In Which We Touch Briefly on A Minor Note in the Symphony That Is "Sethra Lavode" (which discussion involves some small foreknowledge of which the reader who is attempting to avoid any and all tidbits from this volume may do well to avoid) Upon a rereading of "Sethra Lavode", being the third volume of the novel The Viscount of Adrilankha, which we pretended was necessary for better comprehension of the intricacies of plot and purpose in the aforementioned three-part work owing to our complete inability to postpone our enjoyment of the culmination to re-partake of the joys of the preceding portions, a certain scene captured our attention. As we have had the honor to allude to in the subject of this electronic missive, this scene may well be considered a very minor note in the delightful symphony (or, perhaps more accurately, the final movement of the symphony that is The Viscount of Adrilankha but, as our purpose is to treat on a scene and not to debate the nomenclature of that marvelous medium which is not currently significant to our discussion and for the sake of brevity, which we prize above all else, we shall omit the digression forthwith) that entrances our ears in the form of the volume "Sethra Lavode"; however, we are mindful that not all of our readers even among this targeted audience have yet partaken of this feast of the senses (if we may be permitted to mix our metaphors in mid-phrase) and that a small subset of these may wish to avoid any mention of even the smallest spice contained within the dishes they have yet to taste. It is our hope that these few readers have noted the allusions to this information that we have appended to our subject line and have gone on to read other posts, which have, no doubt, been delivered to his attention for perusal. If not, we take no responsibility for him who has disregarded the warnings and instead leapt headlong into folly. This scene, then, which we have done ourselves the honor to allude to, may be found on the one hundredth and eighty-fifth page of the only currently available edition of "Sethra Lavode", that being bound in the hard-backed form. In the second paragraph of that page, if we may paraphrase Mr. Steven Brust, who has in turn translated the work of Sir Paarfi of Roundwood, a certain Lord Morrolan stands before a particular door into Dzur Mountain, that enigmatic lair of the volume's title character, and undertakes a series of movements to assure his readiness to enter, namely: he adjusts his cloak (about which there is a small digression irrelevant to our point), runs a hand through his hair, and ascertains the state of his doublet. No doubt the astute reader, who has not only devoured the volume under discussion but also another series released to the public under the name of Steven Brust, namely the Vlad Taltos books, now numbering some nine novels, will have recognized this sequence of movements as being habitual to that Easterner assassin who will, some several hundreds of years subsequent to the events of The Viscount of Adrilankha, make the acquaintance of many of the characters central to the action of this most excellent novel. We now do ourselves the honor of asking several questions related to our above observation, which follow: Was this allusion, in fact, intentional on the part of the author (by which we mean Mr. Brust and not Sir Paarfi, as we assume Sir Paarfi took no part in penning the Taltos saga, judging by its significantly different tone and length as compared to the Khaavren Romances)? If so, was it merely intended as a bonus to those followers of his works, or has it in fact a deeper meaning that, we confess, has escaped the author of this missive? We take some admittedly juvenile delight in imagining the scene in which Lord Morrolan and Baronet Taltos stand together before some door yet to be described and undertake the same sequence of motions before glancing, one to the other, in surprise at the simultaneity of their actions, despite their being undertaken for, we assume, differing intentions: the Dragonlord wishing to ensure his appearance is adequate to the impending meeting and the Easterner Jhereg taking equal care to ensure the readiness of his tools of trade for the same. These, then, comprise our notes upon the paragraph that so arrested our second reading of "Sethra Lavode". Should any reader pretend he has further thoughts regarding the subject we have had the honor to introduce, we invite him to respond, although such offerings of wit and insight need not, we stress, be made in the manner we have chosen to present our own, largely in the interests of file size and, we regret to admit, simplicity of speech. Respectfully submitted and signed, Michelle of Gateway-to-the-Bay (Her crest, titles, and lineage block omitted, confident in the fact that the reader has missed nothing.)