Coldfire re-read: Crown of Shadows - chapters 7 & 8

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

It's Monday already! And that means it's time for chapters 7 and 8: a little dream from Narilka, and a council of war for Damien and Gerald.


Plot Summary

Chapter 7
Narilka dreams - not of Andrys but of the Hunter and what happened after he spared her. It turns out that she had a brief encounter with Amoril, and wasn't all that excited about him either.

Chapter 8
Damien and Gerald sit down to discuss their situation. And there's a lot to discuss: the fact that the Patriarch knows everything they've been up to, that Calesta has been targeting the Church by legal means last seen in a Grisham novel, and the Hunter's upcoming damnation. On the slash front, progress is being made when Gerald accepts sleeping on Damien's couch - or his damp basement, which amounts to the same thing in his case.



Quotes

• He had promised her that. The Hunter would never, ever hurt her.



• What kind of mind did it take to create such a place, what magnitude of power did it demand to keep it going? She couldn't begin to understand it, but she had heard its music. Black music, whirlpooled in his eyes. She shivered, remembering it. She shivered for wanting it so badly, and for fearing that desire.



• He could feel the force of the earth-fae sucking at him as the Hunter's Knowing reached into his brain for surface details. Let him. It was easier to endure the invasion than try to capture the day's humiliation in words.



• He met that inhuman gaze head-on, drawing strength from its cold inner fire. This is my ally. My support. He wished the thought felt more uncomfortable than it did. Had he changed so much in the last two years?



• "How little work would it take to make me stay out past dawn, believing that the sun hadn't yet begun to rise? How little work to arrange an accident for you, how small an illusion to make you misjudge the edge of a pier or a cliff, or mistake the flow of traffic in the streets? No man can stay on his guard against such tricks forever, Reverend Vryce. No, if Calesta meant to kill us, then we would both have died long ago. As it is, I'm sure he's planned something far more ... unpleasant."



• "He means to destroy my greatest work. Morally, socially, financially ... if that lawsuit goes through, then he's already won the first battle. How many more campaigns has he set in motion, which will remain secret until their culmination? Nine hundred years, Vryce! You perceive that I abandoned it years ago, but I tell you the Church is still my passion. My child. Nine hundred years of carefully crafted development, and this demonic filth will send it all spiraling down into Hell in a single generation!"



• "I was so sure of myself, once. I lived in a world without doubt, without any need for introspection. My soul was as pure in its darkness as the night-fae itself, which is banished by the merest hint of sunlight. Then you came into my life. You! With your questions and your warped logic and your bonds of mutual dependency and purpose... and I changed. Slowly, but I did change. No human soul could fail to do so, under the circumstances - and the core of my soul is human, Vryce, despite what Karril would call its "hellish trappings." That was both the source of my strength and my greatest weakness. In the end, thanks to you, it will be my destruction." The sharp eyes narrowed. "But that was what you hoped for, wasn't it? After all this is over, I could do you no better service than to die and be damned."



• Tarrant reached for the nearest chair and dropped himself heavily into it. It was clear that he hadn't been braced for this kind of news. And how could he be? His own damnation had been assured by the Church's rejection of any such power. How could he accept that suddenly the rules might change, without questioning his own existence?



• The Hunter's gaze fixed on him: diamondine, piercing. "You mean, what if he became a sorcerer in truth? Then he must face the condemnation of the Church as few men have known it... perhaps even the condemnation of his own soul. Would you wish that kind of torment on any man?"
  Knowing the question for what it was, he met the Hunter's gaze head-on. "No," he said quietly. "I wouldn't wish that on any man."



• The Hunter's tone was venomous. "I won't compromise his free will, I'll promise you that much. As for the rest... find a safe way to enlighten him, or I'll do what I must. The odds against us increase dramatically if he remains ignorant, and I won't risk that just to coddle your overblown sense of morality."

Thoughts

• That Narilka understands how the Forest complements the Hunter is quite impressive given that she must have been out of her mind with fear and exhaustion at the time. Such a smart girl.



• It's an extreme situation for her, but her reaction to the Hunter is a lot more passionate than that towards Andrys. I'm with Gresham - that's not going to be a healthy relationship.



• I may be reading too much Pratchett, but the Street of Gods always reminds me of the Street of Small Gods in Ankh-Morpork. I wonder if they've got religions thinking that Erna is flat and travelling through space on the back of a giant turtle. And whether believing that sort of thing could actually turn Erna into such a place.



• One thing I love about CoS are the small gestures of familiarity and trust we get between Damien and Gerald. Letting the Hunter read his thoughts because it's easier would never have crossed Damien's mind until well into WTNF. And their talk in this chapter might just be what makes Gerald even consider letting Damien pick his resting place for the day while he's not unconscious and getting dragged there.



• Nine hundred years of carefully crafted development on Gerald's side where the Church is concerned. How do you think he did that after signing up with the forces of evil?



• With all the talk about Ciani in this chapter, I wish Friedman had brought her back in some way. She would have made for an interesting ally.



• Ah, Damien, it's really getting hard to want the Hunter to be damned, isn't it?



• What must it be like to end up with a Divining that shows your own death? Especially for someone like Gerald, who's made it his life's work to escape that fate?



• Under different circumstances, having the Patriarch - an adept - in power would have meant a late redemption of the Prophet, wouldn't it? At least if the Patriarch didn't step down. A purely theoretiycal point, of course, but it's still an interesting little puzzle.

On Thursday it's chapter 9 with some kissing (unfortunately not of the slashy variety) and a visit from the resident evil. Join us for the fun!

Comments

[silver-ariane.livejournal.com]

Got to say I like the updates on the slash front. I know I had more to say about this chapter and what we've learned from Damien and Gerald's conversation, but it's all left my mind right now. But it sure was slashy. <3

On Thursday it's chapter 9 with some kissing (unfortunately not of the slashy variety)
aaw, too bad. One always hopes that maybe this time they'll give in.

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

The slash front is so far from subtext and well into text in CoS, it's just unavoidable to mention it. I'm thinking of choosing the slashiest line of each chapter from now on. :-)

[silver-ariane.livejournal.com]

I think you should! You know we're all looking for it anyway.

For this one I'd say it's when Damien talks about how the Patriarch knew everything and refuses Gerald's offer to break up. :D

[silver-ariane.livejournal.com]

That is, aside from the declaration of hate love that I somehow forgot just now. Gerald is always wonderful when he's angry... even more when he's angry about everything Damien has done to him.

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

But then again, he lets Damien do it to him, and he's even stopped threatening. Much. *g*

[rekishi]

But for that talk of destruction that could almost be a declaration of love,m Gerald, I hope you realize that. *shakes head*

And Damien, holding his gaze like that?

Get a room already, boys.


re: the Church. Maybe Gerald is more sneaky than we're giving him credit for and has left a loophole for himself without anyone actually noticing because it seems totally canonical? I wouldn't put it past him in any case.

God, I wish I could give someone these books and actually make that person read them to interrogate them on Gerald and Damien afterward. Someone who is not involved in something like fandom at all and who would be totally unbiased *sigh* Damn but the only people I know who I could do that with don't read the genre.

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Get a room already, boys.

They've got a room - Gerald's invited himself into Damien's without asking. And Damien even got him a nice dark basement! Clearly, plans existed for that night. ;-)

I'm trying to convince a few non-fandomers to read, but they're resisting, unfortunately. It's most irritating.

[rekishi]

Figure of speech. *sigh* Those two ;_;

Yes, for me too. I have hopes for when I change towns...again?

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Figure of speech. *sigh* Those two ;_;

I know - just seems like someone else pointed it out to them already. ;-)

[rekishi]

Yes and now they share a roof. Oh man, how that sounds.

Sometimes I wish there was an official slashy sequel. Other times, I'm happy that we can just simply let our thoughts roam.

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Just wait, they'll get a pet next.

I wish Friedman had at least done a short story or a novella for an anthology somewhere. I'd love to have another little snippet. And anything involving Damien and Gerald would be bound to give us a bit more slashiness, even though she doesn't see it at all.

[silver-ariane.livejournal.com]

I know one of stormbringer986's non-fandom (male!) friends is reading them or planning on it. I'm curious what he'll say about Gerald and Damien since I doubt he'll see it like we do... and if he does, then we can be pretty sure it's not just subtext anymore.

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

If a non-fandom person sees the slash... now that would be fun! So far I've only thrown it at fannish people, who all couldn't believe how slashy it was.

[shadowystar.livejournal.com]

Get a room already, boys.
And they did. Sadly, not what we wanted them for... I, too, think that part is slashy. One of my favorites, in fact.
As for Andrys, whom i tried to mention as little as possible, I think his part in the whole story is to have some little romance with Narilka. He isn't really needed to conquer the Forest, he isn't really needed to get rid of the Hunter, he doesn't do nothing but whining and having a pity party on himself. Yes, alright, he'd got good reasons for that (and I can understand them) but ... though he's a nice study in PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), his coping strategies are highly dysfunctional... Or what do you call accepting deals with evil forces? I wonder if there are therapists on Erna? *attempts on humor* I expected more from him, something like really going on, being able to see past his traumatic experiences or something.
I think Gerald spared him for the sole reason of appearances and I really wouldn't put it past Tarrant to have other descendants somewhere else... (oh no, no more plot bunnies *gives up*) He's my least favorite chara which is why I enjoy fics that have him killed and wrote one myself...

I wish I could give someone these books
Oh yes. I tried, too. But the only ones who would read them are involved in the Stargate SG-1 fandom (which brings up the question of geeks again, now doesn't it? *hehe*) and I know what they would say already! ;-)

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Good point on Andrys being a bit... unnecessary for the plot. He's a convenient tie for a few plot lines, but it could all have been done without him. Except perhaps his necessity as a sperm donor, though as I said, I doubt Gerald really risked such an artificial bottleneck in his precious family experiment. At least one Tarrant somewhere down the line must have had an extramarital affair somewhere!

[fragorl.livejournal.com]

It amuses me that Friedman seems to have written a series that everyone seems to think is slashy except her... I mean I sort of get what you guys are all pointing out (I mean it IS kind of there) but personally wanting Tarrant to be straight! And with me (is that allowed ;) )

[ladyphoenix9]

I agree...Damien and Tarrant are like Kirk and Spock, you know? I can see it going either way and I can enjoy it either way, but the slash tends to win in fandom. ;)

I liken it to the author telling you how to interpret a poem they wrote "correctly," except they also wrote plenty of other stuff in the poem that can be interpreted differently, and maybe even more enjoyably, another way. If she'd tried to make them a couple? Well, we saw how well she handled Narilka and Andrys...

[fragorl.livejournal.com]

totally! it hadnt actually occured to me that if she had made them a couple fandom might have been like meh though lol... I know im messed up in that if an author actually declares two characters together I tend to lose all interest - for me its the whole forbidden/ wrong pairings that have all the excitement..but then I suppose where Tarrant is concerned a healthy relationship would be really REALLY difficult ;)

[ladyphoenix9]

Well, I'm just thinking if Friedman set out to make them cuddle up, she'd have toned down the snark too much for my liking. I think that's really what makes them "work" as a couple. I don't want either of them to change drastically just because they happen to be romantically entangled. :D

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

but then I suppose where Tarrant is concerned a healthy relationship would be really REALLY difficult ;)

When you think of his one documented attempt at a real relationship... and that was before he added 900 years of eccentric lifestyle on top of it. If anyone's bound to have some really weird quirks, it's him. (Good thing Damien is already used to him. ;-)

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

I hope you're a fast runner if you want a relationship with Tarrant. ;-)

Damien and Gerald are just the type of combination where, if one of them had been female, they'd have had sex halfway through WTNF at the very latest.

[fragorl.livejournal.com]

lol that is true...but then again if Damien had been female I have a feeling Tarrant would have killed him (her?) at some point in BSR so the opportunity might not have arisen... ;)

I guess Friedman sort of created a situation where the only real option for anything remotely romantic to happen had to involve the same gender cos of Tarrant's attitude to women - I mean if even Karil who is like a demon and seems to have known him for ages feels the need to be male when he talks to him someone new probably wouldnt fair all that well...

And me...running? *gulp* on second thought perhaps I will leave him to Damien and go take up with some drug addict descendent...On the offchance that there are some more lurking around there..

[carmentalis.livejournal.com]

Good point on Karril's choice of gender... and true, with Gerald's history with women, that's a lot of emotional/psychological baggage to work through on top of all his other issues. Better avoid it and have him snuggle up to someone like Damien. :-D