Coldfire re-read: When True Night Falls - chapters 35 & 36

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Plans are hatched, ideas are discussed, and the Prince once again makes an appearance in tonight's chapters.



Plot summary

Chapter 35

In their snug little cottage, Damien, Hesseth and Jenseny figure out a few more things about the Prince and what to expect of the next part of their journey. Nothing too encouraging - deadly wastelands, weird white trees, and crystal structures feature prominently. They also put together the facts behind the reason why the Prince is called Undying - he seems to rejuvenate whenever he grows too old, and can jump species when he does. Later on, Tarrant joins them for a strategy and tactics session, which yields some unexpected results which aren't entirely according to plan.

Chapter 36

In the realm of black ash,
In the citadel of black crystal,
Beneath skies that burned crimson at the edges,
The Prince is being obtuse once again.




Quotes

• "The Prince put it between where humans live and where the rakh live, so that if one side gets angry it won't kill the other. He said he had to put it there because humans and rakh don't get along, and they always want to fight. But now it's hard for them to start a war, because no one can get through the Wasting without the Prince's help."



• "So he does nothing to alter the aging process itself," Damien mused. "Just one gala transformation at the end of it."
  "Conserves energy," Hesseth noted.
  "But it's risky. Men have died playing that game."



• He shut his eyes for a moment, trying to come up with the proper words. How did one explain to a child what death was on this world, or what it would mean to his Church when he chose to die at his appointed time? "Because we try not to use the fae just for ourselves," he said finally. "We only use it when it helps us to serve God."



• Long ago, on a dark grassy plain, the Hunter had told him what effect his presence would have on the priest. For you I've become the most subtle creature of all: a civilized evil, genteel and seductive. An evil you endure because you need its service - even though that endurance plucks loose the underpinnings of your morality. An evil that causes you to question the very definitions of your identity, that blurs the line between dark and light until you're no longer sure which is which, or how the two are divided. Had he done that? Had the Hunter's unquestioning acceptance of sorcery as a tool desensitized him to its dangers?



• "Short of raising an army of our own - and Conjuring our own demonic patronage - we must work with what this country has to offer."
  "You mean look for someone local who can do the job."



• "Precisely." The Hunter's silver eyes glittered coldly. "A whole army doomed to failure, instead of us."
  Damien breathed in sharply. "A decoy."
  "I prefer to call it a distraction."



• "All right," Damien said. "But I want this understood. We'll go to the rakh cities, we'll find this Katassah, and we'll see if he wants to work with us. Agreed? And then we'll discuss what our options are. But I'm not agreeing to use him as a sacrificial cover. Ever. If we ally with him, then we ally. Period. All cards on the table." He glared at Tarrant. "Understood?"
  The adept's voice was quiet, but his eyes were burning frost. "You would doom us all for the sake of some abstract morality."



• The current was in their favor, he reminded himself. He was experienced enough to understand what that meant. The minute he made a move it would be echoed by the earth-fae, whose ripples and signs would be carried swiftly north. He could Obscure such a trace, but not completely; if the travelers knew what to look for - and he strongly suspected they did - they could Know his every move.

Thoughts

• The description of Damien's muddy state makes me wonder about Tarrant's very selective need for fastidiousness. He can't stand to be anything but clean and tidy, but Damien's constant status as a mud magnet doesn't seem to bother him enough. Which is a pity, because wouldn't you love to see Damien's reaction to a thorough cleaning spell?



• Rakh and humans don't get along here either. I had the impression that the rakh/human conflict was confined to the western continent as part of the crusades, but apparently it spilled over to this side of the ocean. The human expeditions could have carried the rakh aversion - maybe they attacked the local rakh and caused the war to start up here too? Or could rakh have crossed the ocean as well?



• Damien's (and presumably the Western Autarchy's) attitude towards acceptable fae use is an intriguing one: use it when it advances the goals of the Church and to serve God, but not more than absolutely necessary so the pattners don't become too ingrained. Which is illogical, though, isn't it? They want to either contact God and get what they want, or create God for that purpose. Both is done via the fae, so they need it to be as responsive as possible.



• If Machiavelli's theories didn't survive past the Landing, Tarrant could probably re-write them, judging by that little tactics rundown.



• Given that we know what is planned, the results of Tarrant's suggestion of causing an uprising are quite ironic. He throws it out in the open, then it comes back to bite him when Jenseny actually knows someone who'd fit as a rebellion leader. And all his attempts to make them abandon the idea again fail because now Damien and Hesseth are running with it. So frustrating, that the one time Damien should veto an idea, he doesn't. *g*



• The Prince is being stupid again. He knows the currents aren't in his favour, and yet he's still happy to wait and see what happens next, all nice and trusting. For someone who's lived as long as he has, he's quite naive, don't you think?

On Monday, in chapter 37, we find out about carnivorous plants that make the Earth variations look really, really harmless.

Comments

[rekishi]

I'm not really witty these days (ugh) but

For you I've become the most subtle creature of all: a civilized evil, genteel and seductive. An evil you endure because you need its service - even though that endurance plucks loose the underpinnings of your morality. An evil that causes you to question the very definitions of your identity, that blurs the line between dark and light until you're no longer sure which is which, or how the two are divided.

I love that one. <3! And I lured one or two people with it, too *g*

[fragorl.livejournal.com]

ooh I loved that line as well! its so much cleverer and more insightful than most villainous characters that writers create, and it totally sums up the trilogy in its own way. I always thought if they put that book on the blurbs more people might have been more interested in the trilogy, cos the summary they put sucks! I almost didnt read them at all, and then I was stuck on a plane so thought, hmmm lets give this a try and then I was all like PROLOGUE PROLOGUE OMG OMG OMG! lol and u couldnt tear me away from that point on!

Ya the prince annoys me from this point too - the conflict could have been so much more interesting if they had made him into a real character - I mean I cant see the Hunter allying with such an idiot - and if they had shown him and the hunter speaking to each other it could have been a really awesome scene around this point I thought...

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

you know, that's quite a nice plot bunny, espcially showing Tarrant saying things to the Prince that the Prince interprets one way, and we are left wondering of Tarrant means quite another thing... *whistles innocently*

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Heh. I keep reccing them as "you'll love the central characters. Just don't be squicked by the prologue, and hang on for the first 100 pages. After that, it's pure gold."

The Prince is just impossible to take serious as a threat. Knowing what we do about Gerald at this point, it's really rather obvious that it's not an even match. But it was the same with the Master of Lema, and I even have some of these issues with Calesta. Mind you, I don't miss the villains, since it gives us more Damien/Gerald interaction...

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

That line is just perfect. Maybe the best one in the entire trilogy?

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Damien's (and presumably the Western Autarchy's) attitude towards acceptable fae use is an intriguing one: use it when it advances the goals of the Church and to serve God, but not more than absolutely necessary so the pattners don't become too ingrained. Which is illogical, though, isn't it? They want to either contact God and get what they want, or create God for that purpose. Both is done via the fae, so they need it to be as responsive as possible.

Nah, it makes sense because it's all about where the fae is directed. And every time they could use the fae for personal reasons and don't in the name of faith, it's another Sacrifice, which adds more power to the Church. Damien's prayers in his moments of weakness could be powerful things on Erna.