This story is currently only available within Inferno! Volume 3.
The third instalment of At the Sign of the Brazen Claw, Guy Haley’s serialised story of a group of strangers swapping stories while waiting out a storm, The Prince’s Tale sees aelven Prince Maesa tell the tale of how he met Shattercap. As the storm rages, Maesa relives a time of heartache and loneliness as he wandered the Mortal Realms aimlessly, haunted by the loss of his beloved Ellamar. Only when he finally encountered a match for his own grief did the exiled prince find himself drawn back into the lives of mortals, and set against the pitiless sylvaneth.
After the events of parts one and two the dynamic within the group of strangers is familiar and well set up, although there are hints here at more going on within the group, so the focus is on Maesa’s tale and what it reveals. Maesa’s calm, almost poetic voice comes through strongly (especially if you’ve listened to John Banks’ performance in The Autumn Prince), as does his fundamentally non-human perspective – he’s tremendously matter-of-fact about his aelven skills and abilities, for example. Shattercap plays only a small part, but through him we gain an insight into Maesa’s motivations and purpose in a satisfying and tremendously enjoyable little character study. It’s another low-key story, but this overarching narrative is increasingly interesting.
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I’m also hoping for a kind of grand final that would draw from the separate tales of the travelers as well as the overall narrative (which is a bit limited at the time, but who knows). Mr Quasque seems to be a troubled fellow, with probably good reasons to be as nervous as he is. That could do the trick.
Well there’s at least two instalments left, so I’m sure we’ll get a finale of some sort!