I think this chapter is easily the one most filled with foreboding in the whole book - something deep lies beneath the surface of what is happening on the Isle, yet it is something no one can put his finger on - a sense of something terrible that is about to happen, of something powerful that might be roused.
Indeed, we began this journey into foreboding and unseen danger in Chapter 24, when Seadreamer's Earth-Sight beheld a terrible danger inextricably linked to Brinn's challenge. What must it feel like to see such total horror and be utterly unable to communicate what you see, but even more, to see that you are powerless to stop that doom from happening?
Covenant's eyes share with us the first glimpse of the Isle of the One Tree after Brinn defeats ak-Haru Kenaustin Ardenol.
And to Covenant, more than all others, the Isle represents conflicting emotions: ah, yes, it is the goal of the Quest he began so long ago (undoubtly, it seems like a hundred years - a life ago, in more than one way - since he and Linden first came to Kevin's Watch and beheld Mithil Stonedown); it is the resting place of the One Tree, and as soon as he will have one of its branches in his possession, he will have the means to restore the Law to the Land. But at the same time, the One Tree is also the end of all joy for him, because he is determined to send back Linden as soon as they reach it - and now, it is almost in sight. In his heart, Covenant already savors the bitter pain of separation - and even though he clings in desperation to the thought that she might save his wounded body in their world, at the same time he doesn't want her to leave his side - maybe, deep in his heart, he already knows that his destiny cannot be changed. But all the more...The whole island was a ruin, a place of death. Why were there no mouldering corpses, no bleached bones? Not death, then, but eradication. All hope simply swept out of the world.
Either way, she will be lost to him; not just because of distance, but because he will break her trust in him, he will send her back without giving her any choice, and even if he fails, she will know that, to him, her opinion didn't matter, she will plainly see his utter selfishness. Either way, she will leave his side. Yet, he MUST do it! Can't she see?!He was going to lose her no matter what he did, if he sent her back or if he failed, either way.
Linden!
How can he not feel like he's losing his mind? His prize, the goal he longs for and loathes at the same time, is so close... but where? and what of this place? What of this isle of death, where nothing green grows on the desolate soil, where bare rock juts out of the ground, and there is nothing suggesting that life ever touched this place?
But how? How can the Tree flourish in a place of death and desolation? Is it not the living incarnation of the Earthpower?So the Tree was here after all, in this place of piled death. Not one bird trammelled the immense sky with its paltry life, not one weed or patch of lichen marked the rocks.
And Brinn. Brinn's ascension - his abandoning the Quest - doesn't simply mean he won't be there to defend Covenant any longer, oh, no... his very transformation into the Guardian of the One Tree is a prophecy of sorts - all the more so because of one terrible reason:
All hope in Seadreamer is gone. He sees ak-Haru Kenaustin Ardenol, he sees Brinn, but what he beholds is despair and destruction, because he knows what will inevitably happen next. He knows, and he knows he is powerless to intervene; but all the more, he sees that he has no way to let others know, and see what he sees with utter, and terrible certainty, even though - maybe more painful than all else - they are genuinely concerned about him! Brinn's victory has broken his spirit, and he no longer has the energy to try and make the others understand that he foresees the end of the world.Seadreamer went on nodding like a puppet with a broken neck. Somehow, Brinn's victory had sealed Seadreamer's plight. By opening the way to the One Tree? Brinn.
But Covenant barely sees this. He is absorbed within himself, within the plight of losing Brinn, who has been invaluable to him since the day he saved him. One more friend as good as lost - and he knows that soon he will lose Linden, too; how can he bear the suffering and pain?
It is Brinn himself who speaks those words, and for one moment, Covenant would wish to storm him with anger, anger and fear at being abandoned, at Brinn's betrayal of sorts; in many ways, Brinn reminds him of Bannor, and we all know how Covenant felt about Bannor and his relentless adherence to the Vow first, and Bannor and his refusal to help him and Foamfollower against Foul last.'You will endure it', that composed voice replied, 'Are you not Thomas Covenant, ur-Lord and Unbeliever? That is the grace which has been given to you, to bear what must be borne'.
With that, Covenant is exhausted. The stress, the suffering, are too much for him to bear - and it is only with Pitchwife's help, a generous offer of diamondraught, and a memory of Foamfollower, that he can stand again. Brinn, and soon Linden. These thoughts never leave Covenant's mind, and he approaches her, even though he doesn't know what to say.He wanted to storm and rave, expostulate like a madman. It would be condign. He had done such things before - especially to Bannor. But he could not. Brinn's mien held the completeness towards which Bannor had only aspired.
For a moment, when he is close to her, when she turns to him and looks at him as if she could read his purpose on his forehead, he is about to tell her the truth, to tell her that he will send her back, hoping she will understand - but he knows full well that she will not. He cannot tell her. He must keep this secret festering inside him - he will lose her, no matter what. He cannot force himself to talk - but she talks to him, instead. Does she offer comfort? Or is she forcing herself to feel pity towards him? Does she know what he intends to do?
What is this? Ah, Linden's lifesight is beholding something she doesn't recognize yet - although she has heard of it, if only she would think back. What did the Elohim say? What is resting on, or beneath this Isle? What kind of power is hidden here? Is it the One Tree? Or something older, something more terrible? How can a shiver not run down your spine, as you read Linden's words? Foreboding - even though she has tried to comfort Covenant, there is no comfort in what she sees.'It's not as bad as it looks. It isn't really dead.' Her hands indicated the Isle with a jerk. 'Not like all that ruin around Stonemight Woodhelven. It's powerful - too powerful for anything mortal to live here. But it's not dead. It's more like sleep. Not exactly. Something this' - she groped momentarily - 'this eternal doesn't sleep. Resting, maybe. Resting deeply. Whatever it is, it isn't likely to notice us.'
'Hope and doom' is Covenant's mantra as he forces himself to move.
The Isle is explored thoroughly, but the One Tree doesn't show up - the place itself is even more desolate than it first appeared, and with each step, Covenant's weariness increases. It's not just physical weariness - but the stress of the Quest bearing on his shoulders. Where's the Tree? He seeks it, and loathes it because of what it will mean to him, to Linden, to the Quest. Hope and doom, indeed.
But the Tree is nowhere to be found. Except... a black gulf sinks into the centre of the Isle, lightless, and so deep that mortal eyes cannot see what lies inside. Can the Tree be there?
Covenant's fear of heights has the best of him for a moment. How is he expected to climb down those "lightless depths"?! Brinn, however, reassures him,Quietly, Brinn confirmed. 'This is the way.'
But just as Covenant's gaze follows Brinn's hand pointing to a ledge going down into the gulf, the Haruchai says something that both frightens Covenant, and instinctively makes him prepare to summon wild magic at need.'I will guide you.'
Interfere with what? What is down there? What is the One Tree exactly? First, Linden's sight, now Brinn's words... a feeling of dread increases within our hearts, insinuating itself into any residual hope and triumph we might feel for the arrival of the Quest.'I may no longer serve you. I am ak-Haru Kenaustin Ardenol, the Guardian of the One Tree. I will not interfere.'
But before Covenant has time to ponder Brinn's words, it is Linden who attracts his attention; she is clearly worried for him, but also alarmed, as if she were about to berate him, right there and now, for daring to think he would send her back. Yet, she doesn't berate him, no, she speaks only one phrase - something so final that strikes Covenant like a mace.
She knows what he wants to do, and she does NOT want to go back! Her few words make Covenant wonder - just for a moment - whether he is really being selfish in sending her back only so she can help him. But no, he shakily reassures himself - what he will do, he has to do; but he has to have a chance to fight Lord Foul - and that means Linden has to heal him.'You can't make the Staff of Law without me.'
Survival, at the cost of love?One man's sole human love was not too high a price.
He forces himself way from such thoughts - down they all go, and for a long time, there is only darkness. He and Linden might as well be alone - and he is left with his own dark thoughts to ponder, Seadreamer's sight, Linden's loss, the Staff of Law, Mhoram's counsel... too much to think about coherently. To all these concerns, the only good answer he finds is the same one he used when first he visited the Land: move on. Go forward. Don't stop thinking about all that assails you.
But the ledge is, to Covenant, the symbol of the way Foul undoubtly paved for him to follow. What did Foul want him to do? Why the venom? Is he still walking on Foul's path? Seadreamer knows what Foul is doing, doesn't he? That is what broke him. But Mhoram said, it boots nothing to avoid his snares, and there is no other choice, but to go on.
What is it that urges him forward? Is it despair? is it hope? Is it inertia? Longing and loathing the goal at the same time... perhaps a bit of everything. A crisis approaches - even though he doesn't think about it, we can feel the climax slowly building as he descends into the gulf - descends into the darkness, and brings the whole Quest with him. A crisis which will redeem him - or break him.
And then, all of a sudden, they reach the ground. For a moment, there is only darkness; but then sunlight floods the gulf, and his eyes can behold his companions, all around him, and on their faces (except Vain's), determination, fear, triumph, dread, horror and victory mix together. But Brinn is no longer with them. Why?
And so with a simple sentence, the renewed hope brought about by the sunlight is crushed. Something dark - darker than the shadows that filled the gulf - will happen here. We can feel it in our bones. There is something wrong - something is not quite what it should be. Too much stillness. It appears the world itself is holding its breath, waiting for the moment in which... what? Covenant will hold a branch of the One Tree? he will find there is no One Tree? What is Foul's plan?Perhaps he did not want to watch what was about to happen to the people he had once served.
Sunlight moves quickly, as the sun races through the sky - and quite suddenly, branches traced by fire, gleaming in the sunlight, burst into view. There - the One Tree! Sunlight runs on the branches, then on the boughs, slowly the One Tree is being revealed, until the trunk appears, sweeping towards the roots, and the Quest can behold its goal.
The One Tree. Only one word can describe that first sight - majestic.
But wait... what is this?It appeared to be enormous. The well had indeed widened as it descended, forming a space as large as a cavern to hold the Tree. The darkness which hid the far walls focused all the sunlight into the centre of the floor, so that the Tree dominated the air with every line and angle of its bright limbs. It was grand and ancient, clad in thick, knaggy bark like a mantle of age, and impossibly powerful.
This is certainly nothing like we expected. Yet we cannot be mistaken - there is power within this tree, a power greater than anything seen before. It feels more real than all that surrounds it; it belongs to a different, higher order of reality. For a moment, there is nothing else but the Tree around us.And yet it had no leaves. Perhaps it had always been leafless. The bare stone was unmarked by any mould or clutter which might have come from the One Tree. Every branch and twig was stark, unwreathed. They would have looked dead if they had not been so vivid with light. The Tree's massive roots had forced their way into the floor with gigantic strength, breaking the surface into jagged hunks which the roots embraced with the intimacy of lovers. The Tree appeared to draw its strength, its leafless endurance, from a subterranean cause that was as passionate as lava and as intractable as gut-rock.
But the sun moves quickly, its light now bathing the One Tree, and the Quest is falling back into shadow. There is not much time, suddenly everyone realizes that; soon the shadows will fall back on the One Tree, and all feel that whatever must be done, it must be done now. It is the First who urges Covenant forward - but for a moment, as he beholds the Tree, he thinks of Linden, and is appalled. He will send her back in a moment. She will soon be gone, and he, alone again. She has been with him, she has helped him, loved him, the first human being who genuinely cared about him since the onset of his disease... to lose her... to lose her now...
No, he can't think about that! Bear what must be borne. Move forward. There. A long, straight branch. Take that. Make it the new Staff of Law. Summon your wild magic, prepare to wield it to sever the limb. Yes. More fire. Hot enough to slice it cleanly. Sever the branch.
'Wait.'
Linden's single word once again strikes when unexpected. What is it? The First urges her to speak - but she can't articulate what she sees. What is it? Speak, Linden, before sunlight fades and the Tree is gone! What is it you see?
Resting. A power unlike any other. For a moment, Covenant doesn't know what to do. He must trust Linden's instincts, but he must have the branch; still, her words shook him. What is it, resting here, unseen? What power resides in this Isle? The crisis is so close, now!'The Tree isn't why nothing lives here. It doesn't make the air smell like the end of the world. It doesn't have that kind of power. There's something else here.' Her vision focused inward as if like the Elohim she were studying herself for answers. 'Resting.'
What kind of power rests here? What is so powerful that nothing mortal could live on this Isle? Why does the air smell like the end of the world?
The First's gesture breaks the spell. He must go forward, see what happens - he must do it now, before the Tree is no longer wreathed in light!
But Seadreamer has in him the strength for one last attempt, just as he sees Covenant approaching the One Tree, wild magic dancing on his ring; he blocks his way. It is Covenant's hand who must NOT touch the One Tree; he will take the branch for him. The Giants are confused, Honninscrave despairs; he won't let Seadreamer die! But Seadreamer hurls himself towards the One Tree, and when Honninscrave tries to stop him, he stuns his own brother. Do not follow me.
Covenant can't but watch in horror. Another one sacrificing himself in his stead. But all happens too quickly, and Seadreamer stands close to the One Tree, ready to snap the branch.
Picture this. Another sacrifice in your stead. You possess the wild magic, power enough to break the world - and still you can't do anything but watch, as another friend, another loved one does what you should have done. Powerlessness. What did Seadreamer see, that was so horrible he must stop you? Another tear to fall onto the ground, another name to etch into your heart? He is doing this to protect you and all people from a danger only he perceives... a Giant, like Foamfollower... Seadreamer!
Picture this. Time stops for a moment. Nothing moves, Pitchwife's and the First's screams to Seadreamer are muted. Watch Seadreamer's visage. He knows what is going to happen. He sees his own doom. But better one doom than many; and he has no other way to prevent disaster. He has been left with no other option. He can but hope that his sacrifice will show Covenant the truth, and Foul's terrible plan. Picture this. Your hands on the branch will trigger your death. Yet over there, a few steps away from you, the Unbeliever stands appalled, looking at you, wild magic dancing on his ring. So close... You know what will happen if that white fire touches the branches of the One Tree. You have seen it, and it has broken you. But he doesn't know. He is only human, like everyone; he doesn't do this out of malice, but out of ignorance. Still, it must not happen, no, if the world is to have even just a chance against Foul, the Unbeliever's wild magic must not touch the Tree!
Close your hands around the branch, and try to snap it from its bough - better your life, than that of the world.
