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i_read_what2021-09-11 12:16 am
kalinara) wrote in i_read_what2021-09-11 12:16 am
Luck in the Shadows - Chapter Fifteen
So last time, Alec managed to get all the way to Rhiminee, meet a princess, and now is finally face to face with Seregil's employer, the wizard Nysander.
It's been quite a trip!
So we rejoin a very relieved, shaky Alec as Nysander examines Seregil. He's, of course, quite cryptic, merely saying that they have to get Seregil to Oreska House (the home of the wizards, quite swanky) at once.
Fortunately, Nysander came prepared: there's a carriage waiting.
Once Seregil's loaded into the carriage, we switch viewpoints to this mysterious Nysander. We learn that Seregil's condition is indeed, very bad (and "If this was indeed what he suspected, who but Seregil could have survived such an attack?". Dude, must you be cryptic in your own viewpoint narration?!)
We also see Alec from Nysander's point of view:
This was a wild-looking lad to be sure, with his rough northern clothes and tousled hair. Nysander noted the ragged bandage bound around the boy’s left hand, and how he held it palm up on his knee as if it pained him. Taut lines scored his chapped young face, making him look older than his years. There was a great weariness about him, too, and an air of uncertainty. Yet beneath all that Nysander sensed the ingrained determination that had carried both him and Seregil through whatever evil had overtaken them.
Aw. Poor kid. It's been a rough trip.
Nysander breaks the ice by bringing up the Silverleaf name. (He'd heard Talrien use it earlier). He notes that Seregil claims that it's a "fortuitous name". He gets Alec to tell him his real name: Alec of Kerry.
Nysander's own name is something of a mouthful. "Nysander i Azusthra Hypirius Meksandor Illandi, High Thaumaturgist of the Third Oreska". There are some little accent carrots and an umlaut, but I'm not going to include them. Anyway, he tells Alec that he can call him Nysander. Alec is honored.
Nysander says that Seregil is as dear as a son to him, and manages to coax Alec's version of how they met from him. Of course, being Alec, the story is on the curt side:
“He saved my life,” answered Alec. “It was almost a month ago now, up in the Ironheart Mountains.”
Alec asks how Nysander knew they were coming. Nysander explains that he'd gotten a vision of Seregil in difficulty a week before and had periodic flashes of Alec and Seregil's progress. He's very complimentary toward Alec, by the way. He asks for Alec's version of the story, since he's wounded as well.
I rather like this bit:
Nysander continued his discreet appraisal of the boy while Alec gave an account of their escape from Asengai’s domain and subsequent adventures. A bit of gentle magic satisfied him that Seregil had been very astute in his choice of companion, although his friend’s reason for taking on the youngster at all remained something of an enigma.
In describing the blind man’s house outside Wolde, Alec admitted to his eavesdropping and seemed relieved when Nysander merely smiled.
Giving us Nysander's reaction rather than the word for word retelling is a nice touch. Alec does bring up the encounter with Mardus. Nysander confirms his description and asks Alec to describe the other dude. Alec does so, reasonably competent. He starts to describe the burglary, though Nysander prevents him from mentioning the wooden disk directly.
And Nysander kind of lampshades the very minor complaint I've had about this section here:
Nysander regarded Alec in bemusement; even in one so young it was surprising to find such unquestioning trust—if trust it was. Familiar as Nysander was with Seregil’s powers of persuasion, he still wondered that Alec should have followed him so far and through so many trials on the strength of little more than a few tales and fewer empty-handed promises.
No, thought Nysander, trust there certainly must have been, and he had no doubt of Alec’s loyalty, but there was something else at work here. Seregil would never have involved a green boy in the burglary in Wolde if he himself had not sensed something deeper in Alec’s character and been taken with it. Apprentice indeed!
Eh. I'm not a huge fan of the "there's something else at work" concept when it comes to character motivation.
I still think this whole story segment would have worked better if we had a few more chapters to establish such a strong bond between the characters before Seregil falls ill.
That said, I do think Flewelling does a good job in establishing Alec's character, and I do BELIEVE that this is a person who would go to any extent to get a sick man home. So that's good.
We shift to Alec's viewpoint, so we can observe the city:
Distracted as he was by Seregil’s condition, Alec couldn’t help looking out at the passing city now and then. Carts, horses, litters, and pedestrians of all descriptions thronged the streets. The road leading up to the citadel was enclosed in curtain walls on both sides and the stonework seemed to trap the noise and amplify it. This road ended at the broad outer gate of the city. Half a dozen blue-clad guards flanked the entrance, armed with swords and pikes, but traffic passed freely. Once through the gate they slowed, moving through an inner barbican, and then passed under the archway of a second gate, its ancient pediment decorated with carvings of fish. Beyond lay the largest marketplace Alec had ever seen.
The stone-flagged square stretched away on all sides, jammed with hundreds of wooden booths. Their colorful awnings rippled in the brisk wind. A broad avenue had been left open through the center of the square to allow for traffic, and narrow side lanes branched out from it into the wilderness of shops.
From all sides came the clamor of the city: voices shouting, animals braying, the pounding of artisans at work, and the rumble of the carts that flowed in a steady line in both directions along the street. Tall, white-plastered buildings, some as much as five stories high, ringed the market square. Everywhere he looked there were people.
The description goes on for a while, but the gist of it is that Rhiminee is crowded and chaotic as fuck, and Alec is realizing that his original plan to take Seregil to Oreska House himself wouldn't have worked at all.
Nysander points out a landmark: the Fountain of Astellus, which is a spring that's never gone dry. Apparently the city was built around it.
They're into the Noble Quarter now, and Alec notices that the gates are all very ornately decorated. We're told that he'll later learn that townsfolk give directions based on those decorations. Hey, spoilers!
Alec is impressed by some palace-looking places that Nysander reveals are villas, many of which are owned by the Queen's extended family. Then they get to a pretty fantastic place:
As they entered the grounds Alec let out a yelp of surprise. Within the embrace of the surrounding walls, it was as if the seasons had suddenly rushed forward into summer. The sky overhead was the same pale winter blue as before, but the air around them was cool and sweet as a spring morning. On every side stretched carefully laid out lawns and beds of brilliant flowers and blooming trees. Robed figures moved among them or reclined on benches. Alec blinked in disbelief as he caught sight of an enormous centaur playing a harp beneath a nearby tree.
The creature had the body of a tall chestnut stallion, but rising from its withers was the hirsute torso of a man. Coarse black hair overhung his brow in a long forelock and grew in a mane down his back. Nearby a woman floated cross-legged ten feet above the ground, lazily tossing globes of colored glass into the air and directing their motion in time to his music.
Showoffs.
In the center of all these marvels stood the Orëska House itself, a soaring structure of gleaming white stone surmounted by a faceted, onion-shaped dome that flashed brightly in the sunlight. Slender towers topped with smaller domes and studded at intervals with carved oriels stood at each of the building’s four corners.
A set of broad stairs led up to the main entrance where half a dozen servants in red tabards stood waiting. Two men hurried forward with a litter as the carriage came to a stop; a third shouldered the battered pack and Alec’s meager bundle. At Nysander’s nod, Seregil was carried inside.
The main building was centered around a huge atrium lit by the natural light streaming in through the clear glass dome above. Rising up from a splendid mosaic floor, the inner walls were broken by five levels of balconies and walkways decorated with more elaborate Skalan carving and tile work.
It's a pretty swanky place.
Alec starts noticing something quickly though. Every time they pass any wizards (distinguished by long, colorful robes), they recoil and make strange signs. One dude even faints. Wimp. Nysander promises to explain when they get to their destination: Nysander's tower.
And MORE description:
Stepping in, Alec found himself in a narrow, tunnel-like space. Stacks of boxes, crates, and sheaves of parchment filled whatever space there was from floor to ceiling. A single, narrow pathway allowed access to the inner rooms; two people might have been able to squeeze past one another, but it would be at the risk of setting off an avalanche.
The room beyond, though cluttered, was bright and spacious by comparison. Looking up, Alec realized they were at the top of one of the corner towers. Colored only by the sun and sky above, the thick leaded panes of the dome were set in swirling patterns interspersed with complicated symbols.
The tower room was filled with an amazing collection of things, the complete order of which was probably known only to Nysander himself. Shelf upon shelf of books, racks of scrolls More books were stacked in precarious piles on the floor and on the stairs that curved up to a walkway beneath the dome overhead.
Around the room stood three large worktables and a high desk. Two of the tables were hopelessly laden; among the general clutter Alec noticed braziers, pots, covered jars, several skulls, and a small iron cage. On the third table a thick book lay open on a stand surrounded by a collection of fragile glass vessels and rods. The desk was also relatively clear, though a dusty formation of candle drippings cascaded to the floor from one corner of it where, over the years, one candle had been set into the guttering pool of its predecessor.
Hooks and nails had been driven in anywhere there seemed to be room, and from these were hung an array of things ranging from dried leaves and skins to a complete skeleton of something that was decidedly not human.
This is a very description heavy chapter!
I like it a lot! Rhiminee is clearly a place to see, especially for poor provincial Alec. I will say, it does make the prior locations feel maybe a bit more sparse and ill-defined.
So anyway, Seregil's brought in. And then a new guy comes:
No sooner had they gone than a thin young man in a spotless blue and white robe hurried in with an armload of leafy branches. His curly black hair was closely cropped and the sparse black beard edging his cheeks accentuated the gaunt planes of his pale, angular face.
This is Nysander's apprentice Thero. And he immediately comes across as a bit of a dick (evincing "neither warmth or welcome").
When Thero steps back and does the warding sign thing, Alec finally asks for and gets an explanation. Basically, he and Seregil both magically smell like they've been in a cesspit.
("“I should say so!” Thero concurred wholeheartedly. - a beat that immediately makes me like Thero a little.)
So they deal with the amulet, sealing it away in a jar. Then they work some kind of cool purification magic on Alec (who isn't nearly as bad off, but they'll need his help with Seregil). It seems cool: blue chalk, sigils, et cetera. Alec gets his head painted with symbols, a branch waved over his head sprinkling golden water, et cetera and so forth.
So Alec gets spiritually purified, then gets sent off to physically bathe, while the two wizards prepare to tend to Seregil. Nysander has his servant, Wethis, guide Alec. Wethis, by the way, makes a sour face behind Thero's back, which relaxes Alec a little.
They're also given an errand: to tell a sorceress named Ylinestra that Nysander will be detained. Wethis asks if Alec came with "Lord Seregil" and is dutifully impressed. Alec notes the use of title.
So they meet Ylinestra:
A woman opened the door, her welcoming smile one a man could happily die for. It vanished as soon as she saw the two of them, however. Suddenly Alec couldn’t have spoken a word if his life depended on it.
Ylinestra was stunningly beautiful. Framed in a mass of raven hair, her face was at once delicate and sensual. Her eyes were the deep, velvety purple of a summer iris. The loose-flowing garment she wore was made of embroidered silk so sheer it did little more than tint the voluptuous body it draped.
Alec's never seen a naked woman before and is finding it awfully hard to think. He does eventually manage to deliver the message. And she storms off in a huff. Apparently she and Nysander are banging, which both Alec and I find a little impressive.
Most wizards, we're told, are celibate. But Nysander is an exception. Wethis isn't quite sure he's a match for Ylinestra though. But he thinks she's probably worth the trouble. Hah.
We also get more info about Seregil, indirectly. Wethis tells him that Seregil knows this place better than some wizards and will be able to give Alec a tour.
So they make it into the baths, and it is SWANKY:
At the center of the huge chamber lay a broad octagonal pool lined with red and gold tiles. Marble griffins with gilded wings stood at four opposing corners and spewed arching streams of water into it. The tinkling plash of falling water echoed pleasantly around the chamber.
The walls of the room were decorated with frescoes depicting water nymphs and undersea scenes. Beneath these, set into the floor in the same manner as the pool, were individual tubs. Attended by servants, a number of other bathers were already making use of these. Alec could feel the warmth of the heated floor through the soles of his boots.
Nysander's sent food up as well, so Alec gets encouraged to bathe and eat. He's taken off guard by Skalan spices, but Wethis is prepared with the cold water. Alec's also given some new clothes. He's alarmed by the absence of his bow and purse, but the purse is returned to him immediately. He'll get the weapons back once he leaves Oreska House. Now all dressed up, Alec barely recognizes himself.
Then, of course, he goes back to the wizards. Seregil's been washed and now lays naked on the table. He looks even frailer and more infected. I like the juxtaposition of those two beats: Alec's finery and Seregil's condition.
Nysander's there too, and he's changed clothes into something fancy and blue. He banters a bit with Alec:
He waved a deprecating hand at his own garb. “No doubt you find my appearance more wizardly now? Thero is of a similar opinion, and I find it easiest to humor him. I would be every bit as effective in my ragged old coat, or stark naked for that matter, but he does insist—”
Thero came in just then and Nysander gave Alec a wink that put him very much in mind of Micum Cavish.
...I like Nysander, but that kind of seems like a dick move. Do you have to make your apprentice sound foolish behind his back to a complete stranger?
So we start the ceremony. It's considerably more involved than the one for Alec. Alec is warned not to speak or cross out of the circle that he's been placed in.
There is painting of symbols, droplets of water, and at some point Nysander starts whacking the guy with a birch switch. Nysander chants a lot. There's some weird smoke that makes both Alec and Thero cough. (That doesn't count as speech, I'm assuming), but Nysander is unaffected.
At one point, Alec is ordered via silent hand language to hold Seregil down, while both wizards chant and do weird things with red light and droplets that skitter all over. Alec freaks out for a moment and almost does a warding gesture but is stopped by Nysander.
Eventually Alec and Thero have to hold a physically resisting, mindlessly thrashing Seregil down. (All while Thero chants with Nysander, which is actually a little impressive, considering he takes a kick to the face at one point.) But anyway, they make it through the purification! Yay!.
And there's one touch that I like here. Thero, so far, has been portrayed as kind of an unfriendly jerk. Even Wethis doesn't like him. (And we'll see later that he and Seregil have a complicated hostile rivalry.) But he appeared exceedingly competent during the ritual. At least so far, Thero seems to be very good at his job.
It seems like a silly thing to praise, but if you've been reading any of these reviews, you may have noticed how certain writers seem unwilling to allow their hostile rival characters any kind of real competence.
Anyway, Alec asks if Seregil will recover. Yes, otherwise he wouldn't have survived the ritual. Alec's shocked to hear that Seregil might have died from the ritual, but Nysander earnestly states that he'd have DEFINITELY died without it.
Thero goes off to fetch a drysian named Valerius, whose name had popped up earlier in Seregil and Micum's stories. Nysander and Alec discuss some of the weird leftover remnants of the spell. There are some gross spidery things that are apparently a corporeal manifestation of the evil spell. The ritual that Alec saw was meant to draw the evil out, make it tangible and then smash the shit out of it.
We also learn, by the way, that Nysander is almost three hundred years. He's the oldest wizard in residence in Oreska, though not the oldest wizard ever. Nysander considers himself in his prime, as wizards go.
We meet Valerius next:
Tossing a battered satchel onto the table, the drysian scowled down at Seregil. Valerius’ unkempt black hair stood out in violent disorder beneath the cracked brim of his disreputable felt hat. His beard bristled belligerently, and the rich black thatch that covered the backs of his hands and forearms and curled forth from the unlaced neck of his tunic gave him a bearish look. His clothes, like those of most drysians, were plain and stained with hard travel. His heavy silver pendant and smooth-worn staff, together with the pouches of every size and description hanging from the belt girding his ample middle, marked him as a drysian. Deep lines bracketing his mouth warned of a formidable nature.
He definitely seems close to both Seregil and Nysander, calling the former a brat and asking what he's gotten himself into this time. There's an interesting cryptic moment between Valerius and Nysander when it comes to the imprint on Seregil's chest that had been left by the amulet. Valerius had been about to remove it, but for mysteerious reeeasons, Nysander wants to leave it on.
...you know, as friendly as Nysander is, if I had to deal with Cryptic McTellsYouNothing for a long period of time, I'd probably be a dick too.
So anyway, Valerius kicks everyone out, and Nysander, Thero and Alec share some chilled apple wine. Eventually Valerius comes out to share. He's taken care of the last of the physical poison. (Thero asks if it was acotair, and indeed Thero is correct. It was used to weaken him so the magic could work quicker or from a distance.)
Alec does learn something interesting from this though: Seregil is particularly resistant to magic. Or as Valerius puts it, he "fouls it up". (Alec notices Thero's smirk and thinks he likes him less all the time.) Anyway, Nysander thinks it's that trait that kept Seregil alive long enough to get to Rhiminee.
Valerius departs and this very busy chapter ends here.
It's been quite a trip!
So we rejoin a very relieved, shaky Alec as Nysander examines Seregil. He's, of course, quite cryptic, merely saying that they have to get Seregil to Oreska House (the home of the wizards, quite swanky) at once.
Fortunately, Nysander came prepared: there's a carriage waiting.
Once Seregil's loaded into the carriage, we switch viewpoints to this mysterious Nysander. We learn that Seregil's condition is indeed, very bad (and "If this was indeed what he suspected, who but Seregil could have survived such an attack?". Dude, must you be cryptic in your own viewpoint narration?!)
We also see Alec from Nysander's point of view:
This was a wild-looking lad to be sure, with his rough northern clothes and tousled hair. Nysander noted the ragged bandage bound around the boy’s left hand, and how he held it palm up on his knee as if it pained him. Taut lines scored his chapped young face, making him look older than his years. There was a great weariness about him, too, and an air of uncertainty. Yet beneath all that Nysander sensed the ingrained determination that had carried both him and Seregil through whatever evil had overtaken them.
Aw. Poor kid. It's been a rough trip.
Nysander breaks the ice by bringing up the Silverleaf name. (He'd heard Talrien use it earlier). He notes that Seregil claims that it's a "fortuitous name". He gets Alec to tell him his real name: Alec of Kerry.
Nysander's own name is something of a mouthful. "Nysander i Azusthra Hypirius Meksandor Illandi, High Thaumaturgist of the Third Oreska". There are some little accent carrots and an umlaut, but I'm not going to include them. Anyway, he tells Alec that he can call him Nysander. Alec is honored.
Nysander says that Seregil is as dear as a son to him, and manages to coax Alec's version of how they met from him. Of course, being Alec, the story is on the curt side:
“He saved my life,” answered Alec. “It was almost a month ago now, up in the Ironheart Mountains.”
Alec asks how Nysander knew they were coming. Nysander explains that he'd gotten a vision of Seregil in difficulty a week before and had periodic flashes of Alec and Seregil's progress. He's very complimentary toward Alec, by the way. He asks for Alec's version of the story, since he's wounded as well.
I rather like this bit:
Nysander continued his discreet appraisal of the boy while Alec gave an account of their escape from Asengai’s domain and subsequent adventures. A bit of gentle magic satisfied him that Seregil had been very astute in his choice of companion, although his friend’s reason for taking on the youngster at all remained something of an enigma.
In describing the blind man’s house outside Wolde, Alec admitted to his eavesdropping and seemed relieved when Nysander merely smiled.
Giving us Nysander's reaction rather than the word for word retelling is a nice touch. Alec does bring up the encounter with Mardus. Nysander confirms his description and asks Alec to describe the other dude. Alec does so, reasonably competent. He starts to describe the burglary, though Nysander prevents him from mentioning the wooden disk directly.
And Nysander kind of lampshades the very minor complaint I've had about this section here:
Nysander regarded Alec in bemusement; even in one so young it was surprising to find such unquestioning trust—if trust it was. Familiar as Nysander was with Seregil’s powers of persuasion, he still wondered that Alec should have followed him so far and through so many trials on the strength of little more than a few tales and fewer empty-handed promises.
No, thought Nysander, trust there certainly must have been, and he had no doubt of Alec’s loyalty, but there was something else at work here. Seregil would never have involved a green boy in the burglary in Wolde if he himself had not sensed something deeper in Alec’s character and been taken with it. Apprentice indeed!
Eh. I'm not a huge fan of the "there's something else at work" concept when it comes to character motivation.
I still think this whole story segment would have worked better if we had a few more chapters to establish such a strong bond between the characters before Seregil falls ill.
That said, I do think Flewelling does a good job in establishing Alec's character, and I do BELIEVE that this is a person who would go to any extent to get a sick man home. So that's good.
We shift to Alec's viewpoint, so we can observe the city:
Distracted as he was by Seregil’s condition, Alec couldn’t help looking out at the passing city now and then. Carts, horses, litters, and pedestrians of all descriptions thronged the streets. The road leading up to the citadel was enclosed in curtain walls on both sides and the stonework seemed to trap the noise and amplify it. This road ended at the broad outer gate of the city. Half a dozen blue-clad guards flanked the entrance, armed with swords and pikes, but traffic passed freely. Once through the gate they slowed, moving through an inner barbican, and then passed under the archway of a second gate, its ancient pediment decorated with carvings of fish. Beyond lay the largest marketplace Alec had ever seen.
The stone-flagged square stretched away on all sides, jammed with hundreds of wooden booths. Their colorful awnings rippled in the brisk wind. A broad avenue had been left open through the center of the square to allow for traffic, and narrow side lanes branched out from it into the wilderness of shops.
From all sides came the clamor of the city: voices shouting, animals braying, the pounding of artisans at work, and the rumble of the carts that flowed in a steady line in both directions along the street. Tall, white-plastered buildings, some as much as five stories high, ringed the market square. Everywhere he looked there were people.
The description goes on for a while, but the gist of it is that Rhiminee is crowded and chaotic as fuck, and Alec is realizing that his original plan to take Seregil to Oreska House himself wouldn't have worked at all.
Nysander points out a landmark: the Fountain of Astellus, which is a spring that's never gone dry. Apparently the city was built around it.
They're into the Noble Quarter now, and Alec notices that the gates are all very ornately decorated. We're told that he'll later learn that townsfolk give directions based on those decorations. Hey, spoilers!
Alec is impressed by some palace-looking places that Nysander reveals are villas, many of which are owned by the Queen's extended family. Then they get to a pretty fantastic place:
As they entered the grounds Alec let out a yelp of surprise. Within the embrace of the surrounding walls, it was as if the seasons had suddenly rushed forward into summer. The sky overhead was the same pale winter blue as before, but the air around them was cool and sweet as a spring morning. On every side stretched carefully laid out lawns and beds of brilliant flowers and blooming trees. Robed figures moved among them or reclined on benches. Alec blinked in disbelief as he caught sight of an enormous centaur playing a harp beneath a nearby tree.
The creature had the body of a tall chestnut stallion, but rising from its withers was the hirsute torso of a man. Coarse black hair overhung his brow in a long forelock and grew in a mane down his back. Nearby a woman floated cross-legged ten feet above the ground, lazily tossing globes of colored glass into the air and directing their motion in time to his music.
Showoffs.
In the center of all these marvels stood the Orëska House itself, a soaring structure of gleaming white stone surmounted by a faceted, onion-shaped dome that flashed brightly in the sunlight. Slender towers topped with smaller domes and studded at intervals with carved oriels stood at each of the building’s four corners.
A set of broad stairs led up to the main entrance where half a dozen servants in red tabards stood waiting. Two men hurried forward with a litter as the carriage came to a stop; a third shouldered the battered pack and Alec’s meager bundle. At Nysander’s nod, Seregil was carried inside.
The main building was centered around a huge atrium lit by the natural light streaming in through the clear glass dome above. Rising up from a splendid mosaic floor, the inner walls were broken by five levels of balconies and walkways decorated with more elaborate Skalan carving and tile work.
It's a pretty swanky place.
Alec starts noticing something quickly though. Every time they pass any wizards (distinguished by long, colorful robes), they recoil and make strange signs. One dude even faints. Wimp. Nysander promises to explain when they get to their destination: Nysander's tower.
And MORE description:
Stepping in, Alec found himself in a narrow, tunnel-like space. Stacks of boxes, crates, and sheaves of parchment filled whatever space there was from floor to ceiling. A single, narrow pathway allowed access to the inner rooms; two people might have been able to squeeze past one another, but it would be at the risk of setting off an avalanche.
The room beyond, though cluttered, was bright and spacious by comparison. Looking up, Alec realized they were at the top of one of the corner towers. Colored only by the sun and sky above, the thick leaded panes of the dome were set in swirling patterns interspersed with complicated symbols.
The tower room was filled with an amazing collection of things, the complete order of which was probably known only to Nysander himself. Shelf upon shelf of books, racks of scrolls More books were stacked in precarious piles on the floor and on the stairs that curved up to a walkway beneath the dome overhead.
Around the room stood three large worktables and a high desk. Two of the tables were hopelessly laden; among the general clutter Alec noticed braziers, pots, covered jars, several skulls, and a small iron cage. On the third table a thick book lay open on a stand surrounded by a collection of fragile glass vessels and rods. The desk was also relatively clear, though a dusty formation of candle drippings cascaded to the floor from one corner of it where, over the years, one candle had been set into the guttering pool of its predecessor.
Hooks and nails had been driven in anywhere there seemed to be room, and from these were hung an array of things ranging from dried leaves and skins to a complete skeleton of something that was decidedly not human.
This is a very description heavy chapter!
I like it a lot! Rhiminee is clearly a place to see, especially for poor provincial Alec. I will say, it does make the prior locations feel maybe a bit more sparse and ill-defined.
So anyway, Seregil's brought in. And then a new guy comes:
No sooner had they gone than a thin young man in a spotless blue and white robe hurried in with an armload of leafy branches. His curly black hair was closely cropped and the sparse black beard edging his cheeks accentuated the gaunt planes of his pale, angular face.
This is Nysander's apprentice Thero. And he immediately comes across as a bit of a dick (evincing "neither warmth or welcome").
When Thero steps back and does the warding sign thing, Alec finally asks for and gets an explanation. Basically, he and Seregil both magically smell like they've been in a cesspit.
("“I should say so!” Thero concurred wholeheartedly. - a beat that immediately makes me like Thero a little.)
So they deal with the amulet, sealing it away in a jar. Then they work some kind of cool purification magic on Alec (who isn't nearly as bad off, but they'll need his help with Seregil). It seems cool: blue chalk, sigils, et cetera. Alec gets his head painted with symbols, a branch waved over his head sprinkling golden water, et cetera and so forth.
So Alec gets spiritually purified, then gets sent off to physically bathe, while the two wizards prepare to tend to Seregil. Nysander has his servant, Wethis, guide Alec. Wethis, by the way, makes a sour face behind Thero's back, which relaxes Alec a little.
They're also given an errand: to tell a sorceress named Ylinestra that Nysander will be detained. Wethis asks if Alec came with "Lord Seregil" and is dutifully impressed. Alec notes the use of title.
So they meet Ylinestra:
A woman opened the door, her welcoming smile one a man could happily die for. It vanished as soon as she saw the two of them, however. Suddenly Alec couldn’t have spoken a word if his life depended on it.
Ylinestra was stunningly beautiful. Framed in a mass of raven hair, her face was at once delicate and sensual. Her eyes were the deep, velvety purple of a summer iris. The loose-flowing garment she wore was made of embroidered silk so sheer it did little more than tint the voluptuous body it draped.
Alec's never seen a naked woman before and is finding it awfully hard to think. He does eventually manage to deliver the message. And she storms off in a huff. Apparently she and Nysander are banging, which both Alec and I find a little impressive.
Most wizards, we're told, are celibate. But Nysander is an exception. Wethis isn't quite sure he's a match for Ylinestra though. But he thinks she's probably worth the trouble. Hah.
We also get more info about Seregil, indirectly. Wethis tells him that Seregil knows this place better than some wizards and will be able to give Alec a tour.
So they make it into the baths, and it is SWANKY:
At the center of the huge chamber lay a broad octagonal pool lined with red and gold tiles. Marble griffins with gilded wings stood at four opposing corners and spewed arching streams of water into it. The tinkling plash of falling water echoed pleasantly around the chamber.
The walls of the room were decorated with frescoes depicting water nymphs and undersea scenes. Beneath these, set into the floor in the same manner as the pool, were individual tubs. Attended by servants, a number of other bathers were already making use of these. Alec could feel the warmth of the heated floor through the soles of his boots.
Nysander's sent food up as well, so Alec gets encouraged to bathe and eat. He's taken off guard by Skalan spices, but Wethis is prepared with the cold water. Alec's also given some new clothes. He's alarmed by the absence of his bow and purse, but the purse is returned to him immediately. He'll get the weapons back once he leaves Oreska House. Now all dressed up, Alec barely recognizes himself.
Then, of course, he goes back to the wizards. Seregil's been washed and now lays naked on the table. He looks even frailer and more infected. I like the juxtaposition of those two beats: Alec's finery and Seregil's condition.
Nysander's there too, and he's changed clothes into something fancy and blue. He banters a bit with Alec:
He waved a deprecating hand at his own garb. “No doubt you find my appearance more wizardly now? Thero is of a similar opinion, and I find it easiest to humor him. I would be every bit as effective in my ragged old coat, or stark naked for that matter, but he does insist—”
Thero came in just then and Nysander gave Alec a wink that put him very much in mind of Micum Cavish.
...I like Nysander, but that kind of seems like a dick move. Do you have to make your apprentice sound foolish behind his back to a complete stranger?
So we start the ceremony. It's considerably more involved than the one for Alec. Alec is warned not to speak or cross out of the circle that he's been placed in.
There is painting of symbols, droplets of water, and at some point Nysander starts whacking the guy with a birch switch. Nysander chants a lot. There's some weird smoke that makes both Alec and Thero cough. (That doesn't count as speech, I'm assuming), but Nysander is unaffected.
At one point, Alec is ordered via silent hand language to hold Seregil down, while both wizards chant and do weird things with red light and droplets that skitter all over. Alec freaks out for a moment and almost does a warding gesture but is stopped by Nysander.
Eventually Alec and Thero have to hold a physically resisting, mindlessly thrashing Seregil down. (All while Thero chants with Nysander, which is actually a little impressive, considering he takes a kick to the face at one point.) But anyway, they make it through the purification! Yay!.
And there's one touch that I like here. Thero, so far, has been portrayed as kind of an unfriendly jerk. Even Wethis doesn't like him. (And we'll see later that he and Seregil have a complicated hostile rivalry.) But he appeared exceedingly competent during the ritual. At least so far, Thero seems to be very good at his job.
It seems like a silly thing to praise, but if you've been reading any of these reviews, you may have noticed how certain writers seem unwilling to allow their hostile rival characters any kind of real competence.
Anyway, Alec asks if Seregil will recover. Yes, otherwise he wouldn't have survived the ritual. Alec's shocked to hear that Seregil might have died from the ritual, but Nysander earnestly states that he'd have DEFINITELY died without it.
Thero goes off to fetch a drysian named Valerius, whose name had popped up earlier in Seregil and Micum's stories. Nysander and Alec discuss some of the weird leftover remnants of the spell. There are some gross spidery things that are apparently a corporeal manifestation of the evil spell. The ritual that Alec saw was meant to draw the evil out, make it tangible and then smash the shit out of it.
We also learn, by the way, that Nysander is almost three hundred years. He's the oldest wizard in residence in Oreska, though not the oldest wizard ever. Nysander considers himself in his prime, as wizards go.
We meet Valerius next:
Tossing a battered satchel onto the table, the drysian scowled down at Seregil. Valerius’ unkempt black hair stood out in violent disorder beneath the cracked brim of his disreputable felt hat. His beard bristled belligerently, and the rich black thatch that covered the backs of his hands and forearms and curled forth from the unlaced neck of his tunic gave him a bearish look. His clothes, like those of most drysians, were plain and stained with hard travel. His heavy silver pendant and smooth-worn staff, together with the pouches of every size and description hanging from the belt girding his ample middle, marked him as a drysian. Deep lines bracketing his mouth warned of a formidable nature.
He definitely seems close to both Seregil and Nysander, calling the former a brat and asking what he's gotten himself into this time. There's an interesting cryptic moment between Valerius and Nysander when it comes to the imprint on Seregil's chest that had been left by the amulet. Valerius had been about to remove it, but for mysteerious reeeasons, Nysander wants to leave it on.
...you know, as friendly as Nysander is, if I had to deal with Cryptic McTellsYouNothing for a long period of time, I'd probably be a dick too.
So anyway, Valerius kicks everyone out, and Nysander, Thero and Alec share some chilled apple wine. Eventually Valerius comes out to share. He's taken care of the last of the physical poison. (Thero asks if it was acotair, and indeed Thero is correct. It was used to weaken him so the magic could work quicker or from a distance.)
Alec does learn something interesting from this though: Seregil is particularly resistant to magic. Or as Valerius puts it, he "fouls it up". (Alec notices Thero's smirk and thinks he likes him less all the time.) Anyway, Nysander thinks it's that trait that kept Seregil alive long enough to get to Rhiminee.
Valerius departs and this very busy chapter ends here.