Asunder read-along: Chapter 9

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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)
- Chapter 7 (21-Oct)
- Chapter 8 (28-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 9]Chapter 9 Synopsis

Rhys wakes up the next day riding a horse with Adrian; Evangeline reflects on the amount of power Wynne tossed around to save them all from the darkspawn, and Wynne herself mentions off-handledly that she'd healed Rhys. Evangeline then orders Rhys not to wander off again, or she'll treat him like an apostate.

They arrive at Adamant after a long day travel to find a group of twenty templars from the White Spire, led by one of the Lord Seeker's lieutenants, Arnaud. Evangeline is displeased by this development, seeing the schemes processing behind it. She orders the other templars to remain outside the gates while her party goes in.

Inside, they notice the ruin of the buildings, the dead, smoking bodies, and find a golem--Shale--waiting for them. Shale had accompanied Wynne, 'tidied' after Wynne took "so long" to return, and then pries open the doors to the keep to let them pass.

Cole has been following them ever since the village, just out of reach. He mentions hearing the music when they approach the wastelands and almost gets found by a darkspawn in his hiding spot to sleep, but the music saves him. He hears the battle Rhys survived but hid from it, then raced to catch up until he came upon Adamant. He slips past the extra templars and in through the mangled doors, searching for Rhys. He doesn't find his friend, but does find a young woman, Dabrissa, cowering under a trapdoor, one he senses will see him, but the thought of how Rhys would react if Cole killed her keeps him from doing it. She tells him there are 'others' in the tower that would kill her and him if they found them. He suggests she escape through the now open gate and continues on, determined to find Rhys.