Last Flight Read-along: Chapter 15 & 16

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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)
- Chapter 9 & 10 (10-Nov)
- Chapter 11 & 12 (17-Nov)
- Chapter 13 & 14 (24-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 15 & 16--Synopsis]Chapter 15 Synopsis

9:41 Dragon
Valya and Reimas have become something akin to friends in the months since their confrontation in the library. Valya has since finished reading Isseya's diary and is troubled by the contents therein: a blood mage sister to the great hero, Garahel, both elves, who did terrible things with blood magic but "one great thing" as well. She asks Reimas if blood magic can ever be used for good, and they discuss the ethics of the Grey Wardens doing it.

In the end, Reimas asks Valya who this Warden is and what she did, in order to judge the answer to Valya's question.

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Chapter 16 Synopsis

5:20 Exalted
Queen Regent Mariwen of Anderfels has declared a feast for the Grey Wardens and Garahel in particular to celebrate the breaking of the siege of Hossberg. In Garahel's room the night before, he, Isseya, and Amadis discuss the other half of the deal: that in exchange for one night with Garahel, she will pledge the armies of the Anders to the Grey Wardens to go into the Free Marches, which is dying under the Blight. Amadis, ever pragmatic, is the one urging Garahel to do the deed, but needs more impetus to commit her mercenary company: she wants a breeding female griffon, for the prestige, but also for the very real reason of wanting to build the stock back up.

At the feast, Garahel cuts a charismatic figure as he presents himself to Mariwen, who pledges troop support openly before the feast begins. Isseya, at a different table, is disgruntled, and mutters mostly to herself wondering if she'll honor it. Calien overhears her and the talk, briefly, of Isseya's constant doubts and Garahel's willingness to do anything to end the Blight. Calien comments that there are some things he wouldn't do to do so, and on Isseya's probing, replies that she knows the answer--or soon will.