Blood 17

**Chapter 17**

If the pattern of the last few chapters keeps up, this one should be horrible and stupid. More so than usual, I mean.

Back to Brogan, who is returning to Nicobaritaly's palace in high spirits. He's thinking about how Ettore (remember him?) has been torturing Mysterious Old Lady and Creepy Little Girl for a while now, so they should be ready to answer his questions. After some pointless description of the Nicobaritalian palace, we finally reach the torture chamber.

   The torture chamber contains nothing but a dead Ettore, who has been skinned from the neck down. I shall spare you all the description of Dead Skinned Ettore, but I have to mention that his liver has been removed and has . . . teeth marks in it.

Old-lady teeth marks on one side, and little-girl teeth marks on the other.

\~/\~/\~/

There's poetic justice, there's creepy, and there's just gratuitous gore and sadism.

Brogan reacts by beating up Lunetta and screaming that this is all her fault, that she should have stayed and protected Ettore. Lunetta points out that she wanted to, and Brogan insisted that she come with him. Brogan, channeling Terry Goodkind himself for a bit, insults her for using her evil “logic.” Ah, I love complex, sympathetic, interesting villains, don't you? \~/

Brogan then posthumously kicks Ettore out of the Blood of the Fold (hereafter the Red Sheep, because it amuses me), because *“To let a baneling escape was inexcusable.”* This seems petty as well as stupid, but at least it gets me another drink. \~/

Brogan sends Galtero off to get some horses and thinks about murdering Lunetta. He finally decides not to, and then things get all weird and incesty as Lunetta tell Brogan to *“Come to bed”* and *“Let Lunetta make you feel better. You will be pleased, I promise you. [. . .] Galtero had his pleasure, let Lunetta give you yours.'*

And just when you think Terry Goodkind can't surpass himself, he somehow manages. I'm not even going into all the myriad ways that was wrong; I'll just point out that Lunetta is *enthusiastically comparing herself to a **rape victim*****.** *'**\~/\~/\~/\~/***

Brogan decides he can't stop for family fun time, and he and Lunetta head out . . . but first, Brogan randomly notices that the silver coin Granny gave him earlier is missing. Brogan decides that *“She had taken back her coin so as to leave him a message.”* And what that message is . . . is not made clear. Obviously, it couldn't just be that the coin was money. That would be logical. \~/

Our Villains Three head out into the snowy night, and are immediately set upon by D'Haran soldiers. Fortunately for them, the night is dark and windy, and also the soldiers suck at their jobs. Lunetta also sucks, though, as she does nothing but try to ward off arrows . . . somehow. It's not really clear.

Suddenly, a *deus ex machina* happens, and the wind itself starts slashing D'Harans to pieces. Brogan is understandably surprised by this. The Death Wind turns out to be a bunch of Misters in their *cloaks of invisibility,* who tell Brogan to escape. He asks why they're helping him, and Mr Mister replies *“The dreamssss walker wants you to esssscape. Go now, before more skin walkerssss come.”*

Consistent accents are for losers. \~/

Also, skin walkers? As in, the Native American answer to demon werewolves? That's . . . unexpected.

Brogan reasons – quite logically – that, if he serves God, and the Misters just saved his life, and Richard killed a bunch of Misters . . . the Misters must be agents of God. Scaly, murderous angels, if you will. They're even white (because of the camouflage cloaks). Obviously, this means God has something special in mind for him.

The Misters all vanish, and Brogan & Company trudge on. Suddenly, Someone leaps into Brogan's path and mocks him and Lunetta, saying *“Do you wish to cast a spell on me, sorceress?”* Brogan *“knew he wouldn't be quick enough.”* Fortunately for him, Someone did not notice Galtero sneaking up on him with a club, and Galtero knocks Someone out. We learn that Someone has *“wavy brown hair”* as Brogan instructs Lunetta to do some sort of magical . . . thing to the Someone.

I am getting quite tired of Mysterious Someones. Quite tired.

Brogan randomly reveals that he knows the Mother Mindrapist's name, Kahlan Amnell, and the chapter stops happening.

Drinks: 11

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