Blog Pose 3 The Riddle

The Riddle

Alison Croggon

Fantasy

110 pages (272/482)

Summary

Maerad and Cadvan set out for Ursk, the main tribe of the north, seeking more information about the Tree Song. Though they must first pass a bard path near The School of Lirigon (the school Cadvan is from). At first they get through unnoticed but further on in a forest when they are too worn out by traveling to put on a glimmer spell (disguise so no ordinary people can notice them) they stumble on two other bards which are traveling in the other direction. Cadvan directly recognizes the woman on the horse, a Bard for the School of Lirigon which he used to know and a man he does not know but clearly less experienced. Cadvan and Maerad try to disguise themselves with their hoods and avoid the Bards but fail as the woman directly recognizes Cadvan. The false news that Cadvan and Maerad have betrayed the Light and are wanted by Norloch has reached out to Lirigon  and the woman wants to take them captives. Though as she lightly attacks them with a freeze spell Maerad lashes out with her full power so that the woman falls of her horse, her skin pain, and a dark mark on her forehead. She was obviously dead. Cadvan erased the memory of the younger Bard and then they escaped, though Cadvan and Maerad did not talk any further since it was forbidden to kill another bard and Cadvan had known that woman sing childhood. There was no denial that Maerad had intended to kill that woman. They stop talking to each other, only talking when it is absolutely necessary. Now the only thing in their way to Ursk are the Osidh Elanor mountain range, one of the harshest mountains and extremely challenging to travel through. The weather was harsh as they traveled through the mountains and progress was slow. There were small resting places dug out of the snow and stocked with fire wood along the path for those who traveled. As they reach the peak of the mountain where the path is almost gone, and where here are not many resting places. The steepest parts. A frost creature that had been hunting them blocks their path. This was very rare because they have not been seen since the War of the Elementals and they are controlled by the Winterking who hasn't shown himself since that time either. Even more unusual is that it was fall, it attacks Maerad and Cadvan. They are not strong enough to beat it so their only chase it too flee. These frost creatures were powerful but not very smart so they make glimmerspells (illusions) of themselves and place them right where they stood sneaking off to the side as the frost creature tries to get through their protection shield towards the illusions of them.  The manage to pass the frost creature but as Cadvan’s horse races along the narrow path Maerad falls of the horse, Cadvan tries to stop the horse is running uncontrollably and just in that moment two other frost creatures appear along with the one they tried to trick, one of them hits the earth so hard that part of the mountain top collapses down right where Cadvan and his horse are, Cadvan, his horse, and the frost creatures all manage to get caught in the land slide… none survived but Maerad. She gets tumbled around the mountains and without any protection she is close to freeze to death plus weakened by the fact that Cadvan died. Ardia and elemental and ancestor of Maerad appears just as Maerad is dying, she asks if Maerad wants to live, and when Maerad answers yes Arnida touches her forehead then Maerad faints. Maerad wakes up in a small hut where she lays on a bed full of pelts. The hut is built of wood, stone and the cracks were filled with cloth ices to keep out the wind. An old woman walks up to the bed, she was very old but looked very kind, she had ragged clothes and had clearly not washed in a long time. Yet she was not unpleasant. She gave Maerad a fish soup that gave her strength; the old woman said her name was Mirka of Ursk. She was once a great and famous healer but she retreated back to the moors when Jakjss attacked her family and killed all of them when she was younger. Maerad gets to stay with the old lady until she recovers some weeks later. Then they say farewell, Mirka gives Maerad a bone with beautiful carvings representing urgency and meaning no harm. This token would let Maerad into Ursk. Mirka also tells Maerad that it will take about ten days to travel to Ursk. Maerad set out over the moors and travel for ten days until she reaches an huge hill, she is confused because the town or Ursk should be here… and there were herders around the hill but no town, then she realizes the was a giant metal gate as tall as four men in the hill. She realizes the town must be in the hill. To the gate guard she shows the bone and he guides her in and through many huge paths until she has lost all sense of direction and through many more metal gates until she reaches a huge cave where there are any houses, In the middle was a three story tall house with the front full of geometric paintings (typical Ursk style). She gets lead into a huge chamber where a woman is waiting, the woman wore no jewelry but there was a strong sense of authority coming from her. The woman is the First bard of all tribes of Ursk. Maerad does not have to explain anything, the woman directly recognizes that Maerad it The Chosen One. This is due to a dream she had at the age of ten which was about her twin brother being swallowed into the darkness but he was holding a child made of light who took away the darkness, she knew directly that this was his daughter. Maerad was the child, and that would mean that the she was related to the First Bard of the Ursk Tribes. The Riddle and prophesy that is Maerad’s destiny is said to start in Ursk so they will gladly help her.

Response

What do you think about what you have read?

I think this was the most surprising, plot twisting and saddest part I have read so far. It was a real shock that Cadvan dies but I am sure they only think he is dead and that he is going to come back soon. And that was surprising the First Bard of the Tribes of Ursk was related to Maerad.  And also that Maerad killed a bard and not by accident, but that she intended to do it.

Has your recent reading fulfilled your expectations?

Yes, I was expecting that there would be some crazy plot twist because most things had been calm for a while but I honestly did not expect Cadvan to “die” and I am still hoping that he is not actually dead.

What do you expect for your continued reading?

I expect Ursk to help Maerad find the Tree song and somewhere in the story that Cadvan will somehow come back.

How satisfied are you with what you have read?

Very satisfied, I am happy that I read over 100 pages and that I ave come much further into the book.

Passage Section

“She reacted with blind fury, without thought. She gathered up all the power she felt within her and directed it at the Bard in a bold of white fire. Ilar simply collapsed and slithered off her horse, which skittered sideways in alarm. She fell to the ground, motionless and completely white, the only sign of injury a small, black burn in the middle of her forehead. In that instant, Maerad knew she was dead.” (Page 188)

I chose this quote because it as a very shocking event and it is very descriptive, almost too descriptive, I could easily imagine Ilar in this event which I would actually rather not visualize.