Day 140
Standard Year 1118
Irikwae
In which the twins give Jethri the benefit of their vast, sorrowful experience.
When the twins are telling Jethri about how much Pen Rel loves his vines, they tell a story about the “mother vine” that echoes the events of “Necessary Evils” and the scholar’s hearsay in Crystal Dragon. Where those were reports of contemporary events, though, now it is just a legend of “the old days, when such things were possible”.
That’s a connection I didn’t make the first time I read it, probably because I hadn’t read “Necessary Evils” yet. If memory serves, I read all the novels Meisha Merlin published before I read any of the short stories.
The other thing I didn’t realise the first time I read it was that Jethri’s confidence that it wasn’t within his power to match the twins’ devastation of the vines was a sign of trouble to come.
Since I read “Necessary Evils” first AND have just reread it for the third time, this quick aside was not simply a passing comment but was more like neon lights. YIKES! If she knew what it was really like to marry the mother vine, it wouldn’t be a point to make light of!
Also, notice that Arin immediately knows what it means that someone came looking for fractins.
“Also, notice that Arin immediately knows what it means that someone came looking for fractins”
You properly mean Grig Tomas, don’t you?
Oh, gosh . . yes, of course!