1) Supply problems. That portal is more than half-a-day's
dragonflight from Thermin, therefore a two-day trip.
The AEF has lost about 10% of its transport dragons.
The rest are scattered over a 4,000 mile supply chain.
Harshu and Toralk just cannot spare any to support a picket
600 miles away ... or think they can't. Remember that they
are a colonel and a lieutenant-colonel, trying to do the
job of generals.
I would have thought that by the time of Fifth Corps' attack,
about four months after Fort Salby battle, Arcana would have
had time to send generals from home to the front.
2) Mul Gurthik is still in Fort Talon,
spinning and re-weaving his webs, and biding his time.
His plans to dispose of certain Andarans have not been
executed yet. Specifically, we are told in Book Two that
Javelin Porath's promotion to Sword would set off a Spell
to make him kill Neshok and then himself. But in Book Three,
Porath has gotten his promotion, and he and Neshok are still
alive.
3) I agree.
HTM
brnicholas wrote:I finally managed to read RTH. Here are a few of my first thoughts.
1) Why, why, why wasn't their an Arcanan picket on the Resym/Nairsom portal??? We know they had a presence there at one point, per chapter 2 of RTH the Sharonan portal fort at the Resym/Nairsom portal was destroyed (obviously by Carthos). The only reason I can think of this omission is carelessness.
2) Where is mul Gurthik and what is he up to?? He never appears in the book but every Arcanan we see thinking about politics is wondering what the heck he is doing.
3) I was very surprised by how unchanged Mythalian culture appears to be. The first couple of books had given me the impression that Garthan's lot had been significantly improved by the Union, including freedom to emigrate from Mythal if they want. It looks like that is more on paper then reality since we have text evidence of Shakira using sea drakes to prevent escapes.
I'll have more to say later but that is a starting point.
Nicholas