Reader Question: Third vs Mara vs Selene

A reader writes with a question about what happened in SEVENFOLD SWORD: SORCERESS. Naturally, if you haven’t read SEVENFOLD SWORD: SORCERESS and wish to avoid !!!SPOILERS!!!, you should stop reading this post right now.

###

All right, the question: the reader wanted to know why Mara and Third developed teleportation powers after their transformation, but Selene developed powers of illusion.

That is a good question! The answer is because the process involves 1.) a measure of random chance, 2.) the powers of the dark elven lord who fathered the urdhracos, and 3.) the personality of the urdhracos in question.

Third and Mara were both fathered by the Traveler. But Selene’s father was the Confessor, who has a different set of abilities and skills. (He’s also much closer to sane than the Traveler ever got, and considerably smarter.) So any of the Confessor’s children would have different aptitudes and strengths than the Traveler’s offspring. Also, the Confessor had the Sword of Water, which is one of the reasons that Selene can still cast spells and Third can’t (Mara never could). Random chance comes into play with it as well, which is why Mara has the Sight and Third and Selene do not.

Also, the individual mind of the urdhracos in question influences the transformation. Third is naturally more taciturn and grim, while Selene’s Extrovert Dial is turned all the way up to 11. So Third’s power manifested in a way in keeping with her personality, and so did Selene’s. Selene is fairly gregarious, and it’s even easier to be gregarious when you can make yourself look like anyone.

We’ll have more with both Third & Selene in SEVENFOLD SWORD: SERPENT in September!

-JM