The Red Queen – Part Two – The Desolation

My second part of my The Red Queen by Isobelle Carmody thoughts. See the previous one here. MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW. Seriously, don’t read on if you don’t want to be spoiled. SPOILERS BELOW

 

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Last warning.

 

The Desolation – well now doesn’t that sound ominous

27 – Indeed why did Hannah do that? Herself? Elspeth? Other reason? Ana and Swallow just please sort yourselves out. So much faith in Hendon, I am scared that this will end badly. Finally Elspeth talks about Dragon’s memories, and yet it doesn’t last for long. MASKED BALL. Hmm what happened to Dragon’s father? You are a fool Elspeth, you forget to use your magic powers to communicate with your animals you’ve been longing for. GAHTHLA, YOU’RE ALIVE, AND MARUMAN AND ‘the others’. Why are you mentioning Jes? That is so random! H’rayka was howling and then disappeared, what does that mean? Maruman stay safe. “There is something very strange in her aura” – is that just her immense joy? Or? UH OH – they walked right to the rhenling hoard – HANNAH WHY YOU NOT MAKE A THING THAT KEEPS WORKING HUH? Manydeaths. No. Yes run into the city, that’s smart… Yes forget about the thing that Ahmedri proved would keep you safe. And now all the stuff they gathered is lost forever, yay. And further injury to them all. GOBOR – ah it was you! Yes your thought before death is of Maruman instead of the fact that if you die EVERYTHING DIES. Go androne, go! Ye gods indeed. Ana and Swallow do the thing.

28 – Yeah, indestructible androne. No the wolves, no Rheagor. Gahltha, please be reunited soon. Ana and Swallow DID THE THING. I love wolf talk ‘where do be Gobor’. ‘Even those that see much, see not all things, and not all things seen come to pass. Seeing is a perilous thing and now I am done with seeing and seering and leading.’ Profound words. So Gobor must lead, I wonder why exactly? AAAHHH JACOB’S GRAVE! The old – what do machines feel and can they feel and does it matter. Ere the end. THE KEY! FINALLY THE KEY! So they still need another part? Whelmer Dam – a possible computer. Hangar, oh my. Yeah no rhenlings, none at all. Maruman MARUMAN JSLWVEIDWOCIXBA FINALLY.

29 – Hendon Stop. ‘This animal is a feline, an older specimen, carnivorous, surgically altered (????) and physically damaged. Hertz-kraagen pulses indicate mental instability and high levels of aggression. It may be a danger to you, User Seeker, and to your technicians. I will destroy it.’ What a fascinating description of Maruman – and don’t you dare. Only one of the glides is safe despite Hendon’s assertions. Interesting. Another sign? Oh the other part of the key. So Hendon is going to join them, but they are limited to following the coordinates unchanged – that can’t be good. Great, they are trapped with the rhenlings beginning to stir. So no trip to this dam. RUSHTON. Nope, dream of weird people, Chiya and Chodan, the same people who were with Gilaine. Is her Gilaine or Elspeth? I guess Gilaine is his sisterwife? And peace with Chinon, so they aren’t from Chinon. Oh I guess Chinon is the white-faced lords place, and these guys are something else – like Tibet. RUSHTON, what are they doing to you? Merret, Blyss has been taken? Jakoby! So Salamander is totally Jakoby’s sister right? Why didn’t you share this earlier Jakoby, when Elspeth gave you the thing? Oh well she did send it, perhaps that’s why. Goodbye Rheagor. AHHH TIME TO GO – which means all their things are stuck, oops. What about Rasial and Gavyn? And is Swallow okay? And Maruman, and Darga! HURRY. At least the latter two are alright. Gnawing.

30 – Go Go Go. Woo Swallow. Gavyn to the rescue, even with the
stone sword. I can’t believe they’re flying, perhaps the first flight in hundreds of years. I love dryka popping up everywhere. NOW IS THE TIME TO DRAGON.

31 (The Sending had 31 chapters and we’re still nowhere near complete) – Yes humans are stupid, we create the means to destroy everything, and strive to deal with the aftermath and perhaps not enough prevention. OMG Sendari – “he did not mind their excluding him, and he had said calmly that he had the mating heat of his rider to alleviate boredom” BAHAHAHA. Later? When will you have time? Indeed this is the desolation. What is Ariel up to now. He’s with the white faced lords in some cold realm offering weapons, the weapons? Slave uprising? Was that the Land effort? Nice try, but no meeting with the emperor. Oh Dragon, I really do wonder what will happen with you and Matthew, but you will be a great queen. Oh no who has died on the ship?

32 – So one ship destroyed having nearly arrived and another lost at sea, oh dear – BRYDDA please be alive. Dragon knowledge – hurry up Elspeth and ask things. Stay away from Dragon Ariel, I mean it. Where are we going? Redport? Eden? Are they one in the same? Gilaine again! So this is pre the first vision. Ooh a masked ball! So they were the white-faced lords, so they aren’t Chinon? Or are they secretly Tibetan and trying to stop Chinon? It always revolves around jealousy and love. Aaaaah, is it going to happen? IT HAPPENED, IT FINALLY HAPPENED, ELF AND DAMEON KISSED AFTER HE REVEALED HIS LOVE. Bad Dameon using emotional coercion. BAD. Stupid elf for not realizing even as he was saying it. So stupid, so blind. ‘You love me’ is that all your response? I guess it is just because how bad you are at emotions. At least Dameon has revealed his emotions and has been relieved of that burden – maybe he won’t be Destroyer? ‘Oh look – the ocean’ – nice distraction Elspeth.

33 – Indeed there were many clues Elspeth, you just can’t see love when it’s hitting you in the face. Dragon is so sure she is returning home, I’m not quite so sure she will immediately. Eventually yes. GAH SO CLOSE TO DISCUSSING THINGS WITH DRAGON. These white faced lords and emissaries are very intriguing. Really? We’ll never get the information. Crash landing! Maruman you have one yellow eye not two. You can’t be marumanyelloweyes. GAH danger. You can do it horses. ANA NO. Lucky, I thought you were going to be death #1.

34 – Hendon to the rescue – again. OMG Swallow. Calm. Only one watermaking device, oh dear, I hope it’s bigger than the one Ahmedri had. Yep your careful preparations ended up in tears. Thank Lud you didn’t lose anything important. Hmm I dunno how to feel about Ana’s immense personification of Hendon and now reprimand against Elspeth treating him like a slave. I guess it’s important for us all to act not as if they were a slave because we would then take them for granted too much. To Redport? It really is a strange paradox how can the Destroyer succeed without Elspeth? Oh no fun galloping. Finally you try to get into Dragon’s memories, but no immediate success. And no success with Hendon who requires another 74 hours of digging plus recharge time – so now additional watermaking machines. Careful Elspeth you may yet alienate Dragon and Ana. REDPORT. MATTHEW AHHH we’ll finally get to see him again. WE ARE GOING. The argument ain’t that absurd Elf. A little arrogance should not grow into an ugly love of power for its own sake.

35 – This is really exciting – we are finally nearing Redport! Celebration? Did we somehow get here at the same time as the Masked Ball? I honestly feel like we have and that Dragon gets smuggled in with a mask and she is revealed. But that is just something that I feel would be cool – probably not actually happening. These tower things are weird, it’s not some lighthouse? Or part of a power station? The mounds are definitely related to the mines. Danger. Beware. Dragon. I always thought that was related to the fact that Dragon was attacking her as she was copying the text. But is it a warning in general for Dragon or about Dragon. And these mounds are part of a network of train tracks for the mine. One will pop up and scare everyone? She can’t farseek – is it Lidgebaby? Or do they have a machine? Surely Lidge has to pop up somewhere right?

36 – She’s going to go in! I know it was a little while ago and not this chapter, but truly what is Dragon’s real name? The thought of actually having Ariel around is disturbing, he has always been a shifty character ahead of Elspeth, now they may meet face to face. Wait what? Dragon had things with her? How? How? How? No. Lies. A book cube? How will that help? So Dragon doesn’t know the promise – was it just the location. Anyway, we’re going in! I repeat, we’re going in! And there’s a weird mind-shield around it – it so is Lidge! But what then of the previous times we’ve seen Matthew? Is he outside the area? Or has he been accepted by Lidge? Is Lidge able to control this power?

37 – But it doesn’t affect Maruman, cause he’s odd? And physical contact breaks through it as well. Lucky Darga was sent along. Moon bursting into fire? I’m so suspicious about the moon now. Some long avaited Gadfian intel – High Chafiri, Chafiri, Gadfians and then halfbloods – of course all the women could only have a relationship with a man through bonding, men can do as they please. The domes are for food? What a depraved society. And they only speak gadi to the same sex – why bother? Ekoni – the soldierguards. Ye Gods High Chafiri women only leave the house once – from their father;s to their husband’s house. I’m not sure what effect Elspeth’s coercion will have on the boy, it could mean that he ends up being in trouble with his father. And Elspeth’s movement may be difficult as a Gadfian woman, better to dress as a slave – but then they too are restricted. All the beasts are aware of Elspeth being here now, Innle is a useful thing, but what does it actually mean?

38  – Oh well this is going to be interesting. She found a good person for once (actually that’s happened a fair few times). What is this Sabra? So much information! Shambala? The  city of the white-faced lords. Oh please tell me no one is going to be sent there. WHO WAS TAKEN BY ARIEL? WHO? Hmmm what is the sceptre and what dragon? Is it related to the Moon? Yes what did she mean that Nareem wasn’t born during the betrayal? Suspciousness. And Dragon looked like the original Red Queen. DRAGON? Have you been put into a cryopod? And that would explain why she keeps thinking things look different, cause it’s been a while. But how? Yeah I guess the dragon could be a coercion. Unless entina is a dragon which Dragon can control? Yes, the masked ball! I swear we’re going to invade it. Are the towers related to the Dragon? Mad Matthias! Oh dear. I was confused for a second I thought Keely said she knew him as a child.

39 – Heh spicy food. Huh so the first red queen was from the Beforetime protesting dolphin and whales in captivity. Weapons? Ruins? Eden? Goat who already knows about her. That goat. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO DRAGON WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

40 – Dragon please, be safe, have Maruman, and come back without being trapped. So not going to happen. Yeah Swallow I’m not sure you’re going to be cool with killing a child (the block). Indeed WHY WOULD THERE BE NO GADFIAN MISFITS AND NO REDLAND MISFITS? This is a prime question. Indeed what of Sador, they only have deformed misfits from the Isis pools. We can only hope Dragon figured out where she needs to go – I do wonder what the sceptre is. Why does Elspeth need to say the words of the ancient promise? Like are they the words she will find and Swallow will be there? How else will she know them? And what’s the point. Cassy! Burning Man and surely a Rainbow Warrior reference. My friend Queenie. Well, well, well. Ouroboros? I now question every word I see that is odd, is is a misspelling/mishearing? Or is it just a random word? GO TIME.

41 – Weird underground farms. Little group of island settlements? I want more of this. Now Entina is just scary, it has mind-altering fog and cracks and crevices, scary. RUSHTON? WHat? Slave? Oh dear. Oh Elspeth. Huh, so beast auras glow for Elspeth, interesting. Obviously about Innle – but how? Perhaps they are seeing your spirit – are they just happy to see you and then are bowing? The Black Ship, Ariel has got be around then. If it feels like a trap then it’s probably a trap.

42 – Indeed what is the plan for all this? Dragon just rocks up going – hey I’m the queen? Do they have a plan? Go Swallow, go try to find this machine, which I totally think is Lidge. Okay so who was this person trying to probe Elspeth? And how was it happening under the block? Matthew? Someone else? Ariel? Oh Elf I always laugh when you say you vaguely remember something that came up not that long ago. Why is that curious Elspeth, of course no one would think a treasure be a weaponmachine. Stone people? Cassy? Sign? Convenient Sheena to guide Elspeth to the Red People Leaders. Statues from the Beforetime?

43 – Doesn’t believe in snow? Oh. No. Matthew disappeared? No. No. That might be cause Matthew still loves Dragon or idolises her perhaps. 200 years? What? Dragon have you been in a cryopod? What? Why? How? Jow! So Matthew ran off? Perhaps he had a vision of Dragon? Another way out? So how did Rushton get here? Daffyd! So Gilaine has been gifted to the emperor. Lidgebaby was a girl, huh. Why isn’t Jow telling us that the shield is from Lidge? Surely he should be familiar with that.

44 – Yes, what is Dragon’s real name? The time for waiting has well and truly ended! So she isn’t in slavetown, so where is she? Raise the Dragon! How exciting. Darga found her, but then couldn’t find them. Sigh. Maruman is with them! Masked ball, masked ball! So Matthew went to save Dragon. AND HE HAS HIM. I really want to see how their reunion went down. AH IS IT ARIEL? Do not want to turn the page.

45 – Phew – it is Merret. She can’t find the machine either. Cause it ain’t no machine. And Blyss is safe – I’m so confused what happened to her. Misfit taking-over of the Quarry! Rushton? So he was taken by beasts? How is he here? Careful Elspeth people can hear when you speak. JAKOBY! Reuvan! DAFFYD! What’s in these chests? Huh so the White-Faced Lords are also protected from Talents. MARUMAN. What on earth is this first part of vision – is it a person being dragged along by a dolphin? THE MOON THE WEAPONS ARE ON THE MOON – that explains it, Maruman’s hatred and Rushton’s ancestor too. Agyllians? What are you doing? Did you take Dragon and put her in a cryopod? But where? What are the wolves doing? ‘Through the transparency of now, the future’ – is that the clue from Luthen’s crypt? Or was it used previously? Matthew to the rescue!

46 – Why did you run away Maruman? What have you been doing Dragon? It’s not quite not your story, I’m sure you’ll be involved. Dragon isn’t in Slavetown? Where are you? What to do about the ships? And how to deal with the fact that there still is Gadfia to worry about, who may seek revenge? AH, Cassy and Hannah! Just as Elspeth suspected, the original Sentinel was the cause of the Great White and she must destroy the actual one. So if this one wakes it will be connected to BOT? Hacker’s key? Indeed how is Elspeth going to be able to use all this technology? MARUMAN, MARUMAN, MARUMAN IS A BEFORETIMER. But what did he do between Cassy/Hannah’s awakening and now?

47 – Swallow has seen Matthew and Dragon! And she knows where Luthen’s crypt is! A red dress? She is so going to reveal herself at the Masked Ball! AAAAAH. Hmm Matthew-Dragon tension. Beforetime towers? Powerlines? Lighthouse? The Agyllians have been helping Matthew? Then perhaps he isn’t the Destroyer… I am liking Maginder. Masks! She has a cat mask! Yep she really is going to do it tonight! OH that red cloak that Nareem made.

48 – We’re in, one hurdle down. Elspeth’s now all dressed up! She’s going be in the Ball! Careful you don’t have a chaperone. Now is not the time to make a scene Elspeth! Oh gosh, the Prime’s wife. That was way too easy, she should have had guards with her since she is important. I thought they didn’t really leave their house at all. Perhaps that is just on Old Gadfia. The women – Gilaine! Nope she ain’t here she’s still with the emissary. DRAGON. What. What are you doing? Matthew? He made you angry?Sigh. OH GOD. The emissary! What if he takes a liking to Elspeth? Are they going to fight? ARIEL! ARIEL! ARIEL! aiyhuwiouOYLGAIUGO;8YLyrwia78;uoiqh4Ii#UJY7HRWQ2 ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh eVERYONE JUST CASUALLY ACCEPTS WHAT IS HAPPENING. DON’T SLAP HER! dragon, it was a trap! DON’T BE PUNCHING ELSPETH. YOU FOOLS. The Black Ship. SALAMANDER, SALAMANDEr. You can’t be tempted by the mindstream. I don’t think Atthis would endanger your quest just to save Rushton dear. Astyanax, what are you doingg in all of this? Jakoby? DRAGON YOU LEGEND. What happened to the block? And why leave Elspeth here? SALAMANDER. ‘Take her. I owe him that much.’ What does that mean? He owes Ariel not to kill Elspeth? Saresh! It is Saresh. And just like that, Salamander is dead. Wow.

49 – OMG FINALLY MATTHEW. It’s been SO LONG. You were always a dolt Matthew. Ariel cannot see it all. I’m really curious to know what used to be here, yes perhaps a zoo/water park thing, but why was there something which would close off the water? Matthew and Dragon you need to sort some stuff out. Luthen’s crypt! Oh, she hasn’t found the sceptre. Such complicated mechanisms to get into it. What’s been removed? The stone sword! I knew it was connected to Dragon. This block is too mysterious. It was impossibly fortunate that it stopped just in time for Dragon. Matthew is Dragon’s Daywatcher, haha, what. Oh Gahltha, I like you. NO. NO. Gavyn. Bloody Ariel. Who is this cloaked figure? Jes? Lidge? It has to be one of the two. I wonder what Ariel told Daemon, that Elspeth was dead? OMG ENTINA. ANA. AHHHH, THEY’RE GOING TO BE EATEN BY ENTINA. ANA.

50 – wHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE BOY? oh. Brave boy you are. What is this mist? GAHLTHA! Maruman? Dripping, just like in your dreams. What is this light? DAMEON. MARUMAN. Many-in-one? Go Maruman. Swallow! Daffyd! All of the potential Destroyers! SENTINEL. YES. THIS IS IT. You haven’t been to Luthen’s grave! Oh the yellow light that must be one of those lights that comes on and spins around. I really do wonder what this mist actually is? So it’s just the deadly beetles? Huh. I wonder if they just happened to evolve here, or if they were part of the original defences. THE CAVERN from the vision. Giador? HAHAHA (S)entina(L) it’s practically the same. OMG. Yes the clues. Exactly you can do this. Omega base! INCINERATION. Quickly. Imagine if you put the wrong one in, oops. Tash is the Destroyer, ahaha, confusing her with the wrong memory seed. Haha. OOh force fields. Gahtlha, how did you get here? Quickly. Scary electricity thing. Or default? 5 seconds if really short. OMG

51 – WE’RE IN. Maruman is watching the moon cause that’s where the weapons come (also cause dreamtrails, but still). Nope, that ain’t gonna work. You wouldn’t suffocate, unless it’s a special airtight elevator. OMG SENTINEL. It is awake! It’s awake! Stage one cataclysm now, what about class B? SABOTAGE, someone was trying to trigger BOT. Lol that the affinity to humans caused humans to enter data. I guess this shows that Sentinel is more ‘sentient’ than INES since it takes time to think about things. Why are there top-secret files just hanging in the elevator? Activated by Eden?? Elke Erlinder, the Erlinder siblings wrote in a backdoor to awakening Sentinel. So Kelver activated Eden?? Air is running out, oh gosh. Yep humans taint information with bias and lies. Go Elspeth. NO. She can’t die. A vegetable sighing? What? Sentinel can talk to horses! She succeeded convincing Sentinel, I love it. Luthen’s path has no end? What? That wasn’t the words. Huh, the language of nature. Sentinel will give her the codes, huh. SHE CAN SURVIVE. But she must also close the Darkest Door to stop BOT. Could Sentinel be saved? Run. Run. Oh Maruman, you are not broken. Astyanax, your one appearance. GOBOR. GAHLTHA, no. Save him. ARIEL. GAH. aer;owhejilso[y7mhj4sutldgf;o

52 – FUCK OFF ARIEL. It’s so Lidge. NO DRAGON. Another Sentinel? What? No. LIDGE. How have you survived being a null for so long? What are we doing? Why is the emissary here? Luthen’s crypt! Bastard indeed. What? The Darkest Door is open? DON’T HURT MARUMAN. OH NO, this can’t be good. DRAGON. MATTHEW. DAMEON. ANA. SWALLOW. DAFFYD. What about Rushton? Or doesn’t he have him? Lidge can stupify them? NO, don’t kill Dameon. SWALLOW! NOOOOOO. NOT MATTHEW. gO DRAGON, SPOIL IT FOR ARIEL. NOT A NULL. RUSHTON! NO, NO, NO. GILAINE, SURELY. Yes, make Lidge stop you two. FUCK OFF ARIEL. YES, ATTACK HIM. LIDGE IS THE DESTROYER? WHAT. WOW. WHAT. REALLY? OK. Ariel is dead! What? How is Gilaine speaking? She was mute! Rushton to the rescue! And that’s it? WHY HAVEN’T YOU TURNED IT OFF YET? Rushton? What, what a story. HAHA, just can we have a short story with him? BRYDDA. Samuel, well that’s worse than Swallow. It’s not done, what about BOT – and INnel?

53 – The sceptre! What even is it? And how does it make a Dragon? THAT IS NOT THE WORDS. What about Here be Dragons?  But oh well, it is done. I can’t believe it. Oh Nareem. Yes, go back to Obernewtyn. The emissary. The way truth is spoken measures a person, interesting. Ooh the ilthum blocks empathy! Well, well, well, a land of empaths. Indeed we saw this early with Dameon. Emapthy can cross to coercion.  They have seers too. What evil? Like the Great White – or a different evil? Hidden Kingdom is Tiba? Oh, I kept thinking them to be Chinon. Silly younger brother, probably going to use the army to overthrow the emperor. Wow this is like a parallel quest, how very interesting. /Wishes we could go there. Oh Dragon-Matthew baby! Something is literally itching! RUSHTON. The sex is very awkward to read about. GAHLTHA ISN’T DEAD YES.

54 – GAHLTHA. HENDON. SENTINEL. EDEN, she’s going to complete her Innel quest! No time to say goodbye properly. BOOO. And Rushton is coming. Everyone is leaving. Ana back to the land. Dameon! Please go back to Tash, please. Dragon. What a shit goodbye to Matthew, after all this time.

Epilogue – WOLVES. NO. SHE’S NEVER COMING BACK. BOOOO. EDEN! A reward? Really? Hmm? What to save her from the drudgery of normal life, and just how much everyone would fawn over her and her magical story? Maybe? But, it’s only a reward if they can link up to everyone, and save Miryum and release all the other people from cryo, and then Pellmar will be inhabited. And maybe one day, she’ll get to return.

Wow, it’s all over. (and no part three, what.) I need some time to think through what’s happened, before actually writing anything coherent. So my review will come later. Can’t believe the journey has come to an end.