Charles26

"For the rain it raineth every day" as the Bard put it. It certainly seems unrelenting in Penmere, which definitely sets the mood. I'm impressed, though. How much thinner can the barriers to memory get before they finally give way ? But then, while Christopher is becoming obsessed about the situation - which I can well understand - I wonder how much clear thinking is going on inside his head. Though to be fair, how can you think clearly about a situation which sweet reason says is totally impossible ? I guess that Marco knew the graveyard so well because he and Christopher have been buried there from time to time. Perhaps many times. The tension has duly been ratcheted up another notch or so and again I look forward to the next chapter. Well done !

Takes a deep breath. Pause. Yes, this is getting serious. The dream is, I guess, a scene from one of Christopher's past lives and deaths, though nothing is yet clear. Confusion has moved first to tension and now to dread. That's hardly surprising. But the figure in all this who puzzles me most is Vale. He seems to be as completely interwoven into their joint history as either Christopher or Marco and he clearly knows or remembers as much as Marco does. I had tentatively supposed that his role was to enforce the curse; judgemental and cold. Yet here he is warning Christopher that Marco presents a danger to him and advising him to keep his distance. That doesn't fit easily with my earlier supposition. What is Vale in this? And what force is it that compels the endless repetition and disastrous consequences of Marco and Christopher's choices ? All in all I find the story well-written, compelling and mysterious, so applause to @andy cannon

At least we know now who was responsible, even if the good people at the ranch still don't . The picture becomes clearer. And yes, they surely do enjoy life's little pleasures at Two Spirits.

The folk on Two Spirits ranch evidently live life to the full. Good on them!🤪

Oh, it's not THAT bad😁

Well, it is clear that Christopher has mentioned Marco to Jamie, though how often is disputed. I don't think it follows that Christopher and Marco have had numerous unreported conversations, though I suppose it is possible.

Barriers are thinning, dissolving - soon, no doubt, they will collapse altogether. But what is leaking through is feelings, not knowledge. Very difficult - but there is the uncomfortable sense that clear understanding, when it is achieved, will be harder to bear than the confusion. Again, a great chapter. The tension keeps increasing.

It's an amazing, compelling chapter!

I think he ended up comprehensively naked, wet at the front briefs included, not long afterwards😜

A lovely chapter. So much growth. Oliver is changing almost beyond recognition, and entirely for the good. But those memories - perhaps a benediction for him, apparently painless; but so much sorrow for his lack of awareness at the time and the impossibility of going back. Time never permits that. "He stood on the trail with his pack and his poles and thought about a small brown dog sitting at the end of a garden path in Surrey, waiting. The thought wasn’t grief. It was recognition, though he couldn’t have said of what. The loyalty had been a gift. He had received it without knowing it was being given. " That is so sad.

Oh, wow. I'm impressed. The sex is there, it's unambiguous and indeed central to the entire interaction, though it seems clear that the relationship will be much more than that in the end., but it isn't needlessly graphic. That makes it more erotic, in my view at least. They are two interesting men, both apparently quite badly hurt though responding to their hurts in different ways. And in their different ways they are both attractive and I want to know more about them. I wonder just how much money Evan has. A sum that is keeping Cian awake at night is a rounding error to Evan, though I can see that he can't just offer it as a gift. That wouldn't work at all. I look forward to the next chapter. Thank you for this one.

The symbol: three - three! - curved lines intersecting. No wonder all three of them are there: Christopher, Marco and ... Adrian Vale. But how exactly have the lines of their lives intersected? And what exactly happened after the end of the prologue? How was the curse imposed; what was done to the two of them? Clearly the site of the current archaeological dig is of huge significance, but what exactly? Marco is trying to protect Christopher - no doubt vainly since whatever it is it will hurt Christopher terribly when he finds out or simply remembers. Did I say "simply"? Duh!! The very staccato text - all those short lines - does a lot to heighten the tension. Good job @andy cannon

Foolish, certainly, but probably a result of naivety and inexperience, not to mention misplaced trust. I don't think Levi is any kind of fool in a general way. But it could be something he will regret...

"Underneath, however, he was stepping onto a dangerous new path . . . only he didn’t know yet just how dangerous it might be." Could be a clue? I still don't know, but I certainly feel that Levi's Friday night out could easily be one of those occasions when we "learn by our mistakes". But then I suppose it could be another landmark great experience with Casey, unlikely as it seems. Or there could be something quite unexpected but very important falling like a bolt of lightning from a clear blue sky. Who knows, other than @Mark Ponyboy Peters? Roll on chapter 23 - the tension is exhausting🤪

If I believed that I should be really confused🙃

So Christopher is increasingly aware of what without having the least comprehension of why. Difficult flashbacks that he does not yet understand. Evidently Marco and Adrian are very much clearer about what is happening - more so than we are, though thanks to the Prologue we do at least have a better idea than Christopher. But the tension is mounting, and either the storm is about to break or the tidal wave is about to come roaring in (choose according to taste). And the tor won't provide any useful shelter, of that I'm sure. Again, well written and congratulations, @andy cannon

Or perhaps Adrian was one of the druids who cursed them? The tension is building. At some moment, quite soon, Christopher will remember. And I suspect that with that memory will come an awareness of imminent menace. Well written!

Ooops! Forgot to say that I really like the chapter. I think that one of the biggest challenges with fantasy/supernatural stories of this sort (I think the expression may be urban fantasy) is to root them firmly in the real world. That's a challenge which this story is meeting extremely well.

Well, perhaps they wouldn't. Oxford, being a world unto itself, has DPhils by the gross. But certainly a degree as modest as that doesn't merit "doctor" in those academic circles.😉

Perhaps you could get round the question by redefining the sin. The Greeks and Romans reported that homo-erotic/homosexual relationships were frequent and accepted among the Keltoi that they fought against, which may have included the ruling classes in the British Isles, so objections to a loving or sexual relationship as such between the two men would unlikely. But to sleep with an enemy warrior? That might be a betrayal and a sin worthy of punishment.

"It is an honour that I dream not of" as Juliet remarked about marriage. Not that that lasted long once she set eyes on Romeo. (These days Shakespeare would be prosecuted for promoting under-age sex but attitudes were a bit different then!) Not that Levi is under-age, of course. Levi's upbringing in an environment that went on endlessly about the sins of the flesh is clearly now being undermined or overwhelmed by hormones and new possibilities. He doesn't yet know what he wants and until he works out what he wants he won't know who he wants. But he is a decent young man at heart and he won't want to hurt anyone, so I doubt that he will be playing around with people's emotions once he has decided which way he wants to go. I hope he doesn't get hurt too much himself in the learning process. And in the meanwhile his driving and his relationship with Matt are both going well so there is a lot to be happy about. A great chapter. Thanks @Mark Ponyboy Peters

On your marks. Get set. Go! This should be interesting. At least Aethan is finding his way emotionally to Ghor.

So far, so complex. Ghor at least now knows (more or less) how he feels about Aethan, so that's half-way to a resolution of the relationship. Well, apart from Vaxen causing problems. Aethan is getting there but is understandably jumpy and unsettled. But it's looking hopeful. All that remains is the minor matter of the Object and the universe at large😉.

Difficult to feel comfortable with what Aethan has had to do with Vaxen, though easy to understand why. I hope it proves to have been worth it!

Knowledge, famously, is power. It doesn't guarantee success but it surely improves the odds. What Aethan has learned from his dream may be very useful to him. Or then again, it may not😉