Avarice of the Empire: The Debriefing

Book six in the Drake Chronicles, Avarice of the Empire, dropped one week ago today. It's one of the shorter books in the series, but packs a big punch. Let's dive into it. 

This book picks up where Fortunes of War left off, and like Fortunes, the majority of the action takes place on the long march toward the capital of Aquitainia. That's due in part because it's a long way from Drakewell and an even longer way from Aeres. This is a fantasy realm, but these are also Olden Days: travel takes time; it's laborious, and dusty, and sweaty, and terribly unfun. But that's the beauty of writing this sort of travel: it provides automatic tension. I can then use that tension to further all the character relationships, be they romantic, friendly, or hostile. 

I can't tell you how many times I've read books in which the author writes in a flight, or a road trip, or even a long walk, and simply says "we flew to Nashville," or "we walked ten miles," so on, etc. That trip can certainly be a point A to B move, without incident, but if you have characters trapped together for hours, or days, or weeks, you have a ready-made environment for interpersonal development, and that's what Avarice highlights. 

Beware of spoilers ahead! 

I want to address the Big Reveal to start with, because it's one that I've been plotting for years, and it finally arrived! I had far too much fun watching readers assume that, thanks to the "red whore" moniker, Romanus had lusty designs on Oliver. Romanus is obsessed with Oliver, but it's not for romantic reasons. Though Oliver asks himself if Romanus is lying to him, he isn't this time: he truly is Oliver's grandfather. Did anyone guess that ahead of time? I had a hard time not spoiling my own surprise, so I'm glad the truth is finally out there. 

The other big Romanus reveal is that he's a dragon shifter. And, according to him, Oliver is, too. 

Poor Ollie is Going Through It in this book. In addition to growing physically sicker and weaker over the course of the book, he also starts a guilt spiral that, had he not been taken, would have eventually come to a head with Erik. Should Oliver have told Erik about meeting Romanus the first time it happened? Been honest with him all along? Of course. That's what would happen in an ideal world. But this isn't an ideal world, it's a drama, and the secrecy creates tension, and conflict, and, therefore, story. 

Ollie isn't always the most confident of characters, but he does have a healthy ego when it comes to his intelligence and cleverness. He knows he's not a warrior, but he also knows that he's smart, and that confidence is his undoing, here. He knows that Erik will have an irrational reaction no matter when he reveals his contact with Romanus, and he reasons that, when he finally comes clean, it'll be better to have valuable intel to share. He also thinks he can stay a step ahead of Romanus, which he obviously can't. 

Náli knows about Oliver's secret meetings - and is furious about them. This is where we see that, though he's the lord of his own duchy, and a dictatorial brat most of the time, Náli is still very young, and, like all very young people, is frightened by an "adult" behaving in a rash and dangerous way. All of his anger is born of fear. When he tells Tessa about Oliver's visits with Romanus, it's a plea for help: he's secretly hurt that Oliver won't heed his warnings but hopes that his flesh and blood can get through to him. 

Speaking of Tessa: I feel like a proud mom. She's really come into her own. While Oliver and Amelia unravel, she keeps her wits about her: from riding Alfie through a brave counterattack against the Sel drake, to maintaining her calm in Aquitaine. 

I love the irony of her wondering what Amelia would do, and trying to do the opposite, i.e. cooperate until she sees an opportunity for escape. Meanwhile, Amelia's doing the same thing, inspired by what she assumes - and is correct about - what Tessa would do/is doing. 

As for Amelia, even prior to her capture, the stresses of her situation were taking their toll. Harsh though it seems in the moment, what Connor says about her is true: she doesn't have any prior battlefield or leadership experience. Her drakes are the main reason she's acting as a general. Amelia of course knows this, but she doesn't dwell on it; she's proud, and stubborn (in a good way) and she's doing her best, despite the odds against her. 

Her biggest struggle is her grief over Malcolm, which she's never properly dealt with. In the fog of war, she hasn't taken the time to properly work through the loss, and it's manifesting in generalized nerves, self-doubt, and intrusive erotic dreams and thoughts. Her attraction to Leif and Ragnar is normal, natural, and logical. Both are physically imposing, confident, handsome...it's little wonder she crushes on them. But never fear, anyone who disliked the idea of her being with one or both of them: that's not happening. 

I'm very much a gardener when it comes to writing: while certain events are pre-planned, I always allow for relationships to shift and grow in an organic way. Sometimes initial concepts give way to better, more natural, more compelling storylines, and that's the case here. I posted a list of romantic relationships before I broke ground on Fortunes, and though Amelia's situationship with Leif and Ragnar held a certain taboo appeal at the time, I realized, as the book progressed, that I wasn't satisfied with it; reviews once the book dropped echoed this sentiment. Avarice is most definitely setting up Amelia and Cassius, so you'll just have to see how that plays out in the next book.

Ragnar continues to be a polarizing character. I love him, because he's chef's-kiss-delicious to write. He's the kind of gremlin character I love exploring, for better or for worse. Keep in mind that the binding spell that Náli cast on his torq means the torq can only be removed for love. 

Now I'm curious: did anyone see the twists coming? Whose story resonated with you the most? Do you love or hate Ragnar? Or love to hate him? 

Thanks for reading! Just one more book left, and it's going to be a chonky one, I'm thinking.