The Crystal Shard - Book Three - Chapter Twenty-Seven

[kalinara]

So I normally don't share the individual chapter titles, but this one is great so I will: "The Clock of Doom". I know this won't involve a literal clock of doom, but a bot can dream.



So we're back to Bryn Shandar. We're told Bremen just got torched (but fortunately, the people managed to get away and are now on the lake). Cassius and Regis are watching from the wall. Cassius thinks Kessell made a mistake by backing so many people into a corner, he's made them desperate for victory.

Regis is more pessimistic, noting that Kessell still has all the advantage. Except a working brain, Regis. But Cassius perks up his spirit with a speech:

'Perhaps,' Cassius conceded. 'The wizard believes that he is invincible, that much is certain. And that is his mistake, my friend. The meekest of animals will fight bravely when it is backed against a wall, for it has nothing left to lose. A poor man is more deadly than a rich man because he puts less value on his own life. And a man stranded homeless on the frozen steppes with the first winds of winter already beginning to blow is a formidable enemy indeed!"

It's a good speech, but they still have to figure out a way to neutralize the shard. But still, imagine how much more fun this would be if the villain had a brain.

We skip over to Bruenor for a bit: he's apparently talking to his clan about the feasibility of opening a tunnel to take another shot at Kessell. Since they're below the earth, they don't really know what's going on outside, or if the Ten Towns are still standing.

Bruenor actually proposed another battle, mostly because he feels powerless that his non-dwarf friends are in danger. Aw. So anyway the dwarves get to work, listening and figuring out exactly where the monsters are sleeping, and starting to dig upward.

Back to Cassius, he's having his own council. They're discussing Kessell's command for immediate surrender as opposed to standing his ground with a siege that would only weaken them. They start theorizing that maybe his control of his army might be weaker. Or that he just figures he's that much stronger and is impatient. Cassius figures they might as well go with the first option since the second would be pretty hopeless. Fair enough.

In a mastery of understatement, Cassius notes that he '[does] not perceive the wizard as an exceptional strategist'. And he gives the men a variation of the speech he gave Regis. But with more: he actually has a plan. Kessell demanded an emissary, and they have among them someone with "Almost legendary reputation for his considerable abilities of persuasion". Regis.

Hah, I love Regis, but I also love that his penchant for mind control with the ruby has turned around to bite him in the ass. Regis doesn't really have an opportunity to say no. Though he and Cassius have a nice chat afterward, where Cassius re-enforces his faith in Regis. He seems to genuinely believe Regis can do this. He's remembering his own times being influenced, without hard feelings, and figures if Regis can do that to someone like Kemp, then he should be easily able to deal with Akar Kessell. Which. Fair.

Cassius does say that he wishes there was another way, and his "helpless empathy" touches Regis. Aw. Regis explains how the ruby works, without specifically attributing it to the jewel as he's a clever sort: Basically he can't "pervert what's in a person's heart" so much as make them "view [their] surroundings from a different perspective". In the case of Kemp, for example, he can't make him make peace with Termalaine, but he can convince him that doing X will advance his own goals.

Basically it's a Jedi mind trick, which has interesting implications for Regis's sales down south. It does imply his work is genuinely good (especially if non-influenced people buy it.)

So anyway, Regis needs to know was Cassius knows about Kessell, so he can figure out what doubts he can exploit. (His eloquence while explaining this apparently stuns Cassius. Go Regis!). He fills Regis in on where their own forces are, but doesn't seem to have time to talk about Kessell's army before Kessell demands Regis. Regis says he's prepared. Regis is pretty badass here.

He does ask Cassius what to do if he can't influence Kessell, and Cassius tells him that he is under orders to surrender the city. He goes out to meet Kessell, who is a little taken aback that a halfling comes out to meet him instead of Cassius.

And really, given how Kessell has been characterized so far, I'm surprised he isn't offended. But fortunately, his ego is such that he's more focused on Regis's message of surrender. Especially since Regis wants to lay down terms, and Kessell demanded it be unconditional. But Regis snares him with the lure of information that Kessell "should be aware of before all is decided". And the ruby helps. He transports himself and Regis away.

Now we shift to Drizzt, who is waking up, Guenhwyvar hovering over him. They're both pretty haggard. The enchanted scimitar took a lot of Drizzt's strength, and Guen has been out half a day, defending him. She needs to go home to her plane soon. But Drizzt can't afford to send her back yet. He needs her eyes.

Sadly, the chapter ends here. But the next one looks like it will start with Regis and Kessell, and that should be very interesting.