Eragon: Chapter Twenty-Six: The Witch and the Werecat (Part III)

[pangolin20]

Chapter Twenty-Six (Part II) | Chapter Twenty-Seven

Kerlois: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to Eragon! Last time, Eragon had his fortune told in a rather dubious manner which revealed all too much. For the reader post:

On chapter 23, Alec leaves a fic featuring Eragon getting better training.

Wolfgoddess notes that, if Brom and Eragon were riding through mud, it would not come nearly high enough to “splatter” them.

Did Not Do the Research: 113

She further notes that Brom could just pose as a storyteller, which he has already done, if he thinks that “an old man travelling alone will rouse suspicion”. That he could, so…

Ill Logic: 50

Chessy gives us some more analysis of the poem featured in that chapter.

On chapter 24, she notes that the flag of Teirm would naturally not be Teirm’s coat of arms. Thank you for that!

On part I of chapter 25, Alec points out, and I further realised, that the walls of the castle being supposedly thick does not make much sense. After all, the thicker the inner walls, the less space there is for the castle to function, and if the outer walls hold, the thickness of the inner ones does not matter that much.

Did Not Do the Research: 114

Wolfgoddess notes that Jeod should probably not dress up in conspicuous clothing when he has just met with people who are trying to stay undercover.

Ill Logic: 51

Further, while talking to Alec, I realised that Angela spreading misinformation about toads should probably get this:

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 71

On part II of this chapter, Epistler notes a trend that I had been missing so far: Eragon never gets to say “no” if he does not want to do anything. That is indeed present in such things as having Brom along for the quest, Saphira pulling his mind into her body, and here, the fortune-telling. As I said in conversation, his consent is often taken is given, and it is certainly not something I like.

So, we left off at the end of Angela’s fortune-telling, as Eragon had just heard that he would “face betrayal from within his family”, and Angela said that the bones “have never lied”. Eragon begins to doubt whether Roran will really not betray him, but he tries to ignore it and wonders what reason Roran could possibly have to do so. Maybe it might be because, from his perspective, you left Carvahall without good reason and never bothered to talk to him again? Then again, what do I know? Angela puts a hand on his shoulder and offers him the “wineskin” again. Eragon drinks from it, and it “[makes] him feel better”.

HISC: This edition removes Eragon’s rather weird “inferior wine” comment. Also… if it were anyone else, I might not mind Angela letting Eragon drink wine, but since it is her, she ought to know better.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 72

Kerlois: Eragon then “joke[s] nervously” about death being welcome after all this, while insisting to himself that Roran cannot and will not betray him. …I would want to have seen a bit more of Eragon thinking about Roran if I were to accept this; as it is, I find it rather hard to see that Eragon would rather die than have Roran betray him. Angela “solemnly” says that death might just be welcome (because that is what I would want to hear in Eragon’s situation!), before laughing and saying that he should not “fret about what has yet to occur”. The future can only do harm “by causing worry”, she says, and she guarantees that he will feel better out in the sun. That… is not bad advice, for once.

Eragon thinks that, unfortunately, nothing in her fortune-telling will “make sense until it has already happened”… if it actually does. I get what he means: until it happens, he will not be able to understand just how it comes to pass. What he says, though, is nonsense, since her fortune-telling does make some amount of sense right now, too. Why should Angela even bother with them if they do not make sense?

PPP: 997

Then he brings up that Angela used magic, or “words of power”, as he puts it (I note that that is mostly exclusive to Eragon). Angela ignores this. Instead, her eyes flash, and she says she would love to see “how the rest of [his] life plays out”. After all, he can speak to werecats, he “know[s] of” the ancient language, and he has a quite interesting future, not to mention that few people with “empty pockets and rough traveling clothes” can be expected to be loved by “a noblewoman”. She asks him who he is. Eragon realises that Solembum has not told her he is a Rider (he can do some good, it seems). Then… he goes to answer her, because it does not occur to him that doing so might be dangerous, or that he does not have to answer if he does not want to.

He almost gives his name as Evan, but then changes his mind and says that he is Eragon instead. Angela is somewhat surprised, and wants to know if that is his name or who he is. Eragon says it is both, thinking of his namesake, the first Rider. Namesake or not, I do not think you should be giving your name to Angela, Eragon. I do get the idea that Eragon is supposed to be foolish here, so I appreciate that we get to see that without constant emphasis on how stupid Eragon is. Angela says she is even more interested in the course of his life, and asks after the “ragged man” that was with Eragon yesterday. Eragon finds that one more name cannot hurt (yes, it can), and says it was Brom.

At that, Angela bursts into a fit of laughter. After a while, she manages to say that she had no idea it was “that one”. Eragon “demand[s]” to know what it is, which I find not unreasonable, given that we do not know what is supposed to be so funny here. Angela “hide[s] a smile” and tells him not to be upset. Let Eragon decide that for himself, if you would; he has plenty reason to be upset with you, after all. She explains that Brom is known by “those in [her] profession”, and “the poor man’s doom, or future”, is a bit of a joke among them. Considering what that doom is, I find this in rather poor taste.

Eragon “snap[s]” at Angela that she should not “insult him”, and Brom is a “better man than any [she] could find”. Yes, because nearly everyone in Alagaësia is a rapist, a murderer, and an abuser, and they eat live puppies for breakfast and dinner, too, and Brom is better for not doing the last part. …Eragon, you desperately need to have a reality check. Also, if Angela said that about Brom, Eragon would have a point, but she only said his future was a joke. How is that an “insult” to Brom? Oh, right, Eragon is supposed to look bad for going against Angela, so he needs to have nonsense reasons.

PPP: 998 (twisting Eragon to make him look bad once again)

Angela reacts like this:

“Peace, peace,” chided Angela with amusement. “I know that.[”]

Now, I cannot fault her for telling him to calm down; his outburst had nothing to do with what she just said, after all. I am bothered by the way she does it. First… yes, Angela knows that Brom is a “good man” (pffft), but Eragon could not have guessed that, and given that you laughed about Brom just now, he has good reason to assume that you meant ill. Correct him if you want, but do not take him to task for the misunderstanding you yourself caused. Second, I hate that she is amused at Eragon’s anger, because she obviously does not take him seriously. (And, of course, this allows her to ignore that she was out of line just now.)

Abuse Count: 121

Well, she says that if they “meet again at the right time”, she will absolutely tell him about it. So… you would share Brom’s fortune without his consent? Why is it a problem with Selena, who, as best we know, has been dead for fifteen years, and not with Brom, who is still alive at the moment? Also, if you want to share his fortune, I find you should do it now; it might well affect Eragon, after all, and he should be allowed to make an informed decision on whether to stay with Brom. If you wait until “the right time”, it might well not matter any more.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 73

(Yes, I think that Angela should not spread Brom’s fortune without consent at all, but if she does so, Eragon should know right now.)

Angela then goes to tell Eragon about something he “should” do in the meantime, and then Solembum inserts himself in their conversation, staring at Eragon. Eragon asks what he wants, “irritated”. Solembum says he will tell Eragon two things, and then says:

When the time comes and you need a weapon, look under the roots of the Menoa tree. Then, when all seems lost and your power is insufficient, go to the Rock of Kuthian and speak your name to open the Vault of Souls.

Let me first note that the older edition used “rock of Kuthian”, with a lowercase “rock”, something that the new & improved edition fixed.

For the content, it is actually mysterious, while not being totally useless, so it is a considerable improvement over the actual fortune-telling! I do have trouble with it on a story level. Yes, Eragon does not know where these places are, and to open the Vault of Souls he needs to speak his “name”, which is presumably his true name (else I doubt there would be much left for him to find), and he does not know that yet, either. Still… these sound like things that Eragon should only find and use relatively late in the series, when the balance tips in his favour. What is there to keep him from going to those places earlier, and shortcut the series, though? Sure, no one will do so (or, at least, not make a serious attempt), until the right moment, but that is rather because of Paolini’s intervention than any good narrative reason. I do not quite think this was a good idea of Paolini, all in all.

(I do like “Vault of Souls”, by the way. The execution is rather bad, but we do get a hint that it cannot contain any usual beings here, which is actually followed through on.)

Before Eragon can ask anything more, Solembum walks away again (and good riddance). Angela says that she does not know what he said, and she does not want to know, either. He only spoke to Eragon, so he should not tell anyone else. Good to see that she does stick to her morals in this case, though I would wish she was much more consistent. Eragon is “shaken” and says he needs to go. Angela says that is fine, though he can stay as long as he wants, “especially if [he] buy[s] some of [her] goods”. Yes, with all the money he does not have, I suppose. Also, is the really the time or place to plug your goods, Angela?

Ill Logic: 52

She does not mind if he goes, though, and she sure they have “given [him] enough to ponder for a while”. Eragon confirms that, then makes to leave and thanks her for the fortune-telling, Angela accepts, and Eragon leaves for real. And that was the last we will be seeing of Angela for a good long while!

Eragon stands in front of the shop for a few minutes until he can “think calmly” about what just happened. Then he begins to walk, soon speeding up until he runs as fast as he can out of Teirm and toward Saphira’s hiding place. That… is not the smartest thing to do, but given his present state of mind, I will not complain. I also like to see that his reaction is to talk this over with Saphira, though I might like a bit more insight into just what he is feeling. So, he calls her from the base of the cliff, and soon, she flies him to the top, presumably in sight of the city.

Ill Logic: 53

When they are both on top, Eragon tells her about his day. He ends by saying that he thinks Brom is right: “[he] always seem[s] to be where there’s trouble”. That is a fair interpretation of what Brom said… but I hardly see how it relates back to what just happened, since he did not get into trouble! (Yes, he kind of did, but it will never be referred to as trouble.) I also do not quite like that Eragon now comes to the conclusion that Saphira has used to justify hurting him.

PPP: 999

Saphira does not react much to this, and instead tells him to remember what Solembum is, since it is important. Eragon asks how she knows that. She is not quite sure, but the names Solembum used “feel powerful”, such as “Kuthian”, which she “roll[s] [] around”. Because of this, she finds they should not forget it. I am not very impressed by this, I must say, since I am not noticing much “powerful” about these names. Also, Kuthian turns out to be the name of one of the first Riders to have explored Vroengard, so I am not seeing how his name would have particular power. That aside… the promise of aid when things are looking bad is certainly something to keep in mind!

Eragon asks if he should tell Brom. Saphira says it is his choice, but he has to remember that Brom has no right to know his future. Telling him about what Solembum said will only “raise questions [he] may not want to answer”, and if he only asks Brom about the words Solembum used, Brom will want to know where he learned them. She asks if he thinks he can “lie convincingly” to Brom. Eragon says he cannot, and maybe he will not say anything, but it might just be “too important to hide”. I am reasonably sure that this is how Paolini wanted Saphira to come across, and I like it! She is sensible, takes Eragon seriously, and leaves him his own choices! I also see she notes that Eragon would have to lie to Brom in order to keep his future hidden. I do not doubt that, but I wonder if Paolini meant to write that.

So they talk until they have nothing more to say (and I would quite like to see just what they were talking about), and then sit watching the trees until dusk.

HISC: This edition removes their flying over the ocean and them getting “attacked” by a shark, which is probably for the best. On the other hand, we still have Eragon waiting until dusk to go back, even though he knows that he might get shut out of the city for the night.

Ill Logic: 54

It also gives us a rather clumsy transition, as we cut from it being dusk to Eragon going to Teirm, without any mention of Eragon saying goodbye to Saphira.

PPP: 1000

Let me also remove some unnecessary points… an even 800 will do better.

PPP: 800

Kerlois: Well, Eragon soon reaches Jeod’s house and asks the butler if Brom is back. He says Brom is (with a missing comma), and that he is in the study.

PPP: 801

Eragon goes there and finds Brom sitting before the fire, smoking (what else would he be doing, after all?). He asks how it went, to which Brom “growl[s]” that it went “[b]loody awful”. That sounds all too British for my taste.

Forgot the Narrator Speaker: 60

Eragon deduces that Brom spoke to Brand. Brom says it did no good, and goes off about the “administrator of trade”, and how he abides by every rule, makes up his own “whenever he can inconvenience someone”, and simultaneously believes he is doing good. Hmm, I think “bureaucrat” is all too modern even for the Renaissance-inspired Teirm.

Forgot the Narrator Speaker: 61

Further, how do you know that he is making up rules? I suppose Jeod could have told him, but then, why did Jeod not call him out on that? I get the distinct feeling that Brom is making things up himself. For the last point… I do believe that Brand is doing “some good” in doing his duty. Yes, he may not have helped you personally, but he does help a lot of people by keeping the records from being falsified (and, as I already pointed out, it helps Jeod indirectly, too). Overall, I do not like that Brom casts such aspersions on Brand just because he would not help him. Sure, it is inconvenient, but that hardly means anything about Brand as a person!

Eragon then asks if Brand will not let them see the records (which I think we might have guessed), which Brom confirms, “exasperated”. He says that nothing he did could sway Brand, and he even refused substantial bribes. Then he goes to complain about how he though he would never meet “a noble who wasn’t corrupt”, but now that he has, he prefers them when they are “greedy bastards”. After that, he “puff[s] furiously” on his pipe, while “mumbl[ing] a steady stream of curses”.

So… this was just about what we could have guessed would happen; there is no reason why Brand would let Brom and Jeod see the records because of what probably amounted to “because it is important”. I am sure that Brom was meant to be upset about that, but it rather comes across like he is angry that Brand refused to yield to his wishes! His grumbling about corrupt nobles only adds to that, since I interpret it as Brom being happier with corrupt ones, since he can at least influence those, even if they will not listen to him exclusively. Further, we have seen him bribe people, as with him giving Zar’roc to Eragon and paying Haberth an exorbitant price for Snowfire, so I do think that is what is going on here. It certainly does not make me any more sympathetic toward him. People have their lives outside of Brom, after all, and they are hardly obliged to bend to his will, no matter how much he may wish them to.

For something else, is Brand a “noble”, then? I cannot see any reason why he would not be, but I would not have taken it as a matter of course, either… and I have to ask once again just how Brom knows this. How many nobles has he actually been in contact with, too? I presume he did meet quite a lot during the last few years of working against Morzan, but bribery does not come into that tale much, so I get the impression that Paolini uses “noble” instead of “official”.

PPP: 802

Once Brom is calm again, Eragon asks what will happen now. Brom says that he will “take the next week and teach [him] how to read”.

Well, as I already explained, there is no need for this. Eragon only needs to memorise the names of the cities and certain keywords associated with Seithr oil, something that would take less than a week to accomplish. Staying in Teirm shorter would help them, too; they are at quite a risk of being discovered, after all, so they would do well not to delay unnecessarily.

Ill Logic: 55

Then… Brom thinks he can take a week to teach Eragon how to read. First, I doubt Brom has the faintest idea of how he should go about this, and that, combined with his general teaching attitude, will probably make it a lot harder on Eragon than it needs to be, which will slow him down. Come to think of it, Jeod might be better at it, if only because I think he would be passionate about it, and might show Eragon that reading can be fun. It is a pity he is allowed to do so little now!

For the actual time to learn to read, a quick look around tells me it is measured in months, not a week. Yes, Eragon does not have to acquire full literacy, but I doubt he would be literate enough to be of much help after a single week… and yet he is!

Did Not Do the Research: 115

I find this even worse than Eragon learning swordfighting in several months, honestly. That is something that requires some attention to be paid to it over a while; this should have been obviously impossible to Paolini as soon as he wrote it, but apparently he thought this was perfectly fine! And, of course, no one picked this up during the revisions, either. It is a very good example of the utter lack of care that went into this book.

Eragon wants to know what Brom has planned after that. Brom smiles and says that they are “going to give Brand a nasty surprise” (do you want to get at him that badly, Brom?). Eragon then “pester[s] him for details”, but Brom refuses to give any. Well, I think it is quite clear from context that they are going to get to the records without Brand’s permission, so I am not very sure what the point of this is. That said, Eragon is hardly “pestering” Brom; this does concern his future, so he is absolutely allowed to know what Brom is planning for him! And, no matter how much Brom may want to keep this a surprise, it might still have dire consequences for Eragon, so that is something he should share!

Like, this is not Eragon wanting to know what it is in his birthday present ahead of time; he wants to know what to expect from Brom’s potentially dangerous plans, and Brom is just keeping him ignorant yet again, no matter how much Paolini may want us to think differently.

History-Rewriting Narrator: 7

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 74

Cut to dinner, which is held in a “sumptuous dining room”. Jeod sits on one end of the table, a “hard-eyed Helen” on the other. I can certainly understand that! Having to have Eragon and Brom in house is one thing, but having them at dinner is quite another! Yes, Jeod may well have asked her, but I doubt she would feel free to refuse, and we do not even know that he did so. Also… what happened to “a host should never bother his guests with his own concerns”, Jeod? That is precisely what you are doing now, after all! For Brom, I am not that bothered about him being put in this situation (though it still sucks that Jeod apparently forgot the promise he made the day before), since he does not seem to mind and he does not hesitate to assert himself. For Eragon, though… he does mind, as we will soon see, and he does not have the same assertiveness, so he is stuck here. I think Jeod should think this through a lot better, and should learn how to communicate properly.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 75

So, now it is time to complain about Helen! We learn that Brom and Eragon are sitting between Jeod and Helen, which Eragon finds “a dangerous place to be”. On either side of him are empty chairs, which he does not mind, since it “help[s] protect him from the glares of their hostess”. I get what he means, but he just phrases it in such an overblown way that I have trouble taking it seriously. What, does he think that Helen can kill people with her glares, or that she will jump across the table to murder Jeod? I could see him be uncomfortable with his position, but his talk makes it sound like Helen is willing to attack, which we have no indication she is.

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 80 (+2) (really now)

Someone serves the food, and everyone begins eating “wordlessly”. Eragon tells us that he has had “cheerier meals at funerals”, which he then follows by saying that he has, since he has been to “many burials” in Carvahall, which were sad, but not “unduly so”. This is different, though, since he can feel “simmering resentment” coming from her throughout the dinner. Let me see…

1) This is a bit weirdly written, I find, like Paolini first came up with “cheerier meals at funerals” and then came up with some worldbuilding for it.

2) Has Eragon been to “many burials” now? I thought Garrow wanted nothing to do with Carvahall, so I doubt he would have let this happen. In fact… combined with Brom’s hair switching colour earlier, it is time for one final thing to keep track of:

Continuity Contradictions: 2 (credit goes to Crooked Ear Llama)

3) Also, why does he bring up that the burials were not “unduly sad” (and why would that be a problem in any case? That is only to be expected at burials) when the problem is that Helen is angry?

PPP: 803

4) Then there is what Eragon is saying: Helen is apparently making this worse than a funeral! Oh yes, how dare she be upset at the way Jeod is treating her; she is clearly just being nasty and spoiling the mood!

Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 81

I would not mind this scene so much if it were just Eragon feeling uncomfortable with the situation, but his somewhat ridiculous complaints about Helen turn it into plain bashing. The other scenes where this happened at least had a point beyond that. And here the chapter ends, in the middle of telling us how much Helen sucks, which I find a bit of an awkward stopping point.

Mid-Scene Break: 6

Well, that was it for this chapter! The greatest part of it was dedicated to Angela and Solembum, who are a rather weird insertion in this book, and it is clear that Paolini wanted to show off his new OC’s. Even in the best of circumstances, I would not care very much for three thousand words on characters who will be barely relevant for most of the book, but given how much they suck (I have not forgotten the parrot!), and that this occurs at the very moment when we might get a solid plan to get at the Ra’zac, it grates considerably. This sequence then gives us Angela’s fortune-telling, which, not very wisely, gives us a template for the future plot (and is very untrustworthy), and then Solembum’s much vaguer advice. I could certainly have done without the former.

For the rest of the chapter… well, we get more Helen-bashing and Brom being Brom, but Saphira does come across like she is meant to, at least! We also now have a plan for how to get at the Ra’zac, though it is turning a bit into a fetch quest qua number of steps that need to be completed. Still, we are on the path to get ahead, and I find that worth quite a bit!

With that, I am done for the moment, and I will be back again in chapter 31. Until then!

A Better Commando Name	28
A Murder In Your Future	2
Abuse Count	121
All the Isms	17
Cardboard Worldbuilding	14
Continuity Contradictions	2
Did Not Do The Research	115
Edgy Equals Mature, Right?	9
For the Good of the Cause	35
Forgot the Narrator	61
FYRP	63
Give Me a Piece of Your Mind	4
History-Rewriting Narrator	7
Ill Logic	55
IYES	48
Like Coins Bounced Off a Drum	4
Morals for Thee But Not for Me	75
No-Wave Feminism	70
No Touchy	11
Olympic Finals in Conclusion Leaping	18
Petty Ain’t the Word for You	80
PPP	803
Space-Time Hairball	15
Thou Art Well Come	5
Cliffhanger Chop	2
Mid-Scene Break	6
Other Ending	9
Protagonist Unconsciousness	9
Single-Purpose Chapter	7