After showing how strong her magic has become, Kaylin has been ordered to take magic lessons. This... does not go well. (while this is scattered throughout the book, summarizing the whole book's worth of lessons here for ease of reading) She insulted a number of imperial mages, largly because they insulted her. And because she was afraid that if she was a mage she couldn't be a Hawk anymore. Also, she hates magic. Especially her own. Finally she gets assigned Lord Sanabalis, a Dragon. He failed to insult her, she suspected he was impossible to irritate. The lessons still did not go well, but when he scared the **** out of her, she was finally able to light the **** candle, having seen the Name of Fire in his eyes. He loaned her an amulet to mark the occasion, and told her she was to wear it at all times while in the Barrani High Court (see immediately below) for reasons of history. In theory it would warn any Barrani who wanted to kill her that she belonged to a Dragon. She didn't like it, but it was a wear it or die sort of thing, so she wore it.
Kaylin was called to the High Court of the Barrani by Teela. The second son of the High Lord was dying and no one knew why. Severn, now Kaylin's partner, came with her. In healing him, she wound up with his True Name as well and he called her Kyuthe - family of his choosing - which gave her status at court despite being mortal.
Kaylin got tangled in Barrani politics in the worst ways after that, not a healthy thing for humans, given that Barrani politics usually involve assassination attempts and anything that can reasonably kill an immortal would have no trouble with a pair of humans.
Kaylin was led to an ancient tower in the High Halls of the Barrani in her stay as guest that led to the ancient Barrani test of name. The premise was simple on the surface - enter and emerge alive, and you are a Lord of the Barrani High Court.
The reality (Kaylin doesn't learn much of this until Cast in Deception, which is book 13, but putting it here for readability) is that it is a test made up of two parts, the High Halls themselves, which is a sentient building, and the Adversary, a creature of Shadow enslaved to the heart of Ravellon. The first part of the test is unique to each person (The fact that Severn was able to come with her will be the thing of legend in the future for that has been tried before, but never accomplished. It will be accomplished again in book 13, however.) That is closer to what the test of the Tower is meant to be.
The bigger test is the test of the Adversary. He has captured the True Names (think soul in this case) of all who failed to be able to see all he had captured and turn their back on them. The test os for corruptibility. One who can turn their back, one who can ignore his voice, in theory cannot be made a slav of Shadow. They have held their Names and thus are the guardians of the High Halls, to help ensure that the Adversary can never break free.
In their test, three major things happened. Severn was trapped back in the memory of the night he killed Steffi and Jade. Kaylin could see him, and their bodies, but nothing else. She had to watch, unable to interact as she saw what he had done after she fled.... She watched him close their eyes. Saw the anguish on his face. Watched him lift them both, together, carry them to where he could bury them. They didn't bury their dead in the fiefs. ("The dead don't care, the living still need to eat.") But he did, he buried them both. He couldn't see Kaylin again until it was done. The vision didn't leave him.
Another big thing of note was right after that, they encountered a field of lethe - a flower that erased memory. She was being offered the chance to forget. Forget Steffi, Jade, how they died. She punted and gave him the choice. He refused. They burned the lethe and moved on.
The other major thing that happened besides facing the Adversary himself was encountering a table. True Words, much like her marks seemed to move within it. Kaylin tried to touch the table and her hands sunk inside it. She had to take two words in order to remove them, one in each hand. One became her True Name - a thing that all Immortals have and no mortals do. She had to shove it into herself. Ellaryian. The other she carried with her. It became instrumental later in saving the High Lord's first son.
During the Leoswuld ceremony, where succession was meant to be passed on, she had to heal the High Lord's first son so he could take the gift his father offered, as his brother was willing to let the High Halls fall and doom them all rather than take his brother's place. She made it just in time with the aid of the Lady who was about to become the Consort. She used the part of a Name she had claimed to finish the first Son's True Name, breaking the hold the Adversary had over him. (I really don't know how to make this less confusing without going into far more detail, sorry!!!) They made it to the circle and the Lord of the Green (the first son) took the gift and became the new High Lord. Then Kaylin had to help the Lady escort her mother, the Consort to the Lake of Names. Kaylin had seen it as a table. To the Barrani, it is an ocean, though they call it a lake. There the Consort threw herself into the water. Kaylin had to leave alone while the Lady took her own test. Being the daughter of the High Lord and the Consort did not mean she would be the new Consort, it merely granted her the right to take the test first. Very few Barrani could pass this particular test, making the Consort the one Barrani no Barrani would ever intrigue against, because without her the babies would never wake. She gives them their souls. That Kaylin found the lake at all, and was able to go there again with the Lady and the Consort meant that she had also passed that test, and could serve as Consort if needed. But the Lady succeeded and became Consort to her eldest brother. (I did say CW: ALL.)
Kaylin finally got to leave, now a Lord of the Court and one who had the Favor of the High Lord, the Consort, and the Lord Of The West March (the second son).
She found out that her ability to call Fire had been augmented by Sanabalis, returned his amulet and could no longer light the ***** candle. Some reward for saving the ***** city...
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momijizukamori
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Date: 2021-07-31 03:04 pm (UTC)After showing how strong her magic has become, Kaylin has been ordered to take magic lessons. This... does not go well. (while this is scattered throughout the book, summarizing the whole book's worth of lessons here for ease of reading) She insulted a number of imperial mages, largly because they insulted her. And because she was afraid that if she was a mage she couldn't be a Hawk anymore. Also, she hates magic. Especially her own. Finally she gets assigned Lord Sanabalis, a Dragon. He failed to insult her, she suspected he was impossible to irritate. The lessons still did not go well, but when he scared the **** out of her, she was finally able to light the **** candle, having seen the Name of Fire in his eyes. He loaned her an amulet to mark the occasion, and told her she was to wear it at all times while in the Barrani High Court (see immediately below) for reasons of history. In theory it would warn any Barrani who wanted to kill her that she belonged to a Dragon. She didn't like it, but it was a wear it or die sort of thing, so she wore it.
Kaylin was called to the High Court of the Barrani by Teela. The second son of the High Lord was dying and no one knew why. Severn, now Kaylin's partner, came with her. In healing him, she wound up with his True Name as well and he called her Kyuthe - family of his choosing - which gave her status at court despite being mortal.
Kaylin got tangled in Barrani politics in the worst ways after that, not a healthy thing for humans, given that Barrani politics usually involve assassination attempts and anything that can reasonably kill an immortal would have no trouble with a pair of humans.
Kaylin was led to an ancient tower in the High Halls of the Barrani in her stay as guest that led to the ancient Barrani test of name. The premise was simple on the surface - enter and emerge alive, and you are a Lord of the Barrani High Court.
The reality (Kaylin doesn't learn much of this until Cast in Deception, which is book 13, but putting it here for readability) is that it is a test made up of two parts, the High Halls themselves, which is a sentient building, and the Adversary, a creature of Shadow enslaved to the heart of Ravellon. The first part of the test is unique to each person (The fact that Severn was able to come with her will be the thing of legend in the future for that has been tried before, but never accomplished. It will be accomplished again in book 13, however.) That is closer to what the test of the Tower is meant to be.
The bigger test is the test of the Adversary. He has captured the True Names (think soul in this case) of all who failed to be able to see all he had captured and turn their back on them. The test os for corruptibility. One who can turn their back, one who can ignore his voice, in theory cannot be made a slav of Shadow. They have held their Names and thus are the guardians of the High Halls, to help ensure that the Adversary can never break free.
In their test, three major things happened. Severn was trapped back in the memory of the night he killed Steffi and Jade. Kaylin could see him, and their bodies, but nothing else. She had to watch, unable to interact as she saw what he had done after she fled.... She watched him close their eyes. Saw the anguish on his face. Watched him lift them both, together, carry them to where he could bury them. They didn't bury their dead in the fiefs. ("The dead don't care, the living still need to eat.") But he did, he buried them both. He couldn't see Kaylin again until it was done. The vision didn't leave him.
Another big thing of note was right after that, they encountered a field of lethe - a flower that erased memory. She was being offered the chance to forget. Forget Steffi, Jade, how they died. She punted and gave him the choice. He refused. They burned the lethe and moved on.
The other major thing that happened besides facing the Adversary himself was encountering a table. True Words, much like her marks seemed to move within it. Kaylin tried to touch the table and her hands sunk inside it. She had to take two words in order to remove them, one in each hand. One became her True Name - a thing that all Immortals have and no mortals do. She had to shove it into herself. Ellaryian. The other she carried with her. It became instrumental later in saving the High Lord's first son.
During the Leoswuld ceremony, where succession was meant to be passed on, she had to heal the High Lord's first son so he could take the gift his father offered, as his brother was willing to let the High Halls fall and doom them all rather than take his brother's place. She made it just in time with the aid of the Lady who was about to become the Consort. She used the part of a Name she had claimed to finish the first Son's True Name, breaking the hold the Adversary had over him. (I really don't know how to make this less confusing without going into far more detail, sorry!!!) They made it to the circle and the Lord of the Green (the first son) took the gift and became the new High Lord. Then Kaylin had to help the Lady escort her mother, the Consort to the Lake of Names. Kaylin had seen it as a table. To the Barrani, it is an ocean, though they call it a lake. There the Consort threw herself into the water. Kaylin had to leave alone while the Lady took her own test. Being the daughter of the High Lord and the Consort did not mean she would be the new Consort, it merely granted her the right to take the test first. Very few Barrani could pass this particular test, making the Consort the one Barrani no Barrani would ever intrigue against, because without her the babies would never wake. She gives them their souls. That Kaylin found the lake at all, and was able to go there again with the Lady and the Consort meant that she had also passed that test, and could serve as Consort if needed. But the Lady succeeded and became Consort to her eldest brother. (I did say CW: ALL.)
Kaylin finally got to leave, now a Lord of the Court and one who had the Favor of the High Lord, the Consort, and the Lord Of The West March (the second son).
She found out that her ability to call Fire had been augmented by Sanabalis, returned his amulet and could no longer light the ***** candle. Some reward for saving the ***** city...