THE SHANNARA SAGA PART 5: THE SWORD OF SHANNARA #3 - THE BLACK IRIX
The Black Irix
by Terry Brooks
Published in 2013
The Black Irix of Keltset
SPOILER FILLED REVIEW:
This story is set a year after the events of The Sword of Shannara and takes place before the next book,The Elfstones of Shannara. With this short story my longing for another adventure of Shea Ohmsford and his brother Flick Ohmsford are met. I always wanted to read more about the Ohmsford brothers and what they did after the momentous events of their adventures in saving the Four Lands. This story gives us a peek into what happens next and at the same time gives a valid answer as to why Shea and Flick disappear into the annals of history after their great heroic efforts.
Shea and Flick are living back at home with their father in Shady Vale and are helping out with running the Inn that the family owns. Shea is glad to be back and never wants to have another adventure and wants to be left alone. He has been traumatized by the previous adventure and despite his heroism is having a hard time with the after effects. He has been getting physically weaker and weaker for some reason and been getting sick. Flick takes it upon himself to visit a local woodswoman, Audrana Coos, to see if she can help with a potion or something like that.
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Flick goes and visits Audrana Coos who peers in to the waters of her scryer bowl. She announces that in his battle with the Warlock Lord he was exposed to poisons that are now sapping his strength and slowly killing him. She gives him a brown liquid in a bottle telling him to slip into a drink he likes and have him drink it all without knowing. Then she again looks into her bowl and sees that Shea will be going on a journey to a faraway place on another quest. She warns Flick not to stop him and to let him go.
Upon his return to the Inn, Flick gives Shea the potion without him knowing and as soon as the next day, Shea starts to improve. In the days that follow, Shea gets stronger and healthy and back to his old self.
Then an old friend shows up to the Inn to talk with Shea. Panamon Creel comes for a visit. Shea is happy to see him and they talk over some mugs of ale. Eventually Creel tells Shea he needs his help. He has heard that someone recovered Keltset’s Black Irix medal from the ruins of the Warlock Lord’s castle and he wants to recover it. Creel wants to recover it to honor the memory of their deceased friend and to return it to Keltset’s people. Creel also admits he needs the help of the Elfstones to find where they are hidden.
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Shea eventually decides to help him out and to leave with him on the adventure. Flick finds out and is wholeheartedly against it. But Shea not budging, Creel and Shea leave. Three days later Flick comes riding up to their camp and insists he’s coming too. Creel is against Flick coming, but Shea tells Creel that if Flick doesn’t come along, he won’t go. Creel relents and the three head off in to the Northlands to the find the Black Irix.
The Black Irix was found by one of Panamon Creel’s old friends the he used to run with when he was a thief. This old friend, Kestra Chule, is now a buyer and seller of rare items. The plan is to sneak into the castle and steal it from Chule and escape before he knows it happened.
On their journey north, Creel is his old self as he tells outlandish stories and entertains Shea and Flick until they get close to their destination. Once they are close, Shea uses the Elfstones to locate the Black Irix. The group decides to walk up to the castle and visit with Chule and then figure out a way to sneak to where the Irix is hidden. Upon entry, Panamon and Kestra Chule are glad to see one another. Panamon betrays Shea and pulls the Elfstones out of Shea’s pocket and tells him that per their agreement, he will give him the Elfstones for a large sum of money. Shea and Flick are taken captive and put in to a cell. The whole night Flick is furious and blaming Shea for their predicament and that they should never have trusted Creel. Shea defends Creel saying that there must be something else going on and that Creel wouldn’t betray them like this. Eventually they go to sleep.
The brothers are awoken by someone opening the door, and it’s Panamon Creel! He tells them to get their stuff and to follow him. They make their way to their horses and start to walk out the gate. The guards stop them, but Creel talks their way past them and they head south free of their captor.
Once they were a safe distance away, Panamon tells them what just happened. Panamon’s plan was to get them and the Elfstones to Chule and then he would steal them back along with the Black Irix and escape. Creel didn’t know that Chule would take the brothers as prisoners, the agreement had been to let them go. He didn’t tell them the plan so that they wouldn’t give it away somehow, Creel wanted them to have a real surprise reaction to the situation.
Panamon gave the Elfstones back to Shea and then the group said their goodbyes. Panamon left them to go to Keltset’s people and to give them the Black irix in honor of their fallen leader. Shea and Flick head south to the Borderlands and back to their home in Shady Vale.
I liked this story and the reunion of Panamon Creel and Shea Ohmsford. It was great to read about one more adventure they had together. The story was short and simple, but still good enough to enjoy.
Overall I give this story a 4 out of 5 and feel that it is a worthy follow up to the Sword of Shannara.
Next up is The Elfstones of Shannara!