Hmm. I don't know, remember, Lady Vinara did say something about electing her as the first high lady... and she had proven herself worthy of the position - even if she did learn black magic. Akkarin, after all, learnt black magic before he became high lord, but they didn't bother to think about THAT one...

Yes but they didn't know did they, they just thought it was super strong.

But obviously his character was such that they didn't think to question his power... instead they just accepted it and let him be

Well he had be strong as a novice and had developed his powers quickly, and then he went off for several years. So I guess they didn't really think much about it.

I would just like to say that there is absolutely no way Akkarin gave Sonea all his remaining power because he didn't want to live anymore. Sure things would have been difficult, but if he had truly loved Sonea there wouldn't have been any question about it. I think saying he wanted to die is contradictory to some other things we've said about him, too.

I can't remember anyone saying anything to that affect LC. Can you clarify what you mean by that?

The way the battle progressed out, and after having acquired extra power from the city's 'volunteers', I can't personally see how Akkarin could've had so little power left to spare that he had to give EVERYTHING to Sonea in order to defeat the Ichani. Sonea's a powerful magician naturally, and with Rothen & Dorrien in the background attacking Kariko, surely she had enough power, if only receiving a little bit from Akkarin, to defeat him...

:-) ah still heart sick with grief, Mirlya? Wanna join most of the rest of us?

Hahahaha yeah, that'd be about right. I mentioned somewhere else I started liking Akkarin and his dark, secretive, mysterious ways at the end of TN when Sonea beat Regin in the formal challenge... and to have him see his end in such a manner... with a blade through his chest and him draining his own power... seems... like a pointless end!

I liked him during most of TN as well and of course it just escalated tremendously during THL and then poof, there he was dead on the ground and gosh, I will never like that ending nor will I truly accept that to be the best ending she could have come up with. Truly pointless.

I think we're all in agreement that, that wasn't the best ending trudi could of written. She'll just have to do better in her next books.

I guess maybe she just wanted a simple ending where she didn't have to work out what the magicians would do with Akkarin had he survived. Would they reinstate him as High Lord? Would he just become an ordinary magician of the guild? Would he remain an exile? Would he be outcast? Would both he and Sonea earned the 'Black Magician' rank? How would he cope with the knowledge that Lorlen is dead? So many questions that would needed to have been answered had he been allowed to live...

but if she had really wanted to she could of written. I think most of us would of been far happier. I think even if she had to have him killed in the end there could of a been a better more reasonable way that would of worked that would be hard for us to say "well she could of written it better"

I guess. If she'd put more effort into voicing Akkarin's thoughts before he died, even that might've added an edge to his decision.

I think I might have been more satisfied with the ending if we had been given more after it. It just seemed that it wasn't addressed properly and I was left desperate to know more about what happened without Akkarin!