> >Unless.... What if whatever blocked the power of Faerie in "Brokedown >Palace" is actually something that can be repeated; and in fact *has* >been repeated throughout the history of the Dragaeran Empire? Maybe >the Easterners can win because somebody out there - whatever the >Taltos horse really is, or the River really is, or the Tree really is >- likes them? We know that Bolk has been manifesting cyclically, and >for that matter, we've seen Bolk resist Sandor's use of sorcery >against him. Hmm. Definitely food for thought. I always assumed Bolk was what Dragaerans might call a God, given his tendency, shared to my knowledge only by the Demon Goddess, to speak differently to everyone listening. Also, he requires a master, which seems to fit in with some of what Sethra says in Issola about Gods gaining power from worshipers. Thoughts? Of course, Taltos could be an entirely different category of beings, represented by Bolk and Vlad (whom Verra addresses as Taltos Vlad at several points -- I've never been able to decide if her inversion of names has meaning or not). I don't think it matters much if Vlad is Taltos, however, since (as best as I can tell from Steve's other books) one of the requirements for actually using Taltos powers is not eating. Given the choice between superhuman abilities and a good meal at Valabar's, I think we all know which Vlad would choose ;-). Claire