- Scales told me I did not have to do chapters 6, 7, 8, so here I am for chapter 9.

May I ask, why did we skip three chapters? It sounds like more actually happened in them than any of the previous ones. ...not that that's saying much, given how the plot of this book seems determined to crawl around slower than a herd of snails stampeding through molasses in winter.

- The creatures are described like this:

Again, credit where credit is due. The author may have awful story-writing skills when it comes to the technical aspects, but she does know how to make some really awesome monsters. These things sound horrific in the best way.

- “At least Rivkah loved and respected my father enough not to betray him. […] Would that your father had received such love and respect from our mother.”

Uh...how is this some kind of scathing insult? Not only is Borneheld not responsible for his mother's actions, but don't they have the same mother? Axis is essentially insulting himself with this!

- Earl Jorge tells everyone off for not focussing on Magariz, and we are totally supposed to dislike Borneheld and Priam.

Still don't see why we're supposed to hate Priam. He seems like one of the most decent characters we've met so far.

- Axis counts up travel times and somehow adds an entire month, which no one notices.

Wait, what? How does someone just overlook approximately thirty days? Can these people not count? (I'm assuming that their months are about the equivalent of ours.)

- When Moryson and Jayme are alone, we learn that the body in Gorkenfort was not actually Rivkah’s body, which we could have guessed from the prologue already.

SHOCK, SURPRISE, I TOTALLY DID NOT SEE THIS COMING! WHAT AN AMAZING TWIST!

- Faraday is also supposed to go along with Axis, and her final destination ought to be Earl Burdel’s household in Arcen (the capital of Arcness), as that is safer. Embeth will also go along.

I can't see this going wrong in any way, shape, or form.

- “irritated beyond measure that he [is] to be saddled with a group of women.”

Screw you, Axis. Ever think we readers might not be too thrilled to be saddled with you as our protagonist?

- and he asks if she plans to teach his men “needlework”.

Why not? Needlework is a good skill to have. Not only can you mend your own clothes when they get ripped up, but you can also stitch up wounds in a pinch.

- And then he disappears into the crowd.

I don't know if it's possible to physically reach through a computer monitor to strangle a fictional character, but damned if I'm not prepared to give it a try!

- She is too high for him to kiss her, so he awkwardly pats her leg instead.

So kiss her hand. Don't you know anything about chivalry?

- She says she will count the days until she sees him again, “embarrassed by his attention in case Axis reappear[s].”

Who cares if he does? Borneheld is your fiancé; you're allowed to talk to him.

- Borneheld says that Isend gave him “the reins to the finest mare in the stable”, and that Axis could never hope to “own anything this well-bred”

Oh, you son of a bitch. I was defending you, and you stab me in the back like this?! Punch him, Faraday. Kick him right in the face.

- Faraday gets angry at this remark, so she startles her horse, which causes Borneheld to lose his footing. He “wave[s] his arms and stumble[s] alarmingly, almost falling to his knees on the slippery cobbles”.

Atta girl! He deserved that, and more.

- but she shakes her head at what she just did.

Why? That was awesome! He just implied that you were no more than a horse for him to ride, a possession that he owns.