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The Talon House

Chapter 43


TalonRider

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It looks like we learn a few things with some of the unanswered questions from past chapters in this chapter.

We learn the meaning behind the 7 and 81. For the time spent, that's a low number to be saved. We also learn how the Kalorians came to be in Taldor Valoran. I have to admit, I hadn't considered what the greatest treasure was and that surprised me.

I believe the gray coats with the red strips that the Vosh leaders wear, could be considered a symbol of honor to those prisoner who gave their lives willingly to protect others.

It's also looking like what I've said in the past about the glowing rod is coming true, that it's the com device Jamie used and activated the Barrier.

We've been given a clue at to the possible fate if The Terrible Trio, at least one of them.

And we now know the Enrick won't be making the trip to Argon. Justice has been served upon him and at the hands of Jamie no less. Now we just have Loka to take care of and I'm guessing that will happen at Castle Rood.

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Interesting chapter. Much to consider.

The death of the Trio didn't come as a surprise. It was the where and the how that was unknown.

Will likely have more to say after the second slower reading.

Take care

TomasG

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Interesting chapter. Much to consider.

The death of the Trio didn't come as a surprise. It was the where and the how that was unknown.

We really know of only one of the trio, though that the rest might have suffered the same fate wouldn't surprise me. That the trio decided to fight along side of the Ghadar wasn't that much of a surprise seeing as how much the three admired them.

I was a bit surprised that Hippolito left Jamie with the Emperor and didn't wait to take custody of him once he was finished with him. We knew that Renaud hated the Emperor, though the method of Renaud's execution of the Emperor was to say the least, unique. I think it gave him a kind of back handed revenge that he allowed and armed the Emperor's assassin himself.

So finally Loka gets it! I thought he was brighter than he turned out to be. That he missed the connection between Jamie de Valèn and Niklas Agromos seems to me to be the classic error of not paying attention to history. It is, however, not an uncommon mistake.

Both Hippolito and Loka are about to make another fatal error in judgement. They've planned to have Jamie and Niklas in the same arena when they are to be executed. Not only that but Loka has made the most careless error possible, he's ordered that Hippolito leave Jamie's execution to the last. Not a good move considering Jamie's amazing powers. Even if Loka's scans didn't make him aware of Jamie's powers surely what he pulled off at Angel Falls should have alerted him that there was something different and our of the ordinary going on.

That said, how often do those in power simply take their power for granted? They assume that it will always be there. There is something about having the amount of power and influence Loka had that fans the belief of invincibility. No one, no superhero, no divine being is invulnerable to defeat. Even in the Bible where God is considered omnipotent, Satan manages to stage a rebellion which it seems was almost successful since he took quite a number of the heavenly host with him when he was eternally damned! Yes, Satan lost, but it does show that the God so many assume invincible isn't really invincible.

Oh! was that blasphemous? Perhaps, but my statement is logical. No, I'm not meaning to mock anyone's faith, I mean only to point out part of what the Bible says happened before even the Earth was created -- there was a rebellion in the heavenly dwelling place of God. Where rebellion can happen, defeat for both sides is possible.

All of Loka's hand wringing will not change what happened while he wasn't looking. All his hand wringing won't change the fact that Croal at this point, even though dead, is in control.

Moving away from the divine and back to the mundane, everything in this world, even perhaps everything in the known universe is built upon something that happened before. We know that it almost for sure will not duplicate what came before, but if it happens a second time there must be a compelling reason for it to happen again. This is why I have been pointing out examples of what may be animal intelligence, animal pair bonds, cross species bonds and the ability to communicate across species (crows have been known to cooperate with wolves in order to have a carcass ripped open so they can scavange and it seems that wolves are more than happy to oblige.)

The more I study music, the more I realise that everything is built upon what someone else did before. You cannot unhear what you have already heard. I just ran into a composition on the Internet, a fugue. Its called "The Nokia Fugue". Its subject is the ring tone from one of the Nokia phones! Yes, its a real fugue, and its playable and I'm going to learn it! Now I've got that ring tone running through my head, forward, and backwards, and upside down, and perhaps even backwards. Evolution itself underlines this principal of change and growth in complexity.

Loka and Hippolito do not understand that principal yet, nor do they understand that neither history nor time stand still, they move inexorably on down an unknown path. Perhaps we are lucky enough to be able to alter it ..... however, Savaron Loka and Hippolito Corcorian will not be one of the few that will alter the future much longer!

cheers,

dioscuri

P.S. One other thing, reading about the Orbs, there are two charms related to time. Te one called time tamer, and the other the ability to produce a cleft in time. The Imperial does not have to possess the Orb to be a time tamer, if his genetics are right, he can do it naturally without any enhancements. At this point I'm sure that Jamie's ability as a time tamer are bacuase of his genetic make up and not the result of an Orb. I wonder if this also is true of the charm of the time cleft.

d.

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Snip... It's also looking like what I've said in the past about the glowing rod is coming true, that it's the com device Jamie used and activated the Barrier.

... Snip

It does appear that the device is one and the same (I'm still not convinced), but if it is then there is an inconsistency in the description:

From Book 1, Interlude 1, Silver

The strange piece of metal had been in the library for as long as he could remember. It belonged to his father, and his grandfather before him. In fact, as far as he knew, it had been in the possession of the Aldorian clan for hundreds of years. About a foot in length and an inch square on all four of its sides, it had delicate and highly detailed carvings etched across every surface. The patterns were not figures or even designs Lan recognized, but were instead strange swirling loops, bits of curves and an occasional half circle. On one end of the bar a large hole had been drilled into it. The hole had been tapped to form threads as if something were meant to be screwed into it so that it could be affixed to some larger object.

From Book 2, Chapter 38

Unfastening a latch in the center of the chest, Jamie slowly lifted the lid. Inside was a jumble of personal effects, but nestled among them was a thin cylindrical piece of metal. Although small, its weight was surprising for its size, for packed inside was an array of the finest and most advanced technology the Altinestran Empire had to offer.

We really know of only one of the trio, though that the rest might have suffered the same fate wouldn't surprise me. That the trio decided to fight along side of the Ghadar wasn't that much of a surprise seeing as how much the three admired them.

...Snip

In rereading the chapter, it occurred to me that we have only circumstantial evidence that any of the Trio was killed in the battle at the falls. The ballet slipper was not on the foot of what appeared to be "a charred and mangled leg". It might well have come off during the battle because it was torn so badly that it couldn't stay on and has no relation to the leg. It may be that the Trio was captured along with the rest of the Gahdar. They were dressed like the Gahdar. So IMHO the fate of the Trio still has not been resolved. Remember Jamie.wri's skill at misdirection.

Jaime.char said:

“You’ll need this. It'll activate the force field that will protect the valley. It’s keyed to the generator in the caverns of the Canon of the Angels, and the global satellite system. When it’s activated, the force field it generates will mass over top of the valley and settle over the mountain peaks. It will create a dome of energy. It’s the same kind of force field the Empire planned to use at the Canon of the Angels to keep us isolated there. No one will be able to enter, but also no one will be able to get out. It’s keyed to operate for one hundred years. You don’t have to know any more than that, and I’ve run out of time to explain. The Kalorian leadership was briefed. Make sure one of the members of the Kalorian League gets it. I was going to give it to the last one through, but I can’t be sure how long we can continue… how long I can continue. I’m starting to get tired.

According to the above, the force field (or Barrier) was a dome created to cover and protect "Taldor Valoren" and the Kalorians in the valley.

Perhaps the only way across the mountains by foot or horseback was by passes into and out of "Taldor Valoren", but then if, as Jamie said, that "No one will be able to enter, but also no one will be able to get out" how were the traders and Seth able to get out of and back into the valley.He did say that the the dome would settle over the "mountain peaks". Maybe it doesn't go all the way to the valley floor. Also if the Barrier was activated immediately after the last person went through the gate and it stretched along the entire mountain range from coast to coast, how did the Empire get the Gahdar and Jamie to Rood? Maybe the com device is a dual purpose device. 1) To be used to deactivate the Barrier, 2) Maybe it is also to used to open some kind of portal into Altinestra. Remember "On one end of the bar a large hole had been drilled into it. The hole had been tapped to form threads as if something were meant to be screwed into it so that it could be affixed to some larger object." like screwing it on to a protrusion converting it into a lever.

I always thought that Renaud would assassinate the emperor since he was able to get so close to him. In a way he did by using Jamie as his weapon. That was really a great way to accomplish the task. Wonder how Loka gets his. :)

That's it for now.

Take care

TomasG

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I know I'm about to give something way here, but to make the quote from Book 1 above consistent with Book 2, it's been changed so that both sections match. This is just one of may little changes.

As I stated, we have a hint at what may have happened to one of the trio. Given Jamies condition at the time, we know he saw a slipper close to a detached leg which may or may not have belonged to a dancer. At this time we still don't know their fate, but I don't hold any hope for them.

I'm thinking we'll find out what happened at Castle Rood.

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Well, I did say something obviously went wrong. Which was not quite correct. In retrospect of course, Jamie's plan to 'save' the Kalorians was unworkable, he hadn't thought it through at all, not that he had much time to in fairness, however, through the courage and intelligence of the Kalorians it worked flawlessly from their point of view.

Some are concerned that if the barrier made Taldor Valoren impregnable in either direction how did the modern day people move in and out. Well, it was set for 100 years after which it cancelled automatically. Modern times is 2,300 years later and far more than a hundred years had passed before the valley was used as a repository for plague victims and resealed, this time physically.

Again we don't know the fate of Trio Chrysalis, one ballet shoe proves nothing.

I also thought Renaud would have personally killed the Emperor, especially as Jamie was barely functioning at that time, but there we are, a perfectly acceptable outcome.

Also it is a little strange Loka and his henchmen were basically waiting for Jamie, yet did not appear to know the Emperor was dead, or at least dying. Maybe we will find more about that later.

All in all, we had a lot confirmed, the rod, the Aldorian clan, the 7 and 81, etc. And we can now assume the source of the Altinestran barrier.

The only criticisms I have is that all the Gahdar apparently survived unharmed, but perhaps it is only an assumption there were only one hundred pairs, I would have to re-read the entire second part to be sure. If the battle had been fought hand to hand then I could accept that they all survived, given their phenomenal abilities, but, since it was fought with energy weapons, guns, grenades and God knows what else plus the enemy having control of the skies it is quite honestly ridiculous that they should all have made it through unscathed.

There are a few bits in this chapter that feel a little contrived to me, but perhaps future events will cast more light on events.

Let's hope the next instalment is not too far away.

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Just speculating here, but Loka could have had plans of his own in taking over and was using what had been going on as smoke screen to raid the castle to round up the Kalorian staff, and also kill the Emperor himself. Thus putting himself in charge.

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