> I find it interesting that at the end of FHYA, the Orb sought > out Adron (the Dragon Heir) not Loudin (the Phoenix Heir) despite the > fact that we found out later that the cycle never changed to that of the Dragon. > ...Or did Adron simply have control of the Orb, despite the fact that the cycle never > actually turned away from the Phoenix? > > Am I missing any other possibilities? > > Majikjon Part of the answer may be to rely on other sources. Aliera's version of events, related in _Jhereg_, has it this way: === [Aliera] nodded. "My father... As you know, it was Mario who finally killed the Emperor, when he tried to use the Orb against the Jhereg. Another Phoenix tried to grab the throne, and father had to move too quickly. The next thing you know, we have a sea of amorphia where the city of Dragaera used to be, no Emperor, no Orb, and no Empire." === Now, Aliera may not be the most dependable narrator either, but she's at least an eye-witness. Wherever Paarfi got his information, it's all second-hand. The interesting thing, from the perspective of this discussion, is that Aliera claims that another Phoenix, who would almost neccesarily be Loudin, "tried to grab the Throne", and thusly forced Adron to make his move before he was fully ready. To me, this has the ring of truth to it. On the one hand, it appears to be some independent evidence that a House doesn't neccesarily give up the Orb just because the current Emperor has died. It also jibes with the recurring idea that someone has to decide that the Cycle has turned or not and actively make a claim upon the Orb. Paarfi's notion of the Orb seeking out the next Heir is not only in direct contradiction with events (i.e., the non-turning of the Cycle at the time of Tortaalik's death) but also with the general description of the transfer of the Orb from one House to another. If Aliera is telling the truth, then there would have been another Phoenix Emperor sitting on the Throne barring any interference from Adron. As it was, Adron's spell was probably intended to do exactly what Paarfi described it doing, but unlike in Paarfi's version, the real Adron hadn't mastered the spell properly and the result was the Lesser Sea.