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i_read_whatSo last time, the "castle of deception" lived up to its name as we got a peek into a conspiracy. We also learned that teenaged Kevin's very adolescent feelings of persecution actually do have a basis because the villains are legitimately fucking with him.
So we're back with Kevin, who just got woken up via a damp towel to the face. The squires have apparently taken to their "fuck with the new kid" instructions with enthusiasm.
That said, Kevin does kind of bring it on himself:
Fuming, Kevin got to his feet and found the garderobe facilities, grateful that at least the count didn’t insist his underlings use lowly chamber pots. Going to the communal washing trough, he discovered the squires hadn’t left him more than a few inches of water, barely enough to splash on his face. Grumbling, he dressed, pulling his clothes from the chest at the foot of his bed, and sat down to a solitary breakfast at least they’d left him something to eat of a roll and some scraps of cheese, washed down with a lukewarm goblet of khafe.
What is "lowly" about chamberpots? Your weird snobbery doesn't even make sense, kid!
I also love the gratuitous fantasy world names for "coffee".
Also no one actually ever bothered to give Kevin directions to the library, so he wanders around a bit, hoping he doesn't get in trouble, before he can find a page to point out the way.
The Count clearly told us the truth last chapter when he implied he wasn't the scholar his dad is, because, per Kevin, the library is gloomy, dusty, the book titles aren't even visible, and there's no librarian anywhere.
Which means Kevin has to FIND the book, even before he can start transcribing it. And it does, admittedly, sound like a shit ton of work.
By mid-afternoon, Kevin was dusty, weary of climbing up and down the rickety library ladder and sick to death of the whole room. Ha, by now he probably knew more about the contents of the count’s library than anyone, including the count! And what a weird collection it was, without any logic to it! Why in the world would anyone want to keep not one but three copies of The Agricultural Summaries of Kendall County for the First Twenty Years of King Sendak’s Reign? And what was a treatise on politics doing tucked in between two volumes of rather bad love poetry?
Kevin wonders how his teacher can even know the book is here, but then attributes it to Bardic Magic.
One thing I like about this is that Kevin is encountering clear obstacles to his tasks but none of them are major enough that I'm like "WHY ARE YOU NOT TELLING YOUR MENTOR?!" As a reader who paid attention to the interlude, I know that there's shit going on that Master Aidan probably should be aware of, but it makes complete sense that Kevin isn't ready to throw in the towel. These are little inconveniences, not big ones.
He does apparently take a break long enough to "snag lunch from a startled page" which really sounds like he just stole some kid's food, and then gets back to work. We get some more examples of boring yet probably useful sounding books before something bites Kevin!
Actually, it's just a weird tingling in his fingertips. But he finds the book!
That said, there is something weird about it. Initially, he'd thought the book was in the "common tongue", but...
Yet when Kevin took a second look, he saw, without any doubt about it, that some of the letters were actually, slowly and gracefully, changing before his eyes, altering from the human script into elaborate, beautiful, alien figures.
Elvish, he realized with a shock, recognizing the script from some of his Master’s music books.
And unfortunately, Kevin can only read a little bit of elvish, so he's going to have to copy word by word, symbol by symbol, which would mean that it's going to take even longer. Ugh.
That said though, Kevin isn't completely immune to the experience. Even if he doesn't know what he's copying, the fact that he got to watch the letters transform is proof that this is actually something pretty cool. And the whole tingly-fingers thing might be proof that his Bardic Magic is starting to wake up.
But before he can play around with it, he has a job to finish. And he ends up getting so into it that he doesn't even notice when it gets dark, until his head starts to ache and he can't see the pages as well. Aw.
Kevin also feels an instinctive urge to hide the manuscript behind a shelf of books. He's smart enough to listen to it. And then, when he's back in the quarters, he tries one of his magic songs. Nothing happens, but there's a feeling in his fingers that he's never felt before. Kevin takes that as encouragement that he does have the gift after all.
Aw, I'm happy for this little twerp. He's had a rough few days. And he's so enthusiastic about his progress that he doesn't even notice that he's being snubbed by the squires again. Yay!
Unfortunately, the next day has a snag, when he goes to get the manuscript and it's gone. He starts frantically searching until he hears a cough behind him and...
Kevin was on his knees, facing denuded shelves and surrounded by piles of books when a gentle cough made him start. He whirled so sharply he lost his balance, sitting down hard on some of the books, and stared up at…
At one of the loveliest girls he’d ever seen. Her long plaits of hair were such a beautiful gold, her eyes were the clearest blue, the same shade as her silky gown, while her face and figure were… were…
Ah, enter "Charina". Given how Kevin reacts to her, it's probably a good thing Carlotta toned down the disguise. The original version might have actually killed him.
Kevin immediately turns into a babbling idiot. But "Charina" is apparently very interested in making friends with a bard in training. They converse a bit before she encourages him to go back to his work. Kevin has to explain that he can't find the manuscript and she promises to help him look.
And thus, Kevin gets to spend the day with a pretty girl as they look fruitlessly for a manuscript that won't be found. I don't really remember this part, but I've read a shit ton of fantasy in my day, so I'm going to guess that, given the way the book reacted to Kevin himself, it's probably camouflaged itself as a reaction to Charina/Carlotta.
Charina thinks that Kevin needs a day away from the library and invites him on a riding trip the next day instead. Kevin's a good kid so he does feel some reluctance about ditching his assigned task, but he's also a straight teenaged boy, so he ends up agreeing without much prodding.
It's a nice trip too. Charina's got a cute white palfrey. Kevin's actually on a horse this time! And we appreciate why he had a mule before because he's barely able to keep his seat. But he enjoys it anyway.
They have a picnic, and Charina invites him to see the market day tomorrow. Kevin again tries to be dutiful, but Charina is insistent, as she never sees people her own age. And when Kevin brings up the squires, she immediately wins him over through being an arrogant snot:
To his delight, she dismissed them all with a contemptuous wave of the hand. “Mere boys. Servants no better than their masters. While you are almost a Bard. You are going to be somebody. You are somebody! Besides,” she added shyly, “I like you.”
Another day away from the library can’t hurt, either, Kevin told himself.
Heh. And well, the days stretch into weeks. Okay, Kevin, NOW you're officially slacking. They ride places. He plays his lute for her. He starts feeling his "Bardic Magic" tingle, and yeah, that's probably a euphemism.
But then, he has a dream, where his reproachful master asks about the manuscript and warns him that his life depends on translating it.
And when he wakes up, he realizes that someone has ransacked his belongings. Carlotta might be getting impatient. Kevin's just happy to see that while his lute case was opened, his lute is unharmed. And more importantly, the secret pocket in his saddlebags where he's kept the partial copy of the manuscript is undisturbed. (He's careful about not making it obvious either.)
The squires all mock him, of course. Kevin is upset and convinces himself that his time with Charina is proof that he's above them. But he isn't really able to convince himself of that.
But it does remind him that he has a task to do. He goes to the library, when Charina interrupts him. She wants to take him on a picnic. He tries to graciously turn her down, but...
Charina stared at him as though he’d just told her something obscene. “You’d turn me down?” she gasped.
“Please, I didn’t mean ”
“You would! No, no, don’t try to argue. I quite understand. You’re bored with me.”
“No!”
“Yes, you are.” She tossed her head. “If you don’t want to come with me, you don’t have to. I can do very well without you, you you boy"
With that, Charina flounced angrily away, leaving Kevin standing lost and unhappy behind her.
The downsides of dating royalty.
--
The next interlude is quick enough that I'll just summarize it here:
Carlotta is getting bored with playing Charina. Understandably. A grown woman with ambitions generally has better things to do then play at teenaged romance. We learn that while she's been distracting Kevin, both have been searching the library for the manuscript.
Carlotta's clever enough to realize the manuscript is magically cloaked. Though she doesn't believe Kevin is behind it. She notes that he does have the rudiments of Bardic Magic, and it's inconvenient that it's waking up right now, but she believes his reactions are genuine. He's a clueless teenager.
Volmar pretty obviously wants to get rid of Kevin anyway, but Carlotta dismisses him as no threat. The vibe here is a little odd, but I don't really get the sense of jealousy on Volmar's part or any real fixation on Kevin from Carlotta's. It's more that Volmar doesn't like loose ends, while Carlotta doesn't really see the point of wasting energy on killing a kid who doesn't really matter.
We also find out what happened to the real Charina: she'd been up on the ramparts, without a guard. And Volmar basically just pushed her off. Ouch. Poor kid. It's kind of funny that Vollmar went so far to make it look like an accident when they're just having Carlotta take her place anyway, but he's that kind of guy I guess.
The interlude ends though with Carlotta getting an idea. She doesn't specifically say what it is, but she notes that Kevin has a "head full of wild romance" and she'd told him that she was riding off alone.
She plans on riding off alone again tomorrow. But more than that...she doesn't tell the count or us. I guess we'll have to see.
So we're back with Kevin, who just got woken up via a damp towel to the face. The squires have apparently taken to their "fuck with the new kid" instructions with enthusiasm.
That said, Kevin does kind of bring it on himself:
Fuming, Kevin got to his feet and found the garderobe facilities, grateful that at least the count didn’t insist his underlings use lowly chamber pots. Going to the communal washing trough, he discovered the squires hadn’t left him more than a few inches of water, barely enough to splash on his face. Grumbling, he dressed, pulling his clothes from the chest at the foot of his bed, and sat down to a solitary breakfast at least they’d left him something to eat of a roll and some scraps of cheese, washed down with a lukewarm goblet of khafe.
What is "lowly" about chamberpots? Your weird snobbery doesn't even make sense, kid!
I also love the gratuitous fantasy world names for "coffee".
Also no one actually ever bothered to give Kevin directions to the library, so he wanders around a bit, hoping he doesn't get in trouble, before he can find a page to point out the way.
The Count clearly told us the truth last chapter when he implied he wasn't the scholar his dad is, because, per Kevin, the library is gloomy, dusty, the book titles aren't even visible, and there's no librarian anywhere.
Which means Kevin has to FIND the book, even before he can start transcribing it. And it does, admittedly, sound like a shit ton of work.
By mid-afternoon, Kevin was dusty, weary of climbing up and down the rickety library ladder and sick to death of the whole room. Ha, by now he probably knew more about the contents of the count’s library than anyone, including the count! And what a weird collection it was, without any logic to it! Why in the world would anyone want to keep not one but three copies of The Agricultural Summaries of Kendall County for the First Twenty Years of King Sendak’s Reign? And what was a treatise on politics doing tucked in between two volumes of rather bad love poetry?
Kevin wonders how his teacher can even know the book is here, but then attributes it to Bardic Magic.
One thing I like about this is that Kevin is encountering clear obstacles to his tasks but none of them are major enough that I'm like "WHY ARE YOU NOT TELLING YOUR MENTOR?!" As a reader who paid attention to the interlude, I know that there's shit going on that Master Aidan probably should be aware of, but it makes complete sense that Kevin isn't ready to throw in the towel. These are little inconveniences, not big ones.
He does apparently take a break long enough to "snag lunch from a startled page" which really sounds like he just stole some kid's food, and then gets back to work. We get some more examples of boring yet probably useful sounding books before something bites Kevin!
Actually, it's just a weird tingling in his fingertips. But he finds the book!
That said, there is something weird about it. Initially, he'd thought the book was in the "common tongue", but...
Yet when Kevin took a second look, he saw, without any doubt about it, that some of the letters were actually, slowly and gracefully, changing before his eyes, altering from the human script into elaborate, beautiful, alien figures.
Elvish, he realized with a shock, recognizing the script from some of his Master’s music books.
And unfortunately, Kevin can only read a little bit of elvish, so he's going to have to copy word by word, symbol by symbol, which would mean that it's going to take even longer. Ugh.
That said though, Kevin isn't completely immune to the experience. Even if he doesn't know what he's copying, the fact that he got to watch the letters transform is proof that this is actually something pretty cool. And the whole tingly-fingers thing might be proof that his Bardic Magic is starting to wake up.
But before he can play around with it, he has a job to finish. And he ends up getting so into it that he doesn't even notice when it gets dark, until his head starts to ache and he can't see the pages as well. Aw.
Kevin also feels an instinctive urge to hide the manuscript behind a shelf of books. He's smart enough to listen to it. And then, when he's back in the quarters, he tries one of his magic songs. Nothing happens, but there's a feeling in his fingers that he's never felt before. Kevin takes that as encouragement that he does have the gift after all.
Aw, I'm happy for this little twerp. He's had a rough few days. And he's so enthusiastic about his progress that he doesn't even notice that he's being snubbed by the squires again. Yay!
Unfortunately, the next day has a snag, when he goes to get the manuscript and it's gone. He starts frantically searching until he hears a cough behind him and...
Kevin was on his knees, facing denuded shelves and surrounded by piles of books when a gentle cough made him start. He whirled so sharply he lost his balance, sitting down hard on some of the books, and stared up at…
At one of the loveliest girls he’d ever seen. Her long plaits of hair were such a beautiful gold, her eyes were the clearest blue, the same shade as her silky gown, while her face and figure were… were…
Ah, enter "Charina". Given how Kevin reacts to her, it's probably a good thing Carlotta toned down the disguise. The original version might have actually killed him.
Kevin immediately turns into a babbling idiot. But "Charina" is apparently very interested in making friends with a bard in training. They converse a bit before she encourages him to go back to his work. Kevin has to explain that he can't find the manuscript and she promises to help him look.
And thus, Kevin gets to spend the day with a pretty girl as they look fruitlessly for a manuscript that won't be found. I don't really remember this part, but I've read a shit ton of fantasy in my day, so I'm going to guess that, given the way the book reacted to Kevin himself, it's probably camouflaged itself as a reaction to Charina/Carlotta.
Charina thinks that Kevin needs a day away from the library and invites him on a riding trip the next day instead. Kevin's a good kid so he does feel some reluctance about ditching his assigned task, but he's also a straight teenaged boy, so he ends up agreeing without much prodding.
It's a nice trip too. Charina's got a cute white palfrey. Kevin's actually on a horse this time! And we appreciate why he had a mule before because he's barely able to keep his seat. But he enjoys it anyway.
They have a picnic, and Charina invites him to see the market day tomorrow. Kevin again tries to be dutiful, but Charina is insistent, as she never sees people her own age. And when Kevin brings up the squires, she immediately wins him over through being an arrogant snot:
To his delight, she dismissed them all with a contemptuous wave of the hand. “Mere boys. Servants no better than their masters. While you are almost a Bard. You are going to be somebody. You are somebody! Besides,” she added shyly, “I like you.”
Another day away from the library can’t hurt, either, Kevin told himself.
Heh. And well, the days stretch into weeks. Okay, Kevin, NOW you're officially slacking. They ride places. He plays his lute for her. He starts feeling his "Bardic Magic" tingle, and yeah, that's probably a euphemism.
But then, he has a dream, where his reproachful master asks about the manuscript and warns him that his life depends on translating it.
And when he wakes up, he realizes that someone has ransacked his belongings. Carlotta might be getting impatient. Kevin's just happy to see that while his lute case was opened, his lute is unharmed. And more importantly, the secret pocket in his saddlebags where he's kept the partial copy of the manuscript is undisturbed. (He's careful about not making it obvious either.)
The squires all mock him, of course. Kevin is upset and convinces himself that his time with Charina is proof that he's above them. But he isn't really able to convince himself of that.
But it does remind him that he has a task to do. He goes to the library, when Charina interrupts him. She wants to take him on a picnic. He tries to graciously turn her down, but...
Charina stared at him as though he’d just told her something obscene. “You’d turn me down?” she gasped.
“Please, I didn’t mean ”
“You would! No, no, don’t try to argue. I quite understand. You’re bored with me.”
“No!”
“Yes, you are.” She tossed her head. “If you don’t want to come with me, you don’t have to. I can do very well without you, you you boy"
With that, Charina flounced angrily away, leaving Kevin standing lost and unhappy behind her.
The downsides of dating royalty.
--
The next interlude is quick enough that I'll just summarize it here:
Carlotta is getting bored with playing Charina. Understandably. A grown woman with ambitions generally has better things to do then play at teenaged romance. We learn that while she's been distracting Kevin, both have been searching the library for the manuscript.
Carlotta's clever enough to realize the manuscript is magically cloaked. Though she doesn't believe Kevin is behind it. She notes that he does have the rudiments of Bardic Magic, and it's inconvenient that it's waking up right now, but she believes his reactions are genuine. He's a clueless teenager.
Volmar pretty obviously wants to get rid of Kevin anyway, but Carlotta dismisses him as no threat. The vibe here is a little odd, but I don't really get the sense of jealousy on Volmar's part or any real fixation on Kevin from Carlotta's. It's more that Volmar doesn't like loose ends, while Carlotta doesn't really see the point of wasting energy on killing a kid who doesn't really matter.
We also find out what happened to the real Charina: she'd been up on the ramparts, without a guard. And Volmar basically just pushed her off. Ouch. Poor kid. It's kind of funny that Vollmar went so far to make it look like an accident when they're just having Carlotta take her place anyway, but he's that kind of guy I guess.
The interlude ends though with Carlotta getting an idea. She doesn't specifically say what it is, but she notes that Kevin has a "head full of wild romance" and she'd told him that she was riding off alone.
She plans on riding off alone again tomorrow. But more than that...she doesn't tell the count or us. I guess we'll have to see.
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Date: 2026-04-26 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-26 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-04-26 05:10 pm (UTC)There's also a sequel trilogy, but I didn't enjoy it as much.