The Wounded Land, Chapter 20: The Quest

[matrixman]

Here we begin the third act of The Wounded Land.

After the climactic high of Soothtell, we are plunged back into the emotional and ethical morass of the story. Covenant is disgusted over his actions: in the frenzy of his power, he had taken lives, even though he had sworn never to kill again. Once again, he is forced to deal with the consequences of “the wild magic which destroys peace.” And despite all his power, he can do nothing for Linden, who cannot be roused from her catatonic state.

Thus, still bright with power, Covenant leaves behind his companions and makes his way to Revelstone's upland plateau in search of hope. With him is Brinn of the Haruchai, who now wards Covenant as Bannor of the Bloodguard had 4000 years before. After all this time, Covenant still finds himself needing the Haruchai's support to go on.

On they go to the one place near Revelstone that is still potent enough in Earthpower to resist the Sunbane: Glimmermere!

There Covenant finds hope and an alternative to his destructive wild magic: the krill of Loric, thrown into the depths of Glimmermere by High Lord Mhoram ages ago as “an act of faith in the Land's future":

And Loric, who was Kevin's father, had been called Vilesilencer. He had formed the krill to stem the harm of Vain's ancestors. Perhaps the krill would provide an answer to Vain.

The krill answers Covenant's power, and the whole surface of Glimmermere explodes into white fire. Covenant then walks across the lake! He retrieves the burning krill, but cannot maintain the wild magic any longer:

But still the lake upheld him. The Earthpower gave him this gift as it had once gifted Berek Halfhand's despair on the slopes of Mount Thunder. It sustained him, and did not let him go until he stumbled to the shore in darkness.

Just what Covenant needs: another comparison to Berek! This whole scene has iconic resonance: it's the messiah walking on water. Yet once he lets go of his power, Covenant returns to being an ordinary man, one suffering shock from blood loss.

Covenant and Brinn go back into Revelstone, where Ceer of the Haruchai stuns the ur-Lord with the news that Linden has been awakened--by Vain!
The Haruchai "do not trust this Vain". Covenant isn't a fan of Vain either: he convinces himself that the ur-viles must have lied to Foamfollower, that Vain's purpose isn't a noble one.

Flanked by an honor-guard of Haruchai (that must be humbling ), Covenant escapes Revelstone and rejoins his friends: Linden, Sunder and Hollian. But "he had eyes only for Linden":

He could read nothing but pain in the smudged outlines of her mien. But her eyes recognized him. A quiver like urgency ran through her. He could not stop himself. He surged to her, wrapped his arms around her, hid his face in her hair.

What a beautiful, powerful moment! Yet it's all too brief, as Linden pulls away from him in nausea, "moving as if she were stunned by abhorrence or grief": Covenant's leprosy and Foul's venom. A physical disease and a moral disease standing between Linden and her man. A complex relationship, indeed.

Hollian thanks Covenant for her freedom, and wishes to be able to serve him. Once again, Covenant is disturbed by people's willingness to put themselves on the line for him. Hollian also expresses admiration for the Haruchai, who went out of their way to rescue the eh-Brand's and Graveler's belongings from the Clave. She wonders, "How does it come to pass that the Land has so forgotten the Haruchai?" The bond between Hollian and Sunder continues to grow, and Hollian shows resources of character, as she seems to be able to speak for Sunder when he cannot.

The Haruchai mention Memla na-Mhoram-in's name (say that 3 times fast!), and Covenant asks Brinn to have her bring Coursers. Brinn doesn't move, but several Haruchai spring into action. This demonstration of the Haruchai mind-speech emphasizes how much they rely on each other, and how that mental collective enables the Haruchai to be so competent and efficient in what they do. Without the Haruchai to organize camp for the freed prisoners, it's doubtful they would have lasted very long outside Revelstone.

Covenant is on the verge of collapse from blood loss, but Linden comes back to him. She realizes he has lost an appalling amount of blood, but then stares horrified at the scars on his wrists. Shades of her father...but Covenant snaps out of his paralysis to tell her it was the Clave that cut him. Linden is trying to be of use, trying to help Covenant, when Brinn chimes in: "The ur-Lord's life was forfeit in the soothtell. Yet with wild magic he healed himself." Linden's reaction:

At that, Linden's orbs darkened. Her lips echoed soundlessly, Healed? Her gaze dropped to the old scar behind the cut in his shirt. The recovery of determination which had drawn her out of herself seemed to crumple. Losses which he could not begin to understand overflowed from her eyes. She turned away from him, turned her face toward the night. "Then you don't need me."

Ouch. Covenant doesn't know how to help Linden, and Linden doesn't think he needs her help. Oh boy...

Covenant at last drops the bombshell: he is going to find the One Tree and make a new Staff of Law. He is going east to the Sea. The Haruchai, aware of the old legends, agree to accompany him. But Sunder has some issues. He believes that in damaging the Clave, Covenant may have damaged its ability to moderate the Sunbane. Covenant lays down the cold, hard truth:

The Clave doesn't moderate the Sunbane. They've been using it to hurt the Land. Feeding it with blood. They've been serving Foul for centuries.

Poor Sunder. How much can a guy take? Another piece of his world crumbles. His horror then becomes rage:

Then why do you not fight? Destroy the Clave--end this ill? If they are such an abomination?

Covenant answers with one of this chapter's most salient lines:

I don't want to fight them until I stop hating them.

Memla then shows up with five of the Clave's Coursers, and the company is ready to depart. (What names: Din, Clang, Clangor, Annoy and Clash. ) But Memla first makes an appeal to Covenant:

With my rukh, I can wield the Banefire to aid our journey. This the Clave cannot prevent. But I in turn cannot prevent them from knowing where I am and what I do, through my rukh. Halfhand. I do no wish to set aside the sole power I possess.

Memla's honesty and courage move Covenant, and he lets her keep her rukh. No time to smell the aliantha, though:

But we must depart. Gibbon has gathered the Clave at the Banefire. While we delay, they raise the Grim against us.

The Grim!

So we end with the beginning of a quest into the great mysteries and legends of the Earth, but it must first contend with Gibbon's ire...

[Seafoam Understone]

Memlana-Mhoram-inMemlana-Mhoram-inMemlana-Mhoram-in
There Hows that mr doubting mustafa? <genie from Aladdin>

Another great dissection. Good job Matrixman.

While the chapter is a good break in the action of the Soothtell and Covenant's power articulating his rage, this one allows just enough of a breather before the next one.
I think here Covenant while disgusted at breaking his promises (something he's pretty good at...unintentionally) to himself he's coming to terms with his power I think. Learning how to weild it though now it's an axe handle rather the fine honed edge blade of the axe itself. Before it was just the whole tree (pardon the pun here). Devistating everything without any sembalance of control.
Though there no mention of it I sense that Covenant is acknowledging the fact that he has control over his power and that is what he's so terrified of. Thus he goes looking for answers.
Before the wonderous lake of Glimmermere has helped him with answers that he needed

Spoiler

and it will do so again.

His past experiences with the Krill and knowledge that Mhoram used it to fight evil gives him the hope that particular weapon he can use instead of the Wild Magic.

Linden recovers and he is so grateful not to have lost her because obviously he still needs her badly. But she pushes him away when he approaches her and takes her into his arms. Seems he's forgotten that she can still "SEE" and his ills are just repugnant. Kinda like hugging someone after they crawled out of the sewer.

I had to remember that Brinn and the others were NOT Bloodguard they were not bound by the old Vow and thus not as Bannor and Tuvor. But they still show the drive and the will and desire to serve. They do find service to be a good way to test themselves constantly. A proud people.

My admiration for Sunder grew here though he gotten another kick in the stomach with TC's description of what the Sunbane really was. Strength runs deep in this man.

I too love the line: "I don't want to fight them until I stop hating them".
As a warrior trained for combat I learned that it is easier to fight a wrong when you don't hate it. You'll know when to stop. Seems to me Covenant figures out the real meaning of the "Oath of Peace" here. You'll know when/where to stop as you fight.

Melma is another character for us to admire. Like Sunder and Hollian everything she believed in turns out to be a lie. Now she wants to do something positive. Her compassion speaks as she makes TC aware of the risk of her power but since it's all that she has she doesn't really want to let go of it. It would appear that TC has enough influence on these "new" people of the Land that she would've left her rukh if he asked her to, reluctant but compliant because she's aware of the danger.

Names of the Coursers are fitting considering what damage they can do.
At least they'll cover a larger amount of distance between them and the Clave before the Grim is raised against them.

Another good chapter to build up the coming suspense.

[matrixman]

Thanks for the kind words, Seafoam. This was my first crack at a chapter summary; I know I can do better...but I guess we learn by doing. I skimmed through a lot of good stuff, especially the Glimmermere scene: it was in fact the BIG event of the chapter. D'oh!

I also should have mentioned the last paragraph:

As he [Covenant] fell, he heard a cold wail from Revelstone--a cry like the keening of the great Keep, promising loss and blood. Or perhaps the wail was within himself.

Maybe I'm just dense, but I'm not sure what that "cold wail" refers to. Is it the obvious answer: Gibbon? He must have a powerful set of lungs, then...

[Earthblood]

Thanks Matrixman - another great dissection indeed. I knew you would do a fine job!!!!!

I also felt it interesting that TC said he didn't want to fight untill he stopped hating - some thing that would come in handy for all of us in these times of real world war, no?

Thanks again for filling in for me MM - a great effort all will enjoy!!!!

PS - the great part of the dissection thread is that everyone contributes & picks up on the things you may not have caught or thought about while doing your review.

[Furls Fire]

Great lead-in MM!!

Coming off of "Soothtell" and having Covenant make his way, still in the throes of his wild magic, thru Revelstone, thru the Upland and come to Glimmermere; walk onto it, and raise the krill brought tears of triumph and joy to my eyes! SRD and his powerful writing lifted me so high that there was no way I was going to put this book down.

For an instant, he thought that the sinews of his soul would rend, must rend, that his joints would be ripped asunder. But then a great shout of power blasted through his chest, and white flame erupted toward the heavens.

Glimmermere repeated the concussion. Suddenly, the whole surface of the lake burst into fire. Flame mounted in a gyre; the water of the lake whirled. And from the center of the whirl came a clear white beam in answer to his call.

The krill rose into view. It shone, bright and inviolate, in the heart of the lake-a long double-edged dagger with a translucent gem forged into the cross of its guards and haft. The light came from its gem, reiterating Covenant's fire, as if the jewel and his ring were brothers. The night was cast back by its radiance, and by his power, and by the high flames of Glimmermere.

Still the krill was beyond reach. But he did not hesitate now. The whirl of the water and the gyring flames spoke to him of things which he understood: vertigo and paradox; the eye of stability in the core of the contradiction. Opening his arms to the fire, he stepped out into the lake.

Earthpower upheld him. Conflagration which replied to his conflagration spun around him and through him, and bore his weight. Floating like a flicker of shadow through the argence, he walked toward the center of Glimmermere.

In his weakness, he felt that the fire would rush him out of himself, reduce him to motes of mortality and hurl him at the empty sky. The krill seemed more substantial than his flesh; the iron more full of meaning than his wan bones. But when he stooped to it and took hold of it, it lifted in his hands and arced upward, leaving a slash of brilliance across the night.

He clutched it to his chest and turned back toward Brinn.

Now his fatigue closed over him. No longer could he keep his power alight. The fingers of his will unclawed their grip and failed. At once, the flames of Glimmermere began to subside.

But still the lake upheld him. The Earthpower gave him this gift as it had once gifted Berek Halfhand's despair on. the slopes of Mount Thunder. It sustained him, and did not let him go until he stumbled to the shore in darkness.

It's not all dead, not yet...Andelain, Glimmermere, the krill, there is still uncorrupted Earthpower, there is still hope for the Land...

And Thomas Covenant will never give up.

"That is well," Brinn replied. "Where will we go?"

Covenant did not falter. He was sure of what he had to do. His Dead had prepared him for this. "To find the One Tree. I'm going to make a new Staff of Law."

Nope, he'll never give up.

[matrixman]

Thanks, people! Glad I didn't let you down.

Another thing that struck me was the composition of the quest. Its members could be considered exiles, to one degree or another:

Memla -- cast out of the Clave
Sunder & Hollian -- cast out of their respective villages
Linden & Covenant -- cast out of the "real" world
Haruchai -- exiled from their mountains (by choice to follow Covenant)
Vain -- okay, he never "belonged" to a place; let's just say the ur-viles cast him out to the world to fulfill or fail his purpose.

[dlbpharmd]

Great job MM!

[duchess of malfi]

The Krill always brings Arthurian legends to mind. In the First Chronicles it was the Sword in the Stone, proclaiming Mhoram to be the true born High Lord of the Land when he was able to pull it out...and here in the Second Chronicles it is like Excalibur, the Sword from the Lake (with Earthpower taking the place of the Lady of the Lake)...

[matrixman]

Yes, indeed, Duchess. Donaldson appears to be doing his own variation on Christ and King Arthur with the Glimmermere scene. But I think the krill is way cooler and has more "personality" than Excalibur.

I'm curious about the krill's gem itself: I wonder if it was a unique creation by Loric, or if he had found a preexisting gemstone and basically "amplified" its properties with Earthpower. If the gem existed already, then maybe "gemstonelore" or whatever, was another way for the people of the Land to express the Earthpower. The only other gem-like object in the Land I can think of is the orcrest, but that's considered a piece of rock, isn't it? We don't hear of any sapphire gemstones in the Land, for example. If, however, the gem in the krill was indeed uniquely created by Loric's power, then Loric was one seriously cool Lord.

[kastenessen]

Yes very good dissection Matrixman!

It was so cool when TC went for the Krill. Another awesome moment. There are so many in the second chrons...

kasten

[Seafoam Understone]

Yes, indeed, Duchess. Donaldson appears to be doing his own variation on Christ and King Arthur with the Glimmermere scene. But I think the krill is way cooler and has more "personality" than Excalibur.

I'm curious about the krill's gem itself: I wonder if it was a unique creation by Loric, or if he had found a preexisting gemstone and basically "amplified" its properties with Earthpower. If the gem existed already, then maybe "gemstonelore" or whatever, was another way for the people of the Land to express the Earthpower. The only other gem-like object in the Land I can think of is the orcrest, but that's considered a piece of rock, isn't it? We don't hear of any sapphire gemstones in the Land, for example. If, however, the gem in the krill was indeed uniquely created by Loric's power, then Loric was one seriously cool Lord.

I've always envisioned both Krill's stone and orc-crest as these earthly gemstones... The Krill's stone is a huge diamond and orc-crest has the same physical properties as Opal... but that's just me. I've always loved the physical beauty of Opal (particularly Fire Opal) and when I first read Orc-crest I couldn't imagine the stone looking like anything else. The otherworldly properties of the stone is of course radically different from it's earthly counterpart.... grin

With the Krill's stone being a white diamond (though Ruby's seem to be better for refracting light and turning it into a physical property i.e. lazers... btw anyone ever seen a WHITE ruby... I saw a pic of one a long time ago... so thus how I was able to envision the Stone in the middle of the Krill which enables Covenant and anyone else to channel their power(s) through the device.
this of course is the view points coming from an ametuer geologist... so I might not know what I'm talking about... heh.. but dem's some purty rocks.

[danlo]

I need to reread this chapter fast. The krill scene always struck me as "The underlying power of the whitegold meets a last vestige of earthpower and purity..." With the Land in so much trouble where else could the krill go but in2 TC's hands? I thought about the JC aspect but it went away quickly. Thanks VERY much Matrixman! Awesome "read lead". (p.s. if you'd like to do the next chapter feel free to do so or PM me--I'm losing touch with the next scheduled lead--if she doesn't PM me or post by tonight I will need more emergency help! <Neo glasses)