Last Flight Read-along: Chapter 9 & 10

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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 Liane Merciel's tie-in novel, Dragon Age: Last Flight

[Official book teaser blurb]The Grey Wardens are heroes across Thedas once again: the Archdemon has been defeated with relative ease and the scattered darkspawn are being driven back underground. The Blight is over. Or so it seems.

Valya, a young elven mage recently recruited into the Wardens, has been tasked with studying the historical record of previous Blights in order to gain insight into newly reported, and disturbing, darkspawn phenomena. Her research into the Fourth Blight leads her to an encoded reference scrawled in the margins of an ancient map, and to the hidden diary of Issenya, one of the last of the fabled griffon riders. As the dark secrets buried in Isseyna's story unfold, Valya begins to question everything she thought she knew about the heroic Grey Wardens. . . .

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 (29-Sep)
- Chapter 2 (06-Oct)
- Chapter 3 (13-Oct)
- Chapter 4 (20-Oct)
- Chapter 5 & 6 (27-Oct)
- Chapter 7 & 8 (03-Nov)

(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 & 10--Synopsis]Chapter 9 Synopsis

9:41 Dragon

Valya plays secretary for the Chamberlain of the Grey, a dreamy, unfocused man who some compare, behind his back at least, to a Tranquil. She asks him why the griffons die out, and he says too many died, not enough remaining population to maintain it, but she doesn't believe him. They sort through letters, notably from Vigil's Keep from the new Commander there, one from an unknown Denerim arl...and nothing from Warden-Commander Clarel of Orlais, something the chamberlain commented has been a while. After some time and depressing news from Orzammar relating to the Wardens who have answered the Calling, he lets her go; her intent is to return to the library and resume study of Isseya's diary.

There, she finds her mage comrades at the midday meal and the sole ocupant as Reimas, a female templar. Valya had every intention of avoiding her, but at Reimas calling out, asking Valya to join her, she decides to do so with trepidation. Reimas tells Valya the story of her father who was a weak mage and committed suicide rather than go with the templars, once found out. She joined the templars to protect mages from within, and left them because they had fallen, in her opinion, too far from what they are supposed to be. Valya leaves her with Reimas wondering if Valya actually heard her.

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Chapter 10 Synopsis

5:19 Exalted

Seven years have passed since the wild escape to Starkhaven and Isseya is working with Calien, the mage who escaped on Garahel's griffon from Antiva, to execute a perfect decoy run against the darkspawn army so supplies can be dropped in on the opposite side of the city. They kill scores, but Isseya realizes it's not enough--they need to either find the Archdemon or close down the passages into the Deep Roads to stanch the darkspawn reinforcements from reaching the city.

Having realized over the last several years that Calien is a blood mage, she reveals this knowledge to him and asks him if he can help to trace a darkspawn back to such a passage using it. He agrees, and with Revas's hunting assistance, they find a genlock that Calien dominates into returning. As they track it, Calien asks Isseya if she'll keep his secret; she agrees, adding that she wants him to teach her blood magic.