BattleAxe First Read: Chapter Three: The Lady of Tare (Part II)

[pangolin20]

Chapter Three (Part I) | Table of Contents | Chapters Four and Five

NRSG: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to BattleAxe! Last time, we met Axis’ secret lover. Let us see what happens now!

 

We open on Axis having a nightmare. He is unable to move, and “trapped by the thick hatred that seethe[s] across the blackness and distance between them.” Hmm, interesting to see that Douglass likes to write in close third POV, but also likes switching POV’s constantly.

Axis writhes, trying to free himself, frantic to escape from “the horror that [draws] closer with each breath he [takes].” He whispers at the presence to leave, that he does not want them, and that “[they] are not [his] father.” Ah yes, I imagine such a nightmare would be quite awful for him. Of course, the being only comes closer, and Axis knows that soon he will be able “to smell its putrid breath”. He gives up on trying to free himself and instead lies down, trying to gather his strength “for the fight ahead”.

He again whispers “go away”, and he can feel the being approach him. They speak now, calling Axis their son. Axis shudders as “the voice slither[s] through the dark spaces between them.” Axis whispers “no” again, and he says that all he can feel “from the other presence [is] hatred.” Ah, here is one of Douglass’ favourite things: indicating a character is evil by making them “hate”.

The being speaks further, calling Axis their son again, and goes off on a rant, saying that Axis should never have been allowed to be born, that he is an “abomination”, that he should have been aborted, and that he “killed [his] mother… [his] beautiful mother.” Given some of the things he will do later on… I cannot say that I entirely disagree with the sentiment.

The voice “drools over the word “beautiful”” and Axis almost vomits with “fear and loathing.” The being keeps going, saying that Rivkah (not that they use that name) died because Axis “tore her apart” during the birth, and that she cursed him then. They say she swore to drown Axis when “she could finally get her hands on [him].” But Axis killed her first, and she died “with her life blood draining all over [him].” The presence calls this a “fiery baptism”, and then chuckles at this “joke”. I do not see why it would be a joke, but whatever.

Axis is crying now, because of the pain he has caused his mother, because she cursed him, and because he never knew her. The being says that they never wanted Axis, and if they had known Rivkah was pregnant, “[they] would have torn [Axis] from her body [them]self.” Nice. Also, I note that this sounds quite like what happened with Gorgrael…

Axis screams that the being is not his father, desperately trying not to believe it, but “scared to the depths of his soul that this unspeakable voice [is] indeed his father.” He tries his best to break out of his magical bonds, but he stays trapped in the space with his father. “A father who hate[s] him.” And still a better person than your actual father, Axis.

The being goes on: “You have destroyed your mother, as you will destroy everyone about you. No-one wants you, Axis, no-one loves you. You should be dead instead of your beautiful mother.” Oooh, evil! Given what Axis will do later on, though, it feels to me like they see the situation quite well, especially the part about Axis destroying everyone.

At this, “[s]cores of dreadful red-hot teeth nibble[] at his flesh”, tearing off “strips of skin and muscle”. Well, this is considerably worse than a voice yelling at Axis about how he killed his mother. He says it is not enough to kill quickly, “but enough to torture slowly to death”. Eek. He blandly tells us he “battle[s] with his sanity”. If you say so.

The voice becomes “solicitous”, and it tells Axis that their friends will “help” Axis, and it says “[t]asty, tasty”. My, who could this mysterious person possibly be?

This Is What the Mystery: 45

The voice hardens, and the being repeats that Axis is an abomination, and that he deserves to die, so they have come what should have been done to Axis “while [he] swam in [his] mother’s womb”. “Tear you apart… piece by piece.” Credit to Douglass, this is quite menacing now. Axis now loses control, like he always does, and he screams. It is “the only way he [knows] to escape.”

Segue into Embeth’s POV.

Stick to a POV: 23

She hears Axis scream and wakes up “with her heart in her mouth”. She sits up and turns to Axis, who is rolling around in bed, “covered in sweat, his hands gripping the mattress.” His eyes are wide open as he whispers that the being is not his father. Embeth’s heart almost breaks at the sight. She grabs his shoulders as best she can, and shakes him as hard as she can. She calls his name, and tells him that it is alright, and that he should wake up.

She says she remembers these dreams from when he first came to their household some twenty years ago. Back then, he had them “[o]nce or twice a month”, which wake both her and Ganelon, even though he slept in the attic. She says these dreams were never this bad, and she though “he had grown out of them.” Well, maybe these nightmares are magical? She then slaps him in the face, desperate.

This finally gets him awake. He grabs Embeth’s arms, still afraid, “not knowing for a time who she [is] or where he [is].” Then we get a bit of Embeth comforting Axis, him wrapping his arms around her, and Embeth crying. After some time, he pulls away, and lies down. Embeth says nothing, “thinking it better that he speak first.” Well, that is quite nice of her.

Eventually he takes her hand and thanks her for being there. Embeth wonders “how many nights he [has] woken up to face this horror himself.” She “prod[s]” that it is the same dream he had as a child. Axis confirms this, and says that it has become “[i]nfinitely worse” over the past few months. That is not great, certainly.

Embeth strokes his face, “feeling the sweat of fear beginning to dry on his forehead and in his beard.” He asks in the void why the being hates him so much. After all, he never asked to be born, so how can it be his fault? Well, Axis, maybe he hates you because of some other things.

He asks Embeth. She thinks that Axis might tell her his dream, and she says that he always kept the details hidden from her, “no matter how hard she probed”.

Cut to Axis’ POV.

Stick to a POV: 24

He goes to look directly at her, and we are told that he meant to ask her if she ever felt like she would die during childbirth, and, if so, if she would blame the child for it. But just as he is about to do so, he finds that he cannot. That would reveal how guilty he is about killing his own mother, after all. “His beautiful mother.” Yes, thank you for that addition. Would it have been less bad if she had not been beautiful, then? Other than that, I can see why Axis would not ask this, also since this might be a little too personal for Embeth.

Cut to Embeth’s POV.

Stick to a POV: 25

Embeth sees him close up, and knows that he needs to be alone now. She says that he has “lived so much of his life unwanted that he [finds] it hard to accept that others [can] love him for himself.” If you say so. She kisses him on the forehead one last time, and then slips out of bed, finding her clothes on the floor. She dresses in “the chill early morning air”, and puts her hair in a “rough knot that [will] stand a cursory inspection by any curious eyes.”

Cut to Axis’ POV.

Stick to a POV: 26

He lies on the bed watching her, “grateful that she [has] asked no more questions and that she recognise[s] his need to be alone”. Embeth pauses by the bed, and says that she will come if he needs her again. He nods, Embeth smiles “briefly, sadly”, and she slips from the room, leaving him alone in the dark. End chapter.

Well, that was quite boring, really. Next time, I will do two chapters in one, as they are both quite short. See you then!

 

 

Comments

[epistler]

After this the nightmares subplot will soon be dropped forever and never mentioned again, and I'm with you on Gorge being absolutely correct in calling Axis a worthless and disgusting piece of shit. He starts out as a bullying asshole and a creep and somehow it manages to be all downhill from there. I still don't understand how anyone could be so tone deaf as to write their hero in such an incredibly unflattering light. He literally has not one single redeeming feature.

[pangolin20]

After this the nightmares subplot will soon be dropped forever and never mentioned again,

NRSG: Because never mind how potent a weapon this gives him; we have to make sure the main villain is as thoroughly nerfed as possible!

As for the rest, I would have quite liked a scene like this in StarMan.

[epistler]

Because never mind how potent a weapon this gives him; we have to make sure the main villain is as thoroughly nerfed as possible!

Yup. That's why the rain of ice spears he uses to decimate Axis' army in this book is never used again. Nor does he ever appear as a scary apparition in the sky ever again. Plus of course he spends most of the trilogy just sort of hanging around in between throwing toddler tantrums and falling on his ass.

As for the rest, I would have quite liked a scene like this in StarMan.

Hey now there's a thought! Wait until AFTER Axis has those guys tortured to death without a trial, rapes Azhure, cheats on Faraday and then rapes her as well for good measure, rips out a guy's heart while he's still alive, threatens to murder his own allies and does... that THING he does at the end of book two, and then hit him with nightmares about what a horrible person he is. Not that it would be likely to have much impact given his utter lack of remorse about all of the above. Though it couldn't be feasibly used as the kickoff point for a redemption arc, because by this point Axis is beyond redemption. The only way he could really atone for his sins is to die a horrible gory death.

[chessybell_90]

And now for chapter three -

Something about Axis grabbing Embeth tastes like Douglass is aping something she's seen without understanding it. Mind, if it's the sort of 'guess who' game I think she's mimicking I'm not sure it's that much better, but at least those tend to not sound like surprise kidnappings.

... If it hadn't used his name, I'd have wondered if someone accidentally sent that dream to Axis when they meant to target Gorgrael.

I take it Gorgrael is projecting?

Was this chapter really necessary? Okay, it does introduce Embeth. Who I hope is plot-relevant. (Also, does she really need to be Yet Another Conquest? Can't we get some male-female nonsexual friendships?)

[pangolin20]

Something about Axis grabbing Embeth tastes like Douglass is aping something she's seen without understanding it.

NRSG: Indeed... This whole book feels like that so far as I have come, like she puts in as many tropes as possible without a thorough understanding of why they work or what place they have. I think that is why we ended up with Axis in the position he is, as well as this unnecessary court drama.

Mind, if it's the sort of 'guess who' game I think she's mimicking I'm not sure it's that much better, but at least those tend to not sound like surprise kidnappings.

Yes, I think I know what you mean.

... If it hadn't used his name, I'd have wondered if someone accidentally sent that dream to Axis when they meant to target Gorgrael.

It does feel quite random, really.

I take it Gorgrael is projecting?

That, or Gorgrael's mentor (who will be revealed later) told him about the stories about how Rivkah supposedly died, and he used that to target Axis. I cannot tell yet.

Was this chapter really necessary? Okay, it does introduce Embeth. Who I hope is plot-relevant.

I do not think she is very relevant? Let me see... In Enchanter, she becomes Judith's "senior lady-in-waiting", and she helps Ysgryff and Greville join Axis (or die). Then she leaves the country at the beginning of StarMan, and she dies off-screen between trilogies. So yeah.

(Also, does she really need to be Yet Another Conquest? Can't we get some male-female nonsexual friendships?)

Unfortunately, I cannot think of many in this trilogy, though I do not know much of this trilogy, so... Later on, we do have some... Drago and Zenith, for example, and Garth and Ravenna.

[littlecaity]

Ah yes, hatred = TEH EBULS. God forbid someone have some entire justifiable hate, for say a bully or bigot or neglectful parent or murderers or any of a thousand other actually good reasons. Douglas' understanding of morality is another thing rocketing into Greenwood territory... And at least Greenwood says he doesn't believe in heroes. Which is stupid and annoying in its own way but still marginally more enlightened than this nonsense.

Embeth continues to be the only character thus far who I actually like a bit. She's being kind and respecting his needs in a way that I seriously doubt he's ever going to do for her or anyone else.

If I remember right, nothing ever comes of these nightmares either, so it's just an excuse for HeroAngst.

[pangolin20]

Ah yes, hatred = TEH EBULS. God forbid someone have some entire justifiable hate, for say a bully or bigot or neglectful parent or murderers or any of a thousand other actually good reasons.

NRSG: But when it is Axis, it is justified! Or at least, that is the impression I have got...

And in this case, I do not find Gorgrael's hate to be unjustified, given that Axis is supposed to defeat him.

Embeth continues to be the only character thus far who I actually like a bit. She's being kind and respecting his needs in a way that I seriously doubt he's ever going to do for her or anyone else.

That is the same reason why I like her, too. I think you will soon feel the same way about Faraday.

If I remember right, nothing ever comes of these nightmares either, so it's just an excuse for HeroAngst.

And a way to show just how incompetent Gorgrael is.

[maegwin_of_hern]

Embeth and Axis actually seem like a nice couple so far. But since I don't remember Embeth at all from the previous sporking, I dread what will happen to her, or their relationship.

[pangolin20]

NRSG: Their relationship will mostly stop existing in a few weeks, which makes me wonder why Douglass bothered to keep it in at all. As for Embeth herself... I would say she comes out reasonably well in this trilogy.

[maegwin_of_hern]

If I wanted to be mean-spirited, then I'd assume he only has a sexual relationship here to demonstrate that he's no longer a virgin, because for some people that would mean he's not yet a "real" man. And that's just not acceptable for the male hero of the story, especially for one who's already been giving off toxic masculinity vibes.

As for Embeth herself... I would say she comes out reasonably well in this trilogy.
Good to know!

[pangolin20]

NRSG: A fair assessment. For myself, I would say Douglass put it in because it is a component of more such stories, as the beginning of this book feels like her putting in as many clichés as possible.

[wolfgoddess77]

- Ah, here is one of Douglass’ favourite things: indicating a character is evil by making them “hate”.

I have a hatred for a great many things. Guess that means I'm evil, too. Oh, well!

- The presence calls this a “fiery baptism”, and then chuckles at this “joke”.

Shouldn't that be a bloody baptism, then? That could actually count as a sick joke, if a bit too literal.

- My, who could this mysterious person possibly be?

It's a wraith. It's totally a wraith. I just don't understand why it's apparently confusing him with Gorgonzola over there. We already know what happened from the prologue, so we know that none of this is true.

[pangolin20]

Shouldn't that be a bloody baptism, then? That could actually count as a sick joke, if a bit too literal.

NRSG: It should indeed! Come to think of it, why does Gorgrael even reference baptisms, when they do not seem to be a thing in Tencendor?

It's a wraith. It's totally a wraith. I just don't understand why it's apparently confusing him with Gorgonzola over there. We already know what happened from the prologue, so we know that none of this is true.

That is a quite big problem with this prologue. Why should we take this seriously when we already know this is fake?