#pastor mortmain

[iviarellereads]

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 6 The lightning with its rapid wrath

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index for the Time Quintet, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

In which I don't know whether to keep the same character tags on these posts, or unique ones.

Charles thanks Meg for the info, and tells Gaudior about it, and how Mrs. O'Keefe must be descended from the author. Gaudior thinks that word makes generations sound like falling.(1) Charles asks to go to 1865.

They make to travel, but there's an Echthroi attack on the wind again, but Gaudior manages to snatch Charles back after he falls off. Charles is worried they might be in the wrong time, but Gaudior says it's more important to go where they're sent on their charged mission than it is to try to control where they go just to look at the things they want to look at. He points to the fact that Charles is still himself and not Within anyone here as proof that his meddling drew the Echthroi and may have compromised the mission. Still, when Charles asks what he should do, Gaudior asks the wind, and guides Charles to where he's supposed to be.

And where Charles ends up is Within another young man, Brandon Llawcae. He's meeting with a young woman, Zylle, who is heavily pregnant. Charles resists integrating, focused too much on why they're in pilgrim times, as he can tell from their language pattern, and what they could possibly learn here, but Gaudior tells him to let go.

Zylle wants Brandon to gather some herbs that her husband fears will have her labeled a witch if found out. Zylle, however, knows that Brandon can keep a secret, since he has a gift of Seeing that the town also can't know about. Zylle knows because her brother Maddok(2) was Brandon's best friend until the settlement got larger, he felt less welcome, and he had more work to do anyway. Brandon and Maddok both miss each other, but will always be friends.

At any rate, Zylle suggests Brandon can tell her what he Sees in reflective surfaces, even as he used to tell Maddok. Brandon says Ritchie, his brother and Zylle's husband, is afraid of the images, even though back in Wales it might be seen as a gift, too.

The last vision Brandon saw was of here (the star watching rock), and a young man (Madoc) who looked a lot like Maddok, but not, somehow. Zylle recognizes her ancestor from description. They finish gathering the herbs, and she lays them out on the rock, and sings under the moonlight to imbue them to give her an easy birthing. The song tells of "blue from a distant eye" coming to save them, and is reminiscent of the song Madoc and Reschal sang.

When they're done, Zylle doesn't take the flowers, saying she wouldn't want the midwife, Goody Adams, to see them when she gives birth tomorrow. On the walk back, she and Brandon talk about how the natives are scorned in the community, and Zylle's people's legend about her ancestor from across the sea. She wonders if her son will be allowed to know her side of his heritage.(3)

They pass by a brook, and at first Brandon sees Zylle with a baby in her arms, with blue eyes with gold behind them. Then, the vision changes: a man, prideful and dark and cruel. Brandon startles out of the vision, and Zylle asks what he saw, so he tells her. She doesn't know what to make of it, but it doesn't sound good. Brandon says before his people got scared of his pictures, they were all good, and now this. Zylle asks to tell her father about this one, he's good at interpreting such things, and Brandon consents.

They get back to the family cabin at the settlement, and go to bed. When Brandon wakes, racist Goody Adams is already there, ordering Goody Llawcae (Brandon's mother) about to prepare for the birth. Goody Llawcae tells Brandon to tend his chores instead of arguing with Goody Adams. He does so, but when he's done, his mother just sends him and Ritchie to help their father instead of helping with the birth (and arguing with Goody Adams). Brandon is mad about it, but Ritchie says, despite her manner, there's been so much less death in childbirth since Goody Adams came.

Eventually they split off to finish their chores, and when Brandon returns again, he sees another vision of a mother and child, like Zylle but somehow not, in a hot country with different clothes than he's used to.(4) He hears a real cry from inside the cabin, which startles him out of the vision, and Goody Llawcae tells him to get his father, to see the child.

After Goody Adams leaves, the whole family gathers around Zylle in the bed she shares with Ritchie. She says Bran's eyes are blue, and should stay that way, if Brandon doesn't mind them using his name. He agrees, honoured. Richard prays, and says Zylle blesses their family by being in it.

As Brandon sets about his evening chores, Maddok comes to see them, and ask if it would be all right for his family to come see the baby. Brandon assures him it is, no matter what anyone else in town says. Maddok also carries a warning, that the town is brewing with talk of witchcraft, especially after Zylle shed no tears while giving birth. He simply asks Brandon to take care of Zylle and protect her and the child.

Zylle's family comes to see her, and after they leave, Brandon is restless, so he's awake to hear his parents telling Ritchie that one of the women passed along a warning, the same one we heard from Maddok. The family is already marked as different, and Zillo told them Brandon had another vision.

At this, Brandon storms out into the main space, and accuses Zylle (still sleeping) of telling them. Richard says no, Brandon said Zylle could tell Zillo, and it was Zillo who told them. Brandon is ashamed of his visions, because his parents wish he didn't have them. Richard feels bad about his son not feeling he could trust his own parents, but says Brandon can't talk about his visions with anyone outside the family right now, with the witchcraft accusations brewing. Then, Richard tells Brandon to go back to bed.

The next evening, Davey Higgins comes by to say that Pastor Mortmain told him he's no longer allowed to be Brandon's friend, because Zylle is bad luck for the village. Davey knows it's nonsense, and asks what Brandon's pictures say. Brandon, feeling guilty, tells him he's too old for such childish nonsense, and walks away.

Maddok comes around to tell Brandon Maddok has been assigned to watch over him. Brandon is afraid, and Maddok wishes it would rain. His weather sense only feels thunder, no rain.

The Llawcae evening prayers are as much about asking for rain as for their faith.

The other children in the settlement won't talk to Brandon anymore, either.

The next evening, Pastor Mortmain comes with his son Duthbert and Goodman Higgins. They ask to see Zylle, to determine if she is Christian or not, to their satisfaction. Zylle had retired, but gets up again and comes to talk to them. She says she accepted Ritchie's beliefs when she married him, but contrary to Pastor Mortmain's interjection, Christianity is not incompatible with her people's beliefs because "Jesus of Nazareth sings the true song."(5)

Pastor Mortmain is horrified at the implication that Jesus sings, but Zylle asks if they don't sing hymns at church. He says that's different, and she doesn't understand. Zylle says that the scripture says God loves everyone, so he must love her people the same as the white people.

Higgins tells her not to blaspheme, but Mortmain cuts to the chase and asks her why she's stopping the rain. She says "our"(6) crops suffer just the same as anyone else's. Duthbert asks her about the cat, but she says her cat doesn't help her fly any more than Pastor Mortmain's, though she says only the most holy of people are granted the ability to fly which undermines her case to the men.

Eventually, Pastor Mortmain says he believes her to be a witch, and that she must die for it, but they will meet in church to decide together. Richard Llawcae asks Goodman Higgins if he really thinks the PotW are evil, but Pastor Mortmain says he's been informed of the stories and finds it uncompelling to suggest they were harmless.

Soon thereafter, a baby dies in the settlement. It's a normal death, as much as any child death can be considered normal, but it's all the pastor needs to convict Zylle. He summons an expert witchfinder, and the town seems to revel in the process. It makes Brandon sick. Even Davey taunts that he could tell Pastor Mortmain that Brandon is a witch, too, if he wanted to, though he backs down when Brandon stares at him after he says it.

Richard and Ritchie refuse to mount a gallows to hang Zylle, even though it means they'll likely be accused too. Richard says another carpenter(6) would not have done it in his place, and he'll follow that one. So, without the expert, the rest of the village assemble a crude one.

Maddok comes again, to ask Brandon to go visit Zillo, who asks Brandon to look for visions about what's to come. Brandon hesitates, given his father's attitudes, but proceeds. He sees the village and the lake as it used to be, and he sees it start to rain. Zillo teaches him "some words"(7) that can be used to save Zylle.

The next day, the men bring Zylle up to be hanged, and when Maddok whispers to him, Brandon recites the rune. At the lightning line, lightning strikes the church, setting it ablaze instantly, and the natives emerge from the forest en masse. Ritchie manages to convince them that, because of Brandon's phrasing, clearly the church was hit as an act of God, because Pastor Mortmain tried to kill an innocent woman. The pastor tells them to stop the natives, and Ritchie shouts, asking why they should show more compassion than Mortmain, but Zylle asks him to remember his own compassion.

Ritchie frees Zylle and they return to Goody Llawcae, who gives Zylle back her baby. Brandon watches his family turn their backs on the church and return to their cabin. As the villagers try weakly to put out the flames, it starts to rain, saving them the trouble. The PotW stand watch as all the people of the settlement returnn to their cabins, and only then leave.

The horror was over, but nothing would ever be the same again.(8)

Brandon and Maddok return to the Llawcae cabin.(9) Ritchie is still angry, but his father hopes it doesn't turn to bitterness, as anger can be spent in time. Ritchie asks where Brandon learned those words, and Brandon admits, it was from Zillo. Zillo, for his part, just says Brandon's a good boy. Richard admits the ways of God are mysterious, but he doesn't need to understand to accept.

As Brandon tries to sleep, he hears Ritchie say he can't live in the settlement anymore, and he and Zylle and the baby will go live back in Wales. Brandon's world is bleak after they leave. One day some time after, Maddok approaches Brandon and says they should be brothers, Zillo is willing to perform the ceremony, and it would unite their peoples. Brandon likes that plan.

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(1) I'm sure this is just a very normal thing where, expressions get interpreted differently by people from outside your own culture, you know? But it also feels like L'Engle trying a little too hard to put some clever wordplay in unless it's setting something up specifically to do with a fall of some sort. Do you think it might be setting something up? (2) Not another one! Well, one can suppose that this one's descended from the other, given they're in the same place and later in the timeline. (3) I have some real complicated feelings about the implications of, y'know, all this and all that happens in this whole book about it. It's hard to go into detail about, but, I have Indigenous ancestry, and, literally the forced integration of my ancestors and my people was so brutally effective, families were literally torn apart between the people who wanted to fight for recognition, and the people who believed it was shameful to the family to even suggest they were native, a fight that only finally took place in my parents' and my generations. It's a whole thing and I'd forgotten how much parallel there was in this book. And seeing L'Engle write it but from such a white perspective… I'm probably not having as much grace for the story as I could give it but it also hurts to see her try so hard but still stab a painful spot. Intent only goes so far sometimes. (4) Ancestry playing such a part in the story, who and where do you think this is? (5) Aside from me getting itchy every time L'Engle puts words in the mouth of this tribe she isn't even making clear if she made up or not, framing the truth of the universe as a song and making it known that Jesus was definitely part of it… I'm sure L'Engle had the best and most Christ-like of intentions, but it's so pushy in a way I got real uncomfortable with over the years. (6) Jesus, both literally and as an expression of my frustration. I have such big complicated feelings about this whole chapter, the way it treats the witch hunt era, the way it keeps invoking Jesus, the whole Indigenous thing… This just makes me real tired. (7) The rune, clearly. (8) Isn't that ever the way. (9) And by the way, did you catch that Llawcae is nonsense Welsh and just a letter jumble of Wallace, instead of Charles this time?

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

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Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

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