Colonel Terzo

Michael Straight · 02 Mar 2001, 00:23 · from whorl-v0012.mbox · original

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From: Michael Straight <straight at email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Colonel Terzo
Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 00:23:06
Message-ID: <whorl-v0012-0400 at digest.urth.net>
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On Thu, 1 Mar 2001, Robert Borski wrote:

> For instance: who is Colonel Terzo and why can he alone, of all the people
> that Horn encounters, hear Seawrack's distant singing?
>=20
> We learn, of course, that he can perceive the siren during his second
> encounter with Incanto, when he attempts to warn our hero about an immine=
nt
> attack. In the midst of this, however, Terzo falls silent and asks Incant=
o,
> "Can you hear something I don't?" Oreb subsequently says, "Sing song," and
> Incanto immediately breaks out singing, not only rendering one of Seawrac=
k's
> little ditties in Neighborese, but translating it back into the Common
> Tongue. Incanto, in between one and the other, is then heard to remark: "=
He
> heard the music, I know; he stared at me wtih bulging eyes." But after
> translating the final line Terzo takes off running; if Icanto's been sing=
ing
> the song that caused him to rape Seawrack, small wonder.

My reading of this scene:

1. Terzo notes that Horn's attention seems divided and asks what's up
(note Terzo asks "Can you hear something I don't" not "Do you hear what I
hear?").

2. Horn sings along for Terzo.

3. Horn's singing makes Terzo able to hear Seawrack for himself from that
moment on.  Perhaps it's a gestalt type of thing, such that anyone can
hear Seawrack's song once it is pointed out and he knows what to listen
for.  Or perhaps it's that Horn shares some special link with Seawrack
that he's able to mediate to others.  In any case, from that moment, Terzo
hears Seawrack's singing, and attributes what he hears to Horn's sorcery,
makining him fear Horn as an enemy and value him is a potential friend.

I don't think it's necessary to posit any previous relationship between
Terzo and Seawrack, nor a hidden connection with Horn, such as sucking his
blood.  The moment where Horn sings for him is connection enough.

-Rostrum

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