Palantir

Thank you, Wyndham. I hope your enjoyment continues,

Hmm! Lady Narello has made her way into readers' attention. ..... I wonder??? (closest I could find to a FLS symbol)

Lol - I think it makes it a paradox.

Since I don't know how to answer - this is my answer to the unanswerable.

Hmm! So many perceptive readers. Yes, tradition is powerful indeed in the Realms - as we shall see. Hmm! - tradition is against Widderkin in the Realms.

'Maggot' -OMG! That sounds like something Rhys might say.

Some of your questions will be answered in the next chapter - lol - don't hold your breath though because some will be a bit longer in coming. We have learnt that the portal system is damaged, so that severely limits Lady Narello's ability to travel. - Hmm! And, yes, Kieran was troubled to learn of the connection but he wisely put it out of his thoughts till he had enough information to consider it properly.

The end is nearly nigh! - though, as @Daddydavek suggests, there still might be time for the unexpected. - Lol - does this mean we can expect the unexpected? (Yes, Minister/Prime Minister) Oh my! That beautiful Auden poem. It struck my very heart when I first heard it in the 4 Weddings and a Funeral movie. The verse that moves me most is the last one : The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood. For nothing now can ever come to any good. Thank you, Dathi.

I'm so pleased to know that the story has held your attention and enjoyment for so long.

Many thanks for your kind comments. It's great to hear when the story makes an impression.

More surprises? No way! (cough! cough! )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DD! HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Chapter 40. "Kieran! Wonderful! You have arrived sooner than I expected." The passage through the Boundary Wall was forgotten with this immediate and enthusiastic mental greeting as Kieran shared in a great five-fold mental cheer then watched joyous communication from Maurice and Krol. "Ranevargar, thank goodness you’re back with us. So many things happened and then Maurice flew so fast we’re totally unprepared about what to do." "My apologies, Kieran, but it was critical that I

Cliffhangers? - NEVER!!!!😎

I was very conscious of the rapidly changing POVs but finally decided they kind of worked.

Well, I'll have to say that my replies to comments are often delayed too, because of reflection on how to do them justice. Sometimes I'm delayed because I'm in a 'writing the rest of the story' mode which gets first priority. Sometimes it's just life interfering. (Hmm! - whispers softly - sometimes I'm a bit slack)

Lol - a bit of that prescience sneaking in again - there's actually a kind of 'bacon' reference coming up fairly soon. Yes, Kieran hasn't learnt the seriousness of the Portal situation yet. Hmm! The Diaspora Tales are definitely simmering in the background - but Widderkin might throw a spanner in those works. - 'nuff said!

Lol - You might need a bigger one soon.

Wow! What an ego boost! Thanks for your kind words. - a little bit of encouragement goes a long, long way. I run a secondhand bookstall at the local trash and treasure market, NoSkis, and I reckon only one person in twenty is interested enough in books to even stop for a look. Those who do stop are mostly already decided on what story genre they'll give any time to - probably a third spend time with fantasy/scifi stuff. Fantasy wins out over scifi by a mile - 8 or 9 out of every 10 would choose fantasy. On top of that comes the huge difference in personal taste where what one person thinks is a great story is total boredom for someone else. Then the author's style of writing has to be one the reader enjoys as well - further limiting what gets read and noticed. Comment-wise I feel richly rewarded with the thoughtful and stimulating feedback that has added interest to every chapter so far posted.

Thanks, NoSkis! Lol - the logic involved is giving me brainstrain trying to keep the different plotlines consistent - lots of careful read-throughs and rewrites.

Chapter 39. The furrows marring Uirebon's brow reflected his own sense of impending doom as he watched relentless strain diminish the High King of all Faerie. The light of fourteen centuries of just rule dimming with every flicker of the inner sanctum’s deep purple wards. In the time, less than an hour, while Maynor's massed strength battered for ascendancy, the High King had sacrificed resource after resource to fight the inevitable. Centuries old structures throughout his Gateway R

Hmm! You're right, Thorn. I did a Course on Self Publishing with our Council of Adult Education here in Australia and I accepted what the the lecturer said. A few minutes on the Web shows otherwise. Lol - one of my favourite stories about Self Publishing is now trashed.

'You don't get JK Rowling stories anymore. You can't just send your manuscript to a publisher.' I love the J K Rowling story as proof of the value of Self Publishing - evidently she received 17 rejections from Publishers for her first book because it had no hope of selling and it was only after she Self Published that it was recognised. SO! Good for you, Thorn! Who knows what's ahead.

What wonders and imagery our human minds perceive. lol.

Great questions - as usual - but thinking of 'restraint growths' as 'seat belts' is a total classic.