Coldfire re-read: Black Sun Rising - chapters 39-40

[trobadora]

Today, we go deeper into the caves, see some pretty dark fae, learn Tarrant's related to Sherlock Holmes, and then - well, here's where it gets interesting: Damien has to make up his mind ...

Plot summary

Chapter 39
Three simulacra set out. The weather's bad, and one of them dies in the cold; the other two move on.

Chapter 40
The Lost One leads Damien, Ciani and Hesseth deep into the caves, to where the fringe folk live, rakh who live just at the borders of the Master's territory. On the way, Damien gets a brief taste of Tarrant's Vision when he accidentally touches the sword in the dark. After a brief stop with the rakh, they move on, and Ciani and Damien argue about what to do about Damien. In the end, it's Hesseth who convinces Damien.

Quotes

• She had Worked her own vision, using the techniques that Tarrant had taught her.
  Good for her, he thought. But his soul was sick as he contemplated the cost of that Working, the darkness that would slowly be taking root inside her.
  She’ll never be what she was, he thought grimly. And what bothered him most of all was not that it was happening, or that he didn’t know how to stop it. It was that she didn’t care. Didn’t even recognize the problem.
  It’s all the same power to her. He’s just another adept. More interesting than most, perhaps - but that only makes him more desirable. The cost of it means . . . nothing.


• Ice-cold power slammed into him, and the tunnel errupted in violet iridescence. Twisting threads of light filled the air about him, too bright to look at directly. They tangled about his feet, clung to his clothes as though seeking the flesh beneath. And burned, with a purple brilliance that was blinding. He forced himself to release the sword, and after a mo­ment - a very long moment - the power subsided. And with it, the vision. He forced himself to breathe steadily, slowly.
  The dark fae, he thought. Awed by the vision, so un­like anything he had ever seen. Is that how it looks to him? It was an incredible concept, that the man who seemingly thrived on darkness lived in a world of such brilliant light. Never lacking illumination, because his vi­sion was always Worked.


• “Illusion?” he mused aloud.
  The women looked at him. “You think?” Ciani asked.
  “‘When one is in the presence of the seemingly impossible, that which is merely unlikely becomes more plausi­ble by contrast.’ That’s a quote, you know, from-” He stopped suddenly, even as the words came to his lips. And forced himself to voice them. “The Prophet,” he told them. “His writings.”


• “I would sooner walk through the gates of hell,” he told her, “than loose that man on the world again. Do you realize what he is? Do you realize what he does? The hundreds of people who will suffer because of him - the thousands! - because we set him free?”


• “He’s in there because he values his own vulking life more than fifty of yours - and mine - combined! Because some little footnote in his survival contract dictated that he come here in order to safeguard his own existence. Nothing more than that - nothing, Cee! The man’s a monster - even worse than that, a monster who once was human. That’s far more dangerous than your average demonkind. Do you think he really cares for you? Do you think he cares for anything, other than his own con­tinued existence? He’d sacrifice you in a minute if you stood in his way.” The words were pouring from him like a flood tide, and with it poured all his anger. All his hatred for the man and what he represented. Everything he had been suppressing for weeks.


• “Don’t get me wrong,” she said quietly. “I have no illusions about his nature. I think maybe I even under­stand him a little better than you can” - and her eyes narrowed - “seeing as I’m not half-blinded by theological prejudice. Let me tell you what he is. Strip away the sword and the collar, and all the accoutrements of his evil . . . and what you come up with is an adept, plain and simple. What I was.” She just stared at him for a moment, giving the words time to sink in. “We’re the same,” she whispered, “he and I.”


• “We were born the same way, Gerald Tarrant and I. Not like your kind, in the midst of a comprehensible world, born to parents who could foresee your troubles and prepare for them. Most born adepts don’t make it past infancy. Or if they grow up, they grow up insane. The infant brain just can’t handle that kind of input - it’s too much, too chaotic, they can’t sort it out. We spend our lives trying to adapt, fighting to impose some kind of order on the universe. He did it. So did I. Different paths, but the end goal was the same: stability. Of ourselves, and of our world.”


• “As for what he is, that’s just his adaptation,” she said. “Don’t you see? To you it means something else, it’s all tied up with questions of faith and honor - but to me it’s just that. A terrible adaptation, it’s true - I don’t deny that - but does that make it any less of an accom­plishment? He’s alive. He’s sane. Not many of our kind can lay claim to that much.”


• “All right,” he said. “As you say. We’ll see what the situation is, first, and then decide. The three of us.” He felt somehow polluted, shamed by his betrayal of . . . what? His people? The rakh? The matter was too com­plex for simple answers, and he knew it. But he felt as though he had betrayed his faith - himself - and the shame of that burned like fire. He turned away from them both, lest they see the hot reddening of his cheeks. Lest they guess at his shame. Lest they realize that be­neath his bitter hatred of Tarrant there ran an undercur­rent of something else. A sharp sense of relief, that when they finally went into battle they might have Tarrant’s power backing them. And that shamed him more than anything.

Thoughts

• There's next to no earth fae available in the caves, and there's dark fae aplenty, and yet it doesn't seem to pose any danger here. No manifestations of their fear, nothing happening on the way or in the caves while the Lost Ones are present. Instead, we get a startlingly beautiful impression of Tarrant's Vision of the darkness. It's a rare opportunity, to look at it without being threatened. Any thoughts about that? And what is it about the Lost Ones that makes this possible?


• I admit it, I laughed out loud at that Prophet quote. Our dear Tarrant seems to have reinvented Sherlock Holmes's old maxim that "when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." *g*


• Tarrant seems to have shared rather a lot of himself, his mortal years, with Ciani. Why do you think that is?


• Damien, once again, reacts rather strongly to Ciani being "tainted" by Tarrant's teachings. And yes, Ciani is rather detached about what the Hunter is - she's Loremaster through and through, and doesn't seem to be bothered at all. To her, most of Damien's problems with the Hunter are just theological prejudice. Just another adaptation, indeed. I'd say if there's darkness in her it's not from the Hunter's taint; she had enough on her own. Thoughts about that?


• Some fascinating insights on adepts, too, especially the suggestion that plenty of them don't live to see adulthood, or go mad. Makes you wonder how the rest of them adapt.


• Damien's outpouring of hate, at Ciani's suggestion that they should go and free Tarrant - he's been keeping so much bottled up, and yet while the hatred is certainly genuine enough, at the same time you know that's not the half of it. Doesn't he sound rather glad to be convinced in the end - not just because they'll have Tarrant's power, but simply to have a reason, a justification for saving Tarrant?


• And it's a lovely bit of foreshadowing, isn't it, with Damien insisting he'd rather go into hell than free Tarrant?

On Thursday we'll be continuing with chapter 41. Someone's being rescued!

Comments

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

I think the thing about the Loremaster's is the neutrality. Despite having the ability to intervene and use the fae for beneficial reasons, a Loremaster would sit by and let nature take it's course. Plus, she's so old she's probably seen all the good and evil man can do, and has trained herself to look at it from both sides.

[trobadora]

Yes, and what kind of person does that make them? Damien asks that question several times himself, and I haven't made up my mind yet either.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

It doesn't make them specifically anything. Apart from incredibly resolved, because I can't imagine the idea of sitting by while horrific things happen. I suppose it's a case of "I can't be the one to change this or they'll expect me to change everything". I suppose it's like a superhero's decision of who and when and what to save.

[trobadora]

But just as with the superhero, the decision shouldn't come easy. I suppose that's why I can't leave this alone - Ciani gives the impression that it does come easy for her. And she's been stripped of so much, I don't think she's just hiding it well. Damien is right; she really isn't bothered. And that ... bothers me, somewhat. It certainly makes Ciani a much more interesting and complex character.

[fyrie.livejournal.com]

It probably was harder for her when she was younger, when it was new to her, but she's probably been doing it her whole life. She probably spent years being forced, bullied and begged into using the fae for other people's benefit and got tired of it. The life of a loremaster, refusing to intervene, would seem peaceful by comparison, and after 50 years, turning a blind eye to both good and evil things would become easier.

[trobadora]

Another reason why I wish we'd seen more of Ciani, and her past.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

This is why I'd like to know how old she is. Damien speculates, but we never get a clear answer.

[trobadora]

She says it in chapter 8:

Do you even know how old I am? she had asked him once. Bright eyes sparkling in amusement.

No. How old?

Nearly seventy.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay. Thanks.

I had misremembered that as speculation on his part.

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

It's so typical that Sherlock Holmes could be one of Tarrant's literary heroes *g*

Tarrant seems to have shared rather a lot of himself, his mortal years, with Ciani. Why do you think that is?

I think it's for the same reason he later talks about his core values with Damien. Ciani says it herself - she's an adept, so she understands where he's coming from and that what he did is also a huge achievement because he came out on the other side (relatively) sane and unscathed. She can appreciate the effort, and she also has such a wide-eyed, fascinated attitude towards what he can do that it must feel quite good to have open admiration not because of who he is, but for ability alone. And in addition she's such an interesting puzzle to him because of what happened to her, and smart on top of it.

Some fascinating insights on adepts, too, especially the suggestion that plenty of them don't live to see adulthood, or go mad. Makes you wonder how the rest of them adapt.

I think Ciani hit the point here - stability and control are central concepts for them. Their world is so complex that whatever they can control, they must control. Tarrant is a prime example for that, and I think we get hints of it in Ciani as well. The fae shop is her equivalent of Tarrant's research efforts, and they both are driven by that need to understand and see outcomes of what they do. Ciani just took a (probably) less vicious route than Gerald, but they have the same determination to be on top of things. The way she behaves when it comes to chasing down that demon is quite telling at times - this is a lady who isn't willing to compromise.

And it's a lovely bit of foreshadowing, isn't it, with Damien insisting he'd rather go into hell than free Tarrant?

On the first re-read I was grinning with glee at that little bit. Oh Damien, never say never where Gerald is concerned...

[trobadora]

it must feel quite good to have open admiration not because of who he is, but for ability alone

Yes, I can't imagine he gets that very often any more, if ever *g*

Ciani just took a (probably) less vicious route than Gerald, but they have the same determination to be on top of things. The way she behaves when it comes to chasing down that demon is quite telling at times - this is a lady who isn't willing to compromise.

That's an excellent point - and yet another reason I wish we'd seen more of fully-restored Ciani, so we'd have a bit more of an idea what she's like. She's a very intriguing character, and the more you think about her, the more intriguing she becomes.

Oh Damien, never say never where Gerald is concerned...

Truer words were never spoken. *g*

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

More of the "real" Ciani would have been great. It's quite telling already that she decides to stay with the rakh in the end rather than return to the human lands - here she has a position, while in Jaggonath she may have to start anew. So it could be a move to avoid chaos, and stick with something familiar.

Friedman really shouldn't be suprised we think Damien and Gerald eminently slashable. If Damien can be made to go to Hell, other things are a lot easier to imagine. *g*

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Oh, look at your icon!

Yay!

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

I see the Stars Are Right for yours too. *g*

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I think Ciani hit the point here - stability and control are central concepts for them. Their world is so complex that whatever they can control, they must control. Tarrant is a prime example for that, and I think we get hints of it in Ciani as well. The fae shop is her equivalent of Tarrant's research efforts, and they both are driven by that need to understand and see outcomes of what they do. Ciani just took a (probably) less vicious route than Gerald, but they have the same determination to be on top of things. The way she behaves when it comes to chasing down that demon is quite telling at times - this is a lady who isn't willing to compromise.

That's an excellent point of comparison between the two characters and one I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it.

[fragorl.livejournal.com]

I think one of the things about their party that always fascinated me was the relationship between Tarrant and Ciani, with so much stuff only hinted at, especially given that even Karill comments at some point that because of the Hunter's attitudes to women HE only meets him as a guy... I mean I know he swore an oath and they are both adepts and everything but it does seem that he is quite humane in his dealings with her doesnt it... and if it IS because he misses hanging about with an adept or someone like an equal it seems like he could have found one in the time before all this happened, instead of Amoril... I really wish we could have seen more of them interacting it would have given a really interesting insight...

I mean I always wondered if he hadnt had an interest in her before when he gets involved ONLY because a loremaster has been attacked, and actually seems to help them before he is forced to by his accidental attack - always made me wonder how useful it would have been for him to have a loremaster in his debt... although he does make some comment about respecting their neutrality, so perhaps he is glad that they havnt gone after him in the past, i mean it might have been different if actual adepts had come against him couldnt it...

[trobadora]

and if it IS because he misses hanging about with an adept or someone like an equal it seems like he could have found one in the time before all this happened, instead of Amoril...

I think it's probably one of those cases where he didn't know what he was missing until he found it, but yeah - nothing can really explain Amoril. *g*

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Amoril is going to be an eternal mystery. Either Gerald was suffering from a migraine the day he allowed him to stay, or he was testing out whether undead people can get drunk (and then woke up next evening going "what have I done?")

I suspect that if Ciani had come out of the rakhlands with them, he'd have offered her to be his apprentice. He's already apprenticed her here, so why not let her stay? He clearly appreciates her mind, and seems to simply respect her as a person, which is rare enough with him.

[fallintosanity.livejournal.com]

Come to think of it, Gerald may not have had as much choice in the matter of Amoril as we'd like to believe. Not only did he need to find someone with the sorcerous potential and intellectual ability to (more or less) keep up with him, he also needed someone who was not only able to tolerate his particular brand of hunger and sadism, but able to actively feed it. Despite her fascination with the Hunter, I really can't see Ciani putting a girl on a leash and torturing her to provide the Hunter with a welcome-home snack, the way Amoril does in CoS. When you add that qualification to your list of must-have skills, your options become suddenly much more limited.

[trobadora]

That's a good point.

(Maybe he should have made Amoril his butler, and picked up someone different for an apprentice ... ;-) )

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Ah, it's so hard these days to find adequate staff. They balk at the silliest things.

I'm wondering now how he found Amoril in the first place. Does the Hunter go out to look for apprentices? Do they come to him? Does he have a casting show?

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Maybe Amoril found him. He seems crazy enough to just walk into the Forest and start shouting, "Anybody here want to teach me sorcery? I'm willing to eat people, if it'll help!"

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Nothing says that all loremasters are adepts. :) But I think Tarrant respects knowledge, and those who pursue it. I mean, look at him! :) He's had 800 years to poke about the world, and what does he do with it? He studies.

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Partying probably got boring after the first century or so.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I thought the Lost Ones were really fascinating, with their body jewelry and their posturing and the olfactory nature of some of their ornaments.

I couldn't decide whether the Post-Colonialist in me should be offended or not at their characterization, but I did really like the implication that the Lost Ones would just as soon eat them as help them and that the Chief leads them essentially on a dare.

[trobadora]

I couldn't decide whether the Post-Colonialist in me should be offended or not at their characterization

We've talked before about how problematic/clichéd/... the characterisation of the rakh is in general, but I still think it's a different case here than most because the rakh were basically created on humanity's imagination - their evolution imprinted on what humans imagined them to be (or become), so the result actually makes sense.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Well, I can get behind the Lost Ones and the rakh in general as a critique of the tendency of humans (particularly Westerners) to exotify (is that even a word?) and Other the people they consider more "primitive" than they are.

[trobadora]

I certainly think that's what they're meant to be, at least to some degree.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Ciani's got a good point about having an unbiased perspective on Tarrant...but then again, Tarrant is tied up in those same notions of honor and faith, so in this case I suspect she's missing part of the picture herself.

The mindset of a loremaster seems almost more alien to me than the rakh. Them, I get, but the notion of never judging any bit of information that comes your way...? I dunno. Part of me admires it--I believe that knowledge itself isn't evil, it's in how you apply it--but I also believe that that when you're confronted with someone else doing wrong, not doing anything about it is supporting it.

Ciani isn't not amoral (speaking of which, Amoril = amoral, get it? Oh, that's almost as subtle as naming the volcano Shaitan). She recognizes that what the Hunter did, and does, is awful. So...the ability to make sound moral judgments and yet not do anything about them kind of baffles me. Does she feel it's just not her place to meddle? Does it stem from an organic sort of mindset where even awful things serve their purpose? Does she just crave knowledge so desperately that morality has always been an afterthought? Or is there some ritualized code for lorekeepers that justifies this to most of society, in a world where it's so difficult to come by information and scholarship?

[trobadora]

I think you're right. Ciani sees some things Damien misses, simply by being an adept herself - but then again, she misses some things Damien sees.

I absolutely agree about the alien mindset of the Loremasters, too - I wish we knew more about them, because we just have no idea about how that all works. And it's so important for Ciani's characterisation! *tears hair*

(speaking of which, Amoril = amoral, get it? Oh, that's almost as subtle as naming the volcano Shaitan)

LOL!

[eveningfire.livejournal.com]

(speaking of which, Amoril = amoral, get it? Oh, that's almost as subtle as naming the volcano Shaitan)

That's interesting, I never thought of that. I've actually always pronounced his name like in Emeril, or [h]ammer-[h]ill without the H's. (That's the best I can describe it. I should have paid attention when they taught pronunciation symbols in school.)

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

I don't think your pronunciation is wrong. It's like a bunch of the towns around the Forest--it's a trick of phoenetics. It's natural to pronounce Kale as "Kayl," but if you sound it out a different way, you can get "Kali."