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Another snippet from Kings of the North today. This may be one I posted in an earlier draft last year, but as someone said, there are people new to the place who probably don’t want to hunt through the archives for everything I said back then. As before, there may be mild spoilers incorporated, so if you’re spoiler-averse, don’t read beyond the break.
Location: maybe this should remain unknown for the moment.
Present: Arvid Semminson, a dwarf, and a gnome
A faint vibration came through his boot soles. Arvid took the bread from the bowl and poured in water. It stilled, then the surface shivered again, showing concentric rings. A faint groan from below, and the rings steepened.
No sound from the knights outside the door: they might have fallen asleep naturally or yielded to the rockfolks’ enchantment. Arvid slid a little buckler onto his left hand, checked once more that he could reach all his small blades, then drew sword and dagger.
A gap opened in the stone an armspan from the jewel he had placed. Two heads rose through it, one bearded, one not, one with bright eyes scanning the room, the other’s eyes closed, skin sickly pale.
“Rockbrethren,” Arvid said in their tongue. “Did I not say I had so hoped not to see you this night?”
…………………………………….
I will say that this sequence does not end its story arc in Kings…it’s still being a ticking time bomb in the next volume as well. But fun.
It’s also tied in with the long-arc question of what really happened in Old Aare and who did it? Well, one long-arc question anyway.
Meanwhile, Book III is chugging along as fast as it can, pushing upstream against the demands of Lifestuff.
Comment by Eir de Scania — May 19, 2010 @ 7:40 am
Arvid snippets are always welcome. 🙂
Comment by elizabeth — May 20, 2010 @ 10:38 pm
Glad you enjoyed.
Comment by Michelle — May 21, 2010 @ 12:30 am
A definite Yay! for more Arvid. I can hardly wait until next year. I’ve already read Oath 3 times.
I do have a question concerning Oath of Fealty and I apologize if it’s been brought up before. In OoF, Sier Halveric is Aliam’s brother but I could have sworn in Deed, he was said to be Aliam’s uncle? Am I misremembering? I guess this means I’ll have to read Deed once again. 🙂 Oh Darn! Ha ha ha
Comment by elizabeth — May 21, 2010 @ 8:15 am
I may have goofed. I can’t recall, at the moment, what I said (maybe the *former* Sier was Aliam’s uncle? Sigh.) And today I don’t have time to look it up, as we’re in the final push to get our son ready to move to the city. Sometime today, large things will be moved in a garden cart from one house to the other, so the movers will have to pick up stuff at only one place.
Comment by Mike D — May 22, 2010 @ 2:56 pm
“In OoF, Sier Halveric is Aliam’s brother but I could have sworn in Deed, he was said to be Aliam’s uncle? ”
Yes when I read “brother” in OoF I too assumed that the Sier Halveric of thirty-eight years ago had been the uncle but no, when Paks is called to the dying king in Lyonya (ch 16 of OoG) he says
“And I am Sier Halveric. Are you that Paksenarrion who served Phelan of Tsaia?” When Paks nodded, he smiled at her. “Then I daresay you know my nephew Aliam Halveric.”
{and he is called Jeris in the next paragraph}
So continuity slipped here.
One wonders if it is going to be a plot point that Aliam is not the owner of the Halveric holding he and his sons look after and what is due to happen when the Sier dies – maybe Jeris has an heir who prefers country life ?
Michael Dolbear,
Little Egret in Walton-on-Thames
Comment by elizabeth — May 22, 2010 @ 5:12 pm
Writer fail. Sorry. Should we ever have new editions of everything (HA!) I’ll fix that–if someone reminds me.
Of course, I could retrofit an explanation (in order to be given the use of the land, Aliam had to be adopted in to the main line, so he’s both nephew–genetically–and younger brother–legally) but that’s a patch. Headdesk!!!
Comment by Robin S. — May 28, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
Hi Elizabeth,
I enjoy any snippet but I do so hope that in the next book Arvid is more comfortable with His company. I also can’t wait for that next book to be published so I can have it in my hot greedy little hands. Have a great holiday weekend.
Comment by ValarieC — May 30, 2010 @ 2:23 am
I just finished — reluctantly, resentfully — my copy of “Oath”, which I had pre-ordered the instant I heard it was coming. When it arrived, I sat it unopened on my bookshelf and let it torment me for almost two months. “The Deed of Paksenarrion” (and company) is easily one of my top five books/series ever, and I am that person who as a child was given free access to check out all the library books I wanted and carried grocery bags full of books to and fro weekly. I finally opened “Oath” yesterday and finished it today. Wonderful, of course. So happy to see some of my favorite characters again. I just found this site and am now tormented again — WHEN is “Kings” out? Meanwhile, I’m going back to the beginning and re-reading (to the nth power!). Thank you so much for these books, Ms. Moon.
Comment by elizabeth — May 30, 2010 @ 5:22 am
So glad you liked it, ValarieC. Kings of the North should be out next spring.
Welcome to this site–and feel free to pass on the URL to anyone else who might be interested.
Comment by ValarieC — May 31, 2010 @ 12:50 am
5:22 a.m.? Another night owl writer in Texas, or are you the disgustingly cheerful, leap-from-bed smiling types? Either way, from Justin, TX, thanks again. By the way, I ordered the full series of hardbacks, from Gird thru Dorrin, and donated them to our library.
Comment by elizabeth — June 1, 2010 @ 8:37 am
If I’m up all night with a gut bug or headache, I may post indecently early in the morning. I’m not a night-owl (though in summer I’m a bi-phase sleeper: afternoon nap plus bed around midnight, because we eat much later, because of the hideous effect of Daylight Savings Time.)
But usually I’m a morning person, waking up “disgustingly cheerful.” Leaping from bed happens a lot less now that I’m solidly into the gray and arthritic category. Long, slow stretching is the ideal.
Comment by Christine Teter — June 8, 2010 @ 4:40 am
My life is now fulfilled. Many years ago, I asked you when Paks would be back, and you said that might never happen. So, I girded(?) my loins and simply reread my entire Moon library (over and over and over, etc). The snippets have been like a small heroin fix, and the new Oath book is purely Nirvana! And two more books to follow. Only the imminent birth of my sixth grandchild has me more excited.
Thank you, Elisabeth, thank you.
Comment by ValarieC — June 12, 2010 @ 1:17 am
Elizabeth,
Christine speaks for us all. I bet if you put a bunch of us in a room, together we could recite everything from Gird thru Dorrin. I’d also bet most of us are NOT the rabid type of fan who giggles in your presence and knows your favorite cereal. Most of us are ferocious readers who cherish a meaty, well-told book (you don’t precisely offer frothy chicklit, though I have a few such items on my shelves as well). The point is, the promise of more Paksworld books is like having the certainty of a really, really good meal full of incredible conversation to anticipate. We can get a Happy Meal book any day — and do! — but we relish the satisfaction of a really great read
Over the years, I’ve introduced your books to many people. Most enjoy all of your work but either connect strongly with Paksworld or the scifi. I have never yet had anyone not seek out more of your work. Of course, I’ve never offered them to any airheads, either!
Good luck with headaches. I’m a veteran of the migraine wars myself.
ValarieC
Comment by Abigail Miller — June 24, 2010 @ 10:21 pm
Hi, ValarieC! I just read your comments, having been offline except for a few minutes every few days for the last few weeks. So startled to see the location Justin, TX –I’m in Denton, and I used to go to Justin frequently when my great-aunt Mrs. Dane Leuty lived there. I don’t believe it HAD a library at that time; I’m extremely glad to hear both that you are contributing good material, and that they accept contributions. Many larger libraries, I hear on book-lovers forums, are no longer accepting contributed books, because their computerized acquisition and processing systems can’t handle them.
Comment by ValarieC — July 1, 2010 @ 6:49 pm
Abigail,
Good to hear from a neighbor. We’re in Denton daily; my in-laws live there. Know any Cantwells? The name Leuty is familiar to me, not sure why. A street name?
Yes, our little library is still archaic enough to accept books, but seem to have trouble separating Harlequins from Jean Auel and Miz Moon. They try, though!
Enjoy ur hot Texas summer!
VC