Chapter Fifty-Four

Poor Hrathen. He’s been getting jerked around a lot lately–it’s hard for him to react to events before new ones draw his attention. In addition, most of the Mad Prince scenes happened in his chapters. That meant that when I did the revision, he lost the largest number of pages. So, his sections here got even shorter than they had been.

Regardless, things have obviously changed for him again. The guard switch-out here is one of my favorite moments in the book. I like the urgency of Hrathen’s realization, not to mention how this introduces the scene into chaos.

Originally, the fight scene here took place in the Mad Prince’s tent. I had to stretch a bit to keep the dripping flames from above–I just really liked that image. And, I apologize for actually using the words ‘Time slowed.’ That mechanic is a bit over-used in fiction, I admit. However, this is one of my early books, so you’ll forgive me, right?

And, the body count grows. (Ha ha. One of them IS a count.)

I don’t kill for shock value. I don’t think that’s a good reason to do much of anything. I kill characters because of consequences in the plotting. Eondel, unfortunately, was doomed the moment he decided to exact revenge on Telrii. He didn’t have enough men to both get in and out of the king’s chambers.

I think this is a legitimate reaction for Eondel, however, based on how his character. He was honest, straightforward, and he respected Roial a great deal. He knew that Raoden would never condone an attack like this, but he also thought that it would be best for the country if he killed Telrii. So, he went and preformed his ‘assassination.’ This is supposed to be a little ironic, considering the events and decisions of the last chapter.