AMRT Chapter 41: The Uses Of Talent

[matrixman]

In the previous chapter, Captain Norge and the Tor were left picking up the pieces in Orison's audience hall, but at least it seemed they had finally gained a much-needed alliance with Prince Kragen. (Hooray!!!)

From the audience hall, we go to Master Barsonage's quarters, where a dazed Geraden is recovering his wits. Then he remembers: Eremis has Terisa! It's intolerable to him that she should be completely at the mercy of Master Eremis. He half-coherently tries to storm out of Barsonage's place, babbling about going to help Terisa. When Barsonage asks him how, Geraden babbles on about using his mirror to translate Terisa back from Esmerel, Eremis's home in the Care of Tor. But Barsonage stops Geraden in his tracks as he sadly explains that the kind of help Geraden wants to give Terisa will be quite impossible...because Geraden's mirror had been smashed along with others in the course of the riot against Castellan Lebbick a few days ago. Barsonage blames himself for not having had the foresight to provide special protection for Geraden's mirror, because of a failure to appreciate the depth of Geraden's talent.

As the Master's words sink in, Geraden almost slips into another daze as he realizes it will take at least another day to make a new mirror. Barsonage drones on, trying to explain--or defend--himself: he describes how confused matters were in Orison, with evidence at first seemingly painting Terisa & Geraden as Orison's enemies. But Lebbick then began insisting on their innocence, even though he had himself witnessed the lady Terisa's "alliance" with Master Gilbur. He had insisted it, even when everyone else except for his own men had turned against him. Not only that, but Lebbick had also begun insisting in private that Eremis--the "savior" of Orison--was the guilty party. How was the Congery to interpret all of this? Terisa's display of power--as well as Geraden's--had given the Congery a renewed sense of purpose, but how should its collective power be applied? To ward against Terisa, or to support her? Had she come to save or destroy Mordant? ("Save or damn?" ) Consumed by such questions, Master Barsonage had not thought about the safety of the mirrors, because "men who covet the power of Imagery do not destroy mirrors."

Geraden hardly listens as he is consumed by his own self-questioning:

[duchess of malfi]

MM said:

[Myste]

This is another chapter where I really appreciate Master Barsonage. He's solid, like his wonderful hand-made furniture. He's a little slow, like a tree--it takes him a while to register and comprehend change. But he's an intelligent guy, when all's said and done, and he's very fair. And when he does finally decide to do something, he does it, without hesitation, because he knows it's right.
_________________
Halfway down the stairs Is the stair where I sit. There isn't any other stair quite like it. I'm not at the bottom, I'm not at the top; So this is the stair where I always stop.

[danlo]

Put that way, Barsonage sounds a bit like Norge...(it's here that I can definetely see De Niro playing him) what Care is he from again?

[Cord Hurn]

Another great chapter, in which we finally see that Geraden can deliberately manipulate the images of mirrors (Curved ones, anyway) at will to see whatever scene he wishes (their have been plenty of hints of that, from the moment he translated Teresa, but this is the first solid confirmation, I think). The only part of this chapter that makes me uncomfortable is when Geraden accuses Barsonage of stupidity in not understanding the point of Saddith being sent to Lebbick's bed. Sure, Geraden is upset because Teresa has been captured, but this accusation against Barsonage is unfounded. Master Barsonage has managed to significantly undermine Eremis' plotting by concealing the Congery's true work. Barsonage deserves better than this from Geraden.