In which everybody is having a bad day.
Has it really been a relumma since Aelliana won her freedom? It doesn’t seem like that long.
Ran Eld’s view of the world is not only self-centred, it’s short-sighted too. “Enough time to notice what’s happening around me when I’m what’s happening” is not the attitude of someone ever likely to be the happening thing. It’s kind of amusing, though, that he’s so blinkered he thinks Anne’s book is boring.
The Tree is definitely against Samiv tel’Izak marrying Daav, and is making its feelings felt quite strongly. (It’s weird how the description of her nightmare doesn’t say it’s her until it’s nearly over; the first few times I read it, I had to do a mental gear-change because I’d started out assuming it was Aelliana.)
On the other hand, the Tree doesn’t seem keen on Aelliana either. I suspect it’s because the Tree is waiting for Daav to commit to action, which he hasn’t yet: he wants Aelliana, but he’s still planning to bow to duty and marry tel’Izak.
(But I do wonder what answer was carried in that seed-pod he threw away.)
Hmmm…..true. What might have occurred to him had he consumed the nut(s) in that pod? On the other hand, I conceive of the Tree’s communication as tending toward benevolent neglect. That is, it allows its Dragons their own head unless it sees something that must be forestalled.
Samiv’s dream is familiar to me because I used to have nightmares about a black shape pursuing me. Not just seeing it, but “knowing” it was malevolent and inescapable (*ahem* mine was not a Tree, however). The sense of horror and menace is so palpable it almost might have a soundtrack accompanying it! Poor Samiv!