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Hero

The hero is Darian (later Da'rian), the mage Justyn apprentice and later on, a member of the Hawkbrother Clan.

Plot Summary

Both of Darian's parents are trappers. They use cages, snares, trap poles and bait to catch some of the creatures in Pelagris Forest. After that they sell the pelt and skin to the surrounding villages, including Errold's Grove. When Darian is six years old, they set off on a normal trapping excursion and never return. The first book starts a few months after their death. Darian is forced to leave his home at the age of six and move to Errold's Grove. Because he can Mindspeak, the villagers decide that he needs to become an apprentice of Justyn, the town Wizard.

This is where our story begins.

The Wizard Justyn's magical abilities are mediocre at best. The villagers don't respect him and because of that, they also disrespect Darian. They often remind him of how grateful he should be that they allow him to stay in the village at all. They insult his parents, saying they were reckless and odd. Darian isn't a helpless lad, but the villagers insist on making all of his decisions for him.

Darian rebels by refusing to embrace his gift. He sees it as a curse and yearns to be more like his parents was. Just before his call to adventure, Darian is sent into the forest to gather fungi. He is at the edge of the forest, past the fields when he sees one or two houses on fire and then realise that the village is under attack.

Other Characters

Snowfire: A Hawkbrother that rescues Darian from the barbarians

Hweel: His bonded bird, an owl

Huur: Hweel's mate and Snowfire's other bonded bird

Kuari: Fledging of Hweel and Huur that later becomes Da'rian bonded bird

Starfall: A mage adept

Kelvren: A gryphon

Nightwing: Kelvren's caretaker and Snowfire's mate, honourary member of the Hawkbrother Vale

Wintersky: The youngest Hawkbrother. Him and Darian become best friends.

Departure

Call to Adventure

The wizard Justyn sends Darian to the edge of Pelagris Forest to gather fungi. It is a punishment for disobeying his orders earlier and the boy slumps off, clearly unimpressed by the task. He manages to progress as far as the fields and turns to look back on the village when he spots two fires. Curious, he climbs into a tree to have a better look. A barbarian horde is marching on Errold's Grove, led by something that could only be a mage. He is flanked by a general and hideous creature. Behind him is a large army, all decked out in proper armour and armed with real weapons, unlike the clubs and pitchforks the villagers of Errold's Grove use in a fight. The village is under attack and Darian has no way of warning them without being seen himself.

Refusal of the Call

Darian watches helplessly as the army starts to cross the bridge that connects the village to the fields. He knows instinctively that, to survive, he needs to flee into the woods, but he can't. After months of rebelling and running away, he is unable to abandon the village. Once or twice he actually considers climbing down to try and find a way back, but he knows it will be useless.

By now the villagers know what's happening. Justyn tries to rally them, but realise that they will be slaughtered if they dare fight back. He urges them to run and a large group of them leave for Lord Breon's Keep, a fortress where they will be safe. Justyn alone stays behind and from his spot in the tree, Darian watches helplessly as his mentor burns the bridge with a spell, sacrificing his life to keep the army from invading the village.

Supernatural Aid

Darian is terrified about the possible fate of the village, but he doesn't have much time to dwell on it. Three barbarians spot him in the tree and chase him from it. They pursue him on horseback, obviously playing with their prey and enjoying the game thoroughly. Once or twice Darian manages to pull ahead but they catch up quickly, their laughter and jeering heard for miles. One of the barbarians tries to pick Darian up but he is met with a single white-feathered arrow that penetrates his throat.

A lot of things happen all at once. More arrows are fired and the remaining barbarians are attacked by the largest owl Darian has ever seen. He manages to catch a glimpse of his human saviour: It's an imposing man with very long hair that has dyed ends and roots the colour of snow. Darian manages to get away and after a drawn out struggle, his saviour manages to kill all three barbarians. He replaces the arrows that were left in the bodies with three of Darian's arrows and the two of them take off on horseback, the owl flying overhead.

Crossing of the First Threshold

Darian is terrified, but his saviour manages to soothe him enough to convince him to accompany him to his home where he would be safe. The stranger is called Snowfire, a Hawkbrother. The giant owl is his bonded bird. While he is a fierce warrior, Snowfire is a gentle man and he manages to distract the boy from the horror he has just lived through. The long ride feels much shorter as Snowfire entertains him with tales of his people.

Once the two reach the Hawkbrother settlement, many things happen. Darian is introduced to more Hawkbrothers and also an empath called Nightwind. A lovely woman with black hair, she becomes his caretaker during his struggle to recover from the shock. She's also the caretaker for a gryphon named Kelvren, a magnificent creature with painted feathers and a wingspan as wide as a small house.

Belly of the Whale

It's a bit of a struggle at first. The Hawkbrothers are excellent fighters but they are in the forest for a reason and they question Darian for hours to try and determine if the arrival of the army would interfere with their plans. Darian doesn't speak their language and finds the discussions both confusing and frightening. He needs herbs to sleep at night and every day there are more changes with new things to discover.

He also learns that there are five groups of non-human creatures that live with the Hawkbrothers. One such group is the dyheli, a herd of deer-like creatures with empathic abilities. The leader of the herd decides to help Darian by linking their minds temporarily, "transferring" linguistic frameworks and other useful information so that Darian can adapt more quickly.

Initiation

Road of Trials

We last left Darian (now called Da'rian) where he was settling in with the Hawkbrothers. While he was not entirely happy (a bit of a culture shock and he was still plagued by nightmares), he was comfortable enough. That didn't last long. There were a number of scouts that spied on Errold's Grove daily to try and figure out what the barbarians had done with the villagers. It all seemed quiet enough, but Da'rian wasn't entire satisfied. One day he rode out to the edge of the grove and saw the villagers working in the fields, being whipped like they were animals. Beside himself, he rode back to the Hawkbrother Vale and reported what he saw. The Hawkbrothers were trying to make a plan to free the villagers but didn't know the area, so it was difficult to come with something. Da'rian mentioned having a knowledge of traps and snares and this is where his road of trials start. He is immediately appointed as advisor to the rescue committee and spends quite a bit of time trying to come up with plans to get the villagers to safety.

Meeting with the Goddess

This actually happens much later in our tale. The goddess or his love is Kuari, his bonded owl. He does meet a human female in one of the later books, but I still feel that the bond between him and his owl is stronger than that. Kuari is the fledging of Huur and Hweel, Snowfire's two bonded owls. Da'rian is basically given the owl to train and bond with as a reward for everything else that is yet to happen.

Woman as Temptress

What holds Da'rian back most is the fact that he keeps giving in to the nightmares. They don't stunt his progress as such, but he would have managed much better if he actually spoke more freely about everything that was plaguing him. Once he starts accepting that Justyn's death was not his fault, he becomes more focused.

Atonement with the Father

Snowfire is his father figure and becomes his older Hawkbrother later on. It is fitting, then, that Snowfire is the one to confront him about suppressing his past. He lashes out at first, but once he freely discusses (or rather, shouts about) the events that occurred and why he felt he was to blame, Snowfire actually manages to help him. He not only gives Da'rian his own opinion, but is also able to give him advice on how to handle the horror that he lived through.

Apotheosis

A part of the plan of getting into Errold's Grove is that somebody must enter via the aqueduct. The channel is very narrow, so only a boy or really small man would be able to fit into it. There is also a stretch that run over the house in which the mage and general of the barbarians have taken refuge. Da'rian is the only one small enough to fit into the aqueduct and has to do it alone. For the time he is in there, he is alone with all his fears and worries, exposed and with nobody close enough to help him. This moment was like death for him. All of the help he had before was gone. He now had to face his fears on his own.

Ultimate Boon

In this case, Da'rian wants to be part of both worlds. He wants to be trained as a Hawkbrother to use the type of magic that he considers useful, but he still feels like a citizen of Errold's Grove. His dream (and this remains the case until the end of the trilogy) is to found a Vale at the edge of Errold's Grove, giving the Hawkbrothers access to the village and its customs, but also allowing the citizens of Errold's Grove exposure to the wider world and its influences.

Return

Refusal of the Return

There is no refusal of return. If anything, Da'rian is eager to live in both worlds.

Magic Flight

Once the Hawkbrothers are in the city, another problem arises. Da'rian is seen and flees into a barn, followed by the barbarian mage. He tries to hide, but in vain. With only a pitchfork as weapon, he tries to attack the mage again and again, but to no avail. When the man finally starts choking Da'rian, Huur (one of Snowfire's bonded owls) attacks the man's scalp with his talons, allowing Da'rian the chance to get a head start.

Once Da'rian sees the owl take off again, he knows he doesn't have much time before the mage finds him. In that moment he realises that it was fear that allowed Justyn to set the bridge ablaze. By embracing the fear, Da'rian manages to make the barn explode, killing the mage in the process.

Rescue from Without

There is no rescue from without. After watching the barn explode, Da'rian immediately tries to get to Snowfire to tell him about the mage.

Crossing of the Return Threshold

The last time any of the villagers of Errold's Grove saw him, Da'rian was considered a nuisance. He wore hand me downs. Now he is dressed like a Hawkbrother. For me, the moment the villagers recognised him was the  moment he crossed the return threshold. Until then, he had been able to watch them from afar (as the barbarian army drew closer and while they were working in the fields) but they were never aware of his presence.

Master of Two Worlds

With their former mage Justyn dead, the villagers of Errold's Grove are desperate to have Da'rian as their mage. Snowfire has other plans, as he offers to adopt Da'rian as his little brother (one of only three ways to become a member of the Vale, the others being through marriage or being a keeper to a Gryphon). Da'rian accepts, but says that the villagers will need a mage and a healer (since Justyn was both).

Freedom to Live

Starfall, the mage adept, suggests a compromise: Da'rian will be trained as a mage by a Hawkbrother teacher, but will be allowed to return the forest edge where Errold's Grove lies. Once trained, he will be able to establish his own Vale, where he will live with other Hawk Brothers. He will be close enough to Errold's Grove to act as their mage. Until then, the villagers will have to train one of their own youths as a healer.

Like I mentioned earlier, he is also granted Kuari as a bonded bird.

Final Thoughts

I'm really pleased I knew of this trilogy when the project came along. With a tag line like "A New Generation of Magical Heroes Take Flight!" I expected the book to follow the outline at least somewhat. It followed it more closely than I even imagined, to be honest. A lot of the time some of the main points were in a different order, but they were still there.

This is going to sound hilarious because the two stories are radically different but I recently watched Red and Red 2 with my husband. Since I'd already started on this project by that time I paid close attention to the trials Frank Moses (ooh Bruce Willis) went through in the two movies and except for one stage, both movies followed the outlines very closely. I find it incredible that this theory can be applied to the story of a complete anti-hero almost as well as I've just applied it to the story of a boy destined for greatness. Fabulous.