hunters_forest | Coldfire re-read: When True Night Falls

We have a few new faces around here, so I'd like to remind you all that if you haven't finished with the books yet, just mention it in your comment whether you want to stay spoiler-free and up to where you can be spoiled. That way, the rest of us can talk to you without fear of ruining the story for anyone. Even though it may make us sit anxiously on our hands thinking "damn, can't mention that yet, no matter how fitting it would be". It's worked well in the last posts, I think, so we'll stick to that method for now.

Do we have anyone who is reading WTNF for the first time and hasn't finished yet? Or is that currently safe for everyone?

Anyway, done with the brief mod-ly bit, and onwards with the reading! It's time for chapter 4, where Damien meets interesting new people, gets shot at, and gets to dress up.

Plot Summary
A lovely morning at sea, somewhat interrupted by the arrival of an unknown ship, complete with guns. Which are fired, which leaves quite an impression and which leads Damien to doing a bit of impression management on his own. On board of the other ship, we get to meet Toshida, who immediately embarks on a search of the Golden Glory as though he knows something - or rather, someone - has been hidden there in the darkest corner. When nothing is found, Damien and the others are welcomed in a cloud of sheer foreshadowing.

Quotes

Cannon on a ship. That one phrase embodied the impossible. Gunpowder might have limited use on land - mostly in the hands of those whose luck or power permitted them to control it - but it had no place on the open sea, not where a single mishap might doom a ship full of men and goods to a sudden watery grave.

Had enough prayers, enough religious devotions, finally fulfilled the Prophet's vision? Was the fae and its constructs no threat to these people? It was almost too much to hope for. The mere thought made his head spin.
Careful, Damien, careful. You don't know anything yet.

"I think you should mull over the fact that we'd all be a good bit safer here if I knew what the vulk was going on. It's hard to play the game right when you haven't been told the rules, Reverend. Think about that, will you?"

He ran down the checklist in his mind, the do's and don't's that a man must observe when going from the field to the court. Damien had done it so many times now that he could no longer remember whether the list had been one of his own devising, or the parting gift of a well-meaning tutor.

White silk split open down the front to reveal close-fitting civilian garments, a mixture of priest's regalia and common attire that might have seemed blasphemous but for his attitude, which made it clear that everything he did and everything he wore was utterly correct.

"The crossing was made, verda. And mankind has . . . flourished." A slight hesitation there, fleeting but eloquent. "As to whether we would welcome contact . . ." His expression hardened. "That has yet to be determined."

We are not at war, but we have an enemy to the south. And sometimes the best way to avoid a war is by preparing to fight it.
I understand, Damien assured him. And he did, more than the Regent could possibly know.

Thoughts

I love it when little bits of Earth show up, like the silhouette of North America in the flag of Toshida's ship. They're such unexpected anchors at times, and great reminders of all the heritage.

Despite all his hopes and the sheer potential of what he's seeing, Damien doesn't let himself be anything but suspicious. I've never really noticed it before, but he's remarkably cautious for someone who is witnessing the potential achievement of goals he's been working towards all his life.

The captain, telling Damien how it's easier to go along with a plan when you know what the plan is. Surely I can't have been the only one who smiled at that little bit of foreshadowing?

We get another little glimpse of Damien's past here - he's switching between field and court often enough to be practiced at adjusting to the requirements. It supports what we found out about him in BSR, but I still wish we knew more about him.

I'm curious: what did you think of Toshida when he is first introduced?

For the language-wise ones - what are the odds of English staying practically the same in two isolated societies for several centuries, with just a slight change in dialect and sprinkles of almost-Spanish? That one has always struck me as a bit of an avoidance of realistic portrayal versus ease of plot progress.

Toshida's reaction to the Golden Glory is quite intriguing and a hint that not all is well here. The searching of the ship, the very chilly reception, the initial gunshots... did it make you wonder?

On Monday chapters 5 and 6 are waiting for us, where we'll meet a girl and Damien and Hesseth talk theology.