Day 51
Standard Year 1393
Lytaxin
Erob’s Grounds
In which Val Con and Ren Zel are lofted away to places they didn’t intend to go.
Halfway through the book, and we’ve only just got through the first day of this plot strand. An eventful day all round, really.
Here I was, just thinking that if Pat Rin and Natesa did end up together it was fair enough, since at least they’d been living and working together three times as long as Val Con and Miri had when they declared lifemates, and here are Anthora and Ren Zel apparently determined to make Val Con and Miri look the very picture of sober forethought.
(I think the Tree and Merlin are, somehow, conspiring against them, though Anthora seems to have some idea of it and not to mind much.)
I’m intrigued by the statement that “Damning the Commander to twelve dozen hells would be futile from this distance” — does that imply that there’s a distance from which it would be more effective?
If this were Earth, which of course it isn’t, the co-ordinates Val Con gives Priscilla would describe a point in the vicinity of Baltimore. Difficult to say if that means anything; perhaps a hint as to the sort of climate and geography the authors had in mind for the surrounding area.
This chapter (28) is titled Day 51, Lytaxin, and it begins with Val Con kneeling over the still form of the dead DoI agent chel’Mara.
Yet it should still be Day 50, because this scene continues where chapter 24 ended. When the authors interrupted the scene at the end of chapter 24 (DoI agents attacking at Erob’s place) it was still Day 50 (Day 50, Erob’s Clanhouse and Gardens).
Nowhere does it say it was midnight, or even dark out, or late, allowing us to infer a night passed. Miri can see the sail kite in the sky.
There are mentions in earlier chapters of it being late; Delm Erob is about to go to bed when she discovers the Turtles sleeping in her garden, and Shan is already abed when she summons him to explain.
Chapter 24 states the time to be “pre-dawn”. Perhaps the new day is considered to arrive with the dawn.
I didn’t realize he was actually going to bed I thought it was a nap. You’re right. It says pre-dawn. I missed that. Somehow that day ended. Okay, that works for me.
Ps. Delm Erob was so mean to make the sleeping turtles get out of her atrium! After all they’d done for Val Con and Miri that day, and in preceding months.
All in all, Skip, I came away from this book without much affection* for Delm Erob.
*litotes warning 😉
@ Affection for Delm Erob
Me too. It’s not only the inflexibility of her advanced age. She must be about Daav’s age, some 60+ years, maybe even 70+. Depending whether Miri was her younger or older sister.
It might be she was the younger or the less talented (qualified/favoured) sister and never really prepared for delmship and also not wanting it. That would count at least partly on why she didn’t forgive her sister for leaving and why she is so grumpy when meeting her sister’s granddaughter.
She is also clearly a bit overstrained by all the recent troubles and grief about Erob’s dead, as well as short tempered and missing her comforts. And the way she puts much too much weight on formal, proper and honour, the she reminds me of Lady Kareen. Since there have recently so many situation Delm Erob couldn’t control she needs to control at least what happens in the privacy of her home.
I also got the impression that Erob doesn’t have Dramliz and Healers in their current generations – at least none of them on Lytaxin and their wisdom, knowledge and care seems to be lacking.
One of the things that really bothered me about her is the way she seems to think of young Alys and how much she is lacking compared to the dead pilot Kea. It is not really fair to compare the talents of a grown up and favourite to those of a ten year old. Who knows what talents Alys will discover becoming Halfling?
Imho Delm Erob’s only redeeming scene is when she asks herself what other possible knowledge her clan has forgotten after finding out about Pod 77. And yes I believe her to be the kind of person that – once having made up her mind – will really borrow herself and her Clan into that task.
Othin: what other possible knowledge her clan has forgotten after finding out about Pod 77.
Yes, I did enjoy that too.
Ed8r, you mean besides the healer knowledge about lifebonds? I wouldn’t be astonished if Rool Tiazan has left something as important as Cantra’s diaries.