Belts, Flutes and Dragons (Let's Read Deltora Quest and direct sequels)

Darken · Mar 20, 2025

So, Deltora Quest. One of those Children series that make you go 'wow this is pretty scary for a children's book' almost too often, and the books that almost singlehandedly got me into fantasy as a whole. Nothing like reading about people getting burnt, disfigured, or killed to make a child go 'yes, this is what I will read for the rest of my life, inject it directly into my veins'.

Deltora Quest is a cycle of eight fantasy books written by Australian writer Emily Rodda (pen name of Jennifer Rowe) and published between 2000 and 2002. It was followed by the Deltora Quest II: Shadowlands trilogy in 2002, and then by the four books of the third cycle, Deltora Quest III: Dragons of Deltora, in 2004. To these one could add the additional material released about the world of Deltora, and the later addition that Emily Rodda's two other series, Rowan of Rin and the Three Doors, are also set in the same narrative universe, but for now I will focus solely on the original three Quests.

Deltora Quest is a very simple series, but is one I'm very fond of. For that reason, I've decided to try to do a Let's Read for it, to see if anyone else that has read the series feels like talking about it. Hopefully there are more people like me that remember this series fondly.

On a side note, I'll be reading the Italian version of the series, because those are the volumes I own, while checking the English version for good measure. While a part of this means that I will have to look up what the English name of a lot of stuff is, another notable thing are the art pieces. The Italian version of Deltora Quest has illustrations at the beginning of every chapter, and sometimes double spreads in the chapters themselves, made by Italian artist Michelangelo Miani. Those are really iconic to Italian readers (so much so I was actually shocked to find out they weren't in the original books), so I will share some of the more interesting ones.

As for how much space I will cover in each section, I think it will depend on how much I have to talk about. This won't be super in-depth, so probably a few chapters each post.

With that in mind, let's start Book 1 of Deltora Quest: The Forests of Silence

Chapter I : The King

People that have seen the anime probably don't know, but a lot of Book 1 is spent following the PoV of young Jarred. In the anime, this section was turned in a flashback narrated by the main character of the bulk of the series later on, at the beginning of Book 4.

Jarred is a boy that grew up in the palace of the King of Deltora. He is the closest friend of young Prince Endon, to whom he was assigned as a companion when they were both young. We catch up with him as he is waiting in the throne room for his friend's coronation. Endon's father, King Alton, has just died of a mysterious fever, leaving the throne to his son.

Jarred spends most of the wait reminiscing about his relationship with Endon. What we learn is that unlike Endon, Jarred feels the pressure of the rule (or the Rule, the list of rules the King and courtiers must observe at all times) and has often considered breaking them, doing things like leaving the castle. Endon, however, has always begged Jarred not to, not wanting to lose his only friend - the Rule, among other things, forbids the royal Prince from interacting with any other children, except the chosen Companion, except at parties - and Jarred has always complied.

Instead he created with his friend Endon a secret code that they could use to exchange messages, and a gaim called Aim High where they shoot arrows at a hollow tree trying to hit as high as possible. On his part, Endon being his friend made Jarred participate in the smithing classes he had to take (the first King of Deltora was a smith).

All this is a bit exposition-heavy, but it's the kind of exposition that when is not being compressed together in a forum post flows pretty easily. As a word of advice, any time someone mentions secret codes or riddles in Deltora Quest, keep them in mind.

Jarred's reminiscing is interrupted by Endon's arrival. Jarred feels he should be there to help his friend, but instead next to him is Chief Advisor Prandine - ain't that a surprise, in Italian he is called Prandius, I wonder why the change - who is carrying the Belt of Deltora, the symbol of the royal family's authority. The belt is made of metal, apparently fragile but actually strong, and contains the seven gems that protect Deltora - the Topaz, the Amethyst, the Diamond, the Emerald, the Lapsilazuli, the Ruby and the Opal.

Jarred also notes that Prandine seems almost afraid as he ties the belt around Endon's waist. However, his attention is quickly taken away from the Chief Advisor as the belt starts shining brightly, proving that Endon is the legitimate King and renewing the spell that protects Deltora from the dreaded Shadowlord.

Except... In that moment, Jarred has a sudden epiphany, as he watches Prandine put the belt away, to be taken back to its room at the top of the castle's tallest tower: is this really right?

Now, for the first time in his life, Jarred wondered if this was a good idea. For the first time he wondered how and why the Belt was made. For the first time he began to doubt the wisdom of letting such a power for good remain idle in a tower room while the realm it was supposed to protect lay, unseen, outside high walls.

What we learned about Jarred, in this chapter, is that he is curious. Curious enough to slip in the castle library, 'another first for him', to figure out for himself why the Rule exists.

Chapter II - The Belt of Deltora

It takes Jarred hours to find a book about the Belt, which is probably not a good sign, especially since the book is found buried beneath others in a corner of the room, like someone wanted it forgotten.

As he reads, 'not a good sign' turns into 'very bad sign'.

Originally, Deltora was divided in seven tribes, each owning their own tribal stone, a powerful magic item. The tribes, divided, were no match, however, for the Enemy that ruled the Shadowlands, to the north of Deltora. When the Enemy invaded, the individual tribes were no match for its forces. However, one night, a young smith named Adin, a commoner blessed with 'strength, courage and cleverness', had a dream. In his dream appeared a belt, 'seven steel medallions beaten to the thinness of silk and connected together with a fine chain', holding each one of the tribal stones.

Adin took this as divine intervention, and decided to make his dream a reality. He forged the belt, travelled across Deltora, and one by one he convinced every Tribe to unite. When the Belt was complete, Adin put it on, and it shone like the Sun. Then, as all the Tribes united behind him, he led them to fight back the Shadowlord. However, Jarred notes as he finishes reading the chapter

But he never forgot that he was a man of the people, and that their trust in him was the source of his power. Neither did he forget that the Enemy, though defeated, was not destroyed. He knew that the Enemy is clever and sly, and that to its anger and envy a thousand years is like the blink of an eye. So he wore the belt always, and never let it out of his sight…

This is a pretty notable difference from the current state of things, and as he reads, Jarred finds out why. Adin's grandson, King Elstred, was the first to find that his life of luxury was making him fat, and the Belt was giving him trouble. His Chief Advisor promptly suggested he wore the Belt only in important occasions. His daughter, Queen Adina, following her father's tradition, only wore it five times. Her son, King Brandon, only three, and he was also convinced by his Chief Advisor to have the Ralad, one of the Seven Tribes, build him a castle atop the great hill at the center of Del, the Kingdom's capital, and over time it became custom for them to remain within the castle walls, where they and the Belt could not be harmed, and for the Kings to only wear the Belt during the coronation (beltation?) ceremony.

Now, Jarred is a rather smart boy. It takes him exactly one read of this to realize that Adin has probably been rolling in his grave for a while, with enough force he can be turned into an engine, so he does the logical thing: runs to confront Endon in the chapel, where he is watching over his father's body until dawn, and immediately confronts him, begging him to go to the tower, put on the Belt, and get out of the castle to see his Kingdom. Endon, who has been watching over his father's body all night, has lost his mother just days before, and is just very tired in general, tells him that he isn't making any sense and should go get some sleep, but Jarred lashes back, saying that Endon doesn't know the city outside and the Kingdom. Endon tries to argue he can see the beautiful city from the window every morning, and that he knows what is going on in the Kingdom, to which Jarred points out he only knows what the Chief Advisor tells them.

"And is that not enough?" The cold voice cut through the air like sharp steel.

Since we have three living named characters so far, no points for guessing who this is.

Chapter III - Escape

Prandine steps in the chapel, accusing Jarred of being a traitor for wanting to push the King away from his duties because he is envious. Jarred tries to reason with Endon, but the boy doesn't know who to trust, and when Jarred goes to take the book out from under his shirt, Prandine covers the King, shouting Jarred has a knife, and calls the guards.

Jarred runs. He manages to evade the guards because none of the servants stop him, just assuming the alarm is for someone other than the King's best friend, and makes it to the top of the hollow tree. Knowing he won't be able to hide forever, he decides that he has to run, using a passing cart to hide and leave the palace, not before leaving a message to Endon. At no point does Jarred blame Endon for what happened. He instantly admits it was his mistake to confront his friend when he was exhausted both mentally and physically, so he leaves behind a note in their secret code ('If you need me, Aim High and I will come') and jumps in a passing rubbish cart headed out of the Castle.

The rubbish cart makes it out of the Palace, and once he is sure they are far enough away, Jarred looks up at the castle, but sees only the walls and a mysterious mist covering everything above. He then turns around, and sees the absolute disaster that the real Del is.

Words from the book came to Jarred's mind. He shuddered with dread.
… the Enemy is clever and sly, and to its anger and envy a thousand years is like the blink of an eye.

The Shadow Lord was stirring.

-

Overall in those first three chapters Jarred makes a strong case for why he'd make a good protagonist, especially for a kids fantasy series like this. He is clever, resourceful and makes the kind of mistake a younger teen - we aren't really told his age at this point, and I don't remember if we are told later, though he is somewhere around that age - would make in his position, like uncovering a conspiracy and instantly rushing to his friend.

Endon... Poor Endon. He really has no say in what happens here, and Jarred himself knows he messed up by confronting him immediately.

I do wonder if Jarred's sudden epiphany, his finding the hidden book, and a passage that talks about how 'the words of the book were burning themselves in his mind' are meant to imply this is the same kind of divine intervention that gave Adin the image of the Belt, some higher entity that pressed the emergency button because it could tell things were going to shit. Maybe, or maybe Jarred is just smarter than he gives himself credit for in his PoV.

We'll catch up again with Jarred next time, to see things go slightly better and then completely to shit.

Darken · Mar 21, 2025

Let's continue.

Chapter IV - The Forge

Exhausted, Jarred drags himself out of the ditch he rolled into when he jumped out of the cart, and walks until he collapses on the door of the local smith. He doesn't know what led him to it, if it's the familiarity with the sound of the forge or just plain luck, but luck it is, because Crian, the old smith, and his granddaughter Anna are the only people in Del who would consider helping him, given the condition of the city.

After sleeping off the exhaustion, Jarred wakes up in different clothes and makes to live, thanking Crian and telling him that they might come look for him, telling the old man he tried to kill the King, but that it's not true. Crian's response is a cold 'Too bad you didn't.', which makes Jarred realize just how much the King is hated outside the walls of the Castle.

Crian continues informing him that he tossed the clothes Jarred was wearing in the sea, and saw the guards finding them, so they probably wrote him off for dead. Jarred in turn reasons Prandine probably won't tell Endon, since keeping Endon convinced there is a dangerous man at large would keep him more pliable, and that all he can do now is hope Endon gets the message and calls for him.

He also impresses Crian, showing he knows how to work the forge, and the old smith decides that since he needs an apprentice anyway, since he is getting old, Jarred could stay if he is willing to work hard. Jarred agrees.

This begins Jarred's life in Del's old smithy, which you might remember is also where Adin forged the Belt. However, Crian and Anna are just as poor as most people in Del. Crian has a good heart, and he often lets people that can't pay him off with a 'You'll pay me later', even if he knows they can't, and takes whatever they can afford from the rest. The city itself is a den of illnesses and hunger. Outside, bandits and weird monsters roam the countryside, so much so that Del has been pretty much isolated from the rest of Deltora for a long time. The food for the castle arrives in the dead of night under heavy guard. From somewhere far away, theorizes Crian.

When Jarred tries to argue that the King is unaware and suggests they try to tell him, Crian gives him a large tin box. Inside are letters from the palace, spanning back for generations, signed by the Kings and Queens of Deltora, stamped with the royal sigil, reading

The King/Queen thanks you for your message. He will attend to your request when time allows.

Which sounds more like they have been left on the damn castle voicemail. Crian explains that they have been getting the same answer for centuries. Again, Adin is probably rolling in that grave so fast they can attach a dynamo to him and power the whole city.

Jarred tries to argue that the King never got their messages, he just signed the response the Chief Advisor penned for him, as the Rule dictates, to which Crian rightfully responds that just made him a weak King and Endon will be no different. Which is true, by the way. At this point, there really isn't any monarchy ruling Deltora, just people left to their own devices.

When Crian adds that he doubts Deltora could keep the Shadow Lord at bay, Anna intervenes saying the King is at least keeping the Belt safe, protecting the Kingdom from the outside threat. To that, Jarred can't bring himself to admit the King keeps the belt locked up in a tower, rather than guarding it himself.

So yeah, the situation is this bad in the capital of the Kingdom, right under the King's nose. How bad can things be further away, where his influence would be just as non-existent?

As Jarred's life continues, he wakes up every day looking for an arrow atop the hollow tree, but he never sees one. It's only when it's too late that the sign comes.

Chapter V - The Enemy Strikes

Years pass. Jarred marries Anna, Crian dies, and Jarred becomes Del's blacksmith, and his old life seems almost a dream, but he still looks for the sign of Endon calling him, and still has with him the old book about the Belt, to prove it was all real.

It's exactly seven years after he left the castle, that Jarred finds himself unable to sleep. Anna, who is expecting, asks him what's wrong, but Jarred can't say. Something is off, but he can't say what. Anna goes to open the window, and she sees something. Jarred, looking at the castle when she calls him, sees what she saw:

It was still too dark to see them clearly. But there was no doubt that they were huge birds. There were seven. Their necks were long. Their great, hooked beaks were cruel. Their mighty wings flapped clumsily but strongly, beating at the air.

I feel like 'huge birds' doesn't really sell how big these things are, but considering they are large enough Jarred can tell what they look like from all the way where they are, those things must be massive. After a moment, he realizes they must be Ak-Baba, giant scavenger birds that live a thousand years. Seven of them serve the Shadow Lord, and would you look at how many there are now. As he watches, the Ak-Baba circle the castle and then split off in different directions. Not a very good sign. As he is trying to make sense of it, Jarred spots the glint of an arrow atop the hollow tree, in the light of dawn, and knows he has to go.

-

Random aside here, but as I compare the Italian translation of the books with the English original, I find that they have actually cut several short sentences in the translation. Nothing major, but for example, as Jarred runs to the castle, he tries to figure out how he can get in. In both versions, Jarred realizes that if he tries to climb the walls, the guards will just shoot him before he makes it to the other side, but in the English original he also thinks about the cart he used to escape the castle, but remembers Prandine must have guessed he used it to escape because now it's not allowed in the castle proper, just between the walls' two gates. It's a small thing, but it's odd it got cut.

Perhaps it wasn't in the first editions of the book and got added later? Seems odd. Anyway, aside over.

-

With no better plan than 'maybe Endon will just open the gates, Jarred arrives at the castle, only to find out that there is no such chance. As he tries to figure out what to do, he kicks a wooden arrow on the road, with a message tied to it.

The message is a childish drawing of the castle, the hill it stands on, the tree and a large rock, along with a short rhyme written by a child's hand.

Initially Jarred dismisses it as just a child playing with arrows like he and Endon used to do, but then realizes that the paper is old and the writing familiar. Putting it together, this is a message Endon must have sent him, and it must have a meaning. Following the 'map', Jarred finds a large rock that looks like a sleeping bear. Spotting that there is less grass around the 'bear' head, he starts looking, and after removing the grass and dirt finds a secret passage.

Sneaking in, he follows a tunnel so small he has to crawl on his belly, and then up some stairs, only to find hard stone. That gets opened by pushing the ceiling, which allows him to emerge in a room above.

A voice calls him, and Jarred stumbles out, hand reaching for his sword, stating his name.

The moment he does, the figure falls to his knees, begging for forgiveness and asking for help, and Jarred recognizes his old friend Endon.

Chapter VI - Friends to the Death

Reuniting with Endon is awkward for Jarred. He sees a man grown that is dressed elegantly, in the way of the palace, and feels self-conscious about his poor attire and appearance. Maybe not the time, but I appreciate how real this feels. Jarred isn't just a terminator aimed at something, he is here to help a friend.

As he turns away, Jarred realizes he is in the castle's chapel. Endon explains the tunnel is a secret of the royal family, one even the Chief Advisor is not told about, but Jarred is distracted by the dead body resting on the platform in the chapel. He recognizes Min, their old nursemaid, and starts tearing up.

Endon explains that just the day before, Min had told him she was in the sewing room, and had overheard frightening whispers from outside, about enemies of the crown in the palace and a great evil. Endon dismissed it as nothing more than her dozing off while working, and an hour later Min was dead, falling down the stairs.

Of course, Endon isn't a complete idiot, and both he and his wife, Sharn, figure she was killed because of what she heard.

As a brief aside, Jarred and Endon both find out that the other's wife is expecting a child, one to be born at summer's end and the other in early autumn. Neat coincidence.

Endon finally apologizes again for believing Prandine, and Jarred dismisses it, saying that they are friends to the death and will always be, and that Endon must have known since he sent the signal when the time came. He only wishes he did it sooner.

Find yourself a friend half as loyal as Jarred is.

Anyway, Jarred starts explaining what the situation is outside, when he gets interrupted again, this time by Sharn, Endon's wife. At first she is worried, but then when Endon introduces him, she instantly trusts Jarred, which says a lot about how much Endon must have talked about him. Jarred decides that talking about the situation outside can wait, and tells Endon they have to go get the Belt. Endon is reluctant - goddammit Endon - but this time there is no Prandine to force the conversation to end: Sharn, if anything, supports Jarred's idea, and so Endon gets convinced.

Too little, too late.

Jarred, Endon and Sharn climb the stairs of the tower, only to find the guards dead and the door wide open. Endon runs in, and he finds the glass case broken and what's left of the Belt of Deltora, the medallions twisted to force them to give, the stones gone.

Chapter VII - Treachery

As Jarred is still processing the destruction of the belt, Prandine steps in, knife in hand. Jarred goes for the kill the moment the man admits he was a follower of the Shadow Lord, but Prandine seems to have magic as Jarred's sword burns hot and he has to drop it.

Prandine, gloating, reveals what Jarred had put together a long time before: for centuries the Chief Advisors have been servants of the Shadow Lord, and they were the ones that used the role to strip the royal family of any power and authority. And now that the Belt is gone, all that's left is killing Endon and Sharn to put an end to the royal line. He pulls out a poisoned knife, the same poison, he says, that killed Endon's parents.

Endon says that the gems cannot be destroyed, and taking them outside of Deltora is a death sentence. Prandine responds that the Shadow Lord will just hide them where no one will dare to find them, and even if they did, without the royal line, there is no one to use the Belt.

In that moment, Sharn looks out the window of the tower and seems to notice something. She lies unconvincingly when Prandine asks what is it, begs him not to look out, and when he does, worried someone might be coming... she grabs him by the legs and tosses him over the sill to his death.

I repeat, Queen Sharn tosses Prandine out the window. Badass.

She comments that there really was no one outside, but Prandine had no reason to believe her or worry she might do anything to him. Jarred tells Endon they are both lucky with their wives. Endon is too stunned to answer.

Still, killing Prandine might have saved their lives, but the Shadow Lord is still coming, so they need to leave. Endon tries to argue he should protect the people in the castle, but Jarred is firm that they must survive, otherwise the Kingdom is doomed. Endon then proposes he should go search for the gems, but again Jarred dissuades him. The Shadow Lord will be looking for him, so Endon should stay in hiding. Additionally, even if Jarred doesn't say this, Endon might have lost the right to use the Belt, since he has lost the trust of his people.

Sharn convinces Endon that for now hiding is the most important thing. Even if the two of them die, their child surviving means there will be a heir for the belt. Jarred agrees, telling Endon that the Gems will be found and that for now they should go to the forge and plan from there. Since the Shadow Lord doesn't know Endon has allies outside the palace, it's a good hiding spot as any. They reach the chapel, the castle trembling as something approaches.

Jarred tells Endon he might have a plan to hide him, using the confusion of the upcoming days. It will be dangerous, but a risk worth taking. Without adding more, the royal family and Jarred enter the tunnel.

As the last of the light from the chapel was shut out and blackness enfolded him, he thought of Anna and his heart ached. The life they had known had been hard, but they had been happy. Now all this was ended. Fear and trouble were coming — long years of waiting while Deltora groaned under the yoke of the Shadow Lord.

And only time could tell what would happen then.

-

The fall of Deltora is equal part the Shadow Lord's schemes and the Kings of Deltora all being incompetent, especially the early ones post-Adin. Endon is at fault, but just because he is the last ring in a rusted chain: the royal family was doomed long ago, the moment they let the Chief Advisors rule the Kingdom in all but name.

Anyway, this is the last Jarred chapter. Next up, we meet our protagonist, and we set forth for a Quest.

Darken · Mar 22, 2025

The second half of the book has the subtitle Under the Shadow. Ominous. It's not in Italian, by the way, but that's because it would have been awkward to place anywhere on the title page since it's mostly occupied by the frame and the chapter art.

Chapter VIII: Lief

We meet Lief, our new PoV character, on the night of his sixteenth birthday, as he tries to reach his home.

Lief tells us a lot about himself and the situation in Del in this chapter. First of all, that he is the son of the smith of Del and his wife, and that the two of them are raising him not just as a smith, but also as someone capable of reading, writing, and knowledgeable about history. He isn't happy about this - he doesn't see why a smith needs to know all those things - but he still complies with the lessons.

When he is given a day off, Lief spends it with his friends. In his wandering around the city, dodging the Grey Guards, the soldiers of the Shadow Lord, Lief and his friends find an old apple tree that is still giving fruit. This is a feast for them, because the Shadow Lord has decreed long ago that all apple trees in Del are his property - in what I have to assume was a pure dick move, given I doubt the Shadow Lord needs apples - and therefore eating one is theft. Finding a tree without a Grey Guard watching it is basically a miracle, and to eat the apples safely the kids hide in the sewers.

It's here that Lief, curious, after separating from his friends decides to explore another section of the tunnels under the city. And when he emerges, he realizes that it's late. The Shadow Lord has put a curfew on the city, and anyone caught around after sunset is executed. And worse, two Grey Guards are nearby, at the other end of the alley, an alley surrounded only by tall, slippery walls.

Lief doesn't know how to get out. What he can do is hide and hope against all odds that the Grey Guards won't see him, hear him, or smell him. If they do, Lief is dead. Running isn't an option, as all Grey Guards carry a sling and projectiles called Blisters, that explode on contact and release a fluid that kills the target in an extremely painful way, burning like acid. Lief knows, because he has seen his share of people killed by the Blisters.

Suddenly, though, a clatter distracts the Grey Guards, who run in the other direction to investigate, and then a rope drops in front of him from above, allowing him to climb the wall and hide for a bit on a tree on the other side. Lief, shaken by how close that call was, takes a moment to wonder who just helped him, then recovers the rope and jumps down, glad to be alive.

-

This is where I feel like it's interesting to take a quick aside and compare the books with the anime adaptation, because this is one of those changes that I think sets the difference in tone.

In the anime, Lief spends his afternoon doing an act of wild heroism. See, in the anime the Shadow Lord has only just now declared the orchard his exclusive property. When a little girl asks for an apple, and the Grey Guards threaten to kill her and her mother, anime!Lief throws a rock at the Guards, another to make an apple drop from a tree so the girl can take it, and then evades the Grey Guards, dodging Blisters as they fly behind him. He still does get stuck in an alley, and he still gets saved by someone who first creates a clatter to distract the Grey Guards and then gives him a rope to climb on, but I think anyone can tell that the two Lief, and the worlds they are in, are very different.

Book!Lief, canon Lief, is a kid that, at sixteen, is resourceful, but lives in an extremely dangerous world. If he runs into the Grey Guards, his only option is either running away, hiding, or getting killed. There is also no wild act of heroism: he was a kid doing something as normal as eating apples and staying out too late, and both of those things would have been enough to have him killed if he was discovered. It sets the tone of the kind of dark regime the Shadow Lord is imposing on Deltora.

Anime!Lief, meanwhile, lives in a shonen world, and is a shonen protagonist. He jumps down easily from roofs, fights the Grey Guards with moderate success, evades the Blisters, and leads them in a merry chase, that only gets dangerous when he takes a wrong turn. There is a completely different tone, and this goes across the entirety of the anime. I will bring up other examples, probably, but I think this scene, which is the opening scene of our MC in both version, really encapsulates the difference between the two very well.

-

Returning to the story, Lief scales down the tree and reaches an abandoned pottery. The place was burnt down by the Shadow Lord's soldiers when they found out the residents were planning an insurrection, and then marked with the Shadow Lord's sigil.

Lief steps through the abandoned pottery, and sees the signs of the ruined lives of the people that once lived and worked there, broken ovens, broken toys, burned walls. By the time he steps out, he is not scared, he is angry.

Why should his people suffer this? Why should he have to creep around in his own city like a criminal, in fear of branding, imprisonment, or death?

He thinks bitterly about the stories his friends have told him, about how the last King of Deltora, Endon, was weak and let the country fall to ruin. His friends told him he is dead, and Lief thinks it's good riddance.

As he makes his way home, Lief considers that at least, since his parents told him they need to talk about something, he won't be sent to bed without dinner. He thinks about his father, Jarred, who has had a limp since a tree fell on him, and his mother Anna, and decides they probably don't have really anything too shocking to say: they are good people, but incredibly ordinary, just living vicariously by asking travellers about tales from outside Deltora. Lief loves them, but he can't imagine living the same dull lives they have, staying quiet during the invasion and quiet after, never attracting attention.

Lief steps through the courtyard, past Barda, the beggar Jarred and Anna let live in their yard in a small shelter, and then slips into the house.

Little did he know that before another hour had passed everything was going to change for him.

Little did he know that he was about to receive the shock of his life.

Chapter IX - The Secret

We skip ahead to after Lief has been given a summary of the whole first half of the book by his father. He is obviously shocked, trying to understand what his father just said, but soon he starts a barrage of questions.

Why not tell him before? Because his parents had to make sure word never reached the Shadow Lord, and because until Lief was ten his father thought he would go himself. It was only when the tree fell on him and gave him a limp that he had to give up.

Why did the Shadow Lord lose track of the King? Because Jarred and Anna dressed him and the Queen as poor people and helped them escape in the chaos of the day of the Shadow Lord's takeover.

How does Jarred know the Heir is still alive? To this, Jarred shows the Belt, that he repaired in the time since the fall of Deltora. He claims the Belt is tied so closely to the blood of Adin, that if the dynasty was wiped out the Belt would shatter.

Seeing the Legendary Belt fills Lief with purpose. When Jarred asks him if he is willing to undertake this Quest, Lief instantly says he will go, and asks where he should go.

Jarred explains he has been looking for the 'where' all this time. He knows the Ak-Baba were likely tasked with splitting the gems across Deltora, and so he spent years figuring out where they went. And he has found seven places that, travellers said, an Ak-Baba was hovering over the day Deltora fell to the Shadow Lord, and shows Lief a rough map he made.

The Valley of the Lost, the Maze of the Beast, The Shifting Sands, Dread Mountain, the City of Rats, the Lake of Tears and the Forests of Silence. The last name fills Lief with horror, hearing the name of the Forests everyone in Del has heard terrifying stories about. His father asks, again, if Lief is willing to take the Quest, and Lief, despite everything, agrees again. This is too much for Anna, who starts crying, saying Lief is too young and is promising too much. Lief says he might be, but he must do this. He is perhaps the only one that can do this.

He then asks if his father knows where the Heir is. Jarred replies that he might, but that's a question for later. The Heir has to stay hidden until the Belt is complete, so he can't tell anyone, even Lief, who might go look for the Heir before the time is right otherwise. When Lief makes to argue, Jarred says that when the Belt is complete it will guide Lief to the Heir.

Seeing Lief unsure, Jarred offers him his birthday gift: a sword, light and strong, the best he has ever forged. Before Lief can react, his mother also gifts him a fine cloak, soft, light and warm. She claims the fabric is 'special', and that she put everything she knows into making it. She cries in Jarred's arms, and Lief notices that this means they never doubted he would go. Anna says they know him too well, and that she already packed food and water. He can leave within the hour, if he wants.

But, his father says, there's one more thing. He is not going alone. The one man Jarred knows they can trust.

And then Barda, the beggar, walks in.

Chapter X - Decisions

Barda asks teasingly if Lief is unhappy with his travelling companion, and then Jarred makes him take off his disguise. Barda straightens up, takes off the dirty cloak revealing the simple, clean ones underneath, and shakes off the dirt on his face. In doing so, he becomes a different man, one much younger and stronger.

He explains that he was the son of Min, a Palace guard at the time of King Endon. When his mother died, after warning him, he ran away from the Palace, knowing he might suffer the same fate. He stumbled, exhausted, in the forge, and when he woke up it was to the sound of the Shadow Lord taking over, the wind and rumbling thunders filling the air. Going outside, he saw four people, that now he knows were Jarred and Anna saying goodbye to the royal couple. And then Jarred, seeing a Palace guard coming at them, knocked him out in one blow.

After Barda woke up again, Jarred and Anna had learned from his sleep ramblings enough to trust him, and decided to ask him to help with the Quest. After Jarred's injury, Barda had offered to go alone, but Lief's parents were insisted he be allowed to go, something Lief notes immediately Barda was not very keen on.

Barda also informs Lief that he has been keeping an eye on him: he demanded from his parents that Lief be allowed to roam the city and experience the dangers of the world, but Barda in turn made sure to keep him away from actual danger. For example, he adds, Lief has his rope. Lief finds himself thoroughly embarrassed, but Barda has mercy on him by changing topics.

The Shadow Lord, he has heard begging near Grey Guards, is now planning an attack on lands beyond the southern sea, mustering ships and soldiers. The Grey Guards don't patrol the countryside anymore, only the big settlements, leaving the roads to bandits and evil beasts. It's the ideal moment for them to leave on the Quest, hence why they are doing this now.

Lief, despite his fears, tries to play strong, and asks if Barda and his parents have decided. Barda says they are going to the Forests of Silence. When Jarred argues they wanted to keep the Forests for last, Barda replies that he has overheard from the Grey Guards that they aren't approaching the Forests anymore, having lost too many. Meaning that the Forests are safe from the Guards, at least. Barda asks Lief what he thinks, and Lief realizes the man is testing him, wanting to push the young boy to quit.

Lief, however, agrees instead, and Jarred is forced to do so as well. And so, the duo forms.

-

In general, this is the introduction to Lief and Barda. Barda comes off as rather hostile and smug, but that's because Lief's PoV reflects hin inner feelings, and right now he feels both embarrassed and angry that Barda would rather go without him. Most of his advice is actually perfectly sound, to be hones.

As for Lief himself, I always liked him. He is a fun protagonist, and you will see why as Lief and the other set off on the road, but I also like his more introspective, thoughtful side. It will come in handy as their Quest begins next time.

Darken · Mar 23, 2025

So I actually realize I haven't posted a lot of art from the Italian version, so here are a couple things.

First of all, as fun fact, the Italian version also has the artist redraw every art in the book. I think the map of Deltora from this last readthrough might be the most interesting comparison, so here is the Italian version.

Pretty notable change, uh?

Also, here are two arts of Del's Palace from before the Shadow Lord's times, one as the people inside saw it and Del, and the second of how the people outside saw it and the real state of Del.

These are one every chapter. If you are wondering, the whole frame of the chapter title looks like this.

Neat, uh? Anyway, in the future I will show more, since I think they are a fun enhancement to the experience.

Second, I didn't point it out last time, but the English-to-Italian translation changed two names in pretty notable ways. The Lake of Tears became in Italian 'Il Lago delle Nebbie', the Lake of Mists, which seems odd considering why it's called that in English. And the Valley of the Lost became 'La Valle degli Incantesimi, the Valley of Spells. I dunno, both are odd changes that I assume were to tone down the title so parents would be more inclined to buy the books for their children.

Anyway, enough of that, there are only six chapters left in this book so let's continue.

Chapter XI - Beware!

We join Leaf again later, on the road heading east from Del, after leaving the city through a hidden hole in the city walls. Barda is silent, leaving Lief time alone with his thoughts. He tries to convince himself that the Forests of Silence only terrify him so much because he has heard more rumors about them than any of the other places, and they are all equally dangerous. Unsurprisingly, this does not comfort him in the slightest. Still, he is determined to not be the first to break the silence or ask to stop and rest, so he pushes on. At first, he keeps his hand on the sword, but after an hour of not meeting anyone he calms down a bit.

After some time, Barda points out a small road branching off the main road, crossing a wooden bridge and headed deeper into the woods. He believes this is the path of Wenn Del, the shortest route to the Forests, though he wonders why there is no sign. In that moment, as the light of the moon pierces the clouds above, Lief spots the sign, upturned in the grass. He picks it up, gasping as he sees it.

Barda comments someone probably upturned the sign to hide the warning, and muses that while it might save them over a day, maybe he shouldn't lead Lief into danger right at the beginning of the journey. As one might expect, this makes Lief angry, since he knows Barda is treating him like a child, and so he insists they take the path.

Interestingly, Barda just calmly says yes, and Lief can't tell if he is pleased or sorry. I do think this is mostly confidence on Barda's part that he can protect himself and Lief - but if that is the case, we will find out soon that confidence was unfounded.

As they step deeper into the woods, Lief starts feeling watched. After a while, he spots a pair of red eyes in the strange bushes that line the road. Barda urges him to keep walking and looking ahead, but things start getting worse as more and more shining red eyes appear in the bushes at the side of the road, until there are too many to count.

Lief makes the mistake of turning as he hears skittering behind him, and turns to see

a bent, pale, scuttling thing that seemed all legs and arms

Barda again urges Lief to look ahead, but in that moment the creatures in the bushes start emitting a sound. At first it's soft, but as it grows in intensity, Lief and Barda can do nothing. The description of them succumbing to the sound is pretty scary.

And still the sound rose — high, piercing, unbearable. Desperate to shut it out, they clapped their hands to their ears and bent their heads against it, walking fast, faster —breaking into a run. Their feet thudded on the endless path, their breath came hard and panting, their hearts beat like thunder. But they were aware of nothing — nothing but the pain of the sound that rose and rose, piercing their brains, driving out every thought.

They ran, weaving and stumbling, desperate to escape it. But there was no escape. They cried out for help. But they could not even hear their own voices. Finally they fell,exhausted, to lie writhing, helpless in the dust.

The moment they fall, the creatures swarm them, and both pass out.

Lief wakes up hours later on the ground, lying on his back. He only remembers fragments of what happened after the noise made him pass out, a dream of stinging, needle-like pain, being carried on bony shoulders, and incomprehensible tittering and muttering. He looks up at the afternoon sky, with no idea of what time it is, then he hears a groan, but when he tries to move he finds he is completely paralyzed, unable to lift even a finger.

Despite this, he is still able to talk, even if in a slow and slurred voice. When he asks aloud what happened, Barda responds, life realizing he was the one that groaned. Barda realizes immediately what happened, they have both been paralyzed like wasps do to their prey. He apologizes to Lief, saying he could not imagine a danger he couldn't fight - see? - and wondering why no one ever told about the creatures' sound.

Lief theorizes that no one who has heard the sound has survived to tell the tale, and Barda apologizes again for leading Lief to his death, only for Lief to say in turn that he also agreed to take the road despite the sign. He then asks where they are, and Barda realizes they are in the Forests of Silence. Lief wonders why, and a new voice answers.

Lief and Barda are too big a prize for the Wenn, so they have brought them here as an offering to their god, the Wennbar, a beast who likes fresh meat and will come when the sun sets. And then a girl with wild hair lands from a tree right beside Lief's head.

Chapter XII - The Wennbar

Lief, seeing the girl, asks her for help, but the girl ignores him, just fiddling with his cloak, taking it off and showing it to both a little, furry creature on her shoulder and a raven on the tree, that she calls Filli and Kree. She makes to abandon them, but when Lief, angry, shouts that the cloak was made by his mother and he wants it back, while calling himself foolish for worrying about something like that in his mind, the girl makes a one-eighty and comes back.

Apparently, the girl assumes that Lief and Barda are Grey Guards in disguise, because they are the only ones that would take the path of Wenn Del, that leads only into the Forests. However, Lief shouting that he has a mother doesn't make sense for a Grey Guard, since they are raised in groups of ten.

Lief begs her again to help them, their mission in the Forests is to help them fight against the Grey Guards and the Shadow Lord. He asks for her parents, but the girl - Jasmine - says her only family are Kree and Filli, since the Grey Guards took her parents years before. Still, the girl hesitates, before vanishing into the forest again.

Lief hears the forest grow silent, sees the shadows grow longer, and then passes out.

He is woken up again by someone shaking him in the dim light of sunset, and Jasmine forces him to drink a mysterious liquid. As soon as he is done, she turns to Barda, giving him the same. Initially, Lief feels an incredible stinging pain all over his body, so much so he can feel nothing else. However, even as they shout about poison, Jasmineforces them to realize they can move now, and pushes them to climb the tree quickly, before the Wennbar arrives. When Lief tries to help Barda, the girl tells him she will take care of it and to move, which Lief has to admit is right.

At the tree, Lief realizes in horror that he is too weak to climb fast, and then the crow caws again, and Jasmine says she can smell it coming. Lief smells it too, a stench of decay approaching. With extreme effort, Lief pulls himself on the first branch, but she shouts for him to climb higher, since the Wennbar can't climb but can try to drag them down. Barda climbs behind Lief struggling just as much, and Lief can now hear the sound of the creature approaching, and then, as the girl keeps shouting to climb higher, a smell so powerful Lief chokes and gags fills the clearing, and the Wennbar arrives.

Four stubby legs bent under the weight of a swollen body that was as round, blotched, and bloated as some gigantic rotten fruit. Vast, flat feet crushed the twigs beneath them to powder. Folds of wrinkled, green-grey flesh hung from the neck. The head was nothing but two tiny eyes set above long, wicked jaws. The jaws gaped open, showing rows of dripping black teeth and releasing gusts of foul air with every breath.

Lief climbs higher, terrified, Barda and Jasmine following him, but then stops as he thinks the Wennbar can't follow them that far high. He closes his eyes, exhausted. Jasmine screams for him to keep climbing, though, and as he looks down he sees the folds around the Wennbar's neck retreat, and its neck grow longer and larger, raising the head higher. With a growl, the Wennbar throws itself at the tree, trying to bring them down or reach them with its jaws.

Chapter XIII - The Nest

Lief climbs higher and higher, before finally reaching a branch high enough that the Wennbar can't reach him even with the neck fully extended, Barda and Jasmine climbing next to him. Still, the Wennbar doesn't give up, slamming against the tree again and again, trying to bring it down or make them fall.

As the air grows cold, Lief notices Barda is shivering, and realizes he is only warmer because of his mother's cape keeping him so. He lets Barda and Jasmine huddle with him under it, knowing that if they shiver too much eventually they will fall to the Wennbar. The moment they all huddle under the warm cloak, however, the Wennbar seems to lose track of them, and starts moving away. Jasmine wonders why, and Lief remembers his mother's words about the fabric being special. Could have probably explained it to him a bit better, Anna, but alright. Anyway, Lief has a cloak of... maybe not invisibility but high mimetism, at least.

As they watch, the Wenn approach, with Jasmine claim they come to collect the scrap of the Wennbar's feast. Instead, the Wennbar gives a low growl, and two Wenn emerge from the bushes, only for the Wennbar to eat them mercilessly. Then, it walks away, and the Wenn skitter off, leaving the place finally clear of threats.

-

So, let's talk about the Wenn and the Wennbar. Our first encounter with ~~Australian~~ Deltoran monsters fills both categories of dangerous animals we will meet throughout the Quest: the 'poisonous' one and the 'can eat a man whole' one.

First of all, what do they look like. McBride, the official artist of the series, depicts the Wenn and the Wennbar like this:

The anime follows the Wennbar's appearance as a giant, reptilian creatures, but makes it appear heavily armored rather than the more fleshy, bloated creature described in the books, turning the flesh folds in armadillo-like ones, and completely redesigns the Wenn to follow suit, making them also quadrupedal.

Meanwhile, the Italian artist never depicts the Wenn, but he did depict the Wennbar, following the description. His Wennbar looks a lot less reptilian, and the horrid aspect is very emphasized.

As for lore, most of what we learn of the Wennbar in the Deltora Book of Monsters fits with what we learn here, although there are bits and pieces that don't: The Book of Monsters claims that the Wenn only survive on the leaves of a plant that grows only near Wenn Del - probably the odd bushes described early in the chapter - but here Jasmine claims they eat the remains of the dead and later will claim Filli was also a prey of the Wenn she freed. I'm inclined, given that the Book of Monsters is written in-universe, to believe that this inaccuracy is mostly on the author's side.

In terms of new lore, the Book of Monsters claims that there is always only one Wennbar. When it reaches a hundred years old, the Wennbar dies and from its body spawn a number of smaller Wennbars, that devour each other until only one survives, becoming the Wenn's tyrant for the following century. The Wenn themselves are described as slaves of the Wennbar, whom they worship as a god.

-

Back in the clearing, Barda and Lief think that the Wennbar might be the guardian of one of the stones, and start to hatch a plan to get in the cave, but Jasmine just laughs when they say this might be the hiding spot of what we are looking, the thing supposed to be located somewhere secret and dangerous: she knows a hundred places more dangerous and secret in the Forests than the Wennbar's den.

Jasmine has an idea of the place they might be looking for, but tells them she will tell them later, and leads them to her nest, one she built on top of a large tree further in the forest. She moves to let them rest, and looking around Lief realizes everything she owns are either the last remnants of her parents' home, or stuff she stole from the Grey Guards. Even her clothes are pieces of Grey Guard clothes sewn together, and he reasons about Jasmine's ruthlessness in stealing from the poisoned, paralyzed victims of the Wenn.

It is pretty chilling, considering the Grey Guards look and act human. Of course, Lief also remembers the Grey Guards took Jasmine's parents. As Jasmine offers them food and water, he berates himself for judging her, knowing she had to survive alone in the forest for who knows how long.

During their dinner, Barda and Lief learn more about her. She was seven years old when the Grey Guards attacked her house, on the edge of the Forests, and she survived because her mother gestured for her to hide in the fern, making her escape the soldiers. She survived by taking everything she could from the burnt house and sleeping on the trees, then building her nest, and using everything her parents taught her to keep herself alive and safe. For example, the potion she used to heal Lief, Barda, and Filli before was something her mother made and Jasmine could make, though the guards burned all the plants except those that grow on the path of Wenn Del.

Barda thanks her for helping them, saying Deltora owes her a great debt, but Jasmine scoffs, saying that if they are going where she thinks they are she might as well have left them to the Wennbar. But if they want to go to the most dangerous part of the Forests, she will show them the way.

-

Our first encounter with monsters, and Lief and Barda have already almost died. Great start.

Jokes aside, this first encounter is actually pretty telling of one of the main themes of Deltora monster encounters: generally, the Heroes don't fight them straight ahead, sword in hand, but they have to escape from them or defeat them with trickery and knowledge. The Wennbar never dies (unless you are watching the post-Book 8 episodes of the anime) and is actually never harmed by the trio: they escape thanks to Jasmine's knowledge of what can save them, and thanks to Lief's cloak, and then the Wennbar is left to its own devices, back to ruling the Wenn. I can probably count on one hand how many monsters Lief, Barda and Jasmine kill with weapons, actually.

Next time, we finish book one. I plan to take a few days between books, but until then we go straight ahead.

Darken · Mar 24, 2025

We finish the Forests of Silence today, meaning that it's time for the Companions to face their first main boss fight.

Chapter XIV - The Dark

Jasmine, Barda and Lief travel through the night across the treetops, with the girl leading them in winding paths on 'the good trees', the ones that according to Jasmine speak to her and warn her of dangers ahead. She doesn't tell them much about the place she is leading them to. It's the centre of the Middle Forest, The Dark. Birds don't venture there, and any living thing that does never leaves. Even the trees fear it. As she says, that sounds like the place Lief and Barda seek.

It takes them until morning to cross into the Middle Forest, and from there things change. Filli huddles closer to Jasmine's neck. Kree doesn't fly ahead, rather fluttering with them from one tree to the next. Jasmine says the trees are telling them to turn back, or they will die. The Forest itself is silent, befitting of its name.

Finally, the group reaches a tangle of vines, thick, strong, strangling the trees all around. They look for a way in, but the vines are like a dome, and the only way to enter The Dark is by going down. Jasmine says it's dangerous. The trees around the Dark can't talk, not dead but in constant suffering.

Barda, who doesn't believe Jasmine can talk to tress - fair - says bluntly they must go down. He thanks her for the help, but says now they have to go alone, and so Lief and Barda climb down, into The Dark. The last Lief sees of Jasmine is her looking down at them from the tree, Kree perched on her arm and Filli hiding in her hair.

Then the Belt warms, tingling against his skin, and he knows they are in the right place. When he tells Barda, he notices his face tighten, and knows why: Barda had wanted to come alone, and now has to worry for Lief too. Lief tells him to not worry, that if he dies here Barda can take the Belt and continue alone. Barda tries to says something, but then takes a deep breath and nods.

-

I love the entire build-up for The Dark. Rodda knew she had less time than usual for the Forests of Silence's monster: half the book, after all, is the prologue to the whole series, which left her with only a few chapters to take Lief from Del to The Dark. I think what makes this work so well is the atmosphere Rodda builds. The Forest growing progressively silent, the way Kree, Filli and Jasmine act, and the Wennbar setting up that whatever is in here is more dangerous than it is, all help a child reading this book realize that whatever Lief and Barda are diving into really is the most dangerous encounter so far.

And they are right.

-

Lief and Barda reach the forest floor, stepping through knee-deep dead leaves, and circle the vines. Lief feels the Belt growing warmer and warmer, but Barda makes him look up. A opening in the vine lets them peer in, and what they see guarding the circle of vine is a hulking knight in golden armor, his helmet decorated with golden horns. Lief sees the man's great sword, and set into the sword's hilt a large, yellow stone.

The Topaz.

The Guardian sees them coming and demands to know who they are, Barda says they are travelers from Del, and the knight tells them he is Gorl, guardian of this place and its treasures. Lief, reflexively thinking Gorl means the Topaz, whispers to Barda they are two against one, and they could pretend to leave and... Whatever else he might have been planning dies on his lips as Gorl turns towards them, only darkness visible beyond the eye-slits of his helmet.

He declares that, if they dare plot against him, they have made their choice, and when Gorl raises his hand, to his horror, Lief and Barda find themselves dragged towards him. Gorl says that they shall become feed for his vines, like all others that came to seek the treasure, and Lief sees the canopy behind him. Hundreds of vines surround a clearing, strangling trees and forming a dome above it, tangled together for what must have been centuries. On the ground, half-covered by vines, are bodies and bones of the hundreds of victims killed by the Knight over the centuries, and only a few rays of sunshine can show what lies in the center of the dome, a round patch of thick black mud from which three objects that look like golden arrows sprout.

Lief asks what they are, and Gorl says that they obviously know. That those are the Lilies of Life, the treasure they have come to steal. Barda and Lief try to tell him it isn't, but Gorl says they are lying, that they must be there for the Lilies like he was long ago. He says the Lilies will make him immortal, and then he will rule the Seven Tribes and live forever.

Barda says he must be insane, but Lief deduces that Gorl must have been here for too long, since before Deltora was unified by Adin, and the Lilies must have enchanted him in some way to tie him to them. Gorl gestures again to drag them deeper into The Dark, to feed the vines properly, and the two are dragged in.

Chapter XV - The Lilies of Life

As Gorl prepares to strike both of them down, Lief can't think of anything except the fact that, if he dies, the Belt will remain here, around the waist of his corpse, and Deltora will be doomed. But it's Barda that figures what to do. He taunts Gorl, saying that even if he wears the armor of a knight, he is acting without honor, without facing his enemies in a fair fight.

Lief thinks Barda is making things worse, but Gorl hesitates, saying his destiny was to protect the Lilies, that he has known since the moment he first saw them. Barda says he couldn't have been alone, and Gorl admits he was with his brothers when he first found the Lilies. They reached for them. Gorl attacked them, wanting a full cup of nectar for himself. As they fought, the Lilies wilted, but the victorious Gorl decided he just had to wait for another blossoming. He fed the vines, cut the branches that stood in their way, formed an impenetrable shield around them, and he knows that soon the Lilies will blossom and he will gain the immortality he has sought all along.

As he talks, Gorl's control over the magic that keeps Lief and Barda tied slips, and the two of them attack him. Barda, with a savage cry, manages to slide his sword between the armor and the helmet, right where the neck would be... and then Gorl turns around, pulls the sword out, and grabs Barda with an iron-clad hand. With a final shout for him to die, he plants the sword through Barda's chest, and drops him to feed the vines.

Then he turns to Lief, frozen in shock, and uses his magic once more to drag him towards his sword. As things seem hopeless, however, a shout breaks the silence. Gorl looks up to see Jasmine, standing on top of a large tree covered in vines. Jasmine says Gorl polluted a good place with evil, strangled the trees and killed the birds, all for something that wasn't is, and starts slashing at the vines. Gorl lets Lief go as he turns all his power and attention to Jasmine, and the girl shouts for Lief to run towards the center.

A moment later, a large branch breaks, free of the vines Jasmine just cut off, and falls on Gorl, Lief barely dodging in time. Lief lies in the dirt for a long moment, before feeling the sunlight on his back. He looks up at the canopy above, and sees that the fallen branch and Jasmine's knife tore open a large hole in the vines. And under the fallen branch lies a crushed, empty armor.

-

Gorl has a number of different depictions. McBride depicts him, of course, on the cover of the first book as well as in the Deltora Book of Monsters.

In the anime, Gorl is much bulkier, but still the same.

As for the Italian artist, like all 'main bosses' of each book, Gorl gets his own dedicated double spread.

As you can see, when he does have a reference, he tends to stick closely to it, though as you will see in the future, sometimes he takes more liberties. Also, man, kid me was NOT ready to turn the page and see all the corpses embedded in the vines of The Dark in the background.

Anyway, let's talk about Gorl. As our first main antagonist for the Companions, he certainly leaves an impression. As we find out in The Deltora Book of Monsters, Gorl and his two brothers were Jalis knights. Most of the rest is retold by Gorl in this very chapter: they found the Lilies, he fought them for it, and as they did the Lilies wilted, and then he became 'their guardian'. Really, as we find out later, in his desire to keep everyone away, he ruined his own existence, because without the sun the Lilies cannot bloom again. And so Gorl kept his watch over 'his' treasure, his body eventually wasting away, but his will and greed keeping this cursed undead knight alive, in wait for a bloom that he himself was preventing.

Gorl is an interesting antagonist, and I think he works very well for the beginning of the Quest. And in the end, what kills him is a punishment for his crimes: a tree Jasmine frees drops on him its largest branch, shattering the armor and at last freeing Deltora of his presence. And with that, the Lilies bloom again.
-

Lief, still dazed, grabs Gorl's sword, seeing the large Topaz, the symbol of faithfulness.

When Lief touches it, his dazed mind clears all at once, and he rushes to Barda, lying on the ground, breathing weakly and about to die. Lief, in grief, barely hears Jasmine as she calls him, until she turns him around and points at the Lilies. With the sunlight finally shining on them again, they can finally bloom again, and they start spilling a golden nectar.

XVI - The Topaz

Lief instantly runs to the Lilies and fills his cupped hands with as much nectar as he can, before rushing back and dropping as much as possible on Barda's wound, and pouring the rest in his lips. After a moment, Barda's eyes open again, and the three look amazed as his wound closes, turns into a red scar, and then into a thin, white line.

Barda asks what happened to Gorl, seeing his armor but not his body, and Lief says there probably hasn't been a body in there for a long time. All that was left was darkness and will, and when the armor was crushed those could not linger any more. Barda thinks it was luck, but Jasmine says she was the one that convinced the tree to sacrifice a limb in exchange for freedom from the vines. He isn't sure, but Lief agrees she saved them both.

Jasmine says Lief saved Barda, and turning to the Lilies notices they are already wilting. She runs to them and collects the last drops of nectar in a small jar she keeps around her neck. She wonders how long it will take before they bloom again, but at least they will now that they have the sun. When Lief asks if she plans to use it to become immortal she laughs, and says it will still come in handy.

Lief cheerfully recovers the Topaz, that slides easily from the sword hilt, and Jasmine asks if that's what they were looking for. Lief realizes he has betrayed the secret, and Barda just gives him a slight nod. Lief shows the gem to Jasmine, saying it's a Topaz, symbol of faithfulness, and starts explaining what it's said it can do, when suddenly the clearing dims, and a thick mist forms. The three freeze as from the mist emerges the figure of a woman, smiling kindly.

The three look shocked, until the ghost speaks, calling Jasmine, who recognizes her as her mother. The ghost compliments her for surviving, but then tells her that she must do more. That Lief and Barda's quest is just, and will save Deltora from the Shadow Lord, but that she needs to go with them. She needs to help them.

"[...] It is your destiny. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Jasmine whispered. "But Mama —"

"I must leave you now," breathed the sighing voice. "But I will be watching over you, as I always have, Jasmine. And I love you, as I have always done. Be of good heart, my dearest."

With those parting words, the mist and the spirit vanish. Jasmine asks them how this happened, and Barda says he had heard the Topaz could let the living contact spirits. He had never believed it, but as it turns out it was true.

With that, Jasmine says she is coming with them, as are Kree and Filli. Lief immediately agrees, and Barda shakes his head and then says with a smile that he must be getting old, but he can tell a good idea when he hears one. And so, the trio - or quintet, if we count Kree and Filli - forms for good. Lief takes off the Belt and the Topaz slides in the first medallion easily, locking in place.

Jasmine stared curiously at the Belt. "There are seven medallions," she pointed out."Six are still empty."

"But one is filled," said Lief with satisfaction.

"The longest journey begins with the first step," said Barda. "And the first step we have taken. Whatever the next may bring, we have cause to celebrate now."

Lief says he will start cutting down the vines, but Jasmine says there is no need. Looking up, they see birds of every kind pouring in to tear the vines to pieces, and Jasmine says that soon other beasts will arrive to feast on them, freeing the trees in a matter of days. Lief comments that the place must have been beautiful, and Jasmine replies it will be again, thanks to them. Barda suggests that they rest a couple days, as they watch the trees being freed, to recover from everything they went through.

"And then?" Jasmine asked. "What then?"

"And then," Barda said simply, "we will go on."

Lief smiles and looks at the Belt, as he puts it back on, musing that, with this, their quest has truly begun.

-

And so the Forests of Silence ends, and we move on to the Lake of Tears. Like I said, I will take a couple days off before we move to the next book, but first lets talk about this section and the book as a whole.

The battle with Gorl is great. As usual, a straight fight is not the answer - though Barda gives it his best shot - but it's Barda tricking Gorl into letting them go, and Jasmine using her skills to convince the tree to drop a branch at the right time, that defeats Gorl and allows the gang to recover the first stone.

I'm trying not to go too much in details about the rest of the series in the main review, so I won't talk too much about why Jasmine joins the gang. People that know what her mother meant when she said it's her destiny know

Also, I actually don't remember if the Topaz pulls the 'summon spirits' trick again. I know it's hands down one of the most useful gems Lief collects, but that one I don't recall. Guess I'll find out as I reread.

As for the book as a whole, it's a good start. It suffers a bit from having almost half of the book be the prologue of the whole series, so unlike the other books we have to hurry up with the remaining chapters to get to the Topaz, which is a pity because the Forests of Silence are the kind of place that would be super interesting to explore more. But what we do get is fun, and like I said the build-up for The Dark is very well executed, so I'm not complaining.

If you want to see all the cover arts from the Italian edition, you can find them here.

See you in a couple days, as we begin The Lake of Tears.

Darken · Mar 26, 2025

We return to the Quest with Book 2 of the Deltora series, The Lake of Tears (in Italian, my language, the Lake of Mists, Il Lago delle Nebbie, most likely for marketing reasons). I actually was planning to take another day but like, I got a few free hours and I might as well go with it.

Book 1 told us how the Shadow Lord weakened and took over Deltora, showed us the Kingdom's final fall, and then, sixteen years later, let us see the formation of the Companions that will set out on their Quest to reunite the Belt of Deltora, find the Heir to the throne and kick the Shadow Lord back to the Shadowlands. We found the Topaz, the first stone, symbol of faithfulness, and now we set forth to find the second gem.

Chapter I - The Bridge

We catch up with the Companions in the countryside of Deltora, well outside the forest. Lief reflects that, in a beautiful day like this, one could almost forget that Deltora was taken over by the Shadow Lord, but that it would be foolish to do so, because danger lurks everywhere.

Looking back at Jasmine, Lief sees that the girl is pale, Filli is huddling against her, and Kree is oddly following jumping from tree to tree, unwilling to fly ahead or lag behind. Their fear, as Lief realizes, has to do with the argument Jasmine and Barda had as they decided where to go next. Jasmine said it was absurd to cross the land in the north, because it was the witch Thaegan's territory, and while Barda says travellers have crossed it before, she counters that it was before Deltora fell, and that Thaegan has been empowered by the Shadow Lord because evil loves evil.

Lief and Barda, thankful as they were to Jasmine, though that due to the way Jasmine grew up alone in the Forests she is going to be an unruly companion at times. Which, rude guys, literal wild orphan there, don't talk about it like she was raised wrong.

Lief said that they have to go to the Lake of Tears, which is in Thaegan's territory. Jasmine argued that of course they do, but instead of crossing most of Thaegan's territory, they could go along the southern border, cross the Os-Mine Hills, and reach the Lake, that is on the edge of Thaegan's territory, from there. Barda argued that path would take five times longer and the Hills themselves are known to be dangerous, and then they had put it to a vote. Barda and Lief both voted to go through Thaegan's territory, and when Jasmine tried to argue Filli and Kree were both voting with her, Barda had finally lost his patience, decreeing that Filli and Kree don't get a vote, and then telling Jasmine to either follow them or go back to the Forests.

As one might expect, Jasmine has been silent and angry since.

Lief's thinking is interrupted as he almost slams into Barda's back. Looking ahead, he sees that past the trees is a great chasm that can only be crossed through a bridge of wood and rope. However, in front of the bridge, stands a huge, golden-eyed, dark-skinned giant holding a curved sword.

Chapter II - Three Questions

Lief, Barda and Jasmine approach the giant, who stands still, wearing only a loincloth and not shivering in the wind. Barda asks him to pass, and the giant responds that they can only do so if they answer his questions. If they answer correctly, they can pass. If they fail, he will kill them. Barda asks on whose authority he is doing this, and he simply responds it's the authority of Thaegan: he once tried to trick her to save a friend, and now he is doomed to guard the bridge until truth and lies become one.

He asks who will answer the first question, and Jasmine steps forward. Lief notices a look of pity on her face.

The question the giant asks her is to turn eleven stick of equal lengths into nine without removing a single one. Lief worries and Barda says this is unfair because they are not magicians, but Jasmine's answer is to simply use the sticks to spell out the word NINE.

I know Barda was embarrassed about that one.

-

As a little side note on translation, this question was a mess to translate for the Italian one. In the end, the request of the giant changed to turning the eleven into thirty-eight without adding or breaking other sticks. The solution? To spell out XXXVIII in Roman numerals.

...

Yeah. I guess lore update, Roman numerals were used at some point in Deltora. Granted, I guess it's the most elegant solution we had to keep the spirit of the question.

-

Jasmine crosses, but when Lief and Barda go to follow, the giants informs them that only the one that answered can cross. Barda tells Jasmine to cross and wait for them, and the giant decides he has to go next.

Barda's question is a riddle. "What is it that a beggar has, that a rich man needs, and that the dead eat?" Barda takes a moment to answer, and then says "Nothing." The giant agrees and lets him through.

I hate to tell you buddy, I think the giant went easy on you for the second-hand embarrassment from the 'we aren't magicians' complaints. Anyway, Barda asks if he can wait for Lief before crossing, but the giant answers this is not permitted. When his hand goes to the sword, Lief tells Barda to go ahead.

And you know who the giant doesn't go easy on? Lief. He does think that he should have a easier time than either of the others, since he is more well learned, so maybe the giant picks the question because of that?

Whatever the case, Lief's question is a rhyme:

Thaegan gulps her favorite food
In her cave with all her brood:
Hot, Tot, Jin, Jod,
Fie, Fly, Zan, Zod,
Pik, Snik, Lun, Lod
And the dreaded Ichabod.
Each child holds a slimy toad.
On each toad squirm two fat grubs.
On each grub ride two fleas brave.
How many living in Thaegan's cave?

Lief quickly counts up the children, toads, grubs and fleas, and at the last second answers 'a hundred and five'. However, the giant informs him that he is wrong. Thaegan's favorite food is a raven swallowed alive. The giant argues the raven is still there, alive in her belly, and that therefore Lief answered wrong. He has to die.

Chapter III - Truth and Lies

Lief tries to argue the question wasn't fair because he couldn't know the answer, but the giant stoically replies that it's not his concern what Lief does or doesn't know. He lifts his sword, and Lief's mind is racing to figure out how to save the Belt. If he leaves it on his body, he reasons, the giant will find it and might hand it over to Thaegan. His only hope is to toss it over the edge of the cliff in view of Barda and Jasmine, and hope they can find it. To do it, he needs the giant to not kill him instantly.

Maybe inspired by Barda's solution with Gorl, Lief taunts the giant, telling him that he is a trickster and a deceiver, and that it's no wonder he was punished this way. This angers the giant, who says he did not earn his punishment, that it was pure spite from Thaegan that forced him to be tied forever to his place, and that if Lief is so interested in truth and lies, he will give him one more game.

The game is simple: Lief gets one statement. If it's true, the giant will strangle him with his bare hands. If it's false, he will chop off his head. Lief bends his head, pretending to consider while he is secretly struggling with taking off the Belt. His hands passes on the Topaz, his mind racing to choose his fate, wondering idly which death will be better, thinking it should be neither... And then he has an idea.

He tells the giant he will chop off Lief's head. And the giant cannot answer, because if it's true, the giant will have to strangle him, making it false, but if it's false, the giant will have to chop off his head, making it true. Lief isn't sure of how he thought of that in his panic, but is distracted when the giant's body starts rippling, melting and changing shape. Feathers cover his skin, talons replace his feet, his arms become wings, and his great sword turns into a beak. Soon, Lief is watching a great eagle with eyes shining gold, that takes flight to join its brethren in the sky above.

Lief marvels at this, realizing that his trick answer, that he had thought about only to save his life, broke Thaegan's spell.

Unfortunately for Lief, however, it seems that the bridge itself was tied to the magic, as it starts to crumble. With no choice, Lief rushes forward, running desperately to try and get to the other side before it snaps, but as he runs he feels the ropes grow slack, the bridge arch. He keeps running, but only makes it halfway through the bridge as the wood under his feet gives way. Dangling on the rope, he pushes forward, trying to convince himself that he is in Del, and if he falls his friends will laugh at him.

And then the rope behind him snaps, and Lief finds himself falling forward, where he will slam against the rock wall and break his bones. But before he can, something soft catches him, takes him up, and lets him fall gently next to Barda and Jasmine. Lief looks up at the great golden eagle, and he can tell what it's saying.

You gave me back my life, the eyes seemed to say. Now I have returned yours. My debt to you is paid.

With that, the bird nods once and flies off, joining its companions in the sky.

Lief rests as little as possible before leaving, wanting to get as far away from the cliffs as possible. As he does, he says to Jasmine that she knew the giant was a bird from the start. Jasmine nods, and Lief realizes something else, remembering the rhyme the giant used for his question.

"You are not afraid of Thaegan for yourself, but for Kree," he said softly. "Is that not so?"

"Yes," she said, staring straight ahead. "Kree fled to the Forests of Silence after he escaped from her long ago. He was just out of the nest when she took his family. So, in a way, he is like me. I, too, was very young when the Grey Guards took my mother and father."

Jasmine tells Kree that enough is enough. She is leading him into danger. He needs to go back to the Forests. Kree protests, roosting on her arm, but Jasmine insists, saying that she has made up her mind. She moves her arm until Kree has to let go despite her best efforts, the bird flying away back from where they came. Jasmine doesn't look back, walking forward while Filli tries to console her. Lief tries to search for something to say, but can't think of anything.

As the group continues, they arrive at a clearing surrounded by tall trees. Jasmine says the birds talk about Thaegan's evil.

"Thaegan hates anything that is beautiful, alive, and free," Jasmine said at last, as they entered a clearing where green ferns clustered and the branches of the trees arched overhead. "The birds say that in the land around the Lake of Tears there was once a town called D'Or — a town like a garden, with golden towers, happy people, and lush flowers and trees. Now it is a dead, sad place."

She waved her hand around her. "As will be all this, when Thaegan and her children have finished their evil work."

The group goes silent as they think about that, but they don't get to keep the quiet moment for long. The trees rustle, and Jasmine tells them there is danger. An entire troop of Grey Guards is coming.

-

The first section of the Lake of Tears is really all setup for the terrible sorceress Thaegan. Now that Rodda has the full sixteen chapters to build up to the climax of the book, it makes sense after all to use it. The riddles of the giant are fun. As a kid, solving them is really rewarding, or in Lief's one just as infuriating as it is for him to find out you counted for nothing.

Next time, a fateful encounter and a swamp.

Darken · Mar 27, 2025

Grey Guards incoming, better hide fast.

Chapter IV - The Rescue

Lief, Barda and Jasmine climb a tree as high as possible, hiding under Lief's cloak and hoping the troop of Grey Guards will pass through. Instead, the troop starts stopping below them, camping in the clearing. As they watch more and more Grey Guards fill the area, the three also spot a prisoner. A short, blue-gray skinned man, with small black eyes and a tuft of red eyes. Lief wonders who that is, and Barda answers they captured a Ralad, explaining they are a race of builders that were beloved by Adin and the early Kings.

Lief remembers that the Ralad built the Palace in Del, and wonders how when the one they are looking at is so short and skinny. Barda replies that it's not the size that matters, but the heart. They are interrupted by Jasmine, who tells them to stop whispering or the Guards will hear them, but the Guards are too tired to care about anything except their rations and some rest, one of them toying with the hungry Ralad by offering him a bone and then hitting him with it. The Companions look angrily, unable to do anything.

Later, after the Guards have eaten their fill, they fall asleep. Lief and Jasmine agree they can't leave the Ralad there, and Barda doesn't take much persuasion, not wanting to leave him to the Grey Guards either. They toss some berries at him, letting him eat and revealing themselves, and then Lief and Barda slowly start climbing down. When they land, they gesture for him to stay quiet. The Ralad nod, then draws a mark in the ground.

Realizing the two can't recognize it, he covers it again. The two's plan is to carry him off, covered in Lief's cloak. The chains on his wrists would make too much noise if they tried to take them off, so the best solution is using the cloak to cover the noise. To their credit, this works, and they start to run. Unfortunately, in that moment one of the sleeping Guards hits another in the face with the elbow. Waking up, the guard looks at the escaping duo, and shouts in alarm. Soon, the whole troop is after them.

Chapter 5 - Terror

The Grey Guards start running after Lief and Barda, preparing the Blisters in their slings. As soon as they have a line of fire, Lief and Barda know they will be pelted with the deadly poison. Lucky for them, the winding path is no such clear line of fire, but Lief knows that it's just a matter of time. Grey Guards can run for days without tiring, and can sniff their prey anywhere.

Jasmine does her part, dropping branches covered in thorny vines on their path, but when she catches up to them Barda warns her the anger will make them run faster. When they see the path forward is a straight line, Barda has them take a turn and run away from the path. They cross through sweetplum bushes, Lief considering briefly that, had they not ran into the Guards, the three of them would enjoy their time eating the sweet fruits. It's a sad consideration, especially paired with him grimly noticing the Ralad covered in the cloak has gone silent. Perhaps he fainted, or perhaps he died and this was for nothing.

As they run, the ground starts to slope, leading into a small valley, and the sweetplum bushes are covered in more and more fruit, the air filled with their scent. Jasmine says that's good, because it means the Grey Guards won't be able to track the three down. They dive in the bushes, and hide. Soon, they hear the troop reach the straight path. A laugh, or a curse, sounds in the distance, and then the troop goes back from where they came. They still hide for several minutes, listening to their steps fade in the distance, before Jasmine sends Filli to check. The little rodent reports back that the Grey Guards have really left.

The Companions take a moment to rest, relieved, and Barda checks on the Ralad. He has passed out, but it's likely from the exhaustion due to the ordeal he went through. Barda considers that, if the Ralad can lead them to his home town, Raladin, they will be close to the Lake of Tears. They walk further away from the road, and Barda uses Jasmine's knife to take off the Ralad's chains, seeing the rubbed, raw patches on his wrists and ankles. Jasmine pulls out a remedy she learned from her mother, but as she does she says it was useful in the Forests of Silence. Lief reflects that she clearly misses the Forests and more importantly misses Kree. Just like he misses his friends, family and home. That thought makes him remember all the things he has given up for the quest: warm food, his bed, the forge...

It's too much, so Lief decides to step away with the excuse of looking for firewood and collect some of the sweetest plums. While looking for firewood, he stumbles into a broken sign. The piece say, 'Ring and enter', and Lief spots a green lawn and, past it, a cozy, clean house. He calls Barda and Jasmine, and Barda rejoice, thinking they might find warm food and beds. Without further ado, Lief rings the bell and steps forward.

The three only make a few steps before realizing something is wrong. What they thought was a lawn is quicksand, and it's swallowing them whole.

Chapter VI - Nij and Doj

The Companions sink fast, Lief trying to think of a way out. He noticed the plums have already sunk while the flat piece of wood he spotted earlier has not. As he considers this, he sees an elderly pair emerge from the house, shouting. Too late, unless ... He tells Barda and Jasmitee to grap the piece of wood and let their body go parallel to it.

Thanks to this, the Companions save some time. He sees the elderly couple approach, close enough he can hear their voices.

"Taem hserf!" the man was panting.

"Knis ti tel ton od!" the woman exclaimed in answer. "Tou ti teg!"

Using a long, hooked pole, the three are dragged out by the elderlies, Barda, Jasmine and finally Lief touching the ground. He laughs, still gripping the piece of wood, and thanks the two elderlies, who in turn answer something in a weird language ("Efas era yeht!" "Egamad on!"). Jasmine wonders why the nonsense, and Lief tells her to not be rude. Jasmine points out that they almost just died before because of them and the sign.

Lief, suddenly, realizes something. He looks at the piece of wood he found in the quicksand, that reads 'Warning! - Of Quicks - Do not" E mentally understood. "Warning! Ring of Quicksand! Do not enter!", and tells as such to the others. The elderly man grabs the wood and says something pointing at the other half. Lief says that they were fools for not realizing the warning was broken. Jasmine counters the sign has been broken for a long time, but Barda points out that if the house is surrounded by Quicksand, they are unlikely to leave often.

The old woman smiles sweetly at Lief, and then the two introduce themselves as Nij (her) and Doj (him). They listen to the three's names, and then invite them into their house.

Jasmine tries to argue they are forgetting the Ralad, but Barda says he is probably going to travel back home. Ralads, he says, always miss Raladin and hate staying away for too long.

With the final arguments defeated, Jasmine follows Lief and Barda towards the house.

If either Lief or Barda had paid attention to her, had listened to her doubts and suspicions, they might have slowed their steps.

But neither of them did. And they did not realize their mistake until long after the green door had shut behind them.

-

Grey Guards escaped! Surely this is all fine!

Surely...

This section is pretty straightforward, but it still gives details on the Grey Guards. I'm saving discussing them for Shadowlands, since that's where we get a lot of into on them. For now, what we learn clearly paints them as inhuman, both for the acts they commit and for details like their ability to march for days and their superhuman sense of smell.

Shorter update this one, but the three chapters aren't exactly plot heavy. It does however introduce a few things worth remembering.

Next time, the House of Nij and Doj.

Darken · Mar 29, 2025

Next up, the house of Nij and Doj

Chapter VII - Shocks

Nij and Doj lead Lief, Barda and Jasmine through their kitchen, and then in a large sitting room with a warm fire, handing them blankets and letting them sit on the woven carpets on the floor. With many smiles, they gesture they will return soon, and walk back into the kitchen, where Lief hears them singsong happily as they prepare to cook. Lief smiles, commenting they are very kind, feeling right at home in the nice room. Barda nods, saying it's for good people like them that they are fighting.

Jasmine, however, is feeling uncomfortable, and Lief realizes it's because she and Filli aren't used to being inside a house. She takes the moment to ask Lief if the belt is safe, and Lief realizes he hadn't checked. He finds it clogged with mud and slime, and seeing the Topaz in particular covered in the stuff starts cleaning it with his fingers, feeling it's not right for the Gem to be so filthy. As Doj walks in from the kitchen, he instinctively covers the Topaz with his hand, clasping it, even though it's covered by the rug as well.

In that moment, Lief hears Doj, who is handing over a tray of small cakes, say 'Here scum. Enjoy your last meal on earth." He pauses abruptly, looking at Barda and Jasmine who don't seem to have heard anything unusual, and then Doj hands him a cup of sweetplum juice. But looking up at the man, Lief sees he has changed.

The skin was mottled and covered in lumps and sores. The eyes were yellow, flat, and cold, like snake's eyes, over a nose that was just two flaring black holes. The grinning mouth was greedy and cruel, with crooked metal spikes for teeth and a fat blue tongue that crept out and licked at swollen lips.

Lief is shocked for a moment, but manages to play it off as him having dozed off while he tries to figure out what happened, Doj laughing and saying that soon he will sleep forever, making Lief finally realize he has been speaking in reverse the whole time. As Doj leaves, Lief sees the room has changed. They are in a grim, dark cell with walls dripping greasy water, the carpet made of small animals pelts sewn together. Lief desperately slaps the drink they were just been handed from Jasmine's hand, but Barda drinks it before he can stop him.

Idly, Barda, still unable to see through the illusion, wonders if Nij and Doj are married or brother and sister, and Lief has a realization. He remembers the rhyme of the giant, and says they are brother and sisters, Jin and Jod, the children of Thaegan. Barda says it's a poor joke, and Lief knows all he is seeing is the same comely house as before. Lief wonders what he can do to help them.

Chapter VIII - Eyes Wide Open

Lief knows he has to break Barda and Jasmine out of the illusion, if he wants them to escape, but he still has no idea what even broke him out of the spell. As he is thinking of what he was doing, however, he remembers The Belt of Deltora, and what the book had to say about the Topaz:

The Topaz is a powerful gem, and its strength increases as the moon grows full. The Topaz protects its wearer from the terrors of the night. It has the power to open doors into the spirit world. It strengthens and clears the mind …

The last line is, Lief realizes, what saved him. Just as he was touching the Topaz when he faced the giant on the bridge, now he was touching the Topaz when the illusion broke. The stone has been helping him clear his mind all this time.

Without hesitation, he grabs Barda and Jasmine's hands and puts them on the Topaz. Instantly, their annoyance turns into horror as they can finally see the truth and understand the voices coming from the kitchen. Jasmine apologizes, saying she didn't like the place but had figured it was because she wasn't used to houses. Barda wonders how he could have been so blind, and mentions that the Grey Guards not pursuing them after losing them on the path was probably because they guessed where they were going and figured they'd get killed by Jin and Jod. No wonder they laughed.

Jasmine starts looking for a way to escape, while Barda stumbles, having drank enough of the potion to feel weakened. She finally finds an hidden door, but when they open it they only see with horror a collection of moldy clothes, rusted armors and chests of jewels and coins. As Barda says, those are all the possessions of the past victims of Jin and Jod, fallen for their trap, dragged into the house under illusions and then drugged, killed and eaten.

In that moment, the bell rings again. The three act quickly, closing the hidden door and dashing for the fireplace, pretending to be asleep. Good thing too, as Jin, while Jod rushes to 'save' their next victim, checks in the room. Satisfied after kicking Lief to see if he is really sleeping, the teen managing to keep pretending, Jin walks out to join Jod.

The moment they hear the other door close, they leap into action, rushing out towards the kitchen. Jasmine says the new victim must be the Ralad, as they enter the kitchen, and Lief sees it with clear eyes for the first time. Human bones lie scattered everywhere, and a hay bed for what looks like must have been an animal that escaped biting its rope until it broke, and on the oven a boiling pot.

"Mr. Miani, do you really think we should put this in a children's book?"
"Yeah, why?"

Lief, Barda and Jasmine slip out of the house. They see Jin and Jod in the distance, insulting each other while Jod tries uselessly to find something under the quicksands with the long pole he used to fish them out first. Lief realizes sadly this must mean the Ralad drowned before they made it, but Jasmine focuses on what they can do, and leads them to try and find a way to escape. At first, this seems hopeless, the quicksands stretching around the whole house, but then they spot a large rock, and the quicksands look mottled.

Chapter IX - Stepping Stones

As they come close, Lief helping Barda and Jasmine ahead, they see that the quicksands are covered by leaves with odd, straight edges that made them fit together like a puzzle, leaving only a few holes for the quicksands to be visible. On a second look, realizes there are red markings on each leaf, and that they are numbers, letters and symbols.

While they scramble to figure out what they might mean, they hear a muffled roar from Jin and Jod's house, and a small figure rushes out, terrified. The Ralad man, who has not drowned in the quicksand after all, rushes towards them. Jasmine's relief as she says this makes Lief relived too, proving she did worry about the little man's fate after all, and she follows by taking out her dagger and rushing towards him to help against his pursuers. Jin is holding an axe, while Jod swings around the hooked pole, missing the Ralad by inches each time.

Lief makes to follow her, but the little man desperately tries to wave at him to stay back, pointing at the quicksand. Lief notices he is only covered in the slime up to the knees, and pieces things together with the fact he seems to know the way in and out, the broken rope in Jin and Jod's kitchen and the metal collar that was around the Ralad's neck. He must have been taken prisoner by Jin and Jod, deemed too small to eat, and kept as a sort of pet, unable to save their victims until he managed to escape, only to then get captured by the Grey Guards.

When he woke up in the sweetplum bushes, he must have realized what happened, and then rang the bell and tossed a stone in the quicksand to distract Jin and Jod. He had willingly risked being caught again to save the people that had saved him. Lief makes again to run at him, to protect him against Jin and Jod so he might show them the way across, but then realizes he has already told them, from the way his legs are covered in mud.

The Ralad gets caught, but Lief uses his sword to break the pole, Jod falling and dragging Jin with him as he is caught off balance. Jasmine makes to leap at them with the dagger, but Lief knows they aren't winning a straight fight, and if either of them are wounded, with the Ralad so weak and Barda drugged, they need to both work together to get across the sand.

Lief explains that the safe spots are the ones between the leaves, not the leaves. When Jasmine asks how he knows, he says the Ralad told them. His legs are covered in mud, but the leaves are too clean. No one has stepped on them in hours, at least. Still, Jasmine hesitates, but with Jin and Jod finally standing back up, Lief knows they have to hurry, so he shows them. He leaps into the first opening, and after a second of terror he finds hard rock underneath, only sinking ankle deep. Barda and Jasmine follow him.

With a lot of effort, one step at a time, Lief makes it across, with the Ralad man on his shoulders, Barda almost there as well. However, Lief sees Jasmine crouched, slashing at something, and then Jin throwing her axe. He calls for Jasmine, who turns enough that the axe misses her head, but she gets hit on the shoulder by the lower edge. That makes her lose her balance, and her feet slip into the true quicksand.

Chapter X - Quick Thinking

Barda turns to pull Jasmine out, but he is too weak to pull her out. Jasmine begs him to take Filli and leave, but Barda refuses to do so, and Filli refuses to move from her shoulder. In desperation, Lief uses his cloak like a rope, having Barda tie it to Jasmine to pull her out, but he knows Jin and Jod are almost on them, and they will reach Jasmine and Barda before he can pull her out.

In that moment, a black bird plunges from the sky. Kree starts attacking Jin and Jod, the children of Thaegan trying to fight him off as he claws and pecks them. Jod starts hitting with the pole however, and the bird won't be able to evade forever.

Barda makes it to the shore and joins Lief, and the two together manage to pull Jasmine out of the mud. Pulling with all their strength, they see Jasmine finally, slowly emerge from the mud. A roar of triumph fills the air and they look up to see Kree has been hit in the wing, fluttering up to dodge more of Jod's attacks, now free to pursue the fugitives. The two monsters jump in, after them. Lief thinks in desperation that they just need a few more seconds, one more pull, and Jasmine shouts for Kree to fly on the other side of the quicksand, the bird barely making it across before collapsing.

Just as they are almost upon Jasmine, however, Jin and Jod's roars of triumph turn into horror. they jump in one of the openings, but find only the quicksand, and start getting swallowed. The large weight makes them sink quickly, and soon they are gone, killed by their own trap. Lief and Barda finally reach Jasmine's wrists and drag her to safety, then Barda wonders how that happened. Jasmine reveals she was the one that did it. She cut and moved some of the leaves behind her, and Jin and Jod were too stupid and angry to realize the holes had moved.

Jasmine pulls out the vial of nectar of the Lilies of Life, and Lief thinks she plans to use it on her shoulder. Instead, she gives a drop to Kree, the bird quickly standing again, fully healed. Barda and Lief smile, both at Kree's survival and at Jasmine's happiness.

In that moment, the Ralad wakes up, looking frantically around, only for the three to reassure him Jin and Jod are gone for good. While Barda speaks with the Ralad, Lief approaches Jasmine, offering to use the Lilies' nectar on her shoulder. She refuses, saying they need to keep them for when they truly need them, and instead has Lief use a cream she made in the Forests, Lief gently putting it over her wound.

Then, Barda approaches, explaining the Ralad's name is Manus, and that he owes them for saving him both from the Grey Guards and from Jin and Jod. Lief says the Ralad owes them nothing, but Manus responds tracing symbols in the ground.

"'You saved me twice from death,'" Barda translated slowly. "'My life is yours.'"

Noticing Lief and Jasmine's surprise, Barda explains that, a hundred years ago, when she turned D'Or in the Lake of Tears, the Ralad challenged Thaegan. In response, Thaegan took away their voices and their descendants'. No one has spoken in Raladin since.

Hearing this makes Lief realize what they just did. If Thaegan had taken away the Ralad's voice just for speaking against her, what would she do to them? And how long until she finds out? He feels terrified, a small voice in his head telling him to run home, and then Manus gestures for him to follow. Barda explains the Ralad thinks they need to be well away from there come night, when Thaegan might come to check on her children. They will walk as far as they can before making camp. Lief pushes away the whispering voice, and follows the group.

-

I'll say this first, I love the Jin and Jod section. It's probably my favorite in The Lake of Tears, a very tense series of chapters that takes the reader through illusions, tricks, riddles and just a bit of combat. As usual, of course, the latter is not the solution. Jin and Jod, again, are too strong for our heroes to face in straight combat, and it's the Companions' combined effort, along with the help of someone they saved, that finally defeats the two monsters. For a kid, this is a heart-stopping fear, but even now it holds up really well.

The Ralads are also interesting. More on them in the next section, but I really like the approach Rodda took to fantasy races in her work. They are very distinct from the classic ones, for the most part. Manus is our first encounter with one such people, but certainly not the last.

This is also where the power of the Topaz finally gets openly described, though we saw it activate a couple times before. We knew about its ability to contact the spirit world, but here we see the main utility it will have throughout the story: in a world like Deltora, where riddles, tricks and illusions are a major part of the conflict, the Topaz is hands down one of the most useful gems, if not the most useful.

I'm saving discussing the Children of Thaegan for the right moment, so for now that will be all. Next, we visit Raladin, and from there we finally reach the Lake of Tears.

Darken · Mar 30, 2025

Chapter XI - To Raladin

This chapter largely deals with the aftermath of the battle with Jin and Jod, and the following travel to Raladin. It begins by telling us that Manus, Lief, Barda and Jasmine spend the night after sleeping under bushes, away from any path or river, to make sure they can't be seen by someone that might inform Thaegan. They are still wet and dirty from the mud, they can't light a fire, but are so exhausted they still fall asleep, cold as it might be.

Lief, waking up in the night, sees Manus tremble in his dreams, and can't help but remember what he told them through sign language and symbols drawn in the ground. He was travelling from Raladin to Del when he was captured, falling in the same trap they had. Five years he spent being treated as a slave, forced to serve Jin and Jod and helplessly watch them trap, kill and eat their victims. After five years, he finally managed to escape, only to then be captured by the Grey Guards when he was almost home.

It's a haunting tale, and Lief isn't surprised Manus is haunted by the nightmares of what he has seen. When he had asked him how long it would take to reach Raladin, Manus had given a simple answer. Three days, if Thaegan doesn't found them first. Lief, looking at the pitch black night, feels the full fear of that sentence. Lief wonders what Thaegan is doing, what orders she is giving. He wonders if even now her demons are stretching their fingers, reaching his ankles to drag him screaming into the dark. The fear of the unknown, of the darkness around him, grows until he feels he might scream.

In that moment, he remembers the Topaz, clutching him tightly. 'The Topaz protects its wearer from the terrors of the night', and indeed Lief feels calmer. The shadows in the darkness shrinks, his heartbeat slows down. Shaking, he looks up to see Kree above a nearby tree. Awake, alert, watching the night under the shining of the moon. He feels comforted, thinking that they just have to hold for three days. Choosing to believe that for three days Thaegan won't find them.

He finally returns to sleep.

-

This is a section I feel deserves to be properly highlighted. It would have been easy for Rodda to not write this part. It does feel almost strangely real, because Lief's fear is both perfectly understandable and described in details a kid can comprehend even with their limited life experience. It's not a coincidence that Rodda focuses on the darkness and the image of 'demons grabbing the ankles', so common for a child that imagines what might be under the bed in the dark of the night. It's a very well written section about something that is so uncommon in children's fantasy, a genuine look at a protagonist terrified for what has happened to them and what might be coming next.

It's a very good section, is what I'm saying.

-

The group sets off in the morning. They move away from the beaten path at first, but then are forced to walk in the open as the trees and bushes give way to parched plains. Now and then they run into abandoned farms, all marked with the symbol of the Shadow Lord, the open hand surrounded by a circle.

They stop in one for the night, taking what they need for their journey. Lief feels bad about essentially robbing people, but Manus points out the same symbol he drew in the sand when they first met him. He explains that the sign is the symbol used by the Ralads to signify freedom, but that it has grown beyond Raladin. Now, it's used by those who have vowed to resist the Shadow Lord's rule. By drawing it, the owners of the farm said that they were supportive of those that fought against the Shadow, and so they'd be happy to give what they had to help the cause.

Lief thinks it's fortunate they met Manus, and that it's almost if fate brought them together. He thinks his friends in Del would have laughed at that, but he is starting to understand that there are things his friends, and he himself, don't understand.

As they proceed, now that they know what to look for, they see the mark of the resistance everywhere, drawn on walls, etched on trees. Manus, however, is worried, because all the abandoned houses make him worry for Raladin. He first left the town because of the rumors of the Shadow Lord looking for more slaves, planning to contact the resistance in Del, unaware it had been destroyed long ago. Five years he spent a prisoner, and that Thaegan had to lay waste to the land. By the end of the third day, Lief, Barda and Jasmine can barely persuade him to sleep.

The next morning, they follow a stream, Manus barely holding back from running, until he reaches a small waterfall. Lief realizes he is afraid to take the last step, afraid of what he might find. Jasmine puts a hand on his shoulder, and reminds him it's best to know. Manus nods, and plunges under the waterfall. The group follows him, finding a cave and a dark tunnel behind. Following the tunnel, they reach an opening and emerge into the light of day. The buildings of Raladin surround a small pool in the center, water splashing. But the houses are clearly abandoned, the doors open and creaking in the wind. There is no other movement.

Chapter XII - The Music

The group somberly descends down the pebbled path, reaching the town. Manus looks desperately from one house to the next, Barda following grimly. When they meet in the center of town, the Ralad man is in despair, believing all his people have been taken to the Shadowlands, or are dead. Lief suggests they might have been taken away, but Barda explains Manus doesn't believe they would ever abandon Raladin willingly. He points to piles of trash, the sign of the Grey Guards passing through, and estimates Raladin has been abandoned for a year or more.

As Manus steps to the fountain, he kicks a flute someone left near the fountain. While Barda, Lief and Jasmine decide what to do next - rest, then proceed towards the Lake, with Manus guiding them - suddenly a beautiful music fills the air. The three all turn towards the Ralad, who has started to play, eyes closed, head swaying. Lief stands, spellbound, listening to the best music he has ever heard, and the most heartbreaking. It's like Manus is playing his grief and loss, the words he can't speak aloud, straight from his heart.

Lief's eyes tear up, the music making him think of Del and everything he has left there. Barda stands still, Jasmine is looking at Manus with bottomless pity in her eyes, and even Filli and Kree are staring, still like statues on her shoulders. They are unable to do anything but experience the music.

In that moment, Lief spots a stone moving. He stares in amazement as blue fingers throw the stone aside, and soon dozens of Ralads are emerging from a bright opening below the ground. The other three corners of the square also move, and quickly hundreds of Ralads surround Manus, laughing, greeting him, the man's face alight with joy.

Hours later, Lief, Barda and Jasmine are bathed, have eaten, and now are admiring what the Ralads built under Raladin. A large cavern, lighted by lamps emitting soft light, and kept aired by tall chimneys that reach above ground. A small stream leads to a pool like the one above, and the rest is occupied by cottages, storehouses, and even a plaza like the one above. Lief admires the work, and Barda nods, saying he knew that the Ralad are great workers but even he hadn't suspected this. Jasmine yawns, saying the Grey Guards and Thaegan surely don't either, using the town above as a resting spot without knowing the Ralads are right below them.

Lief comments they only got to find out because of the music, and Jasmine laughs, saying that it's good. The more the Shadow Lord is mad about having lost the Ralads, the more he will force the Grey Guards to hunt for them, leaving less for Lief, Barda and Jasmine to worry about. Watching Manus, so happy, Lief wonders if he will still accompany them to the Lake of Tears, and Barda says he believes so, but not for a few days. Which is good, the man adds. It will force them to rest and recover.

Jasmine and Barda are already asleep when the Ralads march to the center of the cave and start playing together, a soft, happy music filling the cave. For the first time in weeks, Lief can fall asleep peacefully.

In the next three days, Lief, Barda and Jasmine rest in the underground village, learning much about the Ralad. They learn they go outside, to tend to hidden food gardens or to the vents that keep the cavern aired, but they never play music outside. It's a miracle that Manus found the flute, probably lost years before when they were still working on the hidden village. Almost like it was waiting for him.

The fourth day, with Jasmine's wound almost healed and the group rested and healthy, they decide it's time to leave. They feel heavy as they climb out, feeling the task ahead is even more grim and terrifying now that they got to experience the peace of the village. Manus had suggested they not tell the Ralads where they were going until the last moment, and it's soon clear why: when they do, the Ralads clutch at them, block their passage, and scribble signs of fear and danger in the sand, so many even Barda has trouble reading them.

Lief notices one, larger than the others, that repeats many times. When Lief asks what it means, Manus writes a name in the sand. "SOLDEEN".

Chapter XIII - The Lake of Tears

"Jasmine asks what Soldeen is. Manus can't, or won't, explain, so Barda declares that whatever it is, they will have to face it, just like they must face Thaegan if she comes for them.

The Ralads at that look at them in shock, thinking they don't understand the danger and that they are dooming Manus to die with them. Lief tries to reassure them, that they have weapons to fight her, but the Ralads explain a sorceress can only be killed by drawing her blood, and that Thaegan's whole body is shielded by her magic. Many have tried and died. Lief at that glances at Jasmine, who looks at Kree, flying above their heads. He changes his tune, promising the Ralads that they will hide from her, doing everything to avoid her notice, but that they must go.

The elder of the Ralads, a woman called Simone, asks them why. Barda says they can't tell them, but that this is to save all of Deltora from the Shadow Lord. Simone stares for a long moment, then nods, and the Ralads let them go. Manus leads the way, without turning back. Lief does, however, and he sees the Ralads saluting them, hands on their hearts.

(As a side note on translation, in Italian Simone's name was changed to Artemisia. This one's reason is easier to figure out, since Simone is a male name in my language.)

As the group proceeds, they enter a more barren, rocky landscape. Dry grass crackles under their feet, bushes dusty and dry surround the path, and dead trees are scattered on the land. They move carefully, keeping hidden as much as possible behind bushes and dead trees, but it seems useless, as they encounter no living thing, even the air itself seeming still and hard to breathe.

Finally, they come across a narrow pass, just as the sun sets. Manus stumbles to a stop, face pale grey and eyes wide with fear. Lief suggests that, since the Lake is just past the pass, he can go home, but Manus refuses, repeating once more that they saved his life twice, so now it belongs to them. They insist, but Manus takes the matter in his own hands, and rushes towards the pass, the three following.

What they see makes them stare in horror.

Not far below them was a murky lake ringed by banks of thick, grey mud riddled with what looked like worm holes. In its center a slimy rock oozed water which dripped ceaselessly into the pool, causing slow, oily ripples to creep across its surface.
Twisted, barren peaks of clay rose beyond the lake like haunted things. There was not one green, growing thing to be seen. There was no sound but the dripping of water and the faint, squelching movements of mud. There were no smells but damp and decay. It was a place of bitterness, ugliness, misery, and death.

The Lake of Tears is well named, Lief decides. This is what Thaegan did to the beautiful city of D'Or. This is, he thinks looking at Manus, what made the Ralads speak up, and made her punish them for it. Barda asks Lief if the Belt is warm, but Lief says they are still too far. When Manus overhears, Lief decides he can trust the Ralad. He tells him they are searching for a gem, but that he must promise to keep the secret if they do find it. The Ralad agrees.

Reaching the mud surrounding the lake, they drop their bags and start making their way ankle deep in the muck. Reaching the water, Lief feels the Belt warming up, and understands it's somewhere in the Lake.

Suddenly, he feels something on his ankle. He touches something slimy, and looks down only to see, to his horror, large, worm-like creatures feasting on his blood. Jasmine rushes to pull them off and toss them away with her knife, but more start to appear, crawling up their legs, hundreds of slimy things trying to feast on their flesh and blood, covering them more and more by the second. Filli screams, and Kree tries to free Jasmine only for worms to drag him down.

Just as Lief thinks this might be the end, the creatures still, and drop, scrambling to run away, to borrow back below the mud. Barda, with a shaky laugh, comments they must not have liked how they taste, but in that moment Lief sees a line of bubbles approaching them in the Lake. He shouts a warning, but a moment later a creature emerges from the Lake.

Slime dripped from its skin. Its gaping mouth, lined with needle-sharp teeth, swirled with water, worms, and mud. Wicked spines sprouted, gleaming, from its back and sides and sprang like narrow spears from the flesh under its eyes, which burned with ravenous, endless hunger.

Lief understands immediately what the beast is. He is looking at Soldeen.

-

So with this we enter the final section of the book. Some great tonal shifts, as usual, I really think it's one of the great strengths of Deltora Quest as a series. The contrast between the night terrors after Jin and Jod, the despair and then relief for Raladin, and then the horror of the Lake of Tears, with the Companions almost eaten alive by the slimy things on its shores, only for Soldeen to then appear, really shows just how much can be done by juggling the tone of the series.

There isn't much more to say, that I haven't before, but I must say, I really love the way Deltora appears. The different environments are always described in a way that makes it easier to imagine them, and the overall tone of fading desolation really sets just how much the influence of the Shadow Lord can be felt everywhere.

Next time, a fated showdown and the second Gem.

Darken · Apr 1, 2025

Today we finish the Lake of Tears. We also got Pick of the Month, which was a very nice surprise. Really happy about that

Chapter XIV - Soldeen

Lief pulls out his sword and, realizing Soldeen is going for Manus and Barda, who have fallen in the mud, stabs it. The creature barely feels it, the sword stuck in its strong hide, but that manages to make it angry enough it turns its attention to Lief. It charges at Lief, who barely dodges by lunging himself away, landing in the mud near the backpacks. Jasmine and Barda shout in horror as Soldeen slides forward through the mud, and at the last second, grabbing two of the bags, Lief tosses them in Soldeen's open mouth, causing him to start choking.

As Soldeen tries to spit out the bags, or swallow them, thrashing around, the sword flies off, landing at Lief's feet, and he grabs it quickly before running as fast as possible in his current state, followed by the others. They only turn around when they reach the rocks, to see Soldeen disappear back in the depths of the Lake of Tears.

The group reunites a safe distance from the Lake's shores, and huddles under the last blanket as the cold of the night creeps in, on edge as they eat the supplies they have left while jumping at every sound. They try to figure out a plan to find the gem in the depths of the Lake of Tears. Draining the Lake with tools from Raladin? They could never make it, with Soldeen, Thaegan and the other monsters tormenting them. Trying to lure Soldeen on one shore while searching on the other? The beast would find out and attack them long before they could find the gem.

As hours pass, they fall silent. Lief, since it's the full moon, decides to try and use the Topaz, but no great ideas come to mind, only one thought: they must fight the despair. if they let it win, they are doomed. With that in mind, Lief turns to Manus, and asks him to play the flute for them, to make them think of better places and times.

Manus starts playing, and as he does his music lifts their spirit. It's a music that speaks of beautiful things, and Lief, Barda and Jasmine feel better, straightening their backs and closing their eyes. They don't notice the trail of bubbles silently emerging from the lake, until Manus abruptly stops playing. They turn around, and see, shocked, Soldeen, glaring at them. The beast is massive, and could lunge at them from the lakeshore.

Barda tells them to slowly move back, but Soldeen orders them to stop. The four do, staring in horror, before Soldeen looks at Manus and orders him to play. Manus obeys, hesitatingly at first but gaining strength, and Soldeen stays still, closing its eyes and listening. Lief watches until Manus signals to him to go, to escape. Jasmine signals to him to go, because he has the Belt.

But it's too late. Soldeen opens its eyes again, and looks at Lief. He asks why they came to the Lake. Lief tries to think of something, Soldeen warning him that he will know if Lief lies. Knowing they only have until Manus can keep playing, Lief tells the truth. They are looking for a gem, one that fell in the Lake over sixteen years before. Soldeen says he knows what Lief is talking about. It's his treasure, the only thing that brings him joy, and he won't part with it, for nothing in return. Barda asks him to name a price, and Soldeen says he wants Manus.

Chapter XV - The Sorceress

Soldeen explains he wants Manus to sit on the weeping stone, to play for him through days and nights until the day he dies. Manus stands up, and steps forward, pale, Barda grabbing him. Soldeen orders them to let him come, and when Jasmine says the Ralad doesn't want to, he is just willing to sacrifice his life for them, Soldeen orders them to let him go, or he will kill them and feed their corpses to the creatures in the mud.

Lief feels anger surge inside him, and drawing his sword he steps in front of Manus, Bard and Jasmine at the Ralad's side, telling Soldeen that if he kills them he will also kill his companion. Soldeen roars at the challenge and moves forward, turning his head at the last second and using the spines under his eye to slash at Lief, tearing the shirt and latching to his cape. Lief is thrown around, choked by the cape, but manages to grab on one of the spikes and press himself against Soldeen, sword still held tight.

He points the tip of the sword at the creature's eye, saying he can drag him down into the Lake and kill him, but Lief will blind him before he does. Soldeen stills, and Lief keeps talking, saying they will not give up Manus, whatever the cost.

"You … would die for him," the beast growled, finally. "He … would die for you. And all of you would give up — everything — for your cause. I remember — I seem to remember — a time when I, too … long ago. So long ago …"His eyes had narrowed. He had begun to sway, groaning and shaking his head.
"Something — is — happening to me," he moaned. "My mind is — burning … clearing. I see —pictures of another time, another place. What have you done to me? What sorcery —?"

Lief looks down, and realizes the Belt, and the Topaz in it, are pressed against Soldeen's skin. He sees Soldeen's eyes clear, not those of a ravenous beast but of a tortured soul, and realizes the truth, thinking of the eagle at the suspended bridge. He asks Soldeen to help them, to give them the stone and let Manus go, for the sake of what he was.

Soldeen's eyes darken for a moment, then they clear, and he agrees. Soldeen takes him into the lake, Lief knowing that at any moment the creature might change his mind and kill him, but that is when the Belt starts growing warm. Soldeen takes him to the center of the lake, to the weeping stone. Shaped like a crying woman, covered in cracks and holes from the water wearing it down... and holding a large, dark pink gem in its hands, hidden from the shore by the flow of dripping water.

-

Soldeen is an interesting beast. Usually, the main antagonist, or at least the main obstacle to recover the gem, is the one on the cover, but he is one of the few cases that break that mold. We will find out more about Soldeen in a bit, and the Deltora Book of Monster doesn't really have anything to add, so for now let's just look at some art.

Of course, there is McBride's

And the anime's CG model

and... Well, Soldeen also breaks another rule. Usually, the cover monster of each book gets its own double page art in the Italian versions. Alas, Soldeen does not, because Miani really wanted to draw Raladin apparently. Instead, he got a chapter cover.

-

Lief takes the gem, and looks at it, confused. The belt is so warm his clothes are steaming, so this is certainly one of the gems, but he doesn't remember any pink one. Even looking at it, he could swear it's getting lighter and lighter. Lief shivers, the air growing cold, but Soldeen asks what is the matter and Lief grabs the stone, moving back to Soldeen. He gestures to his friend, and sees them shout in triumph, but still wonders what gem this is.

He starts recalling the color of each gem as Soldeen takes him on his back and swims back to shore. When he gets to the Ruby, he recalls the book, The Belt of Deltora. 'The great ruby, symbol of happiness, red as blood, grows pale in the presence of evil, or when misfortune threatens …', he remembers, and he realizes a very pale red is just pink. Pink because of the evil of the lake, but still growing paler. Lief pales too, and shouts at Soldeen to say something.

Before he can, though, the sky is split open by a streak of light, and foul, yellow smoke fills the air.

And in the midst of the smoke, hovering above the water, was a towering figure, shining green, with wild, silver hair that crackled and flew around her beautiful, sneering face as though it was itself alive.

"Thaegan!" It was as though the whole Lake moaned the name. As though every creature, and even the rocks themselves, shrank and trembled.

Thaegan points her little finger at Soldeen, and a spear of yellow light hits him between the eyes, the creature rolling in agony. The ruby flies out of Lief's hand, dropping in a deep crack in the weeping rock.

"You shall never have it!" cried Thaegan, her voice cracking with fury. "You — who have dared to enter my lands! You who have freed one of my creatures and made another do your will! You who have killed two of my children and mocked my power! I have followed you. I have smelt you out. Now, you will see!"

Thaegan creates a storm that pushes Lief and the lake water to the shore. Barda, Jasmine and Manus run towards Lief and start dragging him away from the rock, but Thaegan stands in front of them. Barda tries to stab her heart, but her magical protections repel his blade and he is sent back. Jasmine tries to cut her with her knife, but is pushed back even harder, hitting Manus and Lief and sending them to the ground as well.

Kree starts flying around Thaegan, trying to attack her, to peck at her, but Thaegan just laughs him off, saying she will save him for her delight. But first, she will turn the four of them into monsters like Soldeen, creatures loathing their own ugliness, feeding on worms in the dark, forever.

Chapter XVI - Fight for Freedom

Thaegan lifts her little finger, pale white compared to the green of the rest of her body, ready to use her magic. And then, Kree strikes. He shoots forward, and his beak cuts a red line across the only part of Thaegan's body that isn't protected by her magic armor, the finger she uses to cast spells. Thaegan watches, in shock, as red drops fall to the ground. Thaegan's body starts to dissolve, her face a hideous blur, melting and reforming, collapsing like a rotten fruit. Lief looks away, too horrified to keep watching, to keep listening to the sounds she is making, moving through the mud. The earth shakes, the water sprays everywhere. Soldeen bellow somewhere in the lake, and Lief isn't sure if it's pain or triumph.

He finally makes it to solid ground, and in that moment the world seems to still. He looks around. Barda and Manus are close, Jasmine just a bit further away, with Kree and Filli over her. Where Thaegan stood, only a yellow stain remains. In his attempt to stop her from casting her spell, Kree managed to kill the sorceress.

-

Thaegan is an interesting final boss. She definitely gets the full treatment as such, being built up as this massive threat from the beginning of the book. Soldeen is very much a red herring, in that sense: he is on the cover, and he gets presented to be the main monster of the Lake. But as we soon find out, Soldeen is just another victim of Thaegan.

Kree killing her is also very much a little story arc of its own, considering that he had the angle of vengeance for the family she killed. Granted, we are never told exactly how smart Kree is, but you know, even normal ravens hold grudges and Kree seems honestly smarter than the average, so I will assume he can appreciate what he just did. Probably gave her the whole 'My name is Kree Montoya. You killed my family. Prepare to die' speech in his mind.

As for what she looks like. In the books, the story never outright says she is naked, but the art heavily implies such. McBride's art shows her naked behind the smoke.

Of course, the anime did not follow with that. Instead, Thaegan got a nice black dress.

Miani also depicts her wearing clothes on the cover of Chapter fifteen

The Deltora Book of Monsters, meanwhile, provides us with a few interesting details on Thaegan's origins. She was born in a town called Nest, as the daughter of the local wisewoman, Thamm, who had among others the ability to turn into a black bird. Thamm, knowing her daughter was too powerful and too cruel, tried to keep her trapped, but eventually Thaegan broke the spell Thamm put on her and escaped in the mountains. Seven years later, she emerged, more powerful than ever before and followed by her thirteen monstrous children. No one knows what she did in the mountain, and while some believe she made a deal with evil spirits, most agree that she must have gotten her powers amplified by striking a deal with the Shadow Lord.

Her eating living black birds is mostly her trying to deal with unsolved mommy issues, apparently.

In the books, Thaegan's death is definitive. In the anime, however, Thaegan gets a promotion to recurring antagonist, along with her children. Maybe I will talk about her two story arcs in an Apocrypha.

-

In the silence of the night, Lief knows that something is about to happen. In the center of the lake, almost drained by the events that just transpired, Soldeen is laying next to the weeping rock. He stares at the moon, until suddenly he vanishes. Standing in his place is a tall, golden man with a mane of tawny hair. The weeping rock cracks, breaks, and from the dust emerges a woman, golden like the man but with black hair. In her hand, she holds a red gem.

Lief stares feeling a mix of awe, joy, shock and many other emotions as the pair walks towards them, hand in hand, and as they do everything around them changes. The earth dries and blooms, stumps and bare rocks turn into trees, clay falls from the surrounding hills and uncovers beneath towers, houses and fountains. The creatures in the lake also transform, turning into golden men and women and into animals of all kinds.

Lief, Barda and Jasmine stare in shock as D'Or comes back to life in front of them, and Lief wonders if it's true. A new voice answers, saying that if it's not they are all having the same dream, and they all turn to see a grinning Manus. He explains that, with Thaegan's death, all her magic also did. Everywhere in her domain, people will have reason to thank Kree.

Kree is very smug about this, by the way, the description clearly says he puffs out his chest.

The pair that has been approaching them reaches the trio, and thanks them. They were the rulers of D'Or, Nanion and Ethena. Ethena hands to Lief the Ruby, now red as blood again. Lief goes to put it in the Belt, hesitating for a moment realizing that Manus, Nanion and Ethena are there, but all three are quick to swear they owe them, and will keep the secret whatever it might be. They say they will never be able to repay the debt they owe, but Barda says they likely will before their quest is over.

He then nods, and Lief takes off the Belt. Nanion is shocked, asking how the Belt is so far from Del and why it only has one stone. Two, Lief corrects, putting the Ruby in next to the Topaz. Ethena and Nanion, however, are horrified, Ethena explaining that Thaegan had taunted them with the knowledge the Shadow Lord would come, and she wonders if Deltora is lost forever. However, Jasmine corrects her. Deltora is not lost, no more than D'Or was.

Nanion is startled by her fierce anger, and then nods. He offers them hospitality in D'Or, and the Companions thank them but refuse, saying they are expected in Raladin, and the two rulers of the city nod, before turning to greet their people. Hearing their happiness, Lief can only guess at the joy in Raladin.

The Companions leave, with one last thought from Lief.

A few days' rest, thought Lief. A few days of storytelling, laughing, and music, with friends. And then — another journey, another adventure.

Two gems were found. The third awaited them.

-

And with that, we end the second book. The Lake of Tears is a fun ride, built on the looming threat of Thaegan and some deeply horrifying images, paired with the hospitality and friendship of the Ralad and the way Rodda describes the desolate wilderness of Thaegan's territory. Overall it's just the usual intriguing adventure for the readers, and that's exactly what Rodda set off to make.

As for the content of these chapters, I already talked about Thaegan, so I'll talk about D'Or. There is actually some lore that ties D'Or to another series from Rodda, but I won't go into detail. Instead, I'll just talk about the fact that, in a way, D'Or serves as a micro-version of Deltora, with Thaegan having the role of the Shadow Lord. It's a pretty cool parallel to add in the series, and Rodda clearly knew she was making it given Jasmine brings it up.

If you want to see all the cover arts from the Italian version, by the way, I post them on r/DeltoraQuest, and here is the post with the ones from this book.

I also added the link for the ones from Forests of Silence in the final part of that chapter, but here is the link if you don't want to go back and grab it.

Darken said:
here.

And with that, we leave behind The Lake of Tears, and in a couple of days we will set off for the City of Rats, one of my favorite books from the first series.

Belts, Flutes and Dragons (Let's Read Deltora Quest and direct sequels)

Recent threadmarks

Recent threadmarks

Darken

Darken

Darken

Darken

Darken

Darken

Darken

Darken

Darken

Darken

Recent threadmarks

Recent threadmarks