Disclaimers: I have not read the Prologue yet so if I make some errors please forgive me--bringing to note the odd fact that Sarah Clint's (as stated in last year's reading) name is now Amy, for example--whether I got the name wrong, initially, or if SRD changed the name during his "massive rewrites" I don't know. Also ARC "purists"-SRD read so quickly during Part Two, chapter 4 that I may not have the names of the
Spoiler
Ranyhyn, Ramen and Stonedowners
Beware there are uncovered SPOILERS from the Prolouge below--chapter 4, Part Two has been blacked out by the Spoiler function, just in case... Setting for Prologue, Chapt 1: (10 years later) Roger Covenant is talking with Dr. Linden Avery who is now Chief Medical Officer of Berensford Memorial Hospital, "the local nuthouse". Joan is Linden's personal patient who is in an uncontrolable personally abusive state. Joan is restrained to her bed to prevent her from continually punching herself in the head, as if to drive demons out. Nevertheless she continually yells and thrashes about and all attempts to calm her down have failed. Linden has discovered that anytime Thomas Covenant's white gold wedding band is in her proximity Joan's manic condition appears to ease. So LA has put the ring on a necklace that Joan has been wearing but, fortunately, she has the ring hidden about her own neck when Roger comes to claim custody of his mother. Roger has just turned 21 and is not only trying to claim custody but to claim TC's will in lieu of his mother's incompetency.->
Roger and Linden have been going around and around for almost a half hour and even though he retains no legal right to Joan's custody from the state, due do non corpus menti, he is out to prove that to Linden that he is the only one who understands her, can calm her and take care of her. As they finally go into Joan's room Roger gets a strange glint in his eye and nods to Linden as if all her arguements now make sense. "You've done your best-now it's my time-I know things about her you don't-knowledge that has to be earned-I've earned it, I can take care of her." Roger moves over to the bed in an strange purposefull way, but he can't stop his hands from trembling. He leans over the rail and undoes her restraint. His hands shake almost uncontrollably as he looks at the bizzare pattern of color the sun has created from her bedside flowers on her mangled righthand, destroyed by Lord Foul's banefire so long ago.
Linden expects Joan to strike herself as Joan acknowledges the unattainable flowers and stares vacantly though Roger. Roger's trembling hands touch Joan face but she remains calm. "Mother, it's me Roger." Joan's pupils dilate, she blinks a number of times, and leans forward as her eyes come into focus. "Roger is that you?" "Of course, you can see, as you've always known." He says with a distainful vex, as if she had always been his "servant". As Linden watches as thin trickle of blood runs off her bitten lip. "It's been so long, I've waited so long, make it stop." "I've had to wait." he said. Suddenly Joan punches herself in the temple, drawing blood. He has had to wait, until he turned twentyone, to be able to do anything. Linden doesn't understand how Roger can reach or how Joan can do anything.
"I've been good, I can't stand it" she says. "Of course you can" he sneered, "That's what you do, I'll take you out of here. We'll make it stop, together." As Linden and Roger exit the room Joan begins to scream uncontrolably like "fabric ripping on glass." "She's coming with me. As you plainly see, I'm the only one who can take care of her. You have no choice." As Linden replies, "She's leaving over my dead body."
Beginning of Prolouge, Chapter 2: Once outside the room Linden spins on Roger, "You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?!" Joan's screams reach an almost inhuman pitch as the monitor alarm begins railing. The nurse, who had reattached the restraint (Amy Clint), catches the confrontation, "Dr. Avery what's wrong?!" Roger looks at Linden, "Give her a taste of blood, that will calm her down." Linden looks at him horrified, then remembers, "Miss Clint, this is Roger Covenant, Joan's son. Seeing him has upset her." "I've never heard her scream that way before." the nurse says. Linden begins to understand that Roger has learned something, but how? Then nods, "Yes Amy go ahead give Joan a taste of her blood." Confused and highly distressed Amy does as she's told.
"You didn't answer my question." Joan aburptly stops sceaming. With a malign edge Roger replies, "I'm the only one who can take care of her. I'm her son, I can reach her. You can't." Linden acknowledges his results but is somehow terrified of the methods. "Until you can produce a court order the front door is that way." "Oh by the way, do you know what happened to my father's wedding ring? It wasn't found on his body. I've asked Maegan Roman and Sheriff Lytton, but no one seems to know where it is..." Now Linden knows he must be somehow touched by Foul-he must, somehow, know the power wild magic has in the Land. Foul must have been preparing a major assault on his prision for some time. He'll go to the Land and use the ring to destroy the Arch of Time! She can't totally grasp his intent or how this knowledge came to him but one thing was certain: ALOT of people were going to die.
For reasons that almost suppassed her understanding she said, "I've had it ever since he died, he gave it to me." "His will left everything to my mother and I want it back." Linden remembers the sudden disappearance, as Foul had killed Covenant, and reapperance of the ring in her hand when she returned to this world. "It was his dying wish that I should have it." "I can't calm her or heal her without it-it's rightfully hers." "Again the door is that way." Roger begins to leave but then turns at her and says, "Dr. Avery (as if her title was the embodiment of a sneer) you have no idea what you're dealing with." Oh she did, but how, how had Roger come upon such knowledge?
Spoiler
Chapter 4, Part Two: (Again he went so fast that the names of the Stonedowners and Ramen may be erroneously interchanged and the Ranyhyn's name may be slighty off.) Out of an insane death-dealing storm of chaotic driving sleet and interspersed lightning, with massive thunderheads "the color of bruises and madness", ride Linden Avery and Stave of the Haruchai. Both appear to be barely alive as they arrive at the Ramen camp-two Cords calm their mounts and Lyand has to bodily drag Linden, in rigid mortification-ceaselessly crying-completely chilled to the bone as in death, off Hynn (Hynnian?) her Ranhyn. They had been away for two nights and two days and if not for the aura of white fire and Hynn's body heat she would not have survived. Stave dismounts his Ranyhyn but can barely stand due to his major wounds.
The party and both Ranyhyn enter a tent, to escape the morbid winds, where Manethrall Ham'e places Linden by a large fire and give her water. The Stonedowner, Martir, crushes aliantha in his teeth and "kisses" it into her mouth. Pawne attempts to rub life into Linden's feet and legs as Rea feeds Stave hot stew. Cords Baba, Pawne and Rea and Manethrall Ham'e pay homage to the Ranyhyn, barely recovered form the brink of exhaustion, and they gallop into the storm to whatever their destination may be. Stave shakes himself into sensibilty and Ham'e addresses him, "Will you speak now Bloodguard? The ring will not speak for her." "Let the Chosen speak of it, if she is able, I will not."
Finally emerging from a deep sleep Linden opens her eyes and, eventually, breathes easier. Ham'e gives her more water and pulped aliantha. She becomes stronger than before but is in a deep illness, "Clearly a fever of the soul." bordering on the metaphsyical. The Ramen apply their meager store of hurtloam to her brow and injuries and wonder if she could stand a small administration of amanibhavan either injested or as a poultice. She stares into nothingness as Lyand props her up to the fire while repeating a soft litany-"Linden, Linden..." A faint patina of conciousness strikes her, she sits up, grabs Stave, and with a cracked and tortured voice murmers "...the poor horses--- ---oh my son!"
The party and both Ranyhyn enter a tent, to escape the morbid winds, where Manethrall Ham'e places Linden by a large fire and give her water. The Stonedowner, Martir, crushes aliantha in his teeth and "kisses" it into her mouth. Pawne attempts to rub life into Linden's feet and legs as Rea feeds Stave hot stew. Cords Baba, Pawne and Rea and Manethrall Ham'e pay homage to the Ranyhyn, barely recovered form the brink of exhaustion, and they gallop into the storm to whatever their destination may be. Stave shakes himself into sensibilty and Ham'e addresses him, "Will you speak now Bloodguard? The ring will not speak for her." "Let the Chosen speak of it, if she is able, I will not."
Finally emerging from a deep sleep Linden opens her eyes and, eventually, breathes easier. Ham'e gives her more water and pulped aliantha. She becomes stronger than before but is in a deep illness, "Clearly a fever of the soul." bordering on the metaphsyical. The Ramen apply their meager store of hurtloam to her brow and injuries and wonder if she could stand a small administration of amanibhavan either injested or as a poultice. She stares into nothingness as Lyand props her up to the fire while repeating a soft litany-"Linden, Linden..." A faint patina of conciousness strikes her, she sits up, grabs Stave, and with a cracked and tortured voice murmers "...the poor horses--- ---oh my son!"
October better get here quickly! 
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......Top o' the morning to y'all, tho! 