King's Warrior Read-Along: Chapter 14

Happy Monday, dear Reader! I hope you had a lovely weekend. Today’s chapter is short and sweet, and one of my personal favorites, because it introduces perhaps my favorite character ever. I hate picking a favorite, but if I absolutely had to, I think it would be Kiernan Kane. Brant is a SUPER close second, however.

But first, a little bit about Tobias. I love Tobias. Even though he did not enter the story until the final draft, I do not love him any less for being late to the party. He first appeared in Second Son, and when I went back to rewrite King’s Warrior, I knew I had to work him into the story somehow. King Seamas may not quite realize it, but Tobias is the best friend he could have ever asked for. If only they had not allowed rank, position, and fear to separate them, perhaps Tobias could have influenced his friend a bit more, and perhaps the story would have been very different.

I love this scene with King Seamas and Captain Ramius and Tobias. Especially since Tobias obviously does not hold Captain Ramius in very high regard at all. I wonder what all is going on here?

This is one of those places where you’re going to have to bear with me a bit, because, despite the whole 3rd-person-omniscient writing, I never do tell you explicitly what is going on in Seamas’ head, or what events precipitated this attack. I drop a lot of hints, and you’re just going to have to put the pieces together yourself. (I really enjoy a story that doesn’t always tell me everything, because I like coming up with the bits to fill in those holes myself... regardless of what the author may have intended... so, that’s sort of what I did here).

Yole meeting Kiernan Kane. Kiernan is just such FUN to write. In many ways he is the exact opposite of Brant. Where Brant is stoic and quiet and made of steel, Kiernan is flighty and exuberant and talks a lot. Where Brant won’t tell anyone about himself, Kiernan will talk about his exploits to any who will listen. Where Brant is still, Kiernan is always in movement. And yet, there are similarities, as well. They both tend to come across as if they are constantly amused by some joke nobody else “gets.” They are both a bit mysterious. They are both courageous (though you don’t get to see this aspect of Kiernan in this particular book). They are both loyal and trustworthy.

Discussion Questions:

1. Upon finally meeting the King of the Dark Country, what is your reaction to Seamas?
2. What do you think of Kiernan Kane? Anything about his first meeting with Yole that jumps out at you?
3. Any questions or comments about this chapter in general?