The Sending – Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Not finding Maruman anywhere, Elspeth decides to just take a dip in one of the streams, not being up to farseeking him, which even at her peak could be futile, she needs this time to relax and digest everything that has happened. After a good wash, she goes over to the horses and greets them, using physical connection with Gahltha to avoid expending any mental energy. Something is already concerning for Elspeth, since the beasts seem to still be under the impression that this quest is to free beasts from slavery to humans, which isn’t what Elspeth is really focusing on right now. I guess it’s possible to fulfil both prophecies, but how will that be possible? Elspeth tells Sendari that she has a more important quest first, but the horse doesn’t seem fussed by that, they are happy to serve her until the beasts do go free. And since the humans with Elspeth are ‘serving the Seeker’, they are happy to help them out as well. But I don’t care about any of this, as Elspeth very casually makes a remark that Malik has died! WHAT? That’s such a huge piece of information just thrown out there. Apparently his allies (who were they) didn’t trust him. I’m so confused, what?

The Sending – Chapter 20 – Part One

Chapter Twenty – Part One

The moment has arrived, for Elspeth to meet the Gedhra (or wolves), and this is a huge moment, if she doesn’t convince them to come along with them to the Sentinel, the quest will fail, and ultimately the Destroyer will win. Though, having said that, I still have to wonder how on earth the Destroyer would be able to succeed, if Elspeth wasn’t around. Because without the memory seed, and Elspeth’s (plus Maruman’s) voices, along with Cassy’s key, and the other signs, the Destroyer wouldn’t theoretically be even able to enter the Sentinel project (activating it might not require so many passwords and things as destroying it…). I guess it’s one of those situations where both their destinies are linked, and both need each other. And the final show down, will happen in the Sentinel facility. If Elspeth were to die, I don’t think the Destroyer would succeed in the same way as if he was able to take over at the last minute, I think that given enough time, he would be able to activate the weaponmachines, and even if he didn’t, someone else would. One possibility is that just entering the facility without clearance, could set off some sort of attack, which could set of the BoT? Just a thought.

The Sending – Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Entering the futuretelling hall and making her way to meet Maryon is not the most pleasurable experience for Elspeth. She has been here countless times, but talking with a futureteller is always an uncomfortable experience because what they can do, and what they know, including what they don’t share with you. Plus futuretelling for Elspeth is the source of a lot of her anger and hopelessness, because she finds them not just frustrating in their obscurity, but also push her on a path, fate, that she doesn’t really like. Over time she has gotten over some of this anger, and has started to accept her fate, but still talking to a futureteller isn’t a pleasant thing for her, even if she wants to hear what they have to say.

And we soon see Elspeth’s conflicted thoughts about futuretelling emerge, as she tries to rationalise that futuretellers do not make the future happen, but at the same time, the telling of the future knowingly alters it. As much as it is frustrating for Elspeth, imagine what it is like for futuretellers. They have to constantly live in a world that is based on the future, and they have to quite literally debate with themselves about the best course of action, and will have lives on their hands if they decide on a course of action. Like Maryon, who has sent Jik to his death for the greater good of Obernewtyn and probably Elspeth’s quest, but does that make it inherently right to sacrifice that one life for everyone? It is this ethical and moral minefield which is futuretelling. And there is no escaping it for the futuretellers, so it must be a harrowing Talent to have.

Another part of Elspeth’s dislike of futuretellers is the fact that they alone, know of the quest, at least from the glimpses they have seen. And a lot of the quest that they have seen they keep to themselves, knowing the need for discretion, but then for Elspeth she must wonder what on earth have they seen for her. Plus no matter what they see, they cannot help her, which means Elspeth’s future is up to her, as well as the help from the Agyllians of course, but the futuretellers know about her quest, and yet cannot help her. They have to act as ‘cool observers’ not only to the future but to the inner motives of people that they can easily see. Elspeth’s unease is understandable, but we mustn’t forget the people who have to live with all this knowledge.

Setting aside her irritation that has already been ignited because of Maryon’s insistence of what Elspeth actually feels compared to what she says (even when Maryon is telling the truth), Elspeth asks about how much someone could see if they had a great Talent. She is thinking of Ariel and whether he would know what is coming to the Red Land. Maryon reminds her that the future is never fixed, so even the best futureteller just sees what is most likely to happen at the time of their futuretelling out of all the possible futures, some of which they could never see, like Ariel not foreseeing Elspeth’s act of defiance in the underground complex. But the more powerful someone is, the more possibilities that they will see, so in effect they can try and factor those in and make the situation work for them, if they are twisted like Ariel, or just trying to stop enslavement like Maryon.

I do like that we are getting an explanation of how futuretelling works, because it is a hard thing for us to really grasp, as are all the Talents really. But futuretelling and then acting on it, is really about trying to influence the future to get the ‘best possibility’. So in other words, meddling. Now this is where I sometimes struggle, why do they have to meddle and alter the future, shouldn’t it be ‘just is’. Because after all the ‘best possibility’ depends on who you are, and what you are working towards. And as I mentioned earlier even the ‘good’ choices can have consequences that are not quite so good. Maryon tries to say that they do limit what they share because meddling isn’t a good thing, and if they foresee a great evil they will do whatever they can to avert that.

And for the first time we get a glimpse into what Maryon actually has seen when making her decision to send Elspeth to Sutrium, where she ended up in Saithwood. She saw two equally likely possibilities, one was that the west coast would be plague riddled, the other it would have war between the rebels and Herders. Maryon spend a great deal of time seeing why the plague was averted, since it was the greater of two evils, and it turns out that if Elspeth went to the Saithwood the plague was most likely to be averted, and if she didn’t, the plague was likely to wipe out the west coast. When Maryon tried to see what would happen in Saithwood she found countless possibilities, which is apparently normal for Elspeth. She might have died in some paths, but it was a ‘risk worth taking’. I guess Elspeth’s extra number of possibilities might be due to Elspeth’s fate, but also due to Elspeth’s own nature, where she sometimes does something unexpected, so that probably leads to plenty of unexpected possibilities.

A quite expected response to this is for Elspeth to ask why she didn’t just tell her about the plague in the first place. But I think Elspeth knows that being told that going to Saithwood would stop a plague in the west coast would be a fruitless exercise, since how could she believe that that would end up being the case. Why not go to the west coast immediately? That is exactly what Elspeth would have done, so telling her is not the best course of action. And Maryon tells Elspeth that no matter what course she might foresee, she knows that Elspeth will ‘follow her own course’ regardless of the sidetracks. And that is completely true since time and time again we have see Elspeth going on some random tangent, but coming out with invaluable knowledge about her quest, where she least expected it.

Unfortunately for Elspeth, Maryon reveals that she and Ariel are intrinsically linked together, and an eventual meeting of the two of them is inevitable. But she also says that Elspeth and Rushton are clearly linked because of their eventual love for one another. But a more shocking one is that Dragon and Ariel, which like Elspeth and Ariel is a rare and potent link. Maryon explains that all three of them are ‘keystones’, what they do will effect the lives of many others. This is very interesting, I guess Dragon is a keystone because of what she will do in the Red Land, freeing thousands of slaves, but is there something more to it than that? And why is Dragon and Ariel linked, what paths do they both share? Of course Maryon knows who Dragon really is, but more bleakly Maryon foresaw what would happen if she didn’t go to Sutrium with Elspeth. And it seems that if Dragon didn’t go, the Destroyer would win and wipe out life. This shouldn’t be too surprising since Dragon is essential for one of the signs, but as to why Dragon had to end up disappearing who knows.

And all of this delving into Dragon’s past, when she saw this bleak future, ended up making Maryon see the future with the Gadfian slavers invading the Land with hundreds of greatships and thousands of warriors. Which then of course led to her discovery of how to avoid it, with the four greatships of the Land. As for Ariel, he is most likely to be in the Red Land, and he knows Elspeth will be coming soon enough to him, and he is waiting with great anticipation to get his hands on her. The one saving grace is that he misunderstands how people will act, instead focusing on how he would act, which is why he didn’t foresee Elspeth’s brave move to open the door to Rushton.

Somewhat awkwardly Elspeth asks if she is a keystone (even though I thought Maryon just said that, she didn’t), it sounds quite self-centred since she assumes that she is a keystone. But Maryon says she doesn’t know, all she knows is that trying to focus on Elspeth is next to impossible. There are thousands of possibilities with Elspeth, which makes her much more than a keystone, she draws both Dragon and Ariel to her, but I wonder if there are other keystones, also being drawn to her!

They are interrupted by a man Elspeth has not seen before, Lief, who seems to have a strong futuretelling talent for mundane things. Like he foresaw Maryon would want him to bring Elspeth’s gifts, so he just came in and gave them to her. Interesting, but is that useful? She receives beautiful boots and a travelling coat. Elspeth doesn’t know where they will be useful, the ships would be too wet for such heavy things, and the Red Land too hot. But I’m sure Elspeth will find a use for them, and the other gifts she will get later. Maryon also wants Elspeth to formalise Dell’s position as mistress of Oldhaven, as ‘it is needful’. Honestly anything Maryon says or does, I immediately assume she has had some futuretelling or vision about it. And you’ll never know if she has, or if she is just giving her opinion.

Elspeth asks about Maruman, and Maryon will try to see if she can find out about him, and Elspeth talks about Miryum and Straaka, and Maryon is intrigued, nobody has communicated with the spirit of a dead person. It wasn’t thought possible, which is why it is probably just a true dream or something, but I have a feeling that maybe we will see a ‘first’ in this world, with Elspeth at the centre. And with that Elspeth leaves Maryon’s chamber, quite relieved to be leaving, and I don’t blame her, it has been an odd encounter.

Elspeth meets Fian, presumably to get him to translate things again, but we learn that the Tecknoguild’s settlement in the White Valley has actually finished. Analivia, Bergold’s sister, who was sneaking around, came to them and brought workers to finish it, Garth couldn’t say no, because Analivia is a woman not to be messed with and is truly obstinate. And there is word that the two of them, will come and live at Obernewtyn when it is a settlement, which is interesting. Elspeth hands over the rubbing from the sword, which seems to be ornate, decorative gadi, which might make it difficult. But like any good Tecknoguilder, Fian won’t be discouraged with a good challenge. I hope we see the translation when Elspeth goes to the White Valley to see the Gypsies, but maybe he won’t have had enough time. Can’t wait to see Marie and Iriny again!

The Stone Key – Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Of course Jak isn’t actually interested in his injuries, and tries to brush aside any notion of needing stitches, he is more interested in the explosive itself. He finds it fascinating, and it was only by chance that he even noticed the trapdoor in the first place. It is interesting that it exploded as they tried to open it, I can’t imagine what sort of device would allow that to happen, so if they want to get inside it, they need to open it, though there is the chance it will just explode again, possibly with more devastating results. My guess is that Ariel definitely knew how to get inside, and I bet he set up the explosive again upon his quick departure.

Of course Elspeth can usually unlock locks, so this should be no problem, except when she has a go, it is beyond her expertise, she doesn’t even understand the complex nature of this lock, so she has no chance of opening it. But Jak suggests she go through his mind, so that then she will be able to understand it, and then open it. It is an interesting suggestion that they can literally ‘team up’ and use both of their knowledge and power at the same time, an ability that is once again envious. Of course it works, and all Elspeth needed to do was break a current of electricity, which she wouldn’t have understood given they don’t actually have electricity! But the excitement of Jak is contagious for me, what if there is an Ines like computer in there? And Jak is surprised at the strength of Elspeth’s mind, he is the first person to really firsthand witness what she is capable of, and not just witness the result of her mind. If only he saw her using her killing power, then he’d just be terrified!

Now the terrifying part begins, because they have to descend into the unknown, Gilbert and Hakim remain above, but the other three descend, down a very long ladder. Honestly that isn’t a very safe method of going down into a bunker like this, what if someone fell? My guess is that this isn’t the main entrance, unless of course this is the only place they could break the rock, then that would make sense, but us Beforetimers don’t like to firstly be at risk and secondly have to actually do something. There could be an elevator somewhere else, plus they actually need to get all these things into this underground place, they don’t just magically appear. Jak’s suggestion that this is a missile silo kinda scares me, but I don’t think there is any such weapon, otherwise Ariel would have tried to use it for sure! But still if this is some sort of military installation, then there could be so many deadly and terrifying things, who knows what is down here. And his suggestion that they used missiles to launch plague seeds scares me more, because I’m sure that some military people are investigating that right now, and it is probably only a matter of time that something like that will be used.

They try to see if this place is controlled by Ines, but sadly they get no response, which makes Jak think that this wasn’t controlled by the Govamen, or at least they didn’t want to install such an expensive program for a weapons installation. But his explanation about how these sorts of places would have worked is surely helpful knowledge for Elspeth in her quest, for she knows that she must give the right codes sequentially or face death at the hands of a computer. Elspeth of course knows more about the Beforetime and weapons than she can let on, so all of Jak’s speculation is interesting to her, since it is slightly accurate.

Anyway they start to explore this area, and find it is a natural cavern, with a path seemingly circling it and cutting it in half. They enter through a door a set of rooms, Andorra doesn’t want to continue into this alien world, so Elspeth sets her a task to walk around the cavern seeing if there are more doors that lead off into more areas of this complex. It is interesting to see the limits of people, and I have to wonder what is Elspeth’s limit, and what is mine? Would I be able to explore these abandoned halls? I’ll never really know.

Continuing exploring, they find a lot of living areas, but then they come across some computers. Jak of course tries to get them to work, but it isn’t easy, I don’t think they are asleep like Ines, and honestly, they don’t have time now. Jak will have to come back and explore another time. The two of them split up to search for the plague seeds (again when is splitting up a good idea?). Elspeth comes a strange series of compartments, which Elspeth later figures must have housed animals. I guess this was a testing facility for biological agents, hence the need for animal test subjects. Elspeth thinks that maybe they were trying to save animals in the event of an apocalypse, though it sounds nice and noble, I doubt it.

Continuing deeper into these compartments, Elspeth finds a room and is convinced that this is where Ariel tortured Domick and Rushton. There were computers and bare tables, and Elspeth realises that this is a place of torture. Elspeth tries to leave and finds a room containing the plague seeds, and somehow the glass is ice cold, the cooling system is still functioning. Curiosity as we know killed the cat, but it is so critical to being able for development and exploration. The question is, when does curiosity go too far? Some might say that our curiosity with the atom, space, medicine or the human brain has gone too far, and that do we really need to understand everything? If curiosity is the driving force of research, does it neglect morality? These are very important questions for us in this day and age. How far do we want scientific research to go? And how much humanity are we willing to give up in order for advancement? There is no easy answer, but don’t you think we should discuss things before we start tampering and it is too late?

Elspeth finds that her lantern’s oil is nearly gone, so it is time for her to find the others. But in the maze of chambers, Jak has disappeared, and even Andorra has vanished in the circuit of the cavern. Then there is a scream, whose it is we have no idea. Maybe it is Gilbert, maybe Andorra, but what ever is happening I don’t like it. Elspeth tries to reassure herself that it was something logical, but then there is a rumbling growl, which can only mean an animal. Maybe this place isn’t deserted as she thought, and the animals are still here, or at least those that could survive, which makes them more deadly than ever. Elspeth backs away and returns into the maze of glass compartments, hoping to secure herself in one of them. Her lantern extinguishes, and we enter one of the most intense, nervewracking scenes of the story. What is Elspeth facing, and can she get out?

This fast paced action is sometimes hard to keep track of, but I’m pretty sure I know what is happening, at least what Elspeth is doing. She enters one of the larger compartments, but prevents the door closing with her shoe. Why does does that, I’m not entirely sure. I think she did this to keep the red light going that illuminated when the door was open. Elspeth could see something moving outside the compartment, and it looked bigger than a dog. It started sniffing, and Elspeth tried to reach it, but all she got was static, is it wearing a demonband? The animal struck the compartment, causing the shoe to fall out, and the door to close, which is probably a good thing, whatever is out there, Elspeth doesn’t want to be too close to it.

But then, everything gets so much worse as she sees what is out there. It isn’t an animal at all. But her beloved Rushton. It breaks my heart to see him now obviously afflicted with his memories, turned animalistic. How did he end up here? He must have gotten on one of the boats after all, and maybe he caused the third boat to be delayed. Rushton continues to try and smash into the door where Elspeth is, breaking bones in the effort. The rage that he has, would have caused him to kill Elspeth and rent her limbs off. Whatever Ariel has done, he has made him go mad. Hopefully nobody has been injured or killed along the way, that scream we heard, isn’t a good sign.

Elspeth realises that this was Ariel’s plan all along, and when they found him in Sutrium, the drugs were used as a cover, to hide what had happened. Ariel had wanted Elspeth to experience Rushton’s love slowly turn to rage, and end up here, in Norseland, with him at the lowest. But Ariel can’t have set Rushton upon her to kill her, he needed her. Maybe he thought Elspeth would kill him, to save herself, but I don’t think he understands people that well, Elspeth would never do that. But maybe he saw that Elspeth would be safe in this compartment, and made Rushton put on a demonband to stop Elspeth using her powers. If he saw all of this, then his power is huge and that is one scary thing. But Elspeth remembers, that no futuretelling can see everything, and that is the only thing that can give her hope and save her.

Elspeth understands that Rushton will kill himself trying to get to her, and the only thing she can do is open the door, and take faith in the knowledge that Rushton still loves her, and that Ariel was never able to destroy it completely. She shows Rushton how to open the door, and soon enough the door slides open, and Elspeth is no longer behind her shield. But she isn’t afraid, and just tells him that she loves him. She knows that Ariel wouldn’t have foreseen this option, because she could die, and he can’t let that happen. It becomes a heart0stopping moment as Rushton tries to fight with himself, and then almost seems to lunge at Elspeth, but stops himself. She gets the courage to go over to him, hold him, remove the demonband and enter his mind.

Inside it is chaos, but there is the same bear that was inside Dragon’s mind, which must be his form on the dreamtrails. He seems focused on the road which leads to his dead, the mindstream. Elspeth does something interesting, she enters the mind of the bear, and this makes me really think of Inception, but this book was out first. Inside she was in a winter wonderland, Ariel is inside this house of ice, so is Domick, conquered by him is sent off to torture Rushton, who is still the injured bear. Elspeth goes into this new bear, and finds herself somewhere else, and this time Elspeth is there, but it seems to be a vision of Elspeth how Rushton would see her, beautiful, strong and proud. Ariel is there trying to convince yet another bear that it is Elspeth that would hurt him, and not Ariel. The vision of Elspeth tells Rushton she doesn’t love him, and goes to strike him. Elspeth combines with this vision, and then goes yet again into the bear’s mind.

Tumbling down into the deepest parts of Rushton’s mind, Elspeth witnesses the horrors of the torture that Ariel and Domick committed, certain that the two of them would have been sent mad themselves by their deeds. They come just above the mindstream, the bear trying to enter it, and Elspeth trying to keep him away. Atthis appears, and tells Elspeth that she must not enter the mindstream, and must let Rushton go. Elspeth makes Atthis help her, though she warns that there will be a price for saving Rushton, and it won’t be Elspeth who pays. Atthis tells her that she must enter his deepest mind, which means yet again she goes into the bear.

Even here Ariel remained, and he continued to torment Rushton, but he wasn’t real, and that was something Elspeth could use. She uses the energy Atthis gave her to destroy Ariel and to rid him from Rushton’s mind. Elspeth had made her way to Rushton’s Talent, a vast cavern where infinite minds could be contained. This is Rushton’s deepest mind, and with Mika’s help, Ariel was able to find his way in, but now, with him gone, Rushton can heal, the bear vanishes, and Rushton returns.

Returning to her body, Elspeth finds Brydda, who lead those in the boat to safety when it capsized, lead on by a voice (Atthis?). They then found their way to the surface, he came to find Ariel’s residence, where Gilbert was unconscious, and Hakim had seen Rushton go into the trapdoor. Rushton must have found his way here past the Hedra, though maybe they were told to let him go past. Andorra had been knocked out, and Jak was lost wondering this vast place, and was found by Jakoby. Much time has passed (an entire day and night Elspeth was in the same position!), and the battle for Norseland is basically over.

Elspeth shows Jak the plague seeds, and he stops the cooling mechanism, which will make the seeds useless. And they leave this place, after such a momentous time. Rushton has been cured, but really, what is the price that someone will pay for saving him? That worries me, and how did Atthis know there would be a price? But it is a joyous time because Rushton is back, and the two of them can finally be in love. I guess part of the price will be when Elspeth has to leave him, it will be hard for them both. But that is in the future, right now, I guess we are still going to Sador.

The Stone Key – Chapter 36

One week till The Sending!

Chapter Thirty-Six

Norseland seems to desolate and flat, and there is no sign of any of the settlements that are supposed to exist somewhere on the island. I guess it is just that this area there is no reason for anybody to live here, but still, a pretty boring place to be. And they have no real idea where they are going, especially for Ariel’s residence. Only a few people will be going with Elspeth and Jak (including Gilbert, and two Sadorians), since they don’t really have that many people left now that the other boat didn’t arrive. Oh and to make their depature even more merry, Gwynedd reminds them to arrive back at Covetown by tomorrow night or the next morning, otherwise the boat will leave without them, and they will be stuck here amidst a battle between the Norselanders and Hedra. And off they go!

The going isn’t easy as though it is flat, this seems to be a volcanic island (or remnants) since it is so rocky, and the rain has just made everything slippery, and only the two Sadorians are finding it easy. I do like that Isobelle Camrody uses a few words that aren’t regularly seen, like ‘hale’, I’ve never heard of it before, but it fits. I know that all authors have a vast vocabulary, and since they love words, they treasure them all and use the best ones to fit their emotional and intellectual requirements for each and every sentence, but I do think that sometimes authors feel obligated to ‘dumb it down’, to make sure people don’t need to go and reach for a dictionary. While I agree that is annoying, it is a great way to learn, and these sorts of words need to be known, so we can enrich our vocabulary, and I really like learning new words, so I like seeing them included.

All this talk of Ariel, and Elspeth’s deduction that he must have felt Lidgebaby’s mental static when he came to the Druid’s camp, have gotten me very interested. He would have had to have known that his powers weren’t working in the camp, but at the same time, I think that his twisted empathy must have been able to seep through, because he needs that to win over people. Though, I’m not sure if it is always his talent, or just his charm and innate ability with people, still, I do wonder what he thought about Lidgebaby, who he would have come into contact with when he took them as slaves. Did he kill the baby, sensing it was more powerful than he was? But then Daffyd would have known. But I do find it almost sick that Ariel was courting Erin, but I guess it is a match made in hell, since they are two evil people. I wonder if Erin died in the firestorm, or if Ariel took her too?

Soon they finally come to the knoll where Ariel’s residence is said to be, but from a distance they can’t see it. But upon closer inspection the knoll is actually very small, and it is a wall that is the majority of its height. Of course, the walls are tainted, to prevent any Misfit probing inside, so of course this must be Ariel’s house. It was a massive place, and it seemed to fit the knoll perfectly, almost too perfectly. Why does Ariel need such a large residence if it is just him? Even with a few nulls and even Salamander, there is way too much room. Gilbert breaks down the gates (after knocking of course, who knows if anyone is inside), something Elspeth wouldn’t have considered given her Talent, but that would have worn her out anyway. Coming up to the door itself, Gilbert is about to break it open when Elspeth remembers Ariel’s room in the Herder Compound, and stops him to check for explosives, but luckily it is a simple door.

Now inside, Elspeth probes the area, and finds nobody, but people can go undetected, including in two unreachable places. I wonder what they are. Gilbert and the Sadorians do a preliminary search of the area while Elspeth and Jak thaw out infront of a fire. This room is unusually bare, I guess Ariel doesn’t care for homely touches, but still, has he cleared out his rooms to prepare for his departure, or does he just not have possessions?

Splitting up (is that ever a good idea) to take both directions around the building, they begin to search for anything that might just be plague seeds or a Beforetime weapon. An interesting question is what Ariel has done with his servants, because someone would have needed to look after this place and cook and help Ariel out, he is human after all (so far as we know!). So did he just let them go, take them with him, or kill them? Or did he just use nulls? Starting their search they find room upon room for living, at least they have a few pieces of furniture in them. Elspeth is certain that Domick and Rushton were taken here and imagines what it was like for them. What is just terrifying is that Elspeth thinks that even though they think Ariel isn’t here, she can’t be sure, so they could come face to face for the first time since Obernewtyn itself. She had actually brought herself to him, just like he asked, and it creeps me out.

They continue coming across various different living areas, and even stumbling across a lavishly adorned bedroom, that might have been Salamander’s. It was full of exquisite cloths and colours, and even perfumes. Again there is wood in the fireplaces, so maybe Ariel left quicker than we had expected, and it wasn’t planned. Elspeth finds a gadfian book in this room, so I guess Salamander can read it, and has probably conversed and traded with the Gadfian people, wherever they are now. But Elspeth realises that maybe Salamander is Gadfian himself, after all we don’t know of his origin. It would explain a lot of he was from Gadfia, but still it is speculation. Things get weirder as the wardrobe is full of woman’s clothes. Which would explain the room itself, but unless Salamander is a really feminine man, who is this room’s? Elspeth remembers talk of a woman who would speak for Salamander when he first arrived, and maybe it is that woman. I must admit that they aren’t really considering that Salamander is a woman, and not a man. If this is Salamander’s room, then it would make sense, and so would the covering up in public. The woman who was said to speak for ‘him’, could have just been Salamander herself. Again this is a theory, but you can’t exactly rule it out, simply because everyone thinks Salamander a man, probably because they think that he is ruthless and therefore is a man.

Jak has found animal pens, which were probably used by Ariel to keep some more tormented dogs like he did at Obernwetyn. Where are they now? Did he take them with him, or let them loose? Elspeth has another slightly awkward moment with Gilbert, as he tries to say that he doesn’t think she could ever settle for an ordinary man like him after what she has done (sounds a tad like Rushton). But Elspeth has really helped Gilbert see his life how it really is, and see what he has done to Serra is wrong, and just how lucky he has been. And he even wants to try and get Serra to give him a second chance, so all is well I guess.

They hear a loud crash, and find out that Jak and Hakim have found a trapdoor, but when they tried to open it, it exploded. Another booby trap, Jak is bleeding and Hakim has been knocked out. So the trio hurry to go and help them, but the question remains how is there a trapdoor if this is built on a knoll, which is solid rock? Elspeth was searching for a trapdoor before, but Gilbert stopped her with this simple common sense. But now, there is a trapdoor leading down to some underground area. Gilbert suggests that the Beforetimers must have built it, for how else would it have been made. Gilbert seems to think that this place was built on the ruins of a Beforetime place. It would make sense since the knoll seemed square, and the Norselanders thought it was haunted, which usually means ruins. He is pretty quick to figure that all out! But now we have to wonder what is down under the building? And why did Ariel booby trap it?

The Stone Key – Chapter 29 – Part One

Chapter Twenty-Nine – Part One

I’m back, and it’s time to get straight into The Stone Key again, and see what’s going on with Domick, and to explore this Beforetime complex. Everything looks like we are on track for The Sending to start on the 10th of Feb!

Domick has woken up after the effects of the sleep potion have worn off, and now he and Elspeth talk for the first time. Though once again he reasserts that he is Mika, and now says that Domick was a ‘coward and a fool’. But Domick isn’t gone, and upon seeing Elspeth, he changes and becomes himself again. It is disturbing to see the change between Domick and Mika, and the fight for control of the body (a really strange phrase). It is really painful to know that Domick is still ‘inside himself’ but he has been pushed down, and Mika allowed to be in control. And Mika is a complex character, and has been taught by Ariel a lot of things.

Which makes me believe that Ariel knew there was at least a chance (if not certain) that Elspeth would get Domick/Mika at some point, and ask questions about himself. But if he knew that would happen, then he would know the plague failed. I think that this means that he saw two possibilities, that the plague would work, or Elspeth would save him, so he prepared for both. Or maybe he plague was really a secondary goal of Ariel’s and he just wanted to speak to Elspeth through Mika, without having to be there himself, and he is trying to ‘psyche’ Elspeth out, if he is the Destroyer.

I think that for Elspeth this is a harrowing experience, Domick is not the enemy, Ariel is. And she has to try and get Domick back in control of himself, but that means that there will be a struggle within him, causing him pain. Elspeth uses Kella to draw Domick out for long enough to ask about how Ariel captured them. Rushton and Domick were talking in Sutrium, and then all of a sudden men surrounded them and put demonbands on them, and then they were taken to Ariel. They were taken to Norseland on the Black Ship and to Ariel’s (and possibly Salamander’s) residence. This is big news since we had thought that Rushton was kept in the cloister in Sutrium, but now we know that he was taken to Norseland with Domick, but then why was he released?

Domick continues for a moment, trying to explain that Rushton fought Ariel and would not open up his mind to him, but he (Domick) was ‘weak’ and couldn’t resist Ariel’s torture. Again he is plagued with violent movements, I think a combination of the plague itself and the fight going on between Domick and Mika. A more disturbing revelation is that Ariel is an empath, but uses it in a twisted way to almost coerce people, which lead to him gaining control of Domick’s mind, by making have immense pain.

Then Mika returns, slightly annoyed that Elspeth gave Domick some power, but vowing to stop him gaining control again. Regardless of the change in personality, Elspeth continues the questioning, though the responses have to be taken with a grain of salt from Mika. He tells Elspeth that Rushton was ‘useless’ for Ariel, and ‘went mad’ trying to resist submitting to Ariel. That madness isn’t surprising since he was subject to the torture of Ariel, and explains Rushton’s behaviour since he was freed.

I have to say that Elspeth is a very reader of people and situations, even if she is obtuse with emotions, she knows how to work a situation to her advantage. And she plays to Mika’s ego telling him that he must be strong to have survived when Rushton and Domick did not, and that Ariel trusted him, and it is a good ploy. She says she is obeying her instincts, and they are on the money as they get him to talk. It seems that Ariel knew that Elspeth would be there when he was to attempt to disburse the plague, but still went along with the plan. He made sure that Mika knew not to harm Elspeth, because ‘Ariel needs her’, which is so creepy and disturbing. It gets worse as Mika tells Elspeth that Ariel basically knew exactly what she would say, and tells her that she is nothing more than a tool for Ariel, despite what she thinks and that she will pay for interfering with his plans. How she will pay, is in pain.

Elspeth lures out Domick again, and he seems stronger, but gives her a warning not to enter his mind since it is full of traps, which I think Elspeth was expecting, but hopefully this means she won’t attempt it as she was suggesting. And these traps are there for Elspeth to be dealt extreme pain, not death, because Ariel hates Elspeth more than anything (even more than Malik hates her, and that is intense). Again the news about Ariel is distressing, he is a futureteller who has more power than Dell and Maryon, and sees more than they do, but even he doesn’t see everything, like for instance, Domick being able to communicate to Elspeth without Mika. He elaborates on their capture, and explains that Rushton was trying to get him back to Obernewtyn, but he felt that what Mika had done made him tarnished with blood on his hands, and that Kella shouldn’t have to know what he had done.

We get more information about Ariel’s interrogation techniques, and it seems he has learnt from Alexi, and is using machines to produce mental torture. He himself is a weak coercer, so can’t do much damage himself, but his machines are strong, though Rushton was able to fight it. Ariel found Mika inside Domick, and gave Mika strength to control him. And the ways in which he did that are terrifying, he made Domick take pleasure in evil things, like an anti-empath. Now this isn’t surprising since it has long been said that he gained pleasure from the pain and suffering of others, but I guess it is because of his twisted ability. But it continues to get worse, now in control of Mika, Ariel used him to coerce Rushton, who couldn’t fight against a friend. Rushton continued to fight Ariel, using Elspeth as a source of strength, but couldn’t hold out forever. And everything makes sense about Rushton and his feelings towards Elspeth now since Ariel distorted all of Rushton’s memories about Elspeth to make him feel pain whenever he thought of her. All of this was apparently punishment for Rushton’s defiance, but I think Ariel would love turning him against Elspeth.

The evidence that Ariel is the Destroyer piles up when Domick asked him why he hated Elspeth, and it is revealed that Ariel dreamt that Elspeth would find something he desired, the weaponmachines. He tried to figure out a way so that he could find them, but it turned out that only Elspeth could, so he plans to let her do so, and then take it from her. A side note, Jak must have been far away because they haven’t arrived yet, and it’s been a while since Seely left.

Mika comes back, and again Elspeth plays to his ego with praise, and again he talks openly about how he was once locked up in a dark corner of Domick’s mind, but now Domick is trapped there. Elspeth changes her tack, and starts to present the idea that Ariel used Mika and only wanted him to come to Elspeth to tell her what Ariel had done to Rushton, which is probably true. Mika starts to get agitated, but Elspeth doesn’t relent and pushes Mika with the idea that Ariel is the enemy and that Ariel isn’t as infallible as he thinks. It is hard for Elspeth to be so cruel against Mika who is still apart of Domick, but she decides to go on. Elspeth tries to derail him by asking why Ariel would still infect him if he knew the plague would never spread, but as we know acting on futuretellings can drastically alter things, so he couldn’t change the plan, otherwise this encounter may never have happened.

Mika is weakened and again Domick returns this time reiterating the importance of Ariel’s desire for this Beforetime object, and Domick has figured out it is a weaponmachine. Mika returns for a moment and finishes with a tirade. He ends with a curious statement that Rushton is somehow still working for Ariel, is that true, or just another one of his lies? How could he be working for Ariel? Domick then becomes unconscious after another convulsion and Pavo knocks him out to prevent his heart racing any further.

Jak comes in and tries to assert that it was all just a symptom of the plague, and it was just delirious babble, but that isn’t the case. Domick is now contagious with the plague, and stage one is complete, he will only get worse from here. As of yet, they haven’t been able to identify the plague, but that doesn’t mean they won’t. Jak urges Elspeth to eat, rest and forget about Domick for the moment, and if she has a chance to explore this huge place. He suggests talking to Dell about how she started talking to the computers, which is an interesting revelation, since she is not a tecknoguilder, so how did she do it? And not only that, she communicated with the central computer, which controls all the other computers. Dell has taken the view that computers are a different type of living thing, whereas Jak believes them as things that aren’t alive. The computers in the complex are highly sophisticated, and have the ability to listen to human speech and speak in response to it. Jak continues to type commands, but Dell speaks to the machine, asking questions and seeking explanations.

It is Dell’s communication that has lead to the biggest discoveries and advances in life here, for she has gotten far more information from the computer by asking verbal questions, rather than using typed commands. Dell has even made the computer plant hay and wheat on one of the levels, to provide them with some staples. But the most interesting things, are what the computer does not explain, and what is on the levels they cannot access because they do not have the code works or commands to gain access. And Jak believes they won’t gain access since they can’t learn what these codes are, but Dell seems to think that given enough time conversing with the computer, they will be able to ‘convince’ it to open the levels up and reveal its secrets. But honestly, you can’t convince a computer to do anything, even a sophisticated one as this, it is dictated by logic and reasoning, and going against commands isn’t possible.

Jak seems to think it is possible that Dell will succeed as the main computer learns and integrates knowledge into its databanks. Dell imagines that once it is able to understand why it should open up its secrets to them, it will be able to. It is this sort of overriding, that conventional thinking about computing would say is impossible, but who knows. The main computer, at least according to Dell, has a name, which is INES, and this is shockingly a name Elspeth has heard before in a Beforetime dream. But it gets worse, in terms of the level of eeriness, when Elspeth hears Ines voice, and recognises it as the voice she hears in her recurring dream about dripping water and tunnels. Ines can listen to commands anywhere in the complex, and it will respond. Obviously technology is slightly more sophisticated than what we currently have, but I guess Ines is an advanced version of Siri or voice control. I think it is cool that you can just give commands and ask questions using your voice, but isn’t it slightly disconcerting that a computer is listening to everything you are saying, even when you aren’t giving commands to it, otherwise, how would it know you were talking to it. Even if it is waiting for its name, it must listen to everything, and take it all in, as part of its learning process. I find that a tad too creepy, especially if you think about ‘horror’ scenarios where the computer becomes corrupted and starts murdering people, you wouldn’t want a computer in control of everything, but that probably wouldn’t happen, right?

I guess it, as it always does, is how computers (and people) use information and knowledge. Things in good hands, can do good things, but the same thing in ‘bad’ hands, can do bad things. It is my concern that the computer would listen to your conversation and record them, use them against you or even ‘sell’ that information on to other parties, but maybe I’m being too paranoid. I would be reluctant to get this technology, how about you?

The Stone Key – Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Elspeth and Iriny (who she met ontop of Stonehill) arrive at Rolf’s house, and meet his sister, Mona. What I like is (apart from the fact that Rolf has no qualms with dealing with a Gypsy) that Elspeth immediately owns up to who she really is. She reveals she is a Misfit (again Rolf doesn’t care and is interested in her powers) and that Domick is also a Misfit, and that she used her powers to go into Rolf’s mind to see Ariel and Domick (again, he doesn’t seem too annoyed or angry). She explains about Ariel and his plan to unleash a deadly plague on the west coast, and that he has infected Domick with it.

I’m happy that Erit is angered that she did not tell them earlier, but quickly concedes that it wouldn’t have changed anything. Rolf, the ever trusting person, doesn’t mind that Elspeth didn’t reveal the truth from the start, and instead deals with Domick and the plague. Erit and his friends have been able to find out that Domick will be lead by the Hedra to the first night moon fair festivities. He’ll be in the centre of the crowds for a few hours. But what is more concerning he is to be used to deliver Lud’s blessing to everyone, so will come in direct contact with hundreds of people over the course of the moon fair.

The news that Domick will be contagious means that their plan will have to be altered, since once Domick leaves the house, it will be too late to safely get him away. And already he seems to be affected by the plague and his torture, he moans during the night, and it can be heard throughout the house (learnt from Erit via a maid), and he doesn’t leave his room. There seem to be at least some similarities between the previous plague (which must have been unleashed by the Herders) and this one, but the contagious phase must be when Domick is in the middle of the moon fair, and he must be well enough to present himself as a healthy regular Herder.

Rolf asks of Elspeth’s powers again, and is very curious about all the different limitations of her powers and I guess, what possible part they could play in any plan. One possible solution is to send a message-taker to the house and pretend to be Ariel, demanding Domick leave the house. But even then, they would have to deal with the Hedra that would escort him. Even though Iriny says she can deal with two men, there is likely to be more, and open confrontation is too risky. A diversion is the best option, and that is something that Rolf can easily arrange, I presume he’ll be using his favours that everybody seems to owe him. Elspeth will take Domick away, and if he refuses, they can drug him with a sleep potion. And then spirit him out of the city using Golfur, Rolf’s horse (and this time Elspeth will have some papers). Though Elspeth has to admit it is unlikely Golfur will want to return, and Elspeth will not force him to return.

So it seems to have been decided. They scribe a letter to the house, asking Domick to collect a gift from the One to deliver to Councilman Kana that evening, and requesting that he be guarded by an escort or two. Elspeth is given a selection of masks to choose from, to wear since they must be masked or face becoming a slave for a day, from Mona, whose sister, Carryn made them before she died of the last plague. It seems that during the moon fair, the wealthy delight in wearing their servants clothes but a fine mask, or vice versa, so that nobody knows their identity or status.

The kindness and hospitality of Rolf and Mona is most exceptional, as Elspeth is given a mask, cloak, shoes, food, a horse and more all for free. Most people would never do such a thing, even with the threat of a plague looming over them, and it is lucky that Elspeth was able to find such a family. And it is these sort of times, and people that Elspeth is fighting to save.

Elspeth and Erit go to the message-taker’s house, and with a bit of help from Elspeth, he agrees to take the message, though Elspeth makes him believe that he was bid to do so by Ariel himself, giving more credibility to the story that he will have to give to the Hedra. They follow him, Erit above the houses, and Elspeth on the road. As soon as the man arrived at the house, he was questioned, and suspicion placed on him, since he was not the regular missive person (so Elspeth had to quickly weave a story that their regular person was sick, so let’s hope he doesn’t come soon). The Herder is in a hard place, he has two commands, keep Domick inside, and now, send him away. He is struggling to figure out what to do, and Elspeth tries to offer, through the message-taker, a helpful suggestion for what is going on, before leaving (his memory was quickly removed).

Before Elspeth could even explain to Rolf what had happened, Domick had been brought out of the house, and he was wearing a demonband. And sadly, there were five Hedra, and not just two as they had hoped. Elspeth quickly loses sight of them as they head to the sea markets, but finds them again with the help of Erit. They arrive at the market, and the plan is about to get underway, with a signal from Rolf. Soon enough Elspeth was close enough to Domick to touch him, and then, pandemonium erupted. Two stallholders began to fight, and a man chased a ‘robber’, and they market was sent into chaos. Erit took out the nearest Hedra, and ran away, the Hedra behind him. Then Iriny arrived and made one of the Hedra fall like a stone, allowing Elspeth to take Domick and lead him away. The action is fast paced, but easy to understand.

Elspeth lead him to rendezvous with Rolf, though that point had to change slightly because of a few soldierguards, but soon enough they would meet. Domick stirs and asks where his master is, meaning Ariel, but he says that he wasn’t supposed to see him again. He then becomes distressed, and gets out of Elspeth’s grasp, and soon recognises her. How he did so, is not really clear, did he recognise her voice, or did Ariel warn him about her. Then he goes to strangle Elspeth, saying that she won’t interfere with Ariel’s plans. Even in his weakened state, Elspeth cannot get him off of her, and tries to appeal to him. But he says that Domick is dead, and he reveals that he is Mika, the spy persona of Domick. It is strange that Ariel broke Domick down so much that all that remained was his invented personality.

Then Mika/Domick turned and ran, but Rolf arrived just in time with his horse, for Elspeth to send a plea to Golfur to stop him. He did son, and Mika was soon unconscious on the ground. With Rolf’s help they hid him in the bundles of things on Golfur’s back, concealing him from view. Now it is up to Elspeth to get out of the city, and with not more than a moment to spare, for a group of soldierguards arrived, with weapons ready for a fight.