Welcome back to the fifth day of our book club read-along for OwlCrate's September book, Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone!
Just a reminder that this will be a SPOILER discussion for Chapters 17 - 20 of Lakesedge, so make sure you read are finished this section before continuing.
Discussion questions are listed below, and anyone who participates in the comments will be entered to win a free OwlCrate box!
The story continues...
Leta uses her magic to bring back just a little of the garden, growing pomegranates. Using the fruit and her blood before the altar in the parlor, Leta calls the Lord Under. She agrees to help him rid the world, and the underworld, of the Corruption using the full strength of her magic at the next full moon, but the Lord Under demands she give something in exchange. He gives her until the day before the next ritual to decide what that will be.
In the kitchen Leta banks the fire before Rowan appears. He sees the bloodied knife on the kitchen table and asks what she has done, and Leta decides to be honest. She tells him everything about her connection with the Lord Under and what he has asked her to do. Rowan asks her to promise not to summon the Lord Under again, but she refuses. Clover comes in from the garden and together they make tea and bring it up to Arien and Florence in his room. She tells them everything she told Rowan, and they are also not pleased. Arien is angry with her for withholding the truth and Florence warns her no good will come of it. Leta retreats to her room and slams the door.
The Summersend festival arrives which Rowan must attend as lord. Clover suggests they all go into town for the bonfire as they could use some fun and although Leta and Arien haven’t spoken much since her revelations, they smooth things over slightly on the walk into town. Once in town they find Rowan, and hand in hand he and Leta start the ritual of lighting the bonfire. When it comes time to chant the litany, Leta starts it in Rowan’s place, knowing he doesn’t like to sing in front of others. With the bonfire lit and the celebration commenced, Leta finds Rowan and they walk through the woods away from the village together. Leta contemplates what she could sacrifice to the Lord Under.
Back at the house, although it’s very late, Leta can’t sleep. She goes to the kitchen and finds Clover there making tea and she insists they will figure out how to cure the Corruption. Leta slips out in to the garden and using her magic makes things around her grow. Exhausted, morning has arrived and she slumps into the grass only to see Rowan appear from the house. She tells him they cannot be together, but then realizes Rowan isn’t really there. He’s been possessed by the Corruption. The land all around them starts going dark and rotting away and she tries to get him to stop, to come back to himself. She kisses him and it almost works, she can feel the real Rowan at times, but in the end it doesn’t work.
Questions:
- What do you think Leta will end up sacrificing to the Lord Under, if anything?
- Why do you think Rowan has been fully engulfed in the Corruption now. Do you think it has something to do with Leta's magic or Summersend?
- Do you think there is a way for Leta to sever her connection with the Lord Under?
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