In which Priscilla Mendoza is cast out.
There’s a lot more in this story than I noticed the first time I read it, and much of it I’m not sure I have a solid grip on yet.
One thing I do feel confident saying is that the arc of the Moonhawk and Lute stories, from “Where the Goddess Sends” to here (and beyond, to the extent that Moonhawk and the Goddess continue to be mentioned) is a lot clearer to me after this re-read, and particularly with the addition of “Moon’s Honor”, which did a lot to clarify which details are recurring themes.
The tendency Moonhawk talks to Priscilla about in this story, of the Circle’s purpose being waylaid by the greed of power and personal importance, is one of those recurring themes. The impression I get is that Lute and Moonhawk have been acting as a counter to that tendency; one thing Moonhawk’s travels with Lute achieve, in both versions we’ve seen, is to remind her to think about the Temple’s role and its effects on the other people of the world (with the result, not shown but implied by Moonhawk’s nature, that having realised the Temple is out of line she’ll do what she can to put things right).
So it’s worrying that Moonhawk says here that the Circle having been keeping her apart from Lute, and keeping her in check by limiting the tools she has to work with. That means the power-hungry have had centuries to get hungrier and less thoughtful, and to bend the workings of the Temple toward their purposes. (I wonder who first starting restricting Moonhawk’s actions, and how much they understood of what they were doing.)
(A second thing I wonder about is the Names. It’s mentioned that there are fourteen living Names, which is the same number of Names who bound themselves to the Goddess’ path in Crystal Dragon — except that one of those was Lute, so they can’t be exactly the same fourteen. And the two Names Priscilla calls out during the climactic confrontation are modern-sounding names, not like “Moonhawk” or “Oatflower”. Added to something that was mentioned in “A Matter of Dreams”, the impression I get is that these days there are more than fourteen Names being reincarnated in the service of the Goddess, with perhaps a restriction that only fourteen may be incarnated at any one time. And that makes me wonder if there’s any deck-stacking going on, so that the Names who might want to resist the Temple’s slide from grace are being edged out by Names who support it.)
One of the later novels indicates that there is a Lute to go with this Moonhawk, who would be at this time still a halfling boy only a couple of years older than Priscilla. No wonder Moonhawk warns Priscilla that he can’t yet stand against the Circle directly. (A third thing I wonder is whether that means he will stand against the Circle some day. I can’t imagine Moonhawk and Lute letting them go on getting away with this forever.)
Tomorrow, we round off the tale of Priscilla’s departure with the Prologue to Conflict of Honors. If you’re not wanting to split things up, you can skip it until next week when we return and do the rest of Conflict of Honors, and we’ll see you in a couple of days.
Oh, right. *Those* fourteen names. Goodness, I had not made what is obviously a direct connection. Thanks, Paul, for mentioning it specifically.
There is also this ominous nightmare Priscilla had about her baby daughter getting threatened – and the trouble with Lomar Fasholt (in Alliance of Equals) – as well as Shan owing a deapt to Lute.
There is something I’m not quite sure about. Moonhawk talks to Priscilla about her actions leading to her imprisonment: “What good stoning him when the true trouble lay dead – aye, so you used a little too much force? It was at my behest, and the woman was dead before she arrived – that was in her eyes. But you hadn’t time to see that – they’ve trained you for ceremonies instead of duty!”
This obviously relates to the story “A Matter of Dreams”. The one “he” the Cricle had wanted to stone must be Pirro Velesz. And the “trouble laying dead” must be the woman who gave her name as Cly Nelbern.
But what does “the woman was dead before she arrived – that was in her eyes” refer to? Does the dead woman and she and her refer all to Cly Nelbern? Or does she or her eyes refer to one of the Circle? – If all of this refers to Cly Nelbern I would take it to show Cly as an agent of DoI. If not, what other meanings might this have? Is someone of the Cirlce mad at Moonhawk for killing Nelbern? Did the Circle or one of the Circle wish to question or to torture Nelbern? Or to make a show of the killing? Are there any other meanings? All of the above?
There is another interesting part about Moonhawk: “If only they’d train you properly, let you find your love … even if it isn’t Lute. I looked for him there, with your eyes, but he is not yet seen. They sing my praise and let me loose with virgins … they alter history for convenience and forget the truth – that I was sent on Quest to get me out of Circle because I demand Balance in my dealing and expect the same of others.”
To me this implies that Priscilla lacks several things for Moonhawk to function as she should. Freedom form the Circle and a lover as well as an education or training for duty. So no wonder it takes Priscilla several years as well as some training by norebears, Lina and Shawn before Moonhawk comes back to her everyday life.
And now I ask myself what Moonphase might signify? On one level Priscilla must leave Sintia to get all those things she won’t be allowed to get there. On the other hand is Moonhawk or the Goodess looking for new allies? Or since Shawn is a bit older than Pirscilla, has the Goodes already decides for new allies or allowed Luke to find them for her? Or does the Temple need a reminder/refresher of the ancient alliance with Korval? Is the goodess or Moonhawk about to drop the Temple (let them see how well they deal on their own with the consequences of their doing?) or are they just gathering strength to eventually deal with them? Maybe part of this depents on Priscilla’s and Shawn’s to be yet born daughter.
I suppose Priscilla is merely one more reincarnation of Moonhawk…or one more person to be a vessel of the entity known as Moonhawk since before she came to this Universe? So this is merely another “phase” of the moon?
But that’s an interesting thought about Lute now being manifested in someone with Korval’s genes. Priscilla is also linked to Korval, in a life-mating. It will be interesting to see where this goes.
Maybe we’ll get a hint in 2020 with Trader’s Leap!