Chapter 19

The chapter starts with Anand's ceremony into the Brotherhood. The chapter flashes back again to the night before when he asked Abhaydatta if he could see his family one more time. Then the chapter goes back to the present and the ceremony. The ceremony continues normally but at the end when Anand expects it to end the Chief Healer surprises him by making him the new Keeper of the conch. After the ceremony he gets a chance to talk to the conch and the chapter ends when the conch reminds him to go to lunch.

This was a really really short chapter but a perfect ending to this story. I wasn't really surprised by the chief healers decision to make him the keeper of the conch but it says in the story that Anand was. I wonder who he thought would be able to take the job other that him? I would highly recommend this book though to any reader who likes fantasy and magic with a little bit of realistic fiction mixed in.

Chapter 18

The chapter starts with Nisha being accepted into the Brotherhood. There's a flashback as Anand remembers how Nisha came rushing up to him yesterday and telling him how the place would be a brother and sister hood now. The time goes back to the present and Anand watches the ceremony. After the cerimony he goes back to his room only to have Govinda burst in saying that Abhaydatta wants to see him in the hall of seeing. Anand goes to the hall of seeing wondering what Abhaydatta would want with him. When he gets to to the hall of seeing Abhaydatta using his powers lets Anand see his family. Anand sees his mother,sister and father living in a modern room which is apparently part of a house. He tries to touch them but the wall just shimmers and the image disappears. Abhaydatta then tells Anand that to become a member of the brotherhood he must leave his family forever. The rest of the chapter is spent with Anand in great thought trying to decide whether to stay or not. At the end of the chapter Anand makes his choice though the author doesn't tell you what it is.

I liked this chapter because I liked seeing how Anand reacted to such a choice because everyone has at least one choice like that in their lives. I thought that Anand would go back home because it sticks to the authors theme of sticking to your family/friends. But after Anand talked to the conch and Abhaydatta i think that he will stay.

Chapter 17

The chapter starts with Anand three days after the last chapter. He is given a guide, Govinda who shows him around and answers his questions. One day Anand notices that Govinda keeps saying if Anand because an apprentice he can do this or that. When he asks Govinda about Govinda only says that he will become an apprentice later if he wishes. And when Anand asks about Nisha and Abhaydatta Govinda says that nobody is allowed to visit them. One night Anand awakes to Nisha calling him from the doorway. She tells him her plan to see Abhaydatta and he agrees. They manage to find Abhaydatta and tell him all about their adventure and when they reach the part where Abhaydatta disappears he finally speaks and tells them how he transformed himself into the mongoose to battle Surabhanu in his snake form and then how he lost sight of his human personality and became the mongoose. Then he tells them how their story jolted his personality back to him.

This was a boring chapter like i predicted the author needed to have a happy ending so she used Abhaydatta as a victim of unnatural memory recovery. I think that his memory coming back like that is absurd because all the master healers tried and they couldn't do it but some kids who don't even know what they are doing can? I think that the author was getting a little desperate for ideas at this point but i don't blame her because she wrote an excellent book and she deserves a break from criticism.

Chapter 16

the chapter starts with Anand poring over the question trying to figure what is most important. He thinks about what virtue each of his companions would choose. When the voice asks him for the answer Anand replies that he hasn't chose any of the virtues. when the voice asks why Anand replies that each of the virtues on its own is worthless and a person needs all three. The voice goes silent and Anand assumes he has failed. He places the conch down and starts to walk away when the voice says that he has answered correctly. The base of the mountain opens and three men walk out. They tell him to some quickly for the auspicious moment of sunrise will pass. Anand asks if he can bring his companions and the men say no because Abhaydatta is of no use to the brotherhood and Nisha has already been contaminated by Surabhanu and a seed of evil may remain. They tell Anand that they will send Abhaydatta and Nisha down to a local village where they will be cared for but will forget the whole journey. Anand makes up his mind and says that he will go with his companions because he cant abandon them after all this time. Then he hands over the conch and sits down in the snow next to his companions. The next thing he knows a healer is telling him that he has passed all expectations and that he and his companions may come into the silver valley. The chapter ends with Anand being led to the great hall and the chief healer welcoming him.

This is probably the best chapter yet because the quest is finally over. No more sulking for Anand no more hardships for the company and sadly no more story. There are three more chapters but i think that they will be shallow chapters just there to wrap up this book. But i wonder what would have happened if one of the company (Anand Nisha and Abhaydatta) wasn't there? Would there even be a quest in the first place? And what if the book followed Abhaydatta through his travels and not Anand?

Chapter 15

The chapter starts with Nisha leaning over Anand trying to wake him up and Anand realizes that he was knocked out. Nisha tells him that he should hurry to get the conch to the foot of the mountain. Anand cradling Abhaydatta in his arms rushes to the top of the mountain and calls for the healers. Eventually a voice responds saying to leave the conch and go. Anand refuses and finally the voice relents saying that if he could answer a question they would let his company pass. Anand asks if they could heal Nisha and Abhaydatta before they ask the question. The voice says no but they put Abhaydatta and Nisha in a protective bubble so they don't get any worse. The chapter ends with Anand thinking about the question: which is the most important, honesty loyalty or compassion?

This was a short chapter in comparison to the others. i think that the author might have had writers block when she wrote this because every other chapter is rich in detail and story while this chapter is quite boring. I think that Anand will answer the question in a way the voice doesn't expect making them open the gates for the company.

Chapter 14

The chapter starts with Anand taking off his coat and wrapping around Nisha since she cant go on. Suddenly Nisha starts talking in a voice that's not hers telling Anand to give her the conch. Anand resists but she pins him to the ground. Suddenly Surabhanu is there in the form of a snake. He reveals that he planted himself in Nisha's mind when they first met and now he is taking control of her. Surabhanu tells Nisha to knock Anand unconscious so she picks up a boulder and prepares to attack him. Suddenly out of nowhere Rajah comes flying out and attacks Surabhanu. In the following battle Anand realizes that Rajah is actually a mongoose and Surabhanu reveals that the mongoose is actually Abhaydatta. Surabhanu bests Abhaydatta and throws him again a cliff wall. Nisha enraged by this is able to break free of Surabhanu's power and throws the boulder at him instead of Anand. Surabhanu then transforms himself into a black cloud like mist and demands that Anand give him the conch. Anand eventually accepts defeat and thinks "I did everything i could. And still I failed you." Hearing his thought the conch tells Anand to stand up and take it out of its pouch. Anand does and a blast of sound comes out of it throwing Anand to the ground and making Surabhanu disappear.

I really liked this chapters action because there has not been much throughout the book. But i wonder what exactly happened to Surabhanu is he gone for good or is he just banished to a small part of the world? I think that Anand will manage to get the conch to the healers and be accepted into the brotherhood.

Chapter 13

The chapter starts with Anand and Nisha resting and trying to ease their hunger by sucking on some icicles. Rajah goes off to forage or so Anand thinks. But Rajah actually brings back a nut that when cracked is edible. Anand and Nisha follow Rajah back to a cache of nuts and they eat hungrily. They decide to take the left path in the road near the cache but Rjah seems to want them to go to the right. Since Rajah has not failed them yet Anand and Nisha follow him. Nisha says that she wants to get to the second obstacle and soon after when they try to walk through a pass boulders dislodge themselves and almost crush them. They try several times to run through the pass but are thwarted each time by the boulders seemingly dislodging themselves from the cliffs above. Suddenly they notice that Rajah is missing. But Nisha spots him again trying to scrape the snow off of some nearby boulders. Anand and Nisha help and soon they uncover a boulder that has a hand print on it. Nisha puts her hand on it and Anand sees a line appear that leads them through the pass. But when she takes her hand off the line fades away. Anand then comes up with the idea of him going first and marking where Nisha should step using snow but he runs out about three fourths of the way and she is forced to make a run for it where she breaks her leg.

The first thing that came to my mind when i read about the kids making it through the pass was "This doesn't make any sense!" I thought that because shouldn't the pass have been blocked off after the 1st or second try? And did Rajah ever make it across? Because even though the plan was that Rajah and Anand would go at the same time it doesn't mention Rajah after that.