"Stars and Stones..."

[Mira]

  Harry says that a lot as we all know...   But in Peace Talks, Eb says on page 31 when Harry says it

"I just fed you pancakes,' I muttered.  How tense were things in the old man's world
that he would react like that? "Stars and stones."
"Don't say that," he said, his tone slipping into a more familiar,grouchier cadence.  "You don't know what it means." "The guy I learned it from wouldn't teach me," I said back.

So what could it mean?  Why didn't Eb ever teach Harry what it meant?  And why is Eb so uptight?

[Arjan]

  Harry says that a lot as we all know...   But in Peace Talks, Eb says on page 31 when Harry says it

So what could it mean?  Why didn't Eb ever teach Harry what it meant?  And why is Eb so uptight?

A burnout. That can be pretty serious.

[Mira]

A burnout. That an be pretty serious.

Yeah, even at this point Harry realizes that something isn't right with Eb.

[ClintACK]

It always makes me think of Stonehenge, and the idea that it was meant to be a kind of calendar when certain stars line up with certain stones and such.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

It makes me think of asteroids and meteorites. One can become the other, and I suspect Eb has done exactly that in the past, given the Ortega incident and his affinity for Earth Magic. Tunguska anyone?

[BrainFireBob]

Pet theory: It's a Starborn thing- recall how the corner hounds saw Harry.

If Starborn are living conjunctions, they can alter reality. Perhaps their ability to hurt Outsiders is from accepting the Outsider avatar as part of reality by interacting with it- and that's why they can hurt them

[JumpyDragon]

Eb is extremely agitated, gruff, and distrustful more than normal. While this could be due to Harry being Winter Knight, even Ramirez is acting abnormal toward Harry (but that could be from disastrous results from Molly), I'm thinking Eb is Nemfected. Maybe Harry has some Starborn power to slap Eb sober? Highly unlikely, but a faint hope.

[The_Sibelis]

Mmm, I theorize it has to do with celestials and starborn. One thing that might support that was Harry describing the power in the swords to a star.. I place high emphasis on the way Jim chooses his descriptions.

[Mira]

Eb is extremely agitated, gruff, and distrustful more than normal. While this could be due to Harry being Winter Knight, even Ramirez is acting abnormal toward Harry (but that could be from disastrous results from Molly), I'm thinking Eb is Nemfected. Maybe Harry has some Starborn power to slap Eb sober? Highly unlikely, but a faint hope.

On the reread, the idea that Eb is Nemfected entered my mind also, but then again that seems
way too obvious. 

Another thing that bothered me on the reread, Harry put heavy wards around the apartment, but knowing the svartalves can "earthwalk" or move through the earth like water, why didn't he ward the floor as well?

[JumpyDragon]

Another thing that bothered me on the reread, Harry put heavy wards around the apartment, but knowing the svartalves can "earthwalk" or move through the earth like water, why didn't he ward the floor as well?

Well...he lived in a basement for 15+ years. Probably never considered attacks from below.

Jim has also stated that Harry is the incompetent buffoon type of wizard. In WK while fighting Malvora in the deeps, he never considered 3D fighting, only 2D.

[Mira]

Well...he lived in a basement for 15+ years. Probably never considered attacks from below.

Jim has also stated that Harry is the incompetent buffoon type of wizard. In WK while fighting Malvora in the deeps, he never considered 3D fighting, only 2D.

Living in the basement has nothing to do with it, he knew about the abilty to "earthwalk."  Harry may have started out as incompetent, but he no longer is.   It was never a question of competence, more of laziness, he never studied any harder than he needed to to get by.  Like a lot of bright students, he got along because of his raw talent.  It was only when he was saddled with the responsibility for Molly that he applied himself.  Where pre-White Night he'd be hard pressed to pull off a half assed veil, he can do a very competent job of one now.

[JumpyDragon]

True true. And with Mabs's training, Harry should have known better.

[ClintACK]

Another thing that bothered me on the reread, Harry put heavy wards around the apartment, but knowing the svartalves can "earthwalk" or move through the earth like water, why didn't he ward the floor as well?

Good catch.

Warding the door, but not the floor:
1) It's a *much* smaller surface area.
2) It suggests he wasn't thinking of the svartalves as a threat, just external invaders.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Presumably because he thought the Swartalves guarded that approach

[Mira]

Presumably because he thought the Swartalves guarded that approach

More to the point, I don't think he saw them as a threat.  But then again he states that though he doesn't like to do it, he did know how to earthwalk, or more precisely it is something if any decent wizard is capable of learning.  So an unwarded floor left him and his little family vulnerable, except he has Sir Mouse, who is always on the job.