Author's Notes
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Chapters 8 - 14
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Chapter 8
This is the first time Birch exhibits super-human abilities (for lack of a better term). It's also a brief glimpse into Maran's own abilities, which are only hinted at here.
I think my favorite part of this chapter is Hoil's attempt to pick the lock, but it's followed closely by Hoil's interaction with Danner at the end. I know what happens and why it happens and what's going to happen next, but I still get a little choked up picturing Danner and Hoil together here. Obviously Hoil's refusal to call Danner by his own name was setting up this very scene, with what is a major emotional step for Hoil through such a simple thing.
It's a tiny moment, but consider the emotional connection inherent in "...as Hoil carried him back..." I just picture the emotionally distant Hoil cradling a limp Danner in his arms, face etched in pain from seeing his son suffer. Maybe that image should have specifically been written in, but I try to shy away from overkill. This is already Hoil at his most vulnerable.
The oath-swearing by means of the sword was one of those little moments that I think plays well. It's never explained, you just get it.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Note when Birch's night-vision manifests - right up until the moment he needs it, his eyesight is perfectly normal. It's only when he suddenly needs to see in the dark he discovers he can. This is a recurring thing with him, much like Danner's abilities manifest slowly and generally in times of peril or other dire need. The parallel development is obviously intentional.
Maran's use of the word "warrior" here doesn't mean much in this book, but it takes on new meaning as the series progresses. The concept of a "warrior" means something different in the elven culture than that of humans, and Maran is actually paying Birch a significant compliment here.
Since you've finished the book before reading this (right?!?), you know that the consequences of Danner's irresponsibility and thrill-seeking are ultimately nullified. At this point, he's seen the horrible outcome caused by his actions, and it's possible that had this stood he might have really learned a lesson from it. But the impact is erased later, leaving him vulnerable to the thrill of his adrenaline. This will not be the last time this happens.
I think my favorite part of this chapter is Hoil's attempt to pick the lock, but it's followed closely by Hoil's interaction with Danner at the end. I know what happens and why it happens and what's going to happen next, but I still get a little choked up picturing Danner and Hoil together here. Obviously Hoil's refusal to call Danner by his own name was setting up this very scene, with what is a major emotional step for Hoil through such a simple thing.
It's a tiny moment, but consider the emotional connection inherent in "...as Hoil carried him back..." I just picture the emotionally distant Hoil cradling a limp Danner in his arms, face etched in pain from seeing his son suffer. Maybe that image should have specifically been written in, but I try to shy away from overkill. This is already Hoil at his most vulnerable.
The oath-swearing by means of the sword was one of those little moments that I think plays well. It's never explained, you just get it.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Note when Birch's night-vision manifests - right up until the moment he needs it, his eyesight is perfectly normal. It's only when he suddenly needs to see in the dark he discovers he can. This is a recurring thing with him, much like Danner's abilities manifest slowly and generally in times of peril or other dire need. The parallel development is obviously intentional.
Maran's use of the word "warrior" here doesn't mean much in this book, but it takes on new meaning as the series progresses. The concept of a "warrior" means something different in the elven culture than that of humans, and Maran is actually paying Birch a significant compliment here.
Since you've finished the book before reading this (right?!?), you know that the consequences of Danner's irresponsibility and thrill-seeking are ultimately nullified. At this point, he's seen the horrible outcome caused by his actions, and it's possible that had this stood he might have really learned a lesson from it. But the impact is erased later, leaving him vulnerable to the thrill of his adrenaline. This will not be the last time this happens.
Chapter 9
I almost cut Danner's dream sequence many times, but I ultimately decided to leave most of it in as a way of pointing one more time to Danner's actual reasons for working at the Coalition. Faldergash's original comment about Danner's job is true: it's not about the money, it's about the danger. It's the risk, the thrill, the adrenaline, even in small doses.
Birch's shield is one of those things that I think works, but until I'm independently wealthy and commission my own blacksmith to make one for me, I can't tell firsthand. The paladin shields aren't really a big part of the world, it's just something different added for the fun of it. They get used, of course, but I could just as easily have left them out and worked around it. Plus, it was one more way of drawing Danner into his uncle's world and opening the dialogue between them, which had to happen.
Ah, Dividha. This is the only time in the series you see an entire hand played out, for the simple reason that this is not a book about playing cards. When I really want to see cards played out dramatically, I'll watch WSOP or Rounders. Dividha is a tricked out melding of Texas Hold 'Em and five card draw with the bizarre twist of betting to lose. Now I'm only a so-so poker player, so I try not to get too much into the psychology of the actual playing. Ultimately, the reason this game is written so fully here is to bring up the concept of "Hunting The Three" so the name of the book has some meaning.
Is Birch really joking with Danner? I'll answer with a definitive "yes/no".
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
If you pay any attention to the chapter quotes and the names associated with him, you might have noticed Gerard's name here. He pops up every now and then with commentary about combat and warfare. As a quick note about the formatting of his name, if a character is a paladin they're usually noted by their Facet in these chapter quotes. If it's a paladin we've met in the story, the Facet is left off. Once you've met Gerard Morningham in person, he's no longer "Red Paladin Gerard Morningham". This ended up being just one of those weird things I had to do for consistency's sake, based on the publishing dates of the various source materials for the quotes. Some of the quotes are from Danner's group, and I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say here that they become paladins. But what might be a spoiler is what Facet they're assigned to (though you can probably figure it out without too much difficulty if you pay attention), and any quotes taken from after they've become paladins would have had to include the Facet to stay consistent with the others. Instead, I went with the "once you've met them" approach, which allowed some things to stay hidden without really taking anything away from the quotes. It's actually the reason why you don't see a quote by Birch until he's been introduced in the main storyline. Hopefully you never even noticed the difference, but if you did, there's the madness to the method.
I'll be honest: one of the reasons the idea of the paladin shield stayed in was just so Birch could use it at the end to complete the Tricrus instead of just barely making it to his sword in time or something equally tried-and-true.
The concepts behind Dividha are actually fairly important in the series, which is why all the books are named after cards, rules, or tactics in the game. I'll get into the origin of the game in my notes for one of the future books, once describing it won't give away crucial story secrets. For now at least, the name of the game comes from the Sanskrit word dvividha meaning "two-fold".
Birch's shield is one of those things that I think works, but until I'm independently wealthy and commission my own blacksmith to make one for me, I can't tell firsthand. The paladin shields aren't really a big part of the world, it's just something different added for the fun of it. They get used, of course, but I could just as easily have left them out and worked around it. Plus, it was one more way of drawing Danner into his uncle's world and opening the dialogue between them, which had to happen.
Ah, Dividha. This is the only time in the series you see an entire hand played out, for the simple reason that this is not a book about playing cards. When I really want to see cards played out dramatically, I'll watch WSOP or Rounders. Dividha is a tricked out melding of Texas Hold 'Em and five card draw with the bizarre twist of betting to lose. Now I'm only a so-so poker player, so I try not to get too much into the psychology of the actual playing. Ultimately, the reason this game is written so fully here is to bring up the concept of "Hunting The Three" so the name of the book has some meaning.
Is Birch really joking with Danner? I'll answer with a definitive "yes/no".
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
If you pay any attention to the chapter quotes and the names associated with him, you might have noticed Gerard's name here. He pops up every now and then with commentary about combat and warfare. As a quick note about the formatting of his name, if a character is a paladin they're usually noted by their Facet in these chapter quotes. If it's a paladin we've met in the story, the Facet is left off. Once you've met Gerard Morningham in person, he's no longer "Red Paladin Gerard Morningham". This ended up being just one of those weird things I had to do for consistency's sake, based on the publishing dates of the various source materials for the quotes. Some of the quotes are from Danner's group, and I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say here that they become paladins. But what might be a spoiler is what Facet they're assigned to (though you can probably figure it out without too much difficulty if you pay attention), and any quotes taken from after they've become paladins would have had to include the Facet to stay consistent with the others. Instead, I went with the "once you've met them" approach, which allowed some things to stay hidden without really taking anything away from the quotes. It's actually the reason why you don't see a quote by Birch until he's been introduced in the main storyline. Hopefully you never even noticed the difference, but if you did, there's the madness to the method.
I'll be honest: one of the reasons the idea of the paladin shield stayed in was just so Birch could use it at the end to complete the Tricrus instead of just barely making it to his sword in time or something equally tried-and-true.
The concepts behind Dividha are actually fairly important in the series, which is why all the books are named after cards, rules, or tactics in the game. I'll get into the origin of the game in my notes for one of the future books, once describing it won't give away crucial story secrets. For now at least, the name of the game comes from the Sanskrit word dvividha meaning "two-fold".
Chapter 10
The fate of Birch's horse shouldn't be too big of a mystery if you've been paying attention, and it's explained outright in short order.
Birch's praying is both important and awkward for me to write. On the one hand, prayer is obviously central to who he is, and it would be strange if we never actually saw him pray. On the other hand (there are five fingers!...sorry.), how fun is it to listen in on someone praying all the time? You're probably not reading this book to listen to a sermon, and hopefully you're not trying to discern my personal religious views from the characters. This prayer session was rewritten and adjusted numerous times before I felt comfortable that it stayed true to who Birch is. Of course, one thing to remember here is that Birch is not intending to be overheard. If he was, for some reason, praying openly in front of Danner, you can bet it would sound much different. This is how Birch prays when he's alone, presenting himself openly and unguarded before the God to whom he has sworn his life.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Not a whole lot to spoil here. Some of Birch's feelings will recur, especially between him and Hoil, but not in this book (which you obviously know if you've finished reading it).
Birch's praying is both important and awkward for me to write. On the one hand, prayer is obviously central to who he is, and it would be strange if we never actually saw him pray. On the other hand (there are five fingers!...sorry.), how fun is it to listen in on someone praying all the time? You're probably not reading this book to listen to a sermon, and hopefully you're not trying to discern my personal religious views from the characters. This prayer session was rewritten and adjusted numerous times before I felt comfortable that it stayed true to who Birch is. Of course, one thing to remember here is that Birch is not intending to be overheard. If he was, for some reason, praying openly in front of Danner, you can bet it would sound much different. This is how Birch prays when he's alone, presenting himself openly and unguarded before the God to whom he has sworn his life.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Not a whole lot to spoil here. Some of Birch's feelings will recur, especially between him and Hoil, but not in this book (which you obviously know if you've finished reading it).
Chapter 11
....aaaaaand BAM, brief action scene. Now we know not only is Danner kind of an idiot for pulling the arrow out of himself, but Selti is Birch's horse. See, missing horse explained.
This is the first time you see a paladin healing an injury, but it'll become common practice soon enough. It's just a part of the world, sort of like man-sized flying fish and twenty-five-hour days.
It's always interesting introducing new characters, and here we have three of them thrown at you in rapid succession. Brit is a supporting role at best, and if you're not annoyed at his speech patterns yet, you obviously have a higher tolerance for it than I do. I don't like reading it, and I don't like writing it. Unfortunately, that's who he is, and I have this thing about fundamentally altering the traits of characters. People often evolve as I write them, and it's fairly common for me to go back and edit early appearances of a character to fit the person they later became, or at least make the transition make sense, but Brit somehow ended up with this awful speech pattern.
Alicia survived almost completely intact from her initial concept, as did Moreen. I'll say up front that I'm never entirely comfortable writing things from a female point of view, at least not with any degree of certainty. There's a good 50% or so of the population that has a much better idea of what it's like to be a woman than I do, which is about as bad as the odds get for this sort of thing. I mean, what are the odds someone reading this book grew up as a thief on the streets and thinks Danner's experiences and thoughts are pure hogwash? If I get the women mostly "right" and it feels genuine and true to you, I'll take it as a win. (Unless you're a sexist jerk, in which case I'm in trouble.)
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Danner falls down a lot. Did you notice that? It seems like every few chapters, he's fainting for one reason or another and it really didn't strike me as odd until pretty late in the game for some reason. Each individual instance makes sense given what he's just gone through and the effect it probably had on his dual nature, but still. The guy needs to man up a little bit. Fortunately, he's pretty much done with that by the end of this book.
Problems with healing are a recurring theme in this series, as you begin to see in this chapter. I deliberately don't go into it much in the text, at least not in the current drafts, so feel free to work on it in the spare moments of your day. There is a reason for it beyond pointing out how different Birch is or other traits about other characters, but I'll admit it makes a handy tool to demonstrate certain things about certain people. And ultimately, the reason you'll probably think his healing doesn't work isn't the reason, at least not for the reason you'll probably think it is.
Danner's quick healing is, of course, a manifestation of his dual heritage. It's mentioned early here so it doesn't feel entirely out of left field later on when you discover the reason behind it. His eventual issues with healing stem from the same underlying reason as Birch, just in a different way.
Just to clarify, yes, dragoenixes are real creatures, they just went extinct a few thousand years ago. They're the source of the phoenix myth, which in one of those weird twists of history, ended up being mistaken as the source of the supposed "mythological" dragoenixes. ...That didn't clarify much, did it?
This is the first time you see a paladin healing an injury, but it'll become common practice soon enough. It's just a part of the world, sort of like man-sized flying fish and twenty-five-hour days.
It's always interesting introducing new characters, and here we have three of them thrown at you in rapid succession. Brit is a supporting role at best, and if you're not annoyed at his speech patterns yet, you obviously have a higher tolerance for it than I do. I don't like reading it, and I don't like writing it. Unfortunately, that's who he is, and I have this thing about fundamentally altering the traits of characters. People often evolve as I write them, and it's fairly common for me to go back and edit early appearances of a character to fit the person they later became, or at least make the transition make sense, but Brit somehow ended up with this awful speech pattern.
Alicia survived almost completely intact from her initial concept, as did Moreen. I'll say up front that I'm never entirely comfortable writing things from a female point of view, at least not with any degree of certainty. There's a good 50% or so of the population that has a much better idea of what it's like to be a woman than I do, which is about as bad as the odds get for this sort of thing. I mean, what are the odds someone reading this book grew up as a thief on the streets and thinks Danner's experiences and thoughts are pure hogwash? If I get the women mostly "right" and it feels genuine and true to you, I'll take it as a win. (Unless you're a sexist jerk, in which case I'm in trouble.)
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Danner falls down a lot. Did you notice that? It seems like every few chapters, he's fainting for one reason or another and it really didn't strike me as odd until pretty late in the game for some reason. Each individual instance makes sense given what he's just gone through and the effect it probably had on his dual nature, but still. The guy needs to man up a little bit. Fortunately, he's pretty much done with that by the end of this book.
Problems with healing are a recurring theme in this series, as you begin to see in this chapter. I deliberately don't go into it much in the text, at least not in the current drafts, so feel free to work on it in the spare moments of your day. There is a reason for it beyond pointing out how different Birch is or other traits about other characters, but I'll admit it makes a handy tool to demonstrate certain things about certain people. And ultimately, the reason you'll probably think his healing doesn't work isn't the reason, at least not for the reason you'll probably think it is.
Danner's quick healing is, of course, a manifestation of his dual heritage. It's mentioned early here so it doesn't feel entirely out of left field later on when you discover the reason behind it. His eventual issues with healing stem from the same underlying reason as Birch, just in a different way.
Just to clarify, yes, dragoenixes are real creatures, they just went extinct a few thousand years ago. They're the source of the phoenix myth, which in one of those weird twists of history, ended up being mistaken as the source of the supposed "mythological" dragoenixes. ...That didn't clarify much, did it?
Chapter 12
Alicia was probably one of the hardest characters for me to write (see "writing women" in the last chapter notes), because I was trying to stay true to certain in-world cultural perceptions about women whilst establishing her character under the lens of our modern world. She's particularly hard against men because she's an independent woman ahead of her time in this world, and the men in her experience cannot accept that.
This is the most vulnerable you ever see Birch in front of another person, so enjoy it while it lasts. I really hope he doesn't come across as too much of a blubbering crybaby, and more than once I went back to edit out some of the emotional outpouring. Ultimately, two thoughts stopped me. First, he hasn't seen this woman in eleven years, so there's some pent up emotion there. I think we can understand if their first meeting is a little overwhelming for the stoic and severe paladin. Second, more importantly, go watch a soldier get reunited with his family after an extended stay in Afghanistan or Iraq - I guarantee there are videos aplenty online if you don't have a chance to see it in person. It's emotional as Hell just to watch, and I'd be willing to bet that quite a few of the men and women in uniform I've seen in tears are normally pretty hard core, "tough" soldiers. It's never once occurred to me to think less of them because of their tears or think it might be "out of character" for them in that situation. If they can cry, so can Birch.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
There are only a couple mentions of the brother-sister relationship, largely because I didn't want you to think too much about it. It's brought up here briefly while Alicia is still being introduced and then ignored for the rest of the time in Demar. On a second read, it's an "aha" moment, but at this point you just absorb it and move on.
This is the most vulnerable you ever see Birch in front of another person, so enjoy it while it lasts. I really hope he doesn't come across as too much of a blubbering crybaby, and more than once I went back to edit out some of the emotional outpouring. Ultimately, two thoughts stopped me. First, he hasn't seen this woman in eleven years, so there's some pent up emotion there. I think we can understand if their first meeting is a little overwhelming for the stoic and severe paladin. Second, more importantly, go watch a soldier get reunited with his family after an extended stay in Afghanistan or Iraq - I guarantee there are videos aplenty online if you don't have a chance to see it in person. It's emotional as Hell just to watch, and I'd be willing to bet that quite a few of the men and women in uniform I've seen in tears are normally pretty hard core, "tough" soldiers. It's never once occurred to me to think less of them because of their tears or think it might be "out of character" for them in that situation. If they can cry, so can Birch.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
There are only a couple mentions of the brother-sister relationship, largely because I didn't want you to think too much about it. It's brought up here briefly while Alicia is still being introduced and then ignored for the rest of the time in Demar. On a second read, it's an "aha" moment, but at this point you just absorb it and move on.
Chapter 13
Ah, cahve. This is one of those little things I go back and forth on with books, depending on how it's done. Yes, it's conceptually the same thing as coffee (a dark, liquid stimulant usually consumed with meals), so why didn't I just call it coffee? Obviously I did it just so I could fit in a joke at the gnomes' expense, if you read the footnotes.
The interplay between Alicia and Deeta is one of those things that makes Alicia hard for me to write, largely because you see it play out from both within her point-of-view and from outside, such as when a chapter/section is written from Danner's perspective. Any time the POV changes, so do the assumptions and internal understanding about what has happened, which has the potential to confuse the reader. Add in a bit of good old-fashioned jealousy and unspoken insecurity, and Alicia's perspective twists about more than most other characters.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Danner is still coming to grips with what happened to Faldergash at this point, which is what leaves him a little more emotionally vulnerable than he otherwise would be, as well as making it more noticeable externally for Alicia to see. It's entirely possible that had Danner and Alicia first met when everything was just fine in his life, Alicia wouldn't have seen anything different in him than in any other men she'd met, and she'd have done her best to ignore him.
The interplay between Alicia and Deeta is one of those things that makes Alicia hard for me to write, largely because you see it play out from both within her point-of-view and from outside, such as when a chapter/section is written from Danner's perspective. Any time the POV changes, so do the assumptions and internal understanding about what has happened, which has the potential to confuse the reader. Add in a bit of good old-fashioned jealousy and unspoken insecurity, and Alicia's perspective twists about more than most other characters.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Danner is still coming to grips with what happened to Faldergash at this point, which is what leaves him a little more emotionally vulnerable than he otherwise would be, as well as making it more noticeable externally for Alicia to see. It's entirely possible that had Danner and Alicia first met when everything was just fine in his life, Alicia wouldn't have seen anything different in him than in any other men she'd met, and she'd have done her best to ignore him.
Chapter 14
This is probably one of the least important chapters in the book, but it does work a little extra into the characters (I hope) and sets up what's to follow, so it kind of had to be here. There's not a whole lot to say about it, except to highlight Moreen and Birch's dancing together. It's a detail worth remembering much later as you learn more about their relationship and its origins.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
It just occurred to me as I was going through this that there is absolutely no opportunity for dancing in the rest of the series. Since Alicia likes it so much, I'll have to find a way to work it into the next trilogy so she doesn't miss out entirely. Spoiler alert, Alicia doesn't die.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
It just occurred to me as I was going through this that there is absolutely no opportunity for dancing in the rest of the series. Since Alicia likes it so much, I'll have to find a way to work it into the next trilogy so she doesn't miss out entirely. Spoiler alert, Alicia doesn't die.
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Chapters 8 - 14
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