Asunder read-along: Chapter 7

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THE READ-A-LONG

What is this? The read-a-long is an opportunity to do a long distance book club with other Dragon Age fans, where once a week one chapter will be discussed in David Gaider's tie-in novel, Asunder

[Official book teaser blurb]The destruction of Kirkwall's Circle of Magi has brought chaos to the lives of mages and templars throughout Thedas. Some mages teeter on the bring of rebellion against their templar watchers, while others struggle to maintain order and stability amid the tides of change.

In the majestic White Spire, at the heart of templar power in Val Royeaux, tension have reached the boiling point. The actions of a few radicals draw the attention of the Seekers, a powerful and secret segment of the templars, who arrive to take command and restore order no matter the cost. To make matters worse, a mystical killer stalks the White Spire's halls, invisible to all save one lone mage.

As Rhys is the only one who can see the killer, all eyes turn to him as the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With little hope of proving his innocence, Rhys's future looks to be short and grim. But his skill with spirit magic earns him a reprieve, as he is drafted into an expedition traveling deep into the western wastelands of Orlais. There, his fate will become entwined with that of a beautiful templar, a tormented soul, and Wynne--heroine of the Blight. Together they will uncover a secrete far greater than they imagined. One that will change the fate of mages in Thedas forever.

If you've read it and have Thoughts or Feels, comment to discuss! Discussion can be serious or snarky, but please keep it constructive and not destructive.

- Chapter 1 (09-Sep)
- Chapter 2 (16-Sep)
- Chapter 3 (23-Sep)
- Chapter 4 (30-Sep)
- Chapter 5 (07-Oct)
- Chapter 6 (14-Oct)

(If the first person who gets to this post can start a comment thread entitled 'Serious Discussion' and a second one for 'Snarky Discussion', I would greatly appreciate it.)

[Chapter 7]Chapter 7 Synopsis

Travel, travel, travel. Evangeline reflects on the tensions in the group, primarily between Rhys and Wynne which leads to reminiscence about her own mother, and a life that might have been. Word from other travel filters in about troubles and battles to the East, and Wynne theorizes that civil war has come to Orlais, in the form of Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons luring the Empress out with false rumors of an elven rebellion at Hamershiral. Evangeline wonders, then, if perhaps the attempted assassination are part of those intrigues, and the mages innocent as they claim. However, they did stand to gain if war was afoot, as they would likely be called on to fight in it--giving them a modicum of leverage and strength.

When cold rain threatens, Wynne convinces Evangeline to let them stop at a proper inn to spend the night; they wind up in Velun, a small village near where Evangeline grew up. The patrons seem wary of a templar and three mages in their midst, but the tapster welcomes them warmly and seats them at a good table near the fire. Rhys orders good wine, Wynne dwarven ale, and Adrian, fiery as always, decides to try to prove she's just as capable of handling it as Wynne. Evangeline drinks and eats sparingly, but the mages get drunk, and it comes out that Rhys and Adrian were once an item and that Rhys's father was a templar.

They're interrupted by a man spoiling for a fight, hating mages for the attempt on the Divine and petty trespasses throughout their county. Drunk, Adrian tries to argue with him, until Evangeline prevents her from escalating with magic and then argues the mob down with words and the threat of her sword. Wynne helps to diffuse the situation, and the ugly crowd disperses. Rather than stay in the rooms, Evangeline says they'll stay in the barn, in case the men return.

After everyone is asleep in the barn, including Evangeline nodding off much later, Rhys slips out looking for something...or someone. He finds Cole, who passes on the warning about Lambert's order to Evangeline. Rhys urges Cole to return to the Tower, but he refuses and runs off. Upon trying to sneak back into the barn, Evangeline is awake and catches him, fully aware of the fact that he did not seek the privy as he tried to lie. He tells her the truth, or most of it save that Cole is the murderer, and then turns it around on her to ask about her orders, which she hints at indirectly but does not admit to fully. There is something akin to awkward flirting, and they go back into the barn to sleep.