Ask Luna #87

From: Kurt Von Bosse

Hi Luna.

From what Alex or Arachne may have told you; back when Deleo and Cinder were trying to take the magical energy from the barghest, if they had succeeded would Deleo; I’m assuming she got first dibs, have simply received a big power boost or would she also have inherited the barghest’s shape-shifting ability? Deleo’s scary enough without werewolf like skills.

Good question, and I don’t really know. I think maybe she didn’t either. I don’t think anyone had managed to do it before, so it might have been a ‘let’s do it and see what happens’ sort of deal. If that sounds a bit crazy, well, it’s Deleo. I wouldn’t have bet against her, though. Probably just as well we didn’t get to find out.

From: Casey

Hi Luna,

I have a question about jinn. Last we heard, Anne was making a contract with a jinn. Once she wakes, will she be basically herself with the jinn’s powers (and its conscience — kind of like Shireen to Delo)? Or will the jinn take over her like when Alex had the fateweaver? I guess what I am trying to understand is what will the relationship between Anne and the jinn be? Once this contract is completed, will the jinn return to the artifact and leave Anne alone or be more like when someone uses the monkey’s paw? Or will she be a host until her death?

I’m concerned that Anne being a host to the jinn will hamper any relationship she and Alex can have. It’s pretty obvious that Anne and Alex care for each other. She said she wants someone who can take care of her…. And how many times has Alex pretty much done that? *ahem* Alex pretty much admits that he deeply cares for Anne when he tries to push the thoughts and feelings aside. Just sayin’

In your opinion, do you think we’ll see Crystal again? As Alex becomes a major power, and the fact that she’s failed twice — let’s not forget that Anne is a host for a jinn — does Crystal really have a chance to succeed?

Thanks!

Okay, so as regards the jinn, a LOT of stuff has happened since then, and it’s stuff that I really, really should not be talking about. So I’m going to wait until the cooling-off period has passed. Sorry. Let’s just say that that thing has not been good news.

As for Crystal, yeah, I haven’t forgotten that either. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure the answer’s yes. The way I understand it, Crystal still thinks that Anne has what she wants, and from all accounts she isn’t the kind to give up easily. Which means that I have a nasty feeling that she’s going to keep on coming back until we take care of her for good.

From: Casey

Hi Luna,

I have a question — maybe more like a prediction? — about Richard’s magic type. My first thought was that maybe he was an adept (probability or chance type) but then figured that was probably not the case. There are mages with combined types. Richard having mind and divination skills would make him the perfect manipulator and his magic to be hard to detect.

On that thought, are mages with two types of magic type as powerful as a mage with one of those magic types? For example, Vihaela has both life and death magic. Would she be as good of a healer as Anne? Do mages with two magic types basically two mages in one — all the abilities of each magic type? Or do they have just some of the abilities of each magic type?

Thanks!

For Richard, it’s possible. I’ll add it to our big file of wild guesses. Unfortunately it’s really hard to narrow down this kind of stuff without getting up close and personal, which none of us are keen on doing for obvious reasons.

For the second question, you can think of magic types as being like colour shades. If life magic is emerald green, and death magic is black, a life-death hybrid would be British racing green. Ability-wise it usually ends up being a mix, so they can do some of the things that both other types can do, but not all of the things that either type can do. How powerful they are is a totally different deal. Vihaela is crazy powerful, but that’s not because she’s a hybrid, it’s because she’s really really strong. She’d be just as strong if she was a pure life mage or death mage.

From: Svetli

Dear Luna,
I’m a fan from Bulgaria. I was hoping you could answer a question. Although Alex uses mainly Apollonian divination, can he use Dionysian as well? I am curious because of the dream at the end of “Chosen”, the one about the return of Richard.

He says he can’t. Apparently he tried studying it a few times and never got anywhere. I’ve wondered the same thing as you, though – every now and then he pulls something that doesn’t sound like the orderly Apollonian stuff. Maybe that other kind of divination is something you don’t learn the regular way.