Teres

Chapter Twenty-Two | Table of Contents | Chapter Twenty-Three (Part II)

SCSF: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to BattleAxe! Last time, Ogden and Veremund talked with Axis and convinced him that Gorgrael is just so very evil.

Before I begin, I see I have a huge stack of reader post to attend to, so let me see that at once.

 

On part I of chapter 1, Wolfgoddess notes that the line about Carlonites “eating and shitting like every other creature in creation” seems quite out of place. I agree with that.

 

Edgy Equals Mature, Right?: 15

 

She also notes that it does not make much sense to have a “Flower-month” and a “Rose-month”, since a rose is a kind of flower. The NRSG suggests that renaming the first to “Wildflower-month” might have worked better, and I think that would have been better, too, though not as good as something like “Spring-month”.

 

A Better Commando Name: 31

 

On part II of that chapter, she gives a better visualisation of how the Skraelings might flow into someone’s armour, namely by flowing in as some kind of mist. I can see it, I guess.

 

On part I of chapter 2, she points out that Jayme would need to have some very potent perfume indeed if Faraday can describe it from quite some distance. I assume that might be omniscient narration, but it should be clearer.

 

PPP: 123

 

On part II of that chapter, she says that Axis’s “black leather trousers” might actually be practical.

 

On part II of chapter 3, she points out that Gorgrael should talk about a “bloody baptism” instead of a “fiery” one.

 

PPP: 124

 

Come to think of it… it doesn’t seem like baptisms are an actual thing in this setting, so why does Gorgrael refer to one?

 

Cardboard Worldbuilding: 31

 

On chapter 10, she notes that the army would not have gone as fast as mentioned. The NRSG tells me that the distance between Carlon and Tare is some 180 miles, or 290 kilometres. Since it takes seven days to get to Tare, the army would have moved at 25,7 miles per day, which is quite ridiculous for such a large army.

 

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 15

 

On chapter 11, she asks why Timozel needs Axis’s permission to sleep in his own house. We really do need an explanation for that, I think.

 

PPP: 125

 

She also says that the boars might have adapted to live in burrows, “like warthogs”. I might actually see that!

On chapter 12, she notes that Axis’s “well, it’s time she grew up” comment might mean that he is happy to see her be more mature. I can see where she is coming from, but given Axis’s attitude toward Faraday, I still think it is what we originally thought it was.

 

Maegwin also points out that it could have been easily merged with the next chapter.

 

On chapter 13, she points out that Axis and co. are using Gilbert as a “sacrificial lamb” when they go into the Silent Woman Woods. Very nice of them.

 

Morals for Thee but Not for Me: 73

 

She also points out that it makes little sense for the people not to dare wipe their hands. The NRSG also says that they might as well be putting themselves in danger by not doing so and risking their hands slipping.

 

Ill Logic: 108

 

On part I of chapter 14, she notes that Ogden assumes that Jayme could only have risen to his current position by nepotism.

 

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 30

 

On part I of chapter 15, she notes that it might have been a nice idea if Jack found the Woods friendlier because he was “closer to nature and animals”. Yes, I like that!

 

On part II of that chapter, she notes that Yr ought to have done something if she disapproves of what Jack is doing so much.

 

Ill Logic: 109

 

On chapter 16, she also points out that Axis really ought not to keep Timozel and Arne from eating breakfast.

 

Morals for Thee but Not for Me: 74

 

On part I of chapter 17, she notes that it might have been better to see some kind of reaction of the army to the Ancient Barrows. Considering how great the Icarii are supposed to be, I would actually have expected that.

 

On part I of the glossary, she says that she does not mind that the provinces are defined mostly by what they produce. I can see that… though I wish we got anything more on them.

 

On part II of that, she notes that the Plough that is mentioned is probably an “ornamental thing”. The NRSG had a look and saw that the Plough is apparently an altar, which does not even have to be an actual plough? It is quite unclear.

 

PPP: 125

 

She further says that it does not have to be implied that the title “WarLord” has only come into existence when Priam gave it to Borneheld. Looking through the book… I see that Borneheld is later called “the most powerful WarLord Achar has ever had”, so she is entirely correct!

 

On Tarantaise, she notes that it makes little sense for Tare to be so poor if it is a centre of trade. Indeed, why could they not raise taxes on the goods that pass through?

 

Cardboard Worldbuilding: 32

 

On part I of chapter 18, she notes that it makes no sense for Faraday and Veremund to take 15 minutes to reach the top.

 

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 16

 

She also notes that the people in the camp ought to have noticed the thunder and lightning from when Faraday was on the Barrow.

 

On chapter 19, she notes that Axis cannot exactly hum “phrases”.

 

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 17

 

On part I of chapter 20, she comes up with a theory for how Merlion and her maid might have died. Combined with those of the NRSG and Chessy’s, I think this makes the most sense:

 

The maid’s horse was startled by an ice spear and then fell and crushed the maid, dying itself because of the fall. Merlion’s horse was also startled, and threw her, but was not harmed itself. Merlion then ran to the nearest Barrow and found her maid and her horse lying dead. She paused to look at them, and was then killed by an ice spear herself.

 

I think that covers everything in the scenario!

 

On part II of that chapter, she notes that the saddles that Axis and co. use do not have very much to grab onto, and so they have to grab their horse’s mane. I do not know quite enough to answer that conclusively, so I will let it be for now.

 

On chapter 22, Epistler notes that Axis being in “self-denial” makes little sense, as we do not see him deny anything about himself.

 

PPP: 126

 

Wolfgoddess notes there that it makes little sense for there to be only two physicians for an entire army.

 

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 18

 

I would think they could have gathered some more for an entire army, but no…

 

She also notes that Ogden undermines his argument to Axis by saying that Gorgrael only wants to destroy those lands beneath the permanent snow. That obviously does not fit with someone who wants to destroy everything.

 

Ill Logic: 110

 

That was that! For my own reflections… I think I want to give this for the chapters “Two White Donkeys” and “In the Enchanter-Talon’s Tomb”:

 

A Better Chapter Title: 3

 

With “Two White Donkeys” that is because the donkeys have no role of much importance in the chapter. Yes, I get that Douglass might have wanted to avoid spoilers, but then use “Leaving the Keep” or something else.

 

With “In the Enchanter-Talon’s Tomb”, I give it because we will only hear where we are at the beginning of the present chapter, so that messes up the “mystery”. Speaking of…

 

This is What the Mystery: 15

Well, let us get started with this chapter, then.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Star Gate

 

That is something we have not heard of before now, so it might be interesting. We open where chapter 21 left off, as Jack explains where they are exactly. That turns out to be “the tomb of the ninth of twenty-six Icarii Talons to be buried here”. I think we already knew most of that, but it is still nice to know. I do not think we need to be told they were Icarii Talons, though.

 

Hand-Holding: 2

 

Faraday and Timozel look around. The tomb has “obviously [been] built by skilled masons”, but it seems very bare for the tomb of a king. That might be a cultural difference. Also, of course it is “obvious” that the tomb was built by skilled people; it is made by Icarii, after all. I think… that that warrants a count for itself, given how much the Icarii are shilled. 1 point for their “illuminated manuscripts”, 2 for how graceful Axis is, 1 for the remark about their “complexity and beauty”, and 1 for this.

 

Can’t Argue With Icarii: 6 (adapted from a count by Lady_Fofa)

 

We get some more description: the room is empty except for the stone block in the middle. The walls are bare except for “false pillars”, and there does not seem to be a sign of an opening. Faraday asks how they will get out. Yr turns to Jack and says he knows the place the best among the Sentinels, and asks him if he knows “the way below”. I just love how Yr takes over Faraday’s question.

 

Jack completely ignores Yr’s question in favour of more explanations. How very lovely. He turns to the stone block and puts a “reverential hand” on it. He says that the Barrows were built for “only twenty six of the Icarii Talons, Kings over all Tencendor”. Yes, we know that.

 

Hand-Holding: 4

PPP: 127 (“twenty-six” ought to be spelled with a hyphen)

 

They ruled Tencendor for more than 5000 years, and yet only twenty-six were buried here. “Thirty-one lie in more mundane surroundings”. And where might those be? I do note something interesting here: there have been 57 Talons in total, and they have ruled for more than 5000 years… so their average rule must have lasted more than 87,7 years. I think we can deduce from that that the Icarii must live much longer than humans do. I really like this! Douglass has left us to draw our own conclusions here, and it is also quite subtle, as someone who reads through this more casually might miss this clue. So I do give Douglass credit for this, and I hope I will see a little more of this.

 

Timozel stirs and Jack tells him to be still, because he “must know this”. I do not see why he ought to know this right now, Jack, and I am sure there will be plenty of time later on. He keeps explaining, reiterating that there are only twenty-six, and that is “[u]nder half the total number of Talons”. My, would you think? Twenty-six is less than thirty-one, after all! How shocking!

 

Hand-Holding: 5

 

Can this get any more condescending? Jack explains that these twenty-six were “not only Talons, but also of the line of Enchanters” (which we already could have guessed from the previous chapter title), and that the Barrows are “very enchanted places”. Never mind that we heard that literally last chapter, we need to hear it all over again!

 

Hand-Holding: 6

 

We then get this:

 

“Enchanters?” Timozel’s voice was stiff. “What do you mean?”

 

Jack looked at the boy. “Those of the Icarii who could cast enchantments, Timozel.”

 

...Jack literally explained what “enchanter” means to us, because there is clearly no way we could have understood that ourselves. This book is so bad!

 

Hand-Holding: 7

 

Timozel’s eyes widen at this and he “invoke[s] the sign of the Plough against evil”. He further shifts back to the wall of the tomb, as he “[does] not like this talk of Enchanters and enchanted places”. You think?

 

Hand-Holding: 8

 

That aside, I see we have the “sign of the Plough” nonsense once again. Apparently Timozel is not allowed to invoke Artor’s protection against evil. No, he has to think making the sign itself protects him.

 

Maria Monk Redux: 37

 

Faraday goes to stand next to Jack. She almost puts a hand on it like he did, but thinks better of it (smart!). She asks if the Talon is buried beneath the block. Jack says no, the Enchanter-Talon was “laid out” on it when he died, but he has “long since gone”, and where he has gone, they must go, too.

 

So… the Enchanter-Talons left this tomb after they were dead? Alright, then. Also… let me have a look… I have looked through the entire series, but I could not find any reference to the Icarii having a Talon who was a queen. So the Talons were exclusively male. How very feminist of you, Douglass, especially since the Icarii are supposed to be so admired.

 

No-Wave Feminism: 28 (+5)

 

Back to the story, Yr speaks up, naming the place they will go as the “Star Gate” (there is the title!). She says that she has never seen it, but longs to, because she has heard “so much”. Then it should live up that to that description, I think. Jack nods and says this:

“Only I among the Sentinels has laid eyes on the Star Gate.

 

I think that should be “I have”.

 

PPP: 128

 

I also love how he tells this to Yr, when she should surely know this already. He says that, for the past thousand years, no one has “walked the paths of the StarFarers down to the Star Gate”. Faraday asks why he calls them “StarFarers”. Jack answers that that is what the “most powerful” of the Enchanter-Talons were called (which is why we will not hear this term beyond next chapter), though all Enchanters have the word ‘star’ somewhere in their name. The NRSG already pointed out why this is bad for her naming, and I fully agree with that.

 

They apparently “honour the stars and the movements of the heavens”, and much of their magic comes from the stars, “or so it is said”. “Or so it is said”. Exactly. I do find the idea of the Icarii getting their magic from the stars quite interesting, and if I remember well, we will hear quite some things about it. I also do wonder how the Icarii “honoured” the stars… I think “revered” might be a better word to use here.

 

We are told Timozel gets uneasy because of the talk of magic. He tells Jack that this is “[e]nough of that”, and asks where he is taking them and what the Star Gate is. Those are quite reasonable questions, I would think, especially since Jack still has not answered Yr. Jack gets annoyed, but hides it “behind a bland smile”. Can you not, Jack? He says it does not concern Timozel. Yes it does, since you will lead him past it. If he thought he could get out of there without going by the Star Gate, he surely would, but all paths lead down to it, and to find “another path to the surface”, they will have to walk past it.

 

Faraday rightly asks if it is dangerous, which I might expect given how Jack says he would rather avoid it. Yr laughs and says it is only dangerous if you “walk through it”. She looks at Jack for a moment and then says that she thinks he has “not explained well enough”. Not more explanations!

 

Yr says that Barrows are “not actually tombs”, because they do not hold the bodies of the Enchanter-Talons. Instead, each Barrow is an “entrance-way” or a gate before the real gate. Whenever an Enchanter-Talon died, their people would build the Barrow for them, with the chamber below it. Below the chamber, they built a “long stairwell” that leads to the Star Gate. When everything was finished, they laid the body of the Enchanter-Talon on the block and sealed the Barrow.

 

Um, did Jack not just say that the Talon was put on the block when he died? This does not agree with that at all.

 

PPP: 129

 

Also, why would they only build the Barrow at the death of the Talon? Would there not be more than enough time, in most cases, to build such a massive construction before his death? And did they have advanced means of preserving the bodies? After all, if the Barrow was only built once he died, I think there would not be that much left by the time the body was to be put in the Barrow.

 

Cardboard Worldbuilding: 33

 

Come to think of it, if this is not a tomb, then why was chapter 21 called “Inside the Enchanter-Talon’s Tomb”?

PPP: 130

 

Well, once the Talon was sealed in his Tomb, he would eventually go down the stairwell into “the Chamber of the Star Gate”, and then walk through the Gate. Each of them had their own entrance—“thus twenty-six Barrows for twenty-six Enchanter-Talons. Twenty-six gates to the Star Gate.” How curious!

 

Hand-Holding: 9

 

Once they go through the Gate, “it is said [they] wait”. Faraday asks what they wait for, with wide eyes. She apparently had never believed that “anything the Forbidden did” can be so “hauntingly beautiful”. Despite her upbringing, she is rapidly losing her discomfort with “talk of things magical” and she is fascinated by the current conversation.

 

That still seems like this is accomplished via mind-control, especially with how Timozel reacts to all this. That, and I simply do not believe she would change her opinions entirely in… five days!

 

Yr just shrugs and says that they wait for “whatever concerns them”. She also calls Faraday “darling girl”, which I do not like at all. Timozel does not like the sound of what they are saying, as he wonders how the Enchanter-Talons can go down a “flight of stairs” when they are dead. He thinks it is “no wonder” that the Seneschal teaches magic is evil.

 

Yr goes over to him, puts a hand on his shoulder and “lean[s] close”. She says she does not know how “these dead Enchanter-Talons made their way down”. So she read his mind. Again.

 

Give Me a Piece of Your Mind: 9

 

She says she is more interested in the living, while rubbing her hand against Timozel’s chest and leaning against him. First ask him, Yr! Timozel’s does not approve and pulls her hand from his chest. He wonders if she “seek[s] to enchant him with her charms”. Oh, she has mind-control for that. Yr shrugs and steps back, closing her cloak as she does so. We get this: “There would be enough time later.”

 

I… Timozel has already made clear that he does not want this, and yet Yr thinks there will be “enough time” to seduce him later? So she just means to keep flirting with him until he gives in? What makes it even worse is that she has mind-control abilities, as far as we know, so she could simply make him fall in love with her. This is horrible!

 

Consent No, Incest Yes: 1

 

Good to see that count make its appearance this quickly… I can only wonder how bad it will exactly be later on.

 

Anyway, Jack says that it is “enough”, as it is time to descend. Finally they can move on! They have no food or water, after all, and the sooner they move through, the sooner “[they] can find something to eat”. I would think that drinking is more important, but what do I know?

 

Jack picks up his staff in his left hand, “running his right hand gently over the metal knob at its apex”. This prompts Faraday to look at the knob and describe it. It is about as large as “a man’s clenched fist” and has “deep lines” etched into it, which “whirl[] in complicated patterns”. Interesting, I would think. She says the metal looks “strange, blackened, tarnished almost”. So… is that silver? I see that silver can actually tarnish black in the presence of sulfur compounds, and it is not unthinkable that he might have kept the staff in such conditions.

 

Then her attention is drawn to Jack, who is talking to the staff “very quietly”, so soft that she cannot hear his words, “but with a beautiful cadence underpinning his words” (because why not). She says he almost seems to be singing to the staff, and “[f]aint emerald light” pulses from his fingertips along with his voice. Yr comes up behind Faraday and tells her to step back so she does not get in the way.

 

They both join Timozel by the far wall. Timozel looks suspiciously at Jack and holds his hand on the hilt of his sword. A reasonable caution, I would think. Suddenly, Jack grabs the staff in both hands, “whirl[s] it at shoulder height three times around his body”, and then brings the “metal tip” against a spot on the floor. He then cries “Ecrez dontai StarFarer!” (is that the sacred Icarii language I spy there?) and immediately a piece of stonework drops and slides underneath the floor, revealing the stairwell. There is our exit, then!

 

Yr says “very quietly” (no idea why) that she is impressed, and that he “seemed” to have learned well while waiting for the StarMan. I think that should be “seem”, since as it is now, it seems to imply that Yr is quite disappointed in how much he has done.

 

PPP: 131

 

I do agree with her assessment, as we have seen Jack do the most magical stuff of the Sentinels so far, and I find that I prefer him quite a bit over Ogden and Veremund’s hand-wringing uselessness. Jack looks “faintly satisfied” at her and nods “in acknowledgement of her compliment”.

 

Hand-Holding: 10

 

He then says “Let us go”. Thank you!! Timozel should bring up the rear with a lamp, he will lead with the other, and Yr and Faraday can come between them. He is afraid “the climb” is long, and they have to be careful, as the steps can be uneven sometimes. And you be careful, too, Jack, because you will have no one in front of you to possibly stop your fall. Also, should that not be “descent”? Yes, I know that “climb” can be used for going down, but they are not climbing, they are going down the stairs. Even if they went up, it should be called “ascent”.

 

PPP: 132

 

Cut to them slowly “climbing” the stairs.

 

PPP: 133

 

The stairs are steep and tight, and, as Jack said, the steps are “uneven in places” as they go deep into the earth. That also seems quite claustrophobic; I do not think I would be able to keep my cool there. Jack, Yr and Faraday have to keep their cloaks out of the way to avoid tripping, and Jack surrenders his lamp to Yr so he can keep control of his cloak and his staff. Faraday concentrates hard to keep from falling. The steps seem to go on eternally and she completely loses her sense of time. Her calves and knees begin to ache soon and after a while it becomes a “burning sensation”. She is so “lost in contemplation” of that that she bumps into Yr when she stops in front of Faraday. We get this:

 

“Pay attention!” Yr snapped. “Jack has called a rest.”

 

Well, Yr, maybe Faraday cannot pay attention very well because she is exhausted, which is the very thing that Jack is calling a rest for? And maybe you could have repeated it to Faraday? I do not think a little consideration would hurt you. Faraday just “mumble[s] an apology” and sits down to massage her calves. She asks how much further they must go.

 

Jack says they are about halfway down the stairs. Faraday is glad to see him and Yr also massaging their legs. They might be “[m]agical creatures”, but their muscles still complain. Well, that makes Yr’s complaint look even more ridiculous now. Timozel “stoically” pretends his legs do not ache. Yr then begins combing Faraday’s “wet and tangled hair” with her fingers, without asking, of course. Faraday does like it, as she smiles and closes her eyes. She thinks vaguely that she would “give two years of her life for a warm bath” as she gets “lulled into tranquillity” by the touch of Yr’s hands.

 

Merlion? Who is that? Now would be a good moment to show Faraday grieve for her mother, but she barely seems to remember that Merlion even existed. That still sucks.

 

Well, we cut over to Timozel, who “surreptitiously” extends his legs across the stairwell and grimaces with relief as the ache diminishes. He leans comfortably against the wall. For a while he looks at Yr combing Faraday’s hair and then he closes his eyes, too. Then… he has visions. Italicised visions, at that, so these are surely important!

 

He sees himself on a “great beast”, which we are told is not a horse, that “dip[s] and soar[s]”. It “scream[s] with the voice of…” and then he wakes, startled. I know what this refers to, and I actually like this! He says that “for an instant” he could have sworn he was… Then Jack asks him what is wrong. Yr and Faraday are apparently too busy with each other to notice much.

 

Timozel “tersely” says there is nothing. Jack looks at him a moment longer, and then sits back again. He thinks it is no wonder “the Axe-Wielder” is unsettled. He has a name, Jack! Either way, he thinks that is because the stair is “haunted by the memory of strange steps”. He wishes that fate or the Prophecy had not “brought them to this Barrow”. Well, then you should have gone to another one! I hardly think that would have greatly disrupted the Prophecy.

 

Timozel goes to rest again, and he gets another vision. This one is of him fighting for “a great Lord”, and commanding a “mighty army” that is leagues in size. Again Timozel wakes up, but this time, he keeps still. He thinks about the “commanding a great army” vision, first almost chuckling, then getting sour, because it will not happen if “Axis [has] his way”. He thinks that Axis is so determined not to be nepotistic toward him (because he has Embeth as his lover) that he will be lucky to “achieve chief of the horse lines” before he is fifty.

 

That was a little hard to parse… though if this is really the case, and I can certainly see Axis do so, Timozel is quite justified in this. Either way, he feels “resentment” deeper than he has ever felt, and he thinks he has a “poor future in the Axe-Wielders”. He goes in for another vision.

 

He feels “cold wind” blowing at his back as “hundreds of thousands” scream his name and hurry to do his will. Before him another army, “his pitiful enemy”, lies shaking in terror, as they “[cannot] counter his brilliance”. Their commander lies in bad, as they are “unable to summon the courage to meet Timozel in just combat”.

 

Timozel thinks it must be a vision from Artor: a reward for “taking the holy vows of Championship”. The vision continues, as he sees that “[r]emarkable victories” are his to take. He softly whispers “yes”. He sees that, in the name of his Lord, he will “clear Achar of the filth that invade[s]”. Timozel says “yes” louder and revels in the power he is sure he will wield.

He is then told that his name “[will] live in legend forever”. At this point, Faraday touches his hand and asks him if he is all right. Timozel hesitates for a bit, as he wants to enjoy the vision further, but then he lets go and smiles at her, saying that he “will be all right”. He is finally told: “All will be well.”

 

Ooh, I do like this sequence! I am quite certain I know who sends these visions, but it is not spelled out, and they cleverly play with Timozel’s concerns. Douglass can do this right, it seems.

 

He thinks that he will be a “powerful” champion of people are to “scream [his] name thus”, and he sends a quick prayer to Artor to thank him for the vision. He finally whispers “all will be well” again.

 

And there I would like to stop for the time being, as I am halfway through the chapter. Until next time!