The Ill-Made Mute
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| Early hardback edition cover | |
| Author | Cecilia Dart-Thornton |
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| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Series | Bitterbynde |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy Novel |
| Publisher | Warner Aspect |
| Released | May 2001 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 448 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-446-52832-3 (first edition, hardback) |
| Preceded by | - |
| Followed by | The Lady of Sorrows |
The Ill-Made Mute is the 2001 fantasy novel written by Australian Cecilia Dart-Thornton. The story is set in the world of Erith, and it follows the life of an unnamed character who was deformed by falling into a thicket of paradox ivy (Hedera paradoxis). The foundling was rescued by an old and bitter woman and realised that it was mute, and set to work as a slave in the Isse Tower. It is the first in the Bitterbynde Trilogy. The two other books are The Lady of Sorrows, and The Battle of the Evernight.
[edit] Plot summary
The Isse Tower is a House of the Stormriders. Stormriders, also know as Relayers, are messengers of the air for people of the high status. The Stormriders fly on winged steeds called eotaurs, and Windships that levitate above the ground because of sildron. Sildron is one of the most valuable metal in the empire of Erith. The metal sildron has the property of repelling the ground, thus, lifting objects. This metal is used to make the shoes of the Eotaurs and in the building of the Windships to sail the skies. There is only one other metal that can abolish the effect of sildron; andalum.
The foundling has no memory of who he was before he was found, but knows only that he is different from all others. Soon, he becomes sick of being treated badly and plans to escape to a city to find a cure for his paradox poisoning. He stows away on a Windship to escape, and the ship is soon attacked by pirates. He is captured by the pirates, and makes friends with one of them: Sianadh. When danger threatens Sianadh jumps off the Windship, taking the boy with him, and they land in the forest.
After jumping off the ship, Sianadh discovers that the maimed cabin boy is actually a talith maiden who has lost the ablity to speak. He names her Imrhien, meaning gold hair.
They travel through the forest following a map of Sianadh's, which points them towards a sildron mine. Through the forest, they encounter magical creatures called wights. There are two different types of wights: seelie, mischevious and unseelie, evil.
Much to Imrhien's surprise, they actually find the mine. Due to an injury Sianadh has sustained, Imrhien is the only one who can climb the side to an entrance to the cave. Once in the mine, Sianadh and Imrhien find that they are immensely wealthy. They decide to sail down the river to the major city to meet up with Sianadh's family. Imrhien's mind is still set on finding a cure for the facial deformity. When in the city, a wizard promises to cure the deformation, but instead makes it even worse. This coupled with Sianadh's vow to get revenge on the wizard causes his family to be closely watched. When Sianadh and his nephew go back to the mine, Imrhien and Sianadh's niece are kidnapped.
They are eventually saved and a new caravan to find the mine and Sianadh is arranged. The caravan is attacked by the Wild Hunt and any survivors scattered. Diramid, Sianadh's nephew, and Imrhien find each other and travel together in a hope to find Muirne, Diramids sister. Along the way they are discovered by a one of the King Emperors Dainnan.
Through a series of adventures, Muirne is found and Imrhien continues her journey with the Dainnan, Thorn, to find the Carlin who might heal her face. Thorn asks Imrhein to come to court with him, and when she refuses, he kisses her and they part ways. Imrhein travels the last part of the road leading to the Carlin's house and receives treatment for the paradox ivy that scarred her face so. The book ends with Imhrien's face healed and her voice returned, though still lacking memories of her past. Imrhien is revealed as being very beautiful.
[edit] Characters in "The Ill-Made Mute"
- an unnamed character – the mute of the title, protagonist (later named Imrhien, and then her true name is found to be Ashalind na Pendram)
- Sianadh – one of the pirates
- Thorn - A Dainnan (Later revealed in the third book as Angavar, king of the Fair Folk
more details to follow
[edit] References
The Ill-Made Mute by Cecelia Dart-Thornton, Book 1 of the Bitterbynde
