Book 6 of Sons of Destiny
Thoughts from…
Note: These thoughts contain spoilers if you have not already read “The Storm.”
| Saber & Kelly | Wolfer & Alys |
| Dominor & Serina | Evanor & Mariel |
| Trevan & Amara | Rydan & Rora |
| Koranen | Morganen |
Saber: Lovely. Yet another government potentially alienated by his family’s very existence. At least this one seems to have more of its own internal problems than ones based on the Corvis…or rather, Nightfall family. At least they now know what’s been bothering Rydan all these years, and can do something to help make their brother’s life easier.
Kelly: Even if it’s a living pain for poor Rydan, his secret does explain quite a lot about her “brooding emo-goth boy” of a brother-in-law. And the other twin, Rora, she’s very likeable. Quiet, watchful, yet enthusiastic about her favorite subjects. A pity she and Rydan have to continue living at night to protect both of them; it would be nice to have a full-time secretary. Koranen is just too busy with his pyromancy chores these days to take notes at their family meetings.
Wolfer: A pity Rydan didn’t grasp what was wrong with him before his bride came along, because if Wolfer and the others had known about it, they definitely would have made allowances for it. Not that he’s going to excuse his sixth-born brother’s surliness by much. Or let him slack off his fighting practices; their new sister-in-law will need all the protection his family can provide, given what she is.
Alys: Back when Alys knew the boys as a child, Rydan had been merely awkward and a little bit solitary, but at some point during the last decade, he had grown as reticent and reclusive as she herself had. It was a relief to find out he wasn’t a victim of an abusive relative, unlike her own situation. Still, Rora is really nice, and she’s wrought some good changes in Rydan’s attitude…but Alys is definitely diurnal by nature, not nocturnal. It will take some time to get to know the latest member of their family, if she only gets to see the other woman at breakfast and supper.
Dominor: That…was unpleasant. Having his living magic pulled out of him by an invader is something Dom firmly intends never to experience again. Which means there has to be some sort of warding spell or rune or sigil that can be crafted to prevent such a thing…and now that his wife is feeling a lot better, bathing in the energies of Koral-tai’s Fountain once more, he can spare attention toward researching and crafting the necessary magical protections. And something to counteract the dizzying effects of Fountainway travel, since it looks like he’ll be traveling back and forth quite a lot in the coming months. Still, saving the Isle’s Fountain was worth it, and it does give him a better appreciation for his wife’s work.
Serina: Praise to the Moons, no more nausea! How stupid she was not to realize that proximity to the Koral-tai Font would be necessary during her pregnancy. Not that it affected the efficacy calculations by more than a fraction of a percent, but Gods above—it certainly made a huge difference in the efficacy of her biology! Poor Dom, though; as the new Guardian of Nightfall, he’ll have to bounce back and forth between the two lands, helping his family over on the Isle, and hovering over her in the Natallian mountains. Perhaps she should start paying more attention to mundane, daily-life matters so that he won’t exhaust himself, just trying to keep track of her?
Evanor: Everyone else is thinking about Rydan and Rora, and how to turn Nightfall into a kingdom with holy Patronage, but there are two more people on the Isle to consider, the ex-Katani sailors…and many more to follow. More houses will have to be built, more tasks outlined, more jobs assigned, and more resources will have to be gathered and stockpiled. Ev will have to coordinate with Wolfer on the matter of herds and fields, with Saber on immigration and security needs, with Koranen about glass panes and roof tiles…
Mariel: Bright Heaven, things are starting to get exciting around here! As concerned as she is for Serina’s health, Mariel knows her best friend will be well cared for in Natallia. On the Isle, preparations will have to be made for an influx of settlers. Among those will be children; playmates for her son and a source of joy and life, yes, but also a source of trouble, injury, and illness. A good Healer prepares for the worst, which means a lot more work on the garden, and a lot more trade for the herbs and healing supplies she cannot yet create in this place.
Trevan: Ugh. Someone would have to interrupt his honeymoon by bringing trouble to his family. Thankfully, everyone survived the battle—except for the villain, of course—and everything is now returning to normal. Except with all the new settlers expected, there’ll be a lot of work ahead for his wife in city-planning, and a lot of work for him in gadget-making. Levers for water-control will be more useful than denuding the few cork trees on the island of their precious, spongy inner bark, and that’s just the beginning. At least he has a bride to come home to at the end of each day.
Amara: It’s only fair that her sister finds someone to love, too. A pity her own honeymoon with Trevan was interrupted by that battle business, but it was very reassuring to see how firmly all of these Nightfallers strove to protect not only their island home, but her twin as well, even as they involved Arora in that battle. Although he’s a bit mysterious, Rydan clearly cares for her twin. He does make a fierce protector for Arora, and that’s just good enough to reassure Amara. Building an entire city from raw stone and unfinished timbers is going to take a lot of her time and attention, and it’ll be good to have others capable of protecting her twin on hand, allowing both of them enough time and energy to finally have lives of their own.
Rydan: In the end, he did give up what he ruled over…but in the end, nothing was indeed undone by it, as Prophesied. True, Dominor is now the Guardian of Nightfall, and Rydan isn’t completely confident his brother will guard it in quite the same way and with the same zeal that he did. But Rydan is still a Guardian: the Guardian of an even more precious wellspring of power and life than that of a mere island. The Guardian of the hope for a new kingdom…if they can only figure out how to bring that new kingdom fully to life.
For the first time in years, Rydan understands himself. All of the strange, inner pain and agony he has endured has a basis, a meaning…and a means of being avoided, blocked, and shunted aside. But not all of it. Even if common sense would say block all of it out, he won’t do it. Because if he did, he would block out the love of the gentle yet persistent Rora. She has become his anchor, his shelter from the storms that have battered him for far too long. In turn, he will be her shelter, her protector from those who would use and abuse her. No longer does he have to hide from others, and most especially from himself; he has his bride, and all is right in his world. Together, they will find the peace both of them need.
Rora: Whatever the Gods had originally intended for her, giving her the power she carried, it wasn’t just fate that brought her and her twin to Nightfall. It wasn’t just succumbing to the currents of circumstances It was destiny, the willful grasping and moulding of those circumstances, swimming across those currents to reach the desired shore. She hadn’t consciously known when she asked the universe to find her and her twin a safe place to live what that “safe place” would actually mean…but her faith has been fully justified. These Nightfallers are good people, and they will protect both her and her sister as surely as any Shifterai would have done. Better, even.
But of all the chances and circumstances available, she hadn’t even imagined a man like Rydan coming into her life. His strength and his honor impress her, and his emotions and sensitivities enthrall her. With him, with his understanding and his Guardianship of the power she holds…for the first time in her life, Rora can be herself. Without worry, without tension, without having to hide what she is and what she can do from all the others. Not that she’ll drop all caution and sense, of course…but she can finally have a real life, after being on the run for so long. Better still, she can help Rydan have a real life of his own, too. A better match for both of them would be impossible to find.
Koranen: Thank you thank you thank you thank you, Gods! Finally, his elder brothers are all match-made with their Destined brides, and it is finally finally finally his turn! Aaaaaany day now, his bride will show up, the Water to his Flame. The one woman who can quench his unslaked thirst. Aaaaaannnny day now…any hour, really… No need to delay…really…
Morganen: Poor Kor. Unless another possibility makes itself known soon… it looks like it’ll be at least a few months before his twin gets to meet his own possible Destiny. Unfortunately, the problem with meddling too much in his brothers’ matchmakings has made Morg leery of, well, meddling too much in Koranen’s future. At least things are looking like Kor will actually get to have a choice, unlike the rest. As for Morg himself…Koranen’s destiny cannot come soon enough, for the last of the brothers has made his choice, and is well satisfied with his future bride. Providing the Gods don’t decide They have a warped sense of humor at the last possible moment, of course…