King's Warrior Read-Along: Chapter 10

Good evening and welcome back to the King’s Warrior Read-Along. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves. Let’s get started.

In today’s chapter we meet a couple of new characters, most importantly we meet Wessel, Rena, and Kaitryn. And we get to see the battle at Pearl Cove.

Looking back at the map, we get a glimpse into why we haven’t seen any direct attack on Ayollan yet. The Dark Warriors are taking the time to sail all the way around Aom-igh in order to sneak in across the country in advance of a multi-pronged coordinated attack. This is the work of someone who is thinking rather far ahead. I wonder if King Seamas is directing the battle, or if he is relying heavily on his advisors?

“Her long blond hair, strangely dry and looking silver in the light of the Toreth, blew out behind her, unbound and rippling in the wind like sweet strains of music.” I like this line. We see a transformation in Calyssia as she uses the last bits of her strength to embrace the heritage of her mother’s people. The mer-folk do not have magic the way that a wizard does, so Calyssia is not merely gaining a new self, this is a true casting off of all she was before. This is one of those places I was referring to earlier when I talked about how my faith influences my writing.

The battle of Pearl Cove. I threw in this scene where we get to see a close-up of Wessel fighting the Dark Warriors for a couple of reasons. 1) To show the Dark Warriors and their battle skills, 2) to make Wessel a little bit more of a “real” character, and 3) to contrast Coy’s (the young Dark Warrior we spend a short moment with) reaction to his enemies with Kamarie’s reaction from a few chapters earlier. Where Kamarie saw the young Dark Warrior’s face and realized that he was just like her, Coy sees only validation that all he has been told about Aom-igh is true. He does not see men fighting for their lives, desperately attempting to protect their homes, he sees a cunning opponent who somehow learned of their invasion and was lying in wait.

The Travelers. They return to Pearl Cove, only to discover the aftermath of the battle. And now they must make a decision: return to Ayollan, or continue to the Harshlands as planned?

Rhendak. This is one of those places where you really get to see those differences between dragons and humans highlighted, especially as we see Rhendak lose his temper and administer swift justice without hesitation, trial, or restraint - all to the vast approval of his circle of Elders. In fact, his perceived “patient” and “merciful” nature are exactly the character traits that precipitated this entire rebellion.

Discussion Questions:

1. What did you think of Wessel?
2. Did Rhendak’s meting out of “justice,” and the subsequent approval of the Elders bother you?
3. Is there anything you think our Travelers should have done differently?
4. If there was one decision in any of the chapters up till now that you could change, which one would it be?