Storyline

Some of the immortal races can "Look" as well, not sure if looking explains the language thing though. The golden glow is also something that is shared between gods and immortal races.

I'm just being overly cautious on what I rule out or decide, Connie is to sneaky for us mortals. I cant see any reasons why she couldn't be a god, I can only see that she cant be of a mortal race. If that makes sense.

Perhaps she is a one of a kind creation as suggested below, a last act of a dying god to protect the world, or perhaps to judge it. Maybe she is the god that died, reincarnated. So many possibilities.

Or it could all be Lissa's dream... LOL (This possibility is not serious in any way and is a result of my goofy sense of humor.)

I don't think she is Camryn and Elabeth's daughter since the DNA ruled it out and her wings are different. But when they talk about the gathering that they got killed at, I wonder if there were more people at that meeting than what Connie is telling us at this point. She did become an orphan at that time.

I am reading it for the second time and I realized that the letter that Amlis and Rodrik wrote near the beginning of the book was sent to Jurris. So the guardians are the Avii.

I think she is an immortal race (one we have not heard about yet) rather than a god.

Is Daragar a new Larentii?

Yevil has 'forbidden' technology -- a gun(?) and explosives. I think someone from the outside is helping him but not Marid Belancour. So I think there is another outside evil force involved.

WOW. Connie sure knows how to draw me in. I had to read it from start to finish... who needs sleep anyway.
Another Great book, though I am disappointed in the cliff hanger ending, but realize I will only have to wait 2-3 months to see how it resolves (as long as Connie keeps her normal pace)

I have to say I am getting kind of tired of the heroin being beat, abused, belittled and enslaved in Connie's books. Can't we have one that isn't treated so badly? Truthfully, once all the women come into power you would think they would go on revenge rampage against all the treated them bad.

I think Finder is something important to the Avii, they just don't realize it yet and she will have something to do with stopping the Poison from flowing. it was said that the Avii Queen kept the poison in check every 15 years (the Saving?) , but since her death it has run un-checked. Not sure what all it means (other than I need to re-read the book again).

The one thing that I haven't formed any theories on yet is why and who is shielding Fyris?

Frazzled there has been mention of female laurentii in other books it's just we have never met one they are supposed to be very rare. But I agree with other comments about her possibly being a reincarnation of the avii god. And a side note perhaps she could still be Elabeths and Camryns daughter but the fact she is also perhaps the rebirthed god has altered her DNA that or some outside force is "hiding" her true identity genetically speaking. All we do know is that our lady of the devious pen Connie is the past master of the bluff ,double bluff and misdirection so at this point I am expecting anything look at how she hid Charles so effectively for so long.

OK, summing up.

a) We have an unknown virus-like organism that produces radioactive waste killing the planet (any connection with the death of the local god - Liron?)
b) Counter measures: Two groups of wizards were involved – evidently asked by Liron himself: Marid Belancour, whom we all know and love, put the spell-shield hiding Fyris (tied to the King’s ring); another unnamed group dealt with the poison source itself - localizing it on Fyris? Marid’s son seems to think that this group was stronger than Belancours; Grey Wizards? Karathian Warlocks? Still unknown others?
c) Winged Guardians, Avii, seem to be responsible for keeping the poison within bounds – their Queen performs the „Saving“ every 15 or 16 years. The only other human with wings I remember (not counting High Demons who have wings only as Thifilathi) is Edward, the Elemayan War Eagle (Black Wings, like the Avii warriors). Any connection?
d) Bad Guys: Marid thinks that Liron did not pay him enough and finds buyers interested in biological weapons. There is another group represented by Evil Yevil; I think, like Jeanne M, that this is a different force, as one of their goals seems to be to destroy the spell-shield of Fyris by taking the king - primarily, the ring - outside of it. Marid can do it easily without long lasting and complex plots. The question is, who is acting in Kondar? Allies of Marid, allies of Yevil or the third force? (where is my Ockham/Occam’s razor?)
e) Now Finder: if she is the third baby in the murder plot, I need the O.’s razor again. I think that Elabeth is either her foster mother, or, more probably, her surrogate mother (how Ashe was born?) In this case she can be, like David put it, „a last act of a dying god to protect the world“. Especially - here I agree with Larry - if her name is Lirin (< Liron). But why "she was never meant to be sentient"?
f) Someday she will think about mates; am I alone in suspecting the analogy Berel/Finder and Gavril/Reah? And what she dreamed about when Justis took her flying? I don’t even mention Daragar or the prince Amlis (Lissa also was a personal servant to Garde... and Reah served under Ambrosius...)

Enough for now, just a small remark: the Avii baby Finder healed, Master Nina’s grandchild, was it a „he“, like in the scene of healing, or a „she“, like in the later talk with Berel?

I cannot wait for the next volume... Connie is great.

Leena, a great summary!

Your post reminded me of something else I thought of while reading. One of the ways the Avii 'die' is "walk through the gate". I wonder if it will really turn out to be a gate to somewhere else and these people are not really dead? I am not sure if I would want to be on the planet where they go to but...