Our first sight of Gratillonius:
"At noon upon that Birthday of Mithras, the sun blazed low in an ice-clear heaven. As Gratillonius looked south, he saw its brilliance splinter into rainbow shards amidst his eyelashes." (I, 1, p. 13)
- and our last sight of him in this volume:
"His next Watch would begin on the Birthday of Mithras." (XXVI, 3, p. 438)
The Speaker for Taranis:
"'We think the Gods have worked Their will and are at peace with Ys.'" (p. 437)
I don't think so.
A new description of the Milky Way:
"...the River of Tiamat flowed across heaven..." (XXVII, p. 439)
There is a ritual in which fishing boats convey the souls of the dead from Ys to the isle of Sena. When the boats are launched:
"The wind and the sea murmured." (p. 440)
When the souls leave the boats:
"The sea and the wind sighed." (p. 441)
The fishermen, in their role as Ferriers of the Dead, hear voices:
"-'I was Dahilis.'" (ibid.)
The novel ends on this note of fantasy.
2 comments:
Northern Europe is really -Northern-. Without the Gulf Stream, that part of the world wouldn't be habitable at all, except for a few hunter-gatherers or reindeer herders.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Paul! I agree, there was no real peace between the gods of Ys and Gratillonius, only a wary truce as the "gods" pondered how best to bring to heel the defiant King.
Mr. Stirling: In that scenario fishers might have sailed there from warmer climes.
Ad astra! Sean
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