Author's Notes
Interlude - Chapter 8
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Opening Thoughts: I'm immensely grateful this book exists as a published work. When I set out to finally publish this trilogy that's been over 10 years in the making, my goal was to sell enough copies of Book 1 to pay for my costs and allow me to publish Book 2. I cannot begin to express my amazement and thanks at the reaction Book 1 received, which was beyond anything I had the right to expect. Thanks to you, this book is possible.
Interlude
The first section was fun for me, because it's simultaneously playful for a reader (i.e. - gravity and the northern lights), thoughtful for those who care about those things (i.e. - nature of evil, life, the immortal soul), and philosophical for the real world and for Lokka at the same time (i.e. - the tempting of good men and corrupting of things we normally think of as "blessings" in life). While the work might not truly be "heretical" in Lokka, it's certainly a troubling question and perspective from a holy warrior and scholar. But it does set up an important question for this trilogy, namely the fate of the countless White paladins who crossed before Birch's miraculous return.
This book picks up right where Hunting The Three left off, and fills you in on the fate of the paladins who crossed (off screen) at the end of Book 1. The middle section here is deliberately short and serves mainly as a reminder of what was going on in Lokka and in Nocka particularly at the point where we left off.
The last section introduces a new character, and you can bet you'll be seeing more of him later. I probably spend more time (as the outside observer) describing Malith than anyone else except perhaps Birch. His perspective offers a bit more of a summary of what's gone before in Book 1, but from the villain's point of view. The battle here goes to the simple point that crossing into Hell is a really stupid idea for anyone who has a choice about it. There is no force in the mortal world that could hope to cross into Hell and expect anything other than absolute slaughter - it's a question of sheer numbers more than anything else. Even if the demons weren't waiting in a trap, the paladins' mission was doomed from the outset. Infiltration, extraction, reconnaissance - these are all feasible goals for someone entering the immortal plane. But invasion and conquest? There simply aren't enough living creatures in the entirety of Lokka to put a dent in the number of infernal denizens of Hell (combining the damned souls and demons).
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Michael's quote at the beginning of this chapter actually sets up the final chapter of this book, where they realize they really didn't know what was going on.
The theme of "Why" the White paladins cross is revisited in Birch's memoirs and conversations with the Voice (I forget offhand if that particular conversation happens in this book, though).
My hope is that you mostly forget about Malith, or at least his name, until the time comes for it to matter. Gerard remembers his name later, and it's just fine if you remember this character from the prologue/interlude, but even there it's only mentioned in passing, and you're not really meant to pick up on it then. It's not exactly hidden - I could have easily obfuscated Hell's general's identity or just not named him in Gerard's thoughts - but ideally, you gave his name a glancing thought in Gerard's brief mention and only really made the strong connection later on. I'm sure somebody has done every variation on this while reading, so I'm just going to assume it all went according to plan for at least one person, and that's enough for me.
Some things to note about Malith and the way he acts and is presented. As a long-term character arc, he and Birch will frequently mirror each other in many ways, and you'll see it more and more as the series progresses. It starts simply: the first time you see both men in this book, they're standing alone atop a great height looking down. If this were a movie, you can bet their respective scenes would be staged nearly identically. There is also a parallel focus on their eyes, even down to simple phrasing in places. As a final thought on Malith here, if you consider the lessons Garnet learned from Garet (both of whom are Red paladins), Malith is immediately shown to be a lesser commander than both men. He doesn't even think about NOT joining the battle, instead he almost immediately goes and involves himself, much like he does later in the book. He can't lead effectively from within the battle, and while 2/3 of the times you see him do it, there are no ill effects to him, his poor leadership was bound to catch up with him sooner or later.
This book picks up right where Hunting The Three left off, and fills you in on the fate of the paladins who crossed (off screen) at the end of Book 1. The middle section here is deliberately short and serves mainly as a reminder of what was going on in Lokka and in Nocka particularly at the point where we left off.
The last section introduces a new character, and you can bet you'll be seeing more of him later. I probably spend more time (as the outside observer) describing Malith than anyone else except perhaps Birch. His perspective offers a bit more of a summary of what's gone before in Book 1, but from the villain's point of view. The battle here goes to the simple point that crossing into Hell is a really stupid idea for anyone who has a choice about it. There is no force in the mortal world that could hope to cross into Hell and expect anything other than absolute slaughter - it's a question of sheer numbers more than anything else. Even if the demons weren't waiting in a trap, the paladins' mission was doomed from the outset. Infiltration, extraction, reconnaissance - these are all feasible goals for someone entering the immortal plane. But invasion and conquest? There simply aren't enough living creatures in the entirety of Lokka to put a dent in the number of infernal denizens of Hell (combining the damned souls and demons).
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Michael's quote at the beginning of this chapter actually sets up the final chapter of this book, where they realize they really didn't know what was going on.
The theme of "Why" the White paladins cross is revisited in Birch's memoirs and conversations with the Voice (I forget offhand if that particular conversation happens in this book, though).
My hope is that you mostly forget about Malith, or at least his name, until the time comes for it to matter. Gerard remembers his name later, and it's just fine if you remember this character from the prologue/interlude, but even there it's only mentioned in passing, and you're not really meant to pick up on it then. It's not exactly hidden - I could have easily obfuscated Hell's general's identity or just not named him in Gerard's thoughts - but ideally, you gave his name a glancing thought in Gerard's brief mention and only really made the strong connection later on. I'm sure somebody has done every variation on this while reading, so I'm just going to assume it all went according to plan for at least one person, and that's enough for me.
Some things to note about Malith and the way he acts and is presented. As a long-term character arc, he and Birch will frequently mirror each other in many ways, and you'll see it more and more as the series progresses. It starts simply: the first time you see both men in this book, they're standing alone atop a great height looking down. If this were a movie, you can bet their respective scenes would be staged nearly identically. There is also a parallel focus on their eyes, even down to simple phrasing in places. As a final thought on Malith here, if you consider the lessons Garnet learned from Garet (both of whom are Red paladins), Malith is immediately shown to be a lesser commander than both men. He doesn't even think about NOT joining the battle, instead he almost immediately goes and involves himself, much like he does later in the book. He can't lead effectively from within the battle, and while 2/3 of the times you see him do it, there are no ill effects to him, his poor leadership was bound to catch up with him sooner or later.
Chapter 1
What have our young heroes been up to since the last book? Why, busting their butts to learn faster by day and capturing corrupted paladins by night. Sometimes it feels a bit odd when the main group of heroes, especially when they're young or new to the organization in question, gets tasked with things that should probably be handled by more "veteran" members. I hope that's not your sense here. Morningham is using them because he's keeping knowledge about the corruption to as limited a basis as possible, and since Danner's group is intimately involved in that knowledge and has the skills to help, he uses them. It's actually a fairly practical decision on his part (which is one of his driving forces), since he's got two men trained as thieves, two men extremely skilled in combat, and (unbeknownst to him but beknownst to us) someone who can read thoughts - it's not a bad little group for this sort of thing. Poor Marc is the outsider, but he's probably too busy reading a book to notice.
Originally Danner's spotting of the Yellow paladin was based on some sort of sense of the taint left by the demon, but as my thinking evolved on their corruption and the logistics of Danner's ability to sense them, it turned out to be a horrible idea to try and work in and was replaced by something more mundane. Obviously a lot of Danner's inner monologue here is recapping the previous book, just to bring you back up to speed on some of the highlights in case it's been a while since you read Book 1. I try not to overdo it, lest the beginning of the story bog down, and there's a bit of new information mixed in to spice things up a bit.
Marc's research and discovery of the terms "asolving" and "dekinting" were late additions to the book. Originally I (reluctantly) went with "turning on/off" Danner's wings, which is where Flasch's comment and Danner's "switch" response came from. There are still a few "on/off" references scattered about, just because they work where they are, but for the most part I tried to get you, me, and Danner comfortable with these new words. The root of "asolve" is the Latin word solvere, which means to loosen or release. In this case, he's loosening the restraint that keep his immortality from expressing itself. The conceptual root of "dekint" is continere, meaning to contain. (For linguists longing to point out that the de- prefix, and perhaps the a- prefix on asolve, typically would indicate a negative and reverse the meaning of these term, I should point out that the immortal language is not actually Latin or English, I just borrow inspiration from real-world languages, and in this case, no such contradiction exists. Just work with me here.)
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
I wasn't quite sure how far to go in showing character traits and personality quirks that indicate a particular person joining a particular Facet in the Prism. I mentioned in the commentary for Book 1 that you can probably guess which Facet everyone's going to without too much difficulty, and most of them weren't really supposed to be a mystery. Still, I didn't want to beat you over the head with it. Marc's occasional scenes of reading are scattered about here and there, going all the way back to Alicia's first thoughts in Book 1 about her (then-unnamed) brother "reading about how to get into trouble". I tried to mention him reading fairly frequently, though, so that it makes sense when he comes up with some tidbit of knowledge - the more he reads, the more likely it is he'd know something useful when I need him to without it just feeling awfully convenient he happened to read just the right book.
From the beginning of this book, Marc is the most closely tied to the dybbuk subplot. He's the one who wonders "who's in charge now that demon's gone". He has the conversation later with Vander about the creature. He's the one who chases it down and confronts it finally. It makes sense for him on several levels, what with him as the scholar, as well as his connection to Vander, which will not end with this book (or even this trilogy).
Originally Danner's spotting of the Yellow paladin was based on some sort of sense of the taint left by the demon, but as my thinking evolved on their corruption and the logistics of Danner's ability to sense them, it turned out to be a horrible idea to try and work in and was replaced by something more mundane. Obviously a lot of Danner's inner monologue here is recapping the previous book, just to bring you back up to speed on some of the highlights in case it's been a while since you read Book 1. I try not to overdo it, lest the beginning of the story bog down, and there's a bit of new information mixed in to spice things up a bit.
Marc's research and discovery of the terms "asolving" and "dekinting" were late additions to the book. Originally I (reluctantly) went with "turning on/off" Danner's wings, which is where Flasch's comment and Danner's "switch" response came from. There are still a few "on/off" references scattered about, just because they work where they are, but for the most part I tried to get you, me, and Danner comfortable with these new words. The root of "asolve" is the Latin word solvere, which means to loosen or release. In this case, he's loosening the restraint that keep his immortality from expressing itself. The conceptual root of "dekint" is continere, meaning to contain. (For linguists longing to point out that the de- prefix, and perhaps the a- prefix on asolve, typically would indicate a negative and reverse the meaning of these term, I should point out that the immortal language is not actually Latin or English, I just borrow inspiration from real-world languages, and in this case, no such contradiction exists. Just work with me here.)
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
I wasn't quite sure how far to go in showing character traits and personality quirks that indicate a particular person joining a particular Facet in the Prism. I mentioned in the commentary for Book 1 that you can probably guess which Facet everyone's going to without too much difficulty, and most of them weren't really supposed to be a mystery. Still, I didn't want to beat you over the head with it. Marc's occasional scenes of reading are scattered about here and there, going all the way back to Alicia's first thoughts in Book 1 about her (then-unnamed) brother "reading about how to get into trouble". I tried to mention him reading fairly frequently, though, so that it makes sense when he comes up with some tidbit of knowledge - the more he reads, the more likely it is he'd know something useful when I need him to without it just feeling awfully convenient he happened to read just the right book.
From the beginning of this book, Marc is the most closely tied to the dybbuk subplot. He's the one who wonders "who's in charge now that demon's gone". He has the conversation later with Vander about the creature. He's the one who chases it down and confronts it finally. It makes sense for him on several levels, what with him as the scholar, as well as his connection to Vander, which will not end with this book (or even this trilogy).
Chapter 2
This chapter quote is actually really important, not as part of the plot, but as understanding the philosophy of the Prism. This concept of the "middle path between many extremes" was taken from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, one of the major philosophical inspirations for this series. The idea of practicing the virtues to really understand them is not (just) a cop out to avoid having to fully explain them - I firmly believe that the only way to truly understand something like these concepts would be to practice them and live them in your own life. There are aspects you'd never think of that would suddenly reach up and slap you in the face in your daily life, and some things that sound easy in the peaceful confines of your own deep-thinking mind that just don't work when practical application comes along. They're not meant to be easy to understand or live by.
Enough of that now.
This chapter was expanded quite a bit thanks to input from some people (one in particular) who read Book 1 and gave me some great feedback on wanting to know more not only about the Prism and the virtues, but about the training process Danner and the others were undergoing. The classes were described more generally, but originally you didn't see inside much of their instruction beyond the combat training. The one inside moment that was there from the outset is the dwarven prisoner camps, which is (sadly) lifted almost directly from our own American history. (If you're curious, look into the Japanese-American relocation camps during World War II.) This was just my little spin on that dark chapter of our history, thanks to it coming up during one of my own Ethics courses in college, and so it seemed like a perfect fit for a paladin course in the virtue of Justice. It also set up Danner's line about saving the country at the expense of liberty, which ended up coming back in Book 3.
I really like Morningham's confrontation with Garnet, because it is SO him. There is no better way for him to prove his point than through violent confrontation, but at the same time, he uses the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of Garnet's skill and potential. He goes on the offense with multiple attack styles, judging Garnet's ability to defend. He then lets Garnet go on the offensive to see the other side of his skills, and you know that at any moment Gerard could have Garnet disarmed and on the ground. This goes to show you just how good Gerard is, whilst also setting up Garnet's own potential. It also puts some of the first cracks in the concept the trainees have of Gerard as a harsh, merciless taskmaster. Sure, they've worked under him separately with their nocturnal activities and there was a brief glimpse for them at the tail end of Book 1, but at this point they haven't really seen him care about any of them or take a personal interest. I had a late realization on this scene as well - Gerard is setting up a full-force stress test on Garnet, who initially can only see a man doing his best to kill him. There's a big difference between fighting someone who you KNOW is only trying to disarm you and perhaps add a few bruises, and someone who you KNOW is trying to injure, maim, and/or kill you. This is why the armed forces run force-on-force combat drills with paint guns (that still hurt) in as realistic an environment as they can reproduce. Garnet's calm reaction shows a lot about him, and Gerard notices. You'll see more of this concept later.
The classroom scene with Vinder I owe entirely to one friend who specifically mentioned a "warrior monk" type to help me flesh out the short-changed Violet Facet. (He also mentioned "someone who isn't preachy" but 1 out of 2 ain't bad.) This will not be Vinder's only appearance, and his entire character and presence in this book is due to that one bit of feedback, and I think he adds something each time he appears. His dialogue here not only elucidates what is probably the hardest of the virtues to cover and demonstrate in the text, but it raises a question that is only rarely directed toward the person it most needs to be: If you're called by God, is there any length to which you should not go to obey His commands? Someone should really put this question to Birch, who arguably takes his devotion to an unhealthy extreme. Or perhaps he takes it exactly as far as it should go, which is doing anything and everything required of him by his God, regardless of the cost to himself. I suppose it depends on how you look at it.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Garnet was always going to be a bad-ass with a sword, but he couldn't start out that way, because what fun is that? So he needed training, but he's in a group of people who're all significantly lower levels of skill than he is, and they're on a very condensed training schedule that leaves little time for him to really grow. It just seemed to make perfect sense to have Gerard take a direct hand in his training, and since I'd already established in Book 1 that Gerard is an extremely good swordsman (it's not specified then just how good he is, though), they made a natural pairing. One thing led to another, and when I think back on it, the decision to have Gerard take Garnet under his wing for personal training was the first step in my mind that ultimately led to Gerard's death. He was already taking a more direct role in their training, what with the nighttime excursions, but it was him training Garnet that gave me the idea to have him continue as their commanding officer with what would become Shadow Company. From there, I always knew Garnet would need to evolve, succeed, and surpass his instructor, and there was never a chance in Hell that Gerard was going to be peacefully moved to the side to give Garnet command. A character like him absolutely demands the type of ending he received, no matter how painful it was to write him out.
Vinder's section in this chapter gave me a much-needed chance to point toward Flasch's eventual Facet. He was always the most lacking in a clear indication of where he was going (I always knew, but it was hard to show), and some of that is because he's still relatively immature, and to my mind, Piety is a virtue for older, more mature people. But it's still the truest reflection of who Flasch will one day be, and that's what the selection of a Facet is all about - reading your innermost soul to determine which fits most appropriately. (There is no talking hat you can chat with and try to change its mind on where you end up.) Vinder's dialogue regarding piety points to this issue ("...you're not expected to have a complete answer, not at your age..."), and my hope is that in the next trilogy, you will begin to see Flasch come into his own more fully.
Enough of that now.
This chapter was expanded quite a bit thanks to input from some people (one in particular) who read Book 1 and gave me some great feedback on wanting to know more not only about the Prism and the virtues, but about the training process Danner and the others were undergoing. The classes were described more generally, but originally you didn't see inside much of their instruction beyond the combat training. The one inside moment that was there from the outset is the dwarven prisoner camps, which is (sadly) lifted almost directly from our own American history. (If you're curious, look into the Japanese-American relocation camps during World War II.) This was just my little spin on that dark chapter of our history, thanks to it coming up during one of my own Ethics courses in college, and so it seemed like a perfect fit for a paladin course in the virtue of Justice. It also set up Danner's line about saving the country at the expense of liberty, which ended up coming back in Book 3.
I really like Morningham's confrontation with Garnet, because it is SO him. There is no better way for him to prove his point than through violent confrontation, but at the same time, he uses the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of Garnet's skill and potential. He goes on the offense with multiple attack styles, judging Garnet's ability to defend. He then lets Garnet go on the offensive to see the other side of his skills, and you know that at any moment Gerard could have Garnet disarmed and on the ground. This goes to show you just how good Gerard is, whilst also setting up Garnet's own potential. It also puts some of the first cracks in the concept the trainees have of Gerard as a harsh, merciless taskmaster. Sure, they've worked under him separately with their nocturnal activities and there was a brief glimpse for them at the tail end of Book 1, but at this point they haven't really seen him care about any of them or take a personal interest. I had a late realization on this scene as well - Gerard is setting up a full-force stress test on Garnet, who initially can only see a man doing his best to kill him. There's a big difference between fighting someone who you KNOW is only trying to disarm you and perhaps add a few bruises, and someone who you KNOW is trying to injure, maim, and/or kill you. This is why the armed forces run force-on-force combat drills with paint guns (that still hurt) in as realistic an environment as they can reproduce. Garnet's calm reaction shows a lot about him, and Gerard notices. You'll see more of this concept later.
The classroom scene with Vinder I owe entirely to one friend who specifically mentioned a "warrior monk" type to help me flesh out the short-changed Violet Facet. (He also mentioned "someone who isn't preachy" but 1 out of 2 ain't bad.) This will not be Vinder's only appearance, and his entire character and presence in this book is due to that one bit of feedback, and I think he adds something each time he appears. His dialogue here not only elucidates what is probably the hardest of the virtues to cover and demonstrate in the text, but it raises a question that is only rarely directed toward the person it most needs to be: If you're called by God, is there any length to which you should not go to obey His commands? Someone should really put this question to Birch, who arguably takes his devotion to an unhealthy extreme. Or perhaps he takes it exactly as far as it should go, which is doing anything and everything required of him by his God, regardless of the cost to himself. I suppose it depends on how you look at it.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
Garnet was always going to be a bad-ass with a sword, but he couldn't start out that way, because what fun is that? So he needed training, but he's in a group of people who're all significantly lower levels of skill than he is, and they're on a very condensed training schedule that leaves little time for him to really grow. It just seemed to make perfect sense to have Gerard take a direct hand in his training, and since I'd already established in Book 1 that Gerard is an extremely good swordsman (it's not specified then just how good he is, though), they made a natural pairing. One thing led to another, and when I think back on it, the decision to have Gerard take Garnet under his wing for personal training was the first step in my mind that ultimately led to Gerard's death. He was already taking a more direct role in their training, what with the nighttime excursions, but it was him training Garnet that gave me the idea to have him continue as their commanding officer with what would become Shadow Company. From there, I always knew Garnet would need to evolve, succeed, and surpass his instructor, and there was never a chance in Hell that Gerard was going to be peacefully moved to the side to give Garnet command. A character like him absolutely demands the type of ending he received, no matter how painful it was to write him out.
Vinder's section in this chapter gave me a much-needed chance to point toward Flasch's eventual Facet. He was always the most lacking in a clear indication of where he was going (I always knew, but it was hard to show), and some of that is because he's still relatively immature, and to my mind, Piety is a virtue for older, more mature people. But it's still the truest reflection of who Flasch will one day be, and that's what the selection of a Facet is all about - reading your innermost soul to determine which fits most appropriately. (There is no talking hat you can chat with and try to change its mind on where you end up.) Vinder's dialogue regarding piety points to this issue ("...you're not expected to have a complete answer, not at your age..."), and my hope is that in the next trilogy, you will begin to see Flasch come into his own more fully.
Chapter 3
More recapping here, now from Birch's perspective. Sorry about all this, but it had to happen. I tried to make it as brief as possible and include enough extra thoughts to keep it original. The only thing I feel I need to point out here (if you didn't already notice it) is the parallel introduction between Birch and Malith. ("His eyes.") This sort of thing won't mean much to you now, but trust me, they're deliberate and purposeful.
Moving on.
This is the first time Vander's "secret" is specifically mentioned in the text, though I mentioned it in the commentary for Book 1.
A friend who did an early read-through on this book pointed out that "a good leader not only accomplishes the mission but improves the unit and men under his command." (He's Army.) This wasn't anything I consciously set out to do with James, it just naturally evolved out of his character. He was always the intended leader of the jintaal in my mind, stemming from his role as the resident Yellow paladin, but I think he turned out to be better at his job than I'd ever deliberately intended.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
I still need to add a hint toward the explanation into the next book, but since it's not a very important plot point, I'll go ahead and put it here. Vander's grandmother was a denarae (he doesn't find this out until he dies and goes to Heaven, though), and his ability to partially read people in this way is a latent form of kything. It's extremely limited and not something he can control in any way, but James at least discovered a way to use it to his advantage even though he doesn't understand its source. It's one of those little things that I'm not sure works as well as I intended, and I'm almost ashamed to admit that's part of the reason Vander dies later on.
Moving on.
This is the first time Vander's "secret" is specifically mentioned in the text, though I mentioned it in the commentary for Book 1.
A friend who did an early read-through on this book pointed out that "a good leader not only accomplishes the mission but improves the unit and men under his command." (He's Army.) This wasn't anything I consciously set out to do with James, it just naturally evolved out of his character. He was always the intended leader of the jintaal in my mind, stemming from his role as the resident Yellow paladin, but I think he turned out to be better at his job than I'd ever deliberately intended.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
I still need to add a hint toward the explanation into the next book, but since it's not a very important plot point, I'll go ahead and put it here. Vander's grandmother was a denarae (he doesn't find this out until he dies and goes to Heaven, though), and his ability to partially read people in this way is a latent form of kything. It's extremely limited and not something he can control in any way, but James at least discovered a way to use it to his advantage even though he doesn't understand its source. It's one of those little things that I'm not sure works as well as I intended, and I'm almost ashamed to admit that's part of the reason Vander dies later on.
Chapter 4
The dwarven taboo about death was pretty much my way of getting Den-Furral vacated. I have plans for its use in the next trilogy (how many mountain fortresses do you think are just laying around, really?), and this made for a nice way to accomplish it. In small doses, the taboo wouldn't be a big deal and is just the sort of thing that might carry over from an ancient culture even in our own world. But yeah, having an entire city's worth of people slain pretty much overrides the norms for a tradition like that, and abandoning the entire fortress would be the only way to stay true to it. Besides, I think the dwarves are getting a bit flabby and need the exercise of designing and carving out an entirely new underground city to occupy them. (Now I just need to decide where they'll end up.)
Okay, I'll admit, having Hoil and Birch run into each other on high seas goes a bit beyond "convenient" but there just wasn't another way to bring them together. And no, Hoil isn't looking for Birch (he has no reason to), but when they spotted paladins standing on the deck, he had his signalman use the code just in case. If Birch hadn't been there, no one would have been the wiser and they would have moved on. Birch pretty much hits it on the nose, though, pointing out the possibility of divine will.
This begins (briefly) the elven plot thread that will take Birch and company through the next several chapters. There's a lot more ahead on that, so there's not a whole lot to talk about here.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
One thing to note that's mentioned later is that the disruption in the elven lands James and Birch discuss was actually the next step in Sal's plan, had Birch not killed him. So their reasoning on this part is pretty much spot-on.
Okay, I'll admit, having Hoil and Birch run into each other on high seas goes a bit beyond "convenient" but there just wasn't another way to bring them together. And no, Hoil isn't looking for Birch (he has no reason to), but when they spotted paladins standing on the deck, he had his signalman use the code just in case. If Birch hadn't been there, no one would have been the wiser and they would have moved on. Birch pretty much hits it on the nose, though, pointing out the possibility of divine will.
This begins (briefly) the elven plot thread that will take Birch and company through the next several chapters. There's a lot more ahead on that, so there's not a whole lot to talk about here.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
One thing to note that's mentioned later is that the disruption in the elven lands James and Birch discuss was actually the next step in Sal's plan, had Birch not killed him. So their reasoning on this part is pretty much spot-on.
Chapter 5
Trebor's unmasking is abrupt, but really it had to be - anything more drawn out would give him the chance to uncover it ahead of time via kything and work to avoid it.
There's quite a bit of little stuff in this chapter, but not a whole lot worth commenting on here. Flasch's borderline sexist comment is only half-jesting. The idea of women fighting is not exactly a common one in Lokka, and while Flasch doesn't harbor any specific sexist thoughts, it's an issue of cultural norms. Still, it's exactly the kind of thing Alicia would want to try - not only is she ahead of her time, but she was also the victim of a horrendous attack. Wanting to defend herself just feels natural.
Trebor's little kythed plea for help is going to be the setup for one of the next major advances in the plot, but it's easy to overlook here.
Okay, yes, their little discussion about whether Trebor should be allowed to stay is a parallel thought for what's called "Affirmative Action" in our world (in the U.S. at least). In a perfect world, I agree with the thoughts expressed here - race shouldn't be an issue any more than how tall someone is. Obviously it's a complex issue in our world and I'm not trying to make a statement about how it works here, this is more of a general principle, summed up in the quote at the beginning of this chapter.
Danner and Alicia are advancing gradually toward each other, and while I'm not really trying to hide that these two are a romantic interest, it still has to be played out a bit to let it develop. I actually had to manufacture scenarios later on where the two could interact just so they would have more time together.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
The fact that they begin tracking the possibility Merishank is being controlled by one of The Three might have been an indication that James was on the right track, and thus that Birch's quest is going to be a red herring.
There's quite a bit of little stuff in this chapter, but not a whole lot worth commenting on here. Flasch's borderline sexist comment is only half-jesting. The idea of women fighting is not exactly a common one in Lokka, and while Flasch doesn't harbor any specific sexist thoughts, it's an issue of cultural norms. Still, it's exactly the kind of thing Alicia would want to try - not only is she ahead of her time, but she was also the victim of a horrendous attack. Wanting to defend herself just feels natural.
Trebor's little kythed plea for help is going to be the setup for one of the next major advances in the plot, but it's easy to overlook here.
Okay, yes, their little discussion about whether Trebor should be allowed to stay is a parallel thought for what's called "Affirmative Action" in our world (in the U.S. at least). In a perfect world, I agree with the thoughts expressed here - race shouldn't be an issue any more than how tall someone is. Obviously it's a complex issue in our world and I'm not trying to make a statement about how it works here, this is more of a general principle, summed up in the quote at the beginning of this chapter.
Danner and Alicia are advancing gradually toward each other, and while I'm not really trying to hide that these two are a romantic interest, it still has to be played out a bit to let it develop. I actually had to manufacture scenarios later on where the two could interact just so they would have more time together.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
The fact that they begin tracking the possibility Merishank is being controlled by one of The Three might have been an indication that James was on the right track, and thus that Birch's quest is going to be a red herring.
Chapter 6
I like the elven section of this book, beginning with Maran's little displays of racial conceit - mainly because he's doing it deliberately (he does sort of enjoy needling Nuse, just for the fun of it). Maran offers a lighter side of the racial tensions in Lokka, and this is the first time you see a culture other than one of the human nations. Their people and cities changed a little bit over the course of developing these books, but for the most part the changes didn't have an effect on the plotline. It was more along the lines of philosophical changes and details.
Just about everything with the elves comes back to their sects and their concepts of light and shadow. Maran offers a perspective beyond that and is able to comment on his own people in a way very few are capable of doing. Maran's section was actually fairly difficult to get right, starting from this scene. The challenge lay in balancing trying to inform you, the reader, as well as the other characters about things that by all rights should be secretive. It was quite a while before I was satisfied with how it plays out.
A quick note about the use of elves (and dwarves and, to a lesser extent, gnomes for that matter): they are established fantasy genre species with certain racial and cultural characteristics that are hard to fight against. I've seen it done (and done well), but it remains a rarity. When one of my brothers read Book 1, he lamented that it relied too much on these stock races, and to some extent I'm forced to agree with him. The denarae were added for some fresh variety, of course, but still, I use elves and dwarves. (I have several books/series in mind that exist outside of Lokka that have nothing to do with these or any other standard fantasy fare, but that's beside the point.) There's a lot in these books that's meant to feel familiar, and a lot that's meant to take what's known and kick it around a little bit. What was interesting and important to me here isn't that there are elves, but WHY are the elves the way they are? Sure, elves tend to be isolationist and elitist in fantasy literature - but WHY? It was in crafting how and why the races believe what they do and act how they do that I wanted to breathe life into these established forms. Hopefully they do feel somewhat familiar to you, but I also hope you get the sense that there's a history to their people and that's what makes them "elves". Their racial name should be the barest beginning of defining who they are, not the summary.
<Brian steps off his soap box.>
Where were we? Oh yeah.
I needed the cloak training to make a reappearance since the idea will be used later on, so it had to appear somewhere in this book. But I needed to do something new with it (since they're all well-used to using their training cloaks now, even Danner), and I inadvertently came up with the idea of Danner's near invulnerability and uber-strength. These would have come around eventually anyway, I'm sure, because they make for fun tools for a half-angel to play with.
It took some doing, but I managed to resist the urge to have one of them yell "Pull!" during this little exercise of theirs.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
So yeah, the main reason cloak training reappeared in this book was so I could setup Danner using it later to save Birch. I'm glad I took the time to work it out, though, because this was also the beginning of Danner's growing.... "addiction" isn't quite the right word, but it feeds into his being a bit of an adrenaline junky. Actually, if I remember correctly, this was the first time I came up with that idea for him, and retroactively went back and worked it into Book 1. I'm glad I did, since before that I didn't really have a clear idea of why Danner worked at the Coalition of Men for Mankind in that book - he just DID, so it made no real sense until this came along. Of course his tendency to lose himself in his power is ultimately what screws him over, so it all ties in nicely together.
Just about everything with the elves comes back to their sects and their concepts of light and shadow. Maran offers a perspective beyond that and is able to comment on his own people in a way very few are capable of doing. Maran's section was actually fairly difficult to get right, starting from this scene. The challenge lay in balancing trying to inform you, the reader, as well as the other characters about things that by all rights should be secretive. It was quite a while before I was satisfied with how it plays out.
A quick note about the use of elves (and dwarves and, to a lesser extent, gnomes for that matter): they are established fantasy genre species with certain racial and cultural characteristics that are hard to fight against. I've seen it done (and done well), but it remains a rarity. When one of my brothers read Book 1, he lamented that it relied too much on these stock races, and to some extent I'm forced to agree with him. The denarae were added for some fresh variety, of course, but still, I use elves and dwarves. (I have several books/series in mind that exist outside of Lokka that have nothing to do with these or any other standard fantasy fare, but that's beside the point.) There's a lot in these books that's meant to feel familiar, and a lot that's meant to take what's known and kick it around a little bit. What was interesting and important to me here isn't that there are elves, but WHY are the elves the way they are? Sure, elves tend to be isolationist and elitist in fantasy literature - but WHY? It was in crafting how and why the races believe what they do and act how they do that I wanted to breathe life into these established forms. Hopefully they do feel somewhat familiar to you, but I also hope you get the sense that there's a history to their people and that's what makes them "elves". Their racial name should be the barest beginning of defining who they are, not the summary.
<Brian steps off his soap box.>
Where were we? Oh yeah.
I needed the cloak training to make a reappearance since the idea will be used later on, so it had to appear somewhere in this book. But I needed to do something new with it (since they're all well-used to using their training cloaks now, even Danner), and I inadvertently came up with the idea of Danner's near invulnerability and uber-strength. These would have come around eventually anyway, I'm sure, because they make for fun tools for a half-angel to play with.
It took some doing, but I managed to resist the urge to have one of them yell "Pull!" during this little exercise of theirs.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
So yeah, the main reason cloak training reappeared in this book was so I could setup Danner using it later to save Birch. I'm glad I took the time to work it out, though, because this was also the beginning of Danner's growing.... "addiction" isn't quite the right word, but it feeds into his being a bit of an adrenaline junky. Actually, if I remember correctly, this was the first time I came up with that idea for him, and retroactively went back and worked it into Book 1. I'm glad I did, since before that I didn't really have a clear idea of why Danner worked at the Coalition of Men for Mankind in that book - he just DID, so it made no real sense until this came along. Of course his tendency to lose himself in his power is ultimately what screws him over, so it all ties in nicely together.
Chapter 7
I like Trebor. I don't know anyone who has personally faced this sort of racial antagonism, but I get the feeling most wouldn't react the way he does. He really does get that it's not about him, it's about them, and he feels sorry for the other men for their petty hatred. When I look at something as moronic as racism, the part of me that isn't shaking its head in sadness is usually trying very hard not to laugh at how ridiculous some people sound. I'm white, and I freely admit that I've never directly been affected by racism (though I was accused of it once in an utterly absurd incident), but I like to think that I'd look at it much like Trebor does, were I to experience it first-hand.
I pointed it out previously in commentary, but I think if I ever do any prequels to this series, the training and friendship of Gerard Morningham, Birch, and their other friends would be a strong contender for a story to be told. I don't remember when I decided those two would know each other, much less be good friends, but I think it plays well and provided some good moments between them and a few other supporting characters. Just the glimpses you see here of what it must have been like back then are fun, and you have so few chances to see things directly from Gerard's perspective (not verbally laden with curses, at least) that I really enjoy these little moments he gets.
If it seems like their graduation comes a bit soon and that they really haven't been training all that long, consider that it only takes 12-26 weeks in many states to go through a police academy, and basic training in the military is somewhere around 9-13 weeks (depending on branch, etc). Military training is probably closer to what they're going through here, since they're eating, sleeping, and living their training 25 hours a day, ten days a week (not counting the odd weekend leave), similar to the experience that military recruits undergo. Their training is accelerated a bit, to be sure, thanks to their need to replenish their ranks ahead of the predicted war with Hell, but it really wouldn't be too much longer than is presented here, just a couple extra months (at most) for the standard regimen. And as is mentioned, paladins are also expected to continue working to improve themselves for the rest of their lives, so it's not just a "Well you passed, you know everything to know about being a paladin" situation any more than the military is.
Finally, you get to see which Facet each of the main characters joins. Most of them probably aren't a surprise, but hopefully you at least had to wonder about Flasch, if not Danner, and perhaps Michael.
I have to say, writing Gerard's takedown of Ashfen was a lot of fun. This is the most come-uppance Ashfen ever gets, so it had to be good. I happen to think it's Gerard Morningham at his most eloquent.
A quick note about the cloaks and having them placed on you. It's mentioned later that it's a tradition that a current paladin must place the cloak on a trainee seeking to join the Prismatic Order. It's not mentioned anywhere in these books (not now, anyway), but it's more than just a tradition - it's a requirement. If a non-paladin were to place a blessed cloak on himself or on someone else's shoulders, it would just sit there. It's part of the sharing of their faith, their role, and their burden in the world, a literal passing of the mantle of responsibility, as it were.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
I have plans for that one message on the wall. Nothing big, but (Spoiler Alert!) chances are if I have another denarae try to become a paladin in the next book/series, he'll end up in those barracks and sleeping in the same bunk area Trebor uses. That message will still be there.
Two paragraphs with Malith's name in them. Hopefully enough that you'll remember it when the time comes, but not enough that you say "Hey, wait a second, that's that dude we just saw in the introduction who's working for the bad guys." And even if you noticed and remember his name (kudos to you for that, by the way, for paying attention), hopefully it wasn't obvious at this point where the story would eventually go with those two. I had to start setting up the rivalry between them here, so when the time comes, you know they already have a history and that there's a question about which one of them might be better.
Poor Jeremy Jorgins (his last name came from a kid I knew who used to get picked on a lot in middle school). I really have a soft spot for this character, and to make his fate really hit home I needed him to pop up briefly here to remind you who he is, what he's like, and that someone once claimed he would be the polar opposite of a Red paladin of courage. If you're wondering why he got the Facet he did, think back to this scene for starters.
I pointed it out previously in commentary, but I think if I ever do any prequels to this series, the training and friendship of Gerard Morningham, Birch, and their other friends would be a strong contender for a story to be told. I don't remember when I decided those two would know each other, much less be good friends, but I think it plays well and provided some good moments between them and a few other supporting characters. Just the glimpses you see here of what it must have been like back then are fun, and you have so few chances to see things directly from Gerard's perspective (not verbally laden with curses, at least) that I really enjoy these little moments he gets.
If it seems like their graduation comes a bit soon and that they really haven't been training all that long, consider that it only takes 12-26 weeks in many states to go through a police academy, and basic training in the military is somewhere around 9-13 weeks (depending on branch, etc). Military training is probably closer to what they're going through here, since they're eating, sleeping, and living their training 25 hours a day, ten days a week (not counting the odd weekend leave), similar to the experience that military recruits undergo. Their training is accelerated a bit, to be sure, thanks to their need to replenish their ranks ahead of the predicted war with Hell, but it really wouldn't be too much longer than is presented here, just a couple extra months (at most) for the standard regimen. And as is mentioned, paladins are also expected to continue working to improve themselves for the rest of their lives, so it's not just a "Well you passed, you know everything to know about being a paladin" situation any more than the military is.
Finally, you get to see which Facet each of the main characters joins. Most of them probably aren't a surprise, but hopefully you at least had to wonder about Flasch, if not Danner, and perhaps Michael.
I have to say, writing Gerard's takedown of Ashfen was a lot of fun. This is the most come-uppance Ashfen ever gets, so it had to be good. I happen to think it's Gerard Morningham at his most eloquent.
A quick note about the cloaks and having them placed on you. It's mentioned later that it's a tradition that a current paladin must place the cloak on a trainee seeking to join the Prismatic Order. It's not mentioned anywhere in these books (not now, anyway), but it's more than just a tradition - it's a requirement. If a non-paladin were to place a blessed cloak on himself or on someone else's shoulders, it would just sit there. It's part of the sharing of their faith, their role, and their burden in the world, a literal passing of the mantle of responsibility, as it were.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
I have plans for that one message on the wall. Nothing big, but (Spoiler Alert!) chances are if I have another denarae try to become a paladin in the next book/series, he'll end up in those barracks and sleeping in the same bunk area Trebor uses. That message will still be there.
Two paragraphs with Malith's name in them. Hopefully enough that you'll remember it when the time comes, but not enough that you say "Hey, wait a second, that's that dude we just saw in the introduction who's working for the bad guys." And even if you noticed and remember his name (kudos to you for that, by the way, for paying attention), hopefully it wasn't obvious at this point where the story would eventually go with those two. I had to start setting up the rivalry between them here, so when the time comes, you know they already have a history and that there's a question about which one of them might be better.
Poor Jeremy Jorgins (his last name came from a kid I knew who used to get picked on a lot in middle school). I really have a soft spot for this character, and to make his fate really hit home I needed him to pop up briefly here to remind you who he is, what he's like, and that someone once claimed he would be the polar opposite of a Red paladin of courage. If you're wondering why he got the Facet he did, think back to this scene for starters.
Chapter 8
I still feel bad for Trebor, but I appreciate his reaction to the Prismatic Council. It's probably the only time Trebor could and would ever express this much anger toward someone else. Still, his thunder gets stolen a little bit by Gerard, who was pretty hard to write at this point. Gerard's motivations evolved a little bit until I was satisfied he would be willing to take this step and that it was actually a threat to the Prismatic Council - something that might give them pause, at least. Still, Gerard needed to go - he needed to be free for his new job.
I like Perky. Of course, I'm supposed to, he's a sweet-natured guy. A little mousy, maybe, but sweet, and he offers a different perspective every once in a great while. Still, if you pay attention, he grows slowly but surely over the next couple of books. Nuse, however, is pretty much set in his ways, so don't expect him to change anytime soon. His past is a little messed up, and if you think back to Danner's entrance interview in Book 1, Nuse is one of those other hard-luck cases they accepted (though not the former assassin, sadly). Only Moreen would have thought to ask about the woman's name, though, and I think it's entirely appropriate that Nuse remembers it. He's like that.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
The corrupted paladins aren't dead (most of them, anyway), and they'll make a reappearance in the next trilogy. Nothing major, but they'll be back. Now I just need to come up with some names for them.... Maybe a Bob.
Gerard's motivations in accepting this "punishment" from the Council stem from the same feelings that leads him to accept their instructions later in sending Shadow Company beyond the Barrier. In times of peace (or at least when he's not expecting an impending war any day now), Gerard probably would have done exactly what he said he'd do, and severely shamed the Prismatic Council. Sure, most people don't like denarae, so the impact might have been limited, but there are enough people that might have cared to make it worthwhile. In the end, though, Gerard's pragmatism beat out his vindictiveness (and desire for justice - there's a reason he's not a Blue paladin).
I like Perky. Of course, I'm supposed to, he's a sweet-natured guy. A little mousy, maybe, but sweet, and he offers a different perspective every once in a great while. Still, if you pay attention, he grows slowly but surely over the next couple of books. Nuse, however, is pretty much set in his ways, so don't expect him to change anytime soon. His past is a little messed up, and if you think back to Danner's entrance interview in Book 1, Nuse is one of those other hard-luck cases they accepted (though not the former assassin, sadly). Only Moreen would have thought to ask about the woman's name, though, and I think it's entirely appropriate that Nuse remembers it. He's like that.
Spoiler Section - Only read this if you've finished the book.
The corrupted paladins aren't dead (most of them, anyway), and they'll make a reappearance in the next trilogy. Nothing major, but they'll be back. Now I just need to come up with some names for them.... Maybe a Bob.
Gerard's motivations in accepting this "punishment" from the Council stem from the same feelings that leads him to accept their instructions later in sending Shadow Company beyond the Barrier. In times of peace (or at least when he's not expecting an impending war any day now), Gerard probably would have done exactly what he said he'd do, and severely shamed the Prismatic Council. Sure, most people don't like denarae, so the impact might have been limited, but there are enough people that might have cared to make it worthwhile. In the end, though, Gerard's pragmatism beat out his vindictiveness (and desire for justice - there's a reason he's not a Blue paladin).
Interlude - Chapter 8
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