered a fellow prince?”
“Mujhar,” Evan corrected. “Aye, he might…could he win it in a fortune-game.” Slanting shadow across the Ellasian’s face hid his eyes and nose, but not his mobile mouth. He grinned. “But there may be a better reward than that. There was a young woman I admired at your wedding celebration. Could you give her good word of me, it might be payment enough.”
This is interesting though. The woman that Evan admired is Meghan. Donal reacts sharply, pointing out again who Meghan's father is.
Yeah, but Evan wants to sleep with or marry Meghan, not her dad. Now, granted, Meghan is about sixteen by now, so that's still a little sketchy. (Evan is, if you recall around twenty or twenty-one, so it's not AS bad as it could be.)
Anyway, Evan suggests that Donal could give FINN a good word for him, but Donal points out that Finn probably knows Evan better than most. Yeah, and to be fair, they did rescue you together.
Honestly, while I appreciate what Roberson is doing with the six month interval (as we'll see when Aislinn comes back into the picture), narratively I think it was a mistake to have Donal's captivity that long. For one, he shouldn't be able to do much at all. Muscles atrophy! But also, he's supposed to be king of Homana. He's JUST ascended the throne of a very precarious country. God knows who's ruling it right now. (Aislinn perhaps?) And character dynamics would change profoundly during that time.
Oh well, as complaints go about this series, that's a pretty mild one.
Anyway, Donal is really more focused on his wounded wolf. Finn thinks they need to be farther away and...okay, this doesn't make sense:
Donal peered through the bushes at the wall. Absently, he chewed at a broken thumbnail. “We can hardly scale the walls with an injured wolf—”
“Scale them? Why not fly over them?”
Donal looked back at him sharply. “Taj is—lost. I have no recourse to falcon-shape.”
“Do you not?” Finn’s mouth hooked down as he shook his head. “Can you not even trust your own senses, Donal? Or your own sense. Were Taj truly lost, how could Evan and I have found you?”
“But—I thought you somehow knew Strahan had come here—”
“How?” Finn’s voice was underscored with contempt. “Am I omniscient? Did Evan throw the rune-sticks? And how were we to know the boy was Tynstar’s get?” Grimly he shook his head. “Imprisonment has not improved your sense any more than your temper.”
I love the interplay between Finn and Donal by the way. I have no issue with that. I also love the reveal built in here. Taj isn't dead. He's who led Finn and Evan here. Yay! I don't blame Donal, who's suffered a lot, for not sensing him.
The part that doesn't make sense is Finn's line about flying. Sure, DONAL can take winged form. But Finn and Evan can't. Nor can Lorn. But hell, Finn's been doing well so far, so maybe he has a plan.
Anyway, we get a joyous reunion between Taj and Donal. Taj is more practical and less ponderous than Lorn and he urges Donal to leave his captivity behind.
There's some cute banter with Evan, when Donal asks him to pull the shackles free as he changes (Oh, oops, not phantom pain after all) so they don't transform with him as his clothes would. Huh. Useful to know. There's an interesting question as to whether or not EVAN would change with him...but that's probably Donal fucking with him a little, because Evan's fine.
Donal's not though and he nearly fucks up his shapechange:
The Ellasian, after only a momentary hesitation, reached out and closed his hands around the heavy chains at wrists and ankles. Donal, doubled up in a sitting position, drew in a deep breath and shut his eyes. The shapechange required extreme concentration, and of late the concept had become an alien one.
He felt the peace come rushing in to fill him up with a marvelous sense of well-being. All the pain and anguish of the past six months melted away into nothingness. He was at peace within himself, and from the center of that calm he reached out to tap the power that gave him the gift of the shapechange.
Donal froze. Even as he tapped the power and felt it run up from the earth to encompass flesh and bones, he thought of the thing his father had been. And he could not face himself.
“Donal!” Finn’s voice sounding oddly frightened. “Donal—go one way or the other—”
So, he was a halfway thing. Even Finn saw the difference.
I admit, as annoyed as I am by this book in general, this chapter is very effective. And, just like when Duncan appeared, Finn's emotional reaction gets to me. Taj helps coach Donal through his fear and trauma, and Donal succeeds in taking lir shape. Yay.
They make it over, and Donal ends up getting into a fight with guards. He ends up using a sword, and thanking Carillon for making him learn to use one. I admit, I like this bit too. A lot.
OH, I see the plan now. Once the guards are dead, Donal opens the gate to let the others out. I rescind my confusion earlier. I should give Roberson more credit. This is a good chapter.
They head for a boat. Unfortunately, Strahan seems to have recovers and sends his evil bird Sakti after them. Finn, by far the most capable fighter at the moment, is busy carrying a wolf and without his bow. But...
Finn set Lorn down upon the beach. Hastily he sought stones. Those few he found he caught up in his hands, and searched for the hawk. She spiraled over their heads, drifting in apparent idleness; her cries were malevolence given tongue.
Finn makes do.
Actually it's not that easy. She dodges the rocks and goes for Evan. But when she gets close enough, Finn throws his knife at her:
The blade glinted in the moonlight. It sliced upward toward the hawk. Sakti, screeching, turned aside. But one foot shot out and talons grasped, closing on the hilt. Wings snapped shut. She stooped. Now she drove at Finn.
He dropped to the ground, rolling as the hawk came at him. One lone talon slashed across his shoulder, tearing fur-lined leather. But she released the knife, and as she hurled herself upward to stoop again, Finn thrust himself to his feet and caught the hilt as it fell.
Sakti soared, wings extended against the stars. Finn waited. And when she snapped her wings shut he hurled the knife again.
Taj darted out of the darkness directly at the hawk. Sakti’s size dwarfed the falcon, but Taj did not give in. He flew straight at her and turned her from her course into the path of the oncoming knife.
The blade struck home in Sakti’s chest. She screamed; screaming, she fell. But her talons were still extended.
Somehow, despite the fact that Sakti was aiming for Evan, she gets DONAL in the throat. So now Evan and Finn have to stop the bleeding fast, before Donal bleeds to death. Meh. I admit, Donal's been much more tolerable this chapter, but I don't find myself moved by his suffering.
They get him up and into the forest...to be honest, I'm not sure how this works. Finn's carrying Lorn. Evan's basically holding Donal by the throat to keep the wound clamped. Oh, and hey, random shilling here. Finn can't compel Donal to move because Ihlini are present, though he notes that Donal might have the ability. He orders Evan to carry him if he has to.
...still not sure how that works, but fine. They get inside some ruin that Finn identifies as a place of worship by the Firstborn. Finn prepares to cauterize Donal's wound. Ow. But the Earth magic isn't enough for something like this, and unfortunately Evan lacks Lachlan's magic harp.
Finn's also kind of a dick for no reason:
“Princeling.” The twisted title, from Finn, was an insult. “Too gently raised in Rhodri’s hall.”
Evan said nothing, but Donal could see the grim line of his mouth. Finn, kneeling next to his nephew with one hand shutting off the blood, watched impatiently as Evan worked the flint.
“Su’fali—” Donal’s voice was little more than a broken whisper. “Is this how you treated Carillon?”
Finn stared down at him. His yellow eyes were black in the dimness of the chapel. Starlight shone in through the broken beamwork, but not enough to illuminate the place. “When he was deserving of it,” he said at last. Donal saw the crooked smile. “That was most of the time.”
...so does that mean he actually likes Evan?
Anyway, poor Evan's the one who actually gets to sear the wound. Finn keeps Donal conscious because Lorn needs him. Then they both use the Earth magic to heal Lorn. It's again a very good moment (and Finn is "uncommonly gentle". Aw.) Once Lorn is healed, it's Donal's turn and the chapter ends with him passing out.
You know, honestly, praise where it's due, this is a phenomenally good chapter. My only complaints were nitpicks, and many of those ended up resolved within the text. (Still not quite sure how Evan could carry Donal WHILE putting pressure on his neck wound, but okay.) The pacing is good, the tension is good. The characters are smart. The stakes are high.
It's a good chapter. Well done.
He was also fairly tolerable for an entire chapter. I suppose suffering does that.
So we rejoin our trio as they get free from the palace. They find some shelter in some vegetation so Finn can tend to Lorn. Evan's keeping an eye out and making a pretty good showing. He'd apparently killed three Atvians on the way out.
Oh, THAT's where Strahan got his men. Okay, I rescind my snark about that from last chapter. Mea culpa, Ms. Roberson. (For once.)
Anyway, Donal's having a bit of belated trauma as he feels the weakness caused by six months of captivity, and the phantom pain of the irons that Strahan had used to bind him. He wonders if this is what Carillon felt about his own scars.
Evan comes over to play concerned comic relief best friend, and as usual, they have a good vibe. Honestly, Donal's always been at his most likable with Evan, who balances him well:
Donal lifted his head. “I am well enough, Evan…see to yourself.”
Evan, laughing softly, withdrew the hand. “Without me, my proud Mujhar, you might still be Strahan’s prisoner. Do I get no thanks from you?”
Donal smiled into the darkness. “Would a prince accept payment for the aid he rendered a fellow prince?”
“Mujhar,” Evan corrected. “Aye, he might…could he win it in a fortune-game.” Slanting shadow across the Ellasian’s face hid his eyes and nose, but not his mobile mouth. He grinned. “But there may be a better reward than that. There was a young woman I admired at your wedding celebration. Could you give her good word of me, it might be payment enough.”
This is interesting though. The woman that Evan admired is Meghan. Donal reacts sharply, pointing out again who Meghan's father is.
Yeah, but Evan wants to sleep with or marry Meghan, not her dad. Now, granted, Meghan is about sixteen by now, so that's still a little sketchy. (Evan is, if you recall around twenty or twenty-one, so it's not AS bad as it could be.)
Anyway, Evan suggests that Donal could give FINN a good word for him, but Donal points out that Finn probably knows Evan better than most. Yeah, and to be fair, they did rescue you together.
Honestly, while I appreciate what Roberson is doing with the six month interval (as we'll see when Aislinn comes back into the picture), narratively I think it was a mistake to have Donal's captivity that long. For one, he shouldn't be able to do much at all. Muscles atrophy! But also, he's supposed to be king of Homana. He's JUST ascended the throne of a very precarious country. God knows who's ruling it right now. (Aislinn perhaps?) And character dynamics would change profoundly during that time.
Oh well, as complaints go about this series, that's a pretty mild one.
Anyway, Donal is really more focused on his wounded wolf. Finn thinks they need to be farther away and...okay, this doesn't make sense:
Donal peered through the bushes at the wall. Absently, he chewed at a broken thumbnail. “We can hardly scale the walls with an injured wolf—”
“Scale them? Why not fly over them?”
Donal looked back at him sharply. “Taj is—lost. I have no recourse to falcon-shape.”
“Do you not?” Finn’s mouth hooked down as he shook his head. “Can you not even trust your own senses, Donal? Or your own sense. Were Taj truly lost, how could Evan and I have found you?”
“But—I thought you somehow knew Strahan had come here—”
“How?” Finn’s voice was underscored with contempt. “Am I omniscient? Did Evan throw the rune-sticks? And how were we to know the boy was Tynstar’s get?” Grimly he shook his head. “Imprisonment has not improved your sense any more than your temper.”
I love the interplay between Finn and Donal by the way. I have no issue with that. I also love the reveal built in here. Taj isn't dead. He's who led Finn and Evan here. Yay! I don't blame Donal, who's suffered a lot, for not sensing him.
The part that doesn't make sense is Finn's line about flying. Sure, DONAL can take winged form. But Finn and Evan can't. Nor can Lorn. But hell, Finn's been doing well so far, so maybe he has a plan.
Anyway, we get a joyous reunion between Taj and Donal. Taj is more practical and less ponderous than Lorn and he urges Donal to leave his captivity behind.
There's some cute banter with Evan, when Donal asks him to pull the shackles free as he changes (Oh, oops, not phantom pain after all) so they don't transform with him as his clothes would. Huh. Useful to know. There's an interesting question as to whether or not EVAN would change with him...but that's probably Donal fucking with him a little, because Evan's fine.
Donal's not though and he nearly fucks up his shapechange:
The Ellasian, after only a momentary hesitation, reached out and closed his hands around the heavy chains at wrists and ankles. Donal, doubled up in a sitting position, drew in a deep breath and shut his eyes. The shapechange required extreme concentration, and of late the concept had become an alien one.
He felt the peace come rushing in to fill him up with a marvelous sense of well-being. All the pain and anguish of the past six months melted away into nothingness. He was at peace within himself, and from the center of that calm he reached out to tap the power that gave him the gift of the shapechange.
Donal froze. Even as he tapped the power and felt it run up from the earth to encompass flesh and bones, he thought of the thing his father had been. And he could not face himself.
“Donal!” Finn’s voice sounding oddly frightened. “Donal—go one way or the other—”
So, he was a halfway thing. Even Finn saw the difference.
I admit, as annoyed as I am by this book in general, this chapter is very effective. And, just like when Duncan appeared, Finn's emotional reaction gets to me. Taj helps coach Donal through his fear and trauma, and Donal succeeds in taking lir shape. Yay.
They make it over, and Donal ends up getting into a fight with guards. He ends up using a sword, and thanking Carillon for making him learn to use one. I admit, I like this bit too. A lot.
OH, I see the plan now. Once the guards are dead, Donal opens the gate to let the others out. I rescind my confusion earlier. I should give Roberson more credit. This is a good chapter.
They head for a boat. Unfortunately, Strahan seems to have recovers and sends his evil bird Sakti after them. Finn, by far the most capable fighter at the moment, is busy carrying a wolf and without his bow. But...
Finn set Lorn down upon the beach. Hastily he sought stones. Those few he found he caught up in his hands, and searched for the hawk. She spiraled over their heads, drifting in apparent idleness; her cries were malevolence given tongue.
Finn makes do.
Actually it's not that easy. She dodges the rocks and goes for Evan. But when she gets close enough, Finn throws his knife at her:
The blade glinted in the moonlight. It sliced upward toward the hawk. Sakti, screeching, turned aside. But one foot shot out and talons grasped, closing on the hilt. Wings snapped shut. She stooped. Now she drove at Finn.
He dropped to the ground, rolling as the hawk came at him. One lone talon slashed across his shoulder, tearing fur-lined leather. But she released the knife, and as she hurled herself upward to stoop again, Finn thrust himself to his feet and caught the hilt as it fell.
Sakti soared, wings extended against the stars. Finn waited. And when she snapped her wings shut he hurled the knife again.
Taj darted out of the darkness directly at the hawk. Sakti’s size dwarfed the falcon, but Taj did not give in. He flew straight at her and turned her from her course into the path of the oncoming knife.
The blade struck home in Sakti’s chest. She screamed; screaming, she fell. But her talons were still extended.
Somehow, despite the fact that Sakti was aiming for Evan, she gets DONAL in the throat. So now Evan and Finn have to stop the bleeding fast, before Donal bleeds to death. Meh. I admit, Donal's been much more tolerable this chapter, but I don't find myself moved by his suffering.
They get him up and into the forest...to be honest, I'm not sure how this works. Finn's carrying Lorn. Evan's basically holding Donal by the throat to keep the wound clamped. Oh, and hey, random shilling here. Finn can't compel Donal to move because Ihlini are present, though he notes that Donal might have the ability. He orders Evan to carry him if he has to.
...still not sure how that works, but fine. They get inside some ruin that Finn identifies as a place of worship by the Firstborn. Finn prepares to cauterize Donal's wound. Ow. But the Earth magic isn't enough for something like this, and unfortunately Evan lacks Lachlan's magic harp.
Finn's also kind of a dick for no reason:
“Princeling.” The twisted title, from Finn, was an insult. “Too gently raised in Rhodri’s hall.”
Evan said nothing, but Donal could see the grim line of his mouth. Finn, kneeling next to his nephew with one hand shutting off the blood, watched impatiently as Evan worked the flint.
“Su’fali—” Donal’s voice was little more than a broken whisper. “Is this how you treated Carillon?”
Finn stared down at him. His yellow eyes were black in the dimness of the chapel. Starlight shone in through the broken beamwork, but not enough to illuminate the place. “When he was deserving of it,” he said at last. Donal saw the crooked smile. “That was most of the time.”
...so does that mean he actually likes Evan?
Anyway, poor Evan's the one who actually gets to sear the wound. Finn keeps Donal conscious because Lorn needs him. Then they both use the Earth magic to heal Lorn. It's again a very good moment (and Finn is "uncommonly gentle". Aw.) Once Lorn is healed, it's Donal's turn and the chapter ends with him passing out.
You know, honestly, praise where it's due, this is a phenomenally good chapter. My only complaints were nitpicks, and many of those ended up resolved within the text. (Still not quite sure how Evan could carry Donal WHILE putting pressure on his neck wound, but okay.) The pacing is good, the tension is good. The characters are smart. The stakes are high.
It's a good chapter. Well done.