Continuing my Fate Breaker reread with Chapter 40 (Between Hammer and Anvil, Sorasa):
1. The last Sorasa chapter (barring the epilogue and the bonus chapter, both of which will be covered). 😭
2. Sorasa, on Valtik: “She felt torn between awe and annoyance,” and “Nor could she believe that Valtik had possessed such earth-shattering magic all this time.”
Honestly, I hardcore relate to Sorasa here. I’d be wondering why Valtik didn’t turn into a dragon so much sooner. I assume something to do with uniting the Ward, the bigger picture, etc., etc., but still.
Also on this point, I still want to know what—or who—Valtik is. Lasreen? Amavar? A powerful, Spindletouched mortal blessed with the goddess’s power/magic? I know we’re supposed to be uncertain, but I wanna knooow.
3. Sorasa being worried about Dom, constantly thinking about him and asking about him 😭
Sorasa, on Dom: “Each time, she said a small goodbye to Domacridhan, and whatever hope remained in her withered heart.”
Sorasa, to the Sirandel scouts: “Any word from the Prince of Iona?”
(I especially like this one because she always rolls her eyes when Dom refers to himself as the Prince of Iona, but it’s how she asks about him now. 😮💨)
Sorasa, on the battle: “But every part of her felt wrong in the castle, hiding while Dom fought below. He is safe among an Elder army, she told herself. Irritating as he was, she knew no greater warrior than Domacridhan.”
4. Once again, the tension building is MASTERFUL. The vision Isadere saw in their mirror, the Elders hearing something down below that the mortals could not, Eyda charging after Dyrian. The way Sorasa grabs Corayne. The undead army. The AMHARA.
5. Sorasa and Garion immediately going into protector mode. 😭 And of course Andry, always in protector mode: “Not a squire, but a true knight, his armor donned and sword raised.”
6. Isibel is rotten, but we’ll get to that.
7. Sorasa, on Dom: “Her heart rose up in her throat. Again she prayed, this time for a familiar silhouette to charge up the street. Broad shoulders and golden hair. Furious disposition.”
🥹🥹🥹 Last time she fought the Amhara, it was with Dom by her side, and that’s how she’d rather do it again, with his presence to steady her.
8. I WAS SO EXCITED TO GET A SORASA VS. MERCURY SHOW DOWN.
A. Sorasa, on Mercury: “In another life, she considered Mercury her father. But that life was gone.
No, Sorasa knew. She was only a tool to him, even then. It never existed at all.”
LOVE. In Blade Breaker, it mentioned that Sorasa was brought into the Amhara very young, even by their standards. How could she not think of Mercury as something akin to a father? And then Garion mentioning that anyone else would have been killed for disobeying a direct order, but not her. I would kill a man to see more of the Sorasa/Mercury dynamic in her younger years.
B. Sorasa, on her armor: “Her heart hammered and she cursed the chain mail. It would turn an arrow on the battlefield, but it would only weigh her down against the Amhara. Fucking Domacridhan, a gargantuan nuisance until the very end.”
Is there a chance she could have bested Mercury without the armor, or was that never going to happen? I love getting to speculate over details like this. 😌 Plus, that armor is the only thing that keeps her alive long enough for Dom to get to her. 😭
C. Sorasa, to Mercury: “Bring me my fate then.”
AHHH. Goes so hard. I know it’s not the title drop, but it’s basically a second title drop.
D. On Mercury: “Mercury leered through it all, hanging back to watch his pets devour each other.”
I love this description. Like, fuck you, old man, but also damn is it good.
E. On Mercury and Sorasa: “Then he drove the dagger home.
The chain mail held, saving her lung, though her side throbbed as if struck by a hammer.”
HELL YEAH, the chain mail is coming THROUGH. We love a full circle moment.
F. I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING to be in Dom’s head as he walks in on this scene (fanfic coming, lmao).
On Dom: “He lifted Mercury clean over his head, as if he were no more than a bundle of twigs, and tossed him bodily across the hall. The assassin landed with a sickening crack, his body smacking against the marble.”
Also, 9 times out of 10, it’s been Sorasa saving Dom’s life. Which, let’s be clear, I LOVE. But I also really love that he gets a good ass moment to save her life too. (Yes, the shipwreck, but that was mostly off screen.)
G. And then the two of them immediately returning to the battle at hand, fighting back-to-back again. I love the awareness that there isn’t time for a big, emotional moment. Keeps the characters true. 😌
H. I also LOVE that Sorasa cannot make herself go after Mercury. She can’t do anything but watch the Amhara retreat and hope he’s dead. Because even though she knows he’s not her father and that she’s just a broken tool to him, she has thirty years worth of training, conditioning, and memories to battle.
In the Dom/Sorasa spinoff novel Victoria has teased, I hope there is more Sorasa VS. Amhara/Mercury content. I would love for him to be alive, and the two of them to have to deal with that (as implied in the epilogue).
9. Ok, this happens during the Sorasa VS. Mercury encounter, but I feel like it warrants its own point.
DYRIAN. 😭 But not only him. The other Elder children—CHILDREN—have been slaughtered and turned undead, so the Elders of Kovalinn are having to fight off their undead children. What the FUCK.
10. On Dom: “Dom whirled to her, taking her by the neck as Mercury did. But the immortal’s touch was far more gentle, his thumb light across her throat. In spite of herself, Sorasa pushed into his grasp, his skin cool aging her flaming body.”
Once again, screaming. Once again, HOT. I have a little trouble picturing the dynamic of this scene, but I honestly don’t care.
And then Sorasa resting her head against his chest, trying to calm herself down from everything that just happened.
Sorasa’s thoughts: “Dom is here now.”
My heart. She went through this crazy encounter with Mercury and almost died, but Dom just being there makes her feel better. 🥺🥹
11. Victoria also posted this bit as a pre-Fate Breaker teaser on her IG: “Fuck,” he said above her, a rare mortal curse sliding through his teeth.
Along with the caption: I promise this isn’t what it sounds like. 😈
Which, for one—iconic. Two, I’m sorry, but now all I can do is picture that it’s exactly what it sounds like.
But yeah, that’s a completely valid reaction to seeing Ronin’s empty, bloody eye socks. 😮💨
“Sorasa felt her knees buckle even as Dom held her, time slowing for both of them.”
And: “Without thought, she threw out an arm, meaning to bar Dom’s way.”
And: “To her shock, he even took a step back, pulling her with him.
“Where did Isibel go?” Dom breathed in her ear, his grasp on her tightening.
Sorasa gripped him back, her eyes still on Taristan as he advanced.”
Plus, Sorasa’s first instinct when she sees Taristan is to stop Dom from going after him and getting himself killed. 😭 She’s done this a couple of times, with the note that he could plow through her if he wanted, though that never stops her from trying to protect him. 🥺
