Okee, dokee - Chapter 26. I'll pick up Chapter 27, as well, but maybe give me three weeks to complete it, rather than two, if that's OK. Note to mods: Chapter 26 hasn't been linked to the encyclopaedia yet, I believe.
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The Keeping Place: Chapter 26Pages: 544-569 (Penguin, 1999)
Characters: Angina,
Ceirwan,
Duria,
Emil and other soldierguards,
Freya,
Gahltha,
Gordie, Elspeth,
Kella,
Lina,
Miryum,
Straaka,
Swallow,
Tomash,
Wila,
Characters mentioned: Alum,
Analivia (mentioned only as Radost's daughter),
Avra,
Caleb,
Brocade,
Dameon,
Domick,
Dragon,
Druid, Henry,
Elii,
Feay,
Gevan,
Harwood,
Jak,
Jik,
Jude,
Khuria,
Lax,
Llewellyn, Brydda,
Lydi,
Malik,
Matthew,
Maruman,
Maryon,
Radost and his sons (
Bergold and
Moss, not mentioned by name),
Roland,
Seraphim, Rushton,
Vos,
ZarakLocations: Brown Haw Rises (not mentioned by name - location of Ceirwan's camp),
Emeralfel,
Kinraide,
SawlneyLocations mentioned: Arandelft,
Darthnor,
Gelfort Range,
Guanette,
Herder Isle,
the Highlands,
the Land,
Saithwold,
Sutrium,
White Valley, theElspeth dozes, waiting for her part in the rebellion to begin, dreaming of Rushton and other absent friends. She's startled when Ceirwan wakes her, telling her that Malik and his people had begun riding to take up their positions in the White Valley. Ceirwan also passes on the news, sent by Duria, that the Guanette and Darthnor Herder cloisters were empty, and that Radost's holdings had been taken over with little fuss. Ceirwan is pleased at the bloodless start to the rebellion, but Elspeth remains worried, though she doesn't voice her fears out loud. Ceirwan also mentions that Anavilia had not been present at the holdings when they were taken, apparently out performing midwifery duties, as she has been known to do.
Accepting a hot drink from Freya, Elspeth farseeks Miryum, learning that the coercive suggestions her knights had planned to implant in the soldierguards' minds were in place. The coercer sounds tired, and Elspeth worries that she won't be able to control the men once the chase begins, but Miryum allays her fears, telling Elspeth the horses will ensure the guards don't get too close during the pursuit.
Elspeth then scries out Wila, who tells her that her rebel band had taken Alum's holdings without issues, but that three men had been killed while attacking Jude. Their empath, Feay, had spent a lot of energy using his Talent on the rebels, to try to prevent them from killing indiscriminately. Wila also passes on the news that the Sawlney cloister was also empty, except for a few tortured prisoners, which causes Elspeth to muse that perhaps the priests weren't planning to return.
Wila tries to link to Khuria but cannot find him, so she links to Tomash instead. From him, Elspeth learns that the Kinraide cloister was empty too, except for a few not-too-bright servants. From those servants, Tomash learnt that the Herders had abandoned their cloisters like this before for a time, when one of the Three (a member of the inner cadre of the Herders) had died. Elspeth congratulates Tomash on the minimal injuries sustained during their raid, but he replies that Elii deserves to take the credit, telling Elspeth the rebel is keeping his people on a tight leash, thinking this would give citizens more confidence in the rebels once the rebellion was over.
After telling Tomash the news she's received from the other rebel bands, Elspeth asks him to let Elii know that her decoy team is about to ride. Elspeth then terminates the connection, since Wila is about to ride out with her rebels. This will put Wila out of reach of Elspeth, and thus mean she can't communicate with any of the rebel groups below the Gelfort Range.
Elspeth discusses the mysterious Herder ceremony in Sutrium which has dragged all the Herders out of their cloisters with Ceirwan. She muses that had they known of the event in advance, they might have been able to gain access to some unbanded servants, to find out more about the inner cadre.
In time, the other Misfits also awake and sit by the fire, impatient for the rebellion to finally start. Lina enquires about Zarak, but Elspeth says she couldn't contact him, and explains that Wila is now out of farseeking range. Ceirwan and Freya decide to take over Wila's role, riding out to hide in the forest near Arandelft. There, Ceirwan would be able to contact Sutrium, while Elspeth would be able to speak to Ceirwan, once she was away from the Gelfort Range.
Shortly after, the rest of the Misfits head out, riding towards the encampment. Entering a clearing suggested by Miryum, they drop off tents and supplies, allowing them to gallop unhindered. Miryum suggests they congregate at the main entrance, so that once the ambush begins, they will give the impression they are riding out of the camp, having rescued Henry Druid. Miryum is fatigued as she farseeks Elspeth, and Elspeth again asks her if she feels strong enough to ride to the ambush location. Miryum says yes, but admits she has no strength left for anything more. She then tells Elspeth she isn't beginning the pursuit until the guards change shift, explaining it is easier to allow the new guards to discover an empty cell than to convince the old guards that an escape was taking place. Miryum tells Elspeth to be ready to ride at her signal, as once she sets her plans in motion, there will be no way to stop the process.
Coercing a guard at the watchtower to distract him, Elspeth and the rest of her decoy sneak past to hide directly beneath him, at the main entrance. Elspeth listens to two other guards discussing the planned attempt to free Henry Druid, and, noting their mind are picking at small inconsistencies in Miryum's coercion, reinforces it. At this point, it begins raining. This dismays Elspeth, because not only is riding on wet roads more dangerous, but the rain also affects Misfit Talents, perhaps because, as postulated by Jak, the rain is now mildly tainted.
Dogs start barking, and Miryum coerces the guards as planned. Elspeth watches with interest as, in addition, implanted coercer memories break open in the minds of various guards, causing them to see Henry Drui escaping. Elspeth and the decoy begin riding at Miryum's command, and the coercer and her knights catch up soon after. The horses of the soldierguards are deliberately slowing down as had been planned, allowing the Misfits to stay just out of arrow range. Once a reasonable gap is opened up, the Misfits' horse slow so as not to use up their energy, but not for long. Farseeking back, Elspeth notices the soldierguards beginnnig to whip their horses to force them to run faster. As the guards are wearing demon bands, the Misfits cannot persuade them to do otherwise, and Miryum berates herself for not also implanting coercive suggestions that they not notice their horses' slower speeds. The Misfits' horses increase their pace to compensate.
When the Misfits reach the White Valley turn off, they are dismayed to see the usually steep track is now, with the rain, even more perilous. Normally, the Misfits would let the horses go down riderless and follow on foot, but with the soldierguards so close, there is no time. Lina volunteers to go first, being an excellent rider, with the other horses following soon after. Elspeth waits till last. She Beastspeaks the closest soldierguard horse, asking her to lose her rider. The horse complies, trying to throw the soldierguard off, but he hangs on, and then begins striking the horse in anger. Feeling the horse's agony, Elspeth unleashes the killing power of her mind, thikning only to distract the guard. To her shock, the power scythes through the storm static and the demon the man is wearing as if they aren't present. Elspeth tries to soften the blow when she realises, but it resists her, feeding off her hatred for people that hurt animals, and it takes all her strength to divert it enough to just avoid killing the captain.
The mare escapes, and Gahltha promises to give her directions to obernewtyn, since Elspeth is too weary to use any more of her Talents. Gahltha then plunges down the cliff, as Elspeth torments herself at almost killing the man. Once she reaches the bottom, the decoy rides off again, being called in by Duria who guides them to the ambush point. During this time, the storm passes, and the moon is out when the Misfits arrive. Elspeth observe that the cul-de-sac is perfect for an ambush, as Duria had suggested.
A premonition of disaster strikes Elspeth as the soldierguards arrive, with over a hundred entering the clearing. Confusion reigns as they realise they are not at Henry Druid's camp, but then they spot Elspeth and the Misfits and advance upon them, thinking them the Seditioners who had freed the Druid. Elspeth waits for Malik to announce himself, but he doesn't. Miryum and Straaka step forward, telling the soldierguards to surrender, still expecting Malik's aid. It doesn't eventuate, and the captian fires an arrow at Miryum's head, which Straaka intercepts. It kills him instantly, and she kneels, forgetting where she is. The soldierguards prepare to kill the rest of the Misfits, planning to keep a couple alive to learn Henry Druid's actual location. Elspeth tries to coerce the leader, but her Talents are still not obeying her, so, instead, she tries to reason with him. Again, everyone waits for Malik to reveal himself, and again nothing happens. At that point, Elspeth learns the truth - Malik had promised not to hurt the soldierguards; instead, he meant for the Misfits to die.
Understanding, Elspeth changes tack, coming forward to show herself as unarmed. A soldierguard lowers his weapons, seeing that many of the Misfits are children, but one of the captains brands them all demon-spawn, and his men become more resolute. Before they are able to fire, however, all the horses, Misfit and soldier guard, move to form a barrier between the guards and Misfits. The captain instructs his men to fire anyway, asserting the horses too are possessed by demons. Angina gets shot as he moves to protect the horses, as does one of the knights. Many of the horses die as well.
Preparing to die, Elspeth huddles close to Gahltha, thinking of Rushton and Maryon, as the captain orders another volley of arrows. Instead, the soldierguards start falling as arrows begin flying from behind them. Elspeth watches as gypsies, both pureblood and halfbreed, led by Swallow, enter the clearing.