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antishurtugal_reborn2025-04-28 06:24 am
Murtagh Group Spork: Part II, Chapter 13: Confrontation with a Cat
A good day, everyone, and welcome back to the Murtagh group spork with “Confrontation with a Cat”! We’ve last left off with Murtagh going back to Carabel after Silna escaped him.
It’s still “early dawn” now, and the only sound comes from the soldiers and the watch. Murtagh thinks that directly going to the fortress would be “suicidal”, so he goes via “alleys and side streets”. The “folks” he meets (that word fits the Fractalverse works much better) look at him suspiciously, but not overly so. The whole of Gil’ead is riled up, with people closing shutters and members of the guard “along the main thoroughfares”.
Murtagh worries about Silna. She may have been “[d]ifficult and standoffish”, but he hopes the guards don’t catch her. She’s “so small and young”, after all. He thinks he should have watched her better. I don’t really like that he brings up both how difficult she was (as if that somehow means she might “deserve” this) and that she’s a Child. It does make me wonder if he’d have done the same if Carabel needed rescuing…
Well, he easily finds the house that Bertolf brought him to, and wonders if Carabel owns it, since it’s dangerous not to. Without trouble, he finds the secret tunnel and opens it. He isn’t eager to go in, but at least he knows where this one leads and it’s shorter than the maze he’s spent the night in. That reminds him of his lack of sleep and he yawns. It might be nice if we saw this lack of sleep leading him to make bad decisions, but he’ll be perfectly fine on that front (outside of Paolini forcing him into the mould of the plot). He goes in, the door shuts behind him, and he complains a bit about this as he goes forward.
--
Murtagh exits at the other end and casts about with his mind, finding only a “rather frightened mouse” in the wall. He goes out and follows the path that Bertolf showed him. He says he’s lucky he’s so early; the servants will be awake, but he’s far from the places they’d be. Nevertheless, he’s happy to reach Carabel’s study without any trouble, where he walks in without knocking.
--
He finds Carabel in cat shape, “tassel-eared, with a large mane around her neck and down her spine, and beautiful white fur that [shines] like satin”. She’s about “three times larger than a normal cat”, and she’s gut “lean muscles rippl[ing] beneath her hide”. Right now, she’s purring and grooming Silna! Murtagh’s relieved to see this.
Carabel then tries to communicate telepathically with him, against which Murtagh armours his mind and tells her they’ll “talk with words or not at all”. Um, your issue is that she’s trying to contact you mentally, not that she doesn’t talk out loud, so maybe you should adjust your phrasing? I do like that we see Murtagh be actually affected by his experiences (though this should have come up before now). Carabel flattens her ears and shifts back to human form, only she’s (gasp) naked. Murtagh doesn’t care and just stares at her as she dresses and complains about how “inconvenient” this is.
Silna wants attention, which Carabel gives to her, and Murtagh thinks he sees “a smile upon her tiny lips”. I do hope that that’s just his imagination… Murtagh notes they’re “very familiar”, and Carabel says that Silna is her youngest daughter. Murtagh asks why she didn’t tell him, and she explains that if he knew, their enemies could have known and they might have used Silna to blackmail her. Then we get this:
She cocked her head. “You of all people ought to understand the danger of one’s name, Murtagh son of Morzan.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“It is who you are, human.”
Murtagh fought to control his temper.
So Carabel is being quite rude (I don’t care who he “is”; if he doesn’t want to be called that, then you don’t call him that) and Murtagh… isn’t allowed to do anything about it. I suppose it’s to make him look better for not losing his temper, but this is a place where it would be perfectly justified, and I don’t like that he just lets it happen. I also think that that’s because Carabel, like Saphira, isn’t really allowed to be wrong, presumably because she’s a werecat.
Well, Murtagh wants to know if the people who took Silna took her by accident, which they did. He then asks if Silna’s said why they “kittennap[ped]” her and the others (yes, thank you for that pun). It turns out that she only knows that Arven and Wren were involved, and they “spoke of sending her somewhere farther south”… which could be about anywhere, given that Gil’ead lies in the north.
Murtagh tries to puzzle it out and says Relgin must be informed… if he isn’t involved in the plot, too. Carabel doesn’t know, and then asks after the other abducted werecats. Murtagh, of course, didn’t see anything of them (which makes Carabel sad), and then asks if Silna knows. If that were the case, I don’t think Carabel would have asked you, Murtagh. Carabel puts a “protective arm” around Silna, which gives Murtagh “a pang”. She says that Silna, of course, didn’t see anything of them, and asks Murtagh to give her an account of how he rescued her, in detail.
After Murtagh reminds her of her answers and she says she’ll give them, he goes into his story, explaining how he got Glaedr’s scale, and how he then managed to find Muckmaw’s “feeding ground” and how he “fought and killed” him. The tale’s already growing in the telling, I see; there was no mention of that spot being Muckmaw’s “feeding ground”, only that he could be found there, and this makes it sound like Murtagh began the fight with Muckmaw.
Carabel listens closely, and when Murtagh reaches Muckmaw’s death, she hisses (or rather “goes “sss””) and says “Good. Let the rats eat his tail and may his bones crumble to dust”. After all, he can’t escape pettiness even in death. She says he ate “many a werecat over the years” and it’s good he’s dead.
Um… how did he eat “many a werecat”? I don’t doubt that he would have done so, if he had the chance, but wouldn’t the werecats have heard about him within a few years and known to be very cautious? What were they actually doing by Isenstar, come to think of it? Fishing, maybe, but would that be worth the risk of dying? Also, if Muckmaw did do this, he must have been able to deal with shapeshifters, which does heighten my estimation of him.
Murtagh says that she got him to kill Muckmaw for her, and Carabel asks if he could have entered the guard otherwise. Murtagh says no, and Carabel says smugly that there “was a rightness to this” and tells him to go on. I hardly think there’s much “rightness” in manipulating Murtagh for no good reason and in having Muckmaw killed for what looks like revenger. This time, Murtagh’s allowed a tightening of his jaw.
He explains further how he got into Wren’s company and how he got into the catacombs. Carabel digs her fingers into the desk and hisses, then asks what he saw once he got there. Murtagh says Silna could surely tell her, to which she says that Murtagh’s eyes “see differently than hers”. Murtagh grunts at that, though I do find this reasonable, for once.
So he describes the secret chambers he found, and mentions the obvious Ra’zac egg, at which Carabel stiffens and her hair fluffs out. Murtagh asks what’s the matter, and she says this: “An ancient wrongness that will need to be dealt with. […] Rest assured, human, I will see to it that the problem is taken care of.”
Yes, it is an egg that’s not near hatching, as far as we know, so it’s not on the same level as Eragon burning a Ra’zac egg… but it’s still not good. After all, as we’ll soon be reminded, Galbatorix has left Ra’zac eggs in Alagaësia, and those are supposed to be the only Ra’zac in existence. Destroying one of the eggs directly diminishes the chance of the Ra’zac coming back. Combined with her calling them an “ancient wrongness” (instead of actual living beings), it’s quite clear that she’s alright with their genocide and quite willing to play a part in it. And I do find that evil.
Really, Carabel could be an interesting character, but this quite ruins her for me. Well, Murtagh wants to know what it is, Carabel doesn’t want to because it’s a “separate matter”, and when Murtagh promises to give her a very good secret, she reveals it’s a Ra’zac egg. She “add[s] a trill to the r at the beginning of the name”, which gives Murtagh shivers, because our Intrepid Hero apparently gets the creeps when hearing a rolled r. This is really ridiculous.
Murtagh swears “explosively” and asks how this could happen. Carabel says he should have known that Galbatorix hid the Ra’zac eggs. Murtagh says that Galbatorix never discussed it, but he should have guessed as much, since he was “always devious”. He asks what it’s doing here. Carabel gives a “low half purr, half growl” and says that that’s the question.
So Murtagh says this: ““If I’d known what it was…” He shook his head. He would have melted the egg in a blast of fire fit to rival the flames Thorn produced.” Then he thinks about how they are a “wrongness”, and how they are “nightmares of the night that [feed] off the flesh of people”. After all, how can we know this is our hero if he doesn’t fantasise about contributing to genocide? Still, I hate Carabel considerably more, since Murtagh won’t be doing anything of the sort. (As an aside, I don’t really get how “eats people” is supposed to translate into “wrongness”. I mean, I can see how one would come to it, but I wouldn’t make that connection myself.)
He recaps how he saw the Ra’zac for the first time, which is quite fine (though I note the use of “vulturelike beaks”, because Vultures Are Evil, apparently). He brings himself back to the present, where Carabel says she’d have warned him if she had had word of it. Bertolf breaks in to ask if he wants her, and Carabel waves him away, in a bit that’s clearly there to stretch the suspense. Carabel asks for Murtagh’s secret, so he pulls out Arven’s amulet and puts it on the desk. Silna “hisse[s], arche[s] her back, and bat[s] the amulet onto the floor”. Murtagh picks it up and puts on the farthest corner. Silna spits at the amulet and goes to the hearth to curl up there. That could have been handled better; there’s no need to show the amulet right here, after all.
Carabel thinks she’s already seen this, and says she doesn’t understand, though she does note a “different scent”. Murtagh explains he got it from Arven and shows the original one. Carabel growls, and hearing “such a primal, animalistic sound coming from such a human-looking being” makes his hair stand on end. She says the situation is “worse than [she] feared”. Murtagh sits down and says that he thinks she’d best tell him everything she knows. Carabel agrees.
--
After a scene break for dramatic effect, Murtagh prompts Carabel to start with Bachel. She gives us about the same information we already know, except that the Dreamers have been noticed for “some years now”. The werecats have tried to seek her out, since they’re “curious by nature”, and unanswered question “attract [them] as moths to the flame”. (That should be “moths to a flame”.) Five werecats have gone “into the wilds” to look for Bachel and none have returned. That doesn’t need to have anything to do with Bachel, I note.
Murtagh asks where they went. Carabel deflects and resumes with her story. The Dreamers have “become more common”. When they are captured and interrogated, they commit suicide (just like the Black Hand), but it seems certain that “their influence spreads throughout Alagaësia like roots creeping through the soil”. They’ve dealt with all the races, and they’ve meddled in “many a dark affair”. They don’t know anything of their “goals or causes”, only that they’ve appeared more and more frequently, and “rarely absent blood or death”.
I do have some problems with this. The main one is that, if the Dreamers have appeared as of late, we should still have seen something of them in Inheritance, but we haven’t had a single sign of them, because Paolini hadn’t thought of them yet. He could have solved this by tying them into some loose thread (and he’d have more than enough choice), but he doesn’t, so we’re supposed to believe that the Dreamers went completely unnoticed by everyone, which I find a bit hard to believe.
Tying into that, I can certainly see that they went mostly unnoticed during the war, but under the reign of Nasuada, who’s quite paranoid about magicians… I think she should already have them in her sights by now.
Further, why don’t the werecats know anything about the Dreamers’ “goals or causes”? Sure, they commit suicide when caught, which you might circumvent by knocking them out and drugging them, but shouldn’t the werecats, of all people, have overheard their meetings? This is just all too convenient.
Carabel says that Arven’s amulet proves what she’s saying. As for where Bachel might be found, every few weeks sail north from Ceunon, even in the winter. They’re gone for some weeks at most, and then return “with their crew grim-faced and closemouthed”. The passengers are often hidden, but the werecats have seen “many a notable merchant and many a scion of a titled family” go out. When they come back, they’re allied with the Dreamers or act to help them.
Last year, they spoke with one of the sailors who made the trip. He told them about a village “set against the Spine”, in a volcanic area… and “then he died”. She says that Murtagh should seek there if he wants to find Bachel, and calls him “son of Morzan”, because why not. This is serviceable so far, but quite paint-by-numbers. Murtagh thinks that volcanic areas is exactly what Umaroth warned him about. He’s happy to have this confirmed, but is, of course, disquieted.
He asks if the stone Sarros gave him comes from the same place as Bachel, which Carabel doesn’t know for sure. Murtagh asks what the Dreamers might want with “werecat younglings”, though that assumption isn’t based on much. Carabel gets “[r]ed fire” in her eyes (not sure how that works) and explains that she doesn’t know, and that it might just be Wren or Arven alone. She swears that she won’t rest until she discovers the truth and “either rescue[s] or avenge[s] all of our lost children”. Murtagh says in a “flat tone” that he finds that good, because this is about Children, after all. He thinks that whoever is responsible “deserve[s] the worst possible punishment”. If Arven alone was responsible, “then justice [has] already been delivered”, but he doubts it.
…I genuinely thought that Murtagh had killed Arven from this, but he’s only made him faint, so I hardly thank that’s the “justice” Murtagh’s thinking of. Also, Murtagh, if you really care about the Children, you should do better than hurting the people responsible for this (maybe alert the authorities?).
Murtagh thinks a bit about how bad this is. It’s “alarming enough” if Du Vrangr Gata’s been infiltrated, but if Carabel is right, they’ve already “amassed a dangerous amount of influence”. He wonders how they’ve “escaped notice for so long” (that really doesn’t make sense, now does it?), and what they have over those enlisted, before thinking they need to be stopped. He asks if Carabel has told Nasuada, Eragon or Arya, which she hasn’t. Murtagh asks why not, and Carabel “[gives] him a withering look” and says that “[w]hispers and suspicions” aren’t enough to gain their attention. You’ve got testimonies from multiple people, lots of observations, and physical evidence in the form of the amulets. If anyone’s stupid here, it’s you, Carabel.
She says they need to have a “clear understanding of the threat” first, so someone needs to go and return to the village. Not that that’s guaranteed to give you a clear understanding, I note. Murtagh brings up that the amulet and the kidnapping of the werecats is “proof enough”. Carabel notes again that the Dreamers might not be responsible, but it might be proof, especially if Murtagh were to bring the amulet to Nasuada along with “an accounting of what [they] have learned”.
Murtagh says he can’t (because he’s supposedly a “traitor”). Carabel brings up that Nasuada’s said to have “some special fondness” for him, at which Murtagh gets angry and tells her to watch her words. When she persists, the tells her “not to insult the queen or [him] with such slander”. That gets Carabel to back off. Murtagh, you don’t know if Nasuada’s changed her mind on your relationship; for all you know, she might not mind. Consequently, it’s not your place to take Carabel to task for talking about Nasuada.
Well, Carabel decides to “compose a message for Nasuada” at once (something that would have been wise to do much earlier), though she can’t pretend to know how Nasuada will respond. She finds it best if Murtagh writes “a few words of corroboration”. Murtagh is fine with this. As Carabel gathers some writing instruments, Murtagh gets to brooding.
Wren’s “insubordination”, the possible “undermining of Du Vrangr Gata”, the Dreamers and the Ra’zac egg are all serious matters, and together, “they might represent a credible threat to Nasuada’s crown”. I note that, with the exception of the Ra’zac egg, none of these was ever hinted at before this book, and that none of them are things that Nasuada is supposed to have had much influence over. It really feels like a Diabolus Ex Machina and I don’t like it. It doesn’t help that I’d wish this threat came about through some of Nasuada’s disastrous actions, either.
He considers flying to Ilirea, but that would be a mistake, he finds, because her subjects “[won’t] take kindly to their queen publicly treating with the traitor Murtagh”. They’d probably stage a revolt against Nasuada at learning that Murtagh and Thorn have come back, but who’s keeping track? Then he goes to justify to himself why he should go to the village. Du Vrangr Gata shouldn’t be trusted, and none of the spellcasters are “skilled or strong enough” to deal with the wordless magic he’s encountered. …Then Nasuada could send multiple people, which she should do anyway, because of how large a thing this is.
Well, “few” are capable of dealing with such magic, like Eragon, but he’s “busy protecting the Eldunarí and the dragon eggs” (from what threats, exactly?), and won’t lightly leave them. Arya and “the more accomplished of the elven mages” are capable, but Nasuada will be “reluctant” to ask help from magicians, and even more so a Rider, who are “neither her subject nor human”. Nasuada has been around Arya for quite some time, and also didn’t have any problems with at least two of those “elven mages”, so I’m quite certain she wouldn’t be racist about them; if she doesn’t trust them, it’s only because she’s paranoid about everyone.
He decides that leaves “him. Him and Thorn.” This conclusion doesn’t displease him (because he pushed himself toward it, I guess), even though he finds the unknown unsettling. At least he’s got a “clear and righteous” cause, and he can help Nasuada specifically, after he’s hurt her so badly. Well, you don’t exactly have a “clear” cause when you know so little. That aside… I can honestly see Murtagh do this specifically because he’s hurt her, in order to make up for it.
Well, Carabel appears with the writing supplies, Murtagh hesitates for a bit, and then writes for a while. He ends by saying that he and Thorn will go to find the village. He can’t say what they might discover, but if it’s a threat, they’ll “deal with it as need be”, which he gives his word on. In any case, she can expect to hear from them when they return. Murtagh realises that he’s committing Thorn to this cause “without asking Thorn”, and he hopes he won’t mind.
You could resolve that, though. Maybe write two versions of this ending paragraph, then leave Gil’ead to ask and send Carabel a predetermined signal via magic, so she can cross out the paragraph that’s not applicable. It wouldn’t be the best option, but it would at least mean that Murtagh doesn’t have to commit right now and that he can easily talk with Thorn. It’s much better than once again forcibly committing him to a course of action, especially since going there with just the two of them isn’t a great idea. Thorn ends up agreeing of his own accord anyway, but I still don’t like it.
Besides that, he says, there’s another problem. Nasuada doesn’t know what his writing is like, so how will she know the letter comes from him? And how would she know that even if she did know your hand; someone could have forged it, after all. He thinks about enchanting it, but she won’t trust a random spell and he doesn’t “have a signet ring or other token on his person” that she might recognise (and there’s no guarantee it can’t be used to impersonate you). That leaves him with just his words.
So he writes that if she’s unsure of who’s writing this, if she “suspect[s] his motive and wonder[s] why”, he can only answer by saying “you know why”. He signs off with his name. He says that this bit as a “temerity”, but he can’t think of anything else to convince her. He recaps that he said “you know why” to her during her captivity, which is “the closest he [has] ever come to confessing his feelings for her”. It feels like an imposition to mention it, but “there is no other way”. I highly doubt that.
He “[feels] older than his years” (he’s still only twenty and a half, by my reckoning) as he seals the letter with wax. Carabel says that the werecats are in his debt, and then asks how he plans to proceed. We get a bit with Murtagh rubbing his right elbow, which he says still hurts from fighting Muckmaw. I suppose his earlier spell might not have fixed everything, but if his elbow still hurts, he should have been in worse shape earlier.
He asks for advice from Carabel, and she gives him a “warning” that advice often serves the giver as well as the recipient. Murtagh accepts that, and Carabel says that it’s better to take action than to wait for action to be taken, and that it’s better to know what you’re getting into before it happens (paraphrased). Murtagh understands it (but won’t apply it). He gives her a smile and a bow and thanks her. Just then, they hear “captains rallying their troops” outside and Carabel tells Murtagh that he’d better be gone soon, before Relgin thinks to search the keep. Murtagh bids her farewell.
At that point, he hears a “faint sifting sound” and he turns around to see Silna standing in anthro form, wrapped in a “small wool blanket”. We get a lot of description of her, which focuses on how pale she is, that she seems translucent, and that she’s got a “wild alertness” about her. She walks over to Murtagh. He looks into her “enormous emerald eyes, clear and innocent”, and doesn’t know what to say, so he kneels before her, “even as he would have knelt before a queen”.
Silna hugs him around the neck. She softly says “thank you”, and then kisses him on the forehead, and “the touch of her lips burn[s] long after she pull[s] away”. Murtagh needs to blink back “a film of tears” and when he can look up, he sees Silna lying by the hearth, in her “cattish form”, sleeping. Murtagh gets up on “unsteady” legs and gapes at Carabel.
This would work much better if the reaction wasn’t so over-the-top. It’s just Silna awkwardly showing that she’s grateful to him for having rescued her from a very difficult situation, but Murtagh compares her to a queen and nearly cries when she kisses him! I get that Silna is a Child, but this almost makes it sound like she’s some kind of sacred being, and it’s just… weird.
Carabel softens at this, and says that Murtagh can “count [him]self as a friend of [their] kind”, and they’ll always give help if he needs it. Murtagh thanks Carabel for her answers and calls her “most estimable of cats”. Carabel warns him further about Bachel, since she’s “like a spider at the center of a great web, and she has venom in her bite”. Murtagh then says sarcastically that it’s a good thing he isn’t afraid of spiders, and the section ends.
Well, that was our confrontation with Carabel, then! It’s quite heavy on the confrontation part and light on the information part, unfortunately. We learn about the Ra’zac egg, which people who have read Inheritance could already deduce, and a bit about the Dreamers: they’ve grown unaccountably fast, and they have a village in a volcanic area of the Spine where they brainwash people. That’s the information we went through an entire sidequest for, and it feels much too meagre to justify it. Sure, he’s got the location, but he could have found that out in Ceunon, too, since that’s the place the Dreamers are more active in. We also learn that Carabel mostly had Murtagh kill Muckmaw out of revenge, which only makes the whole sidequest more pointless.
Overall, that means that this whole part of the book wasn’t necessary; we could have gone from Ceunon directly to the Dreamers without hurting the conclusion overmuch. I can’t complain that much about this part, though, since it does tie into the other books and gives us follow-up on that. The Dreamers don’t do that at all, and we’ve just learned that they’re at the edge of Alagaësia. It’s not a great choice to make them the focus of a book like this, that’s supposed to be in the same continuity as the others.
Either way, there’s still a bit of the chapter left. Let’s get to it.
--
Murtagh leaves the tunnel. It’s still early, so he thinks he should be able to leave Gil’ead “before most of the city [is] up and about”. That is, if your own idiocy doesn’t do you in. He then thinks back to Silna; the memory of her eyes lingers, and he feels as if “she [has] seen to his very center, every flaw laid bare before her guileless gaze”. He’s only used to such intimacy with Thorn, and he feels uncomfortably vulnerable. “And yet, to be seen as he was, and accepted… was there any greater grace?”
I do understand the sentiment, since he’s had enough trouble getting accepted… but why is it so special to be understood when Thorn already does that? Is it because Silna’s a Child? That’s probably it.
Murtagh then tells Thorn that he’s on his way and gets a “faint sense of acknowledgment” in return. As he walks on, he does what he does best, and “gnaw[s] over what Carabel had said”. He says that the world is “out of sorts” in ways he doesn’t really understand, which makes him tense. After a reiteration of Silna kissing him, he stops and tries to think his situation through. He wonders if he’s wrong, since Bachel does need attending to, “but Nasuada [is] in danger, and his letter [is] hardly a proper means of protection”.
So, combined with him getting angry at Carabel for implying that Nasuada wants a relationship with him, I see that Murtagh views himself as Nasuada’s knight in shining armour. It’s generous of him and I can see that he doesn’t want more harm to befall her, but Nasuada is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, so it comes across as more than a bit condescending.
He opens his pouch and pulls out one of the coins that Wren gave him to look at Nasuada’s face. He says he can’t “decipher her expression”, since she wears the “impassive regality” that “custom—and necessity—impose[]”. I doubt that Nasuada cares much for either, so I think he’s reading all too much into this. He can’t get “encouragement” from her features, but it does bring him to a decision: they’ll go to Ilirea. It will be difficult, but it’s the right thing to do, and he’ll be able to ensure Nasuada’s safety. Only once she is, he and Thorn will go after Bachel.
I still don’t like the motive, but this course of action is quite a bit more sensible than going after Bachel; at least Nasuada will know for sure that he wrote the letter and she’ll be able to come up with a plan to deal with the Dreamers. I doubt it will be good, but that should give Murtagh and Thorn some time to think over what they want.
Murtagh’s relieved and hurries on again, “feeling fit to face the trials of an uncertain future”. He wonder if Thorn will agree, but he’s sure he will, once he talks to him, unless… At least Murtagh’s going to talk to Thorn now. Either way, someone “collide[s] with him from the side”. Murtagh shoves them away, ready to fight, and they call out his name. Murtagh sees that it’s… Lyreth! And around them are Lyreth’s guards: six “burly men”, with the scent of rotting flesh around them. They’re “[e]x-soldiers of the Empire, spell-warped to feel no pain”.
So here we have the painless soldiers again! And apparently their fate after the war was to be wholly left alone, and no one bothered to remove the spells from them. That seems quite unlikely to me already, but Lyreth having them as guards is even weirder. For one, as we can see here, at least one of them has got rotting body parts, which Lyreth should seek treatment for, both because it’s dangerous to everyone around the guard and because the affected guard(s) will soon die if it isn’t treated. That aside… they’ve been constantly shown to be drugged out of their mind; why would someone like that be any kind of good guard?? This makes no sense!
Lyreth says that it really is him. Murtagh notes Thorn’s alarm as a “rising note of anxiety at the back of his mind”. He considers running, but there are other people on the street, and a “squad of soldiers two houses away”, nearing them. …Then make yourself invisible, throw up a smoke curtain and run for it, and maybe have Thorn pick you up. Eragon could escape the Ra’zac and a squad of soldiers without using magic; what’s your excuse? (Plot.)
Lyreth looks closer, the whites of his eyes showing… which they always do in humans. I’m really not sure why Paolini seems to think that the whites of the eyes only show when people are shocked. Well, Lyreth says that he thought he saw Murtagh a while ago, and asks what he’s doing here, and if he doesn’t know “what they’ll do to [him] if they catch [him]”. I think Lyreth’s just trying to get Murtagh to go along with him, but this is a very bad way to do it; Murtagh’s still a Rider, after all, so he’s got little reason to be afraid of what will be done to him.
Murtagh tries to pull away, but Lyreth grabs his arm and holds him there. His breath smells like “lavender and peach liqueur”, but Murtagh can still smell the “sharp stench of nervous sweat”. He says that Du Vrangr Gata is everywhere, and there are even elves, so Murtagh needs to hurry to his house, since he’ll be safe there. Thorn calls Murtagh’s name, to which Murtagh says “I know!”. That’s not going to cut it.
The guards close in around him, and “prevent[] him from stepping away” as Lyreth pulls him up the street. Because of course he can’t blast them over with magic, like he’s done before. And so, Murtagh doesn’t have a choice but to “accompany his unexpected and thoroughly unwelcome companions”. In other words, Paolini made him go along so the plot can go the way it’s supposed to go. And there the chapter ends.
This chapter wasn’t very bad, but it could have been quite a bit better. If I were to revise it, I’d cut down on the arguing between Murtagh and Carabel, give us some more information about Bachel, and, of course, remove this last-minute railroading, either by having Murtagh decide to go to Nal Gorgoth on his own or by having Lyreth have a better threat to make Murtagh come along.
And that’s that for now! Next up is... someone with “Duel of Wits”.
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"Howdy, folks!"
What do these people even think Morontagh has done?
God this is patronising.
Not to what?
And Paolini's obsession with "lean rippling muscles" continues.
Wow, asshole much? And does this jerk really think provoking a RIDER is a good idea?
Dude, this is neither the time nor place.
More onomatopoeia? For fuck's sake! And I see the usual Paotagonist fixation on petty revenge and speaking ill of the dead remains in full swing. Mr Fishy was an animal! Animals cannot and should not be judged by the same moral standards are humans! Do I have my pet rats arrested and charged with theft when they steal my food? No! They're just doing what rats do and they don't have any concept of theft because they survive by being opportunists. In the same vein, Mr Fishy was just.. acting like a FISH. Sturgeons and catfish eat other living things to survive, so that's what Mr Fishy was doing - nothing more, nothing less.
Get off your fucking high horse, Carabel.
Bullfuckingshit. Ra'zac are living creatures that came from and live on the same planet as you do. It's not as if they were created in some unnatural torturous process by an archivillain the way the Orcs in LoTR were.
Same here.
Real mature.
Again - real fucking mature. Seriously, get over yourself.
Whatever the hell that means. It feels like a word or two got dropped.
Of what? Plot convenience?
Plot twist! He's actually Galby's son.
Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, this will never be explained or go anywhere.
Surprise! This never happens!
In the creepiest way possible, yes.
This wouldn't be a problem of course if Nausea HAD BOTHERED TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. But she fucking hasn't! She's even allowing the public display of propaganda doing the exact opposite! And this heartless bitch is the love of Morontagh's life? Give me a break and quit being a fucking dormat!
Nor that this stopped Nausea from sending Arya and Firnen to go after Tenga like good little errand girl and boy.
Yeah, don't bother saying "I have to discuss this with Thorn first", asshole.
Because those are apparently a thing now.
Ugh, not this again.
And now for the creepiness! STEP AWAY FROM THE MOSTLY NAKED LITTLE GIRL MORONTAGH. 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
STOP IT
Oh yeah, this whole interaction is just... really unsettling.
Because it's not like you were having a PTSD flashback involving spiders just a few pages ago, right?
What about those "folks" who were hanging around staring at you earlier? Do they not count?
Again, STOP IT! This is just so unbelievably gross and creepy. "Intimacy" is not a term that should be anywhere near a situation involving a little kid!
More patronising misogyny. Lovely.
Whereupon he gets jumped because he's deliberately distracting himself in the middle of a city full of armed men looking for him. Idiot.
Definitely not and won't the horrible smell attract attention? And why doesn't Morontagh just use the Word to undo their painless spells?
Whereupon Morontagh uses his enhanced Rider strength to send this obviously untrustworthy bastard flying and escapes. Except never mind because the strength in question just seems to vanish to suit the author.
Because he has once again been rendered stupid and helpless. And, thanks to his inexplicable refusal to just use his powers to escape, half the fucking city is going to end up being destroyed. In other words, a bunch of people are going to wind up dead or homeless as a direct result of Morontagh allowing this to happen.
And this guy is supposed to be a HERO? Fuck off!
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Just to play devil's advocate re. destroying the ra'zac... If we discovered a population of superhuman cannibals living among us, regularly murdering and eating random innocent people, do you really think anyone would be arguing in favour of the predators?
Actually never mind: billionaires exist.
I just think that from the point of view of humans in Alagaesia it is entirely reasonable and morally good to get rid of creatures that murder and eat humans. The other side of the argument is tantamount to suggesting that people-eating is good and natural, and that a certain percentage of humanity ought to be killed and eaten to sustain the ra'zac population.
Not just one side quest, but a linked series of a handful of side quests.
Not to mention that the story opens with Murtagh meeting with someone who has information about the unknown danger that Umaroth mentioned in passing.
Like I said in my last spork, the story could open with Murtagh arriving at the location of Nal Gorgoroth and nothing of any real substance would have been lost. The story likely would have been more streamlined and focused, rather than Murtagh going here and there on random unrelated side quests for two thirds of the book.
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